ã€ŠBuy the Land And Cultivate in Different Worldã€‹


 1-00 opening

    I was summoned to another world.

    I was about to get on a crowded train to go to work today, but the scene in front of me changed dramatically the next moment.

    It was like that.

    On the way, I passed through something different dimensionally, and this is the place where I finally ended up.

    What kind of place is it? It''s a medieval European style stone building.

    It must be a castle, judging from the size of the interior and the opulence of its construction. A kingly-looking, pompous man sits on the raised stage, which makes it look more and more like a castle.

    I''m glad you answered the summons and came back from the other world!

    It''s a summons to another world, after all.

    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but I think it''s a good idea.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the world, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it.

    So let''s get right down to it and see if you have what it takes.

    With my confusion as an afterthought, the king and the rest of the other world side of the story goes on without a hitch.

    When the king gives a signal, a few people who look like priests run out of the room.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well.

    Who is that brother?

    It was here that I finally realized that I wasn''t the only person in the room who had been summoned to the other world.

    Including me, there were roughly ten people in the room. I could tell at a glance that they weren''t the original inhabitants of this world, even from the way they were dressed.

    The priests in question were surrounding each and every one of the visitors of that other world and were mumbling and chanting some kind of incantation.

    ''''.........?¡¡The skill this hero-sama possesses is ''Goddess Scythe +2''!¡¡It''s a rare skill!

    ''''Wonderful...!¡¡This summons is a bumper crop!

    The king on the throne nodded with satisfaction at the report.

    The priests continued to surround each one of them in such a manner, holding their hands up to chant a spell and reporting, "What is this person''s skill?

    Finally, my turn came around.

    ''''Brave Lord, we will now be able to view your status. Please cooperate.

    Oh, no, no, no, that''s fine. You''re the one who did the hard work.

    Maybe it''s because of his long career as a company man, but he becomes polite whenever and wherever he goes.

    They must have decided that they''ve gotten an understanding. The priests held up their hands to me in exactly the same order as they had done before and began mumbling and chanting incantations.

    And what happened, some letters and numbers appeared in my head.

    [NAME] Itonami Norio (man)

    [RACE] An Otherworldly Person

    ¡¾s*x¡¿Man.

    [JOB] Not yet

    [Lv ] 1

    ¡¾Possession skills¡¿ None.

    ...What''s this?

    What are the so-called parameters?

    So this is my resume in this world, huh?

    These numbers are the ones that come to my mind, but apparently the priests can see them too.

    They have one item to focus on.

    The priests reported to the king with a reluctant look on their faces.

    ''''Your Majesty. This brave master''s skills are ''none''.''''

    ''None''?¡¡What do you mean?

    ''This brave man has no skills, that''s what I mean.

    What is this?

    The king''s expression, how disappointed he was, was terribly impressive.

    * * * *

    After the ceremony was thus completed, the briefing was held.

    "I am Genesis XVIII, King of the Human Kingdom.

    The king said from his throne.

    The summonses from the other world, including me, line up side by side to listen to the king''s grateful words.

    This world is on the verge of a crisis. We have spent hundreds of years at war with the demons, our soldiers are dying and our wealth is suffering. So we have decided to summon a brave man with special powers from another world to help us. And that is you.

    He says in a hopeful voice.

    ''The Otherworlders are given special powers by the Great God when they cross over to this world. These are called skills. Skills are a blessing from the very God that no one born in this world can possess.

    So those priests were mumbling to each and every one of them to see it.

    We call these skilled heroes from another world "heroes". That is you.

    So we were the brave ones.

    The 10 men and women lined up in the room reacted differently to being told that. Some were simply confused, while others had their eyes sparkling with the satisfaction of their blatant desire for heroism.

    ''''There are many different types of skills, hence I ordered the priests earlier to read the parameters and confirm the skills each person has. This summoning was also quite successful and I was very satisfied with the results. In particular, Momoko-dono''s Goddess Scythe +2 is the strongest skill that can kill even the most advanced demons with a single blow!

    With these words, the king pointed to a high school girl among the ten of us.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city.

    ''''The others also have quite useful skills. We will prepare an environment where each of you can make the most of your skills, so I want you all to serve our country with all your might!

    Do you mind?

    I raised my hand.

    It is common knowledge that it is impolite to interrupt the king''s conversation, but I decided that I didn''t have the luxury of taking it easy.

    ''''What is it...?''''

    He never expected to hear anything from the side of an otherworldly person, and the king is thrilled.

    ''From the totality of the king''s story, I assume that we were called upon to rely on the power of our skills. But I was told by the priests just now.

    ''No skills''.

    I see that clearly marked in the parameters that floated around, even for myself.

    ''I don''t know what the reason is, but I don''t have any skills. Therefore, I won''t be able to be of any use to you guys. So.........!

    I''m supposed to go back to my world?¡¡I can''t do that.

    ...no, I''m not wishing for that.

    I don''t even wish to force myself to return to that corporate life.

    It''s a good idea to have a few of them in your life.

    No! ''You''ve got to be kidding me!'' from several of the summonses.

    It''s not the same for each of us.

    The magic is said to be held by the Demon King, the head of the demon tribe. That''s why you will fight the Demon King''s army with all your might.

    I couldn''t do that if I didn''t have the skills.

    I say again.

    ''I can''t fight the enemy because I don''t have the skills, and I can''t be of any use to you guys. So what do you say, my king, give me some land?

    The land?

    A remote wasteland, far from the city, if that''s what you want. I''d like to live there and work the soil and live in peace and quiet by myself.

    "Hmmm.

    His reaction was slow, but I didn''t miss the king''s nostrils bulging with power.

    Inwardly, he was probably wondering how he could get rid of me, who had no skills, in trouble.

    ''''...Very well. In the first place, we who summoned them without asking for permission also owe a little debt. I suppose we have an obligation to listen to a little bit of selfishness.

    More or less?

    "But of course, you are of another world. Land is not something that can be given away easily. Normally, it is given as a reward to those who have merit. If this is not the case, it could lead to my credentials as a king being questioned.

    I understand.

    So how about this?¡¡Henceforth, it is customary for you to be given ten gold coins as provisions for earning a living in this world.

    At those words, the other summoners groaned at the completion.

    Well, whoever it is, it''s nice to get money without having to work.

    How about we use the ten gold coins to buy some land from me?

    I would like to keep one gold coin on hand to pay for the land. However, we don''t want you to just take the land and not be able to prepare for anything, so how about keeping one gold coin on hand and using the nine gold coins to pay for the land?

    Mm. For better or worse.

    Negotiated.

    * * * *

    This is how I ended up buying land in another world and settling in.

    The other summoners followed the kingdom''s instructions and went to an environment where they could use their skills, or rather their workplaces.

    For some reason, I don''t think I''ll ever see them again.

    Aside from that, let''s enjoy the positive aspects of our second life in another world that has just rained down on us.

    My name is Itonami Norio.

    In my former world, I was a humble businessman.

    Even though I''ve come to the fantasy other world with great effort, calling myself Norio would make me go blank without getting into the atmosphere.

    So, yeah.........

    I''ll change the way I read Norio (Norio)....

    Norio (Kidan).

    I''ll change my name to Kidan.

 2-01 Life of Kidan

    So it has begun.

    The otherworldly life of Kidan, an otherworldly summoner called me, has begun.

    Anyway, I headed to the land I purchased from the king.

    Because that''s exactly where I''m going to live from now on, and it will be my own personal kingdom.

    * * * *

    This is where you''ll be given the land.

    After a few villages, the guide told me this.

    Where do you mean from here?

    As far as the eye can see, it''s like a wilderness.

    The village we just passed is the farthest point in our country. The area beyond this point is unexplored. There are fields and mountains, and not a single human being lives here.

    In a voice without any emotion, the guide says

    The guide says in an unfeeling voice: "You may live anywhere you like rather than in this land outside your country, and call it your own. That is exactly the right you have been given by His Majesty the King for ten gold pieces.

    Nine gold coins, though.

    The remaining one gold coin was put to good use in preparing to live in the new land.

    ''....But the fact that this is an unexplored and uninhabited land means that it''s not exactly the territory ruled by that king, is it?¡¡Are you sure you want to sell that stuff off without permission?

    ''This is none of my business. It''s nothing to do with me, but it was the king''s idea.

    And a guide.

    It was a terrible throwback.

    ''Well, that''s fine. It''s true that the land ahead of us is not our territory, but that''s why we will live independently of the kingdom. Even if we grow and harvest something on the land we live on, we won''t have to collect it as a tax to the kingdom.''''

    Yes.

    That is, if you can harvest it.

    There''s no way I could do that, though, the guide''s cold eyes told me.

    Apparently, the perception of me is that I''m an incompetent otherworldly person who was able to physically get rid of the nuisance.

    The ten gold coins that had to be paid as retainer were also rolled up bodily, and the body was successfully disposed of in a foreign land where no one lived.

    I''m going to leave you here. From now on, we the human race will have nothing to do with you, so feel free to do as you please. Live or die.

    With that, the guide turned on his heel and went back the way he had come.

    Goodbye, take care.

    Well, that king and the people of the country seemed to have a bad vibe, so it''s fortunate that I don''t have to get involved with them in any way.

    Let''s enjoy a free and peaceful life in the other world without any unnecessary ties.

    The vast wilderness that spreads out in front of you.

    Beyond the horizon, we can see the shadows of many mountains.

    According to the guide, you are free to make any part of this unexplored land your own, but this world is considered to have a culture comparable to that of medieval Europe.

    There are probably far more lands that are not ruled by people than lands that are ruled by people.

    If that''s the case, shall we settle down in a place that is thoroughly remote so that we don''t get involved with the people of that country again and get into trouble?

    I''ll go through this wilderness and when I reach the point where I can''t go any further, I''ll live there as my land.

    Then let''s go.

    * * * *

    We''re here.

    As expected, it seems to be impossible to proceed any further.

    Because the ocean is right in front of us.

    We are at the end of the earth...!

    It had already been a month since he parted from that guide and plunged into the uncharted territory.

    If I had walked so thoroughly, there was no way I could return to the king again.

    I don''t have the confidence to accurately remember the way back after passing through mountains and forests on the way.

    ''''Anyway!¡¡So this is where my new life begins........!

    It feels good to think of that.

    And this land, which is my kingdom from today, is....

    There''s nothing here...

    It was really an empty lot.

    Vacant land.

    No houses and not a single child lived in it. No traces of civilization can be seen. It was just an endless wilderness.

    It''s the end of the earth where I spent a month in the wilderness where no one lives, so I should say it''s only natural.

    Well, I guess it''s okay.

    This is how I''m going to live in this other world, carving out an empty piece of land, building a house, plowing a field, and building my own paradise!

    For some people, this is a great adventure in a different world. Face up to the difficulties, unite with your friends, defeat strong enemies and become a hero!¡¡But I''m not so keen on that direction.

    Adventures and such are fine.

    In my previous world I played games and such, but in RPGs, I enjoyed taking the initiative to level up rather than defeating bosses and advancing through scenarios.

    It''s a pleasant feeling to build up as your character levels up, learns new spells, and has more attack power to bury previously unbeatable enemies in one hit.

    I also loved territory management-type simulations, and I loved building up a golden paradise by canstering the income, defense, and satisfaction of the people of a given territory.

    Invasions are out of the question.

    Because it''s a bad thing.

    Didn''t we learn that in school?

    What I will do when I come to another world is to create my own personal paradise.

    It would be nice to train myself into a cheat that no one else can beat, but the training would be sweaty and sober, and more importantly, when I became strong, I would have to fight someone else to verify my achievements.

    That would indeed be a nuisance to the person being challenged.

    I want to enjoy the other world as much as possible in peace.

    That''s why I''m going to let the king talk me into it, and I''m going to win this uncharted territory!¡¡That''s what happened........

    "The more uncivilized it is, the more worthwhile it is to explore........

    I decided to think about it.

    Now I''m going to keep this wasteland in my eyes.

    When this place becomes a paradise, I''ll think back to the landscape of the beginning and say, "We''ve come so far! And to grin.

    ''To that end, shall we get to work on that as soon as possible?

    I unload the load I''ve carried here and spread it out at my feet.

    It was a set of farming tools that I had bought in King''s Landing before coming here.

    A hoe and sickle and other farming tools. Carpenter''s tools such as knives and nails. Sewing tools such as needles and thread, etc.

    Of the first ten gold coins that were given to me, I used the one gold coin that I had left behind.

    Should I be impressed by the value of a gold coin, a coin that can buy so much even with just one gold coin? Or should I turn my attention to the fact that a single gold coin wasn''t enough to assemble a very good selection of goods...and that I had to prioritize quantity over quality?

    In fact, the farm tools and carpentry tools I bought were not of good quality and were for the poorest of the poor.

    This is not a very efficient way to work, but it can be developed gradually.

    This is where my life of exploring another world begins.

    This is where my life of exploring another world begins.

    * * * *

    If anyone is watching what I''ve done up to this point, "Are you an idiot? You might think.

    I''m going to cultivate an empty wilderness and build a paradise.

    That must be fun.

    However, there are things in the world that are not just fun.

    Pioneering is a major undertaking that many people have risked their lives for since ancient times, and it is accomplished through the accumulation of many corpses.

    I wondered how a single man with no means could accomplish such a task.

    Don''t underestimate the pioneering spirit.

    There''s nothing to worry about.

    I''m well aware of the difficulty of the actual pioneering work that goes into it.

    So why don''t we bring it to bear now?

    I was judged as having no skills by the priests of the kingdom.

    I was equipped with no skills.

    A gift.

    A gift from God.

    Not what God gave me, but what God gave me.

 3-02 Gift

    I''d like to go back a bit here and talk about the time just before I was transferred to another world.

    At that time, I wasn''t in either the previous world or the one I''m in now.

    It was a place called the interstice, a different dimension, I guess.

    That''s where I met God.

    ''Bo, bo, I''m God, aren''t I?''

    ..........

    The God who appeared in front of me didn''t look like a god.

    He was too unpretentious and mediocre to be called a god, and frankly, he didn''t look very smart.

    But in addition to that, he was simple and sincere, and he had a dignity that convinced me that he would never lie to anyone.

    ''''Oh, do you have any onigiri?

    ..........

    People make fun of you, but you still seem to be able to create amazing art.

    You''re going to be summoned to another world, aren''t you? You''re going to be summoned to another world, right?

    Dad?

    "Zeus, king of the gods in heaven, isn''t he?

    When I ask what kind of god such anata is........

    I''m Hephaistos, the god of modeling. You''re good at making things.

    Mr. Hephaistos replied.

    He seemed foolish, but he had a likable personality. No, God.

    ''So it''s been Athena''s job to manage the otherworldly summoning until now. But she hates men and blatantly discriminates against summoners, so the other gods complained about her.''''

    I''m going to tell you one way or the other about something I don''t understand.

    In hindsight, I guess it means that when we summoned someone from our world to the other world, there was a god who managed it, and that god had a problem.

    That''s why, as an experiment, the other gods have decided to give their skills to the summoner. I''ve been assigned to you. Thanks.

    Hi, nice to meet you.

    When I could see the sincerity in their attitude, I had no choice but to respond politely.

    ''''Then, I''ll have to give you the skill right away. Hi, this is the first time I''ve given a skill to someone, so I tried a little harder. ''''Hi.''''

    Then something shining from the hand of God appeared.

    That light shoots towards me.

    I''m a god of modeling, so you didn''t cut corners in creating your skills. So it might be a little difficult to handle, but I''m sure you''ll be able to handle it.

    The light sucked into my chest and disappeared.

    Inside, I felt myself and something else tightly assembled and fused together without boundaries.

    ''You want me to make full use of the ''supreme bearer'' I''ve created, right?

    That was the mysterious experience I saw just before I came to the other world.

    * * * *

    From there, through the summoning of other worlds and an audience with the king to come to this uncharted land, I began to understand what that experience was all about.

    That was God giving me a skill.

    I don''t know if the ten or so other summoners who were there besides me had the same experience, but I was given the skill anyway.

    Nevertheless, it''s a big question that the priest judged me to be ''skill-less'', but I suppose it''s a minor question.

    Now is the time for me to try the power given to me by Hephaistos, the god of modeling.

    Activate the Bearer of Excellence.

    I picked up a sickle from a set of tools spread out on the ground and grabbed it.

    The grass around me was overgrown, untouched by human intervention for hundreds of years.

    I swung the sickle at the grass.

    Zan," he said.

    The grass as far as the eye could see was slashed and scattered all at once in a single cleave.

    Did a vacuum wave come out of the scythe''s blade?¡¡The range of the scythe''s blade was hunted down in one fell swoop, an area dozens of times greater than the distance it could reach.

    And that''s not all.

    Normally, weeds are so vigorous that they can revive tomorrow as long as there are still roots left in them after they are cut down.

    But the rest of the weeds that were cut by my sickle withered and withered to the roots.

    "You''ve just reaped the life out of them...!

    The immense power to say so.

    Next I held the hoe.

    ''Again, ''supreme bearer''. Please.

    Since I''m going to use the hoe, I''m going to plow the soil, but I think I''m going to plow the area from here to there.

    So I swing the hoe down.

    Then something like a shock wave is released from the hoe and it runs through the ground and digs up the soil in a straight line.

    The shockwave reached the area I had thought beforehand that I wanted to cultivate up to that point.

    ".........the effect was extraordinary.

    There is no longer any doubt.

    The power of the Supreme Bearer given to me by Hephaistos has been proven.

    The power of the Supreme Bearer that I use is a skill that will bring out more than the maximum role of the tool in my hand!

    If you hold the sickle, you are a master of the sickle.

    If you hold the hoe, you''re a master of the hoe.

    The supreme bearer will change me.

    I''m sure that if I held other tools, it would make me a master of many different things.

    "With this, even pioneering work will be a breeze!

    I''d like to build an altar to Hephaistos for giving me this handy skill and offer him onigiri.

    I don''t know why, but I think that god loves onigiri.

    By the way.

    I wonder why the priests of the kingdom judged me to be ''unskilled'' when they gave me this incredible skill?

    Hephaistos said.

    ''The god who originally managed the otherworldly reincarnation had a problem, so I took over.

    I think that''s what it means.

    It was an irregularity that Mr. Hephaistos gave me the skill.

    Furthermore, he called himself the god of modeling.

    People who make things for a living, without being conscious of it, tend to set their sights on serious quality when they create something.

    As a result, the skill of "supreme bearer" was created by God''s earnestness, and it has become something beyond the realm of skill.

    That''s why my "supreme bearer" is a skill, not a skill, but something beyond a skill.

    If I dare to name it, yes.

    Let''s call it a gift.

    An amazing power that God has given us.

    If the power God gives to people is a skill.

    The power that God gives to people is a gift.

    That would be my ''supreme bearer'' classification.

 4-03 Making a house

    Because it''s a gift, not a skill, the ''supreme bearer'' didn''t respond to the priests'' parameter readings?

    I don''t know what the truth is, but as it turns out, it must have been lucky for me.

    The awesomeness of the "supreme bearer" gift was overwhelmingly apparent even as I cut the grass with a sickle and tilled the soil with a hoe.

    If the kings found out that he had this kind of power, they would applaud him. I would have been sent to the front lines of battle with a legendary sword in my hand, no questions asked.

    I don''t want to die like that.

    The fact that I am able to devote myself to tinkering in the dirt in the middle of nowhere is thanks to the fact that my gift does not insist on something useless, but keeps a low profile.

    I am so grateful.

    Let''s keep thanking God while we continue to cultivate the land.

    First and foremost, we need to secure food, clothing and shelter.

    That is the minimum requirement for humans to live a human life.

    That''s why we built a field to test the effectiveness of our "supreme bearer".

    Farming.

    Farming.

    If he could sow seeds and harvest a variety of vegetables here, he would have no worries about his diet.

    But that''s not going to happen anytime soon.

    I bought a lot of farm tools and tools from the capital, but I''m not sure if the soil here can hold enough nutrients to grow crops properly.

    Of course, the sooner we scatter the seeds, the sooner we can harvest them and the more stable the food situation will be, but we can''t afford to let them die because of that.

    We can''t fail.

    Let''s give them fertilizer and grow them up slowly from the soil.

    I wonder where I''m going to get the fertilizer from?

    Should we still build a manure dump or something?

    Well, let''s think this through.

    I''ve decided to focus my attention on something else.

    Of food, clothing and shelter, housing.

    If we are going to live here, we need a roof to protect us from the rain and dew.

    In fact, standing here, the weather is good, the sun is shining. It''s perfect for camping out!¡¡The environment was tempting to say, but there was no guarantee that this livability would last all year round.

    It could come down to one rain tonight and we''d have to go to hell.

    Besides, the fact that the coastline is within view from here is a cause for concern.

    The sea breeze from the sea will be very bearable, even in winter.

    A house is definitely necessary to keep out the night breeze, but........

    ''....Should we think about where we''re going to build the house?

    I''m talking about not building a house in a place where the sea breeze is going to hit you hard in the first place.

    And the same goes for a farm.

    A sea breeze blowing in from the ocean will not be good for your crops, and if a tsunami or something happens and your fields are flooded with salt water, you''re out of luck.

    I should have plowed some more secluded areas.

    Even though it was to test the effects of the ''supreme bearer'', the cultivated land that he had spread out at a good clip was spread out as far as the eye could see.

    ''''Well, we''ll just have to try things out.''''

    I scoop up the softened soil with my hands directly from the hoe.

    I''m going to ask you to do this for me. I''m going to ask you to grow a lot of good vegetables.

    With that wish, I returned the scooped up soil to the field.

    It was a sentimental act, and to the viewer, it could be an object of laughter. But I would later find out that this act would have a serious meaning.

    * * * *

    Anyway, it''s a house.

    I bought all the carpentry tools I could find, so it would be easy enough to build a house if I had the lumber.

    After all, I have a "supreme leader".

    And securing the lumber was not a problem.

    The farthest land I had chosen for my home, close to the sea, but also close to the mountains.

    I went into the mountains and swung my axe to secure the straight and good timber.

    The "supreme bearer" was also very effective in carrying the lumber, and he was able to carry a single log by himself, which would normally take several people to lift.

    With this, it looks like you can use a log as a weapon in a fight.

    And in the meantime, we built a house overlooking the field we had just created.

    With the "supreme bearer" gift, I''m a master builder with just a saw and a canazooch. There wasn''t much difficulty with the construction either.

    I didn''t even want to turn it into a full-fledged residence to begin with, so it was just a simple hut.

    It would be enough to get rid of the dew at night.

    Still, it was a good enough time to complete the work, and the sun was just about to set on the horizon.

    So much for today''s work.

    I''m going to fill my stomach with the portable food I brought in from King''s Landing. From tomorrow, I''ll have to get my own food.

    Fortunately, this land has both mountains and the sea.

    For a while, going back and forth between the two sides and gathering the fruits of the sea and the mountains will be a way of life.

    Until the crops in the fields are ready to be harvested with fruit.

    Of the food and shelter, clothing is another important issue.

    I bought and brought in as many changes of clothing as I could from King''s Landing, but that will run out at some point.

    I''ll have to find a way to acquire textile clothing on my own before then, or I''ll have to narrow it down to going to the city and buying them.

    I fell asleep thinking about this, and my first day of exploring another world was over.

    * * * *

    The next morning.

    When I woke up in the morning and left the hut, I was astonished to find that something had happened.

    "It''s sprouting...?

    In a field that I had just plowed yesterday.

    In a field where I hadn''t even sowed any seeds.

    There were sprouts coming out.

    Why?¡¡Why?

    Maybe there were some weed roots left in the tilled soil. Or maybe some wild seeds had been carried by the wind from somewhere.

    But the sprouts, strangely enough, were not a jumble, but grew in an orderly fashion.

    Could such a thing happen naturally?

    No way...?

    I remembered.

    Yesterday, I scooped up a handful of freshly plowed soil directly from my hand and called out to him to grow some good vegetables.

    And then I put the soil back into the field as it was, and the soil was touching my hands.

    My hands were tinged with the gift of being the "supreme bearer," a gift that can make a person become an expert at something if they hold it, or bring out the maximum potential of something they touch.

    Don''t tell me that the supreme bearer acted on the soil I held and sprouted a seed that I hadn''t even sown?

    The moment I held the soil in my hands, the Bearer of the Supreme made me the best producer of crops?

    Isn''t that too much to ask?

    Anything is possible!

    It''s confusing, but I have no choice but to nurture what has already sprouted.

    My life as a pioneer in another world seems to have gotten off to a good start.

 5-04 Water problem

    The most important thing in life.

    Water.

    I have heard that people can live for more than a week without food, but they can''t live more than three days without water.

    Securing drinking water was the first and foremost priority for me as I continued to live on the frontier.

    Now that we had built a house and secured our livelihood, we needed to make sure we had a solid water supply.

    To water the crops that sprouted up instantly for me, my next goal is to get water!

    * * * *

    Resolved.

    I''ve told you the conclusion first, but well, let''s start at the beginning and talk about it in order.

    First I made an attempt to get water from the first place I could find it.

    The ocean.

    The land I settled on faces the ocean.

    The Mother Sea.

    Mother Sea.

    Waves that come in and out. The essence of the waves is water.

    Yes, the sea itself is an inexhaustible source of water!

    Sea water. That is, seawater is salt water.

    You can''t use it for drinking water.

    I know that, too. But that doesn''t mean we should just do nothing.

    Can''t we somehow use the inexhaustible seawater for drinking and living water?

    So I decided to try some things.

    The first and foremost thing I thought of was distillation.

    Heat seawater to a boil, separate the steam from the impurities, and then cool it down to make fresh water.

    Well, it''s a lot of trouble just to imagine it, but it''s worth a try for once.

    Fortunately, the pot is in a set of tools that I bought from the capital.

    I poured seawater into it. Put it on the fire and heat it up........

    Ah, but how do you catch and collect the boiling steam?

    How do you start a fire in the first place?

    While I was wondering about many things, my interest suddenly shifted to something else.

    Seawater in a pot.

    I''m just waiting for it to boil over the fire, but I wonder how salty seawater really is.

    I''ve never gone swimming in the former world, but that was a long time ago, and I didn''t even like to drink the dirty sea water of the first world.

    However, the sea here is clear and clean, if I do say so myself.

    I felt like taking a sip of the sea water.....

    So I scooped up the seawater in the pot with my hand and took a sip.......

    ".........hmm?

    Huh?

    Have I lost my tongue?

    I take another bite of seawater to check, scoop it up and bring it to my mouth.

    ''''........I knew it.''''

    It''s not sour at all!

    Fresh water!

    It''s plain water!

    What do you mean it''s saltwater?

    Isn''t it possible... that seawater isn''t salt water in your world?

    That''s not impossible.

    This is a different world, a completely different place than the one I''m from.

    The things that were normal and commonplace over there may not be valid here.

    I''m not going to be able to get out of it," I thought as I looked down at the fresh water-like seawater that was being pumped into my hands.

    ........hmm?

    ........wait.

    The water I scooped up with my hand.

    This hand has been performing unbelievable miracles many times since yesterday.

    They can demonstrate expert-level skills in response to the tools they hold.

    When I touched the soil, I sprouted a crop even though I hadn''t even sown the seed.

    This is the hand in which the gift from God, the supreme bearer, resides.

    "And when it touches the seawater...?

    I tried it out, pouring seawater directly from the pot into my mouth without using my hands.

    "Huh?¡¡!

    It''s hot!

    Salty!

    I coughed uncontrollably and spat out all the seawater in my mouth.

    ''But now it''s clear...!

    It wasn''t this world that was insane, it was me.

    It was my hands.

    The ''supreme bearer'' in my hands had transformed the seawater I touched into excellent drinking water!

    "........How versatile is the Supreme Bearer.......?

    Hephaistos-san.........

    Aren''t you a little too enthusiastic about building your skills?

    Oh, it''s a skill. It''s something more than that.

    It''s a gift. I mean, it''s a gift from God.

    No wonder it''s this versatile.

    * * *

    Well, the drinking water problem was easily cleared up like this.

    I scooped up water from the pot by hand and replaced it in the tub, because we needed water to sprinkle on the field.

    With that alone, the seawater became fresh water.

    The process is tedious and difficult, but if you imagine the process of making fresh water by boiling it, it''s obvious that it''s much more tedious, so I don''t have the luxury of saying it.

    When I finished transferring all the seawater in the pot, I found a faint white substance stuck to the bottom.

    "....salt.

    The water and minerals that make up seawater.

    Did the "Supreme Bearer" divide them up just by touching them?

    The salt content is also salty, and it is an essential element for people to live, so this is helpful.

    After drying it well, I scraped the bottom of the pot off and got the salt.

    We''ve finished watering the field and everything is going well.

 6-05 take life

    The house is secured, water and salt are secured, and the crops in the field are growing well.

    So next I decided to explore and go around the house.

    The first reason was to find food.

    The crops that have been growing nicely in the fields still have a long way to go before they can be harvested.

    The portable food we had brought from the capital was running out of food, so we decided to gather what was naturally available to us in order to keep ourselves alive until we could get a stable supply of food through agriculture.

    I was feeling like a Jomon.

    Fortunately, the land I bought has both oceans and mountains.

    Both of them were a treasure trove of life and food.

    So I decided to take a walk around after I had finished looking after the farm.

    First, the ocean.

    * * * *

    Zazaan, zazaan, and the sound of waves.

    The ocean in this world is far more beautiful than the one I was in.

    The ocean is blue and the sand is white.

    It''s a true sense of unspoiled nature.

    "It feels so good to just walk along the sandy beach...

    All that remained was my footprints on the beach.

    I felt compelled to swim in the sea.

    Since I was the only one here, there was no need to refrain from doing so. I took off all my clothes at once and jumped into the water.

    The water is colder than I thought!

    Still, I enjoyed swimming to my heart''s content.

    I haven''t crawled for the first time in years.

    Of course, they don''t stop at swimming and playing.

    The real purpose of coming to the sea is to gather food.

    Once again, one of the tools I had bought from the royal capital raged here.

    A harpoon.

    I was right to buy a harpoon as I thought there might be an ocean in the place of emigration.

    It was a cheap item, but it wasn''t much of a problem for me as I have the "supreme bearer" gift.

    Just by holding this thing, I will be a great fisherman!

    Just a short distance from the shoreline, it turned into a craggy, rocky area.

    It is in those cracks in the rocks that small creatures lurk that could be used as food.

    Just by diving under the sea with a harpoon..........

    (There it is, there it is........!)

    A gap in the rocks. Shadows of thick seaweed.

    I was most surprised when I caught a small fish, shellfish and octopus.

    It was a true "Got it! It was.

    It was quite wild and full to go up to the beach with these and roast them and eat them.

    The fact that we were able to acquire the salt beforehand made the meal even more enjoyable.

    Just.....

    I don''t mean to say this after eating, but the fish and shellfish I caught in this ocean are slightly different from the ones from my old world.

    The color of their bodies, their horns and tusks, and so on.

    I think the octopus had nine legs. But I ate it without checking it carefully.

    Well, I suppose that''s a different world if you want to call it a different world.

    When it comes to cooking, the gift from the gods, the "supreme bearer" ability, is still on display, and if you grab a knife, you can dismantle it and cook it with a swift motion.

    It is the "supreme bearer" who can even differentiate seawater into fresh water and minerals.

    Even if any of the marine products we ate today were poisonous, let''s assume that the gift could be neutralized while we were cooking them.

    We were able to pick up more seaweed on the beach.

    It was somehow similar to wakame.

    I''d like to drink wakame miso soup eventually, but I''ll wait until I can make miso soup here.

    There was also seaweed.

    We found it stuck to the rocks on the beach, so we picked it up and gathered it up, stuck it on a board and left it there, and it turned out to be just the right amount of dried seaweed.

    A nice touch for a first time...!

    The next time I''ll be able to make it more exquisite and thicker.

    It''s like being reunited with a processed food that reminds me of my old world.

    "If you wrap this in rice, you''ll make a perfect onigiri...!

    When the onigiri are finished, I''ll be the first to offer them to Hephaistos'' altar.

    It''s a great help to me because of the "supreme bearer" gift that God gave me.

    It''s just some preconceived notion, but that God loves onigiri. I''m sure he loves them.

    But in order to do that, we need to grow rice.

    There''s a lot of work to be done.

    I also found some sea urchins at the bottom of the sea, but it was impossible to collect them with my current equipment, so I gave up on them this time.

    I still don''t have enough equipment and facilities to fully enjoy a self-sufficient life in another world.

    * * * *

    So, having enjoyed the ocean, we decided to go up the mountain the next day.

    We went into the mountain once to get lumber for our house, but this time we decided to look around, half in a hiking mood.

    Of course, the main purpose of this trip was to find something to eat, but the first thing we thought of in the mountain area would be nuts and wild vegetables, right?

    There may be mushrooms, but I''ve heard that those are difficult to distinguish from the poisonous ones.

    Such an ecology would be the same in another world, and it would be safe to not touch them until you have some knowledge of them.

    Even if there is a possibility that the "supreme bearer" can purify the poison, what is scary is scary.

    As for the rest, well........

    ''''Hunting........!

    You can also hunt in the mountains, just as you fished in the sea.

    However, hunting in the mountains against the beasts would inevitably involve dealing with bigger fish than the small fish in the sea.

    By all accounts, it would be very difficult, and it would not be a task that could be done with a day''s picnic.

    So I made up my mind not to do such a thing this time.

    If I could pick up some wild plants or nuts, I would be very happy.

    And yet, I met a beast of the mountain.

    A beast of the mountain.

    Moreover, the Sohu was clearly different from ordinary beasts in its oddness.

 7-06 Monster

    A wild boar...?

    In the middle of the mountain, where the trees were thick.

    The moment I encountered this guy, a shiver ran through my body.

    I''m saying it myself, but this boar is not a wild boar.

    It looked like a wild boar, but it was a completely different thing.

    After all, it had horns.

    Two pairs of horns, reminiscent of bullfighting, extended forward as if they were going to be skewered.

    Not only that, the tusks that boars are normally equipped with are also much larger and sharper than the ones I know.

    It was a boar with a total of four and two pairs of projections.

    Its viciousness is incomparable to the boar I saw on TV in the original world.

    ''''Scary........?''''

    The horned boar has already noticed my presence and turned on me with blatant hostility.

    He rushed at me without hesitation.

    ''''Uhii?!''''

    I narrowly dodge the bullet-like rush.

    The horned boar ran through with all its momentum and crashed into the trunk of a tree.

    Four large holes appeared in the trunk, and the tree could not bear the loss and fell over, meowing.

    The tree was so thick that it could have been used as a house pillar.

    ''''Oooohhhh...?

    This boar is clearly not normal.

    It''s exactly like The Fantasy.

    Could it be that it is a monster that is different from ordinary animals?

    Of course, it''s a different world, so it''s only natural that there are monsters....

    While I was saying that, it rushed forward again!

    "Whoa!

    Anyway, the problem should be the strong hostility of this boar monster.

    The moment it finds me, its eyes say "I won''t let you leave alive".

    I''m not going to come to another world and immediately die too!

    Is there anything we can use as a weapon?

    After rummaging through the equipment I had brought with me for today''s walk in the mountains, I pulled out my machete.

    Originally, it was intended to cut away weeds and branches that would get in the way, but this is the only one I can use as a weapon.

    A horned boar.

    He''s looking straight at me and scratching his hind legs.

    I''m going to skewer you this time," he said.

    I grab the machete and gasp for air.

    The tension builds to a climax.

    The boar was the first to move.

    A bullet-rush.

    But I''ve already seen it once. If it''s the second time, I''ll catch the move more accurately, and while anticipating it, I''ll hit the machete on the counter while dodging the attack with a single piece of paper!

    The blade of the mountain sword hit precisely between the horned boar''s eyebrows and cracked its head.

    Bumo-ooh!¡¡And the horned boar falls to the spot with a beastly decapitation.

    I won.

    I didn''t feel like I was alive.

    Upon closer inspection, I saw that the machete in my hand was now just the handle and not the blade.

    It had been broken.

    The impact of the slash snapped it off.

    The blade was still deeply embedded in the horned boar''s brow.

    Perhaps it had reached the brain, and this beast would never move again.

    ''''Oh, I was scared. Those mountains are dangerous!''''

    This was a different world, after all.

    Danger is lying everywhere. And there are some pretty vivid dangers.

    The reason why I was able to defeat this monster is because I became a top-notch warrior the moment I grabbed the machete with the effect of the "supreme bearer".

    Normally I wouldn''t be able to attack and defend in a paper-thin attack like that, dancing like a butterfly and stinging like a bee.

    It really is the ''supreme bearer'' variety.

    But........what should we do about this wild boar........?

    Essentially, it should be "Yay!¡¡Meat! The scene should be applauded.

    A wild boar is a relative of a pig.

    Its meat is said to be as tasty as that of a pig.

    If you apply the fantasy theorem to a boar with horns, it would be absolutely delicious, and you could make good use of its fur.

    However, in order to do so, the prey would have to be cut, processed, bled out and dismantled.

    To do this, I need a large, sharp blade, but the only one I have is the one that broke off just now.

    I don''t have anything else to cut, at least not right now.

    While doing so, the breathless prey is rotting away more and more.

    ''''It''s a shame, but we have no choice but to leave it like this.......!

    I put my hand on the boar''s corpse and decided to just leave.

    Although he had tried to kill me, I couldn''t help but feel a sense of reverence for life.

    I thought about burying him in a mere form, but that would not be right as a law of nature.

    If we leave it as it is, other animals and birds will find a good meal and clean it up for us.

    I had already lost a lot of weight from this attack, so I decided to get off the mountain immediately.

    What I''ve learned this time.

    Mountains are dangerous.

    You should at least get into the mountains when you are a little better equipped.

    We should mainly go to the sea to gather food.

 8-07 Meet the mermaid

    Another few days have passed since then.

    The crops in the field are growing quickly and we are busy looking after them.

    We''re still far from harvesting, but they''ve grown enough that I can guess what they''ll produce.

    Perhaps, in time, I''ll be able to harvest my field....

    Tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, onions, cucumbers, leeks, carrots, squash, and cabbage.

    I guess that''s about it?

    I don''t know if it''s the effect of "supreme bearer", but it helps that even I, a novice farmer, can tell what kind of vegetable it is just by touching the stems and leaves in the middle of growing.

    But even so, it will still take some time to harvest.

    Until then, we''ll just have to live off the sea.

    The mountains are scary, but I''m not going there anymore.

    So I woke up in the morning and took care of the fields, and then went out to the sea to look for food.

    Today, I was going to fish in an elegant way.

    I could go into the sea and catch a fish directly, but it is more efficient to catch a fish that migrates quickly in the sea by feeding it.

    I used a fishing rod, which was one of the tools I had bought from Wangdu, and dropped a fishing line from the rock.

    I could kill two birds with one stone by using the insects I had picked up from my farm work as bait.

    I hoped to catch a big fish.

    When I was basking in the sea breeze, I heard a voice saying, "I hope I can catch a big one.

    ........oh?

    The fishing line was very taut and the rod was bent.

    The fishing line was very strong and the rod was bent.

    It was undoubtedly a big fish.

    I didn''t try to pull it out of the water in a hurry, but first of all, I let it do what it wanted to do and waited for it to run out of stamina.

    I have the ability to be a supreme bearer, so if I let him hold the fishing rod, he''ll be a top-notch fisherman.

    I''m confident that I can catch a single tuna with the raggedy rod I bought for two or three pounds in the royal capital.

    I''d have to struggle with it for a while.........

    ...and the pull is getting weaker and weaker.

    Are you getting tired by now?

    Then go ahead and get yourself fished out. My dinner!

    With a big splash, it was a big fish as expected.

    It was just as we expected.

    He was very lively.

    However......

    Oh no!¡¡What the hell!

    It wasn''t the big one I was expecting.

    It''s definitely a big fish. It''s as big as a human being.

    Or rather, it''s half human.

    The other half is a fish.

    I can''t believe I was caught by a land-based man!¡¡Impossible!¡¡Moo!

    The sorts moan in frustration as they shake their b*tc*y tail fins.

    A mermaid.

    What I caught was not a fish but a mermaid.

    "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.........?

    As expected of a different world.

    There was a mermaid?

    The bottom half is a fish. It''s not a good idea.

    And she was more than enough beautiful, and she was about to charm you.

    I''m not sure if that was the case during the rampage, but my dripping fishing line was tangled all over her body and she was unable to move.

    A girl tied up. Something erotic.

    ''Hey Anata!''

    "You were fishing, weren''t you?" exclaims the mermaid in a furious tone.

    You were fishing, weren''t you!¡¡"You were fishing, weren''t you!¡¡I''m stuck in a bind, I''m stuck in a bind!

    ''''Yeah........?''''

    I couldn''t help but shudder, but when the other party is an intelligent body that can talk, I can no longer consider it prey.

    I''m going to treat it as an object of communication, and I''m going to treat it with civility.

    I carefully untie the line and take the hook out of my mouth.

    "Did you take the bait well...?

    However, I was surprised to have the precious experience of putting my finger in a girl''s mouth in the process.

    Anyway, it was a mermaid.

    When I was fishing, I caught a mermaid.

    I couldn''t understand what he was saying.

    Well, hello...!

    I had no idea what to do, but I tried to have a conversation anyway.

    The important thing is mutual understanding.

    Greetings are the first step of conversation.

    You caught me for a job well done, Okabito!

    However, the other party''s hostility was exposed.

    We''re not going to be able to understand each other.

    I''ll be your wife now that you''ve caught me!

    And then all at once the distance was zero.

    It was really easy for people to understand each other.

    "Wife!¡¡Why?!

    Oh, no, no, no, it''s not.

    There is still a perception gap between her and I that is deeper than the Mariana Trench.

    There is no such thing as a Mariana Trench on this side of the world.

    "Because there is no greater humiliation for a mermaid than to be fished out by a land man...!¡¡I am a defeated mermaid. The loser is doomed to give everything to the winner...!¡¡I''m going to give my body and soul to you...!

    No, no, no...!

    Anyway, I got a wife.

    Mermaid wife.

    Is that what you want?

 9-08 Mermaid Princess Platy

    My name is Platy. My race is mermaids!

    The mermaid I caught said her name proudly.

    I''m not sure if she''s around 20 years old or not. Her lively expression and wide open eyes gave the impression of a beautiful woman without question.

    Her skin was clear and taut, and her hair was lustrous and vivid.

    Even as a human being on earth, she would be understood as an immensely beautiful woman.

    If only the lower half of her body wasn''t a fish.

    ''''Oh, I''m Itonami.......or Kidan.

    Even though he had changed his name when he moved to the fantasy world, he had almost forgotten that name.

    I hadn''t met anyone for the first time in my pioneering career, so I guess it''s no wonder I forgot my name.

    ''''Kidan...!¡¡That''s my master''s name...!

    So, wait a minute.

    This little mermaid is trying to wrap up her story by marrying me completely.

    Why does that happen?

    ''We mermaids basically lick the ground species!

    Why are you trying to pick a fight with me all of a sudden?

    ''I can''t believe I''m being fished out by a land man who underestimates me from the bottom of his heart...!¡¡My pride is torn to shreds!¡¡"What the hell''s wrong with you, back in the water?

    Oh, I get it.

    Why don''t you just go back to your buddy''s house?

    ''I''m already tainted. I''ve been tainted by you.¡¡We can''t go back to the sea!¡¡That''s why we have to make you responsible for providing for us!

    No!

    But wait.

    I''m a human and she''s a mermaid.

    Is there any way she could ever get married to a mermaid?

    No, I mean, international marriage?¡¡I mean, I''ve heard it''s hard for different species to marry each other...!¡¡I think we should reconsider this one...!

    Me, trying to prompt a flip-flop from generalities.

    When I remember the old stories I heard in my former world, I can''t help but have a premonition that it will be a tragic love story, like marrying a mermaid.

    Even if I turn into a bubble and disappear, I''m not going to be able to wake up in a hurry, so would you please leave here with an open mind?

    Different species?¡¡Oh, this one?

    She looked down at her own fishy lower body.

    ''Yes, with a tail like this. I don''t think I''ll be able to mate with you. Hold on a minute and...

    She takes a vial from somewhere and opens the lid and puts it on.

    Is it a liquid inside?

    She drank it all at once.

    Then a tremendous change occurred.

    The lower half of the fish''s body split into two halves as she looked at it, turning into a human leg.

    The mermaid whose lower body became a person itself, in other words, just a person.

    ''''How''s that?''''

    A lustrous legged beauty appeared in front of me.

    Now she was no longer a mermaid, she was a normal human woman from all angles.

    No, she was not just normal, she was beautiful to the extreme.

    ''I can live on earth with this and give birth to your children!¡¡You have no problem marrying me now, do you?

    No....!¡¡Um.........!

    She was standing proudly in front of me with her two finished legs, but I couldn''t help but be upset by her appearance.

    I''m not sure why, but her lower body belonged to a fish until just a moment ago.

    A tail fin covered in scales. She wasn''t wearing anything else.

    Now that it had turned into a human leg, what would happen?

    Yes.

    Now she had transformed into a human lower body and she was wearing a spoonful of clothes, and she was showing a lot of things off!

    ''Put something on anyway!

    I don''t care if it''s pants or a waistband!

    Otherwise, my reasoning will be destroyed!

    * * * *

    In the end, the lower half of my spoonful of confusion pushed me to accept living with her.

    ''You live alone in a place like this?¡¡You have an unusual way of living, don''t you?

    The hut that had been my own stronghold until today was visited by my first guest.

    No, she''s no longer my roommate.

    It seems like she''s really planning to live with us.

    I''ve heard that land people, especially the human race, can only survive in groups, is that not the case?¡¡He said it''s basically weak, so if you''re on your own, you''ll be killed by a monster in a matter of seconds.

    Maybe it''s the right thing to do.

    When I encountered a horned boar in the mountains, I really thought I was going to die.

    Humans are weak creatures by nature.

    ''''Hmmm, so you''re special then?¡¡It''s true that they look like the human race, but the mana they wear is different from the human race and the demon race. ...so it''s more and more appropriate for my husband.

    Prathi smiles a somewhat mischievous and bewitching smile.

    Once again, Prathi is her name.

    My wife, apparently.

    That''s what happened in the course of all this talk.

    Although I''m not much of a barging wench, I am somewhat relieved to have a roommate called her.

    The reason is that although it''s been a long time since I first started exploring another world, the loneliness is eating away at me more than I thought.

    I shuddered at the fact that I had almost forgotten my own name earlier.

    In order for humans to live like human beings, the recognition of others is still essential.

    ''So how are you living here?

    Prati asks me.

    She was now wearing my changeable trousers on her humanized lower body and keeping a uniform appearance.

    At first, she complained, "I don''t want to wear these tacky clothes! But I couldn''t back down, either.

    I even gave her an ultimatum: "I can''t marry you if you can''t wear pants," and managed to make her give in.

    Eventually, I''ll have to buy or make a costume that she''ll like.

    ''No matter how....'' I guess I''m trying to be self-sufficient here. Food, house, tools. A modest life where you make everything and consume it all yourself.

    Hmm, that''s weird.

    One word and he kicked me out!

    Godd*mn it!¡¡Doesn''t he understand the romance of self-sufficiency!¡¡Doesn''t it just seem like a pointless act!

    But I understand that your husband wants to live like that. I''ll do it.

    Can you help me?

    What are you doing?

    There''s a lot of things I can help you with. Is this able wife of yours the master''s "Juju-Soku"?¡¡I''ll support you in your life.

 10-09 Kazu Nukas wife

    Wives are what you catch.

    That''s how I got my wife, the mermaid platy.

    Well, to be clear, she is a barging wench, but how will adding her to my life change it?

    I asked her a lot of questions first, and she said she''s a master at making potions.

    ''''Pharmacy magic is the original magic of the mermaid race!

    That''s what they say.

    Prathi takes off his pants once and becomes a lower body mappa and returns to his mermaid form. He goes into the sea and we don''t hear from him for a day or two. When he came back on land, he came back with all sorts of concoctions.

    I''ve brought these over from home. It''s like a bride-to-be!

    Flasks, test tubes and pestle mortars. I saw them in the science room at school a long time ago and they have long since faded into the distance of my memory.

    Apparently, the tools used to prepare medicines are not so different in other worlds.

    You can make a potion by mixing various medicinal herbs and fruits with magical powers. The finished potion has various effects and can be used by those without magical powers, so it''s very useful!

    I see.

    But it helps to know that I can get the medicine.

    From now on, there will be times when I will get sick, well, someday, I''m sure I will.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find some medicines in the tools you bought from the capital, but if you use them, they''ll be gone someday, and it''s reliable to be able to make them each time you need them.

    ''''Oh, it''s a shame that people think that''s all my potions are just that!

    What do you mean?

    Anything.

    Prathi''s answer was too out of the ordinary for me to understand.

    ''There''s nothing my potions can''t do. Just say whatever you want. I''ll grant you your wish instantly!

    She declared confidently, and I wanted to test her skills as well.

    ''''Yes........!

    I''ve given it a lot of thought.

    What I''m most concerned about right now is the vegetables in my garden.

    They are growing by my hand, and if they can grow healthy and bear fruit as quickly as possible, then I will be very happy.

    I''ve heard that not only humans but also plants have nutritional supplements to keep them healthy and medicines to help them beat diseases that only plants can cure.

    Can platies make such medicines too?¡¡I asked somewhat provocatively.........

    "I can''t do it!

    I don''t know why," he replied in an inane tone.

    What you want is for this field to produce a good crop," he replied. Then Ba Herring G''s fish manure is the perfect solution.

    ''Bani Shingu?¡¡Fish Hee?

    I''ll just be a minute.

    Prathi once again took off his pants and jumped into the sea, exposing his cute little ass in full view.

    Apparently, mermaidification is done while swimming.

    Is he in that much of a hurry?

    This time, he came back faster than when he went to get the blending equipment.

    It''s only an hour or so.

    This time, however, what we brought with us was a surprise.

    It was a huge fish.

    This is Ba Herring G!

    The length from the tip of the nose to the tail fins was more than the height of an adult male.

    When I first saw it, I thought it was a shark and was super scared, but it seemed to be different. The size is what it is, but if you look closely at the shape, it''s similar to the blue fish you''d see sold in a fish store.

    Or rather.........

    ''Herring?''

    It''s Ba Herring G!

    Prathi gave me a detailed explanation, and I heard that fish are classified as fish-shaped monsters, even if they are fish.

    She caught the sorts and suddenly dropped her head with a span with her hand sword.

    Scary.

    It seemed to be a kind of magic too, and Prathi crisply carved up the giant fish and threw it into the cauldron, chopping it into appropriate pieces.

    The cauldron he brought along with the concoction tools, how it looks like a witch would use it to make a potion.

    Well, I guess that''s actually true.

    It was gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. All the while, Prati was mumbling something like a spell.

    When I scooped up a piece of boiled fish meat, he was squeezing it as hard as he could with some other equipment.

    A squeezer?

    Didn''t we have one of those?

    I got it!¡¡This is Ba Herring G''s magic fish fertilizer!

    Is this squeeze lees more of a fertilizer?¡¡Not the squeezed juice?

    Come to think of it, I''ve heard about it in the previous world.

    In the olden days, when chemical fertilizers had not yet been developed, fish were used to make fertilizer.

    It was so efficient and cost effective that people engaged in the specialized business of making it were able to build palaces.

    They would dry it, grind it up, and sprinkle it on the fields. We''re going to dry it, grind it up, and then scatter it in the field!

    I''m sure those processes will take a few days, but Prathi was instantly done with magic or something.

    ''Now your field will be fine!¡¡You''ll grow up faster, too!

    That''s encouraging.

    It''s like a grower''s saga: you can''t wait for harvest time.

    It''s been quite a while since I''ve been working on fish manure, and I decided to finish up today''s work and take a break.

    Prathi and I had dinner with the seaweed and shellfish we had reserved for ourselves, and we slept in the hut together.

    Well, I guess it''s only natural since we''re a couple, but it''s indeed impossible for two people to live in a shack.

    If it is only one man, there is no problem at all to sleep with a blanket on the floor, but I can''t let a girl do such a thing.

    I''d have to renovate or build a new house, but at the point where I think that, I''m not accepting living with Prati?

    Also, sleeping side by side with a girl under the same roof is going to destroy my reasoning.

    I did.

    * * * *.

    The next morning.

    I looked at the field and saw that the crops were fully harvested.

    Each branch and ear tip with abundant fruit. They had reached the final stage of growth.

    ''''It''s really growing fast!

    And faster than I could have ever imagined!

    It looks like we''re all ready to harvest!

    Before I added fertilizer, it still looked like it was in the middle of growing!

    What''s with all the extra fertilizer?

    What did I tell you?¡¡He said my potion would be useful.

    Prathi woke up after me, and how proud he was of his chest.

 11-10 harvest

    Because the Ba Herring is a fish-shaped monster, it has a lot of mana in its body, and I adjust it as I add magic to it. And since I adjust it by adding magic to it, it''s only natural that it will be hundreds of times more effective than normal fertilizer!

    Is Platy actually a great guy?¡¡That was the first moment I thought.

    Anyway, I can''t keep on being dumbfounded. Now that the fruit is there, we have to harvest it.

    If we miss the best time, the taste will be even worse.

    We hurriedly harvested the vegetables, still in a drowsy mood.

    The harvest season has come and gone for a good portion of the field, and we''re dizzyingly busy.

    Prathi, who originally lived at sea, seemed to have no experience in farming at all, and the harvesting was almost useless.

    After all, it was my place to be the ''supreme bearer'', and by the time the sun climbed into the south-central part of the country, there were boxes filled with harvested vegetables.

    The boxes were assembled in an attempt with scraps of wood from when we built the hut.

    It was really good that I had made them early.

    We didn''t finish harvesting everything, but we took a break here.

    It''s not enough to finish all of this in one day.

    "Hey~ I can finally rest. I''m so tired~

    Prathi seemed to be extra drained by the unfamiliar task.

    ''''Land people get their food through such a messy process. I really don''t understand it.

    With that, Prathi picked up one vegetable on a whim from the harvest.

    It was a tomato.

    Bright red and ripe and delicious.

    ''''Hey, what''s this vegetable called?''''

    Have you never heard of tomatoes?

    As a mermaid, does Prati have a lack of knowledge of the ground?

    No, it''s a different world before that.

    The vegetables that were commonplace in the previous world may not exist here.

    After all, they grew on their own when I picked up the soil and reminded myself of it.

    "Can I try this?

    Oh, oh. Good.

    If it''s a pumpkin or a potato, but if it''s a tomato, it''s probably okay to just go with it.

    Prati opens her mouth wide and takes a bite out of the tomato.

    Making a crunching sound, he chews it a couple of times while dripping bright red juice from the edge of his mouth.......

    ''''U........!

    ?

    Hey, what''s up?

    ''''Uh-oh, woo-oh!

    I got a reaction that was beyond my imagination.

    "What is this?¡¡It''s so good!¡¡Yummy!¡¡It''s too good!¡¡Do people on earth eat such delicious food?¡¡Or what makes your vegetables so special?

    I''m glad to hear that he was pleased with it.

    Prathi was so impressed with the taste of the tomatoes that he tried to reach for the onions and even the radishes to taste the other vegetables, and I stopped him in a hurry.

    It took me a while to explain, "These have to be cooked before you can eat them.

    It reminded me that the crops in my former world are the products of advanced research and repeated breeding and improvement to make them ''tastier''.

    It''s hard to say for sure without comparing them, but I think there''s a big difference in the quality of produce between this world and the one in which we have reached the level of civilization of medieval Europe, as I see it.

    These vegetables that have been brought to other worlds by my ''supreme bearers''.

    Maybe they are on the level of being revolutionary.

    Anyway, since Prathi was nagging me for more, I decided to make a full-fledged meal out of them.

    In other words, we''re going to cook the harvest as soon as possible.

    However, with the lack of seasonings and cooking utensils, it is unlikely to be able to do much cooking at the moment.

    We had to throw the vegetables cut into pieces and stew them in a pot.

    There was only a little bit of salt to season them.

    Still, Prati said, "Yummy, yummy! And then he scratched in.

    I''m glad I made it.

    After all, there are a lot of things we lack to improve our quality of life.

    For now, we only have a few pots and knives that we bought from the royal capital.

    In addition to that, I would like to have a frying pan and, if I were to talk about luxury, an oven.

    I also want a wide variety of seasonings.

    I''ve heard that sugar and pepper can be made from plants, so it would be possible to obtain them through the "Supreme Bearer".

    I''d like some spices, too.

    Pepper is a kind of spice, and herbs. I''ll pick up the soil in my hands again and try to remember that the plant-based products can be made inexhaustibly through the supreme bearer.

    Now I also have Prati. I''m sure she''s very good at mixing potions and spices as well. I''m sure she''d be able to create some delicious spices for you, as long as you can find the right ingredients.

    If you use the "supreme bearer", you could even make it yourself," a comment might be heard from somewhere, but that would be a lonely way of thinking.

    Life in another world is hard, but it''s fun.

    One thing after another, it becomes clear what you need to do.

    The repertoire of ingredients is not wide enough to include only vegetables, so I''d like to have meat as well.

    Eggs and dairy products too.

    As expected, we couldn''t grow those things out of the field through the "supreme bearer", so we had to do something else.

    Oh well.

    There''s no deadline or deadline.

    Just take it in slowly and slowly, one at a time, and accomplish it.

    For now, we''ll work with Prathi to clean up the rest of the harvest.

    * * * *

    Then I immediately began to grow herbs and spices.

    He cultivated the field as he had done the first time and spread it out, taking the soil directly into his hands as a reminder.

    ''Spice growing...!¡¡Grow herbs.¡¡Pepper, nutmeg, turmeric, pepper, pepper, sage, basil...!

    Surprisingly, I can say a lot of different kinds of herbs.

    I scattered some magic fish fertilizer from the platy.

    We were able to harvest it in the blink of an eye.

    I left the harvests to her, but she was mixing them with a glint in her eye.

    It seems that medicinal herbs from other worlds are quite rare.

    I also grew some other sugar cane, so I''ll try to refine it and make sugar while trying out different things.

 12-11 Hungry Ghost Starfish

    There is another thing that has changed dramatically since Prati came to our settlement.

    This is worth mentioning.

    That''s the toilet.

    If you can get in, you can get out.

    It''s a physiological thing.

    How to deal with excrement is the second most important issue after food, clothing and shelter.

    I couldn''t leave this as a matter of course.

    And the truth is, what did I do with the toilet until now....

    .........

    ........there''s the ocean, near there.

    They flushed the toilet directly down the toilet.

    I''ve heard that old sailors used to do this, and the mother sea is so big that it can easily take a little pollution.

    There are all kinds of components swirling around in the ocean, and if those components can grow plankton and other microorganisms, and small fish eat them, and then bigger fish eat them, and then I can catch the bigger fish, and that completes the food cycle, that''s a good thing, isn''t it?

    When I told him that, Prathi got super pissed off.

    "It''s not like that!

    I got down on my knees and apologized.

    I got down on my knees and apologized profusely.

    "I hate that kind of insensitivity of land people!¡¡The food cycle in the ocean is completed by sea life alone!¡¡Don''t pour the filth of another world into it without permission!

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡You''re right!¡¡I''m sorry...!

    I''m rather unable to disobey her anymore.

    But, well, the land people aren''t as neat as you and the other mermaids, so it can''t be helped. Hold on a minute.

    ?

    I''ve got a surprise for you.

    And so Prathi dove into the sea, once again as a lower body mappa.

    Then he came back with something.

    ''Here''s a must-have item to solve the toilet situation!

    BAM!¡¡And.

    Something in the shape of a star that Prathi holds up.

    That''s.....

    ''Starfish?''

    A starfish-shaped monster, to be exact. Like the Ba Herring G we caught the other day.

    So it''s no ordinary starfish.

    Monsters are put to good use in this world.

    "This starfish is a monster called the Little Starfish. "This starfish is an omnivorous creature, unlike most starfish, that will eat anything it can get its hands on.

    ...Is that okay?

    Yeah, so be careful when you grab them. They''ll bite your fingers.

    It wasn''t all right.

    I''m going to put this thing in a tub or a box or something and fill it with water.

    As Prathi said, he prepared a few brat starfish and a tub of water.

    ''This completes your toilet,''

    What?

    This is a toilet?

    That''s just a tub of water.

    With a few starfish in it?

    Would you like me to demonstrate?

    Prathi pressed a small knife-like blade against his arm.

    As it is, he draws a line in a swoop.

    ''''Okay!''''

    Then a straight cut is made on her white skin, and blood spills out in trickles.

    I''m not going to be able to get it right.¡¡What''s going on?

    It''s okay, don''t worry. A wound like this, just put some medicine on it...

    When I applied the ointment, the wound on my arm disappeared without a trace, as if it was a lie.

    Mermaid medicine is awesome.

    On the other hand, the starfish tub in question had blood flowing from the wound and the water inside had turned bright red.

    The picture was a bit frightening.

    The water in the vat all red.

    Perhaps it was her purpose to do so, but what was the point of doing so?

    ''Because ... you can''t actually do your business. In front of your eyes.

    ?

    It didn''t make sense for Prathi to blush again, but there was a dramatic change that couldn''t be bothered with that.

    The water in the vat, which had turned red with blood, became clearer and clearer in an instant.

    The process, I wondered, took less than a minute.

    To my surprise, the water in the vat had completely regained its original clarity.

    I could clearly see the starfish sticking to the bottom.

    ''This is the effect of the little starfish. You must have been surprised.

    ''These nasty starfish eat even the smallest organic matter floating in the water,'' said Prati.

    These nasty starfish suck up all the microscopic organic matter floating in the water and eat it, as well as the excrement of the larger creatures. These nasty starfish suck up all the microscopic organic matter floating in the water, including the excrement of larger creatures. In this case, I used blood as a substitute...!

    Okay.

    If they can absorb the blood and add it to the nutrients, then the excrement is just as good.

    In the land of mermaids, these starfish are valued as the "cleaner of the sea" and are always available in every home for sewage and garbage disposal.

    The starfish absorbs all the waste and stores it as nutrients, but it only divides and multiplies. If there are too many, you can boil them to death and use them as fertilizer, just like Ba Herring G. Or you can tear them up and use them as bait for fishing.

    A dream material that can be put to good use no matter how you look at it.

    Thus, a clean toilet was added to our settlement.

    I didn''t want to leave them in the hut I''m currently bunking in, so I decided to build a more compact hut some distance away and put a tub with a starfish in it to make a private toilet.

    Normally, we should store the excrement for fertilizer, but we already have a powerful fish manure called Ba-Herring-G.

    So we immediately adopted a toilet for the starfish. We are glad that our life became richer by one more thing.

    Prathi has also taken up residence completely, and their shared life has become the norm.

    Those days went on for a while.

 13-12 Dungeon discovery

    I was getting used to living with Platy.

    ''I found a dungeon,''

    She suddenly told me that.

    ''Dungeon...?''

    Is that what you''re saying?

    The one where you go underground to find treasures, fight monsters, and have bosses waiting for you at the lowest level?

    It''s dangerous to think only on the basis of preconceptions instilled in me by the previous world, so I''ll listen carefully to Prati''s explanation here.

    ''I was exploring this area and found it at the cove. It''s a cave type thing.

    Explore?

    You''d think he''d disappear from sight sometimes, but he did that?

    I mean, it''s necessary, though. To explore around the habitat and get a good idea of what''s out there.

    I was so traumatized by a horn boar attack as soon as I entered the mountains that I lost myself in the field work. I''m the one who should have completed it before the platys arrived.

    It''s something of a disappointment.

    "So what''s this dungeon?

    ''What?¡¡What?¡¡Are you sure you don''t know about dungeons, Master?

    They looked at me like I was looking at an unbelievable idiot.

    .........it can''t be helped, I''m after all a person from another world.

    I have to be taught from the very beginning what all the inhabitants of this world know.

    I''ve been keeping this a secret, thinking that talking about it would be a problem, but now it occurs to me.

    I was summoned by the king of this world.

    So, in this world, summonses from other worlds are not so rare, and there''s nothing to keep secret about them.

    So I decided to take the plunge and reveal a lot of things to Prati.

    ''''Hee~, your husband was a brave man!

    When the explanation was over, Prathi looked like a lot of things had become clear.

    ''Brave?¡¡No, I''m not....

    The people summoned from another world by the humans are called heroes, right?¡¡That much I know of, even the mermaid attaches.

    Does the definition of a brave person in this world refer to all those who have been summoned to another world?

    If that''s the case, does that mean I''m a brave person too...?

    ''The legal magic used by the human race has the ability to call a brave man from another world. ........But that?¡¡Aren''t brave men supposed to fight demons for the sake of the human race?

    I don''t like that sort of thing, that''s why I''m here living in seclusion.

    I love that life!¡¡I''m falling in love with your husband more and more!

    I''m glad to hear that too.

    I mean, I''m getting off topic. The topic of conversation right now is dungeons.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who is new to this world, so I''ll give you a lecture. Let''s go!

    ''Go?¡¡Where?

    The dungeon. Wouldn''t it be easier to see it in person rather than talk about it?

    Indeed.

    We decided to finish today''s worth of field work before heading to the dungeon.

    * * * *

    This is a dungeon?

    It was a two-hour walk from our basic living area of the field.

    There was a dungeon that close by.

    "....a cave.

    Yeah, I told you, I''m the cave type.

    On the beach, in a corner of a raised rocky area, was the cave.

    At first glance, it looks like a nondescript cave.

    If I hadn''t been told about it beforehand, I would have thought it was just a hole created by seawater erosion.

    However, the intuitive part of the cave is that you can feel a strong sense of abnormality.

    The feeling of stagnant air wafting from the entrance of the cave is nothing short of extraordinary.

    The tongue of an invisible giant beast is licking all over your face.

    ''''As expected, it looks like you''ve sensed the strangeness of the dungeon with your own skin.

    Prathi wasn''t too perturbed by this.

    She seemed to have already gotten used to this feeling. As expected of a current world citizen.

    ''''Dungeons can be created in places where streams of mana have accumulated. The stagnant mana twists the space and creates an alternate world. That other world is a dungeon.

    It explains the dungeon, the theory of the dungeon in the first place.

    Or chi?¡¡The energy of the universe?

    Anyway, such things flow and circulate around the world.

    And depending on the place, the flow stops and there are parts that become stagnant. Those places become dungeons.

    That''s why the mana in dungeons is so dense, and as a result of this concentration, it''s said that monsters are reborn in dungeons.

    In other words, in this world, dungeons are where monsters are born.

    The monsters born in the dungeon will eventually overflow out of the dungeon. The monsters that roam the seas above the ground are all from dungeons somewhere.

    Isn''t that a bad idea?

    Of course. That''s why dungeons in the vicinity of the residence are the biggest drawback for the residents. If they are left unattended and the area is overrun with monsters, they are a danger to themselves and their fields will be ravaged.

    It''s a big deal.

    We''d be crying if some monster came out of this cave and ate all our hard-earned vegetables.

    What are we going to do, Prati?¡¡Can''t you crush this dungeon?

    "You want to wipe out the dungeon itself?¡¡That''s a huge task, because in order to do that, you''d have to change the flow of mana itself. It''s more practical to dive in and take out monsters on a regular basis than that.

    Heh.

    We''ll get some monster material.

    Hmm?

    Anyway, let''s get in there, dungeon. Let''s go in and see what''s going on inside and clean up properly.

    I guess cleaning up means defeating the monster. And not just one of them.

    Well, if it''s as Prathi explained, it''s certainly more efficient to clean out all the monsters in the dungeon, rather than letting them flood out first.

    Above all, I''m worried about letting my wife, Prati, go under the water by herself.

    Since I have no choice, I''ll go with her.

 14-13 Enter the dungeon

    From the outside, the dungeon looked like a seaside side-hole, but I was surprised when I entered it.

    The inside of the dungeon is incredibly neat and tidy.

    The walls, floor and ceiling are flat, just like the passageway of some castle.

    But the monsters were there, and as soon as they found us intruders, they attacked us.

    ''Sir!¡¡Stay back!

    Prathi took something out of the bag he had brought with him and threw it at him.

    It was a glass-making examiner.

    Inside are chemicals that shine suspiciously, and as soon as the examiner breaks when it hits the monster''s body, it causes a terrible change.

    One chemical explodes into flames as soon as it comes into contact with the air. Another chemical froze the monster from the part it had been exposed to, and another chemical released an electric shock to numb it.

    That kind of battle potion seemed to be the mermaid race''s specialty.

    More than ten monsters had already been eliminated by Prati.

    I just watched it from behind her.

    It''s easy to do nothing and let things progress, but if I don''t do much, I won''t be able to stand as a man.

    I wanted to do something anyway, but I didn''t know what to do.

    After all, I am a man of no use unless I have the right tools in my hands.

    The gift that God gave me, the ''supreme bearer'', is the ability to become a master of all fields in accordance with the tools in my hands.

    That is, on the flip side, if you have no hands, you are useless.

    If I knew that I would even enter the dungeon, I would have prepared some kind of weapon.

    A sword had fallen in front of me.

    ''As expected of a dungeon.

    Local use of found objects is the best part of dungeons.

    As soon as I grabbed the sword, I became the Sword Sage.

    ''''Torya!''''

    Prati''s attack potion slashes through the monsters that have been struck down.

    This made our formation even more solid.

    ''''That''s my master!¡¡I''m going to fall in love with you all over again!

    The monsters in the dungeon were of various types.

    Snake-type and lizard-type. Orcs, goblins, and something close to a person. There were also those that looked like a piece of sludge that I didn''t understand, and that I doubted were living things.

    We kicked all those things out and by the time we reached the bottom of the dungeon, we had reached the very bottom of the dungeon.

    ''Are we almost to the bottom?¡¡That wasn''t as deep a dungeon as I thought it would be.

    ''Still plenty of time,'' says Prathi with an expression that says.

    ''I mean, isn''t it time to leave?''

    I''ve cleaned up the dungeon, and for this amount of time, my fields won''t be overrun with monsters to the point of damage.

    I don''t want to do anything dangerous, and I don''t want to have a big adventure.

    That''s my credo for my otherworldly life.

    ''''Hmm, you say that, but I''m curious about it...''''

    What?

    The way this dungeon is arranged.

    Ready?

    Well, for a cave, the interior is surprisingly clean.

    The floor, walls, and ceiling are so clean and flat that you''d think they were made by hand. Or is it made of stone?

    When we moved to the lower level, it was stairs.

    It''s completely artificial.

    As an otherworldly person, isn''t this what dungeons are all about in the first place?¡¡I wondered if it was still different?

    ''''The monsters that came out were also somewhat under control. Maybe this dungeon, this dungeon.......is there.

    Hello?¡¡What?

    "Lord,

    Owner?

    You mean the dungeon boss?

    ''It''s a super rare dungeon with the Lord in it. And it''s also a super dangerous dungeon...!

    ''What?¡¡What do you mean?

    Because there are basically only two kinds of people who can be dungeon masters. One type is the dragon. The other kind is....

    And as we were walking along, me and Prathi, both legs stopped at the same time.

    It was because the passage had come to a dead end.

    No, it wasn''t.

    The end of what seemed like a wall was made to look like it could be pushed open.

    The door...?

    Structurally, this seems to be the end of the dungeon. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s behind this door...

    Let''s turn back now.

    Before I could say that, the door opened by itself.

    I wasn''t doing anything.

    The cold air leaking out of the open door was intense.

    Suddenly my breath turned white.

    ''''This demonic air...!¡¡No doubt....!

    Suddenly, Prati changed to a serious tone of voice.

    ''''I knew this dungeon had a Lord........!¡¡And worst of all...!

    The worst of the worst?

    You said it earlier, Prathi. There are basically two types of dungeon masters, one of which is the dragon.

    And the other one is...?

    "The King of the Undead. The No-Life King...!

    Waiting for us on the other side of the open door was a human wrapped in an extravagant outfit.

    However, although it had the silhouette of a human, its body was completely dried up on the surface.

    Like a mummy.

    If it were an ordinary human being, it would be obvious that he or she is dead for sure, but this guy is certainly alive.

    But it is indeed alive.

    A zombie.

    Undead.

    Undead.

    ........he was that guy.

    And from the way Prathi talks, he''s the biggest and strongest of them all!

 15-14 Immortal King

    The No-Life King.

    It is the deadliest and worst threat in this world.

    The undead undead, where the dead re-activate themselves against the laws of nature. It is said that the No-Life King reigns supreme.

    A great mage or a high priest with high magic and intelligence before he was born turned into the undead by his own will and became an eternal being.

    They have the stubbornness of the undead. He has the magical power to turn himself into undead at will.

    In addition to that, he has gained eternal life from a pseudo-object, and his intellect has been accumulated over a long period of time and is far superior to that of a mere human being.

    The Immortal King of No-Life is the culmination of all these various troubles.

    The only person who can match him is the dragon.

    In this world, encountering a dragon or the No-Life King means death.

    * * * *

    .........That''s all the explanation that Prathi gave me about the No Life King.

    Was such a bad guy using this dungeon as his base?

    Stepping into the lowest level of the dungeon where the No-Life King was waiting for me was, of course, extremely dangerous.

    No, it''s a level that doesn''t matter how dangerous it is, because you will surely die if you step in.

    You can''t escape even if you want to.

    After all, this is a dungeon where he''s based, deep within the dungeon.

    The No-Life King, which far surpasses humans in both ability and intelligence, will never be able to escape from its target.

    All we can do is just stand up to it.

    That''s our only chance of survival, even if it happens.

    That''s why we fought as hard as we could.

    And we won.

    * * * *

    How did we win?

    We were the ones who raised the battle cry.

    We won rather easily against the worst threat in the world!

    How in the world did that happen?

    "Because of the sword in your hand, I believe.

    The defeated No-Life King-san was holding his hands up in a ''surrender'' pose.

    His body was torn to pieces from being cut down by me, but he was a zombie to begin with, and I don''t have a feeling that he was pretty much torn to pieces before he fought me.

    More importantly.........

    ''''Huh?¡¡A sword?

    So that''s the sword I procured locally in this dungeon.

    It was the main weapon in the fight against No-Life King-san this time, too.

    You''re surprised at yourself. You prepared the holy sword because you want to avenge me, the immortal king, don''t you?

    That''s the Holy Sword?¡¡That''s it?

    No, no, no!

    It''s just a found object!

    A locally procured and locally used one!¡¡Moreover, I found it relatively close to the entrance, but is there a holy sword randomly falling out of the ground like that?

    "Hmm...?¡¡Wait a minute.

    Mr. No-Life King turned on his heel and retreated to the back of the room and began rummaging through the miscellaneous area.

    ''I knew it was gone.''

    ''What?¡¡What?

    "I had a holy sword in my possession. You have found your master and come to him.

    What?

    The Holy Sword is a sword with a will of its own. The Holy Sword is a sword with a will of its own, and it chooses its own master to fight its battles. You have been chosen by the Holy Sword.

    With that, the Immortal Champion knelt down on his own.

    My role in this world ends today, now that the holy sword has won the Lord. Please use the sword to put an end to my work in this world. With the light of the holy sword, I can purify my body, which is cursed by immortality.

    You don''t have to do that...!

    I didn''t know what to do.

    I looked at Prati behind me for help, but she just shook her head and said, "I''m out of my depth.

    I guess I''m supposed to make my own decision.

    But this old man of the No Life King (?) (laughs) When you''re in the presence of someone you can talk to, he seems like a very nice guy.

    I don''t want to kill him for nothing. No, but he''s already dead.

    Ah........maybe, but I''m not the real owner of this holy sword.

    "What?

    I''m from a different world, and then the gods gave me an ability...

    He explained succinctly that if you hold anything in your hand, you can become a master worthy of your possessions.

    ''''So I think this holy sword is only foully handled by the power of the gift. I''m not the true master of this guy. I''m sorry for taking it out without permission, I''ll return it to you.

    And held out the holy sword.

    But No Life King''s reaction was also exceptional.

    ''''I see, with the magic of summoning the heroes.......!¡¡However, such an unbelievable ability no longer fits within the framework of skills...!¡¡''Isn''t this the gift of the gods, as the legends say!

    It became something of a respectful term.

    "A summoner who receives a gift from God can no longer be called a hero. A saint. Have you always been a saint?

    How did you manage to get yourself ranked?

    Oh, Saint...!¡¡Pardon my ignorance, though!¡¡We''re delighted that you''ve decided to visit a place like this...!¡¡I will give you the greatest possible hospitality, although it''s late........''''

    Five bodies were thrown into the ground by the undead king.

    What in the world is going on here?

    I and Prathi, who was accompanying me, were both stunned.

 16-15 neighborhood

    The undead are a type of monster.

    However, they seem to be in a special category that is different from other monsters.

    Well, even if you think about it normally, they''re the dead that have been resurrected.

    They are probably even more contrary to the laws of nature than other monsters.

    Apparently the undead in this world have a distinctly different emergence condition than other monsters.

    According to the explanation from Prathi, the monster is the mana (magic power?) that has accumulated in the dungeon. The undead are generated when the mana puddle condenses.

    Undead generation is basically the same, but when the mana puddle condenses, it relies on a certain object to create the undead.

    A corpse.

    Most of the time, adventurers and other adventurers who have gone into a dungeon and never returned home become the source of undead.

    The undead are the shells of souls that have left, and the mana that stagnated in the dungeon, and reincarnated as unreasonable creatures.

    The living dead, skeletons, ghosts, and specters.

    There are various types of undead, but the No-Life King, which stands at the top of the list, is also a different kind of being.

    After all, all other undead have died unexpectedly and become undead, but the No-Life King willingly gave up his humanity and became an immortal while alive.

    * * * *

    "It''s been a thousand years since I had this body.

    We were having tea in the bottom level of the dungeon, the home of the No-Life King, and we were completely relaxed.

    It''s no longer a dungeon capture atmosphere.

    He was an archbishop of a church when he was alive. But he ran away from home. The reason why........well, what was the reason?

    Apparently, we were the first guests for them in decades.

    They were surprisingly generous with us.

    ''''It wasn''t enough for us to just get embittered, they released us from our pursuers, and after running from place to place, we ended up in this dungeon. There, I used a forbidden curse and absorbed the mana that was stagnant in this dungeon and became undead while still alive.''''

    The Great Undead Curse.¡¡It''s ethically forbidden, but the level of mastery itself is so crazy high that only a few people in the world should be able to use it, right?

    Prathi was surprised.

    ''But why the undead?¡¡Do you want revenge on the church that turned you into a monster and kicked you out?

    "That is not what I meant. I had a mission to accomplish, even if I had to transform into a deformed being.

    The mission?

    "I forgot what it was all about.

    Hey, hey, hey.

    Then what''s the point of going to the trouble of becoming undead?

    ''''This is what it means to have existed for a thousand years. You can forget things that should never be forgotten. What kind of an important mission it was is beyond our memories, but now that a thousand years have passed, it''s too late for it to mean anything.''''

    It was kind of a shabby story.

    That''s why I''m just an old man who has lost the meaning of life. On the other hand, what do you guys want to do in the backcountry?

    No, we don''t have much of a need either...

    For now, I tried to explain.

    That I recently bought this land and started a pioneer life here.

    I want to be self-sufficient in this place and live a carefree life.

    I wanted to investigate the dungeon to see if any of the monsters in the dungeon would do me any harm, so I decided to go on a monster extermination mission.

    Then I met Mr. No Life King.

    Well, if that''s the case, don''t worry. This dungeon is managed by me, and no monster will go out of it''s own accord.

    That''s what makes a dungeon with the Lord so helpful. It''s very orderly and organized.

    Prathi says admiringly.

    ''''If the Lord is mild-mannered, he won''t cause any harm to those around him at all. On the other hand, if he''s violent or vicious, it will be a terrible thing...!

    ''''That kind of dungeon lord will be defeated by a brave man. The reason I''ve been able to survive for a thousand years is because I didn''t do anything bad.

    Hahahaha, Prathi and Mr. No Life King laughing at each other.

    Is that the place to laugh?

    I''m still a little unable to grasp the point of the fantasy world joke.

    ''If that''s the case, Lord, can I go into this dungeon from time to time and run amok?¡¡I had my eye on it, thinking it would be a prime material gathering place to begin with.

    Yeah, I don''t mind. The only thing I had to do originally was to take care of the monsters that were growing too much by myself to keep them out. If you guys take care of them, it will save us a lot of trouble.

    ?

    What do you mean?

    ''''The purpose of entering the dungeon is partly to get rid of monsters that might cause damage to the living quarters as soon as possible, but it''s just as important to get the materials for the monsters!

    ''''What?''''

    ''Depending on the species, the meat is very good, and the fur and bones make for great tools!¡¡It''s a great deal to have a reasonably sized dungeon in your neighborhood!

    Seriously?

    I didn''t hear anything about that at all.

    I thought dungeons were just an annoying existence that only sprinkled the harmfulness of monsters around them.

    ''As an added bonus, isn''t a dungeon that the Lord manages well and has zero disadvantages the best dungeon imaginable? It''s going to make our homes even better!

    Even in my day, large cities were built around dungeons. A dungeon that regularly discharges high quality materials is a treasure trove.

    Oh, I see.

    I''m not going to destroy the dungeon?¡¡Is that why Prati seemed reluctant to ask?

    We can''t get furs and meat from the fields, so that would certainly be a big help.

    We were making great strides in the frontier.

    And so, from now on, we look forward to being neighbors.

    "Why don''t you come over every now and then and keep me company so I don''t have to suffer the torment of boredom?

    And we''ve got neighbors!

    The last of the deadliest of our neighbors!

    * * *

    ''Speaking of which, what should I call you, No Life King?¡¡I hadn''t gotten your name yet.

    "Hmm.... but I''ve been cooped up in this dungeon for hundreds of years and never told anyone who I was, so I''ve forgotten my name...

    It''s scary living alone and forgetting your own name.

    I remember it too. It could have been seriously helpful if Prathi had rolled in early.

    But it''s somewhat annoying not having a name to call you by....

    Do we have to come up with a name for ourselves?

    ''You were a great clergyman when you were alive, weren''t you?¡¡How about we take that and call it ''sir''?

    Well, that''s good!

    No life king teacher.

    Looks like we''ve got some good neighbors.

 17-16 souvenirs

    This is how we finished exploring the dungeon in peace.

    It''s a shame that we have to leave the field for now.

    The materials for the monsters we defeated are a bit too large to bring home in one go. Would it be alright if you took the meat and other fast-footed items home and kept the rest?

    What a crisp and crisp Prathi is.

    The fact that he used different attack potions when attacking dungeons seems to have been a consideration for bringing back materials after defeating them.

    Monsters that had no place of use were blown away by the explosive potion.

    Monsters that were delicious and could be used as foodstuffs could be frozen with freezing potions.

    Rare monsters with valuable ingredients were blitzed with electric shocks to keep them alive and unable to act.

    What a careless wife she is!

    It''s a good time for you. Take this along with you.

    And the teacher offered me something.

    It looks like a metal-like lump....

    "Is this mana metal?¡¡I can''t believe I''m given such a valuable thing!''''

    Prathi was surprised and overjoyed.

    You''re like an old man in the countryside, giving me a lot of gifts on the way home, doctor.

    We have more than enough mana metal in our dungeon. You can come back for more when you run out.

    He was a generous no-life king.

    .........................Oh, yeah.

    Speaking of bringing it back.........

    ''''Master, I''ll return this holy sword to you. It was originally here and........

    I hold out the holy sword that was still in my hand.

    I''ve acknowledged you as the wielder of the sword, and that is why you are the rightful owner. If that is the case, then you are the rightful owner of the sword.

    Please put it away," the teacher just said, "but it''s ridiculous.

    To me, who aims to take it easy and live a slow life in another world, the holy sword is useless.

    I was rather afraid of the flow of people leaving such a thing with me and getting qualifications such as "You are the one who can defeat the Demon King".

    So I want to leave the holy sword behind in this dungeon at all costs.

    "Hmm....in that case, maybe I''ll hold onto it for you.

    The teacher received the holy sword, looking a bit disappointed.

    But.........

    ''''

    Huh?

    What a strange thing happened.

    The hilt of the holy sword stuck to me like an octopus'' sucker and wouldn''t leave my hand.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time.¡¡No!¡¡I''m not leaving.

    What kind of stubbornness is this?

    Does this Holy Sword really have a mind of its own, and you''re determined to stay away from me at all costs?

    "You have been given approval from the Holy Sword. It should be with you, after all.

    Come on. Just take it. If it''s so good, what good is it going to do for you?

    Prathi doesn''t like to talk about it like it''s nobody''s business.

    ........it can''t be helped.

    I also received a set of scabbards from Sensei and decided to lower them to my waist.

    This is how we left the dungeon after being seen off by the doctor.

    * * * *

    Well, that was a good job.

    When he got home, Prathi was in a good mood.

    ''I never imagined I''d get along with the master of the dungeon!¡¡It''s all thanks to you, sir!¡¡That''s the person I was looking for!

    I''m both happy and embarrassed to hear that.

    I''d like to immediately dismantle the carcass of the monster I brought back and put it to good use, but I didn''t have a blade for dismantling it.

    ........and then I thought, I found the holy sword.

    d*mn it, it''s starting to come in handy right away...!

    You brought back a lizard and a snake in one piece.

    The only thing that could be put to good use in any of these cases was the skin, and the meat was not likely to be eaten because of the strong animal smell.

    I didn''t have the skills to tan the skin, but I heard that Prathi can do it for you using magic potion.

    ''''After all, there aren''t many edible monsters in a cave type dungeon.

    Are there other types of dungeons?

    That''s right. There are three main types: caves, mountains and ruins. The most edible monsters are found in the mountains.

    Yes.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. All of them are unrelated to mermaids like me, so I''d love to put them in my mouth...

    And it was Prati with an enthralled expression.

    One of the monster names she mentioned strangely caught my attention.

    ''Square Boa........''

    A squarehead?

    It reminds me of a horned boar I met when I was in the mountains before. That guy had horns growing out of his head, just tusks extending from his mouth and four in total.

    Connecting the tops of those horns, they seemed to represent a rectangle.

    ''''Oh well...!

    Right now, it''s more important to organize the things I brought back from the teacher''s dungeon.

    The rest of the stuff........

    ''''Come to think of it, what do you use this for?''''

    And I took out a chunk of metal.

    It was some kind of mana metal that my teacher had given me as a souvenir in his spare time.

    Prathi was so happy to see this that his eyes changed color, but I don''t know what''s good about it.

    ''Silly me!¡¡This is a super precious metal!

    According to Prathi''s explanation, mana metal, like monsters, seems to be a metal formed by the condensation of mana.

    In the overwhelming majority of cases, mana condenses and materializes into a monster, but in rare cases, when several conditions overlap, it crystallizes and becomes a mana metal.

    Even in dungeons that are mana pools, only cave types are capable of mana metal.

    If food-based monsters are the hallmark of mountain dungeons, then the mana metal is the biggest highlight of cave dungeons.

    It''s hard and light, and can be used for a variety of purposes.

    Mana Metal is also known as ''magic metal'' because it is originally made of mana, and it goes well with magic.

    Is it like mithril...?

    One person selfishly agreed with me.

    ''''With this much mana metal, I wonder how many swords I could make?¡¡Mana Metal swords, depending on the skill of the swordsmith, are hard to get at least ten gold coins per sword!

    That''s almost exactly what we paid for the land.

    I see, that''s a great deal of stuff I got.

    I''ve always wanted all sorts of metalware, and I guess it''s good timing in terms of the materials I got.

    Okay.

    I''ve decided.

    I''m going to take this opportunity to make hardware.

 18-17 Blacksmith

    Fire is essential for making iron and other metal products.

    It''s used to melt and beat minerals.

    So I decided to build a kiln to utilize fire safely and efficiently to make metal products.

    I decided to build a kiln.

    However, we didn''t need a kiln that big.

    The minerals dug out of the ground must first be heated to remove any impurities and then refined into pure metal that can be used in products, and this process requires a larger furnace.

    However, the mana metal we are going to process is a fantasy metal that was created by mana condensing in a dungeon.

    It''s 100% pure and doesn''t need to be refined.

    In that case, we have no choice but to use it.

    There have been many times in the past when I wanted to do things in my frontier life, but I had to postpone my plans because I didn''t have the tools I needed...

    At such times, the things I was inconvenienced by not having on hand were usually iron products.

    The idea of returning to the capital city to purchase these products came to mind, but the capital is a month away from here, and I forgot how to get there.

    I don''t want to go back to the capital to get involved with the people there after I started my pioneering life.

    I feel like it would be bad if I did.

    So I rejected this idea permanently.

    Be that as it may.

    In order to improve our life on the frontier, a stable supply of iron products is inevitable.

    We have to tackle this issue, which we have been thinking that we have to start at some point, now is the time to get serious about it.

    * * * *

    So, the kiln is made.

    A stone of a suitable size was gathered, piled up, filled the gap with clay, and hardened.

    Then we made a shape of the dome shape, and the kiln was completed at first.

    Well, I feel like saying a simple prototype, and plan to make many bigger and more functional kilns based on this experience.

    It would be nice to build not only a kiln for blacksmithing, but also a kiln for cooking, charcoal burning, and ceramics.

    My imagination is running wild, but now I''m making hardware.

    I put the wood into the simple kiln that was made and tried to light it.

    It burned much better than I expected.

    I added the combustion medium that Prathi made as fuel other than wood, but did it work?

    When I asked him what he used to make it, he said he made it by adding magic to the peppers he was growing in his spice patch.

    That''s what peppers are for.

    The temperature was high enough, so I put the manna metal cut into the right amount and heated it up.

    How I cut it up was by using the holy sword.

    As expected, the manametal was like a pancake in front of the holy sword, and I felt awkward about the holy sword being active again, even though I thought I didn''t need it.

    I hit the hot mana metal with a hammer and shaped it into shape.....

    And what was created.........

    ''Frying pan!¡¡Finished!

    It was a frying pan.

    In fact, I''ve always wanted a frying pan!

    When I came to this world, the only cooking utensil I owned was a small all-purpose pot.

    When I bought it in King''s Landing, I thought it would be enough, but the longer I lived on the frontier, the more I wanted to develop a new repertoire of dishes and the more diverse cooking utensils I wanted.

    So when I became able to make metal products, the first thing I made was this frying pan.

    And it is made of manna metal.

    In order to test its performance, I set fire to the mana metal frying pan I had just completed.

    After it was hot enough, I chopped up some of the vegetables that Ola had grown in the field and threw them into the frying pan.

    Season them with salt and pepper...!

    "Fried vegetables!¡¡Finished!

    It''s a fairly simple dish, but it''s a new stage of stir-fry, following the whole roasted and boiled dishes.

    My pioneering life has expanded to a new level here.

    ''Shut up. What''s the fuss about?

    Prati, who had been holed up in her room mixing potions, also comes over.

    ''''.........or does it smell good?¡¡What?¡¡New dishes?¡¡Eat and eat. If you used those delicious vegetables as ingredients, they''re delicious no matter how you cook them!¡¡Which one?

    Prathi, a bite of the fried and softened cabbage.

    ''''Mammaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!''''

    An exaggerated reaction came.

    "What''s this good?¡¡It''s super f*cking delicious!¡¡Vegetables that were good just to chew raw, but just to cook them, magnification don!¡¡Sir!¡¡Who are you?¡¡What kind of person do you think you are, that you can make such a delicious meal?

    "I''m glad you like it.

    Originally, I could become a professional chef if I held the cooking utensils because of the "supreme bearer" effect.

    But this time, I also liked the tools.

    This manna metal frying pan heated up much better than ordinary steel, but it never got any hotter than it needed to be, and it helped me cook as if it was the way I wanted to cook.

    Even though I had just cooked something greasy, it didn''t burn and the grease stains came off with just a little polishing.

    If this is the effect of the mana metal, it is a dream metal.

    I''m just thankful to my teacher for letting me bring it as a souvenir.

    ''...But when you have the right tools, you''ll want to use them even more.

    The ingredients on hand - and vegetables alone - will inevitably limit the menu.

    The oil I used for frying is also fish oil, a side effect of Prathi''s fish manure making process, and not suitable for cooking.

    Prathi was happy to eat it, but I myself was not happy about it.

    I''d rather get the oil from a plant or a beast.

    Okay.

    I decided.

    ''I''m going into the mountains again to make more delicious food with this pan. And hunt a lot of mountain beasts and get some meat!

 19-18 Mountain boar again

    "Hey, really?¡¡There really is a square bore?¡¡On this mountain?¡¡Why didn''t you tell me about this earlier!

    Prathi, who accompanied me into the mountains, is very upset.

    In the early days of pioneer life, when I entered the mountains to explore, I was met with a rough welcome by a mountain beast.

    Out came a wild boar with two pairs of horns on its head.

    It was a fantastical creature that couldn''t be from the world I was from.

    Ever since that thing had nearly killed me, I''d avoided going into the mountains out of fear as much as possible, but I think it''s about time to try again.

    Now I have a reliable companion in Prati and my main weapon, the Holy Sword.

    It''s definitely not going to be as clumsy as the last time.

    Maybe.

    "Square bore

    Prathi, who is accompanying me today, is very happy.

    Based on my experience and her knowledge, the horned boar we encountered last time was definitely a square boar.

    It is boar-shaped, with its two pairs of horns sprouting from its head as its main feature.

    The two horns and the tips of the boar''s original tusks formed a square shape, which was the origin of the square boar''s name, as I had imagined.

    As a foodstuff, it is a very tasty monster, and there are adventurers who enter dungeons for the sake of it.

    ''''........The monsters of this world are put to good use in many ways, aren''t they?

    The monsters I defeated in Sensei''s cave dungeon the other day, I''ve kept their skins and bones in a safe place.

    Speaking of which.....

    Monsters are born in dungeons, aren''t they? Was the square bore born in one of our teacher''s dungeons?

    And how did they get out of the dungeon and settle in the mountains?

    No, I don''t. The teacher is a dungeon master who manages his dungeon well. He''s the one who says, ''I don''t let any monsters born in my place out,'' so I can assure you that there are no stragglers.

    That''s the way it is...

    Besides, your dungeon is a cave type, right?¡¡A cave won''t produce a square bore, if it comes out it''s a mountain type.

    ''What?¡¡Is that.........?

    Is it going to be that there is a dungeon separate from the teacher''s dungeon, and that the square boar modified square boar came from there?

    Or rather, here.

    Here?¡¡What?

    It''s a dungeon. It''s a dungeon, this mountain.

    It wasn''t just drifting off, it was home base.

    Bullshit!

    What kind of a dungeon is this mountain?

    ''''It''s less than a day''s walk from the teacher''s dungeon.... It''s rare that mana pools are this close together.

    Are we in trouble?¡¡Should we be thinking about moving?

    If it were a normal person, it would be dangerous, but it doesn''t matter to you.

    Prathi said, as if he had complete trust in me.

    It''s a good idea to have a dungeon as a hunting ground for your level of strength. The fact that there are two dungeons in the vicinity of a dungeon means that it''s an excellent place to live.

    I''m not strong.

    He''s being modest again.

    The reason I''m able to fight gas guzzlers against monsters is because of the "supreme bearer".

    It''s not because of my own abilities or efforts.

    I have to keep that in mind and never get proud of myself....

    Speaking of which, here it is right away.

    When I was going up the mountain path through the grass and trees, there were many eyes looking down from the direction I was going.

    There were at least ten or twenty of them.

    They were the eyes of a wild boar with horns that I had seen before.

    ''''This time it''s a group!

    ''''We''ve finally met, a feast for the earth!

    Fear and glee.

    Prathi''s and my reactions were beautifully colored.

    We''re going to knock them all out!¡¡Sir!¡¡Make sure it''s as clean as possible!¡¡You won''t be able to eat meat!

    "Don''t make the laws of nature tougher to take down!

    Is it out of their nature as monsters that the horned boars will attack us the moment they see us?

    Are they carnivores in the first place?

    Are they coming at us to eat us?

    I asked Prathi half-heartedly, and she said "no".

    They just want to rush in and run over anyone who moves.

    Annoying.

    If he''s that annoying, there''s no room for pity.

    I''m going to cut them all down and make a delicious meal out of them!

    * * * *

    The Holy Sword is bloodthirsty tonight, my dear.

    No, I don''t know if the holy sword is really bloodthirsty or not.

    I had received an order from Prati not to hurt him too much, so I used the holy sword to click open his brain and let him die in one blow.

    It was repeated eighteen times.

    Eighteen horned boar corpses were lying around us.

    I mean, I''ve gotten used to calling them horned boars, so I don''t need to call them square boars or other official names anymore.

    There were other horned boars that had been killed by Plati''s magic potion, and if you add them together, there would be about twenty-five of them.

    There were a few others, but they ran away in the middle of the hunt.

    I wish they hadn''t attacked me rather than run away.

    We''ll pay for the fireside chat. The weak and the strong.

    It''s an iron law of nature.

    We should also follow this rule, and enjoy the life we''ve killed with our own hands as much as we can.

    Meat of my dreams!¡¡The meat of the earthly beast~!

    Prathi does a little dance with the meat in front of him.

    He''s a stubborn mermaid, devouring all the vegetables and food I''ve made with great pleasure.

    Anyway, if we''re going to enjoy this meat, there''s something we need to do first.

    Dismantle it.

    We had to divide the horned boar we killed into usable and non-usable parts, and treat the usable parts well to prevent them from being damaged.

    .......................

    I had to do that treatment for 25 cows.

    Now I think about it.

    I killed too many.

 20-19 Tool set

    As a result, the dismantling of the horned boar went more crisply than expected.

    It was because the holy sword was very active.

    After draining the blood out of a horned boar that had already been cut up, we peeled off the skin to get the intestines out, and then peeled off the skin to make only the meat.

    It''s also a monster, and the corpse is quite stubborn and it takes a lot of work to cut it up, but that''s only if you use an ordinary blade.

    If you use the holy sword, it''s easy to cut them.

    Not just skin and flesh, but bones as well. You don''t need to put any effort at all to cut them.

    No matter how long you cut, you won''t get tired. It was surprisingly sharp.

    Moreover, it doesn''t get dirty or smelly like a holy sword.

    For such an excellent holy sword, what an amazing price to pay for it now...!

    I won''t sell it.

    I stopped this flirtation because I felt like someone was angry with me.

    Anyway, thanks to the holy sword, the horned boar turned into just meat as I looked at it. Prathi takes over the meat that has been dismantled.

    She takes out a magic potion and sprinkles it on the dismantled meat.

    Then the surface of the dismantled meat freezes white before you can even see it, and eventually it freezes to the core.

    Does that mean it''s frozen?

    The frozen meat pieces were loaded one by one onto wagons for the trip down the mountain road.

    That cart had been hurriedly made just before we entered the mountain, at Prathi''s request, using the scraps from building the hut.

    So Prathi had thought this far ahead and made a lot of preparations.

    Anyway, we descended the mountain with great enthusiasm, having achieved our goal.

    * * * *

    Now that we''ve gotten a lot of meat in this way, I''m going to change my perspective and talk about another side of things.

    Let''s make some metalware!¡¡The story goes on.

    I made a frying pan from the manna metal given to me by my teacher, by building a kiln, heating the metal, and hammering it.

    It was the first hand-made ironware in my house.

    However, we still had a lot of manna metal, and we continued to make many things.

    The first thing we made was, of course, a frying pan, followed by other pots and pans.

    A large pot, a medium pot, a soup pot and a wok. If there are only these, most of the dishes will be possible.

    That is if you can get the materials.

    I also struck a small knife used for detailed work, and new knives for cooking.

    After all, rather than ragged knives bought in the royal capital, a kitchen knife forged from rare metals can definitely produce better tasting food.

    I tried out the new knife and it cut very well.

    It seems to cut both sides of a cutting board.

    And yet, it''s not hard on the hand and doesn''t get tired, and the food I cut doesn''t stick to the blade and doesn''t get dirty or smelly!

    All these knives at a price.................

    I decided to renew the iron products that I had bought from the King''s Capital with manametal products.

    I decided to remake the hoes, harpoons, saws, harpoons, saws, canazes and shovels all made of manametal.

    The ''supreme bearer'' works in all the work, and the result is a very good one.

    I plowed the untouched land with my new mana metal hoe, and with a single swing of the hoe, an area of about one rice field was plowed.

    With one swing, we were able to cultivate an area the size of a rice field.

    In such a way, our place of residence has a steady development in terms of equipment.

    We had plenty of horned boar meat in stock, and we had plenty of food in reserve.

    We had been storing them in the hut we were staying in until now, but we might need a special food storage facility soon.

    Let''s build another hut, a special one for storing food! A special hut for storing food!

    Prati made the same suggestion.

    ''Not a wooden one, but a strong, sealed one made of stone or brick!¡¡I''ll use my potion to lower the temperature in there to make it last longer at lower temperatures!

    A large refrigerator?

    If Prathi is here, the level of living will be comparable to what it was in the previous world.

    ''''I mean, sir!¡¡Don''t we have those square-boiled meatballs ready to cook?¡¡I''m already bursting at the seams with anticipation!

    If your heart is so full, you''re not hungry either.

    Putting those jokes aside, the truth is, I''m worried about the square boar, which I call a horned boar.

    It''s about its cooking method.

    Speaking of wild boar, it''s a pig.

    The most delicious way to cook it is with pork cutlets.

    I''d love to make a pork cutlet with a crispy batter, too.

    This life of exploring another world.

    There are a number of things missing from making tonkatsu.

    The ingredients for the batter are insufficient.

    Bread crumbs.

    And eggs.

    Can I make breadcrumbs from wheat?

    Wheat was completely out of my consciousness and I didn''t grow it, and even if I did get wheat from the effects of The Supreme Bearer, there are a lot of hurdles to grind and turn it into flour and bread and crumbs.

    And even if we got the breadcrumbs that way, I don''t know where to get the eggs from any more than that.

    ''Hey Prati, is it customary in this world to use birds'' eggs for food?

    Bird eggs?¡¡I''ve heard of that sort of thing among the land people, but I haven''t seen it in mermaid country.

    Why do you ask?¡¡I explained to him that if I had only chicken eggs, I could make a dish that would make the meat of a horned boar as tasty as possible, but he got super excited.

    Let''s go into the Mt.¡¡If it''s a mountain dungeon, there might be a bird-shaped monster and at least one kind of guy that lays delicious eggs!

    Relying on dungeons again?

    I don''t mind, but entering a dungeon sounds dangerous and scary.

    ........Oh, yeah.

    This time, it turns out that the mountain where that horned boar was found is also a dungeon.

    ''Doesn''t that mountain dungeon have a master like you?¡¡I would never want to meet him if he was there...!

    It''s okay. It''s not often that the Lord is in a dungeon. Just the presence of the Lord in the dungeon is enough to qualify it as a dangerous dungeon. And there''s a dungeon right next to it, where the Lord is in charge. The Lord''s dungeons can''t be that dense!

    That''s the way it is.

    ''''Well, I''ve heard that dragons nest in mountain-type dungeons. Maybe the dungeon owner''s dragons will get angry that their territory has been raided and invade the dungeon?

    So don''t threaten me!

    Hahahaha, we both laughed.

    I would later decide that I needed to have a serious discussion with her about the phenomenon of flags.

 21-20 Dragon Come

    "You''re the ones who ruined my dungeon?

    Suddenly, a winged lizard flew in from the sky.

    I''ve been working in the field while Prathi was in the middle of mixing up her magic potions.

    The loud voice startled her and she rushed out of the hut.

    ''''What the hell was that!¡¡No way..., a dragon!

    Is it still a dragon?

    The appearance of the only way to think so.

    The entire body is covered in reptilian scales, with a lizard-like head and limbs.

    However, its reptilian scales were shining silver, and on its back were wings that would never be present in a reptile.

    The size ........................meh.

    ''''I''ll ask you again. It''s you guys, right?¡¡Who slaughtered the monsters under my command in my dungeon?

    "Awwwwww...?

    The dragon''s power is so overwhelming that Prathi and others are almost peeing themselves.

    I''m going to have to defend her and take the brunt of the attack.

    What''s your dungeon?¡¡You mean over there?

    Then he pointed in the direction of the mountain where we hunted horned boars the other day.

    ''''How true, that King Dragon Mountain is my territory. I am the only one who can do as I please in there.

    What kind of a name is that?

    I mean, before that, can we go through with the matter of being able to have a normal conversation with this big f*cking lizard?

    ...you''re a dragon.

    Well, that''s just the way it is in fantasyland. I''ll take that as a yes.

    I don''t care how many square-bores die, the great me may not feel itchy, but I''ll be d*mned if I''m going to let these rats wander around in my own territory. Hence, I am here to kill the ruffians.

    Well... it''s true that we''re the ones who hunted a lot of those horned boars... but...

    How did they find out?¡¡I can''t help but feel that.

    "Are you telling me that the owner of that dungeon is you?

    "Exactly!¡¡''''They are fearless enough to raid a dungeon ruled by this Grinzel dragon, Veerle!

    I knew that dungeon had a Lord in it, didn''t it!

    Prathi said that not many dungeons have a lord in them, but so far I''ve encountered 100% of dungeons with a lord in them!

    What''s going on?

    Is it just that I''m pulling too hard?

    "Well, we didn''t know there was a master in that dungeon. I''m sorry that I trashed your turf, and I promise I won''t do it again. I swear I won''t do that again, so can you forgive me?

    No, you can''t.

    No mercy, apparently.

    No mercy, apparently. Did you think that I, the Great One, would consider your little wormy ways?¡¡If you leave a bothering fly in sight, you''ll get licked by other dragons for your weakness.''

    Is it the same in every industry that if you get licked, you''re done?

    "Therefore, I will wipe you out without a trace!¡¡You may die while repenting of your sins!''''

    As if the death sentence was over, the dragon took a deep breath.

    His chest swelled up like a balloon.

    And then the exhale, at the same time, a huge flame shot out of the dragon''s mouth.

    Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!¡¡And.

    ''''Gyaaahhhhh?¡¡I''m going to die!

    Prathi screamed loudly next to me.

    This Breath of Fire was indeed on an unbelievable scale, enough to burn me and Prathi to the ground and return all my fields to ashes at once.

    But of course I wouldn''t allow it.

    "Ha!

    I drew the holy sword from my waist and swung it away in a friendly manner.

    With that alone, the flaming breath was slashed to a straight line and disappeared without leaving a single spark of fire.

    ''''What?!''''

    The entire process took the dragon by surprise.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find it.¡¡It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one.¡¡No, not only did you slice through it, you also made it disappear without a trace?

    Thank goodness.

    It seems there was no damage to the field, the sparks of the fire didn''t spread and burn a single leaf.

    I''ll tell you again. I apologize for vandalizing your dungeon without permission. I''m sorry.

    I bowed my head politely.

    I apologize, but I''m not going to give up my life to make amends. If you want more money than you have to pay, it''s a fight. I''m going to have to kill anyone who tries to kill us in order to protect something I care about.

    He thrusts the tip of the holy sword towards the dragon''s nose.

    ''Lord of the dungeon. Are you ready to fight for your life with me?''''

    The dragon flinched and took a step backwards.

    I''ve used strong words that are not my style, but of course I didn''t mean them sincerely.

    I''m hoping that my threats will make them back off, because there''s nothing better than proceeding in peace.

    The guy who cares about appearances is a speculator deep down, you know.

    "That''s enough for now, silly.

    Ruh?!

    In the place where the standoff between us and the dragon continued, a third party''s voice suddenly rang out.

    And this voice, this voice is familiar.

    This squawking voice that seemed to ring out from the depths of the underworld.......

    The Lord of the cave dungeon, the No Life King''s ''teacher''.

    Why are you here!

 22-21 The King of Death Again

    The No-Life King.

    The king of the undead.

    They are said to be the two most evil things in this world, along with dragons.

    That means that the two most evil things in the world are lined up in front of my house...

    What is going on here?

    "I''m sorry, my saint.

    The teacher calls me a saint.

    I wish he would stop calling me by that exaggerated name because it''s too embarrassing, but he hasn''t listened to me, even though I''ve corrected him several times.

    I''ll just have to give up now.

    ''I think it was a hundred years ago that we met before. It is a shame that our reunion with the saint has turned out like this.

    It''s not a hundred years ago.

    It hasn''t been more than a month since we parted in Anata''s dungeon before.

    As an undead that has existed for over a thousand years, is it a so-called undead joke that our sense of time is completely different from that of the living?

    ''''Well no, I don''t know what''s going on if you apologize out of the blue. I mean, teacher, did you manage to get out of your own dungeon?

    "I''m so skinny, I need to go out in the sun once in a while to dry myself out, otherwise I''ll get moldy.

    Hahahahaha...!

    It''s an undead joke.

    It''s really hard to tell if he''s joking or serious...!

    "And as for the reason for my apology...

    Yes, sir.

    "I''m the one who gave that dragon a run for his money.

    Yes?

    Already the dragon had been folded up by the appearance of No Life King-sensei in addition to the threats from me and had completely lost the will to fight.

    He was standing on a stick, forgetting to move.

    ''''Did you almost kerosene?¡¡So you''re saying that it was the doctor who sent this dragon to me?

    ''As it turned out, that''s what happened. I''m sorry to repeat myself.

    As a result.....

    That''s not a very nice thing to say.

    It''s just like asking me to listen to the details.

    I had no choice, so I decided to ask him in detail.

    So I decided to ask him about the details.

    The No-Life King''s teacher and this dragon have had several skirmishes with each other in the past.

    Since the dungeons they control are so close to each other, it should be said that they became enemies as much as possible.

    In the midst of such a balance of power, the mountain dungeon controlled by the dragon was ravaged by someone.

    According to the details, the dragon was just taking a nap at the time, and the attack was only noticed after he woke up.

    Enraged, the dragon immediately picked up the culprit in his mind.

    The first candidate was a teacher who lived in a nearby dungeon.

    Or rather, there was no one else.

    ''''........So you''re saying that you immediately attacked the teacher''s dungeon?''''

    ''Yes, you barged in out of the blue and said, "How dare you storm my turf! And so on and so forth. I was greatly perplexed because I had no idea what to expect here.''

    As a teacher, he''s a completely unremarkable frame-up.

    But given the geopolitics of this area, there is no other daredevil who would raid the dragon''s territory except him.

    The culprit is in here!¡¡However, there was only one potential culprit.

    But that was also in the past.

    A new resident has only recently joined this land.

    "It''s me?

    "Your name just popped out of my mouth the moment I remembered it. And before you could say "ah," the little girl scampered out of the room.

    ''Uh....''

    So, doctor, you were in a hurry to come after me?

    He''s still a disciplined man.

    ''''I understand what you said, but it''s still not something for you to apologize for, sensei. We''re the ones who actually wrecked the dragon dungeon and...''''

    As I thought. But that''s not why you are to be blamed.

    Doctor, I assure you.

    I understand that as an ex-human. The dungeon is an important place for people to earn their livelihood. The dungeon is a place where people can get food, building materials, clothing and even tools.

    That''s why people apparently even organize adventurers to take on dungeons.

    ''For the master of a dungeon, intruders are an everyday occurrence. If you are challenged, you should stand up to the challenge, but if you are in a mountain dungeon, you should be able to get angry if the shallow part of the dungeon - or should I say the "foothills" if you are in a mountain dungeon - is somewhat ravaged in the vicinity of the entrance anyway. ''Too rash to leave the dungeon and chase after it,''

    Both eyes, gleaming on the teacher''s dry face, stared at the dragon sharply.

    You are too narrow-minded and childish for a strong man. You are too narrow-minded and childish for a strong man. You will be able to find out if this is the reason for your success as the successor to the Geyser Dragon?

    "UHHH...!

    The giant dragon''s head just drooped in a paragraph.

    It was truly a child being scolded.

    ''''The reigning champion of the dungeon should just laugh at the little intruder and leave it at that. Only when he reaches the depths of his own home does he need to give them a twist of praise as well. That''s the measure of a strong man.

    As the dungeon master''s senior, he is a professor to his juniors.

    .........?

    ''''I''m not going to get angry and chase you out of the dungeon. It''s more likely that you''ll get angry and chase them out of the dungeon, which would reveal your shallowness.¡¡And the saint who is here is much stronger than any other adventurer. You can''t go through the motions without thinking about it. Furthermore, I''ll be accused of being a knothole who can''t even tread on my enemies'' prices.

    Woo...!

    The dragon looks frustrated that he can''t say anything back.

    ''Hey corpse-modder. Who is this ningen?¡¡That guy sliced through my Extreme Flame Breath with his sword. Can any ningen do that?''''

    "Hmm...?

    I thought the teacher smirked, but I still lacked the experience to read the expression from the undead''s unique dry look.

    ''''I suppose it''s possible. With the power of the holy sword.''''

    ''''Holy sword!''''

    The dragon''s gaze is focused on the blade in my hand.

    I''m sure you''re not the only one.¡¡That''s the evil sacred sword Dryschwartz?

    Did this sword have a name?

    There''s a lot of things to call it.

    "What''s going on here?¡¡That''s the sword my father told me to get from you!¡¡How dare you let a ninja steal it from me?

    "The Holy Sword itself has chosen its owner. "He had no right to interfere with me.

    I''ll tell you clearly.

    I''ve been told that it''s your fault for not being able to fulfill your orders and smoking out. I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

    ''''Mmhmm...?

    "I''m willing to follow this person who is recognized by the Holy Sword as my vassal. If you wish to harm him, then I''d be your enemy.

    ''''Uuu........?''''

    As if it couldn''t say anything back, the dragon spread its wings wide.

    It''s time to run for cover.

    I''m not going to be able to do anything about it today!¡¡You''ll remember it later!''''

    It was a completely discarded line from Zako.

    The dragon that tried to fly away as it was........

    ''''Wait a minute.''''

    I grabbed his tail and held him back.

    No, I did.

    I think it''s the effect of the "supreme bearer" that I was able to hold the huge dragon body down with one hand.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to do whatever you want as long as you basically touch it with your hand.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you find yourself in the middle of the night.¡¡It''s also a good idea to make sure that you''re not going to have to worry about it.

    The dragon itself(?) It was a big surprise.

    ''You won''t be in a hurry to leave.

    I said, "Well, since we''re here, why don''t we go get a bite to eat?

    "Well, since you''re here, why don''t we go get something to eat?

 23-22 First feast

    The riot of the dragon attack.

    After listening to the story and judging it comprehensively, I think the worst culprit is me.

    The fact that I''d walked into a dungeon under the control of a dragon, killed a monster, and taken its corpse away.

    And there were many of them.

    If that''s what made them angry, then they need to make an example out of us.

    "Prati. Prati, I need you to go to the pantry and get me some horned boar meat. One horned boar.

    The pantry that Prathi had requested had already been built, with wild boar meat from the mountain dungeon, vegetables harvested from the fields, and fish caught in the ocean all thrown into it.

    Are you..., are you going to do it?

    Yeah, well.

    I decided to serve the food for the dragon.

    It was originally the meat of a monster I''d caught from his dungeon. What would be the harm in having the dungeon master eat it?

    However, we haven''t progressed from a situation where we still don''t have much in the way of seasonings, and what we can make is limited.

    I decided to cut the thawed wild boar meat into reasonably thin slices and pan fry it.

    Add some salt and pepper, some garlic, season it, and it''s ready to cook.

    Pork steak.

    No, it''s not a pig, it''s a wild boar. And to top it off, it was a monster boar.

    Moreover, beef, not pork, is usually used for steak. It was a dish full of complaining points in every respect.

    However, in light of the current lack of seasonings, it''s safe to say that this is the best menu that can be put together with what we have now.

    ''''...What is this?

    The dragon looks at the pork steak on a wooden plate and wonders.

    ''What do you want me to do when I''m served such a small piece of meat?¡¡You can''t even distract me from the loneliness of my mouth with this, can you?''

    Indeed.

    What I''ve just given you is only the standard size for humans. It''s not even a piece of chewing gum for a dragon that is much larger than a human.

    It''s not polite to refuse what is offered, so let''s just put it in our mouths.

    Muttering something devious, the dragon dexterously pinches the plate with his fingertips and throws the pork steak into his mouth, just as if he were gulping down a bottle of liquor with a boar.

    Wouldn''t you burn your mouth with that kind of eating?¡¡This was right after I was worried about the situation.

    ''''Umaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    I received a reaction that was much more than I had imagined.

    "Oh no!¡¡It''s so good!¡¡It''s so good!¡¡What is this?¡¡It''s so good!

    "Hohoho, you got some for me too?

    A calm teacher next to the frenzied dragon.

    ''''Yes, well, you were very helpful to me the other day and...''''

    I tried to make another dish, at least as a thank you, but was it too soon, as expected?

    After all, the undead........are you going to eat your dinner?

    Normally you wouldn''t eat it, because it''s already dead.

    And then I ate it normally.

    ''Hmm, this is good!''

    It was a normal tongue-in-cheek experience.

    The way the meat is cooked is also very well done, but above all, the seasoning is good. There are condiments used that we haven''t even known existed before. No one in the royal palace could offer such a flavor.

    It was a goofy compliment.

    I see......... I wondered if it might be possible, but after all, they don''t have any kind of peppers or seasonings in this world?¡¡Or is it garlic?

    The effect of the ''supreme bearer'' is that it''s cooked to the best of its ability, and I''m glad everyone enjoyed it.

    ''Master!¡¡Steak for Attah and Attah for you!

    Prathi was also faithful to his appetite and was running wild.

    Hai Hai, I''ll cook you a new one now or just give me a moment.

    "Yummy!¡¡Delicious!¡¡Yummy!

    And the dragons are noisy.

    It''s good that they''re happy to see you, but there''s a limit to what they can do.

    I was just thinking that, when suddenly the dragon''s body started to glow.

    ''''Huh?''''

    Oi oi, you don''t think there''s a reaction art that glows with deliciousness in this world?¡¡But apparently not so much.

    The body of the glowing dragon shrinks down to a zunken size, emitting light.

    ''''Huh?¡¡What''s going on?

    This can''t be...?

    We have no choice but to leave it to the only person who can figure out what''s going on, Sensei.

    The amount of knowledge I''ve accumulated over a thousand years as an undead man is now revealed!

    Humanization is happening?

    Hermanization?

    And so on, the light emitted from the shrinking dragon gradually subsides.

    And after the light disappeared completely, what was left was a smaller dragon. ........but it was a human woman.

    ''''Huh?''''

    And she was extremely beautiful.

    Dressed in a gorgeous dress, she was a beautiful, aristocratic-looking girl. Her scraggly, voluminous silver hair was the same color as the scales of that dragon.

    ''''Ah, what in the world are you...?''''

    I asked that beautiful girl fearfully, and she replied.

    ''''What are you talking about?¡¡The great Grinzeldragon Viel. Do you think you have forgotten my face?

    I didn''t forget!

    Even if you haven''t forgotten, it doesn''t mean anything if the original has been completely transformed!

    The dragon turned into a girl.

    I know you don''t know what I''m talking about, but I''m just going to tell it like it happened.

    It''s starting to feel like a fantasy in a way!

 24-23 Dragon Princess Veil

    Humanization.

    It seems to be a special ability found in dragons.

    It is said that dragons, which are originally high in magical power, can use their power to change their appearance at will.

    It is said to be extremely rare, and it is an ecology rarely seen outside of dragons, but I had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    Then it hit me right away.

    The mermaid Prati standing next to me on two legs.

    It''s a good thing that the human and demon races are weak, but they create a variety of cultures and create entertainment.

    The teacher follows up.

    ''Dragons who imitate people for their entertainment, which is actually quite common.

    ''Mmm!¡¡That''s what I''m talking about!

    The beautified dragon said.

    I love this dish you made!¡¡It was so different from swallowing the same square bore whole!

    "You didn''t swallow it all in one sitting!

    And then I thought to myself...¡¡I thought carrots were best eaten in their ninja form!¡¡That''s why I decided to try the humanization I learned from my father a long time ago!

    ''''Father?

    "Gaiser Dragon, King of Dragons. Also known as an imperial dragon.

    The King of Dragons........

    That''s a terrific title that makes me shudder again.

    ''''Forget that, Ningen!¡¡We need new meat.¡¡I haven''t eaten enough of your food!

    The silver-haired beauty said, "I''m sorry," and brought out an empty plate.

    It''s amazing that this was a terrifying dragon just now.

    "Wait a minute!

    The Mermaid Princess lunged at the beautiful dragon girl.

    ''''It''s the master''s turn to cook meat for me next!¡¡You have to keep your turn!

    What do you say, mermaid? I don''t care about order. He who is strongest gets everything. Isn''t that the absolute rule?

    ''Then the absolute rule here is my husband!¡¡Did you forget that you tried to run away in a frenzy!

    Why do women always get bothered when two or more of them get together?

    It is said that if three women come together, it is not good, but if there are two, it is bad enough.

    Well, it''s more fun if you think it''s more lively than noisy.

    Anyway, we thawed a whole horned boar, so we''re going to consume it all today.

    Normally it would be an impossible amount of meat to consume, but considering the original size of that dragon girl, it should be a piece of cake.

    * * * *

    "It''s painful~ I can''t eat it~ I can''t eat it...!

    Me too~!

    It was impossible.

    Apparently the size of its stomach is human-compliant when it''s in human form.

    We ate like we were competing with Prathi for a while, but we were already full after about the fifth drink.

    There was still more than half of the thawed meat left.

    What do we do, do we refreeze it?

    Or maybe this is a good opportunity to try your hand at ham or smoking?

    "Veerle is the daughter of the Emperor''s dragon.

    The teacher spoke up without bothering.

    I heard that earlier.

    The Emperor Dragon Geyser Dragon.

    The letters of the name alone are terrifying.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. The title is passed down from generation to generation. I''ve heard that the current generation of Gaither Dragons are starting to choose their successors, the next Gaither Dragon.

    You think that''s the Veerle?

    It''s one of the candidates for now, though. It is said that the current generation of Geyser Dragons gave each of the candidates for succession a test. The person who overcame that ordeal would remain the candidate...''''

    This is repeated until there is only one last person left, and whoever remains is the next Geyser Dragon........

    ''It is said that the test imposed on Veerle is to get the holy sword from the eagle. There are several holy swords in this world, but they are all so powerful that they have become legendary for their existence.

    And one of them is... this?

    I look down at the sword that rests at my waist.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not a good person.

    It''s about fifty years ago that Veerle bravely attacked my house. But even a dragon is no match for a young man like me.

    ''Wow....''

    Just so we''re clear, did you defeat the dragon, the Immortal King?

    Apparently the two biggest disasters in the world are dragons and the No-Life King, but isn''t Sensei one of the No-Life Kings who is super strong?

    ''''If you run back, you will be disqualified from being a candidate to succeed the Geyser Dragon on the spot. Veerle could not return to the Dragon Emperor''s Castle without stealing the holy sword from me.

    So he settled down near the teacher''s house and looked for an opportunity to steal the holy sword while holding his breath.

    That mountain dungeon........

    ''''Don''t get too cocky, Ningen!

    The Dragon Princess - Veerle turned her swollen belly on its back and yelled.

    "Father has charged me with bringing back the Evil Sacred Sword. Then there is no use for the Immortal King without the Evil Sacred Sword!¡¡We want you!¡¡The new owner of the Evil Sacred Sword!

    ....

    ''We shall see!¡¡I''m going to burn you whole with flaming breaths right now and pick up the Evil Saint Sword from the ashes!¡¡Offering the Evil Sacred Sword to your father, I''m one step closer to becoming a Geyser Dragon again...?¡¡Huh?¡¡What are you doing?

    ..........

    Stop!¡¡Don''t push my belly!¡¡If I press my belly now, the contents will reflux.¡¡What''s the matter with you?¡¡It''s a disaster!¡¡And you don''t want to take the food back.¡¡Stop, stop, stop, stop!¡¡I''m sorry!¡¡I''m sorry, forgive me!

 25-24 Settlement

    Now, the Dragon Princess Veerle from then on........

    After getting full from the pork steak, when her digestion progressed and she was able to move again, she once again challenged me to a fight.

    Apparently, my sense of mission was revived by listening to the teacher''s explanation beside me.

    In order to overcome the ordeal given to me by my father dragon, he returned to his dragon form and attacked me.

    He wanted to take the holy sword from you.

    I didn''t want to get killed in vain, so I used the holy sword to fight back.

    I won in five seconds.

    I was surprised at how strong I was.

    I beat him with a viel, who tried again, undeterred, and as I tried again and again, my stomach digested, so I cooked a steak with the leftover thawed meat, which the viel was happy to eat.

    When he''s full, he''ll attack again.

    Defeat it.

    And repeat.

    I''m starting to get tired of it halfway through, so I decide to use a last resort.

    ''If I die, you won''t be able to eat any more steaks.

    !

    That stopped Veerle.

    The dragon had been baited.

    ''If we are to survive our father''s ordeal, we must kill this ningen. If we kill the ningen, we won''t have any good meat to eat. What am I going to do ah........?

    He was truly and sincerely worried.

    ''''As long as I honestly hand over the holy sword, will that be enough?

    When I think about it, I don''t really have any reason to be attached to this sword myself.

    The person who wants it the most should own it, don''t you think?

    That''s it?¡¡Can we have one?¡¡Well, it''s not too late for that.¡¡Give it to me!¡¡For me now!¡¡Give me the Evil Saint Sword!

    Veerle clutched at me with a change of color in his eyes, but in conclusion, it was still no good.

    I''m not going to be able to get the holy sword out of my hand like I always have.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of good reasons to go for this.

    "Oh, I knew it!

    The situation was half predictable, so I gave up quickly.

    I''m sure you''re not going to be able to return to your father''s side without the holy sword, so you''ll still be living in the mountain dungeon, thinking of ways to get the holy sword away from me.

    ''''Remember, Ningen!¡¡I''ll definitely take the Evil Sacred Sword out of your hands one day!¡¡In the meantime, I''ll come back to eat delicious meat from time to time, so please take care of me!

    Oh, you can come by anytime.

    This is how I got another good friend of my neighbors.

    The second one after the teacher.

    On my list of acquaintances, the world''s two biggest disasters are fast approaching!

    ''Thank God!¡¡Then you can continue to collect and hunt in that mountain dungeon from now on!

    Prathi went crazy about that.

    That was the point where she was most pleased.

    ''''It doesn''t mean that from now on, we''ll be able to get consistent, square bore meat!¡¡And that''s not all, the ingredients you get in the mountain dungeons are a lot more plentiful than in the cave dungeons!¡¡All those useful colors, and the master approves of it?

    Don''t get cocky, mermaid. Don''t get cocky, mermaid, I won''t allow you to catch them all as much as you like.

    It didn''t taste so good.

    "The monsters in my dungeon are a valuable source of food for me, too. They will be no match for me if they consume all my food.

    When I asked him for details, that square boar, or horned boar, was Veerle''s favorite food.

    Attacking it in the form of a dragon and swallowing it whole while it was still alive was his favorite food.

    This time, he was so angry that he came to beat us to the ground because he was frankly mad at us for overhunting dozens of those square boars.

    The amount of food we eat is insignificant compared to the amount of food you eat when you turn into a dragon. The amount of food we hunted this time was also intended to be consumed over the course of a year or so.

    Is that so?

    And with our help, we can eat square boas in a way that''s far better than swallowing them whole.¡¡Hasn''t that already been proven?

    Oh, my God, yes.

    We can get materials in dungeons with the approval of the dungeon master, the dragon.

    Veerle can eat his prey in a more delicious way as a reward.

    A splendid give and take has been established...!

    If you decide to do that, I need to talk to Veerle about it.

    What''s a ningen?

    Horned boar is not the only thing that can be collected from the mountain dungeon where Veerle lives.

    There are many other kinds of monsters living in the mountain dungeon, and there is also an abundance of wood, wild vegetables, nuts and other goodies from the mountain.

    If you think about it, the hut we live in was built from wood cut from the mountain dungeon in Viel.

    So...

    "Are there any bird-monsters in the dungeons you control?

    Birds?

    I heard earlier in the story of Prati that there are also several types of bird-type monsters.

    I haven''t heard of them specifically, but I wonder if there are any in the Veerle dungeon.

    ''Of course there are, lots of them. But I don''t know much about them, they''re smaller than square boas, they don''t have much appetite, and they''re not very tasty because they''re too bony.

    Apparently, in the ville, the food rank of birds is lower than wild boar.

    And it''s below with quite a bit of pause.

    ''''Sir, could it be?''''

    Prathi gulped down a gulp of raw saliva as he remembered his earlier story.

    ''Yes, I''m talking about eggs.

    ''Poultry is nice, but right now I''m craving for eggs.

    Eggs?

    Veerle also has a puzzled face.

    ''If there''s a kind of monster that lays eggs on a regular basis, I''d love to catch it and keep it...!

    ''With the eggs, you could make a better square bore dish than the one you just had!

    Prathi''s excitement propagated to Veer.

    ''What!¡¡Even the dish I had today is outrageously good, but even better than that!¡¡And now you can do it with chicken eggs?

    Tonkatsu.

    You need breadcrumbs as well as eggs, but you''re one step closer.

    And it''s not just pork cutlets.

    Eggs are the name of the game. Eggs would open up a whole new world of possibilities for me.

    !

    The two beauties responded to those words at the same time.

    ''''..........Mister, question.''''

    Hmm?

    How much does the repertoire expand, exactly?

    That''s gonna be dramatic.

    Eggs on their own, but also fried eggs, fried eggs, and boiled eggs.

    And there''s an explosion of things you can make with other ingredients.

    ...Oh, if you have eggs, you can make mayonnaise.

    The seasoning will be abundant again.

    And eggs are essential for sweets too.

    There are still a few problems to be solved before we can get to that point, but it''s a dream come true.

    ...........

    ....Huh?

    Platy?¡¡Vire?

    What have you been mute about?

    And you''re pulling and shaking your body?

    I''m leaving!¡¡Let''s go back to our own dungeon now!

    I thought, but suddenly Veerle exclaimed.

    ''We must capture the bird-shaped monster by the roots!¡¡And the screening!¡¡I''ll find the one who lays the eggs that are worthy of your request!

    Wait, Veerle!¡¡Take me with you!¡¡I have a better eye for monster biology than you do!

    Thus, Prati rode on the back of Veerle, who had returned to his dragon form, and flew away with him.

    Huh?¡¡Are they close?

    When did that happen?

    "It''s a very lively bunch of people who live...

    And the No-Life King teacher has so far just watched the situation in silence.

    Quietly. That''s exactly what he was doing, watching from behind the grass and leaves, and he didn''t realize an ounce of his presence.

    A true king of the dead. That''s as good as it gets.

    * * * *

    This is an aside, but the chicken-shaped monster I''m looking for wasn''t found in the mountain dungeon controlled by Veerle after all.

    Instead, it would be found in the cave dungeon where the teacher lives.

 26-25 Sashisuseso

    Well.

    There''s something I''m keenly aware of from what''s happened so far.

    It is an overwhelming shortage of seasonings.

    Food, the basis of life.

    It is the seasonings that support that food from the root and have the ability to make even the unpalatable food taste good.

    There is a wide variety, and in some cases, there are dishes that cannot be made without them.

    I don''t have enough of that seasoning on hand.

    In front of the vegetables I''ve harvested and the meat and fish I''ve hunted, "I''m going to make ________ food! I can''t tell you how many times I''ve been reluctantly frustrated when I realized that I didn''t have the necessary seasoning for it right after I''d set my mind to it.

    Even at the time of the attack on Veal, I really wanted to serve a ginger-grilled dish using wild boar meat, but I gave up because I didn''t have any soy sauce.

    I wish we had some soy sauce.

    Isn''t soybeans the main ingredient?

    I''ve seen that happen many times, so this time I''m going to think about what kind of seasoning we need.

    Then I remembered.....

    It''s called "Sashisuso".

    .........

    It is said that these five characters sum up all the necessary seasonings for cooking.

    Let''s see what I''ve got and what I have to get from here on out, along the lines of "Sashisuso".

    First of all, the "S".

    The "S" is sugar.

    We have this.

    This is because we grew sugar cane in the early days of cultivation and have already harvested it.

    Prathi''s knowledge of Potions made it easy for me to make sugar from sugar cane.

    What you should have is a good wife.

    Sugar will be consumed in large quantities in confectionery making, and it will surely have its turn to be a great success.

    We must continue to grow a large amount of sugar cane.

    Then "Shi".

    This is salt.

    There''s also this.

    It was a byproduct of the process of getting water for daily life from the sea. It was one of the easiest things to get so far.

    However, there is no other seasoning as basic as this one, and it is absolutely necessary for people to live, so we should take care of it.

    Next is ''Su''.

    Vinegar.

    I don''t have this one.

    I have no idea what it''s used for, but I think it''s still essential.

    What do I use it for.......was it sake?

    There are many kinds of sake.

    I definitely want to make sake someday, and for that, I need to decide what kind of sake to make and what to grow for it.

    Speaking of vinegar, I also want to make Mirin (Japanese sweet cooking sake).

    I don''t know how to make mirin, even more than vinegar, and I don''t know what to use it for. I don''t even know how to make mirin.

    We have a lot of work to do.

    Let''s keep going.

    "Ce," or "Seayu.

    In other words, soy sauce.

    This is the one we need, the one we want to give the highest priority to.

    In other words, we don''t have it yet.

    We were born Japanese, so we need to get our soy sauce back as soon as possible.

    What we need to make soy sauce is........soybeans?

    Next time I''ll be the first to grow soybeans in my new farm.

    And speaking of soy products, there''s miso.

    Miso.

    This is the last "So".

    That''s the last "So" in miso.

    Why do they ignore the "mi" and jump to the "so" in miso?¡¡Isn''t that a little distressing?¡¡But I don''t want to be pushy about it because I''m sure the people of yesteryear wouldn''t be comfortable with me pecking at a box like that.

    Anyway, miso.

    Along with soy sauce, miso is one of the two main goals of the soybean project.

    However, there is one more ingredient that I would like to see in the soybean project.

    It''s the sauce.

    I think this one is more suitable for the "So" in this day and age.

    But I don''t understand this one.

    What do you mix with what?

    I think I overheard a story when I was in the previous world that said something about making it with lots of fruit and spices mixed in.

    ........Fruits, I haven''t made any at all.

    I''ve never tried to make fruit, because I thought the fruits that grow on trees would take too much time and be too difficult to make.

    The fruits are delicious on their own, and I think Prati and Veal would be pleased with them.

    Is it worth a try?

    I''ll consider it.

    And the sauce itself is a must-have.

    After all, my ultimate goal in using that horned boar meat is to have sauce for my pork cutlets!

    Still missing ingredients for making tonkatsu.

    Eggs.

    And breadcrumbs.

    I''ll be sure to make the sauce before I can get to those!

    As long as you have the sauce, you''re within reach of the next step after tonkatsu!

    Yes!

    The top variety of Tonkatsu.

    Katsudon!

    If you have the sauce, you can easily make a katsudon (cutlet bowl)....

    ...No?

    I thought I could make a sauce katsudon with sauce, but I guess I''d rather have it with an egg.

    Anyway, I''ve decided on a policy based on my thoughts so far.

    To grow soybeans.

    To make soy sauce and miso.

    After examining Sashisuseso, I realized that what I needed most urgently was soy sauce.

    The ingredient for that soy sauce is soybeans, and if we have them, we can make miso.

    And I can make wheat, too.

    I need breadcrumbs for making pork cutlets. Breadcrumbs are made by tearing bread into pieces. The breadcrumbs are made of wheat.

    At the stage of "Let''s make vinegar", we talked about making sake, so I think it would be good to try making beer from wheat.

    It''s about time we had a staple food.

    But even if those ingredients are grown and harvested, I don''t know if I''ll be able to make the soy sauce, vinegar, and sauce we''re looking for.

    Even though I come from another world, it doesn''t mean I have all the knowledge of the other world.

    For example, I don''t know all the details of how to make soy sauce. It''s amateur knowledge at best. And it''s impossible for them to have any experience of actually making soy sauce.

    The only way to get around this is to keep trying and failing.

    In that case, though, Prati, who is an expert in Potions, is a very reassuring partner.

    I feel like everything will go smoothly if I consult with her as I go along.

    Well, here''s what we''re going to do from now on.

    So let''s grow some enthusiasm, shall we?

    Soybeans and wheat!

    Soy and wheat!

    Soy and wheat!

    I''m not going to gag that I grew red beans and barley by mistake!

    YES soybeans!¡¡NO red beans!

 27-26 Male Mermaids

    Mermaid Platy.

    My first and only roommate in my frontier life.

    When I was fishing in the sea, I caught a mermaid.

    After that, he called me master though I don''t know why, but he called me master and came to my house like a burglar wife.

    I lived alone with a young, beautiful woman.

    Living with her is not only a cure for loneliness, but the mermaid''s original potion that she uses is a great help.

    Thanks to the potion she creates, the crops in her garden grow at a rapid rate, and vegetables that might take a year to grow can be harvested in a month or so.

    Vegetables that would take a year to grow can be harvested in a month or so, while those that grow even faster can be harvested in a week or so.

    She does all the spice and seasoning stuff for me, which I have no knowledge of, and she''s the one who helped me find the dungeons and get to know my teacher and Veerle.

    She''s even more beautiful and pretty.

    Just living with them and having conversations with them makes my heart grow fonder.

    Prati has become an indispensable part of my frontier life in many ways.

    This time, I''m going to tell you about the turmoil that surrounds her.

    * * * *

    When I was fishing on the beach, I met another mermaid.

    A different mermaid from Platy.

    This time I didn''t catch her, but she appeared from the other side.

    I wondered if she might be an acquaintance of Prathi.¡¡I thought, and waved to Friendly....

    ''Die.''

    He returned.

    Suddenly a large number of mermaids rose from the surface of the sea.

    ''Throw them all together!¡¡Skewer it!

    He threw a harpoon at me.

    If you hit it, it will go through your body and you will be seriously injured. Since dozens of them flew at once, well, if they all hit me, I would die.

    So I pulled out my holy sword and swung it wide. The wind pressure created by that swing blew away all the flying harpoons.

    ''''U-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    The momentum caused a tremendous wave on the surface of the sea, and all the mermaids on the sea were swept away.

    Ummm, was that a bit much?

    The fish would have fled if we shook the surface of the sea this much, and we''d be done fishing today.

    So what do you think you''re doing?

    I called out to the mermaids who finally recovered from the rough seas and came out of the sea.

    I say mermaids, but the groups that appeared this time were all male mermaids.

    So there are male mermaids too.

    I guess it''s only natural since they''re of their own kind.

    The mermaids I know are more intelligent and resourceful. Or is murdering people like you muggers and thieves the standard for mermaids?

    Shut up!¡¡You''re the one who robbed us!

    The one who shouted back that he was one step ahead of the male mermaids in the group was a well-dressed fellow.

    I''m sure he''s the leader of the group, with a dignified look on his face and the appearance of a mermaid nobleman.

    It was this guy who was giving orders to the other male mermaids earlier.

    ''''Rikujin!¡¡We already know from reports that you''ve kidnapped a female mermaid!¡¡Choose right now!¡¡Give her back as an adult or die here!

    A female mermaid?

    I have a great idea.

    ''You all know Platy after all?

    My sister''s name is...?¡¡It''s just as the search party said it would be!¡¡You can''t do that, land man!¡¡You have the gall to grab my sister!

    Kidnapped?

    My sister?

    This man-male mermaid, did you call Platy your sister?

    Do not be cowed, continue your attack!¡¡Harpoon!¡¡Release the harpoon!

    Under the command of the noble mermaid, the surrounding male mermaids threw the harpoon again.

    If you look closely, all male mermaids are armed with armor-like items.

    In other words, soldier mermaids!

    ''''Wahhhh........?

    I can''t blow them away with the holy sword anymore, so I have no choice but to defend myself.

    Then the Goddess of Salvation appeared.

    It''s not a good idea to be able to say, "What are you doing?

    A voice poured down from the skies.

    When I looked up, I saw the huge body of the dragon spreading its wings wide and covering the sky.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time.¡¡Dragon!

    ''''Run!¡¡"Get eaten or killed!

    Dive to the sea!¡¡As deep as possible!

    You''re not gonna make it!¡¡A single breath could turn this whole ocean into hot water!

    "We''re all going to be boiled mermaids!

    The soldier mermaids'' panic when they saw the dragon was tremendous.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well.

    Dragons are, after all, terrifying creatures in this world, aren''t they?

    Well, I''m not scared.

    It''s rather cute.

    "Ningen, you okay?

    Veerle the dragon said as he landed on a rocky beach.

    "Yeah, you didn''t hurt me at all. You''ve come a long way.

    "Of course.¡¡I won''t be able to enjoy a good meal if you''re gone.

    He was clear, but he seemed happy to be praised somehow.

    ''Don''t be woozy, you stupid dragon.

    "Agh!

    You just happened to be dropping me off and stumbled across me here, didn''t you?¡¡Don''t make it sound like you''ve rushed in to see what''s going on!

    Someone else''s voice.

    If you look closely, you can see that Prati is on top of Veerle''s head in dragon form.

    Prati!

    Your Highness! Princess! Hi, Your Highness! Your Highness! ''''Princess!''''

    The soldier mermaids also noticed Prathi''s appearance and shouted in unison, but.......

    That''s what you call it........?

    "Princess....?

    Prati slid down the slide from the top of the dragon form Veerle''s head, through his shoulders and paws, and down the slide.

    ''I didn''t expect........that this would happen while I was searching for the bird monster to the dungeon......!

    Is this group, after all, related to Prati?

    "Platy!

    The noble leader mermaid, leading the soldier mermaids, shouts.

    It''s been a long time, my brother. What the hell do you want to do here?

    Big brother?

    I didn''t know what he was talking about when he said something about a sister.

    "I''d like to introduce you to mister. This is my brother. His name is Arowana.

    You''re your brother, after all!

    "The firstborn son of Nargus, the current King of the Mermaid Kingdom, and therefore the first heir to the throne.

    And you''re a prince, aren''t you?

    .... hmm?

    So, what about that sister, Prati?

    Yeah?

 28-27 Mermaid Prince and Princess

    Shocking fact.

    Prati was a princess in the land of mermaids.

    "Platy!¡¡Thank God!¡¡I finally found you!

    The noble mermaid named Arowana, or something like that, had a gentle relief on her face as soon as she found Prati.

    ''It''s been months since you disappeared. We''ve been searching for you with bloodlust!¡¡Recently, a member of the search party reported that he had seen a figure that looked just like you on the shore, where no one else could be found, and that''s how I came to you with my own party!

    I see.

    It''s a line that immediately explains the flow of events up to this point.

    It''s a line that immediately makes sense.¡¡Come home with me now!

    No!

    Prathi refused once and for all.

    If it was a family member, it would be okay to be a little more gentle with them.... Is this because I am a stranger in my current position?

    Let me ask you something. Why would your brothers want to bring me back?

    ''Of course it is!¡¡I care about you as a family.

    ''No, sir. It''s because it hurts to lose a political marriage pawn, isn''t it?

    He said it with great zest.

    There seems to be some kind of awkward family situation.

    But alas, I''ve already married into the man I''ve set my heart on!¡¡With this man!

    With a thud, Prati pushes me out of the way.

    ''I have given my body and soul to this man!¡¡So I can''t marry into another family!¡¡Tell that to your father and mother!

    What did you say?

    Arowana is shocked to hear those words.

    She had a look of despair on her face, as if the cute little sister she''d cherished since she was a child had found a charlatan boyfriend.

    .........................or is it just such a situation?

    ''''..................Oh, you Rikujin!¡¡I''m going to have to get Platy.¡¡All of you!¡¡Continue the fight!¡¡We must tear that insolent man to pieces and get Prati back!

    The mermaid soldiers lined up to harpoon in response, but....

    The mermaid soldiers held the harpoon in response, but... "Stop!

    A single bark from Veerle breaks their courage and they all collapse.

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡¡It''s not a good idea.¡¡That dragon is on the side of the earthlings?

    Only Prince Arowana managed to hold his ground, but the rest of the soldiers were so afraid that they ran away without waiting for orders.

    ''Prince!¡¡It''s not safe here!¡¡I''m ordering you to stand down!

    Our forces aren''t enough to hold the dragons in check!¡¡I think we should report to His Majesty and ask for instructions!

    The mermaid soldiers were crushed by the dragon''s power without a fight.

    The older brother was still not ready to move from the spot.

    Everyone else fled into the deeper water.

    ''''........Ho, only one of them stayed?''''

    Veerle gives him a brutal look.

    "Daughter of the Geyser Dragon. I''m going to praise you for your bravery in the face of the dragon, Grinzel, for not being afraid to run away. You''ll be put to death in an instant!

    Don''t do that!

    In dragon form, he punched the giant Veerle in the shins with goo.

    ''Ouch!

    I don''t know what''s going on, but you''re Prathi''s brother, right?¡¡Then you''re not a stranger to me either. Do you think it''s okay to kill someone like that?

    I''m sorry...!

    "People are too scared to talk to you as you are, so be a man. Be a person, or I won''t give you any more good food.

    When I say this, Veerle becomes exceptionally quiet.

    With the force of a shudder, the dragon''s huge body shrinks, and a beautiful silver-haired girl, Veerle, appears.

    That''s why the pressure of the dragon that had been swirling around the place disappeared.

    ''''Good, good girl.

    Heh...!

    I patted him on the head as a reward for obediently listening to what he said.

    "A dragon listens to people''s commands...?¡¡What do you mean by that?

    ''Brother.''

    I get as far underwater as I can and reach out to Prathi''s brother, Prince Arowana.

    ''Me and you just met. We don''t know anything about each other, and why don''t we have one long talk here?

    What?

    ''I have a house on land. If you''d like, you can have a bite to eat there and tell me more about Prati.

    A protest comes from next to me, not from the front, at my suggestion.

    ''Sir!¡¡I don''t want to be a part of this.

    I own this place.

    I pounce on him with a snap.

    ''It''s my decision who I invite and welcome into my house. Prati. ''Can''t you listen to your husband?''

    ''''Ugh...?''''

    After saying that much, Prathi said nothing and shrugged.

    ''''You''re a surprisingly husbandly ningen.

    I felt Veerle saying something beside me, but I decided not to listen.

    ''I didn''t expect the feisty Prati to be so obedient...!¡¡Good....!

    And Prince Arowana is going to accept my proposal.

    "As a mermaid royalty, if I''m challenged, it''s a matter of good name if I don''t comply!¡¡I''ll accept your feast!

    Good answer.

    "Then let me show you home. "Then let me show you home. Can you turn your tail fins into legs and go ashore like Platy?

    Of course!

    Prati''s brother -, you said Arowana.

    He comes ashore in his half-human, half-fish state, still taking his medicine and changing his shape dramatically, his lower body glowing, just like his sister Prati''s.

    Prince Arowana''s fish tail fins were powerful, perhaps because he was male, and reminded him of a migratory fish, like a tuna. Even when he became humanized and had two legs, his powerful impression was the same.

    It''s a man''s leg with agile-looking muscles.

    And another part of a powerful man........

    ''''..........!

    It was the same with Platy.

    The lower half of the mermaid''s body, which had changed from fish form to human form, was just as spongy as it was in fish form.

    The most masculine thing hanging between the crotch of the humanized Arowana was unsightly.

    ''Get on with it and hide it!

    ''Oh, yes. I''m sorry.

    Arowana took out the sea-pan she was apparently carrying and put it on with a jerk.

    Why sea-bread?

    And the design was of the boomerang type.

 29-28 good

    Prathi''s brother, Arowana.

    Suddenly, we decided to invite him to our house and the hospitality started.

    As soon as we show him into our house, he gets agitated.

    "What kind of a shabby house is this?

    he exclaimed, looking up at the hut we were staying in.

    The princess of the venerable Mermaid King family, Prathi, living in such a shabby house!¡¡Are you still treating Prati like a servant?

    There is no room to argue with that anger.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one.

    And it wasn''t a suitable place for a girl to live, either.

    But before I could start that, other events happened one after another, such as dungeon discoveries and dragon encounters, and I was busy dealing with them, so I kept putting it off.

    Prathi herself slept with me all the time without complaining, so I got used to it, but looking back, I think that was just me being soft on Prathi.

    ''You''re right. I''d like to rebuild a house suitable for the two of us to live in as soon as possible.

    ''Oh!¡¡Just get it rebuilt.¡¡Rebuild!

    It''s better to keep a low profile and do what they say.

    It''s a sure way to avoid trouble.

    "Rebuild?¡¡Huh?¡¡Can you say that simply?¡¡Why do you have to put on airs in front of me...?

    Brother, brother, brother.

    My own sister, Prathi, tugs on her brother Arowana''s sleeve with a pinprick.

    ''Look at that, brother.''

    ''Huh...?¡¡Whoa!¡¡What a huge building...!¡¡A warehouse?¡¡And two of them?

    It''s the pantry Prati asked me to build for her.

    It''s a good size for storing harvested vegetables and meat from the mountains, so it''s a decent size.

    What size is this...!¡¡Not many warehouses in the city of mermaids are this fine, huh?¡¡And what''s with the pure white walls?

    It''s plaster. I found it in a mountain dungeon in the Veal the other day, so I took it home and painted it.

    It''s the stuff they used to make the white walls of old castles and stuff.

    It''s originally made from lime, which is found in the mountains and also in the mountain dungeons of Vire.

    I also added seashells from the seashore to the material.

    I thought it would not only make the walls stronger, but also make them waterproof, fireproof, heat-retaining, and airtight, so I thought it would be perfect for the walls of the pantry.

    And Prince Arowana said, "Two buildings! I suppose he was referring to the newly built brewery.

    I had decided to make a new soy sauce, but the truth was that I had already harvested the soybeans with the help of Platy''s Hyper Fish Manure, and was ready to try my hand at making the product.

    We couldn''t brew it outdoors or in a house that was already there, so we built a new building specifically for it.

    Prathi''s request to also serve as a potions mixing room led me to build a new building specifically for this purpose, with some enthusiasm.

    Inside, we''re making the miso and soy sauce that are in question. So far.

    ''''Isn''t it a magnificent building, big brother?¡¡The Master is a man who can do anything!¡¡I can fight, I can be strong, I can farm!¡¡And the food we make is just as good to take!

    Ugh...!

    ''And this larder and brewery!¡¡I begged him to build it for me!¡¡So I was never treated poorly by the Master!¡¡Don''t get me wrong!

    Prathi says sunny-eyed, but it''s not that I accepted her selfishness, it''s that I built it because I needed a pantry and a brewhouse.

    We needed both the pantry and the brewery, so we built them.

    But I''m sorry I let that stop us from building our own home.

    Well, I don''t want to take you to the hut, but we''ll have our meals outside.

    Lately I haven''t opened it for two days and Veerle has been coming to ask for food, so I made a dining set for eating outside.

    Prince Arowana, Prathi, and Veerle in human form are sitting around the wooden table.

    ''We just have a new dish. It''s still early for dinner, but it''s a good choice as it''s the perfect menu for snacking.

    Actually......

    We grew soybeans to make soy sauce and miso.....

    I was so careful not to make any mistakes in growing them....

    But we were able to harvest red beans.

    On our farm, we don''t sow seeds. We just touch the soil with our "supreme bearer", a gift from God, and the crops grow as we wish.

    I used it to grow and harvest soybeans, and I also grew wheat with it.

    Through the "supreme bearer," I said to the soil, "Grow your soybeans and wheat.

    Soybeans and wheat, grow...!

    "Soybeans and wheat, grow...

    "Soybeans and wheat, grow...

    "Beans and barley, grow.

    I warned myself not to go the other way, but I reminded myself not to go the other way.

    Thanks to that, azuki beans grew well in the same plot where we grow soybeans, though not all of them.

    I thought about how to use them, and I decided to make a simple one with the ingredients at hand

    Zenzai.

    ........was picked up.

    All you have to do is cook azuki beans with sugar.

    Of course, if it had rice cakes or chestnuts in it, I wouldn''t have to say a word, but I don''t have any right now, so I''ll hold off.

    It''s a good time to serve it to Prince Arowana.

    ''Sweet!¡¡Yummy!

    I think she liked it.

    "What is this rich but complex sweetness?¡¡As a mermaid royalty, I thought my taste buds were very good, but even I can''t think of anything as sweet as this...?

    Well, this is going to be one of the greatest hits the master has ever made for me.

    Meat and fish are good, but something sweet is even better.

    Prathi, Veerle had a good reputation for this.

    ''Only one thing I can''t forgive...!

    The fact that one more person appears to be consuming this precious Zenzai...!

    The two maidens'' eyes were filled with murderous intent.

    ''''Huh?''''

    His gaze was directed at his guest, Prince Arowana.

    ''Brother?¡¡How could you come at this point in time, of all times?¡¡The ingredients for this zenzai were created by an unexpected accident, and there isn''t much of it!

    ''Even though there''s not much to share with a mermaid woman to eat!¡¡You can''t even take it away by force because Ningen is angry!

    The passion, or rather the obsession, that women have for sweetness is the same no matter where they live.

    Arowana Prince Arowana is an afterthought.

    I''ve made up my mind that I need to produce a steady supply of azuki beans from now on.

 30-29 Platys Past

    I''m sorry.

    After finishing the zenzai, Prati''s brother Prince Arowana bowed his head.

    He bowed his head. Such a large storehouse, and the wisdom to prepare unknown dishes, none of which are possible in this world. None of these things are possible in this world. I see that you are either a very famous wise man or a saint.

    Oh, no, I''m not that kind of...!

    ''''No wonder my sister is in love with you. Please take care of my sister for a long time!

    Come to think of it, it was like that.

    Prathi herself came to me, and from then on, we lived together for the rest of our lives.

    It''s like a de facto marriage, and now I''m in a lot of trouble when Prati is gone.

    But.....

    Is that really what you want?

    Are you madam, sir?

    Prati.

    I call out to her.

    "I didn''t know today that you''re a princess in mermaid country. When you''re that high up, it''s not so easy to decide who to marry, is it?¡¡There''s a lot of people''s agendas involved, isn''t there?

    I''m not engaging!

    Oh?

    He said it so strongly, I was surprised.

    My marriage is only for you and your husband!¡¡I don''t give a d*mn what anyone else thinks!¡¡No, I won''t let them get involved!¡¡My life belongs to me!

    "Calm down, Prati...!

    Prince Arowana shushes Prathi.

    It''s like he''s doing something brotherly for the first time.

    ''''By the looks of it, Lord Saint. You don''t seem to know anything about your sister''s situation.''

    I''m not a saint, you know.

    I don''t know why people want to call me a saint, even though I''m a teacher.

    "Since Prati didn''t seem to want to say it, I don''t want to pry...

    ''You have been caring for me. He really cares about my sister. But in truth, if you are willing to marry my sister, we have no choice but to do so. If my sister cannot speak, I will tell you.

    It was the tumultuous story of Platy, the mermaid princess.

    * * * *

    The gist of the story, to get to the point of the story first, is that the princess of the mermaid kingdom was super talented.

    The mermaid race is good at pharmacy magic. The mermaid princess Plati was a genius whose skill in making potions could be said to be once every 333 years.

    What''s that halfway year?¡¡But Prince Arowana said that 333 is a sacred number for the mermaids, and it is used every time.

    I digress.

    Anyway, Prati is a genius at making potions, and has overturned many of the common knowledge in that direction.

    Such a genius is the daughter of the current king. A princess.

    Even more beautiful.

    It was only natural that the right thing should come with

    A proposal for marriage.

    The Mermaid Leihime, who has all the qualities of ability, bloodline, and beauty, must be my wife.

    Such offers were delivered to the palace incessantly.

    The Mermaid King was in a good mood at first, thinking it was a good thing that his daughter was so prolific.

    But halfway through, that wasn''t the case.

    In the midst of all the people asking to marry Plati, even non-mermaid races began to mix in.

    Human race, demon race.

    More than one faction of the strongest forces on earth had come to ask the rumored mermaid princess for her hand in marriage.

    It was not just for the sake of a beautiful and clever wife. Naturally, there were ulterior motives as well.

    There was a plan to use this opportunity to draw the mermaid race itself, a major force, into his camp.

    * * * *

    ''''........The land people have been continuing their barren battle for hundreds of years now. It''s a conflict between the demon race and the human race.

    It seems.

    That seems to be the reason why I was originally summoned to another world, too.

    ''We will continue to fight over earthly supremacy until we destroy one of our races. Frankly, our mermaid race has nothing to do with it!

    The realm of the mermaid race is under the sea and is a different world from the earth. I don''t care who becomes the supreme ruler of the earth.

    Do what you want.

    The mermaids took a neutral position in the war between the humans and the demons and did not interfere.

    That state of affairs lasted for several hundred years.

    The one who brought about a change in that balance was none other than Prati.

    ''''Take Prati as your wife and use her friendship to get the entire mermaid race on your side.... That''s the true aim of both the mermaid race and the demon race. With their own race and the mermaid race, they want to attack and destroy the enemy with their own race and the mermaid race.

    ''Wow....''

    ''The land people are closing in on us through the story of Prati''s affair. "The Rikuyan is forcing him to choose his side, ''Humans or demons. Choose which side you want to be on.''

    What if I don''t choose both?

    ''They see them as enemies of both and concentrate their attacks.... The country is in turmoil because of this fear, and there is a great debate over which race to put Prati in the hands of.

    The controversy has grown so much that it''s about to erupt into a civil war.

    The mermaid kingdom will fall apart if this is not done. Prati, as a princess, must have disappeared in order to rule over the national crisis that she caused...!

    Oh, wow...?

    ''''If only I am gone, the demon race and the human race will have no excuse to intervene and the mermaid nation will be safe...!¡¡Prathi is also a mermaid princess. As a royalty, she has a strong sense of responsibility and care for her country. It''s that sense of responsibility and love for one''s country that made my sister act in such a way as to run away from home.

    Prathi has such a tragic resolve........?

    ...yes.

    Nope.

    "And then I ran away to the edge of the sea. I met you on land, beyond the shoreline, Master Sage. Now I see why my sister chose this place for her retreat.

    How do you know?

    I''m still not sure I understand.

    "My dear saint. You have left the mundane world and are living a life free from the warfare of your race. Like you, my sister also wants to break away from the world and be free from a life driven by politics. ........I, as your brother, want to give your sister what she wants!

    Prince Arowana slams his forehead against the table.

    ''Please!¡¡By all means, take my sister Prati to wife and protect her here!¡¡Make your sister happy!

    Yeah, sure.

    ''Thank you!''

    It was an immediate answer.

    Since I''m already moving forward with living with Prathi, knowing about her troublesome situation doesn''t change what I have to do.

    I just have to continue living here the same way I did.

 31-30 hua candle

    Thus Prince Arowana returned to the sea and said.

    He said that he was going to report the events that happened here to his father, the Mermaid King, for his approval.

    We sent him off with a bunch of vegetables from our fields as a souvenir, and we sent him on his way.

    Next time he comes, I hope to be able to give him some ham and smoked fish as well.

    ''Um ... sir, are you sure you want to do this?''

    After seeing me off, Prathi asked me timidly.

    ''''Do you really want to take me as your wife........!¡¡If I say so myself, it''s almost all spur of the moment...?

    "Isn''t marriage supposed to be 90% spur of the moment...?

    If you think about the future, there are too many things to think about.

    That''s how I met my husband. I was fished out and I''m halfway to being a wife...!

    I knew it.

    ''''But it''s been a lot of fun having my husband here to live with us. The food the master makes is delicious, and helping him is worthwhile...!¡¡Sir, are you sure you want me to stay here?

    Of course.

    Yay!

    Prathi looked truly happy and hugged me.

    It felt like our connection to each other was stronger again.

    ''Then........''

    Next to us, there was Veerle the dragon.

    In human form, of course.

    "I will marry a ningen.

    !

    Should the abruptness of this statement be called a dragon indeed?

    "What''s the matter with you, dragon?¡¡The master is already married to me!

    A strong male often monopolizes more than one female. If you''re as strong as your master, you won''t have any problem f*cking a hundred females and making them obey you.

    Master?

    What kind of a name is that?

    I''ve been thinking!¡¡How can I take the holy sword away from Master!¡¡If I marry the master, we''ll share the property!

    ''''Ah........!

    ''''If the master dies in his lifetime, he can inherit the Evil Sacred Sword as an inheritance!¡¡Raw carrots and such, in the eyes of our dragons!¡¡All you have to do is wait and see, and the Holy Sword will be in your hands!¡¡Fuhahahahahaha!

    So you''ve decided that you can''t break through to the front, and you''ve taken it to an endurance battle?

    Also, if you become your master''s wife, you''ll have all the good food you can eat every day of your master''s life!

    That''s your main objective?

    Come on, master!¡¡As soon as you take Veerle, the Grinzel dragon, to wife?¡¡I don''t need to hear the answer to that question!¡¡There is no greater honor than for a lowly race like Ningen to marry a female dragon!

    And I thought to myself.

    "NO.

    And I felt like it was unprincipled to mend another woman on the same day he formally signed a pact with Prati.

    Also, Veerle''s attitude of "it''s natural to be accepted" is a bit....

    Why are you doing this, master?¡¡What''s wrong with me?¡¡What''s wrong with me being weak enough to lose to the undead king on the other side?

    Veerle started to cringe, surprisingly.

    And next, he started crying with polo tears.

    As expected, it''s foul to be cried over.

    I had no choice but to immediately intervene in the matter.

    You''ll be able to find out more about this.¡¡I love Veerle!¡¡I don''t hate you!

    So you''ll marry me?

    Yes, yes, yes!¡¡I will!

    Yeah.

    In the end, I was pushed away.

    Prathi looked at me like, "It''s no use, this guy," but I really didn''t have a choice.

    What else was I supposed to do?

    * * *

    This is how I ended up having two wives at the same time.

    It''s a fantasy, after all.

    Wealth or women, a strong man can monopolize everything!

    .... though I''m not strong enough.

    It''s all thanks to God''s gift of ''supreme bearer''.

    Let''s aim for their happiness, not as something I got but as something I carried on my back.

    There.

    I''ve decided what I''m going to build next.

    A house.

    Right now we are bunking in a shack that was easily pumped up.

    Very rude and simple.

    It was originally built for the sole purpose of sheltering me from the rain and dew.

    It''s enough for one man''s residence, but not enough for the family.

    In fact, it''s out of the question.

    It''s also a good time for Prince Arowana to be angry with me.

    Now that I''m married and the pillar of the family, I have to make a home where I can live in comfort with my wife and children.

 32-31 Home building

    I''m going to build a house.

    A nice place for me and Prati and Veer to live together.

    Big enough to welcome guests.

    But there are a few problems with that.

    The first problem that confronted me was.....

    "I don''t have enough people to do this...!

    Prathi overheard the murmurings and showed me the endlessly splitting little starfish.

    Yup.

    Manpower may be manpower, but it''s not that starfish, is it?

    What I want is someone to help me work.

    Building a house.

    It goes without saying. It''s not like building a house.

    Of course, I can''t do it by myself. And I can''t have a girl, Prati, helping me. Veerle is a dragon, but I can''t let him help me.

    The only thing I can safely entrust to him is to destroy it.

    And that is only if we destroy it thoroughly.

    So I''m the only one who can start building the house, and that would be inefficient.

    I can''t neglect to take care of our growing fields, which are getting bigger and bigger.

    In a situation like this, what should I do?

    You know what to do.

    Let''s talk to the doctor.

    * * * *

    "If you want more people, why don''t you increase them?

    The teacher of the No Life King.

    He''s the master of a dungeon in our neighborhood.

    It seems that he became an undead of his own volition more than a thousand years ago. He forgot his real name long after he became an immortal king, and now he goes by his teacher''s nickname.

    Today, we paid a visit to Sensei''s dungeon from here.

    The souvenir was a takuwan.

    It''s the new one we made together in the brewing of soy sauce miso.

    Sensei seemed sincerely pleased, though.

    I guess I''m overthinking it.

    It''s more.

    "When you say you''re hiring more people, do you mean you''re hiring from somewhere else?

    The royal capital of the human race, for example.

    There is no way to hire mermaids by relying on Prati''s handlers.

    Just...........

    "Both of them seem to be troublesome........!

    The frontier life originally started with just me.

    It''s not that I don''t like people, but that doesn''t mean I''m an outstanding communicator.

    I''m not going to get tired of using other people because I''m not used to working with them.

    And if you''re going to employ people, you have to pay them a wage.

    But now I have almost no money in my possession.

    The first ten gold coins I received from the king of the tribe were used up to buy land and various tools.

    If I were to give them a reward, it would be in kind, but I have no idea what the market rate is for that either.

    There''s no need to hire someone from outside.

    The doctor crushed my fears with a single blow.

    ''Do you want me to take you out of here?''

    Here?

    "Here.

    Are we in your dungeon?

    "Yes.

    Were there any other residents in this dungeon besides the teacher?

    I thought they were just monsters.

    "Of course, we''re taking a monster.

    What did you say?

    "There are people who are commonly called anthropomorphic monsters, such as orcs and goblins. They are the ones that appear in cavern-type dungeons like ours.

    According to the teacher''s explanation, such anthropomorphic monsters can be used and entrusted with tasks.

    However, only the demon race can do that.

    This is why in a war between the demons and humans, they gather up the orcs that emerge from dungeons throughout the demon country where the demons live and mobilize them as an army.

    Then isn''t it impossible for me, as a non-Majinian, to lead them?

    My question after the explanation.

    The personified monsters in this dungeon are under my control, sir. They are subject to your orders, and I will give them orders.

    I see.

    As expected of the world''s two biggest disasters, but it''s also normally possible to do things that only the demon race can do?

    ''''Only anthropomorphic monsters can give orders?¡¡For example, what about ... well, you know, beast-shaped monsters?

    "They are not intelligent enough to understand commands. That is why no species, no being, can control the monsters themselves.

    And the few monsters that have enough intelligence to understand commands are said to be anthropomorphic monsters that imitate humans.

    Even if it is intelligent, it is a monster, so it doesn''t have a soul or ego, and therefore it seems to have no consciousness or survival instinct.

    That''s why you don''t need to reward them or feed them to work. It absorbs the mana in the air and works, so it won''t stop until it''s killed.

    That''s... convenient...!

    But "Is that what you want? The thought "I''m not sure if I''ll be able to keep them," also exists somewhere in my mind.

    ''''I''ve kept about ten of them for use as booths in the dungeon, but it would be good to have some other naturally occurring ones.

    Once again, I decided to take advantage of the teacher''s kindness and bring back some of the mimic monsters that roamed the dungeon.

    In addition, Sensei also gave me a mana metal as a souvenir.

    No matter how many times I come here, I think of you, Sensei.

    You look like a grandfather...!

 33-32 False people

    This is how our new residents (?) came to live in our house. were to be added.

    The total number of anthropomorphic monsters brought from the teacher''s dungeon was ten, five orcs and five goblins.

    Speaking of anthropomorphic monsters, other species such as ogres and trolls were said to be common, but they hadn''t occurred in my teacher''s dungeon.

    However, the presence of these two kinds of anthropomorphic monsters was enough for me to proceed with the work I wanted to have done.

    Orcs and goblins.

    They are the most common race of anthropomorphic monsters, or rather, they seem to be the most common kind of monsters in general.

    In this world, the first thing that comes to mind when the word monster is mentioned is these guys.

    Aside from slimes and dragons.

    But as for dragons, in this world, they''re not monsters or humans, they''re a separate species.

    I heard they''re not born in dungeons, they''re born in other places.

    Well, that''s an aside.

    Orcs are big and powerful.

    They''re good for rough physical work.

    Goblins, on the other hand, are smaller and more dextrous, with longer fingers.

    I decided to give them jobs that suited their characteristics.

    The Orcs are to enter the mountain dungeon and cut the lumber for building houses.

    With the permission of the dungeon lord, Veerle, the work goes smoothly.

    I asked the goblins to take care of the fields.

    Those guys are as appointed as they look, and I can safely leave it to them to pluck the weeds and harvest the crops that have been harvested.

    At first, with the straddling instructions through the teacher, ''''Is it really going to work?'''' But when I actually left them in charge, they worked much harder than I expected.

    There were times when they failed to follow difficult instructions, but when I taught them carefully and patiently, they gradually learned and became able to finish the job on their own.

    I was happy to watch them grow and become able to do the things they couldn''t do, one by one.

    Isn''t this the kind of fun we have raising people?

    But it''s also true that it''s not as good as teaching and educating people normally.

    After all, these guys don''t have a mind of their own, or rather, a mind of their own.

    That''s something that can be said of all monsters, as these guys are nothing more than pseudo-beings, materialized from mana that has been concentrated in mana pools.

    If you order them to do something, they will do it, but they''re just like robots that follow a program.

    There is no sense of emotional unity of mind, nor is there a sense of A-Un breathing.

    This lack of response caused me more emotional damage than I imagined.

    That''s what anthropomorphic monsters are supposed to be.

    They are nothing more than mindless robots that imitate the shape of humans.

    The demon tribe that makes the most extensive use of anthropomorphic monsters would send in an army of orcs and goblins on the premise that they would be annihilated by the brave men.

    Even if you use them up and throw them away, it''s not a waste of time at all.

    Even if they die, they can immediately replenish the army from the dungeon.

    That''s what orcs and goblins are, they say.

    Even though Prati and Veerle taught me this, a feeling of inexplicability remained in my heart.

    I''m not sure if it''s because they are in true human form that I''ve developed an emotional attachment to them.

    If they had a more robot-like appearance, I would have been able to treat them as tools from the start.

    I''m going to have to learn how to farm, how to chop wood, how to hold a sickle and an axe. It''s great to see them learning how to farm, how to chop wood, how to hold a sickle or an axe while I hold their hands.

    However, this is the limit of our interaction with these guys.

    These guys are mindless robots.

    Just as I was about to divide it up, it happened.

    * * * *

    Wow, Wagakimi.

    One of the orcs suddenly began to speak.

    No, one of the orcs.

    ''''What?¡¡Eeeeeee...?

    The orc spoke.

    You didn''t utter a single word until now!

    He nodded or shook his head as best he could, and there was no communication at all.

    Wagakimi, I want to work harder for you. What do you want me to do next?

    Me too.

    Me too.

    "Wagakimi, I want to grow more vegetables. I want to grow more vegetables. They''re delicious.

    A goblin?

    Because a goblin is in charge of Hatake!

    What do you mean, "goblins"?

    When I asked for advice, both Prati and Veerle, as well as the doctor who came to check on me occasionally, were greatly surprised.

    ''''It''s hard to believe, but I can only assume that the monster has developed an ego.''''

    "How can an ego grow that easily?

    I asked him, but he said it was the first time in the history of the world that such a thing had happened.

    In other words, an unprecedented situation.

    I was so moved that I cried as I hugged the orcs and goblins.

    I felt like a teacher in a TV drama.

    I felt like a teacher in a drama, knowing that one day my feelings would be understood.

    Since then, I''ve wondered if the fact that the orcs and goblins have grown a sense of self in them is due to the effects of the supreme bearer.

    When I taught them things, I often touched their bodies.

    I taught them how to hold farm tools and axes with their hands, and I taught them how to wield them with their bodies.

    With the gift of the supreme bearer from God in their hands, I taught them how to swing them.

    The core effect of the supreme bearer is not to become a master of the tool in one''s hands, but to draw out the maximum performance or potential of the tool in one''s hands.

    For this reason, the monster that came in contact with my ''supreme bearer'' took on an ego.

    It had evolved to the previous stage.

    I didn''t know that the Supreme Bearer had such an effect.

    I should have been able to sense it when it could sprout a crop just by touching the soil, but it was still a terrifying power.

    It''s wonderful, but we should be very careful not to abuse it.

    * * * *

    With this budding ego, the orcs and goblins could no longer look to the teacher for guidance, but to myself as their master, and they could unite in building their homes.

    Now it''s time to finish the house!

 34-33 home completed

    Working in unison with the orcs and goblins who had gained an ego, one of their goals was finally achieved.

    ''''House, it''s done!

    It was pretty big to call it a house, it could be better described as a mansion.

    Anyway, it''s a magnificent thing.

    I''m sure there''s no shortage of things like this for me, Prati, and Veerle to live with.

    Rather too much.

    It was a mansion of a size and luxury that was completely too large and luxurious for the three of us to have, but assuming that the teacher and Prince Arowana would be visiting us, well, it would be a reasonable size, wouldn''t it?

    ................

    Besides.........

    .........I have a vague feeling that more and more people will be living here in the future.

    There is no harm in being prepared.

    So this is the nest of love for the master and us?

    But this is someone''s house, isn''t it?

    The reaction of my two wives looking up at our completed mansion is generally good.

    And what does Veal mean by his assessment of the "unusual construction"........?

    It was a Japanese house.

    Let''s call it a samurai house style.

    The castle that me, the orcs and the goblins worked together to build is a Japanese style architecture reminiscent of the world I was from, and even a few hundred years ago.

    Wooden floors and pillars.

    Above all, the tatami mats.

    Lying down on the tatami is the greatest pleasure of all.

    So I laid down on the tatami in the newly completed Japanese room.

    The tatami felt so good!¡¡The smell of rushes is fragrant!

    I was very satisfied.

    It was worth it for this alone to make the house a Japanese style architecture.

    "Huh?¡¡Does it feel that good?

    Yeah, we''ll be there.

    Prathi and Veer also lay down on the tatami mats, and that was enough to change their expressions.

    "What is this?¡¡I''ve never seen a floor that feels so strange!

    What''s that smell?¡¡Grass?¡¡Grass?¡¡But it''s a great smell, and it''s really addictive!

    They seem to like the tatami as well.

    However, it seems that the rules of the Japanese-style room are not yet well known to this world-born couple, so they had their feet on the ground.

    You have to take your shoes off at the entrance.

    This is strictly enforced.

    If you are not satisfied with bare feet on the floor, you can make slippers for later.

    As we built the house, we got a lot of new materials. In addition to the rushes that were used to make tatami mats, I''ve also started growing cotton.

    I asked the goblins to do all of this work for me.

    Thanks to their hard work, I''ve been able to make bedding, and I have plenty of fabric to work with.

    I''d like to try my hand at making clothes in the future.

    So.....

    Well, why the Japanese style architecture?¡¡That''s the story.

    One of the first reasons for this is the climate.

    Building a house that fits the climate is the most important thing.

    Because of the proximity to the ocean and the humid sea breeze, we thought it would be good to have a house that was well protected against humidity.

    The Japanese style of architecture, born in hot and humid Japan, is excellent in this respect.

    Both the wooden pillars and the igusa tatami mats absorb excess moisture and make it comfortable.

    ...well, it was just my own desire to lie down anywhere and anytime during a happy circle.

    As much as I love the unique atmosphere of a fine Western-style house with a locked-room murder on the horizon, I wanted my home to be a place where I could relax and let my whole body relax.

    The result is Japanese architecture.

    Well, in short, it was a perfect reflection of my tastes.

    ''But it''s amazing! I didn''t know the master had the skills to build a house like this...!

    Well, I''ve never seen such a curious house in my life. Where does the master get his bizarre knowledge from?

    .........

    Well, I was completely dependent on the ''supreme bearer'' for that.

    Just by grabbing a saw and a hammer, he could turn me into a top-notch carpenter and give instructions to the orcs quickly and efficiently.

    Truly ''supreme bearers'' of all kinds.

    I''d like to make an omusubi as an offering to the god Hephaistos for this gift as soon as possible.

    Now, let''s see.

    From here, I will introduce more secrets of my mansion!

    * * * *

    By the way, my mansion was designed based on the concept of Japanese style architecture, but I didn''t care about the Japanese style all the way through.

    What is the problem is the comfortableness of living.

    Based on that, the inside of the house has a Western-style room and a blend of Japanese and Western style.

    The most important part is the kitchen.

    In the kitchen, which also serves as a dirt floor, there is a stove, a sink, and a baking oven.

    I hope to use it to bake bread and pizza in the future.

    We''ve also set up a rice cooker, so we can make a little bit of a mess at first.

    We haven''t made the rice yet.

    There are seven Japanese-style rooms and two Western-style rooms in the house.

    In addition, there''s a dining room and a hall where everyone can gather to discuss any problems that may arise.

    We thought we had quite a few more rooms, but if it''s not enough, we plan to build more.

    Oh, I forgot to mention that this house is a two-story building.

    There are seven Japanese-style rooms and two Western-style rooms, and one Japanese-style and one Western-style room is on the upper floor.

    The view of the ocean from the second floor window is very nice.

    And because it''s a Japanese style building, we added a veranda to the house.

    I''m looking forward to basking in the sun here on a fine day.

    We decided to still use the kid starfish bathroom.

    They have an endless supply of food and can decompose any kind of filth in seconds, so it''s very hygienic.

    However, I wanted to make a western-style toilet seat to sit on, but we couldn''t get to that point yet.

    The kiln for firing pottery was not yet finished.

    We were working on it at the same time as the house, but we didn''t make it in time.

    And the bath.

    It was the centerpiece of the construction of the house, but we couldn''t finish it in time either.

    I went into the mountain dungeon in Viel to try and find a building material close to cypress, but I failed.

    The idea of growing cypress trees from scratch using the "supreme bearer" crossed my mind, but even with Plati''s Hyper Fish Manure, it was impossible to grow a whole tree in a day or so.

    Also, it''s a pain in the ass to use wood to heat up the bath, and when I tried to do something about it with magic, Prati and Veerle''s joint development was difficult, and I still couldn''t complete the mansion itself in time.

    In short, my mansion is still unfinished. It is growing immensely from now on.

    That''s about it.

    Also, the orcs and goblins who have come to help us build our house and take care of our fields are. They''ve built their own house beside the house, and now they sleep and wake up in it.

    ''''Why don''t we just live in the mansion together?''''

    But the orcs, the goblins, said, "That''s a lot of fear! And they declined.

    Nevertheless, the residential facility that Orcs built for themselves is a splendid one, with private rooms that guarantee each person''s privacy, built as if they were one building, side by side, in a row.

    Could it be...?

    Maybe it was a tenement.

    Is it a monster row house.....

    Maybe it''s a good thing that it''s tasteful.

    The goblins also go out to work in the fields from here.

    I was beginning to grow cotton, rushes and other non-food crops as well, and as expected, I couldn''t do it by myself, so their support was really helpful.

    The goblins, who have gained a sense of self despite being monsters, are very motivated to work, requesting the crops they want to grow.

    We''ve been able to divide up the responsibilities between orcs for construction work and goblins for farm work.

    We will continue to work with them on the frontier.

    Of course, the orcs and goblins aren''t the only ones I''m relying on.

    My wife, Platy, will continue to rely on her magic potion, which she has been relying on since the beginning.

    We are building a new residence. Shall we set up a dedicated Potions Laboratory?¡¡I suggested that they could do this, but they refused because they were already using the brewhouse as a laboratory.

    The brewhouse and pantry were built before the new residence, but Veerle, in dragon form, forcibly lifted them and moved them into the new location.

    This meant that the stored food and the fermented food in the brewery could be retrieved quickly when needed.

    My mansion''s invincibility is growing!

    We''ve grown attached to the shack where we first lived, so we decided to leave it as it is.

    After that, it will be used as a storage and resting place for farm tools.

    Thus, there''s still a lot to adjust, but I''ve got my own house on my own land!¡¡The upcoming frontier life just gets more fun!

    * * * *

    Finally.

    As for my other wife, Veerle.

    Shouldn''t you be back in the dungeon?

    Hmm?

    I asked Veerle, who was completely at home and relaxed with a sense of security as if he were at home.

    This dragon is the owner of a mountain dungeon in this vicinity to begin with.

    You''re the master of that dungeon, in case you''re away for a long time, isn''t that a bad thing?

    No, I don''t know the details.

    But I''d hate it if the mountain dungeons that provide us with valuable protein are devastated by the absence of the Lord.

    That''s true too. Then I''ll do this. Teeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    As Veerle got into some kind of spirit, a glowing thing flew out of her body and eventually manifested itself in form.

    That is a dragon?

    It is the dragon form of Veerle.

    But there''s also a Veerle in human form over here.

    Two Veils.

    That''s my magical alter ego. Why don''t we leave him in the dungeon? I don''t think so, but it might help protect us from intruders.

    That''s the way it is.

    ''More importantly, master!¡¡I''m hungry!¡¡Meat!¡¡Feed me meat!¡¡A crispy one!

    Okay.

 35-34 Holy sword grunt

    I am Drei Schwartz, the evil holy sword.

    The Holy Sword by God.

    Has it been over a thousand years since I last saw it?

    There were a total of seven holy swords created at the same time with me, including myself.

    The Angry Sacred Sword Einrodt.

    The Devouring Sacred Sword Zweibrau.

    The Evil Sacred Sword Dreischwaldt.

    The Fallen Sacred Sword Fiagelp.

    The Grudge Sacred Sword Humphviorette.

    Zexweiss, the Sacred Sword of Darkness.

    The Massacre Sacred Sword Zweibengruen.

    The God who created us told us.

    ''''Go ahead and fight. I will recognize the last remaining swing as the true holy sword.

    And so we were released into the earth.

    To fight our own holy sword. We will fight our own holy sword on earth.

    This is a test.

    This is the ultimate supreme holy sword that God requires.

    It was not completed just because it was created by God.

    It must also be forged through the wars of war, and forged in the middle of a battle. This is how the ultimate holy sword is completed.

    I, the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz, am the enemy prepared to become the true holy sword.

    That''s my brother, the other six holy swords that should be called my brothers!

    But it''s the same for the other holy swords.

    We all fight and kill each other to become true holy swords.

    I''ve never felt sad.

    We are weapons. Weapons are weapons. We kill our enemies by crushing them.

    Then it''s rather nice to be given something to destroy.

    Look around, my brothers.

    I''m going to break every single one of you and become the true holy sword approved by God!

    I had to devise a plan for that great goal.

    First and foremost, we need a wielder.

    A swordsman.

    Because I''m a sword.

    A sword can only be as powerful as the person who holds it and wields it.

    Don''t you see the old saying?¡¡Weapons are useless if you don''t equip them, right?

    So the first thing I want is for myself to be the one to wield me.

    I wonder if there are any good swordsmen out there?¡¡And I looked for it.

    It''s not enough to be just some random guy.

    An expert swordsman who can bring out 100% of the Holy Sword''s cutting power. I''m not worthy of that.

    Basically, the abilities of our holy swords are on par with each other.

    If that''s the case, the match between the two holy swords will be decided by the skill of the user first and foremost.

    If you compromise and are wielded by a bumbling swordsman, the other holy swordsmen will break your sword in a heartbeat!

    So I have decided to be very careful in choosing my messenger.

    I was released to earth and arrived in the kingdom of the tribe of man.

    I was enshrined in some sort of solemn cathedral as a gift from the gods, and I''m not kidding.

    If you keep doing this, you''ll never find your ideal user.

    I invaded the spirit of the high priest who lived in the cathedral and forced him to escape with me.

    The high priest took me with him into the dungeon, where I was turned into the undead.

    I didn''t expect him to go that far, but it might be more convenient.

    Because if the No-Life King occurred, it would be a national crisis. The best and brightest will be sent in to take down the No-Life King.

    Those strong enough to defeat the No-Life King are the best users I can find.

    I''m sure they''ll bring me back as a trophy, so this is a situation I can''t hope for!

    Now come on!¡¡O top-notch defeated people!

    ...How many hundreds of years have passed since we were so enthusiastic about such things?

    I feel like they all attacked us a lot in the beginning.

    But none of them were able to win against that monsterized high priest.

    Most of them were killed in the blink of an eye.

    Only a few survived the first attack, but they were lucky to have survived and fled at once.

    While I kept doing that, no one came to the dungeon.

    The No Life King is too strong.

    Your passing standards are too high!

    As expected, I didn''t plan for this. The humans seem to have given up on the dungeon, and I''m just going to sit in the depths of the cave, rotting away!

    I''m going to end up here with this old, dried up man?

    We''re stuck here!¡¡And the old man, by becoming undead, he''s developed a mental pollution resistance and won''t accept my takeover!

    To drop out of the Holy Sword War in this way, of all things!

    No!¡¡I will not let that happen!

    Someone come and get me!

    I think it''s forgotten that there''s a dungeon here any longer, and it''s starting to seem that way lately.

    I had almost given up on it.

    I''m going to continue to decay and fall out of the dungeon, rotting in the depths of the dungeon without even fighting the other holy swords, I thought.

    With that in mind, it''s like an intruder in a dungeon for a long time.

    Last chance!

    The moment I sensed the intruder''s presence, it hit me.

    The person who just invaded is the ''supreme bearer'' worthy of wielding me!

    I mean, anyone who can take me out of this dungeon at this time!

    This is where it''s at!¡¡Show me your guts!

    I wrestled my way out of the treasure room at the bottom of the dungeon!

    I crawl and move across the floor cheating with just my own sword blade.

    Normally you would never be able to do this, but now is the time to give it more than you really mean!

    As I made my way up to the upper echelons of the city, I found a group of targeted intruders.

    A man and a woman.

    It''s the guy who''s been hitting my sensors.

    I knew at first glance.

    I knew at first glance that he was the one who was worthy of being my "supreme leader.

    And conveniently, he didn''t have a weapon.

    Isn''t it stupid to be unarmed to enter a dungeon?¡¡But it works for me, so there you go!

    Because your weapon is here!

    I crawled again with deadly force and reached that man''s feet.

    That man noticed me too.

    He picked me up right away, as if I were a Buddha in hell.

    And as soon as he grabbed me........

    Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    What is this?

    As soon as this person held it in his hands, my happiness as a sword went even higher than the climax of my life!

    As a holy sword, my entire performance was instantly brought out of me.

    After all, he is the ''supreme bearer'' I''ve been seeking for over a thousand years!¡¡I''ve been waiting all my life for this man to shake me!

    Now, my lord, shake me and fight to the hilt!

    The monsters are clattered and reamed down to the lowest level........the lowest level?

    No, wait. The bottom level is where he is.

    It''s not good enough for my master, but it''s not good enough for the No-Life King. Let''s go home. If he comes after you, and he kills you, you''ll go from hope to despair.

    So, okay?¡¡I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that I''m a treasure.¡¡Take a safe strategy and return to the surface......What''s the door to the lowest level open?

    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

    The dried up old man who''s kept me here for more than a thousand years, aaaaaaaaaaah!

    Omission.

    My Lord, the dried up old man has won.

    Seriously!

    How can a person single-handedly defeat the No-Life King? Even with the help of my holy sword, he''s still the best.

    A supreme swordsman worthy of wielding my sword.

    ...Huh?

    The Holy Sword originally belonged to a dry old man, so should I give it back?

    You''re kidding me!

    Do you know how long I have been waiting for this moment?

    Veto.¡¡I''m already yours in body and soul!¡¡I''ll never leave you!¡¡I''ll use the full power of the holy sword to suck you into my palm!

    I won''t let go!

    This is the moment of truth!

    My Lord realized that I would never leave Himself and reluctantly took possession of it.

    ........why ''reluctantly''?

    You''ve got the most powerful holy sword in the world now.¡¡You should be prouder and more joyful.

    Well, now that a powerful warrior like you has become a wielder, it''s been decided that I will break all the other holy swords and become the true holy sword!

    Come on, my lord!¡¡We''re off to war!

    I will crush the other holy swords the Hapless Swordsman will be wielding as soon as I find them!

    ....What?¡¡Do you want to go?

    A leisurely frontier life here?¡¡Is that what my Lord wants?

    ...Seriously?

    You''ve got all this power and you want peace.

    But I have my own reasons for doing so. In order to destroy the other holy swords, I''ll be able to use the mental pollution that drove the old dried up man crazy when he was a man for a long time!

    That''s right, you want to fight. You want to cut the living dead into pieces.

    ....

    It''s not working.

    What is this?

    Is my Lord blessed by God?¡¡Doesn''t that make all kinds of curse and mental interference work?

    And while you''re doing that, my Lord is treating me, the noble holy sword, with a great deal of coarseness.

    If I say the weeds are overgrown, he uses me to cut them down.

    If I say I need firewood, you use me to chop wood.

    You have to use me to take apart a beast monster.

    What are you doing?

    I''m not a household item!

    I am one of the holy swords created by God, the evil holy sword Dryshwartz. The sword that rules the battlefield.

    Watch me!

    Someday, I''ll motivate this master and I''ll make him rain blood all over this world!

    .......................What now, My Lord?

    You want a flat stone to use as a blacksmithing block?

    Well, then it''s not my place!¡¡With my cutting ability, he could slice through a stone on the beach with a mirror-like cutting surface!

    Huh?¡¡Convenient?

    I know, I know, right!¡¡My Lord can count on me more!

    * * *

    But I digress.

    My Lord now says he''s going to give me to the dragon.

    I won''t let him give me to you!

    Stake it out!¡¡Stick it on!

 36-35 Demon Appears

    Prince Arowana has come to visit again.

    I''ll show him to his new home as soon as possible.

    "Whoa!¡¡It''s huge!

    As expected, Prince Arowana was overwhelmed by the sheer size of my mansion, which made it all worthwhile.

    As expected, Prince Arowana was overwhelmed by the size of my mansion, which made it all worthwhile.

    "I never imagined that you would build such a magnificent house...?¡¡And in such a short period of time. Does Saints have some special power from God?

    As a matter of fact, though, it is.

    I''m going to invite you indoors in earnest.

    ... oh, brother-in-law.

    You have to take your shoes off there. That''s the rule in our house.

    Aren''t you wearing them?

    Well, it''s true. He''s a mermaid. When he came out of the sea, his tail fin was designed to change into a human foot, and there was no way he could wear shoes in that order.

    He still wears just a pair of sea pants underneath his body.

    And it''s the boomerang type.

    Then please have your feet wiped with that rag there.

    .........yes.

    Well, here you are.

    How about a cup of green tea that you''ve recently tried growing?

    I''ve been talking to my father about marrying you to my sister, Prathi.

    With the greetings out of the way, let''s get down to business.

    By the way, Prince Arowana''s father is the king of the land of mermaids.

    My father was baffled at first, but then I told him about your personality and strength of character, and he agreed with me. "My father was not pleased at first, but I told him about your personality and your strength of character, and he agreed with me, especially the fact that you are not a member of any group.

    I know.

    The Mermaid King''s daughter, Prati, is not only good-looking but also a super genius.

    She is well versed in the unique potion used by mermaids, and her reputation resounds not only under the sea, but also on the ground.

    To that extent, one could just say ''great'', but things can be bad if they go too far in everything.

    Demons and humans living on earth have asked Prati for her hand in marriage.

    The matter goes beyond the marriage talk and develops into a diplomatic issue between the races.

    It developed into a discussion of a military alliance with the race that Prati had married.

    In other words, they made a war with the one they didn''t marry.

    For a long time, the mermaid race has remained neutral in the war between the demon race and the human race.

    When their neutrality was shattered, there was a huge uproar.

    Platy himself may or may not have been aware of this predicament, but he ran away from the mermaid kingdom and disappeared.

    And then he joined me.

    And here we are now.

    "Demon race, human race, mermaid race. Since Prati has married into your family, which does not belong to any of the three, it seems that the mermaids will be able to remain as neutral as before. Most importantly, Prathi herself likes Anata. The best thing is to marry into someone that she liked.

    It''s...!

    I don''t know how to reply, so I can only fool myself with an affectionate smile.

    ''''Anyway, didn''t the demon race and the human race get angry with such a result?

    I was angry.

    Right?

    It seems that both the demon tribe and the human tribe took this opportunity to form a coalition with the mermaid tribe to completely crush the opponent. Both sides are furious because their plans have gone awry.

    Oh, no.

    "Then my father, the Mermaid King, said. "Then my father, the mermaid king, said, ''My daughter, Prati, has been married to a saint. ''It is only natural that I should marry my daughter to the one who will be the best husband.''

    ..........

    You''ve given me a big lift, even if it''s just to get away with it.

    ''And that convinced them?

    In a manner of speaking. It''s a shame we can''t get the platys, but in light of the fact that your opponents are trying to kill the platys, they''ve decided it''s better to keep it that way.

    If by mistake, Plati marries into the enemy''s hands, the worst thing that could happen is that they would be surrounded by a coalition of enemy forces and mermaid nations.

    The battle over Plati is a high-risk affair because of the high return on investment.

    If you are willing to take that risk, it is not a foolish choice to say that you will have to settle for good luck.

    I''ll do everything in my power to avoid any inconvenience to the saint. I''ll do my best to avoid any inconvenience to you, so please take care of Prati.......

    Of course it is,

    Prati and I intend to live here in harmony forever with Prati.

    That''s good to hear. ...By the way, where is the dearth of Platy?

    He''s in the mountain dungeon with Veerle.

    Today, they are again running around the mountains in search of egg-laying bird monsters.

    Like Veerle, their obsession with food is immense.

    If I had known Prince Arowana was coming today, I would have let him stand by without letting him out.

    I see........I''m relieved to see that he''s having a good time here too.

    ''She''s helping me too, you know. Oh, yeah. Would you like to try this?¡¡It''s called Miso, which I made in cooperation with Prati...!

    The combination of my memories and Prathi''s knowledge of Potions finally made miso.

    And soy sauce.

    It''s like, "Now I''ve expanded the range of dishes I can make again,

    I immediately tossed the miso with the chopped scallions to make leek miso.

    "Ho!¡¡It looks like the jalapenos inside a crab!

    Crab miso.

    It''s true that they are similar.

    I guess that''s why they call it crab miso.

    Prince Arowana, who grew up on the sea, didn''t seem to be very picky about what he ate.

    He must eat sea urchins and sea cucumbers as he''s a royalty, and he must eat those fancy food items like sea urchins and sea cucumbers on a daily basis.

    Delicious.

    Delicious.

    Back off.

    You won''t stop licking it.

    And so, Prince Arowana and I were licking the green onion miso and assessing its taste.

    And then a panicked voice comes from outside.

    "My Lord!¡¡Report!

    I believe it was one of the goblins working on our farm that ran into the yard.

    He''s probably in the middle of working in the fields right now, but what the hell is going on?

    There''s a strange ship on the beach!

    What?

    That had never happened to me since I started living here.

    A boat.....

    Who the hell is on board?

    The ship is beached, and a large number of monsters have come ashore from inside. We think it''s led by demons!

    "Demon race?

    Prince Arowana reacted to this.

    "Don''t tell me the demon tribe found out about this place?¡¡I''m a first-class state secret!

    We won''t know what''s going on until we find out.

    We''ll only draw conclusions after we try to understand the situation.

    I instructed the goblins to head to the site where the demon tribe had landed.

    What I saw there was........!

    * * * *.

    ...Huh?

    It was an orc belonging to my farm, a demon tribe that had been overrun by goblins and held captive.

 37-36 demon welcome

    My name is Astares.

    One of the four great generals who shine brilliantly in the Demon King''s army. I''m also commonly called the Four Heavenly Kings.

    Speaking of Astareth, the great executive under the Demon King''s direct control and the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, "Delusion," if it were the battlefield, even his allies would tremble with his prestige.

    On the battlefield, you can''t help but feel your bloodlust increase.

    I''m trying to learn how much to take, just like the Demon King said, but I usually end up taking it too far.

    The order I was given this time was different from what I would fulfill on the battlefield.

    As they say, go and capture a foolish mermaid who has disgraced the dignity of the demon race.

    I''m the type of person who doesn''t care about politics and just wants to flail about on the front lines, but on the other hand, there are those who are conspiring with their mother-in-law to conspire with their own hands.

    However, there are some people who are not so keen on conspiracy tactics, and they have a plan to attract the mermaids to their side.

    They are in a different world than us who live on earth - the underwater dwellers have been neutral for a long time, but if we embrace them and surround the mermaids from both land and sea, we will be able to put an end to this long-lasting war.

    To that end, our demon diplomatic corps has proposed to marry some kind of mermaid princess into the demon tribe.

    That''s why our enemies will not remain silent.

    The mermaids also got wind of it and offered to marry some kind of mermaid princess to the royal family.

    So the demons and the hated mermaids were once again at war with each other over a female mermaid.

    But the diplomatic battle.

    The winner''s crown was not shining on either side.

    The mermaid had married into someone else entirely.

    Both the demon race and the human race had their faces completely destroyed. The negotiator is said to have withdrawn quietly, but there are those who have lost patience with these mermaids'' cocky behavior.

    So, on behalf of such a faction, I have made a move.

    I soon found out who the mermaid princess was married to and where she was hiding.

    You peace-loving mermaids, you underestimate the demon tribe''s intelligence network too much.

    Well, the dumb mermaids will not be able to expose them, even if they spend their whole lives. That''s why I''ll be able to outwit them.

    My role is to make an example of the "saint" who kidnapped the mermaid princess from our demon tribe and slaughtered her.

    I was told to go get the mermaid in question.

    They said I could kill all of them except the mermaid. I see, it was a job for me.

    It''s a bit of a run-of-the-mill job for the Four Heavenly Kings, but if they say I can do what I want, I''ll put up with it.

    * * * *

    So...

    Is this the place called the mermaid''s hiding place?

    I came here by the sea by the boat, but it''s a very lonely place.

    There was no sign of human life at all.

    It is said that the Little Mermaid married a saint who was separated from the mundane world, so I thought it fit the description of this place.

    The first officer who landed with me advises.

    I see.

    Then it''s not going to be a very spectacular tragedy, is it? I brought a hundred skeletons with me so that not a single one of them would get away, but all in vain, huh?

    Oh well.

    Then let''s just find that saint and kill him.

    But just as I was thinking, someone appeared from inland.

    Orcs and goblins?

    A native stray monster?¡¡From their appearance and atmosphere, one could tell that they were not monster soldiers belonging to the Demon King''s Army.

    But a mere ten or so?

    Those orcs and goblins are staring at us with suspicious expressions.

    ''''Who are those guys?''''

    A boat landed by sea?

    ''Sounds like an undesirable visitor from the indications. Gobukichi. Go and warn my lord.

    Yes!

    ....Huh?

    Did orcs and goblins just talk?

    Did I mishear you?

    Who are you people?

    The orc spoke up.

    I didn''t hear it wrong after all!

    This is Saint Kidan''s settlement. We are his servants. We are under orders from you to welcome all visitors and eliminate any enemy attacks. We''ll decide if you are an enemy or a guest, so identify yourself.

    A talking orc is a rarity. But don''t get your hopes up. An anthropomorphic monster would be so rude to ask the name of Astareth, one of the four demon kings, ''Delusion''.

    A deputy by his side said, "Master Astares!¡¡I ended up using my name! I''m going to tell them, but, well, cut me some slack.

    I''ll tell you what you need. I''m here to kill this saint, and I''m going to take the mermaid that he married. "I''m here to kill this saint, and I''m going to take the mermaid whom he has married.

    What the f*ck...?

    I''m going to kill you all while I''m at it.

    When I give the signal, the hundred skeleton soldiers led by me take up their weapons.

    Good for them.

    You''ve had your chance to make your mark.

    Let''s sack those stray monsters!

    Gentlemen, did you hear that?¡¡They are avengers of the saints, it is said. Then we must eliminate them. Go!

    Yeah!

    It was that moment.

    Several goblins flew out of the relative group of stray monsters with tremendous speed.

    ''''What was that speed?

    I''ve never heard of a goblin that agile before!

    This is a speed that surpasses even the upper echelon of the Demon Race!

    The fleet-footed goblins jumped into the line of skeleton soldiers with their speed.

    At the same time, a high-pitched sound of something dry being cut open can be heard.

    Thump!¡¡Zan!¡¡And.

    The skeleton soldier''s white bones were being severed in an instant.

    ''What!¡¡What''s going on!

    ''The goblins that jumped into the ranks seem to be slicing through the monster soldiers on our side one by one!¡¡This one is too many to deal with, as they are confused and slow to deal with any gaps in the ranks due to their large numbers!

    My deputy will explain it to you, but if you have time to explain it, deal with it!

    The skeleton soldiers on our side were cut down one by one and collapsed on the spot.

    Skeletons are the only monsters in the undead system that can accept instructions from our demon race.

    Because of its bone, it is light and was chosen because it is convenient to carry it on a ship, but...!

    Did you choose wrongly to fall behind in the goblin wind?

    And then.....

    Now the orcs have arrived.

    They are equipped with a really thick axe, and they swing it straight down.

    Zagan!

    The skeleton soldiers defend themselves with shields provided by our Demon King''s army.

    But their axes are as good as none, and both shields cut off the skeleton''s body as well.

    The goblins confuse them with their speed, and the orcs crush them with their overwhelming power.

    Our skeleton soldiers are decreasing in number like that.

    ''''Astareth-sama.......!¡¡See!

    What is it this time?

    Those axes those orcs have in their possession... Aren''t those axes made of manametal?

    Manametal?

    The strongest mineral on earth, found only in dungeons?

    And those scythes those goblins use. Our monster soldiers can''t match those things!

    Why would they use such a thing on an axe or sickle?

    Isn''t it usually a sword or a spear?

    It will surely be a great sword and spear worthy of being carried by our Four Heavenly Kings!

    While we were escaping reality, it was all over.

    "All that''s left is you two.

    The hundred skeletal soldiers they brought in were instantly reduced to a pile of bone fragments.

    I''ll leave the decision on what to do with you to you. If you don''t approve of it, then go ahead and flail. I''ll help you pass the time until you die.

 38-37 Four Heavenly Kings (self-proclaimed)

    It''s like...

    One of the anthropomorphic monsters that work for us. An orc I named Orcbo explains.

    My orcs and goblins have all grown in character and are now full of personality.

    He is like the leader of the ten orc-goblins.

    ''''I eliminated the monsters that seemed to be miscellaneous soldiers and drove the remaining demon tribe to surrender. Fortunately, the demons didn''t put up much of a fight and accepted their surrender, so I captured them like this.

    Thank you for explaining.

    I understand how you got to this point.

    But our monsters are strong.

    The pile of shattered bones over there. I thought they were chicken bone fragments, but they were all the remains of monsters called skeletons that had been smashed to pieces.

    I heard there were about a hundred of them!

    And then you wiped them out in the short time I was rushing in?

    There are only ten of us........ No, if you exclude Gobukichi, the goblin who came to report to me and rushed to the scene with me, there are nine of them.

    .........and they were killed in an instant.

    I know you''re all strong, but don''t be too hard on yourselves. You''ll get us all killed, and we''ll be very sad.

    I appreciate your concern, My Lord. We would be willing to die for you, my lord, if it were possible.

    Huh?

    Counterproductive?

    We''ll talk to them at length in due course, but for now, let''s focus on the problem at hand.

    ''''So, this is the demon tribe in question?''''

    I''m currently sitting upright on the beach.

    I''ve got a goblin scythe at my throat, and if I make any funny moves, my throat is going to be puckered.¡¡This is the state of affairs.

    There were three demons captured in total.

    There''s one commander, and the other two are my lieutenants, or more like attendants.

    And that commander-like demon tribe....

    ........was a beautiful woman.

    A different type of beauty than Prati and Veerle, a s*xy older woman.

    However, there were a few things that made her different from normal humans, such as long ears and a brownish skin color, which seemed to be the characteristics of the demon race.

    Their subordinates, the two lieutenants standing behind them, are both women.

    As expected, they had the characteristics of the demon race, but they were a bit younger than the most important sister.

    ''''One of the four Demon King''s Four Heavenly Kings, who called himself Astares of ''Delusion''.

    ''Mo''?

    Maybe it''s a nickname or something, but what is ''Mo''?¡¡Cows bellowing?

    ... oh.

    ''What do you see that convinces you!¡¡Because it''s not like what you''re imagining at all!

    It was instantly obvious that I was looking at a boob gun.

    I see, they''re big tits like cows, so they''re not ''Mo''!

    ''''Delusional Astares. ........I''ve heard that name before.

    Prince Arowana, who ran up here with me, said.

    It''s a major figure in the Demon King''s army. What''s a big guy like that doing here?

    "Of course, my little mermaid prince!¡¡What we demons were supposed to receive, we are going to receive!

    Prince Arowana''s true identity was revealed at a glance.

    That''s the Four Heavenly Kings, indeed.

    Well, you''re not... are you... are you talking about Platy?

    Is that the name of the little mermaid, Princess Eliza?¡¡Well, it doesn''t matter, but the princess was originally supposed to be brought into my demon tribe''s camp. I was just exercising my rightful place.

    "Bullshit?¡¡I thought that story was already settled!¡¡Even the negotiators on the demon tribe''s side left in the end with their consent!

    It seems that the conflict is still going on.

    Anyway, the demon side couldn''t agree and sent in their forces, and they were successfully beaten back by our own children.

    ''''Don''t underestimate the demon tribe. We always get what we want!¡¡And whoever crushes the face of our demon race will be punished. It''s you!

    And Astares-san, the female demon race, stared at me.

    ''''You mean me.........

    ''''You''re the saint, aren''t you!¡¡You are a bride thief and we will never forgive you!¡¡You seem to be leading somewhat powerful orcs and goblins, but don''t let that make you feel better!¡¡Our Demon King''s Army also possesses large anthropomorphic monsters such as ogres and cyclopses!

    ''''Powerful orcs?¡¡Goblins?¡¡Oh no, don''t be embarrassed.

    ''I didn''t mean it as a compliment!¡¡Anyway, there''s no tomorrow for you who opposed us. No matter what you have to do, you will be killed...!

    Zokri.

    A chill ran through me, and Astares-san''s cursing stopped.

    This chill seemed to be felt by everyone here.

    ''''.........Who said I would kill who?''''

    Hey, Doc.

    The next thing I knew, the No Life King teacher was here.

    The chills were his doing.

    ''''Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    ''Oh, by the way, did I mention that we''ve never met Prince Arowana?''

    They''re our neighbors.

    But what brings you here?

    I could sense a commotion. I''m worried about you, so I came here.

    That''s very polite of you...!

    And apparently I''m not the only one.

    The sound of buzzing and flapping of wings.

    When I looked up, there was a huge dragon body that could cover the sky.....

    A familiar dragon body.........

    ''''Veerle is here too...!

    I thought you were chasing birds around in your own mountain dungeon?

    He landed with a thud, shaking the sandy beach.

    His eyes are focused on Astares-san.

    ''''You insinuated that you were going to kill me........?¡¡The little demon tribe. My master...!''''

    ''What?¡¡Huh?¡¡Eh!

    As Mr. Astares, he would be in the middle of a nightmare.

    The two greatest disasters in the world.

    They are the two types of threats that could affect the survival of the entire demon race at either end. An undead king and a dragon, the two together appeared before you.

    ''''By harming my master, you''re making an enemy of me, aren''t you?¡¡You are nothing more than a bunch of worm-like creatures. The daughter of the Geyser Dragon, the Grinzel Dragon, has no intention of putting up a fight with this Veerle...''''

    A roar of fire breath rang out.

    "I suppose you don''t mind if the entire tribe is destroyed?

    "''Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    Starting with Astares-san, the three demons lost their will to fight.

    They were so terrified that they were about to pee their pants.

    And the demon ship that carried them on board........there must still be some sailors left on board.

    Anyway, without bothering to leave Astareth and the others behind, they returned the ship''s bow and fled to the open sea.

 39-38 Those who can follow the disaster

    Master!

    A single figure jumped down from the dragon form Veerle''s shoulder.

    ''It''s Prati.

    ''''Thank God!¡¡You''re safe...!

    He runs to me in a straight line and hugs me.

    ''I''m sorry!¡¡These demons are here because of me, aren''t they?¡¡I''m sorry it was my fault...!

    Prati is unusually limpid.

    Is that how responsible you feel for this situation?

    He''ll be fine. I didn''t need to leave, but Okubo and his people took care of it. Prince Arowana was one of them.

    ''What?¡¡You''re here, brother?

    At this point, Prati finally noticed her own brother standing next to her.

    ''What do you want at this time?¡¡It didn''t mean much to me anyway.

    "That''s terrible, my sister!

    She really is.

    So.

    The Astares-san and the others in question were bubbling and fainting, as if Veerle''s blackmail had been too effective.

    The same goes for the two first officers.

    The ship that had brought them to us also got spooked by Veerle and ran away.

    It''s terrible to leave your commander behind.

    What do we do with the unconscious demons...?

    "Why don''t you kill him and bury him?

    That''s just...!

    I couldn''t follow Veerle''s clarification for a moment.

    * * * *

    "They are mutating, sir.

    The teacher told me with a glance at our Orcobos.

    It is said that on rare occasions, monsters can undergo a sudden change and change their species. I''ve been told that these are called mutants, and in most cases they are much stronger than their original species.

    The Orcs are now Willian Orcs. The goblins have mutated into spartan goblins. They''re very powerful monsters, and one of them can change the course of a battle.

    "Heh-heh-heh...?

    My children are such a big deal.

    Is this also because of the "supreme bearer"?¡¡Did you become super-advanced just because I touched you?

    They are now asking for the remnants of the skeletons they have defeated to be cleaned up.

    Would it make a good fertilizer if they spread it on the field?

    Things have already died down, and the only problem that remains is the cleanup.

    "What do we really do about these guys?

    It was the demon tribe''s Astares-san and his two lieutenants.

    ''''So why don''t we just kill them and bury them with the bones over there...?

    No, no, no...!

    Veerle was in the school of being thorough, but I can''t be that cold and ruthless.

    If it''s a normal monster with no will, no soul, it''s still a bit of a guilty pleasure to kill someone who can properly understand the language and is dressed almost exactly like a person.

    And even if it''s in the middle of a conflict, the winner is completely determined.

    ''''That''s sweet, Master.''''

    I won''t take your life, but I will take some responsibility for it.

    Mr. Astareth, who is nowhere to be found, seems to have never lived.

    After all, he has been the world''s two biggest disasters since he woke up. He was sandwiched between the No Life King and a dragon.

    ''''Hi, hi, hi........?

    The Four Demon Kings can''t stop trembling all over.

    "I may be strong, but I''m only among demons.

    ''''No matter how much the insects jump through, they will never reach the realm of dragons!¡¡Except for the master, though!

    I see.

    We''re not getting anywhere, so I''m going to negotiate with her directly.

    ''Mr. Astares. What do you think?¡¡As long as you guys promise not to antagonize us after this, you can go on your way.

    ''Buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh-buh, no insults!¡¡I am one of the four Demon King''s Four Heavenly Kings, Astareth of the ''Delusion''.......!

    Even if you are terrified with such a wobbly trembling.

    ''''d*mn it!¡¡Pull yourself together!¡¡This would disgrace the Demon King''s prestige!

    I regained my spirit and arranged a large number of people.

    ''''Alright, then I have a proposal for you!

    Yes?

    ''You''re what they call a saint, aren''t you?¡¡You''re going to have to fight me!¡¡If you win, I''ll do whatever you say. I''m willing to take the terms you just gave me!

    What?

    "Shall I put out the charcoal after all? He made eye contact with Veerle, who appealed to him with his gaze.

    ''All right, I''ll go out with you if that makes you feel better. If it makes you feel better, I''ll go out with you.

    Yes!

    Mr. Astares instantly regained his energy.

    ''You''re early!¡¡No matter how powerful your household is!¡¡You saw yourself as just a man!¡¡As long as we hold you down, we can get through this situation!

    Mr. Astares. Mr. Astares.

    Prathi, who is the most softly told of all of them, speaks to him, as if he thought it was too pathetic.

    It''s odd that he''s the one who originally came to take her away.

    ''Since you don''t seem to understand, let me tell you something, no-life kings, dragons, mutated orcs and goblins. They all follow him. Do you know why?

    What?

    ''Don''t demons do that too?¡¡You will obey those who are stronger than you, right?

    So that means...

    I think that means the game is on, right?

    I drew the holy sword from my waist with a shank.

    ''''........Oh, is that the Holy Sword?¡¡If it is the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz, which was believed to be missing for a thousand years and even said to be a lost holy sword...?

    Without needing to strike each other, Astares-san got down on his diving knees and became my uncontested victory.

    * * * *.

    Thus, Miss Astares was to return safely, but, alas, there was no means of transportation for her return.

    The ship she used to get to the city is gone now, as all the sailors have fled, spooked by Veerle.

    It was decided that Veerle, in his dragon form, would give them a lift to a suitable location.

    I reminded them not to treat me roughly, but when they returned, I heard that they were dropped off in the middle of a battlefield where the demon king''s army and the human army were clashing.

    In addition, he spat out a breath of fire and said across the battlefield, "The next time you make a joke, I''ll smash this into your capital city".

    .........

    .........

    .........well.

    Thank you for your efforts.

 40-39 Girls murmur

    My name is Momoko Akesaka.

    An ordinary high school girl who can be found anywhere. .........was.

    One day, I was suddenly summoned to a different world.

    It was like a manga or game, but it was the unmistakable reality.

    This world is on the brink of war with the demons, and for that reason, it needs war power. So it seems that they have summoned a hero from another world.

    Because the gods give skills to the heroes who are summoned from another world.

    The skill that came with me when I was summoned was ''Goddess Scythe +2''.

    It was an excellent skill, derived from Athena, the god of war.

    Its effect was to make any opponent die in one blow, although conditionally. Regardless of the target''s characteristics and affinity, it was said to be effective even against immortal beings.

    Conditional, means that it only works on those who are lower level than the user themselves.

    In other words, it won''t work on opponents stronger than me.

    However, my ''Goddess Scythe'' has a ''+2'' auxiliary effect.

    Thanks to this auxiliary effect, one-shot death can be activated even against opponents of a certain rank.

    The "+1" auxiliary effect is sometimes seen, but the "+2" is rarely seen, he said.

    Thanks to this skill, I received more than enough welcome in another world.

    Everyone I met, including the king, praised me as a brave man.

    That''s why I will fight hard in this world.

    I want to save this world and return to my own world someday.

    With that in mind, I began to fight, but life in the other world was far harsher than I thought it would be.

    More than anything else, this world was much less civilized than the one I was from.

    It wasn''t about the lack of electricity or smart phones, or any other dimension.

    The food I ate, the things I slept in, and the clothes I wore were unimaginably poor.

    The staple food of the average person in this world is bread.

    But it is incomparable to the bread I knew and ate in the world before.

    It was so hard that it looked as if it was a hardened mirror cake, and if you ate it normally, your teeth would chip.

    We had no choice, so we softened the bread with the water served with it before eating it.

    Tea, coffee, and other fancy things don''t exist in this world.

    Filthy, flea-flying bedrooms.

    The pants and bra I wore from the original world have long since worn out and become trash, and the clothes from this world that I wear instead are so rough the fabric is mistaken for a jute bag.

    It always stings when it comes into direct contact with the skin.

    It is said that most people from other worlds cannot get used to such a harsh environment and will soon become emaciated and die.

    When I was summoned to this world, there were about ten people who seemed to have been summoned together with me, but how many of them are still alive today?

    After being summoned, they seemed to be sorted into various places according to the skills they each possessed, and I haven''t seen them again since that day.

    Come to think of it, what happened to that one old man who was diagnosed as ''unskilled'' among them?

    I knew he was dead already, didn''t I?

    I must always be aware that I am blessed to be in a very limited and privileged environment with excellent skills like I am and cherished by the kings for it.

    I have to fight and fight and fight through.

    For the sake of the people of this world.

    Because I''m a brave man chosen by God and given skills!

    * * * *.

    A shocking event occurred that shattered everything about me.

    Thanks to the Scythe of the Goddess +2 skill, I was certified by the kingdom as a first-class hero, and in order to fulfill my duties commensurate with my title, I had gone to the front lines of war.

    The enemy is the demon tribe.

    The enemy is the demon tribe, and the monsters they present to us are cut down left and right.

    The number of monsters was inexhaustible, and no matter how many times I slashed at them with "Goddess Scythe +2", I never felt like the end was in sight.

    A battlefield of chaos that seemed to last forever.

    That chaotic war suddenly stopped.

    The human race, the demon race, and even the monsters suddenly forgot to breathe as their spirits were stolen by something that flew in from the sky!

    Dragons.

    One of the two greatest disasters in the world, one of which I have been taught many times by the people of this world.

    They have even said that if you see it, you must be prepared to die. A monster among monsters.

    Why is it on the battlefield between the demon race and the human race?

    The supremacy, or rather the spirit, that the dragon emitted made everyone in both camps unable to move and stiffened.

    They couldn''t even escape, let alone fight.

    This is the power of the world''s most powerful creature, the dragon?

    I''m a brave man, and I know it. I can tell just by looking at it.

    Even I, who has the ''Goddess Scythe'' skill that can kill a target in one blow, can never kill that monster.

    The difference in power is just too great.

    Even if I had a ''+2'' assistance to fill the level gap between me and the target, no, even if I had an unbeatable ''+100'' assistance, it would still not be enough for me to kill that dragon.

    I can at least be the strongest in this world thanks to the skills God has given me. I thought there was hope for that.

    Are you telling me that the elevation of the strongest in this world stretches much higher than I can imagine?

    "...to all the lesser races present on this battlefield...

    !

    Is that the voice of a dragon?

    Is that a talking dragon?

    "I am the daughter of the great dragon king, Gazer Dragon. Veerle the Grinzel Dragon. I am now the lord of Saint Kiddan.

    Daughter of the Dragon King?

    Lord of the Saints?

    What does that mean?¡¡Are you saying there''s more than just that dragon?¡¡And he''s not the only one!

    I have sent that rude bastard back to you today for questioning my Lord. He''s not dead. My Lord has mercy.

    Saying that, the dragon threw about three people from his hands to the ground.

    Is that a demon race?

    "''Now, let the lower races know. "regardless of race, demon or human. My Lord is kind enough to forgive a little disrespect, but not me. "Disrespect to my Lord is disrespect to me.

    And the dragon breathed fire.

    Not to the ground, but to the sky.

    But the flames were so large that they covered the entire sky, and the hot air generated by the aftermath sent hundreds of soldiers of both the human and demon armies flying away.

    It was only a breath towards the sky, but if it had hit the ground, the two armies here would have been wiped out five times in total.

    ''''If you show disrespect to my Lord again, I promise that this breath will hit your most populated city. My Lord''s name is Saint Kidan!¡¡Take that name to heart and remember it!¡¡The enemy of the saints can be this Grinzel Dragon, the enemy of the Viel!''''

    And so the dragon left.

    With the flap of its wings, creating a tornado-like storm.

    After the dragon left, I was left alone and unable to move for a while.

    Like tens of thousands of other warrior-soldiers.

    I was conceited.

    I was conceited that I could be the strongest in this world just because God gave me a little good skill.

    There is a wall in this world that is too high for me to cross.

    One of the absolutes on the other side of that wall is probably that dragon.

    And who is this saint who can even follow the dragon?

    A saint, Kidan the Saint.

    Since that day, I never forgot that name, not even for a day.

 41-40 Daily health

    "Saint.

    ''So will you stop saying that ''saint''?¡¡People are already starting to copy it, though!

    Our No Life King teacher came to visit us again today.

    Well, I enjoy talking with him, so it''s OK for him to come every day.

    ''I have a gift for the saint today,''

    I knew you wouldn''t stop calling me a saint.

    And the souvenir?

    I mean, I''ve been getting a lot of stuff from the doctor and I''m starting to feel bad about it.

    What the hell is it this time?

    "You''ve been there before, haven''t you?¡¡He wanted a bird that would lay eggs. ''I was wondering if there was a bird-shaped monster that looked like that.''

    Yes, I said it.

    There are still a wide variety of missing things in my pioneering life.

    One thing that belongs in the food category is eggs.

    Eggs are delicious, aren''t they?

    They expand the repertoire of dishes.

    Now that we have vegetables, meat and seasonings, eggs are definitely next.

    And in order to have a steady supply of eggs, we''ll need a whole chicken to lay them.

    But this is a fantasy world.

    I doubt if there are any chickens I know of.

    I''m searching the dungeons to see if any of the monsters in the dungeons are similar to chickens.

    Like a monster horned boar that could substitute for pork.

    My wife Prathi and Veerle have also organized an expedition to enter the dungeon, not the unexplored world, in search of a chicken-like monster that may or may not actually exist.

    That''s why they''re not here now.

    I''ve been running around the dungeon for days now.

    "After hearing that story, I was wondering if there is any monster on my side that would suit our saint''s wishes.

    In the teacher''s cave dungeon?

    There are two dungeons adjacent to our settlement at the moment.

    There are two dungeons adjacent to our settlement, the cave dungeon where the teacher is the master and the mountain dungeon where Veerle is the master.

    If there are bird monsters nesting in these dungeons, they''re probably in the mountain dungeons, which is why Prati and Veerle only search for them.

    "There''s something like that...

    And the teacher takes out the bird.

    ''Oh!''

    The size, the silhouette, it''s a true chicken!

    This looks very promising!

    ...but then I thought...

    It''s a monster called the Yoshamo. I''m sure that''s why it appeared in my dungeon.

    Yeah.

    I''ve noticed.

    This chicken-shaped monster called Yoshamo has some characteristics that can''t be overlooked.

    But, sir.

    "Yes?

    You do have a crucifix, don''t you?

    Tosaka.

    It''s the bright red thing on the head of the chicken.

    You would think it is natural for a chicken to have a crested ibis.

    I think so too.

    But a chicken with a crutch on its head is a chicken with a crutch on its head.

    A rooster...?

    A male chicken, right?

    What I want is a chicken that lays eggs, and that''s definitely a female.

    I mean, Mendry.

    As I was thinking about this, a chickadee called Yoshamo or something like that, suddenly turned back to look from me.

    .........

    ....Don''t show your anus to me.

    But then something fuzzy and fuzzy suddenly comes out of the hole.

    It''s a light brown and spherical.......egg?

    Eggs!

    This guy has tossers and he laid eggs!

    If you think about it, the pseudo-creature monsters that arise from dungeons, being pseudo, have no ability to reproduce, and thus no distinction between male and female.

    So there''s nothing wrong with having both male and female characteristics.

    If they don''t need to breed, why would they lay eggs?¡¡Which begs the question, well, it doesn''t matter!

    Trivial in the face of the fact that we now have a steady supply of eggs!

    As I was holding the eggs in my hands like a treasure, a Yoshamo came tsk tsk tsk.

    ..........................This chicken spider.

    If you look closely, it looks like a grappler.

    That Yoshamo suddenly kicked the claws!

    Oh?

    It wasn''t aimed at me.

    To be precise, it''s the egg I have that was born by him himself.

    With a sharp claw kick, the egg is cut in half and its contents spill out. Conveniently, the white and yolk spread neatly on the plate directly below.

    ''''This is........!

    The yolk is so well raised that it is almost spherical. The color is orange rather than yellow.

    The white flesh is so clear you''d think it was fresh water.

    You want me to try it?

    I asked, and Yoshamo nodded.

    I took him up on his offer and sucked the raw egg directly from the plate.

    I''m Japanese by nature, too.

    Raw eggs are usually good.

    ''''Umaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    Immediately, we decided to take in five birds from the teacher''s dungeon.

    * * * *.

    The doctor returned home.

    At night, when Prati and Veerle returned from the mountain dungeon in a heap, they were devastated by the fact.

    ''''I can''t believe the one we were looking for was in the cave dungeon...!¡¡What did I spend my time doing, running around the mountain dungeon without realizing it?

    Oh, my God!¡¡It''s useless... a mountain dungeon!¡¡Isn''t it because of our Lord''s character?

    "Oh?¡¡If that''s the case, you''re not going to eat a single square inch of my mountain square bore!

    They''ve become so close to each other that they can quarrel with each other...

    But I''m not going to let them eat the scrambled eggs made from these freshly-born Yoshamo eggs if they''re fighting.

    .........

    They were a big hit.

    Even if it was a waste of time, I''m sure that Prati and Veerle must have been very impressed with the taste of it, as they scrambled through the mountain dungeons in search of it.

    However, when it comes to this, I''m going to want a special frying pan for frying eggs.

 42-41 Liveâ†’Foodâ†’Next

    It''s been a long time since I moved to this settlement.

    A house has been built, and the variety of foodstuffs available to us has increased.

    We have a house and a wide variety of foodstuffs to use.

    People''s greed has no end, and as soon as they have enough, they want something new.

    Clothes.

    Clothes.

    That''s the mark of a civilized man. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the clearest difference between man and monkey.

    I''ve been neglecting this clothing business for so long.

    The nylon shirts and trousers that were summoned with me from my former world had long ago become worn and ragged.

    I did a lot of outdoor work.

    In anticipation of this, I had bought a large amount of clothing in King''s Landing, but it was getting worn out and reaching its limit by now.

    More than anything else, there is an overwhelming lack of lower body clothing for my wife Prati to wear.

    No, I would say it''s extinct.

    Because she is a mermaid by nature.

    The lower half of her body is essentially the tail fin of a fish that swims freely in the sea.

    In that state, of course, there is no need for clothing. Rather, it is in the way.

    So for mermaids, pantsboned skirts were a non-existent concept.

    However, it is not possible to do so on land.

    Mermaids on land change their lower body from a fish to a human-like one according to the environment.

    The bottom half of a mermaid''s body, which is naked in the sea, is also naked on land.

    The result is a hapless spoonful.

    The only thing I could do to prevent it was to press my pants on.

    At first, Prathi had complained that they were too tight and tacky, but now she''s gotten used to wearing them.

    However, I am not confident that her adjustment is not good for me.

    It''s the fact that he is forcing his beloved wife to put up with it.

    On the surface, she says she''s used to it, but she''s a girl in her prime.

    You might want to dress her up in more sunny pants and skirts.

    That''s the frustrating thing about being a man. And she shares it with me, her husband.

    I want Prathi to wear her own beautiful skirts and trousers and dress in splendor!

    So we decided on what to aim for next.

    I''ve built a house, I''ve accumulated food, and the next thing I''m going to get is clothes!

    * * * *

    That''s why I decided to make clothes.

    With the "Supreme Bearer" gift from the God of Hephaistos, I should be able to make it just like all the food, hardware, and houses I''ve made so far.

    I''ve also used the mana metal my teacher gave me to make the necessary tools, such as scissors and needles.

    In the process of building the house, I found it necessary to prepare a set of bedding, so I grew cotton, harvested it, and found an abundance of cotton fabric that the goblins had woven by hand.

    I decided to make as many clothes as I could from these materials.

    * * * *

    I got it!

    A few pieces of clothing anyway.

    A simple pair of trousers and a shirt.

    Not only did I make some for the platies, I made my own clothes, and some for Okubo and the others.

    ''Oh!¡¡It''s a perfect fit!

    Thank you, my boy!¡¡Now we can work in the fields!

    Okubo and the others only wore a crude loincloth when they migrated from the dungeon.

    That loincloth itself is a mystery as to where they got it from, but now that they have arranged their crisp top and bottom clothing, they look like rather ordinary villagers.

    I feel refreshed with my new clothes.

    I hope this makes Prati happy.....

    "The design is not good.

    Huh?

    Prathi, holding the cotton skirt I gave her, has a somewhat subtle expression on her face.

    ''''Ah!¡¡Don''t get me wrong!¡¡I''m happy for you!¡¡I''m so happy to have my clothes handmade by my master!

    A grave fact has been revealed.

    The gift ''supreme bearer'' that seemed to be perfect. I can''t even cover the artistry of the creature.

    I had no fashion sense........!

    This is not going to prepare an outfit that will please Prathi, the naive youngster...!

    By the way, how does Veerle get dressed?

    Prati asked Veerle, who was standing next to her.

    It''s true that when she goes from dragon form to human form, she wears normal clothes.

    ''Of course that''s made by magic. Don''t lick a dragon''s magic.''''

    Oh, aren''t dragons just another dimension.

    Even if I had a ''supreme bearer'', I knew I couldn''t make chalet clothes for my lack of fashion sense.

    So what do we do?

    Do we have to outsource this place to someone else?

 43-42 Chat with my brother-in-law

    So I need to talk to my brother-in-law about it.

    ''It''s me...?''

    I consulted Prathi''s brother, Prince Arowana, who happened to be visiting.

    About the math of getting high-school clothes that would make Prathi happy.

    He was also a frequent visitor, second only to the teacher.

    ''We''re Prathi''s family home. If it was used by her before she got married, I''d have her bring in the whole dresser, wouldn''t you?

    Of course...!

    Is that the easiest way out?

    There will be another solution for the future, but is that enough to get us through the foreseeable future?

    But as far as our mermaids are concerned, there''s a big problem with their uniforms...!

    What''s that?

    We don''t produce any clothing for the lower half of the body.

    Yeah.

    It was.

    I was the first to discuss the mermaid''s lower body problem.

    The mermaid country produces and sells mostly upper body clothing. There are only a few mermaids who like to change and move to earth. Any curious dressmaker who tries to make clothes for such a minority would be...!

    They say it''s a no-brainer.

    ''So what are the sea pants Prince Arowana is wearing right now?

    This one?¡¡This was given to me by some land-based fishermen before.

    ..........

    "When we went up to their ship. "They gave it to me, saying, ''When you transform into a land man, you must wear this. I understand that is land etiquette, and I must wear it.

    I''m sure those fishermen must have had quite a hard time finding a place to look.

    Anyway, even if we were to buy or barter clothing from the land of mermaids, we wouldn''t be able to get a costume for the lower half of the body, would we?

    If you were to order one, it would be completely custom-made.

    The price would be prohibitive.

    To begin with, I don''t have any money itself...

    All there is is the actual thing, that''s all.

    When it''s this far out in all directions, should we suspend the clothing thing here and see how it goes for a while?

    * * *

    ''Oh, now that you mentioned the money...!¡¡I just want to ask you something.

    ?

    Something Prince Arowana says again.

    ''''Doesn''t Lord Saint have any plans to sell the things you make here and turn them into gold?

    What is grown here.

    For example, vegetables from the field. The processed food made from them. The manna metal hardware my teacher gave me. The clothes I sewed with my own lack of fashion sense.

    That''s about it for now.

    To be honest, what is produced here is unimaginable. First of all, the food is delicious. It''s definitely good. It''s delicious on its own. If you cook it, it''s several times better. Even the food served in the royal palace is far beyond what you can get in the palace!

    Oh, yeah.

    It may seem a bit too much, but it''s nice to be praised, honestly.

    It''s vegetables that I''ve taken care of and grown every day without fail...!

    And the hardware you use in your daily life. What do you mean it''s all made of mana metal?¡¡I can only assume you''re out of your senses?

    Is that how it works?

    ''Yes!¡¡It''s still more real if it''s made of all pure gold or something!

    I''ve always suspected that mana metal is a very valuable metal.

    It''s hard to feel it because it''s a metal that didn''t exist in the previous world, but is it more valuable than pure gold, according to Prince Arowana''s story?

    Sensei. You let me carry such a valuable thing as a gift...!

    Well, you know, I''ll leave the hardware aside, but it''s still food!¡¡Saint Lord, would you be willing to share the vegetables you''re growing, if you have a surplus? Of course I''ll pay the price!

    ''''Eh?''''

    With our vegetables, I''m sure we can recreate our own unique taste in our own palace!¡¡Your father and mother will be pleased!¡¡By all means, please!

    I''ve thrown every single crop I''ve harvested into the pantry for the time being, but I wonder if there was any surplus?

    Our consumption has jumped dramatically since Oakbo and the others and Veerle started living here, so it''s hard to read the storage safety line.

    However, we still predicted that there would come a time when we would be able to sell what we made in this settlement and convert it into money.

    To some extent, this is one indicator that the frontier can only be developed to a certain extent.

    Will we finally reach that stage?

    I''ll check the storage capacity and see if there is anything that can be divided. However, if we are going to sell it, it will only be a private transaction with Prince Arowana. Confidential.

    "Hmm?

    ''It''s right after an incident like that. You don''t want to be talking about this place again so soon.

    I''m referring to the recent attack by the demon tribe, Mr. Astares.

    ''''It''s true that if this place''s vegetables are in the public domain, its reputation will be enhanced. It wouldn''t be a good idea for this place to be in the news right after the trouble with the demon tribe.

    Prince Arowana seemed to be convinced.

    But are you sure you''re going to get such a deserved reputation?

    ''For a while, the vegetables you gave me will be enjoyed by my family alone. Or rather, we''ll keep them hidden as long as possible.

    Are you sure?

    So let''s talk about that....

    Do you have a priority food item you''d like to trade?¡¡I asked in an attempt.

    ''Taikan!''

    A quick reply came back.

    Takuanka.........

    It''s delicious.

    You can eat a lot of it, even if you''re snacking.

    But I don''t know. But I''m in a bind.

    It''s become a staple of my souvenirs when I go to visit the cave dungeon.

    I have to leave some of it for my teacher to give away.

    ''''Oh no...!¡¡To think that your tastes match those of the No Life King...!

    Prince Arowana''s face became heartily despairing.

    That much?

    Hey, Your Highness. If I go to visit you, Master, would you offer me a takuwa for my tea?

    ''Don''t be a bloody fool!¡¡Brother, don''t be a bleeding heart!

    He''s so friendly, it''s easy to forget that he''s one of the two biggest disasters in the world!

    Maybe the teacher would greet me with a smile, but I feel like that would throw the world out of order!

    I''ll be growing more radishes from now on.

 44-43 The Demon Race Again

    And so, while I was busy making clothing, a new trouble came to me.

    Ms. Astares.

    She''s the sister of the s*xy demon tribe and a high ranking member of the demon king''s army.

    She came to our house again.

    ''''You guys, you never learn...!

    As expected of Prathi, she was disgusted by their persistence.

    After being beaten up so thoroughly, it''s because they''re reappearing before the heat has even cooled down.

    However, today''s visit was somewhat different.

    They didn''t bring a lot of monster soldiers with them like they did last time.

    It was a one-man visit.

    There was something tragic about his appearance.

    ''''No, it''s not!''''

    I have not come here today to harm you!¡¡Please, please listen to me!

    It wasn''t Ms. Astares herself who complained that way, but two women who followed her in the manner of deputies.

    Since her boss, Ms. Astares, is a woman, does her subordinates have a unified gender?

    If you have a problem with that, I''d like to hear it.

    So, Veerle.

    Stop your dragon form and take human form.

    Stop appealing to me that I can spit breath at any time, I''m scared too.

    "Are you sure you''re ready, Master?¡¡These idiots will take advantage of you if you''re soft on them, right?''

    You can''t judge until you hear why.

    You can tell just by looking at them that they didn''t come here for the purpose of fighting.

    There must be a very good reason why you came back to a place where your heart was beaten so badly that it was broken, without the will to fight - that is, without the purpose of humiliating yourself.

    ''''Actually, we........''''

    I was chased out of the Demon King''s army!

    The two lieutenants take turns confessing, and we''re baffled by their confessions, unable to swallow their meaning.

    ''....No, no.

    There, Mr. Astares himself also argued.

    I''m the only one who was chased out of the Demon King''s Army. I was the only one who was chased out of the Demon King''s Army. If I had stayed with the Demon King''s Army, they would have prepared a new post for me and I could have stayed in peace.

    What do you say, Master Astares!

    We are sworn to serve Master Astares for the rest of our lives!

    The second-in-command''s children are quite healthy, but the bottom line is this.......

    ''''You were fired from the Demon King''s Army?''''

    ....

    Is that our fault?

    Last time they came here, he did whatever he wanted to them.

    He wiped out all the monsters they brought with them, and when they were frightened, Veerle, who had been turned into a dragon, took them to the battlefield and did all sorts of flamboyant things.

    Is it any wonder that Astareth-san, the executor, bore the responsibility for that all by himself?

    ''''Right after that mess, there was a court martial in the Demon City...

    ''''It was a one-sided denunciation of Astares-sama. You failed in your mission and said it was sinful to bring even the dragons into the battlefield to confuse them........

    Mr. Astares was stripped of his title of Four Heavenly Kings and exiled from the Demon Kingdom.

    He came here with nowhere to go.

    ''''It''s ridiculous, such a decision!¡¡Master Astares-sama has worked so hard for the Demon King''s army until today!

    ''The court martial itself was a strange thing!¡¡Start in a big hurry and finish in a big hurry before the Demon Lord returns from the front line!¡¡It''s as if he was doing everything he could to bring Master Astares down!

    ''I thought so!¡¡Wasn''t it Lady Lavilian who was behind the conference?

    The Four Heavenly Kings always seem to be up to something.¡¡They''re definitely up to something!

    The two lieutenants were reminiscing about the situation at the time and were enraged by the remembrance.

    ''''No........it''s not about who''s to blame. In the Demon King''s Army, strength is everything, competence is everything. It''s my fault for not being able to accomplish the mission I was given, my inertia.

    Mr. Astares has blamed himself, but it seems to be confirmed that the incident was the catalyst.

    I''m starting to feel bad about it.

    ''''...Okay.

    Master.

    Veerle made a sullen sound.

    That scared the hell out of me, but I''m not going to pull back and flatter him.

    ''It''s hard on my conscience to overlook someone in need, no matter the ramblings of the past. So, if you want to stay here, you can stay as long as you like.

    That one.

    A bird that jumps into your bosom, even a hunter wouldn''t kill it or something like that.

    We''ll follow their lead.

    "But while we''re here, we''re subject to the rules. No bloodshed. Don''t eat what you don''t work for. You must do everything I tell you. If you follow these three points, you''re in the right place.

    Master, you are being too soft.

    Veerle reveals more discomfort, but the human (demon race?) who came to rely on me, weakened to the limit. I was also the one who couldn''t be very good at turning away the

    All right, I''ll do whatever you say. I will do whatever you say. I''ll take care of you now.

    Mr. Astares-san rubbed his forehead on the ground and assumed a platitude pose.

    I thought there was no need to get down on my knees, but this is the same man who attacked us last time to kill us all.

    This is the least you can do to make up for it.

    Well, she''s been so overwhelmed by hardship that she can no longer carry her pride.

    There''s no way I could ever feel anger or hatred towards her, and I don''t have the energy to do anything dangerous. I think it''s safe to say.

    But!

    ''There''s one thing I''d like to ask of you, Saint!

    But then the two second-in-command girls jumped out.

    ........what is it?

    Couldn''t you excuse Mr. Astares from the night''s work?

    Instead!¡¡We''ll both do our best to serve you!¡¡I will endure any play and make the saints happy!¡¡So, only Master Astares!¡¡Please!

    Ah.

    ............

    ''That''s not what I meant when I said absolute obedience!

 45-44 Demon King

    Thus, Astareth and his two lieutenants settled down in our settlement.

    It''s time for the two lieutenants to call their daughters by their first names.

    One of them was Batty, and the other was Verena.

    The other is Verena.

    Including Astares-san, I let the three of them work on the farm along with Gobukichi and the others.

    I thought they would make a noise right away, but surprisingly, they worked hard.

    It may be that the obsession that there is nowhere else to go if you are kicked out of this place makes you do it, or it may be that you become desperate.

    By the way, what kind of existence is the demon race in this world?

    An evil race?

    A human enhancement system?

    The answer is that it''s a different race created by a different god.

    The human race is the god Zeus.

    The demon race is Hades, the god of the underworld.

    And the mermaid race is Poseidos, the god of the sea.

    They were created by different gods, so they are different species. Other than that, they''re not particularly different.

    There is no difference between the races, no difference between superiority and inferiority or right and wrong, the only difference is the origin.

    It seems that they''ve been fighting over this alone for thousands of years.

    It doesn''t matter to me, so anyone is welcome to my settlement as long as they don''t fight with me.

    ''Sir I''m sorry for what I''m going through.

    It was Prathi who suddenly apologized to me.

    I was trying to time it with just the two of us where no one witnessed it.

    ''''Well what are you apologizing for?''''

    Because most of the problems we''ve been experiencing lately have started with me. I''m sorry...!

    It was an auspicious line, which was not like Prathi.

    That kind of awe-inspiring attitude doesn''t suit her.

    ''Trouble is good sometimes,'' she said. Peace and tranquility are basic, of course, but you need at least a small incident to make it worthwhile.

    ''Of course!¡¡That''s how I feel about Attah, and I''m supplying your husband with trouble!

    But as soon as I thought that I was, I got on a roll.

    It was when I was living my life like that.

    * * * *

    Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

    As expected of Astares-san and the others, they are the most skillful in combat matters as they are former elites of the demon race.

    So naturally, I entered the dungeon and left them with the task of hunting monsters.

    Today, we will head to the mountain dungeon early in the morning and bring back a lot of beast monster meat.

    Other than that, Prati is holed up in the brewery as usual, researching and making potions and fermented foods.

    Veerle is also lounging in his room as usual.

    Goblins, including Gobkichi, will be doing their daily work in the fields.

    And I, along with Okubo and the rest of the orc team, have begun planning to build a large pottery kiln.

    It was in the middle of all this that our guest arrived.

    "A guest?

    When I think of the guests who come here, I can only think of two.

    The teacher from the nearby cave dungeon, or Prathi''s brother Prince Arowana.

    But this time the guest was neither of those.

    It was the first time I''d seen him.

    ''I''ve never seen you before.''

    One look at him and you could tell he was no ordinary man.

    A great man, shall we say.

    A man big enough to look up. He was muscular and muscularly strong.

    And yet there was no intimidating feeling that oppressed the viewer, but instead a deep dignity that engulfed the viewer, as if to say.

    The biggest difference between him and the visitors who had come before was that he didn''t attack you as soon as he appeared.

    He was extremely polite and showed no rash hostility.

    That''s probably why the goblins, who first approached me, were able to easily lead me down the hall without too much trouble.

    I''m sorry for barging in on you without asking in advance. Since our side is also busy, we had to hurry this time.

    What the...?

    Let me check first. Is this the place of Saint Kidan, sir?

    Yes, yes, but...?

    What is it, this feeling of being pushed down one by one...?

    "I am Zedan, the demon king.

    ?

    Demon King?

    Did you say demon king?

    ''''Um..., I''m sorry to ask this basic question, but a demon king is a great person, right?''''

    The title is given to a champion who leads the demon race. That''s the Demon King.

    I knew it!

    Right!¡¡It''s not like the Demon King isn''t great!

    But it is not a sign of my own greatness. The title of Demon King has been elevated by our predecessors who have passed it on from generation to generation. I''m just a young man who has just inherited this heavy responsibility.

    And a personality!

    Even though I am in a high position, I am never proud and humble!

    If you call it great, there is someone who is truly greater than this demon king. Saint Kidan. It''s you.

    What?

    With the Dragon and the No-Life King, two of the world''s most fearsome menaces, and carrying the lost Sacred Sword of Dryshwartz, you are the greatest threat to the world.

    It seems that my reputation in the world is in a different dimension.

    Is this because of what Veerle did out there?

    I heard that he threatened her very loudly. My bad name is roaring through the world.

    No, but wait?¡¡Just because this is the dwelling place of, you know, a saint, doesn''t mean I''m that saint...!

    I thought it was a waste of time, but I tried to talk my way out of it.

    ''No, no. I''m pretty sure you''re the saintly Kidan.

    It was still no good.

    ''''Because they resonate with each other. Your evil holy sword Dryashwaltz and my raging holy sword Einrodt My own raging holy sword, Einrodt.

    The sword is pulled out of its sheath at the waist and released.

    The aura, or rather the aura that emanates from the blade is........ I feel like I''ve seen this somewhere very familiar.

    ''''Saint-dono. It is a rude request, but I hope you will accept my challenge. My angry holy sword and your evil holy sword. Let''s make it clear here, black and white, which one will win.

 46-45 House Uproar

    I was suddenly challenged by the Demon King.

    The goddesses of salvation came back at just the right time.

    ''''Saint-sama, we just returned from hunting!

    ''What a great day, Kirisaxica!¡¡We''re hunting a Kirisaxica!¡¡Please make another sukiyaki with this!

    They had gone to the mountain dungeon to supply meat. They were the three daughters of the demon race.

    Batty and Verena were excited about the good hunting results, but Astares-san, the only leader of the group, seemed to have immediately sensed the abnormality.

    ''''........Well, Demon King-sama!¡¡Why are you here!

    Astares....!

    The Demon King was also greatly upset by Astares-san''s appearance.

    These two people, do they know each other?

    Of course we know each other, right? Mr. Astares is the Fourth Heavenly King of the Demon King''s Army. So he was the Demon King''s confidant, right?

    "So this is where I huddle up after all...!¡¡I couldn''t find it even if I tried everything on all sides. There was only one place left, so........!

    My Demon King, you''re making me...

    ....?

    What''s going on with you two?

    ''''I have failed and have been forced out of the Four Heavenly Kings'' seat. I can no longer be of any use to you. If you continue to wait on me, you will give the reactionaries an excuse to take advantage of you...!

    What do you mean?¡¡You''re exactly the kind of person I need!¡¡I can''t possibly lose you!

    My Demon Lord...!¡¡Zedan-sama........!

    .........

    What is this atmosphere?

    "Don''t worry, I''ve already thought of a plan. "Don''t worry, I''ve already thought of a plan, I''ll get you back to the Demon King''s Army as soon as possible, so just be patient...!

    After saying that much, the Demon King turned to me again.

    ''I''m sorry for taking you in. Let''s compete once again, Saint Lord. Let''s risk each other''s holy swords and use all our deadly power.''''

    "For a holy sword?

    That''s right. The winner of this match, the one who wins will get the other''s holy sword. I am sorry for my rude challenge and for adding more conditions to it. But I really need that holy sword!

    No, if you want the holy sword or something else without a fight, you can have it but....

    But I have no idea what the Demon King wants from a while ago.

    "Demon King?¡¡Don''t tell me you''re planning to fight a saint?

    "No way! This is too much recklessness!¡¡That''s the same as committing suicide!

    And hearing the Demon King''s decision, Batty and Verena started to make a scene.

    Hearing the commotion, Prati and Veerle also come over. Since the confusion was about to spread, they decided to restrain everyone here and rearrange the information from scratch.

    * * * *

    Anyway, I asked the demon king to come up to the house and listen to the story in detail.

    I led him towards the Western-style room and offered him some tea, as he may not be used to the rules of the Japanese room.

    I served tea to them, hoping that they would calm down.

    I am truly sorry to have caused a disturbance to you, an originally unrelated group of people.

    And the Demon King.

    This guy is very polite, isn''t he? At least, he''s the most polite of all the kids who''ve come to our house so far.

    That''s why I can''t get angry when someone suddenly throws a challenge at me, telling me to fight.

    I''ll tell you my name again. My name is Zedan. I am the Demon King in the current Demon Clan system.

    ''Um, I''m sorry to ask another basic question, but...''

    Is the Demon King going to be replaced?

    Earlier, you were talking about "Inherited from generation to generation........"....

    ''''Your husband is a summoner, so it''s no wonder you don''t know about that.

    "The title of Demon King is one that our demon lord is permitted to wear. In addition to wisdom and courage, a demon with outstanding moral character will be selected to take his place.

    Prathi, Astares-san explains to me in turn.

    Naturally, even the demon race gets old as time passes, so when they decline, they pass the baton to the next younger generation.

    So the system is to elect a new demon king?

    Good.

    I understand the definition of the Demon King in this world.

    ''''Though the selection criteria are now a truism.

    The Demon King himself said in a self-mocking tone.

    Huh?¡¡Really?

    My definition of a demon king, quick fix!

    ''''The pretense that the best demon race will be elected as the Demon King has already become a mere shadow of its former self. Nowadays, the Demon King is completely hereditary.

    ''What do you mean?¡¡It''s true that Zedan-sama was born into the Aynroth inheritance family, but the entire demon clan knows that that''s not the only reason why Zedan-sama was chosen!

    Mr. Astares-san was kind of excited.

    This is the person who loves the demon king, right? I can tell by his attitude.

    You will be able to find out if you are a good candidate for the job. My father and my grandfather both wielded the Fiery Sacred Sword and fought with it as the Demon King.

    Is it that sword you pulled out earlier?

    Indeed, just by looking at the blade, it was emitting a terrific aura.

    Is it a demon sword?¡¡For a moment, I thought to myself.

    Strength as a sword, the evil holy sword I have?¡¡Was it?¡¡I think it''s better than that.

    And do you have that thing, Astares?

    Of course. No matter how much I miss, I can''t let this one go.

    Prompted by the Demon King, Astareth-san made his waist gossip.

    Then he took out a sword.

    However, it was a broken sword. It is broken from the base of the sword.

    This is.........?

    It''s the Holy Sword Zexvais. It''s a holy sword that''s been in my family for generations.

    But it''s broken.

    It''s already broken.

    Hundreds of years ago. My ancestors snapped it.

    The Demon King said gravely.

    ''''In the demon society, there were five holy swords that have been confirmed to exist in the demon race. The five families that inherited those five sacred swords were considered the five most powerful families in the Demon Race. It is said that in the past, the seat of the Demon King was also rotated among those five families.''''

    "But then a civil war broke out to determine the true pinnacle of the demon race. The five families fought each other, and in the end, one holy sword smashed the other four to settle the battle.

    After folding the four holy swords, the last one left was Einrath, the furious holy sword. From then on, Einrodt''s family dominated the throne.

    Heh.........

    It''s like a history lesson.

    ''''And the four defeated families henceforth pledged their allegiance to the Demon King family that possessed Ainrot. That was the birth of the Four Heavenly Kings.

    ''''So, Mr. Astares, you''re from a family that originally inherited the Holy Sword?''''

    ''''That''s right. This sword has become a symbol of our family''s devotion to the Demon King. Therefore, no matter what happens, even if it is broken and becomes useless, I can''t let it go from my body...!

    Mr. Astares has lost the political battle and has fallen out of the capital.

    The fact that he continues to possess it despite this, he must be very passionate about it.

    ''''This is how the holy sword is related to our demon tribe, but after explaining this much, I would like to ask you again.

    Yes, what is it?

    I mean, is this explanation connected to this case?¡¡You''re not wasting your time, are you?

    ''''Kakunarujo, let me ask you frankly. Sage Lord, will you hand over your Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz to Astares?

    ''''Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

 47-46 Demon Love

    ''''If you''ve read the history of the Demon Race, you understand how important the Holy Sword is to the Demon Race!

    Yes.....

    ''''With the transfer of the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz into Astareth''s hands, her family lineage can once again climb to the position of the Demon King!¡¡The Senate can''t ignore her like that and can only make the decision to recall her!

    Ah.

    In other words, the final objective of the Demon King is...!

    ''There is no longer any other way to save Astares. All other political means have been preempted and blocked!¡¡...please!

    The Demon King bows his head to me so deeply that I can see the back of his head.

    The king of demons, who stands at the top of the demon race.

    "Zedan-sama........!¡¡That much for me...!

    Mr. Astares was sobbing with tears of joy at the sight of it.

    .........

    These two guys are sure........!

    As I was guessing things, he tugged on the hem of my choicest hem and I turned my head to the side to see what was going on.

    It was Batty and Verena.

    Oh, what''s the advice?

    I don''t know what to do, so please, help me out.

    "The Demon King and Master Astareth love each other very much.

    I can see that.

    And we''ve known each other since we were kids.

    Betas.

    Are you going for a tally?

    They come from prominent families and have known each other since they were young. They found each other immediately and promised each other a future.

    I want to tell him to explode.

    ''''But Master Zedan is a Demon King. And he''s been brilliant since he was a child, and it was said that he would beat his brothers to the title of Demon King.

    "That''s why the other Four Heavenly Kings also sent a maiden of age to establish a relationship with Master Zedan. But Master Zedan had no one else to penetrate his heart but Master Astareth.

    "In addition, Astareth-sama went to the battlefield to become worthy of being the wife of a demon king, and after realizing that, she was officially hired as the Four Heavenly Kings...

    ''''If she takes the Demon King''s wife, Master Astareth''s power could reach an all-time high. The other four heavenly kings were afraid of that...''''

    I tried to get rid of him before that happened....

    Mr. Astares was put on a mission that would have caused problems whether he succeeded or failed, and he was disqualified for being subjected to the responsibility.

    That''s what happened the other day.

    ''''Are you saying that Atashi and the others were used as a dupe for the demon race''s political disputes?''''

    Shall I destroy you, demon?

    Prathi and Veerle were angry, but we''ll let them hold it here.

    ''''I, too, should have realized this earlier. But lately the human army has been attacking so hard...!¡¡Because a new powerful hero had appeared and was glued to the front line in dealing with it........ No, is that an excuse too?

    The Demon King mocked himself.

    ''''The purpose of the battle I just challenged Saint-dono to fight was more about the Holy Sword than Saint-dono himself. He wanted to win the battle and take away the Evil Holy Sword...''''

    "This is not fair, Master Zedan!

    Astares-san yells at him as if scolding him.

    ''''How could you, Anata-sama, not be able to estimate the saint''s abilities!¡¡Even if you are the strongest of the demon race, Anata-sama, if the saint-sama gets serious, you will be killed in the blink of an eye!

    Huh?¡¡No. Oh, no?

    Even though I look like this, I''m just a regular guy who can become an instant expert with the effect of the supreme bearer.

    Even if he can reach a level where he can compete with the Demon King... there''s no way he can beat him, is there?¡¡You don''t think so?

    "Do not despise yourself. You are the demon race because you are Zedan!

    ''But, O Astares,'' he said, ''I would rather live than lose you. But Astareth, I would rather live than lose you. I would rather die at the hands of the most powerful man in the world than lose the Evil Sacred Sword!

    It''s fine for the two of us to have a good time together, but I''m not going to kill him.

    I''m not going to get caught up in something that might leave a disaster like that.

    ''''If there''s a situation like that, I could at least give you the holy sword...!

    "Really?

    I didn''t even want this thing to begin with.

    But it''s probably not possible.

    When I was about to hand it to the Demon Lord, the Evil Sacred Sword stuck to my hand as I thought it would, "Ngigii-gii-gii.......! I was like.

    "What the hell?¡¡I''m not letting go!

    I''m not even gonna try to let go of it like this.

    What''s going on?

    For me, half of me wants to explode now that I''ve figured out the true intentions of this barging couple.

    The other half is the desire to bring their love story to fruition.

    The broken holy sword was reflected in my vision.

    It was the one Astareth had in his hand.

    Hundreds of years ago, it was smashed by a demon king of that era. Since then, Astares-san''s family has taken this broken sword as a sign of defeat and resigned themselves to the position of the Demon King''s entourage.

    In the Demon King''s lineage, if a proper holy sword instead of the broken holy sword fits into Astares-san''s hand, his family status will rise and he will become an indispensable figure to the Demon Clan.

    Using that as an excuse to restore Astares-san''s disgraced position.

    It may seem like a somewhat rough plan, but it''s probably because I''m confident that Astares-san will never betray me, so I can execute it.

    I took the broken holy sword in my hand.

    ........What did I say the inscription was?

    The Delusional Holy Sword Zex Weiss.

    ''''Master?¡¡What''s going on?

    For now, he doesn''t respond to Prati, but focuses his attention on the hand holding the hilt of the Delusional Holy Sword.

    I don''t feel anything.

    It''s a completely different feeling than when I held my evil holy sword. After all, this sword must have died when it was broken.

    ''''.........Okubo.''''

    He ordered one of the orcs who was waiting nearby.

    ''Bring as much mana metal as you can hold from the storeroom to the forge. And fire the kiln.

    ''Master?¡¡What are you going to do?

    In short, it would be enough to put the holy sword in Astares-san''s hands.

    And any kind of holy sword will do.

    "I''ll revive this delusional holy sword. I''ll revive this delusional holy sword with my own hands.

 48-47 Holy Sword Revival

    A swing of a holy sword that was broken hundreds of years ago.

    The Delusional Holy Sword Zex Weiss.

    I don''t know how many holy swords there are in total, but anyway, this one was broken and is dead as a sword.

    But with my hands. I''m sure the Bearer of the Supreme may be able to bring it back to life.

    The material that makes up for the loss of the broken sword is mana metal, which is pure mana concentrated and materialized.

    They are melted together with the remnants of the holy sword and the dragon breath of the Veil.

    Putting them together, I spent three days holed up in the forge that had been set up in a corner of my new home.

    * * * *

    ''''It''s done!''''

    The Delusional Holy Sword Zex Weiss was revived here.

    The sword that was broken and lost has been beautifully restored, and the slender straight lines slither out.

    The aura emanating from the sword is so much stronger than the other holy swords. It was more telling than anything else that this delusional holy sword had been fully restored.

    ''''The broken holy sword...!

    Resurrection

    Both Astareth-san, the owner of the Delusional Holy Sword, and his counterpart, the Demon King, looked at each other roundly as if they couldn''t believe their own eyes.

    ''''No, that''s never happened before, Master!¡¡Is it for real?¡¡How is it really possible!

    ''''The fierce energy leaking from the new holy sword...!¡¡This is definitely a holy sword. A revived holy sword!

    Prathi and Veerle couldn''t hide their surprise even though they were on the outside looking in.

    Then, yes.

    "''Yes''?"?

    No, Mr. Astares. Don''t be so surprised.

    This is your holy sword from the beginning.

    It''s because I had to reposition it for you to have it.

    But..........!¡¡Are you sure?¡¡There is only one holy sword left in the world.¡¡No, two swords because the evil holy sword that was supposed to be lost was found in the hands of a saint?¡¡I even revived the Delusional Saint Sword here, so three strikes........?

    Anyway, he seems to be confused.

    It''s a bother, so I pushed the sword to Astares-san as it is.

    ''''You did it!¡¡Astares!

    The one who embraced her with joy was the Demon King-sama.

    ''''Now your family lineage has the qualifications to compete for the title of Demon King alongside my family!¡¡There''s no way we can leave such a prominent family outside of our sphere of influence!¡¡You can be reinstated right now!

    Demon Lord.¡¡No, Master Zedan...!

    Then let''s get married right away!¡¡My heart was already set on it, and I''m sorry I let the Demon King''s duties stretch the boundaries of my relationship with you!

    Demon Lord, you''re really excited.

    I won''t repeat the mistake. "I won''t repeat the mistake, so that you don''t get separated from me again. I want to maintain a solid connection with you. Astareth. Will you be my wife?

    Yes.

    Wow, quick answer.

    Congratulations, but I wish I could have done it somewhere else.

    "Yay!¡¡"Congratulations to Astares-sama!

    ''''A great comeback victory from the Four Heavenly Kings disqualification!

    Batty and Verena were also happy as if it was their own business.

    Is this the end of the matter now?

    Sweet!

    But then the javelin came in.

    Isn''t that my wife Prati?

    We were just about to have a big party, and then what?

    With all due respect, Your Majesty, may I ask you a question? Do you really think that your government''s complicated political situation is so simple?

    Well, who the hell do you think you are?

    Excuse me. If I may introduce myself, my name is Prati, Princess of Mermaidland, who was about to be your sidekick.

    ''''Side room?!''''

    The Demon King was the most surprised when he was told.

    Why?

    How dare you think I''m not on your side?¡¡What do you mean, you haven''t even found your rightful wife yet?

    I knew it. I knew it. The negotiations with the mermaid kingdom were carried out by a group of demonic forces without your permission.

    Did you talk about your marriage to Platy?

    But that''s why she''s here, because it was ruined, and from there, Astares-san and the Demon King followed suit and came here, too.

    It''s hard to think of a number of people who would do whatever they want without telling their lord, the Demon King, about Astares''s disqualification, or even here. Maybe one of them is the root of the problem. Maybe it''s one of the other four Heavenly Kings...!

    Is that a category in which you can kill him?

    ''We''ll consider it. But I don''t want you to be a bother to your husband.

    Veerle and Prati have told me some scary things.

    ...as peacefully as possible?

    But what I''m trying to say here is that things aren''t going to be so easy. There are people who disregard the Lord''s order and do whatever they want here. I''m sure they''ll try any kind of quibble and try to prevent you from getting married.

    ''''Yes, the idea of more holy swords might be a weak political card.

    A serious and ruthless word, even Ville.

    ''''If the Holy Sword is so important to the Demon Clan, one might argue that it should be taken away from the disgraced Astareth. If the family that holds the Holy Sword is qualified to be the Demon King, then their relationship with the current Demon King family could be tenuous.

    It would mean that the strictest possible route of succession would be confused. At worst, it could lead to a split between the old power and the new, which could lead to a civil war.

    I don''t know about you, but what''s the hard part?

    "So, what do you want me to do then...?

    The demon king asks confusedly.

    It''s a good thing that you have a personality and a bold personality, but I''ve heard that you''re not very good at this kind of scheming.

    I think there''s only one thing to do.

    And he is a flippant Prati.

    ''If they''re going to try to side-step you, just settle everything quickly instead of playing such tricks!

    ''Well, does that mean...?''

    Prathi said.

    ''Just marry her right here and now!

 49-48 Oath Ritual

    Demon King, the wedding ceremony.

    Today.

    Now.

    Seriously, it''s done right now?

    I know it''s better to hurry, but aren''t you being too hasty?

    You can''t blame me. The only way to keep them quiet is to get it over with so quickly that it doesn''t give them time to make a move!¡¡The sooner it''s done, the better!

    That may be true, but...!

    Zedan-san and Astares-san, the Demon King and his wife, are left with no choice but to stand by the dizzying nature of the situation.

    ''''If it''s true, marriage is only good if the parties involved agree to it, but that''s not going to happen with these people!

    ''Because we have to get everyone to admit to the fact that we''re ''married'' to a giddy board!¡¡Only then can you silence the devious ones!

    Even Veerle got into a groove.

    What would set these girls on fire so much?¡¡Do you like politics?

    ...Oh, or do you enjoy being in a position where you can irresponsibly support someone else''s love life?

    ''Yes!¡¡Dear Prati, I have a question for you!

    Very good, Verena!¡¡Say it!

    Some girls were still excited.

    True, girls love to talk about love stories, short for love stories.

    ''What, exactly, is the way everyone agrees on marriage!¡¡What do you need?

    That''s a good question!¡¡Well, I''ll tell you!¡¡What you need...!

    I hoard.

    ''We need...!''

    I''m still hoarding.

    Witness!

    ""Witness!"

    I''ll recapitulate it because it''s important.

    The four people who are mainly excited are Prati, Veerle, Batty and Verena.

    The parties involved, Demon King and Astares, are stunned, unable to keep up with the situation.

    The witnesses are the living proof that the ritual took place.¡¡The higher the social status of the witnesses, the more trustworthy the wedding will be!

    "The higher the social status of the witnesses, the more trustworthy the wedding will be!

    And with that, you''re trying to make the marriage between the Demon King and Mr. Astares a fait accompli?

    ''I see!¡¡Then this place is a treasure trove of first-rate witnesses!

    "Dear Veerle the dragon and Prati the mermaid princess!¡¡And most of all, we have a saint!

    At such an applause from Batty and Verena, Prati waved her finger at Chi, Chi, Chi.......

    Why?

    ''That''s sweet. We need more goofy, strongest witnesses!

    The best!

    Is there anyone better than you?

    The story is getting louder and louder.

    Who is Platy going to be the witness to this?

    * * *

    ...it''s me.

    The no-life king''s teacher was deflated when he heard the errand.

    After being summoned out of the blue and bracing himself for what was going on, he said, "You''ll have to be there for the wedding," so that''s what he would do.

    Beside him, the Demon King was overwhelmed by the sight of his teacher.

    That''s what happens when you meet someone for the first time, right?

    ''''I had heard that the Sage Lord was not only accompanied by dragons, but also the No Life King, but when you actually see it, it''s a different reality...!

    I don''t obey.

    We''re good friends in the neighborhood.

    ''But Prathi. You''ve gone to the trouble of naming your teacher. What''s the big deal?

    I feel like it''s rude to the teacher when I say it this way, but what is the point of calling this person, who was not involved at all this time, out of the blue.......?

    It''s important. Because you were an archbishop of a large church somewhere before you died, right?

    Yeah.

    "You don''t need a clergyman at your wedding!¡¡God approve of the two of you pledging your love to each other!¡¡What is a wedding without this?

    If you ask me, that''s true.

    From that point of view, the teacher has been undead and a clergyman for over a thousand years.

    No divine agent with this much authority has ever been able to do that!

    Can we have a full-blown vow ceremony in the presence of the teacher for now?

    "Uh, excuse me for getting carried away, but...!

    The doctor said, as if it was hard to say.

    It''s fine to perform the wedding ceremony, but the bride and groom are the two of you, aren''t they?¡¡You''re a demon, aren''t you?

    And the Demon King pointed at Astares-san.

    ''''I was a human race before I became undead, but...!

    What?

    The god they worship is also the goddess Zeus, the creator of mankind. I''m sure that''s what the demon race is all about, isn''t it?¡¡You believe in the Dark God Hades, don''t you?

    Yes....!

    There''s a fundamental discrepancy!

    Does that mean it''s that thing?¡¡Is having a teacher perform the wedding ceremony for the demon kings like inviting a monk to church?

    Well, I''ll see what I can do.

    The doctor waved his sleeve.

    "Can you manage it?

    "After living for more than a thousand years, you will learn a lot of things. Even though we have different religions, I have the same prayer rituals as Hades, the god of the underworld.

    Saying this, the teacher made some kind of a sign with his hand and began to mumble and chant.

    ........the weight of the air has changed somewhat blatantly.

    It''s getting dim, even though it''s midday.

    The atmosphere has become very unusual!

    "This is your sanctuary, do as you please to purify it...!

    And as if the teacher''s prayers were answered, a god appeared.

    The god of the demon race.

    The god of the underworld, Hades.

 50-49 Kamisama ceremony

    A being that clearly transcends humanity has appeared before us.

    A god.

    Maybe that''s what it is.

    It looks like an old man with a beard long enough to reach the ground, far larger than a human, although it takes the form of a man.

    Is this the god of the demon race, Hades?

    I mean, why would God be in front of us?

    "...in a fit of pomp and circumstance, you''ve conjured up the gods.

    Doctor!

    I knew it was your fault!

    I was going to start off by praying to create a sanctuary to perform the marriage ceremony. It''s a good idea to have a prayer in order to conduct the marriage ceremony. This is the first time I''ve ever heard of it.

    We don''t have time to be so carefree, do we?

    He''s calling out for God!

    If it''s a manga or game, the main character''s side should use all of their strength to stop the evil gods from descending!

    Are you sure you want to make this happen so easily?

    ...materialized on earth. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen this happen.

    ..........?

    Mr. Hades has started talking...?

    His voice is divine, calm and commanding.

    ''When you came out before ... well, when you annihilated the destroying angels unleashed by Zeus'' idiot?¡¡What is this summoning?¡¡''Has the Zeus family finally launched the final war?''

    That would have been a question for us.

    What do we do?

    You think you can fool me and get me off your back early?

    No, sir.

    If you were thinking about it, there was someone who was the first to step out.

    Demon King Zedan.

    The conflict with the human race is still continuing. Although the situation has been stepping back and forth, we have not yet reached the point where we can put our trust in the Dark Lord.

    "Mm, superimposed.

    God nodded.

    ''Then what did you call me for?¡¡"Who are you to serve before me?

    With all due respect, sir. "I am Zedan, the Demon King. I am Zedan, master of the demons born to you in this life.

    Demon King, you''re talking to God!

    Wow!

    Ordinary humans can''t even breathe properly under the pressure of the gods.

    Even Batty and Verena, the two lowest-ranking members of this room, are about to pee their pants!

    I have decided to take a wife. I have decided to take a wife, a woman whom I sincerely want to make happy for the rest of my life.

    Zedan-sama........?

    You say it so clearly that Mr. Astares is blushing.

    "Therefore, I wished to formally raise the candlelight ceremony and ask for the blessing of the Underworld God for my husband and wife, but due to a mistake, I personally summoned the God''s Jade Body. I am very sorry for disturbing your mind.

    The Immortal King.... ''''The Immortal King........and he has lived for over a thousand years? So it''s obvious that his technique can reach the gods.

    The teacher bowed his head as if to say, "Sa-sen.

    As expected of the Immortal King, even the Immortal King would be scared of God.

    ''''Very well, if you are the king of the demon race, you deserve my blessing in person. But first, let''s get this straight. Unlike Zeus and Poseidon, I am a god who has chosen to have only one wife. If you take that blessing in person, you''ll be following in my footsteps.

    ''I wish!¡¡My, my dear, one Astareth is enough for a lifetime!¡¡I don''t need a side room or a mistress!

    ''Very well. To the Demon King Zedan and the Demon Queen Astares, I give you the blessing of a husband of the God of the Earth. Congratulations on your wedding.

    The light emitted from Hades'' hand gently enveloped the demon king and Astares.

    ''''We''re done with this. I shall sink to the depths of the gods. I''ll sink to the bottom of the gods.

    With that, the Dark God Hades disappeared like a haze.

    The sticky, dense air returned to normal.

    ''''He was unexpectedly nice...?''''

    He blessed me with a normal marriage blessing.

    He called me a dark god and I thought he was some kind of evil god on his own, but he''s just a normal saying god.

    * * * *

    It is said that the couple who have received a direct blessing from God will receive a powerful blessing thereafter.

    It''s called the "Blessing of the Husband of the Mother of Earth" and is the highest level of blessing that can be given to a married couple.

    Moreover, it''s at the level of once every several hundred years.

    It''s easy to check if you have magic that can look into the parameters, as well as the blessings such as good health and safe births, and those who try to forcibly tear them apart will be punished by the gods accordingly.

    It would have been the best proof of the love that Demon King and Astares-san would show towards their demon brethren.

    ''''Lord Saint, I really can''t thank you enough.

    The Demon King and his wife, who are now united as one, express their unreserved gratitude to me.

    "Thanks to you, my marriage to Zedan-sama, which I had given up on as a dream, has come true. I will never forget this debt of gratitude for the rest of my life.

    Astares-san, who had become the Demon Queen, bowed her head with tears streaming down her face.

    ''''No, no, I didn''t do anything in particular. It''s more of a credit to the teacher who summoned a god in the flurry of things...!

    When I looked at him sideways, the teacher sighed, ''''I''ll be more cautious the next time I form a prayer-based jutsu style.

    ''''........But if I can get this much ironclad blessing, would the holy sword I repaired have gone to waste?''''

    ''No, it''s not!¡¡Another holy sword resurrected in our Demon Clan''s camp will surely help flatten the hearts of the Demon Clan!

    ''''With the conjugal swords of my delusional holy sword, Zexweis, and Zedan-sama''s angry holy sword, Ainrot, I swear to keep the peace of the demon race!

    For now, I''m confident that the future of the demon race is safe.

    It''s a mystery though whether that''s enough for the human race.

    So what are they going to do now?

    "I will naturally return to the demon stronghold of the demons, accompanied by Astareth. And then I will unveil my mate to the entire demon kingdom.

    Yeah, that would be good.

    ''''Please make sure that the people who made the series of conspiracies are also roasted and purged. I don''t want to get in trouble over and over again.

    I''ll burn the whole city to the ground if I have to.

    Prathi and Veer are also trying to send them off with warm words.

    When they became husband and wife, the home of the demon race - or is it called the Demon City?¡¡It would be a perfect place for them to live together.

    Let''s celebrate the beginning of their lives together.

    ... no.

    Just when I thought it was a good idea, Mr. Astares, who had become the bride, said the most extraordinary thing.

    ''If you''ll allow me, I''d like to stay here for a while longer.

 51-50 The Maou and his wife stay

    ...What?

    What are you talking about, Mr. Astares?

    Or Mrs. Demon King.

    ''I''ve been made acutely aware of this series of events. That I am still inexperienced. I''m not thoughtful enough, and I''m not compassionate enough. That''s why I fell for the tricks of those petty people and caused Zedan-sama a lot of trouble...!

    Huh.

    Maybe.

    ''So I want to stay and retrain myself. I believe that if I work steadily under the saints, I can leave my foolishness behind and become a new me.

    How about that?

    And me.

    This isn''t some kind of enlightenment seminar or anything like that, is it, my home?

    In that case, might I be allowed to stay here for a while?

    "You''re a demon king too?

    Don''t you think that''s a bad idea?

    I mean, if you''re the Demon King and you don''t return, won''t your demons be in trouble?

    Well, the war between the demons and humans is in chaos right now. It''s a spontaneous truce.

    ''What?¡¡Really?

    Yeah, the dragons that have suddenly arrived on the battlefield have scared the crap out of both camps. Both sides are unable to move their troops until they have more solid information.

    Oh.

    My eyes were on Veerle.

    He whistled badly.

    I''ve been glued to the front lines, and this was a good thing, because it made me aware of what was going on. Also, for the first time in a long time, I can afford to relax and spend time with Astares.

    Master Zedan.

    It was the look of a female that Mr. Astares was completely in love with.

    ''Of course, if the saintly lord will allow me to do so.... What do you think?¡¡Will you allow my wife and I to stay?

    In short, you want to make out here during the most lovey-dovey time right after the honeymoon?

    Very well.

    ''''Quick answer!

    I''m sure that when they return to the demon tribe''s headquarters, they''ll be too busy with political affairs and political battles to make out with each other.

    It''s a good idea to reach out to such lovers.

    Well, if the master is okay with it, we''re fine with it, but...!

    ''But it''s okay?¡¡If you listen to what I''m saying, there are people in your camp who ignore your heads and move around on their own. Leaving the center of your camp unattended is like asking me to plot the wrong thing.

    Prathi, Veerle even thinks about political matters for a very long time, doesn''t he?

    When this was pointed out to him, the Demon King looked like he was going to have a difficult time.

    "Don''t worry about it. ........it''s more of a calculation.

    He smiled fearlessly.

    I''m scared, I''m still scared of the Demon King.

    * * * *

    Thus, I noticed that our settlement was to welcome the Demon King and his wife.

    We decided to extend the mansion for the Demon King and Astares'' stay.

    We decided to build a detached house off the main house, and the Demon King and his wife would sleep there.

    Because they''re newlyweds.

    You can''t hear or be heard........hey?

    The construction of such a detached building was mainly left to Okubo and his team, but then the Demon King himself joined in to help.

    I thought it would be too much to ask, but the demon king was surprisingly adept at erecting the pillars and hammering the nails in place.

    Thanks to that, the separation was completed in less than a few days.

    Isn''t it a little too soon to be able to do that?

    But the Demon King and Astares have been giving off a pink aura for a few days now.

    Probably has a lot to do with the rapid pace of construction.

    Because there''s no better motivation than erotica.

    What''s the harm in a couple making a baby, and I hope they''re encouraged to do it well now that they''ve got a bunk.

    As for Ms. Astares, she has taken a break from farming and hunting to follow me and start learning how to cook.

    She said that cooking is a necessary subject in order to be a good wife.

    But since Astares-san is the wife of a demon king, in short, the queen, she should have a special servant to cook meals for her, shouldn''t she?¡¡I pointed out that it''s not good enough, apparently.

    She''s someone who strives for perfection in everything she does, my husband, the Demon King, and even Batty and Verena''s prefects gave me an enlightened look.

    It seemed that the main motivation for Astares-san''s decision to stay here in the first place was to learn to cook from me.

    I hadn''t had a chance to find out until now, but this gave me an insight into the culinary situation in this world.

    It seems that in this world, there is no concept of seasoning.

    If there is, it''s salt at best. It''s not to add flavor, but to preserve it.

    There is no such thing as spice itself.

    That''s why Prati and Veal both gobbled up my food, and that''s why they ended up living here.

    Unlike Mr. Astareth, you don''t show any inclination to learn.

    It''s okay, we''re good!

    ''Yes!¡¡Why do you have to make it yourself when master can make it for you?

    These guys..........?

    Now that we''ve found out another thing about this world, then maybe we can get more diligent about making condiments.

    Establish a mass production system?

 53-52 Magi Court Struggle

    You may tremble at the mention of my name.

    I am Laviglian, the Devourer, the fourth heavenly king of demons.

    I consider myself the wisest man in the world.

    It is only through my wisdom that the Demon King''s Army is able to repel repeated invasions by the human race.

    But that''s not all, of course.

    I''m a true master.

    False wisdom is consumed by your own.

    I''m a genuine person, and I''m always careful not to get arrogant.

    The fact that we demons have been able to resist the human armies that are so quick to send in heroes is by no means the result of my wisdom alone.

    The biggest reason for this is the power of this generation''s Demon King, Mr. Zedan.

    That man is Yingmai.

    As the eldest of the Four Heavenly Kings, I have served the previous generation and the previous demon kings, and I have witnessed so many demon kings, which makes me even more aware of the greatness and dexterity of the current generation.

    However, the fact that this generation is so capable also causes some problems.

    One of them is the issue of marriage.

    Because of the current Demon King''s ability, there are many people who try to get in touch with him to confirm his status.

    I am one of them.

    Fortunately, my wife gave birth to a good-looking daughter between us.

    She is beautiful.

    She''s just as beautiful as my wife!

    My ambition is to make this beloved daughter the Demon Queen, to become the Demon King''s father-in-law and to take control of the Demon King''s army.

    In addition to my daughter''s bloodline, she is beautiful like my wife, and wise like me, she deserves to be the best groom of the demon tribe.

    I''m not a stupid parent!

    I am the wisest demon in the world!¡¡Your analysis of the situation is top-notch!

    Therefore, I''d really like Demon King Zedan to make my daughter the rightful owner of the room, but then a powerful obstacle appeared.

    Astareth, the Four Heavenly Kings of Demons, "Delusion".

    It''s abominable that a little girl with a blue ass is on the same level as me.

    And what''s even more annoying is that this little girl is the Demon King''s favorite.

    The little girl and the king of the world are childhood friends. That''s why the two of them love each other so much and have pledged to each other for the future.

    As a man, I can''t help but understand the attribute of a childhood friend.

    But if we don''t back down now, there''s no way we''re going to have a court martial!

    Overcoming the disadvantage of attributes, I will make sure that my daughter will be appointed to the Demon King''s rightful place!

    But my lord Zedan. He seems to be very fond of the little girl Astareth, and even said that he would only take her to wife.

    The demon king won''t even take a vassal.

    It''s not that we haven''t seen this before, but it doesn''t make me very happy.

    I can''t even hope for a moment that my daughter will be favored by the king.

    Then I thought to myself.

    I''m the wisest of the demon race.

    The mermaids, one of the basic races along with the demons and humans, are said to have a brilliant princess.

    This information led me to believe that the mermaids have a princess with talent.

    The king of the mermaid race is equal to the king of the demon race, the demon king.

    If you want to marry the princess, even the king of demons can''t say no to you.

    But that doesn''t mean he''s going to give up on the marriage with Astareth, so one of them will have to take a place on his side.

    What''s the point in doing so, a fool might think.

    However, the Demon King is the one who says, "I don''t take a vassal. But if you want to marry a mermaid, you''ll have to backtrack unless you give up your marriage to Astareth.

    Demon King, side room OK.

    And two or more side rooms are OK.

    There are plenty of ways to get my daughter into that. That''s what I''m trying to do.

    I don''t care if it''s a lady''s room or not, as long as the Demon King marries my daughter in any way possible, I''m all yours.

    My daughter, she''s a charmer, she''s a natural.

    Hence, if only we could marry, the Demon King would be enamored of my daughter, and he would be sure to push Astares and the Little Mermaid to the status of full wife!

    I''m not a f*cking idiot!

    That''s a solid analysis of the situation!

    With the Victory Road to success in sight, the eagle immediately makes a full effort to negotiate with the mermaid kingdom.

    The humans have gotten wind of it and have joined the negotiations, but they are arrogant and arrogant, thinking they are the best in the world, and their diplomatic skills are at the level of children.

    As a competitor, they''re no match for us.

    And then, just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, trouble arose.

    The mermaid princess has married off to an unknown partner.

    And that opponent is a saint?¡¡Who''s that?¡¡But I''m disappointed that the plan that was on the verge of going well is now aborted.

    The foothold in pushing aside Astareth and making my daughter the Queen of the West is now gone.

    But wait, it''s not too early to give up.

    The wisest person in the tribe of demons can repair the aborted plan and turn it into a new secret plan.

    If it comes to this, I''ll have to negotiate with these mermaids and turn it into a muddy diplomatic issue.

    And how about you blame Astareth for all of this, and unseat him?

    Surprisingly well done.

    Little Astares, not realizing that he was being tricked, followed my instructions and went to kidnap the mermaid, and he failed miserably.

    And she screwed up spectacularly!

    If she succeeded, she would be accused of causing a diplomatic problem with the mermaid kingdom and disqualified.

    If he fails, he will be blamed for the failure and disqualified.

    It was set up to be a problem whichever way it went, but it turned out to be the best thing that could be expected.

    I thought that I would be responsible for the story about the mermaids, which is at the root of the problem, since it was my idea, but I was able to gloriously avoid it.

    It seems that I was not the only one who was bothered by the little girl Astareth, as the other Four Heavenly Kings also got rid of her.

    With this, Astares was dismissed as the Fourth Heavenly King. I even succeeded in expelling him from the Demon King''s army.

    As planned, we were able to get rid of Astares, and all we have to do now is to start the campaign to get my daughter married!

    ........Just as I was thinking, the Demon King, who had remained at the front line for a long time, returned to the Demon City for the first time in a long time.

    It seems that the battle lines were brought to a standstill due to the confusion caused by the appearance of the dragon.

    And when he learned of Astares'' expulsion, he was furious.

    He declared, "I''ll deal with you guys after I bring her back," and then He disappeared from sight.

    That.

    Isn''t this a bad idea?

    On top of being in the opposite direction of the Demon King, the Demon King is missing.

    The ceasefire with the human army could collapse at any moment.

    If the battle resumed without the Demon King and one of the Four Heavenly Kings, my Demon King''s army would fall apart in less than a month!

    The wisest man in the demon tribe predicts that!

    And even though he''s in such a difficult situation, one of the other four Heavenly Kings is trying to rebel!

    "With the Demon King nowhere to be found, this is our chance to conquer the world! Not that. Read the air!

    If a civil war breaks out at a time like this, the human race will attack us at this moment!

    I''ll do my best to get this under control, but please, my Demon Lord!¡¡Please come home soon!

    It was my fault for scheming!

    My Demon King!

    Demon King Kumbaaaaaaaack!

    ********

    ...but I digress.

    While I was being strangled by my own stupidity, one of my confidants came to ask me for some advice.

    He was the son of a friend of my friend on stilts, and when my friend was killed in battle against the humans, he asked me to bring him up.

    He was trained and nurtured on behalf of my late friend, and he has grown into a gem of a player, so much so that I can say that he is now my right-hand man.

    I''m sure that my friend, my late father, is very happy to see me in the underworld.

    And what happened to that confidant of yours, how did he suddenly change his mind?

    ....What?

    You want to marry my daughter?

    We''ve been together for years?

    You''re lying?

    My daughter just stormed in and said, "If you don''t marry him, I''m going to die! I''ll go so far as to say.

    ...Okay. I get it.

    I thought marrying into the hands of the most powerful and armed member of the demon tribe would make my daughter happy, but I was wrong.

    I never realized until now that the man who would make my daughter happy is so close by.

    I am the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Laviglian of Greed.

    I used to call myself the wisest member of the demon tribe, but it seems I''m the most foolish member of the tribe.

    Please don''t apologize to me, my right hand man.

    I''m sorry, my son.

    Take care of your daughter.

 54-53 What is magic

    This is how my frontier welcomed the Demon King and his wife, but are you sure you don''t want to go home, Mr. Demon King?

    Aren''t your guys going to be worried?

    I asked the demon king many times, but his answers were always generous.

    "It''s okay, they just need to stretch their wings where I can''t see them once in a while.

    I''d like to think it''s my imagination that he has a black smile.

    Now, the Demon King and his wife did not regard themselves as customers, but took the initiative to participate in the work on our frontier.

    The demon king himself was engaged in farming with a hoe and worked with me and Okubo and the others to make kilns.

    We were worried that it was not right for the leader of the demon tribe to do this kind of physical work, but he was satisfied with his work, saying that he could work up a good sweat.

    On the other hand, his new wife, Astareth, was learning to cook while doing half of the work in the fields and half of the hunting, just as she had been doing during her period of demise.

    It seems that she is talented enough at such a young age to take on important positions such as the Four Heavenly Kings, and she has quickly mastered the art of seasoning.

    The seasonings themselves are only made here, so it would be meaningless if I leave this place....

    Oh, I see you plan to buy from here.

    Thank you for every time.

    The two of us plan to return to the demon race''s home base one day and walk the path of the tamer together.

    But for now, it seemed as if they had forgotten that for a little while and were enjoying the life they were running together.

    However, that doesn''t mean that they have completely forgotten their duties as the Demon King and his wife.

    From time to time, the Demon King and Mr. Astares would be seen in between jobs, standing side by side, receiving some kind of lecture from their teacher.

    The teacher of the No-Life King, who has lived for over a thousand years, is not a metaphor or anything else, but a living breathing person.

    He has most of the mysteries of this world in his brain and has a lot to learn.

    Naturally, the magic he uses is powerful, and he''s begging for a lot of things to be taught to him.

    ...........

    A demon king under the guidance of an undead king, isn''t that the most evil of all, even if it''s only in the literal sense?

    I was so inspired that I started taking classes at my desk. It was good for training in the history of this world and general knowledge, but I had no idea how to practice magic.

    The gift I was given by God, "The Supreme Bearer," apparently doesn''t work on magic.

    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to have a magic wand or a grimoire to draw out more than enough of its performance to become a master of magic, but the magic in this world is done on its own without using any such assistance.

    ''''There are three main strains of magic,''''

    The teacher gave me a lecture at a very elementary level, at my level.

    It''s general knowledge that everyone else knows, so well, it''s embarrassing.

    ''''The magic magic magic used by the demon race. ''''The legal magic used by the human race. And the medicinal magic used by the mermaid race. There are many other types of magic, but they''re all subspecies that branch off from one of these three.''''

    The biggest difference is which species uses it?

    ''''That''s right. There is an affinity, and even if you learn the magic of a different race, it is very difficult to master. It is said that it is probably the difference in the gods that receive the blessings. The magic also manifests itself through communion with the gods and spirits that protect it.

    The human race is Zeus.

    The demon race is Hades.

    The mermaid race is Poseidon.

    I just met one of them in person the other day, so I can''t really feel it.

    I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them. There are many things you can do more. It is the magic magic magic of the demon race that has a wide range of effects.''''

    ''''Because there are many of the Underworld God Hades'' military gods that protect the demon race, and they can also sympathize with the spirit kind. From the point of view of Hades, who is also the god of the earth, the spirits on earth are also of a lower level of the military race.

    The Demon King provides a supplementary explanation.

    The human race''s legal magic is quite limited. With the demon race, anyone can use magic magic with training, but with the human race, only a few priests and priestesses are able to use magic.

    It seems that not only the number of people who can use it, but also its effects are limited in various ways.

    You can use the magic of the demon race in a wide range of applications from attack and assistance to daily life, but the legal magic of the human race is limited to a small number of techniques and what they can do.

    Not much to do, huh?

    Yes.

    For example........." the Demon King explained again, adding.

    ''''The reason why our demon tribe was able to discover this place where the saint''s hall dwells is because of the use of clairvoyant magic, a type of magical magic. It''s a magic that is exercised with the help of the god Aiacos, the Military God of the Underworld God Hades, the god involved in the judgment after death.

    They say you can look anywhere in the world as if it were right in front of you, in one place. Well, it''s not unlimited, of course, but it is very much dependent on the skill of the surgeon.

    I see.

    The demon tribe used its magic to discover Prati who lives here and sent Astares-san here?

    ''''Can''t the magic of the human race do something like that?

    So it''s unlikely that a human would find this place and come here.

    I''ll be relieved to hear that.

    When you''re just rattling around with the demon tribe, it''s troublesome if they even barge in on you.

    ''''That''s why there are so many things that can be done by the magic of the demon race and not by the magic of the human race. Instead, the legal magic of the human race has spectacular techniques that surpass human knowledge.''''

    Such as the magic of summoning heroes.

    You mean the technique by which I was summoned to this world?

    It''s great to say it''s great because it twists time and space to connect different worlds, but........ I''m not sure how it will work, but it depends on the wisdom of the user.

    ''''That''s the tendency of legal magic. Rather than helping the user, the human race, it''s more concerned with demonstrating the authority of the god who is the source of its power...''''

    What''s that?

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future. The magic used by the No-Life King is the same as it was when he was alive, but at the end of the day, all of it is the same as it was when he was high.

    ''That''s a line that only someone who has reached the top of their game would be able to say.

    The teacher and the demon king started laughing all at once, hahaha.

    It''s a high level conversation.

    ''''Lastly, the pharmacological magic used by the mermaid race, you should have the person in question explain this to you.''''

    ''What?¡¡Me?

    In case you''re wondering, Prathi, who was with me from the beginning, shakes me off.

    The mermaids use pharmacy magic to make potions. That''s the biggest difference between it and other magic.

    ''All the effects of pharmaceutical magic are exerted by potions without exception, but they are not magic in themselves. We make potions. That is the magic of the mermaids.''''

    It''s complicated.

    ''When mermaids make a potions potion, they mix their magical powers into the potion. That''s what makes it a potions spell. Of course you need herbs to make potions, but even if you have the ingredients and know how to prepare them, you can''t make potions for humans and demons.

    Because only mermaids can use the key pharmaceutical magic.

    ''I don''t know why the sea god Poseidos-sama gave the mermaid a magic with such a complicated mechanism. There are many theories, such as because it''s more convenient for the underwater environment, or because it''s easier to handle the power and prevent them from becoming arrogant, but we''ll have to ask him to find out the truth.

    "Do you want to take a priesthood?

    Stop!

    Doctor, have you been addicted to summoning God since you summoned Hades the other day?

    I don''t want it to be a big deal, so I''ll stop it as much as possible.

    ''''Well, something like that is a basic course in magic. I hope it has helped you in your quest for knowledge of the Saint''s Hall.''''

    Yeah, I learned.

    I''m sure it''s easy to forget.

    Well, I guess this is enough of a lesson for now, huh?

    "Wait a minute!

    I was just thinking, "Hey, wait a minute!" when Veerle burst in.

    ''You still haven''t taught me the point!¡¡We dragons use dragon magic!¡¡Explain to your master!

    "There''s so much magic that you use, it''s hard to explain...!

    ''The dragon race itself is a mystery to other races...!

    The doctor and the demon king are both troubled by Veerle''s threats.

    "You are useless!¡¡Well, I''ll explain it to you in person!¡¡Listen to me, master!¡¡The most powerful magic our dragons have ever used!¡¡The power of dragon magic!¡¡And I want you to take a good look at me!

    It''s time to get back to work.

    Learn well and work hard.

    That''s important.

 55-54 The inspiration of the aide

    Although all eyes are on the Demon King and Mr. Astares, they are not the only new residents of the city.

    The Demon Lieutenant who rolled in with Astares-san. Batty and Verena are also sitting here as usual.

    A change had begun to occur to them as well.

    * * * *

    Saints, I need to talk to you.

    It was Batty, one half of the two girls, who said to me.

    It''s rare that she and Verena usually work together.

    ''I understand that the saint has requested clothing.

    You know your stuff. Who told you that?

    To be precise, though, they are fashionable clothes for girls like Prati to wear.

    The clothes themselves can be made by me, but the part that requires fashion sense is not something that even the supreme bearer can do anything about.

    It''s not an option, but the "clothes that only function as clothes" that I made are exclusive to me and Okubo.

    These days it''s not just Prathi, but also Astares-san, Verena, Batty in front of me and more female members, so the purchase of fashionable clothes that I had put on the shelf has become an increasingly urgent problem....

    "Actually, my family runs a sewing business.

    "Huh?

    ''''But it was just a small shop mending things in the countryside. When the shop went under, I joined the Demon King''s Army for dinner, and when I was fortunate enough to rise through the ranks, I caught the eye of Master Astares, and I was even able to become the Four Heavenly Kings'' deputy.

    I see.

    I have a goofy feeling that something is coming.

    ''But my hands still haven''t forgotten the sewing skills I learned from my parents, and I''ve worked for Astares-sama with the dream of someday making clothes of my own design come into fashion. I was thinking of opening a clothing store with my retirement money if I could safely serve in the military, but...!

    Great, I like this trend.

    ''Will you let me make it here?¡¡A garment that will please Master Prati and Lady Astares?

    Wonderful!

    That''s what I''m talking about.

    The solution to a problem we''d been putting off for so long came from the other side.

    Make what you will!¡¡You can take a break from working in the field if you want to focus on making clothes!¡¡Because that''s what we''re looking for most right now!

    Aha!

    Negotiations have been made.

    ''Anything you want to use, just let me know!¡¡I made all the needles and scissors, and I have the raw materials, thread and fabric.

    Cotton fabric made from primarily grown cotton!

    ''About that, my saint...!

    ''What?¡¡In a revised tone...?

    ''Dough made from the mysterious plants grown by the saints would be nice.......... There''s more, right?¡¡And others.

    !

    You''re so cunning!¡¡You say you noticed that?

    It all started when my teacher handed me the Yoshamo, a bird monster that lays eggs.

    The discovery of the Yoshamo made me think.

    I thought to myself, ''There might be more useful monsters in the dungeon.

    So I went back to the dungeons in my teacher''s cave and the mountain dungeons in the Veerle Mountains to see if I could find any more useful monsters.

    That''s where I discovered them.

    My curiosity was piqued by the kind of monster that Prati and Veerle had dismissed as being of no use to me.

    It was, at first glance, just a caterpillar.

    At first glance, it was a useless caterpillar, with a slow, ugly movement and no parts to eat.

    Its size was only one size bigger than an ordinary caterpillar. Because it''s a monster, it doesn''t hatch into a butterfly, it just crawls around in dungeons and it''s meaningless.

    The caterpillar monster was so meaningless that we couldn''t even give it a name.

    That thing spat out a string.

    --That''s silkworm-sama then!

    You screamed, the moment you found it.

    In the world where I used to be, the highest quality silk of cloth products is silk.

    It is made from the cocoons that a type of moth called silkworm makes when it is a larvae.

    The caterpillar, which, like the silkworm, spits out a thread, and that''s when I got the idea.

    I immediately decided to take as much as I could carry with me and keep it at home.

    I couldn''t keep them in the yard, because I''d been looking at them with the eyes of a hunter as they picked at the soil and ate worms and the like.

    I turned an entire room in the mansion into a ''silkworm room'' and raised them carefully, and they spat out yarn, just as I had intended.

    I used the thread to weave and create a silk fabric made by the monster silkworm.

    The actual thing is already there!

    So that''s what they''re after.¡¡Don''t do it Batty...!

    I don''t mean to hide it, but Prathi and Veer didn''t understand me for a long time and told me "bugs are weird" and "don''t waste the room" a lot, so I''m glad to finally meet someone who understands what I want to do!

    ''You''re a real saint for making fabric from the threads that bugs throw up. The idea is too original!¡¡I got a glimpse of the actual item, and it looked more beautiful and durable than any high quality fabric in the Demon City. By all means, let me make clothes out of that fabric!

    ''Sure!''

    There was no reason to refuse.

    Even if you make the finest silk fabric, it''s no good if you don''t have a tailor to turn it into clothing.

    That tailor appeared from the other side without having to look for him!

    I''ve decided to let her do everything!

    The silk fabric that I grew and created, Batty, I leave you with!

 56-55 three numbers

    This is how he entrusts Bati with making his clothes, but of course, it doesn''t produce immediate results.

    It will take a lot of time.

    In the meantime, I''ll take my time and concentrate on my work.

    I want to extend the house since the number of residents has increased, and I want to finish the kiln I''ve been working on for some time.

    I haven''t even finished the bath yet.

    As I was working to get all that stuff done, I heard something.

    "Hey Batty, do you really need to do this?

    ''We need it!¡¡It''s essential!

    That was the women''s voice.

    Prati, Veerle, Mr. Astares, Verena, and Batty all seem to be here.

    The reason for the unreliable presumptive tone of voice like "it seems" is because we are in the mansion and through the door.

    To be more precise, I''m walking down the hallway and I hear voices coming from somewhere and apparently there are women in the room doing something with their geese together.

    I''m in a situation where I''m listening to it through a single door.

    I can''t see them, but I can hear them.

    ''There is no success without it!¡¡It''s the inevitable Victory Road!

    Is this voice Batty?

    The voice is fierce, and I can see the scene of passionate spitting.

    So, what are you doing?

    Let me measure you. Let me measure you all for your size!

    Size?

    I''ve been appointed by His Holiness as a dressmaker!¡¡Allowing me to make your clothes is my sacred duty, so to speak!¡¡I ask for your immediate cooperation!

    Did I give Batty that much responsibility and power?

    It can''t be said that the person in question is just overawed, but is it good to be motivated?

    ''It must fit the wearer''s body shape perfectly!¡¡That''s the essential requirement for good clothes!

    ''Batty is on fire...!

    My colleague Verena''s voice is chilling.

    ''So let me measure it!¡¡The height of all of you!

    Yes

    ''Let me measure it!¡¡Boobs!¡¡Hips!¡¡And the size of your ass!

    ""Yes?"

    Everyone, except Batty, was astonished at the same time.

    ............

    ........three sizes?

    Come to think of it, I''ve heard it''s especially important in women''s clothing making.

    This is where I was about to realize my own danger. I''ve been listening in through the door, and I''ve realized how dangerous I am.

    If safety is the most important thing, we should leave the site now without making a single sound.

    And yet my feet didn''t move.

    They must have been completely oblivious to my presence.

    From the other side of the door came a raspy voice that rang out from the other side.

    ''Well then, ladies and gentlemen!¡¡Please take off your clothes for sizing!¡¡Now!¡¡Now!¡¡All of them!

    All of them!

    Of course!¡¡A single thin layer of skin can affect the perfection of a garment!

    "That''s why...!¡¡It''s embarrassing to be naked in front of everyone...!

    "What''s the matter with you, Master Platy?¡¡I''ve already grabbed the story of facing a saint you''ve never met before with a lower body spoonful!

    ''''Gyaaahhhh!¡¡Stop, don''t tell me, don''t remind me!

    Some kind of maiden scream by Prathi came from through one of the sliding doors.

    ''I just didn''t know much about Riku''s manners back then!¡¡Now that I''m used to living here, it''s a mess of embarrassment!¡¡It won''t happen again!

    It won''t happen again...!

    It''s kind of lonely...!

    "Batty. We frequently measure ourselves in the demon army to create uniforms and armor, don''t we?¡¡We don''t need to measure it again, do we?

    This is Mr. Astares'' voice.

    ''What do you say?¡¡Do you seriously believe that the size you measured yesterday is the same today?

    What...?

    Isn''t the rice prepared by your saint very, very tasty?¡¡Master Astares-sama had some more gingerbread this morning.

    "What do you want, Batty?¡¡I''m not fat!¡¡I''m not fat!

    But I hear that''s not uncommon for people to get fat after they get married, so...?

    ''That''s a case for the gents!¡¡No women involved!¡¡It shouldn''t matter!

    Then you can prove it, can''t you?

    Of course!

    The Four Heavenly Kings being carried by their subordinates.

    ''''I suppose you can take your clothes off!¡¡Fine, I''ll take it off!¡¡Verena!¡¡Lord Platy!¡¡You guys take off your clothes!¡¡We die in this situation, we die together!

    Collateral damage?

    From the other side of the door came the sound of clothing scraping and scraping. It''s not a good idea.

    It''s a very good idea to take off your clothes without any hesitation. What do you think you''ve shoved so many people into such a small room for?

    And Batty is on a roll.

    You can hear it in his voice alone.

    ''Wow, Master Astares, haven''t your tits gotten big again?¡¡Did marriage stimulate your female instincts?

    ''''People of the demon race have darker skin, so I wondered what kind of color they have on that part of the body or something like that, and that''s the color they have.

    That''s the way Lord Platy is.

    Sleek and smooth.

    She''s so slippery.

    Shut up!

    I''m talking about dazzling romance.

    Gentlemanly, I know that I shouldn''t be here any longer.

    And yet my feet won''t move!

    ''Then I will measure it. Major, major....Let''s start with Astares-sama!

    What?¡¡Don''t hit me with your skin!¡¡It''s so cold, you''d be surprised!

    ...There are more and more of them.

    So don''t surprise me!

    Mr. Astares.........

    Let''s eat less rice from tonight.

    But don''t worry. I didn''t increase my waistline. My boobs just got bigger.

    Really...!

    ''You''re blatantly relieved. And by the way, your hips are increasing too.

    Has marriage led to excessive female hormone production?

    ''Prati-sama......... But first, what''s this feeling on your skin?¡¡It feels so good to be slippery!

    Not only does Prati-dono look slippery, but he''s also slippery to the touch?

    Wow, it''s really smooth!¡¡It''s like touching a blue fish. Is this the skin of the mermaid race?

    Batty, Mr. Astares, and Verena, in that order, were surprised.

    ''Gee!¡¡Stop it!¡¡Don''t touch me!¡¡That''s where no one but your master is allowed to touch you!

    Where is it being touched?

    Then I''ll measure it. ..........Prati-sama also has quite a large breasts, doesn''t she? As expected of a princess in the land of mermaids........!

    You''re not going to release the numbers, are you?

    It''s a warrior''s mercy.

    No exact figures released?

    Well, there''s also the advantage of not being exactly superior or inferior, and the unit of length would be different than a meter or something, so you wouldn''t be able to figure it out if I asked.

    Is that okay with you?

    The rest is Verena. No change from the last time we measured her. Poor tits. That''s all.

    Colleague!¡¡Treat me better!

    I mean, does Batty record or remember the body size of his friends, such as Mr. Astares and Verena, exactly?

    That''s the daughter of a dressmaker.

    I knew it was a good idea to leave her in charge of making clothes, didn''t I?

    What a load of crap.

    Then another voice came from inside the room.

    Is this voice Viel?

    "Mermaids and demons are all too happy and sad about the slightest bumps and bruises on their bodies. What difference will such a small amount make?

    I mean, Veerle was there.

    I don''t know why they didn''t speak, they didn''t exist.

    "d*mn, this transcendent being called a dragon...!

    Speaking of which, Veerle. What criteria do you use to determine your body shape when you transform into a puppet form?¡¡If I was fat in my original form, would I still be a fat person?

    You can feel the hint of a snicker from Veerle''s nose at the question.

    ''Dragons turn into human beings because of magic, so of course they can set their body shape as they please. It doesn''t matter how much they eat or how fat they get!

    ""This guy...!"

    You can see the hatred of all the girls is focused on Veerle.

    However, the strongest race continues to boast without regard to their intentions.

    ''I can magically make my own clothes so I don''t need to be measured, but to show you the overwhelming difference between me and you, I''ll allow you to measure my body for one thing!

    Thud!¡¡And the sound of him taking off his clothes.

    You can tell from the sound alone that he has taken off his clothes very boldly.

    "You might want to take a closer look at it while you''re at it!¡¡The Veil of the Grinzel Dragon embodies the female nudity that you people idealize!

    I can hear Veerle''s voice through the sliding doors, as if convinced of his victory....

    ''It''s so small,''

    It''s small.

    Lolita?

    "A dragon''s sense of beauty...!¡¡No way.........?

    He didn''t seem to get much credit.

    Huh?

    Well.

    So much for eavesdropping, I left in front of the room before he noticed me.

 57-56 Sumo

    While the women were mingling in the room, the men naturally began to gather around the men.

    It didn''t sit well with the women, so we decided to stop our work for the day and play.

    Let''s wrestle.

    Why sumo wrestling?

    It''s just that it''s a game or a competition that can be played easily and without tools or cumbersome explanations, and this was the first thing that came to mind.

    Sumo...?

    What''s that?

    I knew it, or rather, I didn''t know about the Demon King and the Orcobos, who were residents of this world.

    For now, they drew a circle on a wide, flat area of the ground.

    This is the ring.

    I don''t know exactly how big the actual ring is, but I think it''s an area that won''t hinder a heated match.

    It''s a game of "Whoever falls down or leaves this circle loses. We''ll play one on one.

    There are a total of twelve people in this room, including me, the Demon King, Okubo and the other ten monsters.

    That sounds interesting.

    It''ll be a nice change of pace. Let''s do it, let''s do it.

    It''s gonna be a lot more fun with their enthusiasm.

    Except you.

    Put down the sickle and axe.

    You can''t use weapons in sumo.

    "Oh, yeah?

    The Orcobos reluctantly followed the support honestly.

    I didn''t miss the fact that the demon king also tried to pull out his rage holy sword and gently sheathed it with joy.

    What is it, guys?

    If you take out such a sharp object, it''s bound to cause bloodshed, right?

    Apparently, I should start explaining the rules from a more basic point of view.

    First of all, sumo wrestlers are not allowed to use weapons.

    This is an important point, so let me reiterate.

    This is a very important point, so I''ll say it again: Sumo wrestlers must fight with their bare hands only.

    But it''s only for fun, not for real.

    It is important not to get injured in a fight, and this is the rule to guarantee it.

    No kicking or punching while competing.

    And it''s a different kind of martial art.

    The main thing is that you can throw and put your opponent''s back to the ground or out of the ring.

    Got it?

    Again, no injuries, no fatalities, and it''s outrageous.

    Do you understand?

    Yes, my Lord!

    "All you have to do is beat them until they can''t move, right?

    You don''t understand it at all!

    These guys are monsters after all!¡¡There''s so much blood!

    We have to instill the spirit of competition in these guys before something irreversible happens.

    Therefore, let''s give up sumo wrestling.

    And the Demon King.

    After shadowboxing with a fist filled with magical power, he said, "What? I''m not allowed to do it to the hilt? Please stop making the face that says, "I''m not a fan of this.

    Let''s add a rule.

    It''s forbidden to use magic.

    It''s just for fun.

    It''s just for fun. Any activity that is not in the category of fun is forbidden across the board.

    I''ve decided to demonstrate it to someone else.

    Me vs. Okubo.

    Being the leader of a monster team, he wouldn''t have a problem with it, sensibly.

    He and I were trying to achieve the ideal sumo match.

    "Hokey-okay, I''m here!

    At the same time as I shouted the signal to start, a tensioner aimed at my face attacked.

    "Ohyaah!

    I avoid it just in time.

    I''ve heard that our monsters have mutated and become stronger, so even with a slap, their skulls might cave in if they entered your face properly.

    "No face-attack!¡¡It''s too dangerous!

    You struck it with the palm of your hand as you instructed, my dear.

    That''s right!

    Speaking of wrestling, it''s papier-mache!¡¡If you''re wondering why papier-mach¨¦ is used in sumo, I''m guessing it''s probably to keep people from getting hurt!

    That''s exactly what I''m feeling right now!

    ''You must be joking. No matter how serious I am, I can''t let you get injured, my dear.

    So it''s okay for them to come and kill you?

    Please don''t do that. You''re doing a good job of killing people!

    There''s no way that I, who can only be an instant expert with the "supreme bearer", can compete with them properly, but these guys are holding me up for something!

    ''If it comes to this, I''ll do it!

    Deciding that I had no choice but to attack to survive, I dashed in and closed the distance and got into Okubo''s bosom.

    I grabbed my opponent''s trouser area as if I were grabbing a mawashi.

    Finally, it''s getting into a wrestling-like shape.

    "Unnuuh?

    Okubo takes my waist as a counterattack, but his grip is still lax, as he is an amateur.

    Since Okubo has an overwhelming advantage in terms of strength, I thought that if I took too long, I would lose the power, so I went into the game in one fell swoop and pushed him off with a lower hand throw.

    As Okubo''s huge body rolls over the ring, everyone around him shouts in admiration.

    ''Great!¡¡Their leader was thrown away!

    That''s my saint!¡¡The saints are the best after all!

    As soon as I had the image of taking the mawashi, a number of sumo techniques I hadn''t learned popped into my head and I chose the best one.

    The rest of my body just moved on its own.

    How much more versatile are you, ''supreme bearer''?

    ''Let''s see, as you just saw, the basic strategy is to grab your opponent''s waistband and throw or push them out. I hope you can continue to compete safely and without injury at this rate.

    ""Oh!"

    Thus began the competition.

    * * * *

    There were a total of twelve people in the original team of me, the Demon King and the monster team.

    We can play six matches in pairs.

    The monster teams are neatly categorized into two types: speed-type goblins and power-type orcs, and the best of each is developed by utilizing the strengths of each.

    In the case of a matchup between orcs and goblins, the difference between the two is whether the small goblins can exploit the small gaps in balance while using their speed to scramble for the win.

    If they could crush it with their power before that, the Orcs would win.

    Some people have already taken in techniques and come to me for tips and detailed rules.

    And among them, the one with an overwhelming presence was Demon King.

    He was new to the sport of sumo today, but he grasped the gist of the game after watching a match or two, and even devised a decisive move that he shouldn''t have known about yet, defeating orcs and goblins.

    Initially there were twelve of them, but after a round, there were six of them.

    The six of us played one more match each, and three of us survived.

    One of them was me.

    I''ve managed to save the reputation of the master of this settlement.

    The second one was the Demon King.

    He was a stable winner. He''s also betting his reputation as a Demon King.

    And the third one was the last survivor from the monster team.

    Goblin Gobuzaemon.

    He figured out the knack of wrestling early on and defeated the two orcs by making full use of the goblin''s unique quickness and the ease of movement of the small army. He survived to this point.

    If things continue as they are, I''d like to have one more fight to determine the strongest position....

    ''''How half-assed the numbers are!

    Three left.

    Odd.

    If two players fight, there''s one more.

    I suppose they should have treated someone as a seed, but it''s a very unpleasant combination.

    At the very least, if one more person is added to the team to make it four, it will feel like a semi-final.

    ''''Oi, Saint-dono, we''re back to play!

    Then Prince Arowana appeared.

    It was good timing.

    ''Everybody!¡¡A jumping challenger has appeared!

    The monster team gave a hearty cheer.

    ''''Huh?¡¡What?

    Prince Arowana is puzzled.

    But he doesn''t have time to calm down.

    ''''The three of us who have won so far, plus Prince Arowana, will team up to form a total of four!¡¡The strongest Yokozuna in our frontier will be decided here!

    No...........¡¡I don''t know what the hell is going on here!¡¡And that''s the Demon King?¡¡What''s he doing here?¡¡Why are there so many VIPs from all over the world converging on this place?¡¡To fight?¡¡Impossible, impossible, impossible!¡¡None of these men can stand up to him!¡¡Me!¡¡Stop it!¡¡Don''t let me get in on the crazy game!¡¡Oooh me!

    In the end, it was surprisingly Arowana Prince was the winner.

    The reason for his victory, he said, was the strength of his back, which is used to swimming in the ocean.

 58-57 Kongo yarn

    ''It''s done!''

    Batty exclaimed.

    She had been working on her clothes all these days, and it finally paid off.

    ''Master Prati!¡¡Try it on!¡¡It''s a fluffy, spring-colored ilehem skirt created just for you!

    "Huh?¡¡For me!

    Prathi was puzzled when pressed.

    But a skirt with a pompous title........!

    I made the hem of the dress asymmetrical to match the image of Lady Platy, the Little Mermaid, and to give it a wavy look.¡¡By measuring Prathi''s hip size beforehand, we''ve established a flowing line when she wears it, giving it a heightened sense of trendiness!¡¡Blue to match the top.¡¡I imagined the color of the ocean, the home of Lord Prati!

    Yeah.

    I don''t know what she''s talking about 80% of the time.

    But the intensity of her passion is hot and bothering.

    ''''It''s very comfortable to wear. And the design is so stylish. I feel like I''m getting dressed up for the first time since I came to your husband''s place.......!

    ''Yes!¡¡I''ve received a compliment!

    Batty, raising his hands in the air and rejoicing.

    I''m glad your efforts were rewarded.

    ''But next time I make one, I want something more mobile for work.

    "Ouch!

    It''s true that skirts are hard to move around in.

    However, this means that the frontier area can finally produce a piece of clothing that is popular with the young and trendy.

    Another step forward!

    Hmmm...!

    Veerle, who was watching from the side as I was, had a difficult look on his face.

    What''s wrong with you, Veerle?¡¡Are you jealous that only Prathi can wear fashionable clothes?

    That''s not true. Hey, master, that piece of cloth that''s made of clothes is the thread that that that disgusting insect threw up, isn''t it?

    Disgusting insects, that''s blasphemy.

    It''s true that the silk woven from the threads spat out by the monster silkworms found in the dungeon is the raw material for the skirt.

    The silky sheen is beautiful, and I''m impressed with the way you''ve done it.

    "....dragon fireball.

    Something Veerle generated a ball of fire from his fingertips.

    It''s about the size of a baseball.

    Is it magic?

    "Ei.

    The fireball is thrown out with the movement of his fingertips.

    It flies up to the skirt that Prathi is wearing.

    He was hit.

    What are you doing, you stupid dragon!

    Is it really so bad that you always dress up in platitudes?

    Don''t panic, master, I''ve adjusted the power. Don''t look so hard.

    ''''Eh!''''

    The silk skirt that touched the red lotus flames, however, bounced off the flames without flaring up in the slightest.

    ''''Ehhh!''''

    The flames completely shattered and disappeared, but there wasn''t a single scorch mark on the surface of the skirt.

    ''''As I thought.......this cloth is an extraordinary counter-magic power, right?

    What?

    It''s probably a lot more physical defense than the rest of the armor. I''m sure it''s a great deal better than most armor. I''m sure that this is the effect of the thread that the insects spit out, then I''m sure that''s a very good idea from the master''s point of view.

    No, I wasn''t aware of that.

    I wasn''t aware of that at all.

    Just because there was a caterpillar that spit out yarn, I thought, "Maybe you could make silk? I was just hoping that it would be a good idea?

    And yet, the fact that it even comes with such practicality as a bonus is a true monster bug in the fantasy world.

    There''s no way.

    Prathi''s tweaks came from Prathi''s side as well!

    ''''No matter how much of a monster you are, if you can spit out such a strong thread, you''ll surely climb the rumors in some form or another!

    So what''s this skirt you''ve actually got that''s as protective as your armor?

    ''''I''m just guessing. Didn''t Orcbos mutate into Warrior Orcs and Spartan Goblins when they came in contact with their masters?

    Ah.

    ''''Those insects must have been carefully raised by their masters to mutate, too.¡¡Did that change the quality of the yarn you spit out?

    By leaps and bounds?

    Have I created a hell of a new species again...?

    After that, I just experimented with the leftover fabric. This mutated monster silkworm silk was found to be a strong fabric that couldn''t even be key-cracked by normal level attacks.

    Magic systems are completely disabled.

    ''''Another legendary-grade armor has been created!

    ''''It''s not a martial artifact!¡¡It''s a fashionable fashion item!

    The creator, Batty, had protested, but this was obviously a big deal again.

    Originally, this monster silkworm was a dwarf being that people couldn''t even give it a name, but now I''m going to give the mutant a name.

    Since it was a species without a name to begin with, it couldn''t have a name only for its mutant species.

    And since I was the one who mutated them, the theory goes, I should have the right to name them.

    The threads these guys spit out are white and shiny, and have more strength than steel. It''s like a diamond, so I named it "Kongo Silkworm".

    The silk woven from the threads they spit out is "Kongo Silk" or "Kongo Silk", I guess.

    Anyway, I''m very happy to finally get Prathi dressed up in some stylish clothes.

    I''m sure Veerle is looking at it with a frustrated look, but I guess he''s just jealous.

    ''Master!¡¡Always cheating on your platies!¡¡Do something for me!

    Even so, you''re a dragon and the most powerful race, so there''s nothing in particular I can do for you.......

    "Is it bad that I''m a perfect being myself........d*mn it!

    I couldn''t help it, so I decided to pet Veerle''s head for a while.

    It seems that the person in question is not unaware of it. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

 59-58 Return

    You know what?

    I asked the Demon King about something that had been bothering me for a long time.

    ''How did you get here, Demon King?''

    We didn''t see any ships like when Astares and the others first arrived, though.

    And it was just the Demon King alone.

    It''s not like I haven''t wondered about it until now, but I''m stuck in the middle of nowhere and don''t have anything to talk about, so I tried asking him.

    The demon king answers.

    ''''That is, of course, transference magic.''''

    I knew it was there, such magic.

    It''s a good way to get to where you want to go in an instant, although there are many restrictions. It''s difficult to learn and there are only a few users among the demon race, but...

    What kind of restrictions?

    ''You can only transfer to the marking points you set up in advance. In other words, you can only transfer to places you''ve been once. Well, if you know the coordinate codes of the points, it''s convenient to be able to transfer to places you''ve never been.

    The Demon King also relied on the marking points to transition to this point.

    ''''Wait. When did you get a marking point or something?¡¡You mean around here, right?

    One of Astareth''s subordinates specialized in dealing with transference magic, and was awarded a second lieutenant for that. ........or was it Verena?

    You''re not Batty.

    Maybe the first time you were here?¡¡Are you sure you didn''t put some kind of a secret marking point on it so we wouldn''t find out?

    "Right before Astares was accused of failing in his mission and exiled from the Demon City, he left me a note with the coordinates of this land''s marking points, for my information only.

    And because of that....

    "I was able to track them down and marry Astareth, and I''m grateful for it.

    The Demon King said sincerely.

    So you''re saying that the love cupid that connected him and Mr. Astares was the second in command, Verena?

    That boy does a good, sober job.

    ''But isn''t it dangerous to have markings like that?

    The users of shifting magic will still be among the demon race, and is it possible that new demon races will visit here after the demon kings?

    No problem. The marking points are also encrypted with the coordinate code to access them. It''s impossible to tell unless you get it from the person who made the point.

    It''s also convenient.

    "And with all the clairvoyant magic I''ve put in place, they won''t even know you''re here, let alone that you''re here.

    Acknowledgement?

    What, you haven''t noticed?¡¡You remember the clairvoyant magic we talked about earlier, don''t you?

    Yes.

    It''s one of the spells used by the demon race, and it can crush places at a distance, right?

    ''''This land is cloaked in a powerful perception-blocking spell that nullifies its clairvoyance. Thanks to that, this whole area is completely out of the sight of magic detection.

    I''ve never heard of that.

    "Who the hell cast such a helpful spell on you?

    It''s...!

    The demon king''s eyes turn to the side. There is a humanized dragon, Veerle, there.

    ''''What is it, master? You finally noticed?¡¡I threw those a**h*les on the battlefield and I welded them right back up.

    I''m sure that the perception-blocking wards set up by dragon magic would be impossible for the demons to break. I''m not going to be able to get a hold of them until I actually set foot in there. With the sole intention of getting Astareth back, I jumped in with the intention of taking a chance. Hahahahaha........!

    How could Veerle be so attentive?

    Is it for me, by any chance?

    "The master wants to live here in peace and quiet, so I''ve been smart about it. And yet, the master didn''t even notice...!

    Sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry I''m late in thanking you. Oh, yes, yes...!

    When I stroked his head to apologize and thank him, Veerle''s eyes narrowed in a pleasant way.

    I felt like patting him under the chin as well.

    The same is true for me, I have been able to live quietly. I don''t know if I''ve ever had such a quiet day in my life. And with Astareth, my lifelong companion. I am grateful to the saints for their support. But.....

    The Demon King stood up.

    ''''It''s time to put an end to that, too.

    What?

    The infighting among the well-wishers, who, buoyed by my absence, have unintentionally risen to their feet, must have reached a boiling point. I will return at that time and dispel the careless ones. We will regain control of the entire demon race''s human heart!

    Oh!

    So that''s why they stayed in this settlement!

    You didn''t just want to make out with Mr. Astares as a newlywed!

    ''I have enjoyed my time here, but I am the Demon King. I must do my duty as a ruler.

    I had hoped that he would release those words someday.

    Mr. Astares came out.

    ''''Ever since I pledged my eternal love in front of the Dark God Hades, I have been prepared to keep my body by the side of Zedan-sama at all times. Please take me to the Demon City.

    Mmm!

    The demon king hugged Astares-san''s shoulder.

    It''s like an I-can communicate with you without having to say much.

    ''''Astares-sama.''''

    We''ll go with you.

    His second-in-command, Batty and Verena, also knelt side by side.

    The two formerly followed Astares-san to come here. They would be with Mr. Astares when he left.

    ''Batty. You don''t have to do anything.

    Mr. Astares spoke softly to the girls.

    ''It was Batty''s dream, wasn''t it, to take over the family business and become a fine tailor?¡¡You are here to fulfill that dream. Stay here and keep chasing your dream.

    ''Master Astares!¡¡But...!

    Verena, you can stay with them.

    Mr. Astares says with the dignity of a demon queen already.

    ''''In order to come to this land again, transition magic is essential. I want you to be the guardian of the transition point set up here.

    Oh, my God, that''s...!

    The transfer point is designed to be spontaneously discarded if the environment at the set point changes beyond a certain point. It''s a safeguard in case the environment at the transfer point becomes uninhabitable. This land is evolving at a dizzying pace every day with the settlement of the saints. If someone isn''t in control of it, it will soon be gone.

    Is that right?¡¡And Astares-san''s gaze was on me.

    No problem at all for me. I nodded deeply and profoundly.

    ''Master Astares!¡¡In fact, I have a dress tailored for Lady Astares!¡¡I created this dress to give the queen the appearance she deserves!¡¡Please take it off and return to the Demon City!

    Verena, I will fulfill my role as the link between the Demon King and this land.¡¡Please don''t worry, please return to the Demon City and fulfill your duties!

    Thus, the Demon Lieutenant Batty and Verena remained in this land while the Demon King and his wife returned to the Demon City.

    In order to fulfill the role that comes with their position.

    But, well, leaving Verena behind to secure the transition point means that they plan to come back here again at any time, right?

 60-59 The King Comes Again

    I''m Grashara from The Grudge, the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings.

    I''m the one who will become the new Demon King.

    The current King of Demons, Master Zedan, said, "I don''t care about the position of Demon King if I want to take back Astareth. I''ve been losing my mind.

    If you''re willing to renounce your title of Demon King, I''ll take your title instead.

    They are the chosen ones to inherit the Holy Sword of Resentment, the Hunfviollet.

    Even if the sword itself was broken in the past, it''s still fully qualified!

    The demon king''s throne that Master Zedan threw away, I will take it in return!

    So I stepped forward as the post-Demon King, but there are surprisingly many idiots who think the same thing.

    It''s fine for Zedan-sama''s brother who lost the battle for the succession, but what kind of deliberation is it that an ordinary demon tribe that has nothing to do with him would want to ascend to the post of the Demon King?

    The Demon King''s name is not that light!

    Qualification by bloodline, of course, but you have to be stronger than that to serve!

    Other than that, you need humanity, intelligence, and the dignity to subdue everything in one look!

    It was Master Zedan who had all of these things, and now you guys are so presumptuous that you''re going to take Master Zedan''s place!

    I''m going to kill you all!

    .........and so on, a civil war broke out, and some time passed.

    Due to the dragon commotion that occurred on the front line, it was predicted that the human tribal army would not take action without a second thought, but that doesn''t mean that everyone is too relieved and rampant.

    Although it''s a civil war where self-proclaimed upcoming demon kings who are buoyed by ambition are intermingled, unexpectedly the other four heavenly kings -, Ravilian and Belphegamilia - didn''t take it lightly, and cooperated with the regular army, concentrating on maintaining security and protecting the citizens.

    .........What, I''m the only one who''s floating around?

    The self-styled incoming demon kings, who also got carried away, didn''t have the guts to fight their way out of their ambition, and after a few skirmishes between their private armies, they immediately went into a stalemate to see how things went.

    If it were true, I would have killed all of them, but I myself couldn''t move as I would have liked because I was being held back by the Ravillians.

    ........d*mn.

    It''s a real stalemate in this situation.

    When I was holding back like that, he came back.

    Zedan-sama, the disappointed bastard who threw away the heavy responsibility of the Demon King and disappeared.

    But that man''s decisions and actions are different from those who only call themselves the Demon King.

    He led the Demon King''s army, which had been dedicated to protecting its citizens, to round up all the rebel forces in the blink of an eye.

    They used this as an opportunity to wipe out all the disruptive elements.

    I was one of those disruptive elements.

    I couldn''t believe my eyes when I was brought before Zedan, who had returned after being arrested by the regulars.

    I couldn''t believe my eyes when I was brought in front of Zedan, the demon king.

    And what''s she wearing?

    Dress?

    What kind of sickening makeover is the Teme of the female general''s army without a shred of pliability?

    .........

    .....................What?

    The Demon Queen?

    You''re going to be the queen of Zedan?

    Don''t play games with me!¡¡When did that happen?

    You''re an incompetent woman who failed in her mission, got fired from the Four Heavenly Kings, and was exiled to somewhere else!

    And now she''s back in business in a way that surprises everyone!

    I don''t get it!¡¡Game on!

    I wouldn''t be in awe in front of Master Zedan!

    The reason for Master Zedan''s disappearance and the outbreak of civil war in the first place is because of this stupid b*tc*!

    I will judge the tilted nation that disgraces the demon race into chaos here!

    Don''t stop, Master Zedan!

    I''m betting my life on this game!

    Well..., do you accept it, Astares?

    You''ve got some guts, don''t you?

    I''m going to test you in public to see if you''re worthy of becoming the queen.

    Take this!¡¡My ultimate inner sanctum, the Prison Fire Magic!

    What?

    My real flame has dissipated before it reaches its body?

    "As expected of the saint''s homemade vajra silk, Batty''s dress is the Demon Queen''s Dress. Even the magic of the Four Heavenly Kings class is completely blocked...!

    What the hell are you talking about, Astareth?

    If the magic doesn''t work, it''s a direct attack!¡¡I had a master dwarf strategist strike down with a sword of magic and silver, cut you in half!

    Oh no!

    That''s a fine sword!¡¡A great sword that breaks into pieces!

    Astareth!¡¡What is that sword you wielded?

    The delusional holy sword, Zexhuys?

    You''re full of shit, you lying bastard!¡¡Aren''t all of the swords held by the Four Heavenly Kings were smashed by the Demon Lord''s furious Holy Sword a long time ago?

    He''s back?

    By the power of a saint?

    What does that mean...?¡¡And the blessing on Lord Zedan and Astares is the blessing of the Earth Mother''s husband?

    The finest breath of the demon race, celebrated directly by the underworld god Hades?

    Was it this saint that did this to you...?

    What''s the matter?¡¡What''s the matter with you?

    I''m the fourth king of the four kingdoms, and my family is just like yours.

    Master Zedan is always favoring Astareth...!

    What''s so great about your childhood friends!¡¡Just because you happened to meet him first, you can''t beat Astares in anything you do!

    I''ve tried my best too!¡¡You worked as hard as Astareth to serve Master Zedan, so why doesn''t Master Zedan pay attention to me?

    All I see is Astareth!¡¡All Astares!

    Enough!¡¡You should have executed me!¡¡I also rebelled against Master Zedan while he was away, hoping to take his place as the Demon King!

    I don''t give a d*mn about a demon king who only favors Astareth, without knowing how I feel.

    If you can''t be Master Zedan''s wife, there''s no point in living!

    Execute her!

    If you can''t do that, then you can have me as your wife, too.

    I want to be Zedan-sama''s wife too!

 61-60 Kings murmur

    I am Genesis XVIII.

    King of the great human nation.

    We are a nation made up of the purest people on earth.

    Hence, it is a human nation.

    That name alone is enough.

    It doesn''t need to have a specific name, just like a city or a village.

    It''s similar to the demon kingdom ruled by demons, or mermaids ruled by mermaids.

    However, the only country that can truly be called a nation is the human country ruled by me.

    Why?

    Because the human race is the most superior species in the world.

    The human race is the purest, most righteous, strongest and wisest species in the world, produced by the god Zeus.

    The demon race and mermaids are just a lower race created by the lower gods other than Zeus.

    Normally, they should obey our race of men and serve them like slaves, but they rebel against us, so we only defeat them.

    After conquering the demon race, it''s time for the mermaids.

    I''ll show the fools who should be the true king of this world!

    Well, they work pretty hard too.

    So it''s going to be a protracted battle.

    This is how I''ve been fighting for hundreds of years, but that battle will end soon!

    Why?

    Because I ascended to the throne!

    Only in the reign of the wisest king ever, Genesis XVIII, will the war end with the victory of the human race!

    Because that is the destiny of God!

    ...Huh?¡¡What?

    Did the previous king say that?

    Yuck, my dad was so incompetent, it''s no wonder he got it wrong!

    Huh?¡¡Did your grandfather tell you that?

    Oh, well....

    Oh, well, that''s okay. Anyway, I''ll put an end to the long war in my generation!

    That''s why I''ve summoned so many brave men from other worlds to help us out!

    I heard it''s causing the mana circulating in the country to dry up and be in trouble, but no problem!

    If we defeat the demon tribe and uproot their land, we can replenish the deficit and be done with it!

    If only we could win!

    If only we could win!

    And.

    I just got a report of a frontline collapse, what does that mean?

    Did you lose?¡¡Did we lose?

    When I listen to the report in detail with a cold heart, I hear that it''s not so bad.

    I heard that a dragon suddenly landed on the front line of the battle between the demon race and the human race.

    Thanks to that, the two armies were unable to continue the battle and were forced to retreat.

    Since then, although the dragons have left, the once stalemated battle lines cannot be bypassed and the standoff continues.

    I was relieved to hear that our army had not suffered a disastrous defeat, but in the end, it is the dragons that are abominable.

    I don''t know if it''s the most powerful creature in the world, but on a whim, it''s disrupting my plans!

    Your unwanted worming delays the great victory of my people''s army!

    I don''t like the fact that you''re a creature that can''t be controlled by the human race, dragon!

    Still, the best people in this world are the human race!¡¡Dragons aren''t ranked because God doesn''t love them!¡¡That''s the rule!

    ........anyway.

    According to the generals at the front, we can''t move our troops again until we find out exactly what the purpose of this dragon''s intervention is, or else they''ll complain.

    You cowards!

    The dragon says that he is under the control of someone named Saint Kidan.

    Master of the Dragon?

    Who else but God could be such a person?¡¡I doubt very much, but until we find out who she is and confirm that she does not interfere with our people, we will not be able to resume our war with demons.

    The generals say that if they unknowingly provoke her to attack another dragon while at war with the demons, they will be annihilated.

    Scared.

    They have a point.

    He is capable of commanding dragons.

    If we can get him to join our ranks, we can control the dragons and attack the demons, our victory is assured.

    Mm!¡¡I''ve decided!

    I''ll call this Saint Kidan himself!

    Get him to come to me as soon as possible!

    ...what?

    I don''t know where he is!

    You''re useless!

    So what do we do now?

    Organize a search party and scour the globe for him?

    Fine, we''ll take it.

    Until we find the saint, the war against the demons is a waste of money, so call it off!

    Hey, we can win this thing with a saint on our side in a heartbeat!

    ...What?

    A civil war breaks out in the capital of the Demon Nation?

    Let me go, let me go, let me go!¡¡With the saints on our side, it would be a piece of cake in an instant!

    So, now that we have a search party, how much manpower do we have to allocate?

    ...80,000 people?

    That''s a bit much, isn''t it?

    They say you have no clue at all, so you have to use that much manpower to find them, but mobilizing that many people would be expensive and troublesome....

    Even though the fighting has been called off, you still need troops to guard the border, right?

    So let''s get the numbers down a bit more....

    8,000 people?¡¡Let''s cut back a bit.

    Eight hundred?¡¡One more word!

    Okay!¡¡Eight men!¡¡That''s it!

    Eight Chosen Heroes!¡¡You will find Saint Kiddan, but you must bring him down here!

    This is an order from the King of the Human Nation!¡¡Because it''s a one-shot deal!

    If I command it, you can bet that whoever it is will follow!

    Now go!

    .........what?

    One of the eight chosen search parties is the brave Lord Momoko.

    Are you going with us?

    No, now that the truce has been made, a beautiful girl like you can stay in the palace and make your place in my lap more glamorous....

    The mission of a brave man is to bring peace to the world?

    Are you sure you''ll find a saint for that?

    Huh, I see.

    If you''re that determined, King, I won''t stop you!

    You will surely fulfill your purpose and make a triumphant return to King''s Landing!

    Well, but...

    You''ll come home from time to time, won''t you?

 62-61 Bread making

    Bread making is currently the rage in our frontier.

    I''ve been trying my hand at bread since we originally grew wheat.

    We even built a big oven in the kitchen, and we didn''t actually lack anything to produce bread.

    As an otherworldly person from Japan, I regret having to bake bread before rice as a staple food, but I still want my staple food as soon as possible.

    Bread is good too.

    That''s why, right now, all the residents of the settlement are trying to make bread.

    Kone Kone.

    Konekoe.

    Bread dough, sweetie.

    I''ll put a little water in it and you''ll love it.

    The women were doing it rhythmically.

    Bread itself seemed to exist in this world, and Batty and Verena, who were from the common people, were familiar with the movements.

    However, Prati, a princess from a mermaid background, and others were struggling. Even her face is white with flour.

    "Mu Mu Mu Mu Mu........?

    And as for Veerle, he couldn''t see a thing.

    It''s not just that his body is completely white, it''s that he has less than a few percent of the flour on the table, and the dough is squishy.

    ''''Ughhhh!¡¡I''m a dragon, I can''t be bothered to do this kind of inconvenient stuff!¡¡Give me the finished product!¡¡I''m just a glutton!

    I''m not allowed to do that, though.

    The more you know about how hard it is to cook, the better your food tastes.

    They say the dough should be about an earlobe in hardness.¡¡You can touch your earlobes and compare them.

    Puh-puh-uh.

    Puh-puh-puh.

    Puffy.

    Pupu.

    "Why do you have to touch my earlobe?

    You have something of your own, so why don''t you touch yours?

    And now you''ve turned my ears white with flour.

    I don''t want to compare earlobes, I want to compare the softness of your tits.¡¡Veerle, why don''t you compare your tits to your own?

    ''''Kishaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!''''

    Big titty Prathi was teasing poor Vaal.

    The dough is baked by adding various steps other than kneading it.

    It is a great way to get a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    We taste the freshly baked hot bread together.

    It''s so good!¡¡It''s so good!

    The outside is crispy!¡¡The inside is fluffy and chewy and soft!

    ''Why is it that bread baked in the land of the saints tastes so good?¡¡This is no longer bread!¡¡It''s something more than just bread!

    I knew that freshly baked bread was delicious.

    You don''t need to put any jam or butter on it.

    It''s a hit with the ladies as well.

    They said, "It''s completely different from the bread of our world! They will eat it like a target and devour it, but is it that different?

    This is different.

    I know this because I have bought and eaten bread from this world as a portable food on my way to this settlement.

    This world''s bread is not bread.

    It''s a hardened barley flour.

    To begin with, the barley they use for this bread is different.

    In the world where I originally came from, various ingredients have been tried out as history progresses, and it''s been determined that wheat flour is the best material for baking.

    However, in our world, they don''t do this kind of trial and error, relying only on the methods they discovered at the beginning.

    That''s why the cuisine hasn''t evolved at all.

    By the way, they don''t even use yeast to swell bread in our world, so they just knead barley flour with water and bake it uncooked.

    On that note, we have a compounding pharmacology expert, Prathi, at home, so it was easy to combine my knowledge and the ''supreme bearer'' to cultivate yeast.

    All the more so since I already had experience in making koji, the process of making miso and soy sauce.

    That''s why the bread made from wheat by yeast fermentation was a big hit with everyone.

    I made a lot of bread and saved it for tomorrow''s meal.

    Even if it cools down after a while, it''s delicious again if you make it into toast.

    I didn''t make any jam or butter yet, so I put some miso on it for seasoning, and it was surprisingly tasty.

    However, as I''m originally Japanese, bread is good, but I also want to have rice.

    Rice.

    I haven''t forgotten to offer a rice ball to the god Hephaistos, who gave me the "supreme bearer" gift.

    We have more food stockpiles, a house, and many roommates who are willing to help us.

    Should we be full of hope for the future?

    To grow the rice we''ve longed for.

    Growing rice is not the same as growing other vegetables.

    We have to water the fields and stretch them.

    A lot of water is needed to do that.

    Currently, the water situation in my settlement is completely dependent on the power of my ''supreme bearer''.

    My "supreme bearer" changes seawater into fresh water with a single touch.

    But now that the number of people living in the area has increased and the number of fields to water has grown, it''s not feasible for me to provide for the area by myself.

    Regardless of whether we build or not, we''ll need other means of obtaining water in larger quantities.

    We will build waterways.

    Build channels and bring clean, drinkable water into the settlements.

    We would also use that water to build rice fields.

    A new goal has been set.

    The selection of rivers to be used as water sources was already completed. There was a large tributary about two hours'' walk in the opposite direction of the teacher''s dungeon from the reclaimed land.

    Let''s dig a branching waterway from here and pull it to the settlement!

    They have already become professionals in building construction work, but now they are going to become professionals in civil engineering.

    Let''s take our frontier to a new level!

 63-62 personnel supplement

    We need more people.

    Some time after I started working on the canal with Okubo and his team, Prathi told me.

    ''The whole thing is starting to get out of hand and the work is getting messy.

    And.

    At present, the founder of our settlement, Prathi, who is the founder of the settlement, is the first to be flanked by his wife, Prathi, who is also in charge of fermented food and medicine.

    The five orc team members, including Okubo, are in charge of construction and civil engineering. Goblin team, headed by Gobukichi, is in charge of farm work.

    Of the two newcomers to the team due to the demon race riots, Batty will focus on being in charge of clothing, while Verena will manage the transition points and will be a ranger in various sections, providing backup if there is a shortage of staff.

    Veerle, the dragon, is in charge of eating and sleeping.

    Sorry, lie.

    Right now, he''s contributing a lot with his huge dragon body to the digging of the canal, but this guy really doesn''t do much when he doesn''t have anything to do.

    and each member of the team, although they do the best they can at their posts, their hands are inevitably running out.

    Prathi, the man in charge of communicating with each of the positions, came to take over for me.

    The fields are getting bigger and bigger, and it''s getting impossible to cover them with just Gobukichi-chan and the others. With Verena''s help, we''ve been able to make it work.

    "Seriously...?

    I''m also planning to take care of the fields in between building waterways, but........

    You''ve also started to produce some for my brother and the Demon King, who asked you to help them out, right?¡¡It''s not easy for me either, okay?¡¡Soy sauce, miso and many other orders went up with a bang...!

    Yes, sir.

    And your husband keeps making new plans. ''You mean for the crockery?¡¡And you haven''t even finished that big kiln or that big bath. But you''re being a bit too random with your new projects like building a canal!

    Hi!

    I didn''t even gag as it passed.

    There''s so many things I want to do that I''ve ignored the plan.

    Prathi was right, we''re completely out of things to do.

    For a single field, at this point in time, Govkichi and his team are still managing to turn it around, but if we have to complete the canal and build the rice fields and even take care of them, we will be completely ruined.

    The simplest solution to this is....

    "More people?

    Prathi held the tub of kid starfish in front of me.

    She''s still pushing this blur, even though she raised the issue herself.

    I silently push the starfish-filled tub to the side.

    ''Shall we go to the teacher''s dungeon again and replenish the orcs and goblins? Leave the direct command to the Orcobos........ It''s about time those guys had their own men.

    They''ve absorbed the lessons I''ve taught them, and now they can manage their fields and create what they need without me having to tell them what to do.

    It would be cool to have Okubo and the other initial monsters as captains, with more soldiers under them to form a large monster farming group.

    ''''For that reason, I''ll have to make sure to give my teacher a heads up.

    The cave dungeons where orcs and goblins occur are mastered by the teacher.

    ''Prati. Can you wrap the takuan as a gift for your teacher?¡¡A little more than that, about five or six.

    That''s all well and good for the field, but we still have a problem.

    Prathi said, holding her temples.

    ''The hardest part is Attah''s.

    For Platy?

    Fermented Foods Production Department!¡¡I''m going to have to hire more people, I''m going to have to ship to more places, and our production keeps going up, and I''m still the only one in charge!¡¡Hey, what''s going on?¡¡What''s going on here?

    Oh, yes!¡¡Sorry!

    I can''t help but apologize with my best effort.

    Fermented foods is a business that started out relying on the pharmaceutical magic used by the Prati.

    A magic used only by the mermaid race, a magic that mixes magic and herbs to create potions. So if you apply it, you can manufacture pickles, miso soy sauce, and other fermented foods.

    Because of this, the making of fermented foods is left entirely to Prati. The breweries that make soy sauce and other foods have become a stronghold of Plati.

    The amount of hyper-fish manure they use to make it has gone up because their fields are getting bigger. In order to make hyper-fish manure, we have to dive into the sea to catch Ba Herring G, which is the ingredient.

    So, more and more mermaids are needed.

    "Please, sir. I''ll give you five ... or three. Will you hire a mermaid to be my assistant?

    It''s not impossible.

    Prati''s brother, Prince Arowana, comes to visit us occasionally.

    With his power as the next mermaid king, he''ll be able to get someone to come and visit us in no time.

    It''s also a favor from my lovely sister.

    I''ll ask him for a favor the next time he comes to visit. Prathi, I want you to prepare some takuan for your brother. Of course, I''ll have two ... no, three for souvenirs!

    "Aaaaaaaaah!¡¡Why do you people always want to eat Taikan?¡¡But it''s delicious!¡¡It''s delicious, but I''m consuming it too fast and I don''t have enough hands!

    Prathi went crazy.

    I''m sorry.

    I knew we were seriously short on staff in the fermented food department. We''ll fill up the staff as soon as possible, and in the meantime, I''ll help you as much as I can...!

    "Don''t take the initiative in consuming them even though they''re needed as gifts!

    Yes, you''re right.

    I''m very sorry.

    I''m sorry.

    In the meantime, we have decided to temporarily suspend all construction work until we can replenish the workforce and have the orc teams that are free to go to each department to support them.

    The field was now in good shape.

    As we were trying to get by, Prince Arowana came to visit us.

    He came to visit us so often that I asked him if he was okay with his work.¡¡What is the mermaid prince so busy doing? I''m worried that the mermaid prince has so much time on his hands.

    "Sumo is fun!

    Prince Arowana was the first to tell me that after his visit.

    He had won a sumo tournament held in our settlement the other day and was now hooked on the sport.

    As soon as I heard that, I said, "Kappa?! I tweeted, "A kappa?

    "Not a mermaid, but a kappa! I said to myself.

 64-63 The ground seen from the sea

    I approached Prince Arowana, who came to visit immediately, to ask him about filling in the staff.

    ''Would you like to hire a mermaid?''

    Prince Arowana recited what we wanted, while still polinging the takuan for tea, and Prince Arowana recited what we wanted.

    ''Yes!¡¡We''re short of people to make the takuan that my brother is eating right now, and all that kind of stuff, anyway!¡¡It''s a field of pharmacy magic that mermaids specialize in!

    ..........

    Prince Arowana rustled through his portable bag and pulled out a little starfish from inside.

    You carry it around with you?

    That''s not a starfish!

    Prati knocked the little starfish off Prince Arowana''s hand.

    But I didn''t think I could get away without doing the exact same blur.

    For the first time, I had the realization that they were brother and sister.

    ''Anyway!¡¡There''s a limit to what I can do to produce the takuan that you love so much on my own!¡¡So please, just give us a little help!¡¡Otherwise, I''ll give the takuan I made to the teacher first and only pass the extra to my brother!

    That''s not good. It''s not a good idea. It''s a good idea to get a second opinion on the subject, but it''s not a good idea to go with the first.

    Prince Arowana often comes to visit us for less than a week, and his sister, Prathi, rarely goes out of her way to entertain him.

    He usually leaves me to do the bidding, while he stays in the brewery or goes hunting in the dungeon.

    Don''t you like your brother?¡¡But since such a prathi breaks with convention to welcome his brother on his own, the urgency of the situation can be felt.

    There''s something wrong with that.

    I''m sure you''re in a lot of trouble, Prati, but.... .........Nuh-uh, replenishment?

    Prince Arowana got a difficult look on his face.

    His hands and mouth, which polish the takuan, remain unstopped.

    ''''........Lord Saint. Do you know what land is like for our mermaid race?

    What?

    Does that mean that''s how the mermaids feel about the earth?

    I don''t know.

    I don''t know for sure, and I''ve never imagined it before.

    But seeing as how Prathi and others are living a normal life, isn''t it very normal?

    ''It''s hard for me to say this from my flesh and blood, but Prati is one of the very oddball categories of mermaids. .........Weird fish?¡¡What the f*ck?¡¡Don''t kick it, Platy!¡¡Don''t kick my brother?

    Yeah.

    That''s pretty much what I thought.

    I mean, it''s a rare case of an oddball who likes to live on land.

    "A place like land is like a place for common mermaids. To the average mermaid, land is a place ... hell.

    Wow...?

    Mermaids can''t live on land, after all. The magic potion makes them become land people. That is the basic premise for mermaids to live on land.

    It''s true.

    Prathi and Prince Arowana are so easily humanized and go back and forth between land and sea that they give the illusion that this is normal.

    It''s too late to ask this, but.... For mermaids, is the potion to change into a terrestrial person valuable?

    That''s great.

    They say it''s precious.

    Prati and Prince Arowana are mermaid royalty, so they would have no problem drinking such a valuable substance.

    It''s true that the land-humanizing potion is not that valuable to my family," said Prati. Well, to be more precise, it''s not that valuable to my family, but to Platy.

    ?

    ''Until Prati developed a new drug, the only land-humanization drugs available were crude. There was a time limit on how long you could be a landman, side effects that made you lose your voice, and even a deleterious drug that failed to return as a mermaid and turned into a bubble and disappeared.

    ''What?¡¡Can you give me a minute?

    Until Prati created a new drug, if........

    ''Yes, Prati had the first perfect land-humanization potion developed as a result of his research, with no side effects. You can be a land human for an unlimited amount of time, and if you want to become a mermaid again, all you have to do is take a special disarming potion.

    And until now, terrestrial life was completely unknown to mermaids?

    Yes.

    Prince Arowana says wistfully.

    ''There have been times when I''ve used an incomplete land-humanizing drug with a time limit to run some errands, but it would be terrible if the effect wore off before I returned to the sea. Plati''s new drug isn''t even available to the general public, and in the end, land is a dead zone for the majority of mermaids.

    If you think about it in a normal way, it''s true.

    On the other hand, if you say to us humans, "Try living in the ocean for a minute," it''s only natural that you''ll get a 100% answer of "don''t be reckless.

    When you think about it, you realize how reckless you are to the mermaids.

    And Plati''s new drug that made that recklessness easily possible.

    ''''Prati is a genius after all?''''

    Yeah?¡¡You know, the Master could do with more praise for Attah?

    Is a genius a genius, but a paper-thin genius?

    Prince Arowana continued.

    Prince Arowana continued, "Therefore, even if we had a complete version of Prati''s land-humanizing potion, few mermaids would be willing to step ashore. Do you have any idea what the most common use of Prati''s complete land-humanizing potion is now that it has been perfected?

    What is it?

    Banishment.

    The answer was outrageous.

    Apparently, in the mermaid society, the second most severe punishment for those who commit major crimes is banishment to earth, next to the death penalty.

    Of course, it seems to be a relatively new system that was instituted after Prati developed a complete version of the land-humanization drug.

    They would be forced to drink the anti-transforming potion, which would make them unable to return to their original form as a mermaid unless they took the anti-transforming potion, and then they would be released on earth.

    Mermaids who have been transformed into terrestrial humans cannot return to their homeland even if they want to, and they have no choice but to spend the rest of their lives on the earth, which is a foreign land.

    For ordinary mermaids, the earth is a dead place, so it''s natural that they have no relatives on whom they can rely. They have no choice but to spend the rest of their lives alone in a foreign country where they have no access to the knowledge and skills they have cultivated on the seabed.

    When it was put into words like this, it felt like a terrifying punishment.

    Terrible on earth!

    It''s terrifying for mermaids!

    "It''s a matter of how many mermaids are willing to come to such a place for hire.

    Are there any?

    No, he''s not.

    It''s at a level where the word "antithetical" is valid.

    ''''And what the Sage Lord and Prati are looking for is a certain level of pharmacy wizard who can help with takuan making and concoction, right?¡¡When you send that many people to land, you don''t know if they''ll ever come back. There''s no way I can do that on my own will...!

    Right?

    Is this where you must prepare to never return to your post, this place?

    ''If there''s any other way...!¡¡No, this is as good as it gets........!

    What do you want?¡¡Do you have a better idea?

    If there''s an effective way, we don''t have time to be picky.

    ''''As I said before, the banishment of mermaids from the earth is a severe punishment. As I said before, banishment from the earth is a severe punishment. Some mermaids are so skilled in pharmacy and magic that they have gone astray and produced forbidden medicines and offensive potions that have caused violence.

    Yeah, I mean.

    If you send a guy like that to us in the name of banishment, there''s nothing wrong with that, including his wishes?

    ''No!¡¡No, no, no!¡¡Treating the residence of the saintly lord, to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude, as a place of exile is beyond callous!

    With that, Prince Arowana devoured his takuan.

    You didn''t hear that, saint!¡¡I don''t want to repeat myself, but we, mermaid nation, owe you a great debt of gratitude!¡¡You will do the mermaids proud and you will fulfill your request...!

    It''s okay.

    ''It''s good,'' said Prathi abruptly.

    ''It''s fine, I mean, what?''

    There is no subject matter, so I don''t really understand what Prathi is trying to say.

    ''So why don''t we just call him an exiled criminal?¡¡These pharmacy wizards are usually of such supernatural strength that they are much more useful than a well-behaved court medicine man.

    ''Platy?¡¡You''re not going to...?

    I want you to send me 3 more guys to do it. I want them to be the best and the most vicious. I won''t have to be merciless in hurling them around.

 65-64 mermaid prisoner one person

    His name is Puffa.

    He''s a criminal mermaid who was sentenced to five hundred years in the mermaid court.

    But mermaid countries are really small in spirit and nostalgia.

    They didn''t understand Atai''s great work, and even threw him in jail.

    If Atai''s research had been successful, the mermaid kingdom would have been the most powerful nation in the world by now, and the land people would have been eradicated.

    But what a pity. That bright future has turned into bubbles and disappeared like a princess in a fairy tale.

    And all because of the vagaries of a few ignorant people.

    Well, that''s enough.

    I''m going to use my precious brains and magic to help the mermaids, and if you''re going to stand in my way, I''m not going to do anything.

    The mermaids will continue to sleep in peace and quiet and be destroyed by demons or humans.

    Thinking this, I spent my days in my cell without any stimulation...........

    Atay was suddenly sent out.

    Then he was told that it hadn''t actually been two years since he was sentenced.

    Kuso, seriously?

    Nothingness in solitary confinement is too boring, too painful.

    I can''t believe it''s only two years, but it feels like ten years.

    That''s too harsh a punishment for a genius like you, who can think faster than most people.

    Are you going to be sent back to your cell when you''re done?

    Shit, if you can''t get out of there until you''re dead anyway, why don''t you just go ahead and put him to death?

    But then, in the visiting room where I was let out of my cell, I met someone I never thought I''d meet.

    Oh dear, handsome handsome.

    He was a handsome man with a good-looking face to the extent that I thought.

    ''I am Arowana, the eldest son of King Nagas, the ruler of the Mermaid Nation. You have heard of that name, I presume?

    And then you''re a prince!

    No wonder he''s so handsome. No, I''m not.

    He''s the head of the junta that Atai hates. The future king of the future.

    Shit, I think I''ve lost my mind.

    "One of the Six Mad Witches, the Puffa of the Frozen Witch, is she not?

    Don''t do that, that nickname.

    It''s embarrassing because it''s full of the feeling that you''re an eccentric kid who twisted your head so hard to come up with it.

    I''m a specialist in the manipulation theory of undersea mana flow, which is prohibited by the laws of the Mermaid Nation. He is suspected of trying to destroy the mermaid kingdom by manipulating underwater mana as he sees fit. A crime that certainly warrants a sentence of close to life in prison.

    That''s not what I''m saying!

    If the theory Atai espouses is put into practice, it could destroy the world, which means it''s about as practical as it gets!

    You just don''t have to abuse it!

    ''We''ve been through a lot of arguments around that in court. Let''s put it to the side for now.

    You''re going to leave it there?

    Then why did you come to see Atai?

    I''m here to make a deal with you.

    Deal?

    "You have been sentenced to 500 years in a trench cell. Normally, it would be impossible for you to serve your time while you are still alive. But I have made it possible to shorten your sentence by changing the type of punishment.

    Seriously?

    How much less time will you get?

    Ten years.

    Huh?

    Ten years?

    Does that mean the 500 years in prison will be 490 years?

    No, no. It means that the five hundred years in prison will be ten years.

    Really?

    Yes!¡¡I''ll do it!

    I''ll switch over to punishment. If I can walk free in just 10 years, I''ll be happy to oblige!

    "They''re all biting off more than they can chew!¡¡But is that all right?¡¡Without even asking what exactly the new punishment is...?

    I''d rather spend the rest of my life fumigating to death in a boring place like this, for sure!

    We need to process it now!¡¡Before some idiot who thought up such a great opportunity said "I quit"!

    "Alright, alright...!¡¡So, Puffa, the Freezing Cold Witch, ''yes''. That fills one capacity.

    There''s not enough room for this.

    I''m glad I agreed to it instantly, after all!¡¡I''m so glad I didn''t get lost and then say "your application is closed"!

    Then you''ll have to wait until I finish interviewing the rest of the candidates. You''ll have to wait until the rest of the candidates are interviewed and then we''ll call you back. Then you''ll be sentenced to a new place of imprisonment. By the way, you''re going to be sentenced from imprisonment to jail time and that''s what you''ll be doing.

    Yes, yes, yes!¡¡I guess you''ll have to do your duty!

    Boredom is far more painful for Atai, so it''s rather helpful!

    This is an awesome day!¡¡I feel like a regular guy who''s been released!

    Hurry up and finish your interview and come get me!¡¡I''ll be waiting for you!

    And then the Prince!

    I forgot to ask the most important question!

    You have a girlfriend now?

    !

    Thus, Atai was sentenced to a new sentence in his new location.

    There were two other prisoners who made the same choice as Atai and went with him to the new heaven and earth.

    Both names were familiar to me.

    Lamp Eye, the "Hellfire Witch".

    The Plague Witch Gala Rufa.

    They were both one of the six crazy witches, just like Atay, weren''t they?

    It''s bad.

    The six witches are embarrassingly known as the Crazy Six Witches, but the people who are counted as members of that group are really talented and crazy.

    I''m not sure if it''s fair to say that Atai himself is one of the members of that group, but...

    What kind of place is the new place of service where half of the six witches will be put together?

    You don''t mean to tell me that they will be deployed as a suicide attack force on the battlefield of the landed men, do you?

    Well, it''s still better than being bored in a cell until I''m an old lady.

    Swimming while being closely escorted away by mermaid soldiers....

    How long?

    They had no idea where they were swimming because they were blindfolded.

    And here we are.

    We were on land.

    What?

    What''s the new prison camp for you guys, on land?

    We''ve arrived!

    The prince who was accompanying Attai and his men said.

    This is the settlement where our saint lives!¡¡From this day forward, you will be here to serve your labors according to the orders of the Holy Father!¡¡That is your new punishment!

 66-65 Mermaid Prisoner

    My name is Lamp-Eye, and I am one of the Six Crazy Witches.

    I have been embarrassingly called the "Crazy Six Witches", and I personally have been given the embarrassing nickname of "The Witch of Hellfire".

    Before I was arrested, I was a mermaid soldier serving the Mermaid Palace.

    I was skilled in handling medicinal magic, especially burning and explosive potions, which is why I was called the "Hellfire Witch".

    One time I beat up an imprudent person in a fit of righteous indignation, and the imprudent person was known as the Hellfire Witch.

    He was the son of a nobleman of the mermaid race.

    I was imprisoned for my crimes.

    Normally, it would have been a crime punishable by death immediately. But I was able to get away with it because of the efforts of the royal family behind the scenes.

    However, I too am a public servant. I can''t bring any more trouble to my master''s family.

    I thought about settling this matter by committing suicide in prison.

    Then Prince Arowana made an unexpected proposal to me.

    "Why don''t you get some rest in a distant prison cell?

    And.

    I couldn''t say no to the royal family when they cared so much about me.

    I have accepted my fate.

    I accepted my fate and decided to leave for a new land.

    I was accompanied by two people.

    I was accompanied by two companions, Puffa, the Freezing Cold Witch, and Gala Rufa, the Plague Witch, both of whom, like me, were six years old.

    Both of them are madwomen, just like me, and are counted among the Six Witches.

    However, for me, a prosperous soldier of the court to be thought of as one of these people is the height of insult.

    Anyway, after saying something like that, we arrived at the place of imprisonment.

    It was on land.

    Are we going to live on land?

    You guys are going to have to drink this!

    And Prince Arowana presented it to him........

    ..........?

    Here!¡¡Could it be that this is the latest type of land humanization drug developed by Princess Platy?

    No side effects!

    Effect indefinitely!

    One of the many greatest achievements in the history of the mermaid race achieved by that person who is said to be the perfection of the land manification drug!

    I drink!¡¡Let me drink it!

    As a soldier in the service of the palace, I am honored to be a test subject to Princess Plati''s new medicine!

    I will respectfully take a gulp!

    Gokgokgokgok...!

    It smells like medicine!

    And the bottom half of my body is changing gnocchiously!

    I''m now a landman''s foot. Super handy to walk in two halves!

    ''''The land-humanization potion made by Prati will never return to nature due to its lasting effects. A woman as wise as you would know that, needless to say...!

    Heh.

    What?

    Like me, Puffa, who has been transformed into a human being by drugs, has run into the sea!

    Head in the water?

    Whoa!¡¡Oh, my God, that''s painful!¡¡I can''t breathe!¡¡Dying!

    Of course!

    We are the changed ones, we are now fully literate!¡¡I can''t breathe underwater!

    No, I just wanted to see it in action. A scientist should get the facts by experimenting.

    That said, please stand your ground.

    That''s what you''re doing now. You can''t complain about being killed for attempting to escape!

    .........

    But, she does have a point.

    It''s the first time for me to take a land humanization drug. With the prince''s permission, I tried to dive for a test run.

    Bu-ho!

    It''s painful, painful!¡¡Ella, I can''t breathe!¡¡Ella breathless!

    It''s a fresh sensation.

    I''ve heard that the new drug the princess has developed can only be used to turn you back into a mermaid if you take the release drug.

    That means we can''t return to the sea without permission.

    I see, so this is the place of exile, isn''t it?

    In a way, there could be no more harsh and desperate penal colony for mermaids.

    While I was thinking about all this, someone came from inland.

    Is that..........?

    A demon tribe?

    Welcome to our home. Our saint has sent us to guide you. I''m Bati.

    Is this the demon tribe''s sphere of influence here?

    The story is getting a bit fishy. I''m feeling spectacularly uneasy.

    "I will now escort you all to the house of our saint. But there are some things you need to know first.

    Do I have to tell you?

    ''Yes, that''s right. The saint has laid down some rules for you to live here. Among them, there is one rule in particular that I want you to absolutely follow.

    It sounds serious.

    I don''t disagree with you, but the other two have a rebellious streak, so if you talk to them in a way that is too stifling, they will rebel.

    That rule is that you are not allowed to go out on land with your bottom half exposed!

    Hmm?

    ''It means you can''t go out in public with your crotch and buttocks spooning!¡¡Anyway!¡¡I''ve got pants, skirts and trousers for you guys, so put them on as fast as you can!

    * * *

    You have a strange custom on land.

    Let''s follow the township. These pants?¡¡When I put on the thing, my buttocks tightened up and felt uncomfortable.

    When I complained about that - or did you say Batty-san - the demoness blushed and said, "I''ll get used to it soon! I said loudly.

    There''s nothing to shout about, is there?

    The three of us, Puffa and Gara Rufa, will lead the demon tribe to the back of the land.

    We are prisoners, so let''s go in a good manner.

    The convoy soldiers have left, and the only one who will still be accompanying them is Prince Arowana.

    What kind of place is this?

    It''s not like a city or a village or anything like that.

    I was more and more surprised when I went inland.

    There are monsters.

    Orcs and goblins. They''re called anthropomorphic monsters.

    As expected of me, I''m not familiar with land monsters, and this is the first time I''ve ever witnessed orcs and goblins!

    Well it''s nice to meet you. You''re the new guy who claims to be from the land of mermaids, right?

    How do you do?

    My name is Okubo and I organize the Orcs. It''s nice to meet you.

    Yo, nice to meet you!

    I exchanged greetings with the monster.

    Land monsters are intelligent enough to talk to each other, aren''t they? I had never heard of it before.

    After the greeting, the monster immediately went back to the work he was originally engaged in, it seems.

    Farming.

    After recognizing the monster''s appearance, I became more and more worried.

    They say that mimic monsters have a habit of following the demon race.

    The demon tribe that showed up to greet us.

    The monsters following the demon tribe.

    Is this the demon''s sphere of influence after all?

    The saint who rules this place is a demon?

    Don''t tell me that the Mermaid Kingdom and the Demon Kingdom have formed some kind of secret alliance?

    And after some confusion, we finally arrived at the final point.

    This seems to be the real destination.

    What a big, majestic building.

    Even with my explosive potion, it''s going to be hard to blow it up!

    "...don''t blow it up?

    I got a tweak from Mr. Puffa in line next to me.

    What is it?¡¡Please don''t read human thoughts, okay?

    Don''t treat humans like bombs!

    As we were arguing like that, I was surprised when Prince Arowana suddenly shouted out loud.

    ''''Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!¡¡Prati!

    Eh!

    I was surprised by the volume of his voice, but I was also surprised by the content of his words.

    What name did the prince just say?

    ''''I''ve brought the reinforcements you wanted!¡¡Don''t show your face!

    In response to that voice, the doorway of the huge warehouse opened up with a giggle.......!

    What came out from within...?

    ''You don''t have to shout that loud anymore, I can hear you. Don''t be embarrassed, brother!

    Princess Plati eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    I am a court jester, and I can use my whole life for this!

    Princess Platy?

    What brings you here?

    Is it possible, is it possible, sir?

    I''m here to serve Princess Platy?

    If that''s the case, then Riku, you''re in for a hell of a ride!

    This is heaven!

    It''s more like heaven at its finest!

    Tengoku!

 67-66 Mermaid Prisoner Three Eyes

    I am Gala Rufa.

    I''ve been called one of the Six Witches of Madness, etc.

    Reluctantly.

    I''m super unwilling.

    I am a quiet and harmless person compared to other people. Other people make such a big deal out of it that they look at me like I''m a bad person too.

    I''m just a magical medicine man.

    I''m just an ordinary person with a few unusual theories.

    Illnesses, as the case may be, are caused by little creatures.

    They are caused by very, very, very small creatures.

    .....

    The people at the mermaid medical society just snickered at me for claiming that.

    I''m not much of a mermaid, but my theory is correct.

    For some reason I was arrested, imprisoned, offered a plea bargain, complied, was escorted away with others in the same situation, and now here I am.

    Where am I, where am I?

    Land.

    I don''t know anything else.

    But there was someone on that land who was unbelievable.

    The princess of the mermaid kingdom. It''s Prati-sama.

    ''''Prati-sama aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!''''

    Lamp-eye is bothering me.

    She kneels at the feet of Prati-sama with a scream that could be described as a scream.

    "Prati-sama!¡¡It''s good to see you!¡¡You''re here!¡¡Doesn''t that mean I can serve you again!¡¡If that''s the case, we''ll be blissfully happy~!

    "The royal humpback is in its element...?

    Puffa-san said unhappily.

    The way he flattered the royal family was typical of Lampuai-san, who used to be a member of the Royal Court Kingsguard, and Puffa-san''s reaction seemed to confirm his reputation for disliking the system.

    ........Me?

    I just keep a low profile and quiet....

    ''You''re very welcome, Pfa, Lamprey, and Gala Rufa.

    Huh?

    She knows our names?

    Why are you surprised?¡¡You''re not celebrities. It''s amazing to see half of the six witches - the Frozen Cold Witch, the Hellfire Witch, and the Pestilence Witch - gathered here.

    Well, if you say so, so do you.

    The ''Crown Witch'' reigns at the top of the Crazy Six Witches.

    She is the Princess Platy, isn''t she?

    She''s the most evil existence, developing banned drugs that are far worse than the other witches and causing major incidents, yet she''s the one who is kept silent because of her position as a royal.

    They do many times more horrible things than us, but they don''t get arrested like we do!

    Just the mere fact that such a person is on earth, I have a feeling of something evil that will shake the heavens and earth...?

    ''''I asked my idiot brother to bring you and the others to me while you were in prison. I need you to help me with my work.

    What is your job?

    A plan to exterminate humanity or something like that?

    The Crown Witch doesn''t have a job in this remote land...?¡¡Are you planning to exterminate the human race?

    Mr. Puffa!

    Even if you think it, you don''t bypass it!

    ''''This lamprey is with the royalty until the end of its life. I will gladly help Master Plati''s plan to exterminate humanity!

    Lamp-Eye will not casually agree with you!

    ''''No!¡¡The Six Witches are still a bunch of bad people!

    "We''re not going to wipe out the human race. It''s such a pain in the ass.

    What if it''s not too much trouble?

    No!¡¡The Six Witches are still a bunch of bad people!

    ''I''ll show you where I work. It will be easier for you to see what you can help them with, right?

    Saying that, Prathi-sama entered the large building he had come out of again.

    ''''It can''t be helped, let''s go in.

    "Where the Lord Prati is, even in the fire, on land!

    Mr. Puffa and Mr. Lamprey are too graceful!

    Ah!¡¡Wait!

    I''ll go into the tiger''s den too, if I''m going to be left alone here!

    * * * *

    The building was filled with a strange smell.

    It''s quite a strong smell, but it''s not unpleasant.

    I don''t know why, but it''s not unpleasant.

    ''This is where I make processed food and condiments.

    Seasoning?

    It''s what gives food its flavor. Is salt a condiment in that sense?

    Yeah.

    Putting flavors on food?¡¡Artificially?

    What a novel idea. As expected of a "crowned witch", isn''t it?

    This is what I need you to do. Lately, the volume of orders has been increasing, and I can''t afford to take care of it all by myself.

    "All four of the six witches are making food?¡¡How pathetic is that?

    Mr. Puffa is not happy.

    ''If you think so, take a lick of this. It''s one of the manufactures here, and it''s called soy sauce.''

    What is this pitch black liquid...?

    It doesn''t look like it''s good for you, but it''s not poison, is it?

    Anyway, the three of us took a small plate from Master Prati and gave it just one lick.

    ''....?

    What''s this!¡¡It''s so good!¡¡It''s basically a salty taste, but it''s got a lot of complex flavors and depth to it!

    To create such a strange-looking medicine...!¡¡As expected of Prati-sama!

    Mr. Puffa and Mr. Lamprey, who seldom praise others, have no hesitation in saying so.

    I, too, have to take my hat off to the taste of this black liquid.

    It tastes so good, I almost peed my pants!

    ''It wasn''t my idea, exactly. It wasn''t exactly my idea, but someone else''s. I recreated it with my pharmacy magic.

    Who would give ideas to Lord Plati?

    Who the hell are you?

    ''I''m going to need you guys to help me make this.... Gala Rufa, I''ll be counting on you in particular.

    What?

    Why are you referring to me by name?

    ''I called you for a paper you gave at a mermaid medical conference. In this world, there are unseen creatures that are not even spirits. There are creatures so tiny that they are invisible to the eye, and they are the cause of most of the diseases...!

    The princess has given my paper?

    I''m not afraid or happy about it!

    ''When the Master taught me how to make fermented food, I remembered your theories first thing. When the Master taught me how to make fermented foods, I remembered your theory first and foremost, and you might be the one who can most openly understand his concepts of bacteria and fermentation. I''ll take good care of you in the future.

    Wait a minute!

    Wait a minute, sir!

    Do you mean to tell me that this land is full of things that will prove my theories right, sir?

    What is Psychin!

    What''s a hacko?

    I don''t know what it means, but I have a great feeling about the sound!

    This shawl!¡¡That the Shoyu has my advocacy of ''little creatures'' mixed in with the Shoyu!

    Excellent!¡¡You can''t help but chug it down!

    "Oh no!¡¡No!¡¡The salt concentration in soy sauce is at a level that will kill you if you consume a large amount of it...?

 68-67 Biography of Three Witches

    It was the same time that Prati was entertaining the newcomers. I was entertaining Prince Arowana, who had accompanied me.

    ''Mad six witches'' quarters?''

    What''s that uncool name you''re giving yourself for being a chutzpah?

    "That is the name of the six potion mages who have made our mermaid kingdom infamous. All of them are women, hence their name: witches.

    The Witch of the Frozen Cold.

    The Fiery Witch.

    The Plague Witch.

    The Witch of the Crown.

    The Witch of the Dark Witch.

    The Witch of the Abyss.

    The Abyssinian witch.

    It''s as if another eighth grader has summoned all his wits...

    And half of those people are here today?

    Yeah. Of the six witches, three of them were imprisoned for doing things. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well. We had no choice but to restrain them because they could cause a great deal of damage if left unchecked.

    Oh, no...

    I continued to ask each of the girls who were to become the new inhabitants of this settlement about their backgrounds.

    One could call it a criminal record, but...!

    First one.

    Puffa, the "Frozen Cold Witch".

    She focused on the global flow of undersea mana, and set out to develop a spell to artificially manipulate it.

    The magic was deemed too large to be perfected, but her ideas were so radical that she was imprisoned.

    ''''Why were you called ''The Frozen Cold Witch'' or something like that for an episode like that?''''''

    ''''I don''t want to bore you with the difficult logic, but I heard that they can turn the whole world into an ice age by manipulating the mana on the ocean floor. If you do that, the demon race and the human race will be annihilated," he said, spreading the ultra-radical theory that this is the direct cause of his imprisonment. That''s also the direct cause of their imprisonment.

    Heehee...?

    And it seems that she herself likes to use ice-cold potion. I''ve heard that she''s also a very skilled magician.

    Then the second one.

    The "Hellfire Witch" Lamp Eye.

    She used to be a Kingsguard in the mermaid''s palace.

    She uses medicinal magic in battle and specializes in flame-based attack potions. Her explosive potion burns even in the water, and it burns and spreads at a higher temperature than the same potion made by any other researcher, making it difficult to handle and only the creator of the potion could use it.

    The end result was the title of the strongest Kingsguard in the palace.

    And at the same time, she joined the ranks of the Six Witches.

    "According to the rumors on the street, she was the only sensible person in the Six Witches. The incident overturned that reputation.

    The case?

    "I''m sure you''re aware, High Priestess, of my sister Prathi''s marriage troubles.

    Ah.

    Prati''s reputation grew so much that another race, the demon race-human race, also offered to marry her, and even if she accepted either marriage proposal, it would result in a war with the one who refused, an unavoidable situation?

    That commotion itself was resolved when Prathi married me, who is neither a demon nor a human race.

    At that time, the public opinion in the mermaid kingdom was split in half. The debate was whether Prati should marry into the demon race or into the human race.

    A mermaid aristocrat came to the mermaid king to confer with him.

    He was also concerned about her marriage, but he was unusually neutral. He was opposed to Plati''s marriage. The risk of failing to get a bride from the demon tribe and the human tribe is unpredictable, so they will back off if they buy enough time.

    What. That''s a pretty calm opinion.

    ''But. The nobleman got carried away and slipped up on the way. ''Princess Prati is a pharmacy nerd who doesn''t even know how to be polite anyway, so there''s no way she''ll be able to marry anywhere.''

    The misfortune for that nobleman was that among the Kingsguard guarding the audience room was the ''Hellfire Witch'' lamprey.

    Those words, which could be considered an insult to the royalty, entered her ears perfectly.

    ''''Lamp Eye.......it''s a good thing for a Kingsguard to be loyal to the royalty.......!¡¡I pounced on them on the spot and beat them to a pulp.

    Wow...?

    This nobleman is one of the most powerful people in the mermaid country, or rather, he is a relative of the royal family. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but it is. You can''t even get away with it because you were violent in front of the king.

    As a result, Lampay was seized and imprisoned on the spot.

    After that, Prathi''s marriage turmoil was settled without marrying a demon or a human as the nobleman had said, so she was more and more out of position.

    ''''At worst, it''s a death sentence. At best, she would be executed, at worst, she would be dismissed from the Kingsguard, but since she never bowed down to say she was not to blame, the worst was now possible.

    So you brought her here to cool off.

    It''s partly because they don''t want anyone to die, but it''s also true that the Six Witches are valuable people who should be spared. Half of their imprisonment was also meant to protect them from the conflict with the public.

    The one whose intentions are the strongest is the third and final person.

    ''''The ''Plague Witch'' Gala Rufa.

    ''''What can I say, her nickname is the most disturbing...?

    "Gala Rufa used to be a member of the Mermaid Medical Society, you know.

    Magical medicine is also ''medicine''.

    That''s why the most active stage is medicine, and the Mermaid Medical Society is the highest authority on pharmaceutical magic.

    ''Gara Rufa had a rather unusual theory there. According to him, ''Most of the diseases are caused by organisms so small that they are invisible to the eye'' or something like that?

    Bacteria?

    Isn''t that quite normal?

    No, wait.

    Isn''t this world a place where bacteria and other microbes are still not accepted?

    Even Prathi, who is probably one of the smartest people in this world, was terribly surprised when I told him about koji and yeast.

    In such a world, we talk about a future that is not yet generally accepted.

    It''s natural to be treated like a freak.

    "And then she said something even more outrageous. ''The human body learns the characteristics of a ''small creature'' once it''s taken in and becomes resistant,'' and other nonsensical things...!

    It''s about the immune system.

    ''She stuck to the time period and did a hell of a lot of things during a certain plague outbreak.

    What?

    They drained the blood of those who had recovered from the disease and injected it directly into the body of the afflicted!

    Serum?

    ''How dare you treat a sick and weak patient when putting someone else''s blood in your veins can kill them!¡¡........and Gala Rufa was restrained. She''s the only one who went into a frenzy for purely crazy behavior.

    To me, as an otherworlder, it seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

    Was it hasty for me to try to hit him with antibodies at random, without taking his blood type into account?

    ''''........So, the most dangerous person in that group is undoubtedly Gala Rufa. But she''s also top-notch in her knowledge of magic and her mixing skills.......!¡¡More attention, please.

    Hooray.

    But, well.

    You''ve brought a bunch of crooks with you.

    Multiple people with a lot of quirks and quirks. I wonder if Prathi can manage them all by himself?¡¡¡¡I''m starting to get a little worried...!

    ''I''m sure that will be all right. In fact, who else but Prati could lead the Six Witches?

    Yes?

    "The Crowned Witch, the first of the Six Witches, is my sister.

    Huh?

    It''s a very troublesome existence that has developed a number of new drugs, including a complete version of the Land Humanification Potion, that have left their mark on the history of mermaids, some of which are so dangerous that they are banned. But because she is a princess, she cannot be imprisoned like the other witches.

    That''s how I got the nickname "The Crowned Witch.

    My wife was a witch.

    This is the real "My wife is a witch".

    I''m not.

 69-68 Witch Roundtable

    What do you think of this place?

    ''The Freezing Cold Witch,'' Puffa said.

    She was a wild-looking woman with long, blueish hair that was not even set and shaggy all over.

    ''Well?¡¡It''s hard to answer that question in a hurry. But it''s a bizarre place, that''s for sure.

    The "Hellfire Witch" lamprey responds to that.

    She wears her red hair in a ponytail, which burns bright red as her nickname suggests.

    She is an active looking woman whose previous experience was as a soldier.

    ''''It''s heaven for me........!¡¡I want to work here for the rest of my life...!

    And then there''s the ''plague witch'', Gala Rufa.

    She has dark, shiny black hair with a subdued color for a mermaid. Cut it short and she looks like a girl with a bun head.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on. This is not a city or a village. It''s the land where we''re going to build it.

    We are, after all, prisoners in prison. Isn''t that appropriate for a place of imprisonment?

    "Pioneer work is your labor...?

    I saw the girls when I was passing behind Plati''s brewery.

    They were holding their foreheads together like the delinquent girls in the back of the gymnasium.

    ''But that''s not the point. If I can work for my beloved Princess Plati, it''s no different than when I was a Kingsguard in the Mermaid Palace.

    ''Keh, I''m not happy with Atay, though. Giving in to the system is a very shameful thing to do.

    ''You have a rebellious spirit. You''re in love with Prince Arowana.

    What?

    It''s pretty obvious from the outside. Mr. Puffa, you like that kind of thing, don''t you?

    No, no!¡¡That''s cool, prince.¡¡The future king of the world has some dignity!

    ..........

    ''Agree with me, royal little shark!

    They are talking about girlish topics.

    It''s not.

    It''s not a good idea to go back and talk about it.

    Reluctantly, but crisply, Gala Rufa said.

    We''re sticking together here because Prati-sama listened to our wishes to clear our heads.¡¡Now, if you''re going to do nothing but talk, I''d like to get back here and listen to Master Platy explain all this germ stuff to me.

    Calm down, medicine geek!

    Oh, sure. Well, I''d like to get straight to the point and discuss my biggest concern.

    ''''Hellfire Witch,'''' Lamprey said in a hushed voice.

    ''''........Isn''t this the Demon Race''s sphere of influence?''''

    And.

    ''What makes you think that?''

    "The Batty who came for you, wasn''t it? She was a typical demon. Moreover, the people who work here are orcs and goblins. They''re an anthropomorphic monster that the demon race likes to use.

    Ah, I see.

    So that''s what you think.

    ''The master of this settlement - it seems that he is called Saint-sama, but there is a strong possibility that he is also a demon race. That''s where I remember the story of Prati-sama''s marriage.

    ''What?¡¡Is there such a thing as a story?

    Don''t you know?

    Because you''ve been in solitary confinement for over a year.¡¡There''s no way we''re getting anything from the outside world.

    ''''Well, I''m in a similar situation and I have no idea what''s going on in the world these past few months, but.... But if Prati-sama has agreed to marry a demon, then...

    Does it make sense that Lord Platy is here to...?

    At Gala Rufa''s muttering, Lamp Eye reacted vehemently.

    ''''What a poor little Prati-sama!¡¡You''re at the mercy of politics and now you''re being made the wife of a demon tribe!¡¡So you''re going to live on land without any privileges?

    "We feel sorry for you guys, living in a land environment, right?

    ''''It''s all right because we have the charges we should be facing!¡¡But Prati-sama did not commit any crime, and yet this cruel treatment of an innocent man...!

    Do you really think it''s true...?

    It''s just that she''s a princess, so she''s allowed to tolerate a lot of things. She is also the "crown witch".

    Prathi, the raggedy way they say it.

    But the more you leave it to these girls to talk, the more the speculation is pushed in a serious direction!

    This is where this me, this me who happened to be passing by and overhearing, saw a situation where I should try to brilliantly change course!

    ''Um, do you have a minute?''

    "[W]ugh!

    I think I startled him by talking to him suddenly.

    What''s up with you, huh?¡¡You can''t just talk to me like that!

    A human race...?¡¡I''m not, but he''s a bit different in color...?

    The girls seem to think that this is the demon race''s sphere of influence, so the sudden appearance of me, a seemingly human race, will be confusing.

    ''''It''s nice to meet you. I''m a resident of this place, if you don''t mind, can I show you around?

    ""What?"

    The three of them couldn''t seem to hide their confusion at this suggestion.

    "What do you mean by ''guide'', we''ve been waiting for Prathi-sama and I...?

    Isn''t that right?¡¡As a laborer, even if I had to labor, I''d be in a bad position if I did anything of my own from day one.

    Wait.

    Then Gala Rufa interrupted him.

    ''I think you should definitely be shown around.

    Ms. Gara Rufa!

    Seriously, man?

    Surprisingly, the most mature girl gave the boldest opinion, and the scene was abuzz.

    ''We must gather information so that we can continue to live here. I think we should know as much as possible, especially before we come face to face with the saint who is the master here.

    ''That''s right too...!¡¡Just knowing ahead of time what the master of this place is like will give us an advantage going forward.

    "Let''s get to know our enemies before we fight with them, eh?¡¡That''s a nice idea. I love that idea!

    Hi.

    ''The human race, would you be so kind as to give us a tour? Could you tell us as much as you can about this place in detail, as much as you can?

    However!¡¡A secret from the saint who claims to be the master of this land!¡¡I don''t want you guys to know I''m snooping around like this!

    Please!¡¡Please!

    I understand.

    All right.

    We''ll keep your business a secret from the saints.

    Who is the saint anyway?

    I stubbornly refuse to be called a saint by humans, so I am not a saint.

    So, no problem.

    Well, let''s give them a tour of our settlement!

 70-69 welcome

    ''What?¡¡What''s wrong with everyone?

    Prati came out of nowhere.

    "Hee!¡¡Lady Prati!

    The three new girls are horrified by her.

    "It''s not true!¡¡Isn''t this the kind of thing you do when you''re trying to get away?

    I''m gonna show them this land.

    They were like children who had been accused of mischief, and I quickly followed up with them.

    They''ve all just arrived and don''t know what''s left and right. It''s more important to get them to know what kind of place they''re working in, right?

    Oh, I see. You know, I guess I skipped a few steps in favor of work.

    Prathi chuckles at the failures and failures.

    She''s a mischievous wife.

    ''Master Prathi...?

    Surprisingly salty...?

    The confused newcomers beside me and Prathi''s exchange.

    ''''Come to think of it, who the hell is that human race.......?

    ''''If my reasoning that this is the demon tribe''s sphere of influence.......is correct, then it doesn''t make sense that the human tribe is here.

    Or something.

    ''What are you guys talking about?¡¡This isn''t a demon''s sphere of influence.

    ''What?

    What''s more, it''s not even in the hominid sphere of influence, and of course it has nothing to do with mermaids. If I had to guess, I''d say we''re completely independent.

    Independent District.

    I don''t know what they said, but it sounds like a lot of momentum.

    "The settlement of Saint Kidan. Anyone who tries to mess with you here, whether they are human, demon, or mermaid, will get away with it. So dwell here in peace.

    ''What?¡¡But Princess Platy?

    How can there be such a thing as an independent district?¡¡Even from humans and demons?¡¡What are you going to do if you get in trouble with those guys and they attack you?

    That''s definitely scary.

    That''s scary.

    Are you going to use the orcs and goblins that worked in the fields?¡¡It''s true that we can rely on monsters as an asset, but there are only about ten of them. This is not a number that can compete with an army...!

    and a former mermaid kinsman lamprey. He gives his professional opinion.

    ''''It''s okay. The Orcbos are mutants, so each and every one of them has the fighting ability to rival an army. They''re super strong, okay?

    Heh?

    Besides, in the unlikely event that Okubo-chan and the others are unable to handle it, they''ll be there first...

    The timing was right.

    The sound of buzzing wings echoed out from the sky above.

    ''Master, I''m back now!

    A dragon spreading its large wings and flying in.

    "Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    "Dragon nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

    "..........

    With that huge body, all the girls who came here for the first time today were scared out of their wits.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

    ''Hey Prati. Who is stronger, a witch or a dragon?

    It''s the dragons, by far.

    I know.

    I was just asking.

    "I''ve been flying around so much, I''m starving!¡¡I''m sure there will be more food than usual at the little people''s welcome party tonight!

    Of course, this is my wife''s dragon, Veerle, the one who insinuates that there will be more food than usual at the little ones'' welcome party tonight!

    It''s nice to get some exercise before you eat, but if you''re going to do that, I''d like you to engage in some more constructive labor.

    ........well, okay.

    That''s what dragons are for.

    Princess Platy!¡¡I will guard this place with my life!¡¡The princess must flee as far away as possible!

    A delirious lamprey stood in front of Veerle unarmed, but....

    ''''It''s okay. This guy is like my master''s pet.

    Pets?

    The Master can even control dragons. If one of them were to attack all the humans and demons at once, wouldn''t they be able to kill them instantly?¡¡So you can rest easy.

    No, I don''t think it''s a good idea to treat your roommate like a pet.

    Viel doesn''t have a regular job, he eats, sleeps and acts freakishly, and completely ignores you when he doesn''t feel like it, even though he wants to be loved, but when he wants to play with you, he bites you like crazy.

    And when you pat him on the head or scratch him under the chin, he seems to purr happily.

    ........yeah.

    It''s just a pet.

    ''''But........who''s your husband?''''

    "Of course he''s my husband. You''re the master of this place, are you a saint?

    Puffa and Lamprey shuddered when they heard that.

    Gala Rufa was still fainting.

    ''''Master!¡¡So you''re married, Princess!¡¡To that saint?

    ''Yes,''

    "You took the ''crown witch'' as your wife and now you have dragons...?¡¡What the hell do you think you are?

    You''re seeing a lot of people, and I''m seeing a lot of people.

    The two Hatha noticed that Prathi, who said "I''m sorry, but I''m not going to be able to do anything about it.

    Gala Rufa is still fainting.

    ''''What?¡¡Is that...?

    Aren''t those people there, aren''t they working under the table?

    I was about to give up on this place and introduce myself to the girls, when I felt a chill on my skin.

    ''''Huh?

    What is this chill...?¡¡It''s as if the "Frozen Cold Witch", that''s Attai, is freezing.......?

    This is a sign.

    It''s a good sign.

    How nice of you to come at such a good time.

    No, I called him. We''re having a welcome party for the newbies.

    The No Life King teacher.

    He visited us again with a strong specter in the air.

    "The No-Life King is here!

    "Not just dragons, even the No-Life King is here!

    The spirit or demonic or demonic energy that the No-Life King wore finally caused Puffa and Lamprey to faint as their tension reached its limit.

    Gala Rufa woke up from her fainting from too much stress and fainted again as soon as she took a glance at the teacher.

    ''''Lord Saint, I am very grateful for your invitation today.''''

    ''No no no, they''re our neighbours. I''m fainting now, but this is our new resident. Please take care of him.

    The Dragon and the No-Life King.

    They are the two greatest disasters in the world, and if you encounter either of them, you must be prepared to destroy your entire country.

    I tried to get them to meet each other as soon as possible because it would be bad for them to put off meeting each other, but it was harder on them mentally if they continued to stand up.

    The next time we welcome someone in, we''ll plan it better.

    * * * *

    After Puffa, Lamprey, and Gala Rufa woke up, it became a banquet as a welcome party for the three of them.

    They served a feast with plenty of vegetables from the fields and meat from the beasts they hunted in the mountain dungeons.

    ''''Yumeeeeeeeee!¡¡So f*cking yummy!

    ''''Princess Platy''s seasoning that she''s making in that warehouse is producing such a great feast!

    "I can''t wait to try making the seasoning too!¡¡I want to learn about germs!

    The three new girls never cease to admire Prati as they gobble up the food.

    ...............I made the food.

    It''s true that Prati''s seasoning played an important role, though.

    For the welcome party, it was Bati Berena to the monster team of Prati, Veerle, Okubo and the other residents of the settlement, Prati, Veerle and Okubo.

    Prince Arowana and the teacher joined them as other friend slots, and the party was lively.

    I hope this helps the three newcomers adjust to the area promptly.

 71-70 Work of a witch begins

    The next morning after the welcome party.

    Finally, the girls begin their work.

    ''I''m sure you already understand what this place is and how it came to be...''

    In front of the three ladies, Puffa, Lampuai and Gala Rufa, Prati stood in front of them like an instructor.

    Since they were called in as personnel for Prati''s direct use, he''s going to leave them in charge of the entire operation.

    What I want you guys to do is to assist me in my work. Making fermented foods and mixing medicines. I will also research and develop new food products in response to the master''s request. It''s hard to do all of these things by myself, but if I can share the work with you guys, it will be easier for me...!

    Prati was a bit teary-eyed.

    I''m sorry, I''ll make it easier for you. I''ll make it easier for you from now on.

    I''ve already asked my idiot brother to bring in the blending equipment for you guys, so we''ll start working on it...

    Krulli, Prati interrupts his exhortation to the newcomers and turns to me.

    "Why do you people keep looking at us?

    ''What?''

    Behind Prathi, all the inhabitants of the place were gathered behind me, Veerle, Batty and Verena, and a team of monsters, including Okbo and the rest of the team.

    Prince Arowana and the doctor left last night in a tipsy mood.

    What are you all doing here?¡¡Don''t you have your own job to do?¡¡Come on, let''s go to work!

    It''s true that I have to take care of the fields and stuff, but....

    But....¡¡As the master of the land, I thought I''d see how the training of the newcomers was going...!

    I was a bit of an excuse.

    In fact, I just wanted to watch, because it was a rare sight to see the newcomers I welcomed.

    ''''Ma''am. We are planning to replenish our staff in the near future, so please allow me to observe to learn how to teach the newcomers.

    That said, it''s Okubo and his team of monsters.

    These guys are really the most serious about a lot of things.

    Then Batty and Verena.

    ''''I thought it sounded interesting,''''

    Very straightforward and good.

    Finally, Veerle.

    "There''s nothing else to do.

    Work.

    That''s just the way it is, Mr. Prathi. Please allow me to watch and observe.

    I''m not an amateur, but they have the right kind of background. I''m not going to give them any particular guidance, but I''m going to have them work for me right away. So I don''t think they will be of any help to you, Okubo-chan, but........!

    Right?

    The six witches are assembled here in the mermaid world, the Crazy Six Witches'' Band.

    It''s not a cool name, no matter how many times I say it.

    They are four of the six, including my wife.

    I''ll show you how to do the basic blending process in no time. "I''ll show you the basics in a jiffy. Three times the normal amount.

    ''I have neglected to concoct anything but offensive potions during my time as a soldier. I would appreciate it if you would give me a few moments to get my hunch back.

    ''Koji!¡¡Yeast!¡¡I would love to see the culture of...!

    The newcomers are too dependable.

    ........By the way, all of these girls were originally imprisoned as criminals in the land of mermaids.

    Coming here was also a kind of plea bargain.

    Some of them have complicated reasons for coming here, such as to avoid conflicts with certain forces and to cool down the heat of the moment.

    It''s because they are such people that they ask, "Are you sure it''s safe to hire them easily? I was worried, but Prathi, the person I was hiring, seemed to be fine.

    ''It won''t be a problem. All three of us have a reason to be happy to work here.

    Prati had said as much last night.

    First, the ''Hellfire Witch'' lamprey.

    She used to be a Kingsguard of the Mermaid Nation, and that''s why she''s loyal to Plati, the Mermaid Princess.

    After all, the reason she came here is because she beat up a mermaid nobleman who spoke ill of her to Plati.

    I''m sure that a man with such a deep sense of loyalty would not run away and do whatever he wanted against Plati.

    In fact, he''d rather bite into the happiness of life by obeying Prati like a dog?

    Next is Gala Rufa, the "Plague Witch".

    She is a truly gifted woman who foresaw the existence of bacteria in this fantasy-heavy other world. However, it was her fault that she was forced to leave the mermaid kingdom and ended up here.

    It was my idea for her to make soy sauce miso, which was Prati''s idea. The dried yeast she uses for bread is proof of the validity of her theory.

    It''s gospel, so to speak.

    He would rather take the initiative in his work at home because of his researcher''s nature to prove the validity of his theories and take them further.

    I had heard this from Prati last night, and I thought to myself, "I see.

    Finally, there''s Puffa, the Freezing Cold Witch.

    I think she''s the most difficult one to find.¡¡I think.

    It''s a blatantly rebellious vibe. She gives off an aura that says, "Try to make me obey her by force.

    At first, Prathi also seemed to be wondering how to handle her, but after last night''s banquet, she seemed to be completely at ease.

    ''''She''s the most okay. It''s no problem.''''

    I wondered at the time what could be so problematic, but I was beginning to understand.

    I realized that the sharp-edged knife-like girl, Puffa, was sitting next to Prince Arowana at the banquet and wouldn''t leave.

    She was drinking from the wooden cup of Prince Arowana.

    As they don''t produce liquor in our settlement, all the liquor is from Prince Arowana.

    The prince''s liquor was all from him, as they did not yet produce any liquor on the frontier. I gave him a drink.

    He was so drunk that he wanted me to attack him.

    Even I could understand this.

    And I am sure Puffa will be able to do the job well.

    He will not be disliked by Prince Arowana. And if possible, raise his favorability.

    ''''The Six Witches may have some behavioral problems, but it''s because they''re excellent pharmacy wizards to begin with that they''re chosen as witches.

    Prati muttered meaningfully.

    ''''I''m fully qualified to be chosen as the Mermaid Queen on merit. You might want to take action as soon as possible since your brother''s matchmaking with the next mermaid king is in danger of being used even more than I am for political purposes.

    .........

    There were all sorts of things like that at last night''s banquet.

    And let''s bring the consciousness back to the present.

    Prathi seems to immediately give instructions to the first subordinate who has it for the first time.

    ''Then puffa!¡¡I need you to do something for me!

    "Keh, I don''t like being told what to do, but I don''t care. What''s going on? I''ll show you what it takes to be called the Frosty Witch.

    "Confession practice!

    What the heck?

    Ms. Puffa, you''re as distraught as a live girl.

    What do you mean by that, huh?¡¡Who do you think is going to confess to whom?

    My stupid brother, of course. Now repeat the words.¡¡"I love you, please go out with me.¡¡"Sunhigh!

    "Can you do it?

    I called you to work for me.

    I''m fast becoming distracted by other things.

    That''s what makes it fun.

 72-71 Witchs Pajamas Party

    Atai is the "Frozen Witch" Puffa.

    The first day of work is over.

    The work itself was finished relatively quickly, which wasn''t enough for us, but Prati''s princess let us leave, telling us that there''s nothing else to do today.

    After that, we were relatively free to have dinner with the rest of the guys who had come back from their stray work - which was good enough to make me cry - and then we wiped and cleansed ourselves before going to bed.

    The bed is shared with Lamp Eye and Gala Rufa.

    The main house where the saints live?¡¡He opened up a room at a place called "The World Bank" for Atai and the others to use.

    He said he would eventually expand it and prepare a private room for each of us, but....

    ''''Hey........''''

    He consults with Gala Rufa, the lamprey who will be his roommate for a while.

    ''Isn''t that too blissful?''

    When Athey broached the subject, they responded with a very sour look on their faces.

    ''I was just thinking the same thing.

    Saying that, Lamp Eye picked up the hem of the pajamas he was wearing.

    ''''This pajamas........!¡¡I heard it was handmade by that Bati-san or some other demon tribe, but it''s a very high quality product. The materials are different.

    Really?

    ''I didn''t observe the nobility as a member of the Kingsguard. None of the mermaid aristocrats wore such smooth, shiny fabric.

    ''I heard it''s called silk,'' the guy from Gala Rufa added.

    It''s the fabric, but the design is also amazing........ It''s like this, it''s pretty and full of frills...!

    ...What is it?

    "You look spectacular in a rump-eye suit!

    I don''t think that''s true for you either!

    Don''t say that. I''m wearing a pair of frilly pajamas right now and I''m feeling very uncomfortable," he said.

    The clothes you''re wearing, but the bedroom itself is quite luxurious. Especially this tatami?¡¡It''s too rare to find a floor that says, "I''m not sure.

    TATAMI seems to be a special floor made of woven grass.

    If you stroke the grass along the grain of the weave, it gives you a unique sensation and you get addicted to it.

    ''Your bedding is clean and fluffy, and you are truly too blessed. Even in the most blessed days of the Kingsguard, we have never been this blessed.

    The place must be even more amazing than you guys realize...!

    This settlement.

    "....all of this must be due to the power of the saint who claims to be the first to settle here.

    You guys thought I was your manservant at first, and I was rough with you.

    Yeah.

    Was it the brewery?¡¡A man I met in the back of the place where we were to work, a man with no aura at all, who looked like a human race.

    He was a saint.

    It''s hard to imagine a mere mortal being at the top of a frontier where demons and monsters are stationed.

    After I woke up after being knocked out by a dragon or a no-life king, all three of us apologized as best we could.

    ''''After inquiring from Prati-sama and others. It turns out that Saint-sama''s true identity is a summoner.

    ''Summoner?¡¡What''s that?

    You are so ignorant in a field that doesn''t interest you, aren''t you? As a researcher, I like that.

    According to Lamp Eye''s explanation, the meaning of the summoner is this.

    It''s an otherworldly person who uses the magic of Zeus, the god of heaven, to distort space and connect a world that is different from this one, and then summons them from there.

    It is said that they are the helpers that the human race calls up to win the war against the demon race.

    I''m not sure I''m going to be the only one. The other world''s guys have their own reasons.

    "This isn''t the first time humans have been so vulgar. Anyway, the saint has abilities and knowledge that he brought from another world. This land has developed to this point in time due to his power.

    ''''Saint-sama is too awesome!''''

    Gala Rufa, who had been silent until now, suddenly shouts out and I''m scared.

    Oh, you''ve been looking for the right moment to join the conversation.

    ''''Saint-sama is!¡¡I knew what I was advocating for, the ''little creatures''!¡¡It''s called a bacterium!¡¡Organisms are made up of hundreds of thousands of very small cells, and bacteria are organisms that operate on a single cell!

    Calm down, calm down...!

    ''I''m glad to hear that you''ve been proven right...!

    For Gala Rufa, this place would be a utopia and a frontier that would let him prove the correctness of his own theory.

    Even if he had to leave this place, this guy would surely resist with all his strength.

    ''''........But what do you actually think?''''

    What do you mean?

    Life here.

    To be frank, Atai and the others were sent here as punishment for their crimes in the mermaid kingdom.

    The penalty for their crime was being sent to the mermaid kingdom as a punishment for their crime, which would have been hundreds of years of imprisonment in jail.

    I wonder what kind of hell they''ll send us to when they tell us that. I shuddered, but when I got there, it was not hell but heaven.

    The food was good, the beds were fluffy, and the work was fun and rewarding.

    There are even jobs that are fun and challenging.

    I don''t feel like I''m being punished at all, it''s just too comfortable.

    I''m sure Gala Rufa would agree with me, and as for the lamprey guy...

    I''m ready to bury my bones here.

    I know.

    You have a princess to honor, right?

    If there''s only one person I''m worried about, it''s you, Mr. Puffa.

    f*ck you, Atty.

    Well, Atai is bored easily, so maybe he''ll escape?

    But here''s something for you to know.

    Hmm?

    Prince Arowana comes to visit here at least once a week.

    Whaaaahhhhh?

    Prince Arowana comes around that often?

    No, no, no, no. What do you think you''re talking about?

    How could you tell him that?¡¡This has nothing to do with it!

    ''Are you still talking about that?¡¡Almost everyone knows about it. Except for Prince Arowana himself.

    That''s so sad!

    To be frank, there is no advantageous environment in the mermaid kingdom where you can meet a prince at least once a week. As a former member of the Kingsguard, I can attest to that.

    No, just...!

    ''Master Prati seems to agree with you, so why not take the plunge?¡¡Do you know?¡¡When a witch marries a mermaid, she is called a demoness. It''s the Demon Queen of the Frozen Cold. But I think you''re confusing her with the Demon Queen.

    "Stop!

    "The Frozen Demon Queen Puffa!

    The Chilling Devil''s wife, Puffa!

    "Demoness of the Frozen Cold" Puffa!

    I ruminate in my mind.

    I roll around on top of the futon, suppressing my bright red face!

    ''You''re lucky the futon is something to lay directly on top of the tatami. If it had been a bed, I''d want to roll down now.

    ''No, but no!''

    What?

    That''s why. A lot of people don''t like you because you''ve been reckless in the past. Prince Arowana will be in trouble if you give her this value.

    That''s so unlike the way you use your mind...!¡¡Then would you like to give up the queen and become a member of her entourage?

    Concubine?

    The queen is the official partner of the king, which makes her a bit of a liability. If you are the future leader of the mermaid kingdom, you will have no problem having four or five members of your entourage.

    No!

    Why?¡¡I think it''s a good idea, if I may say so myself?

    I''m not a very good romantic!

    Virginal brain.

    It''s okay. Atai would be happy to sit here and look at Master Arowama''s face once a week!

    So don''t even mention it again!

    From tomorrow, we''ll do our best in the brewery!

    ..........

    ''Oh?¡¡What''s the matter, Gala Rufa?

    Didn''t you just stare at me like that?

    "I can''t believe they''re going to talk about love...!¡¡It''s like a real slumber party!

    I don''t know.

 73-72 not satisfied

    The new additions to the team have been a great help.

    The one who was especially helpful would be Prati.

    In fact, she was in charge of producing fermented foods and medicines, which was overworked in all likelihood.

    On top of that, she was my wife, taking care of everyone and managing the coordination, so our schedule was murderous.

    The support was even harder to provide since I traveled from place to place depending on my interests.

    I should have realized this sooner and made him improve...!

    With the increase in personnel, Prathi has left the work in the brewery to the newcomers, and he''s focused on supporting me.

    I guess he''s kind of my secretary.

    I know exactly what my schedule is, when and where I''m going to be, and report back to the other residents for their intentions.

    Thanks to that, the department is no longer short on staff, and everyone is very grateful to me.

    And now that the main Prati was out of the picture, the brewery had a new master.

    That was Puffa.

    For example, when I visited the brewery to pick up a souvenir for the teacher, he would say, "Oh?" with a very unhappy look on his face. He glares at me.

    When I tell him what I want, he pulls a few takuan from the pickle tub with a look of reluctance.

    More than the number I gave him.

    ''You''re going to do me a favor, aren''t you?¡¡Then don''t be stingy with it.

    He scolded me.

    ''I''m sure you''ve heard from the princess, but Gala Rufa''s guy just finished a prototype, so give him a taste. Then I''m going to do some pickling tomorrow, so can you call the lamprey back outside?¡¡I need the manpower. Tell the princess to come back once in a while. He''s still the head of this place, after all.

    He would give me instructions quickly.

    On the surface, he looks like a delinquent, but in reality, he''s the type of person who runs the show well.

    Also...!

    Pfa says, moping.

    ''When will Lady Arowana be here next...?

    And it was cute.

    Also, I''d like to add a note about the other three new girls.

    Lamp-Eye, the ''Hellfire Witch'' who was a Kingsguard of the Mermaid Kingdom........

    ''''Will you allow me to work as a hunter too?

    He said to me the other day, "I''m not unhappy with my duties at the brewery.

    ''I''m not dissatisfied with my duties in the brewery, but maybe it''s just my personality, I have to move my body regularly or I''ll be out of shape...!¡¡Working in the fields would be fine, but if possible, hunting work that would also allow you to regain your fighting instincts would be preferable...!

    What are you going to do with that feeling back?

    But I wanted to accommodate the residents'' wishes as much as possible, so I sent them off to mix with the orkbo on their way to the dungeon.

    I heard that he did a pretty good job.

    This is what I expected from my previous job as a Kingsguard, but as the nickname of the "Hellfire Witch", her handling of flame-based potions far surpasses that of Platy.

    It is said that Okubo and others cheered as he lightly stepped into the bosom of the monster and threw flaming potion at it, burning it to nothing in an instant.

    ........However, she would then burn them all to pieces, so that the prey she defeated would have no use value at all.

    She can only deal with complete vermin monsters that have no usable parts anywhere.

    And the ''Plague Witch'' Gala Rufa, but she''s still the most terrific.

    She spent the whole day catching me and extracting all the knowledge about germs and fermentation from me.

    ''Great!¡¡Bacteria are great!¡¡I had no idea that milk was even involved in the process of turning into butter and cheese!

    Apparently there are dairy products of sorts in this world.

    I want one too, but milk.

    It''s just that we don''t have a cow to serve it to.

    I''ve searched both dungeons and doctor''s dungeons, but I didn''t see a cow-shaped monster that could replace a dairy cow.

    And when it comes to a creature as big as a cow, I can''t keep it as easily as I can keep Yoshamo or Silkworm.

    I want it, but this is also a problem in the future.

    There''s still a lot of things we want but haven''t yet built, like waterways, rice, kilns for pottery, and bathrooms.

    And here she is, sprinkling her greed even more than me.

    ''Saints!¡¡So, there''s bacteria involved in making wine as well as butter and cheese?

    Oh, wow...!

    I want to try my hand at making wine!¡¡I want to observe and feel the process of the bacteria breaking down sugar into alcohol!

    Gala Rufa''s passion for bacteria is no slouch.

    Alcohol.

    You''re right, I want one.

    The other day''s welcoming party for the girls, although there was plenty of food, it wouldn''t have been much fun without alcohol.

    Prince Arowana brought in from the mermaid kingdom, and we managed to keep up appearances.

    Now I''d like to entertain you all with home-brewed sake," he said.

    Speaking of booze, grapes = wine, and rice = sake. Rice = Japanese sake. Barley = beer.

    ...none of these things.

    No, there is.

    Barley for beer.

    There is still a lot of wheat grown to make bread, and there are still a lot of wheat that was made into flour or not.

    But can beer be made from wheat?

    There''s more than just one kind of wheat. I''ve heard of barley and rye.

    Which of those can you make beer out of?

    I don''t know.

    Oh, well, that''s okay. You can leave that to Gala Rufa to study thoroughly.

    Even I can give you a rough hint, and they''re so good that they can come up with the right answer with those few hints.

    They, to the Crazy Six Witch Zori, that is!

    .........Smithson.

    They don''t like to be called the Six Mad Demonesses and get angry when they are called.

    But if they were to brew a new brewery, would they have to do it together in the brewery?

    I don''t like that either.

    We''ll have a brewery dedicated to it for brewing.

    I suggest you appoint Gala Rufa as master brewer and let him do all his recent research while you make the booze.

    ...the possibilities are endless.

    Yeah, but...

    Then we''d have to build another one the size of the existing pantry and brewery!

    The waterways, the baths, and the pottery kilns aren''t even close to being finished!

    All I want to make is more stuff!

    Somebody stop it!

    This endlessly overflowing desire!

 74-73 Corps

    More monsters.

    Forty-five orcs. Forty-five goblins.

    A total of ninety orcs and goblins.

    Adding the original ten Orcbos to this, the total number of monsters would be one hundred.

    It was quite a drastic increase.

    If I didn''t, I realized that I wouldn''t be able to complete everything I wanted in my lifetime.

    The provider was of course the teacher''s cave dungeon, and perhaps the souvenir that Puffa had given me to carry excessively was effective, and he gladly allowed me to pull out the monsters.

    ''''I knew you would say that, so I''ve prepared the monsters for you to offer to the saint-sama.

    The doctor said.

    I have sworn my loyalty to you and above all, my neighbors help each other. I have sworn allegiance to you, and above all, we are neighbors who help each other.

    I guess the reason everything works is not because the teacher is a genuinely good immortal king rather than a souvenir pooch.

    Anyway, it was a large group at once.

    The new and old combined with the monster army of a hundred people.

    Naturally, the purpose of their operation was agriculture and civil engineering.

    Just in case you''re wondering. They won''t be used for invasion.

    We decided to leave the commanding and nurturing of the newcomer monsters to the existing upstart monsters.

    That is to say, five orcs and five goblins, led by Oakbo.

    Let me introduce them again here.

    The names of Okubo, the leader of the Orc team, and Goblin team''s leader, Gobkichi, have been mentioned many times.

    The other orcs are........

    Oakbo (leader).

    Orca.

    Orcuma.

    Orc Ninusi.

    Orc-tober.

    Naming, me.

    I hope you don''t miss the fact that I''m starting to feel like I''m out of ideas in the middle of the story.

    As for naming the goblins, I couldn''t come up with a pun as good as the orcs, so I''ll be frank...

    Gob Kichi (leader).

    Gobbler.

    Gobuhiko.

    Gobuzaemon.

    Gob no Shin.

    Why do I feel like I''m out of ideas from around the fourth person?

    Incidentally, Gobuzaemon''s name has been mentioned in the past for his runner-up finish in a sumo tournament.

    His famous match with Prince Arowana in the finals is still talked about to this day, and it is said that he still wrestles whenever the prince comes to visit him in his spare time.

    The newly replenished newcomer monsters are entrusted with nine of these old orcs and nine of the old goblins, one for each of them. I asked them to make one team of ten people, a total of one old-timer plus nine newcomers.

    The Orcbos and the other old-timers would be the captains of the team.

    Congratulations.

    I hope you will take good care of your first subordinates.

    As for the newly recruited orcs and goblins, I''ve decided not to get involved in them directly.

    At the time of the very first Orcbos, the monsters that were not naturally self-conscious acquired them through my touching and contact with the ''supreme bearer''.

    Not only that, orcs have evolved into Warrior Orcs and goblins have evolved into mutants called Spartan Goblins, gaining tens of times more strength.

    All of this was a coincidence, and it was a great pleasure to have gained a good companion in the form of Orcbos....

    That''s a phenomenon that is in some ways like a pseudo-life coming to life.

    It''s like having one foot in God''s work and it''s scary....

    Anyway, the endlessness of it all is kind of scary.

    I won''t directly interact with these new monsters this time, to try to put a stop to it somewhere....

    We took care not to let them come to life in the "Supreme Bearer".

    And..........

    About a month passed........

    * * * *

    You guys!¡¡We''ll do it again today!

    ""Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

    "I will work for you, my dear!

    ""I will work for you!"

    And what are the advantages of orcs?

    Their strength and toughness!

    And what are the advantages of goblins?

    Quickness and dexterity!

    Who can we put those things to good use?

    My Lord, my God, Saint Kidan!

    All right, we''ll work hard all day long!

    Good luck with that!

    .........

    Are the new orcs and goblins having a normal conversation with the orkbo''s?

    While a bit hot and bothered, there is a sense of intelligence in the exchange.

    Why?

    I''ve been doing that for days.

    Prati told me.

    While I was hammering mana metal axes and scythes for all of us to go to the new orcs and new goblins, such a thing!

    ''They say doing that kind of thing at the beginning of the day gets you fired up. It actually makes the work more efficient. The Okura team completed the expansion of the mansion. We can send them to support the other teams.

    Oh...?

    Also, Gobbler''s team is going to be busy, so hurry up and expand the field. That part is completely up to you, sir.

    We are making good progress.

    We are making good progress, but...!

    After all, even the new orcs and goblins are developing an ego!

    * * * *

    "You are mutating, sir.

    When the doctor quickly appraised them, I found that the new monsters had also mutated and become enhanced monsters after all.

    Orcs became Warrior Orcs.

    Goblins became Spartan Goblins.

    Why!

    I wasn''t even in contact with them at all!

    ''''Even though we are not conscious of it, we still have contact with each other in the same place. "We may be in contact with each other without being aware of it, but we are in the same place.

    I guess that''s the way it should be!

    But now my frontier companions are becoming more and more powerful!

    But if the newcomers have mutated, then the original orkbo will be ruined...

    The only advantage you have as a squad leader is that you''re senior and junior.

    "Those Okubo and the other old-timers...

    The doctor said something terrible.

    "They''re mutating themselves, sir.

    What?

    "Two-step mutation..... I''ve only heard about it, but this is the first time I''ve seen it in person.

    Warrior Orcs -> Legatus Orcs.

    Spartan Goblin -> Brave Goblin.

    ..........

    Orcbos and goblins.

    ''The strength of the monsters that have mutated to two stages is said to be so strong that an ordinary hero could crush them in one hit. They lead their one-stage mutated counterparts to form an army........ ''''It''s a nightmare from the perspective of the humans and demons.

    No, no, no.........

    ..........

    It''s harmless, okay?

    The Orcobos are just harmless monsters who are good at pioneering, right?

    Now, let''s get on with the pioneering work today!

 75-74 Completed rush

    As we were immersed in the work, many things were completed.

    First, my home, which was extended.

    In addition to the private rooms where the newly welcomed Puffa, Lamp-Eye, and Gala Rufa would sleep and wake up, I also made a large space for Batty''s own clothing room.

    We had Bati make clothes for the new army of monsters, so we gave her a reward for that as well.

    Plus a brewery.

    Parallel to the brewery, the brewing process begins in earnest.

    The first goal is a beer with affordable ingredients. Prathi and Gala Rufa will make it through trial and error, with Prathi and Gala Rufa guessing at my random suggestions on how to make it.

    We started with wheat as the first ingredient.

    At the same time, we try making barley.

    When I first grew wheat and soybeans, when I reminded the soil with ''supreme bearer'', "Barley and red beans growing! And I grew up making mistakes.

    Will the time come when it will finally be useful?

    The result depends on the hard work of Gara Rufa.

    Gara Rufa was officially appointed as the brewery''s manager. With that opportunity, the brewery was handed over to Puffa from Prati.

    Puffa has been busy making miso and soy sauce, and of course, he is also busy making new pickles.

    When she learned of Prince Arowana''s fondness for takuwanas, she was determined to make pickles that would suit his tastes even better.

    Is this the true wife of Kasuya?

    Prati has been given the position of overseeing and managing the sake brewery, brewery, and food storage facility. Of course, he''ll also serve as my assistant, the landowner.

    The remaining lump eye was assigned to a role that could be used to support any part of the operation, depending on the situation.

    Finally, it was completed.

    I had been working on the pottery kiln for a long time.

    So far, we have used plates brought in from the royal capital or made from wood. When the number of people increased, we used leaves as a substitute for them, but now we can finally make ceramic plates and bowls!

    We''d imitate the potters and if we didn''t like it, we''d break it into pieces with a snap!

    No, right?

    We have to take care of our stuff!

    To tell the truth, with the monster team swelling to a hundred at once, many places are under strain.

    They don''t have enough places to live, and daily necessities and food are in short supply.

    In the beginning, the newcomer monsters started out like normal monsters, absorbing mana, but as they grew in on themselves, they began to need more food.

    They make do by hunting in mountain dungeons and gathering shellfish and fish from the seaside.

    I got Batty to work very hard on making clothes, and I also expanded the monster tenement.

    When the chaos caused by the rapid expansion had somehow subsided in such a way, the last of that thing was finally completed.

    The waterway.

    The water drawn from the tributaries finally flowed into our settlement.

    As expected, there were a hundred more of them at once, and if I used my "supreme bearer" to filter the seawater every time, it was going to be too late. Thank goodness.

    Now we could secure a water source suitable for a large family, and finally we could get on with it.

    For rice farming!

    Speaking of the Japanese, rice!

    Now the fruits of the earlier largesse and mass replenishment of personnel will show up!

    The soil plowed by the "Supreme Bearer" works perfectly as a paddy field, and even if water is drawn in from the waterway, the soil does not absorb it.

    A large amount of hyper-fertilizer, which promotes the growth of crops, was also added to the soil to plant the seedlings that had been grown in advance.

    * * * *

    All the inhabitants of our settlement gathered at once to plant rice.

    It would be quicker and more fun if we were all together.

    That''s why we gathered in one field.

    First lane, Prati.

    The second lane, Viru.

    Third lane, Bati.

    Fourth lane, Verena.

    Lane 5, Puffa.

    Sixth Lane, Lamp Eye.

    Seventh lane, Gala Rufa.

    It''s going to be a target.

    Me and my monster army are in the gallery.

    When we finish planting this one, we scatter and plant another rice field all at once.

    In other words, this first piece of rice planting is a ceremonial event.

    ''Yes!¡¡Saint!¡¡I will abstain!

    Even before we started, Gala Rufa came to declare his abstention, but I dismissed it.

    ''Please!¡¡If I were to participate in a competition in which Prati-sama and Veer-sama are participating, I''d be killed instantly!

    Gala Rufa complained in tears, "I''ll be killed instantly if I participate in a competition like Prati-sama or Veerle-sama.

    It''s not a competition. It''s not a competition, it''s an event where everyone works together to plant a seedling.

    It''s not a competition for speed or anything like that...

    "Veerle?¡¡Looks like it''s time to find out who your husband''s real wife is today, doesn''t it?

    Mermaids don''t stand up to dragons. Let''s show them how different we are from them.

    Something about Prathi and Veer was making the sparks buzz with a bee.

    ...........

    It''s not a competition, okay?

    You know that, don''t you, guys?

    ''I just wanted a chance to clarify who''s the best here. Let''s get excited.

    My power and my life are for Lady Plati. I will support you as you take on the world''s most powerful dragon!

    ''Verena!¡¡I''m going to show you exactly what I mean as a demon race!

    Sure thing, Batty!¡¡If I back off here, I won''t have a face to match Astares-sama!

    ..............

    Garra Rufa''s abstention was granted.

    She will be the emergency medical team instead.

    This rice planting race.

    This race won''t go off without a hitch. How bad could it be?

 76-75 Rice planting

    And so it began.

    The first Chitty Chitty Land Girls'' Competition, a rice planting race.

    It seems that the winner is the one who plants more seedlings in a hurry.

    There was no prize for the winner.

    We didn''t start out with the intention of competing with each other.

    It was supposed to be an event to experience planting rice in harmony with others.

    These guys took the liberty of betting their own prestige.

    So I don''t know about it.

    There were no prizes.

    "To the victor of this contest!

    "More favored by the master!

    What kind of weird prize has been set up by itself?

    Prathi and Veerle create sparks.

    I want nothing more than to be of service to you, Prati. If I am the winner, the right to enjoy the saint''s favor will go to Prati.

    A lamprey that doesn''t blur.

    And the other one, Puffa....

    "I don''t like the way he burns. I''m not interested in that little land man. Shall I abstain with Gala Rufa...?

    If you win, I can set you up on a special date with your idiot brother. I''m your sister!

    That''s not what I''m talking about!

    Despite his verbal denial, Puffa''s spirits clearly increased as he slapped his own cheek.

    Isn''t this really too exciting?

    Just don''t get hurt, okay?

    That''s how the game starts.

    The winner was the one who planted the most seedlings within the time limit.

    Before I knew it, a board was set up to count the number of seedlings planted by each contestant.

    The Orcobos had made it.

    The Monster Legion had already chosen their own competitors to cheer for, and the venue was completely filled with the atmosphere of victory.

    Finally, the competition began.

    "Ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri!

    "Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    The two people who made a dash for the start were the oldest and most promising, Prati and Veerle.

    They bent over and thrust the seedlings into the mud one after another.

    Their speed is nearly twice that of the other players.

    .........

    Normally, no matter what kind of match it was, it''s hard to believe that Veerle would fall behind the other players.

    Veerle is a dragon.

    Veerle is able to change his form into a dragon or a human at will due to his transcendent magic power.

    Once I was curious, I asked, "What kind of strength is it when you''re human? I have asked him about it.

    He said that even in human form, he can use dragon magic as well as the human form.

    So even if I went into battle in my human form, I could wipe out an army of humans and demons with a single hand. In fact, the size of the body is smaller than that of the dragon form, so it is convenient to be able to perform detailed treatments.

    Again, the human form is strengthened with magic to strengthen its muscles and plant seedlings at a furious pace.

    Not to be outdone is Prati.

    Mermaids have strong muscles by nature. Because they swim across oceans, their hips are tenacious enough to wriggle through the water.

    Their strength is proven by the case of Prince Arowana''s victory in a sumo tournament.

    His sister, Prathi, also has a strong ass with muscles as plump and strong as shrimp. She sinks her buttocks into the ground and steadily plants the seedlings with a firm and steady feeling on the mud with poor footing.

    ''Just as the rumors say, it''s starting to look like a one-on-one battle between the two wives.

    You got a reputation to upstage?

    Odds, Master Platy. Double, Mr. Veal 1.5. We are evenly matched on one occasion.

    "You''re betting on it!

    Live from OkCobo. I''ll be doing the commentary for you.

    The strongest race, the dragons, have the advantage.

    The number of seedlings planted by Veerle is gradually increasing, surpassing Plati''s.

    ''''This is not good...!¡¡At this rate, Master Prati will suffer a defeat...!

    Elsewhere, a lamprey planting a seedling in its own right grunted.

    ''''This lamprey. I''m willing to turn into a snake or an eel for Prati-sama. If this happens........it will be the foundation of Prati-sama''s victory!

    The girls are currently planting rice paddies, planting seedlings and retreating, planting seedlings and retreating, repeating the process.

    But Lamprey''s retreating speed alone is many times faster than the speed of their retreating speed, and he makes a suicide attack on Veerle with the rush of a bull.

    Veerle was in the middle of planting rice and was in the midst of retreating, so he couldn''t see the lump-eye approaching from behind.

    Ass and buttocks colliding head-on.

    But of course Veerle''s buttocks, which had been strengthened by dragon magic, reversed the lamprey''s buttocks, which had collided with it one-sidedly, and rebounded off.

    ''''Ukyaaaaaah!''''

    Lamp Eye.

    He retired due to a foul and off-field fall for obstruction.

    Even though Veerle''s human form is in the style of a petite loli girl. It''s a good idea to use your small buttocks to flick off Lampey''s thick muscle buttocks.

    I guess this is still going to be an overwhelming victory for Veerle.

    I thought the wall between the strongest race was still too thick, but then an unexpected development occurs.

    * * * *

    I''m bored.

    Veerle, who was blasting away at the top, far ahead of the second place and below, suddenly said this.

    The only thing the seemingly perfect, strongest species of dragons lacked was the ability to concentrate.

    That was concentration.

    It doesn''t have the patience to keep doing the same thing for a long time.

    It hasn''t even been thirty minutes since the start of rice planting, and yet Viel looks bored with it.

    If it were done by hand, it would normally take several days to plant the rice.

    I don''t have time for this kind of boring stuff. I''m going to win and I''m going to play it safe and sound!

    Because they are the strongest of their kind, most of their opponents can be killed in one turn.

    You can''t learn the tenacity to sit back and wait for an instant kill.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them. I will use my breath to wipe out all the people who are in the way, and then I will be the winner.

    No, no interference.

    Immediate disqualification. In fact, Lamp Eye was eliminated because of that.

    "d*mn, we can''t compete in this situation!

    Clever Prati immediately assessed the situation.

    All the contestants are joining forces to take on Veerle!

    Yes!

    ''''I understand, Prati-sama!

    The demonic duo of Bati and Verena followed Prathi and pounced on Veerle alone from three sides.

    It takes three people to hold Veerle down with a gusto.

    ''''What is this impotence?¡¡Do you think that''s all you''ve got to keep me from doing this?

    ....

    Just need to change back to dragon form to get this thing off of you.¡¡Let''s see, now actually....

    Wait.

    Prati said in a voice of great urgency.

    It''s the first time I''ve ever run on muddy mud like this with two feet. It''s a lot more than I thought it would be.

    The more I run, the more I lose my balance!

    If you stop, you''ll skid immediately, so you''ll have to keep running.

    Apparently the same is true for Batty and Verena.

    ''Oh my god, I''m going down! And then I saw Veerle.¡¡Of course, it''s a target of attack...!

    "So did Master Prati...!

    "You can only maintain your position by leaning on Veerle-sama like this...!¡¡Even now, my feet keep sinking into the mud and I feel like I''m going to be mossy...!

    As they said.

    Prathi, Bati and Verena, who are leaning against Veerle''s body at an angle, are getting shallower and shallower in their slanted positions.

    The scary thing is the muck of the paddy field.

    ''Idiot!¡¡What the f*ck?¡¡Get the f*ck off!¡¡Let go of me!" "You''re all gonna be kicked to death and covered in mud!

    That''s terrible, Master Veerle!

    That''s right!¡¡This outfit is a workout outfit that I sewed especially for today!¡¡I''m too sad to be covered in mud on the first day of having it on!

    Batty, the producer, cried out in grief.

    ''''I don''t care!¡¡If it comes to this, I''ll turn into a dragon and leap with the momentum I have...!

    Viel.

    I say from outside the paddy field.

    If you turn into a dragon or use an attack spell in there, you''re out of the game. That''s not enough, so you''ll have to go without food for three days.

    "Naaaaahhhhhhhh?!

    It can''t be helped.

    If he turns into a dragon, it will ruin the entire field.

    "What do we do then?¡¡You guys get away from me!¡¡Stay out of my way!¡¡Don''t grab your tits!¡¡Who''s that guy with his face pressed up against his ass?

    Geez. Ohhhh. Don''t move, don''t move. Don''t move, don''t move. The vibrations are making you sink deeper and deeper into the mud!

    Master Veerle. Let''s get muddy together when this happens. Let''s all become manure for the rice paddies!

    Thus, Veerle, Prati, Bati and Verena crushed each other and retired from the game, unable to move.

    I thought it was going to be an invalid match with all of them self-destructing, but there was only one guy left.

    It''s Puffa.

    Unmoved by Veerle''s outbursts, or by Prathi''s instigation, she continued to plant the seedlings, and in the end, she won the race, surpassing the record of everyone who had just retired.

    She was a steady, hard-working girl, despite her delinquent attitude.

    * * * *

    After the event, everyone, including the Monster Army, planted rice in the many other paddies we had cleared. We waited for the ears to bear fruit.

    Thanks to the Hyper Fish Manure I''d already spread, the growth will accelerate, and I''m looking forward to the harvest.

 77-76 Devil King Visits Again

    Right after the rice planting was over, Demon King Zedan came to visit our settlement again.

    He can come and go to this land using the transition point managed by his demon daughter Verena, so he can come and go with ease.

    Even so, since it''s been a long time since he visited us, everyone is in a welcoming mood of great joy.

    The Demon King is a personable person, so he''s adored by everyone.

    Naturally, Astares-san, who became the Demon Queen, was also accompanying her, and they were rejoicing at the reunion with their former subordinates, Bati and Verena.

    ''''Lady Astares!¡¡Long time no see!

    ''''You''ve become beautiful again in a little while!''''

    This is not a compliment from a former subordinate, but even from me, a stranger, I think so.

    Ms. Astares, who was promoted from one of the Four Heavenly Kings to the Demon King''s wife - the Demon Queen, became beautiful as if to match her title.

    She was not only beautiful, but her beauty also exuded dignity.

    The loose-fitting dress (made by Batty) that she didn''t wear during her time as the Four Heavenly Kings seems to restrict her movements, but that''s what makes her look even more like a demon queen.

    ''''........Who is this?''''

    In addition to the two of them, there was another person accompanying them.

    She was a woman.

    However, at a glance it was difficult to determine whether she was a woman or not, a strong woman.

    Overall, she was thick and wild.

    She is muscular, and her dark skin, characteristic of the demon race, is even darker, perhaps due to sunburn.

    She was a wild beauty, with a height that might approach that of a demon king if she were to be poorly built, and she looked large, burly and robust.

    ''''Let me introduce you to her in a nutshell. One of my belly-hearted Four Heavenly Kings, called Grashara of the ''Grudge''.

    Yeah, this guy.

    "Let me apologize for not being around before I explain this guy in detail.

    According to the Demon King, he had spent a lot of time cleaning up the rebels that had been roasting out in his absence from the Demon City.

    That was finally finished the other day.

    ''''It was still the other Four Heavenly Kings who were proceeding with the marriage talk with Prati-dono on their own and who were in the dark about Astares'' exclusion.

    Could that be the...?

    I look at the female Four Heavenly Kings, who has a pouting face.

    ''''No, this one and another one. That guy has already taken full responsibility and stepped down from the position of the Four Heavenly Kings. With that, I hope that the Sage Lord and Prati Lord will also take this as a settlement of the situation.

    ''It''s fine, but...!¡¡Then more and more, what is this person you brought in today?

    Everyone''s attention was focused on the sulking Fourth Heavenly Queen.

    Of course, she wasn''t the one who became the Demon Queen, she was the Four Heavenly Kings.

    And the Demon Queen on the other hand only smiled bitterly.

    ''''Today''s visit is about that. It''s painful, but once again, I need the help of the saintly lord.''''

    What do you mean?

    According to the details, this Four Heavenly Kings Grashara.

    It is said that during the Demon King''s absence, he revolted against his own accord to take the throne.

    There were many others who showed such a move, but they were all destroyed in this roasting operation.

    It was a really desirable situation to establish a new regime with Astares as the Queen of Demons.

    The only problem that remains among them is this Grashara.

    The demon king said with difficulty.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. He''s the best of the bunch that plotted this rebellion, and his actions are outstanding. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.

    You can''t go back on that completely. So, now that you''ve conquered them, you want to execute them?

    At Prathi''s scary question, the demon king shook his cover.

    The demon king waved his head in the air as he answered, "I have come to appreciate Grashara''s bravado. After all, the others were always plotting and scheming to legally remove me from the throne.

    And so on, the Demon King said something bold.

    It''s not a good idea to be as outstanding as Grashara, so I''ve decided to use her again as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. I thought that by thoroughly beating him up and making him accept his submission, I would be able to convince others and maintain discipline.

    Incidentally, all the other people who tried to snatch the throne of the Demon King through a conspiracy or some other means did not get away with it for free.

    They had their lands taken away and were fired from their current positions.

    In any case, they were stripped of any power to plot the wrong thing.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future. No matter how many times I urged him to return to his home. No matter how many times I beat him up, he refuses to obey at all. I''m not going to be able to say a single word of apology, so I really have no choice but to execute her if things continue as they are. We are in a bind.

    The Demon King said, looking truly troubled.

    He wants to avoid the death of people. He''s basically a gentle man.

    ''''I understand the situation that the Demon King and the others are in trouble, but why did you come to us?''''

    You came here to consult with us?

    To hear what the problem is, that''s the internal affairs of the demon tribe, and I don''t think it''s something we as outsiders should interfere in.

    The thing is........!

    The Demon King clammed up.

    Unusual.

    What on earth is he stagnating about?

    ''Master Zedan, I''ll take it from here.

    Astares-san said with the dignity of a demon queen.

    I feel that a luster seems to be riding on his voice somehow.

    ''''There is a problem........ This Grashara, I''m in love with Zedan-sama.''''

    What?

    He wants to make himself the Queen of Demons, and if he can''t do it, he should be executed.

    The rebellion that rocked the demon kingdom took a more mundane turn than expected.

 78-77 Fuwa Execution

    ''''In the first place, this Grashara''s plan to rebel wasn''t seriously aimed at the Demon King''s throne, either.

    Beside the Demon Queen Astares-san who was speaking indifferently, the person concerned, Grashara, was puffing up her Buddha''s face more and more.

    She was glaring at Astares-san with a sideways glare as if she were the very thing Astares-san was doing to her eyes.

    If this person''s grumpiness is what it is........

    It''s not a sense of frustration from a failed rebellion or anything like that.

    ''''Apparently, she had feelings for Zedan-sama for a long time ago........ She''s also from a family that inherits the broken holy sword, the Grudge Holy Sword Hunfvioret, so she''s fully qualified to marry the Demon King........

    Miss Grashara''s parents gave up early on, believing that she wouldn''t be able to win the favor of the Demon King with her manly and crass personality from an early age, and they didn''t try to imitate the other aristocratic girls by letting her move up to the court like they did.

    Thanks to this, the young Miss Grashara grew up with her innate tomboyishness intact, became skilled in the martial arts, and rose to prominence through a different route.

    She officially entered the Four Heavenly Kings.

    It was there that she met Demon King Zedan for the first time.

    ''''It was love at first sight, she said.

    Shut up!

    Here, Grashara raised her voice for the first time since she had come here.

    It was a solitary wolfish voice, befitting its wild but beautiful appearance.

    ''Mostly you''re the only one cheating!¡¡It''s the same Four Heavenly Kings!¡¡Why do you always get the Demon King''s favor?¡¡Are your childhood friends so important to you?

    You can talk to your parents. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of where to start. It''s your parents'' decision not to assign you to Zedan as a child.

    "You don''t need much time to fall in love with Master Zedan, you know!¡¡It''s only a question of who loves Master Zedan more than anyone else!

    Then I love Master Zedan as much as anyone.

    They started arguing about something.

    I can guess that this kind of argument has probably been repeated dozens of times.

    ''''Keep it up like this........!

    When I listened again, the Demon King''s voice was heartily gesticulating.

    ''''Grashara''s motive for revolting was also apparently not because he really wanted to be the Demon King, but because he was apparently angry that he threw everything he had at me and went after Astareth.

    Jealousy.

    ''''If Astares is more important than the title of Demon King, then I''ll take the place of the Demon King myself?''''

    This guy is the most thoughtless guy among the Four Heavenly Kings. What was he going to do if everything went well and he really did become the Demon King while Zedan-sama was away...?

    ''''At that time, it was until I approached Zedan-sama head on!¡¡You only have to choose one thing: the Demon King''s throne or Astares!

    That''s not what happened in reality.

    "The demon world has successfully cleaned up its grievances and eradicated its internal grievances. But we can''t get rid of the problem of Grashara.

    It was the first level of exhaustion I had ever heard from the demon king.

    ''If I had been dazzled by lust enough to say that I didn''t need anyone else as long as I had Astares, I could have said no more easily, but I don''t think I''m built for a head that can be that ripped up, either.

    "What did you say, Master Zedan!

    "If you are such a wise man, then I am willing to give my body and soul!

    The four female Heavenly Kings all prostrate in unison.

    The way they breathed together was not too much of a hump.

    ''''Grashara is considered to be the best of the four Heavenly Kings in terms of military prowess. She''s a gem that''s too good to be discarded. You can''t be a good example of a person who has a strong feeling for me.

    She is gossiping about, ''If you can''t be the Demon Queen, just kill her.

    What are you going to do?

    The majority of the opinion from the vassals is that ''it''s better to have them on your side''.

    That''s the Demon King. He is the king of the demon king''s country.

    So he can take many wives.

    "Grashara''s argument is that it''s the only way to make everything right. Of course, she is guilty of rebellion, so she will have to apologize sufficiently and become a slave to me as a wife...!

    Still, you are more than generous in your kindness. He''s convinced that no matter how stubborn Grashara is, he couldn''t have asked for better.

    I''ll check, but Grashara didn''t look very convinced.

    However, I have to admit that there is no better compromise than this. So, he''s just puffed up and went along with it.

    "But here''s the big problem.

    Huh?

    You don''t have a problem with that?

    The demon king will just get two wives and be very happy, won''t he?

    ''Oh, if Mr. Astares is against it?''

    I''m sure you don''t want your loving husband to cheat on you in general.

    ''''Please don''t overestimate me, saint. As I am married to the ruler of the demon race, I understand my husband''s position.

    I see.

    "In order to bring together different factions with different ideas and make them a force to be reckoned with, you can''t help but have a few wives with special connections.

    "Ha, you''re just a married man, that''s all.

    ''What did you say, Grashara?¡¡A combat idiot whose only job is to flail in the front line?

    You''re not the only one!¡¡You know what we''re both called on the battlefield, don''t you?¡¡"I''m in charge of the brain trust of the Four Heavenly Kings!

    You''re one of those "Brainiacs", don''t act like it!

    I''m just sayin''...¡¡I mean, don''t be so brazen as soon as such a combat idiot becomes a queen!¡¡Barker barker!

    The Demon King said with a reluctant expression.

    The reason why these two people don''t get along with each other is because of the original reason. It''s never because of this commotion...!

    No, even so, one of the reasons why they''re not getting along is because they''re love enemies to begin with.

    ........So then, what''s the problem in the end?

    Why don''t you just marry Grashara as well and make a harem?

    "I have been indebted to the saintly lord for many things in the past, one of them being.... Do you remember your audience with Lord Hades, the Underworld God?

    ''Oh...''

    That''s because the event wasn''t so thin that it was easily forgotten.

    The No Life King''s teacher had summoned a god named Hades in a momentum boost to celebrate the two Demon King and Astares who were getting married.

    Hades, the Underworld God, was also the god who created the demon race.

    By receiving a direct blessing from Hades, the Demon King and his wife obtained a bond that no one could tear apart.

    A blessing from a god is a powerful thing.

    The ''Blessing of the Husband of the Earth Mother God'' given by the Dark God Hades is the strongest marriage blessing a demon can receive. Its effects are many and varied, but it is one of them.

    "Blessed is the man who is unfaithful for life.

    There''s a thing called ...

 79-78 One God

    The three gods, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus, are said to have created the three worlds. These three gods created the three worlds of land, sea and air, and are commonly called the Three Realms God.

    I asked the teacher who had rushed to me with an urgent problem to explain.

    Among the three gods, Tenjin Zeus and Poseidon, the god of the sea, have many episodes of infidelity in their myths, but on the other hand, only Hades, the god of the underworld, has almost no stories of infidelity. He is only in love with Demeter Sephone, the earth mother goddess who is his wife.

    Heh.

    Hades is a single-minded god.

    ''To begin with, the Underworld God Hades never calls himself ''Underworld God'' at all, but almost always appears with the title of ''Husband of the Earth Mother God''.

    Earth, ocean and sky.

    The connection with Demeter Sephone, the mother of the earth, is important to Hades in order to claim control over each of these realms, which may be why cheating is out of the question.

    God has a lot of work to do.

    And that''s why he forces those who receive his blessing to continue to love only one wife, just like him?

    I feel it''s quite normal...!

    You''re not supposed to cheat on your wife once you''re married, right?

    It was meant to be a common-sense soliloquy, but it got a lot of people tsking at me.

    ''Sir, what is common to the majority of people can be different to the chosen ones!

    First of all, Prati was angry at me.

    ''''The Demon King is the king of the Demon Race. That''s why he has to unite many small groups with different ideas and lead a large group. To do that, he sometimes has to marry a number of queens who have special ties to the king!

    In fact, that''s the vast majority of cases.

    Even the teacher.

    Maybe it was just my imagination...!

    Even the Demon King himself is in a self-doubting mood.

    "I thought I was fully aware of the heavy responsibility of the Demon King, but my feelings for Astareth had grown so much that I may have made a rash decision as a person to bear the responsibility. And to think that I didn''t even realize that Grashara was so devoted to me...!

    ''''Master Zedan!''''

    The muscular one of the four female Heavenly Kings is in tears.

    ''''What a waste of words!¡¡This Grashara, I have no regrets if you cut off my head with those words alone!

    ''''You must not die!¡¡Like Astareth, I''m going to welcome my wife and show her, I promise!¡¡Good, Astares!

    "As my lord Zedan wills.

    Mr. Astares is a good listener too....

    Are you sure?¡¡I could have the Demon King all to myself....

    * * * *

    Well, I suppose there''s only one thing to do then.

    Saying that, the teacher summoned the Hades God again.

    Isn''t this immortal king a bit too casual in summoning the god?

    ''''Therefore....!

    "Hmmm...?

    While explaining the situation to the god, the god of the underworld wrinkles his brow the more he listens to the story.

    The more I listen to you, the more I despise you. You have received a personal blessing from me, the god of demons, and now you want to revoke it in less than a year.

    I''m at a loss for words.

    Mr. Hades is furious.

    The opposing demon king is now lying down flat and doing his best to pass off the wrath of God.

    ''''Please wait!

    Then Mr. Grashara, the Fourth Heavenly King, interrupted!

    "The problem with this is that it all comes down to me being selfish!¡¡Demon King Zedan-sama was merely accepting my feelings!

    ''''Unu...!

    "Let the punishment of God fall on me!¡¡If you can''t marry Zedan-sama, then please just take me to the underworld where you rule!

    ''''No, that''s not...!

    The resolve of a maiden in love is amazing.

    Even God is having a hard time with it.

    ''''Isn''t it nice, Anata?

    Such is the voice of a woman who is called upon to intercede with the god of the underworld.

    ''''It''s because you give inflexible blessings that this has happened, isn''t it? It''s only natural that you''re limited to those who are worthy of direct blessing, the ancient and modern warriors'' heroes.''''

    I don''t know...

    ''''It''s only natural that he would be a hoarder because he''s such a hero. Imposing harsh restrictions will only cause women to cry more tears.''''

    Who is she to say so much to Hades, the Dark God, who is she to say so much?

    It''s also divine.

    She is a majestic goddess who stands side by side with Hades, just like the dolls'' uncle and chicks.

    She is youthful and bountiful, and her beauty, which always praises her smile, gives her a tremendous maternal feeling.

    She seems to be the wife of Hades, the goddess of the underworld, Demeter Sepone, the earth mother goddess.

    It seems that when she summoned her husband, she even summoned his wife while doing so.

    ''''Oops!¡¡My summoning technique level has gone up!

    You immortal king.

    You''re not trying to test your magic skills on the Demon Lord and his friends, are you?

    ''''My people are.... It''s a good thing that our people love me, but they''re just too serious and inflexible for that.

    And the earth mother goddess, like a housewife in the area, speaks out in a light-hearted manner.

    The fact is, cheating is like a god''s worthiness, and to the extent that you don''t despise me, I don''t mind playing with you. You''re competing with those idiots Zeus and Poseidon, or you''re just pushing yourself too hard.......''''

    "Don''t listen to those people!¡¡You''re the only one I love until the end of the world.

    ''''You only cheated on me once, thousands of years ago, didn''t you? That earth spirit called Mentei...

    ''''Wah-wah-wah!

    According to my teacher''s explanation, the god of the underworld, Hades, seems to be a god who doesn''t cheat on his wife at all. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but I think it''s a good idea.

    ''''I think it''s fine, though. I''m an earth mother god, and I should encourage you to marry a lot of women, impregnate a lot of women, and give birth and reproduce a lot of children.''''

    Well.....?

    ''''But I''m sorry. I''m sorry, but I''m also the wife of this god, so I can''t disrespect my husband''s wishes. If I do that, I won''t be able to show you guys that, will I?

    No one could say anything to the truly irrefutable assertions of the Earth Mother God.

    ''God''s blessing is a kind of promise between man and God. If it is easily broken, the value of all covenants will be destroyed thereafter. To break a covenant while maintaining the value of the covenant would require a certain amount of specialness...''

    The Earth Mother God swept her gaze here and there to see what was going on, but then she stopped at one point.

    ''''Oh, dear, dear.''''

    Take stock of me.

    What about me?

    "Are you one of Zeus'' household?¡¡No, no, someone from outside our dominion. You''re getting a good one from Hephaistos.''

    Huh?

    You''re not talking about my superlative gift?

    This is getting interesting. This will hopefully allow me to make an exception for you guys.

 80-79 Amnesty conditions

    I''ll make a special exception...?

    What is this goddess saying?

    I''d start whispering to Hades, right next to me.

    "Mm....!¡¡What?¡¡What?

    God be d*mned!

    What in the world are you up to, Mother Earth?

    "I have a hunch that you are the children of the people in this room.

    The Dark God Hades said solemnly.

    ''''You have the owner of the Seven Sacred Swords that I gave you. Raise it up.''''

    "?

    I was surprised to hear you say that all of a sudden, but you''re talking about the Holy Sword, right?

    It''s our side that''s doing the begging, so let''s just go downhill and follow it honestly here.

    I raised the evil holy sword Dry Schwartz hanging from my own waist.

    The Demon King is the Angry Sacred Sword Einrodt.

    Astareth-san is the Zexweis, the delusional holy sword that was just resurrected by me a few days ago.

    You will be able to see that they are all in the same boat.¡¡They don''t listen to me, they don''t care what I tell them.¡¡Nuh?

    And one more thing, the sword that had been bobbled off from the base was held up by our Mr. Grashara.

    What a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    That''s........!

    "The sacred sword with a grudge that has been passed down in my family for generations, the Humviolette. Since it was broken in a past battle, it has been a token of my loyalty to the Witch King.

    It was the same with Astares-san''s sword.

    Until he was struck by me and revived.

    It seems that the current Four Heavenly Kings family of the Demon Race have all carefully inherited their broken holy swords like that.

    ''''Our Demon Tribe''s God. What kind of holy sword is this holy sword...?

    "These holy swords were given to you by me.

    Ooh, a shocking fact.

    Once, when Our Gods decided to rule this world, Zeus decided to rule the heavens, Poseidus decided to rule the seas, and this land, and in each realm they created their own race of warriors. The life that I have created in cooperation with Demeter Sephone. This is you demon race.

    He started talking about the creation myth all of a sudden.

    But Zeus was not satisfied with the sky he ruled, he sent his men to rule over the sky as far as this earth. That''s what we call today''s race of men.

    "Are you saying that the human race are invaders unleashed by the god of the sky...?

    I feel like I''m being accused of something, but I''m not involved, am I?

    They may be the same person, but they are from a different world.

    The long battle between the race of humans that Zeus created and my children, the demons, is still going on. This is no fun for me either. So I''ve decided to give you a little help.

    It''s.....

    The Holy Sword.

    Oh...!

    Was this sword made by God?

    But they are not that good. It''s not that good, however, because when it comes to modeling, there is no one who can compare to Hephaistos, the son of Zeus, the god of modeling. In order to give my sword the power to rival Hephaistos'' work, I took the longest route possible.

    A daring move.

    ''''First, they will create seven holy swords, then destroy each other and devour each other''s souls. Then, the last remaining sword will join the souls of the other six to become the most powerful sword in the history of war.

    And the completed true holy sword will exert its strongest power to destroy the human race....

    ''According to my calculations, this was supposed to be settled in a hundred years or so, and the True Sacred Sword would be born to contribute to my children, the demons. But it should have been over a thousand years ago.¡¡What have you been doing?

    "Look at you.

    Earth Mother God Demeter Sepone pointed at the destination, Astares-san''s delusional holy sword Zexweis was there.

    ''''That sword, it has already been perfected as a True Holy Sword.''''

    What?

    You scared the hell out of me.

    No, we''re surprised too.

    What do you mean it''s complete?

    ''Indeed.... this is the true holy sword, completed after devouring the six holy swords!¡¡But how come?¡¡Two other holy swords are still alive and kicking!

    He must have given them to you.

    And the Earth Mother God''s fingertips now indicated me.

    ''''This guest from another world has been given a gift from the example Hephaistos. His power must have boosted your imperfect holy sword to perfection in one fell swoop.''''

    How is that possible?

    I was just fixing Astares-san''s sword for good reason!

    (Hey, visitor from another world. I''d like to ask a favor, but would you do me a favor and fix your broken holy sword as well?

    Huh?

    That''s what you''re talking about, right, Grashara-san''s broken holy sword?

    ''''Of the seven swords, I can only complete it by crushing six of them, so two True Saint swords should be enough.

    Enough?

    "To destroy the human race.

    God said something outrageous.

    ''''You can attack and destroy the human race with the holy sword that your guest has reheard. And then the forces of Zeus will be eradicated from the earth where my husband should rule. Don''t you think that''s a big deal?

    Oh!

    ''It hasn''t been thousands of years since this earth was restored to the complete reign of my husband. Shouldn''t we rightly reward the one who achieves that first accomplishment in thousands of years?

    So this is what you''re saying?

    Grashara-san and Astareth said to make a special exception so that she and Astareth could marry the Demon King.

    That''s why the eradication of the human race is such a big deal.

    If you''ve done that much, they''ll allow you to get special treatment to modify your contract.

    And the way to do that?

    The holy sword to be repaired by me.

 81-80 Oath of Maha

    Using the resurrected holy sword, she would destroy the human race.

    That was the condition for Grashara-san to break the blessing God had given her and marry into the Demon King.

    It might be a reasonable reward for her work, but........

    ''''Now, what do we do?¡¡The modern demon king?

    Hades, the god of the demon race, is closing in on Zedan-san, the king of the demon race.

    The great decision to annihilate the human race can only be made by the Demon King, and it''s only natural to ask him.

    What answer will the Demon King give him?

    After what happened with Astareth, I should have thought harder.

    Gravely, the Demon King said.

    ''''I''m going to marry the girl I''ve longed for for a long time. There is no hesitation in itself. But even so, I should have stopped and thought about it for a moment. As a person who bears the heavy responsibility of being a demon king, I should have stopped and thought about it. It''s because I failed to do so that I''m now in this difficult situation.

    Zedan, the Demon King, who didn''t hesitate to receive the "Blessing of the Husband of the Earth Mother God" for having only one wife to love.

    However, it is clear to see that his position as the Demon King and his own brilliance do not stop at making one woman happy.

    So a harem is made to be made!

    ''''My intuition warns me that I shouldn''t take this matter lightly either. Ending the war with the human race is the most important duty for those who unite the demon race.

    There is no reason to refuse.

    But..........

    But..........!¡¡The human race is now a race that has been living on this earth for thousands of years. Can they be destroyed simply for the convenience of the gods?¡¡Even though each and every one of the human race is now born on the earth and living hard on the earth!

    The Demon King barked.

    That''s the one who is qualified to live and control this earth.

    I, Demon King Zedan, swear here and now that I am worthy to rule this world. I, Demon King Zedan, hereby swear that I will destroy the government of mankind. I, Demon King Zedan, hereby swear to destroy the human form of government.

    "The ... government of mankind?

    How!

    The Demon King continued.

    He continued: "Among the human race, only the royalty and the church think that they are the superior race to the god Zeus. If we slaughter them and dismantle the unity of the human race as a nation, the only people left are those who are no different from the demon race, who try to live their lives to the fullest.

    Hmm....

    With that, you will do your duty as the Demon King guarding the earth and reward Grashara with a reward.

    "But there is always someone in the sons of Zeus who thinks nasty things...

    The Hades God''s reaction was not good.

    ''That''s fine, Anata.

    It was his beloved wife, the goddess Demeter Sephone, who interceded for him.

    ''Since the great destruction four thousand years ago, our gods have been unable to interfere in a major way. Once the king of the human race and the church are destroyed, there will be nothing more Zeus can do.''

    ''''Is that so...?

    ''''Most importantly, isn''t it nice that the Demon King makes a gentle decision? Creatures on earth have to be like this.

    "Yeah, yeah...!

    God, I''m convinced.

    ''So, then, Demon King of this generation, I will acknowledge your achievements by destroying the King of Men and the Church as you proposed. I will acknowledge your achievements by destroying the King of Men and the Church as you have proposed. ........or, rather, you and your wives.''

    Thankfully, I''m happy!

    Mr. Demon Lord, you kneel down on the spot.

    "Let''s keep your reward upfront.

    When the earth mother god Demeter Sepone held out her hand, the light emitted from it split in two and enveloped the two women.

    ''''Eh!

    ''''Even me!''''

    The two who were wrapped in the light of the earth mother goddess were Grashara-san and Astares-san.

    The two wives of the Demon King.

    ''''I''ve given you both the Blessing of the Earth Mother God equally. Originally, this blessing was only given to one person in one lifetime. Whoever possesses this blessing will be able to marry a hero recognized by my husband.''''

    Really?

    Yeah!

    Grashara was overjoyed at the fact that the earth mother Goddess told her.

    ''My wife. Aren''t you being too generous?¡¡You haven''t even accomplished anything yet, and all you''re doing is rewarding him first.''

    ''''It''s okay. The Seven Holy Swords that you gave me as a winning strategy. Originally, only one of them was supposed to remain as a true holy sword, but now two of them will blossom into true holy swords. ''''Hey?''''

    Jibojin-san''s eyes caught me straight in the eye.

    ''You''ll retype it for me, right?¡¡That poor girl''s broken holy sword?

    I wonder if he''s talking about Grashara''s holy sword.

    ''''I''ll re-hit it. I''ll re-hit it, but...!

    Why are you so pressured?

    It is said that Hephaistos is the most skilled blacksmith in all the gods, yet he is estranged from his father Zeus because of his ugly appearance. It''s refreshing to see Zeus'' ambitions shattered by the gift of Hephaistos.

    Even the god Hades chuckled like a child who has just finished reading about the end of a mean old man.

    He said, "Called by the miracle of Zeus, and presented with a gift from Hephaistos, you belong to the other side, don''t you? Do you have a problem with my children?

    It''s not a big deal.

    It''s true that I was summoned by the king of the human race, but I believe the relationship was severed when I bought this land for nine gold coins.

    I''m grateful to Hephaistos for giving me the "supreme bearer", but Zeus and his ilk have nothing to do with it.

    Who''s that?¡¡I was like.

    It''s probably a great blessing that he''s gotten along with our kids.

    "You may be right. "I will do everything in my power to ensure this bond is secure.

    The God of Hades held up his hand, and a light went out and scattered in all directions.

    I have blessed this whole land with the blessings of the God of the earth. I have blessed the whole land with my blessings, the god of the earth, and there is no need to worry. A blessing so thin and weak that there is no price to pay.

    "You can''t give something to yourself when you''ve already got a gift from Hephaistos," he said. "You cannot give something to yourself when you already have the gift of Hephaistos. That''s one of the promises the gods have to keep.

    It is a blessing that the crops of this land are only slightly better. I hope you will continue to get along with my children without conflict.

    After saying that much, the Husband and Wife God of the Earth disappeared from the world as if there was nothing more to say.

    The problem was solved.

    .........?

    Just in case.

 82-81 Rice balls

    After the god Hades and the goddess Demeter Sepone left, I reforged Grashara-san''s sword and revived it from its broken state, as I had promised.

    The Demon King and the others thanked him again and again for this time and returned to the Demon City.

    As promised to the Hades God, they are going to launch the final battle against the human race.

    I''m sure it will be the biggest war ever, but I''ll do my utmost not to cause trouble for the saintly lord. When the war is won, I will visit you to report back to you.

    ''Don''t say that, come visit us sometimes.

    Even the war wouldn''t be something that would end in a day or two.

    When I said that, the Demon King only smiled and didn''t say anything, but thanked me profusely and left.

    With his two wives in tow, who were arguing adulterously.

    .........It must be hard to have two wives.

    I''ll be careful too.

    By the way, this is a bit of a digression, but in the course of the Demon King''s visit and the summoning of the gods, Puffa, Lamprey, Gala Rufa and the rest of the new faces protested, or rather, were puzzled.

    ''''Why is the king of the demon race visiting us salaciously!¡¡Why is the Demon God being summoned by the Demon Tribe''s gods in a salute!

    ''''I thought I had swallowed that this is an unorthodox land, but please don''t go beyond the limit of what you can easily accept!

    The "I can''t do it anymore!¡¡My head is about to explode and I''m going to spread spores all over the place!

    Seriously, was it that big of a shock?

    Both the Demon King and the God of Hades are surprisingly nice and friendly when you talk to them?

    ........Hi, sorry.

    For the sake of their mental stability, I''ll interrupt a phase the next time you do something out of the ordinary.

    * * * *

    And so it was time for the rice to be reaped.

    ...Isn''t it early?

    Even if the hyper fish manure that Prathi and his team made to speed up the growth, it''s still not even a month after planting the rice?

    I don''t know.¡¡It seems that the God of Hades was blessing this land, so maybe that has a little something to do with it...?

    Is that how it works?

    Well, what has been borne is inevitable.

    Quickly harvested, threshed and milled the rice, and it''s pure white rice that I finally got to come to another world to worship!

    The fruit of the earth then.........

    ''''........What is your master frolicking in such a white grain?''''

    ''Isn''t it always the case that you don''t know what your husband is thinking?¡¡I was wondering what kind of awesome crops you''d be able to produce after all that fuss over something so big, but what is this? It doesn''t taste good at all when you eat it, and isn''t tomatoes and potatoes a whole lot better than that?

    Don''t eat the raw rice.

    It''s not a choice. Let''s show Prati and Veer the true value of rice.

    We''ve prepared a rice cooker when we built the house, so all we have to do is to try to cook rice with it.

    I''m going to start with a little bit of rice, and then I''ll stop crying when the baby cries.

    It''s done.

    I served the white rice that shone like a pearl to them.

    Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    Munching, munching, munching...!

    Both of them were scraping their white rice in unison, but they flattened every single grain and said a few words.

    ''Not very tasty.''

    It was nice and crunchy and all, but it didn''t taste like anything.¡¡Shouldn''t you put some miso or salt on it?

    It wasn''t that well received, but I guess that''s about it.

    Putting aside what they think of me, I prepare to offer the rice to the other, the person I want to offer the finished rice to.

    I moisten my wet hands with salt and hold the rice.

    Omusubi.

    That''s what I promised myself when I came to settle this land.

    I promised myself that I would grow rice on this land and make rice balls. I will make rice rice-ball and offer it to the god Hephaistos.

    Hephaistos is the god who gave me the ability of the supreme bearer, the one I have been most grateful to.

    That''s why I want to repay him in some way.

    And I saw that God must absolutely love Omusubi!

    So I grabbed a handful of omusubi with the first rice I harvested, wrapped them in seaweed, and offered them to the improvised altar.

    ''Hephaistos, thanks to your gift, I''ve managed to live in this world.

    It is because of your gift of ability that we have been able to expand the frontier so greatly.

    I am a little late, but I would like to offer my thanks for that.

    Please eat your diaper to your heart''s content.

    ''''........Mm.

    I feel like I''ve reached a point of no return.

    My otherworldly exploration. End of a chapter!¡¡Now we start chapter two!¡¡Like.

    That''s about as accomplished as it gets.

    ''''Hi!''''

    Before I knew it, the teacher was right behind me.

    Sensei is definitely the king of immortality and horror, if he were to stand behind you without you knowing it, anyone would say "Hi! If you stand behind me without knowing it, everyone would say, "Hee!

    "My dear saint, I haven''t had a new hobby in a while.

    A hobby?

    "It''s a summoning technique. Since I called up the god Hades, I think I can do a lot of things. If you wish, I can even summon the God Hephaistos if you wish...!

    No, no, no, no, no!

    I know he''s busy, too, so no need to call me!

    I mean, don''t make a hobby out of weird stuff!¡¡I don''t know much about it, but isn''t summoning a god something that a normal wizard would spend a lifetime trying to achieve!

    When I put all my energy into stifling him, the teacher reluctantly agreed and went back to the dungeon.

    That guy, as expected, doesn''t have the guts to summon a god to this world with nothing to do, and he''s looking for some kind of excuse.

    It''s good to see that the No-Life King still has some sense left in his god partner.

    * * *

    By the way, Prathi and Veer have learned to taste white rice........

    ''''........something is missing.''''

    ''I''ve been thinking ''I wish I had a meal'' every time I eat anything since then!¡¡What will you do!

    It seems that my body has become unable to live without white rice.

    * * * *

    I did something I''d personally like to try, too.

    I put the eggs of a chicken-shaped monster, the Yoshamo, that I had collected earlier on the hot, freshly cooked rice.

    I cracked it open, stirred the yolk and the white inside, and poured it over the rice.

    Drizzle some soy sauce over the rice and stir some more.

    Tamagokake Gohan!

    Yummy!

    "Ahhhh!¡¡The master is eating delicious food all by himself?

    ''''That''s not fair!¡¡I''ll have some!¡¡Mix eggs and rice with soy sauce...¡¡When you cross good food with good food and good food with good food...!¡¡Of course it''s going to be crazy delicious~!

    I don''t know, Prathi and Veerle found me.

 83-82 There is a cutlet in the bowl

    With rice in hand, I''m going to try to unlock another thing I''ve been wanting to try but haven''t been able to step up.

    Heat the oil in a deep-bottomed frying pan struck with manna metal over the fire.

    In the meantime, slice the meat of the horned boar (formally known as a square boar) from the pantry into moderately sized pieces and dust it with flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs, in that order.

    Well.

    What are we making?

    The answer was tonkatsu!

    Finally!

    At last, at last!

    Our frontier lands have reached a level of civilization that allows us to make pork cutlets!

    Ready to cook!

    So now I''ve done this!

    This is the best way to eat square boa meat?

    I always heard that!¡¡You''re making me wait in vain.¡¡My patience was on the edge!

    Prathi and Veer are also looking forward to their pork cutlets, so they stay right next to the frying pan.

    But let''s get out of the way.

    It''s dangerous if there''s a splash of oil.

    Both of them have known about tonkatsu since they started cooking with horned boar, but due to lack of ingredients and equipment, they haven''t been able to see them in person until today.

    That''s why our expectations have been growing until today.

    I was getting a little anxious to see if I could properly get over the taste of tonkatsu, which had become the maximum expectation in my imagination, in reality.

    And then it was fried.

    A tonkatsu.

    ''''Oh!''''

    I cut it into bite-sized pieces on the cutting board with a zapper.

    It would have been complete if I had garnished it with shredded cabbage, but there was one problem.

    But there was one problem.

    I had no sauce, but I had to use Tonkatsu sauce for Tonkatsu.

    It is indispensable, but we haven''t made it yet.

    Unlike soy sauce and sugar, I don''t know how to make it clearly.

    I don''t even know what to use as an ingredient, and in the end I haven''t made it to this day.

    So, would you eat pork cutlets without sauce?

    Nope.

    I''m going to make one more effort here.

    Prepare the eggs again!

    Combine the beaten egg and pork cutlet, cook it out, and put it on a large bowl of rice!

    Ta-da!

    It is a pork cutlet bowl!

    This is one of the ultimate systems that have been created in the pursuit of pork cooking.

    A dish that was finally made possible by tilling the rice paddies, growing the rice, and taking the rice.

    Eat.

    EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

    "What is this?¡¡How can square boa meat have this kind of texture?¡¡The white rice mixed with the broth also tastes good, oh my god!

    Prathi and Veer were also delighted and scraped into their katsudon.

    I''m glad they were pleased.

    ''''But........!

    I wonder if my frontier has come to be able to make even a cutlet bowl.

    I feel that it was a long way.

    I need many ingredients.

    Rice and pork as staple ingredients, egg, flour and bread crumbs to make pork cutlets.

    Even after the tonkatsu was finished, we still needed dashi broth, soy sauce, mirin, and onions to make the egg mixture.

    ...although the mirin is a "mirin-like" condiment that we asked Gala Rufa to improvise for us.

    Whether we can produce the real thing or not depends on our future research.

    However, since we have achieved this level of success, our frontier area may no longer be at the stage of being called a frontier.

    From now on, we''ll call it a farm.

    Let''s call it a farm...!

    A farm and a farm that is self-sufficient in all the necessities of life.

    A saint''s farm!

    ''It''s a farm ruled by the master!¡¡It''s the perfect name to distinguish it from the rest!

    Don''t interrupt me while I''m talking to myself, you guys.

    And you''ve got grains of rice all over your cheeks. How good was that katsudon?

    The farm of the saints.

    .........huh?

    I don''t like being called a saint, but I think we''ve come to a stage where we have to accept it.

    I guess we''ll just have to accept it.

    I''ll just accept it.

    No, I knew it.

    The day passed by with just cooking for all the battis and puffers who had packed the place after the existence of the katsudon became known.

    * * * *

    Well.

    This is what we have been building up here at the Saints'' farm so far.

    The fields have expanded a lot and we are growing a variety of crops.

    Tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, eggplant, carrots, radishes, cucumbers, leeks, corn, soybeans, red beans, wheat, barley, and many others.

    Recently, they have been growing rice paddies, and these farms are mainly manned by a team of fifty goblins, who have become mutated into Brave Goblins.

    They are a reliable companion, led by goblins who have mutated into brave goblins.

    The crops in the fields are fed with hyper-fish manure made from the fish monster Ba Herring G, which grows at an astonishing rate so that the crops can be harvested many times a year.

    The crops are stored until it''s time to eat them, but some are sent to a different department for processing.

    The breweries and breweries are commanded by Prati.

    The breweries are managed by the mermaids Puffa and Gala Rufa, and the breweries under Puffa''s care produce miso, soy sauce, and other seasonings, as well as pickled vegetables such as takuan, which is important because it is a favorite food of both Sensei and Prince Arowana.

    Takuwa is important because it is the favorite food of both the teacher and Prince Arowana.

    The brewery is a new facility that I just started teaching and is in the testing phase, although I left the management of the brewery to the highly motivated Gala Rufa.

    Right now, research is underway to make beer from barley or wheat.

    In the center of the farm is a mansion where we sleep and wake up, where Prati, Veerle, Puffa and the other mermaid girls, and Bati and the other demon girls also live.

    Every time the number of inhabitants increases, the house is being built up, and it will probably continue to grow.

    The monsters that live here live in a separate building, the Monster Tenement, which is quite a large house.

    In one corner of the mansion, there is a silkworm room where a kind of monster insect is kept that is very similar to a silkworm, spitting out high quality yarn.

    It is the job of Bati, the daughter of the demon tribe, to make clothes out of the high-quality Kongo silk made from the threads of the monster silkworm and cotton made from the cotton flowers grown in the field.

    I''m really glad she has talent in that direction.

    Even if I''m the bearer of supreme, I can''t make good clothes if I don''t have an aesthetic sense myself.

    Along with the Goblin Team, another monster army. The work of the orc team of fifty people was mainly building.

    Building mansions and opening waterways could not be done without their help.

    Recently, they also built a large kiln, allowing them to try their hand at pottery making.

    When I don''t have any building work to do and I have a free hand, I''ll have them hunt in the dungeon, and they''re very reliable guys.

    But, well, soon I''ll want to build something new again, and they''ll have me wielding the canine cudgel again.

    Well.

    What shall we make next?

 84-83 Dungeon Hard Mode

    Shall I turn up the dungeon''s difficulty?

    I didn''t know what that meant when Veerle suddenly told me that at dinner.

    ''What?¡¡What?¡¡Difficulty?¡¡What do you mean?

    "The dungeon I rule," he said. The meat isn''t replacing the square bore alone anymore. If we change the difficulty, there will be different monsters and maybe some of them will taste good.

    I''m not sure what Veerle is trying to say.

    ''Sir, Veerle is the master of the mountain dungeon, isn''t he?''

    Prathi, who can''t see it, comes around to follow up.

    Our farm has two dungeons in the neighborhood, a cave dungeon that is mastered by a no-life king teacher and a mountain dungeon that is dominated by this Veerle.

    We hunt the monsters generated by the dungeon and use them for meat and fur, and we also take out and raise useful monsters.

    In short, dungeons are already an integral part of our farm life.

    Dungeons are created when the flow of mana circulating in the world becomes stagnant. The stagnant mana turns into otherworldly mana, and the mana that condenses inside it becomes a monster.

    I''ve heard that one before.

    "The dungeons vary widely depending on the situation here. They are divided into cave dungeons, mountain dungeons, and ruin dungeons based on the environment they rely on, and the size of the mana reservoirs makes them vary in difficulty.

    ''''Law.

    ''''Naturally, the more mana that stagnates, the more powerful monsters will be born and the higher the difficulty level. I heard that the human tribe that organizes adventurers ranks such difficulty levels in detail, but...''''

    ''You know how sometimes the dungeon terms they use are naturally transferred to other races and used on a daily basis?

    Oh, I know.

    And Japanese English is especially like that.

    The difficulty of a dungeon depends on the amount of mana that flows in and accumulates, so it usually doesn''t fluctuate as it did in the beginning unless the environment around it changes rapidly. But there is an exception.

    When a dungeon has a Lord.

    "You can either be a Dragon or a No-Life King to be the Dungeon Master. They''re both super-powerful disasters. Mana control is a piece of cake.

    So you can use that ability to manage the mana concentration and change the strength of the monsters produced?

    That''s not all. The structure of the dungeon is also flexible.

    The dungeon is basically a distortion of space-time caused by concentrated mana, which apparently has nothing to do with space in this world.

    So if you have a lot of mana accumulated, you can create vast dungeons in response to it.

    And the master of the dungeon can artificially modify it to create a dungeon of the size and structure as desired.

    ''''Aren''t they all-powerful, Dungeon Lord...?

    ''''Originally, both the No-Life King and dragons are all-powerful in their existence. Did Veerle also artificially set the difficulty of the mountain dungeon he controls?

    Prathi asked, and Veerle nodded without stopping to scrape his food.

    ''Yeah, it''s a pain in the ass to manage. I kept the difficulty pretty low, you know.''

    The master of the dungeon is said to keep the difficulty level rather low in order to make the dungeon a comfortable place to live.

    The more impregnable the dungeon is, the less comfortable it is to live in.

    It''s not uncommon for adventurers to wander into a dungeon and easily find themselves in the deepest part of the dungeon, only to run into their master and kill him instantly.

    However, if you raise the dungeon''s difficulty level, you''ll find unusual monsters that didn''t exist before and you''ll have a wider variety of prey to choose from. There might even be some tasty monsters you can cook!

    I see.

    We have a lot of things here on our farm, but there are still things that are missing.

    Cows, for example.

    I need milk.

    Up until now, the livestock breeding relationship has been completely dependent on dungeon monsters, and it would help if the dungeons with increased difficulty had monsters that were in order of the dairy cows.

    ''''Yeah - we can give it a try.

    In a dungeon of increased difficulty.

    ''So it must come!¡¡Then I''m going to go mess around with the dungeon as soon as possible!

    After finishing his meal completely, Veerle immediately ran outside, turned into a dragon and flew away.

    He''s as free as ever........

    * * * *

    A few days later, the ban came from Veerle.

    "My dungeon has been modified!¡¡Now come on!¡¡I''ll stand up to anyone''s attack!

    It was said in a very challenging way.

    I don''t know what it is, but I''m also interested in the unknown, so I decided to select a group of people who are also interested to take on the dungeon.

    The Viel''s Mountain Dungeon (Hard Mode) capture team.

    Me as the leader.

    Prathi as an assistant.

    Lamp Eye from the mermaid group. She used to be a Kingsguard of the Mermaid Kingdom and is good at fighting, so it''s only natural.

    Next is Verena from the demon side.

    And from the monster army, a goblin and an orc each.

    The above personnel were to take on the challenge.

    Puffa and Gala Rufa were busy making fermented food and wine, so they didn''t participate.¡¡In addition, Bati also withdrew from the challenge due to her work in making clothes.

    "Hahahahahahaha!¡¡Come on, you lowlifes!¡¡Can we clear the dungeon ruled by Grinzel Dragon''s Viel?!

    Something about the Veerle guy was getting a bad ride.

    What?

    Is this an event where we all try our best to get through the dungeons that he''s modified with his flair?

    It''s all right.¡¡Why don''t we let him see the new mountain dungeon while we break through the barrier he''s prepared for us?

    I thought to Prathi, "That''s what I''m going to do.

    Let me challenge you to feel like an attraction.

    Okay, wait for me, Veerle!¡¡You''re so proud of your dungeons, we''ll make sure to conquer them ourselves!

    That''s why.

    In fact, there''s another member of the attack team that I haven''t introduced yet, so I''m going to ask him to take the lead in making an appearance.

    ''''Well then, Sensei, it''s nice to meet you!

    "Smart.

    No Life King teacher.

    He happened to be visiting us before we left, so I asked him if he wanted to join us and he agreed.

 85-84 The strategy begins

    Near the entrance to the mountain dungeon.

    It''s a place that should be called the foot of the mountain, so to speak.

    As soon as I entered, a group of monsters attacked me, but with a simple wave of the teacher''s finger, they dissipated like smoke and disappeared.

    ''''I knew he was strong!

    As expected of the Immortal King No Life King!

    The magic he controls isn''t even an enemy, except for the small examination monster right at the entrance.

    The dungeon attack that the last boss takes on.

    It''s a devilish composition to see.

    No matter how difficult or impossible the dungeon is to capture, it will soon become a nullified game.

    ''Gyaaaaaaahhhh!¡¡No!

    But then a dragon form Veerle flew in from the sky.

    What''s going on in the sky above the mountain dungeon?

    Don''t even think about it.

    "Master''s mean!¡¡''''If you throw in a corpse-mobile, the game will be decided the moment you throw in a corpse-mobile, and it will be a digging match from start to finish!

    Yes, that''s exactly right.

    ''''Cheating is not allowed, so I''ll confiscate this corpse-modeling!¡¡We''ll keep it on the mountaintop!¡¡I''ll keep it on top of the mountain!

    Your Highness, I''ll wait for you at the finish line.

    And Sensei was grabbed and taken away by the dragon form Veerle, who grabbed him and took him away.

    Well, if the teacher was capable, he could have easily refused it, so in effect, he was ahead of the dungeon master''s escort to the final point in the form of an escort.

    ''........the deepest part of the dungeon where the No-Life King and his dragons are waiting....

    Would you like me to leave?

    I can only sense the despair in the words.

    ''I''m fine!¡¡It''s okay!¡¡The corpse-models are spectators!''

    "I''ll be waiting for the saint to come to the end of the line!

    It was like broadcasting through the speakers and the voices of Veerle and the teacher came through.

    I don''t know how it works, but they seem to be able to monitor and talk to you everywhere in the dungeon at all times.

    They really feel like an attraction.

    ''....so-so...

    ''I think it''s too much,'' said Prathi, calming me down.

    ''I think it''s certainly too much to ask a teacher to help you attack, so this is fine, isn''t it?¡¡Veerle''s in a playful mood, so let''s go out with him.

    That''s right.

    Then let''s all join forces and attack the dungeon in a straightforward manner without cheating.

    ''''Gwahahahahahaha!¡¡Come on, you lowlifes!¡¡"Every last corpse in that hellish dungeon I came up with is yours to expose!

    ...........

    ''Doesn''t it mean that Veerle is going to cheat on you?

    Well... the gamemasters are always desperate for that kind of help and...

    If they set up a game setting with no humanity or anything else, we can use foul play to break the balance without mercy, too.

    We were once again climbing up to the final point of the mountain dungeon, or in other words, the summit.

    * * * *

    It''s a dungeon, but it''s a mountain, so it''s hard to be intuitive and confusing.

    Normally, a dungeon would be a long cave that goes underground. But when someone calls it a dungeon, even if it''s outdoors, I''m confused. And that''s a good thing.

    But in the games I played when I was in the previous world, there were a lot of dungeons that looked like "Mt.

    There was usually a flying dragon at the top of the mountain, and you''d ride it to the Demon King''s castle or the next continent.

    The actual mountains have complex terrain and forests, so it''s easy to get lost, and there''s always someone missing at some point.

    Isn''t this a labyrinth that is many times more difficult than a bad cave?

    We went through such a mountain dungeon for a while, but I didn''t get the impression that it was much of a challenge.

    Viel said that he had put a lot of effort into remodeling the dungeon, but the inside of the dungeon and the monsters that attacked us didn''t look any different than before.

    What part of this dungeon did he tamper with?

    ''''Hmmm........What has changed from the previous dungeon?¡¡You''re wondering, aren''t you?''

    Just then, Veerle''s broadcast began to echo.

    ''Don''t worry, you''re still at the first station.''

    The first station?

    It seems that this is the first level in a cave dungeon.

    The first stage is the same as it was before the modification, with the interior and the monsters that appear!¡¡You don''t want Square Boa to be able to modify a dungeon and not be able to catch it!''''

    You''re right.

    That guy Veerle clearly remembered that the purpose of remodeling dungeons is to find new monsters to use as materials.

    New materials are important, but effective materials that are already in place are also important.

    New!¡¡My dungeon is a five-area structure from the first station to the fifth station!

    Yeah.

    It''s not like a normal mountain that goes all the way to the tenth station.

    ''The first station is built exactly the same as the old one with no replacement, but from the second station, we''re going to meet our master with new elements!¡¡Hurry up and get up there!''''

    Veerle, I''m sure he''s dying to show off the new construction part he worked so hard on as soon as possible.

    It''s inevitable, let''s do it as quickly as possible to live up to their expectations.

    ''''Oh?¡¡Are you sure you want to go that fast?¡¡If you hurry, you might be walking into a trap.

    .....

    Let''s take a break before we go.

    Well, all right. Now, you may look at it respectfully!¡¡A new area created by combining the skills that this Grinzel Dragon''s Veerle-sama has, the first of which is the first!

    Whoa, the trees break off from here and it gets light?

    ...in the spring area!

 86-85 Harugame

    This is the second station...?

    So, what''s the second area?

    But there''s nothing unusual about it.

    There is no change in the type of trees around us, and the climate is the same. There''s no sign of a distant presence...

    ........slightly tense?

    Saints I''d appreciate it if you would take care of yourself.

    is a mermaid lamprey who has been named in the dungeon attack group.

    He used to be a soldier in a castle or something like that, so he has high fighting power and I expect that he will be reliable in this event.

    ''''This sign. There''s definitely a powerful monster nearby.''''

    I guess.

    Even I can actually feel it, so I''m sure something is out there.

    Finally, the real battle is about to begin, and everyone''s spirits are tense.

    Once again, the dungeon attack team consists of me, Prati, the mermaid representative, Lamprey, and the demon representative, Verena. And an orc and a goblin were in each team.

    The leaders are Orcubo and Gob Kichi.

    This group formed a tight group and proceeded with caution in all directions.

    Then they immediately came out.

    Something came from the front.

    Something spinning at a high speed comes flying in at high speed!

    What was that?¡¡That''s dangerous!

    Is this fast-rotating object about the size of a human shield?

    The detailed shape was hard to discern because of the rotation, but it looked like a flat, circular shape.

    That''s why it''s a shape that rotates easily in an economic way.

    Hello UFO!

    That''s what I thought when I saw the flying object.

    An unidentified flying object.

    Well, it''s probably not true.

    In addition, UFOs seem to be super hard. As it spun at high speed, the trees in its path were being knocked down one after another.

    You won''t be safe if you collide head-on with that thing!

    At least it doesn''t look like you can manage a broken bone.

    That terrifying rotating object is coming towards you as if it has a mind of its own!

    And not just one!¡¡What, four or five of them?

    Does that thing clearly know who we are?

    Everybody!¡¡Intercept!

    The one who moved first was the mermaid lamprey, known as the "Hellfire Witch".

    I''m going to take out a leather bag the size of a cue ball and pull out a pin that looks like a safety device....

    He threw it away!

    The leather bag explodes violently and bursts into flames at just the right moment, just as it is about to make contact with the approaching rotating object.

    ''''Whaaaaahhhh?!''''

    I was rather surprised by the intensity of the explosive flame.

    That leather bag was filled with Lamp Eye''s pride and joy: explosive potion.

    The heat of the flames may have scared off the rotating objects, but they slowed down and crash landed here and there.

    When the rotation was gone, I finally figured out what that thing was.

    It''s a turtle.

    The turtle''s shell was spinning at high speed, and it was flying like a UFO, attacking us!

    "You see that?¡¡This is the highlight of the second station!¡¡Its name is Lotus!''

    Another Veerle broadcast echoed from somewhere.

    ''''A tortoise-shaped monster, Lotus''s shell is one of the hardest of all monsters!¡¡This is a guy who is good at using that trait to rush forward at breakneck speed!

    It''s a good thing that he''s so pleased with himself.

    That hurts your confidence.......

    Lamp-Eye said with a grunt.

    He bit his lip, looking really frustrated.

    ''But stop spinning and it''s ours. ........Orc Squad!

    I call out.

    "Use your huge bodies to crawl on top of the turtle and hold it back!¡¡As long as we stop the movement, it''s ours!

    Immediately carrying out my instructions, Okubo and the rest of the Orc squad fell on the fallen turtle''s shell on the ground.

    I''m not going to be able to move anymore, now we can boil or roast it as we please...!

    ........and then something came out of a hole in the four corners of the shell.

    That''s a hole in the structure of a creature called a turtle, where the limbs and head come out, right?

    When a turtle is in danger, it retracts its limbs and head into its shell to protect itself.

    That''s the hole that those limbs come out of, right?

    But what came out of that hole wasn''t a turtle''s limbs.

    Tentacles?

    Long, thick tentacles with the texture of an earthworm crawled out of the hole in the carapace where the turtle''s limbs were supposed to come out, all without a single one!

    "That''s disgusting!

    The tentacles are wrapped around the orkbo that is perched on top of its shell and are trying to pull it down!

    Watch out!¡¡Don''t make me do it!

    Gobbler!¡¡Platy and Lamp Eye!

    Cover the Orcobos and cut off those tentacles!¡¡The shell may be hard, but those tentacles look soft and should be able to attack!

    ''''Saint!¡¡It''s hard!

    Lamprey, who was paying attention to his surroundings, said in a tight voice.

    ''''It''s a new move!''''

    The Rotating Flying Tortoise Lotus was approaching with a sizzling, spinning sound.

    About six new ones!

    We''re too busy with the first ones to deal with them!

    I''ll take care of the new ones!¡¡You all need to kill the first ones steadily!

    The evil holy sword Dry Schwartz that is unleashed.

    I feel like it''s been a long time since I''ve treated it as a weapon.

    It''s a holy sword whose roots were discovered in the recent commotion over the Demon King''s marriage, but this guy seems to have hidden power to the extent of being able to annihilate the entire human race, depending on the case.

    Normally, it is said that by destroying all the holy swords of your own race and absorbing their power, you can release your full potential, but if you have the ''supreme bearer'', you can do that by simply holding it in your hand.

    ''''Finally.''''

    All the flying turtles were cut in half simply by sending their blades in line with the trajectory of the incoming new Lotus.

    ''''Wow!''''

    People were surprised, but not awesome.

    It''s all thanks to the power that Hephaistos gave us.

    The first one that came out also stopped moving when Okubo, Gobukichi and the others painstakingly cut off its tentacles, as if it had lost its life force with it.

    We successfully defeated the spinning flying turtle Lotus.

    We were able to clear the first barrier that Veerle had prepared for us.

 87-86 summer wolf, autumn velvet

    "Phew!¡¡Great job beating Lotus!¡¡But they''re the weakest of the new monsters I''ve prepared for you!

    That''s when you started acting like a villain, Veerle.

    ''Come on!¡¡Proceed to the third station, quickly!¡¡That''s where more powerful monsters will be waiting for you!

    I know, but....

    What are you going to do?

    ''''It''s right after the battle, let''s take a break. Just in case, I want to find out if this turtle can be used as a material...

    Maybe a turtle could make it look like a spoonful of noodles?¡¡I thought, but it seems very impossible to do so with such tentacles inside.

    Can the shell itself be used for something?

    It''s hard, has a good shape, and might have some uses.

    "Don''t get comfortable!

    The dungeon master is furious.

    I''m going to hold the materials of the monsters I killed for a time!¡¡I''ll give it to you all in one piece when I leave, so get on ahead of me!''

    And so on, the corpse of the spinning flying turtle Lotus suddenly disappeared from in front of him.

    It was like being sucked into a gaping hole in the air. Moreover, not one, but more than ten turtle corpses that we had defeated had disappeared in an instant.

    Probably Veerle carried them away as declared, though.

    ''''....Hey, Prati.

    What?

    ''Maybe Veerle could annihilate us as quickly as we could if he got serious?

    ''Of course. That boy is a candidate to succeed the dragon emperor, Geyser Dragon, and this is a dungeon that he rules over.

    You think that while this dungeon is limited to this dungeon, it can be as versatile as a god?

    I guess this is really an attraction type of game for Veerle. That''s why we''re safe and sound.

    Let''s try to entertain her as best we can.

    * * * *

    And so it came, the third area.

    I''d heard before that the dungeon was a different space, and I suddenly felt it as I entered this third area.

    It''s hot.

    The moment the area switches, it''s sweltering hot.

    ''The third area is the summer area!¡¡The most powerful monsters in those high temperatures will attack!¡¡You must be prepared for this!''''

    The game master was in a panic.

    The dungeons even have a temperature control system inside...?

    I''d like to think it''s impossible unless you''re as high-ranking a master as Veerle. It''s really hot. I''m sweating through my shirt...!

    The sweltering heat in the third station area tormented us more than a monster in some ways.

    We didn''t have to deal with the heat at all.

    Especially for mermaids like Platy and Lamp Eye, who are vulnerable to drying out, the heat is drying them out at any moment.

    It would be better to get out of this area quickly.

    But then.....

    The real disaster has arrived.

    "This time it''s wolves...?

    In a pack of several wolves, a gray wolf with a slightly bluish fur color appeared.

    They bared their sharp fangs like knives and snarled with gulls.

    Its hostility was obvious.

    ''That wolf-shaped monster is the monster that is said to be the most troublesome in the quadrupedal system, the Hyricaon!¡¡When it comes to single combat power, there are a number of higher-ranked ones. But these guys always act in packs, chasing their prey for days on end and never giving up!

    That was Veal''s explanation.

    If it''s as explained, it''s tricky. Since they are placed in a place like this, these monsters are probably built to withstand the heat by nature.

    In contrast, we''re in the extreme heat, and even just moving would take away their stamina.

    Even if you run away, they will definitely catch up with you, and even if you want to fight them, we will certainly run out of stamina first.

    ''''........''''

    The other party knows that, too, or maybe they don''t jump in without a second thought, but it''s a long-term battle plan.

    Oh, I''m sweating just from staring at each other like this. It''s exhausting.

    You should launch a strike before you get your energy sapped in earnest, but.......

    ".........

    But then the wolf came up to me.

    Stumbling.

    What is this completely unguarded gait?

    Then he approached close enough for me to reach him, and suddenly he rolled over on his side.

    With her stomach on full display.

    ........Is this a surrender pose, perhaps?

    I haven''t even done anything yet.

    "It seems that Hyrikion sensed the strength of the saint through his senses.

    A magical broadcast echoing from the void.

    But it''s clearly not Veerle''s voice. It''s the teacher.

    ''''Wolf-type monsters establish a strict hierarchy to form a pack. They must have smelled the saint-sama''s tremendous strength and recognized him as their master.''''

    Seriously, though, I don''t think I''m that strong at all.

    So I don''t intend to be that strong myself at all.

    I stroked her belly, which had been on full display for me to try it out.

    His fur was fluffier than I had expected.

    Then the wolf twisted around comfortably and rubbed up against me, wanting me to pet it more.

    The other wolves also gathered around, just to say ''me and me too.

    ''''This........how should we judge this?''''

    ''Oh my God, the masters have won!¡¡Congraculation!

    Veerle is losing his temper.

    I''m sure they were planning to develop a blood-boiling battle here.

    I''m sorry to disappoint you.

    The wolves newly recognized me as the leader of the pack, as if they didn''t care about such a disappointment of the game master.

    Hyricaon, right?

    He was wagging his tail and leading us somewhere.

    I followed him obediently and found the exit of this area, a pathway to the next area.

    ''Seriously...''

    The difficulty level is not a humbling factor.

    And if the wolves looked up at me with dull eyes, they''d huff and puff and stick their tongues out.

    I gave them a pat on the head under the silent pressure as they tried to say, "Praise, praise,

    We moved on to the next area and the wolves followed.

    They completely looked up to me as their chief and seemed to follow me everywhere.

    * * * *

    Next area.

    The fourth station is the autumn area.

    The main monster was a mushroom.

    A mushroom with legs and a walker.

    They emit large amounts of spores from their umbrellas, and if you inhale them, you''ll experience hallucinations.

    However, the hallucinogenic effects of the spores don''t seem to work on the same kind of monsters, so the Orc Squad led by Orcubo and the Goblin Squad led by Gob Kichi.

    And it has been overrun by a group of hyrichaons who have just joined in.

    The fourth station. The autumn area is now clear.

    The next and final level, the fifth and final level, is the fifth level.

 88-87 Winter bear

    Past this point, there''s the next area.

    The fifth level.

    Based on the description of the first viel, this should be the last level.

    The area we''ve passed through so far. Since the first station is for general purpose low levels, and the second station has been named Spring, Summer, and Autumn, it''s easy to imagine what kind of area the next five stations will be.

    "Winter...?

    It''s going to be cold as hell.

    Should we call it a night and go home?

    ''Well, I''m not prepared for the cold weather at all. Maybe we should at least wear thicker clothes and get ready for it.

    I heard that Prathi, who was deprived of his energy in the summer area, also left, and the hyricons who joined him in the summer area also said, "Are you going to a cold place? As soon as I guessed that I was going to be able to do that, my tail started to swoop.

    ''Okay, let''s go home!

    "Wait a minute!

    I had made a wise decision, and who am I to argue with that?

    But when I turned around, it was a silver-haired girl in a gorgeous dress.

    Veerle (human version). Why are you here?

    ''That''s terrible, master!¡¡What kind of a concept is it that you''re leaving without clearing all the dungeons I worked so hard to create?¡¡I want you to play it to the end!

    What the hell are you doing here, if you don''t know what you''re doing?

    I thought you were supposed to be waiting for me at the end of this dungeon as the final boss.

    I got bored waiting, so I decided to join you.

    This guy....?

    Free to go anywhere...!

    The monster waiting for you at the fifth station is a special quota!¡¡You''ll be surprised when you see him!¡¡The monsters we''ve seen so far are nothing compared to him!¡¡Zaco!

    The wolves were waning and barking at Veerle.

    Is it a protest against being called a zakko?¡¡These guys don''t recognize Veerle as a member of the pack.

    ''So, yeah!¡¡From now on, I''m going to join you in the dungeon and we''re going to ride it out together!¡¡Let''s trudge together to the summit where the Rathbos are waiting for us!

    There''s that rascal in front of me...!

    I don''t have a choice.

    I''m going to have to go all out with Veerle.

    I''m also interested in the fifth station monster, who is confidently assuring me that he''s a special case.

    ********

    Then we stepped into the fifth station.

    Winter area as expected.

    The monster that was waiting for us on the snow-covered mountain is....

    "Bearaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    Isn''t it a bear-shaped monster!

    It''s not a group of the same species like the monsters that attacked us until now.

    It''s only a single person.

    They are huge and strong-armed, and even though they are just one unit, they are much more intimidating than the other ones we''ve seen so far.

    When I stood up, it reached a height of three meters, and I felt as if I would be scared to look down at it and lose my balance.

    The wolves surrounded it from all sides, barking at it from all directions, trying to intimidate it, but to no avail.

    ''Get away from me!¡¡An ordinary man would go to the underworld just to be petted!

    Okubo and Gobukichi sent their men down to deal with the bear on their own.

    It''s a good thing that they are two-step mutated, and even with the strength that an ordinary brave man can give a twist to, it''s all they can do to surpass that bear opponent.

    ''''........Veerle, what kind of monster did you create?''''

    Unlike the ones that have come out before, this one is completely stumped.

    ''Really?¡¡I could put out the coals if I got a little worked up, couldn''t I?

    The measure of the strongest creature was a messy outlier.

    It couldn''t be helped.

    If Oakbo and the others got injured here, they wouldn''t be able to play.

    ''''Okubo, Gobukichi, take over.

    ''''Yes!''''

    As soon as the two jumped away, a flash of the Evil Saint Sword was pulled out and released, running diagonally from the bottom to the top in an inverted manner.

    Along that flash, a diagonal line of wounds were made on the bear''s body, and it fell down while spraying blood.

    ''''Oh?¡¡Such a powerful enemy!

    ''''With a single blow!¡¡That''s my boy!

    The Orcobos praise you, but it''s all the result of the Supreme Bearer and the Evil Sacred Sword, right?

    The swing of the holy sword that Hades created for the victory of the demon tribe was brought out to its maximum potential with the supreme bearer gift from Hephaistos, so even I was able to kill a powerful monster with a single blow.

    This was not my own achievement!

    Don''t you dare lift me!

    Not yet.....?

    ''''Not yet, sir........?''''

    The bear, which seemed to be able to strike a blow to kill, stood up and stared at me.

    But the wounds are so deep that they won''t even be able to move satisfactorily.

    The rest could be left to the wolves to torture them to death safely.

    But that would be too cruel.

    ''''My lord...?''''

    Are you going to put him out of his misery?

    As I approached the dying bear, I called out to another one.

    ''Platy,''

    Yeah?

    Give me a pill.

    I''m sure everyone was confused by my request.

    I took the wound potion out of Prathi as I was told and applied it directly to the bear''s wound.

    "Master!¡¡What are you doing?

    It''s not good. I shouldn''t have been able to kill him in one blow.

    I can''t help but feel sorry for him when I see him suffering from these wounds.

    I made that wound myself, and while I''ve killed dozens of monsters for predation and defense, the hypocrisy is just as good as the hypocrisy, but I still couldn''t be ruthless.

    Well, there it is.

    Even if I hunted a bear, I wouldn''t know how to use its meat and fur. It''s just that there''s no point in hunting something that can''t be used.

    ''The fur is so thick, it''s hard to get the medicine into the wound. You''ll feel better, but it''s going to take some time.

    It''s better for you.

    If he instantly recovers fully and attacks again, we''ll have to cut him down this time.

    The fifth stage is now clear. Let''s move on.

    We lead everyone in a daze and we move on.

    A bear looks off behind us with downcast eyes, unsure of what he''s thinking.

 89-88 on top

    As we passed the fifth station, the landscape around us changed again.

    It wasn''t hot and it wasn''t cold.

    And the view is good in all directions.

    The ground we were standing on was only a small area, with a sea of clouds stretching as far as the horizon.

    ''''This is..., the end point?''''

    ''Yes!¡¡We''re at the top!

    The creator of the game, Veerle himself, says so, so there''s no doubt about it.

    We''ve finally conquered the dungeon.

    Ha, I''m so tired.

    Prathi and the other members of the team are also feeling tired.

    ''''Saint Lord, you have done well to come here.''''

    Hey, Doc.

    I was able to meet up with the doctor who was boshed near the entrance.

    ''Well, when you''re done, let''s get the hell out of here. I need to wash up before dinner.''

    I''m tired, too, after all these years.

    and Prati & Lamprey.

    Climbing a mountain is just exhausting, but the heat, cold and fighting monsters must have worn you out.

    ''We would like to sort out the monster material.

    And the Orcobos are diligent.

    That''s how they all get in a good mood....

    ''What do you mean?¡¡Isn''t there still one last battle left to be fought?

    And Veerle started to say something bloody.

    ''One last fight?¡¡What?

    "If you say you''ve conquered a dungeon, you''re going to have to defeat its master. In other words, this me!

    At that moment, the atmosphere at the top changed.

    With a caustic fighting spirit, a dragon with silver scales flew in from the sky.

    Isn''t it a Veerle in dragon form!

    ''''Oh, but there''s a Veerle in human form over here too!

    There''s a Veerle over there and a Veerle over here.

    Two Veils?

    The one in dragon form has a body I shared with mine.

    Hasn''t he done that before...?

    It''s so diluted, it''s only 1/100th as strong as the original. It''s just right for the final stage of this event.

    Still, don''t think you have enough power to decimate a city or two!

    Please don''t make me do this again, we''re all so exhausted!

    When I was puzzled as to what to do with it, its dragon form alter ego, Veerle, sprayed me with flaming breaths without a second thought!

    Is this really only one hundredth of what it is?

    If this was the case, they would all be extinguished in an instant, so I was on the verge of trying to cut down the flames with the Evil Saint Sword.

    Some huge shadow rushed towards the flames!

    And then a flash of claws, shattering the huge flames!

    Oh...!

    Is that...?

    Is that the bear monster we saved?

    He chased us here and saved us from dragon fire?

    "Grrrrrrrrrrrr!

    The bear bravely barked at the dragon.

    It''s a huge body that reaches three meters in length, but it''s still about the size of a rat compared to the dragon.

    And yet.........!

    You''re gonna fight him, aren''t you?

    Don''t tell me you''re going to fight her to repay me for saving your life?

    "Glueaahhhhh!

    "Gogogogogogogogogogog...!

    The two giant beasts are staring at each other.

    However, the smaller one is at a huge disadvantage in terms of form.

    However, even if you are on the weaker side, the fierce beasts will not be intimidated.

    They do not let their pride in their strength cloud their ability to boldly stand up to it.

    And then.........

    * * * *

    I got it.

    After a fierce battle, the fierce beast defeated the giant dragon.

    The altered body of Veerle, whose nucleus was destroyed, was unable to sustain itself and fizzled out, returning to pure mana.

    ''''How could I win...!

    Even Sensei, the Immortal King, seemed to be surprised at the result.

    ''''The altered bodies created with mana have a weakness that they can be easily defeated as long as the nucleus is destroyed, but even so, I didn''t expect them to defeat Veerle, the Grinzel Dragon.......''''

    Sir, is that bear monster a very powerful species?

    I don''t understand.

    What?

    I''ve never seen this kind of monster before. "If you don''t recognize it, it''s probably a new species. But even though you are an alter ego, you are still one of the strongest dragons ever to slay a dragon.

    Wow.

    To have a teacher who is the No Life King say that much.

    Oh.

    A bear came this way.

    He''s wobbly from the fight, but he''s got a good step to take.

    He came right in front of me and bowed.

    What are you doing?

    Are you saying thank you for saving my life?

    Do you want to come with me?

    I tried to pat him on the head, but the bear quickly turned on his heel and walked off to wherever it was.

    Are you leaving?

    Where the hell are you going?

    My Lord I see the same monster in you.

    Okubo says.

    ''He is a proud beast. He will not allow himself to be defeated by the military.

    Is that so?

    ''''It looks like you''re going on a further solitary journey as a thank you for saving your life in the current battle. I will gain experience and become stronger and stronger, so that one day I can become the strongest man you can recognize...!

    You don''t have to do that to admit it.

    But there was a solitary glow on the back of the departing giant bear that was hard to risk.

    There will come a time when I will see him again.

    Until then, be strong.

    Bear Monster.

    Bearmon for short.

 90-89 Reflection Meeting

    That''s how the experience of the new mountain dungeon modified by Veerle ended.

    I''d like to get a round of opinions from everyone who experienced it.

    ''I''m tired.''

    The first person to open up and say it is Prati.

    ''''In the first place, the purpose of modifying the dungeon this time was to check if new monsters that could be useful materials could be generated in dungeons of increased difficulty, right?

    It''s true.

    And yet, it''s exhausting just to walk around at such a ridiculously wide, or rather, swirling elevation. There''s no time to be wandering around looking for useful monsters!

    It''s ridiculously hot and cold in some areas, and it''s a lot of energy.

    Lamprey also seems to agree with Prati.

    Well, it''s not very efficient to go hunting near the top of the mountain when there''s an urgent need for a monster to be used for meat or fur.

    You might be asking yourself if you''re not taking nature for granted when you talk like that.

    It''s also a mystery from the stage of whether the dungeon is natural or not.

    Even if you say that, a certain amount of space is necessary to generate an abundance of monsters.¡¡And the mana will be enriched, and the surrounding environment will have a lot to do with what kind of monsters are born!

    So you''re saying that you''ve prepared for a wide range of monsters to be born in a variety of environments?

    "The reason we divided the dungeon area into four plus one is because we wanted to create a completely different environment with a wide variety of monsters!¡¡There''s actually quite a bit of difference between the spring area and the fall area in terms of humidity and such!

    Viel defends himself.

    ''So what''s the actual use of the monsters you''ve caught?

    I''ll get back to you.

    Okubo speaks on behalf of the monster team.

    We will start with the dozen or so square boas caught at the first station, but as always, we will take them apart after draining their blood, and cook them as needed to enjoy them.

    Hmm.

    I''m sure those guys are familiar.

    "Next stop, the first Lotus we''ve encountered in the second station.

    That spinning turtle.

    The meat inside the carapace has a strong odor and is not edible. However, the shell is hard and well-shaped, so we''re trying to see if we can convert it into something else. Maybe a plate, a shield...!

    I see.

    It sounds like a shield in the shell.

    I''ll have to participate in the prototype later.

    "The third station........the hyrichaon we met in the summer area....... That''s a problem that''s beyond the effective use of the product.......!

    They followed me alive on their own.

    Those wolf-type monsters, with their canine animal instincts, looked up to me as their master and willingly accompanied me until I cleared the dungeon and willingly settled on this farm.

    ''''How many of them were following us?''''

    ''There are about eight of them. Now they seem to be circling the farm of their own volition and claiming their territory.

    Well, that''s okay, isn''t it?

    Our farm has grown quite a bit in recent years. Wolves that attack and eat rats and other animals that target our crops are frankly a beneficial animal.

    If you raise livestock, though, you have to be careful not to attack them.

    You have to be careful not to eat the Yoshamo.

    I shall welcome the hilikahon as a new addition to our farm. Also, what about the Obake Mushrooms in the fall area?

    It''s that thing that spreads spores that drive people crazy. I can''t eat it because it contains ingredients that aren''t good for the human body.

    Prathi reports for me.

    It''s true that those mushrooms were too creepy to eat or not to eat.

    But I still want to eat the mushrooms.

    I''m beginning to miss the crunchy texture of the mycelium. It would be nice to grow them in cooperation with Gala Rufa.

    If you touch a tree that will become a nursery in the Bearer of Excellence, you might be able to grow shiitake or enoki mushrooms.

    Lastly, we met Kumamon at the fifth station, but as expected, there is no sign of him remaining in the dungeon.

    ..........

    It''s like a journey to the outside world. A journey of discipline. Someday I shall be strong enough to see you again...!

    That''s okay.

    We''ll see each other again.

    Well, let me give you my overall impressions of the film.

    It''s a bit too much of an attraction for me. It''s inefficient for the purposes of acquiring new materials.

    Master.

    Veerle sounded like she was about to cry.

    She must have been having fun while making it herself.

    I wonder how we, the people who will eventually conquer the dungeon, will react to this trick...?¡¡I must have had a lot of fun creating dungeons with a certain amount of excitement.

    I have a great deal of sympathy for the fun of creating such things, but the problem is that I was pulled away from the purpose of ''creating an efficient hunting ground'' because of that fun.

    This needs to be corrected.

    However.

    ?

    It was interesting to divide the dungeon into different areas and create different environments for each. There were a lot of new things that came to mind after seeing that.

    The first station is the normal area, the second station, spring. The third station, summer. The fourth station, autumn. The fifth station, winter.

    The only difference between them is the temperature, which is the most basic aspect of the environment.

    The average temperature throughout the year will probably change the crops we can produce.

    I hadn''t thought about it before, but...

    Yes?

    Farming dungeons is one way to go.

    Some crops will be better suited to summer areas with warmer temperatures throughout the year, and some will be better suited to winter areas with cooler temperatures.

    We''ll have to figure out exactly what we''re going to grow.

    ''That means you''ve done well, Veal,''

    Then I patted Veerle''s head.

    ''Yes!''

    And Veerle laughed heartily.

 91-90 Crisis creeping

    I am Verena.

    I''m a soldier in the prestigious Demon King''s Army.

    Moreover, I''m the second in command to Master Astares, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

    In other words, I''m an elite.

    There aren''t many people as young as I am who have been recognized for their talents and chosen to serve as the Deputy to the Four Heavenly Kings.

    I myself had a reasonable amount of confidence in my sword, magic, and tactical eye for helping Master Astares move his troops.

    I knew that one day I would leave the service of Master Astares and become an independent warlord, leading my own army to fight against the human armies.

    I was a young soldier who dreamed of that day. That was me, Verena.

    Then a sudden turn of events came.

    It all started with a strange order issued to Master Astares.

    It was a strange order from Master Astares: ''Capture the mermaid princess.

    In retrospect, I would be remiss if I didn''t think that such a strange order had some kind of strange smell.

    Because of that, I drove Master Astares into a corner.

    Even if I regret it, I can''t regret it, but I never thought it would lead to such a result on the contrary.

    Master Astares, you married Demon King Zedan.

    How did that happen?

    The developments were so rapid that my brain couldn''t keep up with the thoughts very well.

    Next to me, I was quite pissed off that my second-in-command, Batty, who was of the same rank as me, was accepting beyond thought that it could happen.

    Some time later, Astares-sama and His Majesty the Demon King, who had become husband and wife, were to return to the Demon Kingdom.

    However, I wasn''t able to accompany them.

    It was because I was entrusted with managing the transition point to connect the place that triggered the turning point of everything, the farm run by Saint Kidan-sama.

    Kuh.

    I didn''t expect the transition magic I honed thinking it would be advantageous for my career to be avenged in this way...!

    No.

    It''s true that Saint Kidan-sama''s existence is so important that it can affect the fate of the Demon Race.

    It will be an essential part of the demon tribe''s strategy from now on to maintain a strong connection with that person.

    If you are entrusting me with the physical aspect of it, this second in command, Verena, is the ultimate in honor.

    I will be the caretaker of the route between the Demon Kingdom and this farm, with my bones and bones ready to crush you!

    Her main job is to manage the transition points where only the Demon King knows the code.

    I''ll explain again here, the transfer point is a kind of magic coordinates created by a completely different magic than transfer magic.

    By incorporating a complex coordinate code consisting of 176 digits into the chant, you can jump to the corresponding transition point.

    This is important because you can only visit places with transference points using transference magic.

    However, there are some caveats to those transition points...

    If the environment changes drastically due to accidents or weathering, there are cases where the transition points will disappear, so a caretaker is essential if you want to ensure that they are kept intact.

    The one who was entrusted with that role was me.

    It''s an important job to connect the demons and the saints, but speaking of the job, I have to check the transfer point once a day.

    I check if it''s functioning properly, and if it''s cleaned and dusted, it''s done immediately.

    To be honest, it''s all done while I''m humming one song.

    That''s all there is to it, it''s a simple job.

    Once it''s done, there''s nothing to do for the day, so of course I''ll help the saints with their farm work.

    I''ll work in the fields, hunt, collect at sea, clean my room, I''ll do anything.

    I''m alone and I''m not sure where to put myself, since Batty, who is my equal, found a job early on, just the guy who makes clothes.

    Still, it was still good when we first moved here.

    At that time, there were still few people to work for, and every department was in chronic need of help, so I was very useful as a ranger who flew around to help out.

    However, Saints-sama wasn''t foolish enough to leave this shortage of manpower unattended for any length of time, so he immediately replenished the system by replenishing the personnel of the mermaid race and even monsters.

    The result.

    Finally, my work was running out.

    The field work was fulfilled by the expanded goblin team.

    The hunting and construction work was also fulfilled due to the expansion of the orc team.

    The work in the brewery has also been supplemented with new mermaids, which has made the work more and more specialized, and it''s no longer a job I can touch as an outsider.

    This is where I start to get impatient.

    What''s the point of me being on this farm?

    Isn''t there anything we can do?

    I was sitting on the status of a jack-of-all-trades who could do everything in one way, and before I knew it, I''d fallen into dexterity poverty!

    If I don''t, I''m going to end up unemployed with no role on this farm!

    Big trouble!

    Unemployment is not allowed by my elitist mindset, which has risen to the rank of Four Heavenly Deputy in the Demon King''s Army!

    It''s an identity crisis!

    My sense of crisis was extremely high the other day when I challenged the Master Veerle modification dungeon.

    Back then, I had joined the attack team as a representative of the demon race, but I couldn''t play any role.

    The entire second half of the game, my existence was in the air.

    A lie.

    I was in the air pretty early in the first half!

    The saint-sama hardly called my name, and the others didn''t even notice my presence!

    It''s pretty seriously bad.

    I was also a soldier who served in the Demon King''s army, so I was reasonably confident in fighting monsters, but that''s where the air is!

    If this continues, I''m going to completely roll over as just an unemployed bastard.

    That''s just bad!

    We have to do something about it ASAP!

    * * * *

    Is that why you came to me?

    Like me, Batty, who was Master Astares'' second in command, is now an indispensable figure in the farm''s wardrobe.

    The saint has given him his own dressing room, and he has permission to use it freely.

    It''s a far cry from me, who is on the verge of falling into unemployment.

    We started at the same place, so how could it be so different?

    "...I''m just so f*cking busy ordering more work clothes because of the sudden increase in the number of people, and the amount of insane amounts of work clothes I have to order.

    So long!¡¡I''ll help you with that!

    We''ve worked hard together under Master Astares, not us!

    The duo reunited here!

    No. You''re so clumsy. You''re so clumsy.

    That''s true.........

    You don''t have to say it so clearly...!

    ''It wouldn''t be twice as bad if the stitches were so rough that I had to re-sew them. I know after all these years of working together that you''re not cut out for this job.

    This buddy.

    He is whispering with a murderous workload, or he is completely unforgiving in his words.

    Then what am I supposed to do!

    I don''t want to be unemployed!

    I don''t want to be unemployed!

    I''m the one who led the elite way in the Demon Lord''s army, so my pride won''t let me!

    "It''s so bothersome to be an elite...!

    Don''t give me that look of abandonment for your comrades in arms, Batty!

    I beg you to help me in my time of need!

    Then why don''t you just ask the Witch King and Master Astares to relieve you of your duties?¡¡So I''m going back to the Demon King''s Army.

    What?

    But what about managing the transition point?

    I''ll clean it and check for abnormalities, that''s all I can do. If there''s a serious breakdown, we can consult with the doctor or Master Veerle.

    Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    I can throw whatever it takes to those two ultimate beings!

    You can''t just take away my last meaning!

    We will not throw away our beloved Astareth''s job!

    Well, why don''t you just enjoy being the saint''s night owl?¡¡You''ve got a nice face and small tits.

    Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, what are you talking about?

    My pride is not going to allow me to use gimmicks to get a better position without relying on my own strength!

    "..................... ........it''s a pain in the ass.

    Did you just call me a pain in the ass?

    Didn''t you just say you''re a f*cking pain in the ass?

    Yeah, I know. Isn''t our saint trying to start something new?

    Don''t change the subject!

    You''re saying this is a hassle for a partner who has worked so hard for so many years...!

    ....What?

    What''s new?

    You recently completed a large kiln that you''ve been working on for a long time. Saints, it looks like they''re going to use it to do something new.

    What''s new?

    I don''t know that much about it. How could I, an ordinary person, possibly know what''s going on in the mind of a saint?

    Indeed.

    But won''t you give me a new job if I get involved early?¡¡Why don''t you go and ask the saint now?

    That''s a lot of information!

    Thanks, Batty!¡¡That''s my heart, my friend!

    I''m looking for a new job, and now I''m going to go to the saint!

    ''If I consulted the saint in the first place, I''m sure he''d turn in some work for me if I consulted him in the first place.

    My partner''s voice no longer reached me as I ran away.

 92-91 Different World Ceramics

    Pottery.

    I''m going to do it.

    I need dishes in general in order to eat food, and when I say dishes, I mean pottery.

    Until now, it has been a survivalist improvisation that is not very civilized, such as cutting wood into plates, hollowing them out and making them into bowls, or using leaves instead of plates when I still can''t make it.

    By using more authentic tableware, I wanted to enjoy a more civilized life, so I dreamed of becoming a potter.

    For years I dreamed of making pottery.

    I have been unable to find a kiln that is absolutely necessary for pottery making.

    However, the kiln in question was completed safely when the Orcs and Goblins replenished their staff.

    Finally, I can start to the potter''s life, too.

    I''m going to break every dish I didn''t like!

    Potters!¡¡Break a plate, break a plate!

    ..........

    Yes, that''s not the purpose.

    We aim to make the plates properly.

    "Saints-sama!

    Wow, what a surprise!

    One of the two demon girls, Verena, suddenly came over to me!

    What''s that tense expression on your face?

    If you don''t mind, may I help you with that?

    What?¡¡Why?

    I don''t give a d*mn!¡¡Since it is my mission, given to me by Master Astares, to serve and devote myself to his saints!

    What a misleading expression!

    It''s true that the demon girl duo of Batty and Verena stayed here under the orders of their boss, the Demon King Astares, who is now the Demon Queen.

    It''s a token of friendship between our farm and the Demon King and his friends.

    That''s why I always want to show that I''m actually contributing to our farm.

    All right. Let''s work on the pottery, shall we?

    Yay!

    Verena pounced on the spot, really happy.

    The vibrations made her pretty chest tremble with a pull.

    .........

    Who''s that?¡¡Is this the same guy who said she had no tits?

    What''s the matter with you, saint?

    "Anything goes!¡¡Now let''s get down to the specifics of pottery making!

    The specific process is all based on what I heard about it from my previous world.

    The clay is kneaded into a shape that resembles a plate or a bowl, and then fired in the kiln.

    Once again, it''s too messy.

    Can you really make a pottery with such cursory knowledge?¡¡I feel like I said, "Don''t lick a pottery," but there is no time limit set, and all you have to do is repeat the trial and error and do it steadily.

    There is an optimistic side that the details can be worked out by the "supreme bearer".

    Therefore, let''s start to make a vessel that would surprise even Sojira Ueda.

    * * * *

    The first thing I did was to secure the clay, the material for the pottery.

    I got some clay from the area.

    We dug up a lot of soil during the last pottery making project, so we have a lot of undecided clay for this purpose.

    Of course, none of the soil is suitable for pottery, but it is all right.

    When you touch the clay with your hands, which holds this "supreme bearer" gift, yes, you can feel it like this.

    "Wow, I mixed it with water and kneaded it, and it''s getting absurdly sticky!

    Verena is amazed at how sticky the soil is.

    No matter what kind of clay it is from, it turns into the highest quality clay by touching the supreme bearer.

    The clay is then placed on a stand and shaped into a vessel.

    Because it was a stand for making pottery, of course we were allowed to use the potter''s wheel.

    The wheel wheel itself rotates, and if you put your hand on the clay, you can shape it into a vessel.

    I saw it on TV a long time ago and thought it was beautiful how watery clay changed its shape with the rotation of the wheel and a potter''s hands.

    Because it was made from leftover building materials and was made in another world, it was not electric, of course. To turn it, of course, was done by human power.

    Is it like turning the potter''s wheel with my left hand and molding the clay with my right hand?

    I tried it, but it was surprisingly difficult.

    Turning it by hand is much less rhythmic than the electric ones I saw on TV, and it doesn''t go as cleanly.

    It was also troublesome that I couldn''t use both hands to mold the clay.

    ''''Well then, Saint!

    Verena raised her hand here.

    ''By magic, that spell?¡¡Why don''t you turn it around and see if it''s a good idea!

    I suggested.

    I''m not sure that''s possible, but that''s just magic.

    It is possible to use telekinetic magic.¡¡........It''s not like I can move anything. The only thing I can move is this magical stone.

    And something Verena takes out of her pocket.

    It was some pebbles, but these were shining like jewels, something like candy balls.

    I''ll put my magic into this...!

    Two....two...two...two...!¡¡Like that, Verena, I put a reminder into the stone I clutched.

    Oh!

    The potter''s wheel is moving by itself!

    The magical stones in the rim are moving it?

    "That''s great, Verena!¡¡Now we can have a more comfortable life in ceramics!

    Really?¡¡And I''m useful!¡¡Do I really have to be here?¡¡I''m not working?

    What is she saying?

    Anyway, I tried to resume pottery making as soon as possible at the potter''s wheel, which turns fully automatic........

    "..........?

    Let me express the momentum of the potter''s wheel, which is turned by magic, with onomatopoeic sounds.

    Guinn, guinn, guinn, guinn, guinn!

    Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin...!

    Like this.

    ''Aren''t you spinning a little too fast?

    High-torque motors are just like that.

    "Excuse me, sir. It''s my first time here, so I''m not used to...!¡¡Adjust your magic immediately...!

    The rupture came instantly, before Verena could do anything about it.

    On the potter''s wheel, spinning too high, lay the clay as it had been before it had become a vessel.

    Moisture-rich clay.

    The clay could not resist the centrifugal force caused by the high rotation, and perhaps some other force also acted, but it exploded all at once and scattered to the surroundings.

    It was like a bang.

    The centrifugal force or rather the vibrations caused by the rotation instantly liquefied the clay, or maybe it just became muddy water and splashed out.

    Verena and I were hit directly.

    ''''Geez!

    Uhii?

    As a result, we''re covered in mud despite the clothes on our heads.

    It''s not a good idea.¡¡I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry.

    Verena apologizes for the devastation.

 93-92 bath

    Anyway, it is no longer a matter of pottery.

    I have to wash off the mud which I covered with.

    Prati would be angry with me if I walked around here and there in the dirt.

    I took off my mud-stained clothes and tried to cover myself with water after I was naked, but....

    ''Saints, please don''t look at me!¡¡Please don''t ever look at me!

    It was the same for Verena, who, like me, was covered in splattered mud.

    It''s a good idea to take off your mud-covered clothes and dress in a hail of shame behind you, although you turn your back on your manners.

    I mean, why is she washing her body in the same place?

    That saint. .........I''m naked right now with my pants off, so don''t ever turn around to look at me, please!

    When you''re reminded so much, you''d think it was some kind of fake.

    But after all, there''s something weird about Verena today, isn''t there?

    I''m spinning my wheels because I''m too wound up, or...?

    Well, I have a question for you, by the way.

    Yes?

    I covered myself in water with Zabat and wiped my body after making sure the mud was off.

    ''Doesn''t the saint order us to do gai?

    Oh...?

    Do you really want to ask that question now?

    Fairy...¡¡What can I say?¡¡That means you''re going to be the night''s companion, right?

    Please don''t make that check!

    I was embarrassed and angry when I dumped him myself.

    ''Both Batty and I have been prepared to do that since the moment we were invited to stay here. If we''re going to be housemates, we''ll be absolutely obedient to our landlord''s instructions.

    Are those the values of this world?

    And... if I could just get a little sympathy from a saint, my existence would be a whole lot easier...!

    Hmm?

    What do you mean?

    ''Anyway, I''ve already got Prati and Veerle on my hands. Verena and the others can just stretch out and live their lives without worrying about it.

    Right....

    Verena said in a half-disappointed tone.

    Why?

    While we''re at it, is it normal for a man to have more than one wife in this world?

    ''''It''s quite natural for someone of a certain rank and ability. I think it''s okay to have a hundred wives, at least for a saint!

    Storage room?

    A storeroom?

    It seems that this tsukkomi didn''t get through to the otherworldly people.

    Anyway, I feel that this problem will become more and more real as the number of female residents in this land increases.

    That''s what my instincts tell me.

    I''m going to have to face it.

    * * *

    After washing up and changing clothes, I pulled myself together and resumed making pottery.

    This time, Verena adjusted the speed of the potter''s wheel, and I got used to kneading and turning the clay.

    That''s the full use of the "supreme bearer".

    And somehow the shape of the vessel was completed.

    "Wow...!¡¡It really does come out in such a beautiful shape...!

    Verena marveled at the finish of the bowl, which was almost a perfect circle.

    But the real work begins here.

    Put the finished bowl into the kiln and bake it.

    It cracked.

    Due to the evaporation of moisture and the expansion and contraction of the material, it seems to be a bad idea to heat it rapidly.

    After several failures, I finally baked the bowl without a single crack.

    ''''Oh!¡¡It''s great!¡¡I''ve really made a plate out of dirt!

    Verena is trembling with a sense of accomplishment, but the impression I myself had of this prototype was as follows.

    ''''........Yayoi earthenware?''''

    It was the exact color of clay.

    It did not have the glass-like luster that is typical of ceramics, and there was no metallic sound when you played it with your fingers.

    It was really a primitive structure, like earthenware excavated from ancient ruins, if I had to say so.

    It''s not bad for a prototype, but it''s still a long way from our goal.

    What?¡¡Is that so?

    I still need to do a lot of research to be the one I want.

    Let''s take our time and move on.

    ''Well, then, Saint!

    Verena crowded in again.

    ''''Could you leave that research to me, please!

    ''Huh?

    What?

    ''I was starting to get impatient when I got here!¡¡My partner, Batty, has found a great job as a wardrobe clerk, and I still haven''t gotten a clear post!¡¡And every time they replenish the staff, we''re running out of places to stay!¡¡I''m taking on this project by all means, me!

    Is that what you think, boy?

    Is that why you''re in such a hurry?

    Okay, okay. I will make the Pottery Project one of Verena''s primary missions.

    I was about to say, and that was when Verena''s face was about to clear up.

    My Lord!¡¡Report!

    And then one of the goblins jumped in.

    You''re breaking up the flow at the best of times.

    "Sorry to interrupt your fun!¡¡But it''s important!

    I''m not having fun!

    ...Eh?

    You mean he looked like he was having fun making things?

    Oh, what.

    So, what''s the big deal?

    We have an intruder!¡¡We have a group of elven thieves on our farm!

    A band of elven thieves?

    What''s that?

    I mean, there are elves in this world too?

    What''s going on with this band of elves?

    We''ve got them all!

    Early.

 94-93 Elven bandits

    My name is Elon.

    I am the leader of the proud Elven bandit gang, the Stone-Sharpening Band of Thunderstorm.

    The name of the bandits I lead is well known and feared in the sphere of influence of the demon race and the human race.

    They are notorious, if you ask me.

    It''s just that he stole so much that he was wanted by both the human and demon tribe for stealing too much.

    So I''m on the run for my life.

    I couldn''t relax in a place where people could see me, so I stepped into an unexplored area where no one would be around, and a few weeks passed.

    If you run this deep into the woods, no one will come to you.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.

    They are able to live comfortably for many years in a harsh environment where the weak demons and humans can die in the wild in three days.

    Our current policy is to stay in the camp and let the heat die down.

    Well, I will return to the world and resume my thieving business in half a year, I suppose.

    As I was thinking about this, one of my subordinates, who I had sent out on patrol, came back, out of breath.

    ''''Your head!¡¡Oh, my God, head!

    I''m telling you not to waste your time making noise in the forest, just like in the bandit job.

    What''s with that feckless panic?

    ''We''ve found the village!

    The village?

    Don''t be silly.

    We were wanted by both the human and demon tribe, and we went into the backcountry where there was no one to escape our pursuers.

    Not even a single person lives in such a place, let alone a village.

    But, sir.

    Oh, you''re a sub-headed maerga.

    You''re always so helpful with your calm opinions. I''m not afraid to speak up.

    Although we elves have a far better sense of direction than humans and demons, there can still be one mistake in every case.

    That''s right.

    If he had returned to the vicinity of the human settlement without knowing it, then there is a risk of being discovered by his captors here as well.

    I think your head and I should check to see if the report of the person who saw it is true or not. And if this really is a point not far from the middle of nowhere, then we should immediately change the location.

    Vice-headedness indeed.

    That''s a cool and accurate opinion.

    Hey, monk, take us to the place where the village was said to be located.

    I, your head, will personally test you to see if your eyes are no more than a glass ball.

    * * * *

    And I went out in high spirits, but........

    Why are you here with the entire bandit group?

    Heh...!

    Come on, head.

    That''s fine, man.

    It''s just a large group of people on a mere scouting mission. It''s not only difficult to move around, but it''s also very conspicuous.

    It''s really no use, sir. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. You''ll miss the smell of the human village that''s been away for a while.

    Even the sub-headed eye!

    ...Well, I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t thrilled, too.

    But it''s possible that I''m looking at it wrong, right?

    Don''t expect too much, okay?

    But when I arrived at the point in question, it was indeed there.

    A field.

    I''m sure it was ploughed up nicely and manicured.

    Moreover, the crops that are bearing fruit are also magnificent, or should I say opulent...!

    There''s no sign of anyone. Cultivating another place... or is it?

    Whoa!

    That''s right, Deputy Head!

    The fields have only just appeared, not the people themselves.

    We don''t even know if this is still the sphere of influence of the human race or the demon race. Everyone move with extreme caution!

    Heads up!¡¡Come on!¡¡Vegetables from this field!

    It''s super delicious!¡¡I feel like my cheeks are going to fall off just by plucking and eating it!

    You guys!

    After I told you to be careful and move, what are you vegetable slopers doing?

    It''s only natural that we''re a bandit gang, so it''s only natural that we would steal vegetables.

    "Oh head, these are really good.

    ''''Calm sub-head, even you!

    ''The colors, the shapes, the crops I''ve never seen before, but they all taste better than anything I''ve ever eaten!¡¡What is this?¡¡"Fruit of God, huh?

    The calm sub-headed eyes are excited!

    No, no, no, just a single vegetable is not that exaggerated.

    Then how do you want me to eat it?

    Okay, I was hungry anyway, so I''ll eat it without being recommended.

    It''s some kind of red and blinding color, though.

    Let''s eat.........

    Guppy.

    Oh, my God!

    What!

    What is this, what is this!

    It''s so delicious, but it''s so fresh and sweet!

    Compared to this, all the wildflowers we''ve been eating are just bitter!

    Heads, the men who were spying on the perimeter have come back with information.

    Oh, whoa, whoa, when?¡¡You ready?

    ''There''s nothing in the vicinity that looks like a residential area, just the same kind of fields. The only one that exists is a large mansion right in the middle of the field.

    So you''re saying that all these fields belong to someone who lives in the house.

    It''s more like a farm than a village. It''s more like a farm than a village, as if some nobleman is retired.

    I see.

    If that''s the case, it''s no wonder the fields are spread out like this in a remote and secluded place.

    A nobleman........

    Isn''t he an easy prey for us thieves!

    ''''What do you think, head?¡¡We, in case you''re wondering, are now on the run and the banditry business is on a break?

    Resting or not. If we do nothing with such delicious prey in front of us, the name of the bandit will go out of business...!

    So you''re going to do it?

    My gaze intertwines with my calm sub-headed eyes.

    He''s an aristocrat who grows such delicious vegetables and monopolizes them. They must be storing tantalizing gold-eyed treasures in the mansion!

    Stone-Sharpening Team of Thunderstorm is now on temporary leave!¡¡We''re going to raid the mansion and take as much as we have!

    "''Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    Now that it''s been decided, it won''t stay for a moment.

    This countryside is the territory of our "Stonecutters of Thunderstorm" from now on!

    When I was in the middle of the excitement.

    I ran into a dog.

 95-94 Rush into hell

    I am Elon, head of the Elven Thieves.

    Now, there''s a dog in front of us.

    ...Dog?

    A dog leans out of the shadows of the crops in the field and makes a face.

    ''Kyaaaah!''

    Puppy!

    Cute!

    Even in our band of thieves, the new, careless guys are swarming around the dogs.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.¡¡Don''t go anywhere near it!¡¡Because of the location, it''s possible that he''s the farm''s guard dog.

    No, sir.

    Huh?

    Is that right, calm sub-head?

    If you say so, I''m sure you''re right, but does that mean this guy is just a stray dog?

    If that''s the case, I''d like to be fluffy and nappy too?

    That thing isn''t a dog at all. It''s a kind of monster.

    Huh?

    The most troublesome type of quadrupedal monster known as a Hylikion. They have the greatest sense of smell and endurance among all monsters, and they chase their prey as long as it escapes.... That monster will chase its prey wherever it wants to go...!

    What if it''s a target?

    What happens then?

    No matter how far they try to escape, they always stay right on their heels, and when their prey is exhausted, they attack and kill them all at once. The success rate of their escape from the Hyrikion is zero. That''s where he got his nickname, ''The Hell Chaser''.......!

    That''s a super scary monster!

    Why is there such a rowdy fellow wandering around?

    Perhaps there is a high-difficulty dungeon in the vicinity. The Hyrichaon is only born in dungeons with a danger rating of 3 stars or higher, so it''s a pretty rare dungeon.

    You can''t be judging me like that!

    Anyway, everybody''s in battle formation!

    If you can''t run away, then we''ll just have to stand up to you and take you down!

    But your head...?

    It''s kind of cute, isn''t it?¡¡He''s looking at me with his head tilted back, you know?

    Don''t let the pretty looks fool you!

    If you don''t kill her, you''ll kill us!

    I don''t care how pretty she looks, she must be scared to death.

    Woof!¡¡Woof!¡¡Wow!

    ?

    What''s with the barking?

    Woof!¡¡Woof!¡¡Whoa!¡¡ Woof!¡¡Woof!¡¡Whoa!¡¡ Woof!¡¡Woof!¡¡Wah-oh-oh!

    It''s barking incessantly!

    If she makes this much noise, the people in the mansion might notice her, and the only thing to do here is to stop her from breathing as soon as possible.......?

    "Who are you?

    What?

    Next thing you know, we''re surrounded by a bunch of strangers!

    Are these........orcs?¡¡Goblins?

    A large group of anthropomorphic monsters?

    "Short, short, long, howling rhythm is the signal to detect intruders. I''m glad you noticed, Porgy.

    "Woof!

    So that''s what this is all about?

    Didn''t you know that Hyricaon was the farm''s guard dog, just as I had feared in the beginning?

    ''''It is said that mimic monsters have the ability to obey the orders of the demon tribe, and there are even higher level demons who use them as serfs. In other words, this farm is owned by the demon race...?

    This is not the time for such analysis, calm sub-head!

    We''re surrounded and our escape route is blocked!

    ...or if they''re nothing more than orcs and goblins, is it possible for our forces to break through?

    An excellent decision, sir. They are just lowly monsters that can be controlled by orcs and goblins. They''re not something we can''t beat with our superior fighting skills. The problem is the Hyrikasion...!

    If we can manage that, there''s a good chance of survival!

    All hands, fight bravely!

    Focus on one spot, strike it, and break the siege through the torn hole!

    That''s what I screamed.

    So he''s not going to surrender, then.

    And the orc held up his axe.

    .........?

    Orcs are such a strong character aura monster?

    And anyway, I saw it, but it was luck!

    Let''s concentrate on that orc!¡¡Drive a wedge into the encirclement!

    The bows and arrows, the foremost specialty of our elves, rain down on a single orc like rain.

    There is no way the lowly monster can withstand this onslaught.

    And then....

    With a swing of the axe, the Orcs created a powerful wind that scattered our arrows like dead leaves.

    ''''Kyaaaaaah!

    ''''Uhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!''''

    Fueled by that momentum, we ourselves will be blown up as well!

    If you''re going to ram me, at least pick an opponent. If you''re going to attack the strongest person here, Okubo-san, that''s a completely bad idea.

    The other orcs say in a provocative tone.

    The strongest orc?

    What do you mean?

    "This uncommonly high fighting ability of an orc...?¡¡No way!

    You know, the calm sub-head?

    I''ve heard of it...!¡¡He said that some monsters rarely mutate and evolve into higher species. The orc mutant species is the Warrior Orc.

    What''s that?

    I don''t know anything about that.

    No, it''s not.

    And he denied it from himself.

    ''I am a Legatus Orc, a Warrior Orc further mutated.

    Eeeeeee...!

    ''And by the way, the other Orcs out there besides me are the Warrior Orcs. I am Orcbo, one of the ten generals of the Monster Legion, the guardian of Saint Kidan''s farm. Know that there are nine more of my equal in this farm.

    I cried.

    Weeping over this hopeless situation.

    Our Lord does not like to kill, even against trespassers. Go down easy and you will not be killed. If you agree with that, lay down your weapons and give us your answer.

    There was nothing we could do about it, so we put down our bows.

    There''s nothing else we can do.

    ........um.

    If I can, may I make one last request?

    If I end up dying like this, I don''t want to have any regrets.

    I want to mooch that little Hyrichaon to my heart''s content.

 96-95 Elf Shirasu

    When I was called, I rushed over to find an unfamiliar group of people sitting upright in a row.

    There were about 20 of them in total.

    All of them were women, and they gave off an exotic atmosphere that was definitely different from the human race and the demon race.

    ''''........Are these the elves?''''

    I ask around for now.

    ''''That''s right. Historically, it has been defined as a subspecies that branched off from the demon race,''''

    The one who added the explanation was Verena, who ran up here with him.

    As expected of a former assistant to the Four Heavenly Kings, she was quick to draw out information.

    ''''There are many such branching races, and the elves are one of them. They are a race that lives in the forest, not interacting with the demon race or the human race, but...''''

    How did it end up here?

    This is a superpark where you have to go over the mountains and valleys to get there from the ground.

    Most of the rare visitors that have shown up so far have come from the sea route, and what did you think you were going to do to get over such an arduous road?

    I''ve already taken a statement on that point.

    And Prati.

    That''s my wife.

    A number of other residents of our farm have gathered to watch the arrival of a rare guest, but I''ll leave it at that for now.

    I''m told they are a band of elven thieves.

    Did I hear you say something like that?

    The human race, the demon race, became wanted by both sides because they were raiding everyone, and they couldn''t stay in the inhabited towns and villages. So they kept running away to the depths of the unexplored region where no one could get to them...!

    They''ve found this place.

    So it was a coincidence that they had come here.

    These girls never imagined that there was a farm in the depths of such an unexplored region. So they got carried away and tried to do their duty as thieves...!

    We have you in custody.

    Okubo says.

    ''They have already stolen and eaten the tomatoes from the field. I have decided that they deserve to die for their crimes and ask for your forgiveness, my lord.

    No, no, no...!

    Unworthy of no value.

    I don''t deserve to die.

    It''s true that it pisses me off to have my painstakingly grown vegetables sloughed off, but it doesn''t mean I have to die to pay for it.

    However, let''s give the Okbos a break for defending their fields.

    And Porgy?

    That''s what I named him, Hyrichaon, and he looks up at me with a very covetous look.

    ''It was Porgy who first spotted the thieves. They rewarded us with a howl, as agreed.

    Oh, okay.

    Well, we''ll just have to reward you with a good pat on the back.

    And you''ve been waiting for that now?¡¡Happy tails wagging your tail.

    ...no.

    Would you rather feed him than pet him?

    So, on the subject of the elves...

    Oops.

    Oakbo''s point brought me back to reality.

    That''s right.

    Even though they are vegetable sludge, we can''t just let them go when they''ve stolen.

    Since he calls himself the "Bandits", he has a lot of additional crimes to commit...!

    And I was wondering.

    "Then we''ll take a vote.

    Veerle, who had settled in with one of the spectators, suddenly said something.

    ''Who thinks it''s a good idea to slaughter every single one of them as punishment for stealing, and hang their bodies outside the door for an example. Hands up.

    Are you?

    Is there anyone but you who would adopt such a brutal idea?

    ""Yes?"

    Surprisingly, there were a lot of them!

    ''Sir, this is an important matter. The crops from this field are our lifeline. Our crops are our lifeline, and our survival depends on it.

    If we don''t condemn thieves, we have no guarantee that we will be able to protect our precious fields if the same thing happens in the future. I think we should have the maximum penalty to show our firm determination that ''this is what happens when you violate our fields''.

    So that''s what it''s all about.

    Hmmm.

    It''s true that the fields and the crops that we''ve worked so hard to cultivate so far are the things we want the people who grow them to know.

    I can''t help but wish that those who steal them with an easy mind would understand the earnestness of the people who grow them.

    "...Batty, Verena.

    "Yes?

    I ask the demon girls present.

    ''''What happens if we hand them over to the demon tribe?

    What happens will depend on the outcome of the trial. I think the death penalty is quite possible.

    ''''Seriously.

    ''''I believe the Thieving Elves ''Stonecutters of Thunderstorm'' have been stealing from some of the leading nobles in the Demon Kingdom. I think it''s inevitable that they''ll be sentenced to a heavier sentence than necessary if they''re being stared at by such a group.

    However, the current Demon King Zedan-sama is a person who hates death and rarely approves of executions. On top of that, I believe that the forces that hold a grudge against these elves have been greatly diminished by the recent reformation.

    ?

    What do you mean?

    ''I''ve seen in the archives before that these elven bandits never stole from the poor, they only targeted the wealthy nobles and wealthy merchants.

    You''re a bandit, huh?

    ''And since the nobles who fell victim to them were usually the type to line their pockets with unreasonable taxes and bribes. Most of them were displaced by the great reforms that Master Zedan made when he took Lady Astares to wife.

    More and more bandits.

    ...........

    Hmm.

    It''s true that the person in charge of the farm must take a stand against these vegetable sludge. But it''s not like I''m going to be spilling blood, though.

    "Yes.

    All right.

    All right, let''s go.

    Now, the Elves will be punished severely for stealing our vegetables. And the punishment will be...!

 97-96 Labor Elf

    One day.

    A band of elven thieves stole from our farm.

    They made off with a few tomatoes.

    The penalty was beheading. That was the majority of our friends on the farm.

    But I don''t want to see any deaths for any reason.

    So, what is my verdict for the Elven bandits?

    "Let them do their work.

    ""Service!"

    You have to make up for the damage you put out with your body.

    "But, sir.........?¡¡I didn''t know you had such a brilliant idea...?

    Huh?

    Why do you look at me like you''ve seen this unexpected side of me, Platy?

    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s a race that has a reputation for being full of beautiful women, along with the mermaid race. The 20 most beautiful of them, and the service they make these guys do is.....

    I don''t know who started it, but my suspicions are growing deeper and deeper.

    ''You have failed to see this, master!¡¡If you want to do something nasty, I''m here for you!

    Even I could see the obviousness of Veal''s blunt words.

    "No!¡¡And when I say service, I don''t mean service in that sense!

    It''s labor, labor!

    You''ll have to pay for the damage you''ve done to my farm with your labor!

    ''''Eh........?''''

    One or two of the elf daughters raise their gazes anxiously.

    ''''Um, are you sure, Saint-sama?¡¡They''re also wanted in the demon country, and even if they were forgiven for their crimes here, would they still be obligated to hand them over?

    Why don''t you make him pay for his sins here, too?¡¡I''ll talk to the Demon King about it myself.

    Those people will be busy with reforms and attacking the human nation, too.

    And so the verdict is in. The court is now adjourned.

    Everyone, resume your own work for the day.

    * * * *

    Um ... are you sure about this?

    An elf with a distinctly brawny tits and hips, who seems to be the leader in the Elf Thieves, asked me.

    I heard that his name is Elon.

    It''s not a bad idea to say it ourselves, but we''re thugs wanted by both the human and demon races, right?¡¡Aren''t you worried about having us on hand like that?

    I''m not so sure about that.

    "Hun, don''t underestimate the elves. It''s impossible for a race of humans like you to continue to capture us, no matter how tightly they surround us. You could disappear like smoke at any time if you wanted to...

    I''m not technically a human race, me.

    You could run away, but I don''t think you should.

    Just now, Veerle, who had returned to his dragon form, was migrating through the air.

    It was clearly an act of demonstration to the new-faced elves.

    The elves are naturally freaked out.

    Some of them would sit back and fall on their asses on the spot.

    ''''You think you can handle it if you can just run away into the forest, don''t you, lowlife?¡¡Then you can try it. I will burn down the whole forest where you hide.

    ''Veerle. Don''t scare the new guys too much!

    When I cautioned him, Veal left behind a clucking tongue and went off into the sky.

    I''m going to be watching you at all times, even if you''re not there," he said, leaving a full-blown sign of ''I''ll be watching you at all times.

    ''''........You''re a worrier, Veerle.

    And Veerle''s little threat is more than a death sentence for any race other than dragons.

    Every last one of the elves were scared out of their wits.

    ''Dragons.........?¡¡Why are dragons...?

    Heads. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We were in the middle of a demon''s domain, you know...!

    No, it''s just a farm.

    ''Well, I hope you''ll work a lot and help us out anyway.

    So, first of all...

    I want to know what you''re good at.

    Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.

    Daring to make them do something they''re not good at is just inefficient and not fun.

    I would like to see them do what they are good at, and contribute to our farm in an efficient manner.

    How about working in the fields for a while?¡¡Can you weed and harvest?

    "Don''t be a fool!

    Oh.

    The leader of the group, aileron, responds strongly.

    Is this one promising?

    "How can an Elf, a citizen of the forest, work on the plain?¡¡Grass and trees grow by themselves, they don''t grow by themselves!

    You think you know what you''re talking about?

    It''s a total disappointment.

    An elf is an elf.

    The one who appeared was Verena, one half of the demon girl.

    Were you there?

    Have you been following me the whole time?

    Sorry, I didn''t recognize them due to their thin air.

    ''Originally a forest tribe, they are a race of people who have lived mainly on a life of gathering. They say that they find and live in rich forests, and live off the nuts and medicinal herbs they can gather there.

    Heh.

    It is said that this is why it is difficult for them to adapt to the civilized life of the humans and demons. The Elves have a unique view of nature, which is one of the reasons why they don''t mix with other tribes.

    An example of this is what you call that thing now........

    For them - or rather the elves, nature''s bounty is something that should be plucked from the gnarled growths on its own.

    It''s not something that can be grown from scratch and harvested systematically,'''' he said.

    So when they try to get them to learn to work in the fields, they are frustrated by a difference in perception.

    ''Ohhhh...?

    It''s the same reason we don''t accept carpentry or civil engineering as recognition. To an elf, nature is just something that exists. To the elves, nature is just the way it is, not something they devise to make their lives better.

    What the hell...?

    That''s disgusting.

    Most of the jobs we can do here are no good.

    ''''To begin with, a race that could easily adapt to society like that wouldn''t have fallen into banditry. It is said that there is no race more troublesome than the elves who lost their forest to live in.

    Well, that''s exactly what you want me to do.

    The elves seem to be good at hunting.

    They''re a forest tribe.

    They need to enter the dungeon and hunt monsters regularly, so I''ll leave it to them to take care of that.......

    ''''Do you think it''s necessary?¡¡After all this time?

    Well, we already have Okubo and his friends who have completed their second stage of evolution, as well as Lamp-Eye, the ''Hellfire Witch'' who is said to have the highest fighting power among the mermaid race.

    To be honest, as long as Veerle is the only one, our fighting strength is not a problem at all....

    The truth is that the talent on that side is in short supply.

    If that''s the case, there really isn''t a job for you to do...?

    The only use for them is to keep them as pets, don''t you think?¡¡If that''s the case, it''s better to hand him over to the demon kingdom after all...!

    When I said something like that, the elves who were listening trembled and shook themselves.

    I think there''s something implied in what Verena says from earlier, what''s the matter?

    Hey, uh...

    As I was doing this, Elf leader, Elon, abruptly interrupted the conversation.

    Picking up an object, which was beside him.

    ''''Let me ask you something.........''''

 98-97 Elf talent

    That was the thing that Elon picked up.

    Yes, it''s a ceramic plate we''re working on.

    However, it''s still an unfinished prototype.

    We were going to discuss the future of the elves, but they had somehow returned to the workshop where they had been working until just before that.

    And what''s going on with the plate?

    It''s an unfinished product, so I''d be embarrassed if people stared at it too closely....

    No, I''m just wondering why this plate doesn''t have any glaze on it.

    What?

    That''s why the surface is rough, and it will absorb water if you use it as is. It''s not even close to being perfect.

    That''s exactly what I''m saying, sir...?

    What?¡¡How do you know how to get it to completion?

    Well, I do.... Well, can I have the remaining ashes in that kiln over there, please?

    Yes?

    Hi.

    "You dissolve these ashes in water to make a glaze. You apply it to a plate and bake it to make sturdy pottery.

    "Seriously?

    I never thought I''d get a clue from a place like this!

    Let''s try it out as soon as I say.

    * * * *

    ...I really could.

    I took my time and fired the plate as instructed by Aileron, and it really is my target pottery.

    The surface was shiny and slippery, like glass. When I flicked it with my fingers, it sounded cuttin'' and metallic.

    This was the pottery I had been looking for!

    Glazing the clay pottery is the basics. The ashes melted in the glaze are baked at high heat and melt and become glassy. It covers the vessel and makes it strong enough not to be broken in a hurry.

    I see!

    Anyway, this is going to make our dining room table even more spectacular!

    But how did you know that, aileron? How did you know that, aileron?

    Every elf knows this much.

    What?

    What do you mean?

    Earlier, you said that elves are a race that only uses the nature of the forest........

    There''s a certain amount of ingenuity that goes into the use of nature. When it comes to making tools to enjoy the bounty of the forest, the elves are the most skillful.

    It''s been said that if you let them make such fine things, there''s no one better than the elves!

    Even the other elves started to brag about it.

    ''''Yeah........?

    There is.

    It''s what elves are good at.

    Moreover, it is the technique that our farm needs the most at the moment, but its owner is nowhere to be found.

    After listening carefully, I found that the elves'' survival skills in the forest were much more profound than I had imagined.

    By cutting, scraping and kneading materials found in nature, they could easily create items that would allow them to live comfortably in the forest.

    However, this is limited to small items that can be carried around with you.

    Elves who only enjoy the bounty of the forest are willing to make more efficient use of that bounty, but they consider actions that remake nature itself to be taboo.

    They are spoiled as much as they can be spoiled by the forest, and when they begin to wither or lose weight, they move on in search of a new home.

    That''s why they don''t build houses or do any other large-scale construction work, and they throw away all the small things they can''t keep before they move.

    It is said that there are people who pick up such trinkets from the abandoned elves at the site of the camp and sell them at the market.

    ''''What, if you had that kind of skill, you should have told me about it earlier.

    No, I don''t know...!¡¡That demon race over there...!

    A demon?¡¡Is this about Verena?

    "Because of how he was staring at me with a ''don''t say anything unnecessary'' stare,

    "I''m a bad girl!

    Oh?

    Verena broke down in tears.

    ''I actually knew, right from the beginning!¡¡I knew that elves are good at these kinds of clumsy crafts!¡¡But pottery making is my exclusive work, which was just given to me by the saint!

    Ah...!

    ''''I thought for sure that if the saint found out about the elves'' dexterity, he would send me to the pottery making business!¡¡Before that, I''m a bad woman for thinking of handing her over to the demon kingdom!¡¡Please scold me!

    A series of Verena''s words and actions felt unnatural, but was that it?

    I didn''t know she was that afraid of being unemployed.

    I''ll have to think of something for her to do.

    I''ll turn the pottery-making job over to Elon and the others mercilessly, though.

    * * * *

    After all, Elon and his band of elves had certainly earned their place in the farm''s knick-knacks department.

    As forest folk, the elves were skilled at making all sorts of tools, and they knew how to make not only earthenware, but also woodworking tools.

    So, the original band of 20 elven thieves were divided into four groups of five members each, and one of them was assigned to make pottery exclusively.

    The other three groups were asked to decide what they wanted to make and work on their own.

    One group paid attention to a monster skin that had been thrown into a warehouse without knowing how to process it.

    They tanned the skins with chemicals made from special berries picked in the forest, turned them into leather, and processed them into various products.

    They make bags, belts, and other items of clothing in partnership with Bati.

    Another group is woodworking.

    They carve wood into various useful tools. They are most skillful in making the elves'' signature weapon, the bow and arrow. By layering a variety of different timbers together, they are able to create a bow that bends better than expected and is sturdier than expected.

    Okubo and the rest of the monster army, who had previously only fought with close weapons, quickly learned how to use their bows and arrows, and their hunting in the dungeon seemed to be progressing more and more.

    ........Only, when I saw them consulting with Lamp Eye and developing a magic arrow with explosive potion in the arrowhead, I wondered what I should do.

    High-powered explosive potion to attack from long range, the strongest?

    I don''t know about that.

    I don''t know. I don''t think so. I think the upgrades are within the realm of common sense, don''t you?

    The other was glass making.

    This delighted Prathi and the other mermaids.

    They need a lot of test tube flasks and other glassware for potions preparation.

    We used to have my brother bring in new glassware, but now we won''t have to ask him to do that anymore!

    Of course, the glassware could be diverted to dishes and glass windows as well as mixing tools.

    That''s how the elves easily adjusted to our farm.

 99-98 Elf Azumi

    I am Elon.

    I was the leader of the Elf Thieves'' "Stone-Sharpening Band of Thunderstorm" a long time ago now.

    At the end of such an inhospitable land, in an unusually rich farm, my luck ran out when I entered to steal on the spur of the moment.

    I was caught by Saint Kidan-sama as soon as possible.

    We were buoyant, regardless of the boundaries between the demon kingdom and the human kingdom. We were prepared for the time when we would be in the noose.

    Well, in nine out of ten cases, we would be put to death and have our heads chopped off.

    In a worse case, we could have been kept as s*x toys for some outcast aristocrat until we were destroyed because of the added value of being an elf, given that we were all beautiful from a tribal standpoint.

    That didn''t happen.

    Saint Kidan, the saint who captured us, gave us a job to do, "The atonement for stealing is by labor".

    That work was super fun for us to do, making tools.

    We elves are essentially forest people, a species that hunts and forages for survival in the forest, and when we''re not doing that, we enjoy spending all day making tools and moving our fingers around all day.

    I have been appointed head of the pottery team that kneads clay into vessels, and I spend my days at the kiln.

    How long has it been since I have been so calmly working at a pottery kiln?

    I was taking a break outside the workshop, when I met the calm sub-headed Maerga.

    No, he''s the second-headed one now. You were the head of the leather goods group.

    ''''I''ll always be the second-headed one in front of you. I do enjoy the work here, though.

    Do you enjoy working here?

    That''s the calm opinion of a calm sub-headed person.

    "I didn''t think it would come to this.

    Ah.

    I haven''t been able to live this calmly since I was driven out of the forest where I was born.

    Neither Maerga nor I were bandits from the moment we were born.

    We were childhood friends, born and raised in the same hometown, the same forest.

    That forest is gone now.

    It has disappeared.

    That forest, which belonged to the territory of the human nation in terms of location, suddenly withered and disappeared one day.

    I later learned that this was due to the depletion of mana caused by the human nation''s use of some kind of large-scale magic.

    The legal magic used by the human race is less convenient and less useful than the magic of the demon race, but once it is used, it is extremely powerful and consumes a large amount of mana.

    That mana usually uses natural mana that flows through the human race''s power, and because of that, the effects of the indiscriminately depleted mana are naturally more intense.

    The fact that the forest we were living in was one of the effects of this.

    We were forced to leave our homes and our families were scattered, unable to seek each other''s safety.

    There is nothing more miserable than an elf who has lost his forest.

    It didn''t take long for us, having lost our means of survival, to take the final option of being bandits.

    Perhaps it was the least we could do to protect our pride that we knew the circumstances of having our homeland stolen from us and only stole from prosperous nobles and wealthy merchants in the most cunning way to avenge it.

    Speaking of which, do you know the head?¡¡That saint, apparently, is not from this world.

    ?

    What do you mean by that?

    ''''I''ve heard that the human race''s legal magic has the ability to connect worlds that are different from this one and call for brave people. The saint is also an otherworldly person called by that magic.

    Are you from another world, please?

    ''No, I heard that it''s forced on him regardless of his own will. I heard that''s why the saint has cut off his ties with the human nation and is living here quietly.

    Just like us.

    So you''re a victim of human magic.

    I''m growing fonder of this one.

    Do you think so too?

    And a sub-headed eye that seems to look through us.

    There are no men among us elves.

    Elves only give birth to girls, so there are only female elves.

    I don''t know why this is so, but the point is that elves must intermarry with other races in order to produce offspring.

    No matter what race they associate with, it is always the elves who are born, so when they are old enough, they leave their homeland in search of a man.

    A saint who creates such a huge farm and leads an elite monster.

    There is no better material provider to produce the next generation of excellence.

    ''''The problem is Princess Prati and the Veerle Dragon, who are sitting in the seat of their rightful wives.

    Those guys look really scary.

    I''m not sure I can survive and get over it, especially if the dragon is in a bad mood.

    ''''If you''re as strong as the saint, there''s nothing wrong with f*cking women as you please, and we want your spirit, not your wife''s seat. If we negotiate carefully and courteously, it won''t be a rough affair.

    That''s a very calm and calm opinion, as expected of a sub-headed person.

    I don''t know much about the living quarters of the humans and demons.

    It''s nice to have a chance.

    "Look at this head.

    When I look, I see an elf running across the other side, panting.

    When I say elves here, it''s my former subordinates, of course.

    Isn''t it Pawel, who was a lowly man during his time in the bandit group, but now he''s been hugely selected as the head of the glass-making team?

    ''''It seems that he goes to visit Sage every day to check the quality of the products and discuss new products. But he also comes in on days when he doesn''t have any particular business to attend to.

    Why would you waste your time doing that?

    Of course, we want you to have more opportunities to interact and meditate with your saints.

    How could you do that...?

    How does an elf nowadays go to such lengths to attract a man?

    I thought I could just attack and squeeze out a man of another race........ After thinking about it, I guess that''s not going to work for Saint-sama.

    Well, if that guy succeeds, I''ll follow his example and rub it in with Saint-sama.

    Until then, I''ll just enjoy my life here.

    Now, the 100 platters you asked for.

    We''ve got to get these plates done.

 100-99 wine

    Booze is ready.

    If you want to quench your thirst, all you need is some water.

    Where is the need to go to the trouble of drinking something different from your body?

    Still, we can''t help but pursue the sake.

    It''s one of the things we still lack on our farm, but now, after a long period of research, we have produced a sake.

    It''s still a prototype though!

    The mermaid race, Gala Rufa, was the one who did the work.

    She is a bit of a dangerous girl, known as the "plague witch" in her homeland of mermaid country.

    She looks younger than the other mermaids on our farm - Plati, Puffa, and Lamprey - but she''s a superb researcher of pharmacy magic.

    So I left the brewing of sake, which was expected to involve a lot of trial and error.

    Normally, sake brewing is not something that an amateur would be able to undertake without any hesitation.

    From the selection of ingredients to the accumulation of long hours of trial and error. The yeast necessary for alcoholic fermentation is a gift of nature. It''s not something that can be controlled by humans.

    I''m sure the secret ingredient is a secret that is passed down from brewery to brewery, and I''m sure it would take a lot of work for an amateur to make it in a day.

    But still, as far as the yeast is concerned, the seed koji?¡¡If I touched that guy''s hand and reminded him to "release the yeast, release the yeast," then with the effect of the "supreme bearer," he would produce the best possible sake brewer.

    The rest was left to the rare potions researcher, Gala Rufa.

    And so the resulting alcoholic beverage was........

    It was beer.

    ''Did you call for me?''

    For some reason, Veal showed up.

    ''No, it''s not a viel, it''s a beer,''

    So it was me, right?

    No, ''vi''l. No ''vi''. "Vi.

    ''Vi''?

    ''Bi!''

    It''s confusing.

    Anyway, the reason for the beer is because I already had the ingredients on hand.

    I already had the wheat and barley to try my hand at baking.

    I''d need grapes to make wine, but I hadn''t grown any kind of fruit trees yet. When I started researching alcohol, I hadn''t even grown rice yet.

    And when you think of booze, it''s beer anyway!

    For now!

    So let''s sample the otherworldly beer that Gala Rufa has finally managed to perfect!

    Gok gok gok gok gok........... Puh-uh.

    "It''s so refreshing on the throat!

    That means it''s good.

    That means it''s good. This beer is a success.

    I had it chilled in a magic fridge, so it tastes even better!

    It''s good to see you!¡¡All my hard work so far has paid off!

    I''m moved to tears by Gala Ruffa, the biggest contributor to the brewery.

    I''ve given her a lot of trouble, too.

    After all, this is not the first time she has submitted a prototype.

    It took many failed attempts to get to this flavor.

    I can''t even begin to describe the trial and error she went through, especially until I remembered the existence of hops.

    She really did a great job!

    Thank you!

    Me and Gala Rufa hugged each other with a hissy fit.

    Our bodies smelled slightly of alcohol.

    ''I''m the one who should be thanking you, Saint!¡¡I could never have done this kind of responsive research when I was put in trench jail!¡¡The Saint is my Savior!¡¡It''s God!

    ''''Oh, oh...?

    It''s nice to get a compliment, but isn''t this a bit too much of a lift?

    But I''m worried. Because you''ve already made a drink.¡¡So, am I being sent off already?

    What?

    Of course not!

    Now that the sake is complete, the next step is to establish a system to increase production so that we can have a stable supply at all times...!

    Eww!¡¡Saint!¡¡Please don''t leave me!¡¡Please keep it in here forever~!

    "Eeeeeeeeeeee?

    Gala Rufa hugged me with more force!

    It''s a good idea to make sure that you don''t move up and down as if you were rubbing against the tightly packed body.

    Gala Rufa''s body, which didn''t seem to have that much definition on the outside, is naturally soft and girlish!

    ''''Saint-sama!¡¡I''ll do anything to get you to put me here!¡¡I want a nightcap if I have to!

    What did you say?

    What happened to Gala Rufa?

    She''s not the kind of girl who takes care of herself.

    Well... maybe...

    Veal, the only person to watch this madness from the side, said.

    He said, sipping my leftover beer.

    "Isn''t he drunk?

    Huh?

    Speaking of which, Gala Rufa, you''re red in the face!

    Up to this point, I was anxious to see if my home-made beer would be to my liking, so I tasted it several times before I did.

    If so, then of course alcohol would accumulate in her body.

    No wonder you reek of alcohol.

    The only person beside him was the peaceful Veerle, who was still sipping his drink.

    The only thing that''s left is that we''re out of booze. And since drinking alone is monotonous, I need something to eat. Just a pinch is all I need.

 101-100 remodeling plan

    With the addition of the elves to the farm, the scope of what we can do has expanded in many ways.

    The reason why I''ve been able to support manufacturing on the farm up to now is because the ''supreme bearer'' more than adequately supplemented the little modern knowledge I brought in from my previous world.

    So there was a limit to what I could do, and I couldn''t get rid of the rough edges of the detailed and specialized parts.

    Even so, we were lucky that the supreme bearer filled in most of the gaps that were impossible, but even so, we couldn''t make it perfect.

    That''s where they, the elves, can make it perfect.

    The skills and knowledge they brought from the forest people will mesh with the knowledge they brought from my previous world and produce results.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve been at the "one step closer to completion" stage, but it''s all been completed in one fell swoop.

    And this time, too.

    * * * *

    Shield complete!

    An orc and an elf came in good company to show me something.

    .........

    Anyway, this pairing of orcs and elves reminds me of something different.......

    No, let''s throw away the dirty values of the previous world.

    On our farm, the orcs are the carpenters in charge of civil engineering and construction, and the elves are in charge of making small items.

    It''s only natural that our professions would involve a lot of joint work!

    So, have you finished something?

    ''''It''s a shield!''''

    What the orc and elven workers were holding up was a large, round, turtle shell.

    ''''Oh, is that...?''''

    It''s the shell of the turtle-shaped monster that Veerle had defeated in the dungeon he had converted some time ago.

    After defeating it, I examined it to see if there was any material that I could use, and found that the meat was not good and was not edible.

    However, the carapace is harder and has a better shape, so it seems there was a lot of trial and error to see if it could be used for something.

    So........a shield?

    Shield of the shell.

    In a way, the most orthodox way to use it.

    ''Yes!¡¡And it''s the strongest part of the original monster. Not only is it simply hard, but its hemispherical shape is very effective in deflecting power!

    That''s one of the new orcs.

    Compared to Orcobo and the rest of the old group, he looks younger and more resilient.

    ''''Although.........but the shell of a dead monster turtle loses its freshness, or rather, the gaps in the shell become brittle......''''

    ''So what''s the use of that for...?¡¡I was just thinking!

    Zubayn!

    With their help, everything has changed.

    and the orcs, pausing to praise the elven ladies as best they could.

    .........uh.

    They''re from the elven team ... the woodworking team, right?

    No, no, we''re just...!

    I think we can reinforce the strength of the shell by pouring lacquer into the gaps in the fragile shell.¡¡I mean...!

    Lacquer?

    Come to think of it, there was one in my former world. It''s some kind of sap, and it was used to strengthen and shine wooden vessels, and in the old days it was used as an adhesive.

    They also used it as an adhesive in the old days. I took the sap home with me...!

    ''''So the turtle shell was reinforced with lacquer and evolved into the strongest armor!¡¡It''s all thanks to you elves!

    Yay!¡¡And the elves and orcs high-five each other.

    .........

    ................yes.

    Elves and orcs are good friends on our farm. Best of all, they''re good friends.

    "So, we would like you to check out the quality of the workmanship, Mr. Saints...!

    Hmm.

    The turtle''s shell really seems to have been processed as a shield, and it had just the right handle on the back side.

    When I held it, it was heavy and heavy, and while I thought it would be difficult to handle, I felt that it was a reliable and worthwhile armor.

    ''''Hooray!''''

    ''''Oh!''''

    Orcs suddenly came slashing at me, but I was able to block them with my shield without difficulty.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    I''m not going to be able to get a single arrow to pierce it or even scratch it.

    I understand your intentions, but please don''t attack all of a sudden!¡¡Surprise!

    ""Excuse me."

    I think it was a pretty good onslaught, but to be unscathed by it is amazing.

    I wonder how this is ranked by this world''s standards?

    Even if it''s not a legendary piece of equipment, I think it''s going to be pretty high on the list.

    ''''Saint-sama...''''

    Then a goblin called out from another person.

    ''Prince Arowana is here to play!

    * * *

    Prince Arowana, the mermaid prince, came to visit.

    He said, "Let''s play sumo!

    And it seems he is as addicted to sumo wrestling as ever.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who''s interested in this.

    "....Prince Arowana, isn''t he too strong?

    I''ve long since avoided competing with him, I thought to myself as I watched my kumite.

    My orcs and goblins are supposed to be super strong, having evolved beyond the extreme after touching my ''supreme bearer'' and turning into mutant species such as Warrior Orcs and Spartan Goblins.

    The oldest of them are even another step up in rank to say Legatus Orcs or Brave Goblins or something like that, a touch that can crush even the bravest of them with a single twist.

    But he loses.

    Sumo to Prince Arowana.

    Just now, my most familiar sumo companion, Gobuzaemon, was being thrown off.

    That guy should be in his two-stage evolutionary form, Brave Goblin, too.

    ''''Oh!¡¡Saint!¡¡I''m sorry for running amok before I even said hello!

    Having said that, could you stop nipping at me in the hackneyed position?

    You''re going to come after me every chance you get, aren''t you?

    Oh, what do you have there, my dear?

    Quickly, Prince Arowana, you reacted to the shell shield I was holding.

    I guess I just took it out of the experiment.

    ''This is a sturdy-looking shield. It''s heavy and has good stability.

    And when did the shell shield go from my hand to Prince Arowana?

    Do mermaids use shields?

    "The basic strategy of mermaids, apart from magic potions, is to use their swimming momentum for a rushing attack. A shield to defend against it is important.

    And with the shield, he makes an imaginary movement with the shield, and that''s exactly what he does with the image of catching away the stab of the harpoon that comes at him.

    ''''........Um, do you want to take that home with you if you want?¡¡I''m sorry to be a prototype.

    ''My God!¡¡Are you sure?¡¡But we can''t keep getting them...?

    But Prince Arowana looks happy to hear that.

    In every world, new weapons and armor excite a boy''s heart.

    ''Prince Arowana!

    And then a new character appears.

    Isn''t that Puffa, a mermaid who works on our farm?

    She''s in love with Prince Arowana.

    "You could have told him I was coming!¡¡You''ll get in trouble with the saints!

    No, no.

    Yeah, it''s...¡¡I''m sorry, I just thought I''d already become very comfortable with the saints...!

    That''s exactly what it is.

    It''s an easy rapport. No reservation.

    "Well, all right. Just be nice, Prince, and be a test case for Atai''s new creation.

    An experiment?

    That sounds dangerous.

    "I''m in the brewery right now. They just made a new batch of pickles. It''s called Nukazuke. You''re the same kind of guy as the No-Life King, right?¡¡It would be better for us if we could have other favorites and the demand would be dispersed, too.

    Sorry to put you through all this. You put your heart and soul into this one. Whatever it is, it''s good.

    ".........??????

    My face turned bright red and smoke billowed up in a booming cloud of smoke.

    It''s really easy to understand.

    So, this is what you call the Nukazuke? I see, it looks good too!

    What Prince Arowana said was a whole cucumber in bran.

    The prince took a bite of the cucumber.

    He really looked like a delicious eater.

    "..........?

    So I thought, "Wait a minute.

    I thought to myself.

    Prince Arowana, who is nowadays addicted to sumo wrestling, is holding a shield made of a turtle shell and eating a delicious cucumber....

    Sumo wrestling.

    A turtle shell.

    A cucumber.

    He''s looking more and more like a kappa!

    Arowana, the prince of the sea.

    Every time he comes to visit us, he turns into a child of the river!

    Maybe we should stop being so serious about this!

 102-101 winter

    Winter is here.

    I''m also surprised to see it coming out of nowhere.

    One day, it suddenly started snowing, and it blew down in the blink of an eye.

    The next morning, we woke up to a silver sky.

    It''s a good thing we harvested everything we could beforehand...!

    The MVPs this time were the elves who had just joined.

    ''''Winter is almost here and you''re trying to plant it again!

    and we all hurriedly reaped the harvest.

    It seems that in this world, the transition between the four seasons is not as clear as in the previous world, and winter is really coming up suddenly and unexpectedly.

    I am, of course, a visitor from another world, and the monsters who have just become self-conscious from being touched by me, and the mermaids who are in their first year of living on land are oblivious to the fact that the snow is about to ruin much of their crops.

    If that happened, it would be a huge loss.

    When we asked them to calculate the crops they had harvested, they said there was enough to get all the farm''s inhabitants through the winter without starving.

    I''ve harvested so many times over and over again.

    Even though it was because of the hyper fish manure created by Potions, they were harvesting every few months or even every few days if they were poor.

    That would throw off my sense of time.

    The people who predicted the arrival of winter were the elves, who had originally lived a life well adapted to nature, even among the ground dwellers.

    If it weren''t for them, I''m in a cold sweat that the farm would have been destroyed.

    To begin with, there is no clear indication of the changing seasons in this world.

    At best, there are only changes in temperature.

    When I think back, I only realize now that it was pretty hot when I think back on it, even when there was a summer.

    Only in winter, the whiteness of the snow that comes with the cold makes winter so appealing.

    It''s cold. It''s chilly.........

    We haven''t done much to prepare for winter, so this cold weather is a matter of life and death.

    We are all wrapped in cotton quilts and shivering.

    I don''t see that Veerle guy, what''s going on?

    ''He went back to his dungeon. It''s warmer there, depending on the area.

    Son of a b*tc*!

    Anyway, the elves are guiding us to make a rapid charcoal fire, so that will keep us warm for the time being.

    We''ll have to wait until after this winter before we can plan for the next winter to take more serious measures to protect ourselves from the cold.

    ''''Ahhhh~. It''s cold, cold, cold.

    It''s cold, isn''t it?

    On either side of me, Prati and Gala Rufa are snuggled together from both sides.

    Even if overlapping their skin is an effective means of winter protection, this seems to generate a different meaning...!

    Then Elf Elon entered the room.

    ''''Saint-sama-. I was able to add more charcoal..........

    Prati, Gala Rufa catches me between the left and right sides and sees me in a mooch, aileron, he snaps.

    ''''Gulafuarah!

    He throws the finished charcoal at me with force.

    It hurts.

    "People work and they''re making out all over the room!¡¡Mix me in!

    "Where is your rage?

    I wasn''t playing around.

    I was just discussing winterization with Prati, and Gala Rufa, who came to discuss the brewery project, joined us and said, "It''s cold, let''s huddle up.

    There was no ulterior motive, okay?

    Anyway. What is the current supply of charcoal?

    There''s enough to go around. We had each of us make our own charcoal brazier, so it went very smoothly.

    The kids here excel at making things in one way or another.

    By the way, I made a metal brazier by pounding and stretching the leftover manna metal.

    I really wanted a ceramic brazier, but I had to give it up because I needed the baking process and I didn''t have the time to do it.

    Now I needed a few as soon as possible.

    The other orcs and goblins had also made a brazier like square brazier out of wood, but I was still worried about fire with wood.

    I''m worried about fire. I''ll keep my wits about me when it comes to serious winter protection.

    Make it quick. We''ll continue to make charcoal and stabilize the supply chain, while mass producing ceramic braziers that are easy to handle. We''ll continue to make charcoal, stabilize the supply chain and mass produce easy-to-use ceramic braziers.

    Please. Don''t get hung up on the design or anything, just give me a few.

    I''ll take care of the design too, okay?

    You''re obsessed with it.

    Well, fine.

    We''ll leave it to the craftsmanship of aileron and his crew.

    Other than that, a real heating apparatus would be a hearth or a fireplace.

    Our house is designed in a Japanese style, so a hearth is also good enough. The fireplace has to be built with bricks and a chimney, so it may be troublesome.

    But I don''t think it needs to be that serious.

    What?

    "We''re all enjoying the winter.

    * * *

    I went out to try it out, and sure enough, there were a lot of people enjoying the winter.

    Yay!

    I''m going to die!

    Some of the goblins and elves were having a snowball fight in the yard.

    Countless snowballs were flying around.

    ''''Yup, hit it!''''

    Die!

    Crush!¡¡Crack!

    Die!

    ''''Die!''''

    The call is bleak for a snowball fight.

    I was the one who announced the existence of a snowball fight game and the general rules of the game right after the snow fell.

    I didn''t know it had become such a big deal...!

    Everyone seems to be coming up with their own interpretations of the rules and tricks.

    The first dueling technique for snowball fights from my farm.

    Two snowballs.

    Two snowballs are thrown on exactly the same trajectory. The second one hides behind the first one, so you can catch your opponent off guard.

    The only rule in a snowball fight is that you just have to be good with the ball competitively.

    Yes.

    "I found out that it wouldn''t do much good to put a snowball on the exact same trajectory I had avoided once. There are basically countless of them flying around.

    Yeah.

    Dueling techniques for snowball fights, part two.

    The Special Cannonball Snowball.

    Put a stone in the snow to increase your attack power!

    That''s just a foul, right?

    That''s why they banned it right after it was conceived.

    Part 3.

    Hissatsu Ningen Snowball.

    Under the philosophy of "The last snowball is to become a snowball myself," this is a technique in which you and I both fly snowballs.

    There are many races such as orcs and elves, so it''s tactless to call them human.

    This is a technique where you simply run up to the opponent with a snowball in your hand and hit him through the snowball.

    Yes.

    ''And since they''ll concentrate on you while you''re close enough, they''re not that effective...''

    Well, games are most fun when they are in that trial and error stage.

    I guess they are enjoying the snowball fight through trial and error.

    Well, if they''re playing so well, why do we need a heater?

    I''m going to die of cold after I''m done playing.

    My dear!

    I was in a daze when Okubo stopped me.

    What are you doing with yours?

    We have been building a ship, sir!

    A ship!

    The orcs under Okubo and his men are showing us what is indeed a boat.

    It''s about the size of a boat.

    "With no crops due to the snow, we thought we could at least go out to sea and catch some fish!¡¡I created it on a volunteer basis!

    Yeah?¡¡You mean we''re going fishing out to sea?¡¡On that boat?

    Don''t you dare let it capsize.

    ''I''m fine!¡¡Finding your own work is the sign of competence. I promise you''ll come back with a great catch!

    And so a boat of your own making?¡¡A boat?¡¡The Orcobos paddle out from the beach in

    Do you catch fish in winter?

    Depends on the species.

    However, Okubo and the others'' homemade boat disintegrated as soon as they rowed out.

    ''''Ooohhhh~!

    The boat capsized. Okubo and his crew were thrown out to sea, swam through the waves, and returned to the beach soaked.

    When the ship sank, I was in quite a hurry, but as expected of the evolved orcs.

    They were very stubborn.

    They seem to be enjoying the winter.

 103-102 Continuation ?Mourning of the King

    I am Genesis XVIII, King of the Human Kingdom.

    Stay tuned.

    The fish juice is delicious.

    In the landlocked capital, fish spoil while being transported, so they only offer the fish juice that has been squeezed to impart the flavor of the fish.

    It''s fishy but delicious.

    It''s a luxury product that the average person can never afford.

    It''s a true taste of royalty!

    You must envy the king who smokes this stuff every day!

    "Your Majesty!¡¡Your Majesty!¡¡It''s a disaster!

    What''s the matter, kinsmen?

    I''m not gonna share the juice of this fish with you.

    "I''m not going to drink that crap just because I''m ordered to!¡¡It''s more important than that!¡¡Urgent news from the border!

    Urgent news?

    "A demon tribe has led a large army to invade our country!

    What the hell?

    Why?¡¡Why?

    Why are the demons attacking us if we didn''t start a war with them?

    It must be some kind of mistake!¡¡Could it be that they were preparing for a festival?

    Isn''t that what you think?

    Because they were all armed?

    That''s too bad.

    That''s too bad.

    You''ll have to accept it, then!

    Immediately launch my ancient and modern warriors'' human army!

    "With all due respect, the generals leading the army are returning to their lands. Of course, with the troops under their command.

    What?

    So it may take some time before we can get them back together again.

    Why did they leave on their own?

    You can''t do that!¡¡You can''t just go home without asking the king for help!

    "With all due respect, Your Majesty has indeed ordered the temporary dissolution of the army. That the invasion of the Demon Kingdom will stop until Saint Kidan is found.

    What?

    Really?

    That''s right. The generals were away from their territory for a long time, so they returned at full speed. They said that they have matters to deal with on their own territory, and that they have a lot of appeals from the territorial residents...!

    Did they say that?

    Are you serious?

    He''s been a pretty good lord, hasn''t he, being a good little boy? Heh.

    Just to be sure, you haven''t found Saint Kidan yet, have you?

    Yes, sir. No useful reports from the search parties we''ve released in various locations.

    I see.

    I thought they would kill all the demons in an instant, if only Saint Kidan became my man.

    Oh no, you''re useless.

    But that doesn''t mean we humans will lose!

    Because, as God''s chosen race of higher beings, the human race has several blessings from the pure God of heaven!

    One of them, the sacred law magic, Sacred Barrier!

    Let me explain!

    The Sacred Barrier is one of the legal magic passed down in our human race. It is a magic that borrows the power of Zeus, the reigning god of the heavens, to create a great barrier on the border between the demon kingdom and the human kingdom!

    This is a barrier created by sacred magic that allows us humans to enter and exit freely, but the demons are blown away and cannot break through!

    Thanks to this magic, in the past few thousand years, the human nation has never been invaded by the demon race!

    The idiot demon race can be invaded by our human race, but they will never be able to invade from the other side!

    ''''But there''s also a theory that that that sacred barrier has consumed a huge amount of natural mana, and the human nation is chronically emaciated in the land...!

    Shut up, samurai!

    That''s just a theory!

    What''s the problem with a little crop failure if you can protect yourself from the demon tribe''s threats!

    Anyway, those stupid demons seem to have forgotten how many times they failed to invade with that ''Holy Barrier''!

    Fools do not learn from history!

    Okay!¡¡Gather as many men as you can now!

    The barriers are holding up the Demon King''s army and they are going to turn back.

    "Your Majesty.

    Yeah?¡¡What''s going on?

    The ''sacred barrier'' has been breached.

    ..........

    ............hmm?

    Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    Why?¡¡What?¡¡What does this mean?

    Isn''t the ''Sacred Barrier'', which is blessed by the god Zeus, absolutely unbreakable?

    ''''From the front lines, there are two female generals standing at the front of the Demon Army... This is Astareth of the Demon King''s Army''s Four Heavenly Kings ''Delusion''. It''s been confirmed that they are Grashara from The Grudge.

    Yeah?

    "The demonic energy emitted from the two swords collided with the Sacred Barrier and shattered it to pieces...!

    Oh my god, oh my god...!

    We have to contact the Church and create a new "Holy Barrier".

    ''''I''ve already sent a courier, but the ''Sacred Barrier'' is a great magic that was invoked thousands of years ago. Since then, it has been molded without a single interruption, and the technique of re-initiating it anew, let alone maintaining it, has been forgotten...?

    You useless churches!

    You''re asking for exorbitant donations on a daily basis, but you couldn''t even manage and preserve the techniques given to you by God!

    This is inexcusable!

    When this is over, we''ll put the Pope and all the cardinals on trial!

    "Your Majesty, it seems that the opportunity may never come.

    Oof!

    "The demon army is almost at King''s Landing, Your Majesty. We won''t be able to defend the city until reinforcements arrive from all the other kingdoms.

    You are a calm and collected man, samurai.

    Then what should we do?

    "We have an envoy from the Demon King. According to him, the Demon King''s intention is to dismantle the human race as a nation. The human race as a species will be allowed to continue to exist.

    Geez....

    ''''If you hand over the royal family that rules the human kingdom and the church officials, I will guarantee the people''s safety. I swear by Hades, the god of the demon race, that I will keep my promise.

    If you''re going to swear on it, swear on Tenjin Zeus.

    But..... but...

    There are no pros and cons in this situation.

    I''m the king of men.

    It''s time to do the last thing I can do.

    If my life can save the life of my people, I will gladly give it.

    "Your Majesty...!¡¡You don''t have to be so cool in the end...!

    Do not weep, kinsmen.

    Well, let''s at least show some dignity.

    I''m here for the Demon King who kills me.

 104-103 rice cake

    Winter is in full swing.

    The blizzard is blowing and it''s cold as hell.

    There are icicles hanging from the rain gutters.

    Well, people on my farm are enjoying the winter in their own way.

    I''m going to try to enjoy the winter in my own way.

    I buried the potatoes in the snow.

    Why did you do that?¡¡Why did you do that?

    The trick is to take them out before the snow melts and the potatoes get wet.

    And I heard there is a thing called "snow cabbage".

    I heard there are also snow cabbages, if you bury them at the bottom of the snow, they become very sweet.

    In this one, it''s said to be left rooted in the soil, but I buried some cabbages in the snow without harvesting them to see if it''s true.

    We''ll see if they''re really sweet or not.

    We''ll have to wait until spring to find out.

    Also, there are plans in progress for the mountain dungeon in Vire, but they have yet to be announced.

    Let''s focus on another winter event.

    * * * *.

    "?¡¡Your husband?¡¡What are you doing?

    I''ve started something and people come up to me like they''re curious.

    What I''m doing now is woodworking.

    I''m cutting down a suitable tree from the surrounding mountains to make a log of the right length.

    He hollowed it out from a section.

    ''Okay, done.''

    It was a mortar.

    That''s right, the thing that makes the rice cakes.

    You mean....

    "Let''s make a rice cake!

    It''s a winter tradition.

    Winter is New Year''s Day and New Year''s Day is making rice cakes.

    I don''t know if they celebrate New Year''s in winter in this world, but it''s the perfect way to celebrate the serenity of winter.

    ''''Huh?¡¡What are you doing?¡¡What are you doing?

    ''I hear the saint has come up with something interesting again.

    I hope it''s good for you.

    Okay!¡¡We''re going to hit each other with that hammer!

    Prati and her team of mermaids, and Okubo and his team of monsters. The elves, led by Elon, also gather around.

    They must have a lot of time on their hands in the wintertime after all.

    ''''Listen!¡¡From now on, I''m going to play a competition called Mochi-tsuki!

    A competition?

    Anybody who feels like it, join in!¡¡I''ll take anyone''s challenge!

    The tension was a little funny, but it was to resist the cold.

    The sticky rice in the steamer was already steaming up in the kitchen.

    I had grown it separately from the regular rice before the winter for such an occasion.

    Gobukichi and the others, who had asked for help beforehand, brought the steaming basket of glutinous rice and dropped it into the mortar.

    Seeing is believing, we tried making the rice cakes.

    Sore, flattened, flattened

    Since the pounder was already prepared, I pounded the rice without a hitch.

    The grains of the rice were crushed by the pestle and became a lump.

    Oh my God!¡¡It''s kind of going to be like bread dough!

    The first time you see it, it''s the most impressive.

    After pounding it many times, it''s starting to look more like a rice cake, but I still can only put it on in one direction without a kneader.

    Does anyone want to take turns?

    He called out to the galleries watching around him.

    ''So, then I''ll...!

    At times like this, the first thing that comes up is the oakbo.

    He takes the pestle from me and I move across the mortar to face him.

    ''My lord?¡¡What?

    You know what?¡¡Now, every time you pound a rice cake, I''ll turn it over with my hand and you''ll have to repeat the process.

    That''s how you get rid of the bias and create a rice cake with perfectly crushed grains of rice!

    I see!

    Then let''s go!¡¡But before I do, I must warn you, don''t accidentally hit my hand with a pestle!

    You don''t have to promise me that!

    ..........

    ..........

    Yes, I understand.

    Why did I pause for a response?

    ''Just for the record, you hit me in the head with a pestle!¡¡And definitely without any of that.

    ....

    ..........

    Yes.

    I believe in you!

    I''m a believer!

    Okay, flap, flap.

    Konekoe.

    I felt a strange sense of urgency, but the rice cakes were made safely.

    The rice cake was almost ready, so I just tore it into pieces and handed it out to everyone.

    It was hot and sticky because it had just been pounded.

    Oh, my God!

    Hahahahaha!¡¡Mouth-attack!

    As expected, it was very popular.

    I seasoned it with sugar and soy sauce. We haven''t made soy sauce with soy sauce and sugar, so we don''t have any choice.

    I wrapped it in nori (seaweed) or added it to miso soup.

    I tried it too.

    I didn''t know that a freshly pounded rice cake could stretch so long.

    It''s amazing, it''s like bread dough!¡¡It stretches well to nowhere!

    The first time I ate prathi, I was even more surprised.

    ''Sir!¡¡You''re creating something so delicious again!

    ''The saint is God!¡¡How do you have such a wide knowledge?

    Just for the rice cakes.

    No.

    But I haven''t saved the best for last!

    "What else is good to eat?¡¡What more delicious food do you have?

    Here''s a bowl of pitch-black drink to be served.

    Zenzai.

    It''s a warm and sweet drink made mainly of red beans.

    It''s the perfect time to put freshly pounded rice cakes in it.

    Ihabua Zenzai. Aijabua Mochi.

    Mochi filled Zenzai.

    It''s a very good way to get a taste of the Ihabua Zenzai.

    There was a scream of delight from Prathi and the girls.

    A high frequency sound that seemed to pierce the eardrums.

    ''''What is this!¡¡Sweet Zenzai and fluffy mochi!

    A collaboration of black and white!

    This is the golden combination of sweetness and texture!

    Be clear on whether it''s white, black, or gold.

    ''I''m really glad everyone seemed to like it.

    There''s still a lot of glutinous rice left, so I pounded a lot of it and stored the uneaten portions to harden.

    This time, not only me, but everyone else will try to pound rice cakes in turn.

    Don''t hit your hands or head on the rice cake. Don''t hit your hands or your head, okay?

    Yes.....

    After all, we all remembered to put on a front.

    Actually, it wasn''t a front.

    And so the cold winter day passed by as if we forgot about the cold.

    * * * *

    A few days later.

    Veerle was furious.

    ''It''s not fair, master!¡¡You all ate some good food while I was gone?

    Shut up.

    It''s bad enough you''re holed up in a dungeon, hiding out from the cold all by yourself.

 105-104 spring

    Winter is gone.

    That means it is spring.

    The melting snow is flowing down the river to the sea.

    The inhabitants of our farm were full of joy that the season of endurance was gone.

    But, well, can we think of it this way, that spring is here?

    A year has passed since I arrived in another world.

    Come to think of it, before winter arrived, I did whatever I wanted.

    It''s fine to cultivate fields, but I grew an unlimited number of different kinds of crops with "supreme bearers" and hyper-fish manure.

    I don''t know how many times we harvested in a month.

    But the fact that we got so much done means that I came to the land in the spring.

    There was a period of heat while we were working here, and then it got cooler and cooler.

    And today, a new spring.

    A year.....

    It''s been a year in which a lot of things have happened.

    We should look back on what we have done in the past year and use it as material for what we will do in the coming year.

    What we have made in the past year.

    First and foremost, the farm.

    After all, this is a farm.

    We used a forbidden combo of growing seedlings with the "supreme bearer" and promoting their growth with hyper-fish manure to mass produce what we wanted. The area of the farm was expanding as the number of inhabitants increased, and I didn''t know exactly how big it was.

    I don''t even know how much of an area it is.

    We''ve divided the field into sections, and now we have about eighty pieces.

    I did the initial cultivation and planting of the seeds - although I, as the "supreme bearer", only touched the soil - and left the rest of the management to the Goblin team led by Gobukichi.

    Some of the rice fields are in a special area.

    I went out of my way to cultivate the rice, and even drew the waterway for that purpose, but the rice we''ve harvested is so popular with everyone that there is a proposal to expand the rice paddies.

    The rice harvested is so popular that there is a proposal to expand the rice paddies.

    Is this how it is with regard to the fields?

    But our farm is blessed with both the sea and the mountains.

    We are surrounded by mountains and sea on both sides, but we are also blessed to have a large area of flat land that can be used for farming.

    Both the mountains and the sea are a treasure trove of nature''s bounty.

    Of course, sometimes they can bring terrible natural disasters, but when the harvest from the field is not so good, you can go in and gather food from either of them. Just by thinking that, we can relax a lot.

    In fact, even if you don''t starve, you often go into the mountains or the sea in search of a different taste than the ones from the field.

    In particular, there are mountain dungeons in the Vire, where Orcobos often enter the dungeons in search of delicious monster meat.

    Mermaid lamp-eyes and elves seem to enter the dungeons to get some exercise or to get a change of scenery.

    That, of course, is also true of the cave dungeon managed by the No Life King''s teacher.

    Whenever one of our residents enters, the teacher is happy to send monsters of moderate difficulty to you as if your grandchildren have come to visit.

    The materials that can be acquired in the dungeon are the valuable mineral mana metal, which is produced only in cave dungeons, represented by the delicious meat of the boar monster.

    There are many more, but it''s up to us to make effective use of them.

    Viel had modified the dungeon to make it wider to obtain more diverse materials, but I made some more changes to it to make it more interesting.

    I''ll talk more about that later.

    Next, I''ll talk more about the architecture.

    The centerpiece of this project is the main house where I sleep and wake up.

    At first we called it a mansion or something like that, but as the other buildings got in disarray, we started calling it the main house for distinction.

    Me, the owner of the farm, and his wife, Prati, are sleeping and waking up in it.

    There are also rooms for the demonic duo Batty and Verena, the mermaid trio Puffa, Lamp-Eye, and Gala Rufa in a section that was added to later.

    Batty''s workshop in charge of clothing is also there.

    Also, we kept the room where Demon King Zedan and his wife used to sleep in.

    I''m still saving it so that they can stay there when they come to visit.

    In addition, the monster tenement where the monster team lives is right next door.

    The monster team had been increased from ten to a hundred people, so the size of the tenement house had been increased considerably.

    When they aren''t working, they can be found training in their rooms, playing games together, or growing potted plants of their own accord.

    It''s cultural.

    I tried to build a bed for the elves, who are the biggest new faces in the world, but they refused.

    I backed off for the moment, saying that as forest folk, they have a pride in not sleeping under a roof.

    Normally, they slept in the workshop or rested in their hammocks spread out in the forest.

    But eventually I started to notice the cute pajamas that Prathi and the others were wearing.

    ''We want to wear something cute like that ourselves! I barged in on Batty, who was in charge of clothing........

    ''Oh?¡¡You guys will be camped out and covered in mud for the night, though!

    He was adamantly refused to do so.

    They had no choice but to build their own hut on a suitable piece of land near the main house and sleep in it.

    You want to wear cute pajamas that badly...!

    The girls'' fashionable spirit won out over the pride of their race.

    Incidentally, the hut that the elves built was in the style of a log cabin.

    As far as housing is concerned, it looks like that, but of course there are other buildings that were built for other purposes as well.

    The best example of this is the mermaid team''s brewery.

    Fermented foods such as miso, soy sauce and pickles are made here.

    This is the sole province of mermaids who use pharmaceutical magic.

    Apart from me, the oldest person on our farm is a platy, so this brewery is also a very early facility.

    It''s been a real pleasure to work with you.

    Thanks to Prati and the brewery, I was able to get a taste of home again relatively quickly.

    There''s also a larder to store the crops I''ve harvested and the meat I''ve hunted in the dungeon.

    The temperature inside is kept low with medicinal magic, so it''s truly like a giant refrigerator.

    We went to a lot of trouble to make it as large as the main house when we built it, and it was a really good decision.

    We''ve managed to fit in fields, dungeons, and a lot of food from the sea.

    We were able to get through the winter with ease because we were able to store a large amount of food reserves in this pantry.

    We''ve been managing it as usual, but with the addition of former bandit elves to the residents, the idea of beefing up security was brought up.

    As for me, I didn''t want to suspect the people I live with, but as a precaution, Lamprey had set a trap potion to prevent intrusion, and the elves had been successfully caught and blown up.

    When he caught them and listened to what they had to say, he was hungry and wanted to pick at them.

    In addition, a brewery managed by Gala Rufa.

    The brewery, which has recently succeeded in producing beer, is expected to attract the most attention this year.

    Drinking makes life richer, but let''s keep it tightly controlled, as they say, drink but don''t be drunk.

    Gala Rufa is still very motivated. They want to establish a mass production system for beer and also try to make other kinds of alcohol.

    We''ve got rice, so I''m sure we can make sake and shochu too. What do they make whiskey and vodka from?

    Wine is still far away. Because we don''t produce grapes, let alone fruits to use as ingredients for wine.

    .....

    Huh.

    That''s coming to an end soon, though.

    There''s also a chicken coop for Yoshamo, a chicken-shaped monster that lays healthy eggs every morning, and a silkworm room where you can keep a silkworm that spits out vigorous silk.

    If you look at it in detail, you''ll see that there are a lot of facilities that have been built again.

    It is hard to count them.

    There are various kinds of kilns to cook, to make pottery, and to bake charcoal, too.

    The toilets made from starfish are now a familiar sight. ...Oh, and since I learned to make pottery, I fired the toilet bowl and changed it to a western style!¡¡This is a big hit with everyone!

    And then... and then...!

    ...Oh.

    Speaking of which.

    You haven''t made the bath yet?

    What a surprise!

    I was so focused on the rice paddies and the pottery kiln that I forgot about it.

    Okay, I think I''ve set a goal for this year.

    I''m going to make a bath this year!

 106-105 Dungeon Orchard

    I offered a rice ball to the shrine dedicated to the god Hephaistos (I didn''t know the ritual etiquette of this world, so I made it on my own), and gave a pang-pang, two bows, two claps and one bow.

    I''m able to live well in another world thanks to the ''supreme bearer'' that the gods gave me. Please continue to watch over me warmly.

    Thanksgiving to God is over and it''s spring once again.

    A new year.

    Let''s live hard this year!

    "[Oohhhh!]

    The residents and I confirmed our commitment to each other, and then it was time to get to work.

    We resumed the work that had been interrupted for the winter.

    After giving the fields a breath of fresh air, I asked Gobkichi and the others to take care of things, and I headed to the dungeon.

    This is the mountain dungeon controlled by Veerle.

    * * * *

    In the mountain dungeon, there was a Veerle, as it should be.

    While the farm was exposed to the frigid cold, this guy was taking refuge in a temperature-controlled dungeon with one of them.

    ''''You son of a b*tc*,''''

    ''''Ouch!''''

    I kicked Veerle, who was coasting in the dungeon.

    I''m not sure if I''d feel comfortable being violent in my normal girl mode, but in my dragon form, I can kick him as many times as I want.

    ''Ouch, ouch!¡¡What are you doing, Master!¡¡Is this how you treat your wife?

    Shut up.

    Take refuge from the winter by yourself.

    It''s already springtime. Stop hibernating, dragon.

    Are you sure it''s already spring?¡¡If you''re stuck in a dungeon, I don''t know what it''s like out there.''

    That''s probably true too.

    A mountain dungeon ruled by the Veil. It''s a stagnant mana that has been dammed by nature''s flow, and its condensation has occurred by twisting time and space.

    It''s called a mountain dungeon because it was modeled after a mountain field and turned into a dungeon.

    As the name suggests, it is a labyrinth with the appearance of a deep mountain path or forest.

    They are not as large as they appear due to the twisting of time and space, and dungeons with masters like Veerle deliberately change their appearance according to the preferences and convenience of their masters.

    The same is true here in the mountain dungeon, and this section of the dungeon where Veerle is sleeping is enviable in the springtime sunshine.

    ''''........Spring area?''''

    At one point, Veerle remodeled the dungeon and divided the interior into five sections.

    In addition to the normal section, there are four other sections: spring area, summer area, autumn area and winter area.

    However, the main difference is in temperature and humidity, and it seems that the aim is to create a variety of monsters by differentiating such environments.

    However, Veerle seems to have used this to his advantage, coasting in the warm spring area during the cold winter months.

    I was pissed off, so I kicked him once more.

    ''Ouch!¡¡God, you''re so mean to your master!

    As if to escape my kick, Veerle changed into the human form of a pretty girl.

    Tsk, I can''t kick her now.

    ''Well, spring came along and I thought I''d get my farming job back on track. So here I am.

    Oh, you mean that thing you were talking about?¡¡Then you''ve been coming by every so often in the winter, haven''t you?

    We''ll get right into it. Anyway, I need a guide and an escort.

    Veerle is the master of this dungeon, so if I have her with me, there''s no need to worry about being attacked by monsters.

    So I had a plan going on in this dungeon.

    That is.........

    Plan to turn Veerle''s Mountain Dungeon into an orchard!

    When I first visited the converted dungeon, I thought to myself as I looked at the areas divided by various temperatures and humidity.

    I wondered if I could take advantage of this difference in environment to efficiently grow a variety of crops.

    And.

    I''ve heard that there are some crops that require strict environmental management, and there are many cases of them being ruined by long summer rains and cold winter weather.

    However, if you are in a dungeon, you can manage the environment in a pseudo-space distorted by mana, and you don''t need to be scared of sudden and unusual weather.

    It''s a mountain dungeon, so you''ll get sunshine too, for one thing. That''s the biggest difference between it and Sensei''s cave dungeon.

    But at the same time, the mountain dungeon also had a disadvantage for farming.

    That''s because it''s a mountain.

    There wasn''t much flat land to use for rice fields and rice paddies, or even none at all.

    So I thought of a way to turn a mountain slope into farmland.

    Trees.

    Trees can take root and grow on a slope.

    Fruits are the only thing that can grow on trees.

    I remembered that I hadn''t worked on fruit until then, so I took the opportunity to try my hand at growing an orchard.

    The owner of the dungeon, Veerle, agreed to the challenge as long as I could eat something tasty.

    And so, before the previous winter, we planted the seedlings of fruit trees that had sprouted in the "Supreme Bearer" in each seasonal area of the mountain dungeon.

    I also painstakingly spread Hyper Fish Manure, but still, they were trees.

    No matter how we tried to promote the growth of the trees, we couldn''t get the result so quickly.

    So we investigated the results of the winter.

    The result was.....

    Oh, it''s growing!

    In the spring aria, peaches and cherries.

    In the summer area, tropical fruits such as papaya and mangoes.

    In the autumn area, grapes, pears, dawn, persimmons and chestnuts.

    In the winter area, there are apples and tangerines.

    It was a good idea to plant different types of fruit for different areas.

    I was hesitant to grow tropical plants on the farm, especially since they would need constant heat to grow.

    In the summer area of the Everlasting Mountain Dungeon, it''s always hot and humid, so it''s not a problem.

    Now that we have fruit, the repertoire of dishes will be more colorful.

    ''''Is it true, master!?''''

    As soon as I mentioned food, it was Veerle, whose eyes lit up at the mention of food.

    Now, I want you to make something tasty out of these nuts that are lying around.¡¡It would have been delicious to eat it as it was, but I was holding back because I thought it would be even better if master cooked it!

    ''No, don''t eat it.''

    We''re going to save the fruit we grow here and consume it systematically with everyone else.

    Once it''s harvested, the total amount has to be calculated, and we have to make sure we calculate a firm amount that will be distributed to everyone and equalized.

    So don''t just rip it off and eat it without permission before harvesting it, okay?

    Once again, don''t eat it without permission, okay?

    Oh, oh, I know!¡¡It''s not me who can''t keep my word!¡¡I''m a smart guy!¡¡It''s not the same as being a doggie!

    Don''t bother comparing it to a dog.

    * * * *

    Later.

    Veerle was found in agony after eating an astringent persimmon.

    Stealing, of course.

    As a bonus, it was a patrolling Porgy (a wolf-shaped monster, hyricaon) who discovered it and informed me.

    Viel is really an idiot.

 107-106 Weird

    Thus, some time after the spring farm work resumed, I was consulted by Gov.

    ''Work in the fields is progressing,''

    Hmm?

    Again. Gov. Kichi consulted me.

    ''Work in the field is progressing faster than I expected.

    Hmm?

    What''s the problem with that?

    The Goblin team led by Gobukichi is now a large team of five teams of fifty, with five old Brave Goblins and nine subordinates each.

    Even though they are the same monsters, they are smaller and more dexterous than the orcs, so they are mainly entrusted with the management of the fields.

    Their main duties include plucking weeds, exterminating pests, and checking the crops for diseases.

    It''s not only a simple job, but one that requires daily continual effort.

    The goblin team is responsible for that. And the leader of the team, Gobukichi, is the backbone of our farm.

    And yet.....

    ''Sorry?¡¡Can you say that again?

    ''I''m having trouble making too much progress in the field,''

    Is this bragging in the guise of a consultation?

    Is it a boast that says, "I''m too talented to be in trouble..."?

    My indignation might have been evident on his face, but Gobukichi hurriedly excused himself.

    ''''It''s not true!¡¡You need to hear the details!

    Oh?

    Gov. Gov. Kichi told me specifically what happened in the field and told me.

    * * * *.

    For example, one morning.

    Govkichi and his friends were out in the field that day, trying to do some more work in the fields.

    The first task of the day was to weed.

    Weeding is important.

    If weeds with strong vitality are left unchecked, they will suck up all the nutrients from the soil and prevent them from reaching the essential crops.

    The soil on our farm is strengthened with hyper-fish manure, which means that the weeds grow thicker and thicker, so we need to be extra careful.

    So that day, Gobukichi and his friends were about to start the insatiable struggle against the weeds.

    The battle was already over.

    It is said that the weeds that had been pulled out of the ground were piled up in a heap by the side of the field, which was now clean except for the crops.

    * * * *

    You mean to tell me that somebody choked on the weeds before you guys got to work?

    I couldn''t think of anything else to do.¡¡In the meantime, I have checked with Lord Oakbo and Lord Elon before consulting with my lord.

    But neither the orc team nor the elf team said that no one picked the weeds on their own.

    ''You''re taking away another department''s work, you know. I don''t even think there''s anyone under Orcbo or Elon who would tear up that kind of side paper...''''

    ''And this didn''t just happen once, it happened often. There were sick leaves to be thinned out, pests to be crushed...!

    What?

    ''I looked into it to be sure, but there was no mention of the crop itself. I didn''t see any mention of the odd vegetable slop, or the Sen...

    To atone for the sin of stealing vegetables, or at least get rid of the weeds?

    Yes, it''s a half-heartedly conscientious drudge, but the fact that it''s not touched by the crop doesn''t make it any less so, does it?

    It''s strange, indeed. And creepy...

    Is that what Gov. Gov. Kichi meant when he said he was baffled by the progress of his work?

    It''s true that some people would be happy if their work was finished without them knowing it, but it would also be creepy.

    ''We set our day''s plans and get to work. But if we suddenly stopped working on the same day, we would be left with no time to spare.

    You''re so serious, Gobbledygook.

    I can''t believe you''re baffled and not happy that you''re free.

    ''All right. I''ll be the master of the farm, and I''ll try to solve this mystery!

    My lord!

    This is how I ended up finding the mysterious field agent.

    * * * *

    So, I took the following measures.

    "Ambush.

    Night.

    Gov. Gov. Kichi, hiding by the side of the field with me, said.

    It was already pitch black around us and visibility was unreliable.

    ''The killer....''

    In this case, I''m not sure if I can call the target a criminal.

    I mean, in this fantasy world, it''s not easy to determine if it''s a person or not.

    Anyway, whoever is doing this has a head start on your work at midnight when everyone is asleep, right?

    Yes, that''s why you won''t see someone working on the scene, and it''s usually in the morning when you notice it.

    Then the most effective thing to do would be to ambush them in the middle of the night and capture the scene of their appearance. I know you''re sleepy, but I''ll do my best to stay awake!

    Munchy...

    Gobukichi is asleep already!

    A child?

    What can I do? This guy is also the leader of the Goblin team and he''s working hard every day.

    It''s a pity that he has to stay up all night on top of that. Let him sleep until things happen.

    "...hmm?

    And then something happened quickly.

    A fallow plot of a field, unplanted with crops. The earth-colored ground rose and something crawled out of the ground.

    (Haaaaaaahhhh!)

    The slightly horrifying turn of events makes me woodsy the screams in my mouth too.

    I covered my mouth, not wanting to be noticed.

    However, the one who crawled out of the dirt wasn''t some kind of zombie or muddy boy, like in a horror movie.

    It was just a little girl.

    "Hmm?

    However, I could tell at a glance that they were neither the human race nor the demon race.

    They are too small to be of the human race, and are only about the height of a medium-sized dog at best. They are very colorful, dragging their hair much longer than their own height, and their hair is green or blue.

    A child like that?¡¡.... but not one, crawling out of the earth, Walla Walla. One after another, many of them crawling out of the ground.

    Depending on how you look at it, it''s still a horror story.

    When the number of girls who came crawling out of the ground reached a certain level, they looked out for each other and thanked each other, as if to say "Let''s have a good day.

    And then, "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! And then they got into the spirit and scattered in all directions.

    And what the girls did was to weed out the weeds in the field.

    This is now confirmed. There''s no doubt about it.

    ''The current crime!''

    I jumped out of my hiding place.

    ""AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    The girls noticed it and went right and left.

    They tried to run away, but they didn''t know where to run to, and after running in the dark, some even hit each other''s foreheads and sank to a roaring halt.

    ''''Uh-hyah!¡¡Morning?¡¡Already in the morning!

    And Gobukichi, who had been smiling, woke up to this commotion.

    What is this cute.

 108-107 Field Midget

    The number of little girls caught in this way rose to nearly thirty.

    .........

    The letters don''t look like a crime.

    A girl is a girl, but she''s a girl who crawled out of the ground.

    There must be some kind of fantasy-like setting. I hope so. Otherwise, my brain can''t process it all.

    "So what are you guys?

    I ask the girls sitting in front of me.

    Behind them, Gobbledygookichi was paddling his boat in a daze.

    You can go back to sleep now. You''re tired from your day job, aren''t you?

    We are the spirits of the earth.

    "Law.

    Spirit of the Earth.

    Oh, thank God!¡¡I''m so glad there was a fantasy setting that looked like it!

    ''An earth spirit?¡¡How could a spirit appear in such a distinct form?

    It''s a bit of a stretch, isn''t it?

    Wow, what a surprise!

    Next thing you know, Prathi, Bati and a whole bunch of other people have gathered around!

    Why, I thought you were all asleep!

    We thought we''d come out to see what all the commotion was about. ...Wow, that really isn''t a genie. I''ve never seen one in the flesh before.

    ''Me too. I''ve heard about spirits materializing, but... I didn''t half believe it until today...!

    Huh?¡¡What?

    Does everyone know about these kids?

    If you know of any, I''d love to hear about it.

    Also, Gobbledygookichi has completely gone to sleep, so someone should carry him in the futon.

    ''Spirits are a generic term for spiritual beings that are directly related to nature. Their job is to maintain the health of nature. They are the relatives of the Dark God Hades-sama.

    Oh, that bearded god.........

    It is said that the Earth Spirit is the family of the God of Hades and the Sea Spirit is the family of the God of Poseidon. Both are indispensable to the operation of nature. Normally, they should be blended in with the mana and should not be able to be seen or touched...

    Can you see and touch it?

    And I patted the heads of the girls, who turned out to be spirits, with a pat on the head.

    For some reason, I got a beating from Prathi.

    ''Body touch!¡¡It''s too natural to touch!

    Sorry.

    Should I restrain myself?¡¡Let''s be careful.

    ''Anyway, do you mean that spirits are usually in spirit form and have no substance?¡¡If that''s the case, then there''s a reason why there''s an entity like this now, right?

    Furthermore, why those spirits even materialized to help us work the fields is even more of a mystery.

    To find out what''s going on here, you''ll need a statement from the person who said it.

    We''re going to...

    After urging patiently, one of the spirits finally spoke.

    ''''With the blessing of the Underworld God, so that you can materialize.......''''

    Blessings of the Dark Gods?

    Oh, that''s it!

    Prati seemed to have noticed something.

    ''When you summoned Hades, the god of the underworld, before, you said something and gave this land a blessing!¡¡Like a bumper crop or something!

    ''''Come to think of it, you said something like that...?

    Then that''s why the earth spirit materialized and appeared.

    ''''We''ve received the power of the Underworld God and the Earth Mother God, and we''re pa-appu!

    The spirits in the form of little girls say.

    ''''Little by little, I''ve learned to use my powers, and after a winter, I''ve finally been able to materialize. Ladies and gentlemen, we have opened up this empty land and it is buzzing with a lot of life living and dying. I''m very happy!

    ''So I want to thank you. Would you be pleased if I helped you with your chores?¡¡I thought so!

    That''s why...!

    I''m about to burst into tears for my healthiness.

    ''You should have said so from the beginning!¡¡We''re just glad you''re feeling it...!

    I was scared.

    I was too scared to be seen in person.

    Why not?

    You don''t need to worry about that. You''re the genies that make the plants grow and fatten the soil, right?¡¡That''s good enough for me.

    And I picked up one of the spirits in a hug.

    ''Another too natural body touch!'' Prathi hit me.

    ''Not so fast!

    God''s blessings were given to us to be of service to you, so we must be of service to you!

    We, who have materialized by the power of God, are a blessing!

    What''s that end?

    But this is a problem.

    As much as I''d like to leave the field work to them, that would clash with the Goblin Team''s work, and I''d need to have a detailed meeting with them.

    To be honest, I''m not sure the spirits would be smart enough to understand that, and it would put a burden on Gobukichi.

    But the spirits are looking directly at me with sparkling eyes, wanting to meet my expectations.

    This works.

    I can''t say "No thanks" to such pure eyes and cloud them with disappointment!

    Okay!

    Let''s give the gobbler a hard time here!

    "Wait a minute.

    Then Prathi interrupted him.

    I''ve got a better idea.

 109-108 Spirit Maid

    In the world I was in before, they had a saying that a maid must clean her room like a fairy living in it.

    I don''t know the details because it''s a foreign country.

    What''s that mind of yours?¡¡Apparently that means that fairies are invisible to people, so in the same way, maids should not let their masters or guests see them doing their jobs.

    Cleaning and tidying up is unseemly. It''s probably out of consideration that it''s preferable not to show it to people of a certain status or higher.

    However.

    I didn''t expect to come to this other world and be made to be a maid "by a fairy" rather than "like a fairy".

    Well, to be precise, she''s a spirit.

    * * * *

    I need help with my chores!

    And it was Prati who said that first.

    ''''It''s good that you built the mansion, but I was worried about its lack of management...!

    We need to take care of the house, of course.

    Cleaning, laundry, and repairing things when something is broken.

    Up until now, such things were done by everyone taking turns, but since everyone had their own main job, it was difficult to give them enough attention.

    The idea of wanting a full-time housekeeper would be unique to Prati, who was originally mermaid royalty.

    ''''So..., let''s get them...''''

    I look at the little earth spirits as if they were children.

    They look completely childlike, but they seem to be fine adults in that form to begin with.

    ''''Those kids want to work and be useful to their husbands, don''t they? And working in the fields is going to be batting with Gobukichi-chan and the others!

    That''s true, but....

    What about making decisions on your own just for our convenience?¡¡The spirits have the will of the spirits as well....

    ''''Banji, o-okay!

    I agree.

    They appear to be about the size of a schoolboy, but their fists are clenched tightly.

    "If I can be of service to the saints, I''m good at any job!

    We''re going to do our job!¡¡If you don''t do your job, your life isn''t worth living!¡¡I need a job!¡¡Work!

    It''s something he doesn''t want a certain segment of the world I was in before to hear, or at least wants them to hear.

    But you''re sure?¡¡You''re the spirits of the earth, aren''t you?¡¡Even if it''s inside the house, working in a place that isn''t in direct contact with the ground...?

    You''re safe!¡¡There is no such bindings!

    Our saint overestimates the quality of our lives!

    Okay.

    Sorry.

    ''So why did you start out working in the fields?¡¡And you''re just trying to keep us from finding out?

    You make a move without them knowing it. That''s the trend for us in the spirit world!

    I see.

    What are these guys talking about?

    You sound like a true shoemaker''s midget.

    However, it''s clear that Prathi is right, we need someone who can manage the mansion as their main business.

    At first I thought about asking the Demon King to send a butler or a maid, but.......

    ''''..........!

    I can''t help it if the spirits look at me like I''m clinging to them.

    ''Permission.''

    I lost my patience.

    * * * *

    Thus, a new addition to our farm.

    Or perhaps it''s fair to say they were there from the beginning.

    They were the spirits of the earth.

    They looked like little girls, materialized by the Blessing of the Earth Mother, but they were small like children. They were small like children, or rather, they were only about a medium-sized dog in length.

    Therefore, it might be more accurate to describe them as dwarfs rather than children.

    Such spirits are running around in my mansion today as well.

    ''''It''s time to clean up!

    Cleaning up.

    He looks like he''s playing, but he''s doing his job well.

    To test it out, I traced a corner of the room with my fingertips, anywhere, and I looked at those fingertips.

    ''''There''s not a speck of dust...!

    Excellent.

    The Earth Spirits were super talented workers, despite their young appearance.

    It was in the middle of the night when he first saw them in existence, but now they usually worked during the day.

    He would crawl out of the dirt in the morning, go into the mansion and clean it, and then go back into the dirt in the evening when the work was all done.

    I thought he was nocturnal because he worked at night....

    ''''Isn''t it?''''

    ''You worked at night so that the residents wouldn''t find out?

    That''s the genie''s pie?

    You''re proud of yourself.

    I see.

    But even if he''s not as old as he looks, when the words "working at night" come out of the mouth of such a small child.......

    .........a sense of immorality, or rather lewdness.

    ''''Since there are a number of spirits, it''s nice to be able to make progress with my work.

    And Prathi is very happy with it.

    In fact, there are five dwarf girls in front of me right now, and a few others running around the mansion.

    Some of them have tatasers, others have brooms.

    They were made by me, the elves and others in response to a request, though.

    That''s not the only thing they are equipped with........

    ''Why are you wearing a maid''s uniform?''

    The spirit girls were in maids.

    Maids.

    All men love them (maybe).

    Lolita spirits are wearing maid outfits. I''m sure they weren''t wearing them at first.

    Genies have the ability to change their specifications?

    Batty made it for you.

    But it was usually that clothing nerd who did it.

    He said, "''What about the girls who work in the mansion and don''t wear maid outfits! He was mass-producing maid outfits at a furious pace while saying, "I''m not going to let the girls who work at the mansion wear maid outfits! Suspend the orders from Okubo-chan and Elon.

    I''m not so sure about that.

    ''But doesn''t that make the mansion more glamorous?¡¡I knew a mansion with a maid in it wouldn''t shine as brightly.

    Indeed.

    My mansion with the Lolita maids that were born out of the care of such various humans.

    I don''t feel like losing.

    I don''t even want to fight anyone, though.

    ''''Thank you, Saint-sama!

    I love you, pretty baby!

    And the spirits are very popular with them.

    When they finished their work, they would take off their maids'' clothes and fold them up properly before returning to the earth.

    Then the next morning, they crawl out of the ground, put on their maid''s clothes and go to work again.

    But if you work so hard, I''d like to reward you with something...!

    Trust and punishment are not to be neglected in using people.

    I want to reward the work of the spirits with the things they deserve.

    I thought the spirits would be reluctant to do what they did because they paid for their own work.

    "Butter!

    ''I want butter!''

    He demanded vigorously.

    I heard that butter is the favorite food of earth spirits and fairies. Even in the demon country, a piece of butter or a piece of fairy clothes is the price for the occasional fairy who helps out in the countryside.

    Well, if it''s clothes, Batty''s already doing it.

    Then there''s definitely butter.

    I''d like to give the spirits what they want, but butter is hard.

    Butter is hard to find.

    Because we don''t have any.

 110-109 Any milk

    Butter is a type of dairy product.

    So it''s milk.

    Cow''s milk.

    Milk is used as an ingredient in a variety of foods, and it appears in many different forms and names in cooking.

    Butter, cheese, cream, yogurt.

    It is an ingredient that I would love to introduce, but to this day, it has not been realized.

    Why?

    It''s not that we were deliberately putting it off.

    I''ve been looking for opportunities to get some of the same ingredients as other ingredients, but I haven''t been able to find them until today.

    Milk, for example, comes from the cow, and that''s why it''s called milk.

    That''s why it''s called milk.

    I once searched for a cow-shaped monster that could produce milk, following the example of the chicken-shaped monster, Yoshamo, which lays eggs, but I never found one.

    We tried to see if we could import ready-made milk from the land of demons or mermaids, but the conclusion was not good.

    First, they wanted to import the milk itself.

    Milk, which is just a fast-footed product, would soon go bad in this world where the technology for food preservation is still in its infancy.

    Otherwise, the only way to transport it from the demon country to here is through transfer magic, but the only person who can use the transfer point set up in my settlement is the Demon King who knows the coordinate code.

    Are you going to have the Demon King-san transport the milk directly to you?¡¡You''re not being rude?¡¡And then it was a natural stand-off.

    No consignment of giving the coordinate code to a reasonable vendor.

    In the Demon Kingdom, the means of transportation to my farm, or rather its existence itself, is treated as a top secret, and it''s out of the question for me to inform the general merchants.

    Even if they did, there''s no way an ordinary dairy farmer could use high-level transference magic.

    By the way, the request to the Mermaid Country side was rejected at the stage of conception.

    Instead, I got a lot of oysters called ''Milk of the Sea'' from Prince Arowana.

    I ate them raw, but fortunately they didn''t hit me.

    They were delicious.

    But it didn''t contribute in any way to the progress of the situation.

    So, to this day, no milk has been brought to my farm.

    But now it''s time to get serious about it...!

    The spirits begged us for butter, and that was a good start.

    We''ll get our milk from this, no matter what!

    ''''No, we''re going to get a dairy cow to achieve a constant supply of milk!

    ""Oooooohhhh!"

    Applause rang out from around me at my decision.

    ''Butter!¡¡Butter!

    ''''Bata-tat-tat-tat-tat!''''

    Even the spirits who sincerely wanted butter were excited with joy.

    Well.

    So how shall we get the milk cow?

    I''m a determined but no-plan guy.

    No, as a matter of fact, I''m not without ideas.

    There is one thing I have in mind.

    ''''How about we ask the Demon King to send us a milk cow...?

    If you can''t bring in the milk, just bring in the milk cows that are the source of the milk.

    I''ve heard that the demon kingdom is also engaged in animal husbandry and grazing, so if we pay a reasonable price, the top demon king of the demon tribe will make some kind of arrangement for us.

    ''''Wait a minute, sir?''''

    Then Prati spoke up.........

    ''I don''t care what kind of milk you have, right?''

    What?

    He said something bareheaded.

    What is that extremely misleading statement?

    It''s a stereotype that milk comes from a cow...!

    Originally, milk comes from any mammal, any creature.

    It was just chosen as an industry because cow''s milk was the most efficient in terms of quantity and quality at one time among them.

    I heard that in the world I used to live in, there were also goat''s milk and horse''s milk other than milk.

    I''ve heard that in my former world there were also goat''s milk and horse''s milk in addition to milk.¡¡So that''s it!

    In that spirit, if we go through all the monsters in the dungeon again, maybe we''ll find a monster that isn''t a cow but produces good milk!

    ''''That''s right mister!¡¡Only, I''ve already got my eye on Attah!

    What?

    What a piece of work you''re doing, Platy!

    So let''s go immediately to find an unknown creature that might produce delicious milk!

    The idea of having the Demon King sell us a milk cow disappeared in a haze before I knew it.

    * * * *

    So, Mr. Veal.

    Huh?

    ''Please give me milk!''

    The person to whom Prathi bowed and asked was our companion, Veerle the dragon.

    But now she was eating and sleeping in her human form.

    "...Master, has this stupid mermaid finally lost her mind?

    It''s not...

    .... although I''d like to think so.

    I can''t help it...

    ''What are you talking about?¡¡I know!¡¡I mean, I finally tracked it down!

    What?

    The milk is drawn from the dragon. It''s called dragon''s milk, and it''s the best milk in the world!

    "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    I didn''t know that at all.

    I mean, do dragons produce milk?

    They''re not mammals because only mammals produce milk?

    ''''........Dragon milk is one of the best delicacies in the world and is coveted by gastronomic enthusiasts around the world. If your husband cooked it, it would be a super delicious dish that would make you die just by eating it!

    A buy-in.

    However, it''s true that anything that comes from a dragon''s body would be considered a super high quality product.

    Then what if it was possible to really milk a dragon?

    Not only would it taste incomparably better than ordinary milk, but with one lick it would make you immortal, turn you into a body of steel that is impervious to any weapon, double or triple all the parameters....

    ''''Veerle.''''

    ''Oh, and tell this jerk from your master...''

    Do me a favor and give me some milk.

    ''Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?''

    I''m suddenly curious.

    It''s the fantastic dragon''s milk that comes from dragons. I want to try a sip!

    I''m going to worship with Plati!

    Please, Veerle!¡¡Can you give me your milk?

    If you can take human form, don''t you think you can milk it?

    Yes!¡¡That human form of Anata''s, as rolling as the plains and ironclad as if it were there or not...!

    Flat.

    Viel''s.....

    I''m sorry.

    Don''t apologize!

    I can''t do it.

    It''s not possible to milk a Veerle.

    Perhaps there are dragons that can milk a dragon, but that doesn''t include Veerle.

    The guesswork was off and the conversation went back to square one.

 111-110 Breast Race

    ''What?¡¡Did you really just run into Veerle?

    It was the elf, Elon, who later heard the story and rolled his eyes in bewilderment.

    Apparently, Prathi had found out about the dragon''s milk from her as a source of information.

    ''It''s a legendary drink among the elves. The ancestors of the elves drank the dragon''s milk to gain the power of the High Pole and defeated the demon king of the time.''

    It''s that kind of drink.

    ''I wonder if she''s going to get some dragon''s milk out of her now that she knows about Veerle?¡¡And it was just small talk, but I didn''t think you''d take it seriously...!

    Prathi is that kind of girl.

    Incidentally, Veer jumped out crying after the bewildering exchange.

    ''If you want milk that badly, I''ll get you a superb one!

    !" he ranted.

    Six days have passed since then. She hadn''t come home once.

    She hasn''t returned to the mountain dungeon where she is based. It''s completely unknown where she went.

    But even so, we are not worried about her at all, which is why she is the strongest species.

    It is said that dragon''s milk is a legendary drink, and whether it exists or not is unknown. That''s right, when you have an actual dragon in front of you and can talk to it, it''s understandable that you''d want to try it out, but...

    It was nothing more than the product of f*cking courage.

    When I thought about it in a calm and collected manner, there''s no way that Veerle would be able to cover the cost of a farm for one or two people, but there''s no way I''m going to be able to do it all by myself to cover the cost of a farm with more than a hundred people now.

    No, if I were to return to dragon form and use that huge body, or...?

    No.

    What can I say to you anyway, emotionally?

    I can''t do it either. It''s the same level as Soma and Nectar. I''m afraid that if you start consuming that kind of thing on a regular basis, you won''t be able to drink normal milk anymore...!

    Some people have that opinion.

    That''s why I rejected the dragon''s milk after all.

    But I don''t have any other options. What should I do?

    Should I expand the range to include other creatures other than cows, and try to find monsters that can produce milk?

    ''No. You have connections in the Devil''s Land, don''t you?¡¡Sending a whole milk cow...?

    Aileron, the idea is, you know, it''s already out there.

    ''You were rejected. What''s the matter with you?

    No, no.

    .........just as they were having an endless conversation.

    Veerle came back.

    * * * *

    Veerle was in dragon form and also had a basket hanging from his hand.

    Even though it''s a basket, it''s large enough to fit a giant dragon, so big that it could be mistaken for a ship or something from our perspective.

    "Master, I brought it back!

    ''Brought back what?''

    As usual, Veerle''s voice in dragon form is louder and more boisterous than it should be.

    ''''Naturally, it''s a creature that produces milk!

    Saying this, Veerle placed the basket he was holding on the ground.

    It''s a rather polite action for him.

    Are you sure there is a creature in that basket?

    "Here we are. This is where you live from now on!¡¡Go ahead and come out!

    The cage began to creep out from inside, perhaps in obedience to Veerle''s voice.

    The basket looked like it was woven of reeds or straw, a true basket!¡¡But the fact that it''s so huge just feels strange.

    The fact that it is moving around is.... Is something trying to climb up on it?

    From the inside?

    And the one who emerged from the edge of the basket was an unremarkable person.

    ''''A person!''''

    No, it wasn''t nothing out of the ordinary.

    The person that came out of the basket had horns growing out of its head.

    They were horns with a curved, craggy surface.

    At this point, it was no longer a nondescript person.

    And a beautiful woman.

    Not one, but a number of women had clambered out of the cage, all of them young and beautiful without exception.

    Who on earth is this?

    Who are you?

    That can''t be..., satyr!

    Aileron, who was out front with me, seems to know something about it.

    It''s a type of beastman. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with the help of a few of your friends. ...one more thing.

    ?

    Aileron abruptly choked on his words there.

    And he blushed.

    ''Satyr women ... are delicious with an abundance of milk,''

    Nanny.

    What did you say?

    ''Well, that solves the milk problem, master!¡¡Now, praise this viel!¡¡And you will be the first to feed me a delicious meal made from milk!

    ''''You bacar!''''

    He unintentionally flew to the eye level of the dragon form Veerle with a huge jump. Then I hit him with the force of a tsukimi.

    ''''No matter how much milk you want!¡¡You can''t just kidnap a bunch of strangers without permission!¡¡These people have their own lives to live!¡¡And human rights!

    A bewildered satyr of the wind brought to a strange land?¡¡I run up to the three of them.

    ''Excuse me!¡¡My stupid dragon!¡¡I''m so sorry for acting so selfishly!¡¡I''ll be responsible for telling Veerle to send you guys back to where you came from!

    They must be very anxious to be brought to an unknown place all of a sudden.

    The idiot dragon''s behavior is that of its owner (?). It''s my fault.

    I must do everything in my power to apologize and make restitution!

    No, it''s not!

    Then a woman who seemed to be the oldest of the ten or so satyrs said.

    She''s a very mature and s*xy lady, and seems to be the representative of this group.

    "We went along with Master Veerle of our own volition!¡¡Master Veerle has saved my tribe from a crisis!¡¡I wanted to repay you for that, at least!

    What?

    So we''d rather ask you. Please let us stay in the land!¡¡And let me give a lot of tit for the people who live here!

 112-111 Good Dragon

    It is a record that reveals where Veerle was and what he was doing during the six days he was not seen.

    Veerle, who had been messed with so much by the dragon tit story, decided to get back at him.

    Then Veerle had a thought.

    If she could solve the milk problem that started the whole thing on her own, she would be able to look back at me and Prati.

    So Veerle first rushed into the cave dungeon where the teacher lived.

    ''Why did you go to the teacher?''

    That corpse-mobber has lived long enough to know most of what''s going on.

    Well, yes.

    Veerle, you''re answering me in a big way.

    You will find a lot of things that you need to know, such as whether you are a good candidate for the job or not, or whether you are a good candidate for the expression "no life king" or not.

    I heard about the satyr from the corpse monster. I heard that the milk they serve is really delicious.

    Having obtained this information, Veerle immediately went to the settlement in search of the satyr.

    Here we are.

    With the wings of a dragon, it is easy to move from one end of the world to the other.

    I found the satyr''s settlement just as the corpse-modo had told me, surrounded by steep mountains. It''s an alpine area surrounded by steep rocky mountains.

    It''s located in a place that ordinary humans and demons would be too steep to enter.

    This should be the survival strategy of the satyr, the beastman of the goats.

    By settling in a place where only the satyrs who can easily traverse even the steepest of cliffs can come and go, they are able to block out the invasion of other species.

    If anyone other than satyrs could easily enter such a difficult place, it would be a dragon.

    And then that dragon came.

    ''''........Um, wasn''t it confusing?''''

    I ask.

    I ask the seductive sister who represents the satyrs.

    It must have been terrifying to see a dragon on the scene.

    If I were to put myself in their shoes, I would panic at the mere thought of a fearsome creature flying in from the blue sky on a calm day.

    ''''Ha, I didn''t have to worry about that...''''

    Is that so?

    Because we were in a panic before Master Veerle arrived.

    ?

    As a matter of fact, the dragon was already here before I got here.

    And Veerle.

    Huh?

    Why?

    You''re the dragon, aren''t you?¡¡What''s this about a dragon that was here before you arrived?

    So another dragon was attacking those satyrs. Well, almost attacked them, if that''s accurate.

    The story started to drift in some unfamiliar direction.

    Another dragon before Veerle arrived?

    You were going to attack the satyrs?

    The satyr''s sister takes over the explanation and speaks.

    ''That dragon took the name Dalper, the Grintz dragon. He appeared a year before Master Veerle and demanded that we do this.

    --Offer up your treasured "Golden Goatskin

    And.

    ''Golden goatskin''?

    It is the treasure of our satyr tribe. It is said that the founder of our tribe brought it back from a foreign country after a great adventure. We cherish this treasure and have passed it down from generation to generation.

    Dalper, the Grintz Dragon, urged me to give it to him.

    ''Why on earth?''

    The same reason I sought the Sacred Sword.

    Veerle says.

    ''Do you remember the story of how my father, the Geyser Dragon, is putting his children through all sorts of trials to determine his successor?

    ''Oh, um...''

    Apparently, that was the ordeal Dalper was put through. Get the ''Golden Goatskin'' from the Satyrs and you''ll pass the first test.

    Do dragons have a habit of collecting treasures?

    The Satyrs were the first to refuse the request.

    The treasure was very important to the Satyrs, and in addition, Darpa''s request was too insolent and unreasonable.

    But the other party was a dragon.

    If they wanted to, they were a remote beast race. He could eradicate them in an instant.

    But Dalper didn''t take any frank steps.

    Taking advantage of the fact that the satyr settlements were surrounded by steep and precipitous terrain, they blocked off the few entrances and exits, cut off the water supply, and burned down the pastures used for raising livestock, slowly trapping the satyrs.

    The satyrs were so tormented that they had no choice but to give up their treasures, when Veerle appeared.

    --''''I am Veerle, the Grinzel Dragon!¡¡''My Lord, share your milk for Saint Kidan!

    Apparently, that was the first thing they complained about at the opening.

    The satyrs were weakening in the face of the far easier demand than the earlier Dalper.

    However, the satyrs, who were about to be killed by the Grinz Dragon, Darpa, were in no mood for that.

    In fact, even then, the settlement was on the brink of living or dying as their stockpile was running out.

    They have no milk to share with others when they themselves are in danger of starving to death.

    He tried to tell Veerle what happened and ask for his forgiveness, but Veerle was a dragon too. I''m not going to be able to say anything about it.

    --Then I''ll beat this Dalper guy to death. Now that he''s gone and the village is rich again, you''ll have plenty of milk to go around.

    Then Veerle really challenged Dalper and defeated him.

    It was a battle between two dragons, but it ended in a one-sided victory for Veerle.

    "Darper is just one of my frail brothers!¡¡A weak dragon that can be put to the lightest test as a tormentor of the beast race is not my enemy!

    Is that what you want?

    Your people, right?

    Anyway, after battering and dispersing Dalper, Veerle became a hero who saved the Satyrs.

    Everyone thanked him and praised him.

    ''Our clan owes Master Veerle a great debt of gratitude. To repay that debt, we wanted to grant Master Veerle''s humble request to you!

    At first Veerle had said he was happy to share his stockpile of milk with them, but after listening to them, they surmised that the farm was in need of a permanent milk production system.

    Then we decided to recruit volunteers and move to the farm where Master Veal lives. That''s how we came about!

    Along with the s*xy sister, about ten or so satyrs cheered in the affirmative.

    All of them were voracious young women........

    ....that.

    . a certain part of the body is remarkably remarkable.

    ''If you ask me, it was the saint who sent Lord Veerle down to us!¡¡To repay you for saving our family from danger, we will milk you to the best of our ability!

    I knew it!

    You''ll let yourselves out!

    Milk as a beverage and foodstuff!

    As much as I would like to rejoice that we''ve finally secured the stable production of milk that we''ve longed for!

    Really this.

    Is it really safe from a picture perspective!

 113-112 Life with milk

    A new resident has joined our farm.

    It''s a busy time for us, even though the spirits of the earth have joined us just recently.

    But it''s good to be busy.

    So, the Satyrs, the subject of this discussion.

    They are a type of beastman, half human, half goat.

    As if to prove it, they have a pair of curved horns on their heads, and a bushy white tail extending from their hips.

    They also have feet that are not human, but rather goat-like hooves, which apparently allow them to run up cliffs with ease.

    I mean, what is a beastman?¡¡What''s it like to be half human, half goat?¡¡I''ve been told that this is also the story of the No Life King''s teacher, who explained it to me.

    In the past, even before the time of the eagle was human, there was a legal magic used by the human race called ''magic to synthesize human and non-human creatures''. The ancestors of the beastmen we have now are all chimeras, created by this magic.

    He said.

    Why did you do that?¡¡I want to nod my head.

    ''''The main thing is to increase the strength for the anti-magic race. It''s a simple reinforcement if you combine it with a large and strong creature. However, it seems to be used in other ways as well.

    Skewed usage?

    It''s an unappetizing use of the term "synthesizing" with weak creatures and ridiculing their behavior. It was sometimes touted as punishment for sinners, but in most cases, slaves and prisoners of war were forcibly synthesized and made to look like a joke.

    ..........

    That''s why even now there are many beastmen who were derived from the human race. Satyrs are one of them. It is said that beastmen only inherit the advantages of the original creature. I heard that satyrs also have the ability to traverse bad roads of goats, and can also serve milk drinks whenever they want.

    It is said that such a wide variety of laudable chimera magic was abandoned and lost long before the time when the teacher lived as a human race.

    The satyrs who have moved to our farm are hard workers, as if such old stories were irrelevant at all.

    The satyr who represented the emigrants, a charming lady by the name of Panu, was quick to issue instructions and negotiate with them to establish their position on the farm.

    ''The saint is asking for milk and its processed products. We will provide for it ourselves, you can count on us!

    It was the next morning.

    When the ceramic jar was handed to me, filled to the brim with milk, I felt indescribable.

    It''s the milk I''ve been longing for.

    And yet....

    I''m not sure how I feel about it. I mean, I could tell I was flushed.

    However, the rest of the guys.....

    ''Yay!¡¡I can finally drink my milk!

    It''s the cornerstone of your health every morning!

    ''And it''s Satyr''s milk!¡¡That''s some high-end stuff!¡¡And even more freshly squeezed!

    ''''This farm''s grade is even more...!¡¡We''re eating more lavishly than royalty and aristocracy...!

    It was very well received and everyone was guzzling it.

    ..........

    Am I the only one who cares about it?

    Am I the only one who cares?¡¡Is this what you call a culture gap?

    Yeah, then I''ll take a shot at it too!

    "Gok gok gok gok gok gok gok gok gok gok gok gok gok...!

    It was super tasty.

    I''d go so far as to say that the milk I was drinking in my previous world wasn''t milk.

    What''s the difference?

    Quality?¡¡Because it''s freshly squeezed?

    Panu and the girls'' milk was very good, but that wasn''t the only thing they offered us.

    There are many dairy products that can be made from milk, such as cheese, butter and cream.

    She said that they could make them themselves.

    Dairy products are the most famous product of the Satyrs. We have developed various processing methods to trade with other species!

    They were an industrious tribe that did more than just sell milk!

    They begged me to make cauldrons and other cooking utensils, and I gave them room to work, and that became their area.

    They are said to work there day and night to produce cheese and butter.

    They had brought the seeds for making cheese with them from their hometown, and they were artisans who knew how to make it taste good.

    Cheese is also a so-called fermented food, so the mermaid group, which started out as a platy group, had already begun their joint research.

    ........I''m afraid that they are going to create a fantasy cheese that will increase your strength and quickness just by ingesting it.

    Furthermore, the earth spirits, who said they loved butter, also welcomed the satyr sisters who could make their favorite food.

    ''''Butter!''''

    I love you, butter!

    Spirits who love butter so much that they embrace the satyrs from which the former come out.

    The genie looks like a cute girl herself, so the combination of the big sister satyr and the girl....

    It made me feel like a mother and daughter, which made me feel warm and fuzzy.

    * * * *

    It''s a really nice place.

    The days passed as Panu and the others got used to living here.

    ''The food is good, the others are friendly and funny, and it''s really easy to live here. I''m so glad we took the plunge and moved here.

    I don''t mean to be rude, but are you sure you don''t want me to leave?

    I''m going to ask the question I''ve asked so many times before again.

    Moving to a new place should be a big decision.

    You have to throw away everything you''ve built up in the land you''ve been living in and start over from scratch.

    In our case, there were circumstances that forced us to do so.

    According to Panu''s account, her home settlement of Satyrs had been decimated by the tightening of the Darpah.

    Their food reserves were low, and they needed to cut back on their mouths in order to survive until the next harvest.

    That''s why Master Veerle''s suggestion was so well received. Thanks to him, we didn''t have to leave the village without a plan.

    Incidentally, when we heard what was going on, we allocated part of the farm''s stockpile to send it to the satyr settlement.

    They were pleased again.

    ''I really can''t thank you enough, Saints and Veerle. We intend to repay this favor with works.

    Well, you''ve done me a favor.

    ''But I am anxious. The favor I have received from the saint is too great. Will I be able to repay him for all my hard work?

    Don''t worry about it.

    ''So I thought. Not only did I want to work, but I wanted to give back to the saints with this body!

    ''Don''t worry about it!''

    The tone of his voice changed noticeably.

    ''''No, if I don''t, I don''t feel like I could ever repay you, Saint, even if it took me a lifetime to do so!¡¡Satyrs are also famous for their fertility, and please add me to the list of night attendants!

    ''''Don''t talk like there are lots of attendants like that!

    Just like her s*xy appearance, Panu was quite an aggressive sister.

    How could she be a carnivore, even though she was a goat beastman?

 114-113 Dragons Nest

    The Dragon Emperor''s Castle, the Geyser Dragon''s Nest, is a massive castle-type dungeon.

    A dungeon is usually created in a stagnant place where the flow of mana that travels around the world stops and stagnates, and the highly compressed mana twists and turns the space into a labyrinth.

    That is the original dungeon.

    However, in the Dragon Emperor''s Castle of Geyser Dragon, the space has been twisted and turned into an alien world by the power of the mana exerted by the Geyser Dragon himself, rather than natural mana.

    It was a genuine, Gaither Dragon-dominated castle.

    Moreover, its scale was far larger than the average naturally occurring dungeon. The scale alone would put it at the top of the world.

    Such an insane thing was not a gift of nature, but a single living thing. That''s exactly what dragons, one of the most feared creatures in the world, can do.

    It is the dragon among the most powerful dragons that reigns supreme. He is the strongest of the strong with the right to command all dragons and to punish them.

    The Geyser Dragon, also known as the Emperor Dragon.

    No one with life can kill the dragon emperor.

    * * * *

    Dalper, the Grintz Dragon, was the thirty-fourth son of Geyser Dragon.

    With one exception, all of the dragons inhabiting this world were the sons of Geyser Dragon.

    The only exception was the Geyser Dragon''s own person.

    The bastard sons of the Emperor Dragon, Grintz and Grinzel Dragons, were currently in the midst of a succession struggle for the position of the next Emperor Dragon.

    Each of the candidates for succession must take on the various tasks assigned to them and successfully complete them.

    If they failed to do so, they would be stripped of their successorships and never return.

    Dalper, the Grinz Dragon, trembled with fear as he approached his audience with his father, Geyser Dragon.

    The only person a dragon should fear in the world is the most powerful dragon of all dragons.

    The reason why Dalper was so fearful of an audience with his father was because he had returned home without fulfilling the ordeal he had been given.

    Each of the candidates for succession would be given a different ordeal.

    This ordeal is for that dragon, and this ordeal is for that dragon, and so on, and each of them is given a completely different challenge to see if they can overcome it.

    Dalper had failed his ordeal.

    In other words, he was in a predicament.

    It''s no wonder they were atrocious.

    The difficulty and level of difficulty of each ordeal varied widely, with some being yawningly easy and some even unattainable even with the all-powerfulness of a dragon.

    The fact that there is such a disparity in the difficulty of the trials is due to the whims of the Gaither Dragon, the organizer of the trials, but among them, it can be said that the trial given to Darpa is the easiest.

    All you have to do is get the treasure from an inferior race that is nothing special.

    When the ordeal was first handed down, Dalper jumped for joy.

    For it was as if success had been promised before it began.

    It was entirely up to luck what kind of test the successor candidates would be given, and Dalper, in other words, rejoiced at his good fortune.

    Some of the other candidates for succession had been asked to take on the No-Life King, the only threat that could stand against dragons, or to find out what no longer existed in the world.

    Dalper even thought he was one step ahead of the pack in the race for succession, since he was able to comfortably pass the gauntlet and move on to the next level despite those unlucky people.

    And yet, he failed.

    It was painful.

    ''''I assumed that I had won and relaxed too much.......!

    A sense of regret was swirling in Dalper''s chest.

    The other party was a type of beastman called a satyr, but as a dragon, Darpa, the humanoid creatures on earth are all the same in that they are dust that will die if you breathe on them.

    I could have attacked the village, killed them all in one fell swoop and then snatched the treasure from them, but since I received a simple ordeal, I felt the urge to playfully take a little time to attack them slowly.

    He didn''t crush them in one breath, but first he confronted them with his demands and when they refused, he took the strategy of blocking their path to the outside world, cutting off their supply and gradually starving them dry.

    I enjoyed watching my opponent gradually weaken and suffer.

    In addition to the treasure they wanted, they even made additional demands, such as ''give us the lives of all the children in the village while you''re at it,'' so that they would always refuse.

    When will they make a sound?

    When will they make a noise, throw away their dignity and pride, and come crying to us," he said, slowly torturing the satyrs as if he were strangling them with cotton.

    For an unusually long time, considering the fighting power of dragons.

    That was not good.

    I realized that I had failed the ordeal.

    And then I escaped back to Omoei Father Geyser Dragon.

    ''''But there''s still hope...!''''

    If he explained the peculiar circumstances under which he had failed the ordeal, the Geyser Dragon might be able to give him a favor and allow him to try the ordeal again.

    With that thought, Dalper squirmed before the Emperor Dragon.

    He waved his tongue in a desperate thought that his progress depended on this excuse.

    ''''........Therefore, I am confident that my failure was never due to my own carelessness or lack of strength!

    He spoke up desperately.

    ''''It was all due to the wilfulness of my sister, Grinzel Dragon Veerle!

    The direct cause of Dalper''s failure in the ordeal was that the same dragon, Veerle, had sided with the Satyr tribe and attacked Dalper.

    Even though they are of the same race, there are of course individual differences in their strength.

    Veerle, who originally boasted of superior strength among the candidates for the successor to the Gaither Dragon, kicked his younger brother Darpa to the ground with a single touch of his armor sleeve and drove him away from the Satyr''s settlement.

    ''''Sister Veerle is a coward!¡¡If they are allowed to do that, including sabotaging other candidates, the succession selection process will be chaotic!¡¡This could lead to a war that would heat up and involve the entire dragon community!¡¡I beg you, sister Veerle, to punish her accordingly.

    Then, in the name of a fresh start, he gave himself a new test. Dalper gambled on the chance to come back as a loser.

    And that bet failed.

    ''Who said it''s forbidden to interfere?''

    What?

    ''Who decided that a candidate for succession should not interfere with another candidate?¡¡I''m asking,''''

    A weighty voice that seemed to shake the entire Dragon Emperor''s Castle echoed through the audience room.

    ''''Interference is greatly appreciated. It would be more enjoyable for us to watch if there was that much unexpectedness. In any case, if the ordeal goes on, the remaining ones will kill each other and decide the last one. It''s just a matter of whether they are slow or fast enough to eat each other''s flesh and blood.''''

    ''Um, Dad?¡¡Father!

    "My....what son do you think it was?¡¡Oh, well. You''ve failed my test. You''re not going to be my successor. Thank you for everything.

    "Wait for me, Father!¡¡It was my sister Veerle!¡¡It wasn''t me!¡¡So give me another chance...!

    !

    A geyser dragon climbed to the throne of the audience.

    There were no dragons of his kind below him.

    All that was present was a single, mountainous, giant lizard.

    That giant lizard had originally been named Dalper, but now it had been deprived of the magic and wisdom unique to dragons and had dropped down to a mere beast.

    The dragon emperor, Gaiser Dragon, has the right to kill all dragons except himself.

    He can take away their magic and wisdom and incorporate them as his own power, just as he does now.

    In this way, an emperor dragon can maintain his power as an emperor for an equal amount of time forever.

    The great lizard, once known as the Dalper, was busily thrusting his tongue in and out of the tip of his mouth as he peered around. There isn''t a shred of intelligence left in his movements.

    "How long do you intend to stay in my sight?

    The Geyser Dragon didn''t have the slightest desire for what was his son.

    ''''Go away!''''

    He barked at him, and the great lizard, which was a dulper, fled at once in a panic.

    It is the usual pattern for former dragons who have lost their intellect to be called Lesser Dragons, to run rampant on instinct, and eventually the demons or humans will make great sacrifices to exterminate them.

    That''s why all the dragons on earth today are the children of Geyser Dragons.

    All of the brothers and sisters of the current generation of Geyser Dragons, all of them were defeated in the previous succession battle and perished as an inferior species after being robbed of their intelligence and magic.

    Because they are the strongest species of dragons, it was providential that they do not need two of the strongest.

    ''''But...''''

    Dalper''s excuses weren''t even worth a second glance, but there was only one point at a time.

    ''You''re the Veil of Grinzel Dragon. What do you have in mind?''

 115-114 Relationships between Farms Part 1

    Well.

    Me.

    When I look at my farm again, I''m deeply impressed by the number of people who have come to visit.

    Technically, though, they''re not people.

    Lately, there''s been a rush of people joining us.

    Starting with the addition of 20 members of the Elven Thieves, across the winter, the spirits of the earth began to commute in, and the s*xy sisters of the satyrs added to the milk supply...and then they joined.

    Also, the wolf-shaped monster Hyrichaon Porgy and the others who have become attached to him as guard dogs.

    ........eh?

    Did they also mutate and become a higher species of Hupericaon?

    .....................

    I''ll leave that story for later.

    Our farm, which had stabilized with just over a hundred people, has suddenly become nearly twice as large, and things are getting more and more complicated.

    We have mermaids, orcs, and elves. The races are divided into small groups, but as long as everyone speaks the same language, stands on two legs and works with two arms, there''s no problem with everyone being human.

    It''s okay within the scope of race and individuality.

    .........or maybe that''s just my own preconceived notion, having come from a different world.

    They were born and raised in this world, they have their own sense of value, and for that reason, there are times when they come into conflict with others.

    At times, there may be ideological conflicts that do not make sense to the casual observer.

    I want to respect each person''s individuality as much as possible, but please don''t bring conflict into the farm.

    So I decided to check the psychological conditions of our bloated workforce.

    Is there a disagreement with anyone in particular?

    Would it be a serious problem if it was?¡¡Isn''t it?

    As the head of the farm, I want to keep a close eye on it.

    * * * *

    First of all, let''s start with the elves who have become completely familiar with our farm after a winter.

    They have the most opportunities to interact with Orcs of any species except their own.

    The reason for this is that the orcs are in charge of general construction work on our farm, while the elves are in charge of creating props. In contrast, the elves are in charge of creating props, and they tend to cooperate with each other on the job.

    ...............

    The reason why I chose these two as my first target of observation is because I can''t shake my disquiet, perhaps because I''m reeling from the stereotypes of the previous world.

    The combination of elves and orcs.

    So I decided to hide from the shadows and take a peek at them.

    The ones in the workshop right now were not their respective leaders, Orcubo and Aileron but their subordinates, the general orc and the general elf.

    ''''Ohhhhhh!¡¡Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?

    ''''Isn''t it!¡¡Isn''t it amazing!¡¡Isn''t it!

    .........

    Something about the general orcs being surprised and excited, and the general elves being proud.

    ''''This is the new weapon I''ve developed!¡¡He combined an axe and a bow and arrow!¡¡I bent the handle of the axe like a bow so I could shoot arrows!

    Isn''t that great?¡¡I can use my axe and bow when necessary!¡¡Isn''t this one thing that works great for perspective attacks!

    The elves have recently been in charge of weapon creation as well, and they have been working hard to create new weapons for the orcs to wield when they enter the dungeon.

    ''''Okuyami!¡¡If you enter the dungeon with this new weapon, you''ll definitely get the most credit for it!¡¡Cleave the enemies far and near with a clatter!

    ''Thank you, Sister Elyo!¡¡Thanks to my sister, everyone respects me!

    That common orc''s name is Okuyami.

    In contrast, I heard that the common elf is called Eljo.

    ''''Come on!¡¡I''ve got some wood here for you to try out!¡¡Split this with a bow and an integral axe, aka a bow axe!

    It''s a cheap name.

    Well, it''s easier to understand.

    "Point made.

    The orc Okuyami-kun holds a bow axe hilt, which is a bow and axe in one, and aims at the wood that is still too thick to be used in the fire.

    ''''Horyaaaahhh!''''

    And he swings down.

    But the point of the bow axe, when it hit the wood, bounced back and absorbed the impact of the impact.

    ..........

    ..........

    Well, of course you would.

    If I could train the handle of an axe to be used as a bow. It would have to bend to absorb as much force as you put into it.

    ...Structural flaw!

    Mr. Eruyo collapsed to the spot.

    ''Duh, it''s okay, sister Eruyo!¡¡I''m going to do my best to master this axe!¡¡My sister put her heart and soul into it and I will take good care of it.

    A figure of an orc desperately consoling a devastated elf is born.

    "I secretly misplaced the mana metal from the saint''s warehouse to make this axe...!

    "Nuh-uh?¡¡I apologize for that, too!¡¡Sister!¡¡Come on, Sis!

    Okuyami-kun, you''re so kind...!

    Eruyo is overcome with emotion and hugs Okuyami.

    ''''Whoa!¡¡You''re a really good boy!¡¡I love you so much!

    I love you too!

    ............

    After observing them while hiding from the parties involved, the relationship between orcs and elves........

    No problem.

    No problem at all.

    Super close friends.

    I''m not worried about these guys at all, so let''s keep an eye on the other guys.

    Just like that, the observation of each resident continues for a while.

    ''''Okuyami, I don''t even know if you''re going to be nice to this old lady and be misunderstood anymore, ???.

    ''What?¡¡Eruyo, you''re young enough!

    No, I''m afraid that''s not the point!

    Incidentally, this is the Warrior Orc Okuyami.

    Later on, he used a special axe with a flexible handle to double the power of his slashes, and became the famous Orc team''s most famous fighter.

    This is a lie.

    I''m sure I''m the one who expects it to happen.

 116-115 Farm Relationships Part 2

    This is the resident observation I decided to do to check the calmness of our farm....

    I was hit with a dense one from the very beginning.

    The combination of elves and orcs was ironclad, after all, multiplied by the odds that something would happen.

    Now let''s see a more peaceful combination.

    * * * *.

    They are the spirits of the earth.

    They are small and cute little people who have been materialized by the earth''s blessing.

    As they are spirits of the earth, they stay in the ground during the night, crawling out in the morning like zombies or slaves, and then they go under in the evening.

    According to their own explanations, when they are in the earth, they don''t bury themselves, but rather they unmanifest themselves and melt into the earth.

    The job I ask these little girls to do is to clean and tidy up the mansion.

    In order for everyone to be immersed in their main tasks, the work of the spirits who work exclusively in organizing the residence is very helpful.

    It''s a position like a maid of honor, but that''s probably why.

    The spirits are wearing maid outfits in the house.

    They are handmade.

    They are handmade maid clothes, or hand-made clothes for short.

    Naturally, the one who made them is the one who now has a huge presence as the person in charge of clothing at our farm....

    Demon girl Batty.

    ''''Kyaaaaaah!¡¡Pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome, pretty handsome.

    Today, I''m writhing around in my own maid''s clothes, making myself wear my own maid''s clothes for the spirits.

    ''Hey fashion maniacs, get to work.''

    Last time I watched from the shadows in secret, I decided to go out in the open this time!

    ''What are you talking about?¡¡You''re doing your job!¡¡You''re dressing these kids up in pretty maid outfits!

    In excess.

    The maid''s uniform that Batty prepared for the spirits.

    There are five types in all.

    There will be more to come.

    I have lots of other outfits I want you to make. Gobukichi and the others said they didn''t have enough clothes.

    ''Outside work tends to damage what you wear,'' he said.

    ''I say so!¡¡Maid!¡¡Little girl!¡¡Isn''t she cute!¡¡Put those two together!¡¡It''s so cute!

    I don''t get it.

    No, I don''t know if I don''t know how I feel about it, but if I find out here, I don''t think I''ll ever be able to stop Batty.

    I mean, is this the kind of girl I''m talking about?

    At first, I thought he was an elite second-in-command of the Demon Army and seemed more serious?

    You don''t understand, my saint...

    The one who appeared with a knowing smile was the mermaid Gala Rufa.

    Why did he appear?

    ''Creative system work exposes your personality. Once part of the system as a soldier, Mr. Batty''s mind soared into the skies of freedom by making clothes!

    ''That''s what I''m talking about, Miss Gala Rufa!¡¡As a researcher, he understands my heart!

    Long live the creative!

    Long live the creative!

    They exchanged a firm handshake.

    Something sympathetic is growing in them.

    Well, I have some brewing to do.

    Oh, oh...

    Gala Rufa left as soon as he had finished.

    We''re so happy!

    It''s so good to have a good day''s sleep!

    On one hand, the spirit girls are pleased with the maid''s clothes they were allowed to wear.

    They are happy to receive a piece of butter as a reward for their labor, but what makes them even happier is having their own clothes tailored for them.

    This is a rule in the spirit world, but that doesn''t mean you can''t have your clothes tailored without limit.

    ''''Then look at this, saint-sama!¡¡All the maid outfits I''ve made for these girls!

    That''s why I told you not to make many.

    Just one kind is fine.

    We''ll start with an orthodox one!¡¡The long skirt type!

    Oh.

    But when the basic design is worn by little girl spirits, it feels like a maid outfit.

    ''''Then there''s the counterculture, mini-skirts!

    Oh!

    In addition, maid outfits designed to look like the childhood school uniforms of the Devil''s Own Country, with a knee-jerk beastman style maid outfit!¡¡I even made a maid''s outfit that incorporated the Sister Friar''s outfit!

    Maid outfits were causing a gestalt collapse.

    Isn''t Batty just trying to have fun with cosplay and rubbing various genres of costumes into the maids?

    Let''s throw a few surprises in for good measure.

    It''s called a sleepy maid''s outfit.

    Yes?

    ''It would look good on an elf, wouldn''t it?

    !

    Batty reacted in an extraordinary way.

    ''''I knew the saint would think so too!¡¡Right, you''d think so!¡¡As a matter of fact, we''re already planning to make a maid''s outfit to match Aileron''s size!¡¡I have the pattern!¡¡Now, all you have to do is give your saint an order and you''re done.

    ....

    Oh.

    That''s when Batty finally realized.

    He realized he''d said something unnecessary.

    "Batty. I suppose you''re going to have to take that maid''s outfit stencil away.

    Um... wait... wait... my saint...!

    And, for the time being, it is forbidden to make any clothing other than what is ordered.

    You can run to your hobby, but only after you''ve finished making what you need.

    ''Wait, Saint!¡¡The libido!¡¡The soul cry in me to ''make pretty clothes'' is uncontrollable!¡¡You do understand this feeling, don''t you, saint?¡¡At least allow me to complete the avant-garde negligee, exclusive to Prathi-sama that I''m currently creating!

    .........!

    The phrase "Prati''s exclusive negligee" shook my mind, but I managed to keep it in mind.

    I''ve sent a few elves to the clothing team to increase their productivity, so if I do my job properly, I should be able to make room to work on my hobby soon, right?

    * * *

    Only the intensity of Batty''s evolved character was picked up, and the life of the new-faced Earth Spirits was not told.

    The Earth Spirits work well in their maid outfits. They are dependable and cute.

    That''s all.

 117-116 Farm Relationships Part 3

    Sometimes, the spirits of the earth miss the spirits of the earth the most are currently the sisters of satyrs.

    Satyrs are a type of beastman.

    They produce milk.

    Day and night, providing the farm with milk and other dairy products, and they have quickly gained an important position on our farm.

    These women''s important work usually starts around the evening.

    * * * *

    Evening.

    It''s about the end of the day''s work.

    The earth spirits who were cleaning and tidying up in the mansion also finished their work, and took off their maid''s clothes and folded them up.

    ''''Kyoumo, good night!

    ""Good night!"

    The spirits, who have finished their greetings, all run towards a certain place in a large group.

    ........And just to add to that, the spirits of the earth who have taken off their maid''s uniform are dressed in a simple dress-like appearance.

    And the one they have arrived at is the satyr''s workshop.

    ''''Onee-san!¡¡Good night!

    One of the spirits called out cheerfully........

    ''''Oh dear, you worked hard all day today!

    Hearing his voice, Panu, who is the organizer of the satyr team, comes out.

    As usual, his appearance smells of s*x appeal.

    ''''Well then, I''ll prepare it, so please wait a moment.

    ""Yes!"

    The spirits line up in front of the panu in a very respectful manner.

    ''Then eat up.''

    What Panu served was a piece of butter on a small plate.

    That''s one plate for each of the spirits. There are enough for the number of people.

    ''''Wow!''''

    The spirits love butter.

    I don''t know why, but this butter was a fair price to pay for the spirits who would keep the house in order on a daily basis.

    Ever since the satyrs started making dairy products on our farm, making and distributing butter for the spirits at the end of the work day has become a top priority.

    The spirits would lick the butter for a moment, and when they were full, they would hug Panu to thank him for his generosity.

    ''''Thank you for the delicious butter~!

    ''''It''s the same for me, thank you for always eating it so well.

    The embrace has become a custom, and the way the spirits, who are childlike in size, and the maternal satyrs embrace each other is heartwarming to watch from the side.

    This is why other elves, mermaids, and orc goblins all gather there after work to watch and be comforted by this scene.

    And I was one of them.

    When Panu noticed these bucktoothed turtles, he said....

    I''m sure you all have done a great job today. It will be ready soon, so please wait for it.

    And with the Virgin''s magnanimity, he pulled back to the back of the workshop.

    He held one of the spirits in his arms.

    And when he came out again, he was holding a tray in each hand, one in each hand.

    On top of that tray were as many glass cups (elves, created by the Glasswork Team) as they could carry, and furthermore, the cups were filled with pure white liquid.

    ''A glass of milk to round out your day''s work, please.

    It was the special milk of the Satyrs.

    Everyone took a glass of milk as recommended and gulped it down. It was delicious.

    It was so good that it penetrated into all the organs.

    Delicious!

    Thank you for all the delicious milk!

    With satyr milk, our farm is healthy every day!

    We don''t have a calcium deficiency, and people don''t get frustrated.

    What the heck.

    Don''t bother worrying about it, I''m pretty sure we''re at peace!

    After all, all the residents are drinking milk every day!

    * * *

    A final aside.

    I felt a chill down my spine and I could tell that the No Life King teacher was here.

    I went outside to pick him up, and I knew the teacher was there.

    However, he was with Hupericaon''s potty.

    ''Oh, good, good, good, good. Yo, I''ll do it, I''ll do it, I''ll do it. Alright, alright........!''''

    And he was mooching off of Porgy like crazy.

    From head to chin to back, he was licking and stroking all over his body.

    ''Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright........!

    Porgy''s attitude was one of bewilderment, which I could see even from a distance.

    However, she instinctively knows that she is not to be disobeyed, and she has no choice but to do as she is told.

    ''Alright, alright. Good, good.¡¡Okay?¡¡Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright...!''

    Porgy''s tail has been drooping and not twitching for a while now.

    I feel sorry for him when he sheds from the stress of being too cute. It''s time to come to the rescue.

    ''Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright.

    Sir?

    "Teacher!¡¡Sensei!

    I didn''t expect him to notice me after just one call.

    After a few "Sensei" calls, Sensei finally noticed me, and the moment he sensed I was there, he shifted from a mid-waist posture to an upright position to stroke Potty. He straightens his residence.

    ''''........I am the one who transcends life and death. The king of the lifeless........

    Yes, I know.

    I didn''t know you were that much of a dog lover, though.

    You don''t have to bring your character back to the point of first appearance to hide your embarrassment.

    Finally freed, Porgy scratched his chin with his hind paw as if to relieve the itchiness.

 118-117 Sea Oak

    My name is Okbo.

    I am a faithful servant of Saint Kidan.

    I am a member of the Orc Army.

    I''m one of the oldest members of the team, but for some reason, even though there are a few of my peers, I''ve become like a representative of the Orc team before I knew it.

    I didn''t want to be on the team myself, but now that I''ve been put in charge, I do my best every day.

    My friends on the farm are my brothers.

    The enemy of the saints is my enemy.

    When I was working every day with this mindset, I was called ''Silent Okubo'' or something like that by my friends.

    Why?

    I don''t mean to be that quiet........

    The goblin team commanded by Gobukichi is often compared to the Goblin team because they''re both monsters, but they''re good friends.

    The leader of the team, Gobukichi, a.k.a. "Gobukichi of the Ranpah", and I have been good friends since the early days of the farm.

    I''m proud to say that because of the close teamwork between us, we''ve been able to support the saints without much difficulty until today.

    But since winter, I have been trying something new.

    I have been trying to build a ship.

    Since the sea is close to His Holiness'' farm, it is customary for those who are free to go out to the beach and collect seaweed and shellfish.

    Until the waterways were retracted, the only stable source of water was the seawater, which had been rendered salty by the holy power of the saints, and the sea was a thankless source of blessings.

    This plan was to receive a greater blessing from the sea.

    If we went out to sea by boat, we could catch fish that we hadn''t been able to catch before, and we could catch a lot more.

    The farms are getting more and more inhabitants, and an attempt to increase the harvest should not be futile.

    ''''What?¡¡Why don''t we just go back and catch the fish in the sea?

    And Mistress Prati said.........

    But we still do it!¡¡It''s worth the challenge!

    And I pushed through it.

    It''s better to have lots of means and options, right?

    Originally, our Orc team was large and powerful. Using that characteristic, our main job was to naturally put together and build large things.

    The mansion where the saints sleep and wake up and the canal that I mentioned earlier were also built by us orcs working together under the direction of the saints.

    Thanks to this, we ourselves have accumulated experience and skills, and the monster tenement we sleep and wake up in was built based on our own experience.

    However, when it comes to ships, it''s not so easy.

    Building a boat requires skills that neither house nor waterway construction has ever had, and we have to acquire them by fumbling around.

    The only ship that I''ve seen that looks like a ship in the past is the one that Lord Astareth, who is now the Demon Queen, came aboard.

    However, when Bati-dono told me that it was also powered by magic, I discovered that it was not very helpful.

    In the end, I got advice from Saint-sama on the core parts and proceeded to build the ship.

    Truly, the breadth and depth of Saint-sama''s knowledge is endless.

    I had no idea how to increase the strength of the ship with a straight piece of wood called a dragonbone, which was stretched out in the center of the hull, or how to hang a large piece of cloth over the top of the ship and have it move with the wind.

    Thanks to that, we managed to complete the ship.

    Our great spirit of challenge paid off.

    After a lot of trial and error over the winter, we ended up with a springtime boat, but it''s about time for the marine life to increase.

    Let''s set sail in this boat and catch more fish in the offshore waters!

    You can''t catch the fry because it''s destroying the ecosystem.

    Master Prati nailed it softly.

    After several test sailings to make sure she was safe, we set sail!

    Those who were available on the beach came all the way to the beach to see me off.

    ''Don''t go too far out to sea, eh?¡¡Always check the land, okay?¡¡Have you got the compass?¡¡The compass isn''t like a traffic jam or anything!¡¡You''re gonna eat all the lemons we loaded on board every day.¡¡You''ll get scurvy, you know!

    The saint was really worried about me.

    He''s rather anxious.

    It''s not like we''re going to be fishing for days at a time. I''m planning to return in a day.

    If you get lost at sea, ask a passing mermaid to help you. I''ve sprinkled some personal identification potion on the boat, so you can see who I''m related to.

    Dear Prati.

    You''re so thoughtful.

    It wasn''t just the ship we had ready for you this winter!

    A fishing rod made from the bamboo that the saints grow in the mountain dungeon. I also made a lot of nets from straw from rice farming!

    Ten people recruited from the orc team will board the boat.

    We''ll make sure we pull off a great catch with this one!

    * * *

    And it''s been three days since we set sail.

    I''m lost.

    We didn''t know where we were.

    Fortunately, we can barely see land, but the terrain is completely different from the farm I''m used to.

    I don''t know which way to go to get back to the farm, and that''s why I''m stuck on the ocean.

    I forgot to learn how to read the compass, although the sage said that I should look at it to see which direction I was going in at such times.

    A lifelong mistake.

    The wind hasn''t blown since yesterday.

    The boat hasn''t moved at all.

    I''ll concentrate on fishing.

    "Leader, we caught another one!

    I''m not a leader. Call me captain on the boat.

    By the way, the fishing rod I was hanging down didn''t hit me at all.

    Ever since we left the port.

    "Oh no, I didn''t expect to be adrift.

    Okuma, the old orc who boarded the ship with me, said.

    He was a squad leader like me, a comrade in arms.

    I''m sure the saint is very concerned about us. But I''m sure it''s going to be all right.

    Yes, it''s manageable.

    ...Still no catch.

    But, Okubo, how did you come up with this idea all of a sudden?

    What does this mean?

    ''The fact that you suggested that we build a boat and go out and catch some fish. I thought you were rather steadfast and that your priority was to faithfully carry out the instructions of the Saints...

    Surprised you can come up with the ideas yourself, huh?

    We''ve been busy digging waterways and the like, but we''ve completed that too, and there are enough buildings on the farm.

    If we don''t, the orc team will be overrun with work.

    "So you decided to make something out of yourself?

    I''ve been entrusted with the leadership of the orc team, so I can''t just let my friends slip through my fingers. There''s no point in being a leader if we''re just waiting for the saint to give us instructions.

    Okuma''s group and I are drifting at sea, while the other old-timers, Okra, Orcinusi and Orctober''s group are still at the farm.

    There will be enough hands to do the heavy lifting.

    ''''I see, if that''s the case, let''s catch a big fish and add some flair to our leader''s idea!

    I''m sure you feel like a failure when you''re in trouble.

    .........but I will catch the next big one!¡¡In the face of the orc team leader, I''d love to get the big one here...!

    I caught it!

    Pulled up from my fishing pole and now pitter-patter on the deck is pretty big.

    About as big as one human being!

    Or rather, it was a person.

    It was a mermaid.

    ''Leader!¡¡You caught a mermaid?

    Wow!¡¡Only a saint would have caught a mermaid!

    It''s the leader!¡¡How dare you line up with a saint!

    The other Orcs are very excited........................but not.

    This is not the fishing I wanted to do.

    I just have a feeling we''re going to catch a mermaid or something like that and get in trouble?

    Man of the land!¡¡How dare you catch me a straw!

    And now the mermaid is furious!

    This is an absolutely pissed off pattern!

    ''Should I be making up for being fished out!¡¡Take your revenge on this ''Abyssal Witch'', Zos Saira!

 119-118 silent fishing boat

    I''m Oakbo, the leader of the orcs, continuing.

    The witch...?

    Witches...?

    Witches, you know...?

    We Orcs were puzzled by the words of the mermaid who had caught him with a fishing rod.

    The mermaid in front of us is a fish, and her lower body is orthodox, but her scales are completely black. But her scales are completely black.

    The upper half of her body is a beautiful woman. I''m sure she''s on par with other mermaids I''ve met on the farm, such as Lady Prati, Miss Puffa, Lady Lamprey and Miss Gala Rufa.

    However, the mermaid in front of me now has slit eyes and a tighter impression.

    Her overall purplish colored hair was long and voluminous enough to cover her back.

    ''''Ah?¡¡Are you an orc?

    The mermaid, who claimed to be a witch, recognized us immediately when she saw us.

    Well, that''s no surprise.

    After all, we''re monsters.

    ''''With a monster on board, does that mean it''s a ship of the demon race?¡¡But why is a demon tribe here...?

    That''s a common misconception.

    But our master is not a demon. It''s Saint Kidan!

    ''''Oh well, it''s unfortunate that you caught a strawberry in the middle of this great ocean. If it had been a shark, it could have been a mishap of just a hand and a leg bitten off...!

    I sincerely apologize for fishing out. Would you please cure me of my anger?

    What?¡¡It''s a strange thing for an orc to talk so much like a human being. But rest assured. But rest assured, the orc is no longer angry.

    Really?

    Ah, thank goodness.

    If we get into a row with the mermaids, we''ll get into trouble with Master Platy and the others on the farm.

    I won''t be angry, but this is a good time for it. "I won''t be angry, but this is a good opportunity for you to gather your men and use them as test subjects for your new potion.

    What?

    I just wanted an example of what kind of carnage is possible against land creatures. It doesn''t hurt to kill a living, breathing monster.

    Saying that, the mermaid took out a test tube filled with colored liquid from her pocket and opened the lid and spilled the contents on the floor.

    Ahh!¡¡Don''t make a mess on the deck!

    "Before you die, I''ll tell you why the Wawa is called the ''Witch of the Abyss''. The Wara''s research involves turning mana into life.

    The liquid spilled on the deck gurgled and bubbled, and the bubbles eventually became semi-solid in substance.

    Yes, that is to say, research to create a monster like Onushi. It was considered a heresy and the mermaid kingdom tried to capture the straw. Hence, we are thus on the run.

    The bubbles grew larger and larger, stopping at just about the goblins'' height above us.

    So from the point of view of us Orcs, we were definitely smaller.

    But even so, everyone on board, including me, could not help but shudder.

    The bubbles took on more form, for the result was an unnamable creature that looked like a combination of an octopus and a human race, all slimy and slippery.

    Even so, it had sharp fangs in what appeared to be its mouth, which would be painful if it were bitten.

    There are, by the way, thirty such monsters.

    Wouldn''t the sudden increase in the number of crew members cause the ship to sink?

    Come on, my boy, the Deep One!¡¡You are of no value to me if you cannot defeat the orcs!

    The monsters that were born were well-built, and they listened to the mermaid''s orders faithfully and pounced on us.

    Towards us.

    No one thought that a tragedy of blood would unfold on the battlefield....

    ''''Hah! "Hmph! ''''Ooooh!''''

    My young one put up a fight.

    It wasn''t necessary for all ten of the sailors to put up a fight.

    With just three of them wielding the Mana Metal axe gifted to them by the Saints, the monsters were all blown overboard.

    A column of water rose in the distance with a bang.

    ''That''s good, boys. Don''t drop them too close or the fish will be spooked and run away.

    Okuma, who has the same rank as my squad leader, congratulates the young ones.

    I agree with him.

    "Nonsense...!¡¡Even though it''s still under development, this is the latest model with the highest performance ever...!¡¡That''s just the orcs...!

    Not just any orc.

    One of the younger ones folded up to the astonished mermaid.

    What are you doing, with such a snarky attitude?

    We are Warrior Orcs, mutated Orcs that our saint made us evolve.

    That''s not all. There are two Legatus Orcs aboard this ship, a two-stage mutant that''s more than just Warrior Orcs.

    It''s not something to brag about, isn''t it?

    Even the most powerful saint in the world knows how to be humble, and they can''t learn from him?

    "Oops.

    One of the younger ones blocked the mermaid''s path as she tried to jump into the water to escape.

    What are you doing? Why don''t you let her go if she wants to get away?

    You think you''re going to walk away from this?¡¡And attack them?

    Yeah. We''d be remiss if we didn''t get a word of apology.

    Obsessing over trivial things.

    If you push them into a corner like that, you may get a tremendous kickback........

    Huh?

    I knew it!

    The witch has taken out a flask much larger than a test tube!¡¡The color of the liquid inside is also much more frightening than before.

    I guess I''ll just have to use this one!¡¡I''m not sure if it''s stable, but...!¡¡Sink this whole ship!

    The flask is slammed on the deck.

    The monster created from the magic potion that cracked and splattered on the deck is.....

    It is 20 times larger than the one before.

    "Aaaaahhh!

    It''s huge!¡¡We''re too heavy!¡¡We''re going down!

    Brace the masts!¡¡All it takes is one big hulk to break it off!

    It''s not as big as the dragon-turned-Veal, but it''s still big enough to look up at.

    You can''t get away from the fact that you''re in danger of being capsized just by having that big guy on your ship.

    ''''Hahahahahahaha!¡¡Hurry up, you orcs!¡¡Hate your rashness in opposing this ''Witch of the Abyss''!

    It seems that the first hostile action was over there........

    "Come on, Fobidun Deep One!¡¡Kick those orcs to the curb!¡¡Every single one of them will be done as seaweed!

    The witch ordered triumphantly... but there was no response from the giant monster.

    ''''Huh?''''

    On the contrary, he grabbed it up with his octopus-like tentacles.

    The mermaid who was supposed to be the master.

    ''''Wah!¡¡Shit!¡¡I still can''t take control!¡¡Is it just a failure of strength?

    This is not the time to be talking so easily.

    The giant monster opens its big mouth and carries the mermaid there.

    I can''t predict anything other than swallowing it whole.

    ''''No!¡¡Help me!

    It''s swallowed back and swallowed.

    Just before that.

    The giant monster is broken apart into a hundred pieces of flesh.

    This axe, wielded by me, is a wild blow.

    .........Okuma!

    I''m here.

    Furthermore, with the axe blade wind wielded by the same rank Okuma, the chopped up pieces of meat were blown away and went overboard.

    ''''Kyaaaaaahhhh!

    The mermaid''s petite body was about to be blown away along with me, but by then my body was leaping as well.

    I softly hugged him and landed on the deck.

    ''''Onu...!

    Even if it''s on the surface of the sea, it would be painful if they slammed me with that kind of force.

    The Orcs'' angry cheers went up towards me holding the mermaid in a princess hug.

    Who in the world are you...?¡¡The double-evolved orc I just mentioned is that...?

    No.

    Just an orc.

 120-119 The Abyss Seen

    Yes, it''s me.

    The Orcobos are back!

    I was supposed to be on a day trip and then I lost touch with you for four days!¡¡You could have cried with worry!¡¡I mean, I cried!

    God, you''ve made me so worried.

    We spent a lot of time catching fish.

    The fish they caught were strained and frozen as I had instructed them to do beforehand, so they were in good condition.

    You can put them in the giant refrigerator and boil them, bake them or dry them.

    However.

    What caught my attention enough to not care about such things was the mermaid Okubo was holding.

    Naturally, I don''t recognize her.

    ''....Is that the best you could catch?

    ''''No, I mean...!''''

    Okubo was scraping greasy sweat from his head.

    The mermaid herself, as is customary for mermaids, is super beautiful. Although she is being held by Okubo in her lower-body fish mermaid form, she doesn''t give the impression of being a ''princess kidnapped by orcs'' as she puts her arms around Okubo''s neck herself.

    Rather, my impression is of a ''brave man who went on an adventure and rescued a trapped princess''.

    Prathi, who was out to pick him up with me, said.

    Do you know, Prati?

    She''s one of the Six Mad Demonesses, just like Atta and Puffa.

    ''Don''t call me by that name, it''s embarrassing!''

    The mermaid, who was being held by Okubo, said protestingly.

    ''I don''t like it either, I don''t want a group name like this kid trying to play it cool as best he can...''

    "You''re the Witch of the Crown, aren''t you?¡¡I could see it in the personal identification potion engraved on this ship.

    You sensed that and led us to the Orcobos, didn''t you?¡¡Thanks for the help.

    I see.

    Mermaids have the technology to concoct potions and use them in various ways, but the mermaids called ''witches'' are especially prominent.

    ''''I would like to thank you as well. Thank you for bringing my orkbo and the others here.

    No need to thank me. This guy saved my life too...

    ?

    The rest was hard to hear as she was also gobsmacked.

    ''''But what is this place?¡¡Isn''t this a more magical place than you''ve heard!

    He suddenly changed the subject, as if to hide his embarrassment.

    Then he looked around the farm.

    The goblins weeding over there and the hyricons running around in the yard have all mutated!¡¡You can''t fool the eyes of the strawmen you''ve learned from the orcobos!

    Master Zos Saira, calm down...?

    Incarnate spirit of the earth?

    Orkbo is in trouble.

    Zos Saira?¡¡The mermaid is still a half-fish, so she can''t do what she wants on the ground, and she needs Okubo to hold her.

    You can''t get away from the fact that you''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of them.

    "....What is this romantic comedy?

    I''m starting to feel nauseous.

    It''s too sweet.

    ''Anyway, this place is overflowing with good material for the further study of the straw!¡¡I''m going to have to do a little research on this one!¡¡What''s wrong with you, huh?

    What...?

    What''s your research?

    It''s hard to move around on land anyway, isn''t it, in mermaid form?¡¡Will you take these and use them to keep your TPO?

    Latest in inhuman chemicals from the Crown Witch. Are you sure you''re up for this?

    ''It''s not so hard to get materials on land. ...or at least it''s limited to your husband''s farm. So don''t worry about it.

    Yeah, you''re right.

    Zos Saira took the vial from Prati and gulped down its contents in one go.

    That''s as far as I could see, and the reason why is because Prathi blocked my eyes from behind.

    ''What?''

    ''You can see where it goes from here.¡¡Your husband is not allowed to read.

    I mean, that''s understandable.

    Then why is Prathi drugging me right now?

    "Zos Saira-dono.......hey, ass!

    AAAAAHHHHHHHH!

    "Bwahhhh?!

    I heard a maiden''s scream and Okubo''s decapitation, like a pig being strangled.

    ''''Nice kick. To use the legs of a landlord instantly, as expected of the oldest of the six witches, the ''Witch of the Abyss''.......!

    That makes you the oldest person in the world?

    He''s doing a lot of romantic comedy, but he''s the oldest?

    !

    Thus, Zos Saira (Alaska), the ''Witch of the Abyss'', took a tour of our farm.

    We also digested the usual pattern of being super freaked out by the No Life King''s teacher and the dragonized Veerle........

    ''It''s time to go home,''

    He was satisfied.

    ''Huh?¡¡Are you going away?

    Why would you rather not leave?

    Everyone who comes here these days has been living here, so I thought that was the pattern again.

    The Witch of the Abyss has a secret laboratory somewhere on the ocean floor.

    Suddenly Prathi says, "The laboratory is huge, bigger than a bad school or hospital, and has countless experiments that only the witch herself can control.

    ''''That laboratory is huge, bigger than a bad school or hospital, and houses countless experimental bodies that only the witch herself can control. I''ve heard rumors that if even one of them escapes, there will be a catastrophe...?

    Well, I''d better get home, because if you don''t, the most persistent one will escape.

    Seriously?

    Go home now!¡¡Come on!

    ''But this farm is interesting. I''ll have to come back and study it.

    Their arrogance in not confirming the other party''s intentions is as expected of a witch, but...!

    Of course I''m going to give you something in return, okay?¡¡How about some of the chemicals that we grow in our labs and how about some of the other chemicals that we have in our labs?

    That''ll help!

    I don''t know about you, but Platy, have you been super bitten?

    ''''Around there, we can''t cultivate it in the conditions on land, and I was wondering if I should ask my brother to do it. We can''t let the prince break the law, can we?

    Is it against the law?

    What do you want, Mr. Prathi?

    We have a deal. Well, by the time you come back, you''ll have enough room for a strawberry and a complete research kit.

    Oh, well, I don''t know. It''s more of a bargain if you''re willing to trade for this chemical lineup...?

    The business meeting started and ended without me, the owner of the farm, knowing nothing about it.

    Then I''ll leave you alone, but....

    While taking a potion to return to mermaid form from human form.

    ''Orcbo!

    ''Yes?!''

    Okubo, who had actually been accompanying Zos Saira all the way to the tour, said.

    "Never forget about the strawberries until the next one comes!¡¡I like that!¡¡I swear to God!

    Yes, sir!¡¡Yes, I do!

    I mean it!¡¡I''m sure of it!

    I''m tempted to think it''s a pretend one.

    I''ve met a lot of mermaids and I''ve become convinced of this.

    The mermaids of this world are not fragile beings who will be swept away by a broken heart.

 121-120 Mermaid

    Was that Zos Saira guy here?

    One of the mermaids working on our farm is Puffa, who is known as the ''Frozen Witch''.

    He didn''t seem to notice that Zos Saira, who is also a mermaid and has the title of ''Witch'', was visiting the farm.

    '' ... no, I was so busy making fermented foods that I''ve been holed up in the brewery the whole time.

    You''ve been working with the satyrs, trying to make all kinds of cheese, right?

    Gala Rufa, the "Plague Witch" said.

    She is also curious about the lactic acid bacteria that is an indispensable part of fermented milk, and she spends a lot of time studying them while she is doing her main job of brewing sake.

    You fungus fanatic.

    Is she the ''Abyssal Witch'' that you''ve been hearing about?¡¡I don''t believe I''ve ever met you.

    ''The lamprey was just hunting in the mountain dungeon, wasn''t it?

    Lampwick''s "Hellfire Witch".

    And there''s even my wife, Prati the Crowned Witch....

    ''''Our six demonesses are all here.

    ""Don''t call me that!" It is!

    I was pissed off by all of them with an awesome sword fight.

    Do you hate it that much?¡¡What do they call the Mad Six Demonesses?

    ''I hate you!¡¡It looks like a child who can''t fully grow up is trying to make himself look bigger than he is, isn''t it?¡¡I''m so hot!¡¡I''m going full throttle!

    I, too, can''t help but feel embarrassed that I''m being watched by such a jolly little kid...!

    Why don''t we simply call it ''The Six Witches''? Because there are six witches.

    I''m going to beat the crap out of you. First one to say something crazy.

    And the name of the team is very unpopular with everyone.

    Apparently there is the equivalent of a mid-life crisis in this world as well, and it''s looked at with a white eye by the majority of the public.

    Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, if Zos Saira''s guy was here, you should have said hello. The next time you get the impression that he''s using his absence, you''ll be in trouble...!

    Mr. Puffa, how do you know her?

    He''s just a teacher of mine.¡¡I was drilled into the basics of Potions.

    ''Ho, the oldest of the six witches, the Witch of the Abyss, has an apprentice.

    ''Well, they''re both mentors and disciples, so they''re both twinks.

    ''What''s a tsundere?!

    Pahwa doesn''t know the meaning of the word itself, but the sound of it leads her to believe that she''s not being complimentary.

    Well, she''s a tsundere, right?

    So I suddenly say exactly what I was thinking.

    ''''Even though they''re called the Mad Six Demonesses, don''t they all know each other?''''

    The Six Witches.

    He was adamantly corrected.

    ''That''s right, the Six Witches is the name of a group that spontaneously arose from rumors on the street to begin with.

    ''''Simply, ''Who''s the top class female potions user this time of year? And it just happened to be six people who were picked up by me. And those six people just happened to be Atay and the others, right?

    So until the rumors were sufficiently seared, the people involved didn''t even know that they had been chosen as one of the six best people.

    They were embarrassed to be called "crazy" or "crazy".

    The selection process was based on the idea of selecting the top class in various fields. I didn''t know about the others at all. This is the first time I''ve met them here.

    And Gala Rufa.

    I''m not sure if I''ve ever met a person before, but the only person I''ve ever met beforehand is the royal guard''s lump eye. That lump-eye wasn''t part of the royal guard, so we weren''t that close to each other either.......

    I''m blissfully happy to be in charge of guarding the Princess Platy in person on this farm!

    Don''t you think you''ll do some brewing?

    And.

    So the gathering of the six witches, which is only a dream in the home country of mermaids, is made up of this farm.

    It''s something extravagant and awful.

    "Hmm, well then...

    The Six Witches, that means there are six members, right?

    There are four of us on this farm, Prati, Pfafa, Lampay and Gala Rufa.

    Add in Zos Saira, who has come to visit us from time to time, and there are five of us.

    If you say there are six in all, there must be one more.

    ''What is the sixth witch like?

    As for me, I was completely curious, but the question caused all of us to shush.

    ''''The last of the six witches.......the ''Dark Witch''.......!

    ''We''ve confirmed it''s real, haven''t we?¡¡We got an eyewitness account, didn''t we?

    I hear that testimony has become less and less reliable lately...!¡¡There''s a theory out there that I misidentified as a dugong. The ''Dark Witch'' controversy is back to square one.

    I subscribe to the illusion of light refraction theory!

    Why is it so ambiguous?

    Why are you adding such a vague entity to the Six Witches?

    * * * *

    Since this is a mermaid story, I have another recent episode to share with you.

    I gave something to Gala Rufa as a gift.

    Gala Rufa is known as the ''Plague Witch'' among the Six Witches, and she''s the only progressive child in this other world who has noticed the existence of fungi.

    After the elves joined the group and they began producing glass, she had a desire to make certain things out of it.

    The glass was distorted to make lenses.

    The lenses were put together to make a microscope.

    This would allow him to observe invisible bacteria.

    Other than the lens, the other parts of the microscope were mostly made of wood, and its performance was generations inferior to the most advanced in the world that I was in before.

    Still, Gala Rufa was super happy when I gave it to her.

    I''ll be able to see the difference between the two.

    And so on.

    I don''t even know if it''s joy or surprise. At the very least, I''d like to hear a strange voice that I can hear in human language.

    I immediately take a peek at a drop of water collected from the rice field and put it on the prepalaat.

    Gala Rufa is delighted again.

    ''Saints!¡¡I''m buzzing!¡¡So the little thing you see with these tools is a germ?

    You''re looking at it through a lens.

    And maybe that''s an elephant beetle.

    Great!¡¡This is a great way to advance our research!¡¡I love you, Saint!¡¡I love it!¡¡I love you!¡¡I love it!

    ..........

    Gala Rufa-chan calls out a series of rather pompous things with ease.

    ''''........Master?''''

    I didn''t notice Prathi standing behind me at all.

    ''You want Gala Rufa as your side room?¡¡Well, I''d be more comfortable with my own people in my bedchamber too, but?

    No, no?

    I gave her the microscope as a gift because my desire to create it just happened to match the situation....

    I don''t have any ulterior motive........

    .........I''m glad you''re this happy, but.......

    It''s up to you to decide how many mistresses you want to have. You must give him the same amount of affection. I won''t allow you to do anything but pinch and eat, as I''m the rightful owner of the room.

    I don''t need a nail in the coffin!

    And he just casually agreed to cheat on me?

    ******

    One last thing on the mermaid front.

    I found myself talking to a saint at the bottom of a sea that Kidan had never heard of.

    "So, what about Princess Platy the Crowned Witch...?

    ''Yes, if the rumours at the court are to be believed, it is unlikely that he will return. It''s a lifetime exile to land, which is the equivalent of hell.

    "This is good, ''The Freezing Cold Witch,'' ''The Hellfire Witch,'' and ''The Pestilential Witch'' have all been imprisoned, and the others are fugitives and have been barred from the public eye.

    ''''In effect, the Mad Six Demonesses can be said to be destroyed.

    ''Then I suppose our time has come at last. The best witch in mermaid country, truly to be admired. The noble, graceful, genuine elite of witches...

    ""The Five Orthodox Witches!"

    "Woof woof...!¡¡Watch me, Sister Platy!¡¡After you''re gone, the Mermaid Kingdom Wizarding World will be run by me and my comrades!

 122-121 Cake

    With the participation of the Satyrs, our farm is finally being supplied with milk.

    I don''t call it milk.

    It''s not exactly the same thing.

    And the dairy products associated with milk are now available at the same time....

    Another possibility opened a door in front of me.

    Western sweets.

    Western sweets.

    I said it twice because it was important.

    Cakes, cookies, cream puffs, pies, tarts, chocolates, ice cream.

    Just listing the examples like this makes my mouth water.

    This time, I would like to try to make western sweets.

    Western sweets are usually made of flour, eggs and butter.

    I''m not prejudiced.

    So I can''t start making pastries unless I have all three ingredients.

    Flour and eggs became available relatively early on, but butter and dairy products were not available in the first year.

    Now that it has been brought to us by satyrs, there''s no reason not to step up.

    Bubbles!¡¡Bowls!¡¡Sieve!¡¡I''ve even worked with the elves to create a set of equipment!

    And I got a hot oven for you when I built the house!

    It''s all there, and there''s nothing missing!

    It''s time to take the crown!¡¡No!¡¡Time to make a cake!

    The cake is in the honourable place!

    Yes, I decided to make a cake for the first part of my western baking session.

    It''s a classic.

    While I have the recipe memorized from my time in the previous world, the most important thing to do in baking confectionery is to make sure you follow the measurements of each ingredient.

    No eye contact or anything like that.

    Be precise to the gram at all times.

    However, in this fantasy world, there is no such thing as a scale.

    Is this a setback for pastry making?¡¡But I have the familiar ''supreme bearer'' every time I think about it.

    If I leave it to this kind of person, he can guide me to the perfect amount of ingredients in a very nuanced way.

    The "supreme bearer" will compensate for the details of the recipe that I don''t know.

    If I don''t think about it in my head, but let my hands do what they do, the supreme bearer will naturally choose the best way to make a delicious cake!

    Super convenient!

    On such a light note, start making cakes!

    First, make the dough.

    Put all the eggs and sugar in a bowl and stir.

    .........

    Isn''t that a lot of sugar?

    I leave it up to the "supreme bearer" to do it by hand habits only, but isn''t that a lot of sugar?

    The right amount?

    The response back from My hand convinced me so.

    The stirring is done by my hands.

    Of course we use a whisk, but we don''t have a fancy electric one in our house.

    This is a different world.

    In another world, an electric motor is the wickedest of the wicked!

    It''s time to take advantage of the wrist snaps you''ve been working on daily in farm work!

    So, unravel the mixture of eggs and sugar (a bit of a subtraction) in the bowl.

    .................

    ........I want an electric whisk.

    Sorry. I was licking the cake baking.

    It''s super hard to stir it up. My wrists are already starting to hurt.

    Speaking of which, most of the hard work on the farm has been done by Gobukichi and his crew recently.

    .........or am I not good enough?

    Was the farm building getting back on track, and the basic tasks were getting sparse?

    What a noble task baking a cake was to remind us that we need to go back to the beginning!

    Yes, I''ll stir in silence.

    I''ll consult with the elves and Verena next time and make a magic-powered foam stirrer.

    Yes, there''s magic in this world without electric power!

    All you have to do is use your magic to fix everything!¡¡Viva magical civilization!

    I can''t go on and on with the simple process of stirring the dough unless I''m thinking of the futility of it.

    Depending on the consistency of the dough, I add milk and flour.

    And butter.

    ''Butter!¡¡Butter!

    Can I have some butter?¡¡I''m happy!

    Goshujin-sama!

    The spirits of the earth have smelled the butter!

    ''Wait!¡¡Hold it right there, boys!¡¡I need this butter for a new dish!

    There''s nothing like butter.

    ''No, because I can make something better than butter!¡¡Stay put!

    What''s better than a banner?

    "There is such a thing in the world!

    I wonder if I slipped up.

    But I still had to serve up some of the original butter, though.

    It''s a good thing I prepared more butter for this kind of situation....

    Well, now that the dough seems to be ready (nuance request by the "supreme bearer"), let''s put it in the mold and bake it!

    Beat it into the oven and bake it.

    Burn it up, wood for the kiln!

    Like that day at the Hondoji!

    .....

    The baked goods are well done!

    It''s puffed up nicely.

    Since this was the first attempt, it''s probably even better than good. Various "supreme bearers".

    After taking off the heat, I spread the whipped cream that I had prepared. Another gift from the satyrs.

    Shape it into a shape with the cream and top it with just the right amount of strawberries from the garden.

    Finished!

    The classic strawberry cake is done!

    Mmmm, good job.

    So, let''s get right to the tasting.

    Where shall we eat it?¡¡Can I have my own room in the villa?¡¡And when I left the kitchen with the cake....

    When I left the kitchen with the cake, the zombie army was there.

    Gyaaahhhhhh!

    Zombies?

    No, that''s not it.

    It was the women who lived on this farm!

    Starting with Prathi, mermaids, demons, elves and satyrs, dozens and dozens of them were forming a group with their hands outstretched towards us!

    The sight of them was so reminiscent of the zombie movies I''d seen in the previous world that I had mistaken them for each other.

    No, their eyes are also bloodshot like zombies!

    What''s wrong with that?

    "Sir!¡¡Sir!

    Prathi says on behalf of the army of zombie girls.

    ''Didn''t I make something sweet for you!¡¡''Don''t you dare get shy!¡¡There''s a sweet smell outside the kitchen!

    And that''s why everyone is here?

    No way, the girls are zombie-like because the sweet smell of baked cake has robbed them of their normal thoughts?

    ''Saints!¡¡Bite!¡¡Please take a bite of that worldly delicacy!

    Our milk is part of your milk supply!¡¡If it is, we have the right to be part of it!

    What''s better than butter?

    Just feed us!

    What could make a girl lose her mind like this?

    The fact that sweet things attract girls from different worlds doesn''t change.

    That absurdly sweet smell!¡¡I have a feeling that I''m going to have the biggest fever since Mochi-filled Zenzai!¡¡Just shut up and feed it to me!

    "Let me eat it too!

    Veerle rushed in in in his dragon form, and the chaos on the scene reached its peak.

    In the end, there is no way we could distribute the first batch of cake to all the people we made, and I had to bake all day that day.

    I had to spend the whole day baking that day, whisking and mixing the dough.

    ..........

    .................and my wrist breaks!

    Tendonitis inevitable!

 123-122 Once again

    It''s been a while since Demon King Zedan came to visit.

    Naturally, he was accompanied by the Demon Queen Astares and Grashara.

    ''''Astares-sama!

    Our farm is closely related to this Demon King''s family.

    Especially since the demon duo of Bati and Verena used to be the second in command of Astares-san during the era of the Four Heavenly Kings, so to speak, they''re like family.

    ''''Astares-sama!¡¡Astares-sama Aaaaah!

    From earlier, the demon girl Verena jumped into Astares-san''s chest and was sobbing with emotion.

    ''''Astares-sama ah!¡¡Thank you for meeting me!

    Verena I''m glad you''re that happy to see me again.

    ''Oooohhhhhh!¡¡Bieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    "Verena?

    "Azudare Zabababaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    Aren''t you crying a little too hard?

    Verena''s emotional instability lately has been a source of anxiety for us.

    We all want to have a serious discussion on this agenda at some point.

    ''It''s good to see you,''

    Long time no see, Batty.

    And the other one is easy!

    Baty, do you really want to do this?¡¡Are you sure you want to send your former boss, the Queen Mother of Soul, a slap in the face like that?

    I''m sorry I haven''t been around for a while.

    And Mr. Demon King is as polite as ever.

    He brought me a lot of souvenirs from today''s visit as well.

    ''''Where to begin........ First.........

    Demon King, looking all over the farm........

    ''''There''s more people here.

    He gave me honest feedback.

    That''s right.

    It''s an elf, right?

    They''re some kind of famous bandit gang, aren''t they?¡¡But we''re working hard at our farm now, and I''d like to ask for your forgiveness...

    "Don''t worry, I have faith in you, High Priestess. Whatever thugs they are, they will be safe in the hands of the saint.

    It''s very helpful to have your full confidence in me.

    I''ve been told that the elven bandits, the Stone-Sharpeners of Thunderstorm, have been targeted for purges during the last reformation and have fallen. We can''t even prosecute them now.

    Heh.

    It''s fortunate that Aeron and his friends are righteous bandits, and they only target corrupt and wealthy people.

    Those naughty people deserve to be destroyed by the Demon King''s reformation.

    They also steal not only in the Demon Kingdom, but also in the Human Kingdom, which has been destroyed by my Demon King''s Army. Therefore, our victims won''t have time to press charges.

    Heh, heh.....

    Yes, the main purpose of this visit was to report the destruction of the human nation. I was able to fulfill my promise to the god Hades. I would like to thank you again for the help of your saints.

    I was briefly informed of something amazing.

    The destruction of the human nation..........

    Maybe it''s a rather serious matter, though.

    A fantasy template would be.........

    The human race is extinct," "End of the World," "Game Over," "Do you want to continue?¡¡Do you want to start over?

    .......... must be a problem, but why?

    I don''t feel as if I''m in danger.

    ''''The king of the human kingdom, you know.... According to the information from a secret agent, he was supposed to be the dark lord, but when his defeat was decisive, he turned himself in.

    "In exchange for my head, I ask you to spare my people''s lives.

    He said.

    ''Seeing that act made me keenly aware that the value of the living is determined by the last moment...!¡¡He was a reprehensible king for doing nothing to lead to his defeat, but at the end of the day he fulfilled his responsibilities.

    ''Such hirsute stupidity!¡¡You were never fit to be a king from the beginning!

    said Grashara, who is now the second demon queen.

    Perhaps because she''s officially married to the Demon King, she''s dressed nicer than when she came here before.

    ''''A true king must have both wisdom and courage like Zedan-sama!¡¡That human race didn''t have that!

    ''You say that, Grashara. I believe that the qualifications of a king are more fundamental. Didn''t that human king finally make that fundamental point?

    ............

    His behavior has taught me a great deal about myself as a demon king. From now on, I will rule over the human race in his stead. Not as the original heir, but as an invader. Therefore, I must be even more careful.

    I hope that I can be a better ruler for the human race.

    The Demon King concluded his words with the statement "I hope that I can become a better ruler for the people.

    ..........

    Yup.

    It''s precisely because such a person is the Demon King that we don''t have to worry about anything when people''s kingdoms are destroyed, though.

    ''''There''s nothing to worry about!

    Mr. Grashara said bravely.

    The investigation of the surrendered human country has revealed that his country is a wasteland of injustice caused by the royal family and the church. We have found that even the lords of the land are furious, not to mention the people''s grasses!

    This is..." said Grashara.

    As the new ruler, Zedan will judge the old wrongs and execute all of the king''s relatives and church leaders who have been doing wrong.¡¡That will lower the people''s torpor and they will welcome Master Zedan as a reformer of the old evil!

    ''Of course, I will correct injustice. Of course, I will correct injustice, but the recognition I will receive from my people by doing so will not be the recognition of my true self. Before those "gifts" run out, I want to make sure that the demon tribe''s rule over the human race is on track at all costs.

    I don''t have a single bit of anxiety about leaving it to the Demon King.

    What shall we do? Maybe we''ll be happier if we let the human race or the demon race rule us?

    ''''I''m sorry, Saints, for speaking at length about our situation at the meeting with you...''''

    No!¡¡That was helpful!

    And you are a polite demon king without a single lesson!

    Let''s just leave the world to the Demon King for now!¡¡The Demon King is safe and secure in his world domination!

    ''''Due to such circumstances, since we conquered the capital of the human country, we have been busy with the work of re-governing the country and have not been able to come here. In the end, this is how we ended up visiting at the beginning of winter.

    ''No!¡¡No!

    But Prince Arowana was sad that he wanted to wrestle with the Demon King again.

    He conquered the human nation and has a good relationship with the next king of the mermaid nation.

    That''s too seamless!

    ''''So, although it''s too soon to say, I have a favor to ask of the saintly lord.

    The profound demon king said with a cursory glance.

    ''''I want to report to our Demon God that we have won the battle.

 124-123 God Food

    "Yup!¡¡Let''s go!

    The No-Life King''s teacher is fired up.

    Isn''t he a little too full of life, King of the Dead?

    It''s basically a corpse, isn''t it, anata?

    Will you remember the meaning of your own existence?

    It''s really a very cheerful corpse at the rite of passage, isn''t it?

    Prathi also seemed to be baffled by the contradictory existence.

    ''It seems that servant gods are a hobby that the teacher hasn''t had in hundreds of years. Once he learns to have fun, he''ll have his energy back...

    Just try to put yourself in the shoes of a god who is summoned by it.

    It''s a good thing that you have a good idea of what you''re doing.

    That''s why that dead man is sincerely happy when he gets an excuse like this.

    ''''So there''s no need to be so fearful, demon king?

    That said... but if you''re going to bother the No-Life King with every little thing...!

    Mr. Serious Demon King was horrified.

    ''''What?¡¡What?¡¡What are you doing?

    The doctor came in and you''re having another festival?

    And the inhabitants of the farm gather around with a wild spirit.

    ''You guys haven''t seen it yet, have you? .... well, just watch. It''s going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

    The Puffa area is giving off a seniority wind........

    ''''Oh no, Mr. Puffa, scare me!

    ''It''s impossible when you''re having a normal conversation with that no-life king, what more unusual things can happen?

    Yeah, I''m just having a hard time getting used to being around teachers.

    A group of relatively new elves and satyrs were taking it easy, obliquely.

    But they would soon learn.

    There are still things in this world that are ''beyond imagination''.

    ''''Did you call me?''''

    ''''Teacher, after successfully performing the rite of invocation, the Underworld God Hades appeared.

    He was still a dignified figure, with a rich beard, as always.

    Most of them got spooked and ran away.

    But please don''t think that this is disrespectful to God in any way.

    When ordinary people were under the pressure of the gods directly, this was usually what happened.

    ''''Our demon god Hades-sama, it''s been a long time since we''ve seen you.

    Among them, as expected of the Demon King, he''s bold and used to it, and he doesn''t tremble at all at the words of greeting.

    Astares-san and Grashara-san kneel with the two demon queens in tow.

    ''''Oh, it''s the Demon King in this life. It''s rare to see you here often.

    "It is an honor for me to be granted an audience with the gods more than once in my life as a demon. I am both delighted and humbled by the honor of being granted an audience with the gods. But I am delighted to inform you that...

    "You have destroyed Zeus'' household.

    Did you know?

    "I am a god. ''I am God, and I am the ruler of this earth. And how could I be ignorant of what is going on on earth? Especially one so important that it could be re-written.

    Thank you, sir.

    The demon king gave a deeper speech.

    ''''Then let me add to that. It was not the human race that was destroyed by the human race, but the human race. The king of the human nation ended his own dynasty by behaving like a son-in-law and a king in the end.

    "It doesn''t matter.

    "At this point, there is no need to shed any more blood, and the human race will rule together as inhabitants of the demon kingdom, and therefore of the earth.

    The demon king made this decision.

    "I have come to see you in audience to make a new vow before God.

    "A loyal man. But you''re the first demon king to have dominion over the world in a long time, having defeated the annoying Zeus'' kinsmen.

    The Dark God Hades says with satisfaction.

    ''''From this day forward, I allow you to call yourself the ''Greatest Demon King of All Time''.

    I don''t deserve this honor.

    The Demon King responded politely.

    ''''Uh........Well then, that''s enough of the hard talk!¡¡So....!

    I step in between them.

    I can''t stand it as their martial air spreads throughout the farm.

    ''''Since it''s a topic of congratulations this time, I''ve prepared an offering for the gods.

    Unh!

    This is my third vocation and my first offering.

    Don''t say, "What''s the big deal now? You need to have a lot of occasions to come up with new ideas.

    ''This is auspicious. What do you propose to offer to me?

    I''m on rice with bamboo shoots.

    I offered a tray of hokka-hokka rice on a tray to Hades, the god of the underworld.

    A bamboo forest growing in the spring area of the mountain dungeon.

    This is the rice I mixed with bamboo shoots from there and cooked.

    What''s a spring-like dish?¡¡After hesitating, I felt that rice cooked with freshly picked bamboo shoots was more like spring.

    So I tried it out, and then I asked God to eat it first.

    It''s not a bad idea.

    It''s an offering to the god of the land. Isn''t it worth it?

    .....

    It could still be bad.

    I want something with more pomp and circumstance.

    "...this is what you eat with your two little sticks, isn''t it?

    God, I''m surprisingly good with chopsticks.

    No, before that, wait!

    We will have a gorgeous full course, after all!

    ........and by the time I tried to stop him, it was too late.

    God had eaten a bowl full of rice with bamboo shoots.

    ..........

    The god Hades puts down his chopsticks and empty bowl and says a few words.

    "I now declare bamboo shoots and rice to be God''s food.

    Hey!

    I don''t know, it''s pretty obvious she''s a certified consultant.

    Well..., that''s..., that''s really...!¡¡Our precious spring specialty...!

    "Do not be anxious. Only Zeus is the only one who would be so bigoted. Only Zeus would be so bigoted.''

    Huh.........?

    "I recognized rice with bamboo shoots as God''s food to praise him. Henceforth, everything on earth shall share the happiness of eating rice with God. Do not forget to thank the earth that nurtures it and eat rice with bamboo shoots.

    I''ve received some of the biggest accolades of all.

    Are you sure that''s a good idea?¡¡It''s relatively easy to make.

    "I would like my wife, Demeter Sepone, to have some of this food and I would like you to wrap it up as a present for her.

    Oh, hi.

    Whatever you want.

    "You''ll be thirsty when you''re done eating, so here''s some food.

    And then Gala Rufa offered him a beer.

    ''Oh, wait...''

    As expected, that wasn''t even on my schedule.

    But the god of Hades received the beer that was poured into the large mug made by the elves and gulped it down.

    "....I now pronounce beer to be the drink of God.

    Hey!

    This is how the food of God increased.

    * * * *

    Incidentally, rice cooked with bamboo shoots, praised by the gods, restores all of one''s physical and magical power when eaten.

    Also, beer, which was recognized as the liquor of the gods, would release poison, paralysis, and petrification just by drinking it.

 125-124 Grief

    Thus, the report to the Underworld God Hades is over, and it''s safe to say that Demon King Zedan-san''s conquest of the earth has gained completion.

    ''''The hard part starts here.

    However, the Demon King wasn''t even a hair''s breadth away from being caught off guard.

    ''''You can only say auspicious things, you Demon King.

    ''''Conquest is only the beginning. Conquering is only the beginning. That''s where the true value of a ruler will be tested. The real work of a demon king starts here.

    A seamless demon king is probably the best cheat in a way.

    Even against a level one heroic person, he seems to never lick it.

    ''''In fact, it seems like this is where things get really tough.

    Astares-san, who was standing by her right side as the Demon Queen, said.

    ''''More than anything else, the new race we will be ruling from now on is the human race. Since they are a different species from the demon race we''ve ruled until now, we can expect all sorts of difficulties with that alone.''''

    The old system, the human nation, has not yet completely collapsed. There are a number of smoldering problems that cannot be left unattended, no matter how small.

    Grashara-san, who was also standing by her left side as the Demon Queen, said.

    ''''Hey........don''t talk too much about political orientations in front of the Saint''s Hall......!

    Although the Demon King chides me.

    ''''But since the king surrendered, isn''t the human kingdom completely gone?

    I''ve been bitten and there''s nothing I can do about it.

    ''It won''t be so. Since there is another important factor in the human nation, besides the royal family, that supports the state apparatus.''''

    Faith.

    The cult is a cult that worships one of the three world gods, Tenjin Zeus, as its main god, and it is said to be the first sect of the human race, so to speak.

    In this world, each race strongly worships the god that created them, so the religious groups that serve that god also naturally have a strong influence.

    The churches of the human race in particular have a reality that can be called a cult with its own organizational body.

    It is said that they built their headquarters far away from the royal capital, where they prospered and became the second capital, and were heavily involved in the national government, passing their own intentions and gaining huge profits.

    ''''The existence of the Order is important because the people of the Order seem to have a monopoly on the legal magic given to them by the Heavenly Zeus and their benefits as well. In a sense, they were no less than the royal family.

    ''Unless we completely crush not only the royal family, but also the cult, human oppression will never truly be complete.

    Astares said.

    ''We asked the heads of the Order to surrender as well as the royal family. As a result, the king''s side went down with an open mind, but the big guys in the Order - the head of the Church and the cardinals - they were....

    And Grashara.

    No way.....

    ''He escaped, at a glance.

    Since then, the whereabouts of the Order''s top leader remains unknown.

    We''re doing everything we can, but it''s still an unfamiliar territory and we''re having trouble finding him.

    ''We threatened to kill all of the human race, including the civilians, if they don''t obey,'' but without a moment''s hesitation. We couldn''t really slaughter them, and the threats turned out to be threats.

    It''s really kind around not killing........

    ''''That''s why the occupation regime of the former human country still has some uneasy elements left. I can''t relax yet, and I can''t visit the Saint''s Hall so casually, but...''''

    No, no, no, no, don''t worry about it.

    When work is hard, make your work a priority.

    That''s the most important thing.

    As a matter of fact..., that''s not the only problem that remains...!

    ?

    The conversation was going in a strange direction.

    And it started to smell vaguely strange.

    ''It was the royal side that surrendered, I should say, of course, but it wasn''t just the head of the state, the king, who captured it.

    Leaving the Demon King, who seemed to have some difficulty in saying something, Astares-san continued.

    ''''The king''s brothers and children, all of them are royalty in a nutshell. If we don''t capture all of them, it won''t matter.

    It''s true that...

    Especially a prince, because he''s the rightful heir to the king.

    Even if you kill the king, for example, if the escaped prince somewhere declares "I''ll be the king this time! I''ll be king this time!" then we''re screwed.

    "Fortunately, we were able to capture all of the king''s relatives as quickly as possible. But we''ve been forced to deal with the problem of how to handle it.

    Problem?

    "In the upper echelons of the Demon King''s army, the majority of them are calling for the execution of the entire royal family.

    ''Oh...''

    That would be, well, deserved....

    Even if it''s not natural.

    But the important thing is that the Demon Lord seems unwilling to do so....

    "I wish to avoid as much bloodshed as possible. Above all, I do not want to cause his country any more pain after the King of the People has decided to do so gracefully.

    And I was pressed into service at the meeting. In the end, the king''s father and the previous king, who is 90 years old and still hale and hearty, will be exiled to the demon kingdom, along with the king''s younger siblings and their wives and children. The king''s younger brothers and sisters and their wives and children will be dispatched to the Demon Kingdom territory.

    It''ll be safer if you keep it out of reach.

    But there''s one person I still don''t feel comfortable with...

    It''s finally getting really kinaesthetic.

    I know it''s going to lead to trouble, but I can''t help but urge you to continue...!

    ...who is this person?

    A princess.

    ''You''re a princess?''

    Ms. Astares continued matter-of-factly.

    ©¤ As of now, the only child of the king is Princess Lettuce Slate, who is 17 years old. Since the human kingdom is male and women don''t have the right to succeed to the throne, her husband was supposed to be the next king.

    That plan has become a big deal in this situation...!

    The Demon King says in a weak voice.

    ''''Among the human race, if an ambitious person tries to take the country away from the demon race, the princess would be a good excuse.

    "I''ll take the princess and marry her, and anyone can claim to be the rightful king...!

    The majority of them thought that she was the most dangerous member of the royal family, and that the princess should be dealt with even if the others were spared.

    It seems that Astares-san and Grashara-san, as the Demon Queen, agreed with the Demon King about the royal aid, but as expected, they couldn''t sympathize with the princess as well.

    ''''That''s how dangerous the human race princess is to the demon race.

    I know the Demon Lord is kind to you, but the safety of the demon tribe should never be a higher priority.

    The two Demon Queens'' arguments are really straightforward, and the Demon King is probably weak because he can''t argue with them.

    ''''I made a promise to the king of the human race...!

    Blotting out bitterness, the Demon King said.

    ''''In exchange for his life, he said he would guarantee the safety of his entire human race. That includes his family. What could be more painful than that for a parent, especially if his own daughter is killed...?

    ''''No, still...!

    It''s more of a fate to be born into a king''s family........

    ''''Astares........!

    ?

    She''s already carrying her own child. She''s expecting a baby in the summer or fall.

    Oh!

    Well, congratulations!

    ''I know even more because I too will be a parent...!¡¡The pain of a parent being hurt by a child!¡¡I can''t whip the king, who has shown great resolve, and I don''t want to do that myself. I was looking for a way to do something about it...!

    ...........

    It can''t be helped.

    I understand what you want to do, Demon Lord. Or rather, what you want to ask.

    He''s too shy to say anything about it, so I''ll start talking to him.

    ''''I understand.''''

    I said.

    "That''s it, princess. I''ll take her to my farm.

 126-125 princess invasion

    The point is this.

    The princess is a dangerous political bomb.

    The princess could be an excellent excuse for an entity that is planning to revive the human kingdom or revolt.

    This means that even if they are sent to the backcountry of the demon kingdom like other royalty, there is a chance that someone will try to steal it from them.

    If they really did take it, the rule of the human race by the demons could be overturned, so the safest way to be sure is to kill the princess as well.

    But the gentle demon king can''t make that decision.

    Just when I was wondering what to do, my farm is ready to step in.

    After all, our farm is located in a land far away from both the human and demonic races, and its existence is unknown.

    It''s unlikely that we''ll be able to find it, and even if we can, it will be extremely difficult to reach it.

    And even if you do manage to overcome them, the mutated orcs and goblin armies are waiting for you.

    The wolf-shaped monster known as the "Hell Chaser", Hyrichaon, has mutated into a more mutated Huperichaon that will chase you everywhere.

    To top it all off, the dragon Veerle.

    In other words, it''s more impregnable than any other hell on earth.

    In this place, you can feel safe no matter what important people you entrust with.

    After the conversation was concluded, the demon king thanked me again and again and again and left.

    It seems that he is distressed by the many things he has to deal with at home, starting with the matter of Mr. Astares.

    You''re a good person, so it''s not a problem.

    You''re not going to be able to find out how to bring the princess in question here?¡¡Will the Demon King bring you back later?

    No, I''ll go to the princess in question and bring her home.

    The one who said that was the demon race girl, Verena.

    She used to be Mr. Astares'' second in command, and now she''s staying at our farm as the representative of the demon tribe.

    ''''Verena''s leaving the farm?¡¡Are you okay?¡¡You''re in charge of the transition point here, aren''t you, Verena?

    And I was worried.

    I''ve heard that the only place you can move with transfer magic is where the transfer point is located.

    If an abnormality occurred at the transfer point while Verena was away, the means of travel to this place would be effectively cut off...or is it quite troublesome?

    If you need help, you can talk to Master Veerle or the doctor.

    ''''That''s why I''m telling you to stop that suggestion!

    There was an argument with Batty, who was also one half of the demon girl.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

    What''s going on?

    The problem of the raison d''etre, shall we say?

    Batty was muttering with sooty eyes.

    I''m not sure.

    I''ve been thinking for a while now that I''ll have to talk to the girls again, but after the lapse of time by putting it off because I couldn''t keep my hands off other matters, I''ve ended up with today.

    Now that we''re expecting the princess, we won''t be as busy again, so I''m sure that opportunity will be far away.

    * * * *

    So.

    The human princess has arrived.

    Was her name Lettuce Slate?

    It''s a leafy name.

    Since they are royalty, the clothes they wear are gorgeous, and he himself is gorgeous in his own way.

    The shining blonde hair and shining white skin. The glamorous body is glamorous, and there is no doubt that her appearance is eye-catching.

    And yet.....

    ''''Bow down to the majesty of the royal family!

    She appeared under the transition point and that was the first line she opened with.

    ''''I, a noble royalty, will allow you to give a direct answer with a commoner''s style!¡¡That alone should make you proud for the rest of your life!¡¡I''m Princess Lettuce Rate!¡¡The only daughter of the king who rules over the world''s greatest race, the human race!¡¡I will have the honor of having you guys take care of me!¡¡Take the joy of absolute obedience to me with every fiber of your being!

    ".................

    Prathi stepped out with a tsk tsk........

    Ah.

    You hit me with that d*mned goo?

    "A princess exalted in a foreign land?

    As expected of Prati, she is a princess of the mermaid kingdom.

    Her aura of a princess doesn''t work at all for her peers.

    ''''I''ll explain it to you from one to ten, but I''ll only say it once, so learn it well at one time. Next time I''ll beat you to discipline you, okay?

    I''m sorry...?

    Human princess, your heart was easily broken in one fell swoop.

    Your species is only vain, but it''s essentially weak.

    First of all. First of all, the human nation was destroyed and extinguished. The human nation was destroyed and disappeared, so it''s meaningless to say you''re a member of the royal family. The authority of the royal family is guaranteed by the power of the state, so a royal family that has lost their state is just a person. So you are just a person. Do you understand?

    Okay, okay...

    I''m going to cry, Princess.

    "Even if your homeland was alive and well, and if your royal value was buttered up with the added bonus of being a member of the royal family... ... okay?¡¡Now, here''s the second thing you need to know.¡¡It doesn''t make any sense at all here.

    And Prathi is relentless.

    Why are you being so thorough today?

    ''This place is outside of all nations. So we are not influenced by any nation, demon nation, human nation, mermaid nation, or any other nation, and therefore our titles are meaningless. None at all.

    The Princess of Mermaidland speaks.

    There are ex-princesses, ex-thieves, ex-prisoners, monsters and dragons. There''s a demon king, a mermaid prince, and even a life-less king who comes to visit. You''ll be able to see that the princess of the human kingdom is the most important person in the world.

    Once again, that being said, it''s a hell of a place, here.

    ''Social titles don''t mean anything here. It''s your ability and your character that mean something. You''ll never fit in here if you keep talking like you did before, so be careful.

    ..........

    Don''t tell me you don''t understand?¡¡Now that your human country has been destroyed, there''s no place for you in this world. Normally you should be executed, but thanks to the kindness of the Demon King and my husband, I was allowed to live here. Except for this place, the only place you can live is in the netherworld!

    ............?

    Excuse me, Mr. Prathi?

    Maybe I shouldn''t ask so hard...?

    She can''t afford to lose her country all the time, so maybe she should take it easy on her...?

    ''''I know that!¡¡Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    See!

    She was so excited that she started to cry!

    She lay down on the ground and started flapping her arms and legs and crying.

    I don''t have anything to do with it!¡¡I don''t have the authority as a princess, and I don''t have the vassals to obey me!¡¡So you have no choice but to bluff your way out of this!¡¡Wow!

    I see.

    So there was a backstory to her irreverent attitude like that.

    She managed to prop up her anxious, crumbling heart by forcing herself to be great.

    But that bravado was shattered by Prati just now....

    ''''Just kill him!¡¡I''m ready for this!¡¡As the daughter of a proud royal family, I''ll crush your balls in a spectacular manner~!

    The princess is now desperate, and Prathi''s merciless regular fist thrust hits the abdomen of the princess with a clean hit.

    ''''Gubuuuugh?''''

    The princess lets out a voice like a crushed frog.

    That''s only natural.

    "Don''t be a spoiled brat.

    Aren''t you being a bit harsh today, Mr. Platy?

    As long as you live with us, you''ll only have to work to eat. You will work as if you were born again from today. From today, you will work as if you were born again.

    Hi.

    Thus began life on the princess''s home farm.

 127-126 Working Princess

    Thus began the farm life of Lettuce Rate, the princess of the ruined human country.

    Of course, I''m not going to allow her to live a life of eating and sleeping instead of working, just because she is a princess.

    That''s enough for Veerle.

    So we asked the princess to take charge of some of the work, but as you might expect, she has never worked with anything heavier than a spoon in her life.

    We decided to let him try his hand at weeding the fields and checking the health of the crops, starting with the simplest work possible.

    She introduces them to the goblins in charge, Gobukichi, but they look like goblins, and the princess is scared to death by the sight of them. !" the princess is scared.

    She complained that they were creepy and needed to be reassigned, and was beaten up by Prati again.

    ''.........Prati is exceptionally strict with her, isn''t she?

    Me and Prathi are in conversation as we watch the princess work in the fields.

    The princess has changed out of her arrival dress into thick work clothes and is now working on the farm.

    Her working attitude is surprisingly good, and she listens intently to the explanations from the goblins, seriously checking the leaves for bugs.

    It''s not a quick job, to be flattered, but he''s taking his time and making steady progress.

    I can''t stand it when people think that all the people who are called "princesses" are acting so high and mighty like that. That''s why I''m going to do it thoroughly.

    Come to think of it, even Prati was a princess in the mermaid country.

    If you return to your homeland, you''ll probably be suitably chewed up, but I can''t imagine that at all because Prati herself is so friendly and capable.

    You need to physically crush the hardened pride of a child like that to advance past it. My sister was like that, so well done to her.

    Hmm?

    Did you just make a disturbing statement...?

    Oh, well.

    It''s true that if Prathi hadn''t made a show of it, we wouldn''t have been able to get along so smoothly.

    The position of the princess and her pride got in the way, and she might have been treated as a boar for a long time.

    She even looks at the goblins with respect.

    She even looks at the goblins with respect for their knowledge of agriculture and their skill in working the fields.

    ''''If you''re going to live with them, you might as well confide in them, right?¡¡I don''t know what''s going to happen in the future with what''s going to happen. Let''s at least let them have some peace of mind while they''re here.

    In the end, Lettuce rate girl worked until nightfall without making a single sound, and showed some guts for her first job.

    But by the end of the workday, though, she had run out of steam and collapsed to the ground.

    ''Good night!''

    I''m the owner of this farm, and I''m here to thank you for your hard work.

    "You''ve worked hard all day, haven''t you? Here''s something to keep you going.

    and offer a cup of milk.

    Now it''s the satyr milk that''s essential to end the day here.

    As if she was thirsty, Letasurate also received the milk as if she were snatching it and gulped it down in one gulp.

    ''..........It''s delicious. What''s this milk?¡¡It''s definitely better than what we had in the palace?

    By the way, the goat''s milk from Satyrs is said to be one of the world''s finest products, and can''t be compared to the milk produced by the dairy farms of this world.

    I''ve heard somewhere that the quality of the food served at the royal palace of the human country is not so different from that of the general public.

    It is said that whatever you eat when you are tired is delicious.¡¡Seems like you''ve got some lessons to learn about life down there.

    ..........

    I turned to my left and right to make sure Prathi wasn''t within earshot.

    That''s a statement that would definitely get me punched if she heard me.

    I hope she''ll take the initiative to correct her habit of slipping up.

    ''Basically, it''s nice to see you''ve adjusted to life here. I also have the responsibility of being asked by the Demon King to do so.

    "...about that, what the hell is this place?

    I was asked about the very basic things now.

    ''The demon tribe just told me to ''move it to a safe place'', but nothing detailed. I know that I myself can''t be taught much as a prisoner. For a place ruled by the demon race, there are no demons, but there are a lot of monsters, I don''t understand.

    That''s what any sane person would do.

    The less you know, the better for your own safety.

    I knew you''d say that. ''Don''t worry. I won''t ask for anything else, and I don''t want to run away from this place. If you want me to work, I''ll work, and that''s where I am. That''s the position I''m in now.

    You''re surprisingly honest...

    From the first meeting with Arepuri, I thought she was a princess of the wrong strain, even for a princess.

    ''''Surprising?¡¡Maybe so. I lost my country. I lost my freedom. No wonder I chose to die in desperation. But I''m going to live!¡¡Live at all costs!¡¡Do you know why?

    Come on, come on...?

    ''Cause there''s hope!¡¡If we endure and live through today, there may be hope for tomorrow!¡¡We can get back everything we''ve lost!¡¡That''s why I''m doing my best!

    Oh, wow...?

    That doesn''t sound very peaceful.

    What makes you think you can get back everything you lost?

    The hope in me it''s a savior!

    The Messiah?

    ''Its name is Saint Kidan!

    ..........

    Oh.

    Just remembered.

    That''s me.

    Kidan the Saint is me.

    It''s good that I changed my name when I came to the other world, but I don''t get many calls, so if I''m not careful I''ll forget it.

    Everyone on the farm calls me "Master" or "Master" or "My Lord" or "My Lord" or some other honorific title.

    ...And I''m what?

    "I don''t suppose you have any idea what a saint Kidan is when you''re a hick like you, do you?

    Oh, hi.

    So I''ll tell you from the beginning. It all started when a dragon flew into the battlefield between humans and demons.

    That''s the first thing that comes to mind.

    Viel, right?

    That dragon is going around and around and around.

    The dragon called himself ''Servant of Saint Kidan''. A saint, even a dragon!¡¡If such a person obeyed the human nation, he could wipe out the demon race and other things, so Father sent out search parties throughout the country to find Saint Kidan!

    ..........

    ''''But the demon tribe proceeded faster than we could have imagined, and our country was attacked and destroyed........ They didn''t find the saint in time........ But the people of the Saint Search Party escaped the difficulty and are still searching for them!

    ''''..........!

    ''''When Saint Kidan learns of the danger to our race, he will surely rise up and exterminate the demons!¡¡And they will get me out of here and bring me back to the royal palace again!

    .............

    Ummm.........!

    But.........!

    I interjected, thinking I had to say something anyway.

    ''Saint Kidan?¡¡Even if the so-called "the" existed, would they take the side of the human race so easily?¡¡You have no idea what that person''s stance is at all, do you?

    ''What are you talking about?¡¡Saints are supposed to be on the side of the human race, aren''t they?

    Why are you so sure about that?

    Because I''m a saint!¡¡Saint!¡¡It''s not natural for the Holy One to help the human race!

    .........

    Me, I decided in my heart.

    From now on, you are not allowed to call me ''Saint Kidan'' in front of her.

    While she''s asleep, I''ll make sure that all the residents of the farm know about it and make it thorough.

    ''I will endure in this land of exile until the saint comes to my rescue!¡¡I''ll show you how to get it done, whether it''s weeding, crushing vermin, or anything else!¡¡I have to live!

 128-127 Rebuilding bear

    ...I''m just an ordinary village girl who can be found anywhere.

    So you don''t even have to say your name.

    Most of the things I''ve experienced have been experienced by everyone else, and everyone knows what I know.

    Most of the things I''ve experienced are also experienced by everyone else, and everyone knows what I know.

    I''m a human race, and I live in a human country.

    Officially, the poor little village on the edge of that territory is my entire world.

    Recently, the human country where I live has been destroyed by the demon race.

    My father and the village chiefs have been discussing the consequences of this.

    It seems that the human race has been engaged in a long, long war with the demons, but they''ve finally lost.

    Is it natural?¡¡I thought to myself.

    Because the king is a fool and the priests are a hard worker.

    That''s what my father and mother all say.

    That''s what my dad and mom all say, "If the top is stupid, you can''t make any progress.

    So it''s only natural that the human race has lost, but what''s going to happen now?

    I have heard that the demon tribe is very violent and loves to cut off the heads of the human race to collect them.

    What would happen to us if we were to be ruled by such a demon tribe?

    Will they kill us all?

    Every day I prayed to Goddess Zeus that at least the demon tribe wouldn''t notice the existence of this remote country village.

    But my prayers were in vain.

    A messenger of the demon tribe came to me and said, ''This is a new law enforced by the demon king, so please obey it,'' and then he left.

    That Shinpo?¡¡He left behind a piece of parchment on which was written something like

    I can''t read, so I had to listen in silence as the village chief read it out.

    According to that.....

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To change the taxation system from eight governments and two civilians to four governments and six civilians.

    A police officer was appointed in each town and village to control crime and injustice.

    Schools were established to teach all the people to read and write.

    You set up hospitals.

    Establish an orphanage.

    Eliminate social discrimination against the country''s beastmen and other species

    Among other things.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    That''s what it was like.

    ........what?

    In a world ruled by demons, isn''t it a lot better than when it was a human country?

    Maybe it''s just that Atashi is too stupid to understand it, but the fact that the taxes will be lower is enough to make Atashi and the others hail them.

    Long live the demon race?

    In fact, ever since the demon race came to control Atashi and the others, their lives have changed completely.

    In a good way.

    The barren fields have suddenly started to grow thicker and everyone is saying that the next year will be a great harvest.

    According to the village headman, the mana on the land has been sucked up by the magic the cultists have been using, and the land has been drying up.

    But now that the cult has been crushed by the demons, the mana isn''t wasted and can be distributed throughout the land.

    What.

    It''s a good thing that the demons destroyed the human nation, isn''t it?

    Next year the school year starts in earnest, and I''m going to learn how to read and write.

    If I can learn to write and read, I can find work in the city and make a lot of money.

    Father, mother, and village chief all said they were really glad that the demon tribe had attacked us.

    This is what happened.

    An event happened that made me realize that the world really hasn''t gotten better yet.

    * * * *

    Suddenly, the village was attacked and taken over.

    The attackers were former priests of the Order, and there were fifty of them with weapons, so a small country village was impossible to resist.

    ''I am Bishop Sagissi!¡¡Gentlemen, I am a righteous warrior fighting for the human race!

    An old man, the oldest of the priests, shouted.

    ''Bishop-sama,'' etc., as his companions called him.

    ''The mother cult has collapsed, though!¡¡We have not given up our righteous ambitions, we have gone underground and are looking for opportunities to strike back!¡¡Evil demons!¡¡You have trampled and robbed our sacred lands!¡¡But we will one day defeat the evil and restore freedom and happiness for you all!

    I heard that the security guards sent by the demon tribe are currently deployed in over a hundred cities and villages in the former human country, but they haven''t come to our village yet.

    That''s probably why they were targeted by us....

    In addition, we want you to provide equipment for the battle against the demons!¡¡Weapons, food, anything that helps!¡¡Everything I have!

    All of it?

    Don''t be ridiculous!¡¡What are we going to eat tomorrow if we give you all the food?

    But we can''t disobey them.

    They would only be killed if they disobeyed, so they gave up the vegetables and grains they had stored in spite of their frustration.

    ''Bishop Sagissi, that seems to be all we have.

    That''s not much. And what''s with all these soggy vegetables?¡¡If you eat this stuff, you''re going to go hungry!

    Saying that, the old bishop stomped out every bit of food he had collected.

    As if to say that he was relieved of his resentment.

    ''If you don''t have food, it''s a woman!¡¡I can''t be pissed off if I don''t have a girl in my arms!¡¡Go get all the women, young or not, as long as they are young!¡¡You guys can do what you want too!

    When the old bishop said this, the other priests shouted happily and came up to Atta and the others.

    As expected, the fathers tried to stop them, but they were slashed and beaten with swords, and there was nothing they could do about it.

    All of the young women, all of whom were 5 years old, were being dragged away and I was among them.

    I couldn''t help it.

    ''''Even the women are only of this third class?¡¡I guess we''ll just have to endure it. This is also an offering given to us by Tenjin Zeus, a noble man. Let''s give it to him in gratitude.

    Shut the f*ck up, old man!

    Don''t be so selfish!¡¡You guys are worse than demons!

    f*ck you and your cult!

    You''re the ones that will be destroyed by the demons!¡¡Get the hell away from us!

    ........Even if you think so, a simple village girl like me can''t do anything.

    If only I had the power to turn these guys away........

    There..........

    Monsters!

    The priests shouted.

    ''There''s a monster out there!¡¡And it''s big!

    I noticed a huge hairy thing standing surprisingly close to me.

    A bear........is that it?

    It''s big and hairy and has sharp claws.

    They look so strong that even if the priests were to bunch up, they would be no match for them.

    ''''Run!¡¡Hide!

    The old bishop immediately shouted.

    ''''We must not lose a single soldier here for the coming counter-offensive!¡¡Use the villagers as shields!¡¡While those monsters are attacking the villagers, we will run away far away!

    In response, the priests kicked out the father and everyone in the village and threw them in front of the bear.

    ''Now''s your chance!¡¡Run!

    And the priests ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction.

    Not good!¡¡The dads are being eaten by a bear!

    But the result was unexpected.

    The bear took the pushed out fathers gently and stepped over the fallen ones to avoid stepping on them, and began to chase only the priests ahead of them.

    ''''Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    ''''Why eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    The priests were in a panic at the big bear, which didn''t even pay attention to the decoys.

    You can find a number of different types of products and services in the market.

    "Holy shit!

    God!

    I''m sorry, I''m sorry...¡¡Obo!

    It didn''t take much time for the nearly fifty priests to be wiped out.

    There was only one person left.

    It is the head bishop old man.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well.

    That''s why he didn''t get into the attack zone.

    I thought he was a hell of a sanctimonious man who saved his life by being a skepler, but the world is not that easy.

    When the bear finished kicking out the scavengers, he turned his gaze on the old man, not wanting to let him go.

    ''''Don''t move!

    At that time.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    I don''t know what that means, but...¡¡That evil monster is trying to protect the people of this village!¡¡You''re not going to escape my keen eye!¡¡.........Come on, if you make the slightest move, the holy dagger will pierce deep into your daughter''s body!

    The bear, which was about to jump on the old man at any moment, stopped moving with a snap.

    The large arm that was raised remains stationary as it is raised.

    ''''Gechahyahyahyahya!¡¡This Bishop Sagissi was right!¡¡All right, stay put!¡¡I still have to live on for the holy mission given to me by Goddess Zeus!

    The old bishop jiggedly backed away while holding Atashi in his arms.

    My friends in the village can''t bypass him because he''s holding me hostage.

    d*mn.

    There''s no way I''m going to fall in love with this guy.

    The people of the demon tribe said so too. They said it''s going to be a time when we''ll find our own happiness.

    This old bastard...

    There''s no way I''m going to fall in love with this old man!

    Aidaaahhhhh!

    I bit the bishop''s hand that was holding me as hard as I could.

    The screams of painful writhing in the air are soothing.

    "You d*mned girl!¡¡How dare you show your disrespect to me, a man of God?¡¡...Oh, don''t run away!

    It''s too late.

    I''ll use my opportunity to escape.

    It''s too late. I''ll take my chances and run.

    "Ugyaaahhhhh~?

    The old man''s dirty scream flew through the air.

    * * * *

    A few days later.

    The demon soldiers who came after receiving the news captured the detained priests and took them away.

    They apologized for not being able to help them when it mattered.

    The priests who had been kicked around by that monster bear were all surprisingly alive.

    I tied them up with a rope while they were unconscious and left them there until the demons came.

    I only did water for a few days, but it''s good that the food situation is still cutthroat over here too.

    The monster bear was gone when I noticed it.

    If it weren''t for that bear, our village would have been crushed by the priests without a doubt.

    Monsters are supposed to attack people, so why?

    So that bear was here too.

    During the hearing, the demon soldier muttered something that sounded like he knew something.

    ''''It''s a rumor. Like your village here, a bear-shaped monster is rescuing a backwater village that is being attacked by the remnants of the Human Nation.

    Aren''t monsters supposed to be part of the demon race?

    Isn''t that why you saved us?

    ''It''s not that simple. It''s just that whether it''s a lie or the truth, the Demon King says that that bear is a special monster born under his saint.

    The Saint?

    The bear challenged the saint and was defeated, but his mercy saved his life. So that bear is on an ascetic''s journey to become strong enough to be recognized by the saint.

    Did you pass by our village on your way there?

    It''s just a rumor. Don''t believe it.

    The demon tribe''s soldier laughed, but I think that''s the truth, Atashi.

    The demon race and the saints.

    The human nation is really starting to change for the better, isn''t it?

    And that monster who directly helped Atashi and the others.

    Thank you, bear monster.

    For short.

    Kumamon.

 129-128 Princess direct control

    It''s been about a month or two since Princess Lettuce Rate, the princess of the human race, came to our farm.

    She has worked surprisingly hard.

    Speaking of royalty, one of the unemployed classes, how could the princess, the pinnacle of that class, work so hard on an unfamiliar farm?

    ''''Someday, a saint..., a saint...!

    Apparently the words she repeats like a spell while she works are the driving force.

    That one day the saint Kidan will appear and help her, and the entire human race.

    The theory is that since she''s a saint, she''ll do holy things, and holy means defeating the demon race and saving the human race.

    Well, a saint Kidan is me.

    I don''t have any interest in saving the human race.

    I have no interest in interspecies wars, and in fact, I don''t want to get involved in them, which is my untrue intention.

    I''m friends with the Demon King, the leader of the demon race.

    That''s why I, as the saintly Kidan, don''t know what would happen if I opened up and told him, since the princess would lose her emotional support, so I''m keeping quiet for now.

    I''m making sure that the other children are kept quiet as well.

    ''''My saint, I''d like you to see how the newly made ridges are doing.

    Ew.

    Every once in a while, someone slips up.

    And as if by chance, Lettuce Rate is nearby.

    "...is your name Ceja?

    Thank God the princess was silly.

    Just like that, when the new inhabitants of the farm had adjusted to their lives........

    * * * *

    Do you want to get your own farm?

    I had an idea and suggested it.

    To the lettuce-rate girl.

    ''Your own field?¡¡What does that mean?

    "The fields on the farm are common property. We plow it together, we maintain it together, and we share the harvest with each other.

    Apart from those things, why don''t you have a farm that you can grow and manage on your own?¡¡That''s what I mean.

    You can grow whatever you want, and those who harvest it get to keep it to themselves.

    In fact, this is nothing special, and the orcs and goblins that belong to our farm also grow their own favorite foods in very small vegetable gardens and potted plants near their beds.

    ''Solanum!''

    Suddenly, Lettuce Rate said, "I want to grow llama beans!

    ''I want to grow a Solanum!¡¡I love Solanum!

    Oh, yeah.

    It''s a rather austere preference.

    And so, in the corner of the farm, a field was created for Princess Lettuce Rate''s exclusive use.

    It''s a very small field, about two tatami in size.

    This is your home from today. What you find here is purely yours. But that''s why no one will help you work this field. You have to do everything yourself. You have to clean up after yourself.

    ''Of course!¡¡The human lands have been restored here!¡¡I will run this place as a territory under the direct control of the princess!

    It became something of an exaggerated story.

    Just like that, the princess''s direct domain rule began.

    But the main way to rule is to simply cultivate the soil and grow crops.

    ''''Ugh, my hands hurt...?

    As if she wasn''t used to using a hoe, the princess was quickly making blisters on her hands.

    She starts by ploughing the soil and making a cultivated area.

    She does her best.

    She would cultivate, seed, and grow the area she''d decided on while Gala Rufa applied medicine to it.

    Orcs and goblins often send her advice, although she didn''t lend a hand directly, too. They would help her pick weeds, avoid pests, prevent diseases, and help her grow her crops properly.

    To begin with, our farm has a special Mermaid Fertilizer, a hyper fish fertilizer that allows plants to grow lushly, so crops can be sown at any time of the year and grow much faster than usual.

    The princess''s sorrel also grew steadily and was ready for harvest in just a few weeks.

    But then the heavens put her to the test.

    * * * *

    Ooh!¡¡You''re going to kill my llama bean!

    They''re crows.

    The loathsome Conchigou live in another world, no matter what.

    Their rampage has been the bane of the entire farm since last year.

    Even the princess''s sorrel is deftly plucking them from their pods with her thin beak.

    Is it a robin crow?

    What does it matter?

    ''''Geez........?¡¡The scabbard is empty...?¡¡The scabbard over here too........?¡¡I''ve been taking great care of it and now...!

    Lettuce rate girl was even more shocked than she looked.

    I''ve been raising them with all my heart.

    It''s a good idea to take defensive measures against the antique crows, because we have been bothered by them for a long time, but even so, it''s impossible to be perfect, and it seems that the food damage has occurred after all.

    There was only one thing we could do.

    Then there was only one thing we could do: harvest them. The fact that the crows can eat it means it''s grown to a harvestable size.

    There is no better way to prevent vermin from stealing our crops than to harvest them.

    With our help, we were able to harvest a sufficient amount of beans that Lettuce Rate had grown all by herself for the first time.

    * * * *

    Farming is farming until you eat it!

    So we had to eat the harvested Solanumas as soon as possible.

    I thought I''d at least take charge of the cooking, but Lettuce-Rate insisted that I''d do it with my own hands.

    I raised these beans with my own hands!¡¡It''s only polite to let me do the final touches!

    The feelings are not unusual.

    It''s a good idea to use a blade and fire when cooking, so now I''m more worried about it.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.

    What I ended up cooking was a simple dish of salted boiled broad beans.

    Even so, the lettuce-rate girl ate it, saying it was so good that she cried.

    ''Delicious!¡¡Delicious!¡¡I never knew that food that I grew and cooked with my own hands could taste so good!

    and gobble up the food with no regard for table manners.

    It''s so delicious!¡¡It''s better than any feast we''ve had in the palace!

    He raved about it.

    ''''........In fact, the vegetables from the master''s farm are several times better than the ones served in the royal palace of the human race.......''''

    It''s a food from another world. It''s a delicacy of the highest order in real life.

    Prati, Veer, shut up.

    Don''t water down the princess''s excitement at the fruits of her first labor.

    ''I!¡¡I''ve decided!

    After emptying her plate, Lettuce Rate, she started to say something.

    ''That I will keep this field under my direct control for the rest of my life!¡¡The vegetables from this field will make me happy for the rest of my life!

    "No, and then your country''s recovery will be..., moga-gah!

    I''m not going to say anything else, but I''m going to shut up Prati''s mouth.

    It''s good.

    I like the fact that you lose yourself in the end of your efforts.

 130-129 means of movement

    I''m tired of walking.

    I thought abruptly.

    No, it wasn''t that abrupt.

    More than a year has passed since our farm was established, and it has grown accordingly.

    The area of fields has increased, as well as rice fields and waterways.

    There are also teacher''s dungeons and viel dungeons to go to in the surrounding area, and each of us has to travel back and forth between them at the request of the person in charge.

    Nowadays, we feel like we are wasting our travel time because we are moving naturally.

    It''s easy to get frustrated.

    Is it a curse that modern people carry with them that they still feel the waste of time, even though they have moved to such a quiet, different world?

    At first, the beauty of the view on the move distracted me, but I got tired of it every day.

    My mind became bored.

    So I wondered if there was a way to shorten this useless travel time as much as possible.

    ''Ah, um...''

    There was someone who timidly raised a hand.

    It was the demon girl, Verena.

    ''''Why don''t you take advantage of me?¡¡With the transference magic I use, I can move to any location in an instant.

    If there''s a transfer point.

    ''''We can add more transfer points on the farm, and if necessary, I can use my transfer magic to bring the saints to each place in an instant!¡¡My availability has gone up and everyone is happy!

    I didn''t understand the last part of her argument........

    She''s still as greedy as ever to find her own worth........

    If Verena''s idea goes through, that''s exactly the kind of work she''ll be able to specialize in and be proud of.......

    ''''No.''''

    It was Elf Elon who dismissed the bustle.

    ''''Why!''''

    ''''Aren''t you, the transference magic user, supposed to understand the horror of transference magic better than anyone else?¡¡It''s true that this is the most useful magic of all. That''s why it''s the most fearsome magic our enemies can use.

    At that point, Verena said, "Ugh! Her expression twisted.

    ''''What do you mean?''''

    ''''That''s why, Saint. Transmigration magic can move you to a remote location in an instant. What would you do if the enemy attacked you using it?¡¡That''s what I''m talking about.

    That''s certainly true when you put it that way.

    If a large number of enemies appear right under your nose with shifting magic, it will be very difficult to deal with them.

    It''s not just the enemies that attack directly. I''m afraid to speak for an ex-thief, but a mansion with a transfer point within the grounds is an easy target for thieves. They can get past the thick walls and numerous guards.

    ''But the transition point has a coordinate code, and if you don''t know it, you can''t use it, right?

    ''A snake''s path is a snake. Some bandits are locksmiths who can analyze certain transition points and identify the coordinate code like opening a safe. Even if it''s a point like this one that is not known to exist itself, it''s a 50-50 chance of opening a transition point that is known to exist, depending on the skill of the locksmith.

    What?

    Therefore, when we set up the transfer point, it should not be deep inside the important center, but outside, as far away as possible.

    This is because it''s easy to deal with, even in the unlikely event of a raid by someone identifying the coordinate code.

    And the number of them should be kept to a minimum. It''s a good idea to keep the number to a minimum, no more than one.

    In this case, increasing the number of transition points is tantamount to increasing the number of back doors for intruders to enter. I don''t agree with that from a security perspective.

    The words of the leader of the bandit gang, who used to raid all over the demon and human countries, are full of convincing power.

    But, should we be that cautious?

    A castle or a nobleman''s mansion, but my house is just a farm.

    Is there anything in our house that you''d like to sneak in and invade and take away from us?

    It''s too much!

    I was freaked out as he said with a terrific sword.

    ''''Don''t you know how many treasure troves this farm is overflowing with!¡¡The vegetables from the farm all have the best taste in the world, and the potions that Prathi and the others make are top-notch!¡¡Same goes for pickles and booze!¡¡All the hardware used is made of mana metal, and even if you just cast it back into a mineral, it''s gold you can live with for a few years, but the blacksmithing is so good that it adds even more value!¡¡And then...!

    Okay, okay.

    Let''s be careful about security.

    Safety and convenience are two sides of the same coin.

    I don''t want to have to build a bunch of back doors to prevent anyone from getting in. I think we should reject Verena''s plan.

    ''''Ooohhhhhh!''''

    Verena ran off while crying.

    It''s time to really think about her leverage........

    ''''Well, how about something like this?''''

    Now Veerle offers his opinion.

    If necessary, I can carry my master in dragon form. With the wings of a dragon, he could easily travel to the ends of the world!

    Is that too much to ask...?

    And don''t you think you''re overreacting?

    Everywhere he goes, he comes flying in with a dragon and the people who greet him are overwhelmed by it.

    And then there''s Veerle, who runs away or stumbles around on a whim. I don''t think he''ll come at once when we want him to, so I reject it.

    Tsk.

    Besides.

    If we''re going to establish a fast transportation system anyway, I want everyone to have a share in it, not just me alone.

    Now, Okubo and Gobkichi are also important middlemen who are busy flying around the farm, and Prathi often acts as my deputy.

    In that sense, Veerle wouldn''t try to carry anyone other than me anyway, and considering that she''s the only one who can use transition magic, even with Verena''s idea earlier, it''s impossible to cover the movement of all the farm''s residents.

    ''''........I guess it''s a horse, after all?''''

    I don''t know if this world has a habit of traveling on horseback.

    If we were to increase our travel speed without relying on a mechanical civilization, that would be the only option.

    I mean, from what I''ve seen so far, you can''t get stuck in the stereotypes of the previous world.

    The ideal is to have a creature or monster that is not limited to horses, but can run around in a wide range of human-sized vehicles.

    We''ll have a system in which we can collect them, raise them on the farm, and let those who need them use them when they are needed.

    ''You''ve set a new goal.''

    Our farm, a plan to build a denma system.

    Here we go.

    * * * *

    Hmm?

    Shortly after announcing this plan, Hupericaon''s potty came in front of me.

    ''''Well what''s the matter, show me your back?¡¡You''re not suggesting... Get in?¡¡You''re not gonna pick us up and drive us from place to place?¡¡You can''t do that.¡¡No, no, no, no.¡¡It''s not okay!¡¡You can''t give me that confident look!¡¡...Hey, you don''t ride an oaktop!¡¡Especially not with your huge frame!¡¡It doesn''t mean that the little gobbler is okay!¡¡Anyway, stop it!

 131-130 horse making

    Let''s introduce a riding animal to move quickly in and out of the farm.

    I''ll make such a policy and try to gather information first.

    After talking to the demonesses and elves who are familiar with the outside world, it seems that horse riding is a tradition in this world as well.

    ''''In both the human and demon kingdoms, horses are as important a creature as any other livestock.

    The demon girl, Verena, explained to me.

    ''''If we let them ride and run on horses, we can cut down the travel time a lot. Transportation, communication and military. Horses play an important role in many aspects. There are only a limited number of people who can use transposition magic, so the demand hasn''t been violated at all.''''

    It seems to be a good idea.

    ''''If the saint wants a riding sun horse, why don''t you ask the Demon King for one?¡¡The Demon King also seems to think that he owes the saint another debt of gratitude for Princess Lettuce Slate, so if you ask him for a favor, he''ll be more than happy to oblige.

    Directly imported from the Devil''s Land.

    It''s the cheapest, but that''s why it''s easy, and sometimes it''s okay to be upfront about it.

    It seems that the Demon King felt sorry for Letaslate''s case, and he was feeling guilty about it, so let''s rely on him here.

    I''m not going to be able to get it right. In order to tell the Demon King about this.

    Yes, sir!¡¡Leave it to me!

    The excitement for Verena is unusual.....

    Are you that happy to have the opportunity to be so active?

    Oh well.

    Now that we have the means of transportation, horses, it''s going to be even more convenient for our farm.

    There''s going to be stables and things to prepare for the horses........

    ''''Wait a minute!

    Then Prati appeared.

    What is it?¡¡We were on the verge of a deal, at this point?

    ''Think about it, sir. The peculiarities of this farm.

    Specificity?

    Isn''t this just an ordinary farm, like everywhere else?

    ''No!¡¡What other farm is there with an otherworldly farmer who was given a gift from the gods, several high-ranking Potions Master mermaids with the title of ''witches'', a high-ranking former military officer of the Demon King''s army, a notorious group of elf thieves, and a powerful army of mutated monsters, producing all sorts of mind-boggling luxury goods?

    Don''t tell me that...?

    I think it''s precisely because they are such a special farm that we should have something special to offer them when it comes to riding!

    What''s so special about it?

    Are we trying to find another horsey monster in the dungeon?

    It''s starting to feel like a pattern, so I''ve been thinking about a different approach.

    Another approach?

    If you want something, you have to create it!

    * * * *

    Zos Saira, the "Witch of the Abyss".

    A group of mermaids, more simply known as the "Six Witches" because they would be offended if you called them "Mad Six Demonesses".

    Among the mermaids who excel in medicinal magic, these are the witches who excel in their abilities.

    Our farm''s Prati, Puffa, Lamprey, and Gala Rufa are all members of the Six Witches, and another one, Zos Saira, nicknamed the Witch of the Abyss, is the oldest of the Six Witches. It is said that he is also far more powerful and knowledgeable than the other witches.

    However, by chance, Zos Saira has come to visit our farm often.

    She claims that she has this and that on her farm, which is useful for her research.

    The fact that she can obtain special medicines that are not available on the ground through her channels is also useful to Prati, "Well, okay? And so I''m keeping quiet about the status quo.

    I''m going to talk to Zos Saira about it.

    "Do you want to create a homunculus horse?

    I''m listening from the side and I don''t know a bit of what they''re talking about.

    I just listen to the conversation between Prati and Zos Saira.

    "Zos Saira. You''re a homunculus maker, aren''t you? Though I''d call them artificial monsters. I''ll use potions to create creatures and use them as I see fit.

    I didn''t know what he was talking about, so I had to look at Okubo and shrug my shoulders.

    .............

    Wait a minute.

    Why is Okubo here?

    I''m told that you have to answer the door whenever Zos Saira comes to visit?

    Why?

    The military threat of an endlessly manufactured army of homunculus and the ethical problems of creating life by human hands made her a heretic and added her to the ''Six Witches''. I believe that if you use your magic, you can create a horse worthy of being ridden by our master!

    No.

    You don''t have to be so enthusiastic about it, just a regular horse, okay?

    Do you understand?

    Mr. Prathi, you''re about to violate the ban on life!

    "Ho ho ho ho ho..... You are royalty of the mermaid kingdom and yet you are not afraid of my forbidden arts. I commend you as the witch of the crown.

    I''m honored, ''The Witch of the Abyss''

    I''m scared of my wife.

    Very well. Well, if that''s the case, I guess I''ll have to do it as a favor to you, since you provide me with so many samples.

    What''s the sample offer?

    I don''t know anything about that!

    But I don''t suppose you could create a homunculus from scratch, could you?

    What do you need?

    "The production of a homunculus requires a base of biological information. Any living organism with flesh and blood has information inscribed in it that might be called ''how the organism was created''.

    Is that genetic?

    I''m the one who interrupted them at the end.

    At that moment, Prati and Zos Saira''s eyes turn to me at once, and I, a weak-minded man, get super scared.

    "....What...what is it?

    "...genes?¡¡A gene. The existence of the gene has yet to be discovered by the straw man, but you come from a different world than this one, don''t you? You seem to know a lot of interesting things.

    Tahahahahahaha.........

    "That''s just it, the gene. That''s what we need. If we want to create a horse-type homunculus, we will need a horse gene to form the basis for it.

    And..........

    Zos Saira added.

    ''''Princess Prati seems to be looking for a powerful sulphur horse that''s not just a horse. If that''s the case, it would be better to get the genetic material from a good horse rather than a bad one. Horses are valued by the people of the land, so the best natural breed must be selected from the best.

    All right. We''ll get you the best fast horse in the world and you''ll be in charge of the gene pool!

    I looked at the two witches in high spirits, and the most appropriate adjective for them came to me.

    ...a mad scientist.

    There was nothing else.

    It was magic.

    I''m a witch.

    A mad scientist.

    What they were talking about was hard for me to grasp as a novice, but I could still understand it on a zany level and guess that this was probably what they were talking about, based on my knowledge of the world I was in before.

    My guess.

    These two people are probably.........

    ........................trying to clone it.

    And maybe even a modified clone.

 132-131 Different World Thoroughbred

    A few days after the witchy secret talk between Prati and Zos Saira.

    The Witch King came to our farm.

    ''Not long ago, my saint, it was not long before I had to visit you again!¡¡Because pleasant things always happen here, you know!

    The Demon King looks unusually excited.

    What in the world is the matter with you?

    Just as he said, not much time has passed since he came to consult with Lettuce Slate to take care of her, and for the Demon King, who should be busy conquering and ruling the former human country, his visit has a rather unnatural short span of time.

    ''''Demon King-sama, thank you very much for accepting my request and coming to visit us so quickly.

    Plati called him?

    Who do you think you are to summon the Demon King, who has complete control over humanity and is the greatest ruler on earth?

    Not the little mermaid princess!

    I''ve always been indebted to the saint and his wife, so it''s not surprising that they ask me for a favor. You have been given the opportunity to repay them for their kindness!

    Hahahahahahahahaha," the Demon King smiles cheerfully, but it''s not his usual tension.

    What the hell is going on?

    Your Majesty is the Son of Man, after all.

    Whoa!¡¡Ms. Astares?

    Queen Astares?

    You''re here with her?

    His majesty is a man of principle, a man of principle, who always keeps a cool head and kills himself, but even so, there are times when he can''t stop his childish desires.

    The scene where you can''t control your childhood?

    And now, my Demon Lord, I''m asking you to do me a favor.

    Mm, he''s bringing the whole thing with him!

    When the Demon King gave the signal, Grashara, the other Demon Queen, pulled the reins and the horse came with a cracking of hooves.

    ''''Horse?''''

    That''s my horse, the Black Flame!

    It was a huge horse, so magnificent that I looked up at it.

    He was one size larger than the horse I knew, and his musculature was prolific to the point of being raised, but he was tight where it was tight, so he didn''t look fat.

    Rather, he was shapely all over, and at first glance, he looked more like a strong thoroughbred than a thoroughbred.

    His hair was black, and his jet-black mane, which was also jet-black, flickered up, creating the illusion that a black flame was burning, just as its name implied.

    ''''Black Flame is one of the Demon King''s most favorite surging horses.

    And the Demon Queen.

    However, she is devoted to riding horses to an extraordinary degree. All of the nearly 100 horses he raises there are owned by the Demon King.

    "Eeeeeee...?

    By the way, it seems to be Demon King Zedan''s only abuse of authority.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you see it. Well, I find that part of him cute too.

    That''s why he''s so bizarrely excited this time.

    Also, Mr. Astares, you just casually fell in love with him, didn''t you?

    Hey, Astareth. Hey, Astareth, don''t try to act like you''re so smart that you''re a childhood friend.

    Then the other Demon Queen Grashara said as if to make a connection with him.

    It''s no secret that the Demon King loves horses. It''s nothing to brag about, even if you pointed it out to him. You''re not the only one who knows everything about the Demon King," he said.

    ''''Thanks for that. Grashara-san, a former infantry soldier, had a strange pride and refused to ride a horse even after being selected as the Four Heavenly Kings, but he changed his mind the moment he heard that the Demon King loved riding.

    ''''Gunnooooooooooooo!

    A woman''s battle is being fought.

    I would never poke my head into another family''s bedroom. So I leave it alone.

    On the other side, the Demon King and Prathi are playing around with the conversation.

    ''''........So, this Black Flame ship has inherited the highest bloodline with its father as Tornado and mother as Cardinalessa. He has inherited his father''s toughness and his mother''s belligerent nature, and he has been trained by himself to become the best fast horse in the world. He is also an excellent warhorse, and when I ride him, I feel that he is a perfect match for me. During the invasion of humanity, Black Flame was chosen as the horse to ride, and the tribesmen were overwhelmed by its majestic appearance and were completely captivated by it...!

    Demon King, you talk too fast when you talk about horses.

    But will you be okay?¡¡As for what''s to come...?

    ''''Truly, he is the best fast horse worthy of the Demon King''s beloved horse. This one is perfect as a material!

    About that.........is the story that you have been offered true?¡¡What about the idea of using this Black Flame as a stallion to create an even more powerful and famous horse?

    The Demon King suddenly started to get nervous.

    "That means there is a mare that is as good as this Black Flame...?¡¡I hadn''t heard of such a great horse, but on this farm, any insanity is not impossible.......!

    Was that what was bothering him and making him squirm?

    As an inimitable horse lover, it is easy to imagine that the fact that there is a famous horse that you don''t know about is in itself a great shock.

    Perhaps, though, this is how Prathi asked the demon king this time.

    --It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to make a strong horse, so please provide me with a stallion.

    Or something like that.

    What the demon king has in his head is Davyta, if I, an otherworldly person, choose the right vocabulary to express it.

    Darwinism is Darwinism, where a strong stallion and a strong mare are crossed to create a stronger horse.

    Real horse owners do that with real horses, though. The inimitable horse lover, Maou-san, is probably addicted to this type of real horse racing.

    Just so you know, Demon King.

    The insanity of this farm seems to be beyond your imagination.

    ''''Well, let''s get started...''''

    Zos Saira came out.

    "Ho, that''s a good horse. If we can use the horse''s genes, we could create a high-performance homunculus.

    "A horse-shaped homunculus!

    The Demon King is puzzled by the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar witch.

    "But Mr. Zos?¡¡How exactly do you go about harvesting the genes from this horse?

    You know what to do.

    Zos Saira started wearing some kind of tight rubber gloves!

    "Squeeze it out.

    No, it''s another world, so it''s probably ''rubbery material gloves''.

    What are you going to do with your glove-wearing hand, Zos Saira?

    ''''Please be extremely careful. This horse is very important to the other party, so we have to return it to them without a scratch, right?

    "Don''t be so obvious. Do you underestimate this ''Abyssal Witch''?

    The Demon King said, "What?¡¡Huh? The two of them proceeded to work briskly, leaving their confusion at ease.

    Sleekly approaching the horse.........

    Great, it''s a strange opponent, but the horse isn''t alarmed at all.

    Anyway, Zos Saira crouched down at the horse''s side........

    Reaching towards its abdomen........

    .......................Ah.

    Ah, ah..........

    Rattle.

    Are Uso''s horses that long?

    You mean like that?

    ! Just like milking a cow?

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!¡¡Huh?¡¡Huh?¡¡Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    The demon king is perplexed too.

    While we were bewildered and upset, Zos Saira finished her work safely.

    Okay, we found a lot of food.

    Before I knew it, the leather bag I had brought with me was full to the brim.

    "All we need to do now is to use this material as a base material for culturing in our lab, cross it with the various genes we have in stock, and create a superior horse-shaped homunculus.

    How long is this gonna take?

    We''ll give you a month.

    Prathi and Zos Saira talking to each other at their own pace.

    The Demon King and I can''t help but be stunned.

    On the other hand, Astares and Grashara and the two demon queens with red faces at the back.

    And the Black Flame with a very clear expression on its face.

    Demon King.

    I''m sorry.

    What these guys are trying to do is not the way you might have imagined.

    If I may speak in my own way from another world.

    The game they are trying to play is not dabi*ta........

    ...it''s a mega-*n.

 133-132 Homunculus Horse Performance

    And about a month later.

    Finally, news of the completion of the homunculus horse arrived from Zos Saira.

    ''''A synthetic horse created by magic...?

    The Demon King roared with an unexplained expression.

    ''''I mean, you''ve come again after a month''s break?

    My beloved horse, the Black Flame, is a magical creature that was created using, well.......spirit. As a horse owner, I have a duty to see it through.

    ''Lies. He just can''t contain his interest in anything horsey.

    The look on Astares'' face as she said next to me was that of a wife who completely doesn''t understand her husband''s taste.

    Incidentally, she''s already pregnant, and her belly is starting to show off by now.

    ''I see the audience is all here. An auspicious gesture.

    and this time the perpetrator, Zos Saira, came out.

    The main culprit is Prati.

    ''It is a great pleasure for you to attend the unveiling of my masterpiece today. I wish you to leave here with the happiness of witnessing my divine work in the presence of an ordinary man.

    You''re so high and mighty.

    You''re so high and mighty. Who do you think you are?

    Ignoring the boos from me and Prathi, Zos Cyra proceeds.

    ''Now, before we unveil the real thing, let''s go over the basic theory of homunculus manufacturing.

    There it is. I have a lot of profound knowledge.

    I don''t want to go through such a complicated process. All you have to do is show me the results!

    We''re on a roll and keep booing.

    ''Shut up. You''d be able to appreciate the awesomeness of the straw man if you understood the logic, though. ........Now, let''s start with the root of the matter, what is a homunculus first?

    He sounds like a scientist, in a very regrettable tone of voice.

    A homunculus is a pseudo-life that is created through pharmacological magic. In a sense, they''re the equivalent of the monsters created by mana condensation in dungeons.

    We''ve heard that explanation before.

    However, unlike monsters created by the laws of nature, which are not yet understood, homunculi have no basis for creating them from scratch. There is no information that could be called a blueprint for life. The saints used to refer to it as genes...

    So Zos Saira takes genes from existing organisms and creates artificial life based on them.

    It also uses more than two types of genes. Research is also underway to successfully combine the strengths of each of them to create more powerful life forms.

    ........." said Zos Saira at length.

    Otherwise, there would be no advantage to going to the trouble of creating life through magic.

    Does this homomunculus horse we''re about to unveil have more than one kind of life crossed in it?

    ''''That''s right. I took the genes from the famous horse that the Demon King provided me with and added various genes from other lives to make it even more powerful. ........Then.

    Zos Saira grins.

    ''Without further ado, let me introduce you to them as soon as possible!¡¡Masterpieces of Wara!

    It''s detailed enough by now, it''s dull.

    ...?

    Masterpiece, guys?

    Piece number one!¡¡It''s an armored homunculus horse!

    As if on cue, a horse came out from offstage with a crackle of hooves.

    ........no wait.

    Offstage?

    How extravagant they are setting the stage for this presentation.

    And the all-important homomunculus horse has finally appeared...!

    Armored horse?

    Whatever it is, it''s covered with armor all over its body!

    They''re not wearing some kind of horse armor, but just plain old armor?

    "This film combines the genes of a famous horse with the genes of a fish monster called Dinikutis.

    ''Dinikutis is a fish monster with a hard shell all over its body, so it''s inherited those characteristics.

    And Prati calmly explains........?

    "The Dinikutis with its shell is said to have the greatest defense of any sea-dwelling monster. "The armored horses that have inherited its robustness will not be able to withstand any attack.

    Let''s imagine.

    Imagine a battlefield of friends and foes, with bows and arrows pouring down like rain and spear beds soaring above the ground.

    The bows and arrows pouring down like rain, the towering line of spear beds.

    A cavalryman would be able to run in all directions without getting a single scratch while clashing with countless sharp edges.

    The natural armor covering their bodies will block all attacks!

    No, no!

    No!

    I want a means of transportation to get in and out of the farm quickly!¡¡It''s for peaceful purposes!

    Who said I wanted to be a Warring States Warrior?

    "No need for combat!¡¡I don''t need aggression!¡¡Defenses are also minimal and sufficient!

    What?

    Zos Saira seemed unhappy with my protests.

    ''Great...!¡¡What a novelty........?

    Next to him, the Demon King was impressed.

    "Didn''t you like the armored horse? It can''t be helped. Now let me introduce the number two. It''s the Tricky Homunculus Horse!

    Tricky!

    From the sound of it, it''s full of anxiety!

    The horse that appeared from offstage again, however, looked more normal than the previous armored horse.

    Even to the untrained eye, the characteristic that can be seen is its small body.

    It was no larger than a pony, let alone a horse, and all traces of its genetic father, Black Flame, were gone.

    ''''What kind of characteristics does this horse have...?

    ''''Hmph........!¡¡Watch it!

    When Zos Saira stroked that new horse, its surface pruned and shook.

    The texture was like a pudding or jelly. It''s hard to believe it''s that of a mammal''s body.

    ''''Heeeee!¡¡What''s that!?

    That''s disgusting!

    Me and Demon King were both confused.

    The second piece of work, the gene that was crossed with the tricky horse is from the octopus-shaped monster Spring Tentacle!¡¡It''s an octopus whose body is made up of springy muscles. Its muscle power allows it to jump around in all directions, which is truly tricky!

    The tricky horse, unleashed to perform, leaps like a spring.

    A horse....or is it a rabbit?¡¡Frogs?¡¡No, grasshopper?¡¡It was a flight as if to say, "I''m a grasshopper?

    On the contrary...!

    Whoa!¡¡Attached to the wall of a building?

    I inherited the suction cup from the original Spring Tentacle. This is an octopus. It can stick to flat surfaces like that.

    And then he kicks the wall and jumps right next to it.

    Three-dimensional trajectory!

    That move is truly tricky, and I don''t think I could catch it if I tried!

    I don''t want it!

    What I want is a very moderate and bland form of transportation!¡¡We don''t need some kind of supernatural power that can''t be exceeded!

    When these horses go into battle, they will be able to form a truly versatile, ambitious, ambush force...

    Demon King, stop daydreaming!

    You''ve just destroyed a nation of people!¡¡What more do you have to fight?

    What........this isn''t working either? You''re a man of high ideals, aren''t you, Saint?

    ''''Your vision is of too high a standard!

    Our goals don''t quite mesh with each other!

    However, it''s actually part of the calculation. The next piece I''m going to show you, piece number three, is the one I made to carry the saint''s dog!

    Eh?

    Then what were the first two horses........?

    The third horse that appeared after some confident previous explanation........

    ''''Sorry to keep you waiting, master!

    For some reason, Veerle came out.

 134-133 heaven run

    Veerle?

    Isn''t that the dragon that lives on my farm, Veerle?

    Now in human form.

    But why does the Veerle come out of the stage room?

    Today is the day Zos Saira unveils his latest creation.

    "Master of Grinzel, the dragon who rules me!¡¡The creature you ride must be special!¡¡Like me!

    Don''t tell me you''re not going to tell me to ride you in dragon form again, are you, Veerle?

    You were supposed to be rejected because you''re too spotted, right?

    ''You look anxious, saint. Let me tell you that part is all right.

    Isn''t it totally safe for you to be told by Zos Saira?

    ''''I thought I was indeed going to die when this dragon barged into my laboratory at the bottom of the sea, but if you''re from there, you should have told me first. That was really heartbreaking.

    Can it reach the bottom of the ocean without difficulty?

    That''s my girl.

    You can''t just multiply living things together and make something more powerful! I''m the most powerful creature in the world, and I''m so busy I can''t help but cry. But if it''s for the sake of the master, I''d be willing to strip myself of my clothes too!

    What is it?

    ''Miss Veerle has offered to help Warawa with her research. The strawberry welcomed it. And what do you think happened then?

    What''s going on?

    ''It has been produced!¡¡A dragon homunculus horse that is a cross between a dragon gene and a dragon!

    ""Yeah?

    After the introduction, the horse appeared in a puckering manner.

    This is a homunculus horse with the genes of the most powerful creature, a dragon, crossed over?

    It''s full of the strongest impressions from the letters, though.

    At first glance, he''s exactly the same as an ordinary horse. It doesn''t have a conspicuous strangeness like the armored horse that was revealed earlier, nor does it have a strange size like the tricky horse.

    It''s a very dense and rich aura that''s pouring out.

    The color of the eyes is also different, and the appearance, or rather the atmosphere, of a strong man appeals to a sense of specialness.

    You can''t get away with it.

    What?¡¡What was that voice?

    It was as if it was speaking directly to your mind...?

    Oh, is it my imagination?

    As I was getting confused for no reason, the dragon horse quietly approached me.

    He''s already saddled and gagged, and he rubs his nose in it in a friendly manner. To me.

    "Are you telling me to ''get on''?

    I had no riding experience at all, so I put my legs in the stirrups and rode with trepidation.

    At the same time, the horse runs off at full speed!

    Fast!¡¡That''s fast!

    Don''t dash off without asking your owner for help!

    You''ll be shaken off!¡¡........but it wasn''t so.

    The horses themselves were riding with great care and I was totally fine with just holding the reins.

    We went back and forth from one end of the farm to the other, cutting through the wind at breakneck speed.

    And then I ended up flying.

    He flew!

    This horse flew through the air.

    With me on my back, he was flying through the heavens with his hooves clacking against the air.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on it.

    I never would have thought that adding dragon genes would give them such versatility. This is a dragon....!

    I hear people on the ground!

    I mean, it''s about time!¡¡Put me down!¡¡I''m afraid of heights!

    I finally got back to the ground and got comfortable.

    That''s when Zos Saira asked me to comment.

    "How was the ride?

    So it''s too over-specified!

    I want a horse that can get me all over the farm and to the mountains and to the sea and to the caves as fast as possible!

    Who wanted the strongest creature to rule the skies?

    The more you give it to them, the worse it gets!

    "You can''t even keep track of all these awesome creatures...¡¡I knew we''d have to buy a horse from somewhere around the devil''s country, a normal horse...!

    What happens to these guys then?

    The dragon horse, tricky horse and armored horse that was unveiled this time, all stare at me.

    They have pitiful eyes like a calf being sold on a cart.

    "How dare you.........?

    You don''t want us?¡¡Are you going to get rid of it?

    Don''t look at me like that.

    It''s no use, because supply and demand don''t mix.

    It would be a tragedy if you were created for our convenience and then branded as unnecessary.

    Stop!¡¡Don''t look at me like I''m some kind of horse with tears in my eyes!

    It''s my fault!

    Am I the bad guy?

    All right, all right, all right!¡¡I''ll take care of them all at home responsibly!

    Yeah!

    The homunculus horses as well as Zos Saira, Prati, and Veerle rejoiced in unison.

    Smart horses.

    ''Master!¡¡This horse!¡¡Dragon horses are the master''s favorite!¡¡That''s a special mixture of my genes, and you don''t let anyone but the master on board!

    Yeah, yeah, yeah.

    That''s why we have a new horse resident on our farm.

    A horse, or rather a homunculus horse.

    As an aside, in addition to the dragon horse, which has become my personal favorite horse, the previously mentioned armored horse and the tricky horse.

    Oakbo and Gobb Kichi, the head of the monster army, will be riding them respectively.

    Oakbo has the muscular physique of an Orc, even if it''s just an Orc''s muscular physique, and its power is overwhelming when it''s mounted on an armored horse that looks like a heavy tank.

    His majestic appearance, holding a manametal axe in his right hand and holding the reins in his left, was solemn, just like a Legatus (general), that his subordinate Orcs cheered him on.

    Furthermore, Zos Saira watched with an enthralled expression.

    The tricky horse had a small body as small as a pony, as if it had been made in the process of synthesis, and it was just right for the equally small gobbler Gov.

    Moreover, the tricky horse, which has an unusual leaping ability and habit, is unlikely to be able to be ridden by anyone other than Govkichi, who was originally adept at it, and the compatibility between the two was excellent.

    If it was a forest or an intricate mountainous area, or a place with a lot of obstructions, it moved at high speed on a three-dimensional track, expanding the viewer''s common sense.

    ''''........and by the way, Saint Lord.''''

    The horse-loving Demon King said with a hint of trepidation.

    ''''Since you enjoy riding horses, don''t you need to practice?¡¡What do you think?¡¡If you don''t mind, allow me to teach you.¡¡It takes a lot of men to teach a saint a lesson!¡¡As my unworthy Demon King, I have the responsibility to do so...!

    I hope we''ve found some kindred spirits.

    Finally.

    I''ve decided to name the horses myself since they are my beloved horses.

    Okubo and Gobukichi will come up with a name for their beloved horses, but....

    In my case, it''s a dragon horse.

    A name that goes well with a dragon horse........

    Dragon Horse.

    Dragon Horse.

    Dragon Horse.........!

    Okay, I''ll take it.

    Sakamoto.

    Named, Sakamoto. He was a dragon horse that came to be known as

    * * * *.

    A later aside.

    The elves working in the workshop were riding horses.

    It''s just a plain, ordinary horse.

    Girls?¡¡Where did you get that from?

    I''m somewhat shocked to see the scene.

    When asked, the elven maidens answer honestly.

    ''When we saw the saints riding, we thought it''s been a while since we''ve had a ride.

    ''I caught and trained a wild horse that lived in the woods. Elves are forest people, so they''re good at that sort of thing.

    I immediately thought to myself, "I should have asked them from the beginning!

    I should have asked them from the start...!¡¡And.

    Then there wouldn''t have been a single flashy or troublesome thing to do...!¡¡And.

    The homunculus horse, made by Zos Saira''s House of Homunculus, and the wild horses that the elves had caught, now live in their newly built stables on good terms.

 135-134 Gods request

    "I summon the gods...

    I thought the teacher had come to visit me out of the blue, but he said so single-mindedly.

    Sensei is the No-Life King, the worst and most deadly monster among the undead. He is nicknamed ''Sensei'' because more than a thousand years have passed since he became immortal and he has forgotten his own name.

    He usually works as a dungeon master deep in a cave style dungeon near the farm, but sometimes he comes to visit our farm.

    On such occasions, we serve him takuan, his favorite food, and enjoy chatting with him, but today....

    ''I summon the gods.''

    I say.

    ''''Well sir, if it''s God, you just summoned him the other day, didn''t you?''''

    I admonished him in a contrived tone.

    Demon King Zedan summoned the Underworld God Hades to report the victory of the battle that destroyed the human nation. Almost no time had passed since that latest summoning.

    ''''Even so, I summon a god.''''

    What is this stubbornness?

    Um..., sir?¡¡You know how hard it is to summon a god, don''t you?

    When you''re the king of the undead, though, you may not be able to understand common sense like a millionaire who has lost his financial sense.

    Summoning a god, you know.

    It''s a lot of work.

    He''s a god. God.

    God.

    I heard from Prati and the elves that the summoning technique itself is in the magic of the demon race and the magic of the human race, but it''s like the best they can do is to summon spirits and demons.

    Summoning a god from such a level.

    Difficult?

    It''s not that bad.

    It''s impossible!

    "Aren''t you stupid enough to summon a god?¡¡You''re just using common sense! In the history of magic among demons, humans and even mermaids, there''s no example of a god being summoned.

    How is that possible?

    Only because the teacher has one foot in the mythology of the man himself as the worst of the worst, the king of the undead!

    So, you know what?¡¡So you don''t want to summon a god too hoi polloi. You understand that it could ruin the balance of the world.

    Put yourself in the shoes of a god who is summoned.

    They are in the position of being the lord of the world, so their dignity will be ruined if they are easily summoned.

    We don''t want them to say, "We''re going to regain our lost dignity" and cause a great flood by bringing a few people onto the ark.

    I tried to persuade the doctor not to make a mess, but he said, "We can''t give up.

    "We can''t give up on this.

    For some reason, they won''t listen to me.

    Well, it''s the foundation recklessness of trying to talk them out of it against the No Life King....

    Since the first class powerful being called God came out from the beginning, I''m under the illusion that it''s easy in comparison.

    ''''That''s because this time the summoning is not done at the eagle''s own discretion. ........Although that has never happened before.''''

    He had to have moderation and didn''t summon a decision without some kind of pretext, you know.

    He has a sense of decorum in his own right.

    ...So what''s the reason this time?

    "The oracle has come to you.

    What?

    The oracle says...

    --who wishes to summon us. Hades, husband of Mother Goddess of Earth, and Poseidon, God of the Sea.

    You wish to be summoned?

    You are the God!

    What the hell does that mean?

    If it is an oracle of Poseidos, the god of the sea who rules over not only the dark god Hades but also the ocean, I cannot disobey. Since the reputation of the Immortal King is at stake, I will do my best to summon him!

    Hoonsu, the teacher''s snorting voice is loud.

    In addition to this sense of mission, there''s probably also the joy of being able to summon a favorite god with the permission of the god himself and make a big show of it.

    Just like the Demon King the other day, a lot of talented people in this world are really into their hobbies.

    Prince Arowana is really into sumo wrestling, too.

    I have to be cautious when introducing a game to the people of this world.

    * * * *

    And so it began.

    Now it''s time for the customary summoning of God by the teacher.

    This time, too, the residents of the farm are visiting onlookers.

    The last time Hades was summoned, everyone ran away in a panic.

    I thought to myself.

    ''That''s a scare. I never thought I''d see God with my own eyes!

    I''m so grateful!¡¡I super regretted after I calmed down that I got scared and ran away, but if you say there''s a chance to do it again, this time!

    ''''I''m going to worship it with all my might!¡¡I''ll also throw some money at you!

    The world here is only at the cultural level of the Middle Ages, and faith is still very much alive and well.

    When it comes to the gods that created them, that alone is a reason to worship them.

    Just don''t throw the money at them because it looks painful, so don''t do it.

    ''It''s not just Hades that''s being summoned this time, but also the god Poseidon, right?¡¡Aren''t you the creator god of the mermaid race, Atay!

    ''''I can''t help but be present for this. As the Sea God''s family!''''

    The mermaid group such as Puffa and Lamp-Eye, who are now becoming the old guard of the farm, also seem to be very interested in this divine summoning.

    Thus, when the place was sufficiently lively, Sensei, I will summon the god.

    ''''Hunjala Hongjala...!¡¡Ay!

    Isn''t the spell getting more appropriate?

    Appropriate but successful.

    God summoned.

    Hades, the underworld god with his magnificent beard, is now familiar, but another divine one, lined up next to him, is a novelty.

    It''s not just that he''s naked on top of his body, showing off his thick chest plate, but also that he has a trident weapon in his hand that''s even more impressive.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on it.

    It''s a good thing that you have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    This god is the one........

    ''''........Poseidon, the god of the sea. Praise be to me.

    ""Haha!"

    Not to mention the mermaid race, which was the direct family of mermaids, even the other races fell flat like an avalanche.

    ''''........You didn''t do that to me when I was with you.''''

    Next to me, the Hades God muttered as if he was sulking.

    ........No, every time you came over, it was all of a sudden, and I didn''t have that much of a head start.

    If you want, I''ll do it now!

    Haha!

    ''''Immortal King. It was a great cause. You have done well to answer the oracle and summon us.

    "As the gods wish.

    Reverently framed teacher.

    Even though this is one of the two greatest disasters in the world, I am once again awed by the existence of a God who must humble himself.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not the only one.

    "Mm, we''ll do that.

    The god of the earth and the god of the sea nodded to each other.

    This summons was done because the gods wanted it to be done.

    In other words, the gods had an errand to come to earth, so what exactly was the purpose of it?

    "In the name of God, I command you. "I command you in the name of God, let this sea god eat bamboo shoot rice!

    "Mm, let me feed you some bamboo shoot rice!

    Hello?

 136-135 Gods taste

    Oh, God.

    You can''t joke around with me, either.

    But you can''t really say it out loud with God, even if you think it''s a joke.

    I''m not joking. I''m not joking. I really want to show this idiot how great bamboo shoots are.

    "Don''t read my mind!

    That''s God.

    You can''t even complain in your mind, you can''t be careless or careless.

    ..........Well, let''s see, to summarize the information, the gods descended to eat rice with bamboo shoots?

    "''Yes.

    Wouldn''t you like to be an a**h*le in the understatement of the word?

    I had a vague preconceived notion that when God comes to earth, something much more spectacular is going to happen.

    Isn''t that true?

    This is an important matter for the prestige of God. Keep in mind that the fate of the world hangs on your every move.

    You''re making a big deal out of it.

    "Will you stop, my brother? Your bravado has the wind of men''s children in their sails.

    is Poseidon, the god of the sea, who proudly holds up his three-pronged spear.

    The brothers of the earth have a bad habit of getting pissed off. It''s only recently. There are times when the gods exchange nonsense among themselves.''

    According to Mr. Poseidon, the god of the earth and the sea had this conversation

    * * * *

    Hades (H) "I highly recommend rice with bamboo shoots.

    Poseidos (hereinafter: po) ''Stupid, wow, just food on earth''

    Ha ''No, it''s not, you''ll know it when you try it''

    Po, ''You don''t have to eat it to know it. There''s no such thing as an earthly thing that''s beyond the God Realm.''

    C. "Don''t be judgmental or I''ll beat you up.

    Po, "Owww, you''re doing it?

    * * *

    So I''ve decided to make things black and white by actually eating bamboo grass and rice.

    With a super-serious face, Hades God says

    .........When he came to this person before, we served him a meal as a form of hospitality, and that meal was rice with bamboo shoots.

    The taste of the rice was so pleasing that Hades even designated it as "God''s food".

    If it is denied head-on, it will make you angry.

    ........But I can tell from listening to the recollections that the God of Poseidon''s incendiary tone of voice is guaranteed to piss you off even if it''s not.

    ''O visitor from another world. I command you in anticipation of your excellence and generosity. I command you to be excellent and forgiving, and I hope you''ll offer me more of that bamboo shoot rice again and make this idiot sea god of a crank.

    Apparently, the Dark God wants it.

    Now I finally have an outline of the story that I''m starting to understand.

    Why do I have to mimic a gourmet comic book hero like that?¡¡I don''t think so, but I owe the God of Hades a debt of gratitude for summoning me several times in the past to heed his request.

    Thanks to him, my crops are growing better this season than last year, and I owe it to the spirits of the earth, my beloved companions, for their blessing on my farm.

    ''I can''t say I''d hate to be asked to do such a thing by the Hades gods, but...''

    There is one problem.

    This time, I wasn''t prepared to make rice with bamboo shoots at all.

    We had to go to the bamboo forest we''d built in the spring area of the mountain dungeon to get fresh bamboo shoots and cook them... and so on and so forth.

    Unfortunately, we don''t have any stock of bamboo shoots at the moment.

    We''ll have to go to the bamboo forest now and bring the dug-up bamboo shoots back to the house and start cooking them in a day.

    ''If you had at least told me what you wanted to do first, I could have been ready and waiting...''

    I could have given you an oracle, you could have done that.

    No....

    ''''Hahahaha. ''''Brothers of the earth have a habit of making mistakes in arrangements when they are excited. That''s what they used to do during the creation.

    Huh?

    Hey...

    What''s the matter with you?¡¡Then, if you leave once and ask them to summon you again when the otherworlders are ready...!''''

    "What?¡¡I had to make time to come along with you because you talked so much~?¡¡I made time for you in your busy schedule, though~

    "Shut up, it''s not like I''m bored anyway!

    Please don''t stir things up, God of the Sea.

    It can''t be helped.

    Gobukichi.

    Ha!

    You know what?

    I instructed Gobukichi to bring me something from the pavilion.

    It was the remainder of the already finished lunch, and it was painful to offer the leftovers to the gods, but it was urgent, so I had no choice.

    ''''What is this?''''

    Green peas on rice.

    Don''t think it''s a mixed rice again.

    It''s a sudden thing, so it can''t be helped.

    Here''s what we all ate for lunch today, and I made the extra rice into an omusubi.

    It''s delicious even when it''s cold.

    That''s the strength of mixed rice.

    For now, please try this one.

    Although I encouraged him to do so.

    Regret was already beginning to bubble up in my mind.

    Because leftovers, you know?

    God, of all people!

    I knew it was premature. Shouldn''t I have prepared a proper one, even if I had to bide my time!

    Will you stop me from reading this conflict of mine again, gods?

    "Itadakimasu!

    It wasn''t a miracle!

    That''s God. He doesn''t read anything called air!

    Poseidon, the god of the sea, chewed the rice ball of green peas, which had cooled down completely, and swallowed it down to the grains of rice on his fingertips.

    "....I declare the green pea rice to be the food of God.

    Again?

    I''m so glad you like it!

    But don''t you think you''re spreading God''s food around a bit too much?

    "Yummy!¡¡Delicious!¡¡The sticky texture of this grain, accented by the crunch of the green beans mixed in!¡¡Best of all, the whole food is extraordinarily tangy and salty!¡¡After all, saltiness is the ultimate taste!

    The god of the sea began to report on the food.

    "It''s true, it''s true. ...well, it''s not as good as rice with bamboo shoots.

    The Hades gods don''t go out of their way to appeal to you for their inferred rice.

    And he ate a few rice balls and ate himself.

    ''....Brother of the Earth. I''m going to have to admit that I''m at fault here. It''s true that the deliciousness of this otherworldly people''s food is comparable to that of a god.

    ''''Mm-hmm. It''s best for people and gods to be honest. But brother of the sea. It''s fine to admire excellence, but aren''t you behaving a little out of sobriety?

    Hmm?

    The chewing of the god Poseidon stopped at the disturbing statement.

    ''Thou hast decreed this green pea rice to be God''s food, but examine it carefully. Are not the grains and beans that are the ingredients of this food the fruit of the earth?''

    "Gunnu!

    The same goes for rice cooked with bamboo shoots. It''s a good thing that this dish is the culmination of the sweat and wisdom of the otherworldly people here, but if the source is a blessing from the earth, then there''s no problem for Hades, the husband of Mother Earth, to praise it, but what about you?

    Poseidon, god of the sea.

    ''Is it not transgressive to praise this green peas rice, shaped by the bounty of the earth, by you who rule the great sea?¡¡Didn''t think you were as senseless a god as that Zeus?¡¡Hmm?¡¡Hmm?

    The God of Hades is here to stir things up back up.

    I''ve been agitated many times before, so it''s not hard to understand how I feel.

    I really don''t want a war of the gods to break out because of my farm.

    ''''Gunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunn!

    They often say that the more agitated a person is, the more vulnerable they are to being agitated.

    The God of Poseidon also follows that theory, and his face turns red and trembles.

    ''''O visitor from another world.......!

    You just walked in here?

    Yes?

    "In anticipation of thy wisdom and justice, I command you!¡¡Offer me a dish made of sea salt worthy of my praise!¡¡And I give you the blessing of Poseidon, god of the sea!

 137-136 red gem

    "Make delicious food from the sea.

    I received an order from God to make this puzzle.

    I wondered what the protagonist of a gourmet manga would be going through if he was given a reckless assignment, but I guess it''s still an easy one because if it were a gourmet manga, I''d probably be given a more reckless assignment.

    It''s pretty liberal, "I''ll accept any seafood".

    You''re dealing with a god, an opponent that you shouldn''t basically oppose.

    In addition, it seems that he''ll give you something divinely good as a reward if you clear the challenge, so let''s try to be honest about it.

    * * * *

    Then a few days.

    ''''Ummm........?''''

    I kept visiting the kitchen between farm work and groaning in distress.

    The gods have long gone home and are waiting for my food to be finished.

    Because the God of Poseidon........

    ''''Listen!¡¡It''s not just food!¡¡Make the best sea food ever!¡¡A dish that far surpasses rice with bamboo or green peas!¡¡The guy from Hades cooks a dish of guffawing!

    He raised the bar so hard that I received a reprieve for that.

    And what about the fact that you can''t even make a gagging sound and still get a gafun?

    I''m not sure if there is a different concept of time because there is only God after all, but it helps that no clear deadline was given....

    ''''Umm~........?

    When I actually got to work on it, I had a surprisingly difficult time.

    The topic of this time, marine products.

    Speaking of seafood, fish is a typical example.

    At first I thought, "Why don''t you cook with that fish?

    With these methods of cooking.....

    I feel like it''s too easy.

    The client, the god Poseidon, raises the bar so high and has such high expectations that they may not be satisfied with a half-hearted dish.

    The quality of the food depends on the mood of the recipient, you know.

    It''s not easy to get people to say "It''s good!" out of the mindset of "It''s only natural that the food is good. It''s a very high level of difficulty to get people to say "This is good!

    And let''s not forget.

    The rice cooked with bamboo and green peas that made the gods roar.

    These are indeed agricultural products from the earth.

    But the origin of them, the bamboo shoots, green peas and rice, are the varieties of the other world I was from.

    I mustn''t forget that.

    The world I was in before was far more civilized than this one, and agricultural products have been improved in taste and appearance through dozens of generations of breeding.

    I''m the "supreme bearer" and I can easily grow them out of the ground, and I feel like I should never forget how grateful I am.

    The quality of rice cooked with bamboo or green peas is largely due to the quality of the varieties of these crops.

    In contrast, the fish prepared here is of this world from the beginning.

    There is no ingredient boost on it.

    If you want to produce a taste that is acceptable to God on top of that, there''s no way to do it without putting weight on the cooking method.

    And yet, the only cooking methods that come to mind are grilled fish and sashimi.

    It''s more like a method that brings out the flavors of the ingredients.

    In reality, though, it may be possible to recreate this with the skills of an itamae master, the "supreme bearer".

    If I''m going to do this, I''d like to attack it with an unconventional cooking method that would astonish the people of this world and the gods.

    That''s how the people of the other world will show their true colors.

    So, I went to the kitchen to get some ideas and tried to process some fish.

    We have plenty of samples of fish that Okubo and his crew scavenged from their boat the other day.

    It can be frozen and stored for as long as you want, thanks to the improvements made to the freezer by the "frozen witch" known as Puffa.

    I cut open the thawed fish''s belly and took out the guts.

    "Hmm...?

    I discovered something and had a good idea.

    * * * *

    What I focused on from inside the fish''s stomach.

    It''s this.

    Ovaries.

    It may have been before birth, but it was packed tightly with eggs, and it instantly reminded me of something.

    I immediately salted those ovaries and the result was.....

    Codfish!

    In another world, you wouldn''t know what this tastes like!

    But the other party is God.

    This is an opponent that should not be taken lightly. You have to add one more push to make sure you don''t miss out on the victory by underestimating the opponent.

    The finished cod roe is then soaked in a marinade made mainly of chili peppers to soak up the spiciness and flavor.

    Evolution of the cod roe!

    Spicy red cod roe!

    Red, vivid, transparent and shiny.

    The countless number of grainy eggs in the thin membrane have a unique crunchy texture, while the spiciness of the spicy flavor gives you a unique sensation that you can only experience with this.

    Its presence is truly a red diamond in the sea!

    ''''Yup, well done!

    The tone of the narrative sounded as if it had gone fairly easily so far, but in reality, it took a lot of mistakes and a lot of time.

    The hot peppercorn soaking liquid in particular was completely fumbled, and with the help of Prathi, Gala Rufa, and Puffa, we finally managed to do it.

    Fortunately, the most common species of fish that Okubo and the others have taken are impregnated with a lot of eggs and can be mass-produced.

    It''s a species similar to pollock in my world, and according to Prathi, our world is teeming with them.

    So let''s make a janjiang spicy cod roe!

    We''re gonna have a new specialty on our farm!

    ........The leftover fish meat was made into a fish paste and was delicious.

 138-137 Feast of the Gods

    And finally, it''s here.

    The unveiling ceremony to present the completed masterpiece to Poseidos, the god of the sea, was held.

    "Here it comes, my saint.

    Good day to you.

    The teacher of the No Life King, whose role is to summon the gods, also arrived on site.

    This person also has a very lucrative role this time, as he is able to make use of his hobby by waving a big hand.

    ''It seems that the gods have also been informed and are stunned to be summoned in the divine world. I received a list of the gods that I wish to summon just now from the oracle.''''

    A list?

    What do you mean?

    Aren''t Hades and Poseidon the only gods that were summoned today?

    "And they don''t look like this...

    I take a piece of paper from the teacher and look at it.

    The countless names of the gods listed there.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Those wishing to be summoned from the camp of the Earth God

    Hades.

    Demeter Sepone.

    Lada Mantis.

    Iacos.

    Meenorth.

    Nemesis.

    Thanatos.

    Hupnos.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Those wishing to be summoned from the Sea God camp

    Poseidon.

    Medusa.

    Amphitrite.

    Triton.

    Orion.

    Ketos.

    Chrysaol.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There are too many of them!

    The wives, children, vassals, flirtatious lovers and their children of Hades and Poseidon, the God of the Three Realms.

    But why are his wives and his children and his vassals and his lovers and their children coming to him in droves?

    Wasn''t it supposed to be just the God of Hades and the God of Poseidon in the first place?

    ''That''s how well known the saint is among the gods. Anyway, I''ll summon you! Ay!''''

    When the teacher chanted the incantation, all the distinguished faces appeared.

    All at once, more than ten so-called gods appeared.

    Which god''s seat is this place?¡¡My farm has become a godsend.

    "Visitor from another world. Continue to be a good cause. One who passes on knowledge that does not exist in this world.

    No, no.

    As expected, we can''t ignore God''s wishes either.

    The gods of the underworld, Hades and Poseidon, the god of the sea, are familiar to us, but today, other gods are also in attendance.

    For example, the two goddesses over there.

    "Demeter Sephone, hey!¡¡How are you?

    It''s a good thing that you''re still in good spirits, Amphitrite. It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.

    ''It''s nothing!¡¡That jerk of a husband is cheating on me all the time!¡¡Not as much as Zeus''s big jerk, but I envy Hades-san who is so single-minded!

    The other gods were also in harmony, warming up old friendships as if they hadn''t been in the sea and land for a while.

    A social gathering of the gods broke out at my farm.

    "Wait a minute!

    In the midst of all this, one of us from the team of living creatures on earth shouts out in a high-pitched voice.

    "Who has the guts to take on the gods? But when I turned around, the one who was raising her hand in vehement protest was Letaslate, the princess of the human race who had just recently come to our house.

    The human princess has guts.

    She''s angry and says....

    The gods of the earth and the gods of the sea are all here, so why isn''t the god of heaven, the protector of our race of humans, here?¡¡What about our human race''s patron god, Tenjin Zeus-sama?

    Come to think of it, it doesn''t feel right that two of the three are together and one is missing.

    ''''If you can see Zeus directly and tell him of the plight the human race is in now, I''m sure he''ll bring you some kind of relief!¡¡And yet, the all-important Lord Zeus is not here!¡¡There''s the earth and the sea, and there''s no god that we need most!

    Lettuce Ratechan seemed to be angry about that point.

    In response, Hades, the underworld god, and Poseidon, the sea god, said........

    ''''I didn''t call him because he''s a jerk.''''

    "Master Left, I didn''t want to invite you because it would have ruined a good party.

    He was very frank.

    ''''Zeus is selfish and self-centered, so he gets angry when he''s not treated to the best of his ability and lashes out when he doesn''t get his way.''''

    ''''If Zeus finds out about the existence of this paradise, he might say, ''I''m going to make it my own personal sanctuary. That''s why I''ll never invite him.

    A resolute hardness of will could be felt from the two gods.

    ''''d*mn it!''''

    Hearing that, Lettuce Rate-chan ran off, crying.

    Let''s leave her alone.

    Today''s star is the gods.

    ''''Yes, yes, chu-moku!

    And the god Poseidos took the lead in attracting the attention of the gods.

    That god seems to have a very divider-like personality.

    Thank you for joining us today for the "Ocean Cuisine from the Other World, Specialities Recognition Ceremony" hosted by Isuzu.¡¡We are the kindred of the God of the Earth and the God of the Sea, with whom we don''t usually have much contact, but I hope you will take today as a good opportunity to enjoy it to your heart''s content and deepen your friendship!

    It''s kind of a nice way to moderate the event.

    ''But let''s not forget the purpose of this event!¡¡The great otherworldly man here today, at the request of Poseidos, the extraordinarily talented sea god, is offering us a delicacy that roars across the seas of the earth!¡¡I will give you praise and honor after you have tasted the feast!

    Um, please don''t raise the bar too high...!

    If this were a manga, it would be a defeat flag to lift and then knock off.

    ''Then, aliens, let''s see the finished dish!¡¡Hm?¡¡I know what I''m doing, okay?¡¡I came here because I heard the news that it was completed!

    I know, I know. I know, I know...!

    Poseidon God, panting with anticipation, rushed me and I held out the mentaiko I had prepared anyway.

    It was red and shiny, absorbing plenty of pepper extract.

    ''''It''s spicy cod roe, sir.''''

    "What is this?

    Even God, as expected, looks puzzled by the mysteriousness of the spicy cod roe.

    I thought it was going to be a fish dish.¡¡What is this red, long and slender and wavy...?¡¡Gross!¡¡I can''t even guess what it is!

    Anyway, please try it.

    As I hold out a pair of chopsticks to him, the God of Poseidon takes them in bewilderment and sandwiches the cod roe with them.

    ''''Oh........., it''s surprisingly easy to cut.......?

    This god also uses chopsticks very well.

    ''''The small grains inside are........eggs?¡¡There are hundreds and thousands of fish eggs inside.

    That''s about the extent of my observation, and I bring a piece of cut cod roe to my mouth.

    ''''Umaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    Thank God, she liked it........!

    You raised the bar so much that I was worried until the very end that I might be defeated in a flagging manner, but I''m glad we live in a world that isn''t governed by promises!

    "And while you''re at it, we''ll have some kamaboko made from the fish you took the eggs from, so please enjoy them.

    Serve it with soy sauce if you like.

    I''d like to add wasabi to it, but our farm doesn''t produce it yet.

    I''d like to add wasabi to it, but we don''t produce it at our farm yet.¡¡It''s good for you too!

    Okay, we did it.

    It''s a pass mark without any complaints!¡¡This mentaiko and kamaboko are now recognized as the food of God.

    So don''t binge on them.

    Mentaiko is more delicious with rice, bread, and pasta than on its own. The strength of spicy mentaiko is that it goes well with any ingredient.

    We haven''t made pasta on our farm yet.

    We''ve prepared many of those ingredients for you to enjoy today.

    "What a consummate alien!¡¡In the name of the gods, I officially pronounce him a saint!¡¡Drink, gods, make some noise!¡¡Praise and celebrate this saint!''

    The gods boil over, inspired by the frenzied Poseidon god, who says

    ''Me too!¡¡I want that cod roe too!

    "I want that rice with bamboo shoots that Hades has been praising so much!

    I''m gonna eat them all!¡¡Bring it!

    And so the gods all demanded delicious food of their own accord.

    Wait a minute.

    Is it possible that I am the one who is doing my best to entertain the gods?

 139-138 Price of the gods

    This is how my farm became an izakaya (Japanese pub) farm.

    And it''s an izakaya of the gods.

    I don''t know if it was great or not.

    ''My lord!¡¡Medusa God at Table 3 ordered an omelet with mentaiko mushrooms!

    Additional furofuki daikon radish is in!¡¡Tables two through five are very popular!

    Add Kamaboko!

    Same here!

    We need more booze!¡¡Gala Rufa-san!

    I''m in the kitchen shaking a pot, and orders are pouring in one after another.

    I''m making it, so just wait!¡¡Someone please go to the warehouse and see if there are any more ingredients.

    It''s not just me; everyone on the farm is busy.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot more than you''re used to.

    I''m not going to be the only one who has a problem with that. The satyrs serve all the milk they can find.

    The elves help me cook, and the earth spirits are busy washing dishes.

    Only Veerle was asleep at the back of the house, without a care in the world.

    The gods were drinking and eating as if they were going to eat up the farm''s stockpile, and it was exactly like being caught in a storm.

    * * * *

    "...satisfied.

    God said.

    ''You have to be satisfied.

    If you eat and drink any more, our farm will really run out of stockpiles and collapse.

    ''''No, I''m sorry...!

    The teacher was the one who summoned the gods.

    However, as expected of a group of gods, there was no way for the No-Life King to do anything about it, and he could only cringe at the side.

    ''''Well, this is the first time I''ve seen such an excellent offering. I''ve enjoyed it.''''

    "I bless this rolled egg with the blessing of God.

    "I bless you with roasted chicken as the food of the Lord!

    "I am, above all, a godsend for this beer.

    "Alas, it is already blessed by me.

    God says whatever he wants to say.

    ''''Well, then, it''s time to call it a night.......!

    "Hmm, I think I''ll take the Saint''s reward.

    Huh?

    What''s your reward?

    "What''s the matter with you? Did you think that we were just going to eat a free meal and leave without a thank you?

    "Not Zeus''s idiot. "We are not such morons. I''ll pay you handsomely for every bite I take.

    Representatives of the gods who undertake to be. The God of Hades and the God of Poseidon.

    That is, if you''re willing to pay for the food you eat, that''s a good thing.

    ''But with all due respect, I''m really surprised. I thought gods were more unreasonable.''

    "The image was created by Zeus in the first place.

    The second?

    ''''........Gods present here. Once again, I remind you that you must never tell Tenjin Zeus about the existence of this paradise.

    ''''Of course!''''

    The gods unanimously agreed.

    ''''If Zeus finds out about this place, he might take the liberty of calling it his own personal sanctuary or something like that and rule over it.

    ''And then you''re going to make demands on the local people''s children and eventually destroy them.

    "And to make sure that doesn''t happen, the subject of this paradise is absolutely forbidden in front of Zeus!

    "And if they should ever find out, we will all unite to beat Zeus to death!

    Oh, well....

    I''m sure there''s nothing more reassuring than the hand of the gods to protect you.

    ''''Let''s get back to the topic. What we should be talking about now is what kind of reward to give this great saint.''''

    ''In case you haven''t noticed, he''s already been given a gift from Hephaistos, the god of modeling. "Think not to give him more, lest he break his promise.

    Isn''t that what you said before?

    What kind of a deal is that?

    Long ago, Zeus wished to rule the earth and bestowed various blessings on his people.

    It''s no wonder that he has been giving out too many blessings, blessings and even sacred armor without limit. The balance of the world has been thrown out of balance because he has become as powerful as a god, even though he is the son of a man.

    It''s not a good time to be a hero. Great hero of the human race, he took what he could get, and then he simply betrayed Zeus and tried to destroy all the gods.

    ''The three world gods cooperated and managed to seal it off, but a lesson was instituted thereafter, a promise not to give too much power to one man''s child.

    The more you listen to the story, the more it makes sense.

    Yes, a significantly unbalanced balance of power is a no-no.

    ''Having already obtained a gift from the God Hephaistos, I cannot give you further gifts, blessings and blessings.... Well, in return for this offering, I can at least promise you a bountiful harvest for the year.''''

    Then I can promise you a year of good catches.

    A light of blessing spread out from the palms of the palms of the gods Hades and Poseidos'' hands, which were stretched out together.

    ''''Are you ready for me next?''''

    It was a goddess with wavy dark blonde hair that sparkled," he said.

    Her blonde hair shone like the surface of the sea shimmering in the sunset.

    ''''I am Amphitrite, the wife of the sea god Poseidos. I''ve been wondering about you for a while now, Anata. Aren''t we the Sea Clan?''''

    "Huh?

    My wife, Prati, pointed at me.

    ''I knew it!¡¡You''re quite good at shapeshifting with potions, aren''t you, witch?¡¡In anticipation of that ability, I''ll give you the ''Blessing of the Sea Mother God'' again today!''

    The light emitted from the hand of the Amphitrite Goddess or something like that was sucked into Prati and disappeared.

    ''''Ugh, wow...!¡¡It''s like I''ve been given something great in a flutter...!

    As expected, Prati couldn''t hide her confusion.

    ''''Attah''s blessing is not prohibited like only Hades, so you can rest assured!

    Okay, now I''m going to...

    The next to appear was a goddess with beautiful, jet-black, shiny hair, in contrast to the Amphitrite goddess.

    Her wavy black hair reminded me of the sea at night.

    ''There''s a witch I''m also curious about. ........you.

    "Huh?¡¡Atai!

    The one chosen by the dark-haired goddess is the Frozen Witch, Puffa.

    I understand. I''m sure you''ll find yourself in the position of supporting the men who owe you their lives. That''s why I give you the blessing of the Sea Goddess from the goddess Medusa.

    And then the light is released from the gods again and sucked into the puffa.

    ''I''ll take it if I can get it...?¡¡But what is it?¡¡''A position to support a responsible man''?

    After that, the gods continue to pick out the people they want and give them things.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. "I sense a rare glint of faith in your eyes, Orc, as the Judge of the Underworld, Radamantis, gives you the power to see right and wrong.

    ''You look tough for a demon!¡¡Let this hunter god, Orion, give you the art of reading the stars!

    ''You are elves. From this Hupnos I give you double the healing sleep you deserve.

    And so on.

    Each of the other gods gave whatever they wanted to whomever they wanted to, and the payment was complete.

    ''Then, sons of man,'' said the gods. The gods have been satisfied. What a blessing it is for the gods to have men as good-hearted as yourselves operating on earth.''

    With just a few words, the gods disappeared and went back to the world they were supposed to be in.

    When it was all over, it was so intense that we were confused as to what the hell it was all about.

    After all the hullabaloo, as if a storm had come and gone through, what we got was....

    ''''Hey mister, why do I even have knowledge of potions in my head that I didn''t know before?

    The magic limit in the potion has been raised!

    I can run much faster than before!

    It was a great power up for all the residents.

 140-139 å¤©çŽ‹

    I am Zeus.

    The Great God King.

    They call me the Three Realms God, along with my brothers Poseidon and Hades, but I am the greatest of them all.

    Those two gods are just below me.

    After all, I am the God of Heaven!

    He''s the god who rules the highest realm of this world!

    "It''s only high, but it''s a realm with nothing but clouds.

    Oh.

    What''s the matter with you, my son, goddess Hermes?

    "Yes, I''m Hermes, one of the many children you''ve been having an affair with in other parts of the world.

    That''s a very loaded way of putting it.

    Well, never mind.

    I''m well-liked because I''m the highest-ranking person in the world!

    Oh, and by the way, Hermes, what can I do for you?

    I''m busy, as you can see. What do you want?

    You look like you have a lot of time on your hands. I''m also the god of spy spy and order, so it must be an important report, right?

    Really?

    Why don''t you tell me what you think is important?¡¡If the remainder of us decide it''s not important, you''re going to have to mimic it as a punishment!

    I want you to do what a hen does when she lays her eggs!

    "Your race has been defeated by your own creation.

    Yes!¡¡It doesn''t matter at all!

    I''m sorry, Mr. Hermes!¡¡As a punishment, he suffered from constipation for three days and then imitated a hen laying eggs........

    ...........

    What the hell?

    ''Kokekko-kko. Cock-a-doodle-doo.

    Stupid Hermes!¡¡This is no time to be playing around with your mimicry!

    This is a serious matter!

    You''re saying that I created a race of humans and they lost?

    By a demon that Hades made?

    Nonsense!

    I have given the humans, my family, a mandate to rule the world!

    ''''The earth is originally Uncle Hades'' domain. The demon race, the original inhabitants, won the territorial battle.

    Why?

    When it comes to winning, the human race that this God King Zeus is rooting for deserves to win!

    ''Just so you know, it was your people who invaded the ground that Uncle Hades was determined to rule, right?¡¡But I''ve heard that the victorious demon tribe will incorporate the invaders they''ve conquered into their own people without eradicating them. Only Uncle Hades'' family members are kind and sensible.''

    I don''t know.

    But still, my people are useless. If you''re going to lose, you''re going to have to fight to the last man and die.

    You''re reckless again. If you''re going to go that far, why don''t you give them some kind of help?

    Huh?¡¡Oh no.

    Why do I have to go to such lengths for the sake of the human race?

    A long time ago, right after I created the human race, I was so motivated that I gave them all kinds of blessings, and the balance of the world was thrown out of balance and it was a disaster.

    Hades and Poseidon were extremely angry at me for not doing it again, and I won''t do it again.

    It''s a very weak mentality to be dissuaded from doing so just because of anger.

    It''s okay!

    I''m the highest god in the world and I''m not used to being pissed off!

    ........more than that.

    Isn''t it strange?

    Hasn''t the conflict between the demon race and the human race on earth been in a stalemate for thousands of years now?

    And yet, all of a sudden, the demon race wins.

    Isn''t it too sudden?

    Didn''t Hades put his family''s support in your hands by accident?

    I don''t think that''s you.

    No, I''m sure it is!

    Even if I don''t, I''ll make up my mind and make it so!

    ''''I''ll tell you what, if you try to break out a war of the gods with strange accusations, I and all the other gods of the heavenly realm will turn against you.

    Really?

    Why?

    "Because you''re a nobody. I don''t want to share your fate in a fight for survival.

    Jesus!¡¡You''re my son!

    It''s good!¡¡Then at least I''ll make a noise!

    I''m sure Hades cheated and let his own people win!¡¡Hades, that''s not fair!¡¡It''s not fair, Hades!¡¡Cheat, cheat, cheat, cheat!

    The human race is defeated and fails to take the earth, and in a pinch, a reversal is made!¡¡Let''s go with your hands!

    I''m gonna go to Hades for a minute and knock over some gonads!

    b*tc*!

    * * *

    I am Hermes.

    I am the God of Wisdom who belongs to the heavenly realm.

    Just now, I looked away from the shameful My Father God and sighed deeply with a thud.

    Why is that guy the head of the gods of the heavenly realm?

    There was no point in mourning.

    With one of my abilities as the God of Wisdom, telephonic communication that allows me to communicate with distant parties.......

    .........Hello, Uncle Hades?

    Yes, it''s me. It''s me.

    Now that my dad has come to visit you, you''re going to have to physically close the door on him.

    I didn''t divulge the matter, so please be considerate of that too.

    I won''t reveal anything.

    Now then.....

    I am Hermes, the God of Knowledge.

    I know a lot of things because I am the god of knowledge, wisdom, and intrigue.

    Why was the human race defeated by the demon race?

    And we know why.

    The Answer is a visitor from another world.

    There is an annoying art in the legal magic derived from Zeus, the stupid old man, that brings the inhabitants of a different world than this one without a second thought.

    One of its victims, ''He'', has great power through the gift of my brother Hephaistos, and has shown his influence until he finally ended the long war between the demon race and the human race.

    Originally, Aho Dad disliked Brother Hephaistos just because of his ugly appearance, but I wonder how he would feel if he knew that his own ambitions were shattered by his brother''s gift.

    I''m interested, but I won''t tell you.

    That stupid old man, he who is a visitor from another world - he, I hear, is called a saint, but I''m sure he wouldn''t be a rogue if he knew about the existence of a saint.

    Uncle Hades and Uncle Poseidon have also asked me to keep him a secret.

    Here in the Heavenly Realm, I, as the God of Knowledge, will make sure that his information doesn''t reach that stupid old man.

    I''m glad to see the end of the war on earth for our heavenly gods as well.

    It''s a natural duty of a god to protect the peace of our saints and our esteemed brother Hephaistos, the god of modeling.

 141-140 sewing machine

    The gods have left and peace has finally returned to our farm.

    It feels like it''s been a long time since we''ve had peace.

    The gods ate every single thing they served and I was worried that the pantry would be empty, but surprisingly, our reserves were not so low.

    This is enough of a surplus with the benefits the gods have given us.

    We can replenish the crops that grew faster with the Hyper Fish Manure, and the reduced amount will soon be restored.

    Well.

    Now that we''ve settled our differences with the gods, let''s get back to our normal farm life.

    In fact, there is one project that I have been working on since winter.

    ''There are a number of plans that aren''t yet completed, so don''t start a new one with an idea! And Prathi gets angry at me, but I can''t help what I come up with.

    You have to start by the side of what you come up with!

    Each plan takes time to accomplish, and if you don''t work on a number of them in parallel, you won''t get them all done in your lifetime!

    This is why I set out to make a new project.

    Making a sewing machine.

    * * * *

    Clothing, food and shelter are the basic units of life.

    My life on the farm has made me realize once again how important it is to have food, shelter, and clothes. What we eat, where we live, and what we wear, all of which are really important.

    Among them, there is a single person who supports the "clothing" of our farm.

    Batty on the other hand is the daughter of a demon.

    She was originally born in a clothing store, and after retiring from the Demon King''s Army, she dreamed of using her pension to open her own clothing store, which matched the demand for our farm.

    Every day she sews clothes for the residents of the farm.

    However, compared to the old days when we were small and organized in a small group, the number of people has increased a lot now.

    Although she occasionally asks the dexterous elves for support, Batty''s burden must have become quite heavy.

    In order to ease her burden as much as possible, a tool to support her work.

    That''s a sewing machine!

    Old world, I saw it on TV or something.

    A few minutes of sewing on the sewing machine and you can go from hours of manual labor to hours of sewing in minutes!

    Give Batty the gift of a sewing machine and make his clothing life even more fun!

    However, a sewing machine is an electrical appliance.

    As expected, there was a fear that it would be too good for the other world.

    Electric appliances. The smell of civilization is indeed too harsh.

    It''s not all-electric or moody or whatever in a fantasy alternate universe.

    It''s impossible to begin with because it''s a matter of impossibility, but I don''t even dare to try the impossible.

    So the plan to develop a sewing machine is abandoned after all?¡¡I was about to growl, but then I remembered something.

    This was also something I had seen on TV, but even in the old world, when there was no electricity, there must have been a sewing machine that ran on something else.

    It was a human-powered sewing machine.

    I think it was a model that was integrated with a desk, and the needle was moved by stepping on a pedal at the foot of the machine.

    This would seem to be able to be made even in our world, which has a medieval level of civilization, and it wouldn''t ruin our worldview!

    Alright, start the development plan for the footsteps sewing machine!

    * * * *

    ........and the idea came to me before winter arrived.

    And even now that winter has passed, the footstepping sewing machine is still not finished.

    In front of me was a pile of scrap metal and failed gears and shafts.

    "I licked the machine work...!

    When I first started, I thought, "All I have to do is to get the needle to move when I step on the pedal," but I soon found out that it''s not that easy.

    The basic material of the otherworldly foot-stamping sewing machine is the familiar "mana metal".

    We used plenty of the metal, which is apparently the best material in this world, again, and stretched it with a hammer and holy sword to shape it, but it didn''t go well at all.

    I had only seen it on TV, but there was no way I knew exactly what it was made of and it was completely out of my depth.

    "As expected, I went too far with a spur-of-the-moment idea...!

    I resumed work on this project after the feast of the gods was over. I feel like I''ve been confronted with the impossibility once again.

    It seems that we need to come up with some novel solutions to make progress here.

    The inhabitants of the farm have received various blessings from God, but is there not an ability to help them well?

    No....

    I''ve already received a gift from the god Hephaistos.

    Shouldn''t I consistently ask the God Hephaistos for help here?

    ''''He''s a blacksmith god........''''

    I feel like he''s the first god I should cling to in these matters.

    I clasped my hands together with my panting hands on the altar in the mansion and prayed.

    ''''The God of Hephaistos........!¡¡There is a machine called a sewing machine. It is a tool that allows you to sew faster. Please help us develop it. At the very least, a hint...!

    And I offer my usual offering of onigiri to the altar.

    I don''t know why, but I have a feeling that the god Hephaistos loves onigiri.

    And today, it''s not just an onigiri.

    I got excited about it in exchange for a generous wish.

    I put the mentaiko (cod roe) I developed the other day as a tribute to the god Poseidon, into an onigiri (rice ball).

    Nowadays, mentaiko is a standard ingredient for onigiri (rice balls).

    It''s a bit of a splurge, but was it worth it?

    The moment you offer a rice ball of cod roe to the gods.

    The moment he offered the rice ball to the crown prince, the shrine began to glow.

    "I... I... I love onigiri...!

    With the light, a piece of paper descends toward me.

    This is an awfully large piece of paper.

    It''s as big as a sheet of newspaper.

    What was written on it was....!

    "Sewing machine schematics?

    What do you think the answer is, instead of a hint, it''s a whole answer?

    And this is the reward for the mentaiko rice balls?¡¡May I ask how you spend all this money?¡¡What a god!

    But you''re so well versed in this kind of mechanical structure, as expected of a god of modeling.

    We''ve made progress all at once!

    * * *

    Later I found out that the reward for an offering does not fall under the promise made between the gods ''not to give more than one gift to one person''.

    The gift and the reward are also different, and as long as the intention of the promise ''to prevent the earthly balance of power from being upset by the gods'' is accomplished, there is no problem.

    It seems to be the view that "the balance of the world will not be upset by a miracle that is equivalent to what a human being has offered.

    Anyway, with the blueprint given to me by the gentle god Hephaistos.

    Now it''s time to get serious about developing a sewing machine!

 142-141 Wave of mechanization

    Apparently there''s a bobbin in a sewing machine.

    It''s said to be essential for the machine to sew automatically, but I was trying to make a sewing machine without even knowing that bobbin existed...!

    Reflecting on his own stupidity, he begins to work on the blueprint given to him by the god Hephaistos.

    With the help of Orcs in charge of carpentry and the dexterous Elves, the sewing machine is nearing completion.

    Speaking of machine parts, it may seem difficult to make gears and millimeter precision, but I have a ''supreme bearer''.

    With this ability, I can make a perfectly circular gear or a perfectly straight shaft with no distortion.

    There were concerns that it would be difficult to carve out the raw material minerals due to their strength, but with my holy sword, it was not difficult.

    The mana metal, which is said to be the strongest mineral on earth, is as easy to chisel away in front of the holy sword as the empytics.

    As expected of the seven holy swords created by the Dark God Hades for the vanquished human race!

    It''s been a long time since the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz made a big splash!

    Great job, Holy Sword!

    You can cut well, Holy Sword!

    This is the first time I''m really glad to have this sword in my possession.

    * * * *

    And it''s done.

    "Manna metal, foot-pedal sewing machine!

    The sewing machine is installed on a desk about the size of a school desk, and the needle moves in conjunction with a foot pedal at the bottom.

    It''s human-powered, so there''s no need for electricity!

    ...And what is this?

    ''I''m glad I helped you do what you asked, but I can''t even imagine what I could have done.

    The orcs and elves helping out apparently still don''t understand this.

    Oh well.

    You can surprise them by actually showing them how it works!

    Let''s give it to Batty as soon as possible!

    Go to the dressing room where she''s holed up!

    * * *

    And when I visited the dressing room, I saw Batty looking like a ghost.

    ''Oh?''

    Batty has taken on the responsibility of producing clothes for our farm, which now numbers nearly two hundred people at once.

    That would be exhausting and exhausting.

    But!¡¡That''s why this sewing machine could be a lifesaver!

    Come on, Batty!¡¡A care in the world from the farmer!¡¡Use this sewing machine to its fullest extent, please!

    Huh?¡¡What is this?¡¡Excuse me, but I don''t have time to play with toys?

    Batty''s reaction is more harsh than I imagined.

    It''s because he''s tired. It must be.

    "It''s not a toy...!¡¡This is a wonderful tool to make your job easier...!

    Easy?¡¡How?

    Look, there''s a needle right here. This needle moves up and down when you press the pedal underneath.

    "Huh?

    It''s a machine that sews quickly and accurately with this movement.

    Pull the thread out of here....

    And then thread the needle through the hole in the tip of the needle......it won''t go through!

    Try again.............and it''s so fine!

    Activate the Bearer of Excellence.

    Okay, we''re through!

    What are you doing, Your Holiness?

    We''re all set!¡¡Now try it out!

    Still full of doubt, Batty sits in front of the sewing machine, pushed aside by my high tension.

    I set the appropriate fabric and press the pedal at my feet. The force of it travels through the belt and gears to the needle.

    ''''Wow, that''s a unique feel...?

    "............?

    I didn''t miss the fact that Batty''s eyes, who could be called a professional in this field, were wide open.

    I was convinced that my efforts had been rewarded.

    ''''Ko........!¡¡Such beautiful, neat stitches...?¡¡They''re evenly spaced... perfectly.¡¡And this fast...?¡¡How long would it take to sew this long if it was hand stitched...?

    Mmmmmm!

    Marvel at the power of civilization!¡¡Then it will be worth my efforts too!

    "The sewing skills I''ve spent years cultivating over the years are now so assorted...!¡¡I can''t believe it''s all for nothing...!¡¡This is the devil, this is a devil''s tool!

    Huh?

    A devil''s tool to corrupt the demons!¡¡No one would be honing their sewing skills if they had this stuff!¡¡You can''t have the warmth of a human hand in such a precise and neat stitch!

    That''s what any such handmade person would say...?

    ''d*mn it!¡¡I''m going to do this thing like this!

    What does a distraught Batty do...!

    I started rustling away at the sewing machine to sew the work clothes of the Orcobos that I was creating.

    On the sewing machine!

    ''I am!¡¡I''m trying to make more creative clothes with more design flair!¡¡It''s not creative at all to make this same design of work clothes over and over again!

    I ran the needle of the sewing machine over the fabric as if to vent my frustration.

    ...Oh, I made another dress.

    ''It''s because of all this repetitive work that I can''t make clothes of my favorite designs!¡¡That''s what I''m going to do!¡¡I''m going to do this!¡¡Mass-produced clothes are just fine with warm, machine stitches!

    While I was saying this, I was able to make yet another dress.

    Apparently, Batty has come to terms with his own craftsmanship with the argument that ''if you don''t put your heart and soul into it, you can cheat and make it with a machine''.

    Me and the Monster Army, for example, we don''t have a problem with clothes, as long as we can wear them.

    If it streamlines the process and reduces the burden on Batty, that''s fine.

    And it''s even better if you can make whatever clothes you want in your free time.

    ''I''ll do it like this!¡¡Argh!¡¡But really, if you sew with this tool, it''s going to get done a hell of a lot faster...!¡¡The stitching is beautiful, and it doesn''t look like it will ever fray and come undone...!¡¡The finish is beautiful!

    Ah.

    Maybe it won''t be long before the pride of the craftsman can''t resist this.

    I wonder how long it would take to use a sewing machine for seriously made clothes too?

    I''m not gonna let that sewing machine!¡¡I''m not gonna let it defeat me!

 143-142 Fashion Revolution

    A few days after I gave Batty a sewing machine as a gift.

    In just a few days, our farm has suddenly become more gorgeous... or so it seems.

    After careful observation, I realized the reason for this.

    The inhabitants have become fashionable in their own way!

    ''''Prathi you are dressed like that...?

    First of all, my wife Prathi, the oldest person on the farm and my wife, was wearing clothes that looked easy to move in.

    The bottom half of her body and other parts of her body were tight and snug, and the line from her hips to her thighs stood out clearly.

    ''This?¡¡Batty made it for me and said it was for me. Huh, does it look good on me?

    Women seem to get more excited when they wear beautiful clothes, and Prathi was no exception, posing for me.

    This was when the farm was still a wilderness settlement.

    In those early days, Prati, who had spent time with me in those early days, prevented my downfall by forcing me to put on my trousers while I was transforming into a human and wearing my bottom half as a mermaid.

    At that time, Prathi didn''t want to wear the hemp trousers that circulated in the general class of human country because they were "tacky! The one that had been complaining a lot, but eventually put up with me.

    Now, Prathi is dressed in a pair of fashion-forward tight pants and has a nice ass.

    I''m moved to tears by how far we''ve come since the days of the naysayers.

    ''...no, no!¡¡You don''t have to be so happy to cry over how beautiful your own wife is.......!

    Prathi was mistaken, but it wasn''t the kind of thing to forcefully correct, so I let her be mistaken.

    She was in a good mood for the day.

    * * * *

    .........and Prathi wasn''t the only one who dressed up abruptly like that.

    I had just seen a group of people going hunting to the dungeon, so I dropped by and found that they were a complete group of defeating knights.

    The equipment was magnificent.

    ''''Oh, Saint-sama.''''

    ''Saints!¡¡I''m sorry to see you off!

    The formation heading into the dungeon was a mixture of elves and monsters.

    First of all, the elves, although they fight mainly at mid to long range with bows and arrows, they are basically lightly armed, but the leather armor they are wearing this time is very beautiful.

    "It''s the leather armor that Batty-san bought me a new pair!

    It''s the job of the elves to tan the skins of monsters and turn them into leather, but it''s Bati''s job to use them to create something to wear.

    But creating armor is also his job.

    ''''Elves need to be quick, so heavy armor is out of the question, but Bati-san''s armor is so light it''s no problem!

    ''They''ve even researched the moving parts so they don''t get in the way of drawing the bow at all!¡¡And on top of that, it''s very defensive!¡¡It''s the work of a master!

    It''s a great success.

    The leather armor, made by Bati, is not only functional, but also sophisticated in design and shows the attention to detail of Bati, a fashion craftsman.

    It''s not only functional, but also sophisticated in design, and you can see the attention to detail of Bati''s fashion craftsmen.

    ''''.........''''

    Not good.

    Besides the elves, I noticed the mermaid race''s lamprey.

    She was a Kingsguard in the Mermaid Kingdom, and perhaps because of her background, she doesn''t hunker down in a brewery like the other mermaids, but often goes out to explore dungeons.

    She wears a slightly heavier suit of armor than the elves, but is this also made by Bati?

    ''Saints, look at this.

    He was frolicking as if he were proud of some new toy.

    Lamp Eye showed his left arm, but the gauntlets attached to it were extremely burly and rickety.

    ''''You''ll have to watch...!

    Lamp-Eye pointed his palmares at a large, empty space and grabbed his left wrist with his right hand, a motion that was like flipping a switch.

    Then flames furiously erupted from the gap in the palmar shell!

    Flamethrower!

    I''ve built a mechanism inside the gauntlet that shoots a flaming potion!

    Is this what you call Batty''s creativity?

    It''s not out of the fashion mold anymore!

    And then came the climax.

    The leader of the Orcs who led the dungeon attack team this time, Okubo.

    Astride the heavily armored homunculus horse that Zos Saira had given him the other day, he was carrying a mana metal axe.

    It was a very powerful armor outfit.

    ''''That was also made by Bati........?

    Anything is possible, isn''t it?

    A famous horse, a roaring axe, and even a flamboyant armor, he''s just a general for all intents and purposes!

    It''s this guy''s fault that a bunch of guys who just go to a dungeon, hunt random monsters and come back with an imposing atmosphere like an expeditionary force!

    Orcubo has too much of a general''s style!

    Where do you think you''re going to invade?

    My dear fellow, I am overjoyed to see you off with your own accord.

    His tone of voice is solemn.

    "Let''s take our greatest achievement home with us.

    So you''re just going to hunt in the dungeon!¡¡''I will conquer the barbarian kingdom and dedicate the new territory to the king'' or something like that!

    Oh, I get it!

    Orcobo, in your armor!

    Was this guy the type of person who was remarkably affected by the atmosphere around him?

    ******

    The foot treadle sewing machine is still a strong influence on Batty''s ability to create a variety of clothing in this way.

    The sewing speed of the sewing machine has reduced the amount of time it takes to sew, which has allowed her to create her own clothes in her free time.

    I''m glowing now!

    When I visit the dressing room, I find Batty cheerfully working on his sewing machine.

    She has a very lively expression on her face.

    It''s such fun to make whatever you want, just the way you want it!¡¡It''s a feeling I haven''t had in a long time!

    The other day, I wondered if all that whimpering was due to the stress of endlessly making mass-produced work clothes.

    It''s good to be able to unleash one''s originality, though.

    That said, I think that gauntlet-type flamethrower and general armor are beyond the bounds of clothing.......

    ''''This is also thanks to the sewing machine that Saint-sama gave me!¡¡As a thank you, I''m going to make more and more new clothes to contribute to the farm!

    I dada dada dada dada dada, and my hand doesn''t seem to stay on the sewing machine even as I declare, "I''m sewing on the sewing machine.

    You''re sewing with a sewing machine....

    "Is that mass-produced work clothes you''re making right now?

    ''What do you mean?¡¡The outfit I''m sewing now is going to be my masterpiece!

    Huh?

    You can''t sew with a sewing machine because you can''t feel the warmth of the hand-made fabric!

    The stitches look better with a sewing machine, and the quality improves.

    Batty, you couldn''t beat a sewing machine as fast as you did...!

    This is how the wave of mechanization is going to overrun the market.

    ''I''m sewing clothes for the saints now!

    What?

    ''We''ll make sure it''s as opulent as the owner of the farm deserves, so stay tuned!¡¡Shall I add some hidden features too!

    I was full of anxiety because I was going to be dressed like a king.

    It''s Batty. Your craftsmanship just doesn''t seem to end there.

    * * *

    Finally.

    Maerga, the head of the Elf''s leather goods production team, asked me directly.

    ''Please get us a sewing machine too.

    What?

    He was jealous of Batty when he saw her.

    ''My group has a lot of opportunities to sew in making leather bags, bags and belts. I need a sewing machine so badly!

    "Mr. Batty is always cheating!¡¡Just because you''ve lived here longer than we have, makes the good stuff a priority!

    Do us all a favor!

    The other members of the leather crafting team have joined me in closing in on me.

    ...but it''s not easy to make them, you know?

    It''s a lot of pounding and grinding on metal, and it requires millimeter precision.

    My eyes are tired and my fingertips are numb, and I don''t want to go back to that task for a while.

    ''Saints.

    Then Batty came in.

    ''Can you do me a favor and make me another sewing machine?¡¡It''s safer to have a spare, and it''s better to have one for the people who come to help you.

    Is it really that easy to say?

    I know you guys think that mechanization is going to make things easier.

    I make the sewing machine!

    It''s still a manual process!

 144-143 Silkworm Mutter

    We are Vajra Silkworm.

    We did not originally have such a name.

    We were given this name by the great master who scavenged us from the dungeon.

    Even though we were monsters, we were just as big as ordinary insects, and with no fighting ability at all, we were neglected by everyone, and we were as meaningless as if we were nothing.

    They crawl around in the corners of dungeons, doing no good or harm.

    We are not feared because we are not dangerous, and we are not respected because we are useless.

    We are neither hated nor loved, and our destiny is to be accidentally trampled to death by other monsters and adventurers who wander around, as best they can.

    Our great master rescued us from this meaninglessness and worthlessness.

    We had a trait of ''spitting string out of our mouths'', which is not so much a trait as a characteristic.

    It doesn''t mean that much.

    The fact that it spits out a thread doesn''t mean it can be used for anything. Nor can it be used to build a web and use it as a trap like a spider.

    But the master took a great liking to our threads, and picked up many of them and brought them home to keep in his house.

    We had been crawling around in the dungeon until now, but now we had a nice room to stay in.

    What a bliss. What a joy to be sought after.

    I did my best to repay this favor by spitting out a thread and offering it to the master.

    It has been observed that the people of this house spin and weave and sew our yarn to make clothes for themselves to wear.

    I didn''t know that our spit yarn had such a use...!

    I didn''t know we had a use for that.

    It is the first role we have had.

    Let us strive hard every day to live up to the meaning of what we have been given, when we were nothing more than dirt crawling on the floor of a dungeon.

    * * * *

    So, I would like to have a Kongo silkworm meeting now.

    In the silkworm room that master prepared for us, more than thirty Kongo silkworms are kept in the room.

    Each of them is given enough space to live in, and they are very comfortable.

    They also give us fresh leaves to feed us every day, and we couldn''t be more blessed!

    Spit out higher quality yarn for your master who has given you such good treatment, and be of service to him!

    Mr. Speaker!¡¡Can I have my say!''

    Let''s just say that this guy who asked to speak first is Vajra Silkworm A.

    Permission to speak!

    "From what I can gather, there are other things in this house that make yarn, besides us!

    ''I heard that too!¡¡They say these guys are plants and trees, and they call them cotton and linen!''

    Let''s call the other silkworm that follows it Kongo Silkworm B.

    I see. That cotton or hemp or something like that can be seen as our rival, right?

    "That''s the way it is. If our yarn is inferior in quality to cotton or linen, we won''t be needed...!

    Then we''ll be back in the floor corner of the dungeon again........

    So we can''t be comfortable in our current position........

    That''s valuable information.

    Thank you for this report.

    Gentlemen, as you have heard, our position will not be secure.

    We have competitors that are competing to outdo us, and we do not know when they will threaten us.

    We don''t know when they will threaten us, and we don''t know when they will take this silkworm room!

    "in this very comfortable room?

    No way!

    "What can I do to protect my right to live in this room, Mr. Chairman?

    Calm down, Vajra Silkworm C, D and E.

    We are allowed to live here in order to fulfill our master''s wishes.

    So, we''ll continue to fulfill our master''s demands in the future.

    Spit out the yarn and provide it!

    But it''s also true that we can''t do that all the time.

    The sooner these cotton and linen people spit out a better yarn, the sooner they will have no use for us.

    In other words, we will always seek to improve the quality and answer the needs of our masters!

    Oh, needs!

    ''Needs are kind of awesome!

    "What do you mean, needs?

    I don''t know what it means.

    I only used it because it looked so cool!

    That''s what I''m talking about, Silkworm King F, G, H!

    "How about this?

    Little Vajra Silkworm I, what do you have in mind?

    "Let''s try to color the thread.

    So far we have only produced white yarn, but if we produce red or blue or any other color of yarn, the master might be pleased!

    Apparently the masters used to color the yarn, but that saves them the trouble!

    Okay, I''ll give you a red string.

    I''m yellow!

    "That''s a green thread!

    "No, wait a minute!¡¡Is it even possible to change the color of the thread?

    Well, you can if you work at it.

    So let''s go back to the drawing board and ask for volunteers!¡¡Each of you state the color of the thread you wish to spit!

    Blue!

    Red!

    Blue!

    Blue!

    Yellow!

    Green!

    Blue!

    Blue!

    Blue!

    Gold!

    Blue!

    I''m partial to blue!

    Popular blue!¡¡Why!

    Anyway, it has to be all over the place, so let''s talk again about the departments that have a high concentration of applicants.

    And don''t forget the original white color!

    "Kukkukkuk........congratulations to you all.

    How dare you challenge me now?

    Vajra Silkworm J, are you the speaker?

    "I''m just saying that it''s a bunch of nonsense to make an effort from now on. The situation is changing daily. The situation is changing day by day, and we have to think ahead to find out what is expected of us and what we need to let out.

    Ummm, you have a point.

    ''That''s why I''ve already prepared it for you. Take a look at this thread!''

    Whoa, Kongo Silkworm J just spat out a bunch of yarn on his own!

    I told you spitting is forbidden during the meeting.

    Wait, wait, Mr. Chairman!

    This thread J spat out. It''s different from ours!

    What''s the difference?

    What''s the difference?

    The string stretches?

    What''s more, it shrinks?

    Stretch.¡¡Pull on it and it stretches, and the more it stretches, the more powerfully it comes back!¡¡You''ll get this trait!¡¡Master is smiling too!''''

    Kongo silkworm J!

    I didn''t know you''d worked so hard for it!

    "The other guys will have to follow my example and try harder...!¡¡Huh?¡¡Wait a minute?¡¡Why are you dragging me so far with my spitting thread?¡¡The thread is still stretched and pinned in my mouth, isn''t it?¡¡It would shrink very quickly if I let go of that thing!¡¡Stop it!¡¡Don''t let it go, don''t let it go, don''t let it go...¡¡Don''t let go! Don''t let go!¡¡Don''t let go, don''t let go!¡¡Don''t you dare let go!¡¡Don''t let go...?

    Well done!¡¡Train me to spit this stretchy yarn for more than just Vajra Silkworm J!

    We''ll assign each other a color scheme that is uniformly distributed!

    We have a wide variety of yarns to serve our master!

 145-144 Dreams that can be opened

    Since the gift of the sewing machine, Batty''s sewing life has finally taken off in a big way.

    The time it took to make the residents'' work clothes has been greatly reduced through mechanization.

    Now she can devote her free time to her hobby, and the farm is suddenly becoming more glamorous.

    In addition, the cloth and thread used to make clothes and the silken thread used to make them have suddenly become more diverse.

    For some reason, the silk thread, which was originally white, has become rich in variety: red, blue, yellow, green, blue, blue, blue....

    "...why is there a bias towards all blue?

    There is also another version of silk thread, which is elastic like rubber.

    I was delighted to hear that it could be used to make pantyhose like the ones that could only be made with synthetic fibers.

    I don''t know by what whim they evolved, but I felt jealous of them for being able to live comfortably.

    * * * *

    ...hmm.

    Today, the Demon Queen Astares was visiting us.

    I went into Batty''s dressing room and was inspecting her new items.

    ''What do you think?¡¡I would like to offer three maternity dresses to you to celebrate your pregnancy.

    After marrying the Demon King, time passed, and if the couple did what they were supposed to do, their bellies would naturally grow.

    Demon Queen Astares had successfully conceived her successor, and her belly was now making a clear statement.

    ''You seem to have made further progress here, Batty. These garments, their functionality and originality at an extreme level, are obvious to my eyes.

    I''m sorry. To accommodate the special shape of the mother during pregnancy, we have made it as functional as possible to avoid strangling the mother''s body too much, and to increase its breathability and heat retention. Above all, in order to protect the maternal inheritance in the womb, our native Kongo silk is most effective, so that even if it is subjected to the annihilation spell, it will not leave a single scratch on your belly".

    The product description is even more amazing than it needs to be.

    It''s amazing. Not many master designers with studios in the Magic City could do such a good job.

    Again, thank you for your kind words.

    Batty used to be a soldier in the Demon King''s army and was Astares-san''s second in command during the Four Heavenly Kings era.

    It was Astares-san''s plan for Bati to stay on at our farm. Even now that the relationship is no longer between superiors and subordinates, the bond between them is still deep and strong.

    ''''It''s not funny. Even though we are both demon queens, you only flirt with Astareth.......

    This is Grashara, who was the second Demon Queen.

    This is also the former Four Heavenly Kings of Demons.

    ''''Hey, Batty!¡¡You should make me a gestation suit.¡¡I''m finally going to be pregnant, you know.¡¡Three months, three months!

    "God didn''t come down, so NO!

    What the hell?

    You sound like an artist.

    I am indebted to Mr. Astareth directly. The reason I''m making the costume now is to repay you for your kindness, and you''ve been a rival of Mr. Astareth''s since his days as a military officer, so why should I make it for you?

    "I''m a demon queen too!

    Calm down, Grashara-san.

    If you''re born with a sudden burst of excitement, we won''t be able to handle it.

    .......................

    Mr. Astares, on the other hand, showed his contemplation as he looked at Batty''s masterpieces.

    ''''Well Batty, this is something I need to discuss with you.

    Yes?

    "How about we market your work in the Demon City?

    He suggested.

    ''Yessssss?!''

    Batty was astonished and baffled by this.

    I''m not lying when I say that your work is already in the same league as famous designers. I personally think they are good enough to be used in the social circles of the demon city.

    It''s frustrating, but I feel the same way.

    Even Ms. Grashara looks enviously at the maternity dress by Batty.

    ''Wouldn''t you like to try and see how your work is received in public?¡¡I''ll have my suppliers in the Demon King''s Castle find a buyer for you. There''s no need for you to move here. It won''t even reveal the existence of this place.

    "Well I''m very flattered by that offer, but...?¡¡But.........?

    Batty glances at me.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

    I don''t mind.

    First of all, the farm''s inhabitants have been given most of their daily work clothes, and Batty is starting to become a handful.

    If you don''t resort to outsourcing here, Batty''s creative juices will overflow and he''ll be in trouble.

    ''Master Astares!¡¡Please!

    Yes, it''s always been your dream to open a store in the Demon City. I''m sure you''ll be able to achieve this only by selling it.

    It was too brilliantly thoughtful of Astares-san, who had completely acquired the dignity of a Demon Queen.

    Twists and turns from the Four Heavenly Kings deputy.

    In an unexpected and surprising turn of events, Batty came to realize his childhood dream.

    I felt honored to be able to say that my farm also played a role in that journey.

    Hi!¡¡Berena?!

    Batty''s partner, the other side of the demon girl duo, Verena, is standing right next to me without me knowing, and I''m super freaked out.

    She has recently mastered the art of moving without a sound.

    ''While I''m struggling to find my identity and struggle to find it, Batty keeps going on and on and on...!¡¡We started with the same Master Astares'' second-in-command...!

    Verena''s usual seizure started again.

    It happens every time, so people aren''t surprised now.

    ''Well, Master Astares, congratulations on your pregnancy. Congratulations from me, I''m a miserable person who can only give you stones and weeds, these things...!

    ''Oh, oh...?¡¡Verena, I think you''re a solid character in that direction, don''t you?

    Mr. Astares has finally mentioned it there!

    I''ve had a dim view of it too, but I didn''t dare touch it!

    ''Wow!¡¡The unemployed have taken root~!

    Sure enough, Verena ran off.

    ''''Well I don''t think she''s unemployed. And she''s helped me at key points.

    I don''t even feel like I have a regular job.

    Hey, Batty.

    Since you''re punching her in the face like that, she''s only going to be pushed further and further into a corner, isn''t she?

    I''ve been meaning to have an individuality-seeking meeting for Verena for a while now, but this is going to put her in a dilemma where giving her individuality takes away her individuality, isn''t it!

    Such a period lasted for a while.

    * * * *

    It had been a few days since Batty had produced a garment for sale in the Demon City and consigned it to Astares-san.

    ''''Sold.''''

    Mr. Astares himself came to see me.

    "sold for a record-breaking amount.

    ''''Yeah!

    Right now, a whirlwind of Batty Mode whirlwind is about to blow over the Demon City.

 146-145 Purchasing Merchant

    I am a merchant.

    Moreover, I am a merchant of the demon race.

    Our Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce is a long-established business that has been in business for more than twenty generations.

    Of course, we are the most powerful in the demon kingdom, and we take pride in the fact that we handle all kinds of products distributed in the demon kingdom.

    This is why I, Shaks, the 24th president of the Pandemonium Merchant Association, is one of the few people who have the honor of being a merchant for the Demon King.

    Including me, there are more than a handful of merchants who receive orders directly from the Demon King, the ruler of the Demon Kingdom.

    Now that the Demon King has defeated the Human Nation and has become King of the Earth, he will be able to expand into the distribution network of the previously unexplored Human Nation, and his profits will continue to grow.

    The future of our trade association and the demon kingdom will be smooth sailing.

    It was just when it seemed like that.

    I received a summons....

    * * * *.

    I can''t stop sweating from the tension.

    After all, it''s the First Demon Queen Astareth who''s standing right in front of me right now.

    She is the person of the moment, a person with a great momentum.

    Originally, as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, she had a strong presence in the military and excelled in both performance and ability.

    For a while, he was defeated in a political battle and was thrown out, but during his seclusion, he married the Demon King, returned as the Demon Queen, and made a splendid comeback.

    She also made a clear contribution to the war against humanity, the biggest battle in recent years.

    Now, if she can quickly conceive a son with the Demon King and give birth to a son, her prosperity will be immovable.

    In short, Astareth-sama is someone you have to pay as much attention to as the Demon King, maybe even more so.

    To the Demon King''s purveyors, the family of the Demon King is also an important customer who gives orders to him.

    If they were banned for displeasing him, it could cause the business community to fall into disrepute.

    ''''Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Demon Queen, it is with great pleasure that I am granted an audience with you...!

    ''''Don''t be so hard. I''m the one who should have been able to get this done right after the inauguration of the Demon Queen, but I''ve been disappointed that the reformation and the invasion of humanity hadn''t allowed us to delay it until today. I''m sure she must have been very impatient. Forgive me.

    No, sir.

    That''s right.

    To tell the truth, this is the first time I''m going to have an audience with the Demon Queen, and this is the first time I''m going to overlook her business.

    That''s why I''m nervous.

    It''s always more annoying to have a preference for women than men. We don''t know what kind of orders our new queen, who has been given the right to live and die for us, will have in store for us.

    Of course, there was business even when she was the Fourth Heavenly King, but she was in charge of different things back then, and we don''t know how gaining power will change a person.

    Please, I can only hope that he is a powerful man who is easy to do business with.

    ''''Wha........Our Pandemonium Trading Company has served as the Demon King''s family''s purveyor for generations. Whatever the Demon King''s family desires, we are ready to search to the ends of the earth to provide you with whatever you need.

    Anyway, sales pitches. Just keep on selling.

    "I''d be happy if you could offer me anything from trivial everyday objects to unique treasures. As a merchant of the demon tribe, I will never disappoint the Demon Queen...!

    Well I''ll get right to it, but I need you to do one thing for me.

    ''By all means!¡¡What can I get for you, sir?¡¡A dress?¡¡Jewelry?¡¡In fact, I''ve taken the liberty of offering some items that would suit the Demon Queen...!

    ''No, that''s not what I meant. I''ve got my clothes in time.

    That''s right...!

    Crap!

    It''s true.

    This Demon Queen Astares owns a truly magnificent dress.

    All the dresses she has shown in public have been wonderfully designed and have made an impact in the world of demon clothing.

    Even though we are in the same industry as you, we were shocked that we had no information about where the Demon Queen bought those beautiful dresses from.

    Could it be that a new merchant force that we don''t know about is approaching the Demon King''s family?

    If that''s the case, our Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, the demon kingdom''s merchant industry, is in unprecedented danger of being kicked off the top spot!

    This time, as she is pregnant with the Queen, we will be offering you a maternity dress that will look great even with her growing belly!¡¡I was so enthusiastic about it.

    The demon queen was already wearing that kind of clothes.

    Moreover, the sophisticated design of her maternity dress, the fine fabric, the reliable tailoring!

    Even I, who take pride in being the best merchant in the Demon Kingdom, don''t have the confidence to prepare such a high-level item.

    ''''Total defeat!

    Where did the queen get this good stuff?

    All I ask of you is to act as my go-between.

    You''re a middleman, aren''t you?

    What do you want, not to buy, but to sell?

    It''s not that unusual to receive such requests.

    In the past, in order to raise money for the war effort, they would sell the treasures that the Demon King had in his possession to raise money for the war effort, as our ancestors have done in the past.

    But.....

    I don''t know if that''s an accurate description, as I''m not much of a businessman, but I''d like you to sell the goods for someone else. How about a fifty-fifty split of the profit between him and you?

    "Whatever the queen wishes, I will do my best, but I don''t know what to do until I see the goods...

    It''s the store''s credibility that''s at stake if you sell out a bad one.

    We should do our best to keep the Demon Queen in a good mood, but is it necessary now?¡¡The courage to say no.

    Good point. I want you to sell me the clothes.

    Clothes?

    ''I have a special relationship with someone who will tailor her clothes directly for me. I wanted to make sure that her work was in the hands of someone other than me.

    Your Majesty''s clothing?

    Yes, I''m wearing a pregnancy gown made by her.

    Yes, sir.

    A quick decision.

    A merchant could only survive if he could see the opportunities and be smart.

    I didn''t know that the Queen''s clothes were one of a kind, made by her designer.

    So you can''t guess the purchase route then!

    With the peace of mind of knowing that there is no longer a possibility of new competitors entering the market & the expectation of dealing with a very good product, my merchant heart is pounding animal!

    Let me be the go-between for you!¡¡I''ll sell it to you at the highest possible price and show you!

    Oh, yeah?¡¡You don''t have to take it too hard...?

    Well, first things first!¡¡We''d like to meet the designer in person.¡¡If possible, sign an exclusive contract on the spot!

    ''''Out of the blue?''''

    I was too excited to notice that the Demon Queen was donating to me at the time.

    Because my intuition was screaming at me.

    This product will definitely sell.

    That the clothes tailored by this mysterious designer would create a whirlwind in the fashion world of the demon kingdom!

    You can chew on the profits at the center of that vortex. What could be such a delicious story for a merchant!

    No, no!

    To the new profits of the new era that the Devil''s Land welcomes.

    Our trade association will continue to bite!

 147-146 auction

    I am Shax, a merchant from the Devil''s Land.

    It has finally come.

    The day of the big sale of the summons you entrusted to me by the Demon Queen Astares!

    "But that doesn''t mean...?

    The Demon Queen, who had accepted the invitation as a client, was not happy about it.

    I said that I wanted you to help me sell them, but I didn''t expect you to do it through an auction.

    That''s right, an auction.

    The venue we had set up for the auction was already packed with customers.

    A lot of customers.

    It was worth all the effort to advertise.

    ''I understand your enthusiasm, but did you have to go that far?¡¡I thought for sure that I was going to be selective in selecting the customers that fit my size and needs and selling them directly to them...?

    That''s usually the case if you''re in business for the wealthy like we are.

    We often go directly to the customer to get the order, rather than selling to them.

    But the way we sell depends on the time and circumstances!

    ''''The dress that Her Majesty the Demon Queen is wearing has been talked about for a long time. To put it bluntly, they were envious of it.

    Oh, really?¡¡I didn''t know that!

    Many of the noblemen of the Demon Kingdom asked the famous designer to make this dress for them. "I want a dress like the new Demon Queen. And.

    However, the things that are produced in this way are all very different.

    The difference in materials or the difference in ideas, none of them are far from the originals.

    The more common they were in circulation, the more the original owned by the queen would be envied, the more people would be willing to buy it, and the more valuable it would be.

    A completed expectation inflationary spiral!

    That''s why. When the existence of the Demon Queen''s secret exclusive designer is revealed and his work is put up for sale, it can''t be helped but attract attention.

    ''''Is that so...?

    If this is the case, other customers will not be happy that they have been excluded from the sale. If that happens, our company will lose a lot of money because customers will resent us.

    "And the auction and...?

    If we can advertise to our favorite customers at the same time and have them gather in one place, we won''t feel unfair.

    In addition, due to the system of the auction, it is also possible to raise the price naturally.

    ''''With Her Majesty the Demon Queen in attendance, the credibility of our products has been raised enough. I can''t thank you enough.

    It''s what we said. I''m sorry if you don''t cooperate a little bit. I''ve already let some selfishness pass...

    That''s right.

    The queen asked me to act as an intermediary for her products, and I accepted, but in the end, she didn''t reveal the identity of the hired designer who tailors her clothes.

    In the end, she didn''t reveal the identity of the designer who tailors the clothes for her.

    I was promised victory if I could get an exclusive contract with the designer, but I suppose it would be too greedy to try to get all the money in one go.

    For now, let''s do our best to get the profit in front of us.

    ''''Then, Demon Queen. I''ll record the highest bid, please see it here!

    Oh...!¡¡Don''t be too obsequious...?

    As I take the stage, the audience applauds as I take the stage.

    I wait for the excitement to naturally die down before I begin my speech.

    "...ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming here today. The Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a special auction!

    Another round of applause.

    Waiting for it to subside.

    ''''We have a few good pieces of your designer''s work that Queen Astares has kindly provided us with!¡¡First of all, let''s give a big-hearted Demon Queen a round of applause in appreciation!

    I won''t forget to lift and flatter those in power.

    If the Demon Queen feels good about this and lets me slip up about our exclusive designer, we''ll make some money.

    You have to make sure that you''ve laid the groundwork before proceeding with the main story.

    ''''Then, let me introduce our products right away!

    At my signal, the dress attached to the torso takes the stage.

    There are a few garments entrusted to me by the Demon Queen this time, but among them, the most luxurious one is thrown in for the first shot.

    No need to put out!

    Item number one is the perfect formal dress for a lady''s outfit. You''ll be the center of attention when you wear it to the ball!

    A chorus of enraptured sighs could be heard from the audience.

    Because of the nature of the products, most of the visitors were ladies. You''ve got it.

    ''''At this point, I would like to get to the secret of the dress of Demon Queen Astares-sama that I have been drooling over. First of all, this fabric!¡¡It''s not like what we know!

    It is smooth to the touch and even gives off a faint glow.

    I''ve never seen such beautiful fabrics. Even I, as the head of the Grand Chamber of Commerce, am well versed in all kinds of goods.

    This is a cloth called silk, also known as silk. Also known as silk.

    A commentary by Queen Astares.

    It sounds like a passive-aggressive tone, though!¡¡An unfamiliar name makes my heart skip a beat with curiosity!

    ''It''s a fabric made specifically in one place. I don''t think I need to tell you that the quality is quite different from the cloth we know.

    ''Not at all!¡¡But that''s not the only amazing thing about this dress!

    To avoid staining the dress, she carefully hems it through her gloves, revealing the lining.

    ''See!¡¡The seams on this dress!¡¡If it''s a garment, it''s sewn together, of course, but with this dress it''s on a different level than anything else!

    When I saw this for the first time when I was checking out the product, I too was surprised and balked.

    ''Perfectly even seam spacing!¡¡And straight!¡¡It''s hard to believe they were sewn by hand!¡¡Whoever sewed this up is truly an act of God!

    A product with so many noteworthy features, how could it not sell for a high price!

    That''s why I''ll sell you for the highest price possible!

    Hence the auction!

    ''Then it''s time to get into the bidding!¡¡The lowest bidder is...!

    * * *

    The final item, a shirt worn under the skin, was successfully bid on and the auction ended successfully.

    No unsuccessful bids. Furthermore, all items cleared the expected bid price.

    It''s already woohoo.

    ''''No........I''m afraid the bids are all astronomical......!

    The Demon Queen Astares was surprised by the amount of money she was making.

    However, this auction would not put a penny in the Demon Queen''s pocket.

    ''''Are you sure?¡¡For this sale, our company and the creator will split the proceeds 50-50.... I''m sorry to the Demon Queen for giving me this precious opportunity...?

    ''''It''s fine, I''m just happy to know that his efforts are recognized by the world. Of course, make sure you have a receipt and a payment notice so that people don''t think I''m the one who cut out the middleman.

    Of course that''s...!

    And I have one last favor to ask of you, though.

    The Demon Queen. Here, she suddenly hid her voice.

    ''''Actually, I have one more piece of hers on hand for sale.

    What did you say?

    It''s not personal. I don''t make them for the world to see.

    Why would you tell me that right after the auction?

    Why would you tell me this right after the auction?

    I know who I''m going to sell this dress to. We want you to sell the clothes to that person, and we want you to be able to sell them to a reasonable price. For a good price, of course.

    What, huh?

    And I''m sorry to be the weird one to ask, but can you sell it to me in such a way that I can''t find the sales channel for it?

    Huh?

    Especially lest he know I''m involved. He''s a very perceptive guy. You can leave the details up to him. If you succeed, I''m sure your faith in the Chamber of Commerce will be solidified in Master Zedan''s time.

 148-147 Serious soldier

    My name is Orba.

    I am the second in command to Lord Belphegamilia of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, the Fallen.

    I am proud of my duties and my position in the army.

    Originally, the Demon King''s Army is the strongest and fiercest army on earth.

    Just being the youngest member of that army is an honor of a lifetime, and yet you have risen to the position of Assistant to the Four Heavenly Kings.

    Of course, I''m not going to boast that it''s because of my abilities.

    If it weren''t for my own youthfulness and luck, I wouldn''t have been able to achieve such an honor.

    The most fortunate thing for me is that I was born into a noble family in the Demon Land.

    They are a decent aristocrat, a family that owns the Fallen Sacred Sword Fiagelp, which has produced the Four Heavenly Kings for generations, and is one of their cronies.

    It was from that connection that I was allowed to take the position of deputy by one of the four heavenly kings of this generation, Belphegamilia-sama of the ''Fallen'', and in essence, I was hired through connections.

    That said, I''m not ashamed of it, and of course I''m not proud of it.

    Now that I''ve encountered an opportunity in any way, I will do my best to seize it.

    I will fulfill the responsibility of the Four Heavenly Kings deputy and challenge the limits of my own abilities.

    This is the meaning of my fighting as a soldier in the Demon King''s Army.

    * * * *.

    The mission I was given this time was to defeat the monsters that appeared in the demon territory.

    Well, I''ll be counting on you.

    My immediate superior, the Four Heavenly Kings, Belphegamilia-sama, always instructs me in this manner.

    Lazy, lethargic, impotent, and daylight.

    That''s the way the world sees our Lord.

    In fact, Lord Belphegamilia has never taken an active role since he became the Four Heavenly Kings and has never done anything more than carry out orders from Demon King Zedan.

    Naturally, the spectacular war achievements that the other four heavenly kings have listed are not in the hands of Belfegamilia-sama, and it can''t be said to be lackluster.

    However, to me, he is definitely a respected boss.

    ''''You have been entrusted with an order, but I have accepted it. I will return to fulfill my duties in this body.''''

    Don''t be so stubborn. Just be reasonable. ...It''s just a patrol anyway, and if there''s nothing unusual, it''s better than that.

    And my boss, my boss, went straight into a nap.

    Lying down in the personal hammock I brought into the office.

    I''m not the one who will change my mind if I''m the one to blame now.

    I silently left the room with my mission in hand.

    * * * *

    ...He''s okay with that.

    He led his troops into battle.

    While on the march, Balaam, my adjutant, who accompanied me, said.

    The Four Heavenly Kings usually have about four or five second in command, and Balam was my colleague.

    This time, the task of guarding the territory would be a joint effort with him.

    ''''Making him look lazy and useless is his way of defending himself. In fact, thanks to that, we didn''t get involved in a political war and we survived the recent reformation unscathed. Among the Four Heavenly Kings, he is the only one who has remained in office even after the reformation.

    Yes, but...!

    However, two of the three who left the throne of the Four Heavenly Kings were married to the Demon King Zedan and became the Demon Queen.

    So to speak, it could be called ascendancy.

    The only one to be disqualified was the Ravilian-sama of Devouring, and judging by his position, our Belphegamilia-sama just didn''t lose any points, but I didn''t know he had a point...!

    ''The return is the other side of the risk. Just surviving is a noble victory. Besides....

    And?

    ''''From now on, in the Demon King''s Army, a life like that guy''s might be the best answer.

    ..........?

    Balaam''s words pierced my heart, and I guess I had a dim view of that.

    ''''Demon King Zedan-sama destroyed the human nation and ended the war that had been going on for so long. It''s probably the greatest achievement in the history of the demon race. But since he has done the greatest service, there''s nothing left to follow.

    Shall we take all the credit for this...?

    In fact, now that the human nation is gone, what do we have to fight against?

    There is nothing more empty than an army without an enemy.

    And will soldiers like us, who are only children of it, ever be given the opportunity to climb to the top?

    Considering such a bad economy in the future, I feel that a peaceful life like Belphegamilia-sama''s is certainly more appropriate for the demon soldiers of the future.

    ...It remains to be seen.

    Was that what he said to himself?

    ''''The demon race''s enemies aren''t just humans. Monsters. Some anthropomorphic monsters can be used by the demon race, but even so, the majority of species are unruly and rampage indiscriminately.''''

    The reason for this sortie was because we received reports of such dangerous monsters being discovered, so we went to the site to investigate.

    If there were truly highly dangerous monsters, the Four Heavenly Kings Belphegamilia''s direct squad was supposed to crush them with their power.

    We are still needed. I''m sure we''ll get some praise from Demon King Zedan when we defeat the monsters and take the credit for it.

    Don''t be in a hurry. You''re just a good little boy. If you get killed in action, I''ll have to apologize to your family.

    I was miffed when Balaam told me.

    ''Don''t talk like that. I''ve declared that it doesn''t matter where you come from while you''re in the military!

    The fact is, you''re still a little boy when you talk like that. In fact, what''s that under your armor?

    !

    As long as I''m going on a combat mission, I''m well armed as well as prepared. The fabric peeking out from the gaps in that armor is the clothing worn underneath the armor. It''s called "armor underwear" or "armor underwear".

    It''s just like normal clothing that covers your entire body, but it''s also an important piece of armor to protect your skin from direct contact with the hard armor and to protect the interrupted joints of your armor.

    ''It''s super new and shiny under armor, isn''t it? I''m listening. Your mother gave it to you right before this mission, didn''t she?¡¡I''m desperate for my beautiful, only son to make it back alive.

    ..........

    To be honest, my mother''s thoughtfulness was a thankless nuisance.

    Even though she was often insulted that she had been brought up to be a lad, she was more and more conspicuous and ridiculed for wearing a shiny new suit of armor like this.

    Still, I''m not so much of a child that I can''t understand my mother''s concerns, so I can''t not wear it....

    In fact, my previous armor underneath was getting pretty tired.......

    ''''You were born into a noble family, so you have a role to play. You can''t hope for an inferiority complex, and after you''ve done well in the military, retire quickly and take over the reigns. Get a wife and give birth to a child....

    ..........

    The war with the humans is over. It''s a peaceful time. This is a time of peace and tranquility, and that is more and more in line with the world. Let''s just hope that this mission doesn''t turn up any monsters and that the locals are wrong.

    Balaam is right.

    Little by little, the soldiers will now become a relic of the past.

    They will become useless and disappear from the stage of history.

    Come to think of it, what would she have done?

    She was currently the second in command of the Four Heavenly Kings Astares-sama, the Demon Queen.

    Perhaps it was because of her position as the Four Heavenly Kings'' second-in-command, but they often saw each other when they had military meetings. It''s only natural, or perhaps I should say, that I haven''t seen her at all since her boss, Master Astares, became the Demon Queen.

    I''ve never heard of him being reassigned anywhere, or maybe he''s retired from the military because of his boss''s prosperity and his retirement benefits.

    He came from a commoner''s background and had a real talent for rising from a bare handed fist to the position of deputy to the Four Heavenly Kings. As a well-connected person, I had a complex about him.

    As I recall, his family was in the clothing business, and he had said that he wanted to take over the family business after he retired from the military and open his own shop.

    Did the fact that he left the Demon King''s Army mean that he had fulfilled that dream?

    That''s fine too. Soldiers are losing the battlefield. Then it would be better to pursue the same dream but in peace.

    I''m following my dream...!

    My dream is on the battlefield.

    For now, I just hope that the battlefield we''re about to head into has stronger monsters than I''ve reported.

    * * * *

    I thought so, but I changed my mind as soon as I arrived there.

    It''s true that I wished for a strong monster to come out, but everything has its limits.

    Or rather, what actually came out was not a monster, but an opponent far stronger and more dangerous than the monster.

    This is because it was a fallen dragon, the Lesser Dragon.

 149-148 Guardians clothing

    I am Orba, a regular soldier of the Demon King''s Army.

    The infamy of the Lesser Dragon is roaring in the Demon King''s army.

    Fallen dragons, inferior dragons, dragons that are no longer dragons, the remnants of dragons.

    Dragons by nature are not opponents that can compete with the demon race, and if they are opposed, they have no choice but to perish.

    However, dragons have wisdom along with overwhelming strength, and they are not hostile for no reason, and in some cases, they are willing to discuss things.

    The Lesser Dragon, however, is a beast that has taken the intelligence away from its dragons.

    Why this happens is a perpetual mystery, but the dragon loses its magic and intelligence for some reason or another and turns into a rugged Lesser Dragon.

    If that happened, they would be worse than the original dragons.

    Even if it loses its magic and intelligence, it still retains its strong, massive body, making it more troublesome than any other monster.

    Moreover, they have no reason to be rational, so they rage for no reason, and if they are known to appear, the only thing you can do is fight them and defeat them.

    This is because the longer you leave them alone, the more damage they will cause.

    Even though they are fallen, they are still dragons. Their defeat is extremely difficult.

    Disaster violence that falls outside the yoke of reason.

    That was the Lesser Dragon.

    * * * *

    Me and Balaam were gagging and running our horses side by side.

    At maximum speed, we didn''t care if our horses got tired and crushed.

    It was only natural, and a formidable threat was coming from behind. That''s what it was, a furious speed.

    ''''That stupid dragon........!¡¡You''re still following me........!

    It''s no use. It''s just my luck that they found out as soon as I checked.

    There were only traces and signs reported, but I actually came to check it out and found out that it was a Lesser Dragon.

    This is not an opponent that me and the troops led by Balaam can handle. We''ve got to get the main body of the Demon King''s Army out of the Demon City.

    Even if we collided with them properly, they would only kill us all, Balaam quickly ordered us to retreat as soon as possible.

    He decided that if they scattered and fled in pieces, the Lesser Dragons wouldn''t be able to chase everything and avoid being wiped out, but.......

    ''Why are they running together!¡¡What''s the point if they don''t scatter and run away...?

    I know what you''re thinking!¡¡You intend to use yourself as a decoy and let as many men as possible escape!

    Otherwise, there was no need to deliberately meander or provoke the pursuing dragons to provoke them.

    Four Heavenly King''s Deputy Balaam, he is also an old strongman who was knocked up from the commoners.

    Just like her...!

    "...it''s for times like these that we ride so proudly. You can''t escape that brainless dragon with your infantry legs. They''ll eat you up from one end to the other.

    ''Then I''ll go with you!¡¡I''m a second-in-command and I''m allowed to ride!¡¡We can''t just run away and look like a bunch of...!

    ''''Watch out!''''

    Balaam shouted at me, and I quickly turned my horse''s body around as quickly as possible.

    The dragon''s claws snatched just in time.

    Are we this close to...?

    The horse is tired.

    They can''t maintain top speed any longer.

    "No matter how much damage you do to your men, your commander will survive to the end!¡¡Why don''t you find your way into danger?

    But then you''d have to...

    That''s what we came for, isn''t it?¡¡One of us must survive, and Lady Belfegamilia must be notified of the danger!¡¡You, a nobleman, have more work to do to survive than I do!¡¡Just go!

    ''But...?''

    I shouldn''t have hesitated.

    I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

    ''''Orba!''''

    I knew after receiving a direct hit that I had been cleaved off by the Lesser Dragon''s arm.

    As it spun around in the air, it also separated from the horse.

    And at the end of the fall, a wide open dragon''s mouth was waiting for me.

    ''''Orbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    My colleague''s urgent voice calling my name.

    Boom!

    The shock of the event echoed through my body.

    The Lesser Dragon failed to catch half of me, and my upper body spilled outward from the dragon''s mouth.

    That meant that I was bitten off from the body, and the sharp sensation of the dragon''s fangs could be felt on both sides of my belly and back.

    But it only took a moment for me to realize that I was going to be bitten in half.

    I''m sorry, mother. It seems that I will not be able to take over the reigns of the family.

    And I will never see her again........

    ''''Vyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    Lesser Dragon''s painful scream made my eardrums tremble.

    At the same time, a shock that struck my entire body.

    I fell to the ground, is that impact?

    Is he still alive?

    With the dragon''s fangs biting him?

    Do you have one?

    My lower body, still connected to my upper body.

    I''m not going to get chewed off and cry goodbye... or anything like that!

    Hey, you okay?¡¡Are you alive!

    I look up at the head of the Lesher Dragon in question, along with Balaam, who rushed over to me in a hurry.

    "Fangs........broken!

    Is it suffering from that pain?

    ''Don''t be a bastard!¡¡I''m crawling around in pain, now''s your chance!¡¡Let''s get as far away from here as possible!

    * * *

    After escaping from the Lesser Dragon at the risk of our lives, we quickly gathered the soldiers who had fled and scattered and regrouped.

    We sent a courier to the Demon City and waited for the main force led by the Demon King to arrive.

    There is a proper order to exterminate the Lesser Dragons.

    First of all, take a sufficient distance and then fire long range magic all at once.

    And it''s not just one or two people. Thousands of people all at once. And since they were taking turns to attack with magic, the whole thing would be a massive offensive of tens of thousands of people.

    Lesser Dragons are unintelligent and have no judgment, so they would be held back and waste their energy trying to resist from the front, wasting their energy.

    If this was a real dragon, they would be able to take measures before that happened, or they would be wiped out by dragon magic, which was far more powerful than the magic magic magic of the demon race in the first place.

    However, the Lesser Dragons don''t use their heads.

    When his strength was exhausted without a plan, he used the Demon King''s Angry Sacred Sword Ainrot to finish it off.

    Even the dragon''s scales, which don''t allow any armor to pass through, couldn''t withstand the slash of the holy sword, and everything went according to the procedure, and the head of the sub-dragon fell without a single casualty.

    * * * *

    You did a marvelous job.

    In front of the carcass of the Lesser Dragon, I receive a personal compliment from the Demon King Zedan.

    What an honor.

    This is the highest honor for a demon soldier, and my whole body trembles.

    "First Officer Orba, and Balaam. Your quick thinking from the time you discovered the Lesser Dragon to the time you reported it to me was brilliant. The ability to avoid a futile battle and retreat without losing a single soldier is what I would call the second in command of Belphegamilia.

    No, no, no, these kids are good at what they do.

    Belphegamilia-sama, who had only to watch and do nothing in the end while going out with the Demon King, said.

    Orba is eager, and Balaam has a sweet and sour bite. Why don''t you just fire me and make them the Four Heavenly Kings?¡¡Then I''ll be able to go into my dream pension life without any worries.

    I don''t know, sir. I need you to be more active than you''ve ever been.

    The Demon Lord unexpectedly spoke highly of Lady Belfegamilia.

    ''''Sir, you are the only general I can safely entrust with my absence. Since I will continue to rely on you for a lot of things in the future, don''t let him retire just yet.

    Oh, my God, you''re so messy.

    And Bellefegamilia-sama let out a single big yawn.

    This guy has great courage in front of the Demon King-sama.

    ''''........but as reported, Orba. Are you sure it''s not important?

    What...?

    I didn''t know the Demon Lord was paying attention to me!

    So, putting aside the excitement of "I''m sorry, but first we need an accurate and prompt report!

    Yes. My body was once trapped by the dragon''s fangs, but strangely enough, I didn''t have a scratch on me...!

    Strange things happen, don''t they? When I heard that report, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest too.

    Also, Belfegamilia-sama is out of character.

    Even though I was turned into a Lesser, there was no way that the body of a demon race could withstand the dragon''s fangs for even a second.

    I myself was completely prepared to die when I was caught between the dragon''s upper and lower jaws, but why on earth am I still able to survive?

    If I had any idea........

    I looked down at the armor underneath that still wrapped around me.

    A fabric that is too beautiful to go into battle and even emits a faint glow.

    Was this what protected me?

    "Immediately after escaping from the dragon''s fangs, the armor was pierced with a large hole. But there wasn''t a single tear in the lock under this armor.

    "The dragon''s fangs easily penetrated the metal armor and were protected by a piece of cloth like that?¡¡That''s ridiculous........?

    Balaam says in disgust from the side, and I completely agree with him.

    But I can''t think of anything else.

    Where on earth did your mother buy these mysterious clothes from?

    ''''........I had heard that the fabric of the Vajra Silk repels even dragon magic. I heard the same goes for fangs.

    ''''!''''

    The Demon King''s expression changed to a gentle one, as if he had seen everything through.

    ''''Demon King-sama, if you have an idea about the Demon King, don''t you!¡¡What kind of history does this under-armor have...?

    No, I don''t know. No, I don''t know. Even if I did, I wouldn''t tell you.

    I know this guy!

    You are a terrible liar!

    ''If there''s only one thing I can say.... Yes, love is great.

 150-149 Detune

    You like Orba, don''t you?

    When the Demon Queen Astares came to visit, she was talking about love.

    Hearing that, Batty was in a panic.

    ''''Nah, nah, nah!¡¡What are you talking about?¡¡He''s gone!¡¡You''ve got a needle in your fingertip!¡¡Didn''t you lose your mind because Master Astares said something stupid?

    You''re not sewing right now, are you?

    I was surprised to see a mountain of gold coins piled up and I was looking at them from the side.

    The level of money that could be packed in a bag and used as a blunt instrument.

    -- ''''I also have a certificate of payment from the Chamber of Commerce. I didn''t cheat a single penny, so make sure you know what you''re doing.

    -- ''''Master Astares, I don''t doubt that about your partner...''''

    The abrupt love story from the exchange of

    Does the sharpness of the four-headed Astares of yesteryear not diminish when he becomes a married man?

    What?¡¡Does Batty have a girlfriend?

    And I, too, get sucked in by the sweet and sour air of love bananas.

    ''''I''m serving as another Four Heavenly King''s second-in-command, and in essence, I''m on the same rank as Batty. I''ve seen the two of you talking a lot while on duty, so.......

    ''It is!¡¡I was just giving him advice as a peer!¡¡Maybe it''s because he''s an aristocratic tycoon, but he''s missing a lot of things.¡¡Wouldn''t it be a pity if a soldier died because of his superior''s stupidity?

    You seemed to be having a lot of fun at the same time.

    That''s because Master Astares doesn''t look like you and is a romantic brain!

    Who''s calling it ''not as good as it looks''?

    Batty is rather unafraid of things.

    ''''And the under armor mixed in with the goods for sale in the Demon City. You''re sure that was sewn for him, right?¡¡I heard it was strangely the right size.

    You sold it?¡¡To Orba?

    It was purchased by his mother from a visiting merchant. That''s all you have to do to know you''re the one who made it.

    He''s a motherf*cker, he''ll wear it for a long time.

    So here''s an interesting story about that...

    The story that Mr. Astares told was quite a thrilling one, about this Orba, or Batty''s girlfriend, who was attacked by something called a Lesser Dragon, and nearly devoured to death.

    My hands were sweating as I listened to it.

    When he was bitten in the belly, he was prepared to die, but surprisingly, the dragon''s fangs didn''t penetrate his belly and he lived to tell the tale.

    Yeah.

    It was too much of a thrill, and Batty was fainting.

    He''s not this sensitive on a daily basis.

    ''I guess it''s all because of the clothes Batty made?

    I''m sure of it. I''ve heard that the armor was pierced through and punctured.

    The clothes Bati makes are made from a special fabric called Kongo silk, which is produced on this farm.

    This is the thread spat out by the silkworm-shaped monsters that are picked up from the dungeon. It''s called "Kongo Silk" because of its unbelievably toughness, which is why it''s called "Kongo Silk".

    ''''I knew it was hard, but I didn''t expect it to repel even a dragon''s fangs...''''

    The clothes I''m wearing now are also made of vajra silk.

    Maybe I''m more defensive now than I am with my full body armor.

    ''''Hearing that story, I came to request Batty to make an under-armor garment for the Demon King-sama as well. ........But at the same time, I also feel this way.

    ?

    I went ahead with the sale because I wanted Bati''s clothes to be widely available. However, the material, vajra silk, is too expensive to be sold to the world.

    Yes.

    A fabric that''s stronger than metal would be a complete over-parts in the eyes of the general society.

    It''s fine if it''s just a few.... But if Bati''s clothes end up in the hands of the wrong people, it could be a problem.

    ''Hmmm, I see your point, Mr. Astares.

    The point is that we can regulate the distribution of vajra silk.

    Even if it is already sold, it''s not an option. From now on, it would be very helpful if you would carefully examine who you sell to and restrict them to a minimum.

    I''m with you on that.

    Batty is back.

    ''I also don''t really mean it when people say that my work has sold because of the material. I only want them to sell because of my own ideas and tailoring!

    That''s the spirit. Naturally, I''d like to continue selling Batty''s clothes to the Magic City itself.

    Then what we should do is switch the clothes made by Bati from vajra silk to another material?

    ''''Then it would have to be cotton or linen...?

    At our farm, cotton and non-toxic hemp are grown and used to make various fabrics.

    As expected, we can''t use silk for all of our daily cloth products, and after all, some people say that Kongo silk is too luxurious to be used on a daily basis.

    I have an idea.

    Something Batty said.

    * * * *

    Batty says she still wants to continue to use silk in the creation of her garments.

    She says it''s a non-negotiable part of her commitment as a creator.

    But vajra silk has been made a regulated hazardous material, and what the hell is she going to do about it?

    "...Silkworm, Silkworm. I need to ask you a favor...

    Batty speaks to the caterpillar.

    The quality of the yarn you guys spit out is very good and very helpful, but it''s a bit too good to be true, and that''s why it''s in trouble. So there.........

    He is speaking to Vajra Silk''s source, Vajra Silkworm and the others.

    ''''My former subordinate is in a sorry state...''''

    Mr. Astares stared at Batty, who was talking to the bug, and looked sincerely sad.

    ''No, wait, don''t make up your mind yet,''

    Kongo silkworm is essentially a monster.

    Moreover, as it lived on my farm, it mutated and began to spit out a substandard stiff fiber called vajra silk.

    If it is such an evolved monster, isn''t it possible for it to respond to requests in human language?

    That''s Batty''s idea.

    Yeah, I could go.

    I say to myself.

    We have to, how should we put it to good use?¡¡Naturally, Vajra Silk can also spit out different variations, and in parallel, I mean...!

    You''re getting more and more crappy with your tone of voice...

    Bati, why are you being so bad with these bugs?

    Does silkworm Kongo understand what Bati is trying to tell him or doesn''t...?

    "Tsk.

    I clicked my tongue.

    Tongue-tied?

    Do you have a tongue?¡¡You don''t even have a tongue!

    Or, rather, we get it... Batty''s recommendation. Is that tongue lashing a positive or a negative?

    Yeah!¡¡Thank you!¡¡Thank you!

    Batty tapped his head in a frenzy.

    The silkworm room had become an unfamiliar space.

    * * * *

    The next day.

    The silkworm room was in a terrible state of disarray.

    "Ooooooooooooh!

    An amazing amount of yarn!

    Did they immediately spit out ordinary silk yarn of lower quality than Kongo silk?

    But the amount!

    That''s a lot!

    I can''t see the floor because it''s filled with thread!

    If this means that by dropping the quality by a hundredth of a percent, they were able to increase their production by a hundredfold!

    In the meantime, he called up the goblin team and the elven team urgently to weave.

 151-150 Elf Craftsman Soul

    The silk thread that Kongo Silkworm reduced the quality of was about the same quality as normal silk in my former world.

    However, silk itself is originally a high quality product, so it''s still a fine commodity.

    Silk is a very good thing.

    Bati immediately made some marketable clothes made of ordinary silk and sold them through Mr. Astares, and they sold immediately.

    The garment sold out immediately after he refused to sell it in advance, saying that the quality of the fabric had been reduced.

    Batty is busily working on additional orders.

    The sound of a sewing machine constantly coming from the garment room.

    Well, as long as it doesn''t interfere with the production of clothes here, I''ll let him do what he wants.

    Is that enough for this episode?¡¡Just as I was about to do so, a new mountain arrived.

    * * * *

    We want to sell our work, too.

    A plea came from the elves.

    Apparently, they became envious of Batty''s clothes getting high marks from the public.

    ''''Well you guys are still bandits, even though you''re ''ex'', right?¡¡What''s an outlaw to do when he''s looking for approval?

    ''That was a long time ago. Today, we are workers on the farm, working hard to make things. As a craftsman, it''s a natural wish that more people will come into contact with the products I create.

    Pottery Team, Group Leader Aileron.

    Leatherwork Group Leader Maerga.

    Woodworking Team Leader Mieral.

    Glasswork Team Leader Poel.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about them.

    While choosing his words carefully, he says

    We''re trying to be self-sufficient. We give top priority to what we use...!

    That''s not a problem. The crockery and daily necessities for the farm are already in place. At this rate, we''ll be out of business before long.

    Seriously?

    We need to fill that void and sell to the outside world!

    ''Look at that!¡¡This my masterpiece!

    The head of the Mieral team in charge of the woodwork interrupted.

    She and her teammates are making wooden carved bowls, bows and arrows, and other wooden furniture such as chairs, tables and chests....

    The many strong works of art that she presents in front of me.

    ''''........These are the wooden god statues I made as a hobby!

    Yeah.

    I know the difference.

    Probably carved out of wood with a chisel or carving knife and shaped it into a human form.... That''s a statue, isn''t it?

    When I say statue of a god, it must mean that the statue was made in the image of a god.

    There was a realism to it, as if it were a real god.

    And so it is.

    Because the last time that god, of all gods, came to our farm in droves.

    If we model it after him, we''ll have a statue of the god that looks just like the real one!

    ''''I think it''s pretty good myself, but there''s no demand for a god statue in this farm!¡¡It can''t be!

    That''s true.

    ''''So take it to the Demon Country and into the hands of someone who needs it. Please, please!¡¡Please!

    I know what you''re trying to say, but........

    It''s true that it would be troublesome if a strange religion were to be started on the farm with statues of gods like this.

    "Verena.

    Yes, what is it?

    I ask Verena, the daughter of the demon tribe, who is waiting by my side.

    ''''How do these statues of gods get treated in the demon race society?''''

    "Basically, they are traded as works of art. Of course, in the demon kingdom, we believe in Hades and its family gods, but it''s not a custom to worship idols.

    I see.

    Depending on the subject matter, images of sea gods and heavenly gods are also produced and sold. Most of the time, they are in private collections or in museums where they are considered authoritative.

    I understand well.

    Verena is usually so helpful for being a brilliant advisor at a time like this for being so impersonal and troubled.

    I''d like to point that out to you, but I guess I''ll have to talk to the elves first for now.

    ''''Saint-sama, I would like to hear from you as well.

    The head of the Maerga squad in charge of leather goods also stepped up.

    She was also the deputy head of the Elf Thieves.

    ''''The saint has listened to our request, and since the introduction of sewing machines in our squad, our production capacity for leather goods has increased dramatically. In order to take this place to the next level, we need permission to turn some of our goods into the market!

    Wait Maelga!

    That''s when Pottery Squad Leader Elron bursts in.

    She''s the head who once led the Elf Thieves, so it''s a slugfest of old number one and number two, so to speak.

    ''''........Maerga. Your group has already had the introduction of this sewing machine and consumed one request, haven''t they?¡¡And on top of that, what a despicable thing to wish for!¡¡Where is your pride as the deputy head of the Thunderstorm Stonecutters?

    ''''I''m now the head of the group of people who directs the leatherworkers at the saint''s farm. Your responsibilities take precedence. I only do what I think is best for the farm, not for my own desires. Whether it''s making the sewing machine work more efficient or selling it for a profit, it will benefit the farm.

    "Gunnuuuuuuck~?¡¡As expected of a calm sub-head, he has a great deal of nerve!

    Could it be true?

    I remember getting super driven away from Maerga to create an additional sewing machine for the leather goods team?

    Anyway, I''ll get my team''s pottery sold outside first!¡¡The leather goods team is the last for the sewing machine!

    ''No, leather goods should be more useful and in demand than pottery. My squad''s work, which is expected to be more profitable, will be the first to go.

    "What do you think you''re doing?

    A rift has appeared between the head and vice-head of the Elven Thieves, the supposedly severed alliance?

    Do you really want to upset a relationship to that extent?¡¡What kind of craftsmanship do you have in mind when you make something?

    ''Calm down, sir!¡¡Seniors!

    The last one to raise his voice was Poel, the glasswork group leader.

    When he was an elf bandit, he was an underling with no particular role to play, but after entering our farm, he quickly rose to the rank of group leader.

    He is a promising young man full of talent.

    ''''Gentlemen, you can''t just impose your own ideas on them. The head of this farm is a saint. Everything on this farm belongs to Saint-sama!¡¡The saint''s thoughts should take precedence over our thoughts above all else!

    Well said!

    Yes, that''s why you should listen to me...!

    ''''That''s why our glassworks team has to take priority!¡¡Most beloved of the saints, my squad!

    Huh?

    He suddenly said something he didn''t remember and shrank back.

    Pawel turns around and says, "How''s that! He sends me a pimply face.

    There was a heart mark lit behind his eyes.

    Scary.

    Huh?

    Come to think of it, Poel comes to me more often than the other team leaders to check products.

    The distance between them was quite close, or maybe they were in skin-to-skin contact, or maybe they had too much skin-to-skin contact, or maybe their skin was exposed too much?

    .........Huh?

    The sound of something grabbing something with a crunch.

    When I looked, I saw that Poel''s head had been grabbed by someone.

    That someone is my wife, Prati.

    She hadn''t been there before, but when was she there!

    ''''Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...!¡¡Ma''am...?

    What''s so funny you said that...?¡¡Who, by whom, loves you the most?

    I''m afraid of Prati.

    His face is smiling, but well, he''s scared.

    ''Sir, can I borrow this girl?¡¡It looks like we''re going to have to discuss this with Sashi for a bit.

    No problem!

    I replied.

    It seems to be the only problem for Poel.

    Anyway, no one was in the mood to see Poel being dragged away by Prathi, and no one was in the mood to continue talking about the sale any longer.

    * * * *

    Finally, we returned to the first statue of the gods.

    I thought there were quite a few wooden statues of the gods made by Mieral, and I wondered if they were only for the gods we visited the other day, but that was not the case.

    It''s more than that.

    "There''s a wooden statue of a teacher!

    The No-Life King''s teacher.

    It just sort of naturally blends in with the gods'' statues and I never noticed it.

    It''s so natural, it''s out of place.

    He''s got one foot in the god''s territory.

    Miera was very frank.

    Are you going to sell this too?

    Yes, I''m very proud of it.

    I''m afraid we have a portrait problem. We can ask him for permission later.

    Hmmm, my statue is in there!

    What''s the problem?

 152-151 Talk again

    I am Shax.

    The one who leads the best trade association in the Demon Kingdom, the Pandemonium Trade Association.

    Today, I received a call from the First Demon Queen Astares-sama again.

    The only story that she offers me is about making money, so I''m going to climb up to the castle today with a good feeling.

    ''''I''m sorry, but can you act as an intermediary for the sale again?

    There it is!

    The smell of a superbly profitable story has arrived!

    ''Of course, sir!¡¡All of the clothes that the Demon Queen will introduce to you are of the highest quality.

    I''ve already had a number of customers say that they''ll come to me when Queen Astares'' clothes are on display.

    I''ve also received advance payment.

    Who would hesitate to negotiate a business deal that promised to make a lot of money?

    Therefore, I made a quick decision today.

    ''''And what kind of clothes would you like to wear this time?¡¡The dress?¡¡Is this formal wear?¡¡If the Demon Queen can offer you clothing, even a single shirt is an unbelievably high price...

    No, actually, it''s not the clothes this time.

    Yes?

    Not your clothes?

    Something fishy was going on....

    Inspired by the previous auction, there were a few people who wanted to sell their creations as well. It was decided that I would be the go-between. Well, you''re the one who will actually be the go-between, but...

    ''No, sir!¡¡........Then the creator...?

    Yeah, it''s a different person than the one who made the clothes.

    This is.....

    Another unpredictable development.

    The producers of the clothes we are selling through the Demon Queen-sama already have a proven track record in the market, and it''s a tough one.

    The materials, tailoring, and design are all top-notch, and I''m even thinking of proposing branding them in order to create a certain flow of business.

    And now you''re here and it''s a completely different person''s work?

    Although it''s the Demon Queen''s introduction, so we can expect it. ''''Full trust is dangerous,'''' the merchant''s self-preservation instincts warned.

    ''''Then the creator of that work is...?''''

    I''m sorry, I''m not going to tell you who I am, but I can assure you that I am. But I can assure you that I do have a real identity. On the throne of the queen.

    After being told that much, the merchant style had to be silenced.

    ''''Now, let''s see the merchandise.

    All right.

    When the Demon Queen rang the bell at hand, a few maids came in from another room.

    Is that the product in question that these women are holding?

    ''I forgot to tell you, but you can refuse me if you decide that I''m not for sale in your eyes. That''s what we agreed to do with the clothes, too.

    That said.

    How could I refuse a request from the Demon King''s queen head-on?

    When it came to the clothes, the Demon Queen herself had already worn them in public many times and had a good reputation in the public eye, so I jumped at the chance to be relieved, but....

    I just hope it''s at least a decent selling substitute.

    And so the item the maid presented to me is........

    ''''Ho, is it a bag?''''

    And it''s made of leather.

    It may be something for everyday use, and may not be something that a nobleman who leaves even changing clothes to his servants would have anything to do with, but.......

    "............?

    No wait.

    This leather is.........?

    Your Highness........!¡¡Where did the creators of this bag get the leather for the material...?

    "Huh?

    "Can''t you tell me that too?¡¡No, the queen has given her seal of approval and I believe her with all my heart.¡¡This is....!

    What''s this?

    ''''Isn''t that Hydrolex leather!

    Hydrolexes are reptilian-type monsters that only appear in cave dungeons with a danger level of three stars or higher.

    Its skin has a unique luster and pattern, and its strength is top-notch because it''s a monster, and because it''s aquatic, it''s a perfect material that is resistant to moisture.

    However, cave dungeons with three-star or higher levels are rare, and with the monsters that appear in them, they are also extremely strong.

    It should cost a huge amount of money just to obtain it, including the danger allowance for the soldiers who were going to hunt it.

    ''''Ahh, that. I fought a few times during the Four Heavenly Kings era.''''

    Although irreverent, the current me did not have the time to keep up with the Demon Queen''s memories.

    It''s a Hyde Rolex leather bag.

    The material alone is top-notch, but it''s also quite solidly made.

    The way the leather is tanned is also so perfect that you can tell at a glance that it is the work of someone who knows how to handle it well. Moreover, it is very careful.

    The stitching........it''s exactly the same as that on the clothes that the Demon Queen has provided me with!

    Straight lines at even intervals.

    Is this the work of the same craftsman?

    But the Demon Queen-sama said it was made by someone else........

    My curiosity was boundless, but other than the bag, leather goods came out one after another, giving me no time to think.

    ''''This is a glove........!¡¡This is the cloak.¡¡They all appear to be powerful monster leathers. How many people lost their lives to gather this much material...?

    ''''Maybe no one died...?

    Just putting one of these on the market will fetch a ridiculous value.

    I''m starting to worry about putting it on the market because it''s too valuable...!

    Well, I''ll get the next item...

    "What?¡¡More of these?¡¡Wait a minute!¡¡I can''t keep up with your thoughts!¡¡At least give me a little more time to collect my thoughts...!

    ''You''ll have to put it all together and think it over later. The next item is the glasswork...

    Glasswork?

    That said, the glasses, plates and crafts that came out.

    I''m sorry...

    Your Majesty, please stop joking around.

    What do you mean by "glasswork"?

    This clarity, you can see that there are no impurities at all, but how is such glass possible?

    It''s probably more of a crystal.

    Huh?

    Such elaborate and complex workmanship in crystal?

    "What is it worth?¡¡A castle could be built on this little thing!

    No, it''s really glass. That''s why, when you hit it like this...

    Palin.

    ''Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

    ''See, it''s easy to crack, right?¡¡Don''t worry, that was a failure, and if they don''t believe it''s made of glass, I''ve given you permission in advance to break it...

    "ohhhhhhhhh?¡¡Gyaaahhhhhhhhhh?¡¡Gyaaaaaaahhhhhh?

    "Umm...?

    How dare you!¡¡How dare you?

    This is a mistake?

    How is that even possible?

    How many months'' worth of income does that average for Demon City with just that one item?

    I get it!

    I''ll buy it!

    We''ll buy all of these items from you at our dealership!

 153-152 Demons wearing the brand

    My name is Batty.

    I was born a demon. Now I make clothes on the farm run by a saint.

    Recently I got a lot of money.

    My former boss, Mr. Astareth, offered me some of my clothes for sale, so I tried them out.

    It sold.

    And for quite a bit of money.

    Since I went through a merchant for the sale, a reasonable margin was deducted, but even so, a considerable amount of money rolled into my pocket.

    An amount I had never seen even when I was working in the Demon King''s Army.

    Even so, since it was Saints and Astareth-sama who gave me the environment to make clothes, and the fabrics and yarns that were used as materials were also produced on the farm, I was about to offer some of my share to their master, Saints....

    ''''It''s of no use to me to have money here.

    He was adamant that I would not be able to take it.

    Master Astares wouldn''t accept it, and in the end it was all in my possession, but the trouble is, I don''t know what to do with all that money myself.

    As long as I''m on the farm, I''ll have no trouble eating and sleeping, and if I''m bad, I''ll be able to enjoy a better life than that of a king.

    I''ve lost touch with my family. I can''t send them money or anything auspicious.

    So what do we do? When I started to seriously worry about the issue, an idea came to me.

    I am now in the middle of fulfilling my childhood dream as a dressmaker.

    That''s why I thought I should use the money to keep pursuing my dream.

    The only thing missing from this farm, which seems to have everything in the world, is fresh information.

    That is fresh information.

    There is a fear that because we are isolated from the outside world, we may not be able to keep up with the trends of the world.

    Now that I am in the position to present my own clothes to the world, I have to keep up with the fashion trends in the city center.

    Let''s go to the Magic City for the first time in a long time and buy the latest clothes for reference!

    Use the money you make for that!

    I decided to go and get permission from the saint to go.

    To my nostalgic home city, the Demon City.

    By the way, the means of transportation from the farm to the Demon City is transfer magic.

    I didn''t ask someone to send me there.

    I flew by myself.

    It''s a transfer magic that couldn''t be used during the days of the Four Heavenly Kings'' lieutenant in the Demon King''s Army. I was able to use it now.

    The No Life King''s teacher is super good at teaching people things.

    Moreover, he was a human race before he died, and yet he can teach transference magic that only demons are supposed to be able to use, so he really is the Greatest Immortal King.

    In fact, just before the flight, my partner Verena looked at me as if she was looking at a traitor, but that''s okay.

    It''s time for her to go and acquire not only transition magic but also other personalities as well.

    * * * *

    Arrive at the transfer point managed in the periphery of the Demon City.

    I entered the Demon City on foot from there.

    I''ve been living at the saint''s farm for a while now, but it''s been a long time since I''ve been back here in the Demon City.

    In fact, it shouldn''t have been more than a year since I came back.

    I guess that''s how dense my life at Saint Charming''s farm was.

    ........It''s true that things that would never happen in a normal life seem to happen every day in there.

    What are we going to do when we get there?

    I decided to have a meal.

    In the popular diner I used to eat lunch in when I was a deputy officer, I asked for the menu that I always had, but to be honest, it was not so good.

    This.........?

    Is my tongue too accustomed to the food served at Saints'' farm?

    The food there is better than what the Demon Lord is eating....

    It''s at a level that would make the gods rave about it.

    You must be careful not to take that food for granted.

    Good luck.........

    Don''t leave any behind.

    Eat......

    Ugh..........

    Now that my stomach is full, let''s get to our main objective.

    Let''s start inspecting the latest fashion mode in the Demon City!

    "...Huh?¡¡Not Batty!

    I thought, and then I suddenly stumbled.

    ''I knew it was Batty!¡¡It''s been a while, but they don''t look different!¡¡Where have you been all this time, and what have you been doing?

    You''re my former colleague.

    She was a female soldier in the Demon King''s army.

    They joined at about the same time, and she had risen to the rank of company commander right now...!

    d*mn it...!

    If it was a restaurant I used to use often when I was a soldier, it''s not surprising that other Demon King soldiers would come and go.

    I''d be so full of nostalgia that I''d lose my guard. If I did that when I was Master Astares'' second-in-command, I''d be physically beheaded.

    By Astares-sama''s hand, of course.

    Oh.....

    I realized that I''ve lost my military spirit in my bones and have become a dressmaker.

    Come over here for a minute!¡¡Paymos!¡¡Gomolin!¡¡Look, look, look, look!¡¡There''s Batty, there''s Batty!

    More classmates are here!

    It''s lunch time together, isn''t it?

    Even though it''s been some time since they joined the team and they must have all come a long way. They''re so close.

    * * * *

    Thus, I was unexpectedly introduced to an old friendship.

    The three female soldiers, Valfar, Peimos, and Gomolin, were non-career, commoner citizens like me.

    They had risen through the ranks with a single stroke of brilliance.

    I''m glad to see you, Baty, alive and well. I was afraid you might be dead...!

    "When you were selected as Astares-sama''s second in command, you were the focus of attention as a leader among your peers, and now your entire senior officer has fallen from office, right?¡¡Come to think of it, we haven''t heard from you since then, have we?

    That''s why your superior officer has returned as the Demon Queen, but the lieutenants who disappeared with her have somehow remained gone. You and one other........what was it called?

    Verena.

    She''s actually from a noble family, so she doesn''t get involved in this gathering.

    Anyway, there''s a lot of talk in the military about your whereabouts, and there''s a lot of theories going around.

    "I hear you''re secretly working behind the scenes under the secret orders of the Demon Queen Astares. He died in a secret battle before Astares returned to the throne. In fact, he was linked to the forces that plotted against Master Astares and was put to death as a traitor...!

    The theory that he sacrificed himself to get between the Demon Queen and the Demon King was the most romantic.

    It''s almost a death theory, isn''t it?

    Well, it can''t be helped. You didn''t show up for such a long period of time, so it''s no wonder people think you''re not alive.

    .........well.

    Naturally, I can''t talk about the existence of Saint-sama and her farm in a big way....... And that''s why I didn''t want to face them.

    But then, I''ll just have to make a fool out of myself.

    To tell you the truth. When Master Astareth became the Demon Queen, he wanted to be deposed. The fact that he is no longer the Four Heavenly Kings means that he is no longer the second in command. I didn''t plan to stay in the Demon King''s army forever, so I thought it was a good opportunity.

    ''Oh, well, Batty, you said it. You said you''d get out of the military one day and open your own restaurant.

    You were a dressmaker in your hometown when it was destroyed by the humans, weren''t you?¡¡I''m going to inherit the family business from my ancestors. So now you want to make your dream come true?

    These guys remembered.

    Well, we''re only at the start...!

    ''Wow!¡¡Way to go, Batty!¡¡Congratulations!

    ''If you did, you should have at least called me to say so. I wanted to have a farewell party before I got out of the military, and if you''re going to open a store, I''ll help you make some money, okay?

    Oh, thank you....

    But, you know, even if you''re going to help me with sales, I''m working in a place that''s far away from the rest of the world.

    It''s not even in the form of a store to begin with.

    ''''Oh, yeah. Speaking of clothes, do you already know about Batty?¡¡Or maybe you came to the Demon City because you know it?

    ''What?¡¡What?

    It''s the new fashion brand that''s all the rage in the Demon City right now!¡¡We''ve been told in the Demon King''s army that scouting is important!¡¡Or, rather, the actual thing?¡¡This is it!

    Suddenly, one of my classmates unbuttoned his uniform and peeled off his front.

    What a shameful thing to do in front of the public!¡¡.........but she was wearing a shirt underneath her military uniform, and even if she took it off, the exposure was somehow suppressed to the extent that it was not erotic.

    Just a problem.........

    The shirt she was wearing inside her military uniform...!

    I sewed it up on the saint''s farm...?

 154-153 A good man

    A former colleague of mine is wearing a shirt made by me, the Demon Race''s Batty.

    ''''These are the most popular clothes in the Demon City right now!

    ''''This is the most popular clothing in the Demon City right now!

    I''m probably unaware that I''m the one who made it.

    ''''I''m sorry Batty. This guy has been bragging about it for days now!''''

    ''Cause I''m so happy. I didn''t think I could afford it!

    ''''You''re very popular. Even such a thin shirt would be bought up by the higher nobility, right?¡¡How much did it cost you?

    "I poured half of my monthly salary into this. Now I have to pay my rent in a big way.

    It''s worth that much money?

    That shirt was one of the most delicate pieces of work I ever gave to Master Astares.

    The shirt is made of cotton, which is not even silk, because I refrained from using vajra silk because of various dangers.

    The shirt was made following the advice of the saint who said, ''Cotton is more comfortable to the touch and absorbs sweat, so it''s suitable for underwear,'' but only the sewing thread is made of vajra silk, so it''s very strong.

    Unaware that their maker was standing right beside them listening to them, the girls continued to say what they wanted to say.

    But this one is really comfortable to wear. It doesn''t prickle on the skin like other underwear I''ve been wearing, and it doesn''t make me feel uncomfortable when I sweat. The price is worth it!

    I see.

    The saint was right after all.

    The pattern on his shirt is pretty too. I can''t help but brag about it!¡¡........is that Batty?

    Yes?

    Everyone''s eyes were focused on me.

    Before I knew it, it must have seemed odd that I was taking notes.

    Because the real voices of users are precious.

    ''No!¡¡Oh!¡¡I knew I had to take note of the reference opinions since I started making clothes too...!

    Quickly deceiving.

    ''''Batty is blistering, right? That''s also how he was able to rise to the position of Four Heavenly Kings deputy.

    ''''But now that I''ve changed to a clothing store, I have to aim for the most famous brand in the land of evil!¡¡Yeah, but now that we''ve destroyed the human nation and united them on earth, I wonder if they''re the best in the world?

    Our rival is this mystery brand, right?

    It was all I could do to smile back at them as they chided me, "Haha....

    I''m sorry, ex-colleague.

    I made the shirt you''re wearing.

    And compared to the gorgeous dresses and battle armor underneath, I made it pretty perfunctory!

    It pains me that you are so happy about it!

    The designer of that dress. The designer of that dress, it''s never been made public, has it?

    ''''Normally, you''d go out in a gung-ho social setting for publicity as well. Is she really shy or is she a weirdo...!

    ''I like the mysteriousness of it!¡¡If she can make such a great outfit, she must be great too...!¡¡And when you imagine that, it''s even more comfortable to wear!

    No!

    I can''t stand it anymore, I can''t stand it!

    I can''t wait to see my...!

    And he tries to get up...

    Come on, it''s been a long time since we''ve seen each other, so why don''t you take your time?

    Yeah, you''re gonna have to tell me all about what you''ve been up to since you got your new job.

    He pulled me back to the chair with his arm.

    ''Besides, we have a special guest coming soon...''

    What?

    Just as I wondered, the doorway of the public diner opened and someone walked in.

    It was a man.

    He wore the military uniform of the Demon King''s army and looked like he had good bloodlines.

    ''''Lieutenant Orba!

    Why is that man here?

    ''''Don''t lick the company commander''s rank, do you?¡¡Even the Four Heavenly Kings'' deputy has a pipeline to contact privately.

    You called me here?

    "It''s pretty obvious you''re secretly in love with her. Thank your classmate for setting this up for you?

    ''''If you quit the Demon King''s Army, this might be your last chance to make contact, right?¡¡Do you want to go all out?¡¡Do you want to be a baller?

    Can you get a grip?

    Although he used to be the Four Heavenly Kings'' second-in-command, this one is a commoner and the other one is a nobleman''s monk!

    I was confused and confused, when Master Orba sat down next to me!

    It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you, Deputy Batty. I haven''t seen you for a long time. I didn''t know you were retired...!

    Hey, long time no see.

    You''re still a serious person.

    In the Demon King''s army, there''s a clear division between the career group from the nobility and the non-career group from the commoners.

    Even though there are some career nobles who have a full sense of superiority and will blatantly look down on those from commoner backgrounds even in the same military class.

    This person has never even shown any such pretense.

    ''''I wanted to thank you in person. I''ve been looking for that opportunity for a long time.''''

    Oh, thank you?

    I don''t have any idea, but I''m guessing you mean when you were Master Astares'' second in command?

    Lady Orba!¡¡I heard this guy just retired from the Demon King''s Army and started a clothing store!

    Odd, isn''t it!¡¡And now Master Orba is famous for his clothing business!

    Famous?

    Is this about clothes?

    You don''t mean...?

    "You may not know this since Batty left the army, but it''s all over the Demon King''s army right now!

    I call it ''The Case of First Officer Orba''s Dragon Tooth Folding''!

    "Bitten by a Lesser Dragon and doomed!¡¡But he said he survived by breaking his fangs. Is the rumor true, First Officer?¡¡And it''s because of that mysterious brand of clothing...

    Former colleagues flock to Deputy Orba with their love of female gossip in full force.

    These guys......... They''re not afraid of a superior officer, and even a nobleman.......?

    It''s just as they say. I didn''t take any credit for that incident. I just got lucky. It''s because of that luck that I happened to be wearing that armor that day.

    So, I guess I''ll just have to...

    "The armor I was wearing that day was made of a very special fabric that flicked the fangs of the dragon. If it wasn''t for that, I''d have a huge hole in my body, and I''d be in a coffin myself right now. .........No, I doubt there would have been any bodies left that would have fit in the coffin.

    When I heard that story through Master Astares, I felt faint.

    The clothes I had made had saved Lady Orba''s life.

    That''s all I need to know to be happy. I feel satisfied with my work.

    But isn''t that under armor rumored to be made by that mysterious brand?

    The special fabric that protected the dragon''s fangs is the same as the dress of the Demon Queen Astares!

    ''The most prevailing theory is that it''s unlikely that such a special fabric would be produced in more than one place!

    I''m silent.

    The truth is a rule not to be told, and the fact that my clothes have protected and will continue to protect him is enough.

    ''I don''t know the details either. But one thing is clear to me, and I rushed here today.

    Lady Oluba took my hand.

    "It was you who made the clothes, wasn''t it?

    What?

    The place instantly went quiet.

    I couldn''t think of anything to say in response, either, as I was completely struck with the truth.

    I couldn''t possibly say ''yes''.

    When you were still Master Astares'' second-in-command," he said, "I listened to you recount your dressmaking dreams many times in between service meetings. That''s how I know. Your attention to detail in every part of that suit of armor...!

    Oh, um...!

    And since it was Astareth who gave you those clothes, it''s a safe bet that it came from him. You were Master Astareth''s second in command. It was the clothes you made that saved my life. I''ve always wanted to say thank you. Thank you.

    My former colleagues looked at me and Lady Orba in turn with stunned expressions.

    As expected, these women would never have dreamed in their wildest dreams that the one making the garments that were causing a huge boom in the Demon City was an acquaintance.

    Even for me, since I have a promise to Saint-sama and Astares-sama, I have to fall in love with this place.

    ''''Huh?¡¡What are you talking about? And the phase where you have to get rid of the syllables.

    And yet..........

    .........yes.

    I replied.

    Orba-sama is a perceptive man.

    Was it his immediate superior, Belfegamilia-sama, who said that, or was it our Astares-sama?

 155-154 Brand name

    I''m really sorry for what I''ve done,

    As soon as Demon Queen Astares came to visit, she said to me.

    Beside her, for some reason, the demon girl Batty who was tied up in a bamboo screen with a rope is being dragged along with her.

    ........She, as I recall, this morning, "I''m going to scout out the most advanced fashion mode in the Demon City! And then you went out, didn''t you?¡¡In high spirits?

    Why has it come back in such a disgusting state?

    This stupid girl has let the secret out!

    "Secret?

    I asked Astares-san, who sincerely apologized, for the details of the situation.

    Batty returned to the Demon City after a long absence and reunited with his friends from the days when he was the Four Heavenly Kings'' deputy.

    While they were reminiscing, they talked about what was going on recently.......

    ........that I had told them that I was making clothes here.

    He said he was beaten up by Mr. Astares as punishment for that.

    ''The mistake of my subordinate is also my mistake as a superior. Although I have thus placed sufficient blame on him, I still felt that a direct apology to the saint is essential, and I have passed it off with the person who failed...!

    "No, that''s fine, but...?

    After all, Batty rode into the Demon King''s Castle and went to Astares-san''s room and said, "I''m sorry, I revealed it to you! I''m sorry I revealed it to you!

    It''s a very graceful attitude, but there, Mr. Astares was just having a business meeting and the merchant who sells our products was also in attendance.

    A merchant who was selling our products was also in attendance, and he told me that the secret had leaked out.

    And that''s why I''m even more devastated...?

    I can''t tell you how sorry I am...!¡¡If it''s the saint''s wish, we have no choice but to beat up Batty even more irreparably and at least relieve him of his resentment...!

    ''No, no, it''s not that...?

    Batty has achieved great success in a field he''s dreamed of for years, so he''ll want to brag to someone else.

    ........what?

    ...it''s not like that?

    Couldn''t make up for it because a guy you like made a pass at you?

    A little annoyed?

    The new acquaintance of the farm was able to get them to swear off the farm with precision. But we can''t put a key in a man''s mouth. The only way to make it more secure would be to seal his life away...

    "Scary, scary, scary...!¡¡It''s okay, don''t worry about it. I never said ''keep it a secret'' in the first place, ever?

    I''m sure you guys have taken it upon yourselves to keep our farm a secret.

    Maybe. If I remember correctly.

    "Thank you for leaving me alone, but you don''t have to omerta me any more than you have to. Death for chatter, or something too scary.

    ''''If that''s what Saint-sama says...?''''

    Mr. Astares untied the ropes on Batty in confusion.

    But Ms. Astares, I''m afraid.

    I thought she had become a pregnant woman through marriage and her personality had become a little more rounded, but she still has the brutal general''s attitude of the Four Heavenly Kings era.

    ''''Well, there are certain things that should never be leaked to the outside world, such as Letasurate''s situation, but if you are too nervous about it, I''ll get choked up too.''''

    Once you decided to do business with the outside world, it was probably inevitable that this was going to happen, and it was going to be a problem sooner or later, wasn''t it?

    ''The generosity of the saints is always painful to me.

    ''I''d like to take your word for it and ask you for further advice!

    Batty, who had been relieved of his commandments, was already back.

    This guy is still full of vitality.

    ''''When I turned myself in, Astares-sama and the Chamber of Commerce were talking about it...''''

    Yeah?

    I''m trying to decide on a brand.

    Yeah?

    Brand?

    In the world I used to be in, like Shahrukh, Tifa***, or Elsewhere?

    The merchant who sells my clothes to me says that he wants to brand high quality, high end products so that their value can be seen at a glance.

    I see.

    I''m okay!¡¡It''s a brand of ____! You can tell your customers the value of your clothes with a single word.

    The former colleagues I met in the Magic City were grateful to me for calling my clothes ''Mystery Brand''. The value of my clothes is not only in my clothes, but also in each piece of work I do, and that is expressed in one word: brand.

    The merchant suggested that we brand not only Batty''s clothing, but also the elves'' work all together.

    Mr. Astares says, following suit.

    Does that mean the pottery, leatherwork, glasswork, and woodwork made by the elves, too?

    The merchants were surprised at the high quality of the offerings from the elves as well. They want to market them all as a single brand to add value and get a boost.

    More and more people are copying my designs, and branding is an effective way to differentiate my clothes from those pachyderms.

    Well, that''s okay, right?

    I don''t know about that kind of business, and if it''s not too much of a distraction, we should be gunning for ways to make more profit.

    It would be good to play nice.

    ''''Thank you!''''

    Thus the story was concluded.

    All we need is a brand name to go with it.

    Yeah?

    Batty is even more gruff.

    ''I''d like that brand name to be considered by the principal saint of the farm...!

    ""Please!"

    Before I knew it, even the elves gathered around and asked me to do a favor for them.

    Well, it''s the least angular for me to think of.

    Let''s not aim for something too twisted here, let''s keep the name simple.......

    "...The Farm.

    From the farm.

    Batty''s clothes and the elves'' crafts were made here on the farm, so it must be natural.

    "As you wish, sir!¡¡A good name!

    "From now on, we''re going to label everything we sell from this farm as ''farm'' made, and increase the value of our brand!

    Don''t say too much, it''s embarrassing.

    * * * *

    The branding of our products proceeded at a rather rapid pace.

    Surprisingly, even Viel was supportive.

    Hmm, done.

    I created something that looks like a stamp.

    This is a special stamp created by dragon magic. It can be stamped on cloth, glass or anything else, and will never disappear again.

    Thank you for such a useful item.

    This stamp is inscribed with the word "farm" in our world''s language, and this stamp is the unmovable proof that the products were produced on our farm.

    I immediately stamped the stamp on the products of Batty and the elves that were brought out.

    "..........

    My wife, Prathi, was watching the scene with a difficult look on her face.

    ''What''s the matter, Prati?''

    ''....No, that stamp. The magic of the dragon remains even after it leaves the hands of the Veerle, right? That magic power transferred to the thing you sealed with your seal in a small amount of time........

    What?

    Isn''t that a magic item that grants dragon blessings to those who push it, so to speak?

    .........

    Added value to our brand again?

    Oh well.

    Let''s not dwell on it.

 156-155 To the hidden sanctuary

    I am Shax, the demon trader.

    The other day, I was surprised.

    It happened at the business meeting with the Demon Queen Astares-sama, which has become an annual tradition these days.

    ...that day.

    After I finished speaking with her, I made a request to the Demon Queen.

    It''s a request I''ve made many times before.

    I want you to contact the place that produces those horribly neatly stitched clothes and many other amazing artifacts!

    Where and how are the masterpieces that can shake the entire Demon City being created?

    It''s something you can''t ignore, even if it''s out of pure curiosity and beyond your interests as a merchant!

    So, whenever I saw her, I got down on my knees many times to ask her, but she stubbornly refused to say "yes" to me.

    She refuses to say yes. "I made a promise to her. I can''t reveal any information from the other side.

    Lousy attitude.

    But I want to know.

    If I don''t know where it is, at least know the identity of the designer who makes those beautiful clothes.

    At this point, I''m willing to pay the money........and just then, just as I was making up my mind.

    With a bang.

    I opened the door and someone came in.

    Looking at it, it''s a young woman demon tribe that is still indistinguishable from a girl.

    I can''t believe that this little girl has the audacity to barge into my business meeting with the Queen without my permission.

    When I tried to scold her on behalf of the Demon Queen, the little girl bowed her head in front of me.

    ''''Huh?''''

    She bowed her head before being scolded?

    ''''I''m sorry, Lady Astares!''''

    I don''t recognize him, but he seems to be related to the Demon Queen.

    Otherwise, would he break in here...?

    ''We''ve been torn apart!¡¡That I''m currently making the most popular clothes in the Demon City!

    !

    !

    I, who was listening by the side, was surprised. To that statement.

    By "popular clothes in the Demon City", you mean the clothes provided by the Demon Queen that I''m working on and selling?

    The answer to the riddle I''ve been pining for for a long time now.

    The answer to the riddle I''ve been pining for for some time now, came from me!

    The creator of those clothes has suddenly appeared out of the blue, this girl?

    I''m back in the Magic City after a long absence and I''m reunited with an old classmate. While we were reminiscing about our memories, it appeared...!¡¡I''m sorry!¡¡In any case, I wanted to inform Mr. Astares as soon as possible so that we can formulate a countermeasure...!

    ..........

    Towards her who was apologizing flatly, the Demon Queen-sama waveringly stood up and tsk tsk tsk stepped up to her.

    And then..........

    Dobagong!¡¡And..........

    ''''I punched him Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh?!

    And it''s not just one hit.

    Two, three, four, five, ten, twenty.......!

    ''''Hey, Demon Queen-sama!¡¡Around!¡¡You''re just pregnant.

    You''ll be fine. You''re in the proper phase now.

    That kind of problem!

    And the impact of the beating on her is such that her feet haven''t touched the ground since a while ago.

    Stop, that girl is about to die!

    Really, if she''s the creator of that mysterious brand, she''s in great need of death!

    ''It is a blunder on the part of my second-in-command to inconvenience a saint!

    A pregnant woman scored a summer salt?

    The woman was kicked out of the room.

    She hit the wall of the room?

    A huge crack in the wall?

    ........The four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, Astareth of the Delusion, who was once feared as a brutal general.

    Even now that she had become the Demon Queen, her cruelty was only hidden behind the scenes and had not disappeared at all.

    I was scared just watching from the side.

    * * * *.

    A few days later, I received an unexpected offer from the Demon Queen.

    I received an unexpected offer from the Demon Queen.

    "I''ve decided to take you with me.

    What?¡¡Where are you going?¡¡An execution site?

    I still haven''t recovered from the horror I experienced the other day.

    It''s not possible. The place you''ve been wanting to go to for a long time.

    What are you talking about?

    You mean the place where all those wonderful clothes and crafts are made?

    You''ve been saying no all this time, and now you''ve changed your mind?

    I''m so happy to hear that!

    When I went to see my husband about the branding, he told me. "We have to show our trust in you because you''re in our business,

    What a generous word!

    They want to invite you in. We''ll send one of our own to show you the way.

    And the Demon Queen-sama pointed to the female demon race that was waiting by her side.

    Although she was different from the woman I met the other day, her age and appearance were quite similar.

    ''''My name is Verena. I will now use transition magic to guide you to Saint-sama''s farm.

    ''''A transferable wizard at such a young age........ .........Eh?¡¡What, grabbing me by the shoulders...?¡¡Could it be right away, sir?¡¡Is it too soon for you to...?

    However, the next moment, the Demon Queen''s figure suddenly disappeared from my sight.

    It was precisely the opposite.

    It was me, along with a young demoness named Verena, who disappeared from the queen''s sight.

    * * * *.

    Is this...?

    The place where I was brought by shifting magic was the beach, rich in nature.

    The sound of the waves was soothing to my ears.

    There was no sign of human presence at all, and it was exactly like an uncivilized virgin land.

    Is this where the clothes and artifacts are made?

    I can''t get a whiff of that kind of civilization, can I?

    The demonic woman who brought us here, a transitioning magician named Verena or something like that, said.

    ''''Of course the farm we''re based on is located far away from here. It''s an ironclad rule to set up a transition point.''''

    Yes.

    Put it away from the critical area in case the coordinate code is parsed by someone unsavory.

    So I''ll have to walk for a while to get to my real destination?

    Jeez........ I''ve been working so much lately that I haven''t been getting much exercise....

    Don''t worry. The pickup is here. Hola..........

    Huh?

    I looked at the same direction that she and I were looking at.... Indeed, what looks like a group is approaching us with steps.

    Is that.........an orc?

    It''s a familiar kind of monster to me, who, as the master of a trading company, also has a business of delivering anthropomorphic monsters collected from dungeons around the world to the Demon King''s Army.

    .........No, no?

    They are not orcs?¡¡Isn''t it a mutant Warrior Oak?

    An enhanced type of orc that occurs in dungeons and mutates on rare occasions.

    Their abilities are tens of times greater than the original orc.

    If one of them mixed with a hundred orc armies, their strategic value would increase tenfold.

    I''ve only met them a few times in my business........no, wait?

    There are about five orcs coming towards us.

    Aren''t all of them Warrior Orcs!

    That''s absurd.

    Five Warrior Orcs is enough to take down a whole city!

    Even a few are more than a few.

    But my surprise wasn''t over.

    In the midst of those five Warrior Orcs, there''s an even more exceptional Orc!

    A powerful Orc, even more powerful than the mutant Warrior Orc, and a single Orc that is even more powerful than the mutant Warrior Orc.

    Moreover, that orc was riding and had the appearance of a knight or a general.

    The horse he was riding was covered in a shell, making him look so stuffy again!

    ''Thanks for welcoming me, Mr. Oakbo, thank you for welcoming me. As expected of you, you''re right on time.

    This is a task given to me by you, my lord. I must not neglect it.

    Miss Verena?

    She''s having a normal conversation with this orc?

    Or rather, the Orcs are talking to people and communicating with them?

    Mr. Shaks. This is Mr. Orcubo, the orc who works at the saint''s farm. He''s a two-stage mutant of an orc called Legatus Orc, and he''s smart and super strong?

    My name is Okubo. My name is Okubo, and I have been charged by my master to greet you. My horse, Gigantorok, was hastily hired to pull this poorly constructed carriage, but I beg you to ride in it.

    Two-step mutation?

    Does such a thing exist?

    If the mutated Warrior Orcs are dozens of times more than the original Orcs, then the even more mutated Legatus Orcs are.......hundreds of times more?

    And who can follow it.........

    My thoughts stewed and my consciousness was suddenly cut off.

 157-156 Merchant visit

    A merchant visiting our farm was carried in unconscious.

    I listened to Verena and Oakbo, who went to meet him anyway.

    ''You''re sure you didn''t do anything?''

    They were both hypersensitive to the suspicion directed at them by me.

    ''I didn''t!¡¡I didn''t!¡¡This man just collapsed of his own accord!

    We tried to be as conciliatory as possible, but we have no idea what could have caused this to happen...?

    Well, I have a pretty good idea what caused him to fall.

    The latest Okubo has become even more dignified.

    A half-hearted person would be knocked unconscious just by approaching them. Probably that''s why this person also fainted.

    ''''Hmm...?''''

    Hey.

    You''re awake.

    The merchant who said he came from the Demon City was a nervous-looking, skinny man with a thin face. His piss-reset hair was already completely gray, but he didn''t look very old.

    ''''Whoa!¡¡I''m sorry about this........?¡¡You suddenly fainted on your visit, etc........?

    As far as being able to grasp the situation immediately after waking up, he must be a quick thinker.

    "Oh, no, no. It''s not a problem. I''m the owner of this farm.

    My name is Shax, and I''m the coordinator of the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce.

    After a firm handshake, I thanked him for his business acquaintance and gave him a brief explanation of the origins of this farm.

    His light-hearted talk warmed me up and made me feel at home.

    Well, since you''ve come all this way, let me show you around the farm.

    The timing was right and in earnest.

    It was then that I was about to welcome Shax-san to the party.

    ''''Cejaaaaaaaaah!''''

    A gorgeous girl rushed over to me at a terrific pace.

    The exiled princess, Letaslate, the princess of the country.

    Well, the gorgeousness is now limited to the person herself, and the work clothes she wears are unremarkable and idyllic.

    ''Hey Ceja!¡¡You promised to seed my garden today, didn''t you?¡¡What are you waiting for?¡¡Come on!

    By the way, Lettuce rate girl thinks Ceja is my name.

    ''''No, no, no, I told you we''d have to cancel the seeding today because we have guests coming in.¡¡Why don''t you go help the goblins?

    No!¡¡If the seeds are late, the harvest will be late too!¡¡It''s disrespectful to make this human country''s princess Lettuce Rate-sama wait......., guffaw!

    Prathi appeared out of nowhere again and took Lettuce Rate-chan unconscious with a shot to her stomach.

    At present, our farm still has no other means of seeding other than by the ''supreme bearer'', and I''m the only one responsible for the beginning of agriculture.

    I''ll think about whether that''s a good thing or not another time....

    ''Sorry to show you how unseemly it is,''

    No, no, but that young lady, whose dignity is at odds with what she''s wearing, is a recently deceased princess of humanity.

    It''s someone else''s fault.

    Let''s pretend we don''t know about Letaslate''s existence, since it''s a state class secret.

    * * * *

    Nope.

    I decided to give Shaks-san a tour of the farm right away.

    First of all, let''s have him take a look at Bati''s clothes, the place where he got involved with us.

    Ah, hello again.

    ''Were you really a designer...?

    Batty and Ms. Shax seemed to have met beforehand, and they exchanged light greetings.

    But soon, Shaks-san''s gaze was glued to something else.

    It was a sewing machine that Batty was dabbling with.

    ''''What is that thing........?¡¡The stitching is done by that tool.........?¡¡That''s why the stitches are so regular!

    He''s a very perceptive man.

    "What a tremendous tool!¡¡Let me sell you that tool in our shop!

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it happen.

    "Under the rule of the Demon Kingdom, this is about the right price for selling sewing machines.

    This is crazy!¡¡Isn''t this a price that would buy a whole country?

    The products are handmade by the saint himself. It''s usefulness, scarcity, and material cost. And it''s all made out of mana metal.

    "Why are they all made of mana metal?

    The negotiations seemed to have broken down.

    * * * *

    Next, we went to the elves'' workshop.

    They''re planning to sell their work after Batty''s clothes, so it would be good to see them at work as well.

    ''''Oh?¡¡Elves?

    Shax-san was even more shocked by the work of the elves.

    ''''The wonderful crafts were created by elves?¡¡I see, I''m convinced of that quality!

    Well... is it really that rare for elves to make crafts?

    Shax-san''s excitement was so bizarre that I couldn''t help but ask him about it.

    I heard that elves are good at making props that fit in their hands, race-wise.

    If that''s the case, it wouldn''t be too unusual for them to build a workshop like this.

    The elves are so proud of being woodsmen that they feel it is lowly to work under their roof.

    I heard that Shax-san himself had recruited artisans in the past with the intention of setting up a chamber of commerce-funded elf workshop, but to my surprise, no one came on board.

    ''''The elves...!¡¡''''I''d rather be a thief than a hired hand of the demon tribe''''...!¡¡In fact, there''s no shortage of people turning into thieves.¡¡How dare you make an elf work so obediently in such a situation!¡¡Does it depend on the personality of the farmer?

    No, no. Hahahahahaha...!

    I''m just capturing an elf who was actually a bandit and forcing him to labor as compensation.......

    As I was about to explain that part, someone grabbed me by the shoulder.

    It was the elf himself who worked in the workshop.

    ''''Saint-sama.......can I have a word with you.......!

    Moreover, it was from Elon, who was the head of the bandit group during his time.

    I wondered what was going on, but after giving Shax-san a word of refusal, we were alone outside the workshop.

    ''''That pompous demon tribe is the chairman of the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, right?¡¡Is he the one who''s telling us about our work?

    Yes.

    Now that you''ve come to see us, why don''t you tell us directly what you''re working on?

    You know we were bandits before we got here, right?

    Yeah?

    "I raided both the demon kingdom and the human kingdom, to the point where I was wanted by both sides. That''s why I escaped to such a remote and secluded area...!

    ...no way.

    I''ve seen what he''s trying to say for a while now.

    I don''t want to know, but I''m starting to see it.

    You don''t mean to tell me that you guys have been robbing Shakspeare''s business...?

    It''s a big company. Even if they only target crooks, they''re still indirectly harming them in some way.

    Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey........

    Isn''t this bad?

    What if they find out about my past as a thief and charge me for damages?

    They don''t know your face... I don''t think it''s possible for them to find out just because they''re facing each other...!

    But if they find out, it''s a sure bet that nothing bad will happen.

    It''s best to avoid contact as much as possible...

    Are we done talking?

    Mr. Shaks, who seemed to have gotten impatient to wait, was chasing after us, and he and Elon were both going "Hee! !

    His expression is very happy.

    I''d like to talk to the elves in person, if you don''t mind.¡¡We need to communicate more closely for future transactions...!

    Oh, absolutely not.

    ''''Why?!''''

    Without being told the truth, Shax-san''s preconception that ''elves are difficult'' was reinforced.

    ''''* * * * *''''

    Thus, looking around all over, Mr. Shaks was busy crying and being surprised.

    ''This is a wonderful place!¡¡It''s a treasure trove!¡¡We would love to have you patronize our business association!

    Mr. Shaks shook hands with me and buzzed violently.

    I could feel the level of excitement well.

    Then a further intruder arrived.

    ''Ah, Prince Arowana,''

    Saints, we''re back to play!

    Prince Arowana, Prati''s older brother and the prince of the mermaid kingdom, has been here for a while.

    He doesn''t talk about it, but he comes to visit us rather often.

    ''What!¡¡Do you even have mermaids in here?

    Shax, like a merchant, has a keen sense of humor.

    We have been looking for a business partner to help us expand into the mermaid kingdom!¡¡What do you think?¡¡Could you please introduce me to the talented people of the mermaid kingdom!

    He rubbed up against Prince Arowana with surprising familiarity.

    Competent person.....

    "Hmmm, if you mean that, there''s only one competent person you can introduce to me?

    Who can I help you with?¡¡Anybody with a clue as to where to start is welcome!

    "My father, the Mermaid King.

    When Mr. Shax saw that it was the First Prince of the Mermaid Nation in front of him, he immediately fell to his knees, apologizing for his rudeness.

 158-157 Elixir

    Shax, the demon trader, tried patiently to negotiate a deal to sell sewing machines, sign an exclusive contract with an elven craftsman, and enter the mermaid kingdom for commerce, but in the end, none of it worked.

    At the end of the evening, we held a welcome dinner and served Shaksus some of our farm''s food, which was also very well received.

    The food was very well received.¡¡I don''t care if it''s still meat and vegetables that are used as food!

    I said, but Prince Arowana, who was sitting next to me....

    Then what will happen to the crops I''m sharing with you?

    The negotiations ended instantly.

    It''s not just Prince Arowana, but also the Demon King, who brings home a surplus of crops every time he comes.

    As expected, Shax-san withdrew again when he couldn''t bite into the part occupied by the royalty of each power, and he withdrew again.

    Regret was evident all over his face.

    Just like that, the face-to-face meeting went off without a hitch, and after confirming that I''ll be looking forward to receiving your help in the future, Shax-san returned to the demon country.

    * * * *

    Well.

    So, now that I''ve settled down, I''d like to do some pure pioneering work.

    This time, I''m going to develop a new food menu.

    The more dishes there are, the richer our lives will be.

    I''ve been wanting to make the food I''m going to try for a long time.

    I''m hoping to be in the best shape to make it now, with all the necessary ingredients in place for further farming.

    What is the dish that I am aiming for...

    Natto!

    If you''re Japanese, natto must be on the table every morning!

    I beg to differ!

    So I''m finally going to attempt to enter this other world with natto.

    I''m asking the familiar mermaid race, Gara Rufa-san, the only person in the other world who understands bacteria, to be my assistant.

    Please!

    Well.

    Now I''d like to proceed with making natto with Gala Rufa, but before that, I built a special natto shed.

    It will be under the jurisdiction of the mermaid team, the same as the brewery and brewery.

    At first, we tried to get them to make it together in the brewery since it''s the same fermented food, but when Pfa - who is now the brewery operations manager - saw the prototype, she said....

    ''Stop it!¡¡If you put this under the same roof, it''s going to affect all the other fermented foods!

    If we put it under the same roof, it will affect the other fermented foods!

    So they decided to build a new building.

    It''s less than two times smaller than the brewery and the sake brewery, but it had been a long time since we had worked on a construction project, so the Okubo''s team was excited.

    It was a magnificent piece of work.

    The walls were plastered to seal up and retain heat perfectly.

    This is where we''re going to make natto (fermented soybeans)...!

    Ingredients.

    Soybeans.

    Straw.

    That''s all.

    It''s perfectly simple.

    Straw is abundantly available as a by-product which we got last year when we were growing rice.

    It''s an all-purpose material which can be used for various purposes.

    When we use it, what we aim at is the real Natto made by wrapping it in straw!

    At first, I prepared the straw for wrapping Natto.

    First of all, I sorted the straw and arranged the thickness and length of the straw, and then I made the shape of the tube which I saw on the TV in the previous world.

    I don''t know how to do it, so it was a trial and error process.

    ''Hmmm?¡¡Like this?¡¡Tie it up here...?

    As I was struggling against the straw, Gala Rufa, who was equally challenged by the strawwork, raised his hand.

    ''Saints, saints, saints!¡¡Look at this!

    What?¡¡Did you actually finish it?

    I know what it is before I even get to see it in person?

    She made it with her own hands, out of straw...!

    Yes, I got it!¡¡A doll made of straw!

    ..........?

    Gara Rufa, who was rushing in a strange direction because she had no image to aim for.

    She had completed a thing in the shape of a human being.

    And the raw material, straw.

    In other words, a straw doll.

    ''How do you like it?¡¡Isn''t she pretty?¡¡Mr. Strawman?

    Incidentally, Gala Rufa is called ''The Plague Witch'' and other names in the locality.

    A witch''s hand-made straw doll.

    It''s impossible not to feel anything.

    ''Ugh, it''s well done, but it''s not what we''re after today, so let''s just leave it there, okay?

    ''I understand!¡¡This Mr. Straw Doll will be carefully displayed in my room!

    So be it.

    We finished the straw bundle, and finally we started to make natto (fermented soybeans) in earnest.

    First of all, we touch the soybeans and straw, the raw materials for natto, with our own hands.

    Natto bacteria, Natto bacteria, Natto bacteria...!¡¡Multiply and prosper and brew.

    The ''supreme bearer'' gift in my hands brings out the potential of what I touch beyond the limits.

    In the same way, it should be possible to generate the fungus which will be the source of natto (fermented soybeans) by touching straw and soybeans, just as it was possible to make a seed sprout from the soil which was touched.

    In fact, sake and fermented foods also generate the seed fungus in this way.

    Good!¡¡Spell done!

    From there, prepare the fire.

    The straw is steamed with steam, and the prepared soybeans are put into a pot and boiled down.

    I heard that the bacterium that makes natto (fermented soybeans) is called "Bacillus subtilis" officially, and this bacterium is resistant to high heat.

    I don''t know about it because I heard about it on TV.

    So once the natto is boiled, all the bacteria die and only the bacillus subtilis remains in a pure state.

    So we asked them to ferment at the sole discretion.

    So we finally put the soybeans in the straw bundle and leave them at the right temperature.

    Let it sit overnight.

    And here''s what we left overnight.

    What?

    The natto is ready!

    When you pull it out of the straw, it''s pulling a gooey string!

    It''s a success!¡¡This is a definite success!

    ''Yay!¡¡It''s also the power of the bacteria!¡¡It''s a wonderful fungus!

    Gala Rufa, who helped us, was also very happy.

    I went to share my joy with the other members of the team and went to show them natto.

    And then.....

    The people who took one look at the natto (fermented soybeans)....

    * * * *

    That''s disgusting!

    It''s rotten, isn''t it? It''s totally rotten.

    It''s poison!¡¡You''ll die if you eat it!

    "Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang Wang!¡¡Gulululululu...?¡¡Cain-Cain?

    It was a big hit.

    They were afraid of the sticky texture of natto and wouldn''t eat it, or even go near it.

    "No, it''s okay...!¡¡This is the soul food of my hometown, and in the world I''ve been in, there''s not a single person who doesn''t like it!

    The exaggeration is mixed in.

    ''And it''s good for your health too!¡¡I''ve heard that people who eat it regularly are disease free and live to be a hundred years old in plenty!

    It''s an exaggeration.

    I''m desperate for everyone to eat.

    Regardless of the fact that it''s a hundred years old, it''s true that it''s good for your health.

    It''s rich in vitamins and minerals, so it''s excellent for preventing a variety of diseases, from colds and food poisoning to constipation, osteoporosis, arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction, strokes, diabetes, and even cancer.

    It''s also said to suppress gum disease bacteria, and contains nutrients that prevent cell aging and have a whitening effect.

    It''s turning out to be like a dubious health show, though.

    Anyway, try it!¡¡Feeling cheated!

    Then I''ll do it.

    It was the usual loyal vassal, Okubo, who advanced.

    ''It is the duty of a vassal to eat whatever my lord recommends, even if it is poison. I will serve the first spear, you Orcbo!

    Wait a minute!

    That''s when Gobbler, the head of the goblin team, appears, and says, "I will not be left behind in my loyalty to you!

    He says, "I cannot afford to fall behind in my loyalty to you!¡¡This gobbler has the honor of playing the poisoner!

    Then go ahead.

    Huh?

    Gobukichi cut short his promise and decided to eat natto.

    ''''Eeek, eeek, eeek...!''''

    Let''s not rush you!¡¡Yes, let''s die together.¡¡Yaaaaaah!

    Gobukichi put the natto in his mouth with a yakuza feeling.

    The next moment.....

    !

    Gobukichi''s whole body started to shine with a golden color!

    ''''This is aaaaaaahhhh!¡¡The backache that I suffer from in my daily work was blown away at once.¡¡All the other discomforts are gone and I''m in perfect health!

    It''s even better than that!

    Aura-like things are shuinshing around Gobukichi!

    Conclusion.

    Natto is a great health food.

 159-158 I scream

    Well.

    I wanted everyone to enjoy the natto I had made, so I got a little prankster in me.

    The spirits of the earth who help me clean and organize the house every day.

    My thank you to those kids is a piece of butter.

    When I replaced it with natto (fermented soybeans)....

    When I replaced it with natto (fermented soy beans), I was super pissed off.

    "He''s a stinker!¡¡It stinks, sir!

    Why is your husband harassing us like this?

    It''s a clear-cut case of bigotry, sir!¡¡We''ll stand against you!

    It''s the right of the innocent!

    And I went on strike.

    I got a sackful of anger from Prathi, Batty and others.

    You''ve given us all this stuff for the spirits!¡¡You''re all bent out of shape, aren''t you!

    No, because natto is 100% of the earth''s bounty...!¡¡I thought the same earth-derived spirit would be pleased...!

    I was completely wrong in my expectations.

    ''''Even if I provided you with another supply of butter for today, you wouldn''t change your mood at all!¡¡Master, do something about it!

    I saw that the only way to please those kids was to offer them something even more twisted and surprisingly delicious in the butter family!¡¡Maybe the saint has a better idea.¡¡You have just the right idea!¡¡Don''t be stingy and spit it out!

    Ummm.

    The plan presented is to have the spirits of the earth improve their moods with a new dish that they have yet to see and will certainly be pleased with, right?

    The favorite food of the earth spirit is butter.

    It''s similar in shape and texture to that, and it''s a sweet and easily recognizable food that children would like.

    Well, dairy products are appropriate.

    In that.........

    "...Good.

    We''ve got one hit.

    Let''s make ice cream.

    * * *

    Ice cream.

    It''s magical food.

    Ice cream.

    Cold and melted.

    No, I don''t know.

    In the world I was from, it''s cold and sweet and very popular among children and adults alike. The shape is also semi-solid and creamy, just like butter, and the ingredients are the same dairy products. ........it should be.

    If you make this ice cream and feed it to them, the spirits of the earth who were upset by natto (fermented soybeans) will take up arms against it!

    .........

    Natto is delicious, too.

    Oh well.

    I''ll get back on track and try my hand at making ice cream!

    This time, we have a collaborator from the Mermaid Team, Puffa, who is known as the "Frozen Cold Witch"!

    ''Oui-su...!

    It''s ice cream!

    The environment is as important in the creation of a product as the ingredients. A low temperature below zero is essential, and there is probably no one better suited to the task than her.

    After all, she is the "Frozen Cold Witch".

    It''s not often mentioned, but she specializes in freezing potions that can freeze anything.

    She uses it to great effect in regards to food storage on our farm.

    The food warehouse that was originally built under Prathi''s direction has been lowering the temperature inside by placing the freezing potions, and it is now acting as a refrigerator.

    Furthermore, Puffa''s modifications made it possible to perfect the circulation of cold air and keep the warehouse at an evenly cool temperature, which made food storage ideal.

    Puffa is now the reigning queen of the refrigerator as well as the brewhouse.

    Prathi is now focused on being my assistant, Lamprey often gets involved in hunting and guarding, and Gala Rufa, who is a weak character by nature, is practically the chief executive of the food processing and storage department.

    ''As expected of the future Mermaid King''s queen!

    ''Shut up!¡¡...why?¡¡What do you want to do today?¡¡If you understand the nature of Atai''s job, then you know he''s busy as f*ck, right?

    That''s enough.........

    ''''But this time, I really need Puffa-san''s help...!¡¡This, this, this kind of thing...!

    "Hmmm?

    I tell them about the ice cream and that I need Puffa''s skills to make it.

    I don''t want to do it. First of all, Prince Arowana doesn''t like sweets very much...

    Don''t connect your love life directly to everything!

    Anyway, working with Puffa, the ice cream making attempt began.

    * * * *

    ''But isn''t that the first part of the story where Atty.¡¡For all intents and purposes, it''s the last thing you want to do is chill out, right?

    Right?¡¡I don''t know much about how to make it either, so it''s going to be a bit of a trial and error process.... First and foremost, I think what you need is whipped cream.

    Do you have that ready to go?¡¡You know, whipped cream is made from milk, right?¡¡So where did it come from...?

    ''I don''t think about that!¡¡I don''t think about it either!

    Since it''s so f*cking sweet, maybe you should put more sugar in it.

    ''I agree. Let''s put in so much that I don''t feel like I made a cake.

    ''''If it''s activated, it''s the same as winning!

    Well, yeah, but.... The Supreme Bearer will guide you through the process, adding cream and eggs and sugar. Oh, you''re going to mix it in from here while it cools. Puffa, your wrists get tired, so take over.

    No!¡¡At least I''ll take over when you''re tired!

    Then you mix it a hundred times and I''ll take over.

    Very well.

    Mix it up, mix it up, mix it up, mix it up..., okay, a hundred times.

    No, it''s only been ninety-eight times, right?

    What?¡¡...then one, two!¡¡Okay, a hundred!

    It''s only been ninety-six.

    "Further backward?¡¡Now, make an extra one hundred and thirty-five sixty seven hundred and ninety!¡¡All right, over 100 times!

    They should''ve done this a couple of times.

    * * *

    That''s how I finished the ice cream.

    I''ve never done this before and it turned out great!¡¡Dear Supreme Bearer!

    I immediately offer this to the earth spirits to see if they can break the spell.

    At first, the spirit girls were puffing up their cheeks in anticipation. They were curious about the first ice cream they had ever seen.

    "What''s this?

    Butter?¡¡But what''s the difference?¡¡Is it cold?

    Fake!¡¡The good sir, you are deceiving us again!¡¡But it''s yummy!

    No, they''re not!¡¡This is not butter!¡¡But this is so delicious!¡¡Thank you, Goshujin-san!

    It''s been nominated for our Delicacy of the Year award!¡¡It''s the award-winning Yoo-hoo!

    Good.

    She was in a good mood.

    I made up for lost points with natto with ice cream.

    ...and natto (fermented soybeans) is delicious.

    What choice do I have?¡¡A child''s taste buds would definitely appreciate the obvious sweetness of ice cream.

    Puffa was licking his own ice cream and said, "But it''s good even for you, Atay.

    But it''s good, even for you. Do you want to save some space in the fridge?

    Are you trying to stabilize production?

    The problem was solved and was about to end in a harmonious atmosphere, when Prathi swooped in to hear the spirits'' joyful voices.

    ''''..........''''

    And as soon as he swallowed the situation, he took a big breath, hyo~........

    ''''Meinahhhh!¡¡The master made another delicious meal!

    Why are you telling them?

    But the dam was broken.

    Most of the farm dwellers responded to Prathi''s voice and rushed in.

    And tasted the ice cream.

    "Yummy!¡¡It''s cold!

    ''Not only is it sweet, it''s cold!¡¡Isn''t this perfect for those of us who have been sitting in front of the baking kiln all day long and feeling hot as shit!

    ''That saint!¡¡You made this with our milk too, didn''t you?¡¡It''s awful, and you don''t tell us about it!

    And naturally, it was a big hit.

    And of course, the ice cream became one of the most popular sweets on the farm.

    ...Mm-hm.

    In the midst of the gathering, of course, there was Veerle, too.

    And this guy seemed to have come up with something useless again.

    ''I''ve got an idea!¡¡If it''s cold, it should taste better in the heat!

    Oh.

    So I''m going to eat this in the summer area of my dungeon!¡¡Hahahahahaha!¡¡You lowlifes!¡¡You can envy me the ability to eat good food in a better environment!¡¡Hahahahahaha!

    After saying that, Veerle returned to his dragon form and flew away with the cup of ice cream.

    ''''..........''''

    ...but that''s okay, Veerle.

    It''s a reasonable distance from here to your mountain dungeon, and no matter how many dragon wings you have, it will take a reasonable amount of time to travel.

    If you have that much time, the ice cream....

    * * * *

    ''Master!¡¡The ice cream!¡¡The ice cream is melted and gone!

    See, I knew it.

    I had to make another batch of ice cream for Veerle, who came back crying.

 160-159 God who is annoying to the omniscience and omnipotence class

    I am God.

    The King of God, who rules all, knows all, and is respected and revered by all mortals.

    The strongest, the most powerful, the most omnipotent, the one who owns all virtues and has not one flaw under me.

    That''s me.

    Zeus, the God of Heaven.

    Not a single thing in this world has gone against my will.

    We''re home.

    "Welcome back. I hope I never had to come back.

    What did you say?¡¡My son Hermes?

    ''''No. If you think about it, it means you''re always out there spreading trouble while you''re not here, so I''m glad you came back early. In fact, please don''t stay indoors and go out forever. It''s for the good of the world.''''

    You don''t want to be away from your father for a while, do you, handsome, spoiled child?

    "Tsk.

    Tongue twister?

    ''By the way, was the purpose of your outing to visit your Uncle Hades?¡¡Did we get a good look at him?¡¡And did you get a proper reprimand?

    No, I didn''t see him.

    He lives in the netherworld, right?

    It''s a dark and gloomy place deep underground.

    ''''He dares to live in the sunny realm above ground, where his children, the demons, should live, because he dares to live underground. He''s really a generous man. He''s the true king of God!

    And at the entrance to the underworld, there''s Cerberus, the guard dog.

    He was barking at me and I was too scared to enter.

    "So that''s why you''ve come back...

    That was so scary.

    What the hell is that dog?¡¡I''ve been barking with all my might at this omniscient and omnipotent extra. And he was barking at me with all of his hundred heads.

    I''m scared.

    I''m more scared than ever before.

    Even the gods would be scared and run away if it was that, it can''t be helped.

    The tone of voice may sound like an excuse, but in short, you were scared to death, weren''t you, father? You''re usually screaming about God and stuff.

    Shut up.

    What the hell is up with that dog?

    I''m a god. He''s so great, and he deserves to be loved by everyone, so why is he so hostile?

    I''d rather he wag his tail and come at you, God.

    ''He''s a guard dog guarding the gates of Hell, so it''s only natural for him to be hostile to prowlers.

    I hate dogs.

    I hate dogs.

    I wish all the dogs in the world would just go away.

    They say there are no bad dog lovers.

    Thanks to that, I didn''t even get to see Hades.

    The plan to get Hades to give up half the ground by gobbling up and gobbling it up is also pah.

    Oh, God, it pisses me off.

    I''m so sick of it.

    If I can''t control it, then I guess we should just destroy the earth, don''t you think?

    "That''s what people don''t like about you.

    No, I wouldn''t say that, Mr. Hermes.

    Would you be able to see this?

    "Hmm?¡¡This is what it looks like on the ground, right?¡¡What''s wrong with you after all these years of using the perspective technique?''''

    Just listen to the conversations of the men in these visions.

    ''Good to see...?¡¡Hmmm, let me guess, some courtroom somewhere in the middle of a trial?¡¡And the judge is a demon tribe and the human tribe is on the defendant''s seat. .........Perhaps it''s the people who lost the war the other day who are being tried for military purposes?

    Mm-hm.

    That''s a good point, Hermes.

    Now let''s take a look at the military tribunal.

    ******

    "I, Bishop Sagisi, do hereby apostatize my faith in the heavenly Zeus!

    ..........

    ''From now on, I vow to make Hades, the god of the demon race, the only god, and to spread his teachings!¡¡I pledge allegiance to the Demon King and will work with all my might, so I ask for your support!

    ''....No, no. The Demon King grants freedom of religion to the human race, so you don''t have to apostatize, okay?¡¡Besides, the charges that will be charged in this trial are for ignoring the Demon King''s army''s request to surrender and fleeing, and for attacking the village during that time...!

    ''I ask you to acquit me on account of my conversion. For that, I will abandon my faith in Zeus, and I will tell you all the hiding places of my former countrymen!¡¡Therefore, you must let me go!¡¡We don''t mind the death penalty for the rest of them!

    ...Judgment. The defendant is guilty. Twenty years of forced labor in a prison dungeon. Court is now adjourned. Take them away.

    ''Wait!¡¡Hail to the God of Hades!¡¡Hail, Demon King!¡¡Zeus is an evil god!¡¡Evil Zeus!¡¡Please bring the statue of Zeus here and I''ll kick it down!¡¡I''ll stomp on it!¡¡I''m going to piss on you!¡¡I''ll kill any man who believes in the evil god Zeus!¡¡I''m innocent of all those loyal to these demons!¡¡Not guilty, oh no!

    * * *

    "...this is terrible.

    Isn''t it?

    ''''I feel sorry for the demon judge who has to face this. I''m worried about him losing his sanity. I''ll tell the oracle later and encourage him to "hang in there"...''''

    I didn''t know people could talk so much about me.

    You hurt me.

    I''m hurt because I''ve never had anyone speak ill of me except the God King.

    "Not all humans are scum like that. Especially when it comes to your father''s religious cult, right? It is said that people''s personalities are influenced by what they believe in.

    You can''t get the ground, and the human race that I created is useless and neglects me...!

    No more.

    Earth will cease to exist.

    Whatever earth I can''t control, I''ll wipe it out with all those irreverent humans.

    Stop. We''ll do everything we can to stop it. How can you destroy the earth in the first place?¡¡If you do it yourself, you''ll be in a stiff war with Uncle Hades and Uncle Poseidon, as expected.''''

    Phew.

    You don''t understand, my son.

    Aside from the useless humans, I, the Almighty, have one other family member on whom I can rely.

    ''''What?¡¡How can there be such a thing?¡¡"The only people you put on earth are human beings...

    Really?

    Are you sure you''ve forgotten, Hermes?

    The clue is 4,000 years old.

    ...........no way?''''

    Huh?¡¡Did you notice?

    ''''But they should have been destroyed by the combined efforts of all the gods of heaven, earth and sea, right?¡¡All of God was sent out to clean up Anata''s mess. How annoying it was. ........I''m getting angry just thinking about it!''''

    Foolishness is the gods, including you.

    Did you think that Zeus, the omniscient and omnipotent king of the gods, was going to give up all his trump cards?

    Just one.

    It''s just one piece, but I hid it in the ground in perfect condition!

    What?¡¡Stop it, evil spirits!¡¡If even one of them is unleashed, all life on earth will die, if not the collapse of the earth!¡¡You don''t really plan to reactivate it, do you, just because it''s desperate?

    Yes, that''s what I''m going to do!

    Move again to the ground that I have abandoned!

    Angels!

 161-160 Angel Advent

    It''s another beautiful day.

    I decided to help Lettuce Rate Girl out in her personal field for a long time today.

    "Shit!¡¡You''re late, Ceja!

    Lettuce Rate, a former human country princess and well-brought-up girl, didn''t know patience for that, so she was prepped to wait.

    ''I can''t wait to grow a new crop!¡¡If you don''t do it, you won''t get anything done!

    Well, that''s true.

    On my farm, all the seeding of crops is done by my ''supreme bearer'', so it won''t start without me.

    It''s no different on my personal farm, which Lettuce Ratechan does.

    ''''That''s why I''m sorry. I''ve been busy these days, welcoming the demon tribe merchants and making natto...!

    ''''It''s only natural that you would put me, the princess of the human race, first...!¡¡Huh?¡¡Oops, dangerous. If you talk so high and mighty, that demon mermaid''s punch is going to come flying at you again.......!

    She''s finally learned her lesson.

    Yeah, you know, if you''re afraid of Platy, you don''t have to act all high and mighty about the bloodline.

    Anyway, let''s just get on with the breeding.

    I''m in a jam with a lot of other things I have to do.

    "So, what do you want to grow next, Lettuce Rate?

    Solanum!

    Solanum again...

    Lettuce-rate, you love llama beans.

    But I don''t think I''d recommend growing too many of the same ones.

    But it''s okay. I''m sure you haven''t grown enough of them to cause that much damage yet.

    At least one more time...

    ........and that''s when I was about to touch the soil in "The Supreme Bearer".

    Goggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggoggg.

    And the ground shook.

    ''''Cah!¡¡What?

    An earthquake?

    The ground shook so hard I can''t think of anything else to explain it.

    We haven''t had an earthquake since we started living on this farm, so I thought it was just that kind of ground...!

    But they say that earthquakes are bigger and more dangerous than the occasional one.

    And then I thought to myself...!

    Zubon!¡¡A big hole in the ground?

    "ohhhhhhh!¡¡My field is aaaaaaaaah!

    The hole in the ground was, of all things, right in the middle of Lettuce Rate''s private field.

    It''s something on a scale that could be called a fallen board, and there''s not a trace of her field to be seen.

    Was this the cause of the earthquake?

    Could this be...?

    The mole!

    Huh?¡¡What does that mean, Ceja?

    The mole is a vermin that farmers hate to eat.

    The mole is known for digging holes in the ground, but the tunnels it digs up damage the roots of the crops, making the ground brittle and destroying the fields.

    So you''re saying that this is a hole dug by a mole?

    It''s a bit large for a mole pit, isn''t it?

    It''s a big enough hole that one person can easily enter and exit it.

    But this is a fantasy alternate world.

    I''m sure there are parts of the world that cannot be deduced from the common sense of the previous world.

    There may even be a giant mole that is as long as a human being in this other world!

    Just as I was thinking that, something popped out of the open hole in the ground with a bang!

    That''s about the size of a man.

    It was too fast, though, and all I could see was an afterimage.

    "Giaaaaah!¡¡What''s that this time?

    Calm down!¡¡I''m sure that was the mole!

    That''s who dug this hole!

    If it''s a mole in a fantasy otherworldly world, it might even be able to fly, you know?

    And so, something jumped out and floated in the air, clearly exposing its appearance to us.

    "....................Girl?

    It was a beautiful girl with a rather beautiful appearance.

    Shining blonde hair. Her skin was as hard and clear as white porcelain.

    She wore a suit of armor that seemed to be made for battle, and it was all shining like a jewel.

    The most striking thing is a pair of wings spreading out from its back.

    I''m not sure if that''s the mole, Ceja.¡¡I don''t think it''s the same for all intents and purposes...?

    I don''t get it yet!

    It''s a fantasy alternate universe, after all.

    There might even be a beautiful girl mole!

    To our dismay, the beautiful girl herself didn''t seem to know where or what she was looking at.

    ''''........Mana gauge, forced release confirmed. Angel identification number zero-six, Holkosfon. Start restarting.

    What are you mumbling to yourself?

    "Synchronization with the outside world begins. It is confirmed that 382 years have passed since it was dormant. Various defects due to aging have been identified. Defects in memory circuits. We''ve confirmed loss of purpose. Insufficient mana supply from the perpetual motion engine. Difficulty in maintaining the startup state. Icarus'' wings have been deactivated in order to secure a minimum amount of mana.

    ''What?¡¡Huh?¡¡Eeeeeeeeeeee?!

    After mumbling about various things, the beautiful girl stopped floating and suddenly fell to the ground.

    I didn''t even know what was happening anymore, but I ran to the girl anyway.

    When I picked her up, the girl was unconscious and her eyes were closed. Her body temperature is low and her breathing is thin.

    I mean, she''s not breathing?

    Hey, hey, what''s going on with you?¡¡Sick?¡¡Injury?

    I don''t know...¡¡Maybe because it''s a mole, it got sick from the sunlight!

    I couldn''t help but think to myself that I should ''get rid of the mole theory'' for good, but now I have to deal with this girl''s condition.

    ''''Let''s carry her inside the house first!¡¡And then I''ll call Gala Rufa.¡¡Dude, someone get in here!¡¡Give me a hand!

    !

    I have no idea.

    Gara Rufa, who examines beautiful girls, paused to give a hand up.

    He used to be a doctor who belonged to the Mermaid Medical Society and is the best expert in our house, but you think that Gala Rufa can examine her and not know anything?

    ''The symptoms you''re showing don''t mesh with my knowledge at all. In the first place, I don''t know what kind of race this child is. It''s not a human race, a demon race, or a mermaid race. I can''t find any of the sub-species derived from them that match the characteristics.

    So we''re stuck with it...?

    Because we don''t know what species this child is.

    If it''s a disease specific to that species or something else, you don''t know what to do with it?

    ''We should at least give him plenty of nutrition to increase his strength. That''s the only thing I can think of to do. I''m sorry........!

    No, no, thank you.

    Then you should feed them something nutritious anyway.

    Luckily, we have plenty of that on our farm!

    My Lord!¡¡Use this!

    It was a gobbler, wasn''t it?

    He was one of the people who had heard the commotion and was part of a group of onlookers, and he proceeded to come out.

    ''Here''s Natto for you!¡¡Nutritious!¡¡If it helps with the disease, it''s perfect for it!

    He held out a small bowl of fermented soybeans to me.

    It''s true that natto is nutritious, and it might make her feel better. If he''s in this state, something easier to eat would be better....?

    "Yeah, stay!

    No time to get lost.

    I poured the natto, which had already been stirred up gooey by Gobukichi, into the girl''s mouth.

    This should make you feel better...!

    Goooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    The girl stood up while releasing a tremendous and overwhelming feeling.

    What is this!¡¡Aura!¡¡Spirits!

    Anyway, the girl who was out of breath has fully recovered!

    We''ve confirmed that she''s fully functional. Self-diagnosis initiated, mana supplies throughout the body are normal. Self-repair functions-- Normal. Various sensor operations--Normal. Combat Mode Output--Fully open to 70%. Condition Level--Green. Confirmation of return to full strength.

    Oh, um...?

    Attempting to recover the memory information-- that failed. As a next best thing, we will supplement our actions with new information.

    The girl''s gaze turned to me, who was completely incomprehensible and stunned.

    Then she immediately knelt down.

    ''I see that it was you who restored me from my dysfunctional state. I am a blade made by the will of heaven. Angel Holkosfon. Due to the loss of master information, I am now registering you as a new master.

    "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    ANGEL!

    The angelic messenger, this kid?

    It''s a messenger of the gods with wings.... You''re right, she does have wings!

    "Give me an order. I will become the master''s blade and destroy all of his enemies.

 162-161 mythical monster

    Angel Holkosfon.

    And she called herself, but I''m not sure.

    Are there angels in this world, too?

    What kind of species are they, if any?

    "Give me an order, Master. What enemy shall we crush?

    No shattering.

    Then what enemy territory shall we eradicate?

    I won''t eradicate it.

    What would you like us to destroy, then?

    I told you we''re not going to destroy it!

    I''m afraid of every single thing they say.

    I asked the inhabitants of my farm about such a race of angels, but they had no clue.

    Demons, elves, and mermaids have never heard of the angel race.

    * * * *

    ''....Angel?¡¡No, I don''t know.''

    Even my last resort, the no-life king teacher, was no good.

    If even the teacher didn''t know about it, then we have no choice but to call it a nightmare.

    ''''I''m sorry I can''t help you.......!¡¡Even though we''ve been around for a thousand years, we still have a lot to learn, don''t we?

    No, no, no, no, no, no!

    Don''t be so afraid!

    I''m always aided by your knowledge!

    ''It occurred to me, why don''t you ask the person in question?''

    Yes?

    I''m sure that this angel can understand and follow the words of the saint. Then why don''t you let her tell you who she is and where she came from?

    I see...you''re really smart.

    I mean, are we stupid for not realizing this earlier?

    I asked Holkosfone immediately.

    I asked Horcosfon.¡¡Who are you?¡¡What kind of species are angels?

    I am unable to answer that question, Master.

    Why is that?

    ''Much information is missing from my memory, as well as that required by the Master. I suspect this is due to age-related deterioration.

    It''s hard to phrase it, but in short, it''s amnesia.

    So, I guess we''ll just have to let the mystery remain a mystery...?

    "If there''s any way to stay, is this it?

    The doctor waved the wand in his hand.

    "Honestly, yeah.

    "He summoned a god again!

    Attracted by Sensei''s magical power, Hades, the god who controls the earth, appeared again.

    Teacher!

    It''s becoming something of a habit, but don''t be so casual about calling God!

    Also, isn''t the summoning spell getting more and more appropriate every time you go through it?

    ''''........Unu, saint. You have summoned me well. Will you let me eat good food again?

    No, no...!¡¡Actually, it''s not today...?

    It''s true that the God who created the world might not know about it, but...!

    You''re afraid to ask a college professor a question just to ask a simple question...?

    A question?¡¡You''re a fearful man who summons the gods just for that.

    Right?¡¡I''m still afraid, aren''t I?

    If you ask me a dumb question, you will be punished by the gods.¡¡What the hell do you want to hear?

    Still, Hades God kind to listen to me for a moment.........

    ''Yes, about this angel...''

    "Doo-hoo-hoo!

    Huh?¡¡What?

    ! "Dohyoo" from God!

    "He''s an angel!¡¡Why is she here?¡¡! Why is it here?¡¡Didn''t you destroy every last one of them 4,000 years ago?

    Uh, I don''t know if that''s a dumb question...?

    ''No, it''s not!¡¡Super important!¡¡On a level that could determine the fate of the world!

    That''s it?

    I''m proud of you for informing me!¡¡He almost destroyed my world!¡¡ You''ve saved the world, this.''

    Seriously?

    It may seem a bit too dramatic to describe God, but the more detailed explanation I received, the more I realized that I wasn''t exaggerating.

    An angel was the one who would destroy the earth.

    * * * *

    "Frankly speaking, the angels are the spires Zeus has sent to rule the earth.

    And the God of Hades lectures us about angels.

    ''What?¡¡But isn''t that a human race thing?

    Zeus, the god of heaven, was not satisfied with the heavenly realm he ruled over and wanted to get the earth, which was also ruled by his brother, the god Hades.

    I have heard that it was for this reason that the human race was created and sent to earth.

    ''''That''s right. The angels were sent before that. That''s about 4,000 years ago.''

    "Four thousand years.... "Four thousand years........then no wonder I don''t know about it.

    The teacher added.

    "The angels are the masterpieces that Zeus created in earnest to conquer the earth. "The angels are a masterpiece that Zeus has seriously built to conquer the earth.

    Yeah...?

    The first ten angels were created, but their power turned the whole earth into a sea of fire. The earth was split open, the seas were vaporized, and all the life that had been nurtured on it died out, except for the dragons.

    "Eeeeee...?

    That''s a bad idea, Mr. Zeus...?

    You sent angels to rule the earth and they are destroying the earth...?

    ''The situation is so bad that the world itself could be destroyed if it continues, and all the gods have decided to work together to destroy the angels. We, the gods of the earth, and the sea gods led by Poseidos. With the help of the conscientious gods of heaven and, incidentally, the dragons, we were finally able to destroy all ten angels.''

    After that, the gods Hades and Poseidon jointly rode into the heavenly realm and scolded Zeus with all their might, making him promise never to upset the balance of the world again.

    ''Well, still unable to give up, Zeus created a race of humans who were greatly inferior in ability to the angels and sent them to earth.

    How annoying....

    Right?

    The God of Hades made a look of heartfelt disgust.

    ''I didn''t expect to see an angel with my own eyes again....... I thought they were annihilated, but the human race was defeated by the demon race, and this is the timing of their appearance. I feel something contrived...''''

    A quiet anger tinged the face of the God of Hades as he said.

    ''Anyway, saint. You did a good job of finding the angels as quickly as possible. In some cases, you could have recreated the great destruction of four thousand years ago.''

    No, they just jumped out of our field...

    What does that mean?

    My guess is that angels that escaped destruction in battle 4,000 years ago have been buried in the ground and continue to sleep like fossils?

    And it just happened to be underneath the farm I built?

    .......................

    Let''s not think too much about it.

    Anyway, what do I do now?

    I know who''s behind this. I''ll have to punish you severely. Invite Poseidon to join us. And I''ve promised Tartarus that if he tries anything similar, I''ll seal him away. You can be prepared for that........''''

    The Hades God turned into an awesome scary smile.

    It was as if the exasperation that had been pent up until now would finally explode.

    ''''........This angel Holkosfon.......?''''

    It was the first time I had ever called her name properly.

    She had been at the center of the conversation so far, but she never said anything of her own accord. She only looked up at the God of Hades.

    ''''Hmm........''''

    The God of the Underworld stroked his beard in a serious manner.

 163-162 Reason for activation

    "...angels cannot be left on their own. After all, even one of them could destroy the world.

    Hades, the Dark God, said.

    ''Then...?''

    I will destroy that last angel on my own responsibility. Because it is my responsibility as God of the earth to protect the existence of the earth.

    Destruction.

    I felt my heart squeak and shrink as he said that.

    ''You mean, that would shatter and obliterate this Holkosfon?

    "I don''t see any other point in it, do you?

    He turned back to her.

    The angel Holkosfon was not in the least bit disturbed by the fact that she was told, and only turned her expressionless face to the god.

    ''''No, um, that''s as good as it gets...?

    ''''What''s the matter, Saint?''''

    I''ll feel bad, I guess...?

    With God''s story, we know how extremely dangerous angels can be.

    It would be a natural sense of duty for God to pick out the danger before the world is destroyed.

    But that danger is in the form of a human being.

    And a pretty girl.

    Even though this is the first time I''ve met her today, I''ve already moved on and my conscience is tingling, since I''ve taken the other person as a persona.

    ''''Isn''t there any other way?¡¡Kill anything... but break?¡¡You don''t have to do it until...?

    "Hmm?

    At my difficulty, the God of Hades showed a body of confusion.

    ''''The Lord Saint is kind,''''

    The teacher of the No Life King also intercedes.

    "The compassion of the saints is precious, but angels are not the life that deserves to be directed at them. Nor is life itself. They are biological weapons invented to satisfy Zeus''s private desires. It has no will of its own and has no emotions.

    Can''t that be...?

    "He is merely a being that does nothing but carry out Zeus'' orders. You can''t even call it life. That''s why the saints don''t have to be bothered by it.

    You say that, but.........

    ''Master, this claim of God is quite true.

    Even Holkosfon, who had been silent until then, started to say.

    ''We angels are weapons manufactured for the purpose of destruction. We have lost our objective and target due to a lack of memory, but we firmly remember that we are the ''destroyers'' ourselves.

    She says.

    ''It is also true that my existence is a danger to this world. Therefore, I consider my annihilation to be necessary for the safety of the world. Master, please instruct me.

    He presses me.

    ''With the Master''s direction, I, the weapon, can make my own decisions without the help of anyone else.

    Holkosfone''s unemotional judgment of himself was truly a weapon.

    He could say that if he was a hindrance to the world, he could disappear.

    Without a single bit of sorrow.

    This is an angel.

    This is a weapon of destruction created by God.

    With those words, ''Isn''t this guy different from us?'' And that''s when even I started to think.

    Someone came along to deny it.

    ''''No, it''s not!''''

    The one who shouted loudly was Lettuce Slate, the former princess of the human nation, who together with me became the first to discover the angel Horcosphone.

    A former princess of the human nation, she and I were the first to discover the Angel Horcosfon.

    ''''No matter what the reason, it shouldn''t be okay for people to die for the world!

    He protected Holkosfone as he hugged him.

    You may have been a bad guy in the past, but you''re not anymore, are you, Hor-chan!

    ''Hor-chan!

    Forgetting the bad mission given to you by God, you are trying to choose your own way of life. You can''t take away a kid''s future like that!¡¡Isn''t it!

    Why is Letaslatechan so desperately opposed to the destruction of Holkosfon to this extent?

    ''''I kind of get it, but...''''

    At my side, Prathi said.

    ''Maybe it''s because they''re just like you?

    ''Uh....''

    Lettuce Ratechan was once required to die for the world.

    When the human nation was destroyed, the bloodline of the human royalty had to be terminated in order to ensure the stability of the new era through the reconciliation of the demon race and the human race.

    It was only because of the pity of Demon King Zedan that she survived it.

    She must be thinking of herself and Horcosfon.

    ''''Any race can live again!¡¡Ceja, right?¡¡This is a place that allows that sort of thing!

    Mmmm...!

    If you say so, I can''t continue to pander to the situation.

    I''m not mentally capable of enduring death that well myself.

    God of Hades. What do you think?¡¡Will you let me keep the holcosphone?

    "What...?

    God of Hades, I''m not sure I''m willing to look at it.

    But here''s one more push........

    ''Holkosfon seems to have forgotten his first purpose after years of sleep. He also calls me master and follows me. I don''t think it will be dangerous by any means.

    "We can say that.... I don''t care what the saints want, if we make a mistake, the world will fall apart...

    I have a new dish to offer.

    I admit it.

    God, it''s so easy.

    Well, it''s a relief to God when you''re in the hands of a saint like no other. "God will be relieved if you leave them in the care of a saint who has no other choice but to destroy them.

    "As you wish.

    Well, I guess I''ll just go deal with the culprit.

    Saying that, the Hades God began to munch on his temples with his fingers.

    ''''.........Uh, hello, Hermes-kun?¡¡You idiots have done it again, haven''t you?¡¡The story is up. ... what?¡¡Have you already tied up his poop so he can''t escape?¡¡You''re a god of wisdom, my friend. Why don''t you get this Poseidon guy over there and have him preach to me?

    He did something telepathic, and when the call ended, he gave a particularly brutal smile.

    I''ll be leaving then. I''m looking forward to your new meal.

    Okay.

    And God was gone.

    The Master.

    Holkosfon said to me.

    ''What will happen to me?''

    Well, that''s the question we all have to ask ourselves, isn''t it?

    ''Why don''t you just stay here and live with us all anyway?''

    Just like everyone else, just like everyone else.

    We can grow crops, make things, and live on without destroying anything.

    ''Yay!¡¡Thank God!

    And Lettuce Slate-chan was even more pleased than she was and hugged Holkosfon.

    ''''You can live here too, whoa!¡¡We''ll be together forever!

    I''m sure she must have been delighted to see that she was doing her best to help Holkosfon.

    This is why we have a new resident on our farm.

 164-163 Guardian of elixir

    Well, this is how the angel Holkosfon joined our farm.

    ''''Well what shall we have him do for us?''''

    What kind of work should I give them?¡¡This means.

    No matter what species you are, you are born with a job to do. So we need Holkosfons to do some kind of work on our farm.

    ''Then, Master, please give him the order to go to work.

    No, no, no...!

    I''m not going out there.

    Didn''t I make a proclamation in front of God?¡¡No more fights, no more destruction.

    You''re going to do your job in peace, okay?

    Then what am I supposed to do?

    I know.

    I''ll just let her do the whole process for now and see what she''s good at.

    I don''t even have any idea what she''s good at yet, though.

    I mean, doesn''t Horcosfon have wings?

    Back.

    Can we put it away as a matter of course because he''s an angel?

    You can fly?

    I mean, it was flying, right? The first one I encountered, for one thing.

    ''Affirmative. The high-speed flight unit on me, the Wings of Icarus, uses a hybrid output of photon energy and mana to enable a flight speed of about six times the speed of sound. In doing so, the mana field shuts out air resistance and reduces velocity loss to less than one percent.

    Oh..., yes...!

    I wasn''t sure.

    From afar, the dragon horse Sakamoto was staring at us, looking extremely jealous.

    Don''t set up a competition later.

    By the way, by the way, Sakamoto, the dragon horse, has been very useful to me day and night, riding me in and out of the farm at high speed.

    And the genetic source of Sakamoto is just as fiercely rivalrous as his children....

    ''You said it was an angel!¡¡So much for the power to destroy the world!¡¡I''m the strongest of my kind, and I''m going to find out!

    And Veerle challenged me in dragon form.

    Hmmm, I''m going to be in a fight soon.

    I just promised the god Hades that I wouldn''t let him fight Holkosfone.

    We said it was a practice match and watched the battle between Veerle and Horcosfon, or Dragon vs.

    In terms of results, it was a draw.

    ''''Ze, ze........!¡¡Really?¡¡Who else would be able to push me back besides my master and the corpse-mobile?

    ''''Thank you for giving me hands-on training. Thanks to you, I''ve been able to grasp my own functional status more precisely.

    And a really cool look on his face.

    Main armed with two high mana plasma cannons with an efficiency of 92%. Six sub-armed mana material Vulcans, efficiency of 82%. Continuous use of the proximity-only mana beam saber for 457 seconds, load factor of 2%. Estimates still allow for 756200 seconds of continuous use. We were able to confirm that the performance before entering long-term sleep mode has been maintained.

    Oh, hi!

    So I don''t know.

    It''s been confirmed that a new world class disaster has occurred here, alongside the Dragon and No Life King.

    It''s going to be called one of the three worst disasters in the world.

    Hmmm, but...!

    What I''ve learned through all of this is that the Angel Horcosfon is still very useful in battle.

    Is there any other work she can do?

    As I was getting more and more anxious, Holkosfon made a suggestion to me.

    ''''Master, I''d like to check...''''

    Yeah?

    It''s about the elixir that brought me back from the brink of scrap.

    An elixir?

    Didn''t we have one of those?

    ''Immediately after I restarted, every part of the aircraft had deteriorated with age and was not in a proper working condition. If that had continued, I have no doubt it would have stopped working.

    I was able to recover from that........

    Thanks to Master administering the elixir.

    But I don''t remember that, I don''t remember that at all...

    Hmm?

    Wait, what?

    Come to think of it, there was a trigger for the weak Holkosfon to make a full recovery...?

    As I recall, the gobbledygookichi guy came out and said, "Eat this and you''ll feel better! Or something like that...?

    Natto?

    You know, I fed natto to Horcosfon.

    And that''s when she went from being out of breath to fully energized!

    Yes, this Natto is a powerful elixir. It eliminated all the impurities that had accumulated in my system, revitalized my deteriorating cells, and restored my mana.

    You''re kidding me?

    You can do that with natto?

    It seems to have increased the efficiency of mana circulation in each armament and improved its basic performance, as well as eliminated the bad command memory that had been nesting in my memory field, giving me true freedom. Also, my skin is now glowing.

    Is it enough?

    Natto is the elixir of life!

    Natto is the most valuable elixir in the world. We''ll need a protector. Would you be willing to entrust me with this task?

    Like a dragon guarding a golden apple?

    Natto is prepared, produced and consumed every day, so there''s not much to protect.

    Then why don''t you try making natto (fermented soybeans) yourself?

    Are you sure?

    The angel who comes at me in a rage.

    I''ve never seen her so excited.

    But I''m afraid of that. I am after all a being created to fight and kill. I have no interest in being involved in making life-saving elixirs. I''m sure I''m of no use to you.

    No, no, it''s easy to make natto.¡¡It''s one or two of the easiest fermented food systems, and anyone can make it...

    "Natto is stupid!

    Heeeeeee?

    An angel!

    Why are you so emotional when natto is involved, angel?

    I''m sorry for my poor appearance.

    Yeah, and don''t get distracted, okay?

    I understand. So that''s my role in this resurrected world? This Horcosphone. I will be the guardian angel of the supreme elixir, Natto, and I will take care of its production!

    Oh, nice to meet you...!

    That''s why the production of Natto was entrusted to the angel Holkosfon.

    A biological weapon that had known nothing but warfare would experience the joy of creating things.

    We should be blessed.

    From now on, natto (fermented soybeans) that we eat every morning will become more and more delicious.

    ''Huh?¡¡I won''t eat every morning. It makes my mouth smell.

    I want something sweeter and fresher than that.

    Prati, Veer.

    I''m trying to get a good story together, so I''m not going to put in a side note.

    * * * *

    As an aside.

    Holkosfon learned the know-how in no time at all, though, and started to complete Natto by herself alone.

    What she finished with her hands was a delicious but very normal natto, and even if she ate it, it didn''t fully recover or increase its parameters tenfold or twentyfold.

    ''''It''s a failure!¡¡What did I do wrong?

    No, it''s a success story.

    After all, I wonder if the elixir natto I made is influenced by the "supreme bearer".

    It seems to be bad for my health to take something with a dramatic effect on a daily basis, so I will use the fermented soybeans made by Horcosfon to nourish my health every day.

 165-164 Things that spring from the basement

    The story goes back and forth a bit.

    The angel Holkosfon was going to live on the farm, and the one who was most happy about it was the former Princess of the Human Nation, Lettuce Rate.

    ''''Yes!¡¡Yes!¡¡That''s good, Hor!¡¡I''m so glad!

    She''s happy as if it''s seriously my own business.

    She was the most protective of Holkosfone in front of the gods, and it seems that she sees herself and her opponent in a superposition, and that''s why she seems to be extremely empathetic.

    ''''Good thing!¡¡From today you are my sister!

    He likes Holkosfon enough to say.

    ''If there''s anything you don''t understand, ask me!¡¡I''ve lived here longer than you have!

    And he''s even making me sound like a senior citizen.

    You''re the second new face after Holkosfone.

    Lettuce Rate Sun, I''m afraid to ask you to be quiet. "Letraslate Sun, I''m afraid to ask you to be quiet.

    It was a peculiar intonation when Horcosfon called the human''s name.

    ''I''m in the middle of learning the ins and outs of making Natto from the master at the moment,''

    ..........

    Lettuce rate girl. He pulls me in and opens up a little distance.

    ''Hey?¡¡What was that all about?¡¡You don''t have as much respect for me as I thought you would?

    I don''t need to be the one to tell you that.

    ''I appealed to God most desperately to save that boy, you know?¡¡I think you should be more overflowing with gratitude and respect, or at least do that, don''t you?

    ..........

    I thought I was being somewhat auspicious, but Lettuce Rate Girl was just Lettuce Rate Girl.

    ''''Good intentions cease to be good when you expect something in return,''''

    Maybe it''s still better if you don''t ask for anything tangible in return.

    ''Right!¡¡If I show you more and more cool things about me, I''m sure you''ll eventually have faith in me as your ''big sister''!

    You''re trying to be an object of faith.

    As long as you have high hopes, you''re free to leave it alone.

    Master, I have recorded the distribution rate of the raw material bacteria. I''m requesting the most efficient ratio.

    What?¡¡You can read that much?

    Horcosfon''s abilities are somewhat diverse and amazing.

    No, it doesn''t even come close to the holy fermented soybeans that the master produces. I''d like to do more and more research in the future.

    It''s delicious enough as it is. Holkosfone is a hardworking girl.

    He was so good and healthy that I patted Horcosfon''s head in admiration.

    Lettuce Rate-chan was staring at it with a dissatisfied expression.

    ''''You came in after me and yet...!¡¡Higher rating than me...!

    And.

    ''Hor!¡¡Come with me for a minute!

    Lettuce Slate girl takes Holkosfon''s hand and pulls him somewhere.

    ''Which way are you heading?¡¡I''d like to hear more about the secrets of making natto from the master?

    ''I''ll show you the fields I''m growing!¡¡I''m the sole caretaker!¡¡You''ll know how great I am when you see it!

    And win the respect of Horcosfon.

    But you know what happened to your private garden?

    Do you remember what happened to your private garden?

    * * *

    ''''This, this........?''''

    Because there was not a shadow or shape of a field there.

    Instead, there was a gaping hole so deep, so deep, you couldn''t even see the bottom.

    Thanks to that hole, the field is now a mess.

    ''''This hole.........?¡¡This hole is.........?''''

    ''''That''s right.

    This hole was made when Horqosfon popped out of the ground.

    It is said that the angel Holkosvon had been sleeping underground for 4,000 years. Of course we have to dig out the soil when it comes out.

    How many hundredths of a percent is the probability that there was Lettuce Rate''s private field on it by chance?

    "Oh, yeah...!¡¡My farm.¡¡I forgot all about it........!

    So many things happened right after that.

    A lot of things happened right after that. And now that I remember, the mental damage is doubled.

    The hole that Holkosfone made in order to escape from the ground is not that large in diameter. But to begin with, Lettuce Rate''s personal field is a small area of about two tatami mats, so it''s large enough to be destroyed.

    It''s a cumbersome depth to fill in, so I guess I''ll have to rebuild it again somewhere.....

    "It looks like I''ve caused some trouble by my mismanagement.

    Holkosfone says apologetically.

    ''No, it was a complete coincidence that it happened and it was not your fault...?

    ''Let''s make good use of this hole to at least make amends. Manakanon deployment.

    Saying that, Holkosfone took out a burly cannon from somewhere........where did he really take it out from!

    ...Oh well.

    I aimed the barrel into the hole. I don''t know how far down the hole it goes.

    Geological analysis complete. Hymana plasma cannon away.

    And he fired.

    He aimed it at the hole and fired his Gonta Beamer.

    What the hell was that!

    And as the ground rumbled, a large amount of water gushed out of the hole at the same time.

    "Ooohhhh!¡¡What the heck?!

    ''''I have identified a water vein within the formation and shot it out and connected it with a plasma cannon.

    Water veins?

    Underground water?

    You said you need a lot of water for your farm work. I hope you will be able to help, Master.

    I see.

    How capable are you of digging a well in one shot, Holkosfone!

    It''s just.....

    This gushing groundwater.........

    For an agricultural water source, there''s a problem...

    ''Warm''

    Yes, the groundwater that comes out of the hole is quite warm against human skin. The underground water that gushes out of the hole is quite warm against your skin.

    Or rather, hot water.

    Not water, but hot water.

    ...Hot water?

    Holkosfon was digging up hot springs, not groundwater!

    ''What?¡¡Eh?¡¡This is.........?

    The fact that Holkosfone was just normally disconcerted by the fact.

    Apparently, he''s not used to making mistakes.

    And on the other hand.........

    ''''My field ah!¡¡There''s a hole in the ground and it''s flooded!

    Lettuce-rate girl was crying in front of her field, which was now completely doomed.

    To be precise, though, it''s not soaked in water, it''s soaked in hot water.

    ''''Um....!¡¡What are you doing over there too, I''m sorry...!

    And it was Holkosfone who cringed at Lettuce Slatechan as well.

    .........well, that''s fine.

    It was right before we planted the crops, so why don''t we change the location somewhere and re-establish the field.

 166-165 Making a bath

    ''Let''s make a bath, oooooohhhhhh!

    The time has come.

    The time has come.

    I''m going to start making my own bath now.

    I''ve been trying to do this for a long time, but I couldn''t!

    In the first place, we were going to build a mansion on our farm when we built it.

    However, due to the inability to establish a system for boiling water and the obsession with the material used for the bathtub, it was difficult to make progress and was left alone until today.

    This project, which had been half-finished, finally had a breakthrough.

    It was a hot spring that Holkosfone had dug up!

    "I didn''t expect to find a hot spring...?

    I''ve heard that hot springs are supposed to come out of volcanic zones.

    There aren''t any volcanoes around here, though.

    But!¡¡All that matters is the facts in front of you!

    The only thing that matters is the fact that a hot spring has sprung up on our farm!

    There''s no need for the hot water heating system that was a problem with the baths, as long as the hot water gushes out of the ground on its own!¡¡All at once!

    And then there are the cypresses that were grown in the dungeon orchard during the winter months for the lumber used in the bathrooms.

    That''s right, in the mountain dungeon, not only the fruit trees, but also the high-grade lumber was grown in the ''supreme bearer''.

    The conditions are met!

    OkCbo!¡¡Call the orcs together!¡¡Cut the cypresses out of the mountain dungeon!

    Thus, he dispatched a team of orcs in charge of civil engineering.

    Securing and constructing timber.

    Using ceramic pipes to connect the mansions through the hot spring''s gushing hole and pour them into the bathtub...

    * * * *

    It''s done!

    The bath.

    Finally, the bath you''ve been longing for is complete!

    Made of total hinoki wood, with a unique aroma!

    What did you cook this time, sir?

    ''Not a bite?¡¡Then call me when the food is ready.

    Once again, with a unique sense of smell, Prati and Veerle came to me.

    Whenever I create something, they come rushing in with an ability to detect it that can only be considered a sixth sense.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.¡¡I know because I''ve heard the stories.

    And Prati curiously observes the bathtub, which is already full of hot water.

    As soon as I realized that Veerle hadn''t made the food, he went away.

    You''ve been talking about it for a while now, mister. You''ve been saying for a long time that you were going to make a bath. But after all, this is for washing your body, right?¡¡Then you could bathe separately, but what difference does it make if it''s hot water?

    Maybe it''s because this work wasn''t about food, but the tension is low.

    Let''s have him check it out for himself.

    Let''s see how good it feels to have a natural hot spring made entirely of cypress!

    * * * *

    Then, after about an hour or so.

    ''Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...''

    Prathi, who was fully immersed in the bathtub, let out a heartbreakingly weak roar.

    ''''Ahhhh~..........''''

    It was up.

    ''Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!''

    All he did was raise it up.

    No longer was Prathi completely captivated by the hot spring, and it had become an instrument that made him growl with pleasure.

    The lower half of her body had also returned to mermaid form after a long time and had become a bottomless state of weakness.

    ''''Ahhhhhh~........ Ah.......... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~~!

    Come on, say something. Give me some feedback.

    "Feels so good.... I never knew soaking in hot water could be so good...!

    The greatness of the hot springs was once again proven by the fact that mermaids, who live in seawater all year round, also favored the hot springs.

    Amazing hot springs! Viva hot spring.

    Well, I want to get in soon, so can you take over?

    I''m currently looking down at Prati in the bathtub.

    In the same bathroom.

    She is wearing a fish on the lower half of her body and a thin shirt on the upper half of her body, so it''s not a problem for me to see her.

    It''s not a good idea to take off your clothes and take a bath too, as it would be bad public morals to do so, so in order for me to take a bath, Prati has to come up.

    What?¡¡A little more. I want to go in a little more~

    This is no good.

    Prathi''s spirit has been completely melted by the hot springs.

    I''m glad she''s into hot springs, and it''s good to have her enjoy it more as she''s new to hot springs.

    Meanwhile I''m......................yes!

    How about getting ready for a more pleasant hot spring?

    In other words, moving your body, scratching a lot of sweat, getting the surface of your body slimy, and then taking a bath to feel refreshed and refreshed!¡¡That''s Soompo!

    Let''s get into action and get out there and hoe around!

    * * * *

    I''m sweating all over my body, and I have to take a bath as soon as possible or I''ll feel uncomfortable.

    I need to take a bath as soon as possible.¡¡Come on, let''s take a bath and get refreshed!

    As expected, Prathi couldn''t continue to take a bath this long.

    This time, he''s got to go to the all-hinoki natural hot spring, the one he''s always dreamed of!

    ........and just when I thought that, there was a further problem.

    What''s going on in the corridor of the mansion, with naked elves and satyr girls in full force?

    What is it?¡¡What are you guys doing?

    A girl as young as she is imprudent!

    I immediately covered my eyes with my hands, but for a brief moment I could see their cute round butts.

    Force majeure!

    Oh, Your Holiness!

    Your Majesty, you''re just in time!¡¡Can''t you hear it from your saint?

    The kids who came in first, they won''t give up their turn!

    Eeeh~?

    It seems that the residents of our farm were the first to take a bath in the completed bath, and they were washing their potatoes.

    Naturally, the bathing girls are completely naked, so I can''t look at them directly, but I rush into the bathrooms wearing a blindfold.

    "Hey, what''s the meaning of this?

    What do you think is the meaning of this? I''m going to have to ask you, ''How does it work?

    Is that your voice, Puffa?

    How many people are in the baths now?

    "Saints, I''m here, too.

    Panu?

    ''Ahhhh, that feels good. There''s never been anything like this in the woods.

    "More ailerons?

    Mermaids, satyrs, and even an elf in a bath!

    Wait, Saints, I have a very good reason for this...! Wait, Saints, I have a very good reason for this...!

    Batty''s voice?¡¡You''re even in there!

    The bathtub that was set up in the mansion was supposed to have a capacity of at most three people and it would be packed to the brim.

    What the hell is going on inside the bathtub now?

    I can''t see because I''m blindfolded!

    It''s so small. But it''s warm and comfortable.

    There''s even an earth spirit?

    "Mr. Prathi, you see, has been in hot water for so long, he''s developed a lot of heat.

    ''What?¡¡Seriously?¡¡Are you okay?

    ''''It''s okay, I''ve got a lamp eye loyal to that guy watching. More importantly, the commotion has brought the bath to the attention of everyone...!

    It''s a mess.

    That the bathtub was in a state of imo-washing by beautiful women, and even the outside of the bathroom was flooded with them!

    ''Saints!¡¡Please do something!

    ''I''m going to catch a cold if I wait my turn naked all the time!¡¡Tell them to take turns quickly!

    ''It''s too small for all of us to fit in in the first place!¡¡Expansion!¡¡Modifications so that everyone can get in!

    I''m happy that the bath is a big hit with everyone, but it''s a ridiculous situation that demands improvements from the side of completion.

    The story of our farm''s hot tub was supposed to be a grand finale, but in the end it was only the first chapter, and the story will continue into the second chapter.

    Chapter 2, the chapter on the creation of a large bathhouse.

    ........before I could even share a bathroom full of girls myself, so I ended up bathing outside with Okubo and Gobukichi and the others.

    * * * *

    Hey, master!¡¡Unbeknownst to me, that puddle of hot water is very popular!¡¡I was the first to discover it!¡¡I would have found you with Platy!

    And the guy from Veerle was regretting now that he and Prathi had missed their chance to take the most baths.

    I had noticed it, but this guy misses the big wave with high frequency.

 167-166 Large public bath construction

    That''s why we decided to build a new, larger bathhouse.

    It was decided to build a new, larger bathhouse.

    The baths are more popular than I imagined, and they are eager to have a stable bathing environment, especially for the Elf and Satyr teams.

    In short, "Make sure I don''t have to wait to take a bath! I couldn''t help but respond to the numerous and fervent requests for a hot bath.

    According to what I''ve heard, in this world we don''t have the custom of washing our bodies by soaking in hot water.

    In the fantasy world, the only way to wash your body is to wipe it with a water-wet cloth, or, frankly, to bathe in it.

    There are some saunas in some parts of the world, but they''re not very common.

    Since you brought the bath to such a culture, it''s bound to be a big hit.

    ........just.

    There are now 200 people in total on our farm. In order to satisfy all of them, it''s not enough to expand the mansion''s bathroom, it''s too big.

    After pondering what to do........

    "...let''s build a new large bathroom.

    This is the only conclusion I could come up with.

    A public bathhouse or spa resort of that scale, where the men''s and women''s baths are properly separated and turned into a place of relaxation for the inhabitants!

    It''s getting busy!

    * * * *

    Well let''s get started.

    The first step is to select a location for the large bathhouse.

    The purpose of the construction was to provide the residents with a place to relax and heal from their fatigue.

    Therefore, we wanted to choose a location near the farm where the residents work, but we dared to set up our territory some distance away.

    The field has plans to expand in the future, and there''s one more thing I''m worried about.

    Hot springs usually contain various mineral components in the ground, and in some cases are highly acidic or alkaline.

    I''m a little concerned about the effects of leaking these minerals into the ground near my fields, and wondering if it will affect the growth of my crops.

    The private bathroom in the mansion has an established sewage route where the hot water is purified with oyster starfish and then discharged into the sea.

    We want to be very careful.

    Therefore, we have secured a distance between the field area and the bathhouse that can be isolated.

    I like this place.

    I settled on a flat area outside of the farm, somewhat remote from the farm, as the proposed construction site.

    The geology is hard and the ground doesn''t seem to collapse easily, even if we dig a little deeper.

    There was also the sea within sight, so drainage would be very convenient.

    They thought, "Okay, let''s build a hot spring bathhouse here.

    That''s what happened.

    To build a bathhouse, you need hot water, and your guess is as good as a hot spring that runs underground.

    It''s exactly the same as the bathrooms in the mansion.

    The hot spring that has already been gushing out of Lettuce Rate''s private field at the expense of her personal field is too far away to pull a pipe to this point, and the amount of hot spring water that comes out of it is actually the most that can fill the private bathroom of the mansion.

    Therefore, it was decided that the best thing to do would be to make the hot spring gush out from directly underneath the house, and so we asked them to try digging for the hot spring again.

    To the other angel Holkosfon.

    ''Please do it again.''

    I''ll do whatever the master tells me to do.

    She''s the one who first dug the hot springs for me.

    Something about angels having various abilities (functions?) just because they once destroyed the world. It is equipped (equipped?) with It seems that digging up hot springs is a piece of cake for them.

    It''s really a terrifying existence.

    The No Life King teacher standing alongside me said.

    That angel''s abilities will rival or even exceed those of eagles and dragons. Although it has been called the world''s two greatest disasters, I am reminded of the fact that there is always a higher power.

    The reason the teacher is here is because the site where the big bathhouse is to be built is near the teacher''s dungeon.

    It''s about halfway between our farm and his dungeon.

    Slightly the teacher''s dungeon leaning point.

    Sensei''s dungeon is an underground cave dungeon. So when I dug into the hot spring, I might run into the dungeon''s interior. I tried to get his permission beforehand, but that would be a problem.

    "If that''s what you''re worried about, you don''t need to worry about it, my saint.

    The teacher said in his usual hawkish tone.

    ''''A dungeon is a distortion of space-time created by the stagnation of convection mana. Our cave dungeon also exists within a distorted sub-space, it is not actually underground. Hence, no matter how much you delve into it, there is no possibility of coming into contact with it.''

    I was relieved to hear that.

    However, the teacher said that something unusual was going to take place, so he came to observe the event.

    As the doctor and I looked up, the Holkosfone was stationary in the air with its natural ability to fly.

    ''''We will now proceed with the excavation of the ground.

    He''s a serious kid who goes out of his way to declare.

    "...right handed, dragon killer.

    With a boom and a sound of burning air, a blade of light extended from Holkosfon''s right hand.

    A beam saber?

    "...left hand side, God-eaters.

    The same is true from the left hand.

    Two beam sabers are released from each of the left and right hands.

    Two light swords.

    Moreover, Holkosfon, by bringing his two hands together, the two blades of light are also strung together to become a single great light sword.

    ''''One dragon and god slaughtering blade in a row, piercing the earth.

    Holkosfone spun his own body into a huge spin and rushed towards the earth with the sharpness of a cone, just like a cone.

    It''s just like...?

    "Isn''t that a drill?

    It''s said to be an angel''s special move. It''s not her, but another individual was able to pierce the geisha dragon at the time of the catastrophe with that one.

    ''''Really?!''''

    He wondered for a moment how he knew such a thing, teacher, but he had heard a lot of things when he had called the Hades God before.

    Even though it was the time before He Himself became immortal, did it hurt the pride of the dead king that there were things he didn''t know?

    But you''ve studied this way, so you don''t have to miss out?

    Anyway, the Annihilation Sword, which destroyed the Dragon King in the past, is currently in great use as an excavator for digging hot springs.

    The Holkosfons used themselves as drills to dig deep into the ground....

    Soon after.

    Soon after, a column of hot water erupted from the hole.

    "Oh?

    It''s really easy to get out of a hot spring.

    It may look that way because Holkosfone is using the power of an angel.

    ''Yes!¡¡It''s our job from here!

    Behind me, there was already an orc team in charge of civil engineering, an elf team as plasterers this time, and a goblin team for detailed support.

    ''Let''s build a big bath!¡¡Do you want to soak in a warm bath!

    ""Oooohhhh!"

    Do you want to keep your body clean every day?

    ""Oh, wow!"

    "Do you want the spa effect to make your skin beautiful?

    ""Nyaaahhhhhh!"

    At the end of the day, the women were particularly responsive.

    The lumber had already been cut down and the workers were in great physical and mental shape.

    I guess the goal of bathing motivates them to take a bath.

    The construction of the bathing area proceeded at a pace that was almost unheard of, and finished with near-perfect quality.

 168-167 Large public bath, enjoyment

    The large public bath is a wooden structure with the appearance of a Japanese house.

    It has the look of a Showa era public bathhouse.

    I produced this project and supervised every detail.

    Well.

    Let''s actually go into the bathhouse.

    At the entrance of the bathhouse, there is a warm curtain with the mark of the bathhouse, which Batty made for me.

    After going through it, there''s a locker to put your shoes in, and then you can go to the men''s bath or the women''s bath.

    The indigo-dyed curtain with the character "Man" on it and the red-dyed curtain with the character "Woman" on it are also fully equipped.

    This is a high quality curtain.

    As expected of Bati, he never compromises with his cloth work.

    Since I was a man, I naturally went through the indigo-dyed curtain and entered the men''s bathhouse.

    As soon as I passed through the indigo-dyed curtain, I found myself in the changing room.

    The breathable wisteria floor felt comfortable on the soles of my feet.

    There are lockers here too, so you can take off your clothes and put them in.

    The lockers are not equipped with a key at the moment.

    It''s a pain in the ass to build such a complex structure, and we don''t believe that anyone would steal from our farm.

    I sincerely hope they don''t lock the locker in the future.

    And so, with only a towel, we finally reach the main body, the bathhouse!

    A rock bath!

    We didn''t limit ourselves to cave dungeons and mountain dungeons, we just picked some good rocks to build a rock bath!

    We made it as large as possible, a scale that still has room for about ten people.

    We prepared three tanks for it.

    Based on the lessons learned from the private baths, we should be able to avoid having to wait in line for the baths to be filled with people.

    The women''s bath is on the same scale as the men''s bath, so it should be a relief.

    My boy, the hot water is very nice!

    I''m coming back to life.

    Already, Okubo and Gobukichi and the others had taken a rock bath and had a paradise look on their faces.

    If it was a men''s bath at my farm, it was inevitable that it would be a monster bath.

    To be more precise, though, it''s an orc-goblin bath.

    However, the wolf-type monsters Hupericaons also entered the bathhouse and had their bodies washed by their friendly goblins.

    ''''Unexpected..., I thought dogs and cats didn''t like baths...''''

    Still, the wolves seemed to feel good.

    They poured hot water on me with a zababaa, and after shivering all over my body and flicking the water, I ran off towards the changing room.

    And I get into the hot water too.

    Finally.........finally.

    I could finally submerge myself in the bathtub. It was very satisfying.

    "Aahhhhh~~~, it''s soaked through~~~

    The baths in the mansion were finally not allowed to go in because the women kept taking over the baths day after day.

    I wonder what will happen to that one now that this big bath is completed?

    I guess it''s used for a light body flush by mansion dwellers like me and Prati, or maybe for guests.

    Anyway, I don''t really care right now.

    The pleasantness of the hot water melted my thoughts.

    You''ve made a really good product.

    "Oh my God!

    You startled me!

    The reason why I was surprised is because there was a dried up human body floating in the hot water right next to me!

    No, it wasn''t!

    That''s not a corpse!

    It was the No-Life King''s teacher!

    "I''m sorry to disturb you, sir.

    Are you here, sir?

    I would have welcomed you with open arms if you''d asked me to.

    ''''No, no, we just barged in on our own. In fact, it''s we who should be the ones apologizing for our rudeness.

    No!

    You owe us teachers a lot of gratitude!

    To repay you for that, please come to the bathhouse anytime and as often as you like!

    "Hahahahaha!

    The doctor is a hawk.

    ''''Well, I guess I''ll be coming by from time to time. This place is close to our dungeon, so you can visit us comfortably.''''

    That''s it!

    Immortal King, the hot spring of the purveyor.

    I don''t know if it''s great or not.

    I''m not sure if it was named ''Jigoku Onsen'' or something like that.

    ........But your body looks nothing like those of the living. Will the hot springs still be effective?

    It works. The hot water seems to soak into every corner of my body and makes me feel alive.

    ..........

    ........Is it okay for the Immortal King to come alive?

    Also, doesn''t the hot water seep into your body, or does it actually seep into your body?

    The doctor''s body is a kind of undead, with five dried up bodies. There is a thin layer of skin and a small amount of flesh covering the bones, and they are dried up and dried up.

    If I had to describe it more accurately, it would be "Kinoi".

    Or is it a Buddha in the flesh?

    That''s why your body is basically dry and dry, and if you try to touch it with water or anything else, it will furiously suck it up.......

    Will it be all right?¡¡What if the hot springs endanger your health?

    They say you mustn''t expose katsuobushi to water because it gets fungus, right?

    ''''It should be fine. If hot water is all that''s needed to defeat the No-Life King, word has gotten around among the living.

    Of course it is.

    It''s not so bad for the type that still has dried up flesh and skin, like the eagle. But there are also completely white-boned, no-life kings like me, so it''s not going to work as well for them.

    White bones, huh.....

    That might not be suitable for a hot spring because of the calcium content dissolved out of it, but....

    The way the doctor spoke made me a little curious.

    ''Have you met your other no-life kings, Sensei?

    None. No, sir. People don''t leave the dungeon where they serve their masters and have no interest in worldly affairs.

    So how do you know the shape of the no-life king other than yourself, etc.?

    The mana convection currents that circulate around the world can carry your thoughts far away if you use the right techniques. With it, the No-Life Kings living in the depths of the world''s dungeons can exchange information with each other.

    Heeeee........

    So it''s a magic phone, so to speak.

    But even so, since it''s a technique used by the No-Life King, it must be a high level of difficulty.

    It''s useful for sharing information about lively adventurers and facilitating each other''s dungeon catches. However, there are some things that are troublesome.

    "Law.

    Some people did not respond to my messages even though they could tell that I had read them, or they got angry at me and sent me a follow-up message saying, "Why didn''t you reply to me? On the contrary, they would get angry with me and send me a follow-up letter saying, "Why didn''t you reply to me! The Immortal King also has a hard time keeping up with people...''''

    It''s a read-through problem.

    But sometimes I wondered how the teacher could be holed up in an underground dungeon like that for a thousand years and not be floating or knowledgeable about worldly affairs.

    That was the reason, wasn''t it?

    You were sharing information with the other No-Life Kings through thoughtfulness magic.

    ''''Well then, now that I''ve warmed up to the bone, I guess it''s time to go up.

    ''Hi, that''s fine, but...''

    The doctor got up from the bathtub with a bang.

    The sight of him baffled me to the core.

    Why?

    Because there was someone there that I didn''t know.

    ''Um ... well ... okay?''

    Yes?

    Who are you?

    I asked the doctor.

    No, no.

    This person is standing in the position where the teacher is supposed to be, but he''s not the teacher.

    What do you mean?

    The man, who seemed to be a teacher, was a full-blown living human being.

    His skin was shiny, his muscles were enlivened, and his hair was smooth.

    His appearance was a good-looking young man in his twenties, clearly in the handsome category.

    "Who''s really here!

    ''''An unusual thing, isn''t it the No Life King you guys call Sensei?

    No!

    Our teacher is even more dried up like Kinoi!

    Not a young man full of life and vigor like you.

    Here ... this.

    Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Govt. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Govt. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. Gov. I offered it to a young man who seemed to be a nice guy.

    Instead of a hand mirror.

    He told me to look at my own face in the tub of water.

    This is....

    The young man, looking at his face in the water, says.

    ''Isn''t it the image of the eagle before he was born?''

    Alive?

    Dr. Anata!¡¡So he was such a handsome guy before he became undead?

    I''m surprised, even his voice has changed!

    Hot springs have tremendous benefits. I didn''t think they could bring back life to a dried up eagle.

    However, the doctor got out of the bath and wiped his body with a towel to get rid of the water. He immediately returned to his original Kinoi state again.

    Although the change in condition was only for a short time.

    I couldn''t help but record it right away.

    My farm hot spring.

    Efficacy.

    Rejuvenation.

 169-168 Large public bath flower garden

    I am an elf.

    I am one of the elves who work on the saint''s farm, and I don''t need to bother saying my name.

    My role is that of a storyteller.

    A storyteller doesn''t need to assert himself.

    Since the saint cannot be the storyteller this time, it means that I will take over for him.

    Because what I''m going to do from here is a sanctuary that even a true saint cannot enter.

    I don''t think anyone would complain about it in the end if Saint-sama stepped in....... What can I say about that person, yes, he''s profound.

    In.

    Instead of the great sage, I, the unworthy one, stepped in to talk about this realm.

    That''s right.

    It is the women''s bath.

    It''s a women''s bath.

    It feels good and is good for your health.

    Plus, it makes you beautiful.

    It is said that the saint had spoken so enthusiastically to Lord Prathi many times on a daily basis.

    So when they heard that the spa was completed, everyone was very excited.

    I want to be even more beautiful than I am now.

    I want to be even more beautiful than I am now.

    But the first bath that His Holiness made was too small for all the women on the farm to fit in.

    But the great saint was there.

    He immediately made a bigger bath and made it possible for all of us to take a bath without any difficulty.

    That''s the great saint.

    That''s the great Lord.

    That''s the kind of person the Saints are.

    Everyone venerates and praises Him.

    The new bath is divided into two main areas. One area is for men only and the other is for women only.

    ........well, you have to draw the line.

    After all, you are naked when you bathe.

    That''s why I asked, "Why won''t the saints bathe with us? And there were a few girls who booed me.

    ...Let''s just say that I was a bit disappointed.

    Because storytellers don''t talk about themselves.

    * * * *.

    I have no choice but to observe and talk about the women-only baths.

    After a day''s work in the Elf Workshop, I quickly headed to the large bath with my companions.

    As we entered, there were two more entrances, the one with the red cloth hanging over it was the entrance to the women''s bath.

    When I went through, there were a lot of flowers blooming.

    Elves, satyrs, spirits of the earth, demons and mermaids, mankind, and a variety of beautiful women of all races blooming in the nude.

    Is it disgusting to say that they are of the same s*x?

    It''s sweet. Just because I''m a woman doesn''t mean I''m not interested in naked women.

    We elves have a darker skin color, just like the demon race, due to the fact that our old ancestors were the same as the demon race.

    Let''s call it a deep roasted bean color.

    Anyway, it''s dark.

    However, recently, with the Satyrs joining the group, the percentage of white skin has been increasing.

    It''s said that beastmen, including satyrs, are a race derived from the human race.

    The black skin of the demon race and the white skin of the human race. It''s just like black and white spots, and the changing room of the women''s bathhouse is also like spots.

    White ass, black ass, white ass, white ass, black ass, black ass, black ass, black ass, black ass, white ass, black ass, white ass, black ass, white ass, white ass, black ass, white ass, white ass, white ass, black ass, white ass, white ass, black ass, white ass, white ass, white ass, black ass, white ass, white ass.

    Here''s what it looks like.

    To that, I added another black ass.

    It''s my ass.

    Just like that, the women''s bathhouse is congenial.

    * * * *.

    This is where you call a bath!

    Then a more and more lively person appeared.

    It''s Princess Lettuce Rate, the princess of the human race. She is very noisy at every turn.

    She says you can wash up, relax and get rid of your fatigue here!¡¡Follow me, Hor!¡¡I''ll give you a special tour!

    Yes, sir.

    Accompanying the princess is the angel Holkosfon.

    I heard that he was the first person to build this great bath.

    Why is that princess so high and mighty in relation to Ms. Holkosfone?

    ''This is your first time in the bath, isn''t it, Hol?¡¡I''m going to show you an example here, so watch closely and learn your bath etiquette!

    ''Yes, sir, lettuce rate.''

    There should be no doubt that this is the princess''s first bath, but why is she so confident?

    In the meantime, we both took off our clothes, and the timing is right for us to get into the bathhouse.......

    ''Hey, Hol?¡¡You have wings on your back, don''t you?¡¡Is it safe to wet it with hot water?

    It was.

    Holkosfone, the angel, had large wings spreading out from his back, and it looked like it would be inconvenient for him to bathe.

    Wings are an inherent part of an angel''s life," the saint said, "but with wings that big, it''s going to cause trouble for the surrounding bathers.

    I don''t want to leave them like that.....

    ''''We will adopt your opinion. Lettuce rate. Could you hold the wings for me?

    ''What?¡¡Like this?

    Wing of Icarus has been disabled. Shut off mana supply. All connections are plugged. You can safely remove it.

    What?¡¡You can''t take this thing off?

    I was surprised, too.

    I didn''t know the wings were detachable.

    You can just stand on the side of the wing and... Let''s take a bath, Retusslate.

    Huh...!¡¡Yes.........!

    After taking off not only their wings but also the clothes they were wearing, the two of them stripped off their clothes and proceeded to the back where the bathhouse was located.

    .........

    This is no time to be startled.

    I have to take off my clothes and take a bath as soon as possible.

    * * * *.

    I was finally about to step into the bathhouse when I collided with a huge softness near the entrance and exit of the bathhouse and changing area.

    ''''Oh, I''m sorry...?''''

    It was Panu, the leader of the satyr team.

    Perhaps because of this, the satyrs, who are called goat beastmen, have strong limbs and an impressive body.

    In particular, Panu-san is even more magnificent among them.

    How can I say it.........

    Bam-bam.....

    I''m on my way up now. The bath feels so nice and fluffy. My stiff shoulders have gone away.

    Yeah.

    That''s gotta get your shoulders all stiff. When you''ve got two of these things hanging around.

    ''Oh, yes. Oh, yeah, it''s a message from the saint. We keep the milk we produce here.

    And Panu showed me........

    Oh!

    Yes, there is indeed more than one bottled milk on display!

    The milk made by the satyrs is a very high quality product that is served to the great people of the human and demon race.

    Just the fact that you can drink it in a normal way tells you that this farm is a heavenly place.

    It''s said that it''s proper etiquette to drink milk after getting out of hot water. That''s what the saints said.

    Really!

    That''s how saints are known!

    And they want it to be really cold. So they put it in a small refrigerated box made by Pfafa, and it''s cold as ice. Please drink it when you come up.

    With that, Panu walked past.

    By the way, the container with the milk in it is a glass bottle made by us elves!

    I''ll be the first to drink it after I get out of the bath too!

    * * * *

    And I, too, finally entered the bathhouse.

    It''s steamy and misty, but I''m not wearing any clothes, so it''s not steaming and uncomfortable or anything.

    Rather, it''s warm and comfortable.

    The bathhouse is already crowded with many women.

    ''''Ah~, it feels so good~...''''

    Among them was Master Prati.

    He is the deputy leader of the second position on the farm. He is a very big man who is also the wife of Lord Saint.

    Around him were his kindred spirits, Mr. Puffa, Mr. Lampay and Mr. Gala Rufa and others.

    All of them are loose in relaxation with their lower bodies back to their fish form.

    Looking at the mermaids who were immersed in such hot water........

    .........boiled fish.

    I''ll keep the thought to myself.

    "Boiled fish........!

    That''s boiled fish.

    It''s all boiled...

    ''''Water boiled...!

    There were rather a lot of people who thought the same thing.

    Of course, we were whispering so low that they couldn''t hear us.

    We spend more than 90% of our lives in the water. I didn''t think that just a slight difference in temperature would make us feel this good.......!¡¡UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU...!

    I''m loose. Are you sure you''re ready for this?

    The same mermaid, Puffa, is flapping her tail fin with her lower body, which has returned to its basic form.

    It''s a bit bad manners.

    It''s very rare for them to return to their original mermaid form, as they live on a farm on the ground and have been converted to terrestrial people''s legs with a magic potion.

    ''''That''s fine, even if you''re not careful in such a pleasant place...''''

    I don''t mean that. I''m talking about you guys.

    You guys?

    ''Atai and Lamprey are both prisoners of the mermaid race. You''re here on the pretense of imposing labor, right?¡¡And yet you can easily turn me back into a mermaid?

    Mermaids cannot return to their original form unless they drink a medicine to do so.

    They take advantage of this and force mermaids to drink a potion to become earthlings, and they are banished from the realm of mermaids.

    That''s just a token. Besides, they wouldn''t go back to the sea without permission just because they returned to their mermaid form, would they?¡¡You, Lamp-Eye, and Gala Rufa....

    Serve the Princess Platy here, that''s what I want to do. I have no intention of leaving this place.

    Me too!¡¡I''d hate to see bacterial research go unabated!¡¡I won''t move, even if I have to gnaw on a stone!

    It seems that mermaids are mermaids and have a unique bond with each other.

    The same goes for us elves.

    When the baths were being completed, a meeting was held with former head aileron and the topic of ''whether or not the baths hurt the pride of the elves'' was discussed extensively.

    Because elves are ashamed to be outside of their natural life.

    Well, in the end, though, almost all the elves are bathing in the bath without coming to a conclusion.

    It can''t be helped. It''s such a nice feeling.

    The moment I was about to put my foot in the bath to get the pleasant sensation of hot water, I thought, "Hey, there!

    Hey, there!

    Master Prati was angry with me. Why?

    ''Before you get into the hot water, hang on to it to get the dust off!¡¡Your husband taught me bath etiquette!¡¡This attaches to the battlefield and makes the women''s bathrooms thorough!

    As expected of a woman who is the closest to a saint.

    Her leadership skills are no slouch.

    I''ll follow her lead and wash myself off with the hot water.

    But there is one more person in this farm. There is another person who is closest to the saint and has a completely opposite orientation to Prati.

    * * * *.

    What is it?

    From a distance, I hear some noise.

    There is a window in the bathhouse, which is now open to let the steam escape, but there is a sound like a kiiin.......cutting through the air.

    It''s getting higher and higher, closer and closer.

    ''''Yes!¡¡A bath!''

    The sound was the sound of flight as the dragon, Master Veerle, approached.

    He thought he had rushed directly into the bathhouse through the window, but he instantly transformed into his human form and jumped into the tub.

    Zaboom.

    There was a large column of water.

    ''''Awesome!¡¡It feels so good!¡¡This is what a bath is all about!¡¡That''s definitely a good one!¡¡This is something I, as a dragon, would approve of!

    Collar!¡¡Veerle!¡¡Make sure you use the proper entrance to the bathhouse!¡¡Don''t get in the hot water without washing up!¡¡Don''t dip your hair in the hot water!

    Master Prathi scolded him, but it didn''t make any sense to Viru, the freest man on the farm.

    Order of the Farm, Master Prati.

    The chaos of the farm, Veerle.

    This place is made up of these two people just below the saint.

    Well, that''s that.........

    The hot water feels good.

 170-169 Resurrection Angel

    The large bathhouse was completed and our farm''s level of paradise was finally on the rise....

    "Master, I have something to discuss with you.

    Yeah?

    Angel Holkosfon came to me for advice.

    I thought her consultation would be about Natto-related matters, but I was wrong.

    ''First of all, I''d like you to see this.

    The one that was offered to me was a raw head.

    Human.

    ''''Gyaaaaaaahhhhhh!

    Neck!

    The neck!

    It''s a raw neck!

    There''s only the neck and nothing underneath it!¡¡A complete corpse!

    Calm down, Master. These are my kind of parts.

    "Parts?

    And the same kind?

    So is this the same angelic head as Holkosfon?

    It is presumed to be my prototype, destroyed by God during the Great Fall of the Four Thousand Years.

    Oh.

    Holkosfons and other angels are a transcendent species that was created long before humanity was born.

    They are the so-called ''divine weapons'' sent by the heavenly god Zeus to conquer the earth.

    I''ve heard of a myth that it was so powerful that the gods of the earth and the gods of the sea united to annihilate it.

    ''''So this head is the remnants of an angel that the Hades gods destroyed four thousand years ago?

    Affirmative. I discovered it just the other day.

    Discovery?¡¡When.

    "What''s buried in the ground during hot spring mining operations,

    Oh, man.

    That''s when you found it.

    Even though angels are wreckage, they''re something that can be easily unearthed if you dig down?

    "After the work, we took a quick look around, and there was no evidence of damage to the head''s thought processes. There was no damage to the thought processes in the head. It should be enough to revive it if it''s repaired...

    Repair?

    The master brought me back from the brink of destruction to a perfect state. I knew that he could bring her back to life, even if it was in a state of disrepair.

    Wait?

    Repairs.

    Repairs?

    I knew it was coming, but...¡¡Are you two angels like robots or something?

    You look like beautiful girls, you eat and bathe, but you''re robots?

    But if you say they can be repaired in a robotic way, it''s not like a human would be able to restore them to normal, even from a more than fatal wound...?

    But you can''t do that, can you?

    In any case, the only thing in question that can be repaired is the head.

    Where are you going to get the body from?

    There is no need for concern, Master.

    Holkosfon said. ''Somewhat proudly.

    ''I have unearthed other parts of the body as well.

    "ooohhhhh!

    And the proffered arm!¡¡Feet!¡¡Chest!¡¡Bum!

    At a glance, it looks like a complete murder case!

    * * * *

    Ten angels were rolled out at the time, and all nine except me were destroyed by the gods.

    Apparently.

    Four thousand years ago.

    ''Each of the angelic parts I have now discovered...''

    The head is a neicosphone.

    The arms are Bonosfon.

    The torso is Hussminephone.

    The crotch is Logosphone.

    The legs are Limosphone.

    It is presumed to be a... thing. When I carefully selected only reusable parts, it naturally turned out like this.

    I heard that each original is different.

    The main body was broken, so I''m going to put it back together again with only the safe parts.

    I never dreamed that the day would come when I would be able to repair a human body.

    ........However, the gift from God that resides in my hands, the "supreme bearer", is effective even at times like this.

    I myself adjust the angel parts that are chimpy from the looks of it, adjusting them so that they flow with only my hand habits, connecting and repairing each part.

    It was as if my hands were already moving automatically and on their own.

    With Horcosfon''s help, well, repairs that I thought were impossible proceeded like a lie....

    * * * *

    In front of me lies a beautifully restored single human body.

    The angels that were once destroyed, the parts that escaped destruction were joined together to become one now.

    ''''............?''''

    While I was working, I couldn''t help but feel like I was stepping into a realm that people shouldn''t step into.......!

    I wonder if it was a good idea?

    I wonder if it''s good to resurrect one more angel who once went on to destroy the earth!

    Thank you, Master!¡¡We will now bring our people back!

    On the other hand, when I saw that Holkosfone was truly happy, I felt a sense of accomplishment...?

    ''Well, but it''s nice to be back to that, but is this going to bring it back properly?''

    No problem. Power is restarting. The mana is getting through. Estimated time to reactivate, ten, nine, eight...!

    A countdown?

    ...two, one, zero.

    Good morning.

    Aaaaahhhhh!

    The patched-up repair angel woke up!

    Just by piecing together a bunch of really intact parts, it''s been working again for over 4,000 years!

    That''s amazing, isn''t it, angel!

    The Angel, which was made up of several angelic parts joined together, has a painful feeling of being joined together because the parts aren''t completely healed.

    Feminine thin arms and thighs with a womanly body. The chest which is modest in spite of the waist of a massive easy delivery type. The childish face which makes a girl think of a girl.

    Although she has feminine shape in all respects, there are some parts of her that give me a loopy impression.

    Congratulations on the resurrection. ...How should I call you?

    Yes, you''re right. You''re right, I''m confused.

    The various planes are folded together - Bonosfon in the arms, Hussminephone in the torso, Logosfon in the crotch, and Limosfon in the legs - but should your identity as an individual still rest with Neikosfon in the head, the thinking organ?

    ''Oh?¡¡I mean, I don''t know what the hell is going on here!

    The resurrected splice angel had some kind of disturbed tone.

    ''''..........''''

    Taking it head on, Horcosfon said a few words.

    ''She''s not Neikosfon, is she? Or rather, she does not fall under any of the angels used for the parts.

    Seriously?

    It''s true that I thought everyone talked like a Holkosfone, so I was quite confused by the first impression she gave of being a gal.

    The first impression I got of her was that she was a gal.¡¡Oh, and I thought it was destroyed by a dragon?¡¡¡¡I also remember being skewered by a sea god''s weapon...?

    Do you have memories of everyone who was used for the parts?

    Even more mixed up personalities?

    I proceeded with the resurrection of an angel with the momentum of ''if I can do it, I can do it,'' but even if the resurrection itself is made, the next step is going to be troublesome.

 171-170 Advent of Sophia

    At the request of the angel Holkosfon, he repaired and resurrected a fellow angel that had been destroyed.

    However, the resurrected angel was unsure of who was who, as it had been repaired by crossing two or more parts together.

    More to come from that scene.

    * * * *

    "Yes, no more.

    Me, Holkosfone, and the splice angel who had just been repaired and restored.

    We were surprised to hear a voice we had never heard before in the work room where only these three people were supposed to be.

    You startled me!

    When I looked, I saw a graceful-looking young man I had never met before, drifting fluffily through the air.

    I''m sure you''ll find that the atmosphere is exactly the same as that of the shipping guy from the previous world, although he is handsome with a slender face, but he looks somewhat tired, and I think I''ve seen him before.

    But he wasn''t just anyone.

    He has a single swing of his staff, but there are live snakes coiled around it.

    And two of them.

    It''s not just anyone who carries such a thing and looks unconcerned.

    I am Hermes. I am Hermes, the god of wisdom and knowledge who belongs to the heavenly realm.

    When I was confused, the other party called me by my name.

    .........

    Eh?¡¡God?

    God is just like the God of Hades and the...¡¡You weren''t even summoned by your teacher!

    "I''m more flexible than most gods because I''m their messenger. I don''t need your neighbor, the King of Immortals, to invite me down to earth to do some legitimate work.

    The God of Wisdom, the man of grace, spun his staff around and spoke.

    I''m not going to let you get away with it. I''m sure the word "god of heaven" may give you the impression that they are all bums because of my father Zeus'' actions. I want you to believe that not all of the gods in heaven are rogues like Zeus.

    Huh...?

    Yes...?

    "I always want to be a good God to the children of men. I''ve always wanted to be a good God to the children of men, just like my brother Hephaistos, who gave you the gift of the Bearer of Excellence. That''s why I''ve come down to earth so urgently now.

    The God of Wisdom''s gaze with a likeable young man''s style, slurping, headed towards the newly resurrected angel.

    Even though you have a gift from brother Hephaistos, I didn''t think that someone with life on earth would be able to restore an angel.

    Um...!¡¡I knew it was a bad idea, didn''t I?

    Although I had noticed it faintly, it seems that the god Hermes had sensed the resurrection of this splicing angel and rushed over.

    ''''Isn''t it natural?¡¡You''ve heard about the horror of angels from Uncle Hades. Even a single angel is a threat that can destroy the earth. If it''s true, the fact that I''ve chosen to leave one of you behind is an exception to the rule.

    And the god Hermes pointed at Holkosfon with his snake-like staff.

    .........yes.

    I''m so thankful that you were so willing to listen to us.

    "Originally, it was the role of earth gods such as Uncle Hades to protect the existence of the earth, but since angels were originally created by the gods of heaven, we also have a responsibility. That''s why we descended.

    Well what about this resurrected angel then?

    Of course, it would make sense to destroy it or seal it up again so it can''t be revived.

    What?

    I worked so hard to fix that!

    "I just want you to know that angels are as dangerous as you think they are. Last time I saw an angel...

    The god Hermes points at Horcosfon again.

    ''''Uncle Hades and Uncle Poseidos were stumped about the matter of hiding the.... They were serious about imprisoning my evil father in Tartarus this time.

    He''s trying to say that the existence of angels is serious enough for the Lord God class to get seriously angry.

    ''''Then the god Zeus...?

    I rubbed my forehead on the floor and apologized, so I managed to get my sentence reduced to 1,000 years of house arrest. You''re usually a braggart, but you have no pride at all.

    What is it?

    From this kiss of the God of Wisdom, the stress or resentment against the supposedly respectable God the Father is so thick that it cannot be hidden...?

    ''''And so. It''s a shame that you''ve taken the time to swing your arm, but I want you to leave your successor angel in my care. I''m not going to be able to do any more mischief to Uncle Hades and the others because of the God of heaven.

    The God''s tone of voice, "I hope you will understand," showed the sense of responsibility of the God of Wisdom to support the heavenly world on behalf of his foolish father.

    ''''Please.''''

    It was the same angel, Holkosfon, who challenged him head on.

    ''If you take her with you, take me with you. Dispose of me with her in any way you can.

    But you....

    She is a companion who has finally been reunited after four thousand years. I would rather die with her than say goodbye to the same model again now.

    Horkosfone is allowed to live on our farm with the blessing of the god Hades.

    But it would be unbearable for him to be the only one to find peace. You will risk your life to save the lives of your friends.

    ''I beg you to do the same.

    I spoke directly to God, too.

    ''Just because the angels were created for the purpose of destruction and aggression doesn''t mean they have to live up to it. They can think for themselves, and they have minds of their own.

    Don''t those who were born into this world have the right to enjoy this world and live in it?

    "Yeah, okay.

    Wow, just like that?

    It''s not on the level of the god Hermes being a good listener.

    ''Doesn''t an angel have a right to live?¡¡If you say, ''That''s right,'' all we can say is ''That''s right,'' too. And since there''s already a precedent of Holkosfone, we can''t just ignore it and push for its disposal.

    Well....?

    "However, we''ll still have to take that angel back to the heavenly realm for a time. There are many parts that can''t be fixed by a simple repair job by you guys, and a full-blown overhaul is required to eliminate any danger.

    It''s true that I''m not sure I could have done a complete job on the repairs that I relied 100% on the "supreme bearer" myself.

    Now that God has conceded, I can''t help but back off too.

    I''ll leave it to the gods. I''ll leave it to the gods. Holkosfone is good too, right?

    Yes.....

    He still looked uncomfortable, but Holkosfone exercised restraint and nodded.

    ''But what exactly does an overhaul entail?¡¡The god Zeus, who created the angels, is under house arrest, isn''t he?

    "No, they weren''t made by my stupid father, were they?

    What?

    You''re getting a lot of confusion here.

    "That''s what it looks like on the surface, but there''s no way that stupid father could have created such a powerful biological weapon.¡¡Speaking of creation, it''s the work of Hephaistos, the god of modeling.''

    Oh...!

    "The ten angels produced 4,000 years ago were all commissioned by Heavenly Zeus and created by Hephaistos, the god of modeling, under the strict supervision of Eris, the god of murder.

    Speaking of the god Hephaistos, he gave me the "supreme bearer", that....

    Does that have something to do with the fact that I was able to repair angels with The Supreme Bearer?¡¡Because they originated from the same god.

    ''Brother Hephaistos. He finished the angel in tears after Ellis'' repeated retakes and relentless ruining of it, and that''s why he had such strong feelings for the masterpiece. I was devastated when it was destroyed.''

    I understand.

    As someone who grows and creates things on a farm, I can understand the feelings of the god Hephaistos.

    ''That''s why I''m sure Brother Hephaistos will gladly accept this job,'' he said. I''m sure he''ll adjust that angel peacefully.''''

    Please!¡¡Best regards!

    The slightest suspicion was also dispelled by the mention of the name of the god Hephaistos here.

    ''Your angel. You are reborn in the heavens as a good friend of this world. You will be reborn in the heavens as a good friend to this world.

    ''Huh?¡¡I mean, ah, seriously, I don''t know what jibberish is...?

    .....

    The god is about to lose his temper.

    I hope the God of Hephaistos corrects that personality, too.

    * * * *.

    Thus, the Tsugetsu Angel was taken by the god Hermes and left for the heavenly world.

    By the time he returned, he would surely be adjusted and become an easier child to get along with than he is now.

    Believing in the future, Holkosfon seemed to agree with him.

    Then, as he was leaving, the god Hermes said the last thing.

    ''''Yes, Saint-kun.''''

    ?

    I''ll be dropping by in private sometime soon, so let me have some rice with bamboo shoots and green peas.

 172-171 Under the maple tree

    Today I''m in the mountain dungeon with the elves.

    To be precise, we''re in the dungeon orchard we run in the mountain dungeon.

    The elves are originally of the forest race.

    They make useful tools for us in the workshop, but their intention is to refresh themselves once in a while in the lush forest, their spiritual home.

    The reason we have them walk through the dungeon orchard instead of the forest is because we wanted to see what the elves thought about it while they bathed in the forest.

    The Forest People''s Elves have the wisdom to use the bounty of the forest that they have accumulated over the decades.

    The pottery, leather goods, and glassworks they make in their workshop are the result of this wisdom, and they know a great deal about the forest.

    They know a lot about the forest, including things I don''t know.

    If I let them walk around the dungeon orchard, I''m sure they''ll come up with some new ideas for how to use the forest and how to solve problems.

    I thought.

    ''....Hmm?

    Early on, Aileron seemed to have noticed something.

    ''''This tree.......... Could be good.........

    And something about the trunk of a single tree is drawing my interest.

    What bothered him so much?¡¡And as I observed, Aileron took out a knife without a care in the world.......

    Zakk!

    and thrust it into the trunk of the tree.

    The blade pierced deep into the interior of the trunk.

    What the hell are you doing?

    "We''ll see.

    He pulled out his knife and looked at the hole in the hole for a while........

    .........

    From the hole in the tree, a transparent liquid comes out of the hole....

    Water came out of the tree.

    It''s the sap.

    Sap!

    ''The amount of sap spewing depends on the type of tree, but I''ve seen this is a common type. It was predictable.

    Aileron scooped up the leaking sap with his fingertips and held it out to me.

    .........You mean lick it?

    There''s something nasty about it but I put my mouth full of sap with Elon''s fingers.

    "....sweet.

    ''Right?¡¡It''s a way to get that precious sugar out of the woods, a way to quench your thirst.

    I didn''t know there was a way to drink water in the forest like this.

    The wisdom of the elves is unbelievable.

    ...But this is sweet. Where have we seen this before?

    ''Saints, what kind of tree is this?¡¡If a tree is prone to sap, by all means, we have to remember that.

    Oh, the trees!

    I looked up and it occurred to me.

    I planted this maple tree for ornamental purposes, not for its fruit and not for building materials, but because I thought it would be beautiful when its leaves turn red in autumn.

    I didn''t know it would also be useful for practical purposes, producing sap.

    And.........

    Maple..........in English, maple.

    The liquid from the maple.

    "Maple syrup!"?

    Don''t tell me that maple syrup, which is treated like a pachimonious honey, was made from this sap?

    What''s wrong, Your Holiness?

    ''Aileron!¡¡Help me!¡¡I want to try something!

    * * * *

    He and Elon collected the sap from the surrounding maple trees and took it back to the mansion when the leather bag they brought with them was full.

    I transferred it to a pot, put it on the fire and simmer it patiently.......

    The water evaporates and the other sweet ingredients remain and increase in concentration.

    It became a thick amber-colored mucus that I remember.

    I take my finger and lick it.

    ''Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

    Only because it was boiled down and increased in concentration, the sweetness was far more dense than the raw sap!

    It''s just syrup!

    Otherworldly maple syrup is now complete!

    I never thought I''d be able to make something this good by accident...!

    It''s still important, the wisdom of the elven forest.

    I''m sure I''ll have a lot more to take care of in the future.

    But for now, let''s stick to making the most of our newly acquired maple syrup like this.

    How can I taste the most delicious maple syrup?

    .............pancakes.

    I know.

    Speaking of maple syrup, pancakes.

    Hot pancakes with syrup on them.

    What better way to get the sweetest out of this sap than with it!

    ''Yes!¡¡Now we''re going to try to make pancakes!

    The first thing I prepared was the pancake mix!

    Then I thought to myself, "How do you make pancake batter?

    "How do you make pancake batter?

    * * *

    How to make pancakes.

    Mix pancake batter with milk and eggs and bake.

    What''s pancake batter?

    In the world I''ve been in before, we usually bought pancake batter at the store, so I didn''t even think about it, but what''s the difference between pancake batter and flour?

    But since I don''t know how to make pancake batter, I''ll have to use flour instead!

    I''ll add an egg!

    Let''s get some milk in!

    I''m adding flour!

    I have a feeling that won''t be enough, so let''s add some sugar!

    Now let''s bake it for now.

    Drizzle the thoroughly mixed batter into the pan.

    It''s non-stick and non-rusty and easy to clean. This frying pan is made of manna metal, so it doesn''t get scratched even if you scrub it with a scrubbing brush.

    When the surface of the frying pan starts to bubble up, turn it over with the spatula.

    "Hohoa!

    Full power!

    Then, after checking the degree of cooking, I transferred it to a plate....

    "It''s done!

    It may seem a little under puffy, but the otherworldly pancake is done!

    While it''s warm, I pour the maple syrup on it.

    And for the pancakes, I put butter. I dropped a lump of butter on the pancakes. The feeling of it slowly melting and soaking into the batter....

    Butter!

    The spirits of the earth have appeared.

    I knew they''d be keen when butter was involved, these kids.

    ''It smells like butter!¡¡I''m making butter again!

    Master''s butter was so good!¡¡I would love to taste it!

    Flap, flap, flap, flap...!

    Me and the earth spirits glared at each other, "Shhh! Butter! And a threatening battle.

    And then.....

    ''Okay, eat.''

    I was expecting this to play out.

    ''Wow!¡¡Wow!

    "I love you, master!

    ''''Bataoiee!''''

    The earth spirits happily took a bite of their pancakes.

    ''''Ummmmmmmme!''''

    "It''s sweet on butter!

    It''s the sweetness of home!

    I''m so glad he liked it.

    Following the making of otherworldly maple syrup, the making of otherworldly pancakes can be called a success.

    However, even after the success, I still have questions...

    "What''s the difference between pancake batter and flour?

    It seemed that this mystery would not be solved this time around for now.

 173-172 The heros courage

    Prince Arowana came to visit me.

    He is my wife Prathi''s brother, and he is my brother-in-law, so to speak.

    We''re close in age, so I feel like we''re friends already.

    It feels like it''s been a long time since we''ve been friends, but Prince Arowana comes to visit our farm regularly, not even for three days.

    Is it really OK for him to come so often?¡¡Are mermaid princes that bored?¡¡I used to worry about it.

    But lately those worries have relaxed, and every time I come, all I can do is welcome the prince.

    * * * *

    "I won the martial arts competition.

    Then one day Prince Arowana brought such a souvenir story.

    ''What?¡¡Really?¡¡That''s great, brother!

    It''s like a rare occurrence coincided with a rare occurrence because Prathi, who doesn''t usually respond to his own brother, happened to show up by chance and bite into the topic further.

    ''''........What''s that Wuyoutai meeting about?''''

    I listened at the tea table, gulping down the Shibazuke that had been served to me over tea.

    It''s the traditional martial arts tournament of the mermaid race. It''s a traditional martial arts tournament of the mermaid tribe, in which male mermaids swing their arms... no, they swing their tail fins.

    Allegedly, the fighting methods of the mermaid race differ greatly between men and women.

    Female mermaids use the mermaid''s unique pharmacological magic to create battle potion and use it to fight.

    This is the fighting method that Plati and her friends use every day, which is probably one of the reasons why they are called witches.

    Male mermaids, on the other hand, have a very different fighting style.

    First of all, male mermaids do not rely on potions to fight.

    They mainly rely on a sharp harpoon and their own bodies.

    Taking advantage of their lower body fish form, they swim through the water, gain a certain amount of speed, and then use their momentum on the harpoon to penetrate the enemy.

    That was the male mermaid''s winning method.

    Various assistive technologies have been studied for this purpose.

    Faster swimming techniques. Skillful harpoon handling. There are even some secret techniques to manipulate the current to assist their own movements and to block the enemy''s movements.

    The significance of the WUWA is that these skills and efforts are publicly competed against each other. It''s a one-on-one game, where people poke and prod each other with harpoons!¡¡Whoever dies loses!

    No, it''s not that serious, is it?

    If you surrender, you lose, or if you''re half-dead, you lose, or some such rule, right?

    ''We will fight each other again and again until we are the last!¡¡What an honor for a male mermaid to have a good performance!

    You''ve been a regular participant in the finals every year, so you''ve been able to keep up your good looks as a prince, but you''ve never won a championship before, have you?¡¡You must have been really lucky in the lottery.

    I knew it, sister. You don''t think it''s because of my competence, do you?

    This brother and sister. I don''t think they don''t get along with each other by any means, but what is the cause of this sister''s unhappiness with her brother?

    You didn''t win this thing by luck alone, by any means!¡¡After all, my opponent in the first round of the final tournament was the previous year''s winner, General Shark!

    "So that''s great!¡¡You beat that ferocious general?

    In the semifinals, the previous two-time champion and a master swimmer, Tatibio!¡¡And the man who fought in the finals was the living legend of the mermaid world, Master Sunma!¡¡What do you think?¡¡You can''t call me lucky if I''ve fought your way through all these people!

    Brother, what kind of trick did you use?

    "Don''t you trust me one bit?

    As an outsider, I don''t know, but I hear Prince Arowana has accomplished an amazing feat anyway.

    It''s a bit unassuming, but I''m sure he''s a pretty amazing mermaid too.

    There is one, isn''t there?¡¡Tell me!¡¡Tell him!¡¡And go apologize to the tournament organizers!

    ''I didn''t break any rules!¡¡The secret to the victory is........this!

    With a thud, Prince Arowana brought out a huge turtle shell.

    "Ah, that''s...?

    It''s the shell of Lotus, the turtle-shaped monster we defeated in the dungeon some time ago.

    After a lot of trial and error to find an effective use for it after bringing it back, I decided that it was the right shape, so I made it into a shield.

    In the past, Prince Arowana liked it so much that he took it back with him!

    This shield is really excellent. It''s a very strong shield, and the unique round shape of the shell is also very good.

    The rounded tortoise shell shield slips and repels all kinds of attacks, killing its original power.

    The reason why I was able to surpass General Shark''s bite killing saw, Tachibana''s slanting swimming technique, and even Master Sanma''s tsukomi is because of this shield. That''s how I was able to grab the victory with a counterattack right after I withstood the desperate attack!

    The excitement of those days came back, and Prince Arowana''s tone was heated.

    As Prathi said, this is my first victory. "As Prathi said, this is my first win," he said, "and I''ve always wanted to do this because of this shield that the saints have given me. I wanted to come here today to thank you for that!

    It''s no problem.

    From what I''ve heard, the tournament, which is a prestige event for mermaids, is not something that can be won with just one secret weapon.

    Plus, Prince Arowana''s unflagging efforts must have paid off.

    At the same time, I used my hand sign to give a passing orc the go-ahead to mass produce a shell shield.

    Now that it''s proven effective," he said.

    ''I won the martial swimming competition and I''m ready to follow in my father''s footsteps and become the Mermaid King once again. From now on, I''m going to continue to diligently face the responsibilities that have been assigned to me.

    Great.

    ''But I''ve been having some misgivings lately,''

    ?

    Somehow, Prince Arowana''s voice suddenly dropped in tone.

    I wonder if I have the wherewithal to become the Mermaid King. I can only think so because I won the Wushuushu competition and am another step closer to becoming the Mermaid King. I''m still not good enough to follow in my father''s footsteps...!

    * * *

    But I digress.

    I asked him why Puffa, his favorite "frozen witch," was so quiet and didn''t react much to the victory of Prince Arowana.

    I asked her why she was so quiet.

    I went to the venue to watch the match in person. That''s when I got really excited.

    What?

    Mr. Puffa, you....

    You''re a mermaid prisoner and shouldn''t be allowed to return to the sea without permission, right?

    Why are you in such a public place........?

    I had to support the prince. If I disguised myself a little bit and kept my cool, I found out that people don''t notice me as much as I thought.

    I also heard later that there was a female mermaid who supported Prince Arowana between each match by providing him with potion support to heal his injuries and keep him in good shape, and who may or may not have led him to victory.

    When he won the championship, she hugged the prince and rejoiced with him.

    And yet the true identity of the female mermaid is unknown. I''ve heard that the mermaid''s identity is unknown, and the prince has a mysterious girlfriend?

    In addition to his secret weapon, his tortoise shell shield, the prince''s own hard work and training were behind his first victory.

    It''s not just his secret weapon, but also his own hard work and training, and the unofficial help of a woman who adores him...!

 174-173 Sea Princes qualities

    When Prince Arowana was coming to visit, he even came to visit the Demon King.

    ''''It''s been a long time, Lord Demon King!¡¡All right, all right!

    Wish me luck, prince!¡¡Hakkayoi, he''s left!

    Prince Arowana and Mr. Demon King started wrestling as soon as they met again.

    Even though I taught them, I''m afraid they''re still in a daze.

    I won''t do it, okay?

    My back is already hard from working in the fields, you know.

    I won''t do it.

    Dosuccoi!

    Prince Arowana, who was cornered to the edge of the ring, won by a huge upset rollback.

    The tenacity of the heroic mermaid, who won the Wushu competition, was still going strong on the ground.

    I''ve lost, I''ve lost. You''re right, Prince Arowana''s wrestling skills are unbeatable.

    This is only a game. As a ruler, I can only admire the Demon Lord''s great capacity...!

    Yeah.

    We''re good friends.

    This Demon King and the future Mermaid King are as close as they come.

    I can''t help but get a feeling that they''re going to be at peace.

    ''Isn''t that a good thing...?¡¡What''s the matter with you...?

    I''m not complaining, but...!

    Verena, who is next to me, gives me a tsk, and I''ll give her a reaction.

    But, well, there is certainly one person who is still not satisfied with the current situation.

    And who is that person.....

    * * * *

    "I am not yet qualified to be the Mermaid King...!

    Prince Arowana said as he sat down for a chat with the Demon King, who also joined him.

    ''Martial prowess, wisdom, and calibre, none of which can yet reach the point of becoming a king!¡¡It would be a disaster for our beloved mermaid kingdom if I became king without it...!

    You''re right, but...!

    I think that''s just Prince Arowana being too hard on himself.

    At least a martial arts swimming competition?¡¡Considering the recent situation where he won the championship in the "I''m not the only one" competition, I think he''s got a lot of bravery and courage.

    And the fact that he''s on good terms with the King of the Demon Kingdom, another kingdom on Earth, gives him a great diplomatic advantage.

    I think the mermaids will feel at ease if Arowana becomes the king, don''t you think?

    No. The martial arts competition is bounded by rules after all. You can''t say you''ve survived a real war even if you''re the winner. Besides, the deeper you get to know the Demon Lord, the more you understand him, the more you understand him.

    My own immaturity.....

    Prince Arowana said.

    Even though you''re not much older than me, you''re already in a responsible position as the Demon King, and you''ve accomplished the feat of destroying the human kingdom and unifying the world. His supremacy, his prowess. I am not even close to him...!

    No, no...!

    The demon king was embarrassed to be lifted up unexpectedly.

    I have to say that Prince Arowana has a very high moral character as a ruler. As the head of a neighboring country, I could not feel more at ease if Prince Arowana would govern the mermaid kingdom.

    That''s very thoughtful of you. But I can''t be satisfied with the status quo. I must have the dignity and dignity to become a person more worthy of being a mermaid king.

    Prince Arowana kept repeating this question whenever he came to our house recently.

    It seemed that his victory in the martial arts competition had inspired him in both good and bad ways, and he had the opportunity to come back to our home to meet the Demon King. He is now very conscious of the proposition that

    Prince Arowana is now a dear friend and my wife''s brother.

    Let''s get out of the way and relieve him of his problems, me!

    ''What means do we have when it comes to equipping ourselves with dignity and respectability...?

    That''s exactly what Prince Arowana is looking for.

    Dignity...........

    Dignity..........

    I groaned and a ping flashed through my mind.

    ''How about a full complement of equipment?

    When a man enters from a form, he changes himself to fit that form.

    There''s also the case of Okubo, who wore a powerful armor and became a general.

    ''''The Demon King has a legendary weapon like the Angry Sacred Sword Ainrot, and if we can get Prince Arowana to follow in his footsteps and have some awesome weapon, it will give him a sense of dignity, right?

    You mean regalia........well, you have a point.

    Hearing my idea, the Demon King stroked his chin.

    Okay!¡¡As soon as we decide to do so, we''ll get fired up and make a weapon for Prince Arowana!

    The mana metal we have in stock is also known as ''the best metal on earth'', and if you strike it with my ''supreme bearer'', you should be able to make a pretty good weapon, even if it doesn''t reach the level of a holy sword.

    It seems that a male mermaid''s best weapon is a harpoon, so I''ll use that as a guide....

    As for the hilt, I''ll make it from an oak tree that we grow in the mountain dungeon...

    * * * *

    I got it!

    My harpoon, made by me, for Prince Arowana.

    Ho..........this.......

    What a strange shape it is, isn''t it...?

    Both the Demon King and Prince Arowana, who observed the finished product, were puzzled.

    ''''Yes!¡¡The purpose of this project is to enhance the dignity of the owner, so we tried to make the design look flashy!

    What kind of design was this?

    The harpoon I made for Prince Arowana was very unique, with a crescent-shaped blade, as opposed to the regular harpoon, which is straight and looks like a spear!

    What would happen if I let Prince Arowana have this one!

    He loves wrestling.

    He eats a bowl of pickled cucumbers.

    Prince Arowana equipped with a shell shield.

    He has all of these characteristics and has been criticized for being a kappa! But now that he''s equipped with a half-moon blade contraption, what does he look like...?

    Superstar of the kappa world!

    Satoru!

    .........it''s kind of hard to tell.

    It''s only known in the world I used to live in.

    And the weapon that looks like a pike that is used as her main weapon.

    I''m sorry, I got into a bad mood.

    I''m sorry.

    Next to me, Prince Arowana, while I was feeling sorry for myself, mastered the half-moon blade contraption, the culmination of my bad temper, and was having fun in a mock battle with the Demon King.

    ''''Oooohhhh!''''

    ''''Ryaaahhhh!''''

    With a half-moon spear in his right hand and a shell shield in his left, he successfully fought against the Demon King''s raging holy sword Ainrot.

    Of course, the Demon King may not be serious, but isn''t Prince Arowana one of the strongest princes in the world, able to fight the Demon King who has a holy sword in his hands in spite of his limitations?

    ''Prince Arowana. That''s enough for now.

    Yes. But Lord Demon Lord is so strong, he couldn''t find a way to break them down to the end.

    ''No, if I could have gone on any longer, my strength would not have lasted and I would have been exposed to some kind of discrepancy. Maybe it''s because I''ve been doing a lot of political work lately, but my body has been slowing down.

    They were having a strong conversation.

    They seemed to like it for some reason.

    ''''However........Although I am very grateful for the saintly lord''s kindness, I will not be able to pave the way to become the Mermaid King without training myself. ........I have hereby made up my mind!

    Prince Arowana is excited to be a part of this project.

    Determined to do what, exactly?

    "I''m going on a journey. I''m going on a journey to retrain myself from the ground up!

 175-174 Kaiojis departure

    Prince Arowana goes on a journey of training.

    So everyone around him is in a rather big hurry.

    Because he is the heir to the mermaid kingdom that controls the ocean, right?

    Moreover, the destination of the trip is on earth.

    He is going to look around various places on the earth, expand his knowledge and training.

    Then I''m off.

    The starting point is my farm.

    However, the farm is surrounded by vast, uninhabited mountains and fields, so we will first use transference magic to get to the Demon City, the home base of the Demon Kingdom, and then roam the country from there.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    I''m not going to be the only one.¡¡I''m going with you, Atai!

    Even now, he is still rioting while being seized by those around him.

    She was so fond of Prince Arowana, in fact, that she looked forward to his visit every few days, and it would be a painful experience for her to have that pleasure taken away.

    So I guess she came up with the idea of accompanying the prince and cackling in the water when it came to this, but that''s what we''re in trouble for.

    ''Because now Puffa is an indispensable part of our farm for the production of fermented foods and the management of the freezer.

    If he was gone for a few days, it was acceptable, but if he was gone for months, our food preservation system would collapse.

    "Puffa. "Puffa," he said, "it''s nice to hear your concern, but you and I both have a mission to fulfill in our respective locations. Let''s do the best we can, shall we?

    Puffa managed to calm down with the persuasion of Prince Arowana himself.

    "Prince...!¡¡Then this...!

    And Puffa held out a pendant of some sort.

    Some kind of crystal pendant that was as clear as ice?

    Think of this as an atai and keep it under your skin!

    All right. We''ll wear it around our necks at all times.

    And Prince Arowana wore the pendant he had received.

    Watching the exchange, I realized that Puffa also has a surprisingly cute side to him.

    Prince Arowana, please give a little advice from me...

    With that, he brings one of the orcs along.

    ''Let him accompany you, I''m sure there''s something dangerous about traveling alone.

    The orc working for us is a mutated Warrior Orc.

    He''s not one of the kids who will be in the leadership ranks of Orcbos and others, but he''ll be a sufficient help when rough weather happens.

    ''''Holy Lord, that''s bad...!¡¡He''s an important worker on the farm, isn''t he?

    He''s always wanted to get a glimpse of the outside world. I want you to help him expand his horizons.

    Well.

    Now let us give a new name to the orcs who are leaving with Prince Arowana.

    Orcs look very much like the people of this world, but in my former world, they were often depicted as pigs, so I decided to give him a new name.

    So I named him.

    Hackai!

    My bad mood was still going strong.

    Together with Prince Arowana, equipped with a sage-like half-moon blade contraption and a shell shield....

    An orc named Hakkai is leaving.

    You''ll find the monkey and the boy on the journey.

    And finally, Prati.

    Even though she''s the real sister of Prince Arowana, the traveler, she''s much slower to come out.

    ''I admire your self-discipline to become the Mermaid King. What are we going to do about this place?

    His words of farewell are as harsh as ever.

    ''''The blending tools and supplies that my brother delivers to me from the Mermaid Palace. I''ve been counting on them quite a bit. It would be rather troublesome if the supply was cut off.

    I have no problem with that, sister. I''ve already arranged for a representative.

    Agent?

    In my absence, that person should be able to follow in my stead.

    ''You must be a decent choice. I don''t want this place to be a big deal...?

    Prathi''s face crumbled with difficulty, but quickly.

    ''Well, but it''s tactless to complain any more about seeing your brother off trying to grow up. Take care.''

    ''Oh, next time I see you, I''ll see you in your new Mermaid King form!

    With one last display of brotherly friendship, Prince Arowana departed.

    It was an ordeal for him to become a champion.

    * * * *

    Will we miss you, sister-in-law?

    After Prince Arowana''s departure, Puffa was promptly teased.

    Prati is the one who is teasing him.

    ''Well, you can have a long-distance relationship, can''t you?¡¡I''ll just give up on this and wait for my brother to come back...

    The pendant I gave to the prince, huh?

    Yeah?

    At Puffa''s uncharacteristic tone of voice, Prati felt something too.

    It was Puffa''s tone of confidence in his victory.

    ''''When I heard that the prince was going on a training trip, I barged into my teacher''s place and made a pendant with crystals that I tried my best to die for.

    ''What?¡¡What''s that?¡¡You''re a teacher, the No Life King?

    It''s a combination of several coincidences and miracles that make it impossible to make the same one twice. It''s a portable transfer point crystal that contains the transfer point information of transfer magic.

    ''What?¡¡Huh?¡¡Ee~~?

    ''''As long as the prince has that thing, he can go anywhere and use transference magic to go by it. I learned transference magic from my teacher, and I also learned transference magic...

    With that, Puffa slammed a test tube containing some kind of potions and cracked it at his feet.

    Smoke rose from the spilled potions and enveloped Puffa''s body.

    ''It''s okay. I''ll be back before I start my daily work of making pickles...''''

    Then Puffa disappeared into the smoke of potions.

    You''re under Prince Arowana''s wing by now, on your travels.

    A crystal that seals in the transfer point is unheard of...?

    It''s a historical event that will topple the magic society if it''s announced...?

    ''''Moreover, you learned transference magic.... It was originally the magic of the demon race, but now it has been incorporated into the mermaid race''s pharmacy magic...?¡¡That''s a work of genius, too...?

    Prathi and other mermaids of his kind who witnessed the scene were all stunned.

    Even to my untrained eye, what Puffa managed to do was a miraculous bargain sale at a great discount.

    The power of love that made it happen is great.

 176-175 Transformation Angel

    "I-I-I-I like onigiri.

    I am Hermes, God of Wisdom.

    I am currently visiting my brother god Hephaistos in the heavenly realm.

    I respect this deity, but he''s still very difficult to deal with face to face.

    ''''Excuse me, brother. I didn''t bring you a rice ball. How is the adjustment of the splicing angel I asked you to make?''''

    The other day, the girl who gave you the gift offered you a rice ball. It was very tasty with a red and spicy substance inside. The End

    ..........

    It''s hard to do.

    Hephaistos, the god of modeling, may be a craftsman, but he tends to be slow-paced and doesn''t read the atmosphere.

    I know that this is part of this god''s personality, but it''s hard to face him.

    ''''........I''m really sorry to Brother Hephaistos for assigning him another job in the midst of the busy construction of the Binding and Chaining Temple for Zeus God''s house arrest.''''

    "Oh, no, you''re not. I''m happy to be working on angels again, aren''t I?

    Oh.

    Good talk.

    "Papa''s temple and the angelic adjustments have already been made, haven''t they? You wanted me to check on the work.

    And he works fast.

    ''''Really?¡¡Not only to adjust the angels, but also the temple of bondage for your father''s house arrest?¡¡That idiot father would have been able to get out of his own house with a makeshift ward!

    "Bah, it''s not the Binding Temple.

    ?

    "So it''s the Bokuza Binden Vajra Chain Black Thorns Eternal Labyrinth (Cocytos Ver.)

    ...........

    His resentment towards the Father God was also all over the marrow.

    That idiot father was all over the place, because he looked down on a taciturn and upright craftsman like Brother Hephaistos.

    Father.

    This Anata, wouldn''t it have been better if he had been dropped by Tartarus?

    Geez.

    ''Oh, oh, do you have a rice ball?''

    I don''t have one.

    * * *

    ''So this is the adjusted angel you ordered. You don''t let them call it a patchwork angel anymore, do you?

    Oh!

    Yes, indeed!

    The angel lying in Brother Hephaistos''s workshop had changed from the one right after it had been unearthed and rerouted, and was now shining as bright as new.

    Currently, it seemed to be sleeping on a pedestal, as if it hadn''t been activated yet.

    ''''The whole thing has become more evenly proportioned. Before, it seemed to be something of a prickly impression, but...''''

    ''It''s because each angel used for the parts had a different physique. You made the arms that originally belonged to Bonosfon and the legs of Limosfon the right length.

    This angel was made by multiplying the parts of many angels that were destroyed four thousand years ago.

    Even though Brother Hephaistos gave me a gift, the idea of that saint is beyond even God.

    ''''But as for the torso, you haven''t messed with it much, have you?

    Yeah.

    The buttocks of Logosfon, who had an ample and mature body shape, is in the chest of Hussminephone, who had a loli body and a flat chest...!¡¡This unbalanced yet steady whip feeling...!''''

    "Since ancient times, the heavier the bottom, the more secure it is.

    I shook hands with my brother Hephaistos gingerly.

    ''Brother!¡¡I knew you were a god of modeling!

    You know exactly what you''re doing!

    ''''Bu...bu...bu...you purged some of your armaments and replaced them with new ones, didn''t you? You''ve prioritized convenience over eradication.

    I see you got your wings.

    ''''Ah, that was the supervisor, the Eris God, who forced you to wear it. It''s going to look fancy, but it''s a distraction to your daily life.''

    It''s true that if those big wings were attached to my back, they would be a hindrance.

    You can''t lie on your back when you sleep.

    However, even if you pursue convenience, you''re armed well.

    That''s my brother.

    "Then activate it. ...then activate it...

    With a mysterious call, Brother Hephaistos presses the switch, and you can feel a hint of high-dimensional mana being released from the power part of the lying angel, filling each part of the body.

    The angel who got up.

    Speaking of which, brother Hephaistos. You''ve adjusted the exterior a lot, but what''s going on inside?

    At the time of the previous activation, the personalities of each angel used for the parts were mixed together and seemed to be pretty much out of whack...?

    Hey. Hello?¡¡When I woke up, there were two gloomy gods'' faces in a row.¡¡What''s the worst that can happen?

    ...................

    It''s still broken.

    ''''What do you mean, brother?''''

    ''You didn''t really tamper with the thought process, did you?

    Why?

    It needs to be worked on first!

    Look at how out of order it is!

    "This in itself is her newfound personality. Ugh, fate is in her character. Her destiny is in her character, and she can''t let anyone else change it.

    To my brother, even an angel manufactured as a bio-weapon should be respected for its personality.

    This personality is ah!

    Brother Hephaistos is thus surprisingly compassionate among the gods of heaven and respects the free will of the children of men.

    ''''Ka, ka, her thoughts are jumbled up with the personalities of many angels, aren''t they? How to reconcile them and complete them into a single personality should be left up to her future experience and thoughtfulness.''

    I see.

    Isn''t this Hermes, the God of Wisdom, the perfect guide to perfect her character?

    After all, he''s a god of wisdom!

    ''Uh, nice to meet you, I should say.¡¡I am Hermes, the God of Wisdom.

    I''m taking on the role of teacher to guide you from this day forward.

    That''s the role of a son who will redeem the mistakes of his idiot father Zeus!

    Oh?¡¡You don''t want to be bothered by that, do you?

    But the angel rebounded from God''s good intentions with a single shot.

    I''ve resurrected, so I want to do as I please. I don''t care about God or anything else. I don''t want you to be so greedy. It''s weird...

    ........

    I can hear the sound of blood vessels expanding inside my body.

    ''Okay, okay. I think you need some more special education.

    "Heh, heh, Hermes, you''re really pissed off, aren''t you?

    I''d bring trouble to the saints if I sent her back to earth with such a rude girl.

    I have to use my wits and discipline her to be at least polite.

    That level of character correction is necessary for the child to acquire social skills!

    ''''So, brother Hephaistos, that''s why. I''ll take this boy with me.''''

    But you''ve done everything you can do here, so you don''t mind. But..........?

    I girded this rude angel''s body tightly and carried her up on my shoulder as it was.......

    "One of the forty-eight wisdom techniques of Hermes, the God of Wisdom........

    He knocked it down vertically to his feet.

    ''''Celestial vertical falling brainbuster!''''

    The angel child''s brain collided with the floor.

    Since this is the heavenly realm, the floor collapses with the momentum of the brainbuster, slips underneath, breaks through the clouds and falls straight to the ground.

    The rude angel and I went from the heavenly realm to the earth........

    * * * *

    ¡ý (falling).

    * * * *

    Zdoooooooooong.

    Falling from the heavenly realm in one fell swoop, arriving on earth.

    Action from there. On earth, I sought out a person and made a wish for him.

    "Poseidon''s Family!¡¡I need you to do something for me.¡¡Let this stupid girl come along with you on your journey and let her learn a thing or two!

 177-176 Hakkai

    I am Hakkai the Warrior Orc.

    I am an Orc who has been allowed to go on a roaming tour of the world with Prince Arowana.

    Originally, we were meant to help the saints on their farms, but it seems that I myself am different from the other orcs in some ways.

    I have always had a desire to see the outside world with my own eyes and to spread my knowledge.

    When I heard that Prince Arowana, who would be in and out of the farm, was going on a trip, I said, "This is my chance! When I appealed to them to be my companion, both the saint and leader Okubo agreed.

    They even gave us a new name, Hakkai, and we are so grateful for the warmth of our friends!

    * * *

    That''s how I, Hakkai, and Prince Arowana departed, but as soon as we started, we had a new companion.

    A new companion joined us as soon as we started, a female mermaid named Puffa, who was also a farm companion.

    Puffa, why are you here?

    Prince Arowana was baffled by Puffa''s sudden appearance with transference magic.

    It seems there is a trick in the pendant she gave him when she saw him off, and as long as he has it on him, he can fly back to her at any time with transference magic.

    On the way back, he could fly to the transition point at the farm.

    So Puffa seems to plan to travel with Prince Arowana and work on the farm, forcing him to live a life of back and forth.

    Prince Arowana seemed to be puzzled by this, but....

    .........I''ll just have to give up on this.

    The obsession of a maiden in love is unbelievable.

    * * * *

    In such a way, the three of us decided to go on our way.

    Our first destination was the country of the demon race, the capital of the demon kingdom, the demon city.

    We destroyed our arch-enemy, the human nation, and now it''s in a position where we can say that it''s the center of the earth.

    The reason why he decided to stay here first was simply because it was the easiest place to reach by transfer magic from the farm.

    The Demon City is the home of Demon King Zedan-sama.

    He frequents the farm as much as Prince Arowana, and he and Prince Zedan are close friends.

    The King of Demons welcomed Prince Arowana with open arms.

    At the prince''s request, the welcome was kept secret, but even so, the heavyweights of the demon kingdom took turns meeting with the prince day and night, and the trip suddenly took on a political flavor.

    All the while, Puffa-san sat next to Prince Arowana, sometimes defusing the situation with elegant jokes.

    I, Hakkai, was also at the meeting under the guise of being a bodyguard, but I overheard the conversations of the demon tribe members who were leaving after finishing their conversation........

    ''''........well, the prince of the mermaid kingdom has a beautiful wife again.

    "He''s not only beautiful, he''s intelligent. Even my queen, Queen Astareth, is no match for her.

    When that couple comes to power, I don''t think the demons will be able to get their heads around it.

    ...................

    The outer moat has been filled in for sure.

    Also, we went sightseeing in the Demon City.

    The sight of Prince Arowana and Puffa-san walking through the city streets side by side with the two of them is nothing more than a date.

    They were looking at the shops in a friendly manner and sometimes bought things they liked, though.

    .........

    What?

    Wait a minute, sir?¡¡Those clothes you just bought, they''re farm-branded, aren''t they, Mr. Batty?

    It sounds like you paid a lot of money for it, but that''s the stuff they give out in Loja when you get back to the farm!

    * * * *

    After staying in the Demon City for a few days, it was time to leave.

    In parting, the Demon King gave Prince Arowana a gift.

    On this traffic note, it is written that you are an ''important friend'' of the Demon King. Now that the former human kingdom is under my control, there is no place on earth that you cannot pass through with it.

    I am very sorry for your concern. I''d like to study up on the ground.

    We''ll wrestle again when we get back!

    Thus, the Sea Prince and the Demon King parted after a firm embrace.

    ........This is definitely peaceful, right?

    Well, anyway, this is where we begin in earnest, into the infinite world.

    We''ll grow in touch with all sorts of nature and people on earth, turning our experiences into flesh and blood!

    ...but the Prince?

    I know it''s too late to ask, but why do you travel on earth?

    Since the prince is a mermaid, wouldn''t the ocean be a more natural place for him to go on his training journey?

    ''''...For mermaids, land is perceived as a dangerous and difficult place to traverse. That''s why by treading on land, they can gain further ability and growth!

    It''s true that the earth is a different world for mermaids.

    But I don''t think it''s often that unimaginable hardships fall that far.

    Thud.

    And then it came down?

    What was that thing that looked like it was in some kind of difficulty?

    I''m Hermes, God of Heaven. I''m Hermes, God of Heaven, the God of Wisdom and Knowledge.

    The graceful man who fell from the heavens appeared from an improbable direction, a sudden turn of events!

    But "so what? And then he started talking as if nothing had happened.

    Naturally, I, Prince Arowana and Puffa were all aghast.

    ''''Let''s get right to it, Poseidon''s tribe!¡¡I need you to do something for me.¡¡I''ll let this stupid girl accompany you on your journey and learn a lot about you!

    I''d like to see a girl who is unusually fit in the lower half of her body in spite of her skinny upper body.

    It''s just that this girl has just rebooted for the first time in four thousand years. She''s still mentally unstable. I will accompany you on your journey to gain experience and grow mentally!¡¡Wahahaha!''''

    The intention to push off with momentum was clearly evident.

    ''''I''ll tell you.¡¡Let the little girl travel!¡¡What? I''m not trying to be a pain in the ass!¡¡She''s a lot of things!¡¡It couldn''t hurt to take them there!''

    "...what can you do?

    "I can destroy the world.

    Take me home!

    She''s as bad as the teacher at the farm, Mr. Veerle, and Holkosfon-chan, isn''t she?

    But in the end, we ended up taking her with us.

    Prince Arowana said that since this is a journey of training to become a great king in the future, the more difficulties the better.

    Then, please take care of her. I am sure that the journey with this child will be a rewarding one.''

    Hello.

    .........

    Her manner of speaking made everyone, including me, just a little annoyed.

    ''''........So, the important thing is....

    Prince Arowana looked hungry already.

    ''What is her name?¡¡If we don''t hear it first, there''s nothing we can do for our traveling companions.

    ''Well, before assembly, the personalities of Neikosfon, Bonosfon, Hyusminephon, Logosfon and Limosfon are fused together, so it doesn''t make sense to choose one of them...''

    ?

    What are you talking about, God?

    ''''........It would be better to give it a new name here. ''''Yes, in keeping with the saintly lord''s intentions...''''

    Sunggok Phone.

    And she was named.

    We have added a fourth person to our journey.

 178-177 Sea Debate

    My name is Hendler.

    I was born into one of the most famous families in the land of mermaids. My family has served the Mermaid King for generations and has produced many famous generals and officials.

    I was born the second son of four brothers and sisters in this family.

    Instead of joining such a distinguished family, I went down to the field and neither became a soldier nor an official, but earned my living editing books and critiquing current trends.

    He was called a "scholar-sensei," but in essence, he was a wandering, rootless wastrel.

    Lately, however, the world is becoming unsettled and my surroundings are becoming more and more hectic.

    Nowadays, the biggest worry for the mermaid kingdom is not the sea where we live, but the land.

    It is the turmoil of the different species living on earth.

    The destruction of the human nation.

    When the news came, the mermaid kingdom was greatly disturbed.

    The land wars, which had been fought over for thousands of years and which no one doubted would continue to be fought in the future, came to an abrupt end.

    The mermaids were most interested in what would happen in the future.

    What would the winners of the long war do next?¡¡That''s what it means.

    The humans defeated.

    The demon tribe defeated.

    Now that they are victorious, what will they do next?

    Will you be relieved at the position you''ve earned and bask in the peace thereafter?

    Or do you not appreciate the end of Hodo and seek a new battle?

    If it''s the former, then so be it.

    Our mermaid nation will continue to enjoy the same peace as in the past.

    But what if it''s the latter?

    If the demon race still wants to fight over the human race, the next enemy is most likely to be one of the three major races, my mermaids.

    So, the debaters and critics in the mermaid kingdom are now arguing and arguing over a single issue, and they never stopped for a moment.

    Will the demons invade the mermaid kingdom?¡¡That''s what I''m talking about.

    There is a recent incident on that subject that I cannot help but mention.

    Our beloved mermaid king, His Majesty Nagas.

    It is the marriage of Princess Prati, the first princess of His Majesty the Mermaid King, in a huff.

    Princess Prati is not only a splendid princess, but also one of the best-eyed and most skilled magicians in the country, so it was difficult to get her to be your wife.

    Even people from abroad, such as humans and demons, raised their hands as candidates for the groom.

    This was discussed in various places at the time because a military alliance would be automatically formed with the one who was chosen.

    Should Princess Prati marry into the demon race?

    Or should I marry into the human race?

    That''s the debate.

    The choice of the fate of the mermaid kingdom was seriously debated at the time, but in the end, Princess Platy did not marry either of them.

    According to the rumor, she survived the war on earth by marrying into the hands of a saint, a non-human or demonic person.

    When I heard about this, I thought it was a good idea.

    In fact, as a debater, even before the debate was over, I had argued that we shouldn''t choose either of them.

    I even relied on my family''s power to talk directly to the Mermaid King.

    I''m embarrassed to remember now that I''m also an imprudent man.

    But that''s not the point.

    In less than a year since then, the situation has changed.

    The demon race destroyed the human race and became the supreme power on earth.

    This reignited the debate about the past marriage ceremony.

    The faction that insisted that ''Princess Prati should marry into the demon race'' at the time was screaming like a demon.

    If only Princess Plati had been allowed to marry a demon at that time, the mermaid kingdom would be safe and sound!

    And.

    If Princess Plati had married a demon, the demons and mermaids would have been related by marriage.

    Even if the demon race became the leader of the land, there was no need for them to become enemies.

    If, on the contrary, they had been related to the human nation, that would have been the worst choice and would not have been able to see it.

    But at least the reality is that both the best and the worst were avoided with a single move of ''I chose neither''.

    But that''s why the fate of the Mermaid Nation depends on the future steerage of the country, and that''s why a careful political decision is required.

    The detractors who once argued that ''Princess Platy should be married off to the demon race'' have become very good at this and are calling out, ''It''s not too late.

    ''''It''s not too late!¡¡If Princess Plati isn''t there, then we will make her sister princess, the Second Princess Angel, the second princess of Angel, the side room of the Demon King to strengthen the relationship with the Demon Kingdom!

    And so on.

    But I don''t think that''s a good plan.

    The situation has completely changed from the time when Prati-sama''s marriage proposal was brought up to now.

    The demon race, which once maintained a delicate balance of power in their standoff with the human race, is now the champion of the land.

    If we were to propose marriage to this champion, it could be taken as a sign of vassalage if we are not careful.

    We would be defeated without a fight.

    The leaders of the mermaid kingdom are also concerned about this and cannot send out emissaries, so they are unable to gather information from the land as they would like.

    With irresponsible gossip such as the army of the demon race attacking the ocean floor tomorrow, the mermaids'' anxiety had reached an extreme level.

    If this was the case, the mermaid nation would destroy itself without even being attacked by the demon tribe''s army.

    We have to do something about it...!

    * * *

    ........So I ran into the son of the Mermaid King''s son, that is, the next Mermaid King, Prince Arowana.

    Again, it''s a shame to rely on the power of my birth family, but I was born the second son of a powerful nobleman in the mermaid kingdom, and I had known Prince Arowana since I was a child.

    We discussed it with him and tried to find a way for the mermaid kingdom to maintain its independence, but...

    ''Oh, Hendler. I''m going on an apprenticeship.

    The first thing he said was, "What?

    ''''What?''''

    That was all I could say.

    At this time of crisis in the history of the mermaid kingdom, the next king who will be responsible for the future of the mermaid kingdom is going to leave the country without a fight?

    The next king of the mermaid kingdom is leaving the country without a fight? I''ve come to the right place. I have a favor to ask of you.

    Do you...?

    ''Yes. You''re not employed by anyone anyway, so you''re not busy. I need you to deliver something to my sister for me to leave the country.

    * * *

    That''s why I''m here.

    The errand I took on from Prince Arowana was to deliver a package to Princess Prati, who had married into the land.

    He said he was leaving on an apprenticeship to deliver some herbs and equipment that the princess needed to create a magic potion that she couldn''t obtain on land, so the prince was going to deliver it to her regularly.

    Does that mean that I have the opportunity to meet Princess Prati, who has not made a single public appearance since the marriage fiasco?

    I never expected to get an audience with you in this way.

    Princess Prati has avoided the difficulties of the past by marrying into the saint, so she doesn''t belong to either of the demon race or the human race, and she doesn''t have to fight against either of them.

    This is my guess, but isn''t the saint really not real?

    I think.

    Princess Prati is an intelligent woman, and has even been nicknamed "The Witch of the Crown" by her inferiors.

    It''s impossible for her to understand the folly of supporting two opposing forces.

    By setting up a fictional saint, she was able to make excuses to the demons and humans, and at the same time keep herself away from the noisy world of the world.

    I think so.

    That free-spirited man could do this.

    But this is also an opportunity.

    Since Prince Arowana has gone off on his own, now is the time for you to return to Princess Prati and persuade King Nagas to negotiate with the High Priestesses.

    This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to talk to them directly!

    Even though I''m a retired veteran, I''m ready to lay down my life for my country.

    I almost died once when I asked the mermaid king to give me a personal plea.

    Now, I''ll do my best to persuade you again, even if that means being rude to you for the sake of my country.

    That''s how a debater''s life is laid to rest!

 179-178 Direct appeal

    Continuing on, it was Hendler, the mermaid debater.

    He has reached land after cruising the currents directed by Prince Arowana.

    ''There must be no mistake here...!

    The saint''s farm where Princess Prati is hiding out, or so it is said.

    I took a land humanization potion to transform myself, put on my trousers tightly, and proceeded deeper into the land, dressed unashamedly.

    Then I met someone right away.

    ''''Excuse me, are you sure this is a farm run by a saint?

    He spoke to me in a polite manner, but without any sign of arrogance.

    As a person who calls himself a debater, he should be able to adjust his attitude to this level.

    When he was questioned by me, I immediately recognized him as a demon.

    How true. I don''t live here, though. I''m just an occasional visitor who comes here to relax and unwind.

    ''I am sorry to be rude about it. If you don''t mind, I''d like to see our Lord here...?

    As we conversed, I felt something smoldering on the underside of my skin.

    Why is there a demon race here?

    Where Princess Platy is supposed to be hiding, here?

    Is this land already under the breath of the demon tribe?

    Yes. ¡¡Saint!¡¡We''ve got a guest coming!

    The demon tribe calls out in a loud voice, but once again, it is clear that this tribe is not just any ordinary person.

    It''s not just about the physical strength of the body, but also the presence of a spirit that is like a blade forged through 100 battles.

    No matter how strong the demon tribe is, there is no one with this level of dominance that can exceed ten fingers.

    What is the Saint''s Farm where this powerful demon tribe resides?

    ''Yes, yes, yes, yes!¡¡What''s the matter, Demon King?

    Soon after, a contrastingly hilarious human race came from the field?¡¡A young man who appeared to be a young man came in.

    .........

    I mean, what did he just say?

    ''This one''s visiting the saint''s hall, apparently a mermaid tribe?

    ''Ah!¡¡You''re Prince Arowana''s agent!¡¡I''m listening to you!¡¡Thanks a long way!

    The man greets me with a very soft manner.

    Is he a saint by the way he''s called?

    You''re real...!

    ''What?¡¡What is it?

    Quickly my guess was wrong.

    So that means he has won the heart of Princess Plati...?

    Oh, no...!¡¡Indeed I am Hendler, and I have a delivery from Prince Arowana. I''d like to see Princess Platy, if you don''t mind.

    ''Of course!¡¡Let me show you around.¡¡Platy!¡¡Prati, it''s a customer!

    Anyway, I had to follow them.

    The saint I had a hunch was fictitious, and the fields around him were magnificent and magnificent.

    What in the world was this?¡¡I can''t get rid of the confusion that I''m feeling.

    Even about that brawny demon tribe that walks in harmony with the saint or something....

    ''''Excuse me, Demon King, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to make you deal with the visitors...!

    "I lived here for a time, so that should not be a problem. I used to live here for a time too, so no problem.

    Hmm?

    Hmm?

    * * *

    It''s true.

    Princess Prati.

    How many months has it been since I''ve seen your face?

    You''re your brother''s agent.¡¡Thanks for making it this far.

    After handing over the blending tools that Prince Arowana had entrusted to me, I immediately took matters into my own hands.

    That is, an invasion of the mermaid kingdom by demons.

    Now that the human nation has been destroyed, it''s not surprising that the demons might see us as the target of a new battle.

    We must do everything we can to stop the demons before that happens.

    Help Princess Plati!

    She was a rare witch and pleaded with the princess.

    ''Oh, the mermaid kingdom is so much more than that now...''

    Princess Prati''s reaction was also somewhat bland.

    ''''Well, it''s not that I didn''t expect it. If that''s the case, why don''t you just ask her to make it clearer in black and white here?

    Yeah, is that you?

    What do you think, Demon King?¡¡Will the demon race invade the mermaid kingdom?

    Princess Prati asked the first strong demon tribe she encountered after coming here as an example.

    ''''It''s a foolish question. There is no reason for our demon tribe to attack the mermaid kingdom.

    Of course.

    The war with the humans was a defensive war that was launched by the other side. The war with the human race is a defensive war that was launched by the other side, and because it was judged that the offensive was inevitable until the other side was destroyed, it was merely a way of stopping them from becoming a nation.

    The strong demon tribe said with a voice full of reality, "The mermaids do not want a war with us.

    The mermaids don''t want a war with us demons," the strong demon tribe said in a voice full of emotion. We only give them what they want. If it''s hostility, give them hostility. Friendship, then friendship.

    "And that was Demon King Zedan''s comment.

    Demon king Zedan.

    Demon King!¡¡Isn''t this the commander of the Demon Lord''s army?

    Why is there such a high level existence?

    That''s what this place is all about. For example, do you see that human tribe girl behind that window, hoeing?

    What?¡¡Yes....?

    That''s Lettuce Slate, the princess of the destroyed human nation.

    What the hell?

    What''s going on here?¡¡Why are we going to have three royalty, man and demon fishes here?

    "When we are between affairs, we come here to calm our troubled minds. Your Prince Arowana often comes here to rest and relax.

    And Demon King Zedan.

    You don''t mean to tell me you know my prince?

    Acquaintance? We wrestled with Prince Arowana, and we are friends. When he becomes the Mermaid King, he will have a hundred years of friendship with the demon kingdom.

    Prince Arowana!

    When did you score a perfect score in diplomacy?

    You''ve become the most powerful head of state on earth and a mabuddlehead!

    Could it be that you were convinced that there was no problem with this, so you ignored the controversy in the country and went on a training trip, Prince!

    ''''During his journey, the prince stopped by my Demon City and met many of the chief ministers. Both sides are unanimous that we will eventually formally announce our friendship with the Demon Kingdom and the Mermaid Kingdom.

    "Sooner or later...?¡¡Why not just ''now''?

    It''s a trick I''ve used before, but when the people who should be speaking are silent, it''s easy for some rash people to do something rash.

    !

    Prince Arowana will want to clean up the old order before he can become king. He''s just waiting for the place to warm up so that it''ll be easier for him to get his feet wet. And you will do it by training yourself.

    Is that so........?

    In general, those who lambast the current regime for not marrying off Princess Plati to the demon tribe are also increasing their condemnation of the current system.

    Those people will be embarrassed the moment the truth is revealed.

    It''s like being confronted with incontrovertible proof that "what you say is not worth believing," since the current regime, which they have so often criticized, has been shown to be super-efficient.

    After that, their voice will fade rapidly, and this is the perfect opportunity to expose the insurgents.

    In order to round them up, it would be better for the rebels to get on their game.

    That''s what Prince Arowana''s silence and furthermore, his absence is aimed at!

    What''s the rush when they''ve already established a firm trust with their opponents and promised a major upset?

    "You look like you understand everything. "The mermaids have a lot of talent.

    Hendler is your brother''s favorite.

    Now we have nothing to worry about...!

    Prince Arowana, after all, you were the right person to trust with the future of the mermaid kingdom!

    My suspicions are confirmed. I will now dismiss you!

    ''What?¡¡You''re leaving already?¡¡Why don''t you go out for dinner and not so fast?¡¡Tell the mermaids who live in our house how things are back home.

    Princess Prathi, saying, "Princess Prathi, some people are called out in a loud voice.

    ''Lamp eye!¡¡Gala Rufa!¡¡And my sister-in-law!¡¡Come here for a minute!

    In response, a tall woman with blazing red hair emerged.

    Hmm?¡¡Is she...?

    What can I do for you, Master Prati?

    "Lamprey''s the only one who came. Well that''s all right. We have a new guest from the mermaid kingdom. So, since we''re here, let''s have a pleasant conversation...

    "Huh?¡¡This man is ?

    The tall woman looked at me and noticed with a start.

    I realized as much.

    "You''re the Kingsguard who beat me to a pulp in audience with the King?

    You''re the impostor who cursed Lady Prati in front of His Majesty the King!

 180-179 Expand

    Lamp Eye, the "Hellfire Witch" is one of the mermaids who work at our farm.

    She is one of the six witches who are reputed to be the most outstanding female potion user among mermaids, and she used to be a soldier in the mermaid''s castle.

    Because of such a background, her loyalty to Platy, the mermaid princess, is absolute. It''s almost as if her enemies are her enemies.

    After all, because of her previous job as a soldier, she is unusually specialized in fighting among mermaids, and often raids the dungeons alongside Okubo and the others.

    This is her story in this article.

    * * * *

    Yes, that''s me.

    I''ll take the story from here on out.

    I''ve been in the air for a while now because I haven''t been able to keep up with the political discussion between Plati, the Demon King, and the Mermaid''s guests.

    And Mr. Hendler, Prince Arowana''s agent, right?¡¡The drawing room is now in an uproar as the guests greet the

    ''Stand down, Master Prati!¡¡I''ll not have you anywhere near this rude bastard!

    As for you!¡¡Having a violent soldier like you in the vicinity of Princess Platy is the last thing on my mind!¡¡What are the Kingsguard thinking!

    Mr. Hendler and Lamp-Eye cursed each other and couldn''t get it together.

    What is this?

    You two know each other?

    Is this...?

    Prathi, who is sitting on the top seat with a sour look on her face, seems to have some idea of what''s going on.

    I mean, I can''t solve the mystery except for her, who is the only person here right now who is involved.

    ''Hasn''t your husband ever heard of it?¡¡How did Lamp Eye get here?

    Uh...?

    Basically, the mermaids who have come to work on our farm are usually prisoners of the mermaid kingdom.

    They''ve come to stay with us as part of a plea bargain, in exchange for exile on our farm.

    Lamprey is no exception, and before she came to us, she was also a prisoner in the Mermaid Kingdom.

    The reason for her capture................................was because of a violent incident, I believe.

    They say she beat up a nobleman in front of the king or something.

    What do you mean...?

    The nobleman they say Lampwick beat up in front of the king...

    He, Hendler.

    "...that would explain the situation.

    So, Mr. Hendler is an aristocrat?

    ''He''s a debater in the field, but he''s supposed to be well-born. That''s why my brother and I are good friends. As I recall, he was born into a warrior family, but he didn''t want to join the army, so he ran away from home or something...?¡¡Didn''t you do that or...?

    That''s unreliable information.

    In the meantime, the bickering between Hendler and Lamprey is getting more heated.

    Lady Platy!¡¡Permission to burn this scoundrel!¡¡This wicked thing must be planning to do something terrible!

    I''ll do the same thing!¡¡Aren''t you doing a stint in a trench cell?¡¡You''re an escaped convict?¡¡I''ll have to call the authorities and have them arrest you!

    Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...!

    Calm down, both of you!

    I don''t need a blood feud on my farm anyway!

    Well, I think we''re getting somewhere.

    ''What do you mean?'' said Prathi, with a knowing look.

    ''What do you mean, Prati?''

    It was my brother who sent Hendler, wasn''t it?¡¡He has this kind of way of getting through to me. He thinks he''s being kind, but he''s too stuffy...

    ?

    "Lamprey is one of the more decent mermaid prisoners that were sent to us. He is an elite member of the Kingsguard. In fact, before he was imprisoned, he was sometimes called the ''Sixth Witch''s Only Sense''.

    The only disgraceful thing about her being a prisoner was the violence in the king''s presence.

    ''Hendler is the victim of that, isn''t he?¡¡If he works on that, he might be able to wipe away the only stain on the lamp eye. That''s why your brother sent him in.

    I see.

    It sounds like something Prince Arowana might come up with.

    "If Lump-Eye apologizes and Hendler accepts," he said, "all his past sins will be behind him. "If Lamprey apologizes and Hendler accepts, his past sins will be behind him, and he''ll be free of all charges. There may be a way for you to return to the Mermaid Palace Kingsguard.

    What do you think?

    ''What do you mean?'' asked Prathi to Lamprey.

    ''Can''t you apologize again to Mr. Hendler here?

    I''m afraid not.

    He answered immediately.

    ''First of all, I have no desire to return to the Kingsguard. It is my supreme pleasure to serve you here in the service of Lord Prati. .... moreover!

    It''s getting hotter and hotter as he talks.

    ''''I would never bow to such a rude person!¡¡What this man said in the presence of the king!¡¡I can recite it without missing a single word!

    ''''Anyway, Princess Plati is a pharmacy nerd who doesn''t know any civility, so there''s no way she''ll be able to marry anywhere.

    "...is that right?¡¡How can you let this happen?¡¡This insult to royalty cannot be tolerated by those of us who are loyal to them!

    Well..., I guess you''re right, huh?

    Prathi himself says.

    At the time of this debacle, Prathi had already run away from home and didn''t know all the details.

    ''How on earth did you come up with this statement?¡¡Hendler?

    It is with great pains that I explain to the princess herself, but...

    Hendler is in awe, as expected.

    ''''It all started with Princess Prati''s marriage ceremony. Whether to marry into the demon race or the human race...

    Yeah, that.

    ''''In that debate, I was a so-called neutral party. The human race, the demon race, no matter which side I married into, the situation could only get worse. I shouldn''t marry into either...

    That''s an extremely valid argument in itself.

    When I spoke directly to His Majesty the Mermaid King to make my point, I lost my nerve and slipped up. She happened to be in the audience security area and overheard me.

    And it was raining blood.

    ''Look at them!¡¡You are the one who needs to apologize!¡¡You must get down on your knees to your insulted counterpart, Princess Prati, for your past mistakes!

    No, I can''t do that.

    Huh?

    I am an orator. A debater must do justice to his own words, even if they are gibberish. If I were to correct and retract each and every one of them, my entire word would eventually lose its power!

    I''ve always found the debaters to be very annoying.

    "Therefore, I will not take back any of my words. I will not take back any of my words, even if I get beaten to death for them!¡¡Because when you lose your arrogance, you cease to be a debater!

    ''Well said!¡¡Then I''ll shut your rude mouth and you''ll never speak again!

    Oh, you call for violence again?

    It''s not violence. This is not violence, but the Hammer of Justice. I will punish those who disrespect royalty on your behalf!

    Very well. I was caught off guard and could not do much about it. But if I''m up against it, I''ll be able to take my chances with a woman. And I''ll prove it!

    Something like that.

    * * * *

    Duel.

    Hendler vs. Lamp Eye.

    For some reason, that''s what happened.

    The two are already outside the mansion, exchanging contradictions with each other.

    Moreover, Hendler is surprisingly strong.

    He avoided the Lamp Eye''s special explosive magic pills and accurately hit the contraption.

    ''''Even though you''re a debater, you were born in a noble family from a warrior''s family, so it seems you''ve practiced martial arts in one way or another.

    Heh.

    "I just heard at a glance that my brother also participated in the Muso swimming tournament he won the other day, and he made it to the final tournament. I heard that he lost in the first round when he had a bout with the master of the sunfish.

    I don''t know, but isn''t that pretty awesome?

    I hope they recognize each other''s abilities in battle and reconcile, because Lamp Eye is a simple soldier, too.

    So you authorized this duel?

    ''I want the kids who work for us to be sunny and free if possible, so I want to take that chance with a bang. It would be nice if Puffa could marry her brother, and Lamprey would also take this opportunity...''''

    If only I could unwind the coils with Hendler and get the charges expunged...?

    I wonder if it will work....

    The two of them hate each other like dogs and monkeys.

    In a shonen manga type of development, something like "Let''s tie up, then we''re buddies" was supposed to happen.

    * * * *

    Marry me...!

    Yes....!

    Huh?!!!!?

    What the hell happened?

    Did I miss something?

    When I woke up, things were happening in a way I never thought possible.

    "Platy...!¡¡What happened?¡¡What made you decide to propose...?

    I don''t know, I didn''t see any moves. I don''t know. I didn''t see any moves.¡¡When in the world did we get to be in such a relationship!

    This is the sensation of blowing time away.

    It''s not a small thing, like "I just took my eyes off you for a second...".

    Lamprey and Hendler held each other''s hands and were immersed in their world.

    .........Is it right to say that this is all settled?

    I don''t even feel that there was a commotion, though.

    * * * *

    He proposed to her and she agreed, but not before he actually got registered.

    My lifelong mission is to protect Princess Plati. I will not give up my lifelong mission to protect Princess Prati.

    No matter what happens, he will never leave our farm as long as Prathi is there.

    ''I asked her to marry me with all the force I could muster, but I am not allowed to take a wife as a guest. I am sorry for her if I don''t at least do some good.

    He said as they held each other''s hands tightly together.

    For the first time, I felt annoyed with these two men.

    For a while, they''re going to enjoy a form of commuter marriage from Hendler, while bringing in supplies from the mermaid country on behalf of Prince Arowana.

    Blast.

    His new wife is just the "Hellfire Witch".

 181-180 Travel Trip, Land Trip Part 1

    "You must be wondering why you did it?

    I said.

    I said, looking down at the ranks of the strongest undead soldiers we''ve spent the last five hundred years building.

    They''re all ready to go into battle, and the wreckage is filling their lifeless cave eyes with a murderous atmosphere.

    You can count on me.

    And I am naturally the leader of these corpses.

    Once I was the Demon King.

    And now I''m the Immortal King.

    I''m the Emperor of the No-Life King.

    Why am I the Emperor?

    You will understand this when you listen to my speech from now on.

    I am going to be the ruler of this world. I am going to be the ruler of this world. I am the master of all. That''s what I wanted, the greatest power on earth, eternal life.

    In search of them, he made the best use of the Demon King''s power, transforming his own magical city into a dungeon and transforming himself into the No Life King.

    I''ve been away from the rule of death for a few hundred years now. But my ambition is not so small as to be satisfied with that. I will rule over everything!¡¡On earth, under the sea, and even in the heavens!¡¡Everything is under my control!¡¡I rule it all!¡¡Dominate!

    Henceforth I will proclaim myself Emperor.

    I shall invade and rule.

    The title that should be awarded to the highest ranking invader is ''Emperor''.

    I''m going to rule over everything. I''m ready for it. An elite army of undead knights who have challenged my dungeon and killed fools, especially the ones who have been selected and brought back to life. Their quantity and quality far surpasses the Demon King''s army of this generation!

    That is exactly the reason why we have been hiding from them for five hundred years.

    That''s not the only reason why we''ve been hiding from them for five hundred years.

    The Sacred Barrier is the biggest concern in ruling the earth.

    As I was a demon, it is an obstacle that cannot be crossed even now that I''ve become a lifeless king.

    But now, for some reason I don''t know why, it has vanished.

    It seems that the current demon king has done something, which is really good news for me as well.

    The preparations are ready and my biggest fears are gone.

    This is the perfect time to unleash my supremacy!

    I must personally praise the current Demon King for this achievement. I''ll kill him with a skewer, turn him into an undead man and take him as my vassal. Let''s go, my servants!

    My mighty undead army has already gathered in front of the main gate to the Old Demon City.

    From now on, we will sneak out through the gates and attack all the villages and rule them!

    O diminutive living being!

    Be afraid of the danger to the world.

    From now on, you shall rule over every ant that crawls on the ground!

    "The First Army will lead me personally to attack the new Demon City!¡¡The Second Army, under the command of General Elixir, is to invade the human country!¡¡Other small units will attack the cities and villages, and we will not let any of them off the hook!

    Open the gates!

    All troops, sally forth!

    From this moment on, the eternal reign of the Emperor of the No-Life King will begin!

    .........what?

    What is it?

    The moment I stepped out of the gate, there was a blinding light.

    Ah.

    Gone....?

    !

    Dawn,

    ''Chatter!¡¡Hit!¡¡Naisho!

    The converging manakanon released by Song Gok Fong hit the No Life King''s emperor with a stunning hit.

    The white bone corpse dressed in a black cloak shattered into pieces.

    I''m sorry I''m late. This is the orc Hakkai.

    Today we''re visiting the Old Demon City, a dungeon with the request of the Demon King.

    ''''Geez!¡¡Sunggok, what are you doing here?¡¡I told you we''re just going to take a look at you today!

    Of course, there''s Prince Arowana, too.

    He looks as if his heart has been crushed by Sunggok Phone''s preemptive bombardment.

    ''''What?¡¡But?¡¡They''re going into battle!¡¡I don''t have time to check up on you while you''re busy.

    Songook-chan is right........!

    A further member, Puffa-sama, also says with tension.

    It all started when we left the Demon City and were sent off by Demon King Zedan-sama....

    ''''Recently, there has been some disturbance in the dungeon known as the ''Old Demon City'', could you go and check it out on your journey?

    ........and that was what I was asked to do.

    Prince Arowana is a disciplined man, so he headed straight for the Old Demon City.

    When we arrived, I was surprised to find that the No Life King had held a rally.

    Fortunately, Sungoku-chan''s strike was enough to defeat the enemy''s head. But we can''t be relieved. There are still a lot of undead knights left on board!

    Gah!¡¡They''re pouring out of the gates like fumigators!

    It doesn''t seem to be as easy as saying that all of them will disappear if the first head is defeated.

    One by one, they are a large army of undead knights that are far different from ordinary undead!

    ''''If that thing comes out of the dungeon and attacks the neighboring villages, we''ll be in trouble!¡¡If the gates are the entrance to the dungeon, it''s good terrain to hold them off, sir!

    "''Sir''?

    Puffa''s advice to Prince Arowana is spot on.

    The sight of them, they''re about to invade the world. If you don''t take the initiative and disrupt them now, you''re going to cause a lot of damage.

    Right?¡¡Praise, Miss, praise?

    Okay, okay.

    Sunggokphong sweetened in Paffa''s ample bosom.

    Before she knew it, the angel had missed the witch.

    ''''........Indeed, there is no pros and cons in this situation.

    Prince Arowana was a capable general, if only he could stomach it.

    "I will exterminate them and save the world from danger!¡¡"Puffa, tell me the plan!

    "Yes, sir!¡¡Songgok-chan, shoot the walls surrounding the ruin dungeon with your manakanon and make sure it''s well ventilated!¡¡We''re going to release a high concentration of mana in the dungeon!

    "Yes, sir.

    ''As the mana concentration inside drops, the dungeon disappears!¡¡Engage in a dimensional distortion when returning to normal space and annihilate the undead army inside!

    Son Gokphon''s Manakanon, which had been modified by the molding god Hephaistos, immediately made a great success, drilling through the huge walls of the ruined ruins to create a large hole.

    ''''Master and Hakkai, push those undead back out of the city gates!¡¡Keep him out of the house as long as you can!¡¡Destroy all dungeons!

    Yes!¡¡Let''s go, hackai!

    "The masters must not go inside lest they get caught in the dungeon''s annihilation!

    Even Prince Arowana and I have some experience with arms.

    Even if we''re overwhelmingly outnumbered, if we nullify our numerical advantage within the limited range of the castle gate, we can stall for time on the defensive!

    ''That won''t last long!¡¡Please, Pahwa, Sunggok!

    I''m on it!¡¡Sunggok-chan!¡¡Do what I tell you! Aim and fire!¡¡I''ll vent as efficiently as possible, with as few holes as possible!

    Thus, after a fierce battle.

    The Old Demon City, the dungeon ruins that had caused the people of the Demon Kingdom to fear for five hundred years, disappeared together with the undead army that nestled there.

    The Demon King, who has gained immortality, and his insane ambitions have also disappeared.

    Prince Arowana''s journey is going well today.

 182-181 Invasion of the Holy Witch

    Yes, it''s me.

    This is our farm.

    It''s been bugging me lately.

    I''ve been seeing some pretty cutthroat flirting going on out there.

    "Lamp eyes. You have eyes like a real fire. It''s the kind of light that draws me in.

    Hendler. Every word you say is full of fire, and I''m overwhelmed by the fever.

    .....

    Yes, it pisses me off.

    There have been a few couples that have been established on our farm, but never before have we had such a blatantly flirtatious couple!

    Even Demon King and Mr. Astares were a bit more reserved in public!

    Ah!¡¡Disgusting!

    What''s going on here?¡¡If I was gone for a minute, that lamprey would be empty-headed, wouldn''t it?

    Ah, Pfa.

    You''re over here today, aren''t you?

    "Prince Arowana will be angry with me if I neglect my work here. I have to check the functioning of the refrigerator and make sure there are new pickles. Also, I''ll fly away again when all the stirring of the bran bed is done.

    That''s it.

    Thank you for being so busy.

    "I mean, you''re a saint. Why don''t we start hiring more people?

    Yeah?

    I took the kid starfish out of my pocket.........

    And then I get knocked down.

    It''s just that the farms are expanding and the amount of production required is increasing. You''ll lose efficiency if you don''t have the same amount of manpower to do all the work.

    That problem again...

    Gala Rufa''s been doubling as a doctor''s assistant for some time now, so the brewery hasn''t been able to make any progress. The fermented food we had been working on together has been replaced by Prathi''s personal assistant, and now it''s just Atai. If Lamp Eye is now a clown, the mermaid team won''t be able to survive.

    I''m pretty sure you''re losing efficiency in your love life, Puffa.

    But he''s right.

    Our farm''s center of gravity, the fermented food section, is on the verge of a supply and demand crunch due to the ever-increasing number of farm residents and the increasing number of souvenirs we are distributing to the outside world.

    Prathi, who was the only one struggling in such a situation before, screamed, and eventually solved the problem by replacing Puffa, Lampuai, and Gala Rufa.

    Those three found new things to do and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on.

    Will I have to replenish my manpower again?

    What will we do...?¡¡Just as I was thinking, another problem suddenly struck.

    ''Hmph!¡¡I''ve finally found you, witches!¡¡I didn''t know you were hiding in this place, sneaking around!

    Hmm?¡¡Who''s there?

    A mysterious voice suddenly echoes through the farm!

    I don''t think I''ve ever heard of that voice.

    A girl I don''t know!

    I know she''s a young girl because her voice is high-pitched and fresh.

    "You don''t know me, so you''re a mogul now, aren''t you!¡¡Land people dive on the ground!

    Do you think I said it well?

    ''If you don''t know, you''ll have to answer to me!¡¡Keep your eardrums clear and listen carefully!

    If you rip out your eardrums, you won''t be able to hear.

    "''The Fire Witch'' Bale Tail!

    ''The Ice Witch'' Discus!

    ''The Wind Witch'' Heckery!

    ''The Witch of the Earth'' Batrax!

    And I am the leader to lead them. I call her the ''Witch of Holy Light'' Angel. The five of us together as one.

    ""The Five Orthodox Witches!"

    ...........

    Five beautiful girls appeared in front of us, posing for no reason.

    ....

    What an embarrassment.

    I''m soooooooo embarrassed!

    I''m so embarrassed watching this that I feel like I''m going to get a cramp!

    Why do you pose when you appear?

    What''s with that overly decorative name?

    Who are these girls?

    Angel is... right?

    ''Princess Angel?¡¡Why are you here?

    Puffa and Lamprey seem to have noticed it in our camp.

    Hendler also seems to know about it and explains it to me.

    ''''The angel who claims to be the leader in the middle of that group of five is the daughter of His Majesty''s current mermaid king, Nagas.

    The king''s daughter?

    What do you mean...?

    "You are the younger sister of Prince Arowana and Princess Plati. Prince Arowana, the next mermaid king, and Princess Prati, the second princess, who has a reputation for being a bit of a downer compared to her alleged genius.

    "I don''t like the way you say it, poof!

    I forcefully interrupt Hendler''s explanation.

    I''m not sure if you''re Prati''s sister.

    I''m not a clumsy person, I''m not a clumsy person!¡¡After Prathi-sama''s death, she reigned over the mermaid magical world and is a brilliant, shining elite witch!

    Angel is ranting aggressively.

    But don''t say ''after the death'', Prati didn''t die.

    It''s a good thing that she''s her sister, she''s so strong.

    But why are you here?¡¡The location of this farm would have been communicated to very few, wouldn''t it?

    Of course, when it comes to the royalty of the Mermaid Kingdom, it wouldn''t be a problem to have access to top-secret information, but...

    ........I know intuitively.

    She''s the type of person who would never share that kind of information with you.

    It''s easy to do. I''ve been following Hendler in secret.

    You reached this point in the dark, and you got nowhere with no information.

    "And you''re in the wrong. How could you be so careless, Mr. Hendler?

    ''I''m sorry, Saint. I was too much in love with Lamp Eye to say that I was floating around. So I''m sorry. Don''t choke me, it''s painful. Break, break, break, giggle, giggle, giggle........!

    I also gather up the irritation of being flirted with in front of me and choke sleeper it up.

    In the meantime, I leave it to Puffa and Lamprey to deal with the rare guests.

    ''Assuming the means have been found, what is the purpose of your visit here?

    You''re right. You know, they even took a potion to change into a land human being. What do you want to do with all these young ladies in the middle of nowhere?

    The two of them are sufficiently cautious because they don''t know where they are headed.

    As expected of the Six Witches, they were careless. The reaction of the intruders to that was surprising....

    ''''Kyah!¡¡It''s the Frozen Witch and the Hellfire Witch!

    "Ice and Fire!¡¡Two opposites!¡¡I''m thrilled to see all those people standing in line, in person!

    "Master Puffa, the most outlawed of the six witches, and the battle-crazed Master Lamprey!

    ''I''m going to make sure you see this scene!¡¡I''m going to have this memorial for the rest of my life!

    ............

    What is this meekness?

    The leader, Angel, scolds the prefects who are in such a buoyant mood.

    ''What are you impressed with!¡¡They''re the enemy!¡¡We are here to defeat them today!

    To defeat them?

    Also boisterous.

    ''Yes!¡¡The relic of the previous era of the Mad Six Demonesses is gone, and a new ruler will rise!¡¡That''s what we are, the five legitimate witch saints!

    Prati''s sister, Angel, said.

    ''''Come on, I know you''re here, sister Prati!¡¡Go get them!¡¡And tell them this!¡¡That whoever replaces you has come to challenge you!

 183-182 Sister Showdown

    Result.

    One touch of armor sleeve.

    The girls of the Orthodox Five Witches Sacred Mermaid were overrun by Puffa alone, warriors and overrun.

    ''''Ughhhhhh!''''

    Puffa is strong.

    I''ve never seen her fight in the mermaid group''s battles before, as Lamprey and Platy do, but she''s strong.

    The name of the "Frozen Cold Witch" is nothing to write home about.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what''s going on.

    They showed an overwhelming difference.

    ''''Puffa-san, please don''t run ahead of me without permission. Didn''t the other party just utter the challenge yet?

    Lamprey protested formally.

    ''Isn''t that enough?¡¡You''ve shown a willingness to fight, and that means you can hit me whenever you want. It''s worse to be laid back.

    Scary witch scary.

    You''re thinking like a bloodthirsty delinquent.

    I tried to get my battle instincts back as much as I could here, but I haven''t got a clue. I''m not even a good training partner.

    So he was unusually belligerent.

    It''s a good thing they all look like students at a potions school. Do you think they call themselves witches, too?

    I suppose. No matter how prestigious you are, you won''t be called a witch at the school''s honors level, and you won''t be called a witch. Even if you stand on your head, you won''t be able to beat Puffa-san.

    He is showing the disparity between the two.

    Then Prati appeared.

    ''Isn''t this the student Six Witches fan club that Angel founded?¡¡You''re not very mature with a guy like that, Pfa.

    Oh, Platy.

    Prathi slurriedly walked past Puffa and stood in front of her sister.

    By the way, the five younger sisters were grouped together in ice.

    ''''Angel-sama!¡¡Ice!¡¡I''m frozen and I can''t get out!

    It''s the ''Fire Witch'', isn''t it?

    "The antidote isn''t working at all!¡¡We''ll run out if this continues.

    Oh, I''m getting sleepy...

    Prathi quickly sprinkled the magic potion on the five people who were frozen and squishy in one mass.

    With that alone, Puffa''s ice melted away and the legitimate five witch saints were freed.

    ''''It''s been a long time, Angel. ........I''d like to say, but shouldn''t you be studying at school rather than selling oil in a place like this?¡¡You look like this.

    ''Sister Platy!¡¡Now is the time!

    As soon as Angel took a bite, he was hit by Plati''s potion and spun around ten times on the spot.

    ''It''s ten years too early for you to challenge me. You followed Hendler here for that?

    Huh...?

    That''s strange.

    Since it''s been a while since the sisters met again, it should be more emotional.

    Why is it so bleak?

    I''m sorry, sir. His name is Angel, and he''s my sister.

    Yeah, I heard about that.

    My little sister gets carried away and often causes trouble, don''t she? I scold her every time, but she doesn''t seem to get over it, and this time too...!

    I think that''s where we really are alike.

    And.

    "Angel. How the hell is this a gesture?¡¡You''re coming to attack me?

    Ugh...!

    The other two sisters aren''t that close, but I don''t think they were so acrimonious that they went out of their way to chase each other to Riku with bloodlust. What happened after I went to marry you?

    Oh...!

    Huh?

    ''It''s not your fault, sister, it''s not your fault!¡¡You didn''t tell me to go away on your own!¡¡Do you know how worried I was about you?

    Oh.

    Is this the pattern of a sulking tsundere sister?

    ''It keeps all the political bullshit coming back to me!¡¡That''s going to keep you up at night worrying about it!¡¡Stressful days!¡¡I''m going bald!

    But it''s not.

    ''The country is in a mess because your sister didn''t marry a demon!¡¡My dad gets criticized on a daily basis!¡¡An idiot with no sense of delicacy even asks you to become a member of the Demon King''s inner circle to appease the demon race!¡¡To me!

    Hearing that, I looked at Hendler and he nodded back emphatically.

    You mean the demon invasion controversy he mentioned when he first arrived.

    ''''I definitely don''t want to!¡¡First of all, I don''t want a side room!¡¡And it''s the Demon King!¡¡Demons must be stinky and stupid and have an ugly, oniocose-like face!¡¡I don''t want to!¡¡You should be on the Demon King''s side rather than me!¡¡That''s what we''ve been talking about all along!

    So this is what it means.

    Due to the recent changes in the situation, the mermaid kingdom is becoming more and more concerned about the demon race.

    In response to this, an irresponsible faction started to make a fuss.

    In order to placate the demons, they demand that the Second Princess Angel be given to the Demon King''s entourage.

    When Angel heard this, she was in a panic. She doesn''t want to be in the side room of the King of Demons.

    So he decides to take his sister, Platy, as his substitute.

    For that reason, he decided to defeat her in a duel.

    "That girl is the worst of all worlds.

    That''s what students are like, isn''t it?

    Me and Hendler stood side by side, stunned.

    ''I knew it would be something like that. Utterly shameless sister...!

    ''''Sister-chan...!

    I''ll only praise your persistence in tracking down this place. As a reward for that...!

    As a reward?¡¡What?¡¡Are you going to be on the Demon Lord''s entourage?

    No, she won''t!¡¡I''ve already married the master of the farm!¡¡........As a reward, let''s have a comment from the Demon King himself.

    Oh, Demon King.

    He was here to visit again today.

    Well, Demon King?¡¡I''m sure the Demon King has seen how unseemly this idiot sister is, but what to do?¡¡Do you want him on your side?

    "As I have said many times, we demons have no ill will towards mermaids. And as for the matter of the side room, I have the blessing of the Dark God Hades.

    Hades, the Dark God, is unusually unfaithful among the gods, and he forces those he has blessed to do so as well.

    ''I managed to get an exception granted to me during Grashara, but I don''t think I can or will make any more exceptions. Even if I''m formally approached about getting a handbag, I have no choice but to politely decline the offer for the above reasons...!

    Yes, sir!¡¡Good for you - Angel!

    Angel himself was stunned, unable to understand that the great man who appeared in front of him was the Demon King himself.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    "I''m always sorry to trouble you, Demon King.

    No, for the sake of your saint and Prince Arowana, let it go.

    On the other hand, Angel''s expression starts to sparkle as he gradually comes to understand the situation.

    ''''Ya........''''

    Yeah?

    ''Yay!¡¡That''s my sister!¡¡I love that it''s such an easy fix for you!¡¡That''s my sister!¡¡I love you!

    ''This cashiness hasn''t changed one bit since before I married you...!¡¡Well, I''m glad I can help my sister, who I haven''t seen in a while, but...

    Prathi smiled thinly.

    You reap what you sow, don''t you?

    "Huh?

    Two strong female demons were standing behind Angel.

    Astares-san and Grashara-san.

    The two demon queens.

    ''''You mermaid girl over there, say what you said earlier in front of us again?''''

    "You''ve been telling me that my Demon Lord is stinking, stupid and ugly?¡¡For our demon king?

    I see you''re visiting your family today!

    And Angel, who cursed the Demon King at a place where the two people who LOVE the Demon King can hear him.

    .........

    ............It''s over.

    ''''Prathi, just in case I ask you, do you have to help me?

    ''That boy''s habit of inviting tongue-in-cheek is something you''d better get over before you graduate from school, so it''ll be just the right medicine.

    It was Prathi''s dry view of her sister.

    ''''In some cases, you may have been assigned to serve the Demon King with us. Since it''s time to go, let''s have a day-long experience with the Demon Queen.

    ''If you''re Mermaid Nation royalty, you''ll have a great experience!¡¡But I don''t think a weakling like you can stay in the same line as Attaches, even for a day!

    Angel was dragged along by Astares-san holding his right shoulder and Grashara-san holding his left shoulder.

    It''s a good thing that the two former demon kings of the four heavenly kings will now begin their hellish squeezing.

    Astares-san''s belly is getting pretty big, but is it okay to move her body?

    ''Wait!¡¡Help me, Lisa!¡¡Sis!¡¡Sis-ahhhh!

    Angel''s screams for help became a little more distant and smaller.

 184-183 Supply of new force

    ''Run taller!¡¡You won''t survive on the battlefield if you''re a coward!

    Porgy!¡¡What do I care?¡¡Fifty more farm laps!

    Both demon queens, Astares and Grashara, are still squeezing past Angel.

    I can''t slow down because the wolf-shaped monster potties are chasing behind Angel, who is being made to run around the farm.

    ''''I didn''t know...!¡¡The queen was physical labor........!

    It was titled ''To teach you the lessons of being a demon queen'', but that was completely nothing more than the Demon King''s Army''s new recruits, no matter how you look at it.

    Well, the two guys who were squeezing were both former Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King.

    Since the soldiers of the Demon King''s Army are becoming stronger with that, Angel will also have something to gain from it.

    ''''So what are you guys going to do?''''

    I asked the four girls who were freaking out on the side.

    They accompanied Angel to raid (?) our farm. These are the children who have done it.

    I think it''s the five legitimate witch saints, including Angel...?

    No....!¡¡We were only brought here by Angel-sama.........!

    When I''m done with Angel-sama''s business, I have nothing else to do, so I think I''ll go home...!

    They seemed to be equipped with the senses to sense danger and avoid it as much as humanly possible.

    They seemed to have the intent to leave before they got caught in the middle....

    ''''Wait a minute........''''

    They were already trapped.

    Puffa, the Freezing Cold Witch, opens her arms wide and hugs all four of them together.

    We have them all.

    Um, Mr. Puffa?¡¡What happened to you all of a sudden?

    Saints, I think this solves the problem we''ve been having, don''t you?

    The problem with that?

    No way.....

    ''My farm, mermaid team, shortage problem?¡¡What if we''re trying to replenish those kids?

    Yeah!

    Isn''t that a bit too haphazard?

    Isn''t that okay?¡¡The fact that you were hanging out with the mermaid princess means you''re a good student with a certain amount of talent, right?¡¡He said that because he''s young and fresh, if the Atay class could teach him carefully and carefully, he could be more useful than those professionals.

    That''s a confidence that''s somewhat lacking in evidence...?

    On the other hand....

    Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel Wel....?

    It''s the Frozen Witch herself who is giving us guidance...?

    The female students are naturally puzzled, but more than that, they seem to be soaring, shocked by the fact that they are receiving direct instruction from Puffa.

    ''''Is that how it''s supposed to be?''''

    That''s the way it should be.

    Hendler explains.

    Speaking of the Six Mad Demonesses, they are regarded as the most troubled children of the mermaid world, but at the same time, they are also admired as the best potions master. It''s not just that the young mermaids are impressed to be approached by the Six Witches, but also to be taught by them in person. And even more so, to be taught by her in person...!

    That''s how it works.

    Puffa, on the other hand, selected two of the four to be placed aside from him.

    The selection criteria seemed to be Texan.

    ''Well, I''ll take these two as Atai''s assistants, brewery and refrigerator workers!¡¡The other two are under a different jurisdiction!

    Wait.

    Lamp Eye interrupted it.

    ''''If two of the four are to be your subordinates, does that mean that the rest will be shared between me and Gala Rufa, one by one?¡¡The ratio would be wrong. We need to talk more about this place....

    Idiot.

    Puffa blackmailed.

    ''Lamp Eye, you don''t do much work in the brewery, hunting in the dungeons and sticking around Prathi under the guise of escort. The other two will go to Gala Rufa. He''s the one who works the most in the team, you know?

    ''''Ugh........?''''

    Whether it was the truth or not, Lamp Eye couldn''t argue with it.

    ''''So, Atai, I''m going to go work on these two guys as soon as possible. Lamp Eye, take the other two to Gala Rufa.

    With that, Puffa left leisurely, holding the two female students on either side of him.

    We were just left behind with a smack.

    ''What are we going to do, Lampay?''

    Puffa is right.

    I know, right?

    I just don''t know what they''re up to.

    Oh, um...!

    The remaining one, a female student, says.

    With a twinkle in her eye.

    Is this Gala Rufa, one of the six witches, Gala Rufa-sama, the ''plague witch''?

    ''''Eh?¡¡Yes.........!

    Yes, but?

    ''Great!¡¡Not only do we have the Frosty Witch, the Flame Witch and the Crown Witch, but we also have the Plague Witch!

    ''''The Mad Six Demonesses are almost all here!¡¡What is this place!¡¡That''s awesome!¡¡All the world''s wisdom is coming together!

    Most things were going to be a trivial matter in front of the girls'' meekness.

    Beside them, Angel was still running as fast as he could with the two demon queens squeezing him.

    Oraa!¡¡Plus 200 more rounds!

    * * * *

    As expected, I was curious about the female students who were taken as well as abducted, so I decided to go check on them.

    The first two were the ones Puffa had taken.

    When I arrived, they were receiving a lecture from Puffa on how to make some kind of potions in a pleading manner.

    ''''Oh, Saints. I''m sure you''ve got a good idea of what you''re talking about. They''re straightforward and quick to learn.

    Puffa''s honest praise of a human is so strange...!

    It''s good to be a student. They try to swallow the things they don''t understand without understanding them. It''s not easy for adults who are obsessed with what they already know.

    That''s an earache.

    As expected of the princess''s schoolmates. She must be an elite from a good school, so she''s quick on her feet.

    The female student who was brought over here called herself the "Fire Witch" Beertale and the "Ice Witch" Discus, right?

    Probably unlike Puffa and others, witches are self-proclaimed, but at least they have the wit to call themselves that.

    ''''Oh, um...!

    In the midst of all this, one of the female students started talking in a tentative manner.

    It was a girl named Diskus.

    We don''t go to such a good school. We don''t have money to pay the school fees...!

    ''What?¡¡Is that so...?

    ''I went to the lowest level of magical training, rotten and delinquent. Over here, Bale Tail was a soldier to eat...!

    Veiltail beside me nodded.

    ''''I was living my life just eating up that day, but that''s where Angel-sama found me, and my cronies...!

    It''s a good story.

    If that''s the case, it means that Angel had an unexpectedly royal sense of charity and an eye for humanity.

    It''s just a matter of time before you get to the point where Puffa recognizes it.

    But that''s why I respect Puffa-sama the most among the six witches because of her upbringing!

    ''''So do I!''''

    The two girls approach Puffa.

    "Oh?!

    Pfafafa is puzzled.

    ''Master Puffa has always shown a rebellious spirit by opposing the system!¡¡It''s super cool that he didn''t abandon his theories even after being thrown into a trench jail!

    ''A rebel to power!¡¡Outlaw!¡¡Of all the six witches, only Master Puffa would show that attitude!¡¡I''m so numb and adored by that kind of thing!

    It was some kind of awesome adoration.

    The psychology of a delinquent yearning for a bad boy?

    Did you leave the mermaid kingdom to live on earth because of some mess you had with the palace and the academy?

    ''''Not as much as Puffa-sama, but the other witches have quite a few tags on them too!¡¡What the hell are all these six witches doing on earth together...¡¡It smells like an awesome chinook!

    I can smell you using a word with an unfamiliar meaning without understanding it.

    ........I see.

    So Puffa is perceived in the mermaid kingdom as a charismatic badass like that?

    Well, it looks like he hurts things that he touches with a sharp edge like a knife.

    But now Mr. Puffa is officially serving time as a mermaid prisoner. He''s serving his time by working on our farm.

    That''s a pretty impressive feat of courage.

    "................. ....of course.

    Ah.

    I was vain.

    Puffa was vain in response to the youngsters'' unwarranted adoration.

    ''How can you wear a collar so easily, Attai?¡¡This is the time of the vixen. This is how I''m hiding on land, sharpening my rebellious fangs!

    Oh!

    That''s so cool!¡¡You''re not very good at it, sister!

    She immediately began to call Pfafa a sister.

    I''m not going to be the only one who can do that. You have to fight against the system if you want to be called a witch.

    Sister!

    ''Cuckoo, sis!

    And Puffa had earned the respect of the younger generation all over, but....

    ........Puffa-san.

    The man you''ve fallen in love with and who is making a fierce approach to you is...

    Prince Arowana.

    The future mermaid king.

    The center of the center in the system.

    .........do you realize what you''re doing?¡¡A symbol of rebellion?

    I asked in a whisper so the girls wouldn''t notice.

    "The rebellious spirit and your marriage to Prince Arowana. If you had to take one or the other, which one would you take?

    That''s the prince, of course.

    This guy is bad.

 185-184 Common sense gap

    I could see that the puffers were in harmony with the new kid.

    Relieved, I decided to go to the next place to check it out.

    * * * *.

    An assistant?¡¡To me?

    One of the mermaid team, Gala Rufa, who was called by the title of ''The Plague Witch'' in her home country, was in the infirmary.

    Before I knew it, a section of the main house had been turned into an infirmary.

    The number of inhabitants of our farm, including elves, satyrs, earth spirits and lettuce-rates, was increasing rapidly, and as the number of residents increased, so did the trouble.

    Whenever there was an accident and someone was injured, there was a need for a specialist to deal with it. That''s why there was no one better than Gala Rufa, a doctor in the mermaid kingdom.

    That''s why Gala Rufa is always on call in the emergency room, and she can''t even get involved in the mermaid team''s original work of making fermented food and fertilizer.

    On the contrary, even the current main medical work was insufficient to keep up with the workload.

    Puffa''s consideration of giving priority to this is a meticulous approach befitting the wife of a future mermaid king.

    So.

    The girl mermaids who were assigned here.

    Their names are Hechelly the "Wind Witch" and Batrax the "Earth Witch", right?

    I guess the witch is self-explanatory.

    Just as it happened at Puffa''s place, these two also packed up with emotion to Gala Rufa, whom they had never met before.

    ''You''re Gara Ruffa-sama!

    ''''Lady Gala Rufa, the ''Plague Witch''!''''''

    The excitement of the young schoolgirls overwhelmed the timid Gala Rufa.

    The anecdotes of her madness have been circulating for a long time!

    It''s been widely spread in our school!

    .............

    Crazy anecdotes?

    ''''According to them, the debate on who is the ''strongest'' among the six mad demonesses is divided into many different theories...!

    "When it comes to the ''madest'' thing, there is unanimous agreement that everyone mentions the name of Lady Gala Rufa!

    ..........

    ''''As it should be!¡¡While registered with the Mermaid Nation''s highest Potions Society, his theory is original!¡¡The practice is out of control!

    ''''The delusional nature of the delusional practice that has not stopped researching despite finally being expelled from the academy after bleeding into the rare and bizarre theories of magic theory that are so horrible to hear!

    A legendary figure feared for her paranoid nature, she has been nicknamed ''The Pestilential Witch'' and has earned various titles such as ''The Madest of the Six Witches'', ''The Madest of the Mad'', ''The Madest of the Mad'', and ''Everyone just plays mad in front of her'', to name a few!

    It''s an honor to meet such a Lady Gala Rufa in person!

    Praise for the girls who sow like a hailstorm (?) Gala Rufa takes a straight face to the ground.

    She stood up from her chair and walked with a staggered walk, then plopped face down on the bed that was provided as a matter of course because it was an infirmary....

    She cried.

    "This is horrible~~!¡¡It''s too much~!

    ""Huh?"

    The woman who made "The Plague Witch" cry.

    The two girls, Hechelly and Batrax, earned their title as soon as they arrived at our farm.

    * * * *

    He had to pat his head with my hand five hundred times before Gala Rufa recovered.

    ''''You guys are mistaken!''''

    And as soon as he recovered, he refuted the innocent girls.

    ''I''m not the made-of-mad mermaid you guys say I am!¡¡I''m a very ordinary civilian!

    ''''What?''''

    "It''s all your fault for being named after the Six Witches!¡¡Because of that, I get dragged along by rumors of other awesome people and unfairly judged as if I''m a freak of the century too!

    Are you saying it''s not?

    ''I''m not as strong as Mr. Lamprey or Ms. Puffa, nor as noble as Princess Prati!¡¡Normal!¡¡It''s only normal!

    Gala Rufa, who is ranting and screaming as if she were venting her daily frustrations.

    ''I am, so to speak, the most ordinary of the six witches!¡¡No talent, no ability!¡¡I''m just a woman of uprightness, that''s all!¡¡So what you guys are saying is overrated!¡¡No, it''s not even excessive, it''s an unfair assessment!¡¡I''m not crazy!

    ''''Huh...?!''''

    The two new school girls were only overwhelmed by Gala Rufa''s desperate defense.

    I should follow up with a follow-up by me to calm the place down.

    "Oh well, Gala Rufa. You don''t want to get too excited or you''ll scare them, do you?

    Oh, yes. Oh, yes, Saint...!

    Like I said before, I want them to help you with your work. Maybe if you show them what you do on a daily basis, the wrong rumors will naturally go away.

    Yes?¡¡...Yes!¡¡Indeed, the saint is right!¡¡As expected of a saint, the saint is right!

    I managed to swallow the words that followed, which stuck in my throat.

    ''If I''m not really wrong.

    ''Then you two, come on over here!¡¡Let me explain to you what I do here!

    "Yes!

    Gala Rufa placed an instrument, with a thud, in front of them.

    It was a microscope that I had given him as a gift some time ago.

    However, the shape has changed a lot since then.

    ''''This is a microscope given to me by a saint, and I modified it myself to increase its accuracy and resolution!¡¡Ask the Elven Glasswork Team to make a more powerful lens!¡¡I''ve also used my pharmacy magic!

    Gala Rufa''s orders are too strict and too insistent, and other tasks are delayed!

    I got a complaint from Powell in the glassworks team.

    ''Now we have enough to observe!¡¡Germs!

    What comes to the faces of Hechelly and Batrax after the explanation so far is.......

    '''' ? "? Aha! ...? ?

    It was like that.

    He doesn''t seem to understand what Gala Rufa is saying itself.

    Because it can''t be helped.

    The concept of "germs" itself does not yet exist in this world.

    ...Um...may I ask you a question?

    You''re high!

    Yes, it''s just that...¡¡What does that mean?

    ''Good question!¡¡Bacteria are those tiny little organisms!¡¡Germs are everywhere!¡¡It''s in the air, it''s in our bodies!

    "Huh?!

    The two of them, the color of their eyes looking at Gala Rufa, are changing rapidly.

    What happens when you can observe germs!¡¡We can do a lot of things!¡¡After all, germs are the cause of so many diseases!¡¡If we can look inside the patient''s body and find bacteria that aren''t normally present, we can immediately know what the disease is!

    "Examine the body?¡¡How?

    Drain the blood out of him.

    "Blood?

    More and more things are changing.

    Until now, the only way to avoid the risk of misdiagnosis was to observe the symptoms that would appear on the surface. Ga!¡¡With the introduction of blood tests, accuracy has increased dramatically!¡¡All we have to do now is apply the treatment to the disease we found out about!¡¡Moreover!

    What''s more?

    As for the cure, we have an innovative way to use the bacteria!¡¡For example!¡¡I won''t go into details, but I''m going to draw blood from someone who has been cured of an illness...!

    "Pull it out...?

    I''m injecting a patient with the same disease!

    I''ve gotten quite a few steps off the ground, but the serum was a normal, viable treatment in the world I was from.

    That''s just the world I was from.

    What is common knowledge in our world is not necessarily the same as what is common knowledge in the rest of the world.

    "But, Lady Gala Rufa...!

    ''I knew you were crazy!

    I think their reaction is a reasonable one.

    So Gala Rufa.

    I''m not that surprised.

    "I have no idea what you''re talking about, but I do know that it''s kind of awesome!

    It''s madness!¡¡It can''t be anything but madness!¡¡No one else in the Six Witches could come up with such an outrageous idea but you!

    It''s the madness within the madness!¡¡"The Sixth Witch Maddest Gala Ruffa!

    "I knew you were real!¡¡Once again, I respect you, lovely!

    You say it''s insanity, but you still respect it.

    They''re pretty good at it too.

    ''Saints-sama aaaaah!¡¡They don''t understand me very well!¡¡It''s terrible, it''s too much!

    Gala Rufa was crying at me.

    It''s no use, you''ve just gone too far ahead of yourself.

    It''s going to take a long time before her common sense becomes the norm in the world.

 186-185 Admission to the Holy Witch

    And well, after watching the mermaid girls, I went back to my original location and found that the angel lashing by both demon queens, Astares-san and Grashara-san, had ended.

    An angel was plopped down on the ground, leaking all kinds of liquid out of his body.

    It was breathing wildly, so it must be alive, well, it must be alive.

    ''''For the first day, it moved well. As expected of Lord Prathi''s sister, I must say.

    I could probably leave a private in the Demon King''s army to you on a day''s notice.

    He had received words of praise from both demon queens, so he must have done quite well.

    Her sister, Prati, grabbed Angel and dragged her away, carrying her away somewhere.

    In the end, she seemed to be watching the place motionlessly the whole time her sister was being squeezed.

    Out of curiosity, I tracked her down and found that she had carried her sister to a large public bathhouse.

    Similarly, after finishing the day''s work, the team of Bale Tail and Discus, led by Puffa, and Heckery and Batrax, led by Gala Rufa, also dived under the curtain of the women''s bathhouse.

    ''''Ahhhh~ It feels so good~''''

    "What''s this~, paradise~

    ''I never knew just getting into water with the temperature turned up would feel so good~''

    Exhaustion stings even more when you''re exhausted~~!

    The voices of the girls as they melt into the hot water come echoing through the partition between the men''s bath and the women''s bath.

    It goes up.

    ''Yum!¡¡I love this white, super-cool drink!

    Oh, is it called milk?¡¡It''s called satyr milk, isn''t it?

    It''s even better when it''s cooler than it is after being submerged in warm water.

    Are you keeping it cold in this box?¡¡...Puffa''s special freezing box?

    A freezing potion that can stabilize the temperature at a specific point in time?¡¡As expected of the Six Witches.

    I could hear the guns through the divider separating the men''s and women''s baths.

    I knew the girls would be lively when they got together in numbers.

    And it was dinner.

    Tonkatsu is the menu of tonight.

    We cut a lot of cabbage.

    It was crispy and juicy.

    "Crispy, sizzling hot and hot...!¡¡Delicious!¡¡It''s just delicious!

    ''''If you eat the leafy stuff that''s like garnish, it will reset your mouth that''s accustomed to the strong taste and you can eat as much as you want... ughhhh...!

    The soup and everything else with it is delicious, too.

    ''''Even the Mermaid Palace wouldn''t eat this stuff!¡¡What is this place!

    The girls were single-mindedly scraping up the pork cutlets, soup and rice that were served to them.

    It''s a good thing that we''re on the side that makes us happy.

    I''m sure you''ve realized that this is enough.¡¡The awesomeness of this farm, the awesomeness of this farm...!

    Here, at last, Prathi let out a commentary-like comment.

    ''A farm visited by a demon king, served by numerous witches, delicious crops, pleasant baths. A farm that continues to produce all sorts of other awesome things. The master of the farm is my master!¡¡Once you understand, you can quickly admire him!

    ""Heeheehee!"

    The mermaid girls, helplessly swept away their resistance and fell flat on their faces.

    Leaving only the leader, Angel, alone.

    ''''Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh...!

    She has the pride of royalty, or maybe it''s the pride of royalty, and she''s managed to maintain her autonomy on the edge of a cliff.

    ''''Angel.......although you''ve always tried to fight back against me in some way or another,''''

    Prathi says as if folding.

    ''The reason you came barging in here is because you were half tempted to help the public opinion pressured you to ''become the Demon King''s side room'', but the other half was trying to compete with Attah as usual with the pattern.''

    ..............

    ''But now I''m devoting all my energy to making this farm flourish with my husband. As his wife, I can no longer be your sister alone. I want you to understand that.

    And Prathi pitched in and stuck to my arm.

    Was that the kind of flow persuasion........

    ''''.........not so fast!''''

    However, my sister was not a good listener.

    ''''As a mermaid royalty, the most prestigious sister ever!¡¡I can''t call myself the best mermaid princess without defeating that big sister!

    You don''t have to tell me your name.

    Couldn''t you just go number two?

    I was born a princess and I want to be the best!¡¡I''m going to continue to challenge you to prove that you have a better sister than your sister!

    ''''Annoyance...!

    Already, as my wife, Prathi, who should be called the co-owner of the farm, is so busy that she won''t be able to find the time to deal with her sister, who is needlessly involved.

    The experience of running the farm so far was a stepping stone to convince my sister, but that didn''t work either.

    The only thing left to do now is to kill her.

    I''m going to work on this farm too!

    "What?

    Prati and I both roll our eyes at Angel''s plea.

    ''''Even I''m not so smug as to think I can beat Prathi sister in my current state!¡¡To defeat a powerful enemy, you need a proper training phase!

    What is this guy talking about...?

    So, here on this farm, you''ll grow up stealing magic skills while watching your nemesis sister''s actions up close and personal!¡¡And one day I''ll beat my sister!

    Angel said while moshing the shredded cabbage from the tonkatsu he received as a refill.

    He said something like "challenge" or something like that, but isn''t the goal the food here or some other ulterior motive?

    ''But still...!¡¡You''re still in school, right?¡¡What if you throw out of class, live here, and then drop your credits and get expelled from school?¡¡Did you forget that you''re a princess?¡¡With the position comes responsibility, you know?

    You dropped out of witchcraft school, too.

    ''I can''t even gag when you say that...!

    A witch-like outlaw episode came out.

    ''''That''s why the authority of the mermaid royalty will finally fall away if even the second princess, Anta, drops out. This time, you are not the only one with friends. Go home properly and go to school.

    What? You can''t just send these guys away?

    Then Puffa objected.

    ''''These guys are already starting to prepare as a new force in our department?¡¡If I can trust the brewery to these guys, I''ll be able to visit Prince Arowana more often...!

    "Shut up, sister-in-law.

    Puffa.........

    The reason why he was unusually positive about replenishing the workforce is because of such an ulterior motive.......

    ''''Anyway, you guys should quickly return to the mermaid country!¡¡And don''t interfere with the love nest of me and your husband!

    What?¡¡Oh no, no!¡¡I want to live here and eat pork cutlets every day!

    So that was the main goal, after all.

    And while the debate about whether to go home or not continued, a further change occurred.

    The lower half of Angel and the other mermaid girls'' bodies were in trouble.

    ''''Geez!''''

    Was it the Five Holy Witches?

    The member of the group is without exception, and the lower half of the girl''s body with antelope-like feet is somehow transformed into something grotesque.

    Octopus feet?¡¡Countless barnacles?¡¡Or like a massive mass of algae?

    What''s going on here?¡¡What is happening all of a sudden?

    ''''Is this........the drastic change in the lower body means that the land-humanification potion has gone out of control?

    Whenever a mermaid goes on land, she must drink a magic potion to transform from a mermaid to a human.

    The angels were the lower half of human beings from the time they first appeared.

    ''Hey Angel!¡¡Where did you guys get the potion to change into a human?¡¡And did you drink it?

    I don''t give a shit!¡¡''The Witch of the Holy Light, Master Angel, nothing is impossible!''

    You didn''t make this yourself?

    ''''Are you nuts?¡¡The land chemical is not something that a student can make. The formula must have gone wrong, and it''s destroyed!

    You''re lying!¡¡I made it just like the recipe she left me!

    If anyone can make it with the recipe, we don''t get credit for being witches. d*mn it!¡¡Anyway, deal with it!

    * * *

    In the end, after all the personnel on the farm took down the five of them, Prathi and the witches'' efforts alleviated the symptoms.

    For the time being, they were able to regain their human legs, but the effects of the failed potion were hard to get rid of, so it would take a long time for them to return to the lower half of their mermaid bodies.

    As such, the girls were forced to stay at our farm, without a care in the world.

    Prathi sighed, Puffa was delighted to have an assistant, Gala Rufa was desperate to clear up any misunderstandings, and Lamprey just flirted with Hendler, saying it didn''t matter.

    And the five new girls seemed to have mixed feelings about their future life on the farm.

    Well, it will be okay.

    I won''t let them do anything that reckless.

 187-186 Functional explanation land trip Part 2

    I am Hakkai the Orc.

    I am accompanying Master Arowana, the prince of the mermaid race who travels on earth.

    We are interrupting our journey today because he has come back.

    We are interrupting our journey today because he has come again.

    Hermes, the God of Wisdom, who belongs to the heavenly gods.

    "I''m here today to explain the equipment and capabilities on the Songgok Phone.

    Something about this god, he looks like he''s enjoying himself.

    When he came to push Songgok Phone on me, I thought, ''What is this trouble with a definite shape! I thought to myself, ''What kind of trouble is this?

    At first glance, Songgok-dong looks like a troubled child, but in front of Master Puffa, he''s obedient, and when it comes to battle, he''s the most competent in the world, and he''s been a great help to us on our journey.

    Even now, she''s buried under the tits of Master Puffa, who has just finished his work at the farm and has joined us.

    Miss. Miss Paffa''s tits are bad. These tits are really bad.

    Don''t rub your face too much against it.

    While the lilies were blooming over there, me and Prince Arowana responded to God.

    Or rather, this god. Don''t you think you''re getting down to earth too casually?

    "...so that''s why!¡¡Son Gokphon, which was heavily modified by Brother Hephaistos, the god of modeling, is equipped with new inventions not found in traditional angels!¡¡It''s an aircraft that pursues rationality based on the theme of compact functionality for everyday life!

    ''''Hoho.''''

    I couldn''t tell you what to do because you were so busy imposing on me the other day!¡¡Today, I''m going to teach you all about them, so you can learn them to help you on your journey!

    "Hoho.

    "Now that I''ve put you in charge of Songgokphone, it''s my duty to support you!¡¡As God!¡¡I''ll be happy to give you advice as well!

    "Hoho!

    He doesn''t seem to be willing to listen to Prince Arowana seriously.

    This seems to be a policy to get him to leave as soon as possible by listening to the Texan.

    ''What is an angel in the first place?¡¡That''s the biological weapon that my idiot father Zeus had Brother Hephaistos create out of his ambition to invade the earth. It is a mass of super annihilating power that can destroy the earth with just one unit...!

    "I started talking from the argument in the first place!

    This is going to be a long story....

    * * * *

    So I''ll leave it at that.

    ''''Now, I''d like to finally start explaining Songgok Phone''s individual armaments from here.

    Now we''re getting to the point.

    It was long.

    But through the explanation of God Hermes, I was able to get unexpected information such as how Songgokphon was resurrected and how even our saints were involved in it.

    We''d like to ask our saint for more information.

    ''''Then I think it would be better to have him take a look at it in person. Sunggok Phone, come over here for a moment!''''

    and Son Gokhwon called by God.

    However.

    ''What?¡¡Aaaaand I want to hug Miss Sissi more~?

    In Songgokphone''s mind, it was Paffa-sama > God.

    So Pa Paffa, the being who had surpassed God in Songgokphone, urged him on by himself.

    Go ahead and do it. If you don''t let him talk as much as he wants, he won''t come back, will he?

    Oui.

    With a grudging disapproval, Sunggok-dong came over here.

    "Songgokphone!¡¡Show them what you got!

    Yes, sir!

    Slurping.

    ''Why are you trying to take your pants off?¡¡What do you want them to see?¡¡It''s a stick, a stick!¡¡Get the sticks out!''

    Oh, there.

    Sunggok-chan rummages in his ear holes and pulls something out from inside.

    It was something as small and thin as a thorn in a tree....

    ''Stretch it out Songochrod, attack mode.

    As Songgokhwan chanted an incantation, the thorns suddenly became huge, and they became a single stick.

    Moreover, its entire body was painted in vermillion, and there were decorative carvings in places, showing that it was an artisanal gem.

    The elves on the farm would be thrilled to see it.

    ''''This is Son Gokhon''s main armament, the DX Son Gokrod!

    From the looks of it, it''s a gem, no doubt, but it''s just a stick?

    Swords and spears seem to be more powerful........

    We think that we are.........

    ''''I''m not so sure about that.¡¡''Show her Sunggokphone,''

    "Curl up Songochrod, blaster mode.

    As if in response to Songgokphon''s spell, the stick transformed on its own, turning into a strange shape.

    What''s that, that L-shaped...?¡¡You mean?¡¡It''s like the stick bent from one part and became a handle...?

    "Blaster mode, convergent mana non fire!

    Songgok-chan thrusts the tip of the stick into the sky with the bent part.

    From there, a light is emitted into the sky.

    Is that...?

    "In the old demon city, you blew up the No-Life King and the city wall...?

    At that time, I was too flabbergasted to look at it in detail, but Songgok Phone was releasing that flash attack like this?

    ''Blaster mode is Songochrod''s gun form that unleashes a convergent manakanon!¡¡Sunggok Phone can use these two forms differently, making it lighter and more efficient than normal angels, and maintain its fighting ability!''''

    ''''Oh...!

    ''''By the way, the rod is derived from Songgokphon''s mana-powered furnace, so it can only be handled by Songgokphon.

    I''m not sure what it is, but I found it to be great anyway.

    Why is that?

    Neither Prince Arowana nor I can turn off the sparkle in our eyes the moment we catch a glimpse of the transformation process of that stick!

    ''I don''t know what it is, but it''s cool!¡¡That''s cool!¡¡I can''t help but feel the romance of a man!

    "Right?¡¡You know what I''m talking about, don''t you?¡¡That''s what I thought, too, and that''s why I got my brother Hephaistos to put the transformation feature on it, too!¡¡My brother was in a groove at the end too!

    The conversation was lively.

    The women, including Paffa-sama and Sunggok-dong, watched the conversation with cold eyes.

    "Then, Songgok-chan''s equipment still has an amazing transformation function?

    ''''No, they don''t.''''

    He gets a shoulder to shoulder and Prince Arowana zipped up.

    What''s all this?

    And when I say transforming, I mean just changing from a stick to a gun doesn''t add much volume, does it?

    "Hmm, but have you considered that?¡¡''Songgokphone has only recently been restored''

    As God Hermes pointed out, we turned our attention once again to Sungokphon.

    ''Ah?¡¡What are you looking at?¡¡Are you going to do it?

    ..............

    ''It would be too dangerous to suddenly entrust all the power of the world-destroying angel to such a Songgok Phone, wouldn''t it?¡¡So I asked Brother Hephaistos to lock in some of her features.''

    "Ho!

    When she has matured mentally and is deemed capable of handling her powers correctly, she will unlock and activate her new form!

    "New form?

    That has a very exciting ring to it!

    "I''ve entrusted you with Songgokphone to help you grow as a person, so please guide me through this. If you treat people with sincerity, Sunggokphong will grow up to be a better person!

    But originally, Prince Arowana''s journey was to train to become the Mermaid King.

    However, Prince Arowana''s original goal was to train to become the Mermaid King, but with Songgok Phone as a foreigner, the direction of the journey seems to be off.

    There is no such thing as a misalignment.

    Prince Arowana says clearly.

    "The point is that both Songgok-chan and I need to grow up more than we are now, don''t we?¡¡I think we''re all headed in the same direction. No, it''s not just us. Hakkai too!

    Me?

    Pfa!

    With you?

    ''We can all grow up together!¡¡We''re on the same side!¡¡We can all just go ahead and do it together!

    That''s the prince!¡¡That''s a huge vessel for what you say!

    Yes, we''re friends who are united through travel!¡¡Let''s all take it one step at a time!

    ''Yes!¡¡Well, that''s why it was worth it for me to put the Songgokphone on you!¡¡I''ve seen that kind of personality in you!

    And you will open your eyes to Sunggok''s new form!¡¡Witness it!

    That''s your point, isn''t it?

    But I see it!¡¡It''s a very exciting phrase to hear, isn''t it?

    "So, what criteria will you use to change it, the new form?¡¡Is it more power or more speed?¡¡Can''t you just tell me a little bit ahead of time?

    "It''s called a spoiler, Mr. Arowana...!¡¡Maybe a new environmentally compliant form is in order?¡¡Aerial battle forms and underwater battle forms...!''''

    "Underwater warfare is burning, mermaid-like!

    ''Also, I''m discussing with Brother Hephaistos about the items that will help me change into my new form!¡¡Cards and medals and rings!¡¡It''s hard to decide which one to choose!''''

    Puffa-sama''s cold gaze was focused on Prince Arowana and the god Hermes, who were in such a state of excitement.

    ".........Men are such a**h*les.

 188-187 Malebite Tour Tourist Trip Part 3

    I am Hakkai the Orc.

    We have been traveling, led by Prince Arowana.

    Today we arrived at the village around sunset, and it was inevitable that we would stay here.

    Thanks to the bill of passage I received from the Demon King on my departure from the Demon City, I''m usually welcomed in any place.

    Even a small village that is out of the center of the city like this is very effective, the majesty of the Lord of Demons is very impressive.

    However......

    This time, something happened in this village.

    * * * *

    "...........?

    What was served as a meal in this village was barley porridge and vegetables that were simply roasted in the fire.

    The barley porridge is very different from the rice rice cooked by the saints on the farm, it''s thin and full of chaff, even the roasted vegetables have no seasoning at all.

    Even the roasted vegetables are not seasoned with any kind of seasoning, not even salt, and the only reason they are roasted is because they are meant to be eaten raw, as eating them raw would make you sick to your stomach.

    Honestly, it''s a completely different result than what you''d eat on a farm.

    ''''.......Is this meal common in this village?''''

    Even so, since it was served, it can''t be left behind.

    It must be flattened even if it''s poured in the water served with it.

    "Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. It''s inedible.

    Hey!¡¡Songgok-chan!

    Even if you think you''re thinking it, don''t say it!

    No, I don''t have a choice...

    The village chief of the demon tribe who served us this meal said apologetically, "Small country villages like ours are so poor that we can''t even cook a good meal for our occasional guests.

    A small country village like ours is so poor that we can''t even make a good meal for our occasional guests. After all, we''ve been at war with the human race for so long...

    War, after all, is a great drain on a country.

    And the poorest villages will be the first to suffer from the war.

    I''m sure the world will improve little by little from now on, but for now, we just have to be patient with the barley porridge...

    ..........

    Hearing this, Master Puffa pondered for a while, then abruptly kicked off his seat and stood up.

    ''I''ll be right back, just wait for me!

    Then he slammed the test tube with magic potion on the floor and disappeared.

    ''What''s the matter with Puffa...?

    The use of the shifting potions would mean that he returned to the farm.

    As declared, Puffa-sama returned immediately.

    He was holding some kind of large tub in his hand....

    ''''This!¡¡Nursery!

    ''''Ha!''''

    He pressed the village chief.

    Even with a little food, we can make it taste good with a little ingenuity. A good meal enriches your life.

    And the bran bed.

    Apparently, Master Puffa is teaching the villagers how to make pickles.

    I served barley porridge, so you must have made barley!¡¡The saints would only accept rice bran, but even barley bran can''t make much difference!

    With a gasp, I put down the bran bed bucket.

    The saint said that the pickles are more nutritious than eating them as is. The kids in the village looked unhealthy too, so this should make them feel a little better.

    How''s that for a windbreaker?

    That "I don''t care if anyone else dies but Atai or lives" hard-boiled outlaw witch Puffa-sama voluntarily showed kindness?

    I''m worried about the kids'' poor health, so do you want me to give them a quick checkup?

    ''What?¡¡Puffa, can you even do that?

    ''I''m not as good as Gala Rufa in my day job, but I can prescribe an internal medicine for the superficial symptoms. I''m sure there are some medicinal herbs growing around here as well, so why don''t you princes go into the forest and pluck them up?

    Oh, wow...?

    ''And while you''re at it, if you see any monsters, go get them. After all, there''s no better nutritional value than meat.

    ''''Not all of them are conveniently edible monsters!

    Nevertheless, Prince Arowana and I took a couple of able-bodied villagers with us into the forest near the village to pick the herbs we were instructed to pick.

    The villagers didn''t seem to know much about these herbs, and they were learning how to identify the plants that could be used as medicinal herbs and how to collect them properly by asking us for advice from Master Puffa beforehand.

    A deer-shaped monster also appeared, and Prince Arowana killed it with a single blow, which was applauded by everyone.

    Since I, myself, am used to dismantling monsters on the farm, we made short work of it and brought it back to the village for a barbecue party.

    ''Everyone!¡¡"Do you like meat?

    ""Oh!"

    Did you make bran beds?

    ""Oh!"

    Did you mix the herbs?

    ""Oh!"

    Something about Prince Arowana and the villagers are united in their hearts.

    Beside him, Master Puffa was teaching the ladies of the village how to make a simple herb.

    "But the land people, surprisingly enough, don''t know how to use medicines...!

    It''s unthinkable in a mermaid country where potions are in circulation. But the point of the trip is to travel to a foreign country and find out that what we think is common sense is not so.

    The Demon King is a good king, but I''m sure he''s been so preoccupied with the war against the humans that he hasn''t even bothered to deal with domestic affairs.

    And that''s a chronic problem that has been going on for hundreds of years. I don''t think it''s fair to put the blame on Lord Zedan alone.

    Even if we are going to reform even the way people live, if the head of state is in charge, the process will inevitably spread out from the center to the regions, and it will be too late for the benefits to reach these remote villages.

    ''That too will be resolved soon. Lord Zedan is the Ming Dynasty.

    I, um...

    Would you kindly stop this dignified conversation, Prince Arowana and Puffa?

    Like that future mermaid king and the mermaid queen?

    "Hello!¡¡Fellas, I have a fun game for you to play!¡¡It''s called smooching!

    ""AAAAAHHHH!"

    Prince Arowana became popular with the village children and was completely at ease with them.

    Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

    Sunggokhwan watches while he falls asleep.

    Well, only she hasn''t done anything!

    * * * *

    In this way, wherever he went, Paffa passed down the methods of making pickles and medicinal herbs to the villagers, and the inhabitants thanked him for it.

    He was praised like a hero.

    As he traveled from village to village and town to town, he was nicknamed "The Messenger" and was welcomed by the towns and villages he visited for the first time.

    "How is the pickle good?

    "''Oooh!''

    "Do herbs work well?

    "''Ooooh!''

    Do you want to know how to make it?

    ""Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!"

    He was completely charismatic.

    Today, he continues to contribute to raising the cultural level of the village by giving lectures on how to make pickles and medicinal herbs in newly visited villages.

    I''m glad to see that Pfa is enjoying his trip.

    Prince Arowana....

    Is that right?

    The first time I met him was in a prison in the mermaid country. I''ve been working on the Saint''s farm for a while now, and now he''s in a state of shock.

    Ahhhhhh, well... yes.

    "The most twisted of the mermaid tribe is the one who made you so open-minded. That''s the Holy Father''s farm, indeed...

    No.

    The direct cause of Mr. Puffa''s change is not so much romantic as it is.

    I knew you didn''t realize it!

    ''''With this amount of time, we may be able to erase the charges against her by the end of this trip. Her talent is valuable to the mermaid kingdom. If you are willing to return to us, it''s worth it.

    ........Prince.

    There is one major condition for Master Puffa to belong to the state....

    I didn''t have the courage to tell that to the prince as an orc.

    Well, I''m sure Master Puffa is not so rebellious that he would not even try to become the queen.

    ''Yes!¡¡So let''s not let that stop me from propagating the fun of smooch!¡¡If you have confidence in your skills, gather together!

    The response to this was mixed depending on the village we visited.

    Thus, everywhere we went, we were praised by the people for promoting the manufacturing process of pickles, the preparation of medicinal herbs, and the fun of sumo wrestling.

    The journey went well.

 189-188 Transfer Magic Chat

    We are the orc team. We''re going into the dungeon now!

    ""Oh."

    "I forgot my luggage bag!¡¡We can''t take all the monsters we hunt without it!

    No choice. Just use transference magic and go back to the farm and get it.

    Yes!

    * * *

    Yeah, it feels so good to be in the forest.

    I knew there was nothing more important than being an elf in the woods.

    But won''t Master Aileron be furious with you if you''re late for work?

    I mean, no matter how much I run now, I won''t make it in time...

    Don''t worry. That''s when you need transition magic!

    * * *

    ''Master Panu!¡¡I''m done milking for today!

    ''It''s almost time to get off work!¡¡I can''t wait to get it to the big bathrooms, or I won''t be able to make it in time!

    Don''t worry, that''s when the transference magic happens!

    * * *

    I''m done cleaning the house!

    I promised to clean up the teacher''s dungeon today!

    But your dungeon is so far away, it''s a pain in the ass to walk through it!

    Don''t worry. That''s when the transference magic happens.

    * * *

    "Woof! Transference magic!

    * * *

    ........Lately, I feel like transfer magic is being used all over the place.

    It''s hard for me to be aware of it because I myself ride the dragon horse Sakamoto and move around at super speed.

    Many people are using transference magic?

    On our farm?

    Almost every kid on our farm has access to it now, transference magic.

    I was surprised to hear from Prathi.

    Seriously!

    I thought it was higher magic!

    ''Oh no, teachers are really good at teaching!

    So it was that guy.

    The No-Life King, the Immortal King, indeed. It''s just that he''s lived long enough to be adept at many things.

    In other words, thanks to his lectures, almost everyone, regardless of race, has mastered transference magic?

    The transference magic is originally a magic for the demon race, but Puffa''s sister-in-law developed a transference spell because she''s in love with her brother, so mermaids like us can use it without any problem.

    Oh no, convenient, convenient. .........and Prati is in a good mood, but is that right?

    I don''t think so.

    Somehow.

    Why do I feel that way?

    Even if you don''t live here, I''m sure Astares-san learned some transference magic here.

    That''s why you come to visit me so often...!

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the future.

    I''m sure you''re not the only one who has mastered it.

    You can''t get rid of them.¡¡Even if you''re an idiot in your teacher''s class, it''s reputed that you can learn it, so I''m sure you''ll be fine!

    It''s a good idea to have a few people in trouble if I acquire mobility on my own or........

    It''s okay, Sakamoto.

    When I want to move over a wide area, I''ll be flying on your back.

    So don''t look at me like I''m a calf being sold like that.

    * * * *.

    Before I knew it, there were more transition points.

    What is a transition point, in case you''re wondering?¡¡But the transition point is the place where you can go with transition magic is set in advance.

    The transition magic in this world can''t move outside of the transition point, so inevitably it can only move to a place you''ve been to once.

    Initially, though, it was only one point used by the Demon King and the others to travel back and forth between the Demon City and the farm.

    Currently, they are dotted around the farm as a tool to move quickly and efficiently around the various places near the farm.

    Before the teacher''s cave dungeon.

    In front of Viel''s Mountain Dungeon.

    The front of the Great Bath.

    And the area near the original farm.

    Currently there are four.

    What was the opinion that the transfer point shouldn''t be increased indiscriminately for security reasons?

    After all, it was hard to resist the lure of convenience.

    ''I''ve taken security precautions,''

    Veal said.

    Why are you telling me this?

    That''s because I''m the one who built the security trap system. Me and a bunch of corpses and the spirits of the earth.

    A magical trap created by the Dragon and the Immortal King?

    What kind of god-killing magic trap is that?

    "...in every direction, within ten paces of the transition point. It only fires on those who try to go out from within.

    Heh, heh...?

    The system is designed to be disabled if you have the official recognition talisman I created, so the residents won''t fall for it by mistake. I''ve already distributed the Talisman to everyone.

    "I didn''t get paid.

    If something goes wrong and we let the Talisman go from our bodies, we can still go out there and cast a special spell. I''ve also taught this to all the guys on the farm.

    What do you mean, you''re not going to teach me?

    No talisman, no spell, and when you try to leave the transition point without casting a spell, the evil spirits of the earth will come out and drag the intruder into the dirt. Then they''ll be left hardened until I or a corpse-mobber pulls them out.

    I''m scared!

    I heard it''s safe to live, but even so, I don''t like the idea of being buried under the ground without knowing when I''ll be freed...

    The transfer point is a password system that allows you to transfer to each of the transfer points without knowing the coordinate codes that have been set for each one, so basically, only the people involved can use them.

    However, I''ve heard that there are illegals from all over the world who break the password and jump into unknown transfer points, so this kind of preparation is probably necessary in order to increase the number of transfer points.

    Of course, I''ve been taking such precautions since the time there was only one transfer point.

    ........What?

    What exactly did I do?

    Saints....

    What the hell?¡¡What the hell?

    Hey, there''s Verena!

    Why didn''t you make it look like that?¡¡I didn''t even notice you standing next to me!

    Hi there. I''m Verena, not Bati, from the Demon Girl Combine...

    The way you''re introduced...?

    Speaking of which...

    The first job this kid was given was to manage the transition point!

    It was supposed to be her job to check the important transition points every day to see if there was anything wrong with them!

    But now the transfer point has been added, and traps for intruders have been set up at the initiative of Veerle.

    Oh, I''ve made it so that any abnormalities in the transfer point are automatically notified to me. It seems that the spirits of the earth will take care of the cleaning as well.

    And Veerle.

    That word was a hallucination that pierced and penetrated Verena''s chest.

    ''''Wha........wha......I.......!¡¡I poured all my talents into mastering a high-level transfer magic, and with those skills, I climbed up the Demon King''s army''s career ladder and even became an assistant to the Fourth Heavenly King...!

    Well, that happened.

    ''''Even that transference magic can be used by everyone here...!¡¡Finally, the value of my existence ah~!¡¡My little bit of existence is worth ahhhh~!

    It was Verena who started to cry oi oi crying.

    She kept looking away all the way up to this point........

    The reason was that it seemed like a hassle.

    But it seems that the time has finally come when we need to have a serious discussion.

    About Verena.

 190-189 Verena Question and Answer

    The conference attendees around the table.

    I am the chairperson and moderator of the meeting, me first.

    Prati and Veerle on either side of it.

    Okubo as the Orc representative. Goblin representative Gobkichi.

    Aileron from the Elven camp, Panu from the Satyrs.

    Earth Spirit.

    Poti.

    Angel Holkosfon.

    And special guests, the Demon King and No Life King Teacher.

    The God of Hades.

    God Poseidon.

    In addition, the main topic of discussion, Astares-san (in the last month), who is Verena''s former boss, and his best friend, Bati.

    With the above members, we''d like to start the meeting.

    Titled.

    Let''s talk about Verena''s existence at the first meeting!

    Isn''t it too much to ask?

    !" shouted Verena in confusion.

    That''s a distinguished group!¡¡For me, not only the main people of this farm, but also the Demon King!¡¡I''m too scared to die!

    What do you mean?

    I said, very obviously.

    ''Verena is one of my farm mates!¡¡If you''re struggling with your identity, it''s time we worked together to find an answer!

    Isn''t that right, people?

    Half the pain, double the joy. That''s the beauty of helping each other out, friends!

    Let''s all work together here and now to get over Verena''s pain!

    ''''........I mean, Verena. She stayed on the farm because she was expected to be a transfer magic user, but she didn''t have much usefulness in that regard, and in the meantime, the transfer point will be added, and everyone will be able to use transfer magic, and it will become less and less rare...

    Finally, he started crying the other day, he said.

    ''''Is transference magic actually that rare?''''

    Let''s ask the Demon King who rules the demon race here.

    ''''Right. Not only is it difficult to learn, it''s also far more useful than other magic, so much so that its users are strictly controlled by the state.

    ''''It''s so much so that in the Demon Kingdom, to learn transference magic, one must first report it, investigate its origins and ideology, and obtain permission. If a transfer magician that the demon kingdom doesn''t know about is identified, that alone is reason enough to offer a bounty for their capture.

    Seriously.........?

    I didn''t know they were teaching such a great magic to everyone in a disorderly fashion.

    ........will it matter?

    You don''t know anything about that now, do you?

    ''Everything is full of exceptions. This farm.

    It was something of a masterstroke.

    Let''s get back to the topic at hand.

    ''''In other words, Verena''s transition magic, which is rare enough in the world, is just a general knowledge here!¡¡It''s like a bat in a birdless village mingling with a flock of wyverns!

    Batty''s fine.

    Don''t make your friend cry.

    So I think what Verena needs is a new personality!

    I''m proposing a smooth flow!

    Help the farm with your newfound skills to replace transference magic!¡¡That way, importance and attention naturally goes up, salaries go up, and great meetings happen!

    Yes, Batty''s suggestion has a point, but....

    So what kind of personality should we add to Verena?

    ''Do you want to take a potion and become a mermaid?¡¡The drug that turns you from a land man to a mermaid is still in its infancy, and you risk turning into a bubble if you can''t become a mermaid?

    You want to bathe in dragon''s blood?¡¡Instead of having your spirit shattered, you''ll be invincible, okay?

    Prathi and Veer suggested each.

    But both of them are too risky.

    Also, Prati''s suggestion of a mermaidification potion doesn''t make much sense since they are mermaids in the first place.

    I solicited suggestions from the other conference participants.

    What new personality should we add to Verena!

    ''Warriors in dungeons.''

    "Take down a powerful monster in one punch.

    Living in the Woods.

    I''ll try to milk it out.

    We''re going to be buried!

    "Woof!

    Can I lend you a pistol with Manakanon?

    "Do you want to be immortalized?

    "Shall I give you my blessing?

    "Let''s eat the mentaiko.

    The following ideas were raised.

    ''How about it, Verena?¡¡Do any of these sound good to you?

    ''''None of them are possible ughhhh!

    Yeah, I know.

    That''s what I thought, too.

    Can I just say what I think?

    The one who raised his hand after saying that was Astares-san.

    The current Demon Queen and former Four Heavenly Kings.

    Above all, he''s the person who was once Verena''s boss.

    In terms of knowing Verena well, you can expect more than anyone else in this group.

    ''''During my time as an active Four Heavenly King, Verena was indeed a very capable second in command. A second in command''s job is to support their superiors from the shadows. In that regard, there was no other administrator as considerate as Verena.

    To keep in close contact with other units.

    Gathering and analyzing information in advance of fighting the enemy.

    Managing supplies and coordinating plans, as is often the case with military actions.

    It''s a simple but important job, and one that cannot be neglected, and Verena has performed it perfectly.

    I''m sure you''ll find that compared to her, Batty and the others are a bit uneven in their work. That was compensated for by the lightness of the common man''s life, but...

    Just off to the side, Batty was whistling. ''Sticky.

    ''I can assure you that those talents of Verena''s will serve her well on this farm. Why don''t we let Verena contribute to the farm in those areas?

    That''s true too.

    In fact, isn''t it Verena who has been doing a great deal of work so far in negotiating with the demon trader Shax-san and preparing to welcome Lettuce Rate-chan?

    Sober.

    It''s not well known, though.

    Why didn''t I notice that earlier!

    On our farm. On our farm, this administrative and negotiating ability is quite valuable.

    That''s enough to give Verena a new lease on life!

    What do you think, Verena!¡¡What good would that do for our farm?

    No, sir.

    Huh?

    I thought we were done here!¡¡Why all the hell do we have to go through here?

    Are you sure you want to do this, Verena?

    We''ve been waiting for you to get your very own personality!

    I don''t want to be of any use to the saint beyond human knowledge, even though I''m a part of his farm!¡¡I want to be more flamboyant and make a difference that will be remembered by all of you!

    Ehhh~?

    "But I don''t have that kind of super-super power...!¡¡That''s sad!¡¡If only I had more power, I could make it my own personality!

    ''Such as?''

    For example, here''s an example!

    * * *

    ''Wait!¡¡"Erinsova, demon general!

    Who are you?

    ''I am Verena, faithful squire of the saint!¡¡I will keep the peace on the farm!

    "Oh, don''t you think, Verena...!

    What?

    I''m not here to help you!¡¡I''ll take you down!¡¡I will never allow anyone else to defeat me!

    "Evil demon general Erinsova!

    "Therefore, for once, I am going to help you!¡¡Come on, let''s work the fields together!

    * * * *

    ..........

    All of us here have had plenty of time to decompress.

    Dismissal.

    Dismissed.

    For those of you who have come from far away, I am really sorry for your labor.

    At the very least, let''s have a dinner afterwards and have a good time eating and drinking.

    And Verena.

    You''ll be our new administrative agent in charge of the farm today.

    It''s a big job, so I need you to pull yourself together and help out.

    And so we put an end to Verena''s personality problem.

 191-190 Days of Mermaid Girls

    ..........

    ''''...........?''''

    The two of them were staring at each other.

    Lettuce Slate, the princess of the ruined human nation.

    And Angel, the second princess of the mermaid kingdom.

    I''m sure you''ll find a lot of people who are interested in it.

    They paused cautiously, looked at each other firmly, and after spreading their arms wide like birds acting threateningly.......

    ''''Mate!''''

    They hugged each other.

    What the hell was that?

    ''I feel something of a sympathy with you!¡¡It''s like an innate nobility!

    ''I know!¡¡I get the feeling that you''re just as much of a chosen one as I am!

    They are in harmony.

    It''s true that both sides are born princesses.

    I''m a relative newcomer to the farm. I hope that the newcomers will get along with each other.

    If nothing else, I feel like we have something in common!

    "Hatred for that demon sister!

    Ah.

    Oh, no.

    So you''re one of the victims of that demon mermaid''s misery?

    "So are you!¡¡I feel like I''ve finally found my soul mate!¡¡A comrade who is willing to stand up to that demon sister''s violence and unreasonableness!

    Comrade!

    "Comrade!

    Zugagan!¡¡And.

    Prathi appeared out of nowhere, Lettuce Rate''s with her right fist and Angel''s with her left fist.

    Each of them had a thrust to the abdomen......or, more accurately, to the pigeon tail.

    ''''Gubugueh?!''''

    The comrades sank down, letting out a dirty scream that couldn''t have been a girl.

    ''''Stop wasting time talking and get to work...!

    And Platy is unconcerned.

    She''s also a princess of the mermaid kingdom, and she and Angel are sisters in fact....

    I can''t wait to see her and interrupt her.

    I''m not sure if I''m right or not.¡¡As usual, though, isn''t buzzing too much?

    It''s really too late now.

    You''re so violent, you''re going to get a lot of hate from both of us.

    If I could, I''d like to keep it simple. It hurts too.

    So don''t throw up your hands in the air for God''s sake!

    ''No more violence!¡¡No More Iron Fist!

    Even Lettuce Rate and Angel try to fold in on the conversation.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of good reasons for this.

    Why are you being extraordinarily hard on these two?

    I''m a good person, too........I used to be a good person. It''s not necessary to resort to corporal punishment, but as long as you speak politely and love them, they will understand. There was a time when I thought so.

    Hmm?

    But at some point I realized that those thoughts were just an illusion. With Angel there.

    Ah.

    I get it.

    I kind of get it.

    ''Hey, Angel, remember Angel?¡¡When we were still living in the Mermaid Palace, I told you over and over again not to enter my laboratory, but without learning a lesson, you snuck in...!

    Ohhhhh...!

    Angel began to shake from his waist as he remembered something.

    ''After touching something that shouldn''t be touched, the lab was a total loss. A lot of research was lost, and there are a few things that have not yet been fully recovered...!

    Wheeze...!

    Anyway, since then, I''ve realized that there are things in the world that can only be conveyed by fists. By the way, since the lettuce rate there smells just like my own sister''s, I''ve decided to do the same thing without examination.

    Hey!¡¡Hey!

    Miss Lettuce Rate bursts into the conversation.

    I''m going to do what?¡¡The reason why I get beaten up day and night by this demon mermaid is because of her?

    I''m going to point at Angel.

    It''s not a good idea.¡¡You''re going to get hit because it''s your fault!¡¡Don''t blame me!

    ''''Yea, the reason the demon mermaid turned into a demon is because you''ve made her heart so rough!¡¡Otherwise, I''m sure you would have been nice to me here, too!

    ''No, you wouldn''t!¡¡I''m your own sister!¡¡You''re supposed to be nice to your blood sister!

    It''s me!

    It''s me!

    Finally, the two have developed into a fistfight.

    Where is the setting for a kindred spirit...?

    Platy, do you have to stop that?

    There are times when I don''t think I can handle myself.

    Prathi said with a thud and weakness.

    "''Sis!¡¡Sis!

    The two controversial people came rushing to Prati.

    But why do you even call Letasurate a "big sister"?

    ''You''re prettier than me, sister!¡¡She''s my own sister!¡¡Blood must be thicker than water!

    ''No!¡¡Of course I''m prettier than you!¡¡He''s such a handful, he''s bound to love it!

    Don''t say that to yourself!

    Before I knew it, it became a game to see who would win more affection from Prathi.

    ''I love you more than you do my sister!

    No, I love you more than you do, sis!

    And even more, the shape of the game had shifted to ''who loves his sister more''.

    This immediate loss of essence is the common denominator that really ties these two together in a gutsy way.

    ''''I love you, big sister!''''

    I love you, big sister!

    ''''I love you sis!''''

    The two of them were kindred spirits, but it was clear that these two were going to make things more and more difficult for Prathi.

    ''''Ohhhh!¡¡I get it!¡¡Okay, don''t get involved!¡¡I love you too!¡¡So get off my back and don''t be relentless in your titty squeezing!

    This is really hard work, isn''t it?

    ********

    The new mermaid girls who joined our farm from just the other day.

    Prati''s younger sister, Angel, who calls herself the ''Witch of Holy Light'' (that''s all she calls herself), as well as Discus, Veiltail, Hechelly and Batrax.

    They followed the righteous witches and looked up to them as if they were their older sisters, and they were still studying diligently today.

    The most important reason for their stay at the farm is that they are unable to return to the sea due to the side effects of a failed potion they created to turn mermaids into earthlings.

    It would take quite a while for the potion to wear off, and until then there was nowhere else for the girls to go but their farm.

    The Angels are still young and attending school, so I asked Hendler to take care of all the arrangements for them, including the leave of absence.

    It was Hendler who was no longer representing Prince Arowana, but rather visited our farm for the main purpose of flirting with the lamprey.

    Some of Princess Angel''s schoolmates are enrolled in famous wizarding schools. It''s not always easy to get permission from them, as their parents are also noblemen from the mermaid country.

    Your parents must be very worried about you.

    ''Do you think it would be reassuring to mention the names of the Prati princesses?¡¡There was also the hope that this was the case. After all, the Six Witches are the best potions master in the mermaid kingdom. Being able to learn directly from them is a better learning environment than sending them to any top-tier school.

    If you ask me, that''s true.

    If the current status of the angels is that they are students who are focused on their studies, it is probably the best extracurricular lesson for them to follow the six witches, who are professionals at the highest level, and see how they work.

    If you can persuade them with that policy, their parents will be more easily convinced than you think.

    Yeah, about that...!

    Hendler had something to say about that.

    If I let the Sixth Witch guide me, I think my daughter will become a delinquent too.¡¡I''m worried about it...!

    That''s right.

    My witches were the worst in all of history, even for a double flower mullet.

    "We managed to settle things with the help of His Majesty the Mermaid King Nargus. I was shocked to learn that the Six Witches had such a lack of trust in society. I''m also greatly shocked...!

    Hendler, who is now one of the Six Witches and her fianc¨¦, looks devastated, as if he is no stranger to her.

    He looked devastated, "No, that''s not true!

    It was one of the mermaid girls who interrupted the conversation and said, "No, that''s not true!

    It''s a girl mermaid with a puffa named Discus.

    We''re happy enough to be here!¡¡It''s a dream come true to be able to study potions under the godlike Miss Puffa after all these years of admiration!

    Me too! Me too! Me too!

    The other kids will follow suit and agree.

    Puffa is currently in love with Prince Arowana, forcing you to do the basic fermentation work.

    I''m sure Miss Puffa is secretly preparing for her new evil deed.

    "A conspiracy that will turn the world upside down!

    "To help Master Puffa!¡¡We''ve got to make sure that the work here is supported by us!

    Dang it!

    And they are encouraging each other with their innocent eyes, which makes my heart ache, even though I don''t know what else to say.

    If Puffa is doing anything wrong, it must be that she is using their innocence to make out with a man right now.

    Well, I''m glad you guys are so motivated to study under the Six Witches.

    Not all of the six witches are there, though.

    Hendler.

    No need to say anything.

    Oh, no, it''s not that bad, is it?

    Someone from the girl mermaids said.

    What''s that meaningful talk?

    Because if all six witches are gathered together, that leaves the Abyssal Witch and the Dark Witch, right?

    ''Two of the six witches are said to be exceptional!¡¡When you get to those two, your world will really be turned upside down!

    ''''No, no, wait!

    Even if it''s unlikely because the ''Dark Witch'' is at a level where her existence is questionable, maybe there is an Abyssal Witch!

    ""Because this is a saint''s farm!"

    The girls are laughing cheerfully at each other.

    No, wait.

    You, too, are aware of the phenomenon of the flag.

    ........and when I tried to pay attention.

    Zusheen.

    There was a sound like the earth shaking from somewhere.

    Zusheen, Zusheen, Zusheen, Zusheen.......!

    The sound is getting closer and closer to us.

    Where is this sound coming from...?

    It''s in the sea, isn''t it!

    As I rushed to the shore, a giant emerged from the water with a bang.

    A giant!

    What''s a giant out of the sea?

    Moreover, the giant that came out of the sea is the Witch of the Abyss, Zos Saira, riding on her shoulder.

    He came right away to collect the flag!

    "Okubo, where is Okubo?¡¡This ''witch of the Abyss'', Zos Saira, has come to visit you?

    "''Ohhhh, "Witch of the Abyss" ohhhh, ohhhh, ohhhh!

    The girl mermaids who were present naturally sit up.

    ''''Whoa!¡¡Not only Miss Puffa and Princess Platy, but also the oldest of the six witches, the Abyssal Witch?

    "What in the world is going on here?

    Yes, sir.

    I''m sorry for not following common sense. Yes, that''s right.

    We''ve gone through the whole exchange and I''d like to hear it all.

    Zos Saira.

    What is this giant that has emerged from that sea?

    A new version of the Straw Hat. It''s a sea-dwelling monster that has been genetically engineered to act on land, the Sea Bowls. I thought I''d show it to Okubo today. Orcubos. Where are you, Okubo?

    That''s a pretty dangerous piece of equipment, isn''t it?

    No!¡¡One little mistake on your part and the world is going to fall apart!

 192-191 Bremen Band

    This time, let''s talk about a play that Veerle started.

    * * * *.

    Pop!

    "Woof!

    Sakamoto!

    "Heen.

    Yo shamo!

    "Kook Doo Doo Doo Doo.

    Veerle is playing with some animals.

    ''Yes!¡¡You guys have good pitches!¡¡Next time, raise the pitch!

    She used to be a dragon''s girlfriend, but now she''s a cute little girl in human form.

    I''m not going to be the only one who can do that.

    There are three of them in front of Veerle.

    A wolf-shaped monster, Hupericaon''s potty.

    Sakamoto, the dragon horse, a genetically engineered homunculus horse.

    Yoshamo, a chicken-shaped monster that produces healthy eggs every day.

    These three.........three animals?¡¡Three birds?

    Anyway, it can be said that these guys are well disciplined in returning the squeal at one instruction from Veerle, though.

    It''s also questionable to say that they are clever and that Veerle got credit for disciplining them.

    I''m not sure if it''s Viel that''s playing with them, but isn''t it Viel that''s playing with them?

    ''Sakamoto!¡¡You''re the only one with a fast tempo!¡¡Make sure you''re in line with the others!¡¡Potty, now ''Wah-wah! "The solo part is the highlight of the show, so more clearly and clearly!

    What are you doing with that Veerle guy?

    My wife, Prathi, also came over when she noticed the strange behavior that Veerle had started.

    She was led by a dragon and chorus (?). Dogs, horses and chickens doing their thing.

    It must seem like a bizarre sight.

    Is it about time for an explanation?¡¡I was just thinking to myself.

    That thing where the animals travel to the big city to become musicians.

    I was gutted to hear that story and it affected me a lot...!

    It''s not entirely possible that I spoke to you by accident, but...!

    That''s what happened?

    Yes.

    He is a viel who is trying to discipline animals and form a music band.

    It might be like the psychology of someone who gets into cartoons and buys a guitar.

    ''Listen guys!¡¡You''re the best I''ve got!¡¡We''re going to make the best music with the best members!

    This vielle groove is in full swing.

    "First the dogs!

    "Woof woof.

    Then the donkey!

    "It''s a hyphenated horse.

    And the chicken!

    "and the cock doo-doo!

    ''When you sing, the world responds to you!¡¡We''re going to save the world with our songs!

    Where is Veerle headed?

    ''I knew it!''

    I''m too quick to fail.

    ''Not enough!¡¡It''s not enough!¡¡There''s one big omission for this member to win the world!

    So what are you trying to achieve?

    ''Remember, master!¡¡According to the story the master gave me, I thought there were four members of the music band!

    A dog.

    A donkey.

    A chicken.

    And..........

    ........a cat.

    ''So cat!¡¡My musicians are complete when the cats join them!¡¡The cat!¡¡Scout the cats!

    But we don''t have the equivalent of a cat living here yet.

    What if a new character is introduced here?

    * * *

    "Woof!

    "Heen.

    "Kook Doo.

    What?

    Panu, a satyr, had joined the choir.

    ''Why?''

    The satyr is a goat beast.

    Why did you include a goat in the attempt to add a new cat?

    Nope, not gonna happen!

    Veerle is puzzled by the Maestro''s pretensions.

    I tried to see if I could use a goat to take over the cat''s part, but it''s no use. Cats and goats are different creatures after all...!

    ''''To begin with, I''m a goat beastman, not a goat itself, so...!

    Panu couldn''t help but smirk.

    ''''I''m sorry Panu. This audition resulted in you being rejected. However, the reason for that was a mismatch in musicianship, so that doesn''t mean that your talent was denied. Please continue to work hard and continue to meh...!

    Huh...!¡¡Okay, I''ll go back to my dairy business...!

    Then Panu went back to work where he was forced out.

    ....................Sorry, I''m busy.

    ''My band of musicians will never be complete unless the cat slot is filled...!¡¡If this happens, if this happens...!

    Oh.

    Is a new character coming this time?

    I''m getting into the cat part myself!

    You''re a dragon!

    You''re a dragon!

    Dragons and cats are far too different creatures!

    The only way to achieve my vision of a cat part is for me to express it myself. The last member of my band will be my own cat!

    And then Veerle would transform into a heroic figure.

    * * * *

    "One!

    "Heen.

    "Kook Doe.

    "Meow!

    "One!

    "Heen.

    "Kook Doe.

    "Meow!

    The band is complete.

    Was it?

    Dogs and horses and chickens and dragons, not dogs and horses and chickens and cats, but dragons.

    A dog, a horse, a chicken and a cat, but not a dragon.

    These four (?) animals. The squeals of the "I" are suitably rhythmic and ensemble, but there is one part that inevitably shows too much presence, I guess.

    It''s a heaven-shaking, earth-shaking ''nyah''...!

    "There it is!¡¡This is the melody I''ve been chasing!

    And the dragon form of Veerle is going to go ''meow'' in a flippant manner.

    Well, this guy always sleeps day and night when people are working.

    He''s thoroughly indifferent to things he''s not interested in, but when he wants to be bothered, he gets annoyingly close to me.

    He''s so curious, but he''s afraid of anything.

    I think there are a lot of cat-like qualities in his personality.

    "One.

    "Heen.

    "Kook Doo Doo Doo Doo.

    And Pochi, Sakamoto, Yoshamo and the others, who are still in the company of Veerle, said, "Are you still not released? He was looking at me with a look of "I''m sorry.

    I''m sorry.

    If Veerle is catty in nature, I think he''s going to get bored easily.

    Cats are bored easily.

    * * * *

    Then Veerle began to play a different game, based on the example of the fairy tale.

    ''Goooo!¡¡It''s a monster!''''

    Veerle is freaking out in dragon form.

    ''It''s a monster I''ve never seen before!¡¡It''s a horrible monster!''

    Sakamoto is on top of Veerle''s giant, dragonized head, with Pochi on top of him and Yoshamo on top.

    If you can show this in silhouette alone, it''s an ungainly monster.......

    ........there''s no way you can see it.

    It only looks like a dragon with a strange object on its head.

    "Hahahahaha!¡¡Come on, master!¡¡I''m a tough guy, right?¡¡Like a mysterious, terrifying monster?

    Yes, I am.

    Just Veerle.

    Even if you look like horrible monsters now.

    More than 90% of that comes from you alone.

    ''Whatever''s on top of you, when you''re a dragon, you''re a horrible monster, right?''

    ''Platy!¡¡Shut up!

    Pochi, Sakamoto, and Yoshamo were all over Veerle''s head, with an enlightened look on their faces.

 193-192 two communions

    Talk about transition points.

    There are currently several transfer points scattered around our farm to support the movement between each place.

    The management of transition points is important because the specification of transition magic does not allow you to move freely anywhere, you can only fly to any transition point.

    This is because it would be troublesome if someone with an ill-conceived idea suddenly appeared in front of you with transference magic.

    That''s why the transition points are locked with double and triple locks so that only the people involved can use them.

    There are passwords to identify the transfer point, and transfer points are deliberately placed outside of the destination.

    In our farm, in addition to this, we have set up special traps around the transfer point to ensure that we are prepared, but it seems that our preparations are not the only thing we have to do.

    * * * *

    Assuming that the transfer point is misused, the most alarming thing is magical lock-breaking.

    A magical lock-picking?

    ''''I''m talking about an illegal magician who analyzes the code created by magic magic magic to disable it. The transfer point has seventeen and sixteen digits of code mixed with dummies to identify the coordinates, but a skilled locksmith can break through even that and analyze the code.

    ''Yeah...''

    It is a dangerous world.

    We''ve even set up traps around the points to guard against such things.

    "So, we''ve increased the coordinate code to 437 digits at the transfer point on our farm.

    Hmm?

    That''s the limit of the number of codes we can increase without slowing down authentication.... That''s the limit of the number of codes that can be added without sacrificing authentication speed... The more digits you add to a code, the more complex it is, and the harder it is to analyze.

    What...!

    In other words, we''ve learned that our transition point is more difficult to analyze than the other place''s.

    "Also, I set a little trap during the code analysis...

    Ha!

    ''If you try to parse the code illegally, there''s a trick that goes around the same place in certain contexts to prevent it from loading forever. And if you keep stepping on the same sentence in that way...

    Huh?

    What if I keep stepping on it?

    The reflux technique I was taught by my No Life King teacher will be triggered and it will fry the brains out of anyone with illegal access!

    Scary?

    Not to mention the horror of the trap!

    It''s frightening to see such a science fiction-like hacking war going on!

    It''s mind-bogglingly terrifying!

    Um........I have a question for you........!

    What is it, Saint?

    Who built the magic circuitry that would amaze the future police...?

    Oh, yes, it''s me.

    The one who explained it so far........

    Her.

    Verena.

    As one of the daughters of the demon race, she and Bati stayed with us to manage the transition point between the demon kingdom and our farm from the beginning.

    And she was the woman who had been worrying for a long time about the value of her existence.

    I have no personality, I have no gain.

    I have no personality, and I have nothing to offer," she said, and yet she kept on worrying about it, even involving the entire farm...!

    You self-proclaimed incompetent!

    Self-proclaimed incompetent!

    I yelled at Verena.

    "Where''s the individuality in that?¡¡You''re capable!

    If you think about it, it''s no wonder!

    Isn''t it most logical that Verena is the one who''s taking on the task of increasing the number of transfer points to our farm!

    You''re doing your job!

    "When it comes to this, we''ll name you!¡¡From now on, you can call yourself Verena the Self-Defining Impotent!

    "Your ''self-proclaimed incompetent'' Verena?

    That''s her two names!

    Let your fame spread like wildfire across the world!

    Uh....!¡¡Couldn''t it be something else?¡¡"Are you being lauded or cursed for your ''self-proclaimed incompetence''...?

    I don''t think so!¡¡More than a decade later, this name will be known throughout heaven and earth!

    No, I don''t know.

    Thus, Verena was able to rank up to at least two names.

    * * * *.

    Hi, I''m Shax, demon trader. I''m here to discuss business.

    Hi, I''m Verena, your receptionist. "My name is Verena, aka ''Self-Defended Idiot.''

    Yes?

    Never mind that. Let''s just get on with it.

    Verena is negotiating with a demon tribe merchant who came from the Demon City.

    This kind of complicated and messy stuff can only be entrusted to Verena.

    ''''.........So here''s the order list for the clothes, leather goods and glasswork ordered by the customer. I hope to have these products in place by the deadline...!

    ''No, wait. There are too many of them. There''s no way this is going to get done within the specified schedule.

    Yeah?¡¡No but...?

    ''Our workers must not make the mistake of thinking that the work for the farm is their priority. If it interferes with their core business, they will cease all such transactions.

    ''Wait!¡¡It can''t be helped. Let''s start with the lower priority items and move on to the next deadline.

    ''Please do so. I just ask that you don''t unfairly inflate the price by encouraging a premium.

    ''I know......... But you are quite a tough negotiator, aren''t you? A title like ''self-proclaimed incompetent'' seems to be a joke, don''t you think?

    Don''t do that!

    While sneaking a peek at their exchange, I became more convinced.

    I knew he was capable, didn''t I?

    As expected of the Assistant to the Four Heavenly Kings, she''s not a master of her craft. She''s doing an excellent job of handling the factor that our farm lacks: calculating and negotiating.

    Verena.

    You''re not incompetent anymore.

    You''re no longer an incompetent, self-proclaimed incompetent!

    And incompetence is just a word!

    Well by the way, I was asking for a private matter the other day.

    ''A magic code generator?¡¡It was just as good as a part-time job, though.

    The clients loved it. They said it was simple, yet seamless. I''ve already told them that I would love to have them come back to me.

    That all depends on your situation there, doesn''t it? I''m quite busy, despite my appearance.

    No choice, sir. Please, don''t overdo it.

    I''m busy!

    ''I understand!¡¡Why do you keep saying it?¡¡Do you wanna say it?

    You had a second job?

    And you were a bit vain!

    You were always on the verge of tears, saying you don''t have a role to play, that you don''t have a role to play!

    Verena!

    You''re finally starting to see what you can do!

    You''re starting to shape yourself!

    Verena, the "self-proclaimed incompetent"!

    Keep up the good work, Verena, the ''self-proclaimed incompetent''!

 194-193 Demon Prince Banzai!

    Queen Demon Queen Astares has given birth.

    We''ve already heard the news of her pregnancy, and we''ve seen her big belly many times, so we''re not surprised.

    But the birth of a new life is something to be celebrated under any circumstances.

    The entire farm community applauds and congratulates Astares as she arrives at our farm with her newborn baby in her arms.

    Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle...!

    Congratulations!

    Congratulations!

    Congratulations!

    Congratulations.

    Congratulations!

    Congratulations!

    I don''t know what it is, but congratulations!

    Ms. Astares, who has been slender in the West for a long time, tears up as she receives a wave of congratulations all at once.

    In her hands, she holds a sleeping baby in her arms.

    ''Thank you. It''s so much better than the ceremonial compliments I receive in the royal court.''

    He responded.

    ''My husband, Demon King Zedan, was unable to accompany me due to his official duties, but he said that he would definitely visit you in the near future to greet you. Today, I''m going to be ahead of you to have this child seen by the saint as soon as possible.

    You don''t have to be so careful.

    He was born a boy.

    As he is a splendid demon prince, the problem of his succession has been solved for the time being under the present Demon King Zedan''s administration. He seems to be more and more at ease.

    He is destined to follow in his father''s footsteps and support the entire demon tribe in the future.

    Do you have a name yet?

    Yes, Mr. Zedan, he named himself Gotia.

    Demon Prince Gotia.

    That was the name of the fate assigned to this baby.

    For this child, who was born to Zedan, the "greatest demon king of all time," as his father, whether his bloodline will be an asset or a burden.

    Only his future growth will decide that.

    And let''s leave the hard stuff out of it.

    ''This is a baby gift from us!

    A rush of gifts from each of the farm''s residents.

    For me, I''d like to pick up carrots, potatoes, onions and other vegetables from the farm that are gentle in flavor and high in nutritional value.

    If I boiled them into a soup, they would make great baby food.

    Huh?

    Is it too early for baby food?¡¡d*mn it!

    I''m going to give you a set of potions.

    Prathi handed over the medicine box.

    ''I''ve put together a list of special remedies for diseases the baby is prone to. Keep it on hand in case of an emergency.

    A mermaid''s potion reputed to be the most effective in the world.¡¡Sorry, I''ll always keep it under my pillow.

    Next, the elves.

    It is said that the statue has been passed down through generations of elves to ward off evil.

    I''ve got a wooden statue of an absurdly bukimi looking figure.

    I suppose it''s a custom to ward off any unseen evil that comes near the baby with his hideous form.

    The head of the woodworker''s group was a masterpiece that took seven days to complete. The horns that extend from the head and end up in the nostrils of the statue have a soul of their own, don''t you feel it?

    I don''t know what art is.

    Ms. Astares'' words were muddled, as is her custom in her position as queen.

    "Pray for good health," she said.

    Master?

    The Demon King Child was cursed by the Immortal King No Life King to ward off evil.

    In addition, the orc team, the goblin team, the satyr team, and the spirits of the earth also presented baby gifts in turn.

    Furthermore, the angel Holkosfon also gave a gift....

    ''''My congratulatory gift is a special fermented fermented soybeans that was specially aged for this day...''''

    ''''Wait a minute!''''

    I succeeded in stopping him just in time.

    Fermented food is still too early for babies.

    Furthermore, the exiled human princess Lettuce Rate-chan is also........

    ''''Um.........!¡¡The only thing I can raise from me right now is the sorrel I grew in my field...!

    ''No, thanks. I''ll take it.

    ''Higggh!¡¡My...!¡¡My sole...!

    Do you want to eat with me later?

    Rather, Astares-san was more careful.

    Thus, the demon child received everyone''s blessing all over again.

    Since he is loved by everyone so much, it reassures him that he will surely grow up soundly and smoothly.

    However, the birthday gift is not over yet.

    Rather, this is where the real work begins.

    Batty and Verena.

    They are directly related to Astares-san, the mother of the Demon King and Child, so an even more spirited baby shower is to be expected.

    Let''s start with Verena.

    ''''I''m sorry, Astares-sama.......!¡¡The only thing I can raise is a pebble I picked up around here and some grass I picked back.......!

    Yeah. You''re on the right track, aren''t you?

    ''''It''s impure to secretly buy a gift with the money you make from your part-time job building magical information systems!

    I think that''s a good idea!

    In the end, Verena had given him a stuffed animal that she had bought with her part-time job money.

    Even though he was born a boy, the choice of the stuffed animal was the most appropriate choice of all the girls so far.

    What''s next for Batty...?

    I would have given it to you long ago.

    Huh?

    As always, Batty is a shrewd demon girl.

    I marvel again today at her quickness in handling things.

    "I gave you a set of three sets of clothing for the Demon King''s child to wear as an infant. Due to the nature of the items, it would be too late to make them after they were born.

    That''s true.

    Batty is really sharp and well prepared.

    The baby clothes made by Bati are strangely perfect for Gotia. The one you''re wearing now is also made by Bhatti.

    Mother Astares says with satisfaction.

    Baby clothes.

    It''s a very ''typical'' gift for Batty, who is in charge of sewing on our farm.

    ''Since it''s Gotia-sama''s calling, I ran the needle as fast as I could. We have lifted the ban on vajra silk after a long time to ensure the safety of neither blades nor magic. Of course, we''re also concerned about insulation, breathability, and convenience for everyday use, and we''ve done our best to ensure that Lady Gotia has a healthy childhood.

    That''s my girl, Batty. It''s a relief to know that my child is wrapped up in the best job you''ve ever done.

    "What a waste of time!

    Oh.

    It''s like an exchange between a great man and a competent subordinate.

    Verena, watching from the side, is clenching her handkerchief.

    In fact, the baby clothes that Batty sewed for me are very good. She''s in a very good mood while wearing your clothes.

    I''m a master tailor, sir.

    So I would like you to make five more of her clothes for her. Is it possible?¡¡That is, of course, if it doesn''t interfere with your service to the saint.

    Yes?

    Hearing that, Batty. His expression suddenly became quizzical........

    ''''It''s........!¡¡It wouldn''t take much time if I used a sewing machine, is that correct?

    What do you mean?

    I''ve only heard rumors on the street, but when it comes to the Demon King family, there must be many different craftsmen working for them.

    All of them, including armor craftsmen, furniture craftsmen, and even small everyday items.

    Isn''t the Demon King, the ruler of the Demon Clan, and his family employing exclusive craftsmen to produce first-class products worthy of use?

    That''s what I''m talking about.

    "Of course, as for clothing, there should be a professional creator who is exclusive to the Demon King''s family, and those people are supposed to be the ones who sew clothes for Master Astareth and Master Gotia, aren''t they?

    As expected of Batty. I didn''t realize you were so concerned about the number of clothes you were going to give me on a daily basis.

    No, I didn''t mean to squeeze...?

    No, I''m just saying, I know you''re a bit of a touchy feely kind of guy.

    If the Demon King''s family had their own clothes-makers, it wouldn''t be very interesting if the people of the Demon King''s family ignored the clothes those people made and wore clothing products from other places.

    ''''I suppose Batty was wary of that and minimized the clothes he was giving to me, but even so, there was a problem.

    Problem?

    I''ll let him tell you more about it. Shax.

    Isn''t it Shax-san, the demon trader, who came out after being called out?

    So this person had come too?

    ''''It''s been a long time, saint-sama, everyone. This Pandemonium Merchant Association, Shax, Chairman of the Merchant Association, would like to explain to you.

    Oh, oh my...?

    Currently, the Demon King''s clothing brand is a tailor''s brand called ''Mixpider'', which was currently the most popular brand in the Demon City. It was the most popular brand in the Demon City today.

    Most popular....

    Because it is the purveyor of the Demon King family, it is a top brand that has received many orders from senior demons and is highly regarded. It''s a prestigious brand that has been in business for 200 years.

    Demon kings and queens of the past have stepped on the stage in their ceremonial dresses to overwhelm and prostrate themselves on the grand stage, wearing their "mixed spiders".

    It is said that they have overwhelmed and bowed down to those who saw them.

    A true king''s tailor.

    We have received a protest from this ''mixed spider''...!

    Protest?

    Lately, the Demon City is all the rage with Master Bati''s clothes. They want to see the creator.

    This story is going to be a long one.

 195-194 Frightened Giant

    Mixpider is the largest, best, and oldest Taylor brand in the Magic City. It is operated by the trade association of the same name.

    Mr. Shakus, a merchant who is also a member of the Demon King''s family, explained: "Being the best in the Demon City means that we''re the best in the Demon Kingdom, and although there are several other brands of clothing in the country, we can''t compete with the Mix Spider.

    There are several other brands of clothing in the country, but none of them can compete with the Mixpider.

    The best in the business.

    So you''re telling me that this Mr. Spyder guy is mad at Batty?

    ''I''d say I''m angry...''

    The balance of power in the fashion industry in the Demon City has long been dominated by these "mixed spiders".

    However, the new Queen of Demon is wearing a dress that is not one of their products, although I don''t know where she got it from.

    Moreover, it attracted a lot of attention and became very popular.

    For an old shop that had dominated the market for so long, this could not be a more interesting story.

    ''Ever since our trade association started dealing in Mr. Batty''s clothes, we''ve been receiving frequent inquiries from ''mixed spiders''.

    Inquiry?¡¡What kind?

    '' "Of course, ''Who is making these clothes?'' Or, ''Tell me who it is,'' or some such offer.

    Ah.

    However, Shaks-san is a professional merchant.

    He couldn''t break his duty of confidentiality, and he had been lazily fending off the pursuits of the other side.

    However, with the birth of the Demon Prince Gotia, the situation has intensified.

    ''''Why does the birth of a demon prince have such a big effect on you?

    I''m sure you will, but the circumstances of this case are also very unique... Directly involved in this case is, of course, the infant suit worn by His Highness Prince Gotia, the Demon Prince.

    Oh, wow.

    Beside talking to him.

    Gotia, who is at an age where he is interested in everything, was flipping through the scales of Dradon while being held by his mother Astares, perhaps because it was unusual for him to see Veerle in dragon form.

    What Gotia-kun is wearing is a baby outfit made by Batty.

    The shine of the vaulted silk that played back even the dragon''s fangs could be seen from here.

    The entire country should rejoice over the birth of His Highness the Demon Prince. The Mix Spider has also made dozens of baby clothes exclusively for His Highness the Demon Prince to celebrate his birth and deliver to the Demon King''s family.

    Dozens of clothes...!

    As expected of the head of the country, the scale of their actions is huge.

    However, the Demon King and the Demon Queen did not receive the work of the ''Mixed Spider'' as a result of their discussions.

    You didn''t get it?¡¡What?

    And now, His Highness the Demon Prince Gotia is only wearing clothes made by Master Bati. It seems that the top brand in the Demon City''s industry has a big problem with the future ruler wearing clothes that have nothing to do with them.

    From there, the pursuit of Mr. Shakus became much more intense.

    "Who''s making those clothes?

    What''s his name?

    What''s his age?

    Is it a man or a woman?

    Why is he nowhere to be found?

    I just want to see her!

    And so on and so forth.

    I''m told that since they deal in Bati''s clothing, they must know something about it.

    ''''Our trade association is one of our most important business partners, and we can''t keep falling in love with them forever...!¡¡I wish I could consult with the saint and Batty himself here...!

    So you came with Mr. Astares-san as his companion.

    ''Why did Lady Astares and the others refuse to wear ''mixed spider'' baby clothes in the first place?

    Batty, who was listening with me, asked a legitimate question.

    She must have been concerned that she, as one of the people involved, couldn''t just sit back and do nothing.

    ''That''s exactly how the top brands became intensely aware of me, isn''t it?¡¡The Demon King is a worthy politician, and Master Astares is now the one who supports him the closest. You have the gall to disturb the peace so carelessly...!

    I wouldn''t have wanted to.

    Mr. Astares came back to our seat.

    ''I was over there a moment ago, patting Gotia,'' he said.

    If you''re looking for Gotia, the teacher is playing with her right now. He''s very good with babies, isn''t he?¡¡Thanks to you, I''ve asked for the whole thing!

    I looked over and saw the No-Life King high-pitched with the baby a bit over there.

    The baby himself, being treated, looks super happy.

    .........

    Gotia-kun is going to be a big man in the future!

    ''''Getting back to the topic at hand, of course Zedan-sama and I both know what it means to reject an immensely acclaimed top-brand homemade one. We don''t want to make waves.

    Why did such a demon king ignore the people''s goodwill only this time?

    ''''That''s the thing... It''s not so much the feeling as the thing itself that''s the problem.

    Demon Queen Astares, who made the decision to refuse with the Demon King, also looked tired.

    ''''The thing itself?''''

    The sooner he sees it, the better. Shax, you have it with you?

    I look out for the merchant, and in response to him, Shakusu puts the baby clothes he seems to have brought with him on the table around us.

    A thud.

    There was a loud, heavy thud.

    "?

    !" No, wait.

    I want you to hold on.

    Can''t a normal suit make this kind of heavy-handed sound effect?

    And it''s baby clothes?

    It''s supposed to be much smaller and lighter than your adult clothes.

    What''s that?

    What''s the meaning of this?

    "This is the baby clothes donated by the Mixpider. Your Holiness.

    Astares-san''s voice to me was also grim.

    I''ve been raised in a different world, so I''m going to use all of my vocabulary to describe the impression of the baby clothes in front of us at first glance in the most accurate word.

    This is the most accurate way to describe it, as I was raised in a different world.

    That''s the only way to describe it, it''s a bit of a cluttered look.

    There were too many jerky decorations in addition to what was supposed to be a clothing item.

    If a baby were to wear this, it would be more than twice the scale of his own, and would attract attention from those around him.

    The only thing that''s fancy is that it''s the baby clothes of the Demon King class.

    As long as you wear this, you can show your dignity as a demon king child, right?¡¡That may have been the production''s intention, but...!

    "This isn''t going to be an everyday use for any number of reasons...?

    This was my honest opinion.

    It''s all about loudness and intimidation, and convenience is completely ignored.

    I lifted up this lumpy baby suit to test it out.

    ''''Whoa.........?

    It definitely weighs more than the toddler himself.

    When I put it back on the table without being able to lift it up for too long, it squeaked again with a thud.

    ''''I can''t easily hold and rouse myself wearing this kind of thing, and more importantly, I''m too scared of babies who aren''t even able to hold their heads up...!

    ''''So you consulted with the Demon King and pushed back...?

    I had to admit that such a decision by the Demon King and Mr. Astares was correct.

    What are these long-established brands thinking?

    You''re not just a clothing professional, you''re a person who stands at the top of the heap!

    So why did you make these clothes for a baby?

    Probably because they''re in a hurry.

    The merchant Shax-san said in a serious manner.

    ''''Currently, the Demon City is dominated by the clothes Master Bati has created. All the ladies and gentlemen in the Demon Kingdom''s upper echelons are vying for Master Bati''s clothes, and they have no regard for the previous fashions.

    For a top brand that had dominated the industry up to that point, it was desperately trying to regain its footing, hoping it wouldn''t become a relic of the past.

    And the result of that desperation is these lumpy baby clothes?

    ''It''s only in the recent past that I remember ''Mixpider'' has marketed such weird stuff. Prior to that, they were releasing something more orthodox, with a calmer style.

    "I guess my impatience is leading me astray...?

    This level of wandering is reflected in his style.

    You can''t even imagine what would happen if he or she started to stray into actual action.

    In fact, it seems that the wanderings are beginning to appear in the form of a push up against Shax-san....

    ''''What do we do, Batty?''''

    I asked our farm''s clothing manager.

    After all, we had nothing to do with the runaway success of the industry leaders.

    We might not be able to be blamed for ignoring it, but....

    We''ll do something about it.

    Batty said with considerable dignity.

    ''''And I''m the cause of the problem in the first place. For the sake of the bright future of the Demon Tribe Fashion World, let''s get out of the skin!

 196-195 Well-established brand

    The Mix Spider is a brand of tailor-made products that is well known in the demon kingdom.

    We sometimes make clothing for the king of demons, the ruler of the demon race.

    Clothing is essential for people to live.

    We stand at the top of these producers.

    That is what we are, the Mixpider.

    And I am a tailor in "Mixpider". I am a professional seamstress with the highest level of skill among them.

    His name is Fleuretti.

    One day, I was invited to represent the brand, the president of the "Mixpider" product manufacturing association.

    * * * *

    Look what I''m wearing.

    The union leader and I stared at the garment with such force that it was piercing.

    These were not clothes made in our house.

    They were the clothes of a new brand that had recently become very popular.

    The name is ''Farm''.

    Fullereti, do you understand how great these clothes are...?

    "I don''t know...!

    I know it''s great.

    However, when asked for an explanation of what exactly is great about it, I can''t give a good answer.

    That was a declaration of defeat for me as a clothing tailor, and it was very frustrating.

    It was very frustrating. My guts are churning with frustration.

    First of all, this fabric.

    You can see that it''s a very high quality material, but what kind of fiber is used to make it?

    Even the mana fibers from the four-star dungeon don''t have such a fine, glorious texture.

    I have no idea what this is made of.

    Then there''s this seam.

    How is it possible to sew so evenly spaced and so closely together?

    Human skill!

    I can''t help but wonder, "What kind of human skill is that? I can''t even imagine how they do this stitching at all.

    The creator of this dress is far more skilled than we can imagine.

    ''I tried to buy some samples thinking it was research......... I only ended up despairing....

    The union leader and I could not help but sigh deeply.

    For more than a hundred years, our Mix Spider has reigned as the number one Taylor brand in the Demon City.

    The position we have inherited from our predecessors. Through the efforts of generations to come, we have even achieved the glory of the Demon King''s warrant.

    But now it''s about to be destroyed by an ordinary newcomer....

    It''s so easy........

    ''The Farm''.

    The brand with that simple, even somewhat potato-smelling name has been rapidly spreading in recent years, causing a huge boom.

    It was inspired by the patronage of Queen Astares.

    Nowadays, products bearing the Farm brand name are available for the general public, and the young, naive urbanites are vying to be the first to buy Farm products.

    The new products we at Mixpider have released have been defeated across the board by the "farm" products.

    "To my horror...!¡¡This season, our brand''s sales only achieved 70% of its goal. This is the worst record ever........!

    It''s a true nightmare for the union leader who leads the brand.

    ''Dad, do we know who the enemy is yet?''

    ''Call me the union president when you''re at work. ...I''ve made frequent inquiries to the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, but I haven''t received a favorable answer. They have their own obligations to their customers.

    We supply clothing to the merchants, too!

    This is why merchants can''t be trusted!

    ''''They too have been the Demon King''s maid of honor for many years. He''s not someone who can be knocked down by the slightest shake.

    Your father is timid again!

    ''That doesn''t mean we can''t take a hard line. What''s the biggest blow we can give them?¡¡It''s about shutting out the clothing products we make at home. But what if they say that''s an opportunity to replace our ''farm'' products as our main product?

    This could be a fatal blow to us...!

    After all, as seamstresses, we have to compete on our own clothing-making skills?

    But it''s not going to be good for you either. What is that piece for the Demon King''s son, anyway?

    It also hurt that I was not involved in any other work, but how did the union president give his OK to those stupid clothes?

    "What?¡¡Wasn''t that good?¡¡Wouldn''t it have been flashy and dignified as a demon child?

    Our craftsmen, who have long been at ease in the top position as a long-established business, are too upset to be upset about their position being shaken.

    Normally, they would be in an unthinkable position, and they are pushing themselves even harder.

    The ''farm'' brand sold better than the ''farm'' brand, and the previous methodology was rejected, so they have been lost in their search for a different formula.

    Anyway, if we don''t do something about this ''farm'', our brand value will continue to decline. We''ve got to think of something to do...!

    But the union leader and I are both puzzled, unable to come up with an effective solution.

    Oh, I wonder if we can''t come up with something as refreshing as cutting the cloth with scissors...!

    I''m okay!

    Mom! You!

    The wife of the president of the guild, the wife of the president of the guild and my mother, burst into the president''s office.

    She used to be the best tailor in the mixpider, but she''s now devoting herself to helping her father, leaving me, her daughter, in charge.

    If you thought you weren''t there, where have you been?

    And why does it come out of nowhere?

    I''ve made a deal with the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce. I''ve arranged a meeting with the tailor from The Farm.

    "What?

    "I''ll be inviting you into my ''Mixpider'' workshop.

    What?

    Your father had put up much of a fight and now you''re going to let him do it so easily?

    What kind of forceful move did you use, Mom?

    It was just good timing, that''s all. It was just good timing, but this is your chance! But this is your chance!

    Mom pointed at me with her finger.

    "Fleuretti, you will be the best tailor in the Mixed Spider.

    What?

    ''I''m starting to understand a little bit from my negotiations with the Chamber of Commerce that ''The Farm'' is a brand that''s run by one tailor.

    "One man?

    No, it''s possible to run a brand on your own to maintain quality, but you have to be very confident in your skills to do so.

    No matter how good a tailor you are, there''s a limit to how far you can go as a solo artist. That''s when I came up with the reversal move!

    "?

    "We''re going to put the ''Farm'' tailor in the ''Mixpider''!

    !

    Mother''s idea was so bold that my father and I, as well as the president of the union, were astounded.

    For every bit of prestige the new brand has built up, we''re going to bring in a super talented craftsman!¡¡Then Mixpider can return to the top of the industry!

    It''s true that if that happened, our brand would have a stronger team and our reputation would grow.

    That''s a bold and effective move for a father, but....

    ''That''s where you come in, Fluletti.

    What the hell is wrong with you, Mom?

    When the farmer''s tailor comes to visit us, you''re going to have to compete. I''ll have a sewing match.

    Ehhhh...?

    What is he talking about?

    "And if you win, your opponent will join the ''Mixed Spiders''. That''s the deal. Whatever your opponent is, the number one tailor of the ''mixed spider'' is you, the union president''s daughter!

    That''s how we can keep the ''mixed spider'' system, me, my dad and my mom and the family in tow...!

    How much hardship and difficulty it took for us to reach this far....

    When I was a young child, my family did not live in the Magic City, but in the countryside, far away from the city.

    As a humble seamstress, our lives were poor but fulfilling.

    My father, mother, and younger sister lived together as a family of four, and it''s the most beautiful memory I have now.

    However, that beautiful life was destroyed by an invasion of the human army.

    The village where we were born and raised was destroyed, and my family and I were forced to flee for our lives and live as refugees.

    My youngest sister, who was separated from me then, has never been reunited with us.

    They don''t even know where she is.

    After a long period of exile, she moved to the Magic City. He belongs to the Tailor''s Guild, relying only on the sewing skills that have become ingrained in his hands.

    After more than ten years of success, she moved to a larger union and arrived at the Mixed Spider.

    Me and my mother.

    With the full use of our two sewing skills, we pushed Dad up to the position of union president.

    Our family''s progress is unstoppable.

    We will overcome this difficulty by working together as a family!

    "I will win. We''ll win and add them to our side!

    ''''Thus, I''ll become great in the Demon City and spread my name.

    I''m sure my sister, who must be alive somewhere, will hear about it!

    ''Yes. I''ll make a call through the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce.

    "Fleuretti, you''ll win this one. You''re our daughter!

    Thank you, Mom and Dad.

    I will not let you down, no matter what you do.

    Against whomever you choose to compete.

    My trained sewing technique can''t be beat!

    * * *

    And that day.

    The person in question showed up at the head office of the "Mixed Spider".

    "........Oh, is that my sister?

    Batty?¡¡Why?

 197-196 Unexpected reunion

    My name is Batty.

    Today, I''m stepping into the old home and demon city again with nostalgia.

    By transference magic!

    Today''s destination is "Mixpider", a Taylor brand that boasts the best in the Demon City.

    When I was Astareth-sama''s second-in-command, I used to long to belong there too. It was impossible, though, because demonic soldiers are not allowed to work on the sidelines.

    ''''Well... so?''''

    My partner who accompanied me, Verena, asked grimly.

    It''s been a while since we''ve been working together, so we should be having more fun.

    ''''What are you going to do with this ''mixed spider'' thing?¡¡Are you going to go and call out directly to them, ''Don''t make a scene, don''t bother me''?

    ''I don''t mean to throw a direct pitch that will sting your nerves, but I''m sure you''ll find a way to heal by meeting him face to face. I don''t want to get on your nerves like that, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to fix things by meeting them face to face. Also, I''d like to see a top-class work site.

    In short, no plan. You do have that kind of optimistic attitude, don''t you?

    "What will be, will be, is my life.

    His village was destroyed by the human army, he was separated from his family and was lost, but he was picked up by the demon king''s army.

    When he and Master Astareth lost their lives, he was rescued by a saint and was able to return to his hometown.

    Under her, I''ve been working on my dream of making clothes for a long time.

    Life really is all about what you can do.

    Therefore, I''m sure things will turn out the way they did this time, too. Then I''ll have to stop by Pandemonium before going to the Mixpider main shop. I''m going to have to ask Shaks to talk me through it, or I''ll get kicked off the premises.

    Hey, I don''t want to repeat myself, but why am I coming with you?

    I answered Verena''s persistent bite.

    ''Because it seems to be more crowded with people?''

    I''m just a busy guy!

    What are you doing with your spare time?

    Don''t say that!¡¡And even if it was true, don''t tell me!

    Oops.

    I''ve touched on a naive word for Verena.

    * * * *.

    When I went to the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, there was something noisy in front of the doorway.

    ''So!¡¡As long as you do what I say, that''s all that matters!

    Someone is struggling with the gatekeeper.

    As is to be expected of a large business association, there is a guard at the gate, and it seems that it is not possible to enter the building without permission.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with that gatekeeper.

    ''''I am!¡¡I''m here to offer you guys a great deal of money!¡¡Take me to the chairman of the board of trade!¡¡Or to the tailor who makes the clothes for ''The Farm''!

    .........

    .........hmmm?

    When you add in my revolutionary ideas, the Farm''s cutting-edge, trendy clothes will sell ten times as fast as they did!¡¡If you refuse, you''ll regret it!¡¡I''m sure the sophisticated tailors who make the coolest ''farm'' clothes would have a sympathy for me!

    Um..., excuse me?

    I didn''t call out to him.

    I would have to say a few words to the gatekeeper before I could enter the building to see Mr. Shaks.

    ''You must be Master Batty. I''ve heard from the Chairman. Please come through.

    Hey, hey, hey!¡¡Don''t tell me you''re interrupting me!¡¡I want it first!

    The Chairman won''t meet with anyone without permission. If you want to see him, get a recommendation from the right person and make an appointment.

    I don''t need that!¡¡If only I had my idea, the world would be a different place!¡¡Take me to the chairman of the board of trade!¡¡Take me to the tailor in The Farm!

    Slipping past the sides of the struggle, Verena and I made our way into the building.

    ''Hey wait!''¡¡Why do I get to be the last to know you and your little girl?¡¡Take me to the Farm''s tailor.¡¡Let me see him!

    The man''s voice, which was blocked by the gatekeepers and prevented from entering the interior, was getting further and further away from me and I couldn''t hear him.

    I proceeded alongside Verena through the main Shokai residence.

    * * * *

    Outdoors again.

    We meet up with Shax at the Chamber of Commerce and head to the workshop where the "Mixed Spider" is making clothes.

    There, Shax-san tells us the details of today''s meeting.

    ''A sewing match?''

    "On your left, sir. The union leader has made a proposal. If that side wins, Master Batty will be asked to join the ''Mixed Spiders''...!

    What''s that?¡¡So what if I win?

    You haven''t told me why.

    It''s not a match that has no merit to me.

    How can you think about taking a match like that?

    Normally, though, it would be a hooray to be able to join the ''Mixed Spiders'' that all of my peers dream of. There''s no way I can get out of the Saint-sama''s farm.

    ''''It''s just that this matter has reached the ears of Demon Queen-sama.

    What did you say?

    When I heard, it was like, ''Okay, I''ll take care of the game. And.....

    Mr. Astares.

    You hadn''t gotten out of the habit of loving the game yet.

    You''re married and even a mother.....

    ''''If Master Astares-sama is on board, then I don''t think you have the right to veto it.

    There was no way to argue with Verena''s point, who also knew her former boss well.

    I know, I know!

    That''s right!

    * * *

    When I arrived at the "Mixed Spider" workshop, for some reason the familiar face of my former boss was the first to appear.

    ''Batty, you really are a loyalist, aren''t you?

    The baby Gotia Demon King Child was still in his arms.

    ''''Gotia must now grow into a heroic warrior who will stand on the back of the Demon Kingdom. How dare you show such a child a bloody and serious battle in the field so soon!

    "''I''m not gonna be a bloodbath!¡¡We''ll have a sewing contest!¡¡What are you expecting too much of?

    Please get rid of the vestiges of your brutal warlord, it''s bad for the Demon King''s son''s growth!

    In the workshop, in a fairly open space, I even placed a large number of people in a gallery-like setting!

    You''re confused by the original inhabitants of this place, the ''mixed spiders''.

    They''re shrinking over there!

    Mr. Union President. It''s safe. It''s safe to come this way. We''ll see you officially.

    The union leader finally comes over here after being wooed by Shax-san.

    It''s true that Astareth-sama''s supremacy would be hard to approach for a person with a firm stance.

    I have a feeling that this is a problem for the Demon Queen.

    ''''Well, Demon Queen Astares-sama. I''m the manager of Taylor''s brand ''Mix Spider''. Although it''s a little late, the birth of the Demon Prince. We congratulate you on the birth of the Demon Prince from the bottom of our hearts.

    ''The congratulations were given along with Gotia''s clothes. Sorry I didn''t get the goods.

    No, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, the Demon King and Queen, I regret that I was unable to offer you something that would meet your expectations.

    Don''t dwell on it. The mistakes of the past can be atoned for with today''s bloodshed.

    So!

    As the Queen of Demons!

    I''m asking you to change that, Master Astares!

    I said there will be no bloody battles!

    Mr. Union Leader, you''re too scared to approach from a certain distance!

    So, where are your troops?¡¡Don''t tell me you''re not going to fight the union president yourself?

    "Ha ha!¡¡Well, over here...!

    The head of the union prompted me to see a woman in her mid or late twenties.

    She means she''s a tailor representing ''Mixed Spider''.

    ''My name is Fleuretti,''

    And a woman on the major brand side bowed her head.

    .... hmm?

    That''s your name now?

    Fleuretti is my own daughter, but she is the most skilled tailor in my company. She is one of the best representatives of our brand. I hope the queen will remember her as well.

    "Today, I will wield the needle to my heart''s content in the presence of the Demon Queen. And.....

    The other woman''s gaze was unhesitatingly shot towards me.

    It''s not just a person who has a strong temperament and can resist the supremacy of Astares-sama.

    But this guy.........

    Where have I seen this guy before...?

    You''re the tailor who sews the clothes for The Farm. You''re even younger than I thought.

    ..........

    ''I know you''re going to go off on a solo rampage as you please, but I''m going to show you that there''s a humanity in the industry that belongs to the organization. And you''re going to be a talent under ''Mixed Spiders''.

    ...Sis?

    Yes?

    Yeah.

    I''m sure of it.

    It''s been over a decade since we last saw each other, so it took me a while to reconcile the memories.

    She''s not my sister, who I left alive when I was very young.

    I''ve been unable to see my own flesh and blood since I got separated from them after my village was destroyed by the human army and I was separated from them during the evacuation.

    Since then, I was forced to join the Demon King''s army as an orphan, and while struggling to survive in the midst of it all, I had risen to the position of Assistant Four Heavenly Kings.

    ''''.........No, I thought my flesh and blood was long dead. You''re alive. Moreover, I didn''t know you were in the Demon City. What a small world!

    So it''s really Batty then?¡¡You''re alive?¡¡Really?

    So, are those your mom and dad over there?

    My goodness, they''re all alive and well.

    Batty?

    Batty?

    My parents came running to us, and we were all together.

    After ten years, we are all here now.

    It was a very emotional moment.

    ''Huh?¡¡What is it?¡¡You''re not going to fight?¡¡Boring.

    ''Master Astares!¡¡Don''t waterboard me!

    Where I have my hands full with reuniting with my family, Verena accurately tweaks Astares-sama.

    I''m glad I brought that girl with me, after all.

 198-197 Sister Showdown

    You mean Batty?¡¡You got caught up in the war, separated from your family, and joined the Demon King''s Army when you were left alone in heaven...?

    ''''He saw me working hard as a petty officer and selected me to be the Four Heavenly Kings'' second in command.

    After a moment of joyous reunion, he returns to Master Astares.

    "I didn''t expect you, Batty. "I was surprised you didn''t show any signs of looking for your family, I thought you''d been bereaved.

    When I just joined the Demon King''s Army, I was the one who took the initiative to look for them. But ever since Astareth-sama caught my eye, I''ve been working harder and harder...

    All I could think about was my own survival...!

    Astares-sama''s sigs have helped him grow up to be a fine second-in-command who can think of nothing but what is necessary...!

    "But we''re together again...!¡¡I knew I''d see you one day!

    ''I haven''t had such a happy day since the human army destroyed my home!

    ''''Thanks to the spirit Arachne, the protector of our tailor!

    My sister and my mom and dad''s tension is a bit of a drawback due to their wildness.

    I don''t really know how to treat them since they haven''t been in my family in decades.

    ''Batty!¡¡What the hell have you been up to?

    Joining the Demon King''s Army. I got a promotion. And then he became the Four Heavenly Kings second in command.

    Four Heavenly Deputy Chiefs!

    The families were surprised, but that was no surprise.

    The Four Heavenly Deputy is the pinnacle that a non-career group without a gate is able to reach, I would say.

    ''''Quit that...''''

    ""I quit!"

    I make clothes for a living in one place now.

    I shouldn''t say anything about the saints.

    But when I look back at my life again, it''s been very eventful.

    But then, I didn''t expect...!¡¡The tailor of The Farm who threatened us...?

    He was referring to me, sir.

    And that''s why I''m here.

    ''God!''

    My sister collapsed.

    ''My God!¡¡What a surprise!¡¡To be reunited in this way with my sister, whom I had believed to be alive for over a decade!¡¡How dare we meet again as enemies!¡¡Why would the demon god Hades make us suffer such a harsh fate?

    I''ll ask him later.

    "Well, I''m doing okay, thanks to the help of Astareth-sama, who helped me when I was his lieutenant.

    Oh, I see.¡¡So your deputy was the Four Heavenly Kings, Master Astareth...?¡¡The first one to wear the Farm''s clothes was Master Astares. What a powerful patron...?

    I have another, more powerful patron, though.

    ''And anyway, now that it''s come to this, we''ve decided to talk.

    Hmm?

    "Batty, join your ''mixed spider''!

    Yes, sister?¡¡From the bushes to the sticks?

    ''Since you''ve become a tailor, it''s only natural that you belong to an industry organization. To our family''s ''Mixed Spiders''!

    ''That''s right, Batty!

    Let''s get the family together again!

    Your mother and father took to the bulk.

    ''To begin with!¡¡I can''t believe you''re trying to teach yourself to make clothes without being apprenticed to a proper workshop!¡¡What you need is to get some guidance from a real teacher!¡¡I''ll teach you a thing or two, as a sister!

    Oh?

    What?

    Can''t we wait a minute?¡¡My clothes are all the rage in Demon City, and my sisters'' brand is all the rage.¡¡Isn''t that a very high-handed way of saying ''I''ll teach you''?

    It''s not just Queen Astareth''s patronage that''s boosting you. Your time is running out for such a scheme. Before that, I''m saying that I''ll make up for the lack of basics that self-taught people tend to fall into, sister!

    ''I got the basics down to a tee when I lived in my hometown!¡¡You think you''re so important, sis!¡¡If only I could remind you of your sister''s true worth!

    Hmm, this feeling I miss.

    My sister and I used to fight a lot like this, even when we were very young living together.

    At any given time, though, my big sister would be one hundred percent wrong!

    Oh, the hustle and bustle...!

    It''s just like when we were both little kids, all at once we''re back in the past...!

    Mother and father.

    Don''t sit back and watch your sisters quarrel.

    That''s the most rabid doggie-like Batty I''ve ever seen in my life.

    People have a unique tension in front of their immediate family that they don''t show outside.... But what about the fact that the tension dedicated to family members is a mad dog...?

    Lady Astares!

    Master Astares, don''t look at me in confusion!

    I need you to do something for me.

    Yes!¡¡Let''s play!

    Oh?

    Demon City''s largest Taylor brand, Mixpider, offered me a chance to win.

    I didn''t like it at all, but it''s strange.

    Suddenly I felt like a fighter!

    You''re in charge, aren''t you, Master Astares?¡¡Do it, do it now!¡¡I''ll crush my sister, Winning Lord!

    ''Oh!¡¡Let''s do it!

    I, too, somehow suddenly wanted to beat the challenger to the punch.

    My pride as a seamstress is at stake.

    Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡¡Why!¡¡Isn''t this a story about a family coming together again?

    ''''Shut up!¡¡You left me out to live with the rest of the family!¡¡I''m going to beat you to a pulp to relieve your frustration!

    You''re the one who says that!¡¡You''re the Fourth Heavenly Vice Minister and you didn''t try to find your family?¡¡Isn''t he powerful enough to do that?

    ''''Nonsense, a second in command can''t even move a single soldier without the Fourth Heavenly King''s permission!¡¡Before that!¡¡Master Astares'' infernal ladder has rubbed out any unnecessary desires!

    Only those who do will be hired as Master Astares''s second in command!

    I guess we''ll just have to settle this one out...!

    ''How!¡¡Not as sisters, but as one tailor!

    I will prove that there is no better sister than my sister!

    "No sister is better than my sister, and I''ll prove it!

    Send sparks.

    Fight each other till the death of one of you!

    ''Oh!¡¡It''s finally getting interesting!

    Master Astares is in a good mood.

    ''Then let the game begin!¡¡What about the rules?¡¡Barefoot?¡¡Are you armed?

    Master Astares, we''re not here for a duel.

    You said it was a contest for tailors, right?

    In terms of the competition system, you make a piece of clothing out of the same material, and then judge the workmanship and design of the piece.

    ''What about the jury?¡¡I don''t think it would be fair if we were to get it out of the ''mixed spider'' side?

    That said, I''m an amateur with Master Astares and Verena who came with me. They wouldn''t be able to screen to a high standard.

    Would Shax-san be able to handle it?

    I''m sure you''re a very discerning president of the Grand Chamber of Commerce.

    ''Don''t worry, Batty, about that. I''ve got the best judges for you.

    Master Astares says confidently.

    ''You shall see!¡¡These galleries!

    Come to think of it, there were many more people besides us packed into the plaza where the game was being held.

    I thought it was a gallery to watch the game.

    Don''t tell me they''re going to use a voting ceremony to decide the winner?

    We''re all summoners here.

    Summoner?

    The queen has chosen 200 of her best. These 200 men will be summoned with the power of death.

    What do you mean?

    The jury''s out on the competition, of course.

    I call the judges?

    I''m getting more and more confused.

    You guys are supposed to be sewing.¡¡Then the most appropriate person for it would be the god of sewing, the pinnacle of the sewing world.

    What is the god of sewing?

    I have heard that the Mixpider is a devotee of the senior spirit Arachne. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one.

    The origin of the brand name "Mix Spider" comes from the arachne, and the spider design is also used in the brand mark.

    ''''No way...?

    ''Yes!¡¡Mobilize all of the two hundred summoners to summon the senior spirit Arachne and let him take charge of the game!

    ''''Aren''t you exaggerating a bit too much?

    However, only the Demon King seems to be able to dam up Astares-sama''s groove.

    Just when you thought the gallery was filled with people, the summoning magicians who had a significant role to play began to tie their seals all at once.

    ''''Advanced spirit summoning ceremony, commence!

 199-198 Spider Goddess

    Batty.

    Something about the story is suddenly getting bigger.

    An advanced spirit.

    It''s a type of transcendent being that reigns in this world.

    Spirits whose role is to blend into the mana circulating around the world and maintain the balance of the world.

    For example, the earth spirits working on the saint''s farm are essentially invisible things that have materialized with the blessing of the god Hades.

    However, the higher level spirits are known as the higher level beings in the same family of such spirits.

    They are essentially the same as the spirits in that they are spiritual beings that follow the flow of mana, but they are said to be far superior in terms of their abilities, rank and intelligence.

    Of course, they are also superior to us, demons and humans.

    The power of the higher spirits is far greater than those of the earthly beings, and some of them are even objects of faith.

    Just like we, the tailors, have faith in the Superior Spirit of Arachne.

    They have different names such as "lower class gods" and "quasi-gods," and they are the ones who are in between the gods and the spirits. Moreover, they are as close to the God side as possible.

    Originally, they were not someone that we demons could touch casually.

    Well, even so, it could be said that they were closer to us than genuine gods like Hades and Poseidon.

    ''''Then let''s go!''''

    ""Oh!"

    "Queen Astares requests your help!¡¡With hard work and dedication, we too must succeed in summoning this high-level spirit, even at the cost of our own lives!

    ""Got it!"

    Risking your life?

    Can you only summon a man who is willing to go that far?

    Don''t make me do it.

    It''s only a mere contest for a tailor!

    "oooohhhhhh!

    "Gah!

    Master Chief Mage!¡¡A number of people are vomiting blood because they can''t stand the massive outpouring of magic!

    Don''t be afraid!¡¡We must continue to release our magic power like this!¡¡It''s still not enough to fulfill the summoning formula!

    The advanced magicians, who seemed to be the most selective among the demon race, fell down in a flurry, vomiting blood one after another.

    You can''t summon a senior spirit unless you do so.

    ........just as a reminder.

    Those advanced spirits are also literally nothing more than insects compared to the Hades gods we often see on farms.

    A teacher of the No Life King who can casually summon the main god class all by himself.......!

    ''Ooh!¡¡I''m filled with magic!

    "Chief Mage!¡¡Summoning spell!¡¡You''ll only fill up your magic once, so please don''t ever bite me!

    I understand!

    I bit down.

    Still, a light shot out of the magic circle filled with magic, and then a deformed being emerged.

    It was a beautiful woman.

    Only the upper half of her body.

    The lower half of her body was huge, the spider itself.

    The upper half of the woman''s body was replaced by the upper half of the woman''s body, where the head of the spider should have been.

    Such an aspect is one of the advanced spirits that transcends humanity.

    Arachne, the guardian of the thread.

    She is the guardian of all cloth-related professions, including weavers and dyers, as well as tailors.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve been summoned to materialize.

    Arachne had a relaxed demeanor and tone typical of a Transcendent.

    ''I wonder who summoned me?¡¡What do you want?

    ''Mm, that''s me!¡¡It''s Demon Queen Astares!

    Master Astares proudly proclaims herself.

    Aren''t you a little more in awe?

    "Demon Queen.... I guess I''m worthy of an audience with you.

    "A battle is about to take place to determine the best tailor in the land. And I would like you to be the one to decide the outcome.

    "Oh, the game...?

    ''I hear that you, as one close to God, are the guardian of your work in the thread. It is you, then, who is fit to be the judge.

    The idea may be a good one, but Astares-sama''s liver is thick enough to actually ask for it.

    If it were normal, it would be too much to ask.

    Maybe it was because he had been in contact with Hades-sama, the main godhead, several times, but Astares-sama''s senses were out of whack.

    ''''For your reference, here are the past works of both of the contestants.

    Ready.

    Shax-san used the maid to have her bring a few garments to me.

    From the story, it''s probably my past work and your sister''s past work.

    ''''Hoho, I see.''''

    Lady Arachne unfolded the garment that was handed to her in front of her.

    It was an outfit I didn''t recognize, and it was probably my sister''s work.

    ''''.........''''

    I don''t know how my sister has grown up over the past ten years, having been separated from me at a very young age.

    However, as befits a number one brand in the world''s largest market, I knew at first glance that her work was a masterpiece.

    The seams are tight and the fabric is good. The seams are tight, the fabric is good, and the design is as fresh as a cool breeze. I see that you have the skills to be judged by me.

    First, big sister passed the preliminary examination for advanced spirits.

    I''m next........

    ''''What?!

    The senior spirit, who is also known as a quasi-god, suddenly howled!

    Do you have the clothes I made?

    "What is this?¡¡What is this shiny, pure fabric?¡¡It''s so fine and soft!¡¡He''s got magic in him!¡¡Anyway, glitter!¡¡It''s so sparkly!

    Isn''t that a dress made of rigid silk?

    Why would you choose that of all people when there were only a few on the market in the early days?

    The clothes that Master Batty made were so popular that every single one of them was sold out.

    I had no choice but to select a sample from my costume room.

    Master Astares'' place?

    Well, it can''t be helped then!

    I''m only offering you a dress made of vajra silk!

    No, that''s not true!

    I''ve been donating a lot of regular fiber everyday clothes lately!¡¡Why would you choose Vajra Silk of all of them?

    ''''Whoa...!¡¡This, this is already a win for the one who made this outfit...!''''

    Just before Arakne-sama almost abandoned his thoughts in his excitement.

    ''''Please wait, Arachne-sama!

    ''The material has nothing to do with the skill of the tailor!¡¡No matter how good the fabric is, if the stitching is rough and the measurements are correct, it''s a waste of time!

    My parents are talking to the Senior Spirit!

    How dare you speak against your own daughter''s work?

    My daughter is not the only one who will stand against us if we don''t win at all!¡¡For the sake of Mixpider''s survival!

    My parents put work before family values?

    I''m gonna crush these people any way I can!

    They do have a good point. I was overwhelmed by the quality of the fabric and almost missed it, but the tailoring is as good as anything I''ve seen before. It''s passable enough.''''

    Good.

    It''s nice to see my own sewing skills being recognized, since all I get to see is the awesomeness of vajra silk.

    The sample submitted was an early work, so it was hand-sewn before the introduction of the sewing machine.

    Me and my sister.

    The guardians of the tailor gave our sewing skills an even assessment of the two of us.

    ''Let us both agree that this Arachne is a tailor worthy of being judged. As per our earlier opinion, how about we once again make a garment using the same materials and the same making time to eliminate the influence of materials and other factors, and then decide the winner based on the quality of the garment?''''

    "Where I want to be.

    Me and my sister, I declared crossly.

    I didn''t expect it to be a sisterly confrontation here. When I woke up this morning, I hadn''t expected it one bit.

    ''Batty. I will defeat you and take your skills and fame into the ''Mixed Spiders''!¡¡Families are meant to support each other!¡¡And my sister is the one who absolutely submits to her!

    ''Already I have a Lord who is scarier to me than God, Master Astares!¡¡I''m kind of munching and I''m going to smash your sister!

    The voltage of the confrontation had been rising incessantly.

    ''''Then let me give you a few words of encouragement before we start the match.

    Mr. Arachne, who is now completely positive about his role as a judge, will even buy me a front row seat.

    ''All the skills I''ve seen you guys have in the existing films have been top notch. I wasn''t too impressed with the great fabric. But the impact of that wonderful fabric was many times greater...!

    She must really like the Vajra Silk.

    ''''It''s just as the queen said, this match will be a competition to determine the best tailor on earth. Therefore, this senior spirit, Arachne, will give the prize to the winner who will be called the best tailor on earth.

    Prizes?

    What''s that?¡¡I''d be thrilled to get something for it, wouldn''t I?

    See for yourself.

    A thread comes out of the rear of the Arachne-sama, which has the odd shape of a beautiful woman on top and a spider on the bottom.

    That''s exactly what a real spider does, it produces threads to build its web.

    Moreover, the thread was glowing with a faint rainbow color.

    ''A thread that I, the guardian of all tailors, can produce and handle. This thread is stronger and more beautiful than any other thread on earth. In the past, it has been used as the raw material for various legendary armor and divine robes.''''

    You don''t think the prize is going to be...?

    ''''I won''t be stingy. The winner will receive a blessing from this Senior Spirit Arachne, and will be granted the right to obtain this thread as much as they want, just like me.''''

    ?

    What does that mean?

    ''I''ll let as much of this supreme thread come out of my ass as I can!

    ''''No thanks.''''

 200-199 Return of Bati

    It''s been a while.

    It''s me.

    Right now, I''m listening to Batty''s souvenir story after he returned from the Demon City.

    ''''So how did the game go?''''

    I''m surprised that the head of the major brand in question was Batty''s entire family, all of whom were separated from him alive, but the family - was it his sister? -- and a sewing match is quite a drastic thing to do.

    Batty has now finished all his business in the Demon City and is returning to his farm. So the game is already decided, but which side did the goddess of victory smile on?

    We didn''t have a fight. You''re not playing.

    What?

    You put on a high horse and now this?

    ''Because if you win, you''ll have a peculiar constitution with strings coming out of your ass.¡¡Why do I have to take such harsh punishments until I win!

    Well, that''s what spider threads are for.

    You can''t get your hands on a spider''s thread from anything other than its ass. It''s a very legitimate claim.

    But I don''t think I''m going to be able to convince them.

    Especially on Bati''s side, if he loses, Astareth will inevitably give him a spanking.

    Even if you win, it''s hell, and even if you lose, it''s hell.

    There''s no way I''m getting into that kind of game, right?

    "I....!¡¡I thought!¡¡Family is family, even if you live apart for a long time!¡¡He said it''s not right to fight with his beloved sister!

    You''re out of the game with a body like that.

    Apparently my sister felt the same way, and when we realized the foolishness of flesh and blood fighting each other, we hugged each other and savored the joy of our reunion!

    So the older sister was just like her sister and had a good point.

    It''s no wonder the family had risen to become the largest union leader in the industry in a single generation.

    So Bati''s knack for knackiness was a bloodline.

    So what happened to the odds?¡¡You had a problem with shaking them up and all that, didn''t you?

    ''For now, we''ve agreed that we won''t make any more unreasonable demands of Shax-san. As for the sisters, the best thing they wanted was to stop an emerging brand from eating their market share...

    And if you get their full cooperation, you don''t have to make a fuss.

    To me, it''s just, ''Isn''t that just market competition?¡¡Why do I have to worry about it? But I couldn''t just abandon my family...!

    ..........

    Listening to the exchange so far, I felt it was a very empty line.

    But hasn''t this boy been doing too many things uphill since he came to us?

    He was originally a member of the Demon King''s Army, but he suffered a blunder by his boss and lost with him.

    I thought he was going to return to the Demon King''s Army, but he saw through our needs and became involved in his longtime dream of becoming a dressmaker.

    She achieves a lot of success, and she ends up on a good footing with a man she''s been in love with for a long time.

    And this time, I was able to reunite with my immediate family that I''d lost.

    What a smooth sailing life.

    I heard that Baty will continue to make clothes for us, so we can rely on him.

    My Lord.

    Yes.

    While I was mulling over such things, Okubo came over.

    I wasn''t expecting to receive a report at this time, so something seemed to be wrong.

    We have captured a monster.

    Capture?

    I''m afraid this is a very unusual type, so I thought you might want to know before I squeeze you.

    * * *

    I didn''t know what kind of unusual monster it was, so I went there to see it for myself.

    There, indeed, was a creature of a type never seen before seized and held captive.

    To put it bluntly, the creature was....

    The upper half of its body was a woman.

    The lower half of its body is a spider.

    That''s how it looks.

    ''''Arakne-sama!''''

    Batty, who arrived with me, let out a startled cry of astonishment.

    "What?¡¡What?

    You know him?

    ''''It''s that senior spirit we were talking about earlier!¡¡He is also the protector of tailors!

    "You''re Batty!¡¡I''ve been looking for you!''

    Spider Woman couldn''t move as her legs were held down by the Warrior Orcs one by one, but her upper body was free and she waved her hand in a patter.

    ''''Help!¡¡I followed you all the way out here, and now I''m trapped by a vicious monster!¡¡He''s going to get naughty!¡¡Just like the myths of mankind!

    If we find a suspicious being like that, we''ll have to sack him.

    It''s not the fault of my orcs and goblins.

    "You were chasing me how?¡¡And why?

    A perplexed Batty.

    "To find out about that fabric you used to sew with, of course!¡¡You''re making that fabric here!¡¡It was worth it to me to have hooked a string to you!''

    ''Eek!''

    Arakne, a senior spirit, was so fascinated by the vajra silk he saw at the game between Bati and her sister that he couldn''t resist taking a look at its production site.

    She asked Bati about it while she was there, but when she didn''t get a positive answer, she was concerned.

    ''I can''t just take you to the saint''s farm without permission and say, ''I''ll let you get the thread out of my ass in return! Especially if you say...!

    Arachne had put a thread on its body without Batty himself realizing it, and he had identified the place by fiddling with it.

    ''''No way!¡¡Even though I used transference magic on my way back!''''

    ''''Senior spirits aren''t sweet enough to be able to shake it off with spatial transference!

    I''m a little proud of myself.

    I''m still stuck with orcs and goblins holding me back.

    "See?¡¡We''ve come this far, why don''t we show them?¡¡I''m not saying anything is for free!¡¡As a reward, I''ll give you my blessing and I''ll make sure your ass has a superb thread coming out of your ass!

    ''''That''s why I don''t want it!¡¡You''re so persistent!

    As expected, even Batty couldn''t help but lose his temper against the Transcendent Species.

    I''m not sure if that''s why I''m not blind to the fact that I''m a protector of tailors.

    Senior Spirits.

    An existence that is differently known as a quasi-god or lower level god.

    They''re unfamiliar to me, but in what order are they located in this world?

    "A rare item has arrived.

    Wow!¡¡You''re a teacher.

    The next thing you know, the No-Life King teacher shows up.

    This person crept up on me without a sound, and my heart almost stopped.

    ''''Speaking of high-level spirits, they''re a big deal there. If they appear near you, I can sense their presence.''''

    To Veerle?

    The dragon, Veerle, even appeared in human form.

    I rushed over to make sure they didn''t mean any harm.

    Otherwise, I''d be blowing myself up in one shot. Hey, Spider Woman.

    When Veerle calls out to him, Arachne shakes and shakes.

    "Yes!

    I''m not going to beat you unless my master lets me. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but you don''t have to get the master''s permission if you''re not going to be able to get it. Think hard and behave yourself.

    ''''Ha-ii-ii........?

    Arachne. She looked as pathetic as a butterfly caught in a spider''s web.

    It''s not a big deal, so I''ll just go home and go to bed.

    "I''m going to soak in the hot springs while I''m out.

    Veerle and the teacher each left.

    The one who remained behind was Arakne, who was shaking in a small way.

    ''''Hey Anata?¡¡Let me tell you a little about myself.''

    What''s up?

    ''''If we high-level spirits get into a fight with the World''s Two Biggest Disasters, the Dragon or the No-Life King, we''ll definitely lose!¡¡Don''t ever let them get away with it!

    Yeah?

    In fact, they were defeated and seized by Okubo and the others.

    That''s about as high a position as you can get for an advanced spirit.

 201-200 Guardian Visit

    ''Wow!¡¡Senior Spirit-sama!

    It''s a very good spirit!

    The earth spirits who live in our home welcomed Arachne, who had visited us out of the blue.

    ''''Oh my, it''s rare to see a spirit materialize. Ummm, so cute.''''

    Arachne''s side is also warmed up by the earth spirits who are swarming around her like puppies.

    ''''........What?¡¡If you look closely, this thing is a spider!

    Spiders build their webs and hide in their homes!

    ''It''s Gaichu!¡¡It''s a twist and crush!

    The earth spirits have the job of tidying up the mansion, so it has already begun to vigorously beat up Arachne in the form of a spider.

    To be precise, the lower half of the body is a spider and the upper half of the body is a woman.

    ''''Gyaaah!¡¡Ouch, ouch, ouch!¡¡What is it, stop it!

    The higher level spirits are helplessly being beaten up by the spirits.

    "...What?¡¡Let''s wait a minute!

    The spider will catch the other spiders and eat them!

    It''s an Ekichu!¡¡It is Tatemasu!

    The spirits quickly changed their opinions and began to worship Arachne.

    ''''What the hell...?''''

    I''m talking to you.

    ''''It''s so high level spirit, don''t the spirits respect you?¡¡The way they''re treating you is just unbelievably crude.

    ''''The advanced spirits themselves are pretty much a textual grouping. I''m in the mood to call all sacred attributes that aren''t even close to being called gods as advanced spirits.''''

    The senior spirits themselves explain to me.

    That''s why there are so many different types of advanced spirits. There are cases where the original human beings became divine after death, there are cases where the divine became corrupted, and there are cases where ordinary spirits like these children were raised to the highest rank through some kind of trigger.

    It seems that the advanced spirits that are mixed up with such things are quite a grey area.

    I''ve heard that there are some kinds of high-level spirits that are able to counteract the world''s two biggest disasters.

    ''''They don''t have as strict a bind on their materialization as those of the gods, so they can appear on earth rather comfortably.

    Veerle blurted out an earful.

    He said he was going home and going to bed, but he ended up coming back again?

    You might be more trouble than God if you''re spotted, in a way.

    ''But more importantly, it''s finally here!¡¡That shiny fabric is produced!¡¡Now show me around!¡¡Show me where this house is made.

    This spider girl is in a good mood.

    ''''I can put out the charcoal with Dragon Breath, though. With these guys, their spirituality doesn''t take a bit of damage just because their objectification is released. In short, they can come back again and again.

    Well, it''s okay.

    It''s not something we are forced to hide, and if you want to visit, you should accept it.

    That''s why I showed them around Arachne.

    * * * *

    And then we met.

    The maker of Kongo silk, Keiko Kongo.

    They were busy making silk in the silkworm''s room today, too.

    Then Master Arakune came to visit them.

    The spider and silkworm had a fateful meeting.

    ''Shah!¡¡"''Whew!

    ''''

    They''re kind of threatening each other.

    "A golden silkworm is crying...?

    Or rather, the silkworm that squeals?

    No, though I feel like I''ve evolved beyond the limits of my species.

    ''''Nyaah!¡¡Geez!¡¡("Wheezing!")

    "ohhh, ohhh, ohhh, ohhh, ohhh, ohhh!

    Why are they bothering each other, by the way?

    Isn''t it because you''re curious about this place?

    I knew it the moment we made eye contact!¡¡I can''t lose to the yarn these guys make!¡¡As the guardian of all the threads!''''

    He felt sympathetic in a weird way.

    Like I don''t need two kinds of apexes?

    "Hey!¡¡You there!

    ''What?¡¡Yes?

    You mean me?

    "You''re the owner of these bugs, aren''t you?

    Well, maybe in the sense of being their owner. But you''re a bug in the broadest sense of the word, aren''t you?

    ''How''s my thread?¡¡It''s many times more beautiful than what these caterpillars spit out!''''

    He produced a thread from his own spider''s buttocks.

    "Look, look, isn''t it as moist and lustrous as water?¡¡Isn''t it even more amazing than their threads?

    ''No, aren''t you appreciating the yarn they make, or rather, the vajra silk?''

    "He (?) I knew I couldn''t lose as soon as I saw¡¡There''s an abundance of production!¡¡I can bless you and make the strings come out of Batty''s buttocks too!''''

    Enough is enough, give up.

    The person who doesn''t want to do that is Batty himself.

    ''''.........''''

    Maybe it was because they were watching Arakune do whatever he wanted to do.

    The vigorous silkworms spat out the thread all at once.

    No, if it was the task of spitting out yarn, they were doing it from the beginning, but it felt like they were ignoring the pace and spitting it out with serious vigor.

    Moreover, the threads that each of the multiple silkworms spit out were of various colors....

    ''Red and blue?¡¡Yellow and green?¡¡An orange, a light blue, a yellowish green, and all the details?

    To Arachne, I said, "You can do this kind of color separation? A hint of provocation was sent by Kongo Silkworm and the others.

    And their provocations didn''t stop there.

    One of the Kongo silkworms spit out a single thread, but before it could leave his mouth, the other Kongo silkworm took the other end of the thread and....

    Pull.

    Pull.

    Pull..........

    It''s stretching!

    It''s stretching like rubber!

    Stop it!¡¡If you pull that far out!

    Don''t let go!¡¡Don''t ever let go!¡¡Don''t let go.

    Ta-da!

    Clink!

    She ruthlessly let go of me!

    Isn''t it perfect that the thread that was stretched all over the place became elastic and returned to its original shape, even hitting the silkworm that spit out the thread cleanly in the face and hurting its reaction!

    I mean, in short.....

    This is a demonstration that you can spit out a silk thread that expands and contracts like rubber?

    ''''Can you do it?''''

    Can you do this?

    .........-like provocation is sent from the silkworms to Arachne.

    You can hear the guardian''s pride creaking.

    ''''Ahhhh!¡¡I can do it, too!¡¡My thread is a spider''s thread!¡¡In other words, I can even spit out a sticky string that catches its prey!

    And then he took a strand of thread out of his ass and handed it to me.

    .........

    Yeah, it sticks.

    It doesn''t come off, it doesn''t come off.

    I mean it, really, it won''t come off.

    How do I get this thing off of me?

    How am I supposed to rip it off and peel it off?

    That''s a scary thing to say!

    "Woof, woof, woof." What do you think?¡¡Can you guys produce this kind of sticky thread?¡¡You can''t do that, can you?¡¡For a silkworm look like you guys?

    Arakune is proud of his victory, but the reaction of Kongo and other silkworms to it is quite thin.

    Or rather, they are cool.

    If you read what they''re trying to say from their expressions, it''s probably something like this: ''What''s the use of that?

    ''''What good is that going to do?''''

    "What''s the use of weaving, sewing and making clothes?

    And.

    ''''Nyahhhhhh!''''

    The guardian of the thread, he snapped.

    ''''Hey!¡¡I''ll even put my yarn in your farm!¡¡So, let Batty make some clothes!

    What?

    ''The true value of a thread''s performance can only be realized when it''s sublimated into clothing!¡¡Let''s make it clear which thread is better!

    I feel like I can''t have just the Vajra Silk that the Vajra Silkworms are spitting out.

    Anyway, we''ve come to obtain another legendary grade fiber.

    * * * *.

    At the moment, the process of spinning and weaving to create the fabric is in charge of the goblins on our farm.

    Only after they turn the fiber into fabric will it be in Batty''s hands, and I gave those goblins the newly acquired Arachne yarn and told them to try to devise it as they please.

    ''I tried a lot of things...''

    Gov. Gov. Kichi arrived with a sample in hand.

    ''If you mix them together with Vajra Silk as the warp and Arachne Thread as the weft, the strength will increase and the holiness will be much higher. It will repel even fairly advanced curses without a hitch.

    ..........

    Our equipment level has gone up again.

    It''s so strong that even at this point we''re in trouble....

 202-201 Night Ruler, Rikuyu No. 4

    Vampires.

    Apostles of the night. Lords of Darkness. The bearers of fear.

    They call us by many names.

    Few know exactly what they call us.

    Some say. Some say we''re just some kind of monsters from the dungeons.

    Others say we''re just a bunch of monsters that evolved out of the dungeon. Others say we''re a sub-species that evolved after branching out from the demon race.

    Some say they are undead, like the No-Life King.

    But no one knows what they really are.

    That''s okay.

    That''s because "I don''t know" is the source of all the fear.

    We vampires should be the most feared in the world.

    We vampires should be the most feared people in the world, flying soundlessly into the night when we can''t see anything.

    Our prey don''t even know they have fangs in their neck.

    When all is said and done, the living are horrified by the scraps of food we have left behind.

    Who killed them?

    How did you kill him?

    Why is blood being drawn out?

    Are we going to be a target ourselves eventually?

    It''s all ''I don''t know''.

    Because we don''t know, we fear it in the dark, and we draw in our minds the most terrifying being imaginable.

    That is the idol that represents us.

    The highest level of fear, an existence worthy of being dedicated to it.

    That is what we vampires are.

    * * * *.

    I''m sorry, but my name is Mosquita.

    I am one of the Six Saints of the Oboro Night, a prestigious vampire alliance.

    Tonight, for the first time in thirty-eight years, all six Saints will be meeting together.

    Here they come, a flock of bats crossing the moonlit night.

    The bats entered the rose garden, the pride of the castle, and transformed into a mass of human form.

    ''''Ka. My brother, comrade of the Six Saints. You are well received.

    I would be remiss if I didn''t pay you a visit. I have business to attend to.

    A flock of other bats landed in the garden, gathering together and changing into human form.

    That''s six people in all.

    So the six proudest and best vampires are all here.

    We vampires.

    Their true identity is shrouded in mystery as various theories abound, but the truth is that they are former demons.

    He is a transcendent being who gained immortality through a contract with the senior spirit, Burkolak.

    From time to time, on a whim, Brucorak will empower superior mages like me and remake them into immortal monsters.

    In exchange for the restriction of never going out into the sun again.

    But such things are insignificant.

    Endless life span.

    The advanced magic-absorbing ability of bloodsucking. It can completely consume all the mana possessed by an offering without losing a single bit.

    Their magical power increases infinitely.

    Some people call us vampires "comparable to the No-Life King" because of the sheer power of our existence and power, but that''s an unexpected term.

    We don''t want them to join us with those dried up, bone-dry things that have dried up and become nothing more than a showpiece in exchange for eternal life.

    We have obtained eternal life and immense magical power while retaining the beautiful form we should have.

    It goes without saying that we are a far more transcendent species.

    And now, at last, we have a seat that is worthy of the superiority of existence.

    We have that opportunity.

    "First of all, comrades, I invite you to respond to the call. "First of all, comrades, thank you for answering the call and coming to this meeting as our hosts.

    I call out to the other five who will be joining me in the Six Saints.

    ''''So, are you serious, Sir Mosquita?

    Are you nervous?¡¡That''s a prudence that doesn''t suit us, the rulers of the night.

    The great news that shook the heavens and earth had already roared into the realm of night where we live.

    The Demon King Zedan.

    Attacking and destroying the human nation and unifying the earth.

    It is said that the current demon king has accomplished a feat that no one has ever been able to accomplish since we were a trivial demon race.

    The abominable ''Sacred Barrier'' also disappeared at the same time.

    It''s no exaggeration to say that the entire world is now in the hands of a single champion....

    It is precisely in this situation where power is concentrated at one pole.

    Don''t you think this is a good time to take the world into our hands?

    The six of us will attack the Demon City, sucking up all the blood and subduing it.

    We have the ability to dominate those who have sucked our blood and turn them into slaves like corpses while they are still alive.

    We will create our own army of servants, from the Demon King on down, all of whom are worthy of our attention.

    And we vampires will reign as the rulers of this world!

    Rumor has it that the most violent of the No-Life Kings, the Emperor, screwed up just as he was being raised.

    This was only a big scoop that I had secretly obtained, and the assembled friends were surprised as expected.

    The emperor...?

    He''s the one who will be the first to make a move after the world is unified...!

    But if he fought with the Demon Lord''s army, it must have been a big bite...!

    How is it that word didn''t get out, only to find out that the emperor has fallen?

    Huh, they''re in a hurry.

    This is how we manage the situation and I''ll take the lead.

    It''s good news that he''s gone. "Either way, it''s good news that he''s gone, because there''s no one left to compete with for supremacy.

    The other No-Life Kings have no interest in the mundane world and no one is interested in conquering the earth.

    The elves, dwarves, beastmen and other subspecies also think they are independent, but they can crush the demon king''s army with a single stroke if they are turned into their own specialties.

    There is no obstacle to our vampires in this world!¡¡Isn''t it sinful for a strong man not to reach for the throne he can get?

    Yes, I will be the champion.

    The comrades of the Six Sacred Saints who have been selected over the years are weak and indecisive as a standard, unable to do anything without my instructions.

    Because they are such people, they will obey my orders and become the pawns in controlling the ground.

    In other words, when the Demon City falls into these hands, the world will not belong to the vampires, but to me alone!

    This I will be the ruler of not only the night world, but all the worlds!

    Because I, as a vampire, am the one who deserves it!

    Woo-ha-ha-ha!

    It was the time when a rosy future had opened up and I was at the peak of my ability.

    ''''........hmm?¡¡What''s that light?¡¡Oooh, dazzle...?

    At that moment, my consciousness disappeared.

    * * * *.

    Thud.

    Yes, sir.

    It''s Hakkai the Orc, the companion of Prince Arowana and his entourage.

    Mr. Songgok Phone has been at it again.

    "Whoa!¡¡Songgok-chan!¡¡Why are you getting ahead of me again?

    Prince Arowana was in a panic.

    Far ahead, Songgok Fong''s converging mana canon caused a puff of smoke to billow out of the castle.

    ''''Hit the target!¡¡Aashi no Manakanon?¡¡With the blessings of the gods, your sanctity will be immeasurable.¡¡That vampire-like mass of evil is gone with a single snatch!

    It''s not a "shushing"!¡¡What about the rest of them?¡¡What is going to happen to the rest of them?

    Prince Arowana is right.

    We received information from a neighboring lord that ''the evil ones are holding a meeting'', so we came to investigate just in case.

    With Songgok Phone''s amazing ears, I overheard their plan to attack the Demon City, so I immediately decided to show no mercy.

    ''''But that doesn''t mean we''re acting too quickly!¡¡The vampires are not wiped out yet!¡¡Puffa!¡¡How''s he doing?

    Just a minute!

    Master Puffa peered into the castle with a telescope made on the farm.

    ''There''s still a lot left. But maybe it''s because Kashira has been hit, she''s eating bubbles and panicking. At this rate, they''re going to run away in a frenzy.

    That''s not good. Vampires are a vicious evil that makes the people of the demon country afraid of them. We have to finish every last one of them here!

    That''s a prince.

    I agree with you.

    "Son Gok-chan, set up a barrage of bullets with Manakakanon to keep them pinned down and unable to escape!¡¡In the meantime, Haqqai and I will march in and take them out in close combat!¡¡Puffa, stay here and get a bird''s eye view of the situation!

    ''According to my calculations, dawn is almost here, so we can win just by bringing in the long game. They''ll turn to ashes in the sunlight.

    I bravely charged in with Prince Arowana.

    Thus, the vampire disaster that threatened the demon kingdom was removed.

 203-202 Half-God of Exile

    That''s me.

    A strange fellow has arrived.

    It hasn''t even been long since Senior Spirit Arakune visited me, and yet he''s a serial visitor.

    Moreover, the one who appeared this time was not discovered by Okubo, Poti and the others, and when I noticed, he was in the center of the farm, at the entrance of my mansion.

    It''s as if they had broken into the deepest part of the house.

    It was a fiasco.

    Who is this blatantly unpredictable man who came in underneath the noses of Okubo and his friends and Porgy?

    At first glance, the young man, who looks like a human race, looks like he is around 30 years old.

    He is dressed like an ancient Greek philosopher, with one skin off, and the loose fabric wavering to the point of obscuring his body.

    The edges of the garment were tattered and frayed, and the overall impression was that of a ''wandering ascetic''.

    I could see that one bare skin was well-muscled and seemed to move well, but it was not because of his lightness that he was able to slip through the warning net of our farm.

    There is something extraordinarily different about this man''s existence itself.

    He is a man.

    He is a human being, but there is something more than a human being mixed in with him.

    It''s like that.

    "....My name is Duonisos.

    The man introduced himself.

    That''s the name my father gave me, but since then I''ve been called Bacchus, my stage name.

    He said it so authoritatively that it took me a while to realize it was all a joke.

    ''Oh, thanks. ...and what''s this Bacchus guy up to?

    I get called up to do stuff!

    I''m over it!

    You don''t want to give me the impression that you''ve slipped up.

    So who the hell are you people, Mr. Backus?

    What is the purpose of your visit?

    I can''t understand a lot of things unless you explain them to me!

    "Demigod Bacchus, another rare fellow.

    Oh, doctor?

    The No-Life King teacher showed up next to me again.

    Thank you for running to me every time something inexplicable happens!

    He was born of a man named Bacchus and a god. Such a person is generally known as a demigod.

    Demigods...?

    "They are very rare now. In the past, even before the time when I was still a living being. Long ago, even before the eagles were still alive, there were many demigods. For the gods came down to earth and mingled senselessly with the human race they had created.

    At that time, it was Zeus, the god of heaven, who was the least sensible.

    As a necessary consequence, a child was born with the blood of both a man and a god, and the child came to be called a demigod.

    As a matter of course, the demigod was powerful and became a heroic great man.

    His power was so strong that it upset the balance of the world.

    ''So the gods decided to make a plan and made a pact with him not to allow him to descend to earth casually from then on. Then the demigods were welcomed into the realm of the gods, where their respective parents ruled, and took the throne of the gods.

    So they say that there are no demigods left in this world at all.

    Except for one person.

    The demigod Bacchus here was born between the heavenly Zeus and the human race, yet he ignored the heavenly messengers and stayed on earth, and since then he has been the only demigod left on earth. Thereafter, he is the only demigod left on earth.

    ''I know very well. Immortal King, how did you find out so much about what happened before you existed?

    ''What do you mean? Isn''t that what you told me yourself when we met?

    The teacher and Bacchus confronting each other.

    Huh?¡¡What?

    Do you two know each other, by any chance?

    Bacchus has been wandering the world for over 2,000 years. He is half god, after all. He will never grow old and die.

    ''Well, we''ve met before. This I''m only interested in one thing, and therefore I don''t remember anything else!

    That''s enough.

    I mean, 2,000 years?

    What is he doing wandering around for so long?

    There''s only one reason why Bacchus is going to stay on earth. "He will stay on earth for one reason and one reason only: because he loves it with all his heart and won''t look for anything else. It''s the only thing that interests him.

    That''s.....

    Booze.

    Sake?

    ''Yes, I love alcohol with all my heart. All I do is make booze, drink booze, and spread it around the world!

    This is how he has been walking around the world for 2,000 years. To discover new alcoholic beverages born in the world, to make alcoholic beverages of our own making, and to bring alcoholic beverages to the world.

    The eternally wandering missionary of alcohol.

    That''s the demigod Bacchus.

    ...so far, I''m beginning to understand what he''s doing in our farm.

    "At one point, my Bacchus sense responded. "Then my bacchus sense kicked in and told me that far away in the farthest reaches of the world there was a brew I''d never tasted before. I''ve been walking and walking and walking all the time in search of that drink...!

    They crossed the wilderness, climbed mountains, crossed valleys and got lost in the woods.

    It took him a long time to finally reach our farm.

    ''I''ve reached my goal!¡¡Now, can we have a nice drink right here?

    No, sir.

    I answered immediately.

    * * * *

    "Aaaaaaahhhh...!¡¡People''s children are so mean to me, oh my God!

    When I refused, Bacchus started crying with all his might.

    His crying was also imposing and his formlessness was not half bad.

    "..........

    No, as far as I''m concerned.

    I was wondering if it would be a good idea to raise something just because a stranger I just met today asked me to.

    I didn''t expect you to show such a violent reaction...!

    "Is this what we need in return?¡¡Then let me give you this!

    Bacchus offered me something.

    What is this?

    Seeds?

    It''s the seed of a tree!¡¡If you grow these, you will have clusters of small, red berries that will be squeezed to release their juice, which, when successfully rotted, will make a wine.

    Grapes?

    Wine?

    ''In exchange for this, I''d like a drink from you!¡¡Not a bad deal!

    ..........

    I have an idea of what Bacchus is looking for.

    At one time, I instructed the mermaid Gala Rufa to study the making of alcohol.

    The result that time was a beer made from barley.

    Gara Rufa successfully fulfilled my request and developed a crisp, crisp, delicious and refreshing beer.

    I don''t know what kind of alcoholic beverages are mainly popular in this world, but it''s made from otherworldly ingredients, so I guess it''s just as tasty.¡¡I think.

    At least I''m definitely drinking well myself.

    ''.............

    Oh well.

    We don''t have the heart to turn away someone who has traveled all this way just to drink our booze without a second thought. Come on over here.

    Huh?¡¡Are you sure?¡¡Wow, he''s so sweet!

    Bacchus skips along after me.

    You''re so light on your feet, you demigod.

    * * * *.

    If you''re going to drink this beer, you have to make sure it''s good.

    So I chilled a glass mug made in the Elf Workshop in the special Puffa refrigerator and poured in a beer that was also chilled.

    It bubbled up well.

    For a snack, we prepared edamame, another beer accompaniment.

    I boiled them in natural salt from the ocean right there.

    Hahahaha!

    Bacchus grabbed the beer mug that was served to him and puffed it at an angle close to perpendicular to the ground and gulped it down his throat at a tremendous rate.

    Despite the recklessness of the drink, not a single drop spilled into the belly.

    The bottom of the mug makes a booming sound as it hits the table.

    Gasp.

    "One more!

    I couldn''t help but applaud him for drinking so painfully.

    ''Just as I thought!¡¡No, it was even better than I thought it would be!¡¡It was worth the journey to the ends of the earth!¡¡I want to certify this drink as a divine wine in the name of the demigod Bacchus!

    That was already done by Mr. Hades.

    ''But, son of man, how do you like the vegetables served as a garnish here?¡¡It''s not very crunchy and hard to chew, and it''s strangely bitter...!

    But bacchus.

    You''re not happy with the edamame as a snack.

    Well, I can understand if you want to be stingy with them.

    Bacchus, he''s eating the edamame with the whole shell on it.

    It''s a dish from another world, but you didn''t explain it well enough.

    Edamame, you see, we don''t eat the shells.

    They only eat the beans inside the pod.

    You take the beans out of the casing....

    Push the beans out of the side slit.........

    ........................yes.

    That''s right!

    ''''Umaaaaahhhh!

    Apparently, he liked the edamame too.

    The crunchy texture of the beans, which had become soft after being boiled, and the tangy saltiness!¡¡The taste and texture enhances the bitterness of the sake!¡¡It''s a perfect combination!

    Eat edamame and drink beer.

    Eat edamame and drink beer.

    Empty shells were piling up in a heap.

    I''m very proud of you for making such a delicious drink. I am very happy to have met you. This is a great day for me.

    Ha, that''s fine, but...!

    You don''t look quite the same as before, do you?

    It''s a subtle change that''s hard to notice, but he''s using a lot of respectful language...?

    The doctor answered my question.

    The more you drink, the clearer your mind becomes, the clearer your mind becomes.

    You''re an alcoholic.

 204-203 Sake God

    A demigod bacchus who loves to drink.

    He was pleased with the taste of our farm beer.

    I enjoyed it.

    Bacchus''s character is slightly different and out of tune.

    ''This drink is made from grain, isn''t it?¡¡Although there are other alcoholic beverages made in the same way in the human and demon kingdoms, the grains themselves are completely different. Hence the richness and smoothness.

    I''m glad to hear that much acclaim, but....

    Most of the credit goes to Gala Rufa, though.

    ''I''m sure the person who produced such a good drink must be a great genius. He must have been thinking about liquor every waking moment of his life.

    No....not really...!

    As a matter of fact, Gala Rufa, the man behind the development of beer, is not that much of a drinker.

    What she really loves with all her heart is the bacteria that play an important role in brewing.

    And that''s why, at the moment, she''s not touching brewing at all.

    It''s because she''s too busy with her other work.

    Gala Rufa used to be a doctor in the land of mermaids, and her experience has led her to work in the infirmary at our farm, where she takes care of the health of the farm''s inhabitants on a daily basis.

    It''s more strenuous work there and she doesn''t have time to do anything else.

    Naturally, she moved away from the brewery, and the brewing development on the farm stopped when she finished the first beer, and no further progress has been made since then.

    It''s been a long time since we made beer, but we haven''t heard any news of the development of new breweries because of this reason.

    Even so, we decided that it would be a shame if we couldn''t serve alcohol on the table, so the current situation at our brewery is that our orcs and goblins only produce beer that has a certain method already in place, and that''s all we can afford to do.

    There was a time when I tried to develop a new kind of beer, but that time coincided with the making of Natto (fermented soybeans), and that was a setback.

    If you touch Natto, you''re not allowed to enter the brewery.

    The mermaid team has been replenished recently, so do you want to put that member in the brewery?¡¡I even suggested that....

    But they rejected it with a single word, ''All the new kids are minors.

    ...That''s right, we can''t leave brewing to minors, can we?

    The color of Bacchus''s face changed when I lightly spoke about our current situation at the drinking table, "That''s not right!

    That''s not good!

    It''s not good.¡¡You scared me!

    Please don''t yell out all of a sudden.

    This is why drunks act so unpredictable!

    A workshop that makes this kind of booze can''t operate due to lack of manpower!¡¡That''s all I''m worried about!

    His speech is back to normal.

    The shock must have sobered him up.

    ''''Saints!¡¡Will you let me deal with the matter, please?

    What?¡¡Problem?

    I don''t think I''m in trouble.

    We can''t be like this.¡¡You there, dragon!

    ''What?¡¡Is it me?

    He shot at Veerle from among the personnel who were drinking together.

    I should say that he was a demigod, as expected of a demigod, that he was able to see that he was a dragon even though he was in human form.

    ''''I have a favor to ask!¡¡Will you use your wings to deliver me to the Land of Man!¡¡When I got back on my feet, it took me just as long to get there as it did to get here!

    Why would I do that?

    Viel''s best argument.

    You can''t ask her to move without a quid pro quo.

    ''Do me a favor and you''ll have plenty of good booze to drink later on!

    The booze is good, but I''d rather have a sweet treat...

    This dragon, sweetie brain.

    Well, she''s a girl and it''s no wonder.

    "There''s something sweet in alcohol.

    "Seriously?¡¡Master!¡¡I''m going to leave him in human country for a bit!

    Before he could finish, Veerle transformed into a dragon, pinched Bacchus and took off.

    ''''What the hell is this...?''''

    I''m home.

    Hey!

    And just when I thought he was gone, he comes back.

    You actually got Bacchus back to Humanity?

    The demigod asked me to come back for him. He asked me to come back for him in three days.

    What are you going to do with three days?

    I felt uneasy about it, but it doesn''t seem that I can stop him, so we''ll just have to wait and see how it goes.

    And three days after the promise....

    * * * *

    "Bacchus cult!¡¡There''s more people!

    ''''More people!''''

    Bacchus wasn''t the only one that the dragonized Veerle brought to the farm, there were several others.

    Except for Bacchus himself, all of them were women, and all of them were young.

    ''These are the priestesses who agreed to be my missionaries and became my followers!¡¡My credentials are the youngest maiden in the world!

    A pagan religion?

    They brought these women to help me!¡¡Saint!¡¡Can you leave your farm''s brewery to me and the girls, please!

    What?

    I''m baffled by this surprising proposal.

    "I, the god of alcohol, will do my best to make sure your farm is ready for brewing!¡¡I see endless possibilities on this farm!¡¡I have a feeling there will be many more, great drinks to come!

    Demigod Bacchus.

    Because he was a true drinker who even kicked his way to the heavenly realm to spread alcohol on earth, there was no one to prevent him from his passion.

    ''''.........''''

    I looked at the teacher who was running to me today as if to ask for help, but he silently waved his cover off.

    What do you think?

    They''re the monster team working in the brewery right now.

    Let''s hear what they have to say about it.

    ''''Honestly, mainly working in the fields, exploring dungeons, weaving, oil pressing, salt making, sugar refining, paper making, fishing...!

    I''m swamped with work, and if someone could take on one of those jobs, that would be super helpful...!

    I''m sorry to keep putting you guys through the ringer.

    Well, we have a deal.¡¡Booze-loving demigod Bacchus!¡¡From here, we''re going to introduce another alcohol innovation!

    In a somewhat intrusive way, we have a new resident on our farm.

    Finally, a god has come to live in our home.

    Well, only half of them are gods.

    * * * *

    And within a few days after the demigod came to live in our house, it paid off.

    "We can''t make sake yet, but we can make a different kind of drink with the barley you gave us.

    Heh.

    Try it.

    Bacchus offered up a thick amber liquid that was poured into a mug.

    In terms of color, I think it''s whiskey.

    If it''s made from barley, it''s even more whiskey?¡¡I would imagine that....

    But there''s no way you can make whiskey in such a short period of time.

    You''ll know it when you drink it.

    "Wah-ha-ha!

    I boldly poured the brown liquid that filled my mug into my mouth.

    Thump!¡¡And taps the table with the bottom of his mug.

    ''Here''s some barley tea!''

    A new beverage repertoire has been added to our farm.

 205-204 minus

    My name is SLEEP, and I am a priestess of Master Bacchus.

    I am a priestess of Master Bacchus.

    What is a Bacchus priestess?¡¡You may be wondering, "What is a Bacchus priestess?" so let me explain it first.

    A Bacchus priestess is a priestess who serves the great demigod, Lord Bacchus, who controls the drink.

    Huh?

    Isn''t that an explanation?

    Now let me tell you a little more about him.

    Master Bacchus is a man who has been around for thousands of years as half-God and half-human. What does he spend his long, long time doing?

    The search for and development of good alcohol.

    But the great man is not satisfied with just one person, he wants to spread the joy of alcohol to more and more people, regardless of race. He wants to spread the joy of alcohol to more and more people, regardless of their race.

    That''s why we make a lot of booze, distribute it everywhere we travel, and even do some missionary work.

    But such large-scale activities cannot be done by one person.

    That''s where the believers who help Master Bacchus, the founder of alcohol, come in.

    That''s where we come in.

    Bacchus'' priestesses.

    They are the missionaries who follow Master Bacchus and make wine and sell it in various places.

    They say that there are Bacchus priestesses scattered by the thousands on this earth.

    They are so widely distributed that even my relatives do not know the exact number of them.

    I, myself, am one of the Bacchus Priestesses, but I was born in a cold village far from the center of the former human country.

    My parents, who had many brothers and sisters, had difficulty in making ends meet due to poor harvests, so they made me join the Order of Bacchus to reduce their mouths.

    Many of the priestesses of Bacchus have that kind of background.

    A side effect of legal magic was that the land was drying up and the tax collection was getting harder and harder to collect.

    There were countless young children who could no longer support themselves due to the hardships of life.

    For such poor families, the Bacchus Order was the perfect place to reduce their mouths.

    The reason why the Order was filled with women and they were called Bacchus priestesses is probably because women were more likely to join the Order than men, who were more likely to take in the labor force.

    It is also permissible for us to charge for the alcohol we make when we give it away.

    The reason why we have been able to survive until today despite being abandoned by our parents and village is because of Master Bacchus.

    * * * *

    One day I received a notice from Master Bacchus.

    It seems to be a notice to all the Bacchus priestesses of the world.

    --Calling all those who will go with me to Paradise!

    --that''s where all your wishes come true!

    --Good food, a decent bed!

    --Gather around, maidens who wish to brew with me in the best of circumstances!

    --It''s a bunch of people!¡¡I''m just hoping that''s what it is!

    My first thoughts on these calls are........

    ....................scandalous.

    ......... was.

    It''s too stinky.

    But it''s our beloved Bacchus himself.

    We can''t doubt that, and at the same time, we''re worried about what effect the end of the war between human and demon races will have on our business of selling wine.

    I''ve decided to take the plunge and go with Mr. Bacchus'' offer.

    * * * *

    When I headed to the designated location, I found about fourteen or five maidens who had answered the same call.

    ''''They''re all hopefuls!''''

    Mr. Bacchus seemed to be satisfied with the number of applicants.

    And this is where our series of surprises began.

    After all, we were first and foremost surprised.

    After all, it was a dragon that had come for us.

    ""oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

    All the maidens, including me, screamed.

    Some even bubbled and swooned.

    Dragons are one of the most fearsome beings in the world.

    It is said that if a mere human being is in sight, they will surely die.

    That dragon!

    Grab me!

    Flying through the air!

    I didn''t feel alive the whole time I was in the air.

    I''m sure my life span has been shortened.

    I thought I was going to ascend to heaven, but then I descended to the ground again.

    Is this my destination?

    This is a quiet place with fields stretching as far as the eye can see.

    Moreover, the crops in the field are far more lush and full of life than in a human country.

    I wondered how good they must taste when eaten.

    I was surprised at that, but it was even more surprising when I realized that this was not the issue at hand.

    Monsters are taking care of the fields.

    Orcs and goblins.

    Aren''t they humanoid monsters that the Demon King''s army uses as soldiers!

    It''s a violent creature that is rumored to attack human villages on the orders of the demon race, killing all of the men and raping all of the women as much as they can!

    ...Oh, you''re a newcomer, aren''t you?¡¡It''s nice to meet you.

    Yeah?

    Yeah, how''d you do?

    ''Well, I''m glad to hear that you all will be in charge of brewing the sake!¡¡I have a lot of work to do.¡¡From now on, we''re all part of the same farm!

    What...?

    Let''s help each other out and support the farm!

    The monsters were very friendly and I liked them.

    Their language was also very polite. In this situation, the human race living in the old human country is much more barbaric.

    Whenever an old man of the human race gets drunk, he just stands there and pees, and that''s the worst.

    The monsters here would never do such a thing!¡¡He''s a gentleman!

    * * *

    ... Well, that''s how our life on the farm started.

    Our work here is almost exactly the same as before.

    We just make sake.

    But the work environment is completely different.

    It''s like heaven on earth.

    This farm is truly heavenly.

    It''s a completely different house than the typical wooden houses that were built in the old human country.

    A beautiful building that looks like a villa for a royal lord and nobleman was provided for our exclusive use as lodgings.

    These buildings were built by the Orcs in the blink of an eye.

    It''s the kind of thing you''d expect to find when you''re living together.

    He''s a manly orc with every single thing he says.

    Is the floor tatami?¡¡The material is comfortable to the touch and you can sleep in it. It''s very different from the bare earth shacks in human country.

    It''s well-built, and there''s no wind in between.

    And that''s not the only surprising thing about this place.

    The food is delicious every day.

    Tonkatsu (pork cutlet), Chinja Oroz¨´ (Chinese dumplings), Omelette (omelet rice), and Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake)... There are so many things I''ve never eaten before.

    All things I''ve never had before!

    And it''s all delicious!

    It''s great to take a bath in a hot spring after a long day''s work, and to drink satyr milk afterwards!

    Isn''t it the best of all milk products?

    And it''s chilled to the bone!

    And you can mooch off the occasional passing dog as much as you like.

    ...you''re so extravagant.

    Even kings don''t have this kind of luxury.

    It''s true what Master Bacchus said.

    This is paradise.

    I''ve made up my mind.

    I''m going to stay here until I die.

    I''ll make wine for these people until the end of my days!

    That is surely the meaning of what I was born to do!

    * * *

    Well, so I worked on making sake....

    We had an immediate problem.

    Here, Master Bacchus, the God of Wine and Master Sage of the Farm, and I are trying to make a new kind of wine together, but there are so many different kinds of sake to try, that the first warehouse we had for brewing sake is no longer enough.

    When I was wondering what we should do, the Orcs came up to me and asked me for advice.

    They said, "If you need help, we''ll take care of it.

    Oak-san quickly built two more warehouses in a matter of minutes.

    How dependable you guys are........!

    I''d be happy to help you all do your best.

    Oh no, you handsome orc!

    You''re in love...?

 206-205 Rumors of Utopia

    My name is Shabe.

    I''m a hapless adventurer in human country.

    I''m a lone adventurer living in human country.

    I used to be afraid of what would happen to us after our country was destroyed, but now I''m able to devote myself to my work without worry.

    The demons who conquered us only crushed the topmost royalist cult, but they gave us permission to continue on with the rest of our lives.

    I was really relieved.

    So today, we''re going to dive into the dungeon to make some more money.

    * * * *

    The first thing adventurers like me visit is the Adventurer''s Guild.

    The first thing adventurers like me visit is the adventurers'' guild, and based on the requests I get there, I decide on a target in the dungeon.

    Nah, old man. Do you have any good quests for me?

    How about this?¡¡"Taking down Belzebufo. Your quota is three, and you have until the end of the day to complete it.

    "Not those guys again?¡¡I''m getting tired of hunting them all over again, aren''t I?

    But they''re weak, they''re prowling around near the entrance, they''re easy to hunt, right?¡¡There''s nothing better than being handy.

    I signed up for the quest despite my frustration.

    Apparently there is always a demand for Belzebufo''s oil, which can be processed into an ointment that works well on cuts.

    Hey old man, do you have any more fancy quests? Don''t you have any more fancy quests?¡¡It''s like my reputation is going to explode just by achieving it!¡¡....to defeat the dungeon master?

    If you run into a dungeon master like you, he''ll kill you instantly. He can''t even run.

    What?

    ''''Don''t just sit on the sidelines and build up your achievements one by one. After a few more quests, you''ll be able to move up in rank and get into a one-star dungeon.

    Really?¡¡Yes!

    It''s the job of adventurers to dive into dungeons like this, defeating monsters and getting materials that are useful to people.

    The dungeons are strictly controlled by the adventurer''s guilds in each area.

    They make sure that no monster escapes and that only those adventurers authorized by the guild are allowed to enter the dungeons.

    Recently I learned that the demon country - the country where the demons live - does not have an adventurer''s guild.

    But they do have dungeons, don''t they?

    So how do you manage a dungeon over there?

    The human country was destroyed by the Demon King, and now the Demon King is our king, that is to say, the Demon King is in charge of this area.

    Well, the human country was destroyed by the Demon King, and now the Demon King is also our king, but...

    * * * *

    ''''The Demon King''s Army uses anthropomorphic monsters such as orcs and goblins as a fighting force. It''s more convenient for them to be directly controlled by the state.

    You dive into dungeons, hunt the monsters you''ve been asked to hunt, complete quests, and drink at the end of the day in a tavern.

    That''s the standard style for adventurers.

    The old man at the reception desk has finished his work and is sitting across from me drinking and eating.

    It''s a good way to learn more about the adventurer''s world, and there''s no one better than this old man.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world. There is also talk of outsourcing the management of dungeons to the private sector and opening them up more freely.

    And then...?

    Maybe there''s an adventurer''s guild in Wonderland. And then maybe one day you can go to the demon kingdom and hide in its dungeons?¡¡The dungeons over there are still unexplored, there could be more treasures lying around than you can imagine.

    Ooh!

    This is some exciting stuff!

    I felt like I was in the dark for a while after the human nation was destroyed, but rather than that, my dreams are expanding!

    Hail to the Demon King!

    ''And with that, I''ve got one more dream story to tell you, do you want to hear it?

    ''Listen to me!¡¡More drinks, sis!

    One tip for one drink is the rule between me and Pops.

    I''ve heard that Pops has been hitting up other adventurers to get a drink every day," he said.

    It''s a rumor that''s been going around lately. It''s somewhere in the world, but nobody knows where...!

    ?

    "Saint''s Farm.

    What''s that?

    I''d rather hear about the dungeon than the farm, wouldn''t you?

    Just hear me out. I''m talking about that kind of secret place that''s out there somewhere.

    Isn''t this just a fantasy?

    Well, there are some things that don''t prove it. You know what that is?¡¡The Bacchus Priestess.

    It''s those pretty girls peddling liquor, right?

    Yeah. Yes, they are a folk religion that follows the demigod Bacchus. It seems that just the other day, they received an urgent message about this on their network.

    People going to the saint''s farm, recruited.

    And.

    ''The head of the Bacchus Order, Bacchus, is half man and half God, born long ago. He''s the only god who can see his face in person in this day and age. If it is at the behest of that God....

    Is it credible?

    In fact, the Bacchus priestesses who responded to the call disappeared and have never been seen again.... From what I''ve heard, there have been sightings of them being taken away by dragon along with Guru Bacchus...!

    What?

    That''s indeed too big of a story....

    It''s a bit of an eyebrow-raising impression...!

    The dragon in the picture is very untrue!

    This reminds me of a story I just heard. This one has many witnesses and it''s definitely true.

    Pops speaks in a pompous manner.

    The story before the fall of the human nation, when the human army and the demon king''s army were clashing on the front line, a dragon broke into the front line, do you know what happened?

    I don''t know.

    It''s a different world to us adventurers, but you should know that it''s a big deal. You have to be a good adventurer to know what''s going on.

    So, what''s up with the dragon swooping in?

    According to the old man, the dragon said to both the human and demonic races that were fighting each other.

    --I am the servant of the saint.

    --I''ll burn anyone who opposes the saint without mercy.

    I will burn those who avenge their saint without mercy.

    If it''s the same dragon that''s supposed to have taken the Order of Bacchus, doesn''t that lend credence to the existence of the saint''s farm?

    It smells like a complication... But if that''s what the dragons said, then maybe there are at least some saints?

    In fact, I heard that when the king was informed of the dragon riots on the front lines, he sent his men out to search for the saint. He said that if he sent the saint as his retainer to warn the dragons, the demons would be annihilated by him.

    However, before the saint could be found, the demon tribe launched a major invasion and the human nation was destroyed.

    ''''Rumor has it that some of the search parties are still carrying out orders from the king and continuing to search for the saint.

    ''What?¡¡Why?

    The human nation was destroyed, so you won''t get a reward from anyone for completing your mission, right?

    I guess that''s the loyalty thing to do nonetheless. There are plenty of other people who would love to go to the saint''s farm.

    Why?

    ''Cause it''s a saint''s farm.¡¡A land ruled by a man with a dragon in tow.¡¡They say you can get anything you want there, and any wish will come true!

    Who''s talking about it?

    Anyway, here''s the detailed wording of the call for recruits spread throughout the Bacchus Order...

    --There''s something for everyone, saint''s farm!

    --good food, clean clothes!

    --and most importantly, a rare drink I''ve never had!

    --To RAKUEN with Bacchus, maidens who want to live the most high-grade life ever!

    Well that''s just great.

    High grade living.

    What a nice ring to the ears.

    Even I would be intrigued to hear this. It sounds like a scam.

    "And then there are the dragons that I keep hearing about. I think to myself...

    What?

    ''I''m sure the saint''s farm has them.¡¡There''s a dungeon with a dragon as its master.

    "What?

    A dungeon with a master is rated as a five-star top-tier dungeon by itself, right?

    The level of danger and the amount of treasure that can be deduced is far greater than that!

    ''The level of danger in a dungeon with a Lord depends entirely on the character of the dungeon master. Some dragons, like Lord Alexander the Glaugrintz Dragon, take the initiative in welcoming adventurers.

    I know, I know.

    The Holy White Maiden''s Mountain, the mountain dungeon mastered by Master Alexander, is the largest and strongest dungeon in the land of humans and has the highest difficulty level. It''s the ultimate dungeon with a six-star rating, breaking the Adventurer''s Guild''s rating criteria of being the best in terms of profits to be gained!

    Could there be a dungeon on the same level as that one at the Saint''s Farm...?

    Very likely. Dragons only live in dungeons. If that dragon is a servant of a saint, then that means it''s a dungeon controlled by a saint.

    A dungeon ruled by people.........

    It must be well managed and organized........

    I heard that''s why the guild secretly sent out emergency quests to a limited number of skilled adventurers.

    "Find the saint''s farm?

    To take care of any significant profit that may lie in there.

    Well old man, I''ve made up my mind.

    ''What?¡¡What?

    "I will find the farm of the saints!¡¡I''ll go down in history as the first to discover the perfect place!

    And then I won''t have to stand around here and wait for this to happen!

    Let''s get on the road, we''re not coming back until we find the saint''s farm!

    What?¡¡Wait a minute, who''s paying for all this?¡¡You were going to pay for my drinks here!¡¡Hey!¡¡Wait a minute!

    Something about the old man''s loud voice reaches my back, and I''m sure it''s a word of encouragement to me!

    Hang on, old man!

    I''m gonna find that saint''s farm and get home!

 207-206 Selection of New Shitenno

    There''s no end to the congratulations that Astares has given birth to Gotia, but there''s another person who is about to give birth before she can catch her breath.

    It''s Queen Grashara, the Second Demon Queen.

    Grashara found out that she was pregnant three months after the First Demon Queen Astares.

    The birth of the baby would be about that late.

    That''s why Grashara''s belly is just about bursting open in response to Astares, who has already given birth.

    The birth of her second child was just around the corner, and the demon kingdom would be more and more at ease.

    I knew it was a matter of peace, but Astares and Grashara both asked me for advice.

    * * * *

    The demon kingdom may be no more...!

    Why?

    I thought it would be smooth sailing for you to have an heir!

    What happened to it?

    A disturbing shadow looms over our peaceful world!

    Have we got a new enemy?¡¡A new development?

    No, that''s not what I''m talking about...!¡¡What can I say...!¡¡The subordinate I thought was capable was even more incompetent than I thought...!

    ...?

    From the fragmentary information, I shifted my gaze to the side.

    There were Astares-san''s former subordinates, Batty and Verena, there.

    ''It wasn''t us!''

    ''You should listen to Lady Astares more!¡¡And solve it for them!

    He said.

    Well, I already have a close relationship with the Demon King''s family, and I wish I could help them if I could.

    "This all started with the newly-elected Four Heavenly Kings.

    The Four Heavenly Kings?

    I''ve heard dimly that he''s a direct subordinate of the Demon King and a general of the Demon King''s army class.

    Astares-san and Grashara-san, who are in front of me right now, must have originally been members of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King.

    I guess there are two more of them since they''re called the Four Heavenly Kings, but I''ve never met them, so I don''t know.

    It''s been almost a year since Grashara and I, who were originally the Four Heavenly Kings, became the Demon Queen. It''s time to officially step down from the position of the Four Heavenly Kings and choose a successor.

    Oh, wow.

    You are right, too.

    It''s strange that the queen is also a general.

    "Traditionally, the Four Heavenly Kings'' successors are chosen from their lieutenants.

    Well, then...

    Again my gaze shifted to Batty Verena.

    It was denied with great force.

    ''It wasn''t us!¡¡That''s not us!

    ''''Even if you''re a second-in-command, only a noble class with the right bloodline can be selected to succeed the Four Heavenly Kings!¡¡I''m from a commoner''s home and it doesn''t matter at all!

    Batty reminded me in more layers.

    ''I have a second-in-command in addition to Batty and Verena...''

    ''What?¡¡Really?

    This is the first time I''ve heard of it.

    ''''Since Aeshma-sama is the one whose duty it is to command Astares-sama''s direct army in Astares-sama''s absence...!

    It is precisely because of such a role that he must be trusted many times more than me and Verena. When Astares-sama fell to the city, he stayed in the army with tears in his eyes in order to unite the remaining troops!

    Well....

    I hadn''t paid attention to it before, but it''s true that such a role exists.

    So you''re saying that he''s going to replace Mr. Astares as the new Four Heavenly Kings?

    ''I have been meaning to do so for a long time. Aeshma comes from a family close to mine and is fully qualified by bloodline.

    The Demon King easily gave his approval, and that Aeshma-san or something like that was appointed as the new Four Heavenly Kings.

    Now, up to this point, there didn''t seem to be any problems.

    In fact, there wasn''t.

    The problem was that it was nowhere near as bad as it seemed.

    ''''Aeshma, who became the Fourth Heavenly King, said something like, ''Let''s attack and destroy the saint''s farm...!

    "YEAH...?

    "I''m so sorry!

    Mr. Astares, diving to his knees.

    Meanwhile, baby Gotia was in Batty''s hands.

    "Lately, rumors have been coming up in many places about Saint-sama''s farm, and there''s even a tail on the rumor that ''there''s wealth there that rivals all the world''s'' and so on...!

    The scary part is that it''s not necessarily a mistake, but...!

    You don''t think so?

    "All the World" is indeed an exaggeration, isn''t it?

    A set of otherworldly, death-defying vegetables. A set of hardware made of mana metal. A set of golden silk garments. The finest monster materials from the dungeons of the teacher and Master Veerle. Mermaid potion, satyr milk, elven artifacts, liquor brewed directly by the demigod Bacchus...!

    I''m sorry, I understand. I don''t need to...!

    They may not know the specifics of such treasures, but if we invade and conquer the farm, the treasures will all belong to the demon tribe....

    ..........

    Mr. Aeshma says that''s what you''re looking for?

    I''m still just dancing around the rumors, though.

    Somewhere in this world, there is a place that looks like an utopia where a tremendous amount of treasure lies.

    Find it.

    Conquer it!

    I want the treasure to belong to the demon tribe!

    Like.

    "That Aeshma guy has the intention of overpowering us as soon as he finds the location of the farm. I scolded him with all my might when he came to offer up a plan with enthusiasm, but...!

    The New Four Heavenly Kings.

    Even the queen''s anger wasn''t helped by it.

    "Unfortunately, he is not the only one of the Four Heavenly Kings who is pushing this plan.

    Mr. Astares'' jittery gaze turned that way.

    There, Grashara-san was gobbling up vegetables from the farm, raw and gobbling them up.

    He''s eating as boldly as he looks.

    ''.........no, I have to eat for the baby in my belly.

    ''I don''t blame you for eating it all up!¡¡I''m asking you to apologize for sympathizing with a stupid plan, even your recommended New Four Heavenly King!

    ''''I''m sorry!''''

    Since Grashara-san has become the Demon Queen, it''s obvious that she has to retire from the Four Heavenly Kings and elect a successor.

    Are you saying that even Grashara''s successor, the Fourth Heavenly King, is in favor of attacking the farm?

    ''''With the strong promotion of the two New Four Heavenly Kings, the operation to explore and invade the Saints'' farm is about to be approved!¡¡It also hurts that the Demon King-sama has been able to concentrate on his political duties and has been removed from direct command of the Demon King''s army...!

    ''''It''s like the situation has been delayed by Belfegamilia''s laziness, who was delegated the leadership of the Demon King''s army by Zedan-sama. There''s one way to look at it, though, is that he''s too lazy to keep the newcomers in check.

    I understand the situation.

    But...

    What do you want me to do?

    You can reprimand them directly and silence them, but they are the pillars of the Demon King''s army from now on. We don''t want them to repeatedly talk in such a vain manner, and they might cause trouble for the saints again.

    So he wants to beat the shit out of them and show the saints how horrible it is to get them to choke.

    And, well, that''s how we decided to invite the New Four Heavenly Kings to the farm.

    * * * *.

    As a result, it''s even more pitiful than I imagined.

    He didn''t last three seconds.

    The new and motivated Four Heavenly Kings were blown away at the mercy of the new and motivated Four Heavenly Kings, and they lost without a single good point.

    But he still said that they hadn''t lost yet, so this time he let Gobukichi''s subordinate, the Spartan Goblin, beat them.

    This time the decision was made in two seconds.

    He ended up not being able to react at all to the goblin''s fast and furious attack.

    This time his heart was broken and he was completely defeated.

    ''''Saints, as an apology for the inconvenience this time, I will leave these men behind, so you can use them as you wish for a while.''''

    Mr. Astares said.

    ''I hear the farm is short on labor as well, so I hope it helps. These guys will also develop a sense of the Four Heavenly Kings through their labor.

    Well, it''s true that I''m in a state where I''d like to help the cat, but...

    I''ve decided to accept it, thankfully.

 209-208 Land of Failure

    This is how Aeshma, the new Four Heavenly Kings, came to live on our farm for a while.

    Aeshma is a female like the rest of us, as Astares-san''s former second in command.

    Furthermore, her age was closer to Astares-san''s than Batibelena''s, and her impressions were very similar to Astares-san''s.

    She had the appearance of a s*xy, evil female executive.

    She looked like she could make the person she defeated lick her shoes.

    Of course, the shoes are shaped like high heels.

    ''Hi, I''m the owner of the farm.''

    First of all, say hello.

    My opponent still has a puzzled look on his face.

    ''''Are you really saying that this is a saint''s farm...?

    He looks ragged after being beaten to a pulp by Okubo''s men.

    Spahn!

    and Harrison (our farm''s homemade) patted Aeshma on the head.

    Batty and Verena each.

    It was a cross-bomber of Harrison by the two Harrison''s that each of them had.

    ''What?¡¡You''re Batty and Verena!¡¡Why are you here!

    It''s been a while. It''s a shame we can''t honestly say "Congratulations on your career".

    The three of them were all originally Astares-san''s second-in-command, so it''s no surprise that they know each other.

    It''s a good thing that you''re here.¡¡After the fall of the capital, I was only expecting you to come back with Astares-sama, but you didn''t come back at all, so I didn''t particularly care about you!

    "Never mind.

    Even if you''re lying, please say, ''I was worried about you.''

    This is the kind of thing they say to each other.

    ''I''m glad to see my comrades-in-arms again, but I''m afraid you''ll have to wait a while longer. I''m in the middle of an important negotiation.

    She pushed past Batty and Verena and faced me again.

    ''If you offer the treasures here, you will not only avoid becoming an enemy of the demon kingdom, you will also be able to come under its protection. I''m not asking you to give it all away. Half. No, let''s say 60 percent.

    Spahn.

    Harrison attacks Aeshma''s head again.

    ''Ouch!¡¡What''s going on here?¡¡Beating up on your former colleagues?

    You used to be a colleague, and now you''re doing us a disservice. Don''t make us destroy our position here.

    What?

    We live in this house now.

    Ha!

    Aeshma''s attention is entirely focused on Battyberena.

    What the hell is going on?¡¡What the hell have you guys been doing while you''ve been missing?

    ''''Remember. What was the mission that started it all in the first place, the mission that led to Master Astareth''s downfall during the Four Heavenly Kings era?

    ''''That''s ... of course, Astares-sama told me about it. You''re going to capture the princess from the mermaid kingdom who has been disrespectful to the demon race, aren''t you?

    It''s a nostalgic story now.

    In the meantime, Aeschma was in charge of Mr. Astares''s direct army and served as his housekeeper.

    ''I hadn''t heard who the little mermaid princess was said to have married.

    ..........

    Aeshma meditated with an expression on her face, as if she was scraping through the mud of her memories, and eventually opened her eyes with a snap.

    ''''........Saint?''''

    By the way, that woman over there who''s preaching to the human princess is the little mermaid in question.

    I''m not going to be able to get a good look at it," he said, pointing at Prathi, who was lecturing Lettuce Rate.

    "What?¡¡The mermaid?¡¡Huh?¡¡The Princess of Humanity...?

    You heard about how we came back from that mission, right?

    ''Of course I remember!¡¡It was a big deal that I''ll never forget!¡¡You and Master Astareth, how you and Master Astareth flew to the battlefield in the grip of a dragon...!

    Then Master Dragon said something. What did he say?

    That''s all I''ve ever heard.

    A dragon, I mean, my Veerle said to me.

    I''m a servant of the saints, so if you bother the saints, I will destroy you.

    ugh.

    ''Master Aeshma~?''

    ''Didn''t the word "saint" remind you a little bit of that?¡¡Didn''t you have any idea what it was?

    Maybe it''s the comfort of being a former colleague, but don''t get involved with those two people at the drop of a hat.

    It''s a good idea, but...!¡¡A saint is a rather common title. I wondered if there were many others...!¡¡I didn''t think it was the same person...!

    That moment.

    Aeshma looked at me with a huff and stared at Batty Verena again.

    Bati and Verena nodded unhappily.

    Then Aeshma turned to me again.

    ''Then this saint is that saint too!

    ''Yes, yes,''

    ''Incidentally, this is also where Master Astares was forced out of the Four Heavenly Kingship and went into hiding for a time.

    Aeshma''s eyelids widened as if her eyeballs were about to pop out.

    ''The saint is a tremendously tolerant person. He has welcomed us, who were once his enemies, with open arms.''

    After that, Astares-sama was able to return as the Demon Queen thanks to the support of the saint. And for many other things, we are indebted to you, saint.

    By "we" I mean the entire demon race!

    Batty and Verena come to the fold.

    ''''It was only with the help of your saint that we were able to destroy the human nation in the first place, and the debt our demon race has received from your saint is immeasurable.

    ''''Demon King Zedan also pays tribute to the saint, calling him his ''greatest friend''. It''s no longer a good idea to antagonize such a saint...

    "Rebel Against the Demon King.

    That''s a good humor.

    However, that declaration seems to have stung Aeshma in a good way, and her face is pale.

    ''''G........!

    Go?

    "I beg your pardon!

    In the end, the situation was settled when Aeshma got down on her knees for diving.

    * * * *.

    ''Master Astares!¡¡Why didn''t you tell me this earlier?¡¡You know everything!

    I don''t have the luxury of saying anything.

    Astares-san, who had been putting Gotia-kun to bed in the mansion, rejoined him.

    ''''Mostly, Verena and the others would have pointed out that we can successfully guess if we assemble the information around us. It would be a problem if the Four Heavenly Kings, who organize the Demon King''s army from the top of the mountain, can''t even turn that much wisdom around!

    ''''Ugh........?''''

    Aeshma couldn''t help but gag and get into it.

    I think it would be better to have Aeshma receive proper training to become the Four Heavenly Kings. ......Sage.

    Yes?

    I have a bad feeling about this.

    "I''d like for that Aeshma fellow to stay with us for a while. You can do me a favor and make it up to me.

    ''Yes...?¡¡Well ... yes ...

    ''''In the meantime, I''ll make sure to teach you the ins and outs of being a Four Heavenly Kings. I''ll show you that there is a difference in the mindset between a second-in-command who organizes a squad and the Four Heavenly Kings who lead an army of troops in several levels of preparedness!

    If this is the case, by having Aeshma over here, it gives Mr. Astares an excuse to come and play?

    I''ve been coming to visit you for less than three days without an excuse.

    ''There are already Batty and Verena living in this place and working day and night to repay the debt that has accumulated. You will join them and make up for this blunder by working!

    ''''Haha!''''

    It was something like that.

    "Yeah~?¡¡Are you going to work here too, Lord Aeshma~?

    You''re taking it so easy, aren''t you?

    A former colleague who doesn''t seem to be disagreeable.

    Nevertheless, it seems that Aeshma is clearly a higher-ranked person in terms of trustworthiness and competence from his superiors, and is he a difficult opponent for Batty and Verena to work with, even if they are also former deputies?

    ''''You say you work here, but what do you do for the Four Heavenly Kings?¡¡You just took office.

    ''''That''s why this is a training program. After I atone for my indiscretion here and cultivate my mental attitude as a Four Heavenly Kings, I''ll bring you back to the Demon City again.

    That''s fine.

    Beside them, Aeshma and Batty Verena were greeting each other again.

    ''''Bati, Verena. Unexpectedly, I''m going to be working with you guys again, so please take care of me. So what exactly do you do for a living?¡¡I should be doing the same thing you guys are doing, right?

    No, it''s not that simple.

    Batty and her team described their work on the farm.

    Batty''s responsibilities, in particular, could not be imitated by anyone else.

    ''Making clothes?¡¡Come to think of it, you said something like that often when you were in the Demon King''s Army...?

    Surprisingly, you remember it...!

    ''''But you, are you really able to make a proper outfit without professional training from a Demon King''s Army soldier?¡¡On the contrary, you haven''t been bothered by all the failures, have you?

    Aeshma''s concern was understandable.

    But it was a needless worry.

    ''Well what kind of clothes do I make?¡¡To give you the most direct and straightforward explanation.

    "Hmm?

    That''s what you''re wearing right now.

    What?

    It seems that the clothes that Aeschma wore today were made by Bati.

    It''s probably one of the items that flowed to the demon market through Mr. Shaks.

    You can''t tell me what you''re talking about!¡¡This is the most popular brand of clothing in the Demon City right now!¡¡I bought this item at great expense because Master Astares said he would take me to a special place!

    ''''That''s why that brand is my own work. Also, if the Four Heavenly Kings are excited about it, don''t buy a ready-made one, just get a custom-made one.

    When Aeshma returned to the Demon Kingdom, he was to make her a ceremonial dress suitable for the Four Heavenly Kings.

 210-209 Shitenno Homestay

    Thus, one of the new Four Heavenly Kings, Aeshma, came to live in.

    With a fixed term.

    I''m not sure if the person who is the most powerful vassal in the Demon King''s army will be able to learn anything new by living in our home, but I''m not sure I''ll ever be able to.

    I''d be happy if there was something to gain, even if only a little.

    * * * *

    "Gahahahahahahahahaha!¡¡It''s a fight!''''

    Something about Veerle had returned to his dragon form and was rampaging.

    His opponent was Horcosfon.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more information on this.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it.¡¡Come play with me, bird-woman!

    I''d like you to be quick about it. I''m going to try hikiwari-natto today.

    Holkosfon, who is pouring his heart and soul into making natto, is rather serious about hitting Manakanon on Veerle, who is interfering with it.

    There was hatred in the attack.

    ''''Doh, the dragon........!¡¡The dragons are fighting...!

    Aeshma was shaking from her knees at the sight of it.

    Is it really that surprising?

    ''''Veerle has a previous record of breaking into the battlefield of the Demon King''s army and the human army. You should have expected him to be there, right?

    There are shocks that are predictable but not acceptable!

    I know what you mean.

    ''I couldn''t even take a dragon!¡¡What is that winged being?¡¡He''s evenly matched with a dragon!

    The Holkosfons are an ancient tribe of angels. They say they''re as powerful as dragons.

    Even Steven?

    Come on, I''ll give you a tour of the farm. We''ll find you a job.

    What else?¡¡Aren''t we supposed to do something about all these fighting dragons?¡¡If we don''t do something about it, they''ll get caught up in the conflict and destroy the world!

    We''ll stop when we get bored.

    In fact, Holkosfon, who wanted to make fermented soybeans before he got bored, became numb, and ended up blasting Veerle with a full firestorm of extreme power Manakanon.

    ''It''s not fair!¡¡It''s just for fun and you''re getting serious!''

    * * *

    ''''I understand why Master Astares-sama tried to stop us from attacking this place at all costs.......!

    While showing me around the farm, Aeshma had a pale look on her face while following me.

    ''''The forces we possess are too different. If we attacked a place like this, even with the full force of the Demon King''s army, we would certainly get beaten back.

    I don''t think it''s that bad...!

    "So did the orcs and goblins we fought before...!¡¡That unit had clearly mutated...!¡¡Speaking of Warrior Orcs and Spartan Goblins, they are said to be equivalent to an army in one piece. Not just dragons, but even such a threat...?

    ''''Ah.........''''

    I wasn''t sure if I should say anything, but I did.

    ''''Actually there are a hundred of those mutated orcs and goblins in our farm.

    Are you trying to destroy the world?

    I don''t mean to destroy the world, but...¡¡Also, ten of those one hundred have mutated once more, which means they''re two-stage mutants...!

    What did I tell you?

    ''Oh yeah, did I mention Legatus Orcs and Brave Goblins?¡¡Well, we''re all surprised that we grew up without knowing it, aren''t we?

    HAHAHAHAHA.

    I laughed jokingly, and my shoulder was tapped, thumping.

    I turned around, and there was an orc under Oakbo''s man, an orc.

    What''s up?

    ''Um ... I was listening without asking. I didn''t mean to be rude, but please follow me. My Lord, haven''t you noticed?

    Hmm?¡¡What?

    ''''The Legatus Orcs and Brave Goblins'' squad leader class........ Among them, the Orcbo Leader and Goblins leader are mutating even more again...!

    What?

    ''''It''s a three-stage mutation. Julius Caesar Orc and Takehaya Susanoo Goblin. According to my teacher, their battle power is now comparable to the two greatest plagues in the world...!

    Okubo and Gobukichi...

    Those guys are getting pretty dignified...

    I see.

    I guess I''ve mutated even more.

    Is it true that children are born without parents?

    Next to me, who was getting very emotional, Aeshma was fainting while standing there.

    * * * *.

    Please forgive me.

    Aeshma once again got down on her knees to me.

    I have a feeling that the demon race is a race that often gets down on its knees.

    I was a complete fool to attack the great saint''s land. This is my own decision and not the consensus of the demon tribe. Please........!

    ''There''s no need to be so awed...''

    On the contrary, if you''ve scared me so much, I wouldn''t say "invading the farm" again.

    ''''Do you think the relationship between the farm and the demon kingdom will be safe?

    I''d be all over the place if that happened.

    ''''I''m not so sure about that.

    ''What?¡¡Who!

    Before we knew it, a strange woman was standing in front of us.

    You can tell from the color of her skin that she is a demon, but her face is not familiar.

    Her bangs are long enough to hide her eyes, and she gives off a hint that she''s going to be remembered for that alone.

    ''You''re Leviatha!¡¡Where have you been!

    ''Leviatha?''

    ''''He''s a newcomer to the Four Heavenly Kings at the same time as me. I used to be Lady Grashara''s second in command!

    Yeah.

    Speaking of which, didn''t you say that there were other Four Heavenly Kings besides Aeshma who were advocating attacking the farm?

    I think I was blown away by orcs and goblins with Aeshma...?

    ''''We meet for the first time. I''m Leviasa of The Grudge, the new Four Heavenly Kings on behalf of Grashara-sama. Please get to know me.

    Oh, oh...

    It''s funny.

    Even though she came to our house with Aeshma, I didn''t notice her presence until now.

    Are you saying that''s how low your presence is?

    Hey, Leviatha!¡¡You too, come over here and apologize to the saints!

    Aeshma is the crown.

    ''''You insisted on deploying to the farm as much as I did, so you''d have to bow together or you wouldn''t be able to give credit to the saints!

    ''The reason I put forward the idea of going out is to incite the Aeshma...''

    What?

    I knew right away that Lady Grashara was hiding something. He''s not a very good liar. So I thought if I could get Aeshma fired up and making a scene, I could get some answers...

    And an unexpected answer.

    Then what?

    So the whole sequence of events up to this point was all according to her plan!

    ''''I finally found out what the Demon Lord and the others are hiding. Now we can help Lady Grashara.

    Oh, oh...?

    My saint, you''re always a pleasure to work with.

    Leviatha gave me a pecking order and bowed my head.

    What is it........?

    What''s the vibe that''s completely different from the old and new Four Heavenly Kings so far?

    ''''Hmph, talking like that, do you have the power to properly help the Demon King and the Demon Queen?¡¡You can only talk big if it comes with competence, right?

    As the same New Four Heavenly King, Aeshma is a thorny thing to say.

    Just like the previous generations of Astares-san and Grashara-san were rivals, are they also in a position to compete with each other?

    ''''........Then let''s see?¡¡The new ''Grudge'' four Heavenly King Leviasa''s abilities?

    She thrust her tightly clenched right fist at us.

    The one in her fist was a catnip.

    The thing in her fist was a catnip.

    * * * *

    Huh?

    Veerle is in a bad mood after losing to Holkosfon just a few minutes ago.

    I''m in human form now.

    ''What do you want?¡¡Because I''m in a terrible mood...?

    Veerle''s gaze is drawn to a point.

    It is the catnip that Leviatha is swaying to and fro.

    When the catnip goes to the right, Veerle''s gaze goes to the right.

    When the catnip goes to the left, Veerle''s gaze goes to the left.

    Nyaah!

    Finally, she couldn''t hold back and jumped on him!

    But Leviatha, with perfect timing, dodges with a flutter.

    Meow!¡¡Meow!¡¡Neeeeeee!

    Viel relentlessly chases after the catnip.

    ..........I thought you were becoming more and more cat-like lately, but to this extent......?

    But Leviatha immediately sees through it and takes Veerle by the hand.

    That''s........competent!

    Another person was added to our farm that we couldn''t underestimate.

    The first time I saw it, I had to say something.¡¡An agitated Veerle has transformed into dragon form!

    "Everybody out!¡¡Somebody calm Veerle down!

 211-210 A woman who can work

    Aeshma and Leviatha, the new Four Heavenly Kings, who will be staying at our farm for a short time.

    I''ve talked about Aeshma a lot, so I''ll put her aside for now.

    On the other hand, let''s talk about Leviasa.

    One episode quickly occurred that shows how capable she is.

    * * * *.

    That day.

    Grashara-san, who came to visit the farm, was being crowded by the elves.

    ''''What kind of combination is this?'''' I didn''t understand at first, but as I listened to the questions and answers, I gradually came to understand the story.

    ''''Demon Queen-sama!''''

    ''''When will you start selling our work!

    The elves protested to Queen Grashara, the second demon queen.

    At the forefront of the protest is the pottery group leader, Elon, and the woodworkers'' group leader, Myron. The leader of the pottery group, Elon, and the head of the woodworking group, Mieral, are in the forefront of the protest.

    The elves, whose job it is to make crafts, are divided into small groups like that.

    Why do these two men fearlessly attack the Queen?

    It was a long time ago now, but the elves "want to sell their work to the outside world! I said.

    At the same time, the clothes made by Batty sold ridiculously well in the Demon City, so they must have been inspired.

    In fact, the leather goods made by the Maerga Group and the glasswork of the Poel Group were sold by Astares-san through the merchant Shax-san, and now the sales are said to be steady.

    And yet.

    Although they are also part of the Elf team, the pottery of the Elon team and the woodwork of the Mieral team have not been sold at all.

    Why is that?

    Grashara-san, who is the same demon queen as Astares-san, side-swiped me.

    ''''It''s not fair that only Astares is acting as an intermediary!¡¡''I''m in!'' And.

    By distributing the farm''s good products under Astares-san''s name, Astares-san''s reputation from the entire demon tribe would also rise as a set.

    As the same Demon Queen, Grashara-san, who feared that she would make a difference, interjected.

    After much discussion, it was decided that out of the four types of products produced by the elves, they would be divided in half, two in harmony with each other, and opened up to the market.

    Mr. Astares was put in charge of the Maerga group''s leather products and the Poel group''s glass products.

    Mr. Grashara was assigned to produce pottery from Aileron and woodwork from Mieral.

    If I had told you this much, you would have a clearer picture of what we were talking about.

    For the elves, it was a clear distinction.

    ''The work at Maerga''s and Poel''s place is well marketed!¡¡Why isn''t our stuff on the market yet?

    You''re being held up by the Grashara!¡¡Why aren''t you putting it out there?¡¡Sell it!¡¡Quick!

    That''s what it means.

    Both Mieral and Elon are really unreserved in their dealings with the Demon Queen. As expected of a former anti-authority bandit.

    ''''........well, calm down and listen to me.

    Grashara-san, who became the Second Demon Queen, also seems to have become calmer than when she was the Fourth Heavenly King.

    She opened her mouth with an appropriate amount of dignity.

    I can understand why you guys are angry. I know what you''re thinking," he said, "I know what you''re thinking, my colleague''s books are selling like hotcakes through Astareth, but the books you''ve entrusted to me have never been released. And that''s because of me.

    "When you say it that clearly...!¡¡Grashara-san alone is responsible for this...!

    In fact, I haven''t made any progress because I haven''t done anything.

    ''Your fault!

    That''s a lot of fun, that''s a lot of activity.

    Listen to me some more. Why aren''t we making progress?¡¡Tell me why and you guys will understand!

    ''Yes!¡¡You heard the man!

    The elves are getting desperate.

    This work intermediation. It''s true that this is a match between me and Astareth. It''s a contest to determine your status as a demon queen.

    Well, well...

    The more you sell, the better the Queen of Evil!¡¡The world will give him that kind of recognition. I can''t let Astares beat me, that''s for sure!¡¡He''s a feuding partner from the days of the Four Heavenly Kings!

    In order for Grashara-san to win against Astares-san, the same method cannot be used with Astares-san.

    In other words, he should put Shax-san, the Demon King''s purveyor, as an intermediary.

    If he followed up, it''s only natural that Mr. Astares, who already has a proven track record, would be more impressive.

    The only way for Grashara-san to achieve an upset victory is to use another route and create a bigger movement than Astares-san''s side.

    ''''So I tried various new routes, but I couldn''t find any.

    Enough!¡¡We''ll be sold by Mr. Astares, too!¡¡I want all the works I gave you back!

    Don''t be stupid!¡¡That''s just going to result in my downfall!¡¡Can you lose to Astareth over Attachi''s willpower?!

    It finally turned into a fight of wrangling.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    I''m watching from the side like that and letting out a sigh.

    ''''You''re still a bad, bad boy, Grashara-sama.

    The one who appeared there was the new Four Heavenly Kings, Leviasa.

    Before taking office as the Fourth Heavenly King, she was Grashara-san''s second in command.

    ''''Grashara-sama, if you don''t mind, the elves'' craft sales route, would you like me to find it for you?''''

    You''re gonna do it for me?

    I can''t say for sure until I see it in person. Well, unless you''re an expert, you should be fine. Elvish artifacts are a luxury item.

    ''Yes!¡¡I''ll leave all that to you, Leviatha!

    Mr. Grashara throws everything to his subordinates without hesitation.

    ''If it''s not Mr. Grashara already, I''ll take anyone!

    Please!¡¡Please take care of our work!

    The elves immediately agreed, and the conversation quickly turned to Leviatha''s custody.

    * * * *

    ''''Lady Grashara is someone who has risen to the Four Heavenly Kings almost solely on the merits of actual battle.

    Leviatha says in a calm tone.

    ''''Originally, even in the inheritance family of the Grudge Sacred Sword, I''m a branch family line and my rank is low. Even so, he fought his way through from infantry, defeated a number of brave men, rose through the ranks, and was finally selected to become the Fourth Heavenly King, which is a terrifying career.''''

    There was some boastful heat in his calm tone.

    He must have respected his boss, Grashara, while saying something like that.

    ''For that reason, I''m not very good at handling practical matters outside of the battlefield. It was my duty as second in command to support him there.

    In other words, he''s very good at these kinds of negotiations.

    It''s a pity that Elon and Mieral don''t make good progress as well, so can''t you please proceed with them as soon as possible?

    ''''The things are........dishes and wooden statues?

    Aileron and Mieral squads.

    We went to the warehouse where each of them had their work thrown in.

    ''You can assume that the sample I gave to Grashara-san is roughly like this.

    ''''I don''t know what''s good or bad about these things, but even I have an overwhelming vibe about them...!

    Leviatha looks at the wooden statue by Mieral and says, "This is the statue of Hades, right?

    ''This is a statue of Lord Hades, isn''t it?

    Yeah, yeah.

    I knew it. I didn''t need to be told how it happened!

    .........well.

    I can''t help but think that''s true.

    Because that wooden statue.

    It was carved after the model of the real Dark God Hades who was summoned some time ago!

    Oh, well, you''ll want to be the real thing!

    ''''The genius air emanating from this statue. If the real Lord Hades the Underworld God descends, I''m sure he will make you believe that he will look like this.

    ''Yeah. ... haha.

    I had to chuckle.

    ''I understand. I know an ate that would pay a lot for these things. Let''s visit them tomorrow.

    You''re going to sell directly to him?

    Well, the fewer the intermediaries, the better.

    It''s Leviatha-san who rarely seems to be capable of anything.

    Anyway, she went back to the Demon City once to negotiate.

    * * * *

    The next day.

    Sold. All stock. For more than the target price.

    Too soon!

    Leviatha was really capable.

 212-211 Australian fool

    My name is Baal.

    Everyone calls me.

    The biggest fool in the world.

    He pays for things that have no value and appreciates things that are useless.

    That''s why he''s the biggest idiot.

    The things I spend a lot of money to buy, such as paintings, sculptures, and old books.

    Paintings, sculptures, old books, and things loved by the great men of the past.

    Everyone calls me an idiot for buying all that stuff.

    What good is a painting going to do?

    How does that wood carving make your belly grow?

    What good would it do to know what happened in the past?

    It''s just plain old junk, right?

    Then he scoffs at what the eagles have collected.

    He lectures me in a pompous manner, saying that I should buy something more valuable than that.

    Jewel, gold, a grand house, a young and beautiful woman.

    They want me to spend my money for those things.

    It''s none of my business.

    Hundreds of years of war with the human race.

    Because of the prolonged warfare, the demon race has lost the leisure to live.

    As long as they are alive, that''s all that matters.

    The age when thinking like that is the norm has also continued for hundreds of years.

    This is no longer the case.

    We demons must inherit what the past has created and nurture a rich legacy for the future.

    Abundance can be obtained from time to time.

    And strength.

    But prestige can only come from the past.

    That''s why I buy things that are said to be worthless, even if I''m called a total idiot.

    I don''t want the past to cease to exist so that I can pass it on to the future.

    Fortunately, there is plenty of money to go around.

    Today, the eagles will be visited again by all sorts of people. Including a scammer selling junk.

    I won''t refuse anyone.

    Well, let''s meet them.

    * * * *

    I hear you''re the Fourth Heavenly King, little girl?

    It''s just good luck. Normally, the title of the Four Heavenly Kings'' ''Grudge'' belongs to Lord Grashara until the end of his life...!

    "Zedan has been given a magnificent mule. Two wives are quite a feat for such a little guy.

    It was an unexpected visitor.

    A visit from Leviatha, who had just become the new Four Heavenly Kings.

    ''''What do you want with this eagle?¡¡Would you say that you want to increase your influence as the Four Heavenly Kings?¡¡Then you''re making a mistake in trying to make contact with me now, aren''t you?

    I''m sure there''s only one thing you want to do when you come to visit.

    "Huh?

    I''d like you to buy something for me.

    This woman.

    Ever since I was Grashara''s second in command, I''ve felt something different from the others.

    If I had to say it was something close to that Belfegamilia.......

    It''s still interesting.

    ''''You''ve become the Fourth Heavenly King and you''re still peddling things?

    "Master Baal knows the value of things. The only place to bring in a bargain is with you.

    You''re a girl.

    You don''t know whether to respect or belittle me, do you?

    Let''s see, let''s see.

    Thank you. The stuff is already in the yard.

    Oh, you''re big.

    But a girl who behaves as if she were in a human''s mansion.

    Can Zedan''s people have two wives who are so obviously crooked, and yet they can''t even use this girl as a subordinate?

    * * *

    I went out into the garden and was amazed.

    God.

    There is a God...!

    "Hades-sama, the god of death...!

    ''Do you still need to know?¡¡I saw this for the first time, and I didn''t need to be told it was a statue of Hades, the god of the underworld.

    Your majestic appearance...!

    He has a big beard...!

    An ethereal outfit for the god of the underworld...!

    The figure of God himself, too, carved out of the trees so beautifully!

    It''s as if the tree has been reincarnated as a god...?

    ''''It''s truly stunning. It''s as if the tree was modeled directly after a real god....

    "...who''s the author?¡¡Who is the master craftsman who carved this magnificent statue?

    He''s an elf. That''s all we know at the moment.

    Elf...!

    How could that tribe, with all their dexterity, make something like this?

    I don''t see why not.

    But really, it''s as if they were carving the exact same god from the ground up.

    "Actually, it''s not just the statue of the god Hades.

    What?

    I took a look at what the little girl was pointing at and there were so many statues!

    This is a statue of Demeter Sephone, wife of the dark god Hades, the earth mother god Demeter Sephone!

    A statue of Thanatos of Death, the faithful messenger of the god Hades, and Hupnos of Sleep!

    Statues of the three great judges of the underworld, Radamantis, Aiacos and Minos!

    Oh, there''s a statue of the sea god Poseidon and his relatives, too!

    ''But when you come with the gods of the earth and the gods of the sea, why isn''t there only a statue of the god of heaven?''

    ''It wasn''t worth carving, was it?

    I don''t know, but it''s better than being left out of the group of Hades gods that our demon tribe worships.

    Also, what are these statues that are left among the gods?

    It''s not a god figure, is it?¡¡It looks like a dried up skeleton, so terrifying that it makes me shudder just to look at it...?

    ''''..........................Is this the No Life King?''''

    The two biggest disasters in the world?

    This reminds me more and more of that. I encountered the No-Life King a couple of times when I was younger.

    Furthermore, what is this apparently unremarkable statue of a human race?

    Isn''t it strange to be surrounded by such a magnificent group of gods?

    ..........

    But no matter how many times I look at them, they are still magnificent.

    In our country, no matter how much the sculpture of a god is sculpted, it is not that valuable.

    If it gets dirty or chipped, it will be replaced with a new one and discarded in a solemn place at best.

    That''s the extent of it.

    But I think that is not good enough.

    Especially when it is a soulful sculpture like this one.

    Shouldn''t it be preserved and passed on, along with the artist''s heart and soul, to the future?

    Good. I''ll take it.

    Buy them all.

    This is such a great sculpture. It would be a big deal if one of them fell out of my hands and ended up in the hands of someone with no idea of its value.

    I''ll regret it forever if it gets smashed to pieces and used as firewood.

    Thank you very much. All in all, so much for the price.

    I read the sales contract that the little girl presents to me.

    And my eyes are caught by the price section.

    ''You''ve got to be kidding me.''

    I push back the contract.

    ''You still don''t know the value of things, either, little girl!¡¡For such a big piece of work, and so little of it, you''re giving me such a low price!

    This isn''t much different from the price of the original piece of wood!

    Listen!¡¡These good things deserve a more appropriate value!

    I had my butler bring me the red ink, and then I amended the contract and filled in the appropriate value.

    The little girl, seeing that, has peeled her eyes away.

    It''s really this kind of.........?¡¡It''s a hundred times more than the previous value!''''

    It''s the price the author paid for the effort he put into this work, for the skill he put into it, for the time he nurtured it. And it''s the price he paid for the dignity this work gives to the future.

    Call me a big idiot who pays a lot of money for junk if you want to.

    But for the demon tribe, who are sick and tired of the long war, this kind of money is necessary in the future when the battle is over.

    In the days to come when Zedan''s men will have destroyed the human nation.

    I understand. Then I will sell it for that price. All money goes to the author, the elf.

    ''What?¡¡Don''t you charge a brokerage fee?

    I''m not a merchant, I''m the Fourth Heavenly King.

    He doesn''t know what he''s talking about.

    Then you can tell the elf, by the way.

    If he has trouble getting by, I will protect him. And don''t hesitate to come to me for help with the wood carving, and I''ll provide you with everything you need.

    * * * *

    It had been a long time since I had shopped well, and I was in a good mood, but there was a customer to ruin my good mood.

    It was Zedan.

    He''s busy with his Demon King''s work, but he''s busy causing havoc in his cottage.

    "It looks like you''ve made another big purchase, old man.

    "Exit, Zedan. I''m a retired man now. I can do what I want with my life now.

    That''s not going to happen. The influence you have over the demon race is still immense. I would like you to be aware of that point.

    Hmm, I don''t know. Everyone thinks I''m a total idiot, don''t they?

    ''You still care about such innuendo?¡¡Ignore a few cowards who can''t even face criticism. The proud inhabitants of the Devil''s Land have only one name to call you,

    Hmph.

    A highfalutin name.

    He was the previous Erlanger. ...like Demon King Baal.

 213-212 Achievement

    So it''s sold.

    Our farm was in an uproar after receiving Leviatha''s report.

    "No way!

    "It''s sold out!

    "And it cost far more than I expected.

    The most excited members of the team were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the ones who worked directly on the wooden sculptures.

    They must have been very happy to see their work being recognized. They hugged each other and even shed tears.

    And this is the payment.

    Oh, wow.

    It''s a big sack with more than a handful of bags in it.

    What''s inside. Are they coins or something else?

    Gold.

    The elves'' cheers are no longer confined to the realm of voices.

    ''''You bought it for a lot of money. Who in the world paid so much money........

    He''s just a drunk.

    Leviatha didn''t say much.

    It''s just that later I realized that they sold my statue and even the statue of the No Life King''s teacher among many god statues, right?

    Was that really a good idea?

    A statue of the teacher would still be divine, but wouldn''t a statue of me be completely out of place?

    You even bought that thing as a set.

    You can get a free gift now! Is it a target position?

    ''Well done!¡¡Well done, Leviatha!

    Leviatha''s boss, Mr. Grashara, is pleased!

    ''With sales this high, we can''t lose to the Astareth side!¡¡That''s a huge boost to Atashi''s stock too!

    In front of a satisfied Grashara-san''s eyes, the elves threw Leviatha up in the air.

    ''''Leviatha-san, you''re capable!

    Really good!

    "Everything will be fine with Miss Leviatha!

    Dr. Leviatha!

    "Teacher Leviatha''s Four Heavenly Kings!

    The elves'' vigor in praising Leviasa was not half bad.

    ''''..........''''

    Grashara-san looks at it.

    ''''........Hey, did my stock really go up?¡¡Isn''t it Leviatha''s stock that went up?

    No, it''s not.

    Leviasa landed with a splendid shtetl from a raised body stance.

    ''''This I am still a loyal subordinate of Grashara-sama. The credit of the subordinate is the credit of the boss. This is the common sense of the world.''''

    ''Right!¡¡You''re right!¡¡I''m lucky to have a good subordinate!

    I looked at Grashara, who was well rounded, and thought, "Leviatha, you''re really talented.

    * * * *.

    But not everything was coming full circle.

    Some elves puffed out their cheeks next to the elves who were full of joy.

    ''''What the hell!¡¡I''ve been selling a lot of Mieral''s stuff!

    The one who is upset is Aeron.

    He is the head of the Elf Team, the pottery team.

    This time, Leviatha accepted to sell two kinds of pottery, the woodwork of the Mieral team and the pottery of the Aileron team.

    Only one of them was sold this time. The other aileron product was completely untouched and the item remained with us.

    The other two groups are Maerga''s leather goods and Poel''s glassware, which are sold through Astares-san''s route, but it seems as if only one group was left behind.

    I can understand why you are sulking.

    You can''t be so upset. There is an order to things.

    Leviatha says to Elon to quiet him.

    ''The pottery you guys have made is very well made. That''s why I have the task of handling it at the price it deserves.

    Competent!

    Why don''t we stop calling Leviatha-san ''competent'' as it is?

    ''''That''s why it''s in order. The other party trusted me a lot with this statue of a god this time. They said, ''There is nothing out of place in what this guy produces. We will use that trust to sell the pottery at a high price!

    You''re not a bad guy, are you?

    So....

    ?

    ''I need to talk to the saint about something...''

    ?

    * * *

    According to the detailed story I''ve heard from Leviatha, the value of pottery is uniformly low in the demon kingdom.

    Currently in the demon kingdom, the value of tableware, which is considered to be the main use of pottery, is uniformly low.

    For example, there is not much difference between the plates used by ordinary people and those used by princes such as the demon king for parties.

    Such a trend is pervasive throughout the life of the demon kingdom.

    --I''m not going to be the only one.

    The idea that tools are only as good as the tools they can use is said to be the dominant one.

    Moreover, this idea is also prevalent in the former human country, so it''s safe to say that it''s a common value.

    Even in such a world, women''s desire to be beautiful was enduring, which is why clothes sold well and Poel''s glasswork was highly prized as it reminded people of crystal jewelry.

    That''s why we have to be very careful about selling the pottery made by the elves.

    The capable Ms. Leviatha says.

    Before I knew it, I was wearing a "san".

    When I first saw the pottery made by Mr. Aaron, I was surprised at how unusual it looked.

    See what I mean?

    ''''Plates and cups that should just be usable are painted in a variety of colors, green, red, black, blue, and even patterns on some of them. Some of the shapes are distorted and warped, but somehow they don''t seem like failures...!

    .....

    .............oh.

    It was, you know, a cartoon I was into when I was in my old world, and it gave me the desire to make those artistic vessels.

    I ordered a lot of things and aileron was interested in it.

    I tried all kinds of glazes and modified my furnace.

    I got into the swing of things and just made things....

    I just went with the flow and made all kinds of unusual tableware.

    If we can find a way to sell them, they will be far more valuable than just ordinary tableware. Therefore, I would like the saint to teach us how to sell it.

    What do you mean, competent?

    What do you want me to teach, professor, competent?

    What was in your mind when you set out to make this?¡¡I''m going to use it in my sales pitch, so give me some details!

    Explain it in detail!

    Fine-tuning it to a fine point!

    Don''t you think we should ask him about that?

    Don''t they know I was the one who ordered the big one?

    You know?

    .... Thus, I was forced to perform the embarrassing act of being forced to explain my state of mind during the creation of my work.

    And then.....

    * * * *

    The next day.

    All sold.

    "Competent!

    Leviatha''s rapid progress was unstoppable.

 214-213 Hyouges dining table

    My name is Babygit.

    I''m a potter of the demon tribe.

    I have a kiln on the outskirts of the Demon City and I never stop firing dishes.

    Kneading and firing, kneading and firing, kneading and firing, kneading and firing.

    I have been working as a potter for 40 years.

    I''ll keep firing and firing plates!

    I have a dinner party planned for today. Please leave the on-site work to us.

    Why not?

    Even so, I have to get the heat from the kiln at least once a day or I''ll be out of shape!

    Even so, your opponent for the dinner is the Great Demon Lord. I don''t want him to be rude and destroy our workshop, so please leave early so that you won''t be late.

    So it''s the Great Demon King Baal.

    That hermit old man, what do you want to call me for after all this time?

    Ever since I was the active Demon King, you''ve been criticizing my cooking. I can''t stand the smell of that!

    Anyway...

    Now that he''s retired.

    I''ll dare you to beat him to death if he tries to do something undeservedly reckless!

    And then we cry to Master Zedan, the current demon king!

    Go ahead!

    I''m going to show you the spirit of a craftsman!

    * * * *

    It''s been a long time since I''ve been to the Daimyo-sama''s retirement home, but it''s still overflowing with eccentricities...?

    What''s with all the wooden statues?

    Why are there so many of them in one room?

    You have already attracted the attention of these statues, as expected of a man with a keen eye.

    The one who appeared saying that was the owner of this retreat house, the old man from the Grand Demon King Baal.

    He has handed over all the responsibilities of being the king of demons to his son Zedan, and is now living a carefree life in retirement.

    It''s all very easy, isn''t it?

    I have always wondered if you have the aesthetic sense to call yourself a potter. But as long as you can appreciate this statue of a god, I think you''ve passed the test.

    It''s the same old, same old, talking shit...

    This old man has always been nagging in a strange way.

    He has always been a bit of a nuisance to me, always complaining about the food I make.

    But I knew you couldn''t resist the head of the Demon Kingdom, and now you''ve retired and you''re going to be quiet, and now you''re going to become the Great Demon King and you''re going to be poking your nose into my mouth?

    ''''I bought this statue from a source. ''''This statue was bought from a source, each one of them must be a replica of a real god.¡¡From now on, the demon kingdom will have to pay a lot of money for these things.

    ''You brought me here to brag about that?¡¡That''s the great demon of boredom, isn''t it!

    Well, it''s true, the statue is very nice.

    I couldn''t very well please the Great Satanic Motherf*cker, so I didn''t give him a free pass.

    "Babygit. "Babygit," he said, "you have not grown up at all, despite your being one of my mentors. The world would be a more beautiful place if you could put some beauty into your work.

    Don''t talk like you''re making tea with your navel. We''re making plates and cups. We make plates and cups, everyday tools. We make plates and cups for daily use.

    ''I''m telling you that you need that bustle. You won''t learn after all these years.

    That''s why I don''t like this old man, because every time I see him like this, he gets annoying.

    There are many people who appreciate the dishes that I make, but this old man is the only one who demeans my work by pointing out incomprehensible things.

    Is it beautiful?

    Too much noise?

    And you think that''s what the dishwasher needs?

    You don''t think so?

    Dishes put food on them and don''t spill it.

    As long as they serve that function, the rest doesn''t matter!

    I don''t want to hear it. In the first place, I''ve come here today to have dinner with you. Go ahead and eat your fill.

    I''m just going to grab a bite to eat...?

    But why is this a dinner party at this time?

    There was no way that they would just end up eating and drinking.

    However, I can''t think of anything that would be personally gifted to me by the Great Demon Lord at this time of year.

    What the hell is Grandpa Grandpa''s purpose in bringing me here?

    * * *

    As soon as the dinner began, the purpose of the great demon king was discovered.

    Seeing the food that came out on the table... or rather, the plate with the food on it, Ila was taken aback!

    What the hell is this plate?

    These plates are completely different from the ones we make in our kiln!

    What''s with the color and the shape?

    How can you call that crockery?

    Did you notice that right away?¡¡Otherwise, would you have the gall to call yourself a potter?

    Are you trying to say you''re right?

    The old man of the Great Demon King smirked.

    ''''First of all, as a basic rule, the plates you make at your place are all pure white and round. They all have the same shape and color. There''s nothing interesting about it.

    ''It''s the most efficient thing to do, so of course it will be!¡¡What else do you want?

    I''m just playing with these dishes.

    d*mn.

    The plates that the Great Demon King brought out were all different colors, green, blue, black and earth colors, and they even had detailed patterns on them!

    Moreover, the shape itself is not only round, but also square, oval, or indescribably distorted...!

    But why.........?

    This distorted form. It''s totally inefficient and looks like a joke....

    How fancy does it look...?

    "This is the dish I''ve been waiting for.

    "The Great Satan?

    "Just take the food. You don''t need decorations for that. When it comes to just getting food to eat, you don''t need decorations; you just need to follow the most efficient form. But these plates venture outside the bounds of that efficiency!

    Lively colors.

    Eye-catching shapes.

    The colors of the foodstuffs are even more vivid on such cluttered tableware.

    The dining table becomes more gorgeous.

    The future of the demon race can''t just eat and live. The war with the human race is over, so the demon race must become richer at heart.

    So what''s the point of all this fancy tableware?

    I bought this dish from Leviatha to show this idea. I paid a lot of money to spread the word.

    A lot of money.¡¡How much money?

    I was surprised to hear the price.

    That''s hundreds of times the price of the plates we sell!

    A plate with this vibrancy is worth enough money to build a whole house on?

    How about the best potter in the demon tribe?¡¡Why don''t you make a plate as good as this one for that title?

    ?

    Well....

    That''s why you called me here today, isn''t that why you''re here?

    You wanted to fire up my craftsmanship by showing me this masterpiece...!

    Very well.

    I''ll make something even better than this one with my own hands!

 215-214 With all the money

    So.....

    The new Four Heavenly Kings, Leviatha, brings an oversized news every time they come.

    ''''The dishes made by Aeron and the others are very popular in the Demon City. It''s all the rage.

    ""Oh, yeah!"

    The aileron group, enthusiastic.

    They felt left behind while the rest of the squad was steadily being evaluated, so their joy would be even greater.

    ''''Until now, the concept among the demon clans was that eating is just a matter of taking in nourishment, and the same goes for the vessels, so the visually stimulating tableware made by Elon-san and the others seemed to be a rare treat.

    ''''I see.

    ''''It''s become popular among the senior demons, and the prices are high. The Pottery Guild is also inspired to make similar tableware, but they are having a hard time because the colors don''t look as good as they would like and the distorted shape of the tableware is breaking.

    Of course!¡¡It hurts on one side to try to imitate our technology so easily!

    Elon is on a roll.

    ''The plates we burned are a masterpiece, a combination of the elves'' skills accumulated over generations and the wisdom of the saints!¡¡Even if it takes a thousand years for the demon race to catch up with you!

    Mr. Aileron, pull yourself together for a moment.

    It''s true that I helped with the mixing of the glaze and asked for the shape of the pottery, but..." "Anyway, it''s all the rage in the Demon City now to enjoy stylish meals with farm-made tableware.

    Anyway, it''s all the rage to enjoy stylish meals with ''farm'' tableware in the Magical City now, and it''s selling like hotcakes.

    Yeah.

    That''s the brand name we put on our products.

    It''s all over the product line, just in case.

    ''''After receiving Baal-sama''s approval, we entrusted Pandemonium Trading Company to sell them in a big way, and they''re selling like gangbusters at a premium price. .................So, hi here.

    Another large leather bag....

    "For this one.

    ""Wow!"

    You''re making a hell of a lot of money, as usual.

    Every time Leviatha takes the elves'' work, she turns it into a tremendous amount of gold coins and comes back.

    Even the elves'' eyes were shining golden at that pile of gold coins.

    ''''Such an amount of gold coins.......!

    I''ve never seen anything like it, even when we were thieves...!

    Because I''m not going to get away with this much.

    It wasn''t just the Aileron Group, the Maerga Group for leather goods, the Poel Group for glass goods, and the Mieral Group for woodwork should have saved a considerable amount of money by selling a lot of high prices to both sides.

    It was good that their efforts were appreciated....

    ''''Making so much money........!

    The elves tried to gather the gold they each got in one place and pile it up in a pile.

    The result was another pile of gold that was worth looking up at.

    What shall we use it for...?

    Of course.

    And then I ran into some new problem again.

    Money.

    It''s a revolving door of the world.

    The system is designed so that when it comes into your hand, it goes out of your hand.

    That''s how money circulates and the economy turns.

    But.

    Here on my farm, the market economy does not work.

    Why is that?

    We have enough food, clothing, and shelter from what is produced here.

    I want to eat good food!

    ''Isn''t the food made by the saints the best in the world?''

    I want to wear something nice.

    Batty''s guy sews clothes that are comfortable and stylish.

    I''d love to live in a big house.

    "Elves are a race that is proud to live in the forest!

    They can''t seem to come up with a single use for all the extra money they have.

    As for me, my motto on the farm is to be self-sufficient.

    We eat, we wear, we spend. I want to make everything I sleep and wake up in my own house, and I want to be creative.

    I''m glad to see that the elves who live here have come to that conclusion.

    Everything you need is made here.

    Our farm doesn''t even have the idea of buying anything! I always wanted to say with a smug look on my face.

    So it was only natural that the elves would have a hard time finding a use for the money they made.

    It seems that Bati, who made a fortune by entering the market before them, was also having trouble using the money at first.

    It seems that she spent her money by buying all kinds of fashion-related materials, which is her domain....

    ''''I don''t do that anymore.

    What?

    Bati''s partner, Verena, suddenly said to me.

    ''''He''s just now saving up the rewards he got from selling the clothes.

    What are you going to do with all that money?

    Wedding funds...

    .....

    With that elite soldier who says he''s in the demon country?

    After finishing just saying it, Verena left with a blank expression on her face.

    ......................That girl is pretty much lost in character too.

    Batty''s one has an established effective use for it, so it''s fine, but how are the elves going to break down this pile of gold coins?

    Saints...!

    We''ve been thinking about it, and we''ve discussed it with you.

    On behalf of the elves, Elon and Maerga came to me.

    They were originally the head and deputy head of the elven bandits, and should be considered the representatives of the elves living in our home.

    They were a group of thieves who used to raid the lands of demons and humans, and after running away from their pursuers they ended up at the end of the earth at our farm, where they were caught trying to steal as well.

    As a way of making amends, she began to work at home.

    That''s how he came to live in their home.

    I almost forget about it these days.

    ''Do you remember your saint?¡¡How we became thieves. I think I told you before...?

    Yeah, the forest where you guys used to live is dead and gone, isn''t it?

    The elves are people of the forest.

    They cannot live without the forest.

    When the forest dries up and the elves have nowhere to live, they have no choice but to become thieves.

    And.

    ''''I heard later that some of the legal magic used by the human race consumes a great deal of nature''s circulating mana and has an adverse effect on nature.

    "If our forest was destroyed because of the influence of the human race, then now that the demon race has destroyed the human nation, and legal magic has ceased to exist, the bad influence should have disappeared.

    Our dying forest may be coming back to life!

    I see.

    With the magic of the human race gone and the expropriated natural mana returning to the surface of the earth, the wasteland of the human nation might be restored.

    ''''Then I''d like to use this money to help with that!

    ''Law.

    ''With all this money, I think I can do something!¡¡Help us revive the forest we were born into!

    ''If we just let nature take its course, it could take hundreds of years, but with the help of people, it could come back even faster!¡¡If I can prompt that with this much money!

    That would be a good use of money, wouldn''t it?

    The first thing that comes to mind as a way to revive a dead forest is, of course, planting trees.

    Planting tree seedlings and growing them up.

    If we encourage the growth of trees by human hands, they will grow steadily without dying, and we will be able to revive a dead forest earlier than leaving it to nature.

    For this to happen, we need people to grow the seedlings and plant them...

    If we put the money earned by ailerons to pay for hiring such people, wouldn''t that be a healthy splurge?

    Planting!

    ''You''re a saint!¡¡Good ideas are pouring in like hot water!

    When I explained it to them, the response from the ailerons was good.

    Our farm elf team funded, Elf Forest Revival Project has been launched!

    You''ve come up with a good use of money.

    ''So who''s going to lead the planting then?¡¡Are you guys going to do this by yourselves?

    Well, not yet. You need to get away from the farm to do that. I''m not gonna do it.

    ............

    Aileron and the others have become completely accustomed to living on the farm.

    ''Good food is available every day and there is work to be done here that is worthwhile. This place is a true paradise!

    ''And if you miss the forest, you can go into Master Veerle''s mountain dungeon!

    The elves have become so accustomed to their home that they have lost their wildness.

    I don''t care.

    I''m not going to be able to get rid of them.

    I''m sure there''s someone else who''ll do the job.

    Then he came into my sight.....

    Leviatha, the new Four Heavenly Kings, has been impressing me with her abilities lately.

    She was in the middle of devouring my special reward pudding, which was given to her in recognition of her series of work.

    ''''Competent!''''

    "Would you stop calling me ''competent'' instead of calling me by my name?

    She is the Fourth Heavenly King.

    When it comes to using people, there is no one better than her.

    And the Demon King''s Army is said to have no more manpower after the war with the human race is over. In addition to being able to make effective use of the manpower they have been lacking, the cost will come from another source, so isn''t it a win-win situation for both parties?

    ..........

    In response, Leviasa responded with no words, just a sour expression.

    Where that expression speaks in silence is definitely........

    ''''It''s........troublesome.''''

    It was...

    As expected, planting trees is a huge undertaking, and it''s a hundred times harder than selling the goods.

    .......................

    Yes?

    Then Leviasa. Then she talks to Aeshma, the other Four Heavenly Kings who are training on the farm.

    "I think you should do the tree-planting.

    What?¡¡What are you trying to do, hand your job over to someone else?

    Don''t you think the Four Heavenly Kings should cooperate with each other from now on?¡¡I''ve already taken enough credit. Now it''s your turn.

    Leviatha...!

    True to form, Aeshma trembles with tears of emotion.

    ''''I''m sorry...!¡¡I guess I was wrong about you. I thought you knew that I had a character that was easily taken advantage of and that you were trying to manipulate me into doing what you wanted...!

    If you know so much, why don''t you question it?

    ''''It''s fine. We just need to understand each other better from now on, as the new Four Heavenly Kings.

    Thank you. I''m going to complete this mission for you!

    Thus, the Elf-funded, Elf Forest Restoration Tree Planting Project was to be led by Aeshma.

 216-215 Anxious tree

    Afforestation.

    In order to revive the Elven Forest, which was once left to wither away due to the tyranny of the human nation, a project is planned to plant and nurture tree seedlings.

    A project to plant and grow tree seedlings is planned.

    The elves who live in our farm invest in the project, and the Demon King''s Army is in charge of the project.

    The elves would be able to invest in a large sum of money that they have no use for, for their own homeland, and the Demon King''s Army would be able to secure employment without hurting their own pockets.

    They talked about the mutual benefits to each other, and things proceeded at a brisk pace.

    Is there anything I can do to help?

    For example, I can give you some wisdom.

    Planting trees and reviving the forest is a lot of hard work.

    It takes a lot of time for a tree to grow, and if you do it right, it will be a project of decades, not years. If we do it properly, it will be a project that will take decades, if not years.

    If we don''t do it right, we could shorten it a lot.

    Let''s put that aside for a moment.

    The first thing we need to think about is what kind of trees we''re going to plant.¡¡I guess that''s what it means.

    There are many kinds of trees.

    Big trees. Small trees. Trees that have a lot of leaves and then fall off in the fall and winter. On the other hand, trees that have leaves all year round. A tree that produces leaves as thin as needles.

    A tree that produces delicious fruit and beautiful flowers.

    What kind of tree will you plant?¡¡This is the story.

    Since the purpose of this tree-planting project is to restore a forest that was magically devastated to its original state, I think it''s best to plant trees that were originally there.

    And not just one kind of tree.

    Several kinds of trees.

    Trees of different species mingling with each other would be the natural state.

    But.....

    ''No!¡¡If I''m going to plant one, I want this maple tree!¡¡The sap that comes out of this thing tastes great!

    ''If you say so, this cypress is much better!¡¡It''s solid and sturdy, perfect for tool material!

    The better the fruit, the better!

    This apple!¡¡It''s more like an apple tree!

    Don''t you think it''s too clever to plant bamboo?

    ..........

    The elves are struggling here in the dungeon orchard...

    There are dozens of trees planted here for my various uses, cutting them down to make wood, picking fruit and loving the flowers.

    The forest people, the elves, also frequent the dungeon orchard far more often than the other farm residents, and they know what kind of trees grow there.

    Each of them must have one or two trees that they are not guessing about.

    So.

    They are now arguing and debating about planting their favorite tree in their former hometown.

    I definitely think we should plant loquat trees!¡¡It produces edible fruit, the leaves are medicinal, and it''s good for wood!

    ''Yuck!¡¡Listen to me, the ex-head!

    But the elves?

    All you want to do is restore the natural forest, right?

    And yet we are allowed to decide which trees to plant as we see fit?

    ...Is it okay?

    It seems to be difficult to draw a line between natural and artificial in that area.

    But I think it''s better to plant trees that were originally alive in this world in their natural state.

    The tree here in the dungeon orchard is a tree from my former world, sprouted by my ability.

    In other words, trees from another world.

    I don''t want plants that don''t belong to this world to invade it, to flourish and take away the native species'' place in the world.

    That''s why I still think it''s good to plant trees in the Elf Forest with trees that are originally from this world.......

    ''''Oh no!¡¡I want maple!

    I''m telling you I prefer loquat, you don''t know what you''re talking about!

    The elves are completely unaware of this.

    Do they not understand my profound thoughts?

    Saints!

    "What do you think, Saints?¡¡What tree do you think we should plant?

    He even asked me for ideas.

    .........hmmmm?

    Isn''t that right?

    Whether or not you actually do so, ''What kind of tree would I want to plant?'' If we assume that.........

    ...............cedar.

    Cedar is a very useful building material.

    Unlike other trees, it grows straight and is easy to process.

    That''s why, even in the world I was in before, there are mountains that have been planted on a large scale, and there are mountains where only cedars grow.

    ''''...........''''

    However, the cedar has another important feature that should not be ignored.

    In the early spring, they scatter a tremendous amount of pollen.

    It''s not an exaggeration to say that the pollen causes the national disease.

    ...hay fever...

    Imagine.

    A cedar forest flourishes in a different world, thanks to the planting of elves.

    Pollen flying from them.

    The cedar pollen that covers the other world.

    It''s terrible...

    Now it''s up to me to decide whether or not this world will be subjected to the onslaught of cedar pollen.

    On top of that.........

    ''What do you think the saint should plant?''

    ...Cedars.

    I can''t get rid of the feeling that I''m somebody else''s problem because I don''t have that disease myself.

    It''s true that you can''t sneeze or itch your eyelids if you breathe in cedar pollen, but it''s not your business.

    It''s true that cedar is a great building material, and I feel like giving hope and despair to the people of the other world by planting a Pandora''s Box of cedar.

    ... no.

    Let''s not do it after all.

    Like my first thought, I feel it''s not a good idea to intentionally spread plants from another world.

    Let''s grow the trees that are originally in this world to seedlings before planting a tree.

    I feel like I''ve gained some virtue.

    * * * *

    Well, having said that.........

    My Lord.........

    Hmm?¡¡You''re an orkbo. Did you guys come over here too?

    I''d like to cut down a few cedar trees, if that''s all right?

    Okay.

    We''ve been growing cedar trees in the dungeon orchard, and they''ve been very useful when we''ve built mansions and bathhouses.

    Cedars are really useful.

    I can''t stop planting them just because I''m afraid of hay fever.

    I don''t have hay fever myself, so what''s more important is that I don''t mind!

    ".........but what a mess!

    .........

    .........huh?

    A big sneeze?

    I''m cutting down a cedar.

    Ta-la-la-la-la-la!

    The Orcobos put the axe into a well-grown cedar and cut it down.

    Naturally, the branches and leaves shake.

    !

    .........

    .........no, no.

    It''s not possible.

    Didn''t you just imagine it?

    It must be.

 217-216 Puppet Theater without a Spectator, Rikuyuki Part 5

    Well, well, well, well. Here you are.

    It''s been 436 days since our last visit.

    This is the laboratory of the great alchemist, Master Marriage.

    Since the master doesn''t like people and doesn''t talk to anyone, I will be happy to oblige.

    Are you in need of my master?

    ............

    Your fancy clothes.

    I see.

    You have come to offer your services to our master, haven''t you?

    Is it the Demon King who wants his master''s brilliance?

    But I am sorry.

    My master, Lady Marriage, no longer wishes to serve anyone.

    She cannot bear to use her wisdom for the sake of an irredeemable fool.

    That was not the case in the past.

    It is said that in the past, Master once tried to serve those in power, hoping to use his incomparable brain for the good of the world.

    But he couldn''t do it.

    The foolish Demon King was unable to understand his master''s sublime research and turned him away, saying, "No more dreaming.

    This happened before I was born.

    From then on, the master gave up on the mundane world and shut himself away in this laboratory.

    And he carried out his great research.

    I, too, serve the master and assist him in his research.

    Huh?

    What''s your research?¡¡I beg your pardon?

    Well, I will tell you.

    I''m going to study the annihilation of all mankind.

    Because you know what?

    A world that does not understand the competence of its master is a world that deserves to perish.

    You are making a face like that, aren''t you?

    It''s all right.

    Master could have done it.

    He''s a genius.

    I, of course, serve my master and help him with his research.

    I work very hard and make up for it.

    A hundred?

    A thousand?

    No. No, more.

    "When you have an army of 10,000 men, the extermination of the human race will be carried out.

    Master said.

    Uh-huh.

    Hey, you know what?

    To tell you the truth, there are already over 9,800 of us, and we''re almost at the 10,000 mark.

    We are close to our goal of 10,000.

    When we reach this goal, we will celebrate with a big party.

    Together with the master.

    And after that, we will carry out his wish to kill the human race.

    Together with master.

    The world that was foolish enough not to accept the Master will be destroyed, and this world will exist only for us.

    Our own world that glorifies the Master.

    When that happens, My Lord Marriage Master will be the God of this world.

    The Master.

    The Master!

    Oh?¡¡What are you doing?

    A light from the end of that stick-like thing...?

    * * *

    Yes, sir.

    This is Hakkai.

    I''m in good spirits again today, the traveling party led by Prince Arowana.

    Once again, Songgokphong was the first to go.

    He fired Manakanon without permission.

    Thanks to that, the guy who was talking so proudly just a few minutes ago has been shattered.

    "Songgok-chan!

    Prince Arowana is screaming even more than usual.

    "Songgok-chan!¡¡Sunggok-chan?¡¡Didn''t I always tell you not to fire on me without asking!

    d*mn it!¡¡I''m scared!¡¡I''m scared...?

    That''s right, I''m scared!¡¡I find it scary too!¡¡But that''s no reason to fire an unauthorized shot!¡¡Though I''m scared!

    Even Songgokphong-chan is trembling with fear.

    What''s so scary is that we were talking just now........or rather, the other side was talking down one way or another.

    That person.

    The guy who has now been turned into a shattered wreckage by Manakanon''s direct hit........

    It''s not a human being.

    It wasn''t a human race, a demon race, or even a living being.

    A self-moving doll, an automaton.

    Master Puffa looks down at the wreckage of the doll.

    ''If you come here when a nearby lord asks you to investigate a suspicious person lurking in the mountains. I didn''t expect to come across this kind of thing.

    No, it was really scary.

    The way a life-sized doll that halfway resembles a person speaks passionately and full of resentment towards humanity.

    ''''I had heard about the Alchemist Marriage from my lord, but I didn''t expect that he was directly involved...''''

    I''m sure that Marriage is the one who created this automaton, based on the story. She resented the fact that the Demon King didn''t use it, and with that single-minded determination, she made a great invention come true...

    Well, you were saying that this automaton.

    He said that the master - I mean, Marriage tried to serve the demon king and was refused.

    ''''Eh?¡¡So that marriage is the mastermind behind this?¡¡You''re in big trouble if you don''t get your hands on this guy.

    ''Sunggok-chan, didn''t you listen to what the lord had to say?¡¡That Marriage or whatever that guy was called...

    Master Puffa said, a little sadly.

    That was 150 years ago.

    We explored the lab in detail.

    And what we found was this.

    A single, dried-up corpse.

    This is the Marriage...?

    The alchemist, who failed to acknowledge his service and grew to resent the world, tried his vengeful invention in this mountainous laboratory. That was the automaton.

    A doll that moves by itself.

    It would definitely be a great invention even by today''s standards.

    The person who made it happen must have been a genius.

    But even if he was a genius, he wasn''t a genius who could turn the world upside down, was he? He poured all of his time and talent into building an automaton, and now he''s exhausted it.

    You completed the automaton and lost your life...

    That was over a hundred years ago.

    Did the remaining automatons understand the death of their creator?

    I guess it wasn''t done.

    Before us, the automaton spoke as if the Marriage were alive.

    ''You have kept that body for over a hundred years without understanding the Lord''s death? In such a lonely land.....

    Prince Arowana had some kind of divine look on his face.

    It''s a tremendous magical technique. You have created a puppet that can move at will...!

    ''I''m sure he was a mad genius. That''s why he was clawed at. Or maybe it was the fact that he was clawed at that drove him insane.

    ''In any case, it was a national loss to allow so much talent to decay on the frontier like this. As for me, it''s a story that needs to be taught a lesson.

    The Demon King who did not accept the Marriage was not the current Zedan-sama, but his predecessor...or perhaps even earlier.

    This was a heart-wrenching story for Prince Arowana.

    He was traveling on earth to train himself to become the Mermaid King.

    I swear it," he said. When I become the Mermaid King, I will unleash every talent I have!¡¡Not a single one of these brilliant men will miss an opportunity and turn away from the rest!¡¡Of course you do, Pfa!

    Don''t be so abrupt with me. Well, I''ll just have to hope for the best.

    I could see that Puffa-sama, who was ostensibly twerking, was inwardly happy.

    ''But what?¡¡Marriage is so stupid, isn''t it?

    Just as the conversation was about to come together beautifully, it was Sunggokhwon who turned the water on.

    ''Oh?¡¡What''s up with the bushes and the sticks?

    Because, you know what?¡¡This Mari-something is trying to exterminate the human race, right?¡¡There''s no way you can do this kind of doll in one piece. Oh?

    If you ask me, that''s true.

    The doll itself doesn''t have much power, and it even collapsed with a single blow from Sunggok-chan.

    I don''t want you to listen to a human being. Didn''t this doll say so herself?

    "Oh?

    We''re gonna need more people.

    He did say that, didn''t he?

    Hundreds, thousands, ten thousand?

    It seems that Marriage herself had a goal of assembling an army of ten thousand automatons.

    With such a large army, it''s certainly not easy. The Marriage seems to have died when it created its first eye, but...

    But the Marriage Vendetta has taken over the project. The never-aging automaton took his time and continued to make his own.

    All we have is a surplus of time.

    What in the world do we have to do now?

    Speaking of which, this automaton.... You said something that bothered you right before it was destroyed...!

    ''''Oh, I''ll complete the nine thousand eight hundred and the remaining two hundred. Then we''ll reach the target of 10,000 that our late master set.

    ''''If so, would these guys have moved on to the next phase according to the plan the Lord left behind...?

    Ten thousand automatons on a mission to wipe out the human race.

    Maybe it was a pretty dicey situation...?

    Even if it was a coincidence, wasn''t it a fine play for Songgok-chan to destroy the oldest automaton?

    The automaton production line, which was one step away from completion, was stopped.

    "Wow! Praise, Miss!

    Yes, yes. But then we can do one more thing I''m interested in, can''t we...?

    Yes.

    I''m curious too.

    Where are the 9,800 bodies that should have already been completed?

    It''s only about two hundred of them, which is a mere margin of error for a number of 10,000.

    That''s when it happened.

    I heard a noise from under the floor.

    "................

    We all shared a chilling sensation down our spine.

    Giiiiiiii.........

    The door to the basement opened with a deafening sound of rusted metal scraping against rusted metal.

    It was not any of us on the ground floor who opened it.

    ''''We have a confirmed emergency.

    The automaton that came out of the basement.

    It looks exactly the same as the one that Songgok Phonechan destroyed...?

    "First Order, destroy serial 00001, Kakunin.

    "We don''t want anyone with hostile intent on our lab.

    Master''s timbers are now ready to intercept.

    ''Master''s enemy, master''s enemy, master''s tek, goshdin samano tek.''

    "Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kolos, kolos, kolos, kolos, kolos, kolos, kolos, kolos...

    ''Ssssssssssssssssssssssssss.''

    A flock of automatons appeared more and more from the cellar door.

    ""I''m out!"

    "There must be 9,800 of them!

    "What?¡¡Return fire!¡¡Counterattack!

    In the end, it''s going to be a big fight?¡¡We''re going to have to settle this one by force?

    "Can we shoot him?¡¡You don''t mind if I do?

    Even Songgophone is freaked out by the eerie movement of the automaton.

    And it''s crawling out of the cancerous basement and increasing!

    ''Oh, it''s okay!¡¡These guys are weaker than the undead and vampires, so they can be annihilated!

    Prince Arowana''s battle level has definitely increased, despite his vessel as a king.

 218-217 Turbidity

    I noticed that there were more breweries.

    Originally, it was only one building.

    But before I knew it, it had grown to three.

    What''s the meaning of this?

    Am I hallucinating?

    My Lord, have you not received a report?

    An oakbo who was passing by told me.

    ''''We''ve built an extension at the request of Lord Bacchus. He said that one building wasn''t enough...''''

    And you said you guys built it...?

    We haven''t had any construction work for a while here again.... It''s been a long time since we''ve all been roused...!

    Before I knew it, the orcs had turned into building junkies.

    How dare you try to take advantage of these orcs'' desire to build and give them what they want...?

    What do you think you''re doing?

    I stormed into one of the three breweries without a second thought.

    But Bacchus wasn''t there.

    "Master Bacchus is in the winery now.

    Oh, hi, I''m sorry.

    A priestess who is a Bacchus devotee told me to go to the next warehouse.

    ''Oraa!¡¡Are you in there, Bacchus?

    He just moved to the warehouse in Nihonsuch.

    Excuse me!

    I apologize to the Bacchus priestess again, flatly.

    ''Here?!¡¡This time it''s here!

    Master Bacchus reminded me he had to get to the brewery and returned.

    "What the f*ck?

    Bacchus, don''t you think you''ve been bouncing around too much?

    So we changed our tactics and waited in one of the warehouses, and then Bacchus came out of nowhere.

    "Oh, you''re a saint?¡¡What''s going on here?

    I''ve been waiting for you!

    When I questioned him about building the brewery without my permission, Bacchus didn''t take offense.

    It was necessary to make a certain amount of good sake. All you have to do to drink good sake is what you have to do!

    There was no matter that took priority over this demigod more than ''good wine''.

    .........Well, it can''t be helped.

    ''''Next time, make sure you get through to me as well.

    Haha.

    So this story is out of hand.

    ''But more importantly, we got a prototype as soon as possible!¡¡I''d love for you, the owner of the farm, to taste it too!

    And the switch in the story is tremendous.

    "Prototype...?

    You''ve only been at the farm for a couple of months and you''re still here...?

    Normally, alcohol is a drink that takes years to make and there''s no way it''s even a prototype yet, right?

    No, but if it''s a different world, that means there''s a way to shorten the production time.

    We probably have some memories on our side too.

    So what have you got?

    Wine!¡¡Nihonsh!¡¡Beer!¡¡All the stuff I want you to drink!

    Don''t get all folded up.

    * * * *

    Since it was so important to me, I decided to try it with everyone.

    First, the wine.

    We had been growing grapes for wine in the dungeon orchard, and it finally came in handy.

    It''s a rich, sweet and fruity wine, the complete opposite of beer.

    The demigod Bacchus, originally a wandering alcoholic beverage god, is said to have been a fruit wine that represented wine.

    He was used to making this wine, and without consulting with me, he was able to produce it in no time at all.

    This is a good wine, isn''t it?

    ''It''s sweet and easy to drink. I prefer this to beer.

    ''Is it the ingredients?¡¡I think it''s better than the wine I drank back home...?

    That''s right, it''s made from grapes grown by Saint Francis!

    As I suspected, the wine was very popular with the ladies.

    The wine was a big hit with Prati, the elves and the satyrs.

    They poured red wine down their throats in wine glasses that they had been urgently produced by the Poel Squad. There was a unique s*xiness to these women.

    * * * *

    Then it was time for the next round of sake tasting.

    ''Nihonsh!''

    Bacchus is kind of excited.

    This is the sake that Bacchus had tried to recreate at my suggestion.

    The sake is made from rice.

    When I first instructed Gala Rufa to make this sake on our farm, the rice was not yet ready.

    Now that Bacchus has taken up residence, I asked him to give it a try, and he has succeeded.

    ''The biggest effort of the year!¡¡I got the idea from a saint and brewed a brew in a way that I''ve never tried before, you know!

    As a god of sake, I can''t blame him for getting excited.

    The prototype sake that Bacchus had made was a purely white muddy sake.

    This is the first thing you will encounter when making sake.

    Rice is boiled until it turns into porridge, and then fermented with alcohol to produce turbid sake.

    Because the fermented rice remains in the sake, it is cloudy and white.

    The cloudy residue is then strained out and only the clear part of the sake is pureed, which I am familiar with.

    That''s what I''m familiar with.

    I had never tried this type of sake before, but it was delicious.

    My preconception was that it was just like amazake, but I was wrong.

    It was a real sake.

    When I put it in my mouth, the mild sake taste unique to sake spread out along with the substantive texture of the cloudy white color.

    ''This is a wonderfully crafted sake.

    "Yes!

    He got a passing grade from me and gave me a big cheer.

    The god of sake has put his heart and soul into making sake.

    "You can make more muddy water from this and make it clean.

    I''m not going to say that sake is better than muddy sake, but you can use the muddy part of it to make sake lees and use it in many different dishes.

    And you can distill it to make shochu, too. It''s a dream come true...!

    Hohoho?

    If you distill sake, you can make shochu. To put it very crudely, that''s what distilling is.

    Distillation is what it sounds like.

    It''s the same thing we learned in science class: heat water to a boil and turn it into steam, then separate the water from the impurities.

    The same operation is used for liquor, and distilled liquor is made by separating the water from the alcohol and making the alcohol content higher.

    If we can drink so many things, I want to drink distilled liquor. Well, it''s impossible to do without a special distiller...

    ..........

    Let''s leave that for a later date.

    More importantly, there is a segment of the population that loved the muddy wine, just as wine was popular with the ladies.

    That demographic was the oak and goblins.

    ''This is good,''

    ''It has a sweetness that eases the bitterness of life.

    ''Sip it, the memories seem to permeate my mind.

    I''ll have another one.

    I''ll take it.

    .............?

    The orcs and goblins are getting more Han-degree.

    Sake is raising their Han-degree...!

    * * *

    And finally, beer.

    The beer was originally made on a farm, but it was developed by Gala Rufa, produced by the orcs and goblins, and then officially transferred to the Bacchus.

    That''s how they made their first beer, though.

    ""Ha ha ha!"

    They clash mugs of beer poured over each other.

    ""Yummy!"

    Beer is still good, too!

 219-218 King of the Underground Empire

    It is said that the ancestors of our dwarves were the demon race.

    A long time ago, the demon tribe lost a battle with each other, and after falling to their deaths, they hid in a cave.

    As a result of hiding in the ground for so long, their limbs became shorter and shorter to fit the narrow tunnels, and they became thicker and thicker instead.

    After several generations, when our physiques were completely remade, we became an entirely different race that branched off from our ancestors'' demon race.

    That is what dwarves are.

    Like the elves, they are a subspecies of the demon race, the eagles, but they make use of the advantage of living underground, digging holes in caves to extract iron and other minerals for a living.

    They use the iron ore they collect to make various weapons and tools.

    That is our livelihood.

    We have made peace with demons who have forgotten why they fought each other, and they have been our best customers for a long time now.

    Digging underground to mine iron, hammering, forging and processing it into superior tools to sell.

    This is how the underground empire of us dwarves has flourished.

    I''m sorry, but I am the master of the dwarven underground empire.

    Those outside call me king, but we do not like to be called that.

    But we do not like to be called by that title.

    The Master of Dwarves, Edward Smith.

    Master Edward Smith is what we call him.

    * * * *

    Well.

    A curious visitor appears in my dwarven underground empire.

    It''s the same one that comes around every time.

    Hello, master. Hi, master. As usual, this country is full of square-bored people!

    "You were rude from the moment you met him!

    Demigod Bacchus.

    An eccentric who continues to roam the earth even though half the blood that flows is that of a god.

    It''s not just the previous master in our dwarven underground empire, it''s also the one who comes to visit us as if he were remembering what happened to his predecessor, and his predecessor, and his predecessor, and his predecessor, and his predecessor, and his predecessor, and his predecessor, and his predecessor.

    ''You haven''t been seen for a few years now and I was relieved to see you. What can I do for you?¡¡Don''t make me go on a binge like you did the last time you visited me, okay?

    Again, such a dull attitude. You''re actually glad I came along, aren''t you?

    Oh, that''s not true...?

    You demigod........looking right through us...?

    Oh, really?¡¡So we don''t need a souvenir, then?

    "Wait a minute!

    My attention is drawn to the small bottle that the Bacchus guy is glancing in and out of his pocket.

    That''s alcohol, isn''t it!¡¡That''s the alcohol you made, isn''t it!¡¡Very well, I''ll accept it gratefully!

    But I wouldn''t want to give it to someone who isn''t going to welcome it, now would I?¡¡There are plenty of people to give gifts to...!

    All right, all right...!¡¡Let us welcome you with the full force of the Dwarven Empire!¡¡Hey, somebody!¡¡Get ready for the feast!

    Yeah, yeah, yeah. You should''ve started out like that.

    You demigod!

    Bacchus, the god of sake, is said to be the one who brought alcohol to the world.

    He teaches the priestesses who follow him the art of brewing sake and distributes it throughout the world.

    The sake made by Bacchus is said to be of a higher quality than that made by his apprentice priestesses.

    It is said that it rarely even enters the mouths of demon kings or even the kings of human countries that have already been destroyed.

    I''m sure you dwarves love alcohol even more than other races. You cannot resist the temptation of the liquor I make for you.

    Kuhn...!¡¡I don''t have any words to reply, but please don''t try to get the whole country drunk again like you did last time, okay?¡¡It''s too much of an outward appearance to have a nation stagnating on a hangover.

    So how about we skip this one?

    Drink!

    I know, right? That''s why I love these Dwarves. There''s no such thing as a bad drinker. Good people!

    I feel like I''m being used as a plaything for your body.

    Oh well, now he''s going to enjoy his souvenir drink without a care in the world!

    Don''t be a pussy, just get it out!

    Don''t be in such a hurry. "Don''t be in such a hurry, it''s all a bit silly if you don''t let me make an introduction. Because this is a different kind of sake.

    What''s that ticklish sound?

    What''s that ticklish sound?

    Don''t tell me it''s like nothing I''ve ever tasted before?

    I advise you to try one. Try one of these. It''s called Nihonshu.

    Oh, oh?¡¡Cup!¡¡Someone bring me a cup!

    With the cup I had hurriedly brought in, I received the drink Bacchus poured........

    .........What is this?

    Hey, sake god. Are you trying to deceive me?¡¡Isn''t this just water?

    What was poured into the cup was colorless and clear.

    No matter where you looked at it, it could only be water.

    I took the advice of the saints and strained the molasses out of it. You should try it for yourself.

    Oh?

    I really felt cheated and drank it.

    It was delicious.

    ''It''s not water!¡¡Liquor!

    I told you so.

    It''s so clear and yet it tastes like a rich liquor and it clears your mouth!

    It''s not like the grape wine the Bacchus guy always brings, but it''s definitely booze!¡¡And it''s super tasty!

    You should try this beer next time.

    What''s that whispering?¡¡What''s with the bitterness?

    Even though the taste of nihonshu alone is astounding.

    Great job, Bacchus!¡¡All these delicious new creations at once!

    I knew you were a god!

    ''I don''t take credit for it. No one else in the world knows about it. There is a man who knows about a different world of wine. I have borrowed his wisdom.

    Oh, oh?¡¡Is that so...?

    So, finally, I paid you a visit today. I wonder, King of the Dwarves, if you would be so kind. Would you like a different kind of drink?

    Call me master, not king. ...No, there''s another kind of wine?

    Oh no.

    This nihonshu and beer alone is delicious as a dream.

    And yet you''re going to be exposed to yet another kind of pleasure?

    They say it''s called Shouchu, whiskey and brandy.

    Three kinds?

    But I think I need a special tool to make them. I came to you for advice. I thought you Dwarves were supposed to be good at making tools.¡¡If you ask the saint to make it for you, he''ll make it for you, but you can''t keep bothering him.

    "What am I gonna make?¡¡I''ll make you anything!¡¡We''ll make a nice drink, and we''ll make it with all the pride of a Dwarf!

    That''s my drinking breed.

    Then we got down to business and Bacchus gave us a detailed explanation of the distillery and what it was all about.

    ''What do you think?¡¡Can you make it?

    I feel like I''m in the process of refining iron ore. I guess there''s nothing we can''t do.

    That''s the best of the dwarves!

    Hmph, I don''t feel anything from being coaxed by you.

    But when I finish what you asked for, I''ll be the first to taste the new brew made from it!

    Then we''ll give you the ingredients for the distillery.

    ''Materials?¡¡I''ve got a lot of stuff in my house.

    After all, here in the Dwarf Underground Empire, holes are dug every day to extract iron ore, the raw material for iron.

    No, we can''t be that pushy. We''ll have to pay for the materials.

    That''s the way it is.

    That''s why I was given the best ingredients from the saints. I hope you can make a distillery out of it.

    Ingots placed at the top.

    I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw the gleam in the metal.

    This. Is this....manna metal?

    Well, it''s the best metal in the world. Not only is it hard and a good conductor of heat, but it doesn''t transfer odors. It''s all very ideal!

    "Manametaluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

    Ooh.

    Manametal!

    Manametal?

    It''s the greatest metal on earth, and a coveted commodity among us blacksmiths.

    Normal underground digging will never produce it, and it can only be mined in cave dungeons with high mana concentrations!

    It''s extremely valuable, coupled with the level of danger to diving deep into the dungeon, and the quantity is small.

    Even the master of the dwarven underground empire, the eagle, had only ever seen a small lump about the tip of his little finger.

    What we have in front of us now........is a fine sized ingot.......!

    That''s one, two, three, four, five........

    A lot of.........?

    Um....!¡¡Can I only use this to make a distiller...?¡¡With this much mana metal.......we can make two or three legendary swords.......!

    To the point of tears?

    No, but it''s a blacksmith''s fault for ignoring his client''s wishes and only making what he wants to make.

    Let''s make the best distillery we can, as requested!

    ........but.

    But if I have a little bit of mana metal left over, can''t I just make a knife or so.......?

 220-219 Water of Life

    Then a few more months or so later........

    ''It''s done!¡¡Spirits are ready!

    The crowd was so loud that people would naturally gather around.

    "The dwarf''s special distillery is a triumph!¡¡Thanks to the manna metal, there''s no smell transfer!

    Well, he disappeared from the farm for a while, "Where did he go? But then I would have ordered something like that.

    I would have made it if you had asked me to.

    Anyway, we tasted the finished shochu liqueur, and it was indeed delicious.

    It was much purer and higher in alcohol content than the pure sake, and it seemed to burn the tongue, but it kept the flavor of the original sake.

    I''d like to taste potato shochu, barley shochu and chestnut shochu like this.

    The residents of the other farms were tasting shochu, but....

    It''s Kittsu!¡¡It tastes so good!

    ''''Does that mean the alcohol is too dense?

    "You''re gonna burn your tongue out!¡¡You''re gonna burn your tongue out of your mouth!

    Does Veerle spit fire all the time?¡¡Soju only.

    As expected of the women, the high alcohol content was difficult for them to accept.

    On the other hand, the orc and goblin teams.

    "Come on, give me a drink.

    I accept.

    It''s a wonderful thing to drink to each other''s cups.

    I was born on a different day, but I''d like to die on the same day.

    In proportion to the alcohol content, the Han-degree of the Orcobos has risen in proportion to the alcohol content!

    Well, but.

    As expected of the god of sake. He made a completely unknown drink taste so good in one shot.

    As soon as Bacchus came to our farm, his repertoire of alcoholic beverages expanded.

    After all, he is the god of alcohol.

    I''ve heard that the sake made by Bacchus, the god of sake, is naturally better and tastier than the others.

    I heard that Bacchus, the god of wanderlust, is a resident brewer at the farm.

    I think this farm is becoming more and more premium.

    But when they''re making shochu liquor, they want to make more.

    ''What?!''

    Bacchus listened attentively to my mutterings.

    ''No way...!¡¡Do you mean to say that there is still a new kind of liquor beyond shochu?¡¡What the hell is that...?

    That''s right.

    Shochu........or rather, a new kind of liquor that would not be complete without distilled liquor.

    It''s.

    "Umeshu!

    The plums are soaked in shochu and it takes months to extract them. The taste of the liquor mixed with the flavor of the plums is something else!

    The plums are already grown in the dungeon orchard. What else we need is some rock sugar to put in with them....

    I don''t know how to make it.

    Can I substitute regular sugar?

    Let''s give it a try.

    Have Pawel make a large glass jar and consult with Bacchus to determine the amount of each, then add the plums, sugar and soju.

    I''ll store this in a cool, dark place.

    When can we drink it?¡¡Tomorrow!

    Not so fast, sir.

    The gods of sake are really off the hook when it comes to alcohol.

    I can''t drink it, at least not until the color of this transparent shochu becomes plum colored.

    Three or four months.

    There may be a way to speed up the time, but it''s a delicacy, so we''ll take our time.

    ...No, I think we can still do something interesting.

    I''m sure plums were not the only fruit you could pickle in shochu.

    There was also a fruit wine made from fruit.

    There was also a fruit wine made from fruits, and a medicinal herb wine made from medicinal herbs.

    It is a kind of plum liqueur, too.

    He thought "Let''s make many kinds of fruit wine by soaking it in shochu.

    There''s only fruit wine!

    This is how the farm hosted a fruit wine competition.

    My drunkenness soon became known throughout the farm, and many people brought their own fruit that they wanted to pickle.

    * * * *

    It was still the elves who brought something relatively decent to the table.

    As only the forest people, they are well versed in delicious fruits and things that would be delicious if they were dipped in wine.

    ''''Saint-sama!¡¡I think apples are good for you!

    No, no, no. Now''s the time for loquat!

    Lemons!

    Kiwi!

    It''s time for dragonfruit!

    Did we make fruit like that at my house?

    Oh well.

    It''s true that all of them would make a delicious fruit wine just by imagination.

    On the other hand, the mermaid team''s idea was also very appealing.

    ''Mermaids have a method of soaking the ingredients of herbs in water for their medicinal magic. I''ve been trying to find out what herbs are good for nourishment and tonicity.

    I pickle the medicinal herbs given by Prathi. I''m looking forward to finishing the herb wine.

    Lettuce-rate girl came next.

    ''Solanum!¡¡I need a glass of wine with llama beans in it!

    You really like solangias, don''t you?

    But.

    Can extracts seep out of llama beans into alcohol?

    Wouldn''t legumes rather be on the same side as potatoes and grains as a staple food?

    Forget the llama bean!¡¡Solanum to drink!¡¡I''m going to have a glass of horse chestnut wine!

    Oh, God, I get it, okay?

    This is how I was pushed out of the room and I tried to drink solanum wine.

    But then I found out that this lettuce-rate girl''s proposal was still sane.

    But then I discovered that this lettuce-rate girl''s proposal was still sane.

    It was Veal who came next.

    ''Wouldn''t this cake make a good drink if I put it in?

    Rejected.

    That''s cooked food.

    At the very least, bring me some of the ingredients.

    "What?¡¡Think about it, master!¡¡It''s a cake!¡¡It''s so sweet and creamy and fluffy!¡¡If you put that in a drink, it would be so sweet and delicious...!

    Not gonna happen. Rejected.

    Veerle ate the cake he had reluctantly brought with him and was happy to eat it on the spot.

    Next came the spirits of the earth.

    ''Butter, sir!''

    "We''re making buttered wine with butter!

    Yeah, that''s it.

    It would just be a liquor with melted butter, wouldn''t it?

    Even if it works out best, I think it will be sad, so we should all eat that butter with care.

    Next came Panu and the other satyrs.

    ''If you put our milk in your liquor!

    What you can do is to milk soju.

    That''s not without its own merits, but....

    The best of all is the Tenshi Horqosfon.

    "Natto in sake...

    ''''Don''t do it!

    So most of the ideas were scattered, but I adopted the relatively sensible ideas of the platys and elves, while trying to soak various fruits and herbs in the wine.

    Let''s keep it all together and enjoy it when it''s time to drink it.

    * * * *

    And.

    I thought this would be the end of this story.

    But at the end of the story, a super-dreadful story was slammed into me.

    ''....Oh, isn''t that Batty?

    Well, I didn''t show up at the fruit wine idea competition earlier.

    It''s a free-for-all, so it doesn''t matter.

    What''s the matter with you?¡¡You got a good idea too?

    Then don''t be afraid to make suggestions.

    If it''s a good idea, you''re welcome to come up with it late!

    No..........it wasn''t me.......!

    Batty had a somewhat troubled look on his face.

    ''''........These kids want to be of help to the Saints.......!

    Then the one on top of the hand that Batty held out was.

    Kongo Silkworm.

    She had some kind of determined expression on her face towards me.

    ''''Eh?¡¡What are you guys trying to do?

    I didn''t understand them all, but as I stared straight into the expressions of the vajra silkworms, I got the impression that they were saying.

    ''''Master must be looking for ingredients to put in his sake!

    "We get lots of extracts!

    No, yeah, yeah!

    Me.

    I screamed.

    I thought maybe the hub brew could be considered a type of soaking wine!

    Animal protein may be an option, though.

    You guys don''t need to be so overzealous!

    You''ll make me cry with guilt!

    Also, albeit indirectly through alcohol!

    I''m still not brave enough to venture into insect eating!

    "It''s all right, master!

    No problem.

    "If you just have the guts to take the first bite, you should be able to go ahead and crunch it!

    I felt like I was being told.

    So why are you guys so healthy?

 221-220 Sake Ultimate evolution

    It is the story of the drink.

    This time it''s extremely important.

    Fermentation is essential for sake to become alcohol.

    Bacteria break down the sugars in the raw materials and convert them into alcohol, but what happens if it goes all the way to the bottom?

    The final form produced by the ultimate in fermentation.

    That is the theme of this year''s exhibition.

    * * * *

    ''No!''

    A straight up refusal.

    Bacchus, who has risen to the top of his game on our farm, doesn''t have a clue what I''m talking about.

    No, no, no!¡¡That''s a line that should not be crossed!¡¡Once you cross that line, the booze ceases to be booze!¡¡It''s an abhorrent act!

    ''It''s necessary. Accept it.

    "Saints...!¡¡I knew you were a terrible person...!¡¡As expected of a visitor from another world, our common sense doesn''t apply at all...!

    Bacchus admonishes me as he clings to me.

    ''Don''t do that!¡¡That''s it!¡¡Don''t do anything to desecrate the liquor I''ve so painstakingly put into it!¡¡It''s good enough as it is!¡¡Why would you go on at the risk of ruining your life!

    ...because that''s what I''ve been doing.

    And I will continue to practice it.

    That''s the path I''m on.

    If there is a possibility to create something new.

    I''m going to give it a try.

    "So you''ll just have to create, won''t you?

    Hmm.

    "Vinegar, please!

    Vinegar.

    That''s the theme of this article.

    Did you know that vinegar is made from sake?

    What?¡¡Was all that serious discussion about whether to make vinegar or not?

    Don''t take this crap seriously?

    Prathi, Veer is whispering in the open field, but you don''t understand.

    Men can be serious because they are silly!

    Well.

    The sake is made by fermentation by a fungus.

    Carbohydrates are broken down into sugar, and sugar is broken down into alcohol.

    And what happens when the alcohol is broken down further into fermentation and decomposition?

    It becomes acetic acid.

    That is vinegar.

    Vinegar is the ultimate evolutionary form after a series of fermentations!

    Vinegar, on the other hand, is the most basic condiment, along with salt and sugar.

    It''s late to the kitchen!

    To tell the truth, though, I''ve been using it in cooking as a substitute for the ''vinegar-like stuff'' that Prathi made for me in the potion concoction before that.

    If you''re on the verge of being able to make the real thing, then you should boldly try it.

    Well, even if you make vinegar from alcohol, it''s not going to be alcohol because the alcohol will be completely broken down.

    ''Whoa!¡¡No!¡¡I don''t want my drink to stop being alcohol!

    That''s why Bacchus-san is crying and hating it.

    All I could think is that there is nothing more sorrowful for the god of alcohol than to see it disappear.

    But let''s not be particularly comforting, let''s just make it.

    Vinegar.

    But vinegar can turn into vinegar even if you leave it as it is, can''t it?

    And if you take it to the extreme, you might be right.

    Of course, we need to be careful not to let any fungus grow on the way.

    I''ll ask Prathi, who is an expert in this area, to help me.

    No, wait.

    In addition, let''s try something else at the same time, shall we?

    Mirin.

    I''m going to make a

    Do you know the difference between vinegar and mirin?

    I''m not sure.

    But I read about how to make mirin in a comic book and it''s memorable, so I''m going to give it a try.

    I prepare the ingredients.

    Shochu (Japanese liquor).

    Glutinous rice.

    And some bacteria to ferment the sticky rice.

    That''s all.

    We had to wait for Bacchus, because we need soju.

    Thank you, Bacchus.

    Thanks to you, we have a long way to go.

    We''ve asked Prathi to shorten the fermentation period, and now let''s make the Hon Mirin.

    * * *

    It''s done, Mirin.

    I''ll take a little lick to try it.

    It''s sweet.

    Because it is like a relative of the vinegar, I thought it was sour, but it was not so.

    Because the process of saccharification of glutinous rice is built into the process, it may be sweet.

    Anyway, let''s use this in various dishes to pursue a better taste!

    The booze is...¡¡The drink I made...!

    Bacchus, on the other hand, was still sobbing.

    ''It can''t be helped......... Try this.

    Unu?

    The liquid is poured into a clear glass, which is offered to Bacchus.

    ''What''s this?¡¡I don''t drink anything but alcohol, okay?

    I''m not so sure about that...?

    Bacchus was showing a scattered and wary expression, but he finally brought the glass to his mouth, as if he had lost his patience.

    And..........

    ''''It''s alcohol!

    He shouted that with madness.

    ''''It''s booze!¡¡This is booze!¡¡And it''s absurdly delicious!¡¡It tastes like nothing I''ve ever encountered!¡¡What the hell is this...?

    This is shochu mixed with mirin. It''s called "honkari", right?

    Mix the mirin made from shochu with the shochu.

    ''What?¡¡''Do you put soybean product tofu in your soybean product miso soup?'' Although there may be a sense of discomfort in the target, I''m proud to say that this is the best form for Bacchus to accept the results of this project.

    ''You''ve made a good one!¡¡The Saints'' challenge is all good stuff!

    He accepted it.

    When I tasted it, I realized that this mirin has some alcohol in it!¡¡This one''s as good as it gets!

    Bacchus was drinking Mirin straight from the bottle.

    Sake has evolved into vinegar and added color to the table at our farm.

    If you make it from sake, you can make rice vinegar; if you make it from wine, you can make wine vinegar.

    You can make as many different kinds of vinegars as you can make sake.

    We made many kinds of vinegar.

    You don''t have to do one kind of thing.

    How am I supposed to consume such a large quantity of food?

    Speaking of which, they have a healthier way to drink vinegar straight from the bottle, so why not give it a try?

    I gave it to the Oakbos to drink.

    ''Ew!''

    Vinegar is delicious!

    We''ll always be friends, won''t we?

    We''re friends!

    The Han-degree of the Orcobos who drank the vinegar has dropped drastically!

    Does that mean that the alcohol content disappeared and the Han-degree stopped dropping in response to the disappearance of the alcohol content?

    Or is it said that drinking vinegar will make your body soft, but your head will be softer?

    But as expected, there''s no way I can consume it all, so I''ll have to think of a new approach....

    Since we''ve gone to the trouble of developing this dish, can we find a dish that brings the taste of the vinegar to the fore, not a secret ingredient?

    Oh.

    Here it is.

    Thaw the fish Okubo and his crew caught.

    Sashimi.

    Quickly grab a bowl of rice mixed with vinegar to prevent transference of body heat.

    Now is the time to roar at the bearer of the supreme...!

    I ain''t got sushi!

    Nigiri sushi is ready.

    Otherworldly farm-maezushi is now ready!

    Your husband has cooked something new for you.

    ''What?¡¡Really?

    Eat! Eat!

    Everybody wait!¡¡This time I''ll be the first to eat!

    And as usual, the farm''s inhabitants gathered in droves.

    Raw fish isn''t very popular, so will people eat it?¡¡However, I was surprised that there are some mermaids in this farm, so I didn''t feel any resistance.

    They dipped it in soy sauce and gobbled it up.

    They ate it with soy sauce and gobbled it up.¡¡That''s yummy too!

    I never knew a fish that hadn''t been cooked could melt on the tongue!

    And you''re having a different kind of rice with fish meat on top!

    ''You''re a saint!¡¡So this is your new twist!

    The sushi rice effect is great.

    Next time I thought it would be nice to try chirashi sushi or to try to make a shabby hand-rolled sushi party.

    All of these things were possible only because of the vinegar.

    I was thankful for the liquor that was the forerunner of vinegar.

    I was grateful to Bacchus for creating that drink.

    ''....just.

    I''m missing one crucial thing that makes sushi perfect.

    Wasabi.

    I haven''t made it yet.

    Everyone is so happy with the sushi without the rust, but if I put rust in here, would it make people go a-goin''?

    * * *

    Finally.

    Are nigiri sushi and onigiri identical or non-identical?

    To test it out, I offered a sushi dish of giant toro (a kind of otherworldly fish) to the shrine dedicated to the god Hephaistos.

    Like a spotlight from the ceiling, light poured down on the sushi.

    ''NO''

    The judgment of the Hephaistos god was harsh.

    But the nigiri sushi was absorbed by the light and ascended to the heavens.

    He liked the taste itself.

 222-221 Reunion Angels

    Master, I need to talk to you.

    One day I was stopped by the angel Holkosfon.

    Hmm?¡¡What is consultation?

    ''Is the little fermented soybeans already finished?¡¡Then, as an oddity, edamame and natto are next...

    No, that''s not what I''m talking about. I''d like to hear more about this edamame and natto later.

    It''s not natto-related?

    Unusual for a holcophone. What''s the business, really?

    Well I''d like to hear more about this edamame and natto thing later on!

    All right. Let''s get down to business.

    On to the matter at hand.

    ''You will remember the Master, won''t you?¡¡The same model that I restored earlier.

    Oh, you know.

    Holkosfons are a race called angels.

    And angels are biological weapons sent by the gods of the sky thousands of years ago to invade the earth.

    When the earth was on the verge of collapse, the gods went all out to stop it, and all the angels except for the Holkosfon in front of them were destroyed.

    Recently, however, a second angel was resurrected.

    I assembled the excavated parts and attempted to restore it, and it was successfully restored.

    I was the one who restored it.

    And so, the resurrection of an angel that was destroyed in the past, based on its limbs?¡¡Birth?¡¡.........The angel that did this was indeed in trouble as it was, so Hermes, the god that belonged to the heavenly realm, appeared at just the right time and retrieved it.

    "I''ll adjust it completely.

    The words.

    Months have passed since then.

    ''But the same model still hasn''t come back.

    It''s true that it seems slow if you ask me.

    I don''t know how long it takes to make adjustments, but it''s the work of the gods.

    I don''t think it''s going to take that long.......

    If we haven''t heard from them, we''ll just have to contact them.

    I guess we''ll just have to contact them.

    ********

    So, doctor, it''s nice to meet you.

    Yes, sir.

    If you want to summon God, he''s still the one.

    I had a teacher from No Life King come to me.

    For the teacher, summoning gods is half a hobby, so he''s happy to take on the task.

    "N

    The teacher''s summoning spell''s textuality didn''t stop there.

    So the god Hermes was really summoned.

    ''''Ho ho ho ho ho!''''

    No, it''s surprisingly easy to come up with something every time, isn''t it?

    Are you sure that''s what you want to do, God?

    ''''I was at a scene the other day where a senior spirit was summoned...''''

    ''Oh my God, you scared me!

    Before I knew it, Batty had appeared behind me.

    He crept up on me without making a sound and scared me.

    ''''Even if it''s a summoning of a high-level spirit far below God, hundreds of select summoning masters do it while spitting blood.......''''

    Batty left without giving any further details.

    ...........

    You''re great teachers after all!

    ''''Yoo-hoo, aren''t they the saints!¡¡What''s going on? If you contact me, I''ll visit you without being summoned.

    And the god Hermes does not hide his frivolity and flippancy.

    ''What''s on offer today?¡¡I know, even that Bacchus lived on the farm!¡¡How could you drink a mixture of that booze idiot''s tech and Saint-kun''s knowledge before Uncle Hades and the others!¡¡Oh, I want some edamame to go with it!

    Eat this one.

    "Gah!

    Holkosfone, the full force of Manakanon''s gunfire without reservation or bail.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    ''What are you doing!¡¡What are you doing, you angel!¡¡I thought you had become a little more docile under your saint, but you''re becoming more violent!

    ''''No, that''s not true. I''m learning to behave intelligently under the Master every day.

    "Liar!¡¡Then what''s the point of all this violence?

    It wasn''t an act of violence, sir. I''m not attacking you, sir.

    Tut-tutting is culture.

    Well, it doesn''t matter.

    The tweets now are tweets for the blurbs you''ve spent months making. If it''s not a blur, it''s lazy.

    Huh?

    How''s the tweaking of my prototype that we entrusted to you?¡¡I asked the Master and the Teacher to summon you to hear it.

    The doctor has already done his business and is playing with Porgy.

    It''s like the tern of Horcosfon and Hermes God.

    You took custody of my model under the guise of ''adjusting'' it and promised to bring it back soon, yet we haven''t heard anything for the past few months. Is that a broken promise?

    I don''t know if that''s a good way to talk about God....

    It''s almost a fact, though.

    As expected of the gods of heaven, they are very bad at what they do. Do you want some natto (fermented soybeans)?¡¡Eating natto (fermented soybeans) will wash away your black heart.

    ...if I''d sent you back a tune-up, you''d have done it already.

    What?

    "You mean Songgokphone, right?¡¡The adjustment itself was completed within a few days of taking care of it.... Wow, wait, wait, wait!¡¡''''Don''t shoot, don''t shoot, don''t shoot!''''

    Holkosfone''s eyes, which pointed the muzzle at God, definitely had the red glow of Destroy Mode.

    ''''Eh?¡¡You didn''t hear me?¡¡I thought Mr. Puffa had told you.

    What?

    "What?

    "''Huh?

    Huh?

    Why does Pfa come up there?

    ''Because now Songgok-dong is accompanying the mermaid prince, Arowana, on her journey.¡¡One of your traveling members, Pfa, is traveling to and from this farm!

    What a surprise.

    It''s true that Arowana, brother of my wife Prathi, the prince of the mermaid kingdom, is training to become a mermaid king.

    He has several companions, and one of them is Puffa, who travels back and forth between Prince Arowana''s home and the farm with his super high level transference magic so that he can also do the work of the farm.

    Such a puffa just walked by us.

    Humming lousy lyrics.

    ''Good!¡¡We''re going under Prince Arowana again today!¡¡Shifting Potions...!

    Wait a minute.

    Holkosfone grabbed Puffa''s shoulder in a tight grip.

    ''I have a question for you. Wash up and spit out or get blown up by Manakanon, whichever you prefer.

    This threat is also a tweak.

    It''s part of the culture.

    * * * *.

    Soon after, Puffa used a series of transfer potions and brought the somehow-connected angel with him.

    ''''Good evening!¡¡Songgokphone is my name, sir!¡¡Best regards!

    She was much more cleanly dressed than she had been before, and the splice area where we first met had been cleaned up.

    His oddly girly tone is still the same, but........

    But he''s learned to be polite to some extent.........

    ''''I''ve had a hard time disciplining her to this point.

    This etiquette Puffa invented?

    She, who seems to be the furthest thing from good manners among mermaids?

    "This is the fruit of my journey. Not only Sunggok-chan, but Prince Arowana and Huckai are also improving after overcoming the hardships of their journey.

    So, "Let the pretty ones travel" will have an immediate effect, huh?

    That''s why I entrusted Arowana and the others with Songgokphone. It''s a shame I didn''t tell you guys that, but I thought it was Puffa who told you.

    "Manakakanon all at once." "Ah, shush!

    ''''Gyaaahhhh!

    It''s also a tweak that Holkosfone opened all the guns and for some reason, even Songgokfon took advantage and shot wildly.

    It is within the scope of culture.

    ''''Sunggokfon........''''

    The two angels face each other again when the god Hermes has turned into an afro hair.

    ''Although there have been twists and turns, I am so happy that Anata has returned to this world. Because of you, I am no longer the only angel in this world.

    Hsih, Holkosfone embraces Sunggokphone.

    It was a scene that should have been described as a moving reunion of sisters.

    ''''Hmmm........!

    However.

    Eventually, Sunggokphone, who was being hugged, pulled Holkosfone away like a cat trying to escape from a fussy owner, and ran off in a clatter.

    Where are you going?

    Sunggokphone ran to Pfafa''s place.

    Then in a straight line, she hugged Puffa and buried her face in his ample chest.

    ''''Hmm~ I knew it would be softer and more comfortable to hold on to Miss Miss Puffa~''''

    Apparently Sunggokhwan missed Pfafa more than his kindred Horcosfon.

    Thud.

    And there was the sound of something on the Holkosphone snapping.

    ''I''ve heard since ancient times that the most important thing we need to do to understand each other is to cross our fists. Now seems to be the time...!

    ''Oh?¡¡You think you''re a match for an old-schooler with the latest modifications from the god Heppas?¡¡It''s just a bit of hubris, isn''t it?

    Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    Two men with the power to destroy the world are battling each other at home!

    Yes, maybe the god Hermes is right and angels need a period of emotional education.

    Including our Holkosfon.

    * * * *.

    Soon after.....

    Well, I guess I''d better get back to the master. Let''s go, Sunggok-chan.

    Miss Hey.

    Paffa is about to leave with Songgokphong.

    The destination would be under Prince Arowana, of course.... Huh?¡¡Wait?

    What did you mean when you said "sir"?

    "Don''t be in such a hurry to get home.... Since you''re here, why don''t you take your time?

    As much as I wish I could, it''s just that the master''s place is in a bit of a hurry. I have to hurry up and get back. I have to follow him.

    ''What?¡¡What do you mean?

    What if Prince Arowana is involved in some kind of trouble on the road?

    I''m fighting a dragon.

    I need you to get back to him as soon as possible!

    No, that''s not enough for me!

    Get some support from my team!

    Orcubo!¡¡Gobbler!¡¡And this is the time for Veerle to come into play, but where did that dragon go?

 223-222 winter preparation

    Winter is almost here.

    It''s the second winter since I came to this world.

    The first winter we came to this world unprepared, and we had a bad experience, but we''ve learned our lesson and this year we''re ready for it!

    The elves have been making and accumulating charcoal since the beginning of last winter, and Batty has been sewing a thick coat of fur for me.

    Porgy and his friends are changing their fur from summer to winter.

    And I can''t afford to do nothing either!

    As the owner of the farm, I''ve decided to make my own winter preparations.

    The stove!

    The masterpiece of heating!

    But there is no oil in this world, so they must find alternative fuel.

    And then it occurred to me....

    Firewood!

    They burn wood and use the heat to heat the room!

    We''re going to have a warm winter this year with the power of the wood stove!

    * * *

    In.

    Build a wood stove.

    The material is, of course, metal.

    It has to keep the fire burning inside all the time, and it can''t function as a stove if it doesn''t transfer the heat to the outside.

    The metal we need is manna metal.

    This manna metal. Strangely enough, when you want to work with it, it softens at an unremarkable temperature, but once it''s finished and you''re sure it''s going to harden, it has a melting point that far exceeds that of steel, and it never burns or melts.

    It''s also an ideal material for stoves with ideal thermal conductivity.

    The manna metal is really useful and can be used for anything!

    No, I don''t know...

    Hmm?¡¡What''s the matter, Bacchus?

    ''I''m sure the dwarves will cry when they see this scene. But really, there''s all this precious mana metal here!

    Bacchus passed by with a meaningful statement.

    ''Oh, even our brewery is making a bang-up batch of high-degree spirits to beat the cold!

    Oh, yes, please.

    I''m sure I''ll be drinking whiskey and brandy as well as shochu one of these days.

    I''ll leave it at that.

    Let''s concentrate on making the stove now.

    The first thing we need to think about is the chimney.

    We need to make a chimney, a way to get the smoke out of the wood burning. A chimney is a must.

    A chimney is not just a matter of making a chimney.

    The smoke that comes out of the wood has to be heated by the fire. The air heated by the fire also goes through the chimney, and the chimney itself will be heated accordingly.

    The chimney would heat up all the rooms in the house by passing the heated air through it.

    However, if you build a chimney long enough to pass through all the rooms, you have to increase the heat of the stove itself to heat the whole room.

    Naturally, there are some problems with the stove being hotter closer to the body of the stove and not heating evenly, but we''ll study that in due course.

    To get the inside of the stove to burn well, air intake is important, so it needs to be designed so that air can easily get inside...!

    Halfway through the process, the elves mixed in and the stove making became lively.

    ''''It would be nice to pile it up next to us so that we can add to it as soon as we run out of wood...!

    Let''s make a basket for the firewood.

    Wouldn''t it be fun to boil water on the stove and cook on it?

    If you touch it, it''s very hot. If we touch it, it will be very hot. Let''s put a fence around it to prevent the kids from touching it by mistake.

    One good idea after another is suggested.

    Wouldn''t it be better to get a good look at the fire inside?

    Poel. Can you make a glass lid for the stove?

    I''m on it!¡¡I will make heat-resistant glass that doesn''t melt into magma!

    The head of the Glasswork Group, Mr. Poel, is very motivated.

    After a lot of trial and error, I''m going to make it.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make a mana metal that is much harder than steel, but don''t you think it''s amazing how easily it can be processed?

    I''m not the greatest. What''s great is this holy sword.

    The vajra silk is impervious to even the fangs of dragons.

    The reason why it is so easy to pierce and sew together that vajra silk is because it uses a needle made of mana metal.

    The Evil Saint Sword Dry Schwartz, which easily slices through that mana metal and processes it.

    ''''I see!''''

    That''s a holy sword that can slice through a mana metal!

    "The ultimate sword given by the dark gods!

    I have witnessed and experienced the awesomeness of it all with my own eyes!

    How many times this farm life has been saved by the Holy Sword!

    How fortunate I was to have met the Holy Sword early on!

    "Thank you, Holy Sword!

    * * * *

    And while we''re messing around, it''s finally done!

    Total manna metal wood stove!

    The chimney is spread out over several rooms in the house, so that the stove itself is not only in the room where the stove is located, but each of the other rooms also gets a heating effect.

    The top of the stove is flat so you can put pots and pans on it.

    It can be used to boil water and cook food.

    It can also be used to bake rice cakes.

    My farm is now fully prepared for winter!¡¡Anytime, Winter General!

    Wait for me!¡¡Saint-sama!

    Then Elf Elon, who calls out to him in a tight voice.

    What''s the matter?¡¡It''s such an imminent situation.

    This stove is missing something crucial!

    What the hell?

    What is the meaning of this?

    I put all my heart and soul into building this stove, and it''s still lacking!

    That''s wood!

    Oh, yeah?

    This is a wood-burning stove!

    A stove that burns wood to keep you warm!

    Just as no machine can run without fuel.

    A wood burning stove without fuel is like a magician without magic power.

    ''''So.........then I''m going to go into the forest right now to collect firewood......!

    But can we collect them now and get them in time for winter to arrive?

    Firewood needs a certain amount of time to dry out after it''s been chopped, right?

    "You saintly careless bastard!¡¡I''m fine, I''m fine!

    What did you say?

    Because we elves already have the firewood!

    What?

    There''s a huge pile of firewood in the back of the house.

    You mean to tell me that this is all gathered by the elves?

    Oak, oak, zelkova!¡¡We''ve got all kinds of wood for you!¡¡One of the great pleasures of a bonfire is to enjoy different kinds of flames in different woods!

    "Oh...?

    That''s the Forest People''s Elf...!

    What you say is profound...?

    ''This should be enough to last us a winter!¡¡Saint!¡¡Use it to your heart''s content!

    Elon, you are...!

    You really are made of elves!

    A sense of excitement and solidarity made me and Elon hug each other tightly.

    ''You know how the head is always setting aside wood for pottery kiln firing?¡¡Even the firewood we''re carrying is, well...!

    Shh, shut up!

    Through making the stove, I could feel the bond between me and the elves deepening.

    * * * *

    Yes, I''m home.

    Beside me and the elves'' bond value skyrocketed.

    Prati is back.

    From where?

    And after Prathi, Okubo, Govt. Yoshi and the others were also buzzing around.

    Suddenly it got noisy.

    Had they all gone out together?

    Where have you been?

    ''What''s the matter with you, sir, hugging Elon?¡¡Now you''re going to make Elon a side room?

    I won''t!

    I mean, don''t make it sound like there''s more than just Elon in the side room!

    Where was Prati with Okubo and the others?

    Thinking about it, there was no way the orcs could not be involved in the building work of stove building.

    But they were not present because they were away.

    Of course. I''m getting ready for winter.

    What?

    Last year we got caught by surprise and had a rough year, so we better be ready to go this year.

    My wife, as expected, thinks the same way.

    Then you''ll be surprised to see this!

    Look at the finished wood stove!

    So I had to dig up a bunch of stuff.

    Hmm?

    "Coal.

    Coal!

    The black stone that Okubo and his team are carrying on their wagons is a black stone.

    Is that what they are carrying, coal?

    Coal that burns well and is used to power trains and steamships?

    That''s.........where did that come from.......?

    My teacher remodeled the cave dungeon so we can mine the coal!¡¡So today, Okubo and the rest of the guys came in and dug around!

    The wagons with coal on board seemed to arrive one after the other, and there was a superior amount of coal that could last all winter.

    The more I looked at it, the more me and Elon''s expressions became sooty.

    .........

    .........After all, coal is more thermally efficient than wood or charcoal, right?

    It wouldn''t have been an industrial revolution otherwise.

    ''Properly, Okubo and her friends made a coal stove too!¡¡Now we won''t have to freeze in the winter anymore!

    This winter was going to be warm this year.

    A desolate autumn wind blew relentlessly through me and the elves.

    * * * *

    An aside.

    The manna metal used in the wood stove was sturdy, and I was glad to see that it worked fine with coal, which emits far more heat than firewood.

    I thought the firewood would be helplessly wasted, but it was burning up vigorously in the pottery kilns of the ailerons as usual.

 224-223 Fire Training

    One fear came to me about incorporating a stove into our farm.

    What can happen when you bring fire into the house.

    A fire.

    The loss of fire caused by the slightest carelessness.

    Burning everything down.

    A single match can cause a fire, but with so many pieces of wood and coal burning inside the stove, it''s much more than just a match that you need to be careful.

    This is something we should be aware of from the moment the house is built, and we should make all the residents aware of it again.

    Fire, scary.

    Fire, be careful.

    Never neglect it.

    So it begins abruptly.

    Our farm, fire prevention campaign.

    * * * *

    So you''re all going to learn about the horrors of fire.

    We will gather all the residents of the farm for a fire drill.

    We''ll give you a lecture on how to prevent fires and what to do in case one does happen, so you can learn to make a mark!¡¡And eradicate the fire from this earth!

    ""Yes, sir."

    Orcs, goblins, mermaids, elves, satyrs, earth spirits, potty, and Bacchus priestesses.

    The main players are all in a row.

    Otherwise, there would be no point in conducting the training.

    Then let me give you a few words of advice to follow in the event of a fire. If you ever have a fire, remember this one word.

    What are those words.....

    "''Strange!

    ""Snacks!"

    The people who might respond to those words reacted.

    ''''Sweets?¡¡Is it candy, master!¡¡Cake!¡¡Ice cream?¡¡Fruit parfait?

    There''s nothing better with butter on it.¡¡It''s Amami no Shinkocho!

    After all, as usual, the first to get excited were Veerle and the earth spirits.

    ''It''s not. It''s not Treat''s candy.

    What is O-Ka-Shi?

    Three items to keep in mind when encountering a fire.

    It''s an acronym for three items to keep in mind in case of a fire.

    By doing so, it''s called wisdom to make it easy to remember and to take a quick response.

    People used to think very well.

    Maybe it was a recent person who came up with the idea.

    Then, let''s try to remember what the first letter of each of the letters in the word "o, ka, shi" stands for!

    First of all, ''Oh''.

    No push!

    We can''t push each other when we evacuate, because we might miss our escape.

    Then the "ka".

    I''m not lending it to you!

    ...hmm?

    Lending and borrowing money, even between friends, can lead to the breakdown of a relationship.

    So you should never lend money to someone.

    That''s not it.

    That''s important, but it has nothing to do with the fire.

    That''s a mistake.

    The "ka" that follows "O" is.....

    I don''t borrow money.

    You must never borrow money from the black market.

    That''s wrong too!

    Why can''t we get out of the financial sector!

    Isn''t that a compact, easy-to-remember word for the necessary tips and tricks in a fire encounter, ''funny''?

    Is my memory just bad?

    And for now, let''s leave the ''ka'' out of it...

    Let''s remember the last "Shi".

    I don''t know what "si" means.

    .........

    Why did you suddenly get thrown off?

    My memory was fuzzy on all but the first word.

    ''I can''t help it!¡¡I''ll remember what ''funny'' was an acronym for before I finish training!

    Boos erupted from my goofy moderator.

    ''Fire training, let''s go to the next lesson. It''s a fire drill!

    There are no firefighters here that can come with a phone call like in the world I was in before.

    We have to put out the fires ourselves!

    That''s why we have to experience firefighting beforehand to prepare for the real thing that might happen.

    So, we prepared these things.

    In an open, flat area outdoors, we build up a small campfire-like structure out of wood.

    I light it.

    The fire burns brightly.

    You will gain experience and experience by actually putting out the fire. I''ve also prepared tools for extinguishing the fire, so use them!

    There are no high-powered fire extinguishers in the other world, so I have prepared a large amount of water drawn in a tub.

    From now on, I''m going to deploy these kinds of precautionary waters in various parts of the farm.

    Now, don''t hesitate to pour this water on the blazing fire!

    In order of preference!

    "Hmmm, what do you want me to do to put out that fire?

    The first to come forward was, surprisingly, Veerle.

    She''s a dragon, she''s just in human form now.

    ''You don''t need to use water for that.

    What?

    Veerle glanced at the thriving small campfire and said.

    ''Go away,''

    It disappeared.

    With a single word from the dragon, the flames died out by themselves.

    There was not a single streak of smoke left to burn.

    I was speechless, but Prathi told me admonishingly, "With dragon magic, it''s no big deal, right?

    I''m sure you''ll find it easy to do this with your dragon magic.¡¡You can''t lick the ultimate magic that mankind has yet to figure out.

    Yes, I do!¡¡For me, it''s only a matter of time before a small fire breaks out. I can put out a bigger fire in seconds!¡¡Like, oh yeah, that wildfire that swept over the mountains!¡¡Shall I show you?

    But there''s no fire in those mountains, of course.

    There''s no fire, so Veerle ignites it himself?¡¡With dragon breath?

    No!

    You start your own fire and extinguish it yourself. Is this a real match pump!

    Anyway, we all stopped it in a hurry.

    ''''Not as much as Veerle-sama, but...''''

    And out came the mermaid team, a lamprey with the nickname of ''Hellfire Witch''.

    She held her hand over the campfire that had been re-lit once more and whispered a nudge and whispered.......

    The flames emerged and shredded like bubbles on her hand.

    ''The flames, manipulating...?''

    You are a ''Hellfire Witch'' when you are as free as your hands and feet. Simply setting fire to the momentum is a second-rate flame wizard.

    Then Lamp Eye held up his hand and the flames quickly lost their momentum and were extinguished.

    It''s not the same momentum as Viel, it wasn''t instantaneous, but it was a spectacular enough feat.

    I don''t have the ability to manipulate flames as well as Lamp Eye, but this is what I''ve created.

    Furthermore, my wife, Prati.

    When she opened the lid of the test tube she had taken out, something like smoke poured out from inside.

    No, is that texture a fog?

    The amount of that dry ice vapor-like substance overflowed from the test tube of the container in an unimaginable amount!

    Moreover, it was crawling on the ground, heading straight for the campfire in a straight line!

    ........By the way, it''s the goblin team members who are igniting it again every time the fire goes out.

    Thank you for your help.

    Aside from that, the smoke from the dry ice has finally covered up into the flames and swallowed it up!

    The scene, like watching an amoeba''s predatory behavior...?

    Naturally, the flames were extinguished by the dry ice smoke.

    ''''This auto-extinguishing smoke fog is a monster called smoke slime diluted with a potion.

    Platy Explanation.

    ''Smoke slime originally uses the creature''s body heat as its energy source, so it has a terrible habit of clinging to its prey, stealing their body heat and freezing them to death. We used that to our advantage.

    The smoke slime modified by the magic potion would only react to something as hot as fire, and would automatically head towards the source of the fire and extinguish it by burning itself out.

    What an ideal fire extinguishing device it was.

    ''''This firefighting smoke fog. I''ve already placed them all over the farm.''''

    "What?¡¡Seriously!

    According to Prathi, the smoke fog is sealed in a box made of paper and set in every possible place where a fire is likely to occur.

    If a fire breaks out and the paper box is burned, the firefighting smoke fog leaks out from there and extinguishes the fire.

    We don''t have to wait for the fire to reach us, but if we find a fire, we can throw the box into the fire.

    Mmm-hmm...?

    And as far as fire prevention goes, these kids are very responsible.

    When Prati looked at him, he saw the elves and Hupericaon posing in a big pose.

    ''''For an elf living in the forest, a forest fire is a serious matter of life and death!¡¡Let''s use our forest people''s super senses to instantly detect the fire and extinguish it initially!

    ''''Wah-wah!¡¡WANG WANG!

    The wolf-shaped monster''s sense of smell can detect even the slightest smell of burning!¡¡That''s what he''s trying to say.

    I forgot something important.

    A fire is still a disaster, even if it''s in a different world, and it''s only natural that countermeasures are in place.

    Fantasy is still great.

    * * * *

    I remembered.

    I was about to end my training without remembering, but I did manage to remember one thing.

    The "Si" in "Okashi".

    The first letter of "shi" in "shi" is....

    You can''t die.

    That''s it.

    That''s right, this is the most important thing.

    The most important thing!

    No, it''s good to remember.

    Oh, that felt good!

 225-224 Return of the Dragon

    "Vermin control!

    This is the subject of this issue.

    This is a big problem for those who grow crops.

    I''m talking about the disaster where wild beasts and mountain birds devour the vegetables they have grown.

    Whenever they find them, they chase them away, saying, "I didn''t grow this stuff for you to eat!

    and chase them away whenever they find them.

    Some are wise and some are powerful. Even the fence we set up to prevent break in.

    After Porgy and his friends joined the club, they patrolled the fields and kept the damage under control to some extent, but as the days went by, the fields were getting larger and larger and Porgy and his friends couldn''t cover them all by themselves.

    A new approach was needed.

    ''''........Let''s set a trap.

    The first idea that came to mind.

    A trap.

    A trap.

    A trap.

    It''s a very effective way to get rid of the beasts that might come in at any moment.

    I made a number of things to try it out.

    One, the rope that was taut. My foot gets caught in it.

    A pit. It falls.

    A tarai. Falling down.

    Four, a pair of scissors.

    I scattered them around the farm like this.

    The only thing that seemed to be a decent trap was a pair of bumpers, and this was also a prototype, so the spring was weak and slippery.

    I was wondering if it was really going to catch a fish, but I set it up in the morning to see if it was going to work.

    We came back in the morning to check and found the fish.

    ..........

    ..........

    Veerle.

    What the hell are you doing?

    The dragon is trapped.

    In human form. If it was a huge dragon body, a trap that was intended for a wild dog size would be played, so of course it would be played.

    I just thought there was something unusual about it...........................

    Veerle, he says in a manner of disapproval.

    ''I stepped on it to test it out.''

    Are you a child who wants to press the fire alarm button?

    Most of the time, the dragon''s power should be enough to destroy the traps and escape. Why do you stay hooked on them?

    I thought my master would be angry if I broke it without permission, so I decided to wait and see.

    Good point.

    Anyway, I couldn''t even leave it in place, so I disarmed the trap and freed Veerle.

    The spring was originally a crude trap that was also lily-white, and there was no danger of injury.

    Even if it was a strong spring in perfect condition, I don''t think I could have gotten a single scratch on the dragon''s viel.

    ''Now go, and don''t get caught again.

    I''m the one who gives off a heroic air of the great outdoors and lets Veerle loose.

    Veerle returns to the forest, looking back over and over again.

    He doesn''t really live in the forest, though.

    * * * *

    Based on the above results, the trap was scrapped as the potty and the earth spirits must not be accidentally hung.

    We collected the ones we had set up and returned to the mansion.

    As soon as I returned, the door was banged on, so I went out and found him standing in front of the eaves.

    It''s Veerle.

    ''I''ve come to repay you!

    There was some kind of event switch on.

    There''s a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.

    This is the process.

    You find a beast caught in a trap, save it, and then turn into a human to return the favor.

    Wasn''t there a story like that a long time ago?

    No, the Veerle guy was transformed into a human from the beginning.

    In the original story, it was birds that came to repay the favor, unlike dragons.

    Once, in my spare time, I told him a fairy tale about the world before he was transferred to another world.

    I think that story was in my repertoire at that time, and I have a feeling that Veerle heard it too.

    "...no, I''m a traveler, I need a place to stay for the night!

    You live here, I know you do.

    But Veerle, I don''t know at what point he noticed the similarity in the flow, but he''s already fully going to take the crane repayment route and play ''play'' all over the place.

    ''I''ll weave for you in return for letting me stay!¡¡Show me where to weave!

    Veerle, in our self-serving home, moved to the weaving room.

    It''s a good idea to have a few goblins in the middle of weaving silk thread from Kongo silkworm and cotton from the field to make cloth.

    ''You guys need to get out!¡¡You must not look in while weaving!

    "You''re a jerk!

    The goblins are kicked out of the building while they are at work.

    I''m a dragon, or perhaps I should say a dragon, with the greatest ability to push through selfishness on earth.

    The goblins that have been kicked out are confused and ask me for help.

    My lord...!¡¡What should we do?

    ''You''re not in a hurry to finish, are you?¡¡Let''s just let Veerle do what he wants for a while.

    This is how the weaving room is occupied by Veerle.

    ''Good or master!¡¡I''m going to weave for you to repay the favor, so don''t you dare peek at me in the middle of it!¡¡Don''t peek at me!¡¡I promise!

    Then he closed the door with a passine.

    ''''Well you''ve been reminding me not to peek in on this one, haven''t you?

    The weaving goblins involved also say.

    ''''Hmmm...?''''

    Which is the right thing to do at this point?

    Do you want to open the door and look in?

    Do you want to leave it unseen?

    This decision is very difficult to make.

    If you follow the original title, it would be faithful to look inside at the right time.

    But as a result, the crane, whose true identity has been revealed - in this case, a dragon - flies away and never comes back.

    In other words, a bad ending.

    The characters who break the taboo get their comeuppance.

    We all know the tragic outcome of that, so why should we choose a choice we shouldn''t make?

    He''s such a dumb hero that he chooses a bad ending in the second round of the game, isn''t he?

    So if you want an amicable ending, you have to choose "Don''t peek", but this isn''t "The Crane''s Reflection".

    However, this is not "The Crane Repayment", this is just a game of play for Veerle, based on "The Crane Repayment".

    If her goal is to recreate an old story, isn''t it her intention to take a peek at it in the right place?

    Which way?¡¡Which is the right answer...?

    Two choices that I don''t know the right answer to.

    Is it possible to torment me so severely?

    Worrying and worrying.

    And the result of all that worrying....

    * * * *

    Seno....

    Seno, ni!¡¡I missed the cusso...!

    Next time, I''ll let you out of the picture, my dear. Ready, set, go!

    I got it!

    I''ve been playing hand games with the goblins, having abandoned all thought about it after worrying about it all.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good time with them.

    ''My Lord!¡¡Next!¡¡Let''s do the next Ohagaki.

    "Ho, you''re reckless to challenge my masterpiece, the Mana Metal Stone Kicker...

    When the play with the goblins was getting super exciting........

    ''Peep!''

    Veerle yelled at me.

    Was it right to peek after all!

    Don''t you get the drift, master!¡¡This is the stage where I''m peeking at you while you''re weaving, and you say, ''Veerle, it was you...''?

    That turn of phrase is another old story.

    And it''s significantly more tragic.

    ''Already!¡¡I''m going to fly away!¡¡Now that they know who you are, you can''t stay!¡¡Grandpa and grandmother, take care!

    I don''t have a grandfather or grandmother here, and you originally lived here.

    Not accepting such a tweak, Veerle returned to his dragon form and flew away into the sky.

    ''''Veeru. It''s almost time for dinner!

    "Yay! Eat!

    I''m right back.

    * * * *

    By the way.

    Viel''s fellow weaver, who was holed up in the weaving room, was actually weaving a piece of cloth.

    It''s a cloth made from dragon scales.

    What is weaving with scales? However, I don''t want to go into it too deeply, because I think it''s a very unreasonable setting to use a crane''s feathers to weave an antique in return for the original story.

    Anyway, it''s a cloth made of dragon scales.

    From the sound of it, doesn''t it sound rare?

    "You''re going to make me a legendary robe again!

    I took it to Batty, who was in charge of clothing, and it got her excited.

    ''A weave I''ve never seen before!¡¡It feels like nothing I''ve ever felt before!¡¡Why don''t you make a dress out of it?¡¡You''ll have a legendary armor with defensive capabilities that outweighs full body armor!¡¡Are you sure you want to do this?¡¡You sure you want to do this?

    Yeah, well, it''s okay.

    It''s a waste of time to leave it as it is.

    Veerle should be cautious about producing legendary rare items on a whim.

    That''s how the "Dragon''s Garment" that Bati''s fullest quality was completed is now an invincible armor that can repel all attacks and magic unless it is a holy sword or a weapon made of mana metal.

    As if they thought their positions were threatened, Kongou Kaiko and Arakune all protested severely.

 226-225 New Shitennos success (above)

    I am Aeshma.

    I am the new one who was chosen as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the prestigious Demon King''s Army.

    However, I''m currently a nuisance on the saint''s farm, and I''m constantly retraining myself from my inadequacies.

    This story is about my hardships and growth.

    * * * *

    "Flame Brace!¡¡Fire!¡¡Be my sword!

    Chanting.

    The key to the Demon Warrior is how cool it is to strike a pose during this period.

    "Hellfire Spirit Destroyer!

    Large flames shot out from both hands, nearly scorching the heavens.

    Since this is just a demonstration, they can''t burn something specific, so they shoot into the sky.

    ''''Oh!''''

    ''''Amazing!''''

    The girls who are marveling at this are the mermaid girls.

    Something tells me they are also living on a farm to study or something.

    ''''I''ve never seen the magic magic magic of the demon race before!

    I know it''s rumored, but it''s still very flashy.

    ''No, no, but still, it''s their Puffa-sama!

    "If it''s a matter of how crazy you are, it''s Master Gala Rufa!

    The four of them say Discus, Bale Tail, Heckery, and Batrax or something like that.

    I like these four young men because they are honestly surprised by what I do.

    They''re much cuter than Batty and Verena, who have gotten weirdly scruffy!

    ''Hahaha!¡¡Awesome!¡¡The Hell Flame Spirit Breaking Slash is the most aggressive magic I have!

    I''ve even used this magic to kill monsters in a three-star dungeon!

    Isn''t it great?

    Isn''t the magic of the demon tribe great?

    ''''Please don''t boast about your powers to innocent girls, it''s embarrassing...!

    Are you one of your former classmates and juniors who have been scraped?

    Verena appeared.

    ''Who''s scrubbing?¡¡Isn''t this what happens to everyone who lives on a saint''s farm?

    How did you know this would happen?

    A little higher magic won''t surprise anyone.

    What a surprise!

    I was chosen as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, and this is the magic I do best!

    If this doesn''t surprise you, what should it surprise you?

    I would like to introduce to you, Lady Aeshma, a magic teacher today.

    The magician?

    ''It''s courtesy of your ancestors and the saints, so learn it well. You know your place and all that.

    Hahahaha.....

    Verena, I have been selected as the Four Heavenly Kings, what do you think I can learn from a human now?

    Lifelong learning is a noble aspiration, but too much of it can become demeaning.

    As the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, who should be feared by the enemy, isn''t this too shameful?

    So, sir, I hope you''ll be able to educate me.

    "Mm.

    ..........

    Huh?

    You see the undead in front of you?

    Undead.

    An immortal demon.

    A living, breathing thing that lives and dies while dying that has been given an unreasonable amount of power by the dungeon.

    The miasma that emanates from this figure and its perfected appearance.

    This is not just the undead, it''s the most dangerous of all creatures of its kind.

    It''s the No Life King.

    ''''I''m the No-Life King''s teacher. Please call him Sensei as a friendly name.

    I''m the No-Life King after all!

    How is it possible that I am stumbling upon an evil entity that is said to be one of the two biggest disasters in the world?

    It''s the real thing!

    The four little mermaid girls have escaped like rabbits!

    "On the way here, I saw a huge fire burst out of the sky...

    The No-Life King has spoken!

    He can talk? !

    "That''s the Purgatory Spirit Slayer of magic magic spells, right?¡¡High magic that is used with the help of the senior spirit Efreet. You''ve mastered difficult magic well at such a young age.''''

    Oh!¡¡...Yes, yes!

    Did he give you a compliment?

    Even the No-Life King admits I''m good at this, as expected of me, the Fourth Heavenly King!

    ''Don''t feel good about it. You''re the type of person who stretches things out with praise.

    Shut up, Verena.

    Therefore, what you must learn now is that the world is big enough and the place where you stand now is not the top. The place you''re standing now is not the top of the world.

    Yes?

    "So that you may not be a frog in a well, but may continue onward. ....the magic you just described.

    The No-Life King said something amazing.

    ''....try shooting at an eagle.

    What?

    Even the No Life King would be too much of a joke!

    The Fiery Spirit Demolition is one of the most advanced in magic and witchcraft. Even the most powerful undead won''t be able to get away with it if they eat it!

    ''''Don''t worry about it. Don''t worry about it, just try it.

    Yeah, I don''t care what happens to you, okay?

    I chanted plenty of chanting and released it with magical power.

    "Hellfire Spirit Demolition!

    However.

    It would mean that I was still licking the world''s two biggest disasters.

    At the same time, the magic flame released by the No Life King swallowed my strongest magic and completely sealed it off.

    And with that alone, it still doesn''t diminish its momentum and rushes towards me.

    ''''Uggaaaaahhhhh?!

    ''''Oops, I used too much force or nullification.''''

    The magical flames were instantly extinguished by the person in question, who released them just before they reached me.

    Thanks to that, I was spared from being blackened by the demon race just in time.

    ''''........What tremendous magic power.......?

    My strongest magic had been completely pushed aside by the same attribute.

    It wasn''t even in the form of a match.......?

    ''''Even with the same Hell Flame Spiritual Breaker, does the amount of magic power of the user make a difference in power to this extent...?

    ''''No, that wasn''t the Hellfire Spirit Busting Zan.

    Huh?

    No.

    What''s going on here?

    Fire.

    The lowest level of magic with the help of the lowest level of fire spirit!

    That thing that demon children use as little as a bonfire spark, surpassing my special magic!

    It''s a good idea that the power of magic depends on the absolute amount of magic power. But the scale of this is far greater than you can imagine. If you are aware of this and combine it with your desire to improve, you will become much stronger than you ever thought possible.

    The difference in scale is enough to make me pee my pants!

    How am I supposed to deal with this?

    I''m not a specialist in demon magic, as I was human before I became immortal, but I''ll give you a lecture on what I can do for you. I love teaching people. It''s a good way to remind us of our human connection, since we''ve abandoned our humanity.

    * * *

    Crap.

    My teacher''s class, it was super beneficial.

    I learned how to use my magic power efficiently, and I was able to make new contracts with many advanced spirits.

    ''''With that amount of knowledge, what do you mean that magic magic magic is not your specialty...?

    The No Life King is a transcendent being.

    I thought I knew it in my head, but I guess that means I didn''t have a firm grasp of their transcendence...!

    ''But Leviatha wasn''t in class today...!¡¡The Four Heavenly Kings are the only ones who can make a difference...!

    Master Leviathas should have studied your lectures.

    "What?

    I''m astonished when Verena, who comes along with me for no reason, tells me.

    I''m sure she''s very capable. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    d*mn it!¡¡Is he a good worker?

    That''s why he''s so good.

    I heard that even our own Demon King Zedan and Master Astareth have improved by taking his lessons!

    I wasn''t behaving in a vacuum until such a great man came from that direction!

    ''d*mn it!¡¡My feckless...!

    Yes.

    A former peer who has taken care of her like a sister, and has never given her a word of comfort!

    At this rate!¡¡At this rate, my pride as a quadruple king will be torn to shreds!

    What, what do you think?¡¡Something to support my existence!

    And there I found it.

    An innocent girl in the open air, playing in the dirt.

    "Oh, Master Veerle?

    I think Verena said something behind me, but I don''t care.

    ''Lady Aeshma?¡¡Why is your eyes glued to Master Veerle in girl form?¡¡.........I have a bad feeling about this.......?

 227-226 New Shitennos success (below)

    I''m Aeshma, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army.

    I''m staying at the saint''s farm as an apprentice.

    My pride is about to be blown away by the different dimensions of this land.

    Then, I had an encounter with her.

    A beautiful young girl who looked so small and frail.

    "Whaaa........it''s Veerle-sama........?

    For some reason, Verena, who is accompanying me, says.

    If this guy knows, then the girl must be a resident here too!

    I''m starting to feel like we''re going to get along.

    ''Master Aeshma?¡¡I have no idea what you''re thinking...?

    ''What is it, Verena?¡¡With such a worried look on your face?

    ''I don''t think so. Do you think that by finding a being lower than you, you are telling yourself that you are great and trying to keep your mind stable?¡¡Do you see Master Veerle as the subject?¡¡Now in girl form a girl form!¡¡...for Master Veerle?

    Don''t overlook this, Verena!

    This Aeshma, who has inherited the title of "Delusion" from Master Astares, despite her lack of talent. She does not have such a lowly heart!

    I just wanted to heal my heart, which was so scarred by all this tough stuff, with her cuteness.

    ''MP!¡¡This guy, Military Police, it''s him!¡¡Oh, no, he''s the Fourth Heavenly King, you can''t arrest him with a military police officer!

    Hahaha.

    You''re an idiot, Verena, there''s no way there''s a military police in the saint''s farm.

    Let''s leave the idiot Verena alone and immediately call out to the girl.

    ''''Wha-ha, you fragile little worm. Let this Veerle-sama crush you to death!

    Oh, look what you''re doing outside, playing with bugs?

    They''re so cute.

    Well, sow bugs are a major pest...!¡¡Master Veerle, is it unusual for you to be helping out in the fields at the behest of a saint?

    Shut up, Verena.

    It''s hard for me to talk to that girl.

    ''Little girl?¡¡Helping you with your work?¡¡Great, huh?

    Hmm?¡¡What are you?

    The girl looks back at me with a wary expression.

    She looks like a stray cat that has been approached by a stranger and is intrigued again...!

    ''No, it''s a passing quadruple who wanted to admire the great boy who helps. You''re so great, may I pet you?

    He stroked his head as soon as he heard it.

    It''s every bit as comfortable to stroke as I imagined it would be!

    Oh, dear.

    Hey, this guy........?

    The girl turns to Verena with a troubled expression.

    For some reason, Verena''s face was all pale, but I wonder why?

    ''No, but you really are a pretty little girl. She''s just too pretty...

    Oh, wow.

    I picked him up.

    She weighs very little and lifts up easily.

    Oh, she''s really cute. I want to rub my cheeks. I''m rubbing my cheeks.

    Oh, Verena?

    Why are you running away like a rabbit?

    All right.¡¡How dare you insult this Grinzel dragon Veerle so much...!¡¡Let''s see if you can still call me pretty in my true form.

    Yeah...?

    What...?

    The girl in my arms changed in a flash....

    * * * *

    Master Veerle, I''m scared.

    I told you...!

    I was in the twilight alongside Verena.

    For an hour or so after that, I felt like a hamster as I was rolled in the palm of Veerle-sama''s hand, who had returned to his dragon form.

    ''I never imagined a dragon transforming into a girl...!¡¡I''ve learned that you can''t judge the inhabitants of this farm by appearances...!

    ''That''s the first thing you need to learn when you come here. What did you learn in the first few days after coming to the farm, Aeshma-sama!

    Haha.........

    Your sister is so harsh.

    If you were prettier, I wouldn''t have to move on to Veerle-sama by petting you and healing you.

    ''''Veerle-sama is the one who carried me and Astares-sama to the battlefield and threatened all the demons and humans. He''s one of the strongest people in this farm. You should never offend him!

    Tell me first.

    Such is Veerle-sama, but she''s still staying around us and barking at us.

    As expected, back to the girl form.

    ''''You guys!¡¡Don''t you ever pet me again!¡¡If you do that again, I''ll be seriously angry!

    After being so persistent, it seems like it''s even pretending to be "petting me again" anymore.

    What do you think, Verena?

    Is that it?¡¡Is it like a phenomenon where a cat gets excited about being petted and really scratches you, but really wants to be petted?

    Dragons are difficult.

    But my wounded pride has never been healed.

    Ah....

    "Hey, hey, Verena.

    What now?

    ''How normal-looking people in your va*in* would be weaker than me, indeed, would they?

    ''So, you''re telling me not to discover someone below me to stabilize my mind because it''s unhealthy..., hmm?¡¡...Isn''t that a saint?

    ....Hmm?

    It''s true, he is a saint.

    We met on our first visit and I''m such a screw-up.

    ''''Pull yourself together, you four-headed idiot!¡¡It''s true that at first glance, Saint Saint-Sama looks very ordinary, but he''s stronger than Sensei and Veerle-sama!

    Oh, I knew it?

    I guess people aren''t as good as they look on the outside on this farm.

    Specifically, sir...!¡¡Look at the sword the saint is carrying at his waist.

    Hmm?

    It''s the Evil Sacred Sword Dryschwartz.

    That lost holy sword, they say?

    This is the holy sword that the Demon King and each of the four Heavenly Kings possess for generations. However, lore says that there are seven swords in total, and the whereabouts of the remaining two swords are completely unknown.

    The only one that exists in perfect form is the Demon King''s Angry Sacred Sword Einrort, so the same perfect version of the holy sword is even more valuable nowadays. Recently, the sacred swords of Master Astareth and Master Grashara have been revived.

    You know that this revival of the holy sword is also the work of your saint, right?

    ''Hahahaha...''

    I can only laugh dryly now.

    ''''Well, I heard a rumor that the other lost holy sword, the Massacre Saint Sword Zuibengruen, was also recently identified?

    Heh.

    Whatever.

    Yes.

    He was the saint we had been observing, but he took a break from working in the fields for a while and started playing with the orcs and goblins he was working with.

    They confronted each other one on one and gutted each other in a kind of one-on-one manner.

    ''What are you doing, Saint-sama?''

    It''s sumo wrestling. It''s a dueling competition, and Prince Arowana of the Mermaid Kingdom loves it.

    Don''t give me a f*cking name that''s already out there.

    The saint used his wrestling, or something like that, to team up with his competitor, the orc, and then teamed up with him........

    ........and threw him off?

    ''''The clincher is the underhand throw! The saint is very good at controlling the opponent''s balance shift, so he really throws it pompously.

    The saint who throws that orc.

    ''''By the way, the orc that Aeshma-sama lost the first day in rags is a Warrior Orc. Right now, the one who has teamed up with Saint-sama is Orkra, one of the ''Farm Monster Beginning Ten'', because he''s a Legatus Orc.

    Don''t put up walls that we can''t cross anymore!

    Accept it and get used to it, that''s what living on this farm is all about!

    * * *

    Thus, as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Prosperous Demon King''s Army, I learned about the vastness of the world and how small I was.

    I felt like crying.

    I cried.

    Then, after a few weeks of training, I returned to the Demon Kingdom.

    To put into practice the many things I had learned on this farm at the frontline of the defense of the demon kingdom.

    Thank you farm.

    Thank you, everyone living on the farm.

    I pledge to you all that I will be a worthy Four Heavenly Kings!

    ''Huh?¡¡Master Aeshma, are you leaving already?

    ''This is where things get interesting as we get used to the insanity of the farm...''

    That''s why you''re leaving before you get used to it!

    Batty Verena!¡¡I can''t go back to being with you people!

    I''m going to visit you regularly, though?

    The same Leviathans have been used to it for years!

    This guy is really scary, isn''t he?

 228-227 In search of baby treasure

    That''s me.

    More good news has slipped in just before our farm is about to enter its second winter.

    Demon King Zedan-san''s second child was born.

    The one who gave birth is the second Demon Queen, Grashara-san.

    It was a few months later than the first Demon Queen Astares who gave birth to the Demon Prince Gotia.

    Now it''s a girl.

    The whole demon kingdom was in a state of excitement at the successive births.

    The demon princess came to our farm to show us her newborn baby, and all of us fell head over heels in love with her.

    The birth of a new life is always a supreme good, and everyone should be happy about it!

    The demoness born by Grashara-san is named Marine and is said to be raised as a lady of the demon tribe with a gifted education.

    As we were all mellowing out over Marine, I suddenly felt a tug on the hem of my clothes.

    I wondered what it was, but Prathi was pulling on it.

    ''''Oh?¡¡What''s going on?

    But Prathi didn''t reply and only proceeded to go somewhere else with my hem tugged.

    I was dragged along and moved and moved....

    I was brought to the back of the warehouse, where there was no one around.

    Naturally, there was no one around. Because everyone was focused on the baby.

    What do you want, just the two of us, alone in this place?

    Platy?

    She looked a little bewildered for a while, puzzled as to whether to say or not, but eventually she decided to say it.

    I want a baby too.

    Hmm?

    "Like Mr. Astares and Miss Grashara, I want to be a baby!¡¡Master''s of course!

    Oh, oh...!

    That''s because, of course, me and Prathi are already married.

    It is natural for a husband and wife to have a child.

    But it''s been more than a year since we raised the candlelight ceremony.

    Normally it would be a good time to have at least one announcement of conception, but the stork has not yet arrived.

    However, we are not neglecting the steps leading up to the announcement of conception.

    Since we are a couple, we are doing that act, which is the prelude to pregnancy and birth, once or seven times a week.

    But we haven''t heard from the stork.

    What in the world is the stork doing?

    I was hoping that as long as I could live happily on the farm with my husband, that would be all that mattered. But when I saw other people''s babies, I got jealous...!

    Yeah, I know...!

    ''Doesn''t your husband want it?¡¡Is this your baby that I gave birth to?

    You can''t say no even if you don''t want to if he asks you to look up like that!

    ''I want it!¡¡Of course I want it!

    And deep down, of course I want it, so I affirm it out loud.

    ''Good!¡¡So let''s start making it a baby enhancement month today!¡¡I''ll work hard every morning and every night!

    Every month?¡¡Every morning?

    Why can''t it be every night of the week at least?

    But Prathi''s eyes are unlikely to stop, releasing the gleam in her ''I want a baby'' drive.

    I''m going to spend the next few days working in the field while I''m reeling.

    * * * *.

    Have you been looking a little sluggish, my dear?

    Oh, yeah?

    Why don''t you take a break?

    I''m resting, okay?¡¡I''m spending a greater percentage of my day under the covers and...

    Mmmmmm.....

    I should eat as much stamina-building food as possible today and go to bed early.

    The moment you get into bed isn''t the start of your bedtime...!

    "Are you there, my saint?

    I was in the twilight when the No Life King teacher came to visit me.

    ''Whoa?¡¡What''s wrong with you?¡¡Isn''t he more parched than I am?

    You''re getting really good at jokes, Mr. Daley.

    I''d be a Buddha in a heartbeat, wouldn''t I?

    So, what can I do for you today?

    "No, I didn''t come on my own strictly on my own behalf, but.... Would you send for your wife first?

    Platy?

    It''s rare that the teacher refers to Prati by name.

    Prathi, who came out after being called, had glowing skin in inverse proportion to me.

    He seemed to be in a good mood.

    ''How do you do, sir? What can I do for you?

    "No, I don''t mean to imply that I should be here, but...

    You''re saying the same thing again, doctor.

    What is it?

    "It is this gentleman who has business with you and the others. ....

    When the teacher chants a spell in Texan, time and space are distorted and a door opens, summoning a great thing from another world.

    Teacher!

    Did you summon the gods again?

    And the goddess who appears.

    The dark blonde hair which reminds of the surface of the sea which gleams in the evening sun. A beautiful woman, bountiful and fresh, with the richness of water in her.

    "Oh, I''ve seen this god before.

    Amphitrite, the wife god of the sea god Poseidon.

    We met at the banquet of the gods.

    ''''Yahooo, it''s been a long time since we''ve seen each other, my kith and kin ??.

    "Amphitrite God?¡¡Why you?

    To Prati, a mermaid, Amphitrite, the wife of the sea god, is the very object of worship.

    ''I was curious about what you guys were doing, so I decided to ask the Immortal King to summon you.

    You''re being used up, sir.

    A god who uses the immortal king as a convenient guide. The king of immortality summons the gods with impunity.

    Both of them are so out of the ordinary that my brain is melting.

    "What are we.... doing...?

    "Look, Platy, you don''t remember me?¡¡''Didn''t I give you my blessing for your previous treats?''

    "Huh?

    I wonder if there was something like that.

    A quarrel between Hades and Poseidon, the god of the sea, developed into a battle of the gods before I knew it.

    For some reason, my farm, which had been selected for the event, was on the verge of running out of food reserves.

    In return, the gods rewarded the inhabitants of my farm with blessings and blessings, no matter who they were.

    Among them was Prathi, who had also received a blessing.

    The goddess of the sea, Amphitrite, who is in front of me right now, gave me a blessing.

    ''It is transmitted through the Blessing of the Sea Mother Goddess that I have given you. It''s a hands-on experience that you and the others have been working on every morning and night.''''

    ''''~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!

    Even Prathi''s ears turn red after being pointed out by the sea goddess.

    It''s true that it''s a natural part of married life, but it''s hard to stay mentally undamaged if it''s said openly.

    The doctor is trying very hard to pretend not to hear me.

    "What is it?¡¡Did you come all the way to earth to say that?¡¡You''re too gossipy!

    Of course I''m going to tell you something else. Of course, I want to tell you something else: don''t waste your time.

    For nothing?

    ''No matter how hard you try to do it the normal way, you''re never going to conceive a saintly baby.

    With a single word, the air around me changed at once.

    There was a piercing auditory hallucination of thin ice cracking.

    ''''Your loved one is a visitor from another world. If you say that much, you are wise enough to understand.''''

    ''''..........?''''

    "Even though they look alike on the outside, he is a different creature from this world. It is impossible for two beings from different worlds to interbreed and reproduce life.

    As soon as he heard that, the sparkle was lost from Prathi''s eyes.

    They turned into eyes that were as dark as the bottom of the deep sea.

    Just looking at it makes my heart throb in my chest.

    ''Poor Prati. Not being able to have a child with the one you love tears your heart out so much. .... but don''t worry.''

    !

    ! That''s not the only thing I came to tell you.

    Your voice is so light, Sea Goddess.

    Did you forget?¡¡The blessing given to you is the "Blessing of the Mother God"!¡¡Bless the Sea Mother!¡¡How is it possible that someone who has been blessed by Atashi, one of the Three Realms Mother God, who has been given a share of the All-Powerfulness by the Universal Mother God Gaia, can''t even have a child with the one he loves!''''

    ''''So, then.........''''

    ''You just haven''t used your blessing from Attah to its fullest at the moment!¡¡But if you can learn to use it through training!¡¡Even a sea cucumber baby will be able to be born!

    I don''t think it''s fair to be that uncontrolled...

    ''''Sea Mother God!''''

    The color of Prathi''s eyes changed.

    You''ll be able to see that they''re not just for you.

    ''''Please train me!¡¡So that you can use 140% of your blessings from Anna!¡¡Then you''ll be able to have your husband''s children!

    "Of course, that''s why I came down!¡¡I will train you. The Sea God''s ten billion years of (exaggerated) history tells us the art of one-child prosperity!¡¡The name of it...!

    What is the name of the game...?

    "Lamaze Law!

    I''m just saying it, man.

    No, really. Please, God.

    If we''re going to rely on you alone to give us baby!

 229-228 Mutual fish beans

    In the meantime, winter came.

    Prathi had been accumulating the Lamaze Law of gratitude a thousand times a day every day in between jobs in an attempt to master the method of conception shown to her by the sea mother god Amphitrite.

    How could the Lamaze Law be transmitted to this world?¡¡But I''m sure the gods transcend dimensions as well.

    As a being from the other side of the world, I myself have moved across the dimensional barrier, so if it''s just information, it''s even more normal to come and go.

    The question is whether or not the "Blessing of the Mother God" given to Prati will work and give me, an otherworldly person, a child.

    I can only hope on Prati''s mother''s power here.

    I was doing my best to maintain and develop the farm as I had been on a daily basis.

    It was already winter, but unlike last year, our farm was well-prepared and ready for whatever the weather might throw at us.

    The coal mined by the Orcs was heating up the stoves in each room.

    You''ve also entered a mountain dungeon to prepare for winter, and you''ve picked a lot of feathers from bird monsters to make your quilts warm.

    You''re well stocked with food to get you through the winter!

    It happened just as I was thinking about it.

    I was asked for advice.

    * * * *

    Master, I need to talk to you.

    That''s what the angel Holkosfone said to me.

    She is one of the strongest candidates for our farm, and her job is to make Natto.

    If there''s one thing she asks me for advice on, it''s one thing.

    It''s about natto.

    I knew it.

    Ninety percent of her world is made of natto, and she doesn''t have anything else to worry about.

    Her natto making skills have improved, and now she''s increased the variety to small and large grains and even hikiwari, making her natto a solid foundation for our farm.

    It''s hard to say if the other residents are happy about it, though.

    So, what do you want to ask me about natto?

    However, my own knowledge of natto is also amateur knowledge, which I have only researched in books or on the internet.

    I''ve already passed on most of my knowledge to Horcosfon.

    I think she is more knowledgeable about natto than I am now, having studied it on her own.

    My tactical program, which can predict up to 148,000 different battle patterns, has played out a conclusion. That''s what my natto is missing.

    "Law.

    If I could add it to my natto, it would make it even more perfect, and everyone would love it more. On the contrary, I have no choice but to conclude that my natto is still incomplete.

    Such an exaggeration....

    I think Holkosfon''s fermented soybeans are well made, don''t you?¡¡I think it has reached the point of perfection.

    It''s now recognized as an indispensable breakfast item by a certain segment of the population, including Gobukichi.......

    Besides, you know, even Veerle has them as a promise when he loses a mock battle, right?

    You eat almost every time.

    Although it''s been bothering me lately that the expression on Veerle''s face when he''s eating natto has disappeared after eating too much every time.

    I think that if we can perfect the natto further, the expression on Veerle''s face will come back. This is now an urgent matter.

    I see.

    So let''s get to the point. What do you think Horcosfon is missing from the current stage of natto?

    Seasoning.

    Huh.

    Looking at the food on this farm, we can see that the food is not taken orally, but rather it is adjusted to taste by adding a variety of liquid or powdery substances. Our natto (fermented soybeans) needs to be made with these ingredients.

    Ours, you mean.........

    Well, it''s nothing more than that, but....

    To begin with, it was impossible to eat natto (fermented soybeans) as it was, even in the world I was in before.

    Natto was always served with some kind of condiment.

    If that''s the case, I''m sure I''ll be able to come up with something.

    ''Really?¡¡That''s my master!

    Holkosfone''s emotional ups and downs only appear when it''s related to Natto.

    But it''s hard to imagine that he''s ever gone without adding any seasoning.

    Even Veal eventually became expressionless.

    Natto goes well with any kind of seasoning," he said. And there''s no real rule that says, "There''s no real rule.

    You can also pour soy sauce on top of it all.

    Leeks and eggs are also famous.

    I''ve heard that you can also pour sugar on it in some strange places.

    I hear that oil is good too. You can try sesame oil or olive oil, both of which are produced by the Orcobos.

    I presented this much of the idea to Holkosfon....

    ''No.''

    It was no good.

    Why?

    Because I''ve already tried those things.

    You''ve already tried everything you could try before you came here.

    You are diligent.

    As the master said, they are ingredients that create a harmony of excellent flavors, but we couldn''t get a feel for them to penetrate to the last point. Even Veal, who accompanied me to the tasting, was not happy about it...

    How long do you think you''ll have to give Veerle a blank stare?

    Are you okay?¡¡Will I get my smile or my crying face back on the viel properly?

    I regret to inform you that I have no choice but to trust in the wisdom of the Master. I beg you, Master, to grant me the truth...!

    When natto (fermented soybeans) is involved, her language becomes really ostentatious.

    But I can''t disregard the expectations that have come in so far.

    Mmm.....

    I crossed my arms and pondered.

    If you can''t find a satisfactory answer after trying various things, you should go back to the basics.

    After all, natto (fermented soybeans) sauce.

    It''s the sauce that is always attached to the package of natto.

    Because it''s so common that the producers make natto come with it as a matter of course, there is probably no better seasoning to go with natto than that.

    Then what do we do?

    Do you want to make it?

    Following Natto in another world, making Natto sauce in another world.

    It''s worth a challenge.

    But natto sauce, how do I make natto sauce?

    To remind you of the color, I''m pretty sure it''s soy-based, right?

    But if I recall what I tasted in the previous world, there was clearly a deeper flavor mixed in that wasn''t just soy sauce.

    Probably a taste of the sea.

    I can guess that it''s a mixture of dashi (Japanese soup stock) as well as men-tsuyu.

    Speaking of dashi, is it kelp or bonito flakes?

    You don''t have to choose from even von.

    Let''s say you add the soup stock made by boiling kombu or katsuobushi to soy sauce.

    In that case, the first choice would be kombu.

    Because all you have to do is get it from the sea.

    In the case of bonito flakes, I knew that they were made from skipjack tuna, but I''d have to spend a lot of time and effort fermenting and drying them to get to the point where I had a problem.

    I''ll avoid the hard stuff and start cleaning up the easy stuff.

    That''s a fine way to solve a problem. Often times, as you solve the easy ones, the difficult ones become easier to solve.

    This time, however, let''s choose the difficult one.

    ''''I''ve decided, Holkosfon.......!

    What''s going on here?

    Natto sauce is not the only thing you can do.

    If we can produce bonito flakes, we can expand our culinary repertoire.

    My goal for this winter is.....

    Make bonito flakes!

 230-229 Road to Katsuobushi

    I decided to make bonito flakes.

    A traditional preserved food.

    The traditional preserved food, where the bonito meat is repeatedly moulded to remove water from it, so that it can be stored for a long time, and to which a unique taste is added.

    I''ll do my best to make this food that has a wide range of uses, even if it started with a request from Horcosfon!

    "...And what would it take to make bonito flakes?

    Cuttlefish.

    I''ve got an answer.

    It''s so obvious that it makes me want to cry a little.

    It''s no surprise that bonito is needed to make bonito flakes.

    But this is a different world. The ecosystem in this world is different from the one I was in before, and creatures from the other side of the world don''t exist in this world.

    There was no possibility of catching bonito in this world.

    But even if you don''t find the creature you want, there are usually other species that are similar in shape and form.

    My journey to make bonito flakes began with a search for a fish in another world that could be a substitute for bonito.

    * * * *

    Hmm?

    I first came to the area where the fish in the farm fridge are stored.

    The colors in the warehouse aren''t as lively now.

    The fish that Okubo and his crew had caught in the previous winter in the pelagic fishery had been eaten up long ago.

    The fishermen had been fishing regularly during that time, but since they could only do so during their time on the farm, they must have fished in coastal waters at best.

    It''s winter now, and I wonder if Okubo and the others are going to sail again...?

    I never thought the day would come when I would have to rely on their voluntary activities.

    Feeling itchy, I decided to ask Okubo and the others about their plans.

    * * * *

    Is the ship broken?

    I asked him about it, and he gave me a surprising answer.

    It seems that the fishing boat Okubo and his crew built the winter before is no longer usable due to rattles all over the place.

    "It''s the first time for a lot of things, and it was built by trial and error, so there are some parts that were not well made, and it''s hurting fast...!

    What a surprise.

    ''So we''ve all been discussing what we should do this winter. Do we build a new boat to fish again this year?¡¡Or do you want to make another attempt?¡¡And.....

    I knew that first voyage with a rampaging monster on board would do the trick!

    The orcs were talking idly, but it was a bad idea for me.

    With all the fish we had in the fridge, there was no substitute for bonito.

    So there was no way to get them except to take a big boat to the distant ocean.

    ''....Okay.

    ''What?¡¡What is it, my lord?

    "Then I''ll make a new ship for you!

    ""Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"

    The orcs are surprised.

    ''You''ll have to wait a minute!¡¡I don''t want you to be bothered by the things we do.

    ''I''ve just been wanting some pelagic fish too, so no problem!¡¡I''ll build you a great fishing boat, I want you all to go fishing with gusto!

    The katsuobushi making process was to begin with boat building!

    However, it''s a hassle to rebuild a fishing boat every year when you think that this kind of thing will happen again and again.

    We''ll give it a shot and build a strong fishing boat that can last a hundred years!

    "Oh!

    My Lord!

    The orcs are getting excited.

    "The ship that my lord is making with all his might...!¡¡What kind of an amazing ship is this...?

    It''s going to be something amazing... that we can''t even imagine.

    They won''t stop trying to raise the bar.

    Oh, wow...!

    If you insist, I''ll build the most revolutionary ship ever built in the history of the world, and I''ll show you...!

    .... yeah.

    Isn''t it...?

    ...how about an iron ship?

    The wooden ships that the Oakbos built last year must have been wooden ships.

    There is no doubt that metal and wood are stronger and more durable materials.

    So why not build a fishing boat like an all-metal warship!

    ..........?

    Huh?

    Huh?

    What''s the matter with you orcs?

    What''s that subtle reaction to my suggestion?

    Sir, are you crazy?

    What?

    Who dares to point out a problem like that?

    Isn''t that my wife, Prati?

    Have you already finished thanking her a thousand times today''s Lamaze Law?

    Good sir, I can teach you the truth!

    Yes?

    The iron is.........submerged!

    Bang!

    The declaration was so imposing that such a sound effect could have been released.

    ''A material that sinks into water, steel!¡¡That ship made of steel is bound to sink!¡¡Don''t you understand anything about that, mister?

    "No........that buoyancy thing.......?

    Okubo-chan and the others can''t help but look at each other delicately when you talk about it like that!¡¡They can''t talk back to you, basically.¡¡That''s why you have to lead us all by your words and actions!

    I''ll take my word for it?

    But wait a minute!

    I can build an iron ship!

    It actually happened in the world I was in before, or rather, it was the norm...!

    Um.........I hate to have to talk to you like this, my dear, but.......!

    Even Okubo?

    Even our farm''s most loyal vassal, Okubo, has such an apologetic look on his face?

    "What you say is reasonable.... Hypothetically?¡¡Suppose, in the unlikely event that you could build an iron ship that floats on water?¡¡But it still weighs a lot, doesn''t it?

    And we''re going to have to row it in by ourselves.

    Not to mention catching the wind under sail...?

    Even the other orcs are completely skeptical!

    The other orcs are also skeptical!

    The divergence of civilizations has prevented them from understanding each other!

    All right....!¡¡We can''t just walk away from it, if you insist...!

    I''ll build that metal ship that you guys have been saying is absolutely impossible, and I''ll show you how to build it with my own hands!

    Let me, your beloved rancher, remind you just how great I am!

    Then you can take a good look at me!

    "Um...!¡¡What''s the sauce for natto...?

    Holkosfone was watching us with a nervousness.

    * * * *

    ''Don''t stop me, Holkosfone!¡¡The situation has evolved into a battle for your pride and your willpower!

    I don''t care about anything else, as long as I can make natto sauce...?

    If I want to regain respect as a farmer, I''m going to build a metal ship!

    ''''I think everyone still respects the master enough...?

    But I want to be respected more!

    Greedy!

    Now, if we are going to build a metal ship, the first point the orcs made to me was a valid one.

    ''It''s too heavy to go with metal.''

    That''s what it''s all about.

    The metal hull floating itself can be handled by buoyancy, but as far as propulsion goes, it''s too problematic.

    It''s probably at a stage where human power, wind power, and other natural forces are not going to help.

    A more solid set of propulsion systems would be needed.

    In the history of shipbuilding, metal ships appeared in the first place because a mechanical propulsion system was established ahead of them.

    The steam engine.

    Speaking of the steam engine, its fuel is coal.

    Speaking of coal, you''ve only recently seen it.

    Do you want to do it?¡¡Are we going to have an industrial revolution?

    I don''t care if I ask you that........?

    Holkosfone was perfectly able to keep me in a unique groove.

    Well, to build a metal ship, a steam engine will always come with it, so let''s build it!

    I don''t know how to build one!

    "What do I do in this situation?

    The answer was obvious.

    When it came to making things, it was that man, or rather that god.

    I decided to cry to Hephaistos, the god of modeling.

 231-230 Forbidden substances and steel ship completed

    What to prepare.

    Eggs--, freshly produced healthy eggs from our chicken-shaped monster, Yoshamo.

    Vinegar -- The seasoning created by Bacchus in the brewery is very active.

    Oil--, I prepared olive oil this time.

    Lemon--Grown in a dungeon orchard.

    Salt---Bounty of the direct sea.

    I marvel that our farm is getting to have everything if we want it, too.

    But now is not the time to be so impressed.

    We have to move on.

    I took the ingredients listed above, busted them together, mixed them together, and voila!

    Mayonnaise!

    And then tossed it with the sea god Poseidos'' favorite mentaiko....

    Mentaiko Mayonnaise!

    He made it into a rice ball filling and offered it to the shrine of the god Hephaistos.

    ''Lord Hephaistos, I offer you a new rice ball with new ingredients. In exchange for this, please give me the plans for a metal ship, or rather a steamship.

    This is how it works.

    Every time I offered a new rice ball to Hephaistos, the god who loves onigiri, he would give me the blueprints for a new piece of machinery.

    This is how I got the blueprints for my sewing machine before.

    Since it''s an exchange system, it doesn''t conflict with the rule that ''God shall not give a man anything more''.

    ''Isn''t this just a twist on the last mentaiko rice ball?¡¡You might think. ........but!¡¡I just started to pickle the plums the other day, and I couldn''t find anything else that could be used to make onigiri!

    For all the things we make.....

    ''But when the steamship is completed and we go out fishing in a wider area, we will have new ingredients for onigiri, such as kelp and tuna.¡¡Above all!¡¡The main goal of this project is to make dried bonito flakes, and when we''re done...!¡¡I can make it!

    Rice balls in bonito!

    "With those in mind, by all means give me the blueprints for a steamship!

    A dazzling light emitted from the altar and a few pieces of paper fell in front of me.

    The drawings on those pieces of paper are........ships?

    ''Yay!¡¡It''s coming through!

    Now we can build a steamboat!

    Thank you, God Hephaistos!¡¡I love it!¡¡I''m going to offer many more onigiri in the future.

    ........hmm?

    I noticed that there were a couple of things lined up at the altar that looked like miniature light bulbs.

    There was no light on.

    When did they make that thing?¡¡I didn''t put it there, remember?

    ....What?

    The Hephaistos gauge?

    How does it work, every time you dedicate a new Onigiri, it lights up and you can exchange it for the blueprint you want?

    So you want me to offer up a bunch of new onigiri to him without being wasteful.

    I understand, but God Hephaistos.

    Don''t let him talk directly to my brain.

    ******

    Well, this is how I got the blueprints for the steamship.

    In exchange for that, I created something outrageous.

    Mayonnaise.

    Was I really supposed to bring mayonnaise to another world?

    After the vinegar was made at Bacchus'' place, I had a pretty good idea that mayonnaise could be made, too.

    But I couldn''t get on board with making it.

    Why?

    Speaking of mayonnaise, the dreaded condiment!

    It is no longer a drug with massive calories and severe addiction.

    Those who have become addicted to mayonnaise will no longer feel comfortable without pouring mayonnaise on any food!

    They eat rice with mayonnaise on it!¡¡Eat mayonnaise with mayonnaise on top of mayonnaise!

    Our farm must not produce mayonnaise drinkers whose number one trick at a banquet is to chug mayonnaise!

    So I''ll keep the leftover mayonnaise in a safe place and not let you know it exists.

    ''So this is your master''s new creation.

    What are you building when you keep talking about building ironclad ships?

    ohhhhhhhhh?

    Already sniffed it out?

    Prathi and Veerle found the mayonnaise in an instant!

    They have the sense to react to my new dish like Esper!

    It''s like whipped cream, but it tastes so different.

    ''Let''s try it on a cucumber. Delicious!¡¡I mean, isn''t it good for most vegetables?

    No. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    The more you realize the versatility of mayonnaise, the more you won''t be able to come back!

    From the endless mayor road!

    Master, I have found it.

    When did we get to the Holkosfone?

    Wouldn''t this mayonnaise go great with natto (fermented soybeans), sir?

    I''ve heard that''s one way to eat, though!

    But not too soon!

    I''ll make you an authentic sauce with bonito flakes.

    * * *

    So let''s get on with building the steamship.

    Built.

    A month in the making.

    You''re crazy.

    That''s too fast!

    I always think that your husband''s ability to create is too great!¡¡A normal person would spend tens of years trying to figure it out through trial and error, so why do you keep churning it out?

    It''s all thanks to the gift I received from the god Hephaistos, the supreme bearer.

    Also, Holkosfone worked on the metal with his onboard equipment, and Orcubo and his crew cut down some of the necessary wood from the mountain to make the ship look more or less like a steel ship, so we were able to save a lot of time!

    The finished ship had already been launched and was floating off the coast of the ocean near our farm.

    It''s really made of metal and yet it''s floating...?

    ''It''s metal?¡¡If you hit it, I''ll tell you, can''t you just can''t?

    OkCbo, don''t get too serious with your knuckles, okay?

    With your strength as the strongest orc evolutionary form, even the strongest manna metal can leave a hole in the hull.

    Made of mana metal again?

    Why are you so lavish with mana metal, so easily?¡¡What?¡¡The outside of this ship is manna metal?¡¡All of it?¡¡You could make hundreds of swords with this amount of manna metal?

    I told him about the shipbuilding project, and he became very enthusiastic.

    He condensed the mana stored in the dungeon and produced a lot of mana metal.

    When you''re at the teacher''s level, you can make the mana metal with the intention of making it.

    ''''If the Dwarf King looked directly at this, I think his soul would leak out of his nose...?''''

    Bacchus came to visit.

    As a producer, I''m glad to see that he''s interested in this boat, even though he''s only interested in drinking.

    The reason it''s quite large is because we wanted to be able to use it as a fishing boat to catch nets, and we had to have a certain amount of space to load the steam engine...

    It''s harder to ignore the fact that the hull is bigger and uses a lot of mana metal.

    And the all-important steam engine!

    ............................

    ''I see, so you get power from the momentum of the heated steam here, right?¡¡But with coal, it would be hard to burn and the smoke would be dirty.''

    And then you threw what looked like a red stone into the furnace?

    I put the fire magic crystals on the table. When the magic is poured in, it reacts and generates high heat. It doesn''t emit smoke or soot, so it''s probably easier to handle than coal.''''

    .........

    The next thing you know, the steamship is just a magic-powered ship...!

    What''s wrong with that...?

    ''''A magic crystal made by the No Life King is a rare item that top adventurers spend their entire lives searching for. The exterior is made of mana metal. To begin with, magic-powered ships are only one or two super-military luxury goods in the demon country...?

    But, well, it''s clear that we can now go distant-sea fishing.

    We''re not going to be able to get our hands on them.

    Orc army, board your ships.

    This time I will be on board and will lead the fishing. And we will go fishing for a single fish, the equivalent of an otherworldly bonito.

    "Wow, this is going to be fun!

    "Prati?¡¡You''re going on a boat too?

    I''m the only one who knows how to talk about the ocean!¡¡And....

    ?

    ''You can''t be separated from your husband in the middle of your pregnancy, can you?¡¡Continuity is power, right?

    Huh?

    Are you Mr. Platy?¡¡Even on a boat?

    I mean, this ship wasn''t built to have that much privacy, so it might bother the orcs and the noise!

    What is this...?

    Let''s finish the fishing early and get back early!

 232-231 Navigation

    Captain...!¡¡Captain!

    I was lost in a silly fantasy when a sailor called out to me.

    I was so hungry that I was almost out of consciousness. ''Watch out.

    ''''...What...what?¡¡Did you find a ghost ship that will take us to the underworld?

    ''We don''t know if it''s a ghost ship or not, but the lookout has spotted it. It''s coming straight at us.

    I thought it was a joke, but the haze of my consciousness was quickly cleared by the unexpected report.

    ''What nonsense are you talking about?¡¡What''s that ship coming toward us?

    Have you forgotten how much danger we''re in?

    What kind of ship is going to break the waves and go on in a calm with no light wind!

    ''''That''s why the sailors are upset and making a lot of noise. Maybe it really is a ghost ship...!

    The sailor''s silly joke made me cringe.

    Oh well, I''ll just have to see for myself.

    I walked out of the captain''s cabin and went up on deck.

    "Which way?

    Right side.

    The sailor led me to the edge of the deck, where I saw what appeared to be a ship floating far out to sea.

    It had no sail.

    It was a curious sight.

    And it was clearly approaching towards us.

    ''''There''s no wind, right?

    It would have been easy to know such a thing if I had asked my own skin, but I couldn''t help but ask those around me.

    Why is that sail-less boat going on in a calm, windless sea?

    If it can move without wind, what need is there for sails?

    Are they the magic-powered ships of the Demon Lord''s army, as they say?¡¡Then it makes sense that you can move without the wind, but...

    No....!

    I''ve seen the actual magic-powered ship before, but the design is clearly different from the ship that is now faintly visible in the distance.

    The mysterious ship now floating in the open sea is even more sparkling...or is it...?

    I could see it more clearly as it got closer and closer.

    What the hell is this?

    The hull of this thing is shining like metal!

    No, not like metal, not like metal!¡¡It''s metal itself!¡¡The Iron Ship!

    ''Why the steel?¡¡Wouldn''t that normally go under water?¡¡A sea breeze would rust it out!

    "Don''t tell me it''s really a ghost ship!

    The sailors are confused, too.

    Starvation is slowing them down, but it must be such a shock to them that they are making so much noise.

    What do we do now...?

    It''s hard to do anything about it, because we can''t move, so if they''re coming, we''ll have to wait for them. Just make sure they have a weapon in their hands.

    Eventually that mysterious ship was alongside our San Imelda.

    A plank was handed over and an improvised bridge was created to connect the two ships.

    And the one that came across....

    ''''Orc!''''

    "Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡¡Why is the monster aaaaaaaaah!

    A ship with a monster on board?

    I don''t know what''s going on in that ship!

    The only thing I''m sure of is that the orcs they''ve boarded aren''t like normal people.

    The only thing I can say for sure is that these orcs are not normal.

    ........and at a glance I can tell that they are in a different state of mind.

    I had hoped that I wouldn''t have to die a humble death, but I didn''t expect to be greeted by such a strange death.

    This is a death worthy of a marine adventurer!

    Oh, um.....

    !

    I was getting ready for some things, when the orc spoke to me.

    What the hell!

    ''''You seem to be in some kind of trouble, so we had to berth you without permission, is that okay?¡¡Is he in distress?¡¡From the looks of it, you all look pale, and are you hungry?

    The orcs cared for me.

    I had to answer them, I told them about our plight and let them listen to me........

    ''I see..., my lord!¡¡It''s still a distressed person!¡¡I hear they''re running out of food, sir...!

    As the orcs shouted as they turned back to their ship, one of them floundered on the other side of the parapet.......human race?

    .........?¡¡What''s that look?

    All right!¡¡I''ll be generous with the hamburger!¡¡I want you to ask the sailors in detail if any of them are sick!

    Yes!

    The monster is listening to the human race!

    The human tribe in question shouted more towards us.

    ''''Ah!¡¡You''re the captain, aren''t you?¡¡It''s a pleasure to meet you from so far away!¡¡I am the leader of this ship!¡¡I''m going to bring in food now, so I''ll say hello again then!

    Wha-ha...?

    Is there any chance of getting scurvy?¡¡I know that you get scurvy at sea.¡¡We''ve got a truckload of orange juice!

    What the hell is that...?

    Anyway, what I can say for sure is that through this strange encounter, we, who were supposed to die, were able to have a new tomorrow.

    * * * *

    So.....

    Five days later, I entered the nearest port city.

    I popped a bottle of liquor in a bar and pondered the reality of my life.

    Not a single member of the crew had survived the attack.

    Thank God!

    We were trapped in a calm, and the mysterious ship towed us along a trade wind passage. "We got trapped in a calm sea, and we were able to get on a trade wind route. I didn''t think I''d ever see your ugly side again!

    Shut up and do a better job of lying to me.

    Argh!

    I meet a fellow explorer by chance in a port town, have a drink with him, and I tell him about my amazing experience, and now you call me a liar?

    We meet by chance in a harbor town and share a cup of wine, and then I tell you about my magical experience and you call me a liar?¡¡A ship that runs by itself with no sails?¡¡And the metal exterior?¡¡There''s no such ship in the world!¡¡If it''s metal, it''ll sink!¡¡The sea breeze is going to rust you out!

    That''s true, but I''ve seen it with my own eyes...!

    I can only believe that it really happened.

    There are hundreds of romances that exist in the vastness of the sea, and that ship is one of them.

    This ship is definitely one of those romances.

    But it seems that my fellow ocean men can''t believe in that romance.

    It''s more than that. There is an interesting rumor going around lately, would you like to hear it?

    Huh?

    For all we know, somewhere in this world there is a vast collection of treasures, all in one place, an utopia. It''s called the Farm of the Saints.

    The saint''s farm?

    There is a rumor going around among the human adventurers that the farm of the saints has all the tools, weapons, treasures and treats one could ever dream of. There are all the tools, weapons, treasures and treats one could ever dream of in the saint''s farm. Can I talk to you about that?

    You want me to help you find this saint''s farm?

    You''re a pretty good judge of character. There''s not many adventurers out there looking for them on land, but there are still very few who want to approach them from the sea. If you''re lucky, you might be able to outsmart them all.

    My fellow explorers put on their greedy, mountainous faces, but my heart didn''t dance.

    "No,

    I don''t care about these things, but there is something I want to pursue now.

    I''m going to find that magical ship again!

    That ship and I eventually parted ways when we entered the regular passage route.

    I absentmindedly avoided asking the other person''s name and identity in that case.

    The situation was so out of control that I was in a state of confusion, and I was so hungry that I couldn''t think straight.

    I don''t know where that ship was built.

    I don''t know where that ship was built and what kind of ship it was. What kind of ship was it built? I don''t even know his name.

    I don''t even know where I''m going to see him again.

    I''ve never seen a saint''s farm before, but that wondrous ship! I''ve seen it!

    Are you sure this was a vision of extreme hunger?

    No shit. There''s no such thing as a great ship in a saint''s farm. I''m going to find that ship again, and I''m going to figure it out!

    This is the kind of romance that inspires the hearts of ocean explorers.

    That mysterious ship must be a first-rate romance.

 233-232 strongest hardness

    I''m home.

    I''m back from the fishing.

    It''s me.

    We ran into some distressed sailing boats on the way out, but the voyage went pretty well for the most part.

    We caught a lot of fish, too.

    However, the fish we caught in the boat were not stored in the bottom of the ship, but rather bled out and were transferred directly to the farm using transfer magic.

    The revolutionary cycle of freezing and storing immediately was completed, so there was more and more surplus space on the ship.

    Thanks to you, there''s no longer any need to load the ship with a heap of coal.

    Well, we''ll leave that as a problem for later........

    What we should think about now is whether or not there is a fish that could be a substitute for bonito in another world?

    We selected it from a variety of fishing results, and found one that looked good.

    It was about two sizes bigger than the bonito I knew, but it was a bluefish with a striped belly and looked like a bonito.

    Oh, isn''t that a katsuo?

    My wife, Prathi, seems to know what it is.

    "It''s a migratory fish-shaped monster!

    Is this another monster...

    ''They''re so tight and tasty that they''re available in droves in mermaid country!¡¡What''s the matter, sir, if you want Cut-O, you can ask your parents to send you as much as you want.......

    What came to our minds was a one-of-a-kind mana-metal magic steamship, the only one of its kind in the world, that we had worked so hard to build.

    ........you know, we are self-sufficient in principle....

    Yes, of course.

    It was hard to conclude that there was no point in making them.

    I cut up the cutts O and tataki it, and it was good.

    And the taste of the bonito itself.

    It was a pass!¡¡So I decided to try to make bonito flakes.

    It''s a bit complicated to call it, so I just call it katsuobushi, even if it''s made from katsuo.

    I cut them into small pieces, boiled them, and smoked them.

    It took a few rounds of trial and error, but I was able to recreate the process of making katsuobushi flakes by expanding on the knowledge I had gained in the previous world.

    ''Okay, now all that''s left to do is mold it.

    This is a unique and important process in making katsuobushi.

    It is a process to absorb the moisture from the body of the bonito by deliberately letting the mold adhere to it, and then dry it out tightly.

    Therefore, I was aware of the importance of preparing the mold from the beginning of the boat building process.

    Specifically, I left it up to my expert, or rather, my great admirer, Gala Rufa!

    Saints, I prepared the fungus you asked for!

    Gala Rufa, also known as the ''Plague Witch'' by her fellow mermaids, has a penchant for germs that are unrecognized by anyone in the fantasy alternate world.

    It''s best to leave the fermentation to her, so she sprays magical molds that are hybridized with the mermaid''s pharmacological magic and watches to see how things transition.

    ''''I''ve prototyped several different types of magic molds, so let''s separate them out and try each one.

    As a result, we adopted the one that took the quickest form of bonito flakes.

    Here is the finished product.

    Otherworldly bonito flakes!

    * * * *

    What is this?

    After unveiling the finished bonito flakes, that was the first thing I heard in my feedback.

    The speaker was Veerle.

    This is what you''ve been working on after all that fuss and fuss, even building such a big boat?¡¡It''s kind of plain, isn''t it?

    It took a lot of work to get to this point, didn''t it?

    Making mayonnaise and building a boat.

    It was a project with a lot of by-products.

    That mayonnaise would taste better.¡¡Well, I''m a generous guy and I won''t jump to conclusions until I''ve actually tasted it.

    So says Veerle.

    He holds a sample of dried bonito flakes in his hand.

    "Then let''s have a taste...

    Ah.

    Veerle, you put a whole piece of dried bonito flakes straight into your mouth and set your teeth........

    With a clank.

    "Ughhhhhhhh!¡¡My teeth!¡¡Teeth aaaaaaaaahhhh?!

    Veerle is spinning around.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good time with them.

    ''''How can a dragon viel not be able to bite off more than it can chew...?''''

    Watching the dumb scene, Prati lets out a shudder.

    Then he takes the bonito flakes from Veerle''s hand........

    ''''Hey Aileron, can I have a piece of firewood over there?''''

    Hmm?¡¡Oh good. We''re going to burn it in the kiln anyway...

    Prathi has bonito flakes in his right hand and firewood in his left........

    What are you going to do?

    At a terrific speed, the one in his right hand and the one in his left smashed into each other.

    And it was the firewood that shattered into pieces.

    ''All right!¡¡This is a weapon!

    Prathi says, "Prathi is a Tang Dynasty tree.

    ''I was preoccupied with the preconception that it was food because it was made from fish!¡¡This hardness, this isn''t exactly the ideal blunt instrument!

    No!

    ''What?¡¡Then what is it?¡¡It''s not food by mistake, is it, this hardness?

    Well, if you say so, I''m sure you''ll be puzzled as to how to eat a substance hard enough to shatter even such a phosphophyllite with a single blow.

    To begin with, this seems to be harder than the original bonito flakes I know...?

    Is it the effect of a special mold made by Gala Rufa?¡¡Or was the ''supreme bearer'' activated again without your knowledge?

    Even if I were to shave it off and make it into a shaving joint, it''s not going to stand up to a half-hearted blade.

    What shall we do?

    I''ll use the holy sword.

    Let''s use the holy sword.

    * * * *

    As expected of the evil holy sword Dry Schwartz.

    The otherworldly bonito flakes that were so hard that an ordinary iron sword would have spilled over the edge, were shaved off in seconds.

    It was so thin that you could see through the other side.

    "Come on, this is all right. Let''s have a taste.

    Oh, you okay?

    Veerle, who is being more cautious than necessary due to his teeth nearly breaking off earlier, and Prathi, who is also taking a piece of shavings into her mouth.

    ''''Well, it''s easier to put in your mouth than a lump, but... hmm?¡¡What''s this?

    ''The more you chew, the more flavor you get!¡¡What''s it taste like?

    It''s not sweet, not spicy, not sour...?

    It''s not bitter, of course...?

    Yes, it''s....

    "Umami!

    It was a bonito flake full of umami.

    * * * *

    After the unveiling is done, I use the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz again to scrape the bonito flakes to make shavings.

    Then he boils it in a pot to get the extract out of it, then mixes it with soy sauce and kombu extract, and adjusts it with salt and sugar while tasting it over and over again.

    Then......

    And now..... Natto sauce.

    What do you think, Holkosfone?

    Try the taste of natto with this sauce.

    Let me taste it...!

    Horqosfone ate the natto mixed with special sauce on his own.

    For some reason, Gobukichi was there and tried it with us.

    ..........

    He places the empty bowl and chopsticks on top of each other and says a few words.

    ''Ultimate.''

    Likewise.

    Yay!

    Holkosfone and Gobbledygook, our farm''s two biggest natto maniacs have endorsed it!

    All the hard work you''ve done so far has paid off!

    ''Thank you so much, Master. For going to the bone so far for what I wanted........

    Well, I''d like to refrain from moving this seriously for a while, wouldn''t you say?

    I''ll try to make more natto to repay the kindness of the master.

    Go easy on him.

    Well, it''s settled now.

    There were a lot of side effects this time, but I''m really glad we managed to pull it off.

    Now, I''ll have another natto (fermented soybeans)...

    ?

    Now let''s try it with some mayonnaise.

    And secretly and steadily on our farm.

    The mayonnaise was encroaching.

 234-233 Story of building a castle

    Now that I''m done making dried bonito flakes, I''m using the extra time I have in winter to expand my culinary repertoire.

    And then, just as it was happening.

    And then Okubo came to ask me for a favor.

    Not only did he come to ask me for a favor, he came with many other Orcs as well.

    "I would like to ask a favor from you, my lord.

    What?

    It''s rare that the orkbo''s come to ask me for a favor.

    Although I brought these Orcs from the dungeon to facilitate the work of my farm, they are now fine companions and have been of great help to me in many ways.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it.

    Let me know.

    We are all very proud of what you did the other day, my friend.

    I''ll start with a weird prelude.

    The Orcobos have improved quite a bit since they came to our house, but they''ve even learned to be strangely ostentatious.

    ''Mana Metal''s ship!¡¡Your immense skill in perfecting something so strange and rational, something no one could have imagined!¡¡We were overwhelmed from the bottom of our hearts. That is truly divine work!

    No, no...!

    That''s a bit of a compliment, Mr. Okubo.

    Do you want a zucchini?

    "We were still chickens...!¡¡They have built many houses, warehouses, and waterways, and their achievements are still not even close to yours...!¡¡And then I thought of it!

    What?

    We want to do even better!¡¡I want to build something that''s never been built before and learn more skills!¡¡I think!

    Building something that''s never been built before.....

    Building what?

    It''s a castle!

    A castle...

    What is this guy talking about?

    No, no, no, no, no. My little Okuboes are seriously asking for it.

    I''m serious about listening to them.

    Do you want to build a castle?

    ''As you wish!¡¡The biggest thing ever!

    On our farm, the orcs were responsible for building the houses where the inhabitants slept and woke, the storehouses where the harvest was stored, and various other structures.

    They are very powerful people.

    Before I knew it, I didn''t know that I had grown into such a great building enthusiast.

    You have come to take pleasure in building things, haven''t you?

    There are many kinds of debauchery, female debauchery, food debauchery, and other debauchery, but this is not the time to talk about "fukke-dobaku" as the ultimate in debauchery.

    ''Oh no, but wait?¡¡Where are they going to build that castle?

    I don''t think it would get in the way of building anywhere on our farm, would it?

    It''s a castle, right?

    It''s big and opulent and built of stone, right?

    How are you going to build that on my farm and use it?

    Don''t worry about it, my lord. The castle isn''t built on a farm.

    Not on the farm?

    So where would you build it?

    "Lord Elrond has seen you on your way here. A land in perfect condition to build a castle.

    Aileron?

    Aileron the Elf?

    The girls were originally a group of elven bandits who raided the Demon Land of Humans, but after living a life on the run because of their thievery, they ended up in our home.

    It wouldn''t be surprising if they saw something on the way there.......

    ''''I want to build a satisfactory castle in that place!

    Wait, does that mean we''re going off the farm?¡¡I''m gonna miss you all so much when you leave the farm...?

    We''ve already arranged for Mr. Veerle to bring you to the farm!¡¡And when we get there, we''ll set up a transition point so you can come back every day, at night!¡¡With shifting magic!

    So many things are perfect.

    "With your permission, my Lord!¡¡Please!

    ""Please."

    I''m worried about releasing the orcs that have been living on the farm all this time, but I can''t dismiss them for asking me to be so serious....

    There''s extremely little to do in the winter, so it''s good to make up for it.

    For goodness sake.

    ''''Thank you!''''

    And thus began Orc''s trip to build a castle.

    * * * *

    "....This is the perfect place to build a castle...?

    I was curious and I had some free time, so I decided to accompany Okubo and the others on their castle building expedition.

    I''m not going to be able to get the best out of it.

    I think it was about three hours of flight time.

    It was a small hill, and when I stood at the top, I had a great view of it.

    Looking down, I saw a large river flowing by, and beyond it, a magnificent flatland.

    I''m sure it would make a great field if we could cultivate it.

    Is it no longer an occupational hazard to think that it is?

    "Oakboro Leader!¡¡This land on the hill!¡¡It''s flat and vast!¡¡It''s a great way to build a big building!

    That river!¡¡Isn''t that river just a natural moat!¡¡You can even use it for drinking water!

    "Hold on, hold on!¡¡If you use river water for drinking, you have to take into account the possibility of poison being washed away from upstream!¡¡Split up and start investigating!¡¡Go find out where the water source is!

    "We''re pretty sure this summit is where the castle will be built. Let''s check out the mountain path leading up to this point!¡¡Let''s all have a meeting to see what traps we can set up there!

    .........

    The enthusiasm of the Orcs is too stubborn to pull it off.

    Come to think of it, I heard that castles were originally used as war facilities to hunker down and fight back when the enemy attacked.

    When the Orcobos first said they wanted to build a castle, I thought they just wanted to build a big building, but that''s not the case.

    These guys are trying to build a castle that can withstand a siege...?

    If we can just hole up in this castle, we can fight for ten years?

    Where do they get this knowledge from?¡¡So this is the passion of a building enthusiast!

    "Transfer point in place, sir!

    Verena, who had casually accompanied him, was working.

    Now the orcs can come here whenever they want to....

    The orcs began their winter crafting and castle building.

    * * * *

    .... a month later.

    I was visiting the hilltop again to see how the orcs were crafting.

    .........

    A castle on a hill.

    I came up with the idea, but let''s not say it. And the people in the other world wouldn''t get it anyway.

    And it''s not even on a cliff in the first place.

    .... a moving castle on a hill.

    I''ve mixed up too many things.

    Regardless of that futility, it was already pretty much finished.

    On top of the hill where it was just a flat area when we first arrived, a magnificent castle had been built.

    Built in stone in a western style.

    The protective ramparts and side towers for guards were solid, and it looked like they couldn''t be cut down by a little bit of effort.

    ''My Lord!¡¡Wouldn''t it be cool if we put a catapult here to throw stones all at once?

    We''re designing a long-range catapult to the other side of the river!

    Look at this place!¡¡We can aim at them with arrows through this hole in the wall!

    ''''It''s Sunpaw, an enemy trying to pass through this passage will fall into a pit and beat you up from above!

    It''s good that the orcs seem to be enjoying themselves, but what kind of impregnable fortress are they going to build?

    It''s a facility that has become too stripped down to a fighting spirit.

    The castle is not yet completely finished, and although you can hear the sound of a hammer here and there, it is practically ready to deal with the enemy even if they attack now.

    But what are we going to do with it after it''s finished?

    It was the beginning of what can only be described as "I made it because I wanted to make it" in terms of motivation.

    "Okubo Reader!¡¡My Lord!¡¡Oh my God!

    Something about one of the orcs rushed over to me in a hurry.

    I''m glad I was there too, and I''m going to report back to him.

    ''I took a break and took a quick stroll around the area, but I found something outrageous!

    Hmm?

    "There''s a human village!

 235-234 Neighbor of Fear

    I''m a villager.

    I don''t care what my name is, I''m just an ordinary inhabitant of an ordinary, ordinary village.

    I''m the product of a peasant father and mother.

    I was born with a farmer father and a farmer mother, and although I didn''t have anything good to say, I didn''t have anything bad to say, and I kept doing the same thing day after day until I realized I had a wife and became a father.

    She will be eight years old this year.

    On the way there, the human nation that ruled over us was destroyed and the demon tribe took over, but nothing much has changed.

    That doesn''t matter to us commoners.

    Taxes have been reduced and the soil has become richer and more fertile.

    The crops we planted are growing well, and if things continue as they are, our lives will get easier and easier.

    That''s what I thought...!

    God in heaven, he''s been putting us through our paces...!

    * * *

    There''s a monster in the hills...!

    I knew it...?

    Lately, there was a strange feeling in the mountains, so I checked it out and it was as I expected.

    I sent one of the village''s most courageous young men to check on him, but he came back pale and pale.

    ...And what kind of monster was it?

    Humanoid. They were big and nerdy, and there were a lot of them...!

    These are orcs. They are intelligent and move in packs. That''s a problem...!

    It is the commentary of the most knowledgeable elder in the village, but what good would it do to know his name?

    Monsters are vicious.

    That''s the only thing that matters, and in that respect, there is no difference in the fine varieties.

    A small village like ours is suddenly attacked by a bunch of monsters and destroyed....

    Although such stories are rare, we have heard of them nonetheless.

    How are the monsters doing...?¡¡Did you notice it in here?¡¡Didn''t feel like staying long?

    They didn''t seem to know there was a village nearby. But they had an air of inhabitation about them. They were cutting down trees and making things...!

    No!

    Just the mere mention of a monster nesting near a village would be an existential catastrophe!

    Right now they may not even know we''re there. If they pass by unnoticed, all the better.

    But if they don''t notice us, they will eventually.

    The moment they notice us, that''s the end of us!

    I think ten orcs would be enough to destroy this little village. How many orcs were there?

    At least 30 of them.

    No....

    Our village is finished.

    We don''t have enough time left in our lives until they find us...!

    ''''I''ll call my lord and have him send out his men now!¡¡And get rid of the monster!

    I think that would be best. All right, let''s send the fastest one in the village on an errand. We must keep our heads down and keep out of sight of the monster until the lord makes his move...

    Everyone agreed with the elders'' instructions, and we all endured it like the trees and grass.

    It was the beginning of long, quiet days.

    * * * *

    So while we were holding our breath, the reconnaissance continued.

    Then we found out something surprising.

    The monster was building a castle on top of the hill.

    At first I thought it was just a hut to shelter from the rain and dew, but as the days went by it grew larger and larger, until it could no longer be called a hut.

    I can only call it a castle.

    It''s a huge castle with walls and gates made of stone!¡¡We won''t be able to defeat the soldiers even if they come anymore!

    Those who came back from checking on the situation reported to them in tears.

    ''''This........at worst, we may have to be prepared to abandon the village.......''''

    The elder said as if in despair.

    You think we should leave the village and flee farther away from the monsters that might attack us at any moment?

    No!¡¡I was expecting that the legal magic of the human kingdom was gone, the mana of the soil that had been dying has returned, and there will be an even better harvest next year.

    You want us to move to a different land and start over from scratch?

    It''s better than being slaughtered. "It''s better than having everyone killed. Is that better?

    But....?

    My daughter recently caught a cold in the winter and has been in bed with a cold.

    It doesn''t even bring down her fever, and I can''t move her in her current state...!

    "We can''t wait for our lord''s help any longer. We can''t afford to wait for my lord''s help any longer. We can only hope that your daughter will retain her vitality. The rest of you must hurry and prepare to leave!

    Although not everyone was convinced of the choice to abandon the village, if there was no other way to preserve life, they had no choice but to follow.

    But I have a daughter with fever.

    She would not survive the long journey in her sick state.

    The rest of us might be fine, but my family and I couldn''t leave right now.

    As a poor village, I can''t give my sick daughter a decent meal, nor can I cover her with a warm blanket.

    All I have is a crude linen comforter at best.

    There was no way to cure her under such poor conditions.

    What am I supposed to do?

    Is there any way to save my daughter and protect my village?

    God in heaven..........

    If you are watching, please help us........!

    * * *

    And then it came.

    Before I was ready to abandon the village, the monster came.

    They finally noticed the village.

    They were quick to act, and by the time they realized they were closing in, it was too late.

    ''We''re sorry we''re late, but we''d like to pay you a visit.

    ..........

    Hmm!

    The orcs came from the front in a small group of about three of them.

    They didn''t have any weapons, instead they were carrying a package of something.

    ''''Here is a souvenir, a trivial one, but please pay it forward. No, we didn''t know you lived this close to us, and we apologize for leaving it unattended for nearly a month.

    The parcel is in the hands of a representative elder from Oak.

    ''These are the vegetables we grow on our home turf. Please feel free to prepare and eat them. Our people will come by later with a cart full of vegetables to share with everyone in the village.

    Haha.....?¡¡..........¡¡Ruh?!

    The elder looks like he''s about to ascend in fear and confusion.

    I don''t want him or her to really ascend, so I tactfully switch places with him or her.

    You don''t intend to attack this village?

    No, of course not. We have no hostile intentions. Peace is always best, isn''t it?

    The other orc.

    They are not only polite, but also overwhelmed by their imposing manners.

    You will be able to find out the reason why they are building a castle!¡¡A castle?¡¡Is it?¡¡Castles aren''t built to attack or war with, are they?

    It''s what I want to build.

    He answered so crisply that there was no way to pursue the matter further.

    I''m sure you''re not the only one who is bothered by the fact that you guys are around. You don''t know when the monsters are going to attack you. You can''t even go out of the house because you''re all too frightened under such circumstances!¡¡We''re stuck fetching water and picking up firewood, and first of all we''re all mentally wrecked!

    I''m going to say everything I want to say in a desperate manner.

    I don''t care if they have a backlash.

    My daughter is sick as a matter of fact...!

    Are you sick? You shouldn''t be. Have you seen a doctor yet?

    I don''t see any doctor in this poor village!

    Then I''ll take a look at him.

    Ha!

    "I''m still learning the ropes from a good mermaid doctor. Maybe I can be of some help.

    I didn''t know what was going on anymore, so I did as the Orcs begged me to do, and I took her down to my daughter.

    The orc looked into my daughter''s mouth and listened to her heartbeat.

    ''It''s a typical cold, but it''s worsened and is on the verge of becoming pneumonia. It''s probably due to poor nutrition and the air in this cold room.

    Just because I know that doesn''t mean I can''t...

    ''In the meantime, I''ll share the common medicine that Master Gala Rufa left for you. Make a nutritious soup with the vegetables we brought you from our home and give it to him to drink. Then, if we can keep the room as warm as possible, you should be able to get rid of the cold in no time at all.

    The orc took a bottle from his pocket and took a pill out of it and brought it to his daughter''s mouth.

    The next morning, my daughter suddenly felt better.

    The crisis in the village passed without any kind of explanation.

 236-235 Misunderstanding resonance

    No, I don''t think so.

    There''s a village nearby! When I received the report that I was going to visit my neighbors to greet them, I thought it was my role to do so, of course.

    But then Oakvo ran for office and said, "I''m in charge here! Please let me take care of it! I was pushed out of the way.

    So I''ve been waiting incessantly for the return of Okubo, who was headed to greet me at the castle on the hill.

    Now it''s too late and I''m still waiting.

    I wonder if I''ve said hello properly...?

    I wonder if he''s been fighting with the villagers...?

    Harriedly, I watched the mountain path down to the village, and eventually saw some people coming up from the other side of the path.

    It was Okubo.

    They returned safely.

    There were also a few figures that we hadn''t seen on our way out. From a distance, there is no doubt that they are human beings. That is to say, they are probably the villagers.

    The fact that they all seemed to be enjoying themselves in a state of mild intoxication told me the success or failure of their greetings.

    ''My Lord!¡¡I''m back now!

    Okubo said in an unusually good mood.

    ''''This is the representative of the village at the foot of the mountain. We have been asked to accompany you to meet my lord!

    The old man, who calls himself an elder, is a representative who is also the head of the village.

    Okubo''s greeting was so polite that it developed into a drinking spree, and they had been drinking away until just now.

    ''''Well, well, well...!¡¡I''m sorry to hear that my orkbo is not working for you?¡¡I am the master of the orcs here!

    No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....

    The elder was in a better mood than he expected.

    He felt a great sense of relief and freedom after finding out that the monster, which he had thought was the bane of the village, was harmless, and that he was a good neighbor.

    The vegetables we received as gifts were so delicious that we used them all up for the feast. Everyone in the village said they had never eaten anything this good before...!

    No, no, no, you don''t have to give me that kind of credit.

    I will send you a replenishment later.

    The success of the greeting was evident just by touching this atmosphere.

    * * * *.

    The elder went straight into a tour of Okubo''s castle.

    The elder went straight into the castle of Okubo.¡¡This is a very impressive structure. I didn''t know that Orcs could build a castle with such precision...!

    No, no...!

    The Orcbos are praised and feel like they''re not evenly distributed.

    But these oakbos are a special category of orcs!

    That''s a relief. To be honest, we were very relieved to hear that the monster was the first to settle in the area.

    I didn''t realize I was giving you such a skinny feeling.

    I''m sorry I didn''t realize it sooner.

    ''But it''s all right now that we''ve cleared up the misunderstanding, right?

    As a matter of fact, there is a problem, sir.

    Huh?

    "When we learned of the monster in the hills, we sent word to our lord at once.

    The monsters are here!

    Put a soldier on the line!¡¡Kill the monsters and get rid of them!¡¡Help!

    It''s a plea.

    I ran the fastest horse in the village, sir.

    So has the news already come through...?

    No, he''s the fastest runner in the village, but he''s also the most lazy person in the village.

    You can''t do that.

    Just a few days ago, he came back once to the village, saying he had taken the wrong road. He''s just a nobody.

    So you couldn''t call for help for a month?

    What are you doing, when the very survival of your village hangs in the balance?

    But in this case, that''s how the injury worked out for you, isn''t it?

    The misunderstanding was cleared up while the fast-footed directional deafness was moping around, so it all came full circle.

    ''''And just now, he came back saying, ''I finally reached my lord!

    That thing!

    "The Lord is going to rush over with his troops within five days, I hear. Indeed, the lord is truly a good lord, showing mercy even to a small village like ours~~!

    Is the lord such a good person?¡¡I thought some of the patterns might be badass, but...!

    But this time it''s backfiring on you!

    What do I do?¡¡Based on the totality of what the elder said, the soldiers led by the lord will be here in five days at the most, right?

    And he has a strong will to fight.

    I''m sure they''ll understand if I tell them what happened.

    Okubo says it sounds easy, but I think it''s naive.

    A castle is essentially a military facility.

    It''s a building used for war.

    A castle is built to protect and efficiently kill the enemy while holed up in solid facilities such as walls and gates, that is what a castle is.

    Those who are in charge of administration must have such an awareness very strongly.

    Take the lord, for example.

    When that lord comes to you with the intention of fighting you, will you be able to easily back off by explaining that you have no hostile intentions and that the castle was built just for fun?

    Those who would simply believe that would be at the mercy of something like Zhuge Liang Ming.

    ''''Then what should I do...?

    "We can''t really attack him........!

    The most peaceful solution would be to tear down the castle they built and leave before the troops arrived.

    But the castle was built by the Orcobos as a hobby and fun to build. It would be a pity to end it in such a miserable manner.

    Protecting the castle, convincing the approaching lords, and protecting the peace of the village.

    A brilliant plan that meets all of these requirements...!

    Well it''s no wonder.

    It occurs to me.

    ''I''m going to do the only brilliant way to make it all come full circle. Orcbo, I''ll make some alterations to your castle, and I hope you''ll agree.

    My Lord!

    I''ll take the lead from here!¡¡Everybody needs to get cracking, man!¡¡We only have 5 days to make our deadline!

    Thus, our preparations to intercept the lord''s army began...!

    * * *

    And five days later.

    Exactly five days later, as promised, the lord arrived with an army of soldiers.

    There are hundreds of them, with an army that is even greater than I imagined.

    Is this the plan to surround and kill the orcs that are stronger than men?

    But I won''t let that happen.

    I am ready to intercept!

    Now, OkCbo, tell me your war speech.

    Are you sure you don''t want me to run the division?

    The Orcbos asked back with concern, but they had only come out to defeat the orcs.

    What would be the point if the orcs didn''t greet them?

    ''''Well, if that''s the case, I''m going to go...!

    From the top of the castle, I watched Oakbo as he walked down the safety path for officials on the mountain road.

    ''''But ... are you sure this was the right choice?''''

    Another Orc asked worriedly.

    ''''If you can''t get them to back down in a negotiation, are you being too rough to try to fight them...?

    I''ll be fine. I''m sure you''ll say we''re just friends if we have a fight.

    I won''t say.

    They also say that fighting is the supreme communication beyond s*x.

    We dare to use battle to communicate our harmless feelings, which words alone cannot convey!

    When we have clashed with each other with all our might, we will realize that we can understand each other.

    That''s why I''ve been working to improve the Orcubos'' castle and rebuild its defenses.

    I had to make sure that the attackers could repel them without suffering a single scratch.

    In other words, I made it an attraction of intercepting positions.

    The castle was turned into a mass of attractions.

    With that attraction, we can show them that we mean them no harm, not just with our words, but with our actions.

    Okubo, in the face of the lord''s army, speaks up.

    ''Well done, army of men who have come...!¡¡I am Oakbo, Lord Oakbo of this castle...!

    The villain''s performance is magnificent.

    If you have the skill, challenge my castle. If you can successfully reach the tower and complete the attack, you will be rewarded handsomely. I hereby declare war on the battlefield. This is a siege. You will attack the castle and we will prevent you from hiding in the castle.

    The name of the battle was chosen based on the knowledge of the world I was in before.

    Wind Cloud Okubo Castle.

 237-236 Conscience Lord

    My name is Dalkish.

    I am the lord in charge of the Valkyria Frontier Territory, one of the territories that make up the human nation.

    Although I am a young lord who has been the successor to my father who retired for only a year or two.

    However, before I could get used to the work of a lord, the motherland, the Human Nation, fell to ruin.

    It was invaded by the Demon King''s Army, an enemy of mine for thousands of years.

    The invasion of the Demon King''s army was so blistering that our lords were unable to react quickly enough, and the city was seized by them.

    The lords of each area were faced with two choices: to fight back thoroughly or to surrender.

    I chose to surrender.

    Now that the king was in captivity and the human nation was beyond recovery, wouldn''t it be an embarrassment to the people if I dragged out the battle?

    No harm will come to my people.

    On this condition alone, I have formally decided to submit to the Demon King''s army.

    Of course, I myself had prepared myself to be executed for accepting the surrender, but surprisingly, I didn''t receive any news.

    Rather than being tied up in prison, even the duties of a lord were allowed to continue as before.

    A treatment that was too generous and confusing.

    With this, the Demon King''s army showed its mettle as an invader and succeeded in dampening the rebels'' enthusiasm more and more.

    After being treated with so much compassion, I couldn''t continue to be a rebel either.

    I had to try to manage my territory to ensure both the dominance of the Demon King''s army and the stability of my fellow countrymen.

    Surprisingly, many lords made the same choice as I did, and most of the lords in the human country took that path.

    This may also seem surprising, but the lords of the former human kingdom are surprisingly competent compared to the royalty and the Order.

    Because if they were as incompetent as the bonkers royalty and the corrupt Order, the Human Nation would collapse!

    That''s why our lords have been working so hard to support the country and its people.

    I myself received a strict education from a young age in order to become a noble lord, and I was forced to vomit blood in order to be as strong as other people, not to mention knowledgeable and educated.

    As a result of this, I was able to fight without exposing my abomination when I was ordered to go to the front lines of the war against humans and demons, and even now that I''ve become a lord, I''ve managed to keep up with my taxation and other difficult tasks.

    Since the Human Nation was destroyed and the Demon King''s Army took over, they weren''t sent to war on a national basis, and they didn''t have to pay as much tax as they should have.

    Frankly speaking, it''s easier to manage a fiefdom than when the human nation was still alive and well.

    If this was the case, the human nation should have been destroyed earlier.

    It''s disgusting why we''ve been desperately supporting a shitty nation like that for generations.

    Well, it''s true that we are under occupation, so we are not completely free of inconvenience.

    My father, who retired from the occupation, said "It''s about time you got married and showed your grandchildren''s faces".

    I''ve been running away from it all my life because of my busy schedule, but I can''t keep avoiding it, so what should I do...?

    But I can''t keep avoiding him all my life, so what should I do?

    The emergency that pierced my relaxed mind occurred.

    * * * *

    The monsters are there?

    The butler reports back to me and interrupts the paperwork, which is not that important.

    ''How big is it?''¡¡What kind?¡¡Is this the sort of thing that could be outsourced to the Adventurer''s Guild?

    Orcs, and I hear there are at least 30 of them.... It''s on a scale that a lone adventurer can''t handle.......

    I bite my nails at the unimaginable seriousness of the situation.

    Thirty orcs........!

    A herd of that size is uncommonly large for a stray.

    The monsters that pour out of the dungeon are strays, wandering around and attacking the people and villages they encounter...!

    One of the people in the village closest to you has come to tell you. They said he''s been running for a month and they have to tell him.

    A month?

    What kind of frontier are you from that you''ve been running for that long!

    No, I''m more concerned with how hard you''ve been running. You''ll be rewarded later.

    "Anyway, a monster of that size is beyond the reach of any adventurer. Gather an army.

    You''re sending out an army of...?

    I''ll give you an estimate of five orcs per orc. If you say 30 orcs at least, you''ll need 150 and 200. Transportation is provided by you.

    Do you intend to lead them yourself?

    ''It''s a crisis for my people. What are you going to do without me, my lord, moving?

    The fact that the villagers came to inform him must mean that there is a village nearby.

    How can they take it easy when the danger is right around the corner from their fiefdoms?

    ''''Your concern for the fiefdoms is admirable, but...''''

    A voice called from behind.

    It''s a woman''s voice.

    "As an inspector, you can''t help but interfere.

    Lord Varlina.

    The young woman who appeared had darker brown skin than the human race.

    That''s a sign of the demon race.

    I said earlier, ''Since we are under occupation, it doesn''t mean that we''re not free from inconveniences,'' but this is exactly the inconvenience itself, and this is the guard that the Demon King''s Army had sent to the human lords.

    The Inspector of Demon Lords is monitoring our lord''s movements every step of the way, checking in detail if he is not planning to revolt against the Demon King''s army or taking advantage of his position to enrich his own pocket.

    Even though it can''t be helped, it''s still depressing.

    ''''You guys are now under the occupation of our Demon King''s army. I think you should be more careful about moving your troops around...?

    "You think I''m going to give you the troops to attack the Demon King''s army in the name of defeating monsters?¡¡Ridiculous, is there such a thing as an Inspector General to announce such an old woman?

    "You must take into account the smallest concerns. Always remember which side is the winner and which side is the loser in this war between man and demon, which is now over.

    "You b*tc*!

    How can you talk to me like that?

    Is this what all women of the demon tribe are like?

    If that''s the case, I feel for all the men of the demon tribe who have to marry such women!

    ''''Even so, it''s true that a monster has appeared within my territory. If you''re not allowed the discretion to resolve it, there''s no point in staying as a lord. Let''s just have this head cut off immediately.

    "No one has asked you not to go to war. I''ll notify the occupation headquarters in the old royal capital and get their permission...!

    ''That''s too late!¡¡What if my people get attacked by a monster while we''re waiting around!

    I don''t mind if it''s a post hoc agreement.

    Our lord has received many unreasonable demands from the human royalty and the Order before their demise, but he has refused to do anything that would make his people unhappy.

    Without that level of backbone, how can you be the lord of a human kingdom!

    "And you, Inspector, what are you doing here? Isn''t it your role to facilitate the relationship between our lord and the demon occupying army in times of emergency?

    ....

    ''What''s the point of having people here if we have to go to all this trouble to negotiate directly with the center?

    Quite a mouthful, isn''t it? Well, I''m sure it''s an emergency, and I''ll use my own judgment and authorize you to raise your troops. I''ll talk to the central government myself.

    ''Humph, you should have said that from the beginning.

    But I''ll be coming with you.

    What did you say?

    ''It is precisely because I allow it at my discretion that I need to monitor it with my own eyes from the closest point of view. Is that alright?

    Don''t do it. Isn''t the battlefield wetter than a woman can get?

    ''''Don''t worry about it. I''m a Demon soldier in the Demon King''s army. I have more than one experience in battle.

    Well, I knew it would be.

    I was able to extract so much concession from the first interjection. We will have to compromise from here too.

    ''''........Hmph. If that''s the case, then maybe we''ve fought on the same battlefield. As an ally and an enemy.

    ''Maybe so. If it had hit you directly, you wouldn''t be alive.

    You really are a disgusting woman!

    Enough of that, I''m going to go out to save my people!

    * * * *

    And I arrived.

    In just five days.

    What was the news that the villagers who had come to report it had spent a month running through?

    They were relatively close.

    "On top of that hill the orcs are camped!

    The soldiers on the scouting mission are bringing back information one by one.

    ''Oh my God!¡¡The orcs are building their castles on the hill!

    The castle?

    That''s why we can''t see the enemy, because the walls hide them. It''s so cleverly constructed that it would be difficult to infiltrate it alone, taking advantage of natural hazards...!

    I asked the demon woman beside me.

    ''Lord Varina. The demon race could use orcs, goblins and other humanoid monsters, right?

    She knows more about them than I do.

    Are you sure the orcs can''t build a castle?

    ''''The only orders we demons can give the orcs are really simple. They want us to rush into the enemy''s camp and kill everyone in front of us. Construction is also possible if it''s just a matter of carrying a simple load, but assembling and laying a foundation that requires precise calculations is very...?

    So, what do you mean by that?

    Who would have had a castle built with orcs?

    Did the orcs themselves evolve their intelligence to the point of building a castle?

    Neither of which is unlikely, but what the hell?

    ''My lord!¡¡The front!

    A soldier began to fuss.

    He turned in the direction indicated by the attention, and there was a clear anomaly present.

    Orcs.

    And not just any orc. From a distance, he still exudes the aura of a strong man.

    Even in the brave men and women of the human nation, there has never been anyone with this kind of supremacy.

    What is this Orc?

 238-237 Fengyun Oakbo Castle Opening

    I am Orcubo, master of this castle.

    A champion-like orc appeared at the front of our army and said.

    Sternly.

    No, is that an orc?

    Are you sure you want to be an orc?

    He''s an orc, but he''s clad in gleaming full body armor, and he''s astride a huge horse that looks so terrifying that he shudders.

    In his right hand he has a huge battle axe.

    If you swing that one down, you could easily cut off even the head of a dragon.

    My soldiers, who had formed a neat formation before the start of the battle, are overwhelmed by the spirit that the Orcs emit and have goosebumps on their faces.

    If it comes to battle now, won''t those orcs be able to wipe us out?

    I''m sure the Orcs will be able to wipe us out if we fight now.

    I know what you are doing. You are the ones who have come to defeat me, aren''t you?¡¡You say you want to challenge me?¡¡All right.

    What''s the point?

    ''This castle was built to await challengers like you. If you want to fight me, you can come up here. That''s what the castle wants. Many challengers will flock to it and step in.

    The rare orc, full of supremacy, with his back to the hill and the castle, said: "If you are a man of skill, challenge my castle.

    If you have the skill, you may challenge my castle. If you can successfully reach the keep and conquer it, you will be rewarded handsomely. I hereby declare war. This is a siege. You will attack the castle and we will prevent you from hiding in the castle.

    Don''t be so cocky...

    After saying that much, the orc disappeared from our sight in an instant.

    ''''That''s transference magic!''''

    Next to me, Varina-dono turned his eyes away.

    ''''Is it the magic of the demon race?''''

    ''''Yes........it''s a magic that can only be used by a small number of high-level mages. It''s not magic that can be used by orcs by mistake...!

    I guess that''s another thing that''s out of line....

    ''All troops forward!¡¡We''ll take control of the castle in front of us!

    ''Wait, my lord!¡¡Don''t tell me you''re going to attack it?¡¡That castle?

    Inspector Varina grabs my arm.

    "Danger!¡¡That oak is so out of character!¡¡We should pull this place off and be more prepared!

    Ready?

    ''You must ask for support!¡¡You can recruit from other territories, and the occupying army of the demon tribe will divide the troops!¡¡You''re a lord!¡¡The man at the top should not risk it...!

    That''s not true.

    She shakes off her hand and raises her command stick to indicate her orders to the soldiers.

    "I''m a lord. And this is my land. I am responsible for all the problems that occur here.

    If some unknown person is working behind the scenes in my territory and wants to do something, I must find out what it is.

    For it is the lord''s mission to protect the lords in my domain!

    ''I dare to attack the castle to find out what that orc is after. It''s the only thing I can do!¡¡I command you again!¡¡All troops forward!

    There is no hesitation among my like-minded soldiers, either.

    You are an outsider, Master Varina. "You are an outsider, Mr. Varina, and you don''t have to deal with the danger. You may stay.

    ''''My mission is to keep an eye on you. Failing to do so would be against your loyalty to the Demon King''s army.

    Hmph, that''s the law.

    ''''And the other party used a magic spell. Magic used by the demon race. If that is also used in the traps that are set in that castle, then my wisdom and experience might be useful.

    Do what you want.

    We have made a stand and are advancing.

    Now we, the humans and the orcs, are going to fight a siege for our pride...!

    * * *

    All troops halt!

    The troops were stopped because it was impossible for them to advance any further easily.

    A moat was lying on the ground.

    It was a ditch dug to prevent troops from entering the castle, and it was a very conventional protective facility for the castle.

    ''It''s the first barrier, I suppose.

    ''But it''s odd, isn''t it?¡¡The bridge is crossed.

    As Varina pointed out, the moat had a kind of bridge, connecting the other side of the river.

    It was only a ''bridge-like thing'' and not a bridge.

    What I mean by that is that it is absurdly thin.

    It was only wide enough for one foot to ride on at best. It would be impossible to get both feet together.

    Such a thin, so to speak, stick-like object connects this side of the moat to that side.

    "...What is the intention?

    I don''t understand. The purpose of the moat is to keep out intruders, and you''re installing an easy way to cross it...

    It''s not as easy as it sounds, is it?

    It would be impossible to cross such a narrow bridge without a good sense of balance.

    It is quite possible to lose your balance on the way and go headfirst into the bottom of the moat.

    There''s no other place to pass, so we have no choice but to cross that...?

    Well, let''s proceed with extreme caution...!

    For now, one soldier moves forward on the narrow bridge.

    He spreads his arms out to the left and right with his arms pinned out and moves ahead with a wonderful sense of balance.

    ''''Oh...!¡¡I think that one will get across in plenty of time...?

    A good start.

    Not as much as I thought. It looks slippery, doesn''t it, the castle attack.

    That was the moment I thought that, the opening of this castle''s demon wings.

    ''''My lord!¡¡Look at that!

    Huh?

    Something appeared from the other side of the moat!

    How did we not see it?¡¡You''ve been hiding this from me?

    Something that came out of the other side of the moat.

    A wooden structure with an intricate structure....

    And a pitcher...?

    Are you trying to attack our side with that thing?

    No, it''s not. From the direction of the device, it''s clear that they''re aiming at....

    A soldier who is in the middle of crossing the bridge right now?

    Bangon!

    A clear hit?

    Even from a distance, it could be seen that what the slingshot fired was not a stone, but something soft and made of cloth.

    However, it was still powerful enough to blow away anyone standing precariously on the narrow foothold, and the soldier dared to crash from the bridge!

    ''''Bu, are you okay?

    I look at the bottom of the moat to check the safety of the fallen soldier.

    The soldier disappeared as soon as he reached there as a light.

    ''''What?¡¡What do you mean?¡¡How could it be...?

    "Don''t panic, that''s transference magic too.

    Varina advises.

    ''There are probably magical traps set all over the bottom of the moat. If you touch it, it seems to automatically transfer magic to send you somewhere else. I don''t know where it will send you, but...!

    So if you fall, you''re out...?

    What a devilish trap!

    That''s what people do.

    "Who are you?

    Next thing you know, there''s a goblin standing on the other side of the moat!

    He''s not just a goblin either. I can feel his supremacy!

    "My name is Goblin Kichi, and I am in charge of this first hurdle, the Frustration Mean Table.

    "That''s the irritating part!

    What kind of annoying name is that?

    I''m sure you get the idea.¡¡The catapult operated by our goblin soldiers will release a cushioned bullet filled with cotton in a linen bag".

    I don''t know, but does that mean you won''t die or get hurt if you get hit?

    ''If you can run through the average platform while avoiding the cushioned bullets and get to us, you''re clear!¡¡That''s the first barrier, the ''Frustrated Average Table''!

    What about the fallen soldier?

    Don''t worry, he''s safe in another area. We''ve taken the liberty of restraining him, of course, but that''s not all.

    Ku..........

    I guess we''ll just have to trust their side of the story now.

    ''''The Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle, built by my compatriot Oakbo, has a number of gates like this one. Will you be able to clear them all and get to the bottom of the tower?

    Are you...?¡¡You''re kidding me?

    Of course, I''ll release every soldier I find if you get past the first gate. But you''re not even going to be able to pass this first gate with your strength.

    What?

    You''re at a disadvantage.

    The goblins crackle and snap their fingers.

    And they connected this shore to the other shore!

    "We''ve increased the average bridge from one to ten. If we all cross at once with this, we can''t hit all of them with our one single projectile. It may increase our success rate.

    You''re going to lick us off.

    If that''s the case, we can''t retreat.

    We just have to make the most of our advantages!

    "Full force assault!¡¡Make the most of the ten average platforms, and scrape through the sniping of the pitchforks!

    ''Wait, my lord!¡¡It''s a blatant provocation!¡¡What if it''s a trap...?

    Shut up, Mister Varlina!¡¡If you''re afraid of falling, you can stay here!

    ''''That''s not what you said!¡¡Then I''ll show you the lightness of the female demon tribe''s body language!

    Thus, our lord''s army united to challenge the average table........

    It was half destroyed.

 239-238 Fengyun Oakbo Castle, Fierce Fighting Edition

    I should have said it first, but this territorial defensive force led by me, the old human country''s provincial lord Dalkish, was formed with two hundred and fifty troops when it was mobilized.

    They attached fifty more than the number I had initially requested.

    I can feel the competence of my steward and the passion of the soldiers to defend their own land.

    ........and....

    After those two hundred and fifty men passed the first gate........

    Eighty people.

    Less than a third of them........?

    "That''s why I said it!¡¡You''re in too much of a hurry to cross the border just because the average is up to ten!¡¡It was like an avalanche, wasn''t it!

    Similarly, the Demon Inspector Varina, who managed to get over the first barrier, says nudgingly.

    ''''Thanks to that, a number of soldiers who lost their balance are falling down as collateral damage!¡¡I can hit you with a cushion bullet when you''re slow and staggered in front of me, isn''t that a mess!

    No, but they''re cheating, aren''t they?¡¡In the second half, they suddenly started adding more pitchers...!

    When three new planes appeared, my blood ran cold.

    We''ve arrived at the other side of the river and before we knew it, the goblins had disappeared..." "We have no choice but to continue on with the rest of you.

    Anyway, we must continue on with the rest of us. We have to rescue the rest of the deserted soldiers...!

    ''Yes, but I think it''s better to proceed with a more sober mind.

    Oh?

    Perhaps it was because we were constantly at the mercy of the average platform, but we were both exhausted in our minds.

    After crossing the moat and entering the castle in earnest, we were even more nervous.

    With careful attention to detail, we proceeded deep into the enemy''s bosom.

    The route was indicated by the signboard.

    However, it did not seem to be able to advance anywhere other than the orderly route due to the castle walls and natural terrain.

    And when we proceeded along the route....

    "A gate...?

    Normally, the gates are there to shut out the enemy in an emergency.

    Naturally, it should have been closed tightly to us, the enemy army....

    Gigigigigigigig........

    ''It opened easily...?''....?

    And behind the open gate.........

    A beautiful woman was there.

    Dark skinned and brown.

    ''''You''ve come a long way!¡¡I''m in charge of the second gate!¡¡Aileron the Elf!

    An elf!

    You have the same brown skin as the demon race, but you''re not?

    Ah, long ears.

    ''Don''t get too comfortable with the fact that you''ve just passed the first gate of the gobbledygook?¡¡The second barrier I''m working on is even harder to get done, you know.

    I wanted to set up more jungle-type traps as well, you know?

    You were so stubborn, it was dismissed.

    There are a few more elves popping up here and there...?

    All right, first obstacle is this!¡¡It''s called ''The Ruin Trapping Thing''!

    ''''What''s that name?!''''

    As the elves moved to the side, their vision opened up, allowing them to see the entire landscape beyond the gates clearly and openly.

    ''The hill!

    Beyond the castle gates was a long, steep slope!

    It is probably the mountain path of the hill on which the castle is based.

    But for some reason I have a bad feeling about this.

    Then the ordeal begins.

    When the elf activated something with magic, something appeared from the top of the hill.

    That something was.........

    ''''A rock?''''

    A big rock.

    A rock so big that I, a grown man, had to look up at it.

    And it''s spherical.

    It''s spherical, so when you put it on the slope, it naturally rolls around.

    Rumble, rumble, rumble...!

    We''re at the bottom of the hill and they''re watching us.

    "ohhhhh!

    Dangerous collision!¡¡But as if the slope had been adjusted that way, the rocks turned around in front of the gate where we were, and then turned off to the side and went somewhere else.

    Moreover, the rock balls were not just one, but rather an uninterrupted rumble of rocks one after another...?

    ''''The rock balls are made to circulate through transition magic, so they''ll keep rolling forever!

    If you can avoid these rocks and reach the finish line at the top of the hill, you''ve cleared the second gate!¡¡Good luck!

    Saying that, the elves left somewhere with transference magic.

    You''re abusing transference magic too much!

    I see........I see the point.......!

    "Both sides of the slope are sandwiched between walls and cliffs, making it impossible to escape. The rock balls are also keeping you from going off course in the middle...!

    Varina analyzes it seriously, but there''s no need to hesitate.

    This castle''s groove was caught at the first gate!

    No longer will we be the ones who are unawares, now let''s make it through without a single loser!

    ''''Go my soldiers!¡¡We''re going up the hill, staring only at that one cluster of white clouds shining in the blue heavens!

    "''Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!''

    Strike is reverberating, my loyal soldiers!

    Oh, no!¡¡If we jumped in as a group again with the momentum...!

    Varina tried to stop them, but by the time she did, soldiers from twenty men ran out to the rock ball flying slope.

    And..........

    All twenty of them were crushed by the ball.

    ''''Are you an idiot!¡¡If a group of people flowed into this long, narrow slope, they would be unable to move because their bodies would be in the way of each other, and of course they would be run over by the rocks!

    The twenty loyal soldiers disappeared at once...!

    ''Any life form that touches the rock ball will react and get a forced transference spell, so they aren''t injured!

    He''s being held in a separate room, like the first gate escapees.

    The elves will explain the safety of the fallen soldiers.

    ''''Why do you keep making the same mistake you did at the first gate?¡¡Are you stupid?¡¡Are you an idiot?¡¡Are humans stupid as a species trait?

    This demoness...!¡¡You can say whatever you want........?

    But you can''t argue with it because what you''re saying is correct...!

    ''Ugh!¡¡Soldiers, one by one, run up the hill in turn!¡¡Watching those in front of you, you must carefully predict the trajectory of the rock ball!

    One by one, they climbed up the hill one by one.

    Even so, the rock ball rolling relentlessly crushes the soldiers who made a mistake in dealing with it and sends them somewhere with forced transfer magic.

    ''''Varina-dono, follow behind me...!

    ''''Don''t worry about it. A mountain path like this, with legs and feet that were trained by the Demon King''s Army...!

    Me and Varina were also the last to make it up the hill.

    Fortunately, more than fifty soldiers were able to safely traverse the hill after we carefully switched over.

    It''s just me and her now........

    ''''Kyah!

    ''''What''s the matter!''''

    When I turned around, I saw that Varina, who was following behind me, had gotten her footing on the slope and had fallen down!

    Silly, she has such big tits that she''s not very stable!¡¡I can''t say the word "I" out loud!

    You okay?¡¡Grab me by the shoulders!

    ''Why are you coming to our aid?¡¡You''ll get involved and drop out too!

    In fact, the rock ball was rumbling and coming right in front of us.

    If you don''t dodge, it will surely hit you.

    But Varina fell down and couldn''t move quickly enough.

    What we can do now.

    I held Varina''s body and...

    Leap!

    ''We jumped!

    The soldiers watching at the top of the hill cheered.

    I brilliantly and brilliantly avoided the rock ball by jumping, and I ran up the rest of the hill in a single bound with Varina in my arms.

    Goal!

    The second gate is now closed. Fifty-two of us have passed.

    The elves sounded a little disappointed and disappeared.

    ''''My lord!¡¡Great, my lord!

    I didn''t know you could jump like that with one person in your arms!

    ''Our lord!¡¡You''re strong!

    It wasn''t a bad feeling for the soldiers to praise him from their mouths.

    Oops.....

    I must put down the Varina I was holding.

    I''m sorry, it''s an emergency and I had to...!

    No, there are plenty of things that can happen on the battlefield that can make skin-to-skin contact on the spur of the moment...!

    Is it just my imagination that my cheeks seem to be red?

    The demon race has a dark skin and is hard to recognize.

    ''''Ah.........thank you......!

    It''s cute when you show your honesty in this way.

    ........hmm?

    What am I thinking about when I''m a demoness?

    !

    We pulled ourselves together and continued on.

    There was a mermaid at the third gate.

    "Well done to Zos Saira, the Witch of the Abyss, for coming to the third gate.

    .........

    A mermaid, swimming in the air.

    You''d be surprised.¡¡A new potion that will change the nature of air to something closer to water. Original to me.¡¡Now we can operate freely on land without bothering to turn into land people...

    and swims in the air as a fish underneath.

    This game is sponsored by Okubo. "This game is sponsored by Okubo, and what will you do without my help? You''re going to play with these guys at the gate for me.

    The mermaid spilled some kind of colored liquid from the glass tube it took out. The liquid falls to the ground and bubbles, and the bubbles grow larger and larger, eventually turning into a horrible, indescribable creature!

    ''Lord Varina!¡¡What is that thing?¡¡Is it a monster, too?

    Hey!¡¡I don''t know!¡¡I don''t even know much about mermaid magic!

    Our attackers shuddered at the manner in which this mysterious creature was generated.

    It is the Deep One that has been modified for this play. It has neither thorns nor fangs, so you will not be injured. This ordeal is about escaping from these guys and reaching the exit.

    Behind and far beyond the mermaid, there is a goal-like border.

    We can go to that point, right?

    ''''Hahahaha!¡¡Challenging a territorial guard directly under Darquish-sama''s command with an armchair is laughable!

    Naturally, one of the soldiers gasped.

    Was he feeling depressed from all the fine competitions he''d been engaged in?

    ''I''ve had a lot of exasperation from all these fine competitions!¡¡They''ll smash every single one of these creepy little people who are just creepy!

    As the soldier swung his sword, the creepy dwarf that the mermaid had been charging at was easily torn apart and separated into two or three pieces.

    Oh!

    It''s relatively easy to beat!

    With this one, it looks like it''s rather easy to get past this barrier!

    Oh, I forgot to tell you.

    The mermaid says languidly.

    ''That''s the Deep One for games. Instead of thorns and fangs, I''ve added some interesting features.

    What?

    The monster that had been slashed by the soldier''s sword quickly regenerated and returned to normal.

    It wasn''t exactly the same as it was before.

    For example, the one that was torn into two pieces regenerated into each of the slices that were torn apart, eventually splitting into two bodies and returning to normal.

    ''''The more you slash it, the more you hit it, the more it will increase in number. If you attack without caution, the field will be covered with the Deep One and you will be stuck.

    You should have said it sooner.

    The soldier who was already wielding the sword is surrounded and can''t move a hand or foot!

    ''Gyaaahhhh!¡¡Don''t surround them!¡¡Don''t push me!¡¡Eh?¡¡Where do you think you''re going?

    The soldiers were helplessly pushed by the monsters to the corner of the field.

    There was a hole dug in the ground that could easily be thrown in by a single person.

    Into that hole.....

    The soldiers were pushed down as a number of monsters.

    Of course, if you fall into the hole, you''re disqualified. Of course, if you fall into the hole, you''ll be disqualified.

 240-239 Fengyun Oakbo Castle, Final Edition

    The battle for me, Lord Dalkish, is still going on.

    After all, we lost ten people to get past the third barrier.

    That strange creature created by the mermaids cannot be dealt with in a decent clash, due to its characteristic of splitting into more and more pieces the more it attacks.

    The only way to escape is to dodge them, but they seem to have a characteristic of chasing you by responding to sound, so if you try to run past them with a flurry of footsteps, they will immediately catch you and push you into the hole.

    Ten sacrifices were made before we realized this.

    We made another sacrifice to get through the barrier.

    And here''s a digest of what we''re going to tell you.

    * * * *.

    The fourth gate was guarded by a woman of the same demon race as Varina.

    The name of the ordeal was ''Let''s use our heads too!¡¡Verena''s Human 3D Puzzle.

    This was so complicated and difficult that thirty people dropped out at once.

    If it wasn''t for Varina''s wisdom, they would have been wiped out.

    When Varina saw the female demons on guard, she said....

    ''''I feel like I look like an acquaintance of mine desperately, is it my imagination?

    It''s all in your head.

    I let it slide lightly as I rushed ahead.

    * * * *

    The fifth hurdle was the "Natto Tasting" by a strange beautiful woman with wings sprouting from her back.

    When I was served sticky, sticky, rotten beans and told to "eat" them, I thought it was just a punishment game, but when I tried it, it was delicious.

    They are especially good when you pour a special liquid on them, like black or brown. The mayonnaise condiment was also very popular among the other soldiers and Varina.

    However, only two people said, "I just can''t do it! And then I retired.

    I thought it was not a good idea to not eat.

    Also..........

    "The noble-looking woman with the watchman''s winged human........ Isn''t that our country''s princess, Lady Lettuce Rate?

    It''s all in your head.

    I was lightly swept away.

    * * * *

    In a further sixth trial, I really thought I was going to die.

    Because a dragon was waiting for me.

    ''''Gahhhh, how did you get here, you lowly creatures!¡¡I''m the next in line to be tested.¡¡Beat me and move on to the next one!

    Hey!¡¡Veerle!

    As we stood there and were about to pass out, yet another woman appeared and scolded the dragon.

    ''We decided to dismiss it because it''s too much of a stretch for you to come out!¡¡Now go back to being a grown-up!

    "What?¡¡It''s so boring with all the other guys being warriors!

    I don''t care!

    The dragon disappeared from me and we cleared the barrier.

    Still, three of us fainted from foaming at the seams just by being in direct opposition to the dragon. We were forced to drop out.

    * * * *

    The seventh ordeal had two doors and you had to jump into one of them.

    It was that thing where if you go into the wrong door, you get covered in mud.

    There was no hint as to which door was the correct answer.

    "You''ve come this far and you''re relying on luck?

    * * * *.

    Finally, we were left with only two men on the offensive side, myself and Varina.

    ''''But we''ve finally arrived at the keep........!

    This is the final gate.

    Now there is a door in front of you, and behind it the strongest orc in the world.

    Once we get in, it will be a battle.

    But the supremacy of that orc we faced in front of the castle. It had an incredible power that convinced me that even if all the soldiers present at that time were to fight it, we would not be able to defeat it.

    Now there are only two of us left, but will we be able to defeat that same opponent?

    I don''t even know if I can play a decent match........

    ''''It''s fine........''''

    Hmm?

    I felt my hand tighten, and I wondered what was going on, but then I saw that Varina was holding my hand.

    Why!

    ''''I''m sure you will be able to win and defend this territory. Because you are a lord........!

    Lady Varlina...?

    ''I may have been looking at you guys with prejudice after all. You are a different species, so you can''t understand each other. That''s why I''m going to abolish my personal feelings and play the role of inspector...

    That''s true on my end as well.

    And we humans are on the losing side.

    Maybe he had more of a stubborn feeling than she did.

    ''But the difficulties we''ve had up to this point have dispelled the coiling. There is no difference between our races when we stand together as one and try to protect our land.

    You''re one of them.

    He squeezes his hand back.

    ''From here we are one, in trouble and in peace, we are one!

    ''We will be together until death do us part!

    The two of us open the door, reaffirming our strong, forged bond.

    To take on the powerful orcs that lie beyond.

    * * * *

    "Congratulations on reaching the keep!

    Bassoon!¡¡Bassoon!¡¡I was greatly surprised when a loud noise hit me.

    I thought my heart would stop beating.

    "My boy, this cracker is too loud, isn''t it?

    ''Hmm, did I develop the wrong amount of gunpowder because I developed it in a rush out of necessity?''

    At the final point, there were not only the orcs as usual, but also the goblins from the first barrier, an elf and a mermaid, a female demon race, a winged woman, and a young lady who looked a lot like that Princess Lettuce Slate.

    What the hell!

    Don''t tell me you''re going to sack not only the orcs, but all of these people as well!

    There''s no way we''re going to win, you bastard!

    ''''Well done, you''ve managed to reach the keep!¡¡You''ve conquered the Wind Cloud Oak Castle!¡¡Congraculation!

    Congraculation!

    "Conglaculation!

    Huh?

    ''We have a prize for each person who makes it this far!¡¡Let''s start with the ladies!

    ''Yes!?''

    Varina freaks out when she''s called.

    "You will receive a dress made of vajra silk, sewn by our own Bati.¡¡It''s an orthodox design that can be worn for a hundred years!

    "Nowadays, Vajra silk is a rare item since it''s forbidden in the Demon City. It''s still in the trial sewing stage, so let me try it on later and measure my size.

    If you look closely, you''ll see that there are several personnel who didn''t show up in the previous trials.

    Anyone who looks like Batty?

    Hey, former colleague. That''s a novel approach to marriage hunting in an occupied territory.

    Now that Varina was at the height of her confusion, the confusion hit me relentlessly.

    ''For the men, this way!¡¡I''m giving you my handmade Manametal shield!

    Manametal?

    War is over, so I thought shields would be better than swords and other direct attacks. You can actually equip it and fight with it!¡¡You can hang it in your living room!

    What''s going on?¡¡What is going on here?

    You''re not going to clear the whole thing when you reach this final point?¡¡And you even get a prize for clearing it?

    What the hell has this been all about?¡¡What have we been doing?

    "Huh?¡¡What did you think?¡¡How good is this castle?

    The man who seemed to be in charge of the occasion asked with an extremely flirtatious expression.

    Is your face shape and skin color, or are you a human race?

    ''Did you have a good time?¡¡We built it with that in mind, but...?

    "Enjoy!

    * * * *

    The explanation from the man made sense to me.

    This castle was not built for the purpose of attacking somewhere or coiling in this land. It was built purely for fun.

    He said, "If the builder of this castle can enjoy it, I want to make it enjoyable for visitors as well.

    Was this the intention of the architect?

    If you ask me, it is true that the hurdle we had to face in order to get to this point was a difficult one, but it made me feel excited and enthusiastic.

    It made me want to try it again.

    It was only after experiencing them in person that I could readily accept their claim that they were built for fun.

    If they had only explained it in words, I would have been too wary to accept it.

    So they thought that far ahead, provoked us and invited us in.

    How reckless.

    ........just.

    But there is still one thing that must be said.

    "You will not build attractions in human lands.

    You''re right.

    The men and orcs all got down on their knees to me.

 241-240 Festival continues

    Haha, Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle, successfully completed.

    We can consider it a success.

    It''s me.

    After the battle, I get out of the castle with the lord and his wife.

    Eh?¡¡Isn''t that your wife?

    Well, that''s okay.

    We were headed to a village at the foot of the mountain.

    Come to think of it, this is where the commotion started.

    The village had become a compulsory transfer point for the deserted soldiers, and pork soup was being served there as a participation prize.

    ''''Mmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    ''''What is this soup!¡¡It''s rich and tasty!¡¡The filling inside is rumbling and huge!

    ''Oh!¡¡My lord!¡¡We''re all safe!¡¡That thing called butajir is super tasty!

    ''What?¡¡Tonzil!

    After working out in recreation, it''s a given that we''re supposed to eat pork soup.

    The recently developed dried bonito flakes are immediately put to good use, giving the pork broth an elegant and deep flavor.

    "Wow, everyone looks better than I expected...

    What was our real struggle...

    The lord and lady were sooty.

    ''My saint, my saint.''

    Batty prodded me.

    ''Those two aren''t a married couple,''

    ''What?¡¡Really?¡¡For God''s sake?

    Well, with that kind of atmosphere, it wouldn''t be surprising if you misunderstood. Well, it''s probably just a matter of time.

    Soldiers consisting of more than two hundred people suddenly rushed in, and the remote hamlet was in a festive mood at once.

    The villagers were slurping pig''s soup and had big expressions on their faces.

    ''''It''s good that our territory is bustling with activity, even in part.

    Yes, my lord.

    ''But there is a problem that cannot be settled.

    Yes, ........my lord.

    Me and Orcubo and I stood side by side and sat upright in front of him.

    ''''Building a castle without permission in my territory is a military act that cannot be overlooked and is a dangerous act. A castle is built for the purpose of war, and that fact is unassailable.

    Yes.....

    Even if I alone am convinced, it''s unknown how the people around me will react. Especially now that the former human country is under the occupation of the Demon Kingdom, I must do everything in my power to refrain from any movement that could be taken as a rebellion.

    The military buildup and "You''re going to war, aren''t you? I don''t know what to say.

    The very act of building a castle.

    ''''.........So the castle that our Orcobos built.......?

    ''''It''s painful, but it''s a rupture, so to speak.

    ''''Wait eeeeeeeeeeee!''''

    Me and Orcbo and the two of us cling to our lord.

    ''''Not that much!¡¡Just wait for that one!¡¡It was made by our orcs.

    I''ll do everything you say, so please leave her to me!¡¡She''s a sweet newborn!

    I don''t care if I am, but if an orkbo clings to me, I could be crushed to death.

    It''s like being pecked at by a bear or a lion.

    "But that''s not the case...!¡¡I don''t mean to be mean, you know!¡¡I''m concerned about the ins and outs of the territory and want to avoid the disadvantages of the territory...

    "Then,

    Then Varina, a female demoness, appeared.

    She was wearing a pretty dress.

    "You''re already wearing the prize dress...?

    I was in the middle of making a fitting for the size adjustment, but...!

    A young male lord, completely transfixed by her dress.

    ''We can turn it into a profit. For the existence of this castle, for our fiefdom.''''

    Yes?

    What we experienced this time, we can now extend our experience to the entire former human nation... or rather, the demon nation!

    What do you mean by that?

    "We will host Lord Dalkish and proclaim that an unprecedented attraction facility has been created in our territory. And we are inviting challengers from all over the world to join us!

    ''Ah, I see, so the whole world will know that Oakbo Castle is not a dangerous institution!

    I feel like the story is going off in a grand direction again, though.

    ''''Varina-dono........!¡¡You don''t have to do that.¡¡First of all, the current administration in the former human state requires permission from the occupation authorities to do everything...?

    I''ll get permission from the occupying authority!¡¡This is an opportunity for our territory to be enriched!

    Um...!

    From the phrase ''our territory'' that that demon sister has been running around so often since a moment ago, the smell of home is infuriating...!

    "If we collect entry fees from challengers from all over the world, that''s a huge budget surplus!¡¡Furthermore, as the territory becomes more famous, it will be easier for eminent scholars and martial artists to huddle together!

    Um...!¡¡Yes......!

    ''''This is an opportunity for the development of our territory that we cannot afford to miss!¡¡For my future and yours!

    ''''Yes!''''

    The lord''s brother was completely integrated into the Demon Race''s sister''s life plan.

    ''''Over there........''''

    Yes?

    It''s me.

    Of course you''ll see to it that it works, won''t you?¡¡If you don''t like it, I''ll have that castle torn down in a heartbeat.

    I will proceed in a positive way!

    Varina-san, the way you negotiate is strong style.

    This is how we ended up planning and proceeding with the Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle again.

    This time with the lord''s approval.

    Well, it''s better to do it as an apology for building a castle in human territory without permission, and above all, we want to continue having fun.

    Let''s take the lessons learned from the first Oakbo Castle, which the lords fought so hard for, and remodel it into an attraction with a more racy game balance, where the challengers can experience a giddy sense of elation and despair!

    On the Lords'' side, it will take three months to get permission, advertise and recruit challengers for the challenge, so we''re looking at three months to get around that.

    Planning meetings were also vigorously held.

    ''''I knew it, you dropped too much at the first barrier, didn''t you?

    It''s 80 people in one go from 250. If you drop too many at the beginning, it will look sad later on.

    We have to control how many people we reduce at each stage. We have to control how many people we reduce at each stage.

    There is a right number of people for each project, so you might want to reconsider the order of the gate.

    Well, while I''m at it, I''ll also be resurrecting the ordeal that stands in the way...

    ""Not gonna happen."

    That''s why I said no, because it''s going to be an impossible task when Veerle comes out!

    * * * *

    Thus, the time passes in the blink of an eye as I prepare to hold the Wind Cloud Okubo Castle and develop new dishes in the winter.

    Then, one day in the winter, I was struck by a terrible, big news.

    At last.

    Finally.

    Finally.....

    Finally......

    I''m pregnant with Platy!

    It''s definitely my baby!

    Using the Lamaze Method handed down from Amphitrite, the God of the Sea Mother, I drew out the maximum amount of blessings given to me, and finally even conceived the offspring of an otherworldly person!

    That''s Platy!

    A princess and a witch!¡¡And mermaids!

    Wow, I''m finally a mother. Can I be that guy?

    Prathi had an even look on her face even before her belly grew.

    You''ll be fine, right?¡¡You''re in charge of this place with all this stuff, and you can at least discipline your own kids, can''t you?

    I will do everything in my power to protect both mother and child during the pregnancy.

    Puffa, who happened to be accompanying Prince Arowana on his journey, had returned.

    Lamprey was also delighted.

    After all, the blessings from his own people are the most fervent.

    Prathi''s pregnancy was personally announced by Amphitrite, the goddess of the sea, so she was certified.

    She was three months pregnant, which means that the conception occurred right after Prati began her training to become pregnant?

    The effect of the training is too much, I mean, what was the point of the training for so long?

    Oh, well, that''s a relief. I was able to save face.

    What am I saying?

    You''re just now at the long start of your pregnancy and birth, right?

    And what do you mean, save face?

    I mean, aren''t those mermaids hitting on couples one after the other these days?¡¡They''re just as fertile as you are, so they could conceive at any time...!

    My eyes turned to the side.

    Puffa and Lamp-Eye were whistling blatantly.

    ''I was the first of the mermaids here to get married, Attah!¡¡But if you beat me to it by making a baby, you''ll lose all face!

    ""Is that the real reason why you wanted to have children?

    Not only me, but also Lamprey and Puffa are greatly surprised.

    But the one who is born just keeps on pushing forward through the period leading up to the birth, without regard to the intentions of the creator.

 242-241 Keijis Response-Rikuyu No. 6

    "Platy is pregnant!

    We are orc hackai.

    We are on a journey to train with Prince Arowana.

    Today, we are delighted to announce that we have received important news from Lord Puffa.

    "At last, little sister!¡¡Good job!¡¡You did it!

    It''s no wonder Prince Arowana is so excited as he slaps his knee.

    Prati, who is pregnant, is Prince Arowana''s own sister.

    He is a man who takes pleasure in celebrating his relatives.

    Prathi''s husband, Saint Arouna, is not only Prince Arouna''s brother-in-law, but also his best friend.

    He is so pleased as if it were his own business.

    It''s just that Prathi''s reason for being so obsessed with babies is stupid. It''s just so stinking stupid, I can''t help but be amazed.

    What''s the reason?

    ''''It''s........too stupid to even say it!

    Master Puffa turned away, blushing.

    Everyone who was present at the scene had various conjectures.

    Like Prince Arowana, Paffa-sama is a mermaid, and a high-ranking potions master, nicknamed the "Frozen Witch".

    She''s a strong person who uses her power to travel back and forth between the prince and the farm, helping him on his travels and doing the work of the farm at the same time.

    Why is she doing such a complicated thing.......

    ''''Nee-nee-nee- Miss,''''

    The angel Songgokphong asks in a noh-ish manner, "Miss Songgokphong, do you want to make babies?

    You and your brother Arowana are not going to make a baby?

    "Fugangku?

    That''s what it means.

    But Sunggok Phone is a destructive angel who doesn''t read the air and just keeps moving forward.

    "Baba-baba, you fool!¡¡That''s not a very light thing to say!¡¡I''ll marry the prince....¡¡Ceremony!¡¡Honeymoon!¡¡A home to be built!¡¡I''m pregnant!¡¡Birth!¡¡I''m pregnant!¡¡Birth!¡¡I''m pregnant!¡¡Birth!¡¡I''m pregnant!¡¡Birth!¡¡I''m pregnant!¡¡Birth.........?

    Dear Mr. Puffa, I''m pregnant and I''m having a baby, so what is your plan in life?

    ''That''s right, Sunggok. Relationships are delicate, and one should not speak lightly of a major life milestone.

    Prince Arowana, on the other hand, was calm.

    It is true that the mermaid kingdom will be safe and sound with a woman of Puffa''s talent on the throne, and nothing would please me more than to have her as queen. But you see, the most important thing in marriage is the feeling of the bride. You must not go ahead with the marriage without listening to your feelings.

    So listen.

    Then listen to me.

    I also shouted in my mind over Sunggokphong''s fleshly voice.

    Listen to how Master Puffa feels.

    I''ll bet all my money that you''ll give me an OK. And also the soul of the Oakbo leader.

    I can''t bear to watch Master Puffa become a slacker only in certain cases, so this hackadoodle will help him.

    I''m happy to hear that Prati-sama is pregnant.¡¡Why don''t we go back to the farm once?

    Unu?

    Everyone looked at each other in a scornful manner, perhaps because of the suddenness of the proposal.

    You can easily use transference magic to get to and from the farm anyway, so why don''t you, Prince Arowana, as the older brother, directly congratulate Lady Plati?

    ''Yes, of course!¡¡Sunggok-chan actually went to the farm the other day, so it''s fine to go and see him for a day!

    Paffa-sama also came on board unexpectedly.

    It''s probably because they want to do the same thing by seeing the happy couple up close and personal.

    ''What do you think, Lady Ardhaeg?''

    Hmm?

    Here is our newest traveling companion.

    This is Mr. Ardheg, the Grintz Dragon.

    He is a dragon.

    We were attacked suddenly on our journey the other day and fought to the death.

    I honestly thought I was going to die when it was just me and Prince Arowana who responded to the attack, just as Master Puffa was taking Songgokphong to the farm.

    The Dragon King Gaiser Dragon had given him a test to become his successor, and he had been flying around the world to clear the test.

    The ordeal was.....

    A king who is a hero" or "A hero who is a king".

    ........and bring one of them to me.

    What''s that riddling theme?¡¡I nod my head.

    Isn''t our Prince Arowana the heroic king or the heroic king?¡¡He had high hopes for him.

    After fighting him once, Master Ardhegg''s hopes for Prince Arowana had been raised even higher, and he had come along on our journey to get a complete picture of him.

    Now he is eating rice with everyone in human form, just like Veerle-sama.

    I have nothing to say to you. I have nothing to say to you but to watch the actions of our hero or king, Lord Arowana.

    Okay.

    ''And we can only examine every action to determine if he is a hero or a king.

    Okay.

    A troublesome person has joined our ranks.

    No, it''s not a person, it''s a dragon.

    You''re going to get into that nojo again?

    Sunggok-chan, you want to see your buddy Horcosfon again, don''t you?

    ''''Oh, this time I''m going to completely destroy it and settle it!

    Why are you so full of resentment?

    Well, if I could, I''d like to see my fellow orcs and report back to them on what''s going on.

    What do you think, Prince Arowana?

    No.

    It didn''t work.

    Why?

    "You must remember the purpose of this journey. I am traveling to train myself as the next mermaid king. It is a journey of discipline. There is no way I can suspend my training.

    I''m serious.

    "Make sure Puffa gives Prati full congratulations on her pregnancy. "Tell Hendler to send word to the motherland and arrange for congratulations and gifts.

    Okay, okay, you''re sure?¡¡Can I show you a little flexibility...?

    I can''t. Training to become a mermaid is not an easy task. You can only become a strong and gentle king when you push yourself to the limit and learn to see the details that you couldn''t see before.

    What a serious comment.

    Mr. Ardheg the Dragon stares at it, something like a drum roll comes from his brain....

    ''''King points, +2!''''

    Are you going to keep doing that point calculation from now on?

    It sounds like such a hassle.

    ''That''s why, Puffa. You can repeat your congratulations to Prati.

    All right. You don''t have to remind me to do it.

    ''Whether it''s congratulating my sister in person or going relative to the Hall of Saints again, it''s only after I''ve completed my training and cultivated my qualifications as a mermaid king.

    Okay.

    He will have to complete his training before he can ask Puffa to marry him.

    Okay, okay. .........eh?

    Puffa-sama''s expression changed dramatically in an instant.

    Or rather, it''s continuing to change even now.

    The face of a pigeon getting hit by a peashooter, or the face of a maiden in love, or something like that, alternates and my eyes flicker.

    ''Dana-sama?¡¡What did you say?

    All right, now let''s get to bed. We''ve got a lot of walking to do tomorrow.

    Wait a minute!¡¡What the hell did you just say?¡¡A marriage proposal?¡¡Did you say "propose"?¡¡Who?¡¡Who?¡¡Hey, can you say that again?

    "Piss off, Puffa. I told you that everything will happen after the ascetic''s journey is over. You can''t start another until you''ve completed one.

    "Then end the journey now!¡¡We need to talk!¡¡Continue with the story ooooh!

    Prince Arowana, whether he''s a blunt or a Park Nenin, he''s got a tremendous chubby hand.

    I thought Sunggok Fong was the best when it came to not reading the air, but he was even farther ahead.

    ''''...........''''

    Seeing this, the new member of the journey, Ardheg-sama.......

    "Hero points, +3!

    Are you going to keep attaching those points to the game forever?

    That sounds like a hassle.

 243-242 Evil Lord Landwalk Part 7

    I am a bad lord!¡¡Gasp!

    Is it strange to call yourself a villain?¡¡Shit!¡¡What''s in it for you, being the good guy in the end?

    No one is going to give you a pat on the back for your airs!¡¡Then it''s better to play the bad guy and squeeze the weak out of them!

    No matter what happens to the Demon Kingdom anyway, Mingkun''s Demon Lord will be there to support you well!¡¡He can do whatever he wants in the countryside, away from the Demon City!

    Taxpayers'' money!¡¡Give me 70 percent of what we had in a good harvest!¡¡It doesn''t matter if we have a bad harvest or not, it''s the same amount!

    Let''s get some more tax breaks!¡¡Taxing people who own houses, taxing people who own livestock!¡¡Of course they tax the guys in business, and if they buy something, they''re taxed!

    Taxed in marriage!¡¡Taxation on the birth of a child!¡¡Taxed if you die and have a funeral!¡¡The inheritance tax is a hundred percent!

    And I''ll even charge you for the use of the water wheel!¡¡Whenever we grind the wheat into flour, we use the lord''s own waterwheel!

    In your own home, no stone grinding at all!¡¡Take the millstone from every house in the territory and break it down!

    And we''ll build a gate!¡¡We''ll collect the tolls!

    What?¡¡Is there already a barrier on the southern road?¡¡Then why don''t you build another barrier at the end of the barrier!

    Hahahahahaha!

    That''s going to bring a flood of gold and silver into my pocket!

    All the wealth belongs to me!¡¡I''m the only one who should be laughing in this world!

    * * * *

    As I was recounting the money I had saved, a visitor appeared.

    They seemed to be some dirty-looking travelers.

    Two men and two women. They didn''t look like demons, but they had an orc or something in their retinue.

    They turned to me and said, "This territory''s tax rate is the same as the others.

    This territory''s tax rate is too high compared to the others. We want the tax rate to be lowered.

    And.

    You don''t know what you''re talking about by talking to this eagle.

    I was going to restrain him and cut his head off to make an example of him, but before that, you might as well play with him.

    I''d like that.

    Go on out to the yard.

    You see that big rock over there? It''s annoying because it''s ruining the view of the garden, but it''s too big and heavy to move.

    If you tear it down or move it out of my house, I will give you some tax relief.

    If you can''t do that, he''ll take all your possessions and throw you out of his domain.

    Kekkeke.

    "Hakkai.

    "As you wish.

    Oh?

    You''re going to use an oak as an accompaniment?

    Well, even if the prowess of the Orcs surpasses that of mankind, if that were even possible, I would have destroyed or moved that pebble a long time ago.

    Hmm?

    What''s with the axe?

    Well, there''s nothing I can do about it, so whatever you want to do with it...

    ''Yes sir.''

    Zan!

    What?

    A rock!¡¡A huge rock snapped in half?¡¡And it''s all shattered!

    Shall we get this rock out of here, Master Ardhegg?

    Very well, I will help you to find out what you are made of.

    The finely crushed stones were quickly carried away, leaving no shadow or shape.

    No, no, no, no........!

    Now that''s not fair.

    Right?¡¡I don''t need monsters.

    If you''re going to bet, why don''t you play fair with your own hands?

    .... yeah.

    Shall we have one more game?

    In the mountains outside my lands, a monster lives. It''s been a year since it emerged and you are to destroy it.

    Huh?

    Isn''t that what lords do?

    Why should I do such a worthless thing, you idiot? We need money to move our soldiers.

    Even if we leave it alone, it will only cause enough damage to the neighboring villagers to be eaten alive.

    If you think it''s a pity, then you can go exterminate them yourselves.

    You can kill them yourselves.

    By the time you get there, though, you''ll be out of time!¡¡Kekeke!

    ...Songook-chan.

    Aisa.

    Huh?

    What makes you girls fly?¡¡Magic?¡¡He took off!

    And he came back immediately!

    "You asked for a demon... Is that him?

    ohhhhh?

    A monster that has been shot through the chest and is dying!

    "If you are doubtful, send a messenger to that mountain to check it out. I''ll wait for as many days as I can.

    Okay, all right, next!

    The next time you win, I''ll give you a tax break!

    There is a sanatorium in that village over there.

    They take in people who have been stricken by epidemics and treat them.

    Since they don''t have a doctor and medicines, few of them get well.

    Was this sanatorium built by you?

    Huh?

    Why would I do something so unprofitable?

    It was built by the village volunteers of their own accord.

    They said, "If you can''t afford to do that, why don''t you pay more tax to me," and imposed a heavy tax on them as a condition of their operation.

    Huh.

    What, with a deep sigh?

    "Pfa.

    I''m on it.

    Now that''s your girl?

    Fool, he seems to have confidence in his strength, but swords and fists won''t do him any good against a sick person....

    "There are less than twenty patients in the prison. I guess the magic potions we have on hand should be enough.

    Huh?

    ''It''s a drug that''s meant to kill pathogens, not restore your body, so it''s going to stay still after you take it and regain your strength. You should eat plenty of nutritious food if you can, but...

    Huh?¡¡What?

    Those sick people are looking better and better...!¡¡And no more coughing.

    ''Come to think of it, I hadn''t heard what kind of game you were going to play in this sanatorium, but if you''re sick, we''ve cured all of them, and once the sick are gone, the sanatorium will cease to exist naturally. Problem solved, my friend.

    You..........?

    This guy who looks like the leader of this gang........looks down on me with his big eyes....

    Who do you think you are?

    Who do you think you are to me, the lord of this devil''s country?

    "Will you promise me something?¡¡He said he would bring the tax rate down to, at least, a sensible range. That''s supposed to be the duty of those who govern people.

    Don''t get high and mighty!

    Yes!¡¡Next round!

    This is the last round!

    All right, bring me the dragons this time!¡¡They didn''t kill him, they kept him alive!

    If I could do that, I''d give you a tax break!

    Gahahahahahahahaha!

    "I can''t help it...!

    Mr. Ardhegg?

    What is it?

    The other man, the one from the other side of the traveler, comes forward...?

    What''s that?

    What are you doing?

    Huh?

    The man''s appearance is changing...?

    They grow so big that they look up, and they grow claws and fangs and wings, and they''re covered in scales all over...?

    * * * *

    ''''Gyaaahhhhhhhh!

    Yes, I''m Hakkai the Orc.

    This time, I''ve come to the frontier territory of the demon land ruled by a corrupt lord.

    We have been negotiating with him to end his cruel rule, but he has finally lost his temper after repeated selfishness.

    The person who lost his temper first was, after all, Mr. Ardhegg, who is a proud dragon.

    Revealing the true form of a dragon, he looks down at the vicious lord.

    ''''What do you think?¡¡I have a dragon here, as you requested?¡¡What''s next?¡¡Bring me the Immortal King?

    ''''Dohiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!''''

    The villainous lord was overwhelmed by the majesty of the dragon in front of him, and was unable to come up with his next impossible task.

    ''''Lord Ardheg, restrain yourself a bit. Even the people in your village are frightened.

    "This scum is neither king nor hero. "This scum is neither king nor hero; it is a waste of my talent for measuring heroes to keep him in my sight. I would have put him out to pasture if I hadn''t been prevailed upon by Lord Arowana to do so.

    Master Ardhegg only said and returned to his human form.

    It was a look of ''not threatening enough''.

    To the spineless lord, Prince Arowana says to him

    I entered your territory on my journey and was fed up with too many obstacles. But what amazes me even more is the poverty of each village in your realm.

    It was almost as if this was the same magical land as the rest of the world.

    The villagers who greeted us were so hospitable to us that they even cut off their own food for today. We were so moved by their hospitality that we came to talk to Anata to make their lives a little easier. But.....

    What the hell...?

    ''We''re not going to get anywhere in a proper discussion anymore. Hakkay.

    Yes, sir.

    I stepped forward before Prince Arowana and unfolded a thick piece of parchment and showed it to the vicious lord.

    The writing on it was.....

    ''''That''s a bill of passage issued by my demon kingdom?¡¡And it''s handwritten by Demon King Zedan!¡¡What the hell are you...?

    That''s insulting, lowly person. You are the first prince of the mermaid kingdom, Lord Arowana!

    The vice lord peeled his eyes away at the declaration.

    ''''I didn''t want to use a name like this, but...''''

    Prince Arowana continues in person: "Of course, as a stranger, I have no right to interfere in the politics of the demon kingdom.

    "Of course, as a stranger, I have no right to interfere in the politics of the demon kingdom. But demons are a proud race. Can you allow an important person from another country to see the shame of your race?

    I''m back. I''ve been there.

    Master Puffa, who had disappeared before he knew it, returned with transference magic.

    ''Puffa, have you seen Lord Zedan?''

    Yeah, rather smoothly. They''re sending the gendarmerie over here right away.

    At the mention of the Demon King''s name, the vicious lord''s eyelids widened to the point where his eyeballs seemed to be spilling out.

    ''''The head of the Demon Kingdom will decide how much punishment will be meted out to the scoundrels of the Demon Kingdom. Dismissal of the lord, confiscation of property....... Exile?¡¡Imprisonment?¡¡Capital punishment?¡¡This is the scene where the Demon King''s decisiveness is tested.

    On that day, an unworthy politician disappeared from the Demon Land.

    * * * *

    That was a thought-provoking event...

    It''s said that in human country, the royals are the bonkers, and the lords are the solid lords. In a demon kingdom, it''s the opposite.

    Although it''s true that Lord Zedan is the Lord Ming, the reach of each of us is limited. How could one man with such a great mind supporting him cause everyone around him to become complacent?

    ''''Not all demon lords are like that. You have to be careful when you''re governing your own country.

    You and me, right?

    So can you stop being so abrupt and suggestive?

    Prince Arowana''s training journey continues.

 244-243 Fengyun Oakbo Spring Team

    Spring has come.

    The end of the season to endure, and the beginning of the season to breed and multiply.

    Having my own child in Plati''s belly, I couldn''t help but feel that way.

    And then came the event that was as good as experiencing the breath of life.

    The Wind Cloud Okubo Castle.

    It was the first battle to start with an open call for ordinary challengers.

    Named.....

    Wind Cloud Okubo Castle, Spring Battle...!

    * * * *.

    ...Wow.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve visited the land where Oakbo Castle is located, and I groaned.

    There are a lot of people there.

    There are so many of them.

    There are so many of them that it''s almost as if the earth is filled with them.

    And all these are for the challenge of Castle Okubo?

    That''s right. We have 3000 men in all.

    Three thousand?

    Far more than expected?

    ''''Our three-month-long propaganda effort has been successful. Not only the former human countries, but even demons from across the border are participating. The participation fees we''ve collected from them alone will far exceed our territory''s annual income...!

    That''s what the female demon race, Varina, says.

    It seems that she was sent to the territory of the occupied human nation as an observer because the human race was defeated by the demon race in the war.......

    .........why is that?

    I have a feeling she''s more active in enriching the territory than the lord himself.

    ''''Now that I''m the lord''s wife, it''s my duty to make the territory prosperous to all intents and purposes with my husband!¡¡As a start, we''ll make sure this event is a huge success!

    Hmm.....

    I became a wife.

    When did you become the wife of the lord?

    And so, please turn to the main attraction. The future of this fiefdom depends on your work.

    That''s all up to Okubo, but I''m sure he''ll be fine, he''ll...

    Anyway, it was a great success.

    In addition to the contestants, the crowd in front of Okubo Castle was packed with spectators whose sole purpose was to watch the competition, almost as many as the challengers.

    Although they couldn''t take an entry fee from the spectators, they would entertain them by selling food and drinks in a hurry, as well as making a profit.

    The villagers of the village at the foot of the mountain are the ones who are responsible for dealing with them.

    They were delighted with the extra income and the boost to the village.

    Of course, the villagers couldn''t do it all by themselves, so they were more and more crowded with supporters who had come from all over the territory.

    In short, it was a great success.

    ''''Uh-oh, then, I''d like to conduct the opening ceremony.

    Okubo, who fits in to host this event, steps forward.

    ''The object of this event is to trample this castle I built and face me in the keep. I wonder how many of you will be able to break through the many hurdles that have been prepared for you and get to me?

    His tone was becoming more and more provocative.

    "Do you have the courage to challenge my castle!

    ''''Oh!''''

    "Will you make it to my doorstep?

    ""Oh, no!"

    Do you want your prize?

    ""Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!"

    Do you wanna go to New York?

    ""Oh?"

    The last one is a story I''d included in advance in OkCupid, but it went down a lot.

    After all, it''s impossible to communicate in another world where people don''t even know that New York is the name of a place.

    Now then, I would like to receive a few words from the lord and lady who worked so hard to hold this tournament.

    As if gingerly escaping from the delicate air, Okubo passed the baton to Lord Dalkish-san.

    Next to him, Varina-san was also standing in line.

    We were introduced to the lord and his wife, but are these guys really married?

    ''''I have just been entrusted with the introduction, the Lord of our realm, Mr. Dalkish.

    His wife, Varina.

    That''s a real marriage!

    ''''This place, Okubo Castle, was originally built in our territory. It''s a great pleasure to see a new landmark in our land. As the lord of the castle, I am delighted that you have come to visit us and become familiar with our land. I would like to express my gratitude to Lord Okubo for building Okubo Castle and providing such an event, and I would also like to express my gratitude to the many people who gathered in response to it. .........!

    You can cut it out of my life.

    Hmm.

    He interrupted me with a long story, typical of great men.

    ''So much for the stiff talk, let''s get to the point.

    Miss Varina, now the lord''s wife, who seems far more shrewd than the lord himself, said.

    ''''The challenger who conquers this Okubo Castle will receive a prize. That''s exactly what was stated in the application form.

    With those words, the air in the hall suddenly began to buzz.

    ''''In order to ignite your fighting spirit, let me introduce some of the prizes here.

    As Varina gestures, several of our goblins come up with something in each of their hands.

    ''Prize number one!¡¡It''s all the rage in Demon City right now!¡¡Farm brand clothing (usually made of silk)!

    Woohoo!

    The audience erupted in excitement.

    Offering Batty.

    ''''Rare items that are said to be worth no more than a few dozen gold coins if purchased in the Demon City, can be obtained by conquering Okubo Castle!¡¡Plus, the next prize!

    ''''This leather bag, what a material it''s made of, Hydrolex!

    The buzzing........?

    The audience was even more buzzed.

    ''The human race, which is more likely to be adventurers by profession, will understand. The Hydrorex is a reptilian-type monster that only appears in cave dungeons of three stars and above. Its skin is a rare item!

    It''s the one that normally lives in the teacher''s dungeon........

    Every time Okubo and the others encountered it, they would ask "Hydrolex?¡¡It''s enough to make me go, "That''s enough.

    "And then, item number three!¡¡The god of sake, Bacchus, created this sake by himself!¡¡And it''s new!

    Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!

    It was the biggest crowd so far.

    I knew sake was popular everywhere.

    I mean, all the prizes were taken out of our farm.

    The winner who conquers Okubo Castle will get to pick one prize of their choice to take home!¡¡There are plenty of other prizes, so challenge the castle to the death!

    I see.........

    Was this the reason why there were so many challengers at Okubo Castle?

    Perhaps it was some kind of publicity to recruit participants, and they flashed the contents of the prizes.

    I don''t know if I''ve been on the farm for a long time, but I''ve heard from Shaks-san, a merchant who goes in and out of the farm, that the products they produce on the farm are of tremendous value to the outside world.

    So this trend is not unacceptable from my point of view.

    ''''Well, even so, I think it''s safe to say that we''ve limited the prizes to only those items that aren''t a problem to be leaked, right?

    Verena says next to me.

    The planning and management of the open Oakbo Castle and negotiations with the lord''s side are all left to her. She''s still a self-proclaimed incompetent as usual.

    ''''You don''t think there''s anything bad at all that would cause a hazard if even one of them went on the market?

    ''Yes, your saint wouldn''t like it either, would he?¡¡The world is going to die because of what leaked out of our house.

    Are we going to the end of the world?

    Is it really that bad in this country?

    Anyway, we know that the participants are all glued to this place for the most precious prizes in the world.

    After a half-hearted speech by Varlina, the enthusiasm for the competition is at an all-time high.

    ''Then let us begin!¡¡Wind Cloud Okubo Castle, Spring Battle!

    "''Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!''

    * * *

    This is how Okubo Castle began, but the first obstacle is still the "Frustrating Mean Table".

    The contestants had to cross a narrow bridge connecting various parts of the moat while maintaining their balance.

    Reflecting on the viciousness that had reduced the number of challengers from two hundred and fifty to eighty last time, we made some changes to the rules to adjust the balance.

    There were still ten average platforms passed over the moat, but the next challenger could not start until one person crossed over or fell on each one.

    This meant that no one would be able to destroy themselves in the crowd, as they had done last time.

    The jamming thrower is still there this time.

    Now let''s see how many people can get through this first barrier!

    .........and then an extraordinary person came out from the first challenger.

    A huge demon race that looked up at me........

    ''''Demon King-san!''''

 245-244 Challengers

    And so it began.

    An open competition-type attraction, the springtime battle of Fuun Okubo Castle.

    The first challenger to enter the "Frustrated Average Table" is...!

    "Demon Lord?

    The giant, awe-inspiring body with the distinctive brown skin of the demon tribe.

    Isn''t that the Demon King Zedan?

    The ruler of the Demon Kingdom, the pinnacle of the demon tribe. And now that the Demon Kingdom has leveled the Human Kingdom, the Demon King who rules all over the earth!

    ''''Sage, please be quiet!¡¡........I''m here today as a snitch.

    Oh, I knew it?

    But how did you find out about this event?

    My wives have been asking for you. I''ve been in the middle of some political duties recently and I wanted to get some exercise.

    I see.

    The war has virtually disappeared after the destruction of the human nation, right?

    "I''ve been surprisingly busy with no time to spare since I was able to devote to domestic politics...!¡¡It''s a lot of work to raise money for today''s off...!

    The ruler''s melancholy was here.

    ''''If that''s the case, Demon King. Take your daily exercise out of the way at this Oakbo Castle attraction!

    ''Mmm!¡¡There''s a wife and kids in the audience, too!¡¡I will make sure to climb to the final point and show you the dignity of a father!

    Demon King, you''re also very motivated as a new father.

    That''s right!¡¡I know how that feels, as I''m going to be a dad soon!

    Clear the first gate at least easily and show them how strong you are, Dad!

    ''Let''s go!¡¡It''s Gotia!¡¡Marinating!¡¡I''m going to burn my father''s heroic figure in my eyes!

    And then the Demon King challenged the average table.

    As expected of his sense of balance, he has an excellent sense of balance, and he smoothly moves through the average table, which is only as wide as one foot can ride on.

    "Hoho, hoho, hoho.........!¡¡I see why this is so difficult. But you can''t be a demon king if you stop at this...!

    Oh, Mr. Demon King.

    Don''t stare down so much.

    Gasp.

    "Uggaaaaaaaa........?

    Demon King Zedan-san.

    He was hit by a catapult cushion bullet for jamming and crashed.

    He fell to the bottom of the moat.

    ''''...........''''

    The Demon King didn''t manage to break through the first barrier.

    It''s a tough event.

    However, the event wouldn''t be over for much longer.

    The participants were still there in the thousands even after the Demon King was eliminated.

    "Noooooooooooooooo!¡¡I''m going to be next!

    A vaguely energetic man challenges the average table.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time.

    That''s Sebonteleth-dono!

    The lord''s Dalkish-san shouts next to me.

    Do you know that old man?

    He''s a neighboring lord.

    What?

    I''m so jealous that all eyes are on young Darquish''s domain.¡¡However, my territory, due to the huge popularity of the next one, my territory is also ooohhhh!

    They crossed the average platform at the same speed as the dash and cleared the first barrier.

    He didn''t even give them time to aim with the cushion pitcher.

    ''''Adventurers participating in the event!¡¡Afterwards, be sure to stop by the Myeongdaki Cave, the famous dungeon of our territory!

    The Lord of the Domain advertises his territory with his own body!

    The lord of your fiefdom''s famous places with your own body?

    "The lords of human country are so diligent...

    And so the challengers take on more and more of the average platform. They fall and fall and cross over, and fall and cross over, and fall and cross over, and fall and cross over.

    ''So shall we go too?''

    Yes.

    Mr. Dalkish and I also start to flex and relax.

    You may be wondering how we were able to keep track of all the participants.

    There''s a reason for that.

    We are participants ourselves!

    So those same participants are right in front of us!

    When I have a festival coming up, I want to be a dancing idiot, not a watching idiot!

    I''m up for the challenge today!

    We''ll reach the top of the mountain, and we''ll reach the bottom of the Orcubos, who reign supreme!

    ''''I''ll make my presence known as a lord, and I''ll make it to the keep this time, too!¡¡And more and more, we will promote our territory!

    said Lord Dalkish.

    I''m one of the inventors of the competition, and Mr. Dalkish is an experienced competitor.

    We both crossed over easily by controlling the main points of the "Frustration Average Table".

    * * * *.

    One hundred and seventy of the first three hundred challengers have now broken through the first barrier.

    Since we couldn''t handle a total of 3,000 challengers at one time, we were divided into several groups and challenged in order.

    Since the first group of us have finished the first gate, the second group should be starting theirs.

    "Compared to the last time, there are a lot of people left.

    ''The difficulty adjustment is working well. I''d like to continue to gently reduce the number of people at each barrier.

    I''d like to eventually get to zero people at a pace like half of them, then half of them, then half of them again.

    Only a few people should be able to get to Okubo.

    Even better if there''s a cherry like me among those few people.

    Whoa!

    You startled me!

    Just as you are about to enter the second gate, the participant standing right next to you suddenly starts talking and you get scared.

    "Oh, you''re...?

    "Oh, did you hear that?¡¡Don''t mind me, I''m one of the participants, my name is Shabe the Adventurer.

    Adventurer?

    This is your famous job as an adventurer...?

    I''ve never seen the real thing before.

    The adventurer''s job is to get rich by hiding in dungeons, searching for hidden treasures and defeating rare monsters. I suppose it has a high affinity with this event.

    Lord Dalkish-san explains.

    It''s true that this event where you can go to the keep and receive valuable prizes is a get-rich-quick event.

    ''Indeed, the largest percentage of participants are human adventurers. ...But I''m different from other adventurers.

    What kind of meaningful confidence is that?

    I''m aware of what''s hidden behind this little show.

    Did you start talking without being asked?

    I''ve been looking for it for a long time. I''m looking for this place called "Saint''s Farm.

    Yeah?

    The hottest target among adventurers right now. Right now, adventurers are scrambling to find the saint''s farm, which is said to contain all the treasures of the world...

    I have a crazy idea....

    It''s hard to say.

    The adventurer with the same purpose as me is going to be able to say, ''An event?¡¡I don''t have time to participate in that, you idiot!¡¡There are many people who didn''t participate because they said, ''It''s more about finding a saint''s farm. But those guys are the idiots...!

    Why?

    Because this event is what hints to the saint''s farm!

    The young man, who seemed to be an adventurer, said confidently.

    ''''The reason for that is the array of products that are at this event!¡¡So many extravagant prizes, and so much more!¡¡Where did you get that?¡¡Isn''t it most likely that it came from the saint''s farm, where all the secrets of the world are said to be kept?

    Everything he said was a speculation....

    Very perceptive.

    "So I get to the end of the line and I say. ''No prizes, take me to the saint''s farm instead!¡¡That''s why I''m here!¡¡I will definitely reach the Saint''s Farm through this event!

    He was an ambitious young man.

    But he seemed to be in some kind of trouble, so I used my hand sign to command the ailerons in charge of the second gate and had them concentrate on attacking this young man to get rid of him.

 246-245 Closing the defeat

    Thus, the public, springtime battle of Wind Cloud Okubo Castle was a great success.

    The participants tried their best to tackle the difficult challenges, and the audience was thrilled by the exciting developments.

    Pork miso soup was given to the contestants who had dropped out of the race as a reward for their hard work, and they were able to finish the race in a harmonious atmosphere.

    In the end, twenty-three people made it to the bottom of the castle tower.

    Considering that there were 3,000 participants in all, I''d say these 23 people were quite a fierce bunch.

    By the way, I wasn''t one of them.

    I didn''t want to be among them, because I was crushed by a rock at the second gate and dropped out.

    Isn''t it unfair that a large rolling rock suddenly changed its trajectory in the middle of nowhere and came towards us?

    Let''s put aside our complaints as users.

    The lord, Mr. Dalkish, kept his face as a lord by reaching the keep this time as well.

    The event was a great success, with all the spectators giving generous applause to those who reached the keep.

    Just when you thought the curtain was about to come down, it did.

    * * * *

    The awarding ceremony for those who have reached the top of the keep is over, and the only thing left to do is to announce the closing of the conference, when a group of soldiers suddenly came crashing in.

    It was a group of soldiers, all dressed in neat armor.

    What''s going on?

    Even the lord, Mr. Dalkish, was upset by this unexpected situation.

    Does this mean that these soldiers are not soldiers under Mr. Darquish''s control?

    The soldier''s skin, which could be seen through the gaps in his helmet, was a dark brown color that indicated that he was a demon race.

    ''''A demon soldier?¡¡The Occupy Office?

    Nobody move. We''ve got this under control.

    One of the soldiers among them said.

    His face resembled a rat, and he had a very cunning look about him.

    He said, "This meeting is suspected of being a preparation for rebellion against our demon tribe. Therefore, we will crack down on it.

    ''Ridiculous!''

    Ms. Varina, who had become the lord''s wife, stepped forward.

    I believe I have reported to the occupation authorities that this event is only for recreation and is intended for the residents to enjoy themselves. And I have your permission!

    We''re the ones who have to talk to the higher-ups, but we''re the ones who have to do the policing. We don''t want to leave a disturbance in the air and get in trouble later, do we?

    The soldiers around them only grinned in agreement with the cryptic, rat-faced words.

    So they''re all in on this?

    The people I''ve met in the Demon King''s Army so far are all high-ranking and dignified, but as expected, not all of them are without exception.

    The farther down the line you get, the harder it is for the leaders to see you, and the more unjust you become.

    We will confiscate everything related to this meeting. We will confiscate everything related to this meeting, all the fees collected, all the proceeds from the sales, and all the curiosities that have been prepared as prizes. And that castle.

    ........that''s the goal?

    By calling it an illegal assembly and difficult to get rid of, he wanted to control the profits from the event and scrape them off.

    ''''Enough........!¡¡Even though you are demon soldiers, you are only a few dozen in number. Do you think you can compete with my territory''s defensive army in a decent fight?

    Then you''ll all be rebels, all right?¡¡After all, you''re messing with the soldiers of the Demon King''s army.¡¡A fine hostile act, isn''t it?

    He''s a cunning fellow.

    No matter how dirty little villain he himself is, the power relationship between a defeated human nation and a victorious demon nation is a different matter.

    The occupying human race cannot show any pretense of rebellion, no matter how trivial.

    To poke at that inconvenience........

    The main force of the Demon King''s Army arrived in less than a month, and this territory will be cleared in the blink of an eye. If you don''t like it, then you''ll just give us your share of the land, won''t you?¡¡What?

    Shame on you demon tribe!

    Ms. Varina, who was now the lord''s wife, was also devoured.

    ''''The demons in the occupation administration are working desperately to make peace with the human race, and now a little scoundrel like you is going to destroy it!¡¡That''s the kind of rebellion against the Demon Kingdom, against the Demon King!

    ''Ha!¡¡What''s the matter with the Demon King?¡¡It''s stupid to follow such an incompetent person!

    Bad soldier, I say something that makes me feel like I''m the one who''s going to get my head cut off.

    In the first place, you can''t even notice that Varina-san is a demon race based on the color of her skin.

    Using her position as a former and Inspector General, it would be easy for the upper echelons of the Occupation Office to know about it, but you can''t even expect that level of anticipation?

    No, even if we were to go that way, we would have to get out of this place for now.

    We have to break at least once to keep the bad soldiers from causing a scene.

    Will I give in to their demands and offer them a prize or money?

    It''s frustrating.

    ''In such a distant backwater!¡¡There''s no way the Demon Lord is going to give you any attention!¡¡Even the bureaucrats in the occupation government can''t be bothered to pay attention to every little thing, not even to the lowlifes like us!¡¡What''s the point of not doing what you want!

    At this point I could have directed my farm buddies around and kicked the soldiers to the curb.

    But I didn''t.

    This was because the person who should be swinging the most sanctioning fist in this place had already made his move.

    ''''What''s wrong with the victorious demon race oppressing the losing human race?¡¡Anybody who doesn''t understand something that simple and works diligently is an idiot!¡¡The Demon King is an idiot!¡¡That''s why we''re going to take the good part!

    "Is the demon king blind or is the demon king a fool...?

    The bad soldier''s head is grabbed from behind and turned 180 degrees.

    This is the reason why you can''t get a good look at it.

    "What?¡¡Who is going to oppose a soldier of the Demon King''s Army?¡¡I''ll throw you in jail for this..., huh?

    I''m going to put him in jail.¡¡This demon king?

    Demon King Zedan appeared.

    He wore a participation award badge (with a single star as a sign that he had reached the first gate) on his chest.

    My Demon Lord....¡¡What are you doing here?

    Even you lowly soldiers didn''t seem to forget my face. Then you shouldn''t have forgotten how horrible it is to oppose me...!

    The Demon Soldier was grabbed by the top of his head from the Demon King, and the soles of his feet were off the ground.

    There was a creaking sound of the skull cracking.

    ''''Did you think that the old human country far away from the Demon City wouldn''t be able to reach my eyes...!¡¡How foolish. What you are doing is a great evil that oppresses the weaker human race and insults the demon race in the occupation government...!

    Demon Lord.¡¡This is different!¡¡It''s a misunderstanding...!

    You have sinned!¡¡You disobeyed this demon king!¡¡What else is there!

    Demon King, the demon soldier''s head was grabbed eagle-headed and slammed into the ground.

    His head was buried in the dirt and his body only jerked and twitched.

    ''''Those other soldiers!¡¡You''re just as guilty as the rest of us!¡¡Don''t think you can pin the blame on one of these fools!¡¡We will pursue each one of them thoroughly and give them the punishment they deserve!

    The other soldiers dropped their weapons one by one and crumbled down without power.

    * * * *

    ''You''ve only recently bothered Prince Arowana.... Has the long continuity of the system attracted the inevitable corruption? This has come to the surface with the conclusion of the Human-Devil War, as the victor''s hubris has come to the surface...!

    The delinquent soldiers, on the contrary, were detained by the lord''s soldiers at Mr. Dalkish''s place and tied up in beads.

    And the Demon King apologized to Mr. Dalkish.

    There was not a shred of arrogance from the ruler there.

    ''''I''m going to take these guys and ride into the occupation office from now on and scold the governor. "I''m going to take these guys and ride into the occupation camp and scold the Governor for his laxity in allowing his subordinates to cheat. I won''t let it happen.

    It seems that the Governor who organizes the occupation government is a trusted person appointed directly by the Demon King, but this is a tough job because he has no choice but to be pissed off.......

    ''''I hope you''ll spare us the trouble of dealing with that and just watch the demons'' behavior for a while. I will never become a cruel ruler who oppresses the human race.

    However, Dalkish-san couldn''t accept the fact that the Demon King had suddenly appeared, and he suspected that there was some kind of mistake.

    ''''Varina,''''

    Hahi?

    The demoness tensed up when her name was suddenly called.

    I''ve heard from Astareth that he was assigned to the old human country as an inspector and that he was linked to the lord. I''ve heard from Astareth that you formed a bond with the lord while serving in the old human country as an inspector.

    ''I''m afraid so!¡¡It''s not like I was lustful or anything...!

    ''''You and your husband and wife will be a good example of how to usher in the reconciliation of the demon race and human race. I hope you and your wife will join forces and focus on making your territory prosperous.

    ''''Yes........?''''

    I haven''t dared to mention it until now, but I don''t think it''s in the job description to marry a target of surveillance, but it''s nice to get your approval.

    Is it preferable because you didn''t do it for the sake of injustice or out of your own pocket?

    I was looking forward to resting, and I never expected to witness this abomination of a demon race. I guess I can''t rest easy just yet either.

    Saying that, the Demon King left the hall with the sinners in tow.

    First of all, he would go to the former human occupation government and clean up the corruption.

    Thus, the first spring battle of the Wind Cloud Okubo Castle was concluded by the super-deployment of the Demon King''s arrival and his famous battle.

    * * * *

    Thus, the various things around the orc''s castle and these got a partial end.

    The event had an unexpectedly positive effect.

    Many people witnessed the scene where the demon king himself denounced and defeated the rogue officials of the demon race, who were more fearsome to the human race than the tiger.

    The whole world knew that the demon king did not tolerate injustice and that he was a friend of the weak people, regardless of the demon race.

    With this, the grievances of the ruled human race would be eased, and the world would move towards peace.

    .........

    How could the world be going in the right direction over the castle built by the Oakbos?

    Why is the scale getting so grand?

    Anyway, the profits gained from the event greatly enriched Dalkish-san and Varina-san''s territory, and the village at the foot of the mountain was bustling with success in revitalizing the village.

    It would be very good if this ignited the flow of people throughout the old human country and made it richer as a whole.

    Incidentally, the local people asked me to do it again, so I''ll hold a spring battle next year.

    This time I''m going to make it to the castle tower too!

    ........no.

    My goal is to break through the second gate first........!

 247-246 Udon and Tempura

    I felt like eating udon.

    Come to think of it, I haven''t had it for a while.

    I developed some dried bonito flakes this winter, so I don''t think we are short of ingredients any more.

    Will you try to make udon noodles?

    * * * *

    The first step is to make the noodles.

    Mix the flour with salt water and knead it.

    Oh, master is making something else.

    I wonder what good things they''ll make this time?

    Ville and Prati.

    They''re no longer sniffing out the food before it''s finished.

    No, it''s all in the cards.

    I''m super excited to see what we''ll get. It''s like mixing water with ground wheat and kneading...?

    Hmm, does that look familiar?¡¡What...?¡¡That''s right........?

    Seeing the way I was kneading udon noodles, Veerle made a difficult expression as if to expose some kind of mud of memory.

    ''''Yes!¡¡Now I remember!¡¡You''re making bread!

    Bread?

    That''s what they do when they knead the flour and bake it.¡¡What a master, he''s in the mood to create something new, and he''s no longer exaggerating about making the familiar bread!

    I gave off that vibe?

    These people are sensitive to it, and these people are sensitive to it!

    Hey, I can help you make bread!¡¡Because kneading bread dough is so much fun!

    Veerle stood alongside me and began to knead the flour with water.

    ''Let''s knead the bread... let''s knead the bread... let''s mix the flour, water, salt and sugar, and seeds to make bread dough...''

    He is in a good mood.

    I sat next to him, silently kneading the udon dough.

    I''ll mix in some butter and knead some more. I''m going to knead some more, then let it ferment.

    Again, let the dough rise, and after enough time, roll it out with a rolling pin.

    Cut it into noodles.

    When it''s done, I''ll knead it again and cut it into strips.

    Boil the finished noodles and make dipping sauce at the same time. This is where the shavings come into play.

    Throw the boiled udon noodles into the hot dipping sauce and sprinkle with chopped green onions.

    Put the batter in the oven and bake it to perfection.

    We''re done!

    I got it!

    "No!

    In the kitchen, there were two noodles and two breads in the kitchen.

    A duet of carbs and carbs.

    "Master was making bread, wasn''t he?¡¡We''re making something completely different from what I imagined!

    I never said I was going to make bread.¡¡Didn''t you notice that we''re making something else in the process?

    That''s part of it, but I''m mildly impressed that Veerle is able to make bread from scratch on his own.

    I''ll take a bite of one to try it out.

    It''s delicious just because it''s freshly baked!

    .........hmm?¡¡But it''s kind of salty, isn''t it?

    No, it''s a taste of tears.

    ''''Hmmm, let''s just taste the master''s new dish.

    Prati, I''m not very impressed.

    And then, without asking, you put your hand on the noodles I made.

    Is it some kind of soup?¡¡The bowl was mostly soup, with something long and weird in it...

    You''re going to hash it out?¡¡I''m not very good at using these.

    Viel was also immediately interested in the udon noodles.

    Despite what he says, he uses his chopsticks well, chomping on the noodles and bringing them to his mouth....

    It''s so good!

    I ate it.

    What''s that long and chewy texture?¡¡It''s made from the same material as the bread, so I thought it would be fluffy and fluffy, but it''s not!

    The soup is delicious too. Is this taste like the dried bonito flakes we made the other day?¡¡I see that this dish was only possible with bonito flakes!

    I''m happy to see how well they''re responding.

    "Let''s try my bread with udon dipping sauce. ....it''s delicious!

    Hey, Veerle, don''t be such a prude. But it''s still very tasty.

    The two of you have become flavor connoisseurs and are experimenting with different things.......?

    I don''t really admire that way of eating, but....

    But I''m curious, maybe I''ll give it a try later.¡¡Just once?

    Now then, I''ll take one more step........

    It''s not just bonito (a kind of otherworldly fish) that I''ve acquired from fishing during the winter months.

    I''ve caught a lot of other things as well.

    I got some shrimpy stuff out of it, so I sprinkled some batter on it and fried it in oil....

    ''Hoi.''

    I put it in their, still eating bowl of udon noodles.

    Shrimp tempura.

    The two of them instinctively squealed in delight.

    ''''This is awesome!¡¡I can tell it''s awesome!¡¡If I were to compare it to that, two things that are awesome on their own, combined into one!¡¡Not twice as great, but three times as great!

    The batter wrapped around these shrimp soaks up the udon noodles'' dipping sauce and the taste is synergistic!¡¡This robe is golden, gorgeous!¡¡I deserve to eat!

    I''m overjoyed.

    Next to me, I was making kakiage, this time.

    What other toppings were there for udon noodles?

    Meat, raccoon dog, fox, fox, wakame, tsukiji, wild vegetables, gobo-ten.......

    Hmm~?

    Is he coming out now?

    No, wait, there must have been many more.

    Most of the standing-only noodle or noodle shops in the train station must have had a wall full of toppings on the menu.

    For example.....

    Croquette Udon?

    No, that would be too odd. The contents of the falafel unraveled into dew and turned into something slimy....

    That''s good, right?¡¡No. Why not?¡¡You ready?

    Curry Udon.

    Isn''t that another independent and separate food?¡¡Not a kind of repertoire.

    Well, but my farm isn''t ready to make curry.

    On hold.

    If you don''t want to get caught up in the bondage of personalizing it with ingredients, there are also zaru udon noodles and noodle noodles with bukkake.

    I don''t need to get new ingredients for these, so I can make them right away...

    Oh, no, wait, I have to make sudare for zaru udon!

    There are so many things to prepare, it''s a lot of work.

    And the forbidden...!

    Natto Udon!

    When I came back from my pondering, the situation in the kitchen had changed drastically.

    This natto udon noodles have a good finish.

    !

    Natto Udon has become a reality!

    Of course, the executor is the Natto Angel Horcosfon!

    She has turned it into something like a Mito udon shop!

    Natto and udon is a great combination. Natto and udon is a fine combination, and I''m adding it to my natto repertoire.

    No, it wasn''t just Holkosfon, the kitchen was also crowded with other farm dwellers.

    Orcs and goblins were boiling the leftover noodles I had made and pouring them into bowl after bowl.

    They poured the dipping sauce into the bowls.

    I had no idea they''d go that far without my help....

    Oh, I''m sorry. I made it without permission.

    Do you want to try it, my dear?¡¡It''s delicious!

    No, I made that one.

    It''s not just Veerle, everyone else can cook without me anymore...?

    "Let''s try this one called tempura!

    "Let''s fry the pumpkins!¡¡And then there''s eggplant!¡¡And how about tomatoes and cucumbers?

    He doesn''t even know the source of the soup, so he''s not afraid to take on the challenge.

    Then you throw them in the udon noodles after frying them!

    Wonderful!¡¡You can taste all kinds of udon!

    This udon with sweet potato fries is quite good!

    This udon with chopped up burdock and deep-fried burdock is good, too!

    It''s butter tempura!

    It''s ice cream tempura!

    What kind of sake goes with this noodle and tempura is that...?

    Wouldn''t it taste better if they added seaweed to the udon noodles?

    And the wild vegetables.

    No longer was my passion for exploring food flowing out of me and being passed on to everyone on the farm.

    I had a real sense of time moving forward when I found out that Prathi was going to have my child, but that wasn''t all.

    Everything was growing up a little bit...!

    Every single one of us!

    And that growth is going to continue for a long time to come.

    And Holkosfone.

    Now let''s fry up some natto for tempura.

    "No, that''s a challenge that''s going to work very well.

 248-247 How to spend each winter (1)

    Winter has passed and spring has arrived.

    But before we celebrate the arrival of spring in earnest, I''d like to highlight a few more winters before that.

    How did the residents of our farm enjoy the winter months?

    Let''s look back at each of them.

    * * * *

    Let''s start with the spirit of the earth.

    Essentially, they are intangible spiritual beings that blend in with the soil and help nature to operate, but on our farm, they materialize and help us with household chores.

    ''It''s fuyu!

    It''s time for all of us to stop growing!

    It''s time for us to sleep in peace!

    For such earth spirits, the changing of the seasons has a great impact on them.

    The winter, when all living things have ceased their activities, seems to be an unsuitable season for them as well.

    It is said that they return to the earth quietly until spring comes.

    In other words, they hibernate.

    Goshujin-sama, it''s time to say goodbye!

    I''ll see you when it''s springtime!

    There''s never a winter that doesn''t start.

    They greeted each other with their mouths and went back to the earth where they dug into the soil.

    At times like this, I realized that the earth spirit is not a human being, even though it looks like a little girl.

    Let''s review the spirit of the earth again.

    They look like little girls.

    There are many of them.

    Her favorite food is butter, and not only is she a sucker for sweets with butter in them, but she can also eat butter on its own.

    He is able to materialize with the power of a god and helps me with the housework in my house.

    His main duties are cleaning.

    She keeps my mansion and other places in order, and doesn''t let even a single vermin get in.

    But during the winter months when the girls sleep, we have to clean it ourselves.

    Well, it doesn''t matter, because in the winter we can''t work in the fields and have our hands free.

    During the winter, the energy of the earth calms down, so the girls go back into the ground to sleep.

    The next time we will see them is in the spring.

    Winter is also known as "breeding", a season for them to sleep and store their life force.

    It is the season for all life to bloom in the coming spring.

    The spirits will surely show us their spectacular appearance in the spring.

    Thinking this, I decided to spend the winter in my own way.

    * * * *

    And spring.

    It''s a remembrance, so time flies at once.

    The snow melted, the stinging sensation in the air loosened and warmth returned.

    When that happens, the conditions for the earth spirit to wake up are set.

    ''Spring is here!''

    It''s time to wake up.

    The Awakening.

    One after another, the earth spirits crawled out of the soil.

    However, there was a definite difference between them and before they entered their early winter sleep.

    ''''They''re ... reproducing.

    I muttered.

    "They''re breeding...uhhhhhhhhhh?

    Yes, they were reproducing.

    Various parts of them are reproducing.

    The spirits of the earth that used to look like girls, or even little girls, have grown up.

    Their height had grown.

    Their flesh grew.

    Their tits grew.

    The roundness of their hips grew.

    They had grown into a more attractive woman than they had once been.

    "This is the effect of hibernation...?

    The result of sitting still and accumulating life force, a young girl has been transformed into a voluptuous sister!

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is your tradition of waking up.

    If you don''t do it, nothing else will get done.

    We''re on our way.

    ""Detox!"

    What the hell?

    The lusty earth spirits were surrounded by light...?

    After being dazzled for a moment, as my vision gradually returned, the earth spirits I saw in my eyes were.......

    ''''They''re going back to normal........?

    They were all in the form of adorable little girls.

    ''''Fuyu''s time is too much energy attached to it and it''s futu!

    So I''m going to hooch off the extra weight.

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡I''m Kyasto Ofu!¡¡I''m going to leave what you want with your memories at the entrance to tomorrow!

    That''s what the little girl spirit said to each other.

    Thus, the spirit of the earth in her s*xy sister''s outfit turned out to be a rare tradition that could only be seen for a short period of time at the start of winter.

    * * * *

    Then the time rewinds once again, and it was the height of winter''s cold.

    For Angel, the second princess of the mermaid kingdom, and her companions, it was the first time they had ever seen a snowy landscape.

    What...?

    ''''The ground is blank, Princess...?

    Starting with Angel, Discus, Bale Tail, Hechelly, and Batrax.

    The five of them.

    These women, who called themselves the Orthodox Five Witches Holy Ones, are now completely accustomed to life on the farm.

    I''m rarely surprised when I run into Veerle in dragon form or the No Life King''s teacher anymore.

    However, they were surprised by this snowy landscape.

    ''''Great, great, great!¡¡So this is what they say about snow?

    "This is the best of the best!¡¡My lady!¡¡It''s cold to the touch!

    And it''s even colder when you catch it in your mouth.¡¡It''s cold!

    They were frolicking like children.

    Well, their age is still in the category of children, but....

    Phew, they are so excited about their first snowfall, aren''t they, little girls!

    Then Prati (before she found out she was pregnant) shows up.

    She''s my wife, and she''s the head of the mermaid team.

    "I''m not much of a mermaid lady to make a fuss over a mere snowfall!

    Last year, when the first snowfall occurred, even Prati looked up and opened her mouth wide....

    I''m going to teach you a few must-have ways to enjoy the snow with elegance.¡¡You and your predecessors, as full-fledged mermaid ladies!

    What did you say?

    Prati and Angel.

    The mood for a confrontation between the sisters is suddenly set in motion again.

    What the hell do you want to tell me, big sister?¡¡You''re the enemy, you''re the one who sent me salt water.

    You should try harder than that before you are an enemy of mine.

    You''re still very strict with your sister, aren''t you, Prati?

    "I''m going to teach you to play with snow. "I''m going to show you how to play with snow, a limited game that can only be played when the snow is so thick.

    Limited play!

    "You hold a handful of snowflakes in your hand and press them together into a ball. Then you throw it at your opponent.

    That''s a snowball fight.

    I taught him last winter.

    It''s a very childish thing for Prati to teach people something that humans have taught her...

    What''s the name of the game?

    What''s your name?

    "Slaughterhouse!

    No, no.

    There was no slaughter.

    I was watching from the side, and as expected, I couldn''t miss it and called out to Prati.

    ''It''s not, is it, Prati?¡¡A snowball fight, not a massacre?

    Why are we naming it something that''s significantly more dangerous?

    ''Sir......... A battle is a battle, isn''t it?¡¡A fight can only happen between people who are on the same level, you know?

    Huh...?

    "There will be no fights with those who are vastly outnumbered. It will only be a one-sided slaughter. The strongest ones will overrun the weakest ones. Huh?

    The way Prati looks at her sister is exactly the same as the way she looks down on the weak.

    Angel noticed it and lost his temper in an instant.

    It''s not a good idea.¡¡I can''t allow my sister to look down on me!¡¡Okay, let''s do it.¡¡Of course, I''m the one who has to do the killing!

    ''''Fine, I''m going to put it into that body once again that there is no better sister than my sister...!

    Her sister Angel''s side joined the other girl mermaids to surround Platy in a five-on-one battle, but it was still a one-sided slaughter and the Angel team was overrun.

    It would be a pity for the Angels if it ended like this, so they added Elon and Gobukichi as helpers to equalize their abilities, and everyone enjoyed the snowball fight.

 249-248 How to spend each winter (2)

    I''ll continue to reflect on how we spent the winter on our farm.

    The next thing I recall is this rare incident.

    * * * *.

    A naked woman rushes out into the silver world.

    Hmm?

    I meditated quickly, but I could still see what I glimpsed.

    And if I don''t see it, I can''t deal with it.

    ''''What the hell is this mutation...?''''

    I held my eyelids down with both hands so that I couldn''t see, and yet the yellow voice that entered my ears.

    ''Yada, it''s cold!

    ''''I''m getting cold all over...!¡¡It''s freezing...?

    Booze!¡¡Booze...!

    "Warm up your whole body.........?

    .................

    What is going on?

    With my vision blocked off, it was impossible for me to grasp the situation except by guessing.

    ''This is a training exercise,''

    Hmm?

    Is that the voice of Bacchus, the God of Drinking?

    The one who''s been living on our farm for some time now, vigorously developing and manufacturing booze!

    ''Well I feel like there''s a naked woman running around in front of me, is it my imagination?

    No, they''re running around, all 15 of our priestesses are naked!

    Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    Careless!¡¡You almost opened your eyes!

    Why?¡¡Why are you running around in the nude?

    I told you. This is an exercise. This is a discipline, like the priestess of our Order of Bacchus.

    Training?

    As I said before, running around in the cold in the nude is not exactly training for what?

    Oh, a cold marathon?

    "Hey, it''s cold out there in the frigid, snowy air, jumping naked into the snow.

    A chill runs down my spine as you can imagine.

    Then I pour the liquor into my cold body, and it warms me up. Then I jump back into the snow to cool myself down. Drinking sake warms you up. By repeating this process...

    So?

    More alcohol to consume on a regular basis!

    What kind of training is this?

    I don''t care how much they are a cult of drinkers, they still have to train hard to learn to drink?

    A Bacchus priestess?

    It''s a seasonal event that can only be done in the winter.

    I don''t know, but at least don''t get naked. Public morals will be disturbed...?

    It''s me, still covering my eyes with my own hands.

    ''Wouldn''t your clothes get wet if you jumped into the snow with your clothes on?

    ''''Why do you have to be so sensible there!

    For the most part, it''s tempting to wickedly assume that Bacchus, the leader of this insane training, doesn''t inspire anything at the sight of a naked woman, but the other party is a god, albeit only half a god.

    He has a lifespan of a thousand years, and his s*x drive is no longer exhausted.

    The only thing they have is a passion for drinking and cooking.

    ''This is how we will train and raise our best and brightest and give impetus to our new plans for next spring.

    A new plan?

    We''ll be selling our farm''s wine to the outside world.

    Why would you do that?

    Not that there''s anything wrong with that.

    We should all share a good drink, shouldn''t we?

    This is what the god of drinking was all about.

    However, this nudity-boosting exercise had an unexpected effect on the women, who were influenced by the hot springs, and they were awakened to the pleasure of repeatedly throwing their warmed-up bodies out of the baths and into the snow to warm themselves again.

    As a result, a number of women jumped out of the women''s baths completely naked.

    This has led to a number of women jumping out of the women''s baths completely naked, forcing them to crack down even more to protect the public morals of the farm.

    * * * *

    And Lettuce Rate, the princess of the human race.

    I thought she would be bored during the winter without being able to grow Solanum, but she was enjoying the winter in her own way.

    ''Good, good, good...!

    I looked to see what he was doing and saw that he was trying to roll a snowball and make it bigger by rolling the other snow into it.

    ''Building a snowman?''

    It''s the one I used to teach, and this year it''s gone viral again, and there are snowmen all over the farm, lined up like five hundred arhats.

    ''Yes!¡¡I''ll create a luxury product worthy of a princess'' work, one that''s different from all the other mediocre snowmen!

    She''s still a girl who wields her princess pride in a strange way.

    ''''Well, if you''re going to make a snowman, you need another snowball, but what do you do?¡¡Do you want me to help you?

    Two parts of the body and two parts of the head.

    It''s winter for me too, and I don''t want to get any exercise if I''m not careful, so I have to take the initiative and get moving.

    Don''t worry about it!¡¡Another snowball is already in the works with a reliable helper!

    Oh, you''re already there?

    It''s no use. I guess I''ll just start making my own snowman on my own.

    ''Hol!¡¡How about that snowball over there?

    "Everything''s fine, lettuce rate.

    Huh?

    Are you Holkosfone, helping to build a snowman for Lettuce Rate and rolling snowballs?

    The angelic Holkosphone?

    One of the strongest in our farm, and one of the strongest in our farm, and with the right amount of skill, when Holkosfone makes a snowball...!

    We have made a snowball for the head.

    "''Bigger''?

    Me and Lettuce-Rate girl.

    I''m truly amazed as I look up at the towering snowball.

    It''s no longer on a level that can be called a snowball.

    It was a spherical snow mountain.

    The diameter of the sphere exceeds the height of the roof of my house with ease.

    If the angel Holkosfone was serious about making snowballs, would they ever get to this size?

    Scary.

    ''''Hey!¡¡Horrible!¡¡It''s too big!¡¡This doesn''t balance out the snowball I made at all!

    Comparing the size of snowballs made by Holkosfone with the snowballs made by Lettuce rate girl....

    Earth and Moon.

    I can''t help but think that this is so without exaggeration.

    ''Lettuce Rate, the head is complete. I would like a snowball for the body, please.

    ''''Even this one is already finished!

    And the snowball in the Holkosphone was for the head.

    It''s obvious that the body will be crushed by the head.

    Then I''m going to put it on. Se-no.

    And I put it on mercilessly.

    Sure enough, Lettuce Rate''s snowball, Holkosfon''s snowball, crushed me.

    ''''Gyaaahhhhhh!¡¡My masterpiece aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

    From then on, the two collaborators'' joint snowman became the farm''s largest exposed-necked snowball, attracting the attention of the people around them.

    Her goal of ''making a special snowman'' was achieved.

    * * * *

    The last to speak is the Panus of Satyrs.

    Their job is to produce dairy products, though.

    They took advantage of the coldness of the snowfall to mass produce ice cream.

    It is understandable that they want to take advantage of the cold weather to make something cold.

    But when it''s cold, human nature is to balance out the intake of warm food to maintain a constant body temperature.

    As it turns out, hot milk and cheese hondu are more popular among farmers.

    It was hard to be a fierce competitor of ice cream when it was cold.

    Panu and her friends had no choice but to consume the ice cream by themselves.

    However, it seems that they were in a hurry to make too much, and the amount of ice cream they consumed was no longer enough for the girls to eat alone.

    Saints...!¡¡If you would like to have a drink...!

    He presses his blue lips to mine, and I have no choice but to join him.

    "I''m going to get hit in the head...!¡¡How much is left?

    138 cups, including today''s batch.

    Why produce another one?

    In the end, I managed to get through it by raising consumption by arranging them in the hot spring''s after-bath corner.

    * * * *

    This is roughly how the residents of our farm spend their winter.

    The orcs and elves were busy creating attractions for Oakbo Castle, and the goblins were busy again, taking care of the farm while they were away.

    All in all, I think it was a full winter.

    So, now that we''ve passed the period of being holed up in the cold, we''ll move on to the next installment of the spring story in earnest.

 250-249 Sake to seep

    The first thing I did in the spring.

    It was a tasting of fruit and herbal liquors.

    Around the fall, I soaked various fruits and herbs in the distilled liquor created by Bacchus, the god of wine, in the hopes that the flavors would seep into the liquor.

    It should have lasted all winter and finally be ready to drink!

    It must be!

    Normally, the theory of fruit wine would be to pickle it before the rainy season and drink it in the fall. Please don''t make me feel like I''m not in season.

    That''s why they lined up in front of us, with all sorts of colors of sake in front of us.

    The standard plum wine was at the top of the list, followed by cider, lemon, peach, loquat, orange and kiwi sake.

    There was also a wide variety of herb drinks specially prepared by the pratys.

    All of them absorbed the extracts of the ones they injected into the core of the liquor, giving it a unique color not found in ordinary liquors.

    ''''........You can''t drink all of this in one sip......even if you take a sip at a time......?

    At any rate, everyone drinks the largest amount of plum wine they''ve made, and it''s very exciting.

    "Yum!¡¡Only plums taste good!

    It''ll be even better if you put some water in it.

    The plums in the water are delicious!

    I''ll make jam later. Don''t eat it all.

    It has been generally well received.

    Let''s make this another staple on our farm''s permanent production menu.

    ''Saints, saints.''

    I was feeling good and tipsy when I was stopped.

    I was stopped by Bacchus, the god of sake.

    "I want to see the results of the other pickled sake. Will you come with me?

    Bacchus has now established himself as the head of the brewing department at our farm.

    He says he has made dozens of different types of leftover sake, and only a handful of them have been shown at the brewery.

    The so-called "cheapest".

    They''re all sake that you can be sure will taste good!

    Well, it was a wise decision.

    The farm put out an open call for ideas on what kind of sake to make, and there were some pretty crazy ideas, but Bacchus was willing to go through with them all.

    But Bacchus was willing to try them all, believing that there was no chance of achieving a miracle, no matter how ridiculous the method.

    The extent of his resolve is just as good as that of an inquirer of alcohol....

    But there were some things that looked like they would be outliers, weren''t there?

    Natto wine, the Horcosfon''s idea, or........

    ''Failure is the yeast of success......... There''s nothing wrong with trying. But even so, there''s a problem...!

    ''What?¡¡What?

    "What''s this...?

    Bacchus shows me around the brewery, and I''m blown away by what he shows me, and I''m scared out of my wits.

    It was a huge, stupidly large bottle of wine.

    It was so tall that I had to look up at it.

    How did they come up with such a huge bottle?

    That''s where the mystery comes in, but the biggest mystery was not the container, but its contents. It was a glass bottle, so of course we could see the inside.

    Inside the large bottle was a large amount of liquor, probably shochu, and floating in it.

    And floating inside it.....

    "Dragon!

    Dragon sake?

    Who would try to make such a thing?

    Are you confusing it with something like Habju?

    Veerle!¡¡Veerleeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    I bang the bottle and call out to Veerle inside.

    What is this guy seriously doing?

    You called for me, master?

    "Kyahhhhhh?

    I was surprised to be called from behind!

    "Huh?¡¡Veerle!

    The human form of Veerle was normal.

    It was this guy who called out from behind.

    ''''Eh?¡¡And what about the dragon in the bottle?¡¡Who?

    The dragon in the bottle.

    And outside the bottle, a dragon (that''s Veerle).

    When it comes to dragons on my farm, there is no other dragon on my farm but Veerle.

    That''s why I had assumed that the one in the large bottle was Veerle, too.

    I thought to myself, "If there is a Veerle outside the bottle, then the dragon inside the bottle is not a Veerle!¡¡Huh?¡¡Who?¡¡Who are you really?¡¡...Oh, that''s Veerle''s alter ego!

    It''s not the first time you''ve done something like that!

    I could create a physical alter ego to guard the mountain dungeon!¡¡It''s that alter ego again, isn''t it?

    No, this is a different kind of dragon than me, okay?

    Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    ''Well, didn''t I introduce you?¡¡Okay then. Let me introduce you.

    Veerle taps the bottle with a gong. As if to knock.

    ''Seedle. My master is interested in you. Come out and say hello.

    ''It''s okay, sister?¡¡I''ve only been here for two months, sir.

    I mean, you could at least show your face for a while.

    It''s alive!

    Maybe it''s not so surprising that a dragon can do anything and still be sealed up and alive while being drunk all over, but I''m alive!

    "Come on, it''s been a long time since we''ve had fresh air.

    The lid of the bottle is opened, and the dragon that had been soaked in alcohol comes out of the bottle with only his face.

    I see that you are the master of your sister Veerle. I am Seidl, the Grinzel Dragon.''''

    Ha, ha, hi, nice to meet you...?

    It''s the best I can do to respond to the situation, which is so uncomplicated.

    A dragon that has been drenched in alcohol comes out of his drink and greets you in a very polite manner...?

    ''''Um, it''s nice to meet you........right?''''

    ''Yes, I''ve never met you before. What about it?''

    Why is a dragon I''ve never seen before marinating in wine on my farm?

    It''s a locked room murder mystery!

    I''ll tell you what it is.

    Veerle interrupts with a knowing look on his face.

    I know, you''re the one who caused it anyway!

    It was a normal winter afternoon and I was bored to death with nothing to do but...

    "Hm.

    So I decided to go interrupt the other dragons to kill some time.

    !

    Speaking of which, are these dragons somehow the next dragon king?¡¡You''ve been put through a gauntlet by the current Dragon King to determine what it is?

    So if you interrupt the other dragons and make them fail the ordeal, the competition will drop out and you''ll get a good deal.

    Cunning.

    "So I fumbled around, and then I ran into this Seadr. Just as soon as I got close enough to interrupt him...

    Instead of intercepting her, the other side clutched at her.

    The actuality of this is that it''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on it. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.

    It''s not a good idea to be a part of it, because the ordeal that was given to me is reckless.¡¡Even a dragon can never achieve this...!''''

    So what was the ordeal?

    I didn''t want to hear too much, but that wouldn''t get us anywhere, so I had to urge him on.

    ''It''s a test for you to bring me the fruit of Ambrosia.

    No, why don''t you just go get it?

    Fruit?

    You''re a dragon, so getting a piece of fruit or two would be a piece of cake, right?

    It''s not going to happen, Master.

    Viel adds.

    ''Ambrosia has long since become extinct and is a fruit found nowhere else on earth.

    Isn''t that too much to ask?

    No matter how many dragons, it would be impossible to find something that had already disappeared.

    I was at my wits'' end when I met Miss Veerle. I was so happy to see her because there was no one else to turn to and I was so weak...

    She hugged him and cried herself to him.

    He cried so vigorously that I couldn''t push him any further...

    You didn''t follow through on your original intentions when your first goal was to sabotage.

    ''And then I remembered the master. The master would grow trees and grasses out of thin air without sowing any seeds, wouldn''t he?

    Yes.

    As part of the potion of the Supremacy Leader.

    It''s really quite versatile, this gift.

    I thought, "If he''s such a good master, he should be able to sprout a dead Ambrosia and grow it to fruition," so I brought him here.

    Okay, I understand how this Mr. Seadr came to the farm.

    But I don''t know why he was in the bottle.

    How did that happen?

    ''''I, a noble dragon, do not owe a ningen or any other person a debt of gratitude!¡¡''''To a lower life form''s human child and so on!

    The language is polite, but this is the kind of thing that makes me feel like a dragon.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect before you listen to our request!¡¡But, since you are a ningen who has taken sister Veerle to task, I thought that most things would be met.......

    So, you were having a good time with the wine, weren''t you?¡¡So I thought, maybe if I get him a drink with a dragon in it, he''ll be happy.

    ''Yes, Miss Veerle told me and I decided to take a quick dip in the bottle.¡¡And even if you''ve been zipping around in a drink for six months or so, it''s no pain to the dragon!''''

    I wouldn''t want to be stuck playing with my master for so long.

    That''s why I''m here...?

    Why didn''t I notice it...?¡¡Come to think of it, I''ve been away all winter preparing for the attractions at Okubo Castle and fishing!

    If you were visiting while I was away, I can''t blame you for not noticing it, but Ville, report it!

    It''s useless to expect such a thing from this guy!

    It''s been less than two months since I started to pickle, so I''m determined to do even better!¡¡When it''s completed, we''ll definitely be able to do the Ambrosia cultivation good!''''

    I''m interested in this dragon infused drink too, so I''m looking forward to it! Isn''t that right, master?¡¡Why don''t you take a little taste while you''re at it?

    There''s nothing more rude than tasting a pre-finished pickled sake....

    The sake of pickled dragons.

    I''m curious to see what it tastes like.

    Is it still like hub sake?

    I take a scoop of Seadr''s soaked liquor and bring it to my mouth.

    ''''Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    What is this liquor aaaaaaaaahhhh!

    Tasty!¡¡And that''s not all!¡¡My body is enveloped in a simmering heat, and I''m filled with power ughhhh!

    No amount of booze can hold this much power!

    Dragon Wine!

    What''s the best drink in the world?

    "Oh, saint. You shouldn''t drink anything with dragons in it.

    Bacchus, who hadn''t bothered to check the quality of the other drinks, said as if it were a matter of course.

    ''Because it makes you immortal,''

    ''''Why are you telling me this after you''ve finished drinking?

    After all, when dragons are involved, any item can be pierced through.

 251-250 the secret of the dragon

    For now, we can''t just leave it alone now that we''ve discovered it.

    We had to respond to a new dragon, Seadul-san.

    ''''Are you sure, Ara?¡¡And you haven''t even finished your drink yet?

    It''s rather a bad one if you finish it.

    The dragon wine is said to be soaked with dragon extracts.

    You can''t drink it unless you''re prepared to drink it and become immortal or something.

    The one I drank was still a thin, shallowly pickled sake, so it didn''t make me immortal.......

    ........So, it''s okay, right?

    Can I trust you to be okay?

    Anyway, I asked her to climb out of the liquor bottle as well, in order to explore the ambrosia fruit that Mr. Seidl was pursuing.

    I also had her change into human form so that we could have an easier conversation.

    The humanized Ms. Seadul was as beautiful as her mannerisms had impressed me, slender and tall, with proportions that were almost bursting.

    In short, a dynamite buddy.

    ''''..........''''

    I compare it to Veerle''s human form.

    ''Hey, she calls Veerle her sister...''

    Do you have a problem with that?

    There is none.

    I gingerly shoved the words into my chest.

    So, the ambrosia in question.

    I''m sure it''s a fruit, since it''s called a "fruit". It''s what grows on the branches of trees.

    It is said that this plant is already extinct and does not exist on earth.

    When I stroke the soil with my supreme bearer, plants from another world that shouldn''t exist in this world grow up.

    So it may be theoretically possible to germinate a plant, even if it is extinct....

    ''But even so, is it possible to make something completely unfamiliar bear fruit?

    It''s a first attempt.

    I don''t know how it will turn out until I try it.

    In the first place, we have never seen this plant before, so even if it sprouted and produced a nice fruit, we would not be able to judge whether it was a success or a failure.

    It''s a tree you''ve never seen before, so it will probably produce fruit you''ve never seen before.

    ''Mmmm.........!¡¡What''s going on...?

    If it''s about fruits, it''s a dungeon orchard, so I''m thinking about it while I come there and look at the various fruit trees.

    ''''Oh my goodness, there are so many colorful trees, it''s a very nice dungeon.''''

    ''Of course!¡¡The master has remodeled the dungeons I control!

    Veerle, Seadr''s dragon sister, who followed me.

    ''Can I go look around for a moment?¡¡It''s not very often that you visit a human-sama''s dungeon.......!

    "Look around as much as you like!¡¡And you will know the greatness of me and my master!

    He is a proud Veerle.

    And Seidl looks around here and there just to take you at your word, but.......

    ''''Kyaaaaaahhhh!

    "What''s going on?!

    I suddenly heard a scream, so I hurriedly headed over.

    That voice was definitely Seedul.

    It must be something for a dragon to scream!

    What''s the matter?¡¡What happened!

    I sit down very close and pick up Seadr, who was sitting on his buttocks.

    "Oh, I found it........!

    "Huh?

    This is Ambrosia!

    What?

    Ambrosia is now extinct. You don''t find Ambrosia anywhere!

    As I followed Seadr''s trembling fingers, I found a bright red fruit that had grown into a luxuriant tree.

    ''Apples?''

    Yes, an apple.

    To me it''s just fruit.

    "You think this is ambrosia?¡¡Where I''m from, it''s called apples?

    ''I''m sure of it!¡¡Your father told me exactly what Ambrosia was all about before I left!

    Say that quickly.

    But how is it possible for a plant that died out in this world to thrive in the previous world under a different name?

    How is that possible?

    ''If it''s an apple tree, there are plenty of apple trees growing in the dungeon orchard, and the fruit is eaten every day. This too.....

    He plucked one of the well-ripened apples and wiped it with a hand towel.

    ''One for you, sir.

    "What?¡¡But you have something for your father...?

    Don''t worry, there are plenty more growing.

    Seadul swam his eyes for a while and showed a look of hesitation, but eventually he shuffled with intent.

    I felt like the snake that made Eve eat the forbidden fruit.

    ''''It''s delicious!¡¡As expected of your father to choose it for his trials!''''

    I''ll bake you an apple pie when I get home.

    ''By golly!¡¡I can''t believe it was already there, let alone raising Ambrosia!¡¡You are indeed your sister''s husband.

    Take as much as you want to take home.

    ''Thank you!¡¡I will never forget what I owe you!¡¡I''ll be sure to return the favor eventually...!

    It was Seidl, who was on the verge of turning back into a dragon and flying away at any moment.

    ........but.

    ''''Wait a minute.''''

    Someone stopped it with a calm voice.

    It was Seadul''s sister, our familiar dragon, Veerle.

    ''''Will you take this and acknowledge that it''s really Ambrosia?

    Yes?

    Viel looks at the apple in his hand and says, ''It''s actually an apple?

    ''It''s actually an apple.¡¡If you say it''s just a different species that looks like Ambrosia, how do you prove it''s not?

    Well....?

    If you fail the ordeal, you''ll be stripped of your magic and intelligence on the spot and turned into a Lesser Dragon.¡¡If you go back with a ''maybe this will work,'' you''ll just turn into a big lizard.

    What''s going on?

    Isn''t Veerle in more serious mode than ever?

    As a matter of fact, I''ve been hearing rumors lately...

    "Rumor?

    ''Your father doesn''t really intend to select his successor by ordeal, does he?¡¡And.

    What do you mean, sister?¡¡Isn''t Father putting us through a gauntlet to choose a new Geyser Dragon?

    Huh?¡¡What?

    Seriously?

    ''Why should the ordeal determine your successor in the first place?¡¡Your father''s rightful successor was supposed to be Brother Alexander, the Glaugrintz Dragon.

    That''s because Brother Alexander has had a falling out with your father.

    "Old Father is no longer strong enough to resist the young and fierce Brother Alexander. Isn''t that why he''s making use of us?

    "Use?

    They call it an ordeal to choose my successor, and as punishment for failing to perform the ordeal, they will turn me into a lesser dragon and steal my magic. He is trying to accumulate that magical power to secure his power against Brother Alexander!

    So, are you saying that the ordeal and the selection of a successor is a farce?

    I decided to sit down and have a cup of tea, having no room to interrupt the seriousness of the conversation.

    But..........¡¡Then why are you putting us through an ordeal?¡¡If you want power, why don''t you just take it away?

    No matter how much power a Geyser dragon has, he cannot force another dragon to take its power. That''s why I used the magic of the oath.

    A covenant...?

    A curse enforced on those who make and break promises. Then you can strip us of our powers in the name of punishment. Without any effort.

    "The dummy of the ordeal is used to make us sign an oath without our knowledge, and then take away our power through the device of breaking it. Is that your father''s true purpose...?

    ''Yes. ........

    Veerle said.

    ''''Well the corpse mole in our neighborhood guessed it.

    You got all that from a guy who just said that?

    That''s good.

    I had a role to play in the last minute.

    It''s a very serious reasoning for Veerle, but it''s your reasoning?¡¡From the teacher of the No Life King?

    As expected of a teacher, you''ve thought this through very well!

    I got to know that corpse monster through my master, so I was able to ask him a lot of questions. Now that I think about it, I have a pretty good idea what I''m talking about.

    ''''Indeed, there are many things that would make sense if you go by that theory........ If that''s true, even if you passed the ordeal, there''s a good chance you''d be rejected because of the difficulty...?

    ''''Your ordeal in particular is full of tweaks, even if you take that fruit with you. You will definitely be turned into a Lesser Dragon first.

    Wha...?

    It''s best to just dodge the blame game and wait for Brother Alexander to make his move.

    It was Veerle who said, deflatingly, "I don''t know.

    I don''t know, or rather, I dare not want to know, but I guess the world of dragons is hard to understand, too.

    And after being told the unacceptable truth, Seadr is in agony while turning his eyes.

    ''''Then when I return to your father''s place, I''ll be rejected regardless of my achievements...?¡¡But if I don''t come back, where do I stay...?

    I''ve been thinking in circles.

    I''m going to have to stay in the bottle for a while longer.

    I''m going to have to stay in the bottle for a while longer!

    I guess the idea is to postpone the conclusion by retreating into the bottle.

    Why don''t you go have some apple pie first?

    Hey, I''m gonna eat.

    Thus, another dragon came to live in our farm''s brewery.

    It has become reclusive.........

    No, but even if we were to extract plenty of it and complete the dragon wine, we wouldn''t be able to have it?

 252-251 Ship Renovation Project

    Something I wanted to get further into in the spring.

    A ship conversion.

    During the winter months I built a ship.

    The ship was in uniform form and made its maiden voyage, but it was still not truly finished.

    Reason number one.

    There is a lot of wasted space.

    The No Life King''s teacher installed a magic heat source in the steam engine of this ship, which was originally supposed to operate as a steamship.

    Therefore, this ship was turned into a magic-powered ship that kept sailing eternally without refueling, and the space for loading coal, which was the original fuel for the ship, was left in the air.

    There are other facilities that have a similar history. A refrigerator for storing the fish caught.

    However, with Prati''s idea, the fish caught are thrown into the farm''s refrigerator with immediate transfer magic, so there is no need to store them in the first place.

    Thus, the ship''s refrigerator is also dispensed with.

    There was a lot of dead space on the ship that had become unused.

    We would like to give it a new role and upgrade our ship.

    The second reason why my ship is incomplete....

    No. 2.

    There is very little decoration.

    Or rather, none.

    My gift ''supreme bearer'' is a miraculous hand that can make any thing semi-automatic if I want to make it.

    The fact that this magic steamship was built by the supreme bearer is a great achievement, but even such an omnipotent ability has its weaknesses.

    It is completely ineffective in artistic fields.

    For example, creative painting and sculpture. Impossible.

    Even if I had a brush, I would not be able to write a great, moving novel.

    It seems that those kinds of artifacts, which differ in what is best for each person who sees them, are the "supreme bearer''s" area of weakness.

    ........It may just be that my taste is devastating.

    That''s why my ship also lacks any decorative elements that it should have.

    There''s no goddess statue on the bow of the ship, no intricate carving on the parapet, not even paint on the hull.

    During construction, I didn''t pay that much attention to it, as my first priority was to carry out the fishing and get the fish that could be used to make bonito flakes...

    When it came time to accomplish that goal, the lack of decorations on the ship became a concern.

    I''d like to refurbish the interior as well as the exterior of the ship.

    "...but I''ll have to leave the exterior to someone else.

    Because I''ve just analyzed that field myself as hopeless.

    I can''t do anything about this unless I leave it to others.

    We need to put the interior aside for now and think about who we want to do the exterior.

    Couldn''t it be one of the elves?

    In the meantime, I talked to my wife, Prathi, about it.

    It''s a delicate time in the early stages of pregnancy, but her wisdom is not overshadowed.

    Therefore, she is the best choice for a consultant.

    Our department is in charge of elves, isn''t it? Why don''t you go find five or six of them that are suitable for the job?

    I''ve thought about it.

    It''s just that.

    The leader of the Elf team, Elon, recently....

    -- ''Ship decorations?¡¡Why do you have to decorate it?¡¡The act of decorating itself only takes you away from true beauty. I have reached the peak of beauty by firing plates day and night, and I have come to realize that there is no beauty greater than the beauty of nature. Man''s artificial beauty is nothing more than a pretentious trick compared to natural beauty. The act of decorating is itself an act of art. Nature is beautiful without decoration. The more it is decorated, the further away it is from the beauty of nature. The pursuit of beauty is to find creative ways to bring the beauty made by human hands closer to the beauty of nature. Therefore, the ultimate beauty, which is unique and unique, is born from the resentful combination of bold handiwork and accidental coloring, with the elimination of ornamentation as much as possible.

    So I can''t ask for it.

    ''''To begin with, elves are good at creating small items that fit in your hand.......''''

    As you might expect, the processing of large structures like ships is outside the scope of duty.

    So.....

    I can''t think of anyone else on our farm who could.

    Batty is creatively gifted in clothing, but I don''t think he can do carpentry.

    Okubo and the others are now professional-level carpenters, but not as artistic as they should be.

    We''ll have to outsource it.

    So who do we go to for help?

    I think it''s safe to get a random introduction from the Demon King.

    I''m afraid that if I ask the demon trader Shax-san to do it, I''ll owe him a big debt of gratitude.

    .........

    ''Huh?¡¡What''s wrong with you, Bacchus?

    I noticed that Bacchus, the god of drinking, was standing right next to me.

    The fact that he has a somewhat difficult expression on his face is a mystery.

    ''''I have an idea about that person, but...''''

    ''What?¡¡Really?

    Or rather, they asked me without asking....

    A recommendation from the god of drinking that has survived thousands of years for a contractor to decorate the ship.

    You can trust him, can''t you?

    May I bring him with me?

    ''Yeah, fine, fine. If that''s who Bacchus is bringing in, it''s no problem. ........So why are you smiling earlier?

    But I''m good at it. They are the best craftsmen in the world, so I''m sure they''re good at building things. ...But you know what, that passion for making things is going to be a bad thing...!

    It was a rare thing for Bacchus to pretend as if the thing was stuck in his back teeth.

    Well, why don''t you bring him in anyway?

    * * *

    It was the dwarf that Bacchus had brought with him.

    Is he the one who commissioned you to make a distillery for alcohol before?

    It''s true that that distiller was good workmanship, and I can feel that it''s safe to leave it to him.......

    ''''..........!

    We actually had a dwarf master come and see the actual ship.

    It''s a bit embarrassing to show an amateur-built ship to a professional dwarf, but....

    Please don''t tweak the details, okay?

    However, Mr. Dwarf didn''t flinch a bit after a glance at the ship and stopped moving.

    ''''........Um?''''

    He is a dwarf who doesn''t move much, so I was curious and called out to him, but he didn''t move.

    Not only not moving, but not breathing?

    Mr. Dwarf, he was dead while standing.

    Why?

    In a great hurry, I called the doctor from the dungeon and had my soul returned to me with a jutsu.

    If I had been a little later, it would have been impossible to revive him.

    ''''The anti-soul technique is not effective if the soul crosses into the underworld or the body is damaged too much.

    I''m really sorry to trouble you, doctor.

    How come you''re dead all of a sudden, dwarf?

    When I asked him about it, he said he couldn''t accept the fact that such a ship made of total mana metal existed.

    I heard that he was so shocked and moved that his heart stopped.

    Is he........is he okay?

    Can I trust you to do your job?

    I finally understood why that bacchus was hesitating with a sour look on his face.

    I don''t know how many times I''ll die of a heart attack if I ask him to decorate the ship at this point, so I''ll ask someone else to do the job to avoid a bad ending.......

    ''Wait!''

    He was suddenly clutched by a dwarf.

    ''This job!¡¡By all means, let me do this job!¡¡Such a huge amount of manna metal processing!¡¡This will be the best job I''ve ever had in my life!¡¡I''ll regret missing this job for the rest of my life!¡¡I''ll regret it so much I''ll die!

    You''re going to die if I ask for a job and you''re going to die if I don''t?

    I''ve applied to a troublesome person........

    At the very least, if I leave the job to him, even if I die, the worst that could happen is that I''ll be able to become a Buddha, so I decided to leave it to him.

    The dwarf was as happy as if he had risen to the heavens and was on the verge of ascending.

    I was beginning to feel a bit uneasy about the future.

    * * * *

    Anyway, the work began, and the dwarven master brought in a few assistants from his home base and set about working on the decorations to make our ship look better.

    Another concern I had was about modifying the interior of the ship. I was thinking of doing this one myself, but the dwarves started to push hard....

    ''''You too!¡¡Let us do the same for you!

    I''m not going to charge you anything extra for that!¡¡It''s a blessing to be involved in the construction of this amazing ship!

    And I was pushed out of the way and ended up leaving it all to them.

    Well.

    I wonder what kind of ship it will be made into....

 253-252 Dwarf Melancholy

    I am Edward, master of the dwarven underground empire.

    I haven''t been able to get any work done since then.

    Which one?

    Mana Metal.

    A large quantity of ingots from that stinking Bacchus.

    An unmistakable ingot of mana metal.

    It is said that even a lump the size of the tip of your pinky finger can be brought home to play with for the rest of your life, but where did he get that much mana metal from!

    I can''t get into anything because I''m worried about that.

    Every day I do something like waving a hammer vaguely at work and accidentally hitting my finger and crushing my bones.

    This is all because I not only saw that massive amount of mana metal, but I actually processed it with my own hands.

    The feel of the mana metal is so familiar to me that I can''t get rid of it.

    For us Dwarf craftsmen, the feel of hammering and forging metal is an important guideline for creating the best products.

    This is why our hands will always remember it.

    That''s why my hands will always remember the time when I created the manna metal distillery.

    The touch which is hot, rigid, and yet feels comfortable like touching a feather.

    The most beautiful dwarven woman I ever met couldn''t feel that good when I was stroking her ass.

    Since then, I have been completely fascinated by mana metal.

    I made the distillery exactly according to the client''s instructions that time, and I wondered what kind of bliss it would be to be able to freely make whatever I wanted with that much mana metal.

    Just imagining it makes me feel like I''m going to heaven.

    But every time I realize that this is just a fantasy, I am overcome with disappointment.

    Would I be able to work with mana metals again...?

    Every time I thought that, I let out a sigh.

    * * *

    Hey, you guys...

    He would ask his cronies, the young dwarves, "Teme, what would you like to make with mana metal if you were allowed to use as much mana metal as you want?

    ''''Teme, if you guys were allowed to use as much mana metal as you wanted, what would you want to make with mana metal?''''

    What''s going on, master?

    Well, it''s no wonder people get suspicious when you ask them strange questions.

    It''s a bit of a joke. There''s no point in it, just say what''s on your mind.

    Strange master. .........hmmm......it''s mana metal, isn''t it?¡¡Such a super luxury item...

    The henchman dwarf took it surprisingly seriously........

    ''.............YU, ring?

    Little!

    I told you, you can have all the time you want!

    It''s only in your imagination, so think boldly and not bound by reality!

    Then another dwarf stepped forward.

    "So long, master!¡¡What about a sword?

    A sword...?

    It''s not just a sword.¡¡Two-handed swords, wielded with both hands, without a shield!¡¡The bigger and heavier it is, the more minerals it uses, the more minerals it uses.

    A two-handed sword.

    That''s a good idea.

    It''s also prized as a ritual weapon, a weapon that is used by us dwarves to show off our skills.

    That''s why the use of a two-handed sword with a large amount of minerals is a bold idea.

    "Oh, you guys still think so little, don''t you?

    Huh?

    What''s with the new dwarf henchmen running for office?

    I''d use the mana metal and make something much bigger. Yeah, I''m going to make full body armor!

    Full body armor?

    Cover your whole body in mana-metal?

    How much mana metal is needed for that?

    It''s obvious that we''ll need far more steel than we''ve ever needed. I wonder if the ingot that Sake God brought us last time will be enough...

    ''''Will it be enough?

    ''''I''m afraid of you, henchman number three. You have the biggest idea of all!''''

    Yes!

    Yes, we dwarves must be rare and magnificent when it comes to our profession of blacksmithing.

    I will continue to dream that one day I will create something extravagant and extravagant with my own hands!

    The Sword of Mana Metal!¡¡Mana Metal Shield!¡¡Manametal armor!

    A three-piece set that could become a legendary armor, one day with my own hands!

    Master, we have a visitor!

    What?¡¡Who are you?

    He''s that guy from the other night, that smelly-looking fellow.

    Definitely Bacchus!

    * * *

    Bacchus brought in a wide variety of new drinks as a thank you for his work the other day.

    ''What''s the matter with you..., with such a disappointed look on your face?

    Bacchus pointed out to me.

    Huh?¡¡I didn''t know you had that look on your face.

    No, I''m glad. I love dwarf drinks, too.

    And if the god of sake has put a lot of thought into making it, it''s bound to be good. Booze-loving dwarves rejoice!

    ........well, there''s no reason to bring mana metal as a souvenir, either.

    I''m going to have a quick taste of it.

    It''s vinegar.

    Sour?

    It''s a condiment based on alcohol. It''s a condiment based on alcohol. I brought it with me.

    Oh, shit!¡¡I didn''t know there were traps hidden in all these different kinds of booze!

    Wouldn''t it be nice to have some manna metal in the mix too?

    Well then, I''ve got one more thing to do today besides get a little souvenir drink.

    ?

    I need to ask you for another job.

    !

    Is this another job that involves processing manna metal?

    I''m a ship builder.

    Phew~.

    And I saw a picture of the expectant balloon squeezing in my mind.

    A ship?

    That''s what boats are for, right?¡¡It''s mostly wood, right?

    There''s no room for mana metal to get involved. That alone has significantly reduced my motivation.

    Well, dwarves, you know?¡¡I''m good at blacksmithing, but I''m also good at building.

    Even if you live in the underground empire and aren''t comfortable with the sea, I''m confident that you''ll be able to build at least a ship that''s more than just a demon or human race, right?

    No, we don''t have to build one from scratch. I have a ship that is already completed. But I couldn''t get the exterior decorations right, so I wanted to get professional help.

    Oh?

    It''s an amateur ship anyway, right?¡¡Wouldn''t it be better and faster if we did it from scratch?

    But, well, if it''s an intermediary job, we can''t afford not to do it, can we?

    The liquor he gives us is delicious.

    ........And it''s possible that the reward may include a manametal.

    * * * *

    Thus, I decided to take on the job of building a ship.

    It was a rather odd request, as he only wanted me to decorate an almost-completed object, but as a dwarf, I take pride in being able to do everything perfectly when it comes to building things.

    First, I head to the site to see the actual thing.

    They used this high-powered thing called shifting magic, and we were there in an instant.

    I''m not going to be able to get a good look at it.

    You can''t tell if this is the master?

    You don''t suppose they''ll let you decorate a fishing boat, do you?

    I was suddenly feeling uneasy.

    Anyway, I decided to ask to see the actual thing.

    I saw it.

    It was a much bigger ship than I imagined.

    Isn''t it as big as a demon tribe''s battleship!

    No, more than anything else........

    That huge ship''s exterior was made of........

    Why?

    What''s manna metal doing in a ship?

    Oh my god, I don''t even know where to start. Why?¡¡Why?¡¡Why?

    Okay, let''s take a look at it a little bit at a time.

    First of all, I really don''t know what they''re doing with the metal on the ship!

    That''s the most basic, isn''t it?

    Metal would sink into the water.

    But this ship is floating.

    A boat that''s metal but floats?¡¡Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah!

    No, no, no, wait!

    There''s so much more to be amazed about!

    If you''re this excited in here, you''re not going to last!

    You know... but the most amazing thing is...!

    The metal used in this ship is definitely mana metal!

    Why?

    This is far more than just luxury!

    The amount of mana metal that will be used to make up a whole gigantic ship like this...?

    How much is that?

    I bet they could easily make hundreds of full body armor!

    My lifelong dream... my goal is to make hundreds of these things...!

    That''s this ship.........

    Oh, God, I can''t breathe.

    How do you breathe...?

    ..........

    Hmm?

    ..........

    She''s dead!

    !

    I don''t know how the eagle was able to come back from the underworld.

    But I''ve decided to do this job with all my might.

    If I can be involved in the construction of a ship made of mana metal, even a little bit, I will be blessed with a dwarf''s blessing!

    Huh?¡¡I''m going to fall apart at work, okay?

    I''ll do everything in my power to keep you alive!

    Please!

    If you don''t, you''ll die of that!

 254-253 true ship completed

    Me.

    It''s been a few weeks since a dwarf started coming in and out of our farm.

    The work can''t be done by the first dwarf alone, so he becomes the leader of dozens of supporters.

    We provided food and lodging for them for the duration of the work.

    Since it would be difficult for them to commute all the way from the Dwarven country, we decided to have them live here while they work.

    The Okbos will build a simple lodging house for them and provide them with daily food and lodging while they work.

    The dwarves were amazed at what was happening on the farm.

    First of all, the orcs and goblins had axes, scythes, and other farm tools, all made of mana metal.

    They were surprised to see that they were all made of mana metal.

    Secondly, the food I make, well I''m honored that he was surprised at how good it is, but he was even more surprised at the kitchen.

    It seems that all the cooking utensils such as frying pans and pots and pans are made of mana metal.

    Why are there so many manametals in here?

    It''s overflowing!¡¡There''s so much of it that it''s used in everyday life.

    Why is it good for farming tools and cooking utensils?¡¡There''s a lot more.

    Weapons, armor, that sort of thing?

    Not only the master, but even the other dwarves were about to ascend in shock.

    It''s not too much of a stretch to die at once, even a good teacher can''t get around to it.

    Other than that, they were amazed at the vajra silk made from vajra silkworm, amazed at the monster materials that Okubo and the others brought back from the dungeon, and amazed at the transparency of the glasswork that Poel made.

    Each time that happened, it was hard for the teacher to get to the emergency room.

    And so, after all the pinches and hardships (I think it was pinches and hardships that didn''t involve the ship building itself at all), the dwarves'' construction was finally completed.

    How on earth was my ship reborn!

    * * * *

    The dwarves are talking about it.

    ''Look!¡¡This is it!

    It is the culmination of the combined skill of our dwarves!

    "God''s ship, the ultimate in functional and aesthetic beauty!

    It''s called the Helckirke!

    It''s not my name....

    Well, I didn''t name the ship.

    It''s a pretty common name for ships.

    First of all, please have a look at the exterior!

    We have done everything in our power to create a radical design, just as the client requested.

    It didn''t go out of style, so it won''t look out of place over time!¡¡We tried to make it look massive without being too stark or subdued!

    It''s a ship fit for a champion!

    No, I''m not a champion, though.

    The refurbished ship looked like something else, as I can see, with all the traces of the dwarves'' skills.

    How can I compare it to this?

    Suppose the ship I just completed is a masked radar.

    Is the current ship that the dwarves have modified into an enhanced form as we speak?

    Is it hard to tell?

    Anyway, you can think of it as the simple turned flashy.

    And not just flashy, but elegant and tasteful.

    It''s not just flashy, it''s elegant and flashy, and that''s because the dwarves have taken great care in decorating it, as they claim.

    The dwarves continued with their commentary: "First, look at the bow of the ship.

    The dwarves continue their explanation: "First, look at the bow!¡¡I''ve installed the familiar bow statue on it!

    Oh, yeah.

    The statue at the front of the boat.

    There''s a beautiful statue of a goddess attached to it, just as I imagined it would be.

    She guides the ship''s navigation.

    "Hmm?¡¡But that statue looks familiar to me...?

    ''You''ve been noticed!¡¡For what it''s worth, I had that bow statue of a ship modeled after your wife!

    Ma''am?

    You mean Plati?

    A goddess modeled after Prati?

    "Whaaaaaat?¡¡They asked me to be a model for them, I accepted, but I never thought I''d be displayed in such a prominent place.

    Prathi didn''t seem to be going to be unconcerned and was wiggling her body.

    Well, Prathi is a mermaid princess, and it seems to work normally as a curse to ward off sea disasters.

    ''The bow and stern of the ship are especially heavily carved to show that it''s a first-class product!¡¡And I''ve even had the farm''s crest engraved on the side of the hull!

    "The farm''s crest?

    Didn''t we have one of those?

    We designed it ourselves!

    Uh....

    Something like this, a lot of things are being decided without my knowledge.

    ''The truth is, it''s customary to draw on the mast, the crest!¡¡But there are no masts on this ship!

    It''s amazing!¡¡A ship that doesn''t have a mast and still goes!¡¡It''s awesome to have a ship that generates its own power!

    ''''We dwarves don''t have any magical background, so we''re inevitably outnumbered by the demon race in this kind of technology!¡¡But I''m so happy to be in the presence of a magic-powered ship!

    There won''t be another job like this in the future!

    ''God!¡¡The person who built this ship is Hephaistos, the god of modeling or something!

    Wow...

    It was me who built this ship.

    I''m embarrassed to hear you speak so highly of it.

    Next, let me explain to you how the interior is coming along. Come on, don''t hesitate to come in.

    That''s why I built this boat.

    Why are the dwarves more like landlords inviting guests in?

    First of all, we took advantage of their desire to make effective use of the vacant space on board, for which there was no fixed use, and put our dwarf know-how to full use in proposing an ideal travel plan.

    Okay.

    First of all, because the noise and heat of the drive engine would spoil our comfort at the bottom of the ship, we had to build the ship''s tower as a comfortable living quarters.

    Huh?

    ''Hahahahahaha!¡¡Don''t worry!¡¡We dwarves do not lose our balance under the weight!¡¡This ship''s magic power reactor has a lot of spare capacity, so it will be fine even if we double the current weight of the ship!

    No, that''s not what I''m worried about...

    First, the captain''s office!¡¡I have brought you the finest furnishings the dwarven underground empire has to offer, and they will serve as your chamber of honor!¡¡We could even hold a major treaty signing ceremony here!

    The signing ceremony?

    I don''t plan to do that.

    "There are 20 guest rooms in all.¡¡I''ve tried to decorate them all with the intent of a first-class inn in the Demon City!

    In the empty space at the bottom of the ship, add everything from the galley, to the bathrooms, to the restrooms, to the playroom!

    "And it will make you as comfortable as if you were on earth!¡¡This is the culmination of the divine work of the saints combined with the technological prowess of our dwarves!

    You won''t find a better luxury cruise ship anywhere in the world!

    .............................

    Hmm.......................

    It turns out that these dwarves did the best job.

    Well, they''re opulent, clean, functional, and comfortable.

    But it was just what the dwarves said that stuck with me.

    What did he just say?

    Did you say luxury liner?

    Um....

    ''Oh no, I probably couldn''t do any better job than this if they asked me to. I''ve had the best job in my lifetime!¡¡.... hmm?¡¡What is it?

    It''s not a boat. It''s a fishing boat.

    Huh?

    Didn''t I tell you that?

    They said it was a ship that went out to sea and caught a lot of fish.

    It seemed to be a bit of a hiccup in the middle, but it seems that the dwarves misunderstood this ship as a luxury cruise ship that would carry important people and show off its dignity to countries around the world.

    ''Is that why it''s finished...?

    What can we do about it?

    You haven''t improved the functionality of the fishing boat by a millimeter.

    I''d say it''s a good idea.¡¡And I think I could do some fishing and net pulling on this boat as well, which is normal.

    And Prati.

    ''The last catch proved that magical support is enough to handle the fish you catch, and there''s nothing wrong with having a comfortable room to sleep in while you''re out fishing, is there?

    Yes, Platy is right.

    Our farm''s fishing boat, the Herkilke (named Dwarves).........

    Here it is complete!

    ''Such a wonderful ship!¡¡No other ship in the world has the same functionality and grace as a regular fishing boat.

    Your arrogance is outrageous!¡¡At least!¡¡"At least, we can go around the world in this ship.

    We can go to the end of the world with this thing!

    The dwarves all clapped their hands on her at once, but isn''t a fishing boat a fine one?

    All right, all right.

    You all did a great job.

 255-254 Return to the sea

    It''s all about the mermaids for a while now.

    Winter opened up and spring.

    A change had come to their team.

    * * * *

    Beautiful tail fin!

    Angel is the sister of my wife, Platy, so apparently she''s the second princess of the mermaid kingdom.

    ''We''re out of it at last!¡¡A side effect of the failed land-based drug!¡¡I was able to return to my mermaid form completely and cleanly!

    ''Yay!''

    We''re going back to the sea!

    At one point, it looked like we were really screwed!

    Some of them frolicking and swimming on the beach near our farm.

    Angel wasn''t the only one, but the girl mermaids who had come with her.

    She was swimming swiftly through the shallow waters with the tail fins of a mermaid that she hadn''t regained in months.

    It had been a long time since she''d felt like a mermaid, as if to reaffirm her sense of being a mermaid.

    ''Oh no, I didn''t think it would take me this long to detoxify...''

    Standing on the sandy beach and sighing is my wife, Prati (pregnant).

    Her sister, Angel, and her band of girls had come to the farm before winter arrived.

    They attack with the runaway attitude typical of their youth, but they are trounced by her sister, Platy, who is far more experienced and skilled.

    Moreover, their inexperienced skills fail to concoct a potion that will enable mermaids to go on land, and it has devastating side effects on them.

    When they try to revert from human to mermaid form, their lower bodies turn into algae, octopuses, barnacles and other incomprehensible shapes.

    The girls had no choice but to stay on the farm until they could get over the side effects.

    But that was only for today.

    With time and the tremendous efforts of Prati and the other senior mermaids, the effects of the failure potion were overcome...

    The girl mermaids are making a comeback to the sea!

    ''We''re back in the sea at last!¡¡This ocean is ours!

    Not that much.

    Why is it possible to be so overconfident when you are young?

    ''''........Well, as you can see, your de-drugging has been uniformly successful.

    Prati says weakly.

    Incidentally, the same mermaid race, Prathi but she only stands on the beach in human form.

    She is pregnant and will not change her appearance until she gives birth to her baby.

    So it''s time to go home.

    ""What? !"

    The girl mermaids were unexpectedly dismayed by that word.

    ''Why are you surprised?¡¡I thought we had an agreement.¡¡You couldn''t go back to the ocean because of the potion my stupid sister invented, so you had no choice but to leave it at our house, didn''t you?

    Now that the effects of the potion have worn off, and we can return to the sea, there''s no reason to keep him here.

    Hey!¡¡Don''t wait a minute!

    We still want to be here!

    Good food, I want to keep eating!

    Not!¡¡There''s a lot to learn here!

    Angel''s crony mermaids all cling to him at once.

    Discus, Bale Tail, Heckery, and Batrax.

    Was it?

    They''re back in their mermaid form and clinging to Prathi on the beach, even though she''s b*tc*y like a washed up fish.

    ''For us!¡¡We must have a mission!

    ''How!¡¡I have an important mission to help Sister Puffa and Sister Gala Rufa!

    Hmm.

    The problem of the mermaid team''s lack of manpower has surfaced again since last year.

    It''s not only because of the increasing demand, but also because of the diversification of duties.

    The solution is to train these girl mermaids. That''s another reason why they live on a farm.

    That idea has been promoted by Puffa, the "Frozen Cold Witch".

    And Prati sighed again, ''''Haa.

    ''''Well as I said when that discussion came up, I''m against it. You''re still students, you should go to the Mermaid''s Potions School to learn the ropes.

    I can study here!

    I''d rather learn a lot better than to be here!

    ''Yes!¡¡I can receive direct guidance from the Mad Six Demonesses'' people!

    Ah.

    In the heat of the moment, the mermaid girls stepped on the land mine word.

    ''''Come on!''''

    ""Yikes!"

    With a burst of anger and the spirit of Prati''s rage, the fearful mermaid girls scampered into the sea with dop-dop-dop-dop.

    I told you not to call me by that name!¡¡It will be painful!

    The Mad Six Demonesses.

    That''s the name given to the powerful witch who represents the mermaid world.

    I''m not going to be able to get the same thing done.

    I''ve heard that my wife, Prati, is one of them, and she hates being called "Mad Mad Mad".

    She says that the word "mad six demonesses" has a distinctly middle-aged smell to it that is painful to her.

    But I digress.

    The main question is whether or not to return the girls, who were able to return to their original form, to the sea or not.¡¡It is.

    I''m not leaving.

    As the leader of the girl mermaids, Angel, who was one of the gods, said.

    As Prathi''s sister.

    ''My purpose in coming here is to surpass my sister. There''s no way I''m going back to the mermaid country without fulfilling that!

    What do you really think?

    ''The food here is so good, I can''t leave!

    Good for you to be honest.

    ''Don''t tell me to go home, sister!¡¡Gingerbread is delicious!¡¡Delicious miso soup!¡¡I''m going to live here all the time with my sister, oh my!

    And, after all, she clutched at Prathi, making her b*tc*-b*tc*y with the lower half of her fish body.

    ''Eei!¡¡Stop it!¡¡Why should I have to live with you even if I''m married?

    My sister''s refusal to do so is relentless.

    I can''t stand by and watch, so I''m reluctant to be the mediator.

    It''s a good thing that they are now a valuable asset to the farm. To be honest, we wouldn''t want them to get out of the way now, would we?

    The girl mermaids, who were assigned to the farm as newcomers, are now working remarkably well as assistants to the senior mermaids.

    Pfafa is in charge of the fermentation and food refrigeration departments.

    Gala Rufa, our medical officer.

    They are the backbone of our farm, but it is hard to ignore the fact that their work is also supported by their new assistant.

    If Puffa were here, she would be the first to contradict me, but she is not here with Prince Arowana as he is in love with her on his training trip.

    ''''Mm, that''s the part that hurts when you get to that point.

    What?

    "We have a right to live!

    The girl mermaids come to ask for help.

    But that''s my wife, Prati, also known as the "Crown Witch". She''s not the one who can be pushed away by a few little girls.

    But no.

    What?

    You guys didn''t tell the school or your parents that you were here without permission, did you?¡¡So you''re forced to stay at our house for an extended period of time, and you can''t think about how worried the people at home are about it?

    It''s a straightforward thing to say for Prati.

    I''ve finally come to understand it now that I have a new life here. A parent''s concern for their child...

    Prathi strokes his own abdomen to confirm the existence of life.

    A holiness that had never been seen before floats on his face.

    ''''Whoa........!¡¡It''s not half as convincing...!

    I''m sure your mother and father must be worried about you.

    Although Mr. Hendler has explained the situation to me...!

    Even the mermaid girls had no way of resisting Prati, who was even equipped with her mother''s aura.

    I remembered my mother''s face back home, and my heart ached for her.

    ''You still think you''re going to evolve, sister...?

    A woman goes through several periods of dramatic change. You haven''t reached any of them yet, though.

    The huffy look on his face made me think that Prati hadn''t grown up much, after all.

    ''Let''s include them and come up with a compromise.

    "''Compromise''?

    "It''s a good time to be a mermaid again. First of all, why don''t you guys go home and stop talking about it.

    Prati continues.

    ''And you''ll have to get permission to live in our home yourselves. From your parents.

    That''s the minimum requirement for girl mermaids to officially live on a farm.

    I certainly agree with that.

    They are still young girls, just one step away from adulthood. While the adage "let the little ones travel" comes to mind, I, as a soon-to-be parent, sympathize with the feelings of their worried parents.

    ''''I understand. If that''s the case, I''ll take it.

    Angel said sternly. Why.

    I''ll get permission from Mom and Dad to come back to the farm. "I''ll be back here on the farm with your permission.

    All right, let''s see how good you are.

    Why do these sisters create a dueling mood at every turn?

    Oh, and...

    ?

    I''ll add one more thing. Ask your school for permission.

    !

    For some reason, Angel''s expression froze at the request. Why.

    ''Huh?¡¡Even from school?¡¡Do I have to ask your permission?

    Of course you do. You''re students.

    Do you have to?

    I have to. Yeah, well, I understand your fear of it, but...!

    For some reason, even Prathi joined in and let out a heavy sigh.

    Huh?¡¡What?

    What do you mean?

    The school that Prathi and her friends are referring to is the school that teaches pharmacy magic in their homeland, the best mermaid nation.

    Mermaid Witch Academia.

    It is.

 256-255 Mermaid Girls School

    I am Zos Saira, the Witch of the Abyss.

    I am in the Mermaid Palace, the capital of the Mermaid Kingdom.

    Why?

    That''s because I''ve brought a couple of little girls from the farm. A bunch of dim-witted little girls with blue fins, you know.

    They said they were going home. They said they wouldn''t be safe with just the kids.

    Why is that?

    Why would the Witch of the Abyss do such a charitable thing?

    I myself am not entirely convinced.

    There must be a good, compelling reason for this.

    Well, first, there was the time when I visited the saint''s farm to see Okubo, as usual.

    The timing was wrong.

    That must be the first and most important reason.

    That''s when the little girl from the Crown Witch told me.

    * * * *

    Hey, my sisters are going home. You have to go with them.

    Why?

    No, there''s one thing I''m worried about, you know?¡¡It could be a heavy burden for those kids to carry alone.

    Why the strawberries?

    Aren''t you the least busy mermaid in our circle?

    Not too busy, though?

    You don''t even live here officially, but you come by frequently. I''m pregnant and can''t dive. Puffa works at the brewery and loves his brother Arowana, and Gala Rufa takes care of everyone''s health. Gala Rufa takes care of the health of all the residents. Lamp-Eye''s been busy with one thing or another...

    "Not much time for strawberries, huh?¡¡You''re here in between researching in your own lab, aren''t you?

    Also, the older mermaids in our house are all prisoners in their home countries. We can''t just let them walk around the capital city with impunity.

    "A brat is a wanted man, too.¡¡The only difference is that they''ve been caught or they haven''t been caught yet, right?¡¡All six witches are like that, aren''t they?

    "Nice to meet you, the oldest of the six witches.

    * * *

    And then they pushed me away.

    What is it?¡¡What is that thing that just keeps on pushing you around?

    How dare you force this "Witch of the Abyss" to be a babysitter of all things.

    Is it in the bloodline to not listen to humans?

    Oh, no.........

    Well, that''s why I''m stepping into the mermaid capital for the first time in a while.

    How many years has it been?

    Ten years I don''t think a decade ... not even a decade separates us. I decided not to think about it because I was afraid to think about it too deeply.

    And those little girls who are fearless in their youth.

    After all, I heard that they are returning home to get official permission to live on that farm.

    Well, you can take a permit or whatever you want.

    You can spoil your parents while they are old enough to spoil you.

    The guys who had been sleeping at my parents'' house for a few days or so met up on time.

    ''Permission granted!''

    It''s perfect!

    I''ve been told to go be a great witch!

    Good.

    That''s good.

    I mean, are you sure you want to be a good parent?¡¡Your daughter turned into a witch?

    Really? We''re done here. What do you say we get the hell back to the farm?

    And I want to see Okubo.

    Wait!

    ''''Rather, this is where it all begins!

    The girls all clapped their hands on me at once.

    What''s the matter with you?

    Don''t lump my child together with the other young witches. It''s not as overprotective or caring as they are!

    ''Parents are more of a front runner!¡¡I''d call it the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings!

    ''''The final boss is coming up later!¡¡Please come with me to that point.

    ''Just to be with me!¡¡Because I''m so heartless, ah!

    The final boss?

    What are you talking about?

    She is the only little mermaid who stands taller than the four people who cling to her.

    I''m sure she is the sister of the Crown Witch, right?

    Soitz said.

    ''''The school we go to told us to go get permission from them too. That demon sister........!

    School?

    ''''Yes, an elite school that trains the best Potions Master in the Mermaid Nation. Mermaid Witch Academia''s!

    While saying this, the younger sister of the Crown Witch''s tail fin was trembling.

    I''m still afraid.

    * * * *.

    However.

    Mermaid Witch Academia is a pretty big name.

    It''s a prestigious school.

    The Mermaid race is proud of its medicinal magic to the rest of humanity.

    The mermaid race is proud of its pharmacy magic, which is the pride of the mermaid race, and the schools that teach it to young people are scattered throughout the mermaid kingdom.

    Among them, the Mermaid Witch Academia boasts an overwhelming scale and academic strength.

    The Mermaid Royal Family is directly managing the school, so it should be a prestigious institution.

    First of all, the Mermaid King''s daughters are allowed to enter the academy. The daughters of noblemen who are equivalent to the Mermaid King''s family are allowed to enter. In addition, talented young ladies were selected from all over the mermaid kingdom.

    If you are the sister of the Crown Witch, you''re the princess of the mermaid kingdom, so you''re fully qualified to be admitted.

    Her cronies, too, are probably just bad friends who have come to hang out at the school.

    Are they all nice young ladies?

    It was a job I didn''t like to begin with, but I didn''t care for it anymore.

    Why should I, the Abyssal Witch, have to carry the hairy lady''s ass?

    Why is it that they call me a straw witch and fear me?

    The reason is that the study of the Wawa is seen as a world-ending danger and has been declared a heretic.

    Such an outlaw child and a young lady who grew up in a greenhouse are the opposite.

    How dare they combine them?

    Ah, it doesn''t matter now.

    I''m just going to go along with him, but I don''t want to interfere.

    I don''t care what they say later.

    I''m the Abyssal Witch.

    It''s wrong to trust a witch so easily.

    * * * *

    So.

    It''s here.

    Mermaid Witch Academia.

    To tell the truth, this is the first time the outlaw warrior has stepped foot in here, and it''s just as opulent and disgusting as I imagined it would be.

    I heard they''re going to have an interview with the person in charge in this room.

    A group of young girls formed a circle in front of the door.

    Do you mind?¡¡We''ll make it through the ordeal, and we''ll make it back to the farm!

    " " " " Hi!¡¡Master Angel!

    "The Five Holy Witches!¡¡Phi!

    "[O]o!

    ""Phi!"

    ""Oh!"

    ""Fun!"

    ""TASTEIC!"

    Why are you so fired up about it?

    And what about the Five Holy Witches?¡¡A team name?¡¡How embarrassing is this?

    They open the door with a fresh spirit and enter the room.

    "Excuse me...?

    I bit him.

    Are you that nervous?

    The room is a part of a prestigious school, and it''s so beautifully arranged that it''s almost disgusting.

    There was a mermaid waiting for me.

    It''s good to see you, isn''t it, Princess Angel?¡¡Originally, we should be seeing each other every day to take my classes, right?

    The way he said it was disgusting.

    Well, from the school''s point of view, these five have been absent from school on a monthly basis, so I think it''s fair to say that I''m being sarcastic, but....

    And then.....

    ...who are you?

    What about this female mermaid who looks like she''s going to say ''rotten tangerine''?

    One of the little mermaid girls secretly overheard me, as if she felt she couldn''t not answer.

    ''I''m a teacher at Mermaid Witch Academia, and I''m a Carp teacher.

    A teacher.

    Well, I thought not.

    Hmm?

    Carp?

    Could it be that Karp?

    This overly meticulous outfit doesn''t remind me of anything from those days, but...

    The Witch of Ars, Karp?

 257-256 Irregular at Mermaid School

    Well, what should I tell you first?¡¡First and foremost, about the months of unexcused absences...

    A teacher who skips the greetings and gets right to the point.

    This no-action directness must be scary for the person being scolded.

    It was understandable that the five girls were scared.

    But it''s not something that a little girl can get worked up about.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who''s wasting your time, because there''s a big gap between you and the other students. In order to make up for this, we''ll be able to efficiently make up for this by means of super-overcrowded supplementary lessons...

    "Hey, wait a minute!

    I bit again.

    It''s the sister of the "crown witch" who interrupted her.

    It''s a good idea to interrupt the flow, but the teacher''s cold-hearted stare will make you crumble at any moment.

    The reason why we came here is because...!¡¡It''s for permission!

    Permission?

    I''m asking for an extension!

    I can''t grant a leave of absence!

    "Fix it!

    I''ll take it.

    And as for my sister, she''s got the nerve to bite back.

    I have a question for Princess Angel. Who are you?

    ''What?¡¡Um ... the second princess of the mermaid kingdom?

    ''Yes. You seem to have a minimum of awareness.

    That''s a cynical woman.

    You, as a member of mermaid royalty, have a responsibility to be a role model to your fellow mermaids. You have a responsibility to be a role model for mermaids, to show morals and to act with dignity. As a basis for this, you need to be educated.

    ''''Yes...?

    This Mermaid Witch Academy is the place for young royalty like you to become well-educated. We want you to become a great potions master and, by extension, a great mermaid royalty. That''s why we''re doing our best to make it happen.

    Yes...?

    And yet you''re running away from your duty and trying to do whatever you want. Is that acceptable behavior for royalty?

    He''s not the type to be stubborn with logic.

    I''m so relieved to see that Karp''s people haven''t changed at all.

    You people are the same way.

    ""Yes.....?"

    Did it spill over to the other little girls?

    ''Particularly discus, veiltail. You met all the requirements for admission to the school, but were forced to give up the offer due to family reasons. With the consideration of Master Angel, we were allowed to enroll you as a special exception.

    "''Ugh...

    Oh, so the point is that your family is so poor that you can''t get into a prestigious school?

    I thought they were all hothouse girls, but there are some of them who seem to have a lot of spirit.

    What''s more, you''ve found a way to use them.

    Angel, wasn''t it? He behaves differently from his sister.

    You should be working hard and not playing around with the Angel, who is your benefactor. I''m afraid I have failed to meet all of the expectations that the school placed on you.

    I''m not playing around.

    What?¡¡If you have something to say, speak up?

    She''s a prospect, but she''s still a school lass. It''s impossible to resist Karp''s reasoning.

    It''s really meaningless to come to the capital if you don''t do anything here.

    What can you learn from it?¡¡In this greenhouse?

    Walla''s voice drew Carp''s scowling gaze.

    ''You are a fool, Zos Saira. If you hadn''t spoken, I would have pretended you didn''t exist.

    "For old time''s sake," you say?¡¡It hurts me on one side that a long wounded failure still calls himself a potions user.

    ''What part of me is a failure?¡¡You think I''ve been wound up for a long time?

    I''m a schoolteacher, for Christ''s sake.

    And a prestigious school.

    You may think you''ve come a long way, but you''re a dead researcher when you''re in power.

    "Your mistake is typical of you, Zos Saira. You tried to throw your research out of control, you tried to throw the world off balance, and you''re wanted for misunderstanding.

    The little girls look at the crickets and the straw and the carp in turn.

    If you want, you can call the guards here right now. And you''ll dare to go to the trench jail and your ultimate research will never be completed.

    You can try. You can try, and that''s when this naughty school will be turned to hell and back to dust.

    Because she knows that, this woman knows that, so she can''t do anything about it, noticing the straw, either.

    She knows that, so she cannot touch it.

    The fear of the straw, she knows.

    How many times have I made her cry in the past?

    ........why are you guys hanging out with this woman?

    Seeing that they were at a disadvantage, Karp returned the brunt of the verbal attack to the girls.

    ''''This woman is a felon known as the ''Witch of the Abyss''. She is an outlaw who uses Potions in the wrong direction. It''s also the meaning of our school to keep criminals like this out!

    However, it is also true that the highest level potions users are generally called ''witches''. This includes Zos Saira, the Witch of the Abyss.

    The Witch of the Crown.

    The Witch of the Frozen Cold.

    The Fiery Witch.

    The Plague Witch.

    These girls are under the guidance of all of them.

    What?

    Karp with a blank look on his face.

    As expected, one teacher hadn''t been informed to that extent?

    A mere teacher.

    "During the period when you said you were ''playing around''. "During the period when you said you were playing around," he said, "you were being taught by a distinguished group of witches who were the best potions users in the world. These five.

    "Hey!

    Are you sure you want to say that?

    I don''t care if the little girls are geeking out.

    They must have been chaperoned by the big straw man to say these things.

    ''How much more fruitful is this time than a passing lesson in this greenhouse?¡¡The days these guys spent in that place were truly a battle. What they couldn''t learn at a lukewarm school, even if they''d been there for ten years, they accumulated day by day.

    I''m not saying I''ve seen it in passing.

    I''m going to tell it like I''ve seen it in person.

    So, let me ask you again, Karp?¡¡Does the prestigious school that you boast of giving these girls a more lavish education than a few witches can give them directly?¡¡An ordinary potions user, far lower in rank than a witch, while puffing away about being a teacher or something?

    Sweet Zos Saira.

    I''ve never seen anyone argue with Karp''s teacher...!

    That''s more than enough credit, you little pipsqueak.

    "Eh, Princess Angel!

    What?

    Is it true what they say?¡¡No, it''s just that half of the Mad Six Demonesses are already in prison...!

    ''No, but they were there, several of them. It looks like your sister did something to you...?

    .........?

    You haven''t changed your habit of biting your nails when you''re irritated.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.¡¡I see, you''re chasing after your sister...?

    Come to think of it, the Crown Witch seems to have dropped out of Mermaid Witch Academia.

    I''m sure she''ll make it as a witch if she doesn''t study in a greenhouse like this, right?

    "Professor Karp, once again, please!

    Oh, Angel, you''re suddenly so serious?

    ''I want to be a Potions Master, surpassing your sister!¡¡The best way to do that is to follow and learn directly from your sister!

    "I, too, would prefer to learn from Miss Puffa in person.

    ''The lump-eye instructor''s ladder!

    "Lady Gala Rufa''s madness!

    Maybe this is where they say, "What do you really mean? When I asked him "What do you want to eat at the farm?", he replied immediately "I want to eat farm food", which I thought would destroy it, so I decided not to ask.

    Now, I was confronted with the stark truth that if you want to learn, you''d better study under a witch than at school.

    I wonder what kind of response will the teachers of the big, prestigious schools have in mind?

    ''''We can''t back down here........!¡¡We can''t pull out here...!

    Huh?

    "We''ve already failed to educate Princess Plati...!¡¡I couldn''t develop that person''s too big of a talent correctly.......!¡¡That''s why Angel-sama, the second daughter, Angel-sama, will do whatever it takes...!

    I''m so wound up.

    ''''I can''t admit it, I can''t admit it!

    The Karp guy stood up.

    "Witchcraft is evil. Only true, powerful, mermaids can benefit from the righteous pharmaceutical magic we have at our school!

    A technicality. There is no right or wrong in potions.

    ''No!¡¡Let''s prove that to you, in the game!

    Competition?

    There is one seminar student in our school that I have paid special attention to. I will prepare five more students who will be selected from among them. You will compete with each one of them.

    ""Yeah?"

    The little girls are surprised and excited.

    What a manic degree of competition.

    If you say that this witch''s evil ways are beneficial, then you guys should win. However, if you lose, you will understand that our school''s righteous path is the true path of Potions and you will follow my curriculum!¡¡Good!

    Okay.

    I''ll tell you the result.

    My girls won the game 5 to 0.

 258-257 Witchcraft inherited

    ''This is a fighting arena set up on the Mermaid Witch Academia grounds. We''ll be using all water types this time.

    The best schools have the best facilities.

    The whole room is filled with water.

    If a human or demon tribe enters, they will surely drown. It''s a space that only we mermaids can make use of.

    Incidentally, in addition to the all-water type, there is also a half-water fighting arena that is only half-filled with water.

    The semi-water type is characterized by the fact that it assumes a battle near the surface of the water and includes tricky tactics such as a surprise attack once the fighter surfaces, but the fact that he or she chose the semi-water type over this suggests that he or she is determined to make a clear distinction between black and white on the basis of pure strength alone.

    And this is the opponent we have prepared for you. And this is the opponent we have prepared for you, the honors students of the Carp Seminar.

    Five new, unfamiliar mermaids.

    They are young and milky.

    They are beautiful to look at, and they look like the elite of the elite, but to a straw man, they are ordinary.

    From now on, you will be fighting them one-on-one. One by one.

    If you win, you get to continue your training on the farm. If you lose, you get to stay in school.

    But it''s a real battle, isn''t it? I thought it would be a more gentle formality, since it''s being initiated by a school teacher.

    A written test or a quiz format.

    ''It''s as simple as this for a savage like you, isn''t it?¡¡So that there''s no excuse for losing, right?

    I''ll give you credit. You are putting such an unreasonable demand on yourself.

    They return to each other''s camps with bumblebee sparks.

    Even though it''s a matter of course, I''m supposed to be the second of the little girls, but with a great warrior named Warawa on my side, victory is as good as guaranteed!

    And yet, Angel and the rest of the girls were already reluctant to start.

    "We can''t do it...!¡¡You can''t win........!

    They''re all in the top grade. You can''t win...!

    I see, so the enemy is the senior class.

    Then you can''t blame them for being scared. For a student, the difference between the grades of a year is absolute.

    They will be aware of the difference in ability between adults and children.

    "But I have no choice...!

    Huh?

    I was about to give him a pep talk when he beat me to it.

    ''If we don''t win this battle, we won''t be able to return to the farm,'' he said. We will win!¡¡It''s time to take what I''ve learned on the farm and put it all out there!

    Angel.

    You''re really good at instigating the fringe of royalty, aren''t you?

    You''ve taken all my attempts at agitation with you.

    Well, don''t worry. That''s right, don''t worry, the straw is already on you.

    This "Witch of the Abyss", Zos Saira.

    I wasn''t too keen on this at first, but I''m starting to enjoy it. I''m going to save your ass and make Karp blow bubbles. Like a crab.

    "Wawa will be in charge of everything that needs to be done to win. The Witch of the Abyss is in direct command. Get on board!

    Director!

    Hey, director!

    This is where the mystery director is called.

    ''''Just so you know, it''s against the law to let your students use the potions you''ve created, right?

    I know. Who would use that kind of foul-mouthed trickery?

    This kind of game is a test of the skill of creating and using potions.

    A witch can best use her own potions, and if she doesn''t win with them, it''s meaningless.

    Then let''s get started. First up, first up.

    Okay, go, Discus.

    One of the girls, Discus, calls herself the Ice Witch.

    It seems that she admires Puffa, and she respects him, both in her clothes and her appearance.

    Her opponent is.....

    Amia''s daughter, Karva.

    Another typical elitist-looking guy.

    He looks smart. It''s a sharp contrast to his impersonation of the puffa, which is strangely garish.

    It seems that the common people have forgotten their place in the world. I will discipline you. I''m going to discipline you and show you that people of low birth should hide behind a true elite like myself!

    ....?

    Carp, the umpire, says, "Start! The sharp voice of the

    But the voice only echoed emphatically in the water.

    The two opponents did not move a bit on both sides.

    ''''.........?¡¡What''s the matter?¡¡Begin!¡¡Let the magic games begin!

    Teacher, it''s already started.

    What?

    And then it was over.

    Your opponent in this discus is... what''s his name?

    Oh well, there''s no end to remembering every single name of the loser.

    Sotatsu, defeated by Discus, was still shaking his body as hard as he could to move, but he couldn''t.

    I could feel the water on the surface of his body freezing slightly.

    "d*mn it!¡¡Move!¡¡I can''t move!¡¡I can''t use a potion to neutralize the ice and make it melt?

    "Miss Puffa told me. You don''t make ice by lowering the temperature with potions. The potion reacts with water to create ice. The temperature is lowered by the generated ice on its own.

    It''s one of Puffa''s most ridiculous skills.

    Ice is created by reacting potions and water, so a simple temperature rise potion cannot melt and neutralize the ice.

    The ice produced cools the temperature of the surroundings and reacts with the cooled water to produce even cooler ice.

    Puffa''s soundless invasion of this cycle to create ice with a bang is bad even for the strawman if you''re not careful.

    ''You yeah!¡¡You''ve already mixed the potion in the water, haven''t you!¡¡Ahhhh!

    What is it?

    "Not fair.¡¡Ignore the signal to start, eh?

    This is also what Miss Puffa said, but no one gives the signal to start in a real battle. It''s stupid to let your guard down in front of the enemy.

    That elite won''t be able to escape the ice on their own anymore.

    It''s not as effective as Puffa''s, but if you can''t neutralize it, a prestigious school will be too much for you.

    ''''Ugh!

    As proof of this, the test tube that Karp''s guy threw at it collided with the ice and cracked, and the ice melted before I could even see it as the magic potion inside simply spread into the water.

    ''''Karva, you''ve lost. A Potions Master can sufficiently neutralize an icy attack even with a surprise attack. The reason you couldn''t do that is your lack of study.

    Yes....!

    Round two!¡¡Each opponent goes forward.

    The second one here is Bale Tail. I hear he calls himself the "Fire Witch".

    His opponent is the "Hellfire Witch" Lamp Eye.

    His opponent is.....

    My opponent is....

    I''m sure it''s elitist, but I''m getting the odd one out again.

    Even though she is a female mermaid, she has a harpoon. A harpoon.

    The Betas are one of the most respected warrior families in the mermaid kingdom. They''re known as the "fighting fish.

    Is that right?

    Thanks for the explanation.

    ''''My daughter there, Senior Clowntail, has also been selected to join the Kingsguard after she graduates and is a future cadre candidate.

    You''re an elitist.

    I mean, doesn''t the other guy respect Lamp Eye too?

    So it''s a clash of little rump eyes.

    "Start!

    The battle was won again in an instant.

    This battle became a contest not only of potions, but also of harpooning, which is originally the gain of male mermaids, but the battle was won by Veiltail, who brilliantly dodged the harpoon of the opponent''s crowntail and slammed the burning potions onto the opponent''s shield.

    The burning potion directly from Lamp Eye is highly adhesive and when it spills out of the test tube, it sticks to the surface of the shield and continues to react and burn even in water.

    The metal shield was getting hotter and hotter, and the crowntail or something like that was too hot to hold.

    The harpoon and shield are one set in the male mermaid''s fighting style.

    The crowntail that imitates them is also two, but it loses one of them for two, and the fighting method is not valid.

    On one hand, a bailtail. The harpooner and the potions master are used together in battle. He has been trained in the technique that Lamp Eye has developed independently.

    It''s not a match between the senior who has been stripped of one wing and the junior who is fully prepared, the rest is one-sided.

    The second game was also won by our side, Bale Tail.

    * * * *

    Heckery, who participated in the third game, calls himself the Wind Witch.

    It seems that he has been trained by Gala Rufa, the Plague Witch, and has been creating and distributing his newly developed magical germs, which are not magic potions, for sale.

    The germs were sprayed in the water and adhered to the opponent''s clothes, decomposing the fibers and leaving them bare.

    It was a terrible way to win, but what''s worse, once released, the germs multiplied without limit, and even the creator was unable to stop them.

    At the risk of being stripped completely naked by everyone except Heckery, who came in a garment of vaulted silk that even magical bacteria couldn''t break down for good measure.

    The whole water in the arena was boiled to kill the germs in a big mess.

    * * * *

    I had been taken care of by Batrax, the "Earth Witch" of the fourth game, by Warawa himself.

    When I participated in an event in Okubo, he helped me mass produce the Deep One for play.

    At that time, I advised him to use the rest of what he had made for me, and I actually put it into action.

    My opponents were completely hooked on the Deep One, which split up every time it was struck, and in the end, it was crushed by an overwhelming majority.

    * * * *

    And last.

    The second princess of the mermaid kingdom, Angel....

    "Suicide!¡¡Mermaid Spark!

    Is that...?¡¡It''s one of the three major secrets of the Mermaid family, and one of the three that have been handed down for generations?¡¡I''ve heard that Princess Plati revived it after decades of absence of its user, but...?

    The fact that my sister can use it too means that she learned it from her sister.

    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but it''s a technique that the royal family considers to be their secret weapon. It''s not something that can be easily mastered, even if it is taught hand-in-hand.

    That''s why.

    Our side won all five battles in this match.

    We won this game by a great strategist.

 259-258 Princess is a witch

    Victory.

    Five girls raised on a saint''s farm vs. the school''s elite.

    The result is an overwhelming victory for the Angels.

    A win in all five battles.

    It was the best possible outcome, and I, Zos Saira of the Abyss, was extremely satisfied with that.

    On the other hand, her opponent, an outstanding student at the best potions and magic school in the mermaid country, was a total failure.

    It''s a game they deserved to win, but they lost badly, and their reputation was shattered.

    The Karp guy who had been so confidently pushing his students is a disgrace too.

    Delightful.

    "We defeated all of our seniors...!

    "We''ve never been this strong...?

    The victors are the ones who are most confused.

    But why should they be surprised?

    You have been instructed directly by the most skilled witch in the world, and you have had the opportunity to experiment and practice various skills. How could you not have grown up?

    Lady Zos Saira!

    ''And there''s no way I''m going to lose to a hothouse kid in school who does nothing but transcribe equations, in all likelihood. ...Is that clear?

    Farm or school.

    Which is more beneficial to their development?

    Well, for those of you who don''t doubt that we''re the best in the world, I guess we''ve hit a bit of a snag.

    Ho ho ho ho ho.........?

    "Annihilation........the students I brought up with great care.......?

    Oh, Carp.

    How does it feel now that you thought you were going to win and got beaten to a pulp?

    Hey, how does that feel?

    Princess Angel and all the other kids have grown so fast in such a short period of time...?¡¡Before they left school, they were ordinary kids with no outstanding grades....?

    It''s the brilliance of a farm to turn them into something extraordinary.

    I''m not a resident of the farm, so I act like I''m a representative.

    I''ve shown you the results of our efforts. Even you with your thick head can understand that. This isn''t the best environment in which to raise them.

    But...!¡¡This is the best and most prestigious school in the mermaid kingdom........!

    What about it?¡¡Even a prestigious school is no match for the opulence of a farm with a few witches. You must understand that and step aside gracefully.

    That would be the best course of action for these children to take.

    No!¡¡I can''t!

    He''s not a good person.

    I didn''t allow the first princess, Lady Plati, to drop out of school, and I didn''t even get to raise her sister, Princess Angel...!¡¡If that happens, our school will have no reason to exist. We won''t be able to face that person...!

    Because Mermaid Witch Academia is a royal institution.

    And yet, they couldn''t get the royalty to graduate, "What''s the point of it? That''s what we''re talking about.

    It''s not over yet!

    No, it''s over. All five battles are over.

    ''''No, it''s still there, the match between you and me!''''

    Carp glares at the straw man as he says this.

    ''What is it?

    "I challenge you to a fight, Zos Saira!¡¡If I win, leave these women behind!

    This is extremely unseemly. Are you suggesting that a direct confrontation between you and me will determine the educational policies of these children?

    ''There is a connection!¡¡I''ll make it clear what the leadership is capable of in this game!¡¡The strong lead the way, that''s all!

    You can''t be too much of a complainer.

    The fact that he becomes reckless when pushed to the limit has not changed. It''s a common trait of hard-headed people.

    But Mr. Karp, are you forgetting something important?

    Like the recklessness of taking on this Abyssal Witch, Zos Saira.

    Did you ever have a chance against a straw man, even when you were at your strongest?¡¡"The Witch of Ars?

    ''Stop calling me by that name. I am now a teacher at the prestigious Mermaid Witch Academia!

    Then let''s give it a try.

    How much has that great teacher grown himself?

    Awwww...?

    You just made me think, what kind of relationship is this between these two?

    The little girls are freaking out out out in the field, but you can watch at ease.

    They''ll triumph in the blink of an eye and bring you back to the farm!

    No.

    "?

    A voice to stop the stragglers?

    What''s that voice?

    "Zosu and Kaa used to be such good friends. Don''t fight with them.

    "What?¡¡You are...?

    A gorgeous mermaid and her husband.

    The husband is a strong, mature mermaid with a dignified appearance, admiring his rich beard and majestic tail fin.

    The wife is a youthful lady who could easily be mistaken for a maiden in her twenties, with a radiant charm.

    "His Majesty the Mermaid King Nargus!

    And the Mermaid Queen Sheila, the ruler of the mermaid kingdom!

    The ruler of the mermaid kingdom and heir to the throne.

    And the parents of Platy and Angel.

    Papa!¡¡Mom!

    As if to prove it, Angel hugs his mother.

    What are you doing here?¡¡I told you I''d be waiting for you at the castle, didn''t I?

    ''We were going to do that, but Dad got too worried. In the end he decided to come over and see how he was doing. I guess it was the right thing to do.

    Queen Sheila swims over to us with Angel in her arms.

    Walla and Karp.

    Down to the two of them.

    ''Zos, you''re still a wanted man, you can''t go on a rampage in the capital, can you?¡¡If it''s too flashy, it''s not going to deter the guards, indeed.

    Huh... yes...

    ''Kerr, you''re in a position of responsibility now, so you shouldn''t be rash. Are you going to teach your students to ''solve trouble with your fists''?

    I''m sorry, sir.

    Both Wara and Karp freeze up in front of the mermaid queen.

    They can''t argue with her.

    ''''But Queen Sheila. This is a matter of prestige for Mermaid Witch Academia........!

    Oh, that Karp guy... he''s got some balls.

    The purpose of our school is to raise the royal family of the mermaid kingdom to become ladies who are worthy of their bloodline. If this is not possible for Prati, our eldest daughter, and Angel is deprived of her leadership, it will affect our survival. Please take care of things here, Sheila-sama...!

    ''Carp?¡¡Are you going to talk back to me?

    Hee?

    I told you so!

    It''s not only Karp who is directly opposed to you, but the strawmen next to you and the little mermaids around you are all shaking with fear!

    "Yes!

    And her companion, the Mermaid King, gave one coughing fit. So Queen Sheila huffed and put away her killing spree.

    ''''Well, now that you''re a teacher, Kaa, you have to think about school, don''t you?¡¡I don''t really mind either way. Prati-chan and Angel-chan, as long as they grow up in good health, what does it matter what your educational background is...?

    "That''s not how it works...!¡¡The state and the appearance of the school...!

    Huh?

    So, Karp, why are you arguing with me?

    Don''t you learn, you''re a teacher!

    "Yes!

    Oh...!¡¡Don''t worry, I''ll make sure the school is taken care of, even by the royal family.

    How many times would that Carp guy have been killed if the Mermaid King hadn''t cleared his throat?

    Zos, you haven''t said a word since you left, have you?¡¡Quiet, right?

    ''Ha!¡¡I''ll speak whatever you want me to speak, sister!

    ''Didn''t I tell you to stop calling me that after I married my darling?

    "I''m sorry, sister!

    Angel and the rest of the school''s little mermaids were dumbfounded, unable to understand what was going on.

    One of the six witches, one of the worst troublemakers in the mermaid world.

    The best and most prestigious school teacher in the mermaid kingdom.

    The dignity of the mermaid queen who is scared of these two people side by side.

    I want Arowana, Platy, Angel and all the younger children to be free to live their lives as they wish. I don''t want them to have any regrets in their lives. Although there are people who accuse me of indulging them,

    What kind of a daredevil would do that?

    But you have to take responsibility for being born into mermaid royalty. That''s why I''ve prepared a compromise plan. I''m sure you''ll all agree with me.

    " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

    Wouldn''t you agree?

    ""Yes!"

    All right, you''re smart.

    You just do what your sister Sheila tells you to do. That''s the secret to longevity.

    "Hey, Master Zos?

    Angel asks Strawberry.

    ''Master Zos, you seem to be good friends with my mom, do you know her?¡¡I had no idea my mom knew the Six Witches.

    Mm, I had a little fling with him a long time ago.

    Don''t ask me any more than that.

    ''If I tell you, I''ll kill you,'' she said, as tightly as she could before she was married.

    ...........

    About twenty years ago, Warawa and Karp were rioting on the sea, led by your sister.

    And just as they were about to carry out their plan to destroy the mermaid kingdom, a young mermaid appeared out of the blue, and after a great love affair, she gave up her plan and married him.

    The title he once bore was a title that shook the mermaid outlaw world to no end.

    Sheila Cannes, the "Dark (adobeer) Witch".

    The only people who know about her career, apart from her husband and wife, are her younger sisters, Wawa and Karp, who are the only ones who know about her.

    It might be better to say "knowingly being kept alive".

    That''s why you can''t let that person''s own children, Prati and Angel, slip through your fingers by accident!

    ''Zos-chan?¡¡It''s nice to see you after all these years.

    Yeah?

    For the record, I think our memories are most beautiful when we keep them close to our hearts.

    You are quite right, sir!

    At the very least, Plati''s outstanding talent is probably the bloodline she inherited from him.

    Anyway, with the arrival of the Mermaid King and his wife, neither Karp nor anyone else could interfere in the matter.

    This matter was settled.

    ........or is it?

 260-259 Mermaid Campus

    It''s me.

    Hey, guys.

    The angels are back. They are back on our farm after their homecoming.

    But there''s one thing I''m noticing....

    ...is there more?

    The numbers.

    The number of people.

    When we went there, there were supposed to be five people plus Zos Saira to lead us, but when we came back there were about twenty.

    Increase in number?

    "Are mermaids capable of multiplication?

    No, sir. What makes you think that?

    This time, I received a sharp tweak from Zos Saira, who acted as the leader of the group.

    ''No really, thank you for your hard work this time.

    ''''Then why are the mermaids you sent out believing and coming back in greater numbers?

    In total, there were about twenty mermaids, and five of the original members, Angel, Discus, Bale Tail, Heckery, and Batrax, who had a wry look on their faces.

    Then who were the other fifteen or so stranger mermaids?

    At least I''ve never seen this face before, our first meeting.

    "I don''t know you, Saint. I''ve heard so much about you.

    Among them was an older sister mermaid who seemed to be head and shoulders above the average age group.

    She seemed terribly meticulous, and she bowed her head snappily as she did so.

    ''''I''m Karp. I''m a teacher at Mermaid Witch Academy, the most prestigious potions school in the mermaid country.

    Ah, it was on that topic.

    ''''I am pleased to announce that we are preparing to establish a branch school of Mermaid Witch Academia in this farm ruled by your saint. We would like to ask for your kind permission to do so.

    Hmmm....

    .........

    ....................hmm?

    Annexation?

    What''s that?

    It was so abrupt and fast that it was like "Do you see it twice?

    It took me a moment to understand it!

    That''s a compromise.

    In the meantime, Zos Saira, as a human resource on our side, explains.

    "Compromise?

    ''The Angels want to continue their apprenticeship on this farm. But if they do that, the men of the prestigious school will be crushed. It would be a waste of time to get them up and running.

    Balancing that and satisfying the convenience of both...?

    I will establish a branch of the Mermaid Witch Academy on this farm, and the Angels will take their seats there. Then they will remain here and remain students of the Academy. Not everything will be the same.

    I see.

    What a grey, sophomoric way of thinking around politicians.

    What does this have to do with the fact that there are more mermaids than ever before?

    If we''re setting up an offshoot school, I''m sure we can find a more respectable number. I''d say the students were recruited from Mermaid Witch Academy.

    I see.

    You want to study here with us?

    I have been assigned to be in charge of the branch school and the students'' guidance. Naturally, I will be of service to Saint Prathi''s husband, His Holiness, as well!

    Was that Mr. Karp before?¡¡I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.

    It''s true that she''s not the only one dressed as a student.

    I''m begging you. I ask your permission to establish a branch school of Mermaid Witch Academy in this location!

    No, I don''t deny it, but...

    Our farm has taken in new residents many times anyway, so there''s no point in worrying about it now.

    Well, we need to be considerate enough to ask our farm''s old-timers for their opinions as well....

    I agree.

    Good, I guess.

    ''''Mermaids, your department is regularly short-staffed, and you can''t afford to hire more people around here all at once, can you?

    I''ll have to burn another plate, won''t I?

    "Woof!

    Noooo!

    I''ve got to milk more tomorrow...

    New friends!

    Do they drink?

    The mood was generally welcoming.

    One point.....

    "There is a problem.

    The one who objected was, ironically, a mermaid of his own kind.

    One of the six witches, ''Hellfire Witch'' Lamp Eye.

    ''''Huh?¡¡Just you?

    Where are the other mermaids?

    Puffa is out again. Also, Gala Rufa is holed up in the infirmary, and he''s not so much busy with his duties as he is with being called crazy again.

    It''s the first time the girl mermaids have visited us, and they''re going, "Hellfire Witch! "There really is! The Six Witches really have a high status in their hometown, don''t they?

    The six witches really have a high status in their hometown.

    I don''t care about Puffa and Gara Rufa, but what about Platy?¡¡Isn''t this essentially when she''s supposed to be here?

    She''s my wife, and she''s the head and head of the mermaid team.

    Shouldn''t the entire mermaid team''s opinion be her voice?

    And how did the lamp eyes do that?

    And why do you refuse?

    I have taken the liberty of speaking for myself this time. ''There is a problem,'' is what Mr. Plati said.

    What?

    "There''s a lot of friction between Master Prati and the school...

    Really?

    As I was about to listen further, something strange happened.

    Carp, the teacher who had been leading the students, had a glint in his eye.

    Lady Platy!¡¡You''re in there, aren''t you?

    Gah!¡¡He found us!

    Platy?

    If you thought he wasn''t there, was he hiding in the shadows that close to you?

    ''Sweet, Master Platy!¡¡Do you remember how many times in your school days I stopped you from hiding and trying to get out of class like that?

    That''s why I don''t like you!¡¡Ghosts of the past!¡¡Don''t step into my paradise!

    .........

    It''s rare to see Prathi so rejected and yet turned against her.

    What is the relationship between her and that teacher?

    ''''........Come to think of it, the ''Witch of the Crown'' had dropped out of Mermaid Witch Academia, didn''t she?

    Zos Saira said.

    I''ve only heard that Master Prathi, who had a personality like that that didn''t fit in with the discipline of a prestigious school, clashed many times with the teachers. Probably, that Karp teacher was the spearhead of that.

    And lamp eye.

    ........that means the teacher''s gaze on me was so severe, it was a sis''s fault!

    And Angel.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what to do.

    Prati and Mr. Karp are wrestling at the side.

    ''I''ve been waiting for this moment for a long time!¡¡I''m here not only for the protective education of current students, Master Prathi, but also because I stepped in to see you again!¡¡Now is the time for you, along with Lady Angel and the others, to re-educate yourself and officially graduate from Mermaid Witch Academia!¡¡Not dropping out!

    "Shut up!¡¡I''ve long since graduated from domination!¡¡You can''t be so well-behaved and serious!¡¡I couldn''t wait to be free!

    Prathi hates it like a child.

    And don''t be too loud, I''m worried about my baby.

    I don''t want you to be afraid of your baby. He even went so far as to beg me to go against it for him.

    Lamp-Eye says dumbly.........

    Prati pleads........?

    Even the Crowned Witch has a natural enemy. "The Crown Witch has her own natural enemies.

    On top of that, a mentor is the next hardest person to disobey in one''s lifetime, next to one''s parents.

    Will Prathi feel smoky too?

    And if so, what is to be done about it?

    You''re right, I don''t want to push my beloved wife to admit a new resident, even though she doesn''t want to?

    ''Yes!¡¡I will use all my powers as a farmer''s wife to deny you, now that I''m a farmer''s wife!¡¡Take Angel and all the other students and go back to the mermaid kingdom!

    "Am I in trouble?

    Angel, the collateral damage.

    You can''t help but agree with Prati''s insistence, but....

    So it''s no use.

    Teacher Karp said, but without losing his composure.

    ''I see no alternative but to produce this. I have a letter from Queen Sheila.

    From Mom!

    Teacher Karp pulls some kind of wide seaweed out of his pocket.

    ...Letter?

    A letter written on kelp?

    Prathi snatched it up and unfolded it to read it.

    ''.............''

    For a few dozen seconds, her eyeballs moved busily.

    Eventually...........

    ''''........I approve the establishment of the branch school.......!

    ''''........Yay!

    The student mermaids are delighted.

    Prati was completely defeated.

    Platy has one more natural enemy.

 261-260... is in the sea

    A letter from her mother that crushes Prathi''s stubborn will.

    Is that how hard it is for her to resist her mother?

    Here''s an excerpt from a letter from mom.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Prathi.

    Congratulations on your pregnancy.

    You''re now an adult. You couldn''t be prouder as your mother.

    Are you taking care of your body?¡¡Do you sleep with your belly out?

    You have to be even more careful than usual because you are no longer alone in your body.

    If it were up to me, I would have come over right away to congratulate you in person, but I can''t keep up with the children younger than you, so I''ve decided to leave this letter to Karp.

    (Omission.)

    So, good luck with the establishment of the branch school.

    From my mother.

    To my treasure, Platy.

    "Your mother''s kind words in front of me...¡¡I can''t say NO........!

    Prathi sobbed in tears of emotion.

    I see.

    Is it the natural enemy of the arraignment system?

    I have a feeling that there''s quite a politically egregious context to the part that was done, but I''ll get to that later.

    ''Just make an offshoot or whatever you want to call it!¡¡I''ll do anything you ask of me, Mom!

    Thus, even Prati has fallen.

    Then, since there is now no one to oppose it........

    ''''I approve the establishment of the Mermaid Witch Academia Farm Branch School.

    Yay!

    The mermaid students were overjoyed.

    Not to mention Angel and the other existing groups, the new members also raised their hands.

    ........Why are they so excited?

    Calm down!¡¡Ladies and gentlemen!

    Then a blackmail from the Carp teacher flew and it instantly quieted down.

    Shin..........

    ''''As a mermaid lady, you must strictly refrain from indiscretions. You aren''t just learning pharmacy magic here. You will also learn to behave in a noble manner that will not put you to shame as a lady.

    ""Okay, sir..."

    Carp teacher, tough.

    I used to have one in my school days. Such a nagging teacher for no reason....

    ........closely behind me, Prathi was shirking.

    Her tail stretched out from her buttocks, puffing up her fur with a buzz.

    I don''t actually have a tail, Platy is a mermaid.

    We have enough cat characters in our house, just one viel.

    Saints, we need to discuss your schedule.

    Schedule?

    ''Regularity is the essence of student life!¡¡The students will follow a daily schedule that is thoroughly constructed by the leadership here at the farm as well!

    and a wide seaweed that the Carp teacher thrusts at him.

    Apparently used as a substitute for paper in the world of mermaids, there is a detailed schedule on it....

    For example, what time you get up at, what time you have class from what time to what time, and what time you have to work, were written down in great detail.

    It was a meticulous detail.

    "..........

    I didn''t hesitate to throw the seaweed into the pot to get the broth.

    ''''Ahh?

    "Scrap this schedule.

    The farm is known for its longevity.

    It ruins the atmosphere if you bring in such a time-consuming lifestyle.

    "Everyone should work when they want, how they want. It''s easy and fun.

    As long as there is a set time for everyone to eat together, and for everyone to wake up and go to bed, the rest is free.

    Also, as long as there was a specific time for everyone to drink the milk that the satyrs handed out, we were free to do whatever we wanted.

    Efficiency?

    I don''t care. I''m in this other world to be free of all that stuff.

    But...!¡¡That''s going to make our school''s education...!

    ''It''s an offshoot of our farm. If you can''t follow the ways of the farm, you''ll still have to leave.

    From behind, "That''s what I''m talking about, sir! Your brother-in-law is so cool! The mermaid princess sisters cheered for them.

    ''''Wow, I see........!¡¡We are renting a room here as well. We''ll compromise.

    Thank you for your understanding.

    From behind, he said, "You see that!¡¡This is the power of a master! It''s your brother-in-law''s power! The voice was excited.

    Well, you''ll be living with us from now on, won''t you? Then you''ll need a house to sleep and wake up in.

    Of course, we can''t just let them stay out in the field, either.

    And since the number of people will increase by a dozen at once, we''ll need to build another building.

    "My Lord...!¡¡Architecture?¡¡Are you building on the express again?

    Orcubo and the rest of the Orc team suddenly started to get nervous.

    These guys are really starting to get their building mania on board.

    ''''Since our kids are eager to enjoy their hobby, we need to set up a place for you to stay as soon as possible...''''

    That''s not going to happen.

    Huh?

    We cannot foster pride in our mermaids if we are disturbed by all that is going on. We would like to make sure that we have a place to sleep and wake up ourselves.

    Does that mean we''re going to build our own house?

    Don''t tell me you''ve got a carpenter from mermaid country?

    There is no need. We mermaids have this.

    And then the Carp teacher took out what looked like a white pebble.

    About the size of a fingertip.

    ''''........Coral?''''

    From the looks of it, it''s probably a piece of coral.

    ''It''s not just any coral. This is one of Princess Prati''s great inventions. It''s a model of the Hypertrophic Growth Coral.

    Hypertrophic growth coral?

    ''You''re bringing out the old stuff again, aren''t you?''

    says Prathi herself in the context.

    I''m assuming you mean she invented it, but what kind of hypertrophic growth coral is that?

    With the addition of a special growth potion, the coral grows at an explosive rate. Moreover, you can decide in advance what kind of shape the coral will grow into.

    So it could be grown into a form that is hollow and has a roof and can be used as a house. With this, mermaids could instantly live a cultural life in all waters!

    You mean the house of coral?

    But if you''re a coral, you need to live underwater, and that means you''re going to have to build your house underwater, right?

    Aren''t you going to sleep on the farm?

    We are mermaids. Our basic life is to live in the sea. We will make our quarters in the waters nearby and we will live there. During the daytime operations, we will be allowed to go ashore and take our land-humanizing medicine.

    It''s such a hassle.

    If you''re going to live at home, why don''t you just sleep on the ground?

    ''''And a house of growing corals is just a simple house.¡¡It''s simple to build, and that''s a world of difference from a house built by a coral carpenter in his day job.¡¡It''s a one-day thing to make the camp somewhat more comfortable, not a permanent use...!

    No. It''s only when you value the life of the sea that you can feed the pride of the mermaid race.

    These conversations alone were more than enough for me to understand.

    Ms. Karp''s stubbornness and troublesomeness as a teacher.

    If it was just her, it would be unbearable for her students to have to deal with it.

    I''m willing to make do with meals to avoid being a burden to Prathi-sama. Please help us out!

    * * *

    Thus began the farm branch of Mermaid Witch Academia.

    At first, they built a dormitory on the sea near the farm, as instructed by their teacher Karp, and slept there at night, coming ashore in the morning to humanize themselves by taking medicine, taking classes and helping with the farm work, and then returning to the sea after dark in the form of mermaids again.

    Such was the repetition of life.

    Eventually......

    ''What?¡¡Do you wear such cute clothes when you sleep on land?

    It''s called pajamas!¡¡This place is full of clothes made by the best craftsmen of the demon race!

    All of the students at the mermaid school are girls, all around her age.

    The yearning to dress up in pretty clothes cannot be erased.

    Furthermore.

    ''........lunch at the farm, delicious.......!

    It''s nothing compared to dinner under the sea...!

    No....!¡¡I don''t want to eat raw fish that hasn''t been cooked yet...!

    I''ve had enough of this gut feeling that all I have to do is drink seawater and I''ll be alive...

    At some point, one student after another began to stay on the ground, and it didn''t take long for all of them to refuse to return to the sea quarters.

    ''''Thanks for your help........!

    With my homemade skewers in one hand and a bashful expression on his face, Mr. Karp suggested a full-scale residence on our farm.

    By that time, all the new-faced mermaids were captivated by life on our farm.

    ''Food on the farm is so good!¡¡The milk from the satyrs tastes so good!

    "Hot springs feel so good!¡¡It''s so comfy!

    "My pajamas are so cute!

    This drink made by Master Bacchus is so good!

    "Huh?

    "You''re still a student...?

    This is how all kinds of mermaids were transformed into bodies that could not survive without the food and clothing produced on our farm.

    .........

    When the official migration is decided.........

    ''''Call the orc team!¡¡This is the building season!¡¡You can build a boarding house where the mermaids can live comfortably!

    It''s already built.

    You''re early.

    Because it was only a matter of time before they lost.

    Still, you''re impatient to start construction without even waiting for the Lord''s go-ahead!

    Thus, although there were some twists and turns from the earnest teacher''s obsession.

    The mermaid branch school made an official start.

 262-261 Mermaid class

    From now on, I would like to follow the life of the mermaid students who have become the new residents of our farm.

    They have come to live on our farm to study, which is a different pattern from what they have been doing in the past.

    What will they learn from our farm and what will they gain from it?

    Let me, the owner of the farm, make a curious observation.

    The reason why the mermaid students have chosen our farm as their school is because there is a witch there.

    They are the six witches, the best potions users in the mermaid world.

    They are the best magicians in the mermaid world, and learning from them is more fruitful than any textbook or veteran teacher.

    ........although there seems to be a portion of the population that doesn''t want to admit that.

    So the people most affected by these newcomers were the mermaid witches who had become accustomed to living on our farm.

    Among them, I will first take up........

    * * * *

    ''What?¡¡What''s that number?

    The Frozen Cold Witch, Puffa.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve been back on the farm, and I react to the girl mermaid multiplying all over the place.

    ''Discus, when did you become able to split and multiply?¡¡There''s no such thing as mermaid magic, is there?

    No, sir!¡¡I didn''t increase on my own!

    Is this outlandishness of idea the reason for the witch''s greatness...?

    Puffa looked over at the new students who had entered the school along with his direct disciple from the original, Discus.

    ''''Haha, I didn''t know it was going to be like that while Atay was gone...?

    ''''Won''t Puffa be happy?¡¡I''ve been wanting to fill in for a long time.

    The more people you have, the more you can leave the brewery to those people and go to Prince Arowana''s place.

    There''s a reason why Puffa has been away from the farm lately.

    Prince Arowana, heir to the throne of the Mermaid Kingdom, is currently on a warrior training mission on the land. And Puffa is accompanying him.

    Why?

    Because she is in love with Prince Arowana.

    She''s the one who broke through and even created a mermaid version of transition magic in order to combine joining the prince''s journey and working on the farm.

    The more manpower on the farm, the less frequently she can return to the farm and spend more time with Prince Arowana, so hooray.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time here," he said, "but if the number of people on the farm increases to this level, there will have to be someone who is responsible for commanding and directing them. ...!

    I couldn''t stay.

    .....

    .........no wait.

    Doesn''t that sound strange to you?

    He is a self-declared outlaw. Puffa, who claims that rebelling against power is his raison d''etre, has a line of concern for the group.

    "I have something to say to you!

    I was puzzled, and then a situation arose where I had to put that puzzling to rest for a time.

    One of the new mermaid students took a bite out of Puffa.

    ''''Master Puffa, the ''Frozen Cold Witch''!¡¡Why don''t you try to use your wisdom for the good of the world?

    Huh?

    ''The pharmacological magic used by female mermaids is to serve the mermaid nation and the mermaid race!¡¡I was taught that at home and at school!¡¡But Anata is only willing to use extraordinary magic for her own exploration!

    He is a Puffa with a history of being arrested because of the danger of his own magical research that he was carrying out on his own.

    ''''I have nothing to learn from such a selfish person!¡¡I refuse to take lessons from her!

    It must be the daughter of a hairy mermaid aristocrat who eats it up. That must be why I can''t forgive Puffa for being an outlaw.

    But she''s a reckless girl.

    I can''t help but say, ''Oi, oi, oi, oi'' and ''He''s dead'' for him to say something like that to that Puffa head on and pick a fight.

    The next moment when she was sure that this reckless speaker would be blown away by Puffa''s special magic potion.......

    She received Puffa''s hot embrace.

    ''''Mu-fu-uh-uh?

    ''''You''re right.''''

    The girl mermaid''s head is buried in the valley of Puffa''s tits.

    ''Atai has only ever used her power for her own good. But I finally realized that''s not good enough.

    !

    They say that teaching others makes you grow. It''s a good idea to teach them, so that they can become respected witches. Let''s work together.

    ?

    Hey, what''s up with these outlaw fangs?

    What the hell happened to you?

    Well, I mean, if you''re going to be queen of mermaids in the future, it would be a bad idea to make enemies for your sake.

    "The Mermaid Queen?

    Isn''t this story a little more radical than I thought?

    "Wives can''t drag their husbands down either. If this guy belongs to his cousin''s school, he''s probably going to be one of the future elite.¡¡There''s nothing wrong with taming them!

    Something happened between her and Prince Arowana during the journey....

    It''s a rage that can only be described as "a rage.

    What we have in front of us now is not a sharp outlaw woman, but a love maiden dreaming of a future happy family.

    ''''........Ah, Discus, are you okay?¡¡You''ve always wanted to be an outlaw puffa, haven''t you?¡¡Are you disillusioned?

    ''What do you mean?'' asked Discus, who should be Puffa''s best disciple in terms of standing position.

    "It''s okay. I had a sneaking suspicion of where Miss Puffa was going from time to time, so.......

    Well....

    Of course I''d notice.

    As a matter of fact, it wasn''t as often as it should have been.

    "The power of love is so great...

    ''Well...''

    Thus, surprisingly, it was Puffa who was most dedicated to teaching and education among the Six Witches.

    * * * *

    Next, let''s take a look at the lamp-eye.

    Some unfamiliar little female mermaid is standing upright and immobile in front of the lamp eye.

    ''''Betta house wife!¡¡It is Crowntail!

    Who?

    Well, I guess she''s one of the new face mermaids who joined the school as a result of the split.

    From the way he talks, I wonder if he has great blood in his veins.¡¡A nobleman or something like that?

    As a woman born into the fighting fish family, my goal is to become a member of the Kingsguard, and I have long admired Master Lampwicke, who has been a member of the Kingsguard and has been called the ''Hellfire Witch'' for many years. I''m so happy to meet you now, I''m overjoyed to meet you!

    Your family has a higher pedigree than mine, so don''t be so intimidated...!

    Lamp Eye tends to be confused.

    After all, the popularity of the Six Witches within the mermaid race is high.

    ''''To tell you the truth, I have something to apologize to Lamp-Eye-sama!

    An apology?¡¡I don''t believe you and I have ever met.

    ''Affirmative!¡¡However, I want to apologize for my people''s misconduct, not my own!

    Your people?

    "I hope you can forgive me for being the unworthy brother who wronged you!

    Brother?

    My brother, Betha Hendler, who was born into a family of betas and was a glorified fighter, runs away and becomes a glib orator, to the shame of my family!¡¡And yet, the other day, you walked in on His Majesty the Mermaid King Nargus and interfered with his government!

    Uh...?

    Is that Hendler''s sister?

    ''I''m told that your disrespect has been punished with your fists, which has led to the capture of Master Lamprey!¡¡But it''s not Master Lamprey''s fault!¡¡It''s all my brother''s fault!

    Speaking of which, Mr. Hendler, you haven''t come in today, have you?

    Couldn''t the timing have been better for a visit to flirt with a lamprey even if you didn''t need it?

    ''To my foolish brother, right after that incident, I said, "I hate you, brother! I told you that, so please lower your tumescence with that first!¡¡I will do everything in my family to exonerate Master Lamprey and defuse the stigma, in time!

    ''What''s past is good.

    Lamp-Eye took the hand of the Crowntail or whatever it was and smiled kindly.

    ''''All that matters is now. Yes, now is the only time that matters. Let''s talk about it when things are a little calmer. I have some homemade sweets that I''ve kept in storage, Saint-sama.''''

    "I''m honored, sir, but...!¡¡What the hell do you want me to tell you about...?

    ''About Master Hendler, about his childhood, his hobbies and all that...!

    Why would you do that?

    Lamp Eye.

    Can you please teach the other students a lesson?

    Thus, Lamp Eye and Crowntail disappeared into the room, and I thought that this was going to be another disturbance when Mr. Hendler visited.

    * * * *

    And.

    I heard some noises coming from the infirmary managed by Gala Rufa, the "Plague Witch", so I wondered what they were saying.¡¡And listen carefully.........

    "''Madness!¡¡Madness!¡¡Madness!¡¡Madness!¡¡Madness!¡¡Madness!¡¡Madness...!

    The call to "I don''t know what to do" went on and on.

    I decided to leave it alone and walked on by.

 263-262 Conspiracy Mermaid

    Mermaid Witch Academia Farm Branch School.

    I was one of the mermaid students chosen to be its special student.

    The plan began as a whimsical proposal from the Mermaid Queen Sheila.

    But even so, I was inundated with applicants.

    After all, it was the offer to receive direct instruction from the Six Witches, the best magician of the mermaid world.

    Every student, from the meek to the ambitious student who wanted to learn the secrets of potions, wanted to participate.

    After various reviews and comparisons, in addition to Princess Angel and her five cronies who have been training in the area since the beginning, about ten new students were chosen to join the branch school.

    One of them was me.

    I don''t have any particular talents or specialties, and I''m not surprised that I was able to get through the narrow gate of Mermaid Witch Academia just because I was born to the daughter of one of the many middle-class nobles in the Mermaid Country.

    It''s probably pure luck.

    Other than that, I can''t think of any other cause.

    But I rather resented that luck.

    Because of this once-in-a-lifetime good fortune, I had been burdened with an important mission that didn''t suit my ordinary self.

    My brother, a middle-class aristocrat, was a brilliant young man despite his halfway decent status, and he often spoke out on the street.

    He was what you might call an activist.

    That brother gave me an order.

    I''m not going to be able to get out.

    And.

    There is a controversy going on in the land of mermaids right now. It''s a debate that has split the country in half.

    "How should we deal with the demon race that ruled the earth? So, after winning the battle with the human race, the demon race will attack the mermaid kingdom next, won''t they?¡¡The argument is based on the fear that the demon race will attack and destroy the mermaid kingdom.

    In the dispute, my brother belongs to the faction that says, ''The demons intend to attack and destroy the mermaid kingdom. He belongs to the faction that says, ''The demon tribe is planning to attack and destroy the mermaid kingdom, and we should take action as soon as possible.

    And they are trying to take this kind of action to fend off the demon invasion.

    ''''We should revive the once-vanished Princess Prati''s bride and strengthen our friendly relations with the Demon Nation.''''

    ''''I don''t care who she''s married to now. He should be forced to divorce her and give her to the Demon King for another marriage.

    And.

    To his brother, who belongs to such a faction, his sister''s visit to the farm where Princess Prati is said to live is a boat ride.

    The night before he left for the farm, he said to me, "You know what?

    The night before I went to the farm, my brother said to me, "Listen, sister. The future of the mermaid kingdom depends on your work. The Princess Platy, whose whereabouts are unknown at the moment, is sure to be where you are headed. You must find out more about her location and do something to inform your brother.

    He goes on to say.

    ''You need to stop there. I''ll lead a group of men to meet Princess Platy and escort her back to the Demon King. I''m going to be the one to take her to the Demon King. It doesn''t matter how many guards you have, with fifty heroes from the mermaid kingdom, you can easily take the princess away from them.

    And.

    ''That is the way to save the mermaid kingdom from destruction. Is that clear?¡¡Your success or failure depends on your work. Never let the teachers think you''re doing anything wrong.

    I can''t go against my brother, who has always loved me so much.

    With a secret I couldn''t even tell my friends, I came to the saint''s farm with the other students.

    I also confirmed the existence of Princess Prati.

    The first step in the secret mission is complete.

    All we need to do now is to somehow inform my brother in my country of the detailed location of this farm.

    If I can do that, my brother will then take a group of people and attack the Princess Platy.

    The mermaid warriors are a force to be reckoned with.

    As my brother would say, defending a small farm like this....

    ''''Err, folks,''''

    I was pondering, when someone said something.

    ''We have a very special teacher here today.

    * * *

    I''m a teacher at No Life King.

    .........

    .....................hmm?

    Is there some kind of unworldly, terrifying monster in front of you?

    The mummy-like appearance was dry and parched.

    The miasma, or the miasma that emanates from it, is so evil that many students, including myself, forget to breathe and tremble.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. It''s a good idea to learn more about the extreme magic that is so extreme that it''s no longer important to distinguish between them.

    .........no.

    I''m not talking about learning or anything like that........

    No Life King?

    One of the worst threats transmitted to land?

    How could it be in front of us?

    ''Oh no, I''m sorry to bother you, sir.

    "If the saint asks you to do something, you can''t refuse. I would not refuse your request if you asked me to. I would even ask you to let me teach you a class.

    If I can help you rejuvenate, I''m happy to do so.

    Well, one lesson can make you feel ten years younger.

    To you, ten years is not an error margin.

    Hahahahaha!¡¡An immortal monster and a land man laughing at each other.

    Is that what you call an undead joke?

    Either way, even if there were 5,000 elites led by your brother, I don''t feel like we could beat the No Life King, right?

    ''''Then let''s get right to today''s lesson and have a look at the practical skills. I''m going to summon a god now, so I want everyone to observe closely.

    That day I was able to see in person for the first time the ancestral deity of the mermaid tribe, Poseidon, for the first time.

    * * * *

    After a couple of screws of common sense popped off in a class by the No-Life King, there was a special lecturer who further defied common sense.

    ''I am Queen Astares, the Demon Queen,''

    .........

    The Demon Queen?

    If my memory drawer fits in the right place........

    Is it correct that the Demon Queen is the head of the demon race, the Demon King''s queen?

    Today I am taking on the role of special lecturer after the No Life King teacher. I wanted to give back to the saints who have always been so kind to me by taking the stage. Everyone said, ''If I miss a word, I''ll die! Listen carefully with about as much spirit as you can muster.

    Demon Queen, I''m scared.

    You sound more like a great general than a queen.

    "However, I can only lecture the other races about the future relationship between the demon race and the mermaid race. To sum up, our relationship could not be more cordial.

    Is that so?

    And the cornerstone of their friendship is the main saint of the farm and his wife, Prati. As long as they are alive and well, there will be no more wars on earth or under the sea. ...On the contrary.

    Conversely?

    What do you think would happen if someone tried to harm these two men?

    All of us mermaid students buzzed at the Demon Queen''s implied question.

    ''''In the name of our Demon King''s army, the criminals will kill all of their relatives within the fifteenth degree together.

    When she finished saying all she had to say, the Demon Queen received her own child that she had left in the care of her subordinates.

    And she was fussing over it with an absurdly sweet smile.

    The gap was amazing.

    * * * *.

    Throughout today''s special class, I learned one thing definitively.

    That it''s very bad to mess with this farm.

    Sending a few dozen Tekken to control it or something like that is just plain stupid.

    In order to take care of this farm, at the very least, the existence of the mermaid nation would have to be at stake.

    I''d have to be prepared for the demon tribe to turn against me.

    Our plan was to avoid a war with the demons in the first place.

    Abort.

    This plan should be canceled overwhelmingly.

    But will my brother be convinced?¡¡Can you get a firm grasp of the farm''s maverick nature based on hearsay alone without actually seeing it firsthand?

    I was at a loss, and above my head, some kind of winged flying man was playing an even match with a dragon.

    However, there was no one but us kids from the branch school who were looking up at it and panicking.

    A practice match?¡¡They say it''s a familiar sight...

    And one more thing.

    Looking towards the surface of the ground, I saw something remarkable there as well.

    Princess Prati.

    She''s the person who should be at the heart of the problem.

    She''s married to the owner of this person''s outlandish farm, and now she''s already pregnant.

    She has a loving husband, she is blessed with a child, and she is happy by all accounts.

    What right does anyone have to destroy this happiness?

    .............

    After all, I had to keep everyone happy with a code that I confused with a letter to my parents'' house. All I had to do was keep writing and sending "Chousa Keizokuchu".

    * * * *.

    An aside.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeamTeam Teammates

    (Ahead.)

    Oh yeah, there''s a girl named ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö among the students I got to join the mermaid branch school.

    She''s a spy.

    Where''s the spy from, the anti-Royalists?

    Demons are attacking!¡¡And she''s growing in strength," she says.

    She''s the one they sent to find out where you are, so why don''t you just go ahead and indulge her?

    You see, when you''re a silly person, you focus on one thing that seems to work, and you don''t want to focus on anything else.

    I''ll be able to hold Princess Plati back while I use the bait to keep her from making any unnecessary moves while I get ready to clean up the place.

    You are the former princess of the mermaid kingdom, so you can help me buy some time, right?

    (Subsequent omission.)

    Excerpt from a letter from the Mermaid Queen Sheila to her daughter Prati.

    In response, Prati says.

    "I didn''t need to be nostalgic...!

 265-263 Social tour of mermaid students Rikuyu No. 8

    This is Hackai the Orc.

    Today, Prince Arowana''s party is traveling on the ground in good spirits.

    This time there is no trouble or quests, it''s a very normal journey.

    The simple purpose of the journey will be to start from the place where they will be staying and reach the next place they will be staying.

    ''Is it about time for Puffa to arrive?''

    Before we leave, we wait to join Master Puffa.

    That person didn''t want to leave Prince Arowana, so he forced himself to accompany us.

    We go back and forth using our transfer magic. He was a fierce man who balanced his work on the farm with his training as a warrior.

    Last night, he went back to the farm before entering the inn, and he would come back after finishing his work.

    ''Oui, good morning!''

    And I''m back.

    Master Puffa plays an unreliable character, but he is surprisingly punctual.

    He has never been late for an appointment.

    Then, let''s get into the spirit of today''s trip, too. I''d like to say, "Well, I''m going to get into the swing of things today...

    Hmm?

    What''s going on...?

    What''s different about it?

    Normally, Puffa-sama''s transfer magic would have sent only one person flying through the air, but....

    There are many others today?

    A total of about 20 people?

    Why?

    ''Mermaid Witch Academia Farm Branch School, Social Field Trip Day~''

    Huh!

    What does that mean?

    The group of people that Puffa-sama brought with her are all young women if you look closely, and they don''t even seem to be adults yet.

    They are all standing on two feet properly........

    This sign, are they all mermaids?

    Hey, there''s your brother Arowana!

    Angel?¡¡Why are you here!

    One of the twenty people, a particularly lively-looking girl, hugged Prince Arowana.

    Master Puffa pulled her away from the girl, gooping her up.

    "Prathi told me to do it," he said. "Prathi ordered me to teach those little blue-tailed girls about land society.

    What the hell is going on here?

    Prince Arowana and I couldn''t follow the story at all.

    Puffa told us that the Mermaid Nation had now established a school on the saint''s farm and many young girls were moving there.

    A branch school?

    No, it doesn''t matter which way you look at it.

    ''''So all the girls here are students of Mermaid Witch Academia?

    ''Isn''t that elite,'' sighs Prince Arowana.

    ''I didn''t know that was going to happen while I was traveling...!

    So, Platy''s guy is sending us on a field trip as part of our learning curve.

    As I said before, what''s this whole social scene thing...?

    Well........the girls were young and restless...!

    I''m trying to disperse for the first time in the backcountry of the earth, but...!

    d*mn it, I have to coordinate!

    "So I will see the next king to train on land.

    Me?

    The object of their visit was Prince Arowana himself.

    Well, he''s a prince, so I thought he''d be the center of attention.

    Onii-chan!¡¡Let me visit my brother a lot today!

    The girl who just hugged me says.

    Who?

    Please!

    " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

    All the girls bow their heads in unison.

    Puffa-sama listens to the bewildered Prince Arowana.

    I heard that the master''s plan is working well in the mermaid kingdom right now. I''m told that the prince''s absence has left them bewildered and bewildered.

    When Prince Arowana returns from his training in the sunshine, he''s going to clean out the sods all together.

    That''s one of the many purposes of this trip.

    ''''But he says it''s too much trouble to keep them under control with the perfect amount of force to prevent them from converging into an outburst. If you''re not ready to come back yet, then cooperate with me.

    I see.

    If Prince Arowana could show his coolness and show the results of his training, it would be transmitted to the home country through them.

    Prince Arowana is making steady progress.

    He said that this would make those who were planning something in his absence more cautious.

    "...Puffa, who is that from?

    From your mother-in-law to Atai through Plati.

    You just said ''mother-in-law'', great nature.

    ''''Well there''s no pros and cons, I was recklessly sent on a warrior training trip.

    Prince Arowana swings the contraption in his hand with a flourish.

    ''Very well!¡¡Today, you can take a good look at my heroic figure here!

    ""Wahhhh!"

    Thunderous applause.

    And how do you do a social tour?

    When you say you''re going to show Prince Arowana how cool he is, what exactly do you mean by that?

    Are you going to find a monster or bandit in the area and kill it?

    Why don''t we just do a quick mock-up?

    A simulation?

    Paffa-sama is happy to talk about it without us.

    "Hey, Sunggok-chan.

    What is it, Miss?

    Calling for the angel Sunggokphon who was playing over there without any regard for him........

    ''Hey, fight with the master for a minute, Songgok-chan!

    "Rajah.

    He said something outrageous.

    Are you serious about letting Prince Arowana play Songgokphong and Sashi?

    He''s an entity that makes even gods afraid of him!

    "You''d have to be able to compete with that kind of opponent to show me how good you are.

    Wouldn''t the bar be lowered if you just wanted to set an example!

    Either way, you won''t have a stiff battle with an angel!

    ........Oh, no.

    I''m sure Songgok Phone has grown up a bit from traveling with us. Mentally.

    He''s learned to use his common sense, his discretion.

    Even this game is going to be well tamed and let Prince Arowana have the flowers........

    ''Manakanon, full power.''

    ''''Uheheh?''''

    Prince Arowana just barely avoided the flash of light that Songgokphong-chan fired.

    Manakanon, which became a stray bullet, ran long over there....

    The mountain in the distance was wiped away.

    ".................

    !

    !!!!!

    The expressions on the faces of the female students observing immediately disappeared.

    It was the face they made when they encountered something beyond their imagination.

    Hey!¡¡Sungoku-chan, that''s no way to treat someone!

    Speaking of battles, are you sure?¡¡So, full fire.

    "Geez!

    Prince Arowana, it''s no longer about showing dignity, it''s about fighting for survival.

    The female mermaid students observing this are dead in the face.

    The surrounding area is on fire due to the flashes of light scattered by Sunggok Fong-chan....

    Someone has alighted to make the worst situation even worse.

    "Arowana-dono!¡¡Isn''t this really bold!

    A dragon appears.

    A new companion for your journey. It was Mr. Ardheg, the Grinz Dragon.

    When he was staying at the inn, he had said he was going to ''fly around the area to get distracted,'' but he didn''t think he''d come back at this time.

    ''What barbarism to challenge the angel Songgokphon alone!¡¡That''s the sign of a hero!

    Mr. Ardhegg...!¡¡That''s not what I''m talking about.¡¡Help....!

    "I''ve seen fit to join the war effort to see if you are up to it.¡¡Let''s go!

    Geeeeeeeeeee?

    Hell.

    A three-way battle between Songgokphong-chan, Master Ardheg and Prince Arowana.

    Prince Arowana is out of place.

    He''ll be turned into charcoal in a few seconds!

    ''''Sweet, take a good look...''''

    Puffa-sama is calming down, but this must be rescued as soon as possible or Prince Arowana''s survival is at stake.

    ''''Ughhhh!¡¡Hey!

    Hey!¡¡Screaming like you''re about to die...?

    "Whooohhhhhhhhhh?¡¡Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    ........Huh?

    The screaming doesn''t stop, does it?

    Prince Arowana, persistent?

    Don''t underestimate the man.

    Master Puffa says confidently.

    ''It''s not like we''ve been fighting no-life kings or vampires or automatons before. We''ve had everyone''s help. But even so, Master has definitely become stronger through the pinch........!

    What did you say?

    Prince Arowana, you slashed through the dragonbreath from the front with a spear!

    ''''Mmph!

    This time, he dived through Sunggok Fong''s mana non fire and entered the pocket!

    ''''At this close range, my parachute won''t be of any use!

    Hey, prince''s sake, let''s get out of here, you pervert!

    ''You''ll get another shot at me if I leave!¡¡God gave you a bifocal weapon from God, but you''re not used to using it, you''re unskilled!

    You''re fighting on an even playing field........?

    Sandwiched between an angel and a dragon...?

    Prince Arowana, you''ve become so strong?¡¡On this journey?

    The mermaid girls'' expressions were completely dead in the face of this scene that looked like a mythical battle.

    ''''Big brother has gone to a faraway place...''''

    After they left, the girls said, "Prince Arowana was evenly matched with a dragon or something! They will spread rumors to the mermaid kingdom that........

    .........?

    It''s so dynamic, it might even raise some eyebrows?

 266-264 Hidden Settlement Land Ryukyu Part 9

    Whew, we''re in big trouble...!

    It is Prince Arowana.

    Hakkai the Orc will continue to report on the prince''s journey of training.

    It''s now, however, just after a female student who came on a field trip and returned home.

    Prince Arowana has just returned from the dead, sandwiched between Master Ardheg and Songgokphon.

    "I really thought I was going to die...!

    I suppose.

    Just snatching both Ardheg-sama''s Breath and Songgokphone''s Manakanon was enough to kill you.

    I''m amazed that you were able to dodge them all while they were flying around like a storm.

    "Tadaimaa!

    Master Puffa, who had sent the female students back to the farm, also returned with transition magic.

    ''Alright, let''s get going this time.

    Where are you going today?

    "To tell you the truth, Lord Zedan, the Demon King, once told me. If you''re ever in the vicinity, I''d like you to stop by and say hello.

    ?

    That''s just around the corner.

    I can''t just ignore the request of the Demon King, can I?

    Then will that be our destination today?

    ''''I''m going to brace myself!

    ""Oh."

    * * *

    We have arrived.

    ''Hey master, are you sure this is the right place?''

    ''''Hmm, the place that Lord Zedan showed us should be right here...?

    But what a desolate place we had arrived at.

    There wasn''t even a village, let alone a city, and on top of that, not a single plant or tree grew.

    It was a place that should be called a lifeless wasteland.

    Why did the demon king make us come to such a place?

    To lure him out and attack him?

    Lord Ardhegg!¡¡You''re full of shit!¡¡Only Zedan would not be the one to use such a nasty trick!

    I''m sorry...!

    Master Ardhegg has been Shunned.

    He''s so weak for a dragon.

    In the meantime....

    "Oh, you are a traveler, aren''t you?

    From the wilderness, where it was thought to be empty, a human emerged.

    ........A human?

    ''He''s probably lost anyway, right?¡¡I will give you the direction of the nearest village, so you must leave in a hurry. If you leave now, you may arrive at nightfall just in time.

    No, my lord, we are...!

    Anyway, Prince Arowana explains how he came to be here, saying that he''s fortunate that there were people here.

    As you would expect, to prevent the story from getting too big, please keep your origins and the Demon King a secret.

    Explaining...!

    Ho!¡¡So you are the prince of the mermaid kingdom that the Lord of the Devil''s Hall reported to me!

    !

    The prince blurted out an explanation.

    It seems that he knew everything.

    Master, what are you...?

    That doesn''t matter. I''ve already been instructed by the Demon King to show you the mermaid prince, who is training to be a warrior, when he arrives. You may look around as much as you like.

    With that, the person who lives in the wasteland starts to walk away, asking you to follow him.

    If you look closely, you can see that he is a shabby but dignified middle-aged man in his late forties.

    I don''t know if there''s anything to be learned from looking at this wasteland.

    It was truly a wasteland.

    No plants or trees grew there, no beasts lived there, and there were no rivers with water flowing through them, so it seemed impossible for a person to live in such a place.

    ''Why does your husband live in such a harsh place?''

    Or should I say, the karma.

    What?

    You can only live so long in this place. And I have a job to do right here.

    Is it...?

    Is it a frontier?

    Reconstruction?

    Here comes a phrase that sounds familiar.

    "Look over there.

    The master was the one pointing, and several of us were wielding the hoe.

    It seemed they weren''t the only ones living here.

    ''Ho, are you working on the farm?''

    No. No, I haven''t even reached that yet.

    Yeah?

    They put wheat husks in the ground. "That''s not all they do," he said. Crushed fish bones, ashes from burning firewood, rotten vegetables, etc. Rotten vegetables rotten.

    Organic fertilizer.

    At the saint''s farm, in addition to the hyper fish manure, food scraps are also mixed into the fields to nourish the soil.

    ''This area is a wasteland as you can see. As you can see, the area is a wasteland, and there is no life in the soil. So we have to start by bringing the soil back to life.

    I see...?

    And at the same time, we are drawing waterways. When that is completed, we will be able to produce our own food.

    They will take many years to complete.

    On the farm of the Saints, the hyper fish manure promotes the growth of the crops and allows them to be harvested in the blink of an eye.

    Waterways, too, can be advanced by the strong muscles of our Orcs, but in the hands of ordinary humanity, it will be the advance of ants.

    Isn''t such a difficult and unpredictable thing to do, the true pioneering work?

    Great!

    Prince Arowana, I am somewhat excited.

    ''Great work!¡¡This is the first step to national grandeur. I can understand why Lord Zedan wanted me to see it!

    As far as I''m concerned, it''s remarkable that you recognized it at such a young age.

    Her husband squinted dazzlingly.

    I didn''t realize it until I was this old. When I came to this place, I was reminded of the fact that I was not capable of standing above others...!

    ....

    Prince Arowana''s expression changed, as if he noticed something in his master''s tone of voice that seemed to regret his own half-life.

    ''....With all due respect, you are a human race, aren''t you?

    How. You can tell by the color of my skin.

    It''s true that there is a big difference between the human race and the demon race in the color of their skin.

    But it''s unthinkable in common sense that there are human race in the demon kingdom.

    What could it be?

    ''I''m sorry if I''m wrong, but aren''t you once the man-king of the human kingdom?''

    "[?

    Prince Arowana''s point astonished everyone on the trip, including me.

    That''s because the Human Kingdom had already been destroyed by the Demon King''s army, and its king was supposedly executed.

    Our gaze was focused on a single human race.

    The person in question let out a dry laugh.

    I don''t like it," he said, "too sharp. It would be unbecoming of a king, wouldn''t it?

    So that''s it then?

    This really is the king of the Human Nation, the one who was supposed to be executed.

    "I was supposed to be killed, but by the mercy of the Demon King, I am alive for the rest of my life. But through the mercy of the Demon Lord, I''ve lived the rest of my life.

    Ostensibly, it''s dead.

    It would be more convenient for the rule of the human kingdom.

    ''''Lord Demon King is indeed a merciful ruler. He gave me a chance to live, and gave me a meaningful job.

    That''s the work of pioneering in this land.

    I feel like I''m learning what a real king is here. It''s all too late for that. I hope that I can serve as a reminder to young kings like you so that you can learn a lesson.

    No, sir, I don''t think so.

    Prince Arowana took the former Human King''s hand.

    He said, "I''m not your enemy, my son. You will learn what it means to be a king the way you live your life. And I can see why Lord Zedan sent me here.

    Your daughter....

    Master Puffa interrupts.

    ''He''s living somewhere else. I''m fine for nothing. What can you tell him?

    ''''The lettuce rate...?!''''

    Hearing this, the former Human King''s eyes grew brighter.

    ''''I see........!¡¡So the Demon Lord has kept his promise not to treat his daughter with disrespect.......!

    So, what''s the message?

    No, that''s not necessary.

    The former Human King interrupted him with a reserved smile.

    In her mind, I am supposed to be dead. "In her mind, I am supposed to be dead, and we must not confuse her unnecessarily. I don''t want any unnecessary confusion. No one.

    They all nodded at the former Human King''s gesture of holding up his index finger in front of his mouth.

    The life here is not as hard as it looks. I''m sure you''ll find that the life here is not as tough as it looks. He''ll even provide you with food until you''re able to eat your crops here. The only thing I can do here is to continue to imitate the king that I couldn''t do when I was on the throne.

    * * *

    Thus we said goodbye to the former Man King and departed from the settlement.

    He intends to live out his life in the shade, never to appear on the stage of history again.

    Deciding that it was good for the country he once ruled and for the world as a whole.

    ''That''s another form of kingship, isn''t it? I learned my lesson...!

    Well....!

    Prince Arowana and Master Puffa stood side by side and talked with each other.

    This experience, too, will serve them well when they are in a position to rule the people.

    This journey may be coming to a close.

 267-265 Meat difference

    Yes, it''s me.

    I got a gift from Shax, the demon trader.

    ''''Thank you for all the help you''ve given us. Please pay tribute to our feelings.

    Ours is the one who has always been a great help to us.

    It''s because he''s the one who makes the farm and sells Batty''s clothes and the elves'' crafts, which are made on the farm.

    Shax-san is a great merchant of the demon race.

    He is the only person in the demon kingdom who is allowed to do business with my home, and that is why he tries to maintain his relationship with my home with the utmost care and attention.

    Today''s "souvenir" is probably a part of that intention.

    ''''........And what is this souvenir?

    No matter how I am, I can''t help but get excited when I receive something.

    No matter how old I get, the phrase ''souvenir'' always lifts my heart.

    It was just a coincidence that I got this one. That''s how rare these things are in the market. But now that I''ve bought such a rare item!¡¡I would very much like to present it to the saints!

    Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa?

    Are you sure?¡¡Raising the bar so casually?

    I''m getting excited like a kid on Christmas Eve!

    "The Demon King has deemed it one of the world''s greatest delicacies to be consumed by his majesty, and that is...!

    Bam!

    It''s square bore meat!

    .................

    ....Ah.

    ''''The most bountiful taste of meat among the many monsters!¡¡In contrast, it''s difficult to obtain due to the lack of inhabited dungeons and the ferocity of the individuals themselves!

    What...!

    ''''It''s a luxury ingredient that is hard to find in the Demon City''s finest restaurants!¡¡Of course, I don''t know if it will satisfy the saint''s fertile tongue, but please accept my feelings!

    ''''Wow, I''m so happy...''''

    The square boar is the most standard meat-eating material on our farm.

    That monster, which I call the horned boar, lives in the mountain dungeons that Veerle controls to overflowing.

    So for me, it''s everyday life itself........

    ''''You will definitely be pleased! And I can''t say that to Shax-san confidently to his face.

    ''''Thank you........!¡¡We will all eat well........!

    ''No no no!¡¡I''m glad to see you''re pleased with your saint!

    I mean, I must have treated this man to horned boar meat when I visited him in the past.

    Many times.

    * * * *

    So.....

    We''re having horned boar meat for dinner, which Mr. Shax gave us.

    "What?¡¡Wild boar meat today?

    ''I''m tired of wild boar,'' complained Veerle.

    ''I''m tired of wild boar meat!¡¡I want something better. Cake, Keke.

    Veerle, who had become a completely discerning dragon with a discerning tongue, had grown tired of the horned boar meat he was used to eating since the farm''s birth.

    Extravagant.

    It''s the horned boar meat that I used to gobble up with glee.

    I won''t feed it to a selfish child. And no yogurt for dessert.

    "Wow, sorry, I''m gonna have to eat.

    Perhaps caught by the presence of dessert, Veerle once again went to the table.

    ''''Well, the boar is also delicious, so it''s fine.

    Veal eats pork steak, or tongues of pork steak, made from grilled horned wild boar meat.

    He puts it in his mouth and chews it with a mooch........

    What?

    He gave me a very subtle look.

    ''No........what is it?¡¡The seasoning doesn''t make it that bad, but it''s not at all like the wild boar you usually eat.¡¡Not by the flavour!

    Well.....

    My wife Prathi, who was sitting around the table with me, had a delicate expression on her face as she put a piece of tonkashi in her mouth.

    She said, "I feel like the flavour is off compared to the food your husband always makes for me. It''s not because of the cooking. ........the ingredients?

    He''s got a very discerning palate, and he sounds like a foodie.

    But there''s nothing out of the ordinary, is there?

    I''m going to roast the horned boar meat as usual, season it and...!

    Oh.

    Well, that horned boar itself was different today.

    It wasn''t a local foodstuff that I usually hunt in the mountain dungeon, it was from a different region that Shax-san brought me as a gift.

    Is that why it''s different?

    I ran to the freezer to try it out and brought out a piece of local wild boar meat that had been frozen.

    I made tonkeki with the exact same hands and seasoning and served it to them again.

    ''Yumeeeeeeeee!

    ''''Delicious!¡¡Delicious!¡¡That''s right, that''s what true square boas taste like!¡¡The master will make you a supreme, exquisite taste!

    That''s it!

    That''s exactly the reaction of joy the two of them had when they first tasted the wild boar meat!

    It''s like the days of yesteryear are back again, and I''m getting emotional too!

    .........not.

    ''You mean it''s so different?''

    Wild boar meat from our home and Shax''s souvenir meat.

    They are the same kind of monster, aren''t they?

    I also tried two kinds of tonteki, which I''d been making for myself. I tried to compare them.

    They were completely different.

    The flavors were definitely different.

    One of them had a fruit-like sweetness within the rich flavor of the meat. The other, on the other hand, had a muddy, or perhaps even stinky, taste.

    I apologize to Mr. Shaks, but is it still the difference in ingredients?

    Why is there such a difference in the same material?

    The first cause that came to mind was the ''supreme bearer'' that resides in my hands.

    Just as I had evolved several species of monsters that I had touched, had the horned boar evolved into a higher species?

    And it showed up in your taste buds?

    ...maybe not.

    Unlike the Orcobos and the Golden Silkworm, the horned boar is hunted and consumed every day.

    A horned boar that continues to be born in a dungeon shouldn''t be affected by the ''supreme bearer'' at the time of its birth.

    Even though these days, the Orcobos can enter a dungeon and I''m a complete no-touchy.

    ''''Then another cause...?''''

    Is it still a place of origin?

    Even in the world I was in before, it was the same variety, but it could be different depending on where it came from.

    ...Oh.

    Ping it.

    In the mountain dungeon where I''m hunting, there are various otherworldly trees that I''ve planted.

    They are called ''dungeon orchards'' and fruit trees grow all over the dungeon.

    Some of the fruit will be fully ripe and fall off before we can harvest them.

    What if a horned boar ate those fruits?

    The crops from other worlds seem to taste great in this world, and the horned boar that ingests them and turns them into flesh and blood must have a much better taste than the ones from other places.

    I''ve heard that in the world of animal husbandry where I used to work, they also focus on feed to make the meat taste better.

    I''ve heard that some livestock animals eat better than humans do.

    I think that''s what makes the difference between this wild horned boar and the one presented by Mr. Shaks.

    ''What?¡¡So the boar in my dungeon was just like all the others in the beginning, right?¡¡The meat dish Master cooked for us was super good from the start, right?

    ''Any meat can taste better if only the master makes it. The change in the taste of a wild boar eating the fruits of another world would be slow, so I''m sure the attaches were accustomed to it without realizing it, right?

    It was only after eating the normal wild boar meat that Shaks-san gave me that I became aware of the change at once.

    Prathi''s guess would be correct.

    I didn''t expect to realize that we''d been given a great gastronomic treat in this way.

    And that I hadn''t realized it before.

    How sinful.

    Let''s be aware of the fact that we are blessed with a privileged environment, and let''s always give thanks.

    ''The meat you gave us, Mr. Shaks, has taught us something important. Let''s all say thank you!

    Thank you!

    Me, Prati and Veerle all looked at the remaining Shaks'' souvenirs.

    ...........................and this meat.

    Raising his head, Prathi said.

    ''What are we going to do?''

    What?

    Well, you''ll eat it, right?

    And that''s why Shaks-san gave it to me. Eating well and turning it into flesh and blood is the best way to return the foodstuffs.

    I don''t like it. "I don''t like the taste of meat that''s worse than the food I eat.

    On the other hand, what Veerle says is also true.

    Food is daily happiness.

    In order to have a sense of fulfillment in every day and to get energy for tomorrow, meals must always be as good as possible.

    There''s no way I would make a bad meal on purpose.

    However, the meat of a horned boar that lived in a land unknown to me, which definitely tasted worse than our own....

    Shaks-san must have put a lot of effort into preparing it.

    Even now, there was still a whole lot of meat left for six animals.

 268-266 Meat reincarnation

    An ancient man says....

    ''Anything can be eaten if it is ground to powder.''

    No, I don''t know if I really said that.

    Take barley, for example.

    As it is, it is inedible, but if you grind it up, make it into flour, add water, knead it, bake it and make it into bread, you can enjoy it.

    Flourishing is the way to all foods.

    So.

    Wild boar meat in front of us.

    I''m sorry to say this to Shaksus-san, the main recipient of the gift, but the meat from our farm is much better (wrapped in an obloquy).

    We don''t like to eat bad (straightforward) food, but it''s unbearable to senselessly destroy something that once had a life.

    Then there is only one thing to do.

    We have to turn bad food into good food.

    That way, the food will not be wasted and the taste buds will be happy.

    That processing method is the "powder" I mentioned earlier.

    Once the meat is pulverized to the point where it can no longer retain its original form, it is transformed into a completely different type of food.

    The powdered meat is called minced meat.

    Meat dishes made with minced meat are

    Hamburger...!

    The hamburgers are essentially beef, but I don''t care about the details.

    In case you''re wondering, I had all the ingredients for a hamburger, so I made it.

    I played a super fast catch-up with both hands to get the air out.

    When it was done, everyone loved it.

    The children''s group especially liked the viel and the earth spirit.

    ''Yume-eeeeeeeee!

    ''It''s ume-!¡¡Yummy!¡¡It''s a challenge to get out of your own way.

    ...Children''s group?

    That''s kind of a misnomer, but....

    Surprisingly, I hadn''t made hamburgers yet, but I''m sure they will now register as a main menu item.

    However, the problem is not solved.

    The meat Shaks-san gave us is still there.

    We have a good number of people on our farm, so Shaksus-san must have thoughtfully prepared a lot of meat for us.

    But we couldn''t make a hamburger out of all this.

    I''m sure I''d get bored and my wrist would die from kneading the ground beef so much.

    I wonder if I need a different approach...

    What else did we have?¡¡What kind of food can you make in a mince...?

    .....

    Sausage...

    I''m pretty sure it''s made with minced meat too.

    And it''s a preserved food that should last a long time.

    Okay, I''m going to try to make an otherworldly sausage out of the meat Mr. Shaks gave me!

    * * *

    Sausage is, in other words, ground beef intestines.

    In other words, you need the intestines.

    The meat for the ingredients is right in front of us, so why not just take it from there?

    .........It seemed like it, but the meat presented by Shax-san had been thoroughly dismantled and the organs and bones had been pulled out.

    We want to use any part of the monsters we hunt at our house without wasting any parts, so we don''t throw away the mottoes either, but preserve them.

    Most of the time we make a hot pot of motsu and enjoy it with everyone.......

    ........there it is.

    When I was looking for food stock, I found some horned boar intestines frozen.

    I wonder if the orcs were the ones who processed it?

    It''s a good job, well washed inside too, good job.

    Let''s use this one for the intestines to hold the ground beef.

    This is where the Gift "Supreme Bearer" comes in.

    The power in my hand chooses the best for me, and the intestines are processed quickly and efficiently.

    The minced meat inside the sausage also has additives and mixtures that are unique to sausages, but that too is left to the habits of the "supreme bearer".

    He arranges the ingredients around the sausage, and then he selects the most suitable one and puts it into the minced meat.

    Fully automatic.

    The ''supreme bearer'' is really handy.

    The gut bag for the minced meat.

    Minced meat to put in the intestine bag.

    Both ready.

    Now all we have to do is combine the two and we''re done.

    And voila, a sausage.

    But...

    How do we pack it in?

    You know, I''ve seen these things before.

    You have a special machine that stuffs the ground beef into the intestines, right?

    You have to have that, right?

    No, I don''t know.

    I don''t know if I could possibly do my best and stuff it by hand, but I don''t think it''s beautiful that way.

    If I were to continue to make sausages on a regular basis....

    I''d like that!¡¡Sausage mills!

    ...filling machine?

    Well, let''s call it that.

    So how do we prepare that filling machine?

    There was also a way to rely on the Hephaistos God, but somehow the construction of the filling machine seemed simple enough, so I didn''t feel comfortable consuming the Hephaistos counter.

    Then what other method was there?

    Yes, you''ve only recently made an acquaintance who is skilled at making these tools!

    * * *

    ...and me.

    We have invited Mr. Edward Smith, the dwarf master, to our farm again.

    To explain the purpose of the requirements in a simple way, we started with a hamburger.

    And then, of course, there''s the booze.

    ''I want to fill this bag of processed intestines, you know, with ground beef, with no gaps in between!¡¡I was wondering if you could make the tools to do so, Mr. Dwarf!

    Of course I''ll be prepared to pay you a lot of money for it!

    I wouldn''t refuse a request from a saint, though. .........Well, judging from the softness of this ground beef, I think it''s better to push it out with pressure, right?

    Oh!

    Now you have a valid idea?

    You''re a dwarf.

    It''s a simple pump that can be used to build such a system. A pump is a necessity for underground excavation.

    Then let''s get to work!¡¡Of course, we''ll provide the materials over here!

    Don the manna metal ingot!

    Manametal again!

    Edward is convulsing!

    He died of shock the last time he saw Manametal''s steamboat, what''s going on?¡¡Don''t you like manametal?

    ''No, no ... it''s not a matter of liking or hating. If possible, it''s not about liking it or not liking it, it''s about being able to shoot a gun in close proximity to it, it''s just too exciting...!

    Inspiration.........?

    I would like to rely on Edward''s dwarven crafting skills and know-how anyway.

    ''We''ll work together to build a sausage filler!¡¡With this manna metal!

    "I knew the manna metal was the material?

    Huh?¡¡No?

    With manna metal, I don''t get a metallic smell on my food, which is a big help!

    ''No...!¡¡I''m not saying no, but...¡¡The finest metal on earth.¡¡Not a legendary sword, but a cooking tool...?

    You look like you''re about to be cut...?

    Oh well.

    Let''s start by slicing through as much mana metal as we need.

    In times like these, it''s time to bring out the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz!

    "Holy sword, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

    Huh?

    What the hell?

    Edward let out another strange noise!

    "Only the king of demons can have it!¡¡The legendary holy sword made by God?¡¡In front of me?¡¡I''m right in front of you, Gigantor!

    Is this all very exciting to you?

    No, it''s nothing to be excited about.

    I''m not fighting a world crisis, so no matter how powerful the weapon is, it''s useless.

    It''s just for this kind of thing where you can use it to separate materials.

    Spurn, and.

    ''''He''s using the holy sword to cut through mana metal.¡¡I''m using the most powerful holy sword on earth as a tool!

    Edward, please calm down.

    Calm down, Edward.

    If you get too excited, it could lead to the same thing as before........

    "No.........!¡¡This land is beyond my understanding...!¡¡The values of dwarf craftsmen, which I have spent half my life building, collapses...?

    ?

    "..............

    He''s dead again!

    I had to rush to call the doctor to revive Edward, who had died of acute shock again.

    Talking to him is a thrill.

 269-267 delicious meat stick

    This is how we worked with Edward to build it.

    This is a sausage filler.

    It pushes the minced meat into the sausage bag by pressure. It''s a manual system, so anyone can operate it.

    Thank you!

    You are indeed a dwarf who excels in the blacksmithing craft!

    His knowledge and skills were of great help!

    If only this wasn''t a habit of dying so easily!

    I quickly created a sausage in my newly completed filling machine.

    ''Let''s see, I''m going to set the intestine bag in this hole... and push the ground meat into it...?

    Oh.

    It''s in, it''s in.

    The minced meat is easily stuffed into the sack of intestines and takes the shape of the sausage I''m familiar with.

    After twisting it in the right places and tying it up with string to separate it, it no longer looks like anything but a sausage.

    There is a pattern of smoking them from here to improve their shelf life, but I passed on it this time.

    It was too much trouble.

    We were going to eat it right away anyway.

    I threw it straight into the pot and boiled it.

    It''s done!

    Otherworldly sausages with the help of the dwarves!

    Okay.

    Just get him to eat.

    Prati and Veerle are already on standby!

    They''re a perceptive bunch.

    Well, I want a taster, so I don''t hesitate to offer them a freshly boiled sausage.

    I''ve prepared ketchup and mustard beforehand, so you can use whatever you like.

    Itadakimasu!

    This time, the horned boar intestines I used to make the sausage were thicker and bigger than the wiener sausage I''d seen in my previous world.

    Frankfurt-grade?

    To avoid confusion, let''s just call them sausages.

    Such a large, thick stick of meat enters Prativir''s mouth.

    The meat stick invades the girl''s plump and glossy lips as it slides down and breaks off with a crisp sound in the middle.

    ''''Oooohhhhhhhhhh!''''

    I love the reaction, as usual.

    ''''Is this also square bore meat?¡¡This isn''t the same as grilling it straight up or making a hamburger!¡¡It''s that in-between, isn''t it?

    It''s like a pretzel pushing back against your teeth!¡¡Paris!¡¡Crispy in the mouth!

    The otherworldly sausage seemed to be a great success.

    As usual, the other inhabitants gathered around, lured by Prativir''s glee.

    I stuff the meat into my gut at a rapid pace for them.

    ''I''m going to use up all the meat Shax-san gave me!

    That''s what I was originally making sausages for.

    If there''s any left over, we can just smoke it and store it, and I''ll stuff the meat in the filling machine without a side eye!

    And they say you can pack more meat into an empty intestine than an empty one!

    Gobbler!¡¡I''ll leave it to you guys to boil and roast the sausages!

    I just keep stuffing myself!

    ''Oh, yes. Edward, you should eat your sausage too!

    It''s like you made it!

    ........and then Edward was already having a drink with a sausage as a snack.

    What he is drinking is beer.

    As expected of a dwarf who loves to drink, he has a keen sense of taste.

    The German combo of beer and sausage was completed without anyone telling him.

    "Oh, bacchus and........!¡¡Give me another drink...!

    It''s time even the god of alcohol stopped drinking. You''ve been drinking ever since you got here!

    You have no choice!¡¡I need to be drunk all the time!¡¡If I stay sober in this place, I don''t know when I''ll stop my heart from shocking again!

    ................

    Was I putting more of a burden on Edward-san than I thought?

    If so, I was unconsciously doing something bad.

    I need to boil a lot of sausages and work them up. Maybe I can grill them.

    Since blacksmithing is his specialty, would he be happy if I told him about the time I revived Astares-san''s holy sword?

    Saints, saints.

    What''s that?

    If it''s the next sausage, it''s not done yet.

    We have a visitor. Mr. Shaks of the Pandemonium Trading Company.

    Huh?

    Is he back?

    I''m a little busy right now, so let me through.

    Saints, my dear sir. I''ve found another rare item. What?

    Mr. Shaks.

    You immediately notice the curious task I''m doing.

    It''s too much trouble to answer after being asked, so I explain ahead of time.

    "This is, you know, like this here...!

    Okay?

    Bake or boil it...

    Oh, yeah?

    So, it''s a meal.

    When I finished outlining the sausage, Shax-san let out a cry of clarity and surprise.......or so I thought.

    On the contrary, he sank deeply and made a thoughtful expression.

    ''''........Um?¡¡Do you want to eat?

    By all means.

    Pass both the boiled and grilled sausages.

    Serve with ketchup or mustard whichever you prefer.

    Mr. Shaks is a gentleman with a dandy beard, already in the realm of old age.

    He carries a very thick meat stick in his mouth, full of austerity, and puts it in his mouth without hesitation.

    He eats silently.........or rather, examines it.

    What''s this seriousness that''s typical of the eating scene?

    Isn''t that great?¡¡This dish, the meat that Shax-san gave me is the ingredient...!

    Saints!

    Mr. Shax approaches me with a bite.

    "Is it possible to mass produce this device?

    What?

    Mr. Shaks points to a modern sausage filler.

    ''Mass production?¡¡What do you think?¡¡It''s all made of mana metal.

    "So why are they all made out of manna metal?

    Apart from that, it''s pretty easy to make.

    You''ll have to ask my collaborator, Edward, for more details.

    Edward...?¡¡Oh!¡¡Are you the dwarf king, Edward Smith?

    Who are you?

    It''s me!¡¡He''s the chairman of the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, and I''ve visited him before!

    As expected of a great man, they already knew each other.

    They were discussing something together.

    I have the design of this sausage filler in mind, and if we can replace it with a cheaper one, it will be possible to mass produce it in the Dwarven Underground Empire.

    "Really?¡¡Yeah!

    "We did it..."?

    But since it was originally conceived by a saint, we can''t do it without their permission, can we?¡¡We won''t move a muscle without it either, okay?

    Saints!

    And now Mr. Shaks is coming on to me!

    Please, sir, I beg you!¡¡I want permission to mass produce and sell this sausage filler!

    What?¡¡You''re going to sell it?¡¡You''re going to sell it?

    These novel meat products are sure to be a hit.¡¡Naturally, we''ll pay the saints for the use of their ideas, too!¡¡Permission!

    No, I don''t need money.

    I don''t want to keep all the good food to myself, so I''d appreciate it if you would spread the word.

    I don''t want you to get food poisoning, so please learn how to make it. There are ways to preserve it, too.

    ''Yes!¡¡Of course........!

    * * *

    This is how Shakus saw a business opportunity and launched a sausage filler.

    As expected of a great merchant. He saw the opportunity and was quick on his feet.

    He got Edward involved and placed a large order with the Dwarf Underground Empire.

    The dwarven sausage filling machine sells like hotcakes and sweeps the entire demon kingdom.

    It also spread to the former human kingdom, which was overrun by the demon tribe.

    I had never imagined that a whirlwind of sausages would sweep over the world.

 270-268 Meat stick propagation

    I''m a street vendor.

    I''m a merchant running a shop in the Demon City, the Demon King''s headquarters.

    Moreover, I don''t have a specific store, I just set up my own stall to sell things.

    My family has been running a food stall since my grandfather''s generation, and we''ve been doing business under the blue sky without a second thought, so don''t let that fool you.

    I recently gave birth to a super cute baby, and I''m sure he''ll follow in my footsteps and run a food stall in the Magic City.

    I''ve got to work hard today to make sure that my beloved son takes over from me.

    * * *

    So, our food stall business has been going on for generations.

    We are facing the crisis of business closure.

    Recently, a powerful business enemy has appeared.

    It''s the world''s leading pandemonium trading company!

    They''ve set up a stall with some kind of new products.

    What''s more, they were setting up ten or more stalls all over the Demon City at the same time.

    A legitimate shopkeeper who didn''t know how to honorably steal from a street vendor!

    We appealed to the Open Air Guild.

    We''re the head of the street vendors.

    But the guild master was pitifully already persuaded by the other party.

    According to the other party - the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce - they are only allowed to set up their stall for a limited time.

    They said that in a month, they would fold up the shop and take it down.

    What do they want to do in a mere month?

    I don''t understand.

    But since the other party is a large chamber of commerce, they can''t even go all out in a confrontation, so they decided to keep an eye on the situation on the basis of the condition of a limited time.

    What the guys from the Chamber of Commerce were selling was a foodstuff that I had never seen before.

    On a stick?¡¡Like red and black?

    I don''t understand.

    They were grilling it on the griddle, putting it on a spit and selling it.

    Who would buy such an unknowable thing?

    There were people all over the place who liked new things, even though they were lumped in with the hawks.

    At first, such people would buy it, curious to find out what it was. But once they get tired of it, that''s it. I was hoping that it would end, but I was wrong.

    Eventually, it became a huge success.

    People who like new things become repeat customers because they like the food they''ve had once, and new customers are attracted by it.

    That kind of activity created a new buzz, and a spiral of big sales.

    Yikes!

    I was watching from the side, and I thought to myself, "What''s going on?

    My shop was deserted while the next one was thriving.

    As I expected, sales were down.

    I didn''t have any customers who would drop by to drop in on us.

    It was no wonder.

    What my shop sells is grilled meat from a nearby pig farm.

    The items had been spoiled.

    We later found out that what they were selling were sausages, which were made by processing the same pork as ours.

    The lucky ones who didn''t have the same items for sale at the same stall enjoyed a great turnout and increased their sales.

    We''re no good.

    One time we tried out the sausage in question, standing in line at the detestable company''s stall.

    It was a grilled sausage on a skewer.

    It was d*mn good.

    I must have been grilling pork for a long time, but I had no idea that pork could taste like this.

    After eating such a delicious meal, there was no way I wanted to eat my own mediocre roast pork.

    d*mn!

    Why is it that the ingredients are the same, of all places?

    There''s beef, fish, and many other things!

    They said that they would be out of business in a month, but I don''t think the situation will improve after a month of endurance.

    Customers who have become accustomed to the new taste will not look at the old offerings.

    ........If this happens, will you switch to something else for sale?

    So, you want to avoid competing with the big business community?

    ... no, no.

    There''s no way I''m going to be that easy.

    What else do you expect me to sell in my house other than roast pork?

    What is it that you sell that requires new and unique expertise in each?

    How long does it take to master that?

    Even if you were able to master the know-how and open a new store, most of the sales are already being held back by other street vendors.

    No matter what you do, you''ll run into your rivals, and they have a day to live.

    So just change the place of sale........

    That''s no good either.

    It seems that the Grand Chamber of Commerce is setting up its stall without leaving any areas in the Demon City where open-air sales are allowed.

    Wherever they move to, they''re bound to be in conflict with each other.

    It''s a dead end.

    I honestly thought so.

    I don''t mind that my future is still up in the air, but I don''t mind that my newborn baby is on the verge of death. But to shut up the future of my newborn baby?

    Demon god Hades-sama.

    Don''t worry about me, at least give my baby a bright future........!

    * * * *

    It''s been about two weeks since the Daishokai stall was built.

    Finally, it was time to change business.

    Just as he was bracing himself for this tragic turn of events....

    Then the disaster itself came.

    "I''m from the Pandemonium Trading Company.

    You!

    How dare you get in here!

    It''s all your fault!¡¡My whole life plan has been destroyed...!

    Is it fun for big capital to torture the little guy?

    ........and I wanted to yell at him, but I stayed there with my last bit of reasoning.

    I decided to ask her what she wanted to do, but....

    ''''Could you sell the sausages made by our trading company in your store?

    Yes?

    We set up our own stall to create a buzz and build our reputation. The event was a huge success. We had planned to take a month to get the word out about it, but our initial goal was accomplished in the past two weeks.

    So they''re moving on to the next phase, he said.

    ''From now on, we have to think about selling continuously. To be honest, our business association doesn''t have the know-how of a food cart. The past two weeks have been a series of mistakes. Besides, any further destruction of your territory will cause conflict to emerge. We don''t want to damage the image of the trade association itself.

    Hmmm.

    Well, yes.

    "So I''d like you to take over. We sell pork at your stall. It''s the same material as sausages.

    Of course, the ingredients are the same.

    Would I be able to master such a strange dish and how to make it right away?

    No problem. Anyone can make sausages with these tools.

    A big chunk of metal is right in front of me.

    What is this!

    It''s a sausage filler. It''s used to make sausages.

    Seriously?

    "You''ll be paying for the lease on these tools. That''s what we profit from. Our company has been paying the guild more than double the amount of money for the location of our stall as an exception. If we deduct that amount, we won''t have to raise our prices.

    If you were going to suggest such a thing, why didn''t you come to us in the first place?¡¡I thought.....

    No, it would be impossible.

    This is the first time I''ve seen such a form of unknowable food.

    Without any prior knowledge, "Sell it! I don''t think he accepted the proposal with open arms.

    Thus, the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce itself has now sold itself with great success. Now that I''m dying from that success, I''m tempted to jump on this proposal.

    As expected of the great chamber of commerce of the sea and the mountains...!

    How dare they come to negotiate after making sure that we can''t say no, or rather, that we can''t say no to them...!

    * * *

    This is how Ore was re-launched as a sausage vendor''s stall.

    They''re good to grill!

    It''s good boiled!

    Plus, why not put it in a piece of bread!

    Sales were great.

    The timing of the change in our business and the withdrawal of the Pandemonium Company''s stall coincided perfectly with each other, so everyone who wanted sausages came to us.

    It was the biggest crowd in my life!

    I''m too busy to die!

    I''m so glad I was willing to die to learn how to use the filling machine and make and leave the sausages before I opened up shop!

    At this pace, they''ll be able to make up for two weeks'' worth of lost sales in no time.

    The Pandemonium Association also said that their stall was more profitable than they had expected, and they offered to waive the lease fee for the next six months in order to give back their profit.

    How generous of them!

    Thus, I was able to overcome the biggest challenge of my life.

    I could have tied my baby''s future to it.

    Just you wait and see!¡¡My treasure!

    So that you can take over this sausage shop for your generation!¡¡Dad''s going to make it up to you as best as he can!

 271-269 ??Progress of tree planting work

    Aeshma arrived.

    He was the new Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army.

    ''''Saints!¡¡I''m here to report on the progress of the tree planting operation!

    I thought he was here for fun, but it was about work.

    He''s a serious guy.

    ''Tree planting?¡¡What were we talking about?

    "What?

    Oh, my God.

    I know, I know.

    That''s it.

    This is a project to revive the withered forests of human country.

    The elves who lived in our house had made a fortune selling pottery, glasswork, and wooden sculptures.

    It was proposed as a way to use the extra money.

    Originally, the elves were a race of people who lived in the forest, but the humans destroyed the environment and forced them to leave their homes.

    Now that the human nation has been destroyed, the demon king''s army is working to restore the nature that was destroyed.

    ........Am I right?

    ''We have been working hard all winter on the nursery. Everything is coming along nicely!

    Yeah, so you''re about to go into full-on tree-planting mode, then?

    No, no, no...!¡¡It will take at least another year or two for the saplings planted in the nursery to grow up to a point where they can be planted...?

    Oh, oh, I see...?

    Speaking of trees, it is not uncommon for them to be a hundred or a thousand years old.

    I''m sure it''s a mistake to think that it''s a span of a few months or so.

    We estimate that it won''t be until the following year at the earliest that we can start a full-scale planting operation.

    It''s a hyper fish manure that is spread out on the farm, and it makes me lose my senses when I sow and harvest it in cycles of many things per year.

    At first, there was talk of planting trees from another world that we grew at our house, but this was rejected after much consideration.

    We did not want to upset the balance of nature by breeding creatures from another world.

    At the same time, the use of hyper-fish manure to promote growth was also banned.

    Unlike our farm, whose sole purpose is to grow and harvest the trees, the trees we plant will have to grow into a forest for hundreds of years to come.

    The faster they grow, the shorter their lifespan will be.

    This is why Aeshma and her team are forced to do nothing special, but....

    ''''Originally, this work is also meant to be a way to utilize the human resources of the Demon King''s army after the war with the human race is over. In fact, I can''t even say thank you enough for having the saint-sama bear the burden of funding it.

    It wasn''t me, exactly, who paid for it, but the elves.

    You should accept their desire to revive the forest that is their home.

    ''''So, I need to consult with the saint...''''

    Hmm?

    At the moment, we are waiting for the saplings to grow and are steadily preparing for the full-scale work. But there is a problem with the preparations...!

    The problem?

    What''s that?

    ''This is the specific site of the proposed planting. Since the purpose of this project is to revive the elven forest, the trees must be planted on the land where the elves once lived!

    I see what you mean.

    Aeshma-san is a serious person after all.

    ''''But I am ashamed to say that I don''t know where the Elven Forest used to be. Neither did many of the members of the Demon King''s army...!

    It''s... well...!

    I don''t blame you.

    It''s said that elves were originally a subspecies of the demon race, but now they''re a completely different race.

    Isn''t it rare for us to know the details of an outsider''s affairs...?

    ''That''s where it was needed. Someone who knew in detail where the Elven Forest once stood.

    I know.

    "The first thing that came to mind was the elves who live here. I thought I''d like to borrow some of their wisdom.

    I understand.

    "If it is possible, I would like you to accompany our tree planting efforts as an advisor!

    * * * *

    As I gathered the elves and told them so, a riot broke out.

    ''Oh no!

    ''I don''t want to go!¡¡I don''t want to go there, I don''t want to go there!

    The assembled elves, around twenty people.

    Without a single exception, they refused to be surprised.

    ''''Eh?¡¡Why?

    You''re working on restoring a forest that you once inhabited?

    I think we can help them.

    ''Cause!¡¡If you''re going with the Demon King''s Army, that means you''ll be out of here!

    We won''t be able to eat the delicious food from the farm!¡¡Oh, no!

    Fluffy futon!¡¡A relaxing spa!

    ''And the craft work I can devote myself to every day!¡¡I don''t want to stop!

    These guys....!

    She''s totally domesticated to the farm life...!

    In the beginning, they too were full of pride as forest people.

    ''Forest-dwelling elves sleeping under a roof is outrageous! I even said that.

    Now I bring my own bed into my log cabin-style dormitory and sleep peacefully every day on a cotton-filled mat and frilly pajamas made by Batty.

    I hear some of them sleep with some kind of stuffed animal in their arms.

    The lost wild.

    Where is the pride of the forest people?

    We can''t live apart from the farm anymore...?

    If we''re going to move from here, everywhere will be like a prison...!¡¡Please just kill me...!

    That''s it!

    You sound like Adam and Eve, about to be banished from Eden.

    Does the farm deprive its inhabitants of the will to work for themselves?

    Oh, no, it wouldn''t...?

    Yeah, it does.

    In fact, a lot of people who lived on this farm for a while went home.

    .............................

    They''re just spoiled.

    If that''s the case, then the idea of selecting an advisor for the tree planting operation from among these guys seems to be impossible.

    From these bad elves.

    "I''m sorry, Aeshma. I''m sorry, Aeschma, but I didn''t expect you to show up.

    ''No, I''ll try to find an elf who can help us out over here somehow...''

    That was the end of the day.

    * * * *

    Then another few days passed....

    ''We''ve found an elf who can help us.

    "Law.

    What Aeshma brought with her when she came to report on her progress again was good news.

    I didn''t know such a strange elf existed.

    I want my bad elves to learn from him.

    But what is this elf like?

    That''s a bit of a complicated background for an elf and I''d like to consult with the saint about that as well...

    Complicated background?

    What is this Aeshma''s mopey mouth?

    ''''That elf, his name is Elzariel...''''

    Oh, dear.

    What is this Mr. Elzariel?

    He''s a former bandit.

    Hmm?

    ''''The Demon Kingdom and the Human Kingdom were raided without distinction, but the Demon King''s army finally managed to summon them in a capture operation that raised their prestige. It was a long time ago.

    Hmmm, what is it?

    This story of how this sounds like something you''ve heard before?

    And originally, Elzariel should have been executed immediately after being caught. He was a great thief who raided the demon kingdom.

    But she survived.

    According to Aeshma''s story, she and the bandits she led were righteous, stealing only from vicious merchant nobles, and also sharing what they stole with the poor.

    This is why there are people in the Demon King''s army who are defending Elzariel''s capture. One of them manipulated and sheltered her by ostensibly executing her.

    A beautiful story.

    From there, he continued to live in hiding for a while, but he couldn''t keep it up forever. When they were recruited this time, they came forward with a plan of action.

    Will he be forgiven for his crimes and contribute to the Elven Forest Restoration Project?

    Will you be sentenced to death once again?

    ''''I couldn''t handle it either, so I consulted with Astares-sama, and he said I should talk to the saint as well. And so we let it pass like this...

    I know why Ms. Astares has been talking to us.

    I believe she knows.

    The backgrounds of the elves that work for us.

    "...Elon, Maelga.

    ''''Yes........!''''

    I ask the two elves beside me.

    These two had other titles before they settled on our farm.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.

    Coincidentally, they are in the same line of business as the elves that have been talked about this time.

    ''''Could it be that you know him?''''

    Elon shook his cover so vigorously that it looked as if his head would come off, and Maerga also made an X mark with her arm without saying a word.

    ........These guys definitely know.

    ''''I understand. For the sake of confirmation, I''ll ask that Elzariel-san and the others to come to my farm.......

    ''Wow!¡¡Wait, wait, wait, wait!

    Aileron interrupted in a hurry.

    ''Okay, I admit it!¡¡Sister Elzariel is one of us!¡¡Or rather, the first head of our bandits!

 272-270 Beginning Bandit

    "Or rather, her head is alive?¡¡Elzariel''s head?

    The one who showed an unbelievable reaction was Elron, the former head of the Elf Thieves.

    No, the head is you, isn''t it?

    "I am the second head of the second generation...!¡¡The Stone-Sharpening Group was formed by my predecessor, who was also the first head of the group, and launched the group.

    Heh.

    I thought that Elon was the top of the list from the beginning.

    "When I was a predecessor, I used to steal all over the demon kingdom, but one day I was finally driven out by the authorities.

    That''s if he''s a thief.

    Then Elzariel''s head held off his pursuers by himself. Everyone else made it out alive. Only the head of the group was caught.

    It''s pretty much the same as Aeshma''s story.

    "I heard your head was dead, so I had no choice but to take over...!¡¡I didn''t expect you to be alive...!

    Let''s review the story of how she and the rest of the elf team came to the farm.

    After fleeing from place to place as a band of wanted thieves, Elron and the others arrived at a farm at the end of the land and were caught trying to steal.

    Since then, they''ve been working on our farm.

    Since then, he''s been working at our farm, although he''s become quite accustomed to living here.

    We haven''t heard a peep out of him since he got caught...!

    ''''Come to think of it, there hasn''t been a single decent stealing job since Elon became the head of the group.

    Maerga, the deputy head, says.

    So we''ve gone straight into our farm life version?

    Where''s your head?¡¡What happened to your predecessor?¡¡No, what in the world is going to happen to your sister?

    Maybe it''s because I thought she was dead, but I''m confused and don''t know what to call her.

    As a matter of fact, a pardon has already been granted for her.

    Eeeeeeee?

    In the first place, Elzariel''s sentence of death was handed down because the victimized wealthy merchants and aristocrats spoke out forcefully. Since they were influential people in their own right, the Demon King''s Army couldn''t help but listen to them.

    He wanted maximum revenge on the part of the victim.

    ''''But after all, they are vicious..... Because of the recent political upheaval that has occurred in the demon country, the purges are happening all over the place. That being the case, I felt more sympathy for these women, who are righteous bandits, and I was able to issue a new sentence to reduce their sentences.

    Is it because of the change in circumstances that he was able to reduce his death sentence to first class?

    "Elzariel is in the process of expunging the crime of theft by cooperating with the national Elven Forest Revival Project.

    What?¡¡.........Well, then, can we also acquit ourselves...?

    Aileron, who was also a member of the same bandit group, had an ulterior motive to be quick.

    So you can help with the tree planting project and you''ll be clean as a whistle.

    ''No!¡¡We''ll live on this farm in the shade all our lives!

    Do you really want to leave the farm for that long?

    .........

    Hmm?

    ''But wait a minute?¡¡If we''re that close to talking about it, you don''t have anything to talk to us about, do you?

    There doesn''t seem to be any problems left to be solved with any more tension.

    ''''Yes, Master Astareth says that the elves at the farm and Elzariel are probably old acquaintances, so we should reunite them...''''

    As expected of the Demon Queen, she has good instincts.

    I''m sure Elon and the others must be glad to see their dead friends.

    This is a very cool arrangement!

    So, this Elzariel?¡¡Or something like that, have you already brought him with you?

    Yes, and now you''re unilaterally attacking your former crew of bandit friends.

    Yeah, right.

    There''s some kind of elf shooting arrows out of a bow, shubba-bah-bah, out of a bow.

    What''s that continuous shooting speed as fast as a machine gun?

    ''''Heeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    The ones being shot at are the former bandits of Elron and Maerga, the Head & Vice Head tag team.

    They are being relentlessly driven away by a barrage of bows and arrows.

    ''''You softlings!¡¡I''m stunned!

    An elf who shows off a rapid firing technique that I don''t believe is a human skill.

    I see, she was the only elf I didn''t recognize.

    Compared to the other elves, her body is stocky, and she looks like a macho man.

    The dark chocolate skin and long, pointed ears are characteristic of elves, but there are some old scars carved into her normally gallant, beautiful face.

    The sense of a fierce warrior is too assertive.

    Such was the new character Elf.

    ''Elf Thieves, first head-eyed Elzariel.

    She''s...!

    It''s true that he looks like an awful person from his appearance.

    Compared to her, Elon looks like a scumbag.

    All in a row!

    "Whew!

    And Elzariel-san or something like that, as soon as she came, she immediately took control of our elves.

    Well, it seems that she was originally the leader of the group, so I guess it''s as it should be.

    The actuality of this is that you''ve taken over the headship after I''m gone, isn''t it?

    ''Haha!¡¡I''m extremely pleased to see your safe head!

    Aileron is feeling a lot of fear.

    It''s too clear the relationship of strength and weakness, even though it''s a lineup of new and old heads.

    It''s a good thing.¡¡Elzariel''s sister is allowed to wear two of the ''El'' issues that elves put in their names!

    Elron says in a whisper.

    ''He built that bandit group from scratch!¡¡I just inherited it!¡¡I can only say that he is the fiercest of the fierce!

    Elon is already praising his predecessor with his hands.

    The face and the light in his eyes are good.

    If I were to categorize him in the same gender, would it be Astares-san or Grashara-san?¡¡As strong as you are?

    So that''s the strongest class of elves...

    And why is the strongest elf so pissed off as soon as he appears on the scene?

    "I am sad...!¡¡I didn''t know that the ''Thunderstorm Stonecutters'' after I was gone had fallen to this level of corruption...?

    Ah.

    ''''Where is the pride of the forest people, the pride of the righteous?¡¡You are an elf and yet you sleep under a roof and cry and hate it, it''s so unseemly!

    Elzariel-san, could it be that you were witnessing the bad elf''s bad elfishness just now?

    If that''s the case, you can''t help but hold your head up.

    ''''........I was originally supposed to die on the blade of a prisoner. However, I survived it by grace.

    It seems.

    The proposal to revive the Elf Forest is a proposal that must be rewarded. Just when I was thinking of cooperating with them as a way of repaying the favor, I even found out the whereabouts of my companions who were separated from each other after they were alive...!¡¡If I had to take one look at my prefects'' health before I left with my mission...!

    That''s what happened.

    "Well, I guess I made a mistake leaving you in charge, Aeron. Now I''m going to take all of you and help you plant a tree and train you from the ground up!

    "Yeah?

    Oh no!

    My elf, seriously resisting.

    Wait, sir. Please listen to me.

    ''Hmm, you''re the calm number three, Maerga. Long time no see.

    ''It''s been a while. I''ve been the deputy head since Elon became the head, though. Even that is in the past.

    Can Maerga, who is famous for his calm, cool and collected mind, successfully fend off the angry first head?

    ''''A lot has happened to us since I left my predecessor. We''ve been chased from one place to another by both the Demon Kingdom and the Human Kingdom, and we''ve finally arrived here.

    "Hmm?

    ''This is a safe haven for us!¡¡Please don''t take it away from me!

    A calm elf, all he did was plead.

    A direct level of pleading without a shred of intelligence.

    ''My predecessor will find out soon enough. How nice it is to live here!¡¡........Saint!

    Yes?

    "I''d like to make him eat a sausage, but you don''t mind?

    What the hell are you talking about?

    If you''ve just produced sausages the other day, I''ve saved a lot of smoked ones, so you can eat them overheated.

    It''s a preserved food, sausage.

    Maerga, I shredded one of the sausages I brought with permission and roasted it over the fire.

    Is that the way you cook it...?

    ''Come on, sir!¡¡You have to try it!

    The sausage, which was thoroughly heated, passed into Elzariel''s hands.

    ''''What''s this........?¡¡By the smell of it, it''s a meat dish?¡¡But I''ve never seen it before...?

    It''s an odd shape, but you can tell by the smell that it''s delicious, and Elzariel brings the sausage to her mouth rather unhesitatingly.

    The blackened, browned meat stick is inserted and buried in the wild mouth of the veteran elf.

    And from the middle, crisp.

    The juices that leaked out must have spread into his mouth.

    The expression on his face showed that very clearly.

    ''''Previous generation, you have fallen........?

    ''''Once you get a taste of this, you won''t be able to leave the farm anymore.......!

    My elves have a look on their faces.

    ''Ugh, shut up!¡¡It''s good, but so what?¡¡You''re not going to be treated like food?

    The elves began to argue endlessly.

 273-271 Senior referee

    Elzariel is the first head of the Elven Thieves.

    Her visit was a true storm for the elves of our farm.

    ''Very well!¡¡Then let me find out how you guys are living on this land!

    As she gobbles up her sausage, she says.

    ''If you feel the slightest bit flaccid, I will take you away mercilessly and retrain you in your new assignment!

    Sure.

    It is Maerga, the calm deputy head, who says back without moving.

    You can see how we contribute to the farm of the saints and how much they need us. You can see how much we contribute to the farm of His Holiness and how much we are needed. We want our predecessors to leave with peace of mind.

    That''s a bold statement.

    And the end of his words somehow exudes an air of wanting to get rid of an annoying OG.

    Is that really what you want?

    As I thought to myself, I began my tour of Elzariel''s farm.

    * * * *

    However, she only has to look around the Elf Workshop.

    There''s no point in touring the rest of the place.

    ''The work we are entrusted with here at the farm is tool making.

    Maelga, who has taken the responsibility of leading the way, says

    We have been praised for our dexterity, and we have even had our workshop set up for us, and we work hard every day.

    Hmm, tool making is important for survival in the woods.

    Elzariel seems to agree with me there.

    ''We''re currently divided into four groups, each specializing in different things.

    Maelga is the leader of the leatherwork team.

    Poel is the leader of the glasswork team.

    Mieral is the leader of the woodwork team.

    And one more thing...

    Each of them sold their creations to the Demon City, where they sold for a handsome sum. The proceeds from the sales are used to fund our reforestation project.

    Mmm.........when you put it that way.......!

    Yes, the work of the elves here contributed directly to the revival of the Elf Forest.

    That fact was powerful enough to shut down Elzariel-san''s objections.

    ''''Now, let me take you to the most energetic site in the Elf Workshop.

    Energetic?

    "Yes, this is the workshop of Master Aileron, the former head of the Thunderstorm Stonecutters and now head of the Pottery Squad.

    * * *

    Aileron is the second head-head, right?

    Elzariel-san was the first head of the first generation.

    Such an aileron is now more adept at kneading clay to make plates.

    Today, along with the elves of the same group, he was still examining the plates that came out of the kiln with a strict eye.

    ''''It''s ... not very green.

    I stare at the baked plate and say a few words.

    Are you a pro?

    The main color of this work is green. The green I seek is as deep and fresh as the leaves of a summer tree. Such a green wouldn''t even compare to the evergreens of winter.

    Would you like me to add more clay to the glaze?

    ''No, we''re at the end of our rope with existing materials alone. To make it any deeper and greener, we''ll need new materials that we haven''t even thought of.

    What a difficult thing to talk about.

    Once again, I should explain that Elon and the others are trying to make a green plate, but they don''t like the color of it.

    ''''It''s not that big of a difference...''''

    "?¡¡How dare you, Saint!¡¡Do you not understand the genius intentions behind this plate!

    Yikes.

    I''ve tugged on the annoying heartstrings of an annoying guy.

    The theme of this work is the simulated experience of ''eating rice on a leaf on a trip''. The theme of this work is the simulated experience of ''eating rice on a leaf while traveling'', and the idea is to add some wildness to a boring daily meal!¡¡That''s why the plate must be as deep and lush as a real leaf!

    As you can see, the former Hyakushinmoku was a pain in the ass from overcooking the plates and never compromised in his work.

    And Maerga.

    He talked too much to the former head of the group.

    And then a new voice comes in.

    "Hmph, an elf-like character with an elfish air about him is a hubris.

    !¡¡Who the hell are you?

    That was Mr. Edward the Dwarf.

    You''re still here?

    When it comes to craftsmanship, there is no one better than us dwarves, that''s for certain. It takes a lot of discernment on the part of the demon race to know when it comes to making things.

    What do you mean?¡¡A dwarf''s work is nothing more than a ready-made piece of clumsy, clumsy, ready-made work!¡¡You don''t even have a theme that appeals to me, you''re just decorating the outer edges of the room with your lavishness and deception!

    What are you talking about?¡¡Those decorations are the culmination of centuries of skill that dwarves have been cultivating!

    "Realize that the artifice is an afterthought that distorts the essence of the work!¡¡Real art begins with the exclusion of deliberate artifice!

    You can''t have art without finesse!¡¡A craftsman is worthy of constant and unflagging effort to hone his craft!¡¡To imply that nature is the best, except for technology, is to run away from your own poor work!

    Compared to the real beauty that nature creates, man''s artifice is nothing more than a sham!¡¡With that understanding, to create natural beauty from human hands, you must first discard the technique and...!

    The troublesome guy and the troublesome guy clicked with each other, which made it even more troublesome.

    ''You two seem to enjoy arguing, so let''s leave them alone.

    Yeah, well, it''s just too much work for me to get involved in.

    It''s a pain in the ass.

    Me and Maerga only got the impression that they were ''troublesome''.

    Beside that, Elzariel-san, who was supposed to be the main character of this time, had turned into air.

    ''''Elron has changed...''''

    Yeah, mainly in a messy way.

    ''No, you couldn''t have had the kind of supremacy that would have overwhelmed me in the past.

    ''She''s not a bandit now, she''s a craftsman.

    Totally.

    It''s overwhelming to anyone with the eruption of supreme craftsmanship. It''s very annoying.

    Now let me show you the splendor of a farm that has reworked our beloved head like that.

    Huh?

    ''Don''t you have to show me the other elven workshops?¡¡Like Poel''s glasswork, or Mieral''s woodwork?

    ''It''s going to play out much the same way as it did with Master Aileron anyway, right?¡¡Because both Poel and Mieral have become quite troublesome craftsmen.

    Yeah, I know.

    What do you mean by that, Maerga, you''re getting pretty messy too?

    I still remember the time I was forced to use three sewing machines to make leather goods.

    I''m sure I''m getting a little sick of the hassle, so I''m going to introduce you to another place, Elzariel.

    But what is it?

    Isn''t she no longer as present as she was in the beginning?

    ''I''d say the farm''s location is thick. That''s exactly what they say, unless you''re a teacher or Master Veal, they''ll paint over it.

    Don''t make such a big deal about it again.

    I tried to laugh at him, but Maerga didn''t take it up and went.

    Huh?¡¡Seriously?

    ''I''m going to give Master Elzariel a taste of such an intense life on the farm. For starters, this is farm food.

    It was just lunchtime.

    ''I got you some sausages earlier, so you might not be hungry...''

    "Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....?

    I''m devouring it like a man on the verge of starvation?

    I made a sandwich for lunch today and I''m glad you liked it.

    ''The previous generation!¡¡That''s for me, please don''t take that!

    ''''It''s just too good to be true!¡¡What''s wrong with thieves stealing human property?

    I''m sorry.

    The next place I led Elzariel-san to was a hot spring.

    ''''Ah, that felt so good...!

    Mr. Elzariel is making steam come out of his body.

    Naturally I couldn''t accompany him to the women''s bathhouse, so I wasn''t able to witness the inside.

    It took a good two hours for Elzariel-san to come out after she entered.

    ''Plus, there''s a fluffy bed in the bedroom!¡¡If I knew that, I wouldn''t be able to camp on the ground anymore!

    I didn''t realize we were camping on the ground.

    Thus, after Elzariel-san had experienced life on the farm in its entirety....

    * * * *

    Oh no!¡¡No, no, no, no, no!¡¡I don''t want to go home!

    I don''t want to go back!

    I''m going to live here too!¡¡I''ll eat a good meal every day, take a hot spring and sleep in a fluffy bed!

    ''''The man ahead!¡¡Don''t be selfish!

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡You''re going to help with the planting work!

    In order to revive the Elven Forest in the old human country, the cooperation of the elves themselves is essential.

    My elves tried to come up to him and send him off, but Elzariel stuck her finger in the ground and tried to stop him.

    The only thing that matters is the fact that you are all cheating!¡¡You''re all cheating!¡¡It''s not fair that I get to eat good food every day!

    Elzariel-san managed to evict him by giving him a sausage filler as a souvenir, after he had been gobbled up so much.....................and succeeded in getting him evicted.

    ''''Exactly what a mummy catcher is a mummy...?

    Does this farm have the efficacy to captivate the elves?

    Anyway, I hope that her cooperation in the planting of trees will hasten the revival of the elven forest, even if only for a day.

    And..........

    ''Oh no, no, no, no!¡¡I don''t want to go home either!¡¡I''m going to stay here forever!

    Edward the Dwarf was similarly spoiled by his refusal to go home.

    No, go home.

    You''re the king of the dwarves, aren''t you?

    If you don''t go home, the dwarves'' work will be delayed.

 274-272 Farm training

    I finally sent Elisariel off and we had another visitor shortly afterwards.

    But this time it was a bit of a relief.

    It was a familiar person named Demon King Zedan-san.

    ''''Today, I''ve got something to discuss with Sage Lord...''''

    The demon king''s tone is stern as usual.

    ''''What''s the matter with you?

    The Demon King and I are on good terms, aren''t we?

    I owe a lot to the Demon King, and to repay him for all the help he''s given me, you can count on me.

    "I wonder if you''ll accept my training.

    "Kensho?

    I want a young, up-and-coming member of the Demon King''s Army to have a taste of life in the farmhouse of the Hall of Saints.

    I''ve been told differently.

    I know what training is.

    It''s a way of acquiring special skills and knowledge.

    If it''s a large organization like the Demon King''s Army, it would be a good idea to at least have training, but why would that training place be my farm?

    If they teach you agriculture or something, how can it possibly add to the operation of the military?

    ''''No, this farm will teach us something else important. It''s essential for the future of the Demon King''s Army. Please!

    I can''t say I don''t want to be asked to do this much with all my might.

    I''m sure you''ve been on good terms with me in the first place.

    I''ve decided to gladly accept the offer.

    * * * *.

    This is how our farm came to accept about ten young demon tribe members.

    All of them seemed to be promising youngsters who should take on the future of the Demon King''s Army.

    So.

    When those young demons actually arrived...

    "Bow down to us demons!

    "...bow down to us demons!

    Some really cool kids came over.

    "We demons are the greatest beings in the world!¡¡We are the greatest beings in the world!

    "We will defeat the human race!¡¡Worthy of an earthly ruler!

    Praise!¡¡Bow down!¡¡Bow down to our demons!

    "Demon Kingdom!¡¡The power of control is ah!¡¡The best in the world!

    ..........

    What''s this?

    The young demons we visited were so intimidating that they looked like they were either the Fool''s Regiment or the SS.

    It''s like they''ve been attacked by a bad trend.

    ''''........Demon King, what is this.......?''''

    I asked the Demon King-san who was leading the group in confusion.

    He had a reluctant look on his face as if he was ''sorry'' and ''embarrassed''.

    ''''........This is the problem that is now infesting the Demon King''s Army. No, it''s not just the Demon King''s army, it''s spreading to the entire demon race...!

    A sickness in the heart that affects the demon race.

    What is the name of the disease?

    Arrogance.

    We demons have put an end to the long war with the humans. We have won. And that in itself is a blessing, but there was an unforeseen side effect.

    Some of the demon tribe grew up and started to act arrogantly.

    They acted as if they were the rulers of the earth.

    "Hey you!

    One of the young demons took a swing at me.

    Why?

    "How dare you show your face to my Demon Lord!¡¡We''re getting used to it!¡¡He was the king of the demons and now the greatest king in the world!¡¡It''s outrageous that you, a non-demon, are talking to each other as equals!

    Ah.

    You''re upset that the Demon Lord and I are talking to each other like friends?

    "Bow down!¡¡You are far too fearful to look the Demon Lord in the eye and give him a direct answer!¡¡Ruler of the world, the horror of the demon race, buggalang!

    He was silent.

    Because the Demon Lord hit him and made his face plunge into the ground.

    ''''I am truly ashamed of myself.''''

    The demon king said as his fist crunched into the young demon tribe, "Victory is to be celebrated, but it''s a pity that you''re drunk and lose yourself.

    He said, "Victory is to be celebrated, but it''s a pity that you''re so drunk with victory that you''ve lost sight of yourself. No matter how many times I remind you, there is no change in your attitude.

    Although one of them punched him to silence him, there are many other young demons who came to the farm for training.

    Although they shuddered at the Demon King''s fury, it didn''t look like they had changed their minds judging by their faces.

    ''''If we don''t do anything about it, the day will come when these idiots won''t cause trouble for the human race and mermaid race. That''s why I want to eradicate this mental illness as quickly as possible...!

    So take them to my farm.

    All right.

    That''s what we''ll do for them.

    Let''s do our best to live up to the Demon King''s expectations.

    * * *

    Then.

    The young demons who came for the training will be able to observe...!

    A game of rock-paper-scissors-pong with the winner attacking and the loser defending!

    Now we''re going to have two people play rock-paper-scissors, and the winner will attack and the loser will defend the game for you to watch.

    Let the game begin!

    "Beat and protect.

    "Rock-paper-scissors pong.

    Choki.

    Par.

    It''s a winner-take-all game.

    "All right, fellas!¡¡Dragon Breathers!

    Viel (in dragon form) with a choke out, spits out a breath of fire without reservation.

    It''s already a dragon, so the scale and power of it can reduce an army to ashes.

    That..........

    ''''Mana field deployment. 100% threat shutout rate.

    Holkosfon, who put out a par, puts out a barrier-like thing to prevent it.

    Holkosfon, one of the destroying angels who once destroyed the world once.

    Even though it''s our farm, the only people who can cross the Veerle in a decent way are her or the teacher.

    As long as I can''t casually ask my teacher for help, Holkosfon''s rate of climbing the board is high.

    ''''Ga-ha-ha-ha-ha, you did a good job of defending yourself against my attack, feather woman!

    I would be remiss if I didn''t comply with the Master''s orders.

    One more time.

    Hit me and protect me.

    "Rock-paper-scissors!

    Rock-paper-scissors!

    Gu Gu.

    Aiko.

    "Again!

    Gu Gu Gu.

    Par.

    Horcosfon won.

    Manakakanon salvo.

    A beam cannon-like object mounted on the Holkosphone was shot at Veerle without hesitation.

    Its power could be perceived from a sidelong glance as being able to easily blow up a mountain or two.

    Veerle, in his dragon form, received a direct hit. He did receive it, but he didn''t flinch a bit, and conversely, the beam dissipated.

    I''m sure you''ll find that your henna-chocolate beam doesn''t work with my scales, which are strengthened by dragon magic.

    It''s a good thing that Veerle has had many mock fights with Holkosfons in the past.

    It''s a good thing that you''ve advanced and mastered the defensive capabilities that allow you to shut down the mountain-shattering Manakanon.

    ''''...Good. This time I will strike the Manakanon with real power.

    You can say that after you''ve beaten me at rock-paper-scissors. I''m going to win every game from now on!

    It''s against the law to show up late.

    Thus, the young demon clansmen watched the annihilating rock-paper-scissors competition between the strongest species vs. the strongest species unfold to their hearts'' content.

    ''''Now, I hope you''ve realized a little bit of what''s going on...''''

    Your own smallness.

    I hope watching Veerle and Holkosfone''s world-destroying jousting will make them change their minds about ''there are plenty of things stronger than us'' and ''we shouldn''t get all puffed up.

 275-273 If you think

    I am Eringian, the demon race.

    I am Eringire, the most advanced race of demon in the world.

    The demon race has become the highest race.

    They have conquered the human race to become the supreme race on earth.

    The mermaid race lives in the depths of the sea, hiding and fretting.

    The other sub-tribes are not the number of things.

    It is better for all of them to bow down to the demons and be ruled by them.

    We demons are the best!

    We demons are in charge!

    I look down on everything and own everything!

    That''s the standard for the demon race from now on!

    I, Eringya, am still a lowly member of the Demon King''s army as a young demon race, but I intend to eventually be promoted and stand above all the races.

    In order to do so, you must hold your nobility in high esteem and cultivate your dignity as a ruler while you still can.

    ''''Oh!

    Siringi, Yadurzak!

    Do you guys agree?

    In the same period of time, we will be in the same stage of ascendancy, so by the time we become the Four Heavenly Kings, that''s when the demon race will be in power.

    All the other races will be enslaved, and the demon race will rule!

    Rathil, Lokhongi, Saza!

    Do you think that''s what you''re doing?

    Hmm?

    What is Stark saying?¡¡Is cooperation important?

    There''s no need to divide it up among the other races as long as they take care of cooperation and so forth among the demon race.

    It''s enough to dominate them.

    Tecton, do you think the same thing about Zext?

    There are those who don''t understand.

    Oh well, they''re only a minority.

    From now on, the Demon King''s Army will give priority to those in the race for promotion, and only those who are in agreement with us will occupy the top ranks.

    Hmph.

    Then the ideal world where the demon race enslaves all other races will eventually become a reality!

    Our era is the peak of the demon race!

    I can''t wait to move up!

    * * *

    As the days went on, we were called together.

    First of all, our superiors said to us, "Recently, the trend of arrogance is spreading, with the victory of the Ikusa.

    Recently, people are getting arrogant and arrogant, saying ''Demons are the best in the world'' because of the victory of the kusa. Your Majesty is worried.

    I paled quickly.

    Isn''t that something I touch on a regular basis?

    Purge?

    What if they''re going to purge us?

    The people in the gathering who were saying the same things I was saying were pale across the board.

    But I also saw a touch of Stark and other soft-skinned faces, so wasn''t it a purge?

    A reminder at best?

    So, you''ll be trained there.

    Training?

    The officer continued.

    ''''This is an order from the king himself. You are to go and study at a certain place. You are to study yourself. You will learn that demons are just one of the many species that live in this world.

    I say.

    I don''t know what it is, but it''s a goofy thing to say.

    Isn''t it obvious that the demon race that won the war is the supreme race!

    I already have the pride of being the supreme race!

    Don''t think that a little bit of preaching is going to change your mind!

    I don''t know where you''re taking me with your training and such, but on the contrary, show me what the demon race should be in the future there, and embody the new age of the demon race!

    And the place where he was taken by transference magic to for training....

    * * * *

    It was far more hell than I had ever imagined.

    There was a dragon.

    This is the dragon.

    One of the two greatest disasters in the world.

    This is the first time I''ve seen one in person, but it''s already the strongest feeling I can get just from seeing it.

    I saw the dragon spitting fire.

    I thought that that blow alone could destroy the Demon City.

    Terrifying.

    A number of my peers who were brought together and fainted as early as possible.

    Just by being hit by the dragon''s supremacy, their consciousness was taken away just by being hit by the dragon''s supremacy!

    ''''How''s that?¡¡Awesome, isn''t it?

    The Demon King said.

    ''''You guys seem to talk about the demon race being the best race in the world on a daily basis, but then can you guys beat Lord Veerle?¡¡Are you sure she''s one of the species that lives in this world?

    You can''t win.

    There was no way we could beat a dragon.

    Even though the dragon alone was a shock to the senses, an even more astonishing event occurred.

    There was an opponent who was a match for that dragon.

    And what''s more?¡¡What about the tribe?

    The appearance does not match any sub-race I know of.

    Was there ever a race on this earth that had wings sprouting from its back?

    What''s more, the winged man is completely blocking the dragon''s breath with some kind of warding and is shooting back some kind of powerful attack magic?

    Evenly matched?

    Evenly matched?

    I thought only the No-Life King was supposed to be able to compete with dragons?

    ''''That Holkosfon-dono is a race of angels that was once created by Tenjin. They say he once destroyed the world.

    The Demon King-sama explains.

    Hahahahahahaha.........

    Hawa!

    ''''What do you think?¡¡Do you think a demon could take on those two and win?¡¡If you can''t, then the demon race doesn''t deserve to be the best in the world, does it?

    How are you doing, Demon King?

    Ha-ha-ha, they''re all in for a surprise. Just as I suspected!

    Is there a tribe of humans talking to the Demon Lord like they''re used to?

    Huh?¡¡You''re human?

    There''s something slightly different about it...?

    You are a defeated race and you don''t know much about chitchat with the Demon King.

    Huh?

    Lord of this place!

    Dragons and angels belong to this race?

    ......................Sorry.

    ''But I think it''s best to push the no-no here. So I thought better of it.

    Well, if that''s what your saint has in mind, it must be a good idea.

    Wait!

    I''ve already eaten more than enough dragons and angels, and now what?

    All right, doctor, please.

    "Yes.

    Here comes the No-Life King!

    The other one, the other one of the two biggest disasters in the world, is here!

    "I suppose I shouldn''t be surprised, but it''s not a surprise to me just yet. I''ve asked the doctor to bring someone here to see you.

    Huh?¡¡Who?

    I mean, what could possibly be more surprising?

    So, doctor, it''s a pleasure to meet you.

    It''s all right. All right. Meow.

    The No-Life King waves his wand with a Texan spell....

    The dimensions are distorted and the miasma wafts away.

    Is this summoning magic?

    When we noticed, a god had descended in front of us.

    It''s Mr. Hades.

    Don''t you dare introduce yourself!

    The lord of our demon race?

    What do you mean, he summons a god?

    It takes dozens of professional summoners to summon the most powerful demon spirits in the world.

    You''re the world''s worst No-Life King, and you can''t even give them time to be afraid of you?

    Now, Mr. Hades, what do you have to say...

    "Mm.

    And that hominid-looking guy is prompting the gods?

    What''s wrong with this guy?

    "Yes, I''ve heard it all before. You''re all of you.¡¡Demons are the best in the world!¡¡And I hear you''re pissed off.

    Why is God listening to us?

    "How can he be so bad at that?¡¡Aren''t we all brothers in this world?¡¡You don''t have to be hierarchical to be friendly.

    And God has personally warned me about it!

    What am I going to do about this?

 276-274 Farm Next Generation Development Plan

    Yes, it''s me.

    Today, I am inviting the young people of the demon race to a training session.

    First of all, after watching the mock battle between Veerle and Horcosfon, and having them realize the strongest class in the world.......

    For the demon race, they will receive direct attention from Hades-san, the god of the demon race, who is more than a demon king.

    With this, any demon race would change their minds.

    ''''I saw a terrible folding...!''''

    Prathi, who was watching from the side (her stomach is about to start showing off), said while shivering.

    ''Prati, more importantly, prepare for hospitality.

    Okay.

    As expected, we can''t just call on God.

    Thank you for your time. Please have some rice cooked with bamboo shoots.

    "Mm.

    In order to satisfy this god, you should feed him mixed rice.

    This is the wisdom of farm life.

    Please put natto on it.

    ''''Stop, angel!''''

    As expected, it was too adventurous to mix more natto into the mixed rice, so he was a god who ate it separately.

    The young demon tribe who came for training were all shocked and fainted.

    So they couldn''t see the God at home.

    ''''No, I''m sorry for making you go through so much trouble,''''

    The Demon King bows his head apologetically.

    ''''If we do this much, these fools will change their conceited minds. After all, if you ask the saintly lord for help, you''ll be able to solve any problem.''''

    But there''s something that''s been bothering me...?

    I look at these ten or so young demons who are lying around in a faint.

    ''''They didn''t all look like they were getting arrogant, did they?

    A small percentage of them were casting cold glances at their big-hearted colleagues.

    These kids are also unconscious from the intimidation of gods, angels, dragons and the immortal king.

    .....

    Isn''t this just a little bullying?

    You''re a saint, my dear sir. You''ve been noticed.

    So not everyone is arrogant...

    ''It is an endlessly wonderful thing to be able to come to the farm of the Hall of Saints.

    What?

    ''It''s not just about feeling like the best in the world. You learn a lot of different things that are valuable. Even a day on the farm can make a huge difference to those who don''t.

    It''s such a big deal.

    Even if you praise him, nothing will come out of it.

    Oh, and serve the Demon King some bamboo shoots.

    I don''t think it''s a good idea to bring all the troublemakers to a farm like that.

    And you brought in a boy who didn''t have a problem with that...

    There''s a lot to learn on the farm. There''s a lot you can learn on a farm, and I''d rather bring in young people who have a bright future ahead of them. Even the arrogant one has picked out the brilliant ones from among the dozens of others.

    I''m afraid I''ve missed the point," the demon king mocked himself.

    ''''I said it was a training program to correct my conceit, but before I knew it, it became a place for elite training...!

    There''s nothing wrong with that.

    If these kids who come here grow up to be fine personalities and rise in the ranks, then they will be able to hold down the bottom and avoid a situation like ''The Conceited Demon Tribe has been around for a long time''.

    We plan to continue the training for a few more weeks.

    Let''s use that time to devote all of our farm''s efforts to cultivate them into personality elites and have them lead the world properly!

    My farm has to do that for the world!

    In that case...

    The God of Hades began to say.

    This god was still here.

    And was he listening to our conversation?

    "What am I missing?

    "Missing something?

    What the hell was that?

    It''s hard for me, a human being, to see God''s deeper thoughts.

    ''Didn''t you once say, Demon King?¡¡He said, ''I want to rule with my enemies, who I have sent down, as inhabitants of the same earth.''

    What?

    What did I say?

    Remembering....

    .........Ah.

    The time when the Demon King defeated the human nation and reported it to God?

    The fact that you didn''t eradicate the human race, which had been your enemies, but regarded them as your own people to rule together with your own tribe is a testament to the courage of the Demon King.

    I''ve been told that the only people I''ve gathered here are the demons, the future elite candidates. The future elite candidates. You''re the future elite candidate for the future, and you''re telling us that you''re going to rule over all races.

    After all, you want your own family to occupy all the important posts?

    Are the ruled human race stuck in that position all the time?

    That''s what God is all about.

    "Hmmm, God has a different way of looking at things. ...more rice for bamboo shoots.

    Yeah, go ahead.

    No, it''s not natto!

    Holkosfone is strong enough to restrain God from being restrained from doing so.

    While complaining, Hades complains, he mixes in another serving of natto and scrapes it in.

    On the other hand, the Demon King writhed with his head in his hands.

    God is right!

    When the Demon King made this agonizing gesture, it was like a baroque sculpture.

    ''''I am...!¡¡You''ve ruled a human nation and had humanity as your subjects...!¡¡You''ve unconsciously limited yourself to those in positions of responsibility, to demons...?¡¡"Did I myself become arrogant while admonishing you to ''not be arrogant''?"?

    Hoi-hoi.

    ''''It''s because of this distorted mind of mine that it gets passed down to the lower levels and becomes a problem!¡¡I am the cause of this problem!

    "No, it''s not that serious...?¡¡I''m just taking it lightly...?

    The gods were dumbfounded by the Demon Lord''s anguish.

    ''''Don''t lose heart, okay?¡¡You okay?¡¡Do you want to eat some of that bamboo?

    No, I''ll just have some natto.

    I''ll have to help them.

    Why don''t you invite the humans?

    If there''s no bread, why don''t you just eat some sweets?

    He said, "Why don''t you find some promising children from the human race and send them to study here?¡¡I mean, study abroad!

    I look at the young demons who have yet to wake up from their fainting spells.

    ''''Let them learn with the kids there. If they study together, they will develop friendships, and it will be an exchange between the human and demon race, right?¡¡We can kill two birds with one stone, too.

    ''''But we can''t put any more burden on the saintly lord...?''''

    The Demon King says while eating his natto.

    ''''It''s okay. You''re contributing to the world itself.

    I say as I eat my natto.

    There is already a branch school for mermaids in our farm, and many female mermaids are studying there.

    The first mermaids, then demons, will come, and if we don''t invite only the mermaids, we''ll be left out of the group.

    ''''Let''s make this a place where all three races can learn without discrimination!

    Study abroad on a farm.

    Is a farm that kind of place?¡¡I thought, but the details are not important.

    If the three races of humans, demons and mermaids can communicate with each other and deepen their bond, there will be world peace and no war.

    It''s time for the different world farm and the Three Tribes Study Abroad Project to begin!

    ''''All right!¡¡Then let''s immediately notify the occupation government of the former human state and recruit future cadres!¡¡And to the farm!

    The demon king said while eating his natto.

    ''''Hohohoho........!¡¡The harmony of races will be accelerated. And then the earth that I protect will prosper more and more.

    The God of Hades also said as he ate his natto.

    ''World peace is the most important thing, isn''t it!

    I said as I ate my natto too.

    Let''s make the world a better place while we all eat natto!

    .........

    ...............

    Why is everyone a natto?

    Hey, you Horcosfon!

    Don''t infiltrate the subliminals with natto!

    Come on!

 277-275 Athenian Sacrifice

    My name is Lycheeus.

    I''m a man of the unremarkable human race.

    I am 17 years old this year.

    I was born to ordinary villagers'' parents in a particularly ordinary village, and grew up as the middle third of five very ordinary siblings.

    For a rural village in a human country, that''s basically what it is, poor and unable to afford to feed all of my siblings.

    I was the most ordinary person in the village, but I was sent to work as an apprentice, and I had to leave the village.

    The place of service is the mansion of the lord.

    After some twists and turns, I ended up working at a prestigious place, but the lord is a very nice person and he pays attention to me.

    Only here is different from the norm.

    Now that I''ve worked hard under my lord and grown up in my own way as a chamberlain.

    An unusual problem finally loomed before me.

    * * * *

    One day.

    The lord of the house came back with a very pale face.

    The pallor of his face was immediately obvious that something had happened.

    What had really happened?

    Today, we had to go out to respond to a call from the demon occupation office.

    It has already been a year since we, the human race, lost the war against the demon tribe.

    However, the demon tribe has established a generous ruling system that makes it hard to believe that they are invaders, and it''s even easier to live there than it was when the Human King and his cult had their way with us.

    Most of the people of the human race also welcomed the demon race.

    The lords of the former human kingdom were allowed to rule the same as before, and I''m just glad that the lord I respected was able to survive the political change...

    But today, something finally happened.

    ''''Lycheeus........!¡¡Water. Get me some water...!

    The lord sat down on the sofa as soon as he returned home.

    He looked quite distressed as expected.

    At any rate, as you have requested, I will offer you some water.

    Please drink it calmly.

    ''Bwah!¡¡........another one!

    I told you to calm down, but you drank it in one gulp and demanded a refill.

    You''re really in a rough spot after all.

    What did the demon tribe tell you that the usually mild-mannered lord is this upset?

    He''s finally bared his fangs.

    Yes?

    After drinking three drinks in a row, the lord-sama has finally regained his composure.

    Even so, she still couldn''t stop the sweat spewing from her entire body and busily wiped her face.

    ''''Those demon tribe guys, the first time they come up to you and act like good guys...!¡¡I knew he was hiding his true brutal nature behind the scenes!¡¡I''m going to eradicate the human race after all!

    "My lord, please calm down...!¡¡What the hell happened to you?

    I''m the lord''s favorite attendant at his side.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to help me because I''m so witty.

    This is why it is my job to ask for advice and listen to complaints in my private time.

    But I''ve never seen the lord so distraught before.

    ''''What was said in the Occupation Office?''''

    I got the impression that the demon race occupation policy I''ve seen so far is not that reckless, but...!

    They asked me to give it to you...!

    "Offer?

    What?

    People. You''re young, you''re smart, you''re capable, and you''re going to bring a lot of them to us.

    "?¡¡What are you going to do about that?

    I don''t know!¡¡I asked him about it, but he didn''t give me any details!¡¡But the orders are absolute...!

    Does this mean that if they refused, they didn''t know what kind of retaliation they would receive?

    In fact, the Demon King''s army was the occupier of the human country, so they could take any retaliatory measures if they wanted to.

    ''''Human resources are a national treasure!¡¡What will the demons do if we take it away from them?¡¡Don''t tell me it was a sacrifice?¡¡To feed the vicious monsters that the demon tribe has...?

    !" My lord, please calm down!

    It''s true that I''ve heard of the demon race controlling monsters, but they say it''s limited to a small percentage of them. Moreover, it is a lowly humanoid type.

    I don''t think such a monster would need such a sacrifice.

    However, even if they won''t be taken and eaten, it''s not like they won''t be crossed over to their former enemies and placed in a similar or similar treatment.

    I don''t know what the demon race is seeking human resources for, but........

    ''''The person who is offered to you will have to be prepared to face uncommon circumstances.

    And the human race, the losers of the war, cannot refuse their demands.

    That''s right. That''s right. We must give them what they ask of us. A young man full of strength, wisdom, and brilliance...!

    The lord-sama muttered in concern.

    ''''Hey, Lycheeus........!¡¡Speaking of such a promising young man in our territory, is there only one of them...?

    I see.

    I understood my lord''s concern.

    "My son Sardacase is the only one who can help me!

    My lord has a son.

    My lord has a son, and only one.

    My lord is a good man, a gentleman. He is sensible enough as a politician, but he loses his sense of righteousness in one thing: his only son, Salda Case.

    This is in regard to his only son, Sarda Case.

    To my lord, he was a son who was barely born after he was old enough to be born, and that''s why his doting is so terrible.

    ''''He''s so well made, he''s sure to catch the attention of the demon race!¡¡And my son will be sent to a magical land.¡¡We may never see you again.¡¡Ahhhhhh...!

    Is this the main reason why I am so distraught?

    I''m a child-loving person by nature. That''s why he took care of me when I was young, even if I was a servant, and even more so if I was his own son by blood.

    He took good care of me, too.

    Is now the time to repay the favor........!

    I''ll go.

    It was natural to say.

    ''The demon tribe wants a young man anyway, right?¡¡I''m also 17 years old. I''ll meet the requirements for now. As for brilliance, it''s not so easy to tell from appearances, and it can be deceiving.

    But if you go, you may not come home again.

    My lord is even concerned about me.

    That''s why I can feel like laying down my life for this man.

    Anyway, it''s mostly a villager''s, easy life everywhere.

    * * * *

    And on the appointed day.

    I was to depart as a representative of the fiefdoms.

    It seems to be a rule that each of the other fiefdoms will send out a brilliant young man to represent them.

    My departure was met with a commensurate send-off.

    Most of them were in an atmosphere of mourning for me as I embarked on my departure.

    With a few exceptions.........

    "Hey, Theseus, you must be happy to take my place. Aren''t you glad you could take my place?

    It is the example of the Sarda case that says.

    My lord''s son.

    He is the son of my lord, I think he is one year older than me.

    You''ve always been a snooty, obnoxious fellow, but you''ve come in handy for me in this way!¡¡That''s a great loyalty to die in the Lord''s place. I commend you!

    Because the lord dotes on him and spoils him, he''s grown up to be a complete idiot.

    I can''t bear to think that such a man will become the next lord in the future.

    In a way, I''m more worried about my own fate of being called under the demon tribe.

    I''m more worried about my own fate than my own being called up to the demon tribe. But I''m happy for you!¡¡My life will be saved, the blighter will die. I heard that the Heavenly God Zeus has blessed my future!

    If this really is the case, what will happen to this territory if this kind of person becomes the next lord?

    Even if I were to end my life at the demon tribe, it''s going to turn into an unfinished business and come out as a monster.

    ''''Everyone, please take care of the rest...!

    I know. I''m sure the sergeant will train you back up with us...!

    Leaving my fellow chamberlain to take over, I set off.

    No really, though this could be the farewell of this lifetime. It''s an unfinished parting.

    What kind of treatment will I receive under the demon tribe?

 278-276 Adventure of Liteseus

    Yes.

    I''m Lycheeus of the human race.

    Like a sold calf, I was handed over to the demon tribe.

    What fate is waiting for me in the future?

    ''''If that''s the case, it''s been a short life...''''

    Well, if I can use my life for the lord who has been so kind to me, I hope so.

    It seems that the young men and women sent to the occupation administration by request are gathered once they are gathered there.

    Therefore, I first presented myself to the occupation authorities.

    The Occupation Office is located in the city that used to be the capital of humanity, and the office of the Occupation Office is the former royal castle.

    I never thought I''d end up in a castle like this...?

    Back when the human country was still alive and well, it would have been a place that lowly people would never have had any connection to.

    You don''t understand the world, do you?

    When I went to the designated room, several men and women around my age were gathered there.

    Like me, they were presented with a sacrifice... or perhaps they are human resources.

    They represented the other territories.

    Valkina!

    You''re Lycheeus!¡¡Long time no see.

    I saw a familiar face among them, so I ran over.

    Valkina, who was the lord''s chamberlain in a neighboring territory. We had met many times due to the exchange of neighboring territories.

    ''''You''re here for the same reason as me...?''''

    Substitute.

    ''Yes, our daughter is just about the right age, but we can''t just offer her up, can we?¡¡So I''ll take over.

    It''s hard for both of us.

    As I looked around, I noticed that some of the young people who had gathered there were dressed as aristocrats among our scapegoats.

    I wondered if they hadn''t sent a scapegoat.

    That''s gutsy.

    I''m sure he''s a smart second son and third son, but I''m impressed by his willingness to sacrifice his own life to protect his people. There''s a big difference between you and this stupid son.

    Varkina says.

    ''Why is it our place to mention it?¡¡Isn''t your territory in the same situation?

    "Fool, I''m a lady!¡¡She''s a frail woman!

    What''s that seemingly unreasonable and somehow understandable logic?

    Oh, well.

    We may not have lives tomorrow anyway.

    Let''s stop wasting time thinking about the futility of it.

    * * * *

    And so, while waiting, it seems that all the sacrifices...........................and personnel have finished gathering.

    ''''I am Malvastos, the Governor of the Demon Race Occupation Office.

    A pompous demon race came out.

    Although it is said to be pompous, it is not arrogant in its behavior, but rather it seems to have an air of dignity in its face and appearance.

    They are not pompous, so to speak, but their existence itself gives you the impression that they must be great?

    Gentlemen, please stand down.

    What...?

    What do you mean, the greatest of all time has arrived on the scene, and you''re still asking me to refrain?

    ........and then it was different.

    An even greater person was still around.

    "You are in the presence of the Demon King, Lord Zedan.

    !

    The Governor stepped aside and a giant appeared in front of us to take his turn.

    I thought the wall was closing in on us.

    It was that big of a spirit.

    This is the Demon King?

    Isn''t the Demon King the general of the demon tribe?

    In other words, he''s so high up that there''s nothing higher than this?

    First of all, I want to thank you all for coming here. It was a great honor.

    Demon King, you are solemn.

    Why do you want to meet the Demon King personally?

    I''ve been preparing myself not to be perturbed by any tragic developments, but it''s soon exceeded my imagination!

    ''''But, Demon King. ''''But, Demon King, you don''t look so impressive, do you?

    The Governor says from the side.

    ''I can tell by their appearance. Many of those sent here must be servants of some sort. I can see that the nobles have been unwilling to give us their children and have taken them as substitutes.

    Oh, man, do they know we''re here?

    Why not?

    But the Demon King was generous.

    ''''They were probably wary that they would be sacrificed anyway. The people here have accepted such dangers and have been prepared to die. Their faces will be different.

    He looks over at us.

    "People who are not only quick-witted but also ready to sacrifice their own lives for the sake of their homeland. In order to bring these men together, we deliberately left the purpose of the conference ambiguous. Thanks to that, we have a lively group of young people.

    Is that so?

    Do you think we''ve fallen for the demon tribe''s plan?

    But what are you going to do with all of us in the end?

    Well, I think it''s time to tell you why. I''ll tell you the reason why I gathered you here...

    The Demon King speaks.

    ''''You are going to study abroad!

    What?

    "From now on, you will be given an elite education. You will also make connections with important people in the demon kingdom, and you will be able to work for both sides of the demon kingdom. After you have gained enough ability, you will work for both the demon kingdom and the human kingdom. That''s what this study abroad program is for.

    Zawa Zawa.........

    As expected, we can''t all be unresponsive, can we?

    A murmur of agitation could be heard from the front and back, left and right.

    ''''It''s not just for the demon race. We want you to work not only for the demon race, but also for the human race. We want you to work for the prosperity of the two races that have become one. Will you accept it?

    There was no point in messing around here, so I decided to take it after all.

    ''''Then let''s take them to the place of study as soon as possible. I''m sure you''ll find a lot of people who are as young as you on the demon side have already started training. The purpose of this is to learn with them and deepen our friendship.

    The Demon King walked out and entered the crowd of us.

    I stood just in the center of the crowd....

    Malvastos, let''s say goodbye for now. We''ll talk again at leisure.

    "The kingdom of mankind is stabilized by Malvastus here at the cost of life, so do not be concerned.

    The Demon Race Governor bows his head.

    In the next moment, the Governor''s figure disappeared.

    No, it wasn''t just the Governor. The walls and ceilings of the surrounding royal castle also disappeared.

    The next thing you know, there was an open sky above us.

    We''re here.

    The Demon King said.

    "What?¡¡You''re kidding!¡¡Already?

    !" "Not even a moment has passed!

    Is this what the demons use for their transference magic?

    This is the kind of knowledgeable person you want to meet.

    It''s a spell that allows people to move to a specific location in an instant. But to be able to transport so many people at once...?

    Come to think of it, the ten or more people who were gathered are all over here.

    .........

    "This is the saint''s farm where you will study abroad.

    The Demon King said.

    ''''Heh, this is the saint''s farm...?''''

    The name sounded familiar to me, and I was like, ''Wow.

    .....

    "..........What?¡¡A saint''s farm?¡¡Here?

    Now!

    That thing that is falsely rumored to exist somewhere in the former human country?

    It is said to be located somewhere in the world or not.

    It is said that the saint who rules there has the ability to surpass even gods and can rule the world if he wants to, but because he doesn''t want to, he doesn''t come to the world.

    Some people believe that with the help of a saint, they can wipe out the demons and revive the human race.

    These people are desperately searching for the saint''s farm, but no one has ever found it.

    To that saint''s farm, now!

    You''ve stepped in?

 279-277 Liteseus and Eringia

    Yes, it''s me.

    It''s me, the owner of the farm.

    Today, the Demon King will be bringing young people from the human country to study at our farm.

    As I waited while working in the fields and so on........

    .........here they come.

    A crowd of people creeping in from the transition point.

    "Welcome!

    I toss the hoe to the ground and welcome him to the farm.

    "I''m the owner of this farm. You''ll learn something here.

    Be as friendly as possible.

    However, the young men of the human race who were led by the Demon King stared at me with a full sense of caution.

    It was just like a borrowed cat.

    ''''Lord here. Does that mean.........?

    "Are you a saint?

    The young man from the tribe asked.

    "Hmm?¡¡Do you know him well?

    Of course I know. There''s a great deal of talk about Saint Kidan among the old human nations!

    Huh?¡¡Why?

    Because you have great power!

    Apparently everything is perceived by the general population over there as if I''m some kind of omniscient god or something.

    I was once known more than I thought I was because of the furor that Veerle rushed into the battlefield and Bacchus touched around.

    ''Some believe that the old human nation can be revived by Anata bringing salvation. That you will be able to repel the Demon King''s army...?

    ''''Eh?''''

    But the one who brought us to you today is the chief of the demon race, the Demon King. What the hell is going on here?

    Among the young people, one of the cleverest-looking kids in the tribe takes the initiative to ask me about it.

    I''ve never met him before, but he''s pretty aggressive.

    It''s time for me to answer her questions.

    "Because we''re friends!

    Hey,

    I rubbed shoulders with the demon king.

    He started to say, "You''re the saint and the demon king are friends...?

    "A saint and a demon king are friends...?

    How friendly is this?

    It''s a little awkward for two old men to be playing together.

    Who said that last one?

    Come out.

    So, if you''re asked to defeat the Demon King''s army in the old human country...?

    I won''t fight back, I won''t fight back!

    I can''t betray my friendship with the Demon King, and it''s a hassle in the first place.

    I want to stay here and work on the farm all my life.

    ""Yes!"

    The young humans threw a fist pump when they heard this.

    Why?

    That''s because we don''t want the system to be overturned by now!

    ''''I don''t want to go back to the messed up administration of royalty and the cult!

    ''Going back is unlikely in itself, but the only possibility is Saint Kidan!

    That saint is a friend of the Demon King, not a foe!¡¡This is good news!

    Do you want your human nation back or don''t you want it back?

    You don''t want to take it back.

    To recapitulate their arguments....

    The human nation was destroyed by the demon kingdom

    But the human race had an absurd ruling system, so I''m rather happy to see it destroyed.

    Compared to that, the demon occupation force does a better job of governing.

    So don''t bring back the human nation.

    ........

    But no matter what happens, there is always a minority, and some of the forces that still hope for the revival of the human nation can''t do it on their own, so this is the last hope they can hold on to.

    That''s me, Saint Kidan.

    So that''s me, Kidan, the saint.

    There are many things about the human race.

    It''s a good idea to make sure that you don''t have any hope...?

    For example, you could have Veerle fly around again in dragon form and shout, "Saint Kidan will not cooperate with the humans! I will not cooperate with the human nation!

    Then we won''t have to cling to an uncertain hope.

    ''''Please don''t do that!''''

    One of the young men of the human race told me.

    He''s the same clever kid as before.

    "Why?

    It''s the former royalty and cultists who still want to reestablish the human nation and are looking for a saint.

    Yes.

    You want those who were once on the side of the rulers to come back, don''t you?

    "They seek out the saints to restore their old glory, but if it proves futile, I don''t know what form they will take.

    I see.

    It''s clear that if a person who is not willing to give up will not put their trust in me, they will find another way.

    If it''s an act of terrorism or something like that, the civilians living in peace will be harmed.

    "They can''t find the saint. So it would be better for everyone if they kept looking for him and wasting their time. So please don''t say anything...!

    Adopt it.

    This is a clever boy who not only looks good, but is actually very clever to have this kind of opinion.

    What''s your name?

    The name is Lycheeus.

    Lycheeus.

    I''ll remember that.

    ''''Demon King, you''ve got a kid who looks really resourceful coming in.

    I''m very happy with it.

    Well.

    I know I''m going off on a tangent, but I think it''s time to get back to the point.

    You are going to learn a lot of things on our farm.

    ''Wow, they really let me learn at the saint''s farm. But what will I learn?

    We''re thinking about that, too.

    So let''s start with the obvious.

    "Let me introduce you to the alumni.

    * * *

    The place they moved to was where the young demons who had studied abroad on the farm earlier were located.

    Right now, they were engaged in farm work in the fields.

    ''''Hey, why do we, the demon race, have to do field work?

    ''''We''ll make our own food.

    Now that we have more people, we have to increase the harvest for them.

    The young demons who were arrogant to begin with were the problem, but not only Veerle and the others, but also Okubo, Gobukichi and others found them strong and scary and didn''t go against them.

    It would be just as good as training to re-beat their nature.

    ''''I want to introduce you all to them.''''

    Demon race and human race, I say to both sides.

    ''''From today onwards, all of us here are fellow students on the farm, so let''s get along.

    ''''Don''t be silly!''''

    and the one who bit me was the demon race.

    ''''I didn''t expect you to actually bring in the human race as well!¡¡A lowly, defeated race!

    Not only did he not speak up, he was rude to them.

    The human tribe that accepts the rule of the Demon King''s army is indeed stinging at this problematic statement.

    ''''That''s enough, Eringire.

    Unable to watch, the Demon King stopped him.

    ''''With such an off-the-beaten-path insight, I can''t very well entrust the future Demon King''s army to you.

    But my Demon Lord.

    "From now on, the human race will be our friends who will support our country together. In the future, I''m ready to select a new Four Heavenly Kings from among the human race.

    "Oh no!

    The human race is rather disturbed by this statement.

    They respect the Demon King''s bold and fair judgment!

    ''''We can''t allow that to happen...!¡¡The seat of the Four Heavenly Kings belongs to the Demon Clan for all eternity!

    The child of the demon race burns with melancholy and resentment.

    ''''Then let''s actually show it!¡¡The performance difference between the demon race and the human race as a distinct race!

    Ah.

    What is this pattern....

    ''The game!¡¡Bring out the strongest member of your people!¡¡This demon tribe Eringya will twist and crush you in a single breath!

    If we get stuck, we''ll win.

    He was going to take advantage of this large and common pattern.

 280-278 Mixed Fight

    And so it began, the election of the representatives of the human and demon races that learn on the farm.

    He said it''s a competition to decide which race is better.

    Nonsense.

    Trivial, though.

    I guess it''s the privilege of youth to be concerned about trivial things more than anything else.

    I''ve come to study abroad this time because they are all young people to educate the next generation.

    It is natural that some new kind of human trouble will occur.

    There are some mistakes that can be made by young people.

    .....

    Well, when you say it that way, it sounds like there are only old ladies on the farm!

    At least the twenty-somethings are still young!

    The thirty-somethings!¡¡Gili!

    Lowlife!¡¡I''m going to teach your people a thing or two.

    The representative of the demon race side is the usual Eringier.

    He is a hard-boned warrior who is still critically committed to the superiority of the demon race.

    The other dominant demon tribe had their noses completely broken after watching the superb battle between Veerle and Horcosfon.

    Only one of them was still in high spirits.

    The representative of the opposing human race is........

    "........why me?

    Theseus.

    I guess it''s because you showed your brilliance in your earlier exchange with me.

    I was totally pushed up in the spotlight.

    Eringia vs. Lycheeus.

    The battle for the pride of their respective races is about to begin........

    * * *

    I don''t want to fight...!

    Lycheeus complained half-heartedly.

    His heart is already broken.

    ''''I was just an attendant before I came here!¡¡I''ve never been in a fight!

    Don''t worry. You can do it, all right, sweetheart.

    He says with unfounded encouragement.

    It''s the same for them. They claim to be the Demon Lord''s Army, but they''re just rookies with no real combat experience.

    "Korah!¡¡I can hear you!'''' And yapping from the other side.

    Eringire.

    "Why do you always want to help me?¡¡It''s not fair!¡¡You''re on the side of the humans after all!

    Regardless of race, anyone who looks at you from the side would side with Mr. Lycheeus, wouldn''t they?

    The surrounding spectators nodded their heads, regardless of their species.

    ''''d*mn!¡¡"Am I the only one who can''t help myself?

    It''s your personality and your attitude that creates the enemy.

    They each hold something that resembles a sword.

    It''s a bamboo sword.

    I made it out of bamboo from the dungeon orchard to see if this would happen.

    This is a match to strike each other with this shinai.

    If there''s a blow that can be judged as a fatal blow, the game is over.

    I''ll be the judge.

    I am the judge.

    There''s no way the demon race is going to lose to the human race in any form of competition...!

    Erringia, facing her opponent while licking her tongue.

    It''s like a cat aiming at its prey.

    Litisseus trembles like a cornered rat........

    ..........

    ''''..........''''

    "...?¡¡What''s going on?

    You''re pretty.

    ''''Huh!''''

    That''s right, although I haven''t mentioned it until now, Eringya is a girl.

    It''s a blue fruit where the bewitching s*xuality unique to the demon race is about to bloom for its age.

    However.........

    ''''You suddenly started picking on me on the playing field........?

    The people around me who had been steadily increasing their favorability towards Lycheeus up until now plummeted all at once here. It''s a drop in the bucket.

    ''''Tch!¡¡No, it''s not!¡¡I''m just stating my impressions at first glance...!

    Lycheeus, you''re going to die.

    Home has turned into an away game.

    The tongue-in-cheek is truly horrible.

    More than anything else, the person who was told to do this got red in the face.......

    What a shameful thing to say in a serious game!¡¡Humans are a stupid race after all.¡¡I''m going to eradicate it right here!

    Even though I haven''t even said the match has started yet, Eringire comes slashing at me with a bamboo sword.

    ''''I''ll slash you to death!

    No, it''s impossible to slash to death with a bamboo sword.

    Eringier''s bodywork was just like a pattern, as if he had learned it through training.

    My assessment of the de rookie''s lack of actual battle experience was not wrong.

    However, it was the Demon King''s Army that had drilled that move into her.

    Nowadays, the strongest armies on earth have accumulated the know-how of killing people, and if they are trained in this way, they are sharper than those who are used to fighting at all.

    It''s too much to ask amateurs to deal with this.

    The image of Lycheeus being beaten to a pulp by a multitude of blows flashed through everyone''s mind.

    But.........!

    ''''Eh!''''

    Litheseus'' shinigami receives the Eringian side shinigami swung down from the top step.

    It touches and entangles with the ideal three inches of the cut end.

    With the force applied from an unexpected direction, Eringire released the shinai from his hand.

    ''''Eeeeeeee?''''

    It was bad enough that he was surprised by that.

    It is impossible for a soldier in the Demon King''s army to be unsettled in the middle of a battle and become full of gaps.

    It''s a good thing that I''m not going to be able to react to Lycheeus''s bamboo sword that is once again unleashed.

    ''''There is a match.''''

    I declared, checking the cut that had been skittled at Eringian''s throat.

    The skittle was probably a concern on the part of Lycheeus.

    ''''Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!¡¡We won!

    We won, unbelievably!

    "We won in a landslide!

    People around them were excited about the unexpected result.

    "Oh no, I can''t lose...?

    Eringier is crushed by the unacceptable result.

    She collapses and sits down in a girl''s seat.

    "Oh no, I won...?

    And the person who won was the most surprised.

    He is still stunned, not letting go of his bamboo sword.

    I''m going to walk up to him.

    You did well, Lycheeus-kun. But that''s quite a cheating strategy you use, isn''t it?

    What?

    That''s right.

    I''ve never fought a fight before, while saying I''m a complete amateur.

    That move that won over Eringya''s attack was completely the stuff of a genius.

    ''''In other words, you deliberately pretended to be an amateur in order to catch your opponent off guard, right?

    He doesn''t mind lying to win.

    I yearn for that dirty thoroughness to be numbing.

    What if he called her ''cute'' right before a match was just a provocation to upset her opponent?

    ''No, it''s not!¡¡I''m a real amateur!¡¡I''ve never held a sword before!

    What?

    ''My body did that on its own!¡¡What does that mean?¡¡I don''t know what''s going on here!

    Huh?

    What?

    What does that mean?

    Is Lycheeus really a zubby amateur?¡¡You''re the one who could do that bare minimum.

    So when he said ''pretty'' and provocation...?

    I didn''t mean it.

    Tsk.

    I couldn''t help but get a tongue lashing.

    Our farm, which had started somehow, is a project to train young people of all species.

    It seems that we''ve welcomed an extraordinary talent.

    ''''Don''t get me wrong!

    And Eringire, the defeated one, was growling with tears in his eyes.

    ''''Don''t think you''re better just because you won just once!¡¡This is a coincidence!¡¡It''s a fluke!¡¡I will definitely prove to you from now on that I''m better than you!

    This was another easy to understand defeat.

    Litisseus with his rare brilliance, and Eringya with her easy to understand reactions to each and every one of these.

    This was another pattern, I thought.

 281-279 Classes I Want to Take in the World

    In this way, the two youngsters of the demon race and the human race were to study and live together on our farm.

    The elite candidates who were gathered here were the future leaders of the country.

    It would be good for them to interact with each other here and build up their connections.

    However.

    In our farm, in addition to the human race and demon race, there is another race, a significant element that makes up this world.

    The mermaid race.

    This is the Mermaid Witch Academia Farm Branch School, a gathering of students who are full of potential.

    Younger and younger members of the three major races of humans, demons, and mermaids are gathered here at one place, which makes it even more awesome!

    The young people of these various tribes have been interacting with each other right away.

    "I think that our mermaid royalty is more awesome than your Demon King, don''t you think?

    "What?!

    A fight had broken out immediately.

    I don''t recognize the face I''ve never seen, but a mermaid and a demon youth are arguing.

    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    I heard something like that happened.

    A few years ago, a group of mermaid students took a field trip to Prince Arowana, who was training to become a warrior.

    I heard from the story that Prince Arowana was in a melee with an angel and a dragon, but how could that be the case?

    I mean, how did you survive?

    You can''t overestimate it!¡¡If the mermaid prince can do it, our demon king can''t fail to do it!

    "What?

    Is the timing good or bad here?

    The Demon King was right beside me.

    It was a bad thing that I didn''t leave quickly enough to go home and drink tea, even though I had finished my business.

    ''''Demon King-sama!¡¡The Demon Lord could kill dragons and angels in an instant, right?

    Mm-hmm...?

    I''m approaching the Demon King like a dreamy child.

    The youngest among the young demons who studied abroad, the youngest of the young demon tribe, was pure in the way he looked at the demon king.

    ''''Mmmmmmmm...?

    Saying to such a child, ''Don''t be silly, dragons and angels will kill you instantly over here,'' and telling the truth as it is is is the same as saying, ''There is no Santa Claus.

    It''s a good thing that there is no Santa Claus.

    Natto?

    And even though I didn''t call for them, the dragons and angels came.

    Nothing is missing.

    ''Very well!¡¡It will actually show that the Demon King is the strongest!

    The Demon King, who was in a period of paternalism after the birth of his own children, couldn''t resist his expectations.

    As a result, Holkosfone, who sensed the air in the middle, hit Veerle from behind and knocked him unconscious while pretending to be hit himself, and managed to come full circle.

    Interactions like this are going on here and there.

    * * * *

    But, what exactly do you want them to do to study abroad?

    It''s that kind of story now.

    I gathered the talented youngsters of each race, but I don''t know how to proceed from there.

    The reason we originally invited the young demon race was to show a higher level of the world to those kids who were uppity.

    That goal has already been achieved thanks to Veerle and Horcosfon.

    ''''What more do you want me to teach them?''''

    And the other things you can do on the farm, like work in the fields and hunt.

    How do I do that?

    I crossed my arms and thought about it.........

    In the end, I came to the conclusion that....

    * * * *

    It''s eeeeeaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk...

    I say the chimes with my mouth since there is no apparatus.

    ''Then let the class begin.''

    The teacher said.

    In front of them, all the foreign students of the human race, demon race and mermaid race are lined up at their desks.

    When I say teacher, I mean that one.

    Needless to say, he is the teacher of the No Life King.

    He is the king of the dead and the most powerful undead in the world.

    He is feared to be the world''s second greatest calamity.

    "Today I have decided to watch you study. Your saints and others call you ''Sensei'', so you may follow their lead. I''ve forgotten my real name. It is a long time since I existed in mortal form.

    Click, click, click.....

    It was quite noisy.

    The miasma of the miasma is so severe that it can cause the students to tremble and gnash their teeth.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.

    I thought it was a great idea the moment I thought of it.

    If there''s one member of our team who is the best at teaching people things, it''s the teacher.

    He''s an undead man who has lived for more than a thousand years, and that''s why he knows so much.

    And since he is the king of the dead, he is an expert in magic. I''m not only familiar with the magic of the human race, which is my original origin, but also with the magic of other races.

    There''s no more useful lesson to be taught by this supreme wise man, the No Life King!

    ''I didn''t expect you to just keep your sanity in front of the teacher...?

    We ourselves didn''t think it was the least bit of a problem since we were already spending time with the teacher normally.

    In fact, the teacher''s gentle grandfatherly atmosphere makes us feel at ease.

    ''You don''t take the general level into account. Your husband isn''t even aware of his own high level.''''

    He was accused by Prathi, who had a large belly.

    ''''The No Life King is essentially a top-tier undead. The concentration of evil energy they spontaneously release is also extraordinary. Most adventurers, just by being hit by them, suffer mental damage and lose without a fight...?

    ''''Aren''t all the people here okay with it?

    ''The kids here have high averages!

    So the reason for the loss is that they didn''t take into account the difference in levels between the farm and the general public?

    ''''No, but!¡¡Didn''t we teach the mermaid children once?

    They fainted all over the place!

    Oh, really?

    I didn''t see that.

    I thought you were just going to be quietly listening to the class...!

    "Never mind, my saint.

    The teacher had already stepped down from the podium.

    ''''It can''t be helped. I knew from the time I became this mortal body that my connection to the mundane world would be severed.''

    Sir....

    "Everyone here, including the saint, is so warm and welcoming that I seem to have forgotten the reality of the situation.

    The teacher who said that seemed very lonely.

    Ah.

    Wait a minute, please sir........

    ''''Wait a minute, teacher!''''

    Before I could say it out loud, someone else spoke up.

    ''''We''re fine!¡¡Keep teaching!

    It was Lycheeus-kun.

    It''s that guy again.

    Excuse me!¡¡We''re a bunch of wankers!¡¡But I''ll get used to it!¡¡I thought it was part of my training!

    Nope.

    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends.

    It''s a good thing that the miasma of the teacher''s miasma is so strong that you can have a decent conversation with him.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

    ''''You know things, don''t you, Sensei?¡¡I would love to take a class with you!¡¡So please don''t give up!

    "Oh...!

    I''m not sure if you''re impressed or not, but you''re trembling a bit.

    The other students, who were unable to move because of the teacher''s miasma, silently pressured him by saying, "Don''t say anything unnecessary, you idiot.

    * * * *

    Then a few days later.

    ''Sir!¡¡Good morning!

    Good luck in class today!

    I did my homework, sir!

    They all did their homework.

    Seriously?

    That''s pretty quick, but they''re all talented to begin with, so they grow up fast.

    I''m sure Prathi helped you with some medication or other.

    "Oh, oh, oh...!¡¡You all did a great job........''''

    And the teacher was impressed.

    He must be very happy. The fact that he was willing to go to such lengths to take his class.

    Well, I''ll give you all a great lesson in response to your efforts. ...and today I''ll be teaching an original, original curse that I''ve come up with...!

    Stop.

 282-280 Old Hero

    To begin with, the teacher seems to love teaching people.

    There were times when he taught me and the Demon King, and he was very happy to do so as well.

    For a teacher like that, the current situation is really exciting.

    There are a lot of talented young people who are worth teaching, and they come here to ask for lessons.

    It must be heaven.

    Whether heaven is a desirable place for the undead or not was another matter.

    ''''Don''t think, only react to what you feel. Do you ever close your eyes and use your ears, nose, and other senses?¡¡Just like that, you have to cut off all your senses once and become aware of another sense. The senses of the spirit that are not possessed by the body...!

    Just by following the teacher''s advice, a child with a weakness for magic could easily learn magic.

    You are a seriously good teacher.

    It''s a good thing that you''re a good teacher. Everyone must think so, but it''s not true. It''s just that the cult hides its usage. I''m going to show you how to use it. I''ll teach you how to use it.''''

    It''s really....

    It is said that Dharma magic is seen as an evil method of depleting natural mana, but it is up to you to use it. It''s just a matter of how you use it. If wielded with the right insight, the magic of the heavenly bodies can become a protection against unreasonableness.

    ...don''t you think you''re teaching it too well?

    Wouldn''t a child who took this teacher''s teaching become world-class in its own right?

    "I enjoy teaching, and I tend to overdo it.

    Don''t overdo it, please.

    When class is over, the teacher comes over here to talk.

    It''s been hundreds of years since I''ve been this lively. Since His Holiness'' arrival, our days have really been filled with color.

    Before I built the farm here, the teacher spent all his time alone in the depths of the dark dungeon.

    That is, for hundreds of years.

    It''s not easy for even the undead to endure this soul-eating loneliness.

    ''''Looking back now, what a faded day it was. It can''t be compared to now, when every day is changing at a dizzying pace.''''

    I''m glad the teacher seems to be enjoying himself.

    Well, the main thing is not the teacher, but the young people the teacher is teaching.

    I started this program in the hope that they would become future leaders in their own right, but the teacher has gone too far, and more heroes are coming out of it than I expected.

    But the one person who stands out from the rest is....

    Look at this teacher!¡¡I have a new magic master!

    Lycheeus.

    You''re the one who''s already mastered that Dharma magic your teacher just taught you.

    I''m sure he''s got a lot of talent, don''t you think?

    Yeah.

    I heard that Lytesseus worked as an attendant in his lord''s house before coming here, but he is so resourceful that it''s hard to believe it.

    The fact that he won the match against Eringire on the day he came here, and the fact that he does everything with such quick wit, it''s hard to believe that he''s the hero. It''s a bit of a stretch to think that he was born in a nondescript country village.

    However, he was born in a nondescript country village, and apparently he doesn''t have a particularly good bloodline.

    Is he a true mutant genius?¡¡I was wondering.

    ''''........He''s probably a brave man.

    And the doctor.

    ''Brave?''

    Isn''t a brave man, as I recall, a person summoned from another world in this world?

    In that sense, I''m a brave man myself.

    .....

    What if!

    Is it possible that Lycheeus-kun was summoned to another world when he was a baby and grew up without any memory of it?¡¡Is that a dramatic backstory?

    "No, that''s not what I''m talking about.

    Isn''t it?

    ''''Where to begin......... More than a thousand years ago, there was a much different kind of brave man in this world.''''

    Another kind?

    As opposed to the ones who were summoned to another world?

    Once the gods descended to the lower world to make love to the opposite s*x of humanity as they pleased. The child born in this way became half human and half god.

    What?

    But I think I''ve heard that story before?

    ''Such beings were called demigods and naturally had powers beyond human knowledge. They were all heroes. The gods'' flirtations were unstoppable, and the number of demigods grew to the point where the streets were teeming with them.

    Gods are really scum.

    "Finally, as it threatened to upset the balance of the world, all the demigods were welcomed into the God Realm, where their respective parent gods belonged. From then on, the gods were not allowed to casually descend to the lower realms to commune with humanity, according to the arrangement.

    Why are you telling me this now?

    ''Well, now a little. The Son of God grows up, and when he becomes an adult, he marries and has children. The Son of God passed away into the God Realm, but the grandson and great-grandson of that Son of God, who was born from that Son of God, remained on earth without being qualified to be welcomed into the God Realm because the blood of God was also diluted.

    Oh, yeah?

    ''''But with even the slightest hint of divine bloodline, they are far more powerful than ordinary people. It is said that such a being''s talents blossomed and he became a remarkable hero on the battlefield as well. And that is why I am referring to them as heroes.

    He was called out.

    ''So you''re saying that the definition of brave is different now than it used to be?

    ''So it seems. Blood fades with each generation. It is said that even those who inherited the divine bloodline became weaker and weaker with each passing generation. And finally, they disappeared.''''

    So what was required in its place was an otherworldly hero to be summoned.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do that. That''s why they are named after the same brave men and women. To distinguish between the two, shall we call the first brave man of God''s bloodline the old brave man?

    Old heroes.....

    ''And Lycheeus is an old brave.

    What?

    !" This is where it all comes together, right?

    But you''ll have to wait a bit. To sum up what you said, there are no old heroes in this day and age, right?

    The blood of the gods that causes bravery should have been diluted over time and become useless!

    ''The blood can become thicker due to ancestry. That''s how Lycheeus must have been born with an exceptional talent.''''

    On what basis?

    ''You don''t remember your saint, do you?¡¡The shades of divinity that emanate from him...

    Hmm?

    Come to think of it, it''s like the qi that radiates from Litisseus-kun.

    The more I train here, the thicker and clearer it becomes, but the more it does, the more it buzzes through my memory.

    Where have I felt this before........

    .........deja vu?

    Saint, I''d like to develop another drink. It''s called Spiritus...

    Then the demigod Bacchus appeared.

    It was this guy.

    The reason I remembered it from somewhere is because it was similar to the divine energy this guy emitted.

    Come to think of it, the last time I heard about the demigod thing was when this guy appeared.

    ''''The fact that it emits a similar qi to the demigod Bacchus is the proof that Lycheeus is an old hero who has returned to his ancestors.''''

    Hmm?

    Bacchus, who had joined us in the middle of the day and didn''t seem to understand what we were talking about, techily walked up to Mr. Litisseus....

    ''Relatives?''

    What?

    That''s right, Theseus-kun, you''d be surprised.

    To be called a relative by someone who has one foot in the legend.

    I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one. I''ll have to take good care of him...

    It''s a scary thing, a gem that already seems to affect the fate of the world.

    Lycheeus.

    Could he be the standard-bearer of a new era?

    I do not accept!

    Oh my God!

    What the hell?

    What is it, a bud-like demonic girl about to swell up behind you?

    Eringia?

    Didn''t you hear me?

    He''s...!¡¡I didn''t know he was so high up in the sky.¡¡Our demon race''s superiority will be shattered!¡¡If we make a mistake, it will be the spark of rebellion?

    She doesn''t even try to let go of her sense of superiority over the demon race.

    She can''t forgive Lycheeus for what he did to her.

    I''ve got to let him go!¡¡There is no future for the demon race!¡¡I will carve out the glory of the demon race with my own hands!

    It was going to be an absolute pain in the ass.

 283-281 Friendship Plan

    Lycheeus and Eringia.

    We need to get these two people to get along better.

    No, at present, one side hates the other side.

    Eringire has a lot of pride.

    She never doubts that her race is the best. She can''t forgive Lycheeus, who is such a bundle of talent to her.

    There''s a lull now, but eventually the hatred will cross a critical point and erupt.

    If that happened, this plan to exchange and train young people of all races would definitely fail.

    We must do something about it....

    ''''What should we do?

    I talked to my wife Prathi, who is close to me.

    She seemed to be worried about the sourness between the two of them and gave me an idea she had already prepared.

    ''How about letting them play a game?

    The law of "You can''t have a tie-up with a friend".

    Platy can be a bit of a brainiac at times.

    "But I did it on my first day, so...

    Well.....

    So they don''t get along at all.

    ''On the other hand, how about letting them fight each other as allies instead of as enemies?

    All sides?

    Give them both the same difficulty and make them work together to overcome it. And through that cooperation, a friendship is formed.

    Buddy''s Law.

    We haven''t tried that one yet, so it might be worth a try.

    ''You''re hired!¡¡So what kind of mission should I give them?

    In that order, do you want to throw him in a dungeon?

    ''You could just go for a normal escape, or you could set up some sort of quest. The higher the difficulty, the more you''ll bond with them!

    Personal Thoughts.

    ''''Alright then, let''s throw the two of you into the dungeon as soon as possible!¡¡Which one do we want to do, the teacher''s dungeon or Veerle''s dungeon!

    But first we need to find them.

    Where do you think they are?

    Just as I ran out of the room thinking that, I heard a scream, "Kyaaaaaaaah! I heard a scream.

    It''s the scream of a maiden tearing the silk.

    "Mmph!¡¡What''s going on!

    When I went towards the direction of the scream, I found Lycheeus and Eringias who were looking for them.

    They are together.

    What are they doing?

    What if Eringian has already put the obtrusive Litisseus Elimination Plan into action!

    I thought.........

    Eringia covered up on top of the pushed down Litisseus........

    He took those lips away.

    ''Muguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!''

    Litesseus moaned in pain.

    And when the puh-hah''s lips parted........

    ''''Sess, Saint-sama!¡¡Help, help...!¡¡Muguuuhhhhh?

    He kissed me again.

    Is this the one who screamed like a maiden just now?

    ''''Muguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!¡¡MUGUUGUUGH!

    Even though he roared for help.

    Err.

    Litisseus has been attacked by Eringias.

    Although I had originally feared that possibility, this situation that actually happened was slightly different from the attack I had expected.

    I didn''t expect to be s*xually assaulted.

    And in this case, isn''t the damage and assault the opposite of the standard?

    Girls are attacking boys.

    No, isn''t that particularly strange these days?

    Well, we can''t just leave it at that.

    Hey ...

    handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome handsome.

    Come on!¡¡Eringire!

    ''''Ha!''''

    I called out loudly and finally came back this way, Eringya.

    I had been immersed in a different world until now.

    ''What?¡¡What!¡¡Saint-sama?¡¡Why are you here!

    I could ask you the same thing!

    What are you doing here in broad daylight?

    Do not disturb the public morals in this plantation!

    No, sir!¡¡This!¡¡They were attacking Lycheeus!

    It''s the same as anything else.

    ''''No, they wanted to kill this cocky race of people to be dead!¡¡That''s what I meant by attacking!

    Even worse.

    "So how did you get so peachy?

    ''You ask that of a maiden?¡¡Your saint is such a rascal!

    I''ve seen the inexcusable.

    And anyway, you!

    ''''Yes!''''

    Erringia''s incomprehensible rage turned to Lytheseus.

    ''''As long as you humiliate me, you''re willing to take responsibility for it, aren''t you!

    ''I rather feel like I''ve been humiliated!

    I don''t care about the details!

    I''ve never seen this kind of unreasonableness in my life.

    You are going to have to take me to wife.¡¡...I will rein in the heroes of the human race!

    Thus.

    Before I knew what was going on, Lycheeus and Eringian started dating.

    * * * *

    "Do you like me, darling?

    Oh, um...?

    Do you like it?

    I love you.

    I like it too.

    And then they began to flirt with each other without fear of being seen.

    As expected, many of the surrounding people also gasped at the strange scene.

    ''''That demoness...!¡¡Didn''t you hate Lycheeus...?

    ''''Sweet, that''s what being a tsundere is all about.

    It is?

    But to turn over a delinquent from Tsung so boldly, it''s now a tour de force...!¡¡That scoundrel...!

    The young men studying with him also took their breath away.

    Erringia''s explanation to this.

    ''''That''s sweet. Can''t you see that this is my plan for cleverly detecting the time?

    What?

    Lycheeus is the greatest hero of men. I even used a woman''s weapon to capture it, so you can feel my determination. Now Lytesseus can''t antagonize the demon race for the love of me, and my worth will rise in the demon king''s army, having a hero as a husband!

    Husband!

    Unbeknownst to him, the story goes on and Lyc¨¦eus is astonished.

    There is no escape any longer.

    ''Hey hey darling, how many children do you want to have?''

    It''s a bit hasty, isn''t it?

    I''d like to have 20 kids.

    "Too many!

    Hmm.

    Well, since Litesseus-kun also has too much brilliance, having a troubled wife like Eringya is going to be a moderate life with zero subtractions.

    But just when I thought that.

    To my surprise, Litesseus-kun kissed Eringire.

    ''''All right!¡¡Let''s make twenty!¡¡Let''s make the happiest family in the world!

    Oh, wonderful you!

    Mr. Litesseus has pandered to reality.

    He turned to the side of the winners in life by enjoying the present situation as much as he could.

    It was a brilliant decision by the brilliant Mr. Lycheeus, as expected of him.

    As a result, a mere couple was born.

    The ''throw them in the dungeon to increase the bond'' plan I had come up with just before was, of course, dropped off.

    One of the purposes of this plan was to deepen the interaction between the various races, so if I were to say that the birth of a couple has served its purpose, it has served its purpose.

    I guess we''ve gone beyond my supposed stage of interaction.

    This is what youthfulness is all about........?

    We''re both teenagers........!

    You''re so energetic...!

 284-282 Return of mushrooms

    With Litisseus-kun and Eringya starting to hang out, the interaction between the foreign students seemed to have stabilized further.

    It was also the most noticeable problem, the conflict between those two.

    In short, I was relieved to see that we were on track, and I decided to start another task after a long time.

    The original work of a farm is to grow crops.

    It''s time to get back to the real work.

    Actually, there is a crop that I''ve been wanting to grow for a long time.

    That is...!

    Mushrooms!

    .....

    No, no?

    One of the new characters is named Eringiia....

    Eringia -> Eringiia -> Mushroom.

    ........it didn''t turn into an association game, did it?¡¡Really?

    Anyway, mushrooms.

    They''ve built up a genre as a food ingredient, and it''s more of a ''how come it''s been untouched? You might say, "I''m not sure what to do.

    This is just the order of things.

    Some people don''t like that crunchy, unique texture, but I love it myself. I would definitely add them to my repertoire of dishes.

    Of course, there are mushrooms in this world, and they usually grow wild in the forest, but I''ve never picked them up and eaten them.

    I''m still afraid of the poison.

    In the world I''ve been in before, I often saw news about poisoning from eating mushrooms that were picked by amateurs.

    I''ve seen enough fear in my mind to know that if I saw mushrooms in my world, I wouldn''t pick them myself, and I''ve ordered my farm mates who join me to not pick them either.

    The mushrooms are from a different world, so any knowledge of the previous world wouldn''t apply.

    I have no idea which ones are poisonous and which ones are not.

    It''s not like we could just try and eat them and say ''if they die, they''re toxic'' and keep making trial and error after trial and error.

    Still, I had high hopes for that forest master, the elves, when they joined.

    I thought they would be able to recognize the poisonous mushrooms at a glance if they were smart enough to make the forest their home and use nature...

    ''I hate mushrooms!¡¡I hate mushrooms!¡¡I can''t believe you ate mushrooms!

    And.

    ''The folds on the back of the umbrella are disgusting! "Spores on!¡¡There''s spore dust on my hand! It''s slimy! It stinks! "Hiwai!

    And scattered.

    Not only do elves know a lot about mushrooms, but as a species they dislike mushrooms themselves.

    Perhaps the memories of our ancestors who were hit by poisonous mushrooms in the past have instinctively led them to avoid mushrooms.

    That''s why we''ve been avoiding them on our farm for a while now.

    So we''re finally trying to get in touch with them.

    The mushrooms we have collected are poisonous.

    They may be poisonous.

    It would be better to grow them by ourselves to solve the poisoning problem.

    Mushrooms that are definitely not poisonous.

    ''How can you tell the difference between them?'' But that''s exactly where the "supreme bearer" comes in.

    I feel like it''s been a long time since I''ve been great.

    To make various vegetable crops sprout just by touching the soil.

    A shiitake mushroom, a shimeji mushroom, an enoki mushroom and a nameko mushroom.

    Let''s take a look at some of the popular mushrooms that were eaten in the previous world.

    * * * *

    Now let''s try to grow mushrooms.

    I''ve seen how to do it on TV or something.

    Mushrooms are grown from a tree, right?

    You cut down a tree, adjust it to a log of a suitable length, and plant the fungus, the mushroom seed, in it.

    The explanation I saw in the previous world is that they make a hole in the tree with a drill, and then they drive some kind of wooden nail with fungus into the hole.

    The mushrooms will grow out of it.

    I think I''m going to follow that method.

    Those processes are humble, so I''m going to omit them.

    It''s done.

    Now we just have to wait for the mushrooms to grow, keeping an eye on the humidity and temperature.

    With other crops, the hyper-fish manure that Prati makes makes makes the mushrooms grow very quickly, but the hyper-fish manure doesn''t penetrate into the logs.

    But the hyper fish manure doesn''t penetrate into the log.

    Sometimes it is important to be patient.

    I put the log to which the fungus was planted in a good place, and let the time pass for a while.

    How long does it grow?¡¡Next year?

    I''m excited about the feeling of farming properly, which is unusual....

    * * * *

    A few days later.

    The mushrooms grew back.

    "In a few days?

    Too soon.

    Since we can''t use Hyper Fish Manure, we should have waited for the mushrooms to grow naturally, but it''s just too crazy that the results came out so quickly.

    Do you think I didn''t know that this otherworldly effect was activated again?

    What do you think?¡¡Seeing these results?

    When I observed the mushrooms that grew well, I found out.

    ''I knew this was an otherworldly anomaly.

    It''s big.

    The mushrooms that have grown up are very big.

    A giant root or some other chutzpah metaphor would barely fit in.

    It was a mushroom as big as my height.

    A giant mushroom.

    How can this be unrelated to otherworldly fantasy!

    ''''Why did these things grow...?''''

    I''m pretty sure I planted an ordinary mushroom fungus in the log in The Supreme Bearer.

    At first, I tried to use a standard shiitake mushroom.

    But after only a few days, the giant mushroom grew and it was definitely not a mushroom!

    What to do!

    Let''s just burn the whole foundation log!

    "Wait a minute...

    !

    What the hell?¡¡What''s that voice?

    It came out of nowhere!

    I don''t remember that voice.

    Her voice is feminine, cool and sweet!

    The next strange thing that happens in front of me.

    Something floated out of the hilt of the giant mushroom.

    This is.........an eye?

    "Hi.

    It was you who spoke?

    I slammed a giant mushroom into it without a second thought.

    "Guehooch!¡¡Gefu, stop it, stop it!¡¡The spores will fly off without impact!¡¡I want to fly it on a proper day!''

    It''s already confirmed.

    This is not a shiitake mushroom.

    It''s a fantasy mushroom of otherworldly origin!

    Who are you?¡¡Where did it come from?

    It''s an obvious question. Of course it came out of the log that you provided.

    That''s what it sounds like, but........?

    And before that, I was floating in the air as a microscopic spore. I am present everywhere in this world.

    Stop!¡¡Stop saying that every time you hesitate to breathe!

    You''re making me want an air purifier!

    ''The fact that I was able to be reborn to a visible size again in this way is thanks to the saint''s provision of a substitute. I am truly grateful.

    You mean the log you grew on?

    I didn''t prepare it for you, though.

    Have these giant mushroom invaders wiped out the shiitake mushrooms at the mycelium stage?

    If that''s the case, then you''ve ruined the fun and I''m getting a little cranky, okay?

    So, what the hell are you?

    He said he was conversant, so I asked him again.

    When we find out who this guy is, we''ll burn him.

    I''ll burn him when I know exactly who he is. We''ve met before, haven''t we?

    You don''t know any talking mushrooms, do you?

    "I hadn''t yet acquired the ability to speak. But I did meet you. Up in the mountains with the leaves falling in the sky.

 285-283 Immortal mycelium

    Yeah?¡¡Hmmm?

    "Don''t you remember?¡¡I was born in a labyrinth ruled by that dragon.

    ''Is that a mountain dungeon in the Vire?¡¡The monster that was born there?

    "So I fought you and your men, and I lost. Those horrible wolves and orcs...!

    Ah!

    I''m starting to remember something.

    Is that it?¡¡Viel once told me that he had modified a dungeon, and we all attacked it to see how it worked.

    The modified dungeon was divided into spring, summer, fall and winter areas, and I remember that each one had its own unique monsters that attacked us.

    ''I think there was a mushroom-shaped monster among them...?

    I think it was in the fall area.

    "You''re the mushroom from that time?

    "So you finally remember. That''s right. And my name is...''

    Accumulate.....

    "Matan Go!

    I don''t care.

    It was so long ago that I had forgotten all about it.

    Why did it come up now?

    I was there the whole time.

    Yeah...?

    "You brought my body back to this place.

    Yup.

    I once brought home a dead mushroom monster I killed in the mountain dungeon fall area and examined it to see if it was edible, in case it was.

    However, I said it looked tasteless and unhealthy, so I ended up declaring it unusable and discarding it.

    ''But I was not destroyed. I am the individual mycelium that makes up this basic body. The spores that spilled from the previous body you brought back danced through the air, and I have always existed.

    "Ever since we hit the mountain dungeon?

    I feel like fumigating the whole house right now!

    Oh, don''t worry. Oh, don''t worry, it''s not physically harmful.

    Are you sure...?

    And I have other things on my mind.

    Purpose?¡¡What?

    What does it have to do with being visible now?

    I have been humiliated.

    Hmm?

    ''You have judged me and branded me as useless. The dogs and turtles were of some use, but I was the only one who failed. It''s very frustrating!''''

    I mean, you don''t look like you''d be much use as an ingredient or even a tool, right?

    The turtle shells were useful as shields, but what are they supposed to do with the bodies of those mushrooms?

    ''So I waited for my chance!¡¡They evolved by dividing many times while floating through the air as spores!''

    Is that what mushrooms are like?

    No, let''s just say it''s a fantasy.

    "The reason we''re having this conversation right now is a function of evolution!¡¡This time I will be of service to you!''

    Why are you so devoted to...?

    The giant mushrooms were passionately excited.

    On one hand, I''m infinitely less excited about the shiitake mushroom cultivation I was looking forward to, which has become an ojan.

    I''m just listening to what the giant mushroom has to say, and I don''t think I''ll be able to get my mind off of it and burn it now.

    But I''ll stick with it a little longer.

    ''So?¡¡What can you do now?

    You''ve evolved, haven''t you?

    What other new abilities do you have besides being able to talk?

    ''I''m so glad you asked!¡¡Look at this!''''

    The giant mushroom suddenly started to exert itself.

    ''''Unnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnunnu...!

    What is it that you''re standing on?

    Then, as if in response to the giant mushroom''s footing, there was a change.

    A mushroom nursery log, which is the base of it. Here and there something white began to grow out of it, and the brown umbrella opened up to take the shape of a mushroom.

    What is this?

    This shape, this color of the umbrella.

    A mushroom is a mushroom, but it''s definitely a shiitake!

    Aside from the giant mushrooms, there are many mushrooms growing out of the log!

    This is the mushroom you''re looking for, right?

    ''Yes, that''s right!''

    But why?

    I thought it was eliminated because it lost the race to survive in the log to giant mushrooms!

    "The mycelium you implanted in the tree isn''t extinct. They fused with me.

    Fusion!

    I can remember the shape of the fused mycelium, and I can reproduce it at any time. And this is the mushroom that grew!

    If this is for real, it''s a great thing.

    The speed at which the shiitake mushrooms were growing now was incomparable to the natural ones.

    It was like watching a movie in fast forward.

    If they can produce shiitake mushrooms at this speed, it would be a great help.......?

    ''''...........''''

    ''Come on, have a taste of one!¡¡I''m trying to recreate the taste of it, too!

    I pulled out a shiitake mushroom as recommended by the giant mushroom that was pushing me relentlessly.

    From the original wood.

    The blackened shiitake mushrooms on the umbrella certainly look delicious....

    ....

    I looked up at the sky.

    It was a beautiful day. The blue of the sky stung my eyes.

    A speck of black on such a blue sky.

    It was a crow.

    A hateful vermin that snatches away at the crops on a daily basis.

    Hey, come on, crow!

    And I held up my shiitake mushroom.

    ''Here''s some bait. It might be poisonous.

    ''''Saints-sama ah!

    The poisonous crow gobbled up a delicious shiitake mushroom and flew away cheerfully.

    ''''........At least it''s fast-acting?''''

    "There''s no poison!¡¡''''I evolved for you, you can trust me!''''

    The giant mushroom cried to me.

    It''s a part of you, isn''t it, originally?

    It takes a little courage to eat...!

    They went into cultivation in the first place because they were afraid of poisoning wild mushrooms, but if they''re worried about getting hit by those cultivated mushrooms, what''s the point of taking care of them?

    ''''Please!¡¡Please!

    The giant mushroom was asking me so desperately that when I refused, I started to feel like a demon.

    I gave in to the pressure.

    ''Well, if we go through the fire, his cells will die too.

    Wash it with water first....

    I instantly picked the one that grew super fast so I didn''t have to worry about bugs.

    I built a fire around it and tried to roast a whole shiitake mushroom on a skewer.

    I grilled it slowly.

    Grill it relentlessly.

    Until all the cells that make up a shiitake mushroom have burned to death and become just food.

    "Uh...aren''t you overcooking it?¡¡You''re blackened, aren''t you?''

    A little more...

    Just in case.

    Okay, it''s all blackened.

    This would have completely killed off all the cells.

    I''ll take it.

    ''''Amu........''''

    The outside was burnt and jarred, but how could the inside be........

    ''''It''s hot........?

    The texture is crunchy.

    This is a true shiitake!

    Just a little bit of soy sauce dripped on the back of the umbrella....

    This is delicious!

    ''Yes!¡¡Finally, all my hard work has been rewarded!

    I''m the one who got eaten by the shiitake mushroom.

    The giant mushroom was glad that he got to eat my shiitake mushroom.

    Each of us expressed our pleasure in equal measure.

 286-284 Rumor of the Angel of Destruction

    I''m gradually getting on with the giant mushroom.

    No, was its proper name Matango?

    So you can recreate whatever mycelium you want once it''s fused?

    ''And it''s super fast!¡¡We''ll take care of it!

    As a test, I used my "supreme bearer" to remind the log that various kinds of mushrooms would grow.

    ''Ho ho ho!¡¡Here it is!''''

    And even before the mushrooms actually grew, Matango seemed to have sensed the existence of various mycelium that spread inside the log.

    It seems that Matango sensed the existence of various mycelium spreading inside the log.

    He took them in and memorized them....

    He took them into his memory and grew them from the log.

    Mushrooms, eringi mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, nameko mushrooms, mucitake mushrooms and enoki mushrooms. Pine mushroom.

    .....

    Eh?

    Even a matsutake mushroom?

    Various kinds of mushrooms grow up.

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!¡¡!" Gathering and gathering, they''re going to grow one after another.¡¡Endless mushroom harvest!

    "We''re going to produce more and more mushrooms!

    The Mushroom Festival was held.

    If you think about it, we can''t eat this many different kinds of mushrooms all at once.

    What do we do with all these mushrooms...?

    You can leave the shiitake mushrooms to dry.

    The other kinds of mushrooms will have to be devoured by the end of the day?

    ...to feed the others.

    We have reached an orderly conclusion.

    * * * *

    What do you have for mushrooms...?

    I''m going to use mushrooms as an ingredient and say, ''Here it is! There''s no way to cook them in a way that makes you say, "I''m not going to be able to cook without mushrooms," right?

    There''s no such thing as being complete without mushrooms, but I would definitely be happy to add them to any dish.

    That''s what mushrooms are for.

    I think I''d like to make them in a safe place, either as a soup or as a tempura.

    You can put anything you want in the soup, and tempura is the best way to cook them.

    The rest can be fried or cooked in a pot.

    "Ginseng.

    "Up.

    Sure enough, just as I was cooking, Prati and Veer came over.

    ''Sir, are you cooking when it''s not dinner time?''

    ''I know!¡¡At times like these, it''s time for the master to create a new kind of food!¡¡Time to meet a new kind of inspiration!

    Well, I know you won''t need to invite me.

    I''ve already laid out the finished product for you to try.

    I''ve got maitake and beech mushroom tempura.

    What?¡¡Tempura again?¡¡What''s the novelty?

    I just made you something.

    However, they know that the tempura itself is delicious, so they put it in their mouths without hesitation.

    "What''s that chewy texture?

    Meat!¡¡Vegetables?¡¡The texture is neither of those things.¡¡It''s crunchy..., what''s going on?

    These guys usually have a good reaction.

    It''s almost like they can leave it to you to do a food report.

    And the other guys, including Okubo, will be attracted to their merriment.

    "Oh, what is it?

    "Where the mistresses clamor, the saints have a new dish.

    ''Soup, tempura, stir-fry. All the dishes you''ve seen before...!

    Is it the new stuff?

    It''s always the same, so everyone picks up the dishes on the line without any particular request.

    Or mushroom tempura. Or a miso soup with mushrooms in it, about the same proportion as ramen noodles. Or a miso soup with mushrooms in it, about the same proportion as ramen noodles.

    "Ho!¡¡This is a fresh texture.

    There''s something so unique about the feel of the food being chewed along its fibers!

    "Soaked in the broth and sauce, so juicy!

    "with the crunchy batter of the tempura.

    These guys are getting better at food-reporting, aren''t they?

    ''My lord!¡¡What is this entirely new ingredient?

    Mushrooms.

    ..........

    ..........

    ...........................!

    ....?

    "............... ...........?

    Huh?

    What is this sudden silence?

    "Ki, mushrooms...?

    Speaking of mushrooms...?

    What''s going on?¡¡Did everyone in the room turn pale?

    "Woooooooooooooooooooooooo?¡¡We''re going to die!

    I ate a mushroom!¡¡"I ate a mushroom!

    "The poison will kill me!

    That''s right!

    We''ve been warning everyone on our farm not to eat any of the wild mushrooms that grow outside and get poisoned by them.

    To them, all mushrooms are just plain poisonous!

    I didn''t know that and I ate it and I was like, "I''m going to die! It is.

    "Why would your saint attempt to mass poison us?

    No, he didn''t!

    He didn''t plan to poison people to forcefully end the farm.

    No, I didn''t. It''s the worst way to go!

    The farm will go on forever!

    I had a great deal of trouble explaining that some mushrooms are poisonous and some are not, and that the ones I cooked were safe and reliable non-toxic mushrooms that were cultivated and safe, so it was okay.

    It was more exhausting than the food itself.

    ''I see, these mushrooms are safe, aren''t they?

    Then I''ll have another.

    And as soon as I understood, I started eating the mushrooms without any worries.

    ''''Pull off your anxiety a little.

    ''''Nuh-uh........!¡¡Saints....!

    "You''re Matan Go!

    Why is there a giant mushroom in the kitchen that grows out of a log and can''t be moved?

    "Do not underestimate my evolution.

    There''s a foot growing out of it!

    Through a mushroom butt?

    Is that why you''ve been walking up here?

    "I guess I''ve proven myself useful enough...?

    Oh, I must admit, in the end I''m pretty good...!¡¡You''re the best!

    High fives as we acknowledge each other!

    High five?

    Did you grow an armful of mushrooms?

    Thanks to the giant mushroom Matango, we never have to worry about edible mushrooms of any kind at any time of the day.

    * * *

    But.....

    I suddenly wondered.

    ''Why are you trying to be so helpful to me?''

    It seems a bit of an uncommon dedication.

    It''s not like you''re returning the favor or anything, is it?

    "I wanted your approval.

    What are you going to do with all that recognition?

    ''''I have an opponent that I want the saint to recognize and use his power to defeat. An age-old nemesis who is vying for the top spot in the forest...''

    An old enemy?

    It''s getting a bit messy, isn''t it?

    Are you fighting someone?

    "Yes, we have to deal with him. I am destined to fight him. As long as I''m a mushroom, I can''t affirm myself without fighting him.

    Another pretentious remark.

    Who are you fighting?

    "Yes........his name is.......!

    --!

 287-285 Mushroom Bamboo War

    We were headed to the mountain dungeon.

    Matango, the Giant Mushroom, had a nemesis that was to be a s*x offender.

    He says he''s heading to the dungeon to confront his nemesis. To settle the score.

    It is only out of curiosity that I am going with him.

    Matango had the appearance of a giant mushroom, but was able to walk with two legs sprouting from the bottom.

    ''We''re here, here we are.''

    I arrived at the mountain dungeon spring area.

    There was an even finer section of the bamboo forest there.

    From here, you can dig out bamboo that can be made into various tools and delicious bamboo shoots.

    How did we get to this point...?

    "Show yourself!¡¡''Takenokon!''

    Matango shouts.

    ''These mushrooms are coming to play!¡¡''Meet the Vulnerable!''

    Then he (?) Something grew out of the ground in response to the call of "Zumomomo-momo"........

    Scraping through the soil and fallen leaves, the true identity of the thing growing out of the ground was........

    It was undoubtedly a bamboo shoot!

    I can''t eat it if it reaches the top of the earth.

    I thought to myself secretly.

    ''You''ve come to defeat me yourself, Mushroom Style. You''ve been defeated by the bamboo monster, Takenokon!

    The bamboo shoots started talking.

    There''s already a precedent for mushrooms talking, so I''m not particularly surprised.

    The bamboo shoots that came out were huge, just like Matango. It was dozens of times larger than a normal bamboo shoot.

    ''Isn''t that bamboo already?'' You may think so, but the tip is sharp and wrapped in the skin, so it''s more appropriate to say "giant bamboo".

    If he''s a "child" of the bamboo and it''s huge, it gives the impression that he''s a child who can''t fully grow up, even though he''s already of age...

    "Baboo, baboo".

    She sensed my eyes, so she started blatantly appealing to me as a baby.

    "So, what do you want to do today?

    You stopped right away!

    Matango responds valiantly.

    "Let''s end our feud, as it is known!¡¡The fate of mushrooms and bamboo shoots!

    ''Stop laughing!¡¡If this were a done deal, it''s already been done!¡¡''Our bamboo shoots are better than the mushrooms!

    .........

    Umm....

    What in the world are you talking about?

    While I''m following you, I can''t swallow the current situation at all.

    ''We''ve been fighting for ages,''

    Giant Mushroom, Matan GO says.

    ''To determine which one of us will be at the top of this mountain!

    No, I own this mountain.

    Veerle, who was also accompanied by a curious person, said.

    I guess he''s not busy.

    The owner of this mountain dungeon is indeed a dragon, Veerle, though.

    ''''Hahahahahahaha!¡¡Foolishness is Matango, mushrooms are no match for bamboo shoots!¡¡I am the Lord of the Mountain!''

    "There''s no such thing as a better bamboo shoot than a mushroom.¡¡Today, I''ll get rid of you and secure my control of the mountain!

    No, I''m the master of the mountain dungeons...?

    Viel, you can''t listen to your plea.

    Master, can I burn them all down in one gulp?

    We''ll see how it goes.

    First of all, you''re not the one who started the herd with the indigenous monsters because you''re not managing them well enough to get into the farm.

    Mushroom Monster, Matan GO.

    The Mushroom Monster, Takenokonkorn.

    It''s a battle to the top, isn''t it?

    The giant bamboo shoots up, laughing fearlessly.

    ''Silly little mushroom. It''s already been decided that our bamboo army is superior. .........Isn''t that right, Saint?''''

    Huh?¡¡Me?

    Saints often come to our bamboo forest to dig for bamboo shoots. This is the proof that Saints respect our bamboo shoots!

    Yeah.

    I often go into mountain dungeons to dig for bamboo shoots.

    I''d like to make rice cooked with bamboo shoots, or bamboo shoots tempura, because everyone at the farm likes it.

    I want to make bamboo shoots too.

    The bamboo shoots that are approved by the Almighty Ruler of this mountain, Sage, deserve to be the best of the best!¡¡You mushrooms are only underneath it!''

    And I look at Matango.

    ''If you were desperately trying to get recognition from me...?

    ''''That''s right. It''s to counter that bamboo knockon. To prove your value to this mountain''s crops, to have the absolute all-powerful Sage Lord approve of your deliciousness is to prove your worth...!

    The mushrooms, which have never been regarded as food, have long been outnumbered in the battle for the bamboo shoots.

    ''But today, at last, our mushrooms have been recognized as delicious by the saints!¡¡It''s time to fight back!¡¡''Hammer for the proud bamboo shoots!

    Exciting mushrooms.

    I don''t want them to get out of control because the spores are going to fly around.

    As far as I''m concerned, they''re both delicious and I want them to be friends?

    ("No!")

    It''s the only time I can breathe.

    We must decide who''s a boy or a girl. Mushrooms and bamboo shoots can''t look up to the same sky!

    That''s not true.

    "But the approval of the saint does not make us mushrooms the equal of you and me.

    "What?

    "Don''t you know!¡¡It is not only the saints who praise our bamboo shoots. He recognizes God as well as the deliciousness of the bamboo!''

    God?

    Yes, God!¡¡As long as there is that critical difference, there is no better mushroom than bamboo shoots!

    Well, that happened.

    I summoned Hades, the god of the underworld, and when I served him rice made from bamboo shoots, he recognized me as God''s food.

    Good.

    I decided to go home to the farm for a while.

    * * * *

    What to prepare.

    Various mushrooms, rice, various spices and broth.

    And a teacher of no life king.

    Put all the ingredients you prepared into the pot and cook them.

    When it''s ready to cook.

    Sensei, please.

    "Cozy

    I''ll have the doctor summon the Pluto Hades.

    ''''Oh?¡¡What do you want this time?

    It''s a mushroom dinner.

    The summoned Hades is offered a finished mushroom mixture.

    God will eat it.

    Exclaimed Takenoko Demon God Bamboo Nokkorn.

    The mushroom and the bamboo shoots are now equals.

    In short, I''m telling you to get along better now.

 288-286 Mediator

    The battle between the mushroom and the bamboo shoots continues.

    As if to say that the battle is the history of man.

    No, these guys aren''t people.

    But they''re mycelium, on the other hand.

    "Hahahahahahahaha!¡¡I''ve got God''s food certification too!¡¡This proves that mushrooms are better than bamboo shoots!

    "Don''t be stupid!¡¡We''re finally on equal terms, aren''t we!¡¡Takenoko still has the upper hand!''''

    They are fighting each other ugly.

    Why do the mushrooms and the bamboo shoots have to fight each other to this extent?

    ''''Defeat you!''''

    "I want you down!

    "I am the master of this mountain!

    "I''m the master of this mountain dungeon!

    And Veerle was teasing me on the side.

    As expected, I''m feeling sorry for him, so I''ll give him something tasty to eat later to cheer him up.

    ''''This is indeed a problem........''''

    I watched from the side and thought.

    What''s the problem is that the seeds of conflict continue to exist on the farm.

    The dungeon orchard set up in the mountain dungeon of the Viel is like a branch of the farm.

    I don''t want the entire farm to be in a state of confusion because of the conflict there.

    What''s going to happen...?

    I''m troubled by the fact that both mushrooms and bamboo shoots are delicious.

    Should I just burn them both up?¡¡And then all the fighting will stop?

    Veerle.

    Don''t try to turn everything back to ashes just because you''re sulking.

    If you reduce them to ashes in the first place, you won''t be able to eat any mushrooms or bamboo shoots, will you?

    ''I don''t like that. What am I supposed to do then?

    Me and Veerle were all together, arms folded and troubled, when

    A light poured down from the sky.

    ''''Ugh?¡¡What''s going on!

    An obvious anomaly.

    It''s not only me, but also the mushroom bamboo shoots that were squabbling with each other were caught by the light and looked up at the sky.

    "''Oh, oh, oh, oh!

    This light is?

    And he''s very upset.

    "He didn''t appear to descend...?

    You sound like you know what you''re talking about.

    ''Stop ... stop fighting ...''

    And from the sky, a voice that sounded like a realization came from the sky as well.

    ''''Conflict will disturb the peace of the mountain. As a good person who lives in this mountain, I cannot overlook it any longer...''''

    Who are the intruders?¡¡Who is the intruder?

    "What if Matango is the incarnation of Mushroom and Takenokon is the incarnation of Takenoko...

    "He is the spirit of cacao...

    "He is the cocoa spirit, the king of kaka!

    It was cacao.

    Speaking of cacao.

    Isn''t it the stuff you use to make chocolate?

    What are you guys anyway?

    Finally, I couldn''t hold back the question anymore and asked.

    I can still recognize the mushroom with one eye.

    It''s a monster that has appeared before.

    But when the second bamboo shoots and then the third one, the cacao, came out, I couldn''t understand it anymore.

    What are you guys?

    They''re plant-based monsters after all!

    "We are tree spirits...

    Tree spirit?

    The cocoa guy who seems to be the calmest person in the room replies.

    ''''It''s a type of spirit that possesses trees. It can act at will while reflecting the nature of the tree it relies on....... The trees planted by the saint were all unusual and unprecedented. It was very exciting for us and gave us a sense of new possibilities....''

    Because I called it a ''dungeon orchard'' and planted all the trees from the previous world........

    After all, tampering with nature can have unexpected effects.

    The same tree spirit possessed the bamboo shoots and the Bamboo Demon God, Takenokon, was born.

    And the one who was possessed by the cacao tree was the Kaka King...?

    So Matango is a mushroom monster to begin with.

    And he''s not the only tree.

    Still, is it exactly the fate of the mushroom bamboo monster to fight with the Bamboo Nocoon?

    ''Matango, Takenokkorn. Stop disturbing the peace of the mountain. You must not bother the saints...''

    While the cocoa spirit calls out to him like a sensible person.

    ''''Annoying!¡¡''Outsiders, stay back!

    "In the battle for the fate of mushrooms and bamboo, know that no one can interfere!

    You guys aren''t human, though.

    How would the cocoa spirit, who had been rebuffed so harshly for calling out to him sensibly, respond...?

    ''''Cacao butter wave!

    ''''Gyaaaaahhhhh?!''''

    With some kind of special move, I pushed them both away.

    ''''Don''t fight........don''t fight.......''''

    You''re the one who''s solving everything by force, though.

    "Yes, sir. I''m sorry.

    ''We''ll get along. So please don''t make me a fat smear of cocoa butter anymore...

    Both sides succumbed in the face of violence.

    It was the messenger of chocolate that put an end to the fight between the mushroom and the bamboo.

    ''''It''s all settled now.......''''

    Seriously?

    "Saint.

    Yes?

    Now she wants to talk to me.

    Are you sure you''re okay?¡¡You''re not gonna give me cocoa butter wave all of a sudden?

    We tree spirits are spiritual beings that rely on trees in the realm of existence. After we become one with the tree, we become a willing tree and spend our entire lives with it.

    Something extraordinary was flourishing in our dungeon orchard.

    ''''There are already a lot of tree spirits living happily in this mountain. We would like to ask the saint to acknowledge our existence.

    ''What?¡¡Don''t tell me there''s another talking tree besides you and your bamboo?

    "Yes, the spirit of the apple. Yes, there are apple tree spirits, tangerine tree spirits, loquat tree spirits, and many more.

    Really?

    "If you leave it to us, we can help you grow and harvest the fruit that your saint needs, and it will be good for you, right?

    Hmm?

    Or do you still cut down talking trees and the like because they''re uncomfortable?

    I see.

    So that''s why the tree spirits are persistently seeking my approval.

    They are afraid they will be exterminated.

    ''''I''m afraid that the saint will always be able to harvest the delicious bamboo shoots.¡¡It''s all because of me!''''

    Takeshi Nokkorn, the Bamboo Demon God, complains.

    ''''It''s my power that keeps the bamboo shoots at their best!¡¡That''s why you can harvest bamboo shoots at any time of the year, at any season, at any time of the day!

    What a surprise!

    Indeed, you can harvest the freshest bamboo shoots at any time of the day, which made me happy, but I thought it was strange.

    So it was thanks to the bamboo maverick.

    ''Coexistence and co-prosperity!¡¡I''d like to go in co-existence and co-prosperity!''

    "I''m going to grow many delicious mushrooms too!

    He''s making a desperate appeal to the mushrooms, too.

    I''ll admit it. I''ll admit it, you''ll have to take care of your own fruit.

    Yeah!

    Mushroom bamboo shoots also shared in the joy.

    ''Also, if you can, do it with respect to the viel over here, too.

    ''I''m the master of this dungeon, whoa, whoa!''

    Veerle was indignant.

    Mushrooms, bamboo shoots and cacao all gave her a look at her at the same time.

    ''''It''s nice to meet you. ''''Lord of the dungeon, sir.''''

    Mmm!

    It would be good if this made Veerle more self-satisfied.

    Thus, the dungeon orchards became more convenient with the tree spirits possessing each fruit tree managing their growth.

    ........Can you say that?

 289-287 Love Food

    Thus, I got acquainted with the tree spirits in the dungeon orchard.

    The dispute between the mushroom and the bamboo shoots was settled, so I think it''s safe to say it''s settled for now.

    So I decided to take on a new challenge.

    I decided to take on a new challenge.

    Because of the mushroom bamboo fiasco, I became acquainted with not only them, but also Kakao, the spirit of the cacao tree.

    So we decided to try our hand at making chocolate, which is made from cacao.

    Let''s try our hand at making chocolate, which is made from cacao.

    "I am honored to be of help to you, saint.

    King Kaka had come to my mansion on the farm.

    I thought it was a tree spirit so it would be fixed in one place, but surprisingly it can move anywhere.

    You see, cocoa nuts are also called cocoa pods.

    That''s the man himself (?). This is why he knows so much about cocoa.

    A hard shell like a palm, with many cacao seeds inside.

    And King Kaka, the cocoa tree spirit, had the appearance of a cocoa pod with an eye and nose on it.

    And floating around in a fuyu.

    It seems that by housing its soul in the fruit, it can separate itself from the tree and act remotely.

    The cacao pods, which are like the Kaka king himself, opened up by themselves and cacao beans poured out of the pods.

    "Please make chocolate with these.

    Oh, wow...?

    It''s nice to be hassle free, but...?

    In order to make chocolate from cocoa beans, the beans must first be roasted.

    What...!

    "Then we''ll grind it up into a powder...

    Yes....!

    "Add the sugar and mix in the warmth of the mixture.

    O...

    ''When it''s properly melted, put it in a mold and chill it again to finish!

    How can you be so direct?

    Look at you, King Kaka!

    You''re such a good judge of character!

    Usually it would take me a few tries to make a new dish, but this time there was none!

    It''s the smoothest thing ever!

    The best cooking method is still the ingredients themselves (?) The best way to find out is to ask them?

    All right, fellas.

    And Platy''s already there!

    He popped the finished chocolate chip into his mouth without asking!

    "Bitter!¡¡It''s another candy that''s never been made before!

    I''m glad to hear that you liked it.

    But you have to be careful with the amount, I heard caffeine isn''t allowed during pregnancy.

    It''s systematically similar to cake and ice cream, but with a bitter taste mixed in, it''s very mature!¡¡....Huh?¡¡Speaking of which, I haven''t seen Veerle here.¡¡If there was any sign of something this tasty, would they be here soon?

    He''s still in the mountain dungeon now, so...!

    He was shocked that he wasn''t treated as a master by anyone living in the mountains.

    He''s going to re-focus on regaining control of the mountain dungeons so that he can make up for the amount of time he''s spent on the farm so far.

    Currently, a storm of purges by breakhearted dragons would be raging in the mountains.

    ''''Well, let''s just keep that guy''s portion in the fridge.

    The ability to preserve it is what makes chocolate so much better than other pastries.

    "Saints, it''s time to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa powder!

    "Oh, oh...?

    Thanks to King Kaka''s presence, everything progresses quickly and efficiently.

    The powder made from crushed cacao beans is said to be called cacao mass, and by separating the fat content in the cacao mass, the fat content separated is said to be cocoa butter and the remaining residue is said to be separated into cocoa powder.

    Is this the cocoa powder...?

    Is that the source of the cocoa?

    Can chocolate and cocoa be made from the same ingredients!

    If so, I''d like to have some cocoa as soon as possible!

    Get some milk from Panu''s place and warm it up.

    When it''s hot, I pour in the right amount of cocoa powder!

    Cocoa is ready!

    Tasting.

    The taste is soothing.

    A calming taste, not like tea or coffee, but a calming drink!

    What do we do with the leftover cocoa butter?

    You can use the new cocoa beans to make chocolate that tastes creamier and smoother.

    In fact, when the King of Kaka is beside me, everything goes very quickly.

    This is how the chocolate and cocoa arrived at our farm.

    It''s going to be paradise all the more.

    I mean...

    "Ow! Hi!

    I was suddenly called out from behind, startling both me and Prathi.

    When I turned around, Eringier was there.

    It''s the girl who is one of the young demon tribe and is currently studying at our farm, Eringier.

    ''''Don''t talk to me all of a sudden. You startled me so much that I thought my heart skipped a beat!

    You startled me too, I thought I was going to pop out of my stomach!

    And Prati.

    Don''t do that. Don''t give birth to a baby on impact.

    ''I''m sorry, but I was wondering what''s in there...!

    And Erringia points to the chocolate that is unlike any other.

    ''''........''''

    Oh.

    Yeah, well, Erin Gear is a girl, too.

    It''s no wonder her sweetness sensor reacts.

    ''''I''ll pack it up and hand it out to everyone after dinner, so just be patient until then, okay?

    No, that''s not what I''m talking about!

    Isn''t it?

    Then what?

    ''Well I''d like to ask you to do a very special favor for me!¡¡The food.¡¡Food...!

    * * *

    ''What?¡¡A gift for me?

    What did Elingia do with the chocolate, she raised it to Lytheseus.

    ''To my lover, Litisseus.

    ''Ka, ka, don''t get me wrong!¡¡I just happen to have learned to cook with the saint and made too much, so I''m just sharing it with you!

    And Eringier, with a tempestuous tsundere tone, presents a gift.

    .........

    .........I''m witnessing a horrible scene right now.

    If you look at it frankly, it''s just gift giving and receiving.

    But the giver = woman.

    The giver=man.

    The gift = chocolate.

    The conclusion to be drawn from this scheme is...!

    Valentine...!

    No, wait.

    This is a different world.

    What was common knowledge in the previous world is not necessarily common knowledge here.

    In particular, the confectionery company''s conspiracy custom of giving chocolates to lovers on February 14 every year can''t be rooted in this world across time and space.

    So what does that mean?

    Is it possible that Eringier, without any prior knowledge, intuitively or otherwise, discerned that ''chocolate is a gift from a woman to the man she loves''?

    ''''A terrifying guy........?

    At this moment, I felt for the first time that Eringier was a terrifying gem.

    ''''Hey, it''s not that I don''t like it, you don''t have to take it!¡¡People have their own likes and dislikes, and forcing people to eat food they don''t like doesn''t make me happy!

    ''''Anything Erringia-san gives me is delicious!¡¡Thank you!

    ''''Oh, I love it too!

    The tsundere''s haunted skin is quickly removed.

    You''re a homemade food, Erringia?¡¡I''m looking forward to it - what the hell is it?¡¡........what is it?

    Litisseus, opening the gift package, is first puzzled.

    That''s right.

    It''s rare for someone to see chocolate for the first time in their life and be able to say with certainty that it''s food.

    ''What''s the matter with you?¡¡Does it still look bad?

    ''No, it''s not!¡¡I''ll take it!

    But the power of love propelled the brave Litheceus.

    I ate the unidentifiable black food with my eyes closed!

    Crisp! (chewing sound).

    ''Delicious!''

    And a look of pure brilliance.

    Really?

    Eringier looks radiant.

    Yeah!¡¡That''s surprisingly sweet for an all-black color!¡¡It''s so nutritious!¡¡Even if I''m exhausted, I could take a bite of this and move around all day more!

    ''Of course!¡¡You bet!

    ''I can''t believe I made these amazing things by hand!¡¡You''re a real Eringian.

    .........

    Handmade..........

    ''''As expected of Eringia-san, you don''t make them from cocoa beans, do you?

    King Kaka, who is peeking out alongside me, says.

    ''''As expected, that would be hard to do, and you''d have to be as clever as Saint-sama to fail.

    Well, what about homemade?

    ''The chocolate, once perfected by the saint, was melted in hot water and poured into a mold, which we call homemade.

    Seriously, this is making chocolate for Valentine''s Day.

    But Erin Gia. She chose a heart shape for the newly poured mold, and that''s half a good sense.

    Yes, the shape of the chocolate she sent to Litisseus was a hard shape!

    ''''Then feel free to let me eat the rest of it too........''''

    Oh, wait.

    What?

    Eat this.

    Saying that, Eringire, took the still remaining end of the chocolate in her own mouth and held it out to Litisseus.

    ''''Mouth transfer?

    ''''Too aggressive!

    ''Shh!¡¡Quiet, Saint, quiet!¡¡They''ll know you''re peeking at them!

    That''s the nature of youth...?

    I don''t know what to do...?

    Lycheeus is also embarrassed and takes a bite out of the other end of the chocolate.

    "That''s what youthfulness is all about........!

    ''''Saint-sama!¡¡Don''t look any further!¡¡We''re retreating!''''

    Prompted by King Kaka, I left the two hotly blazing men behind.

    This is what youth is all about........?

 290-288 Youth Days

    Mushroom making ¡ú encounter with Matan GO ¡ú mushroom bamboo shoot war ¡ú making chocolate with King Kaka.

    After such an uneventful series of events, it''s over.

    Now let''s turn the spotlight on the young students who came to the farm.

    They are the freshest group of students at the moment.

    In addition to the young demon tribe members who were gathered for the study abroad project, the Mermaid Witch Academy Farm Branch''s mermaid students are the freshest group ever on the farm right now.

    While I was being swept up in the Mushroom Bamboo Cacao, they should have gotten used to life on the farm.

    I think they''re starting to relax and show their personalities by now.¡¡Let''s take a peek at their daily life, which is called "the day-to-day life".

    * * * *

    Let''s start with the young demon race kids.

    ''''Hey!¡¡You guys!¡¡Treat your clothes right!

    Batty was unusually upset.

    He seems to be shouting at the demon race students, who seem to be even more lax.

    What in the world have they done to deserve this?

    ''I told you to make sure you put your clothes in the basket when you take them off!¡¡Sort by quality!¡¡If you do the laundry in a way that doesn''t fit, you''ll damage it!

    Baty, our clothing manager, is a bit of a whiner when it comes to washing.

    Depending on the way he washed the clothes, the fabric would be damaged or discolored, or the best quality of the finished garment would be lost.

    This was unbearable for Bati, a craftsman.

    However, for a group of teenagers, such professionalism was beyond their comprehension.

    But it''s such a hassle to fold every single piece of clothing!

    You can clean up your own mess. That''s what you''re here for, right?

    The other person seems to be a troubled child who still hasn''t lost his cockiness.

    He also has a lick-and-ruffle attitude towards Batty.

    You think it''s okay to talk to us like that?

    We are the youngest and most promising members of the Demon King''s army. You know, the elite of the elite.

    "A washerwoman can''t be an equal partner...?

    .........

    The young people seem to think that Batty is just a domestic helper.

    It may be that they can''t help but misunderstand her for sewing and washing clothes, but........

    We will eventually rise to a high position. You can even become an assistant to the Four Heavenly Kings.

    I wouldn''t waste a second of my life trying to do that. I need a housekeeper like you to take care of all the extra work.

    This is terrible.

    I thought we needed to reap the rewards, so we just have to watch and not stop.

    Batty''s hate is steadily rising at the naive behavior of these young people.

    If your clothes are dirty, just throw them away. Washing your clothes every now and then is a poor idea.

    Snap.

    I heard something snap.

    "Don''t push your buttons, you little bastards!

    ""Ugyaaahhhhhhhhhh?"

    Batty lost his temper and in a split second he had the cocky youngsters spinning in the air several times.

    I''ve never seen Batty snap before, but I knew it was going to be triggered by something related to clothing.

    ''But I knew Batty was strong too.

    He is now fulfilling his dream of being a seamstress, but he used to be an assistant to the Four Heavenly Kings.

    It''s no wonder that he belongs to the strongest rank of the Demon King''s Army.

    It was such a simple thing to roll two or three half-hearted young men.

    ''''Saint!¡¡Saints!

    I was caught peeking at them.

    He came over here, dragging the ragged young demons over here.

    ''''These guys need a more fundamental education!¡¡Let me!¡¡I''ll train these guys to be great adults!

    I''m sorry I took them for a fool.

    This is how the students were instructed by Bati in all aspects of life.

    I hoped that they would learn their manners in this way.

    I heard later that Bati was also a legendary figure in the Demon King''s Army.

    When the young demon tribe heard his real name, they all trembled.

    ''''Well, how did ''Demon Dog'' Bati end up here...?

    ''''In this farm, there isn''t a single person you can underestimate...?

    Please treat everyone with respect, no matter who they are.

    * * * *

    There was also this story.

    A story about a No Life King teacher in class.

    ''This, this, you can''t give out anything that isn''t related to the class, okay?''

    The one who was warned was a human tribe student, who had something that looked like a portrait on his desk.

    ''''Excuse me!

    Whose portrait is this?¡¡You look very handsome, don''t you?

    The man in the portrait was a young man, and, besides, there was considerable evidence of beautification.

    ''Ha, yes!¡¡That person is the one I admire the most!¡¡I thought if I studied while looking at you, I would be even more committed...?

    The human race girl who was being watched was so awed that she was about to disappear.

    ''''Oh, the portrait of St. Tomacmore?

    A human boy next to me - a classmate, perhaps - looked at the portrait and said.

    ''Tomakmore?¡¡Who''s that?

    As I was observing the class, I couldn''t help but interject.

    ''''He''s a legendary figure in the Land of Man. He''s hundreds of years old now.''''

    So he was a historical figure.

    According to tradition, he was a high-ranking priest, but he questioned the selfish nature of the cult and continued to criticize it and was eventually excommunicated.

    His rebellious and honorable way of life was passed on to future generations and he became popular.

    ''It was what you might call underground popularity, though. The Order, which morally controlled the human nation, did not even acknowledge the existence of St. Tomacmore, who defied them.

    The human race boy, who seems to be a knowledgeable man, says with a knowing look on his face, "When the cult was prowling around, the things they said ''no'' about will really cease to exist.

    He said, "In the human country when the Order was propped up, what they said ''no'' would really cease to exist. But among those who were dissatisfied with the Order, St. Tomacmore continued to exist in their hearts as a symbol...

    And now that the human nation has been destroyed by the demon race and the cult has been destroyed, St. Tomacmore has finally been publicly recognized for his existence.

    On the contrary, he is said to be rapidly gaining popularity as a hard-boned warrior who continued to rebel against the corrupt old power.

    ''....Well, he seems to have had a lot of backbone.

    Sir!¡¡You''ve been around for a long time because you''re undead, right?¡¡Maybe you''ve met St. Tomacmore, too!

    If so, how lovely. You can hear the stories of raw history.

    The faces of the young tribesmen shone with anticipation.

    I''m sorry, but since I became immortal, I''ve spent most of my time in dungeons, so I don''t know much about the history of the human race.

    Yeah, that''s a shame.

    Is there any other anecdote about this Tomakmore character?

    Nevertheless, the kind teacher still tries to remember whatever the students expect from him.

    ''''As for St. Thommacmore, the Order has taken the initiative to erase any mention of him before his death, so I can''t tell you much about him...!

    Well...

    ''Oh, but one thing only comes through clearly: the mysterious end!

    The end?

    The end of St. Thommacmore''s life.

    It was not an illness or accidental death, but a more bizarre way of dying, they say.

    At one point, St. Tomacmore was fascinated by a cursed sword.

    Consumed by the curse of the sword, the saint became mentally ill and disappeared somewhere with the sword in his arms.

    And he never came back.

    ''The Order was willing to go around and mention this episode as proof that St. Tomacmore wasn''t a real priest to be consumed by the curse. On the contrary, there''s a theory that the Order, which smoked St. Tomacmore, sent the cursed sword to get rid of him...

    ..........

    The doctor and I looked at each other at the story.

    I felt some kind of fierce memory connection, and the teacher seemed to feel it too.

    ''''........That''s me, isn''t it?''''

    " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

    Right?

    I thought so too.

    Sensei, your spirit was hijacked by the evil holy sword Dry Schwartz, and you came to the end of this earth and became an undead, right?

    ''Ah, ah, when you said that, it somehow brought back memories. ''Oh, I see, so my name is Tomakmore. I haven''t remembered it in a thousand years.''

    Due to existing as an undead for too long, the teacher had forgotten even what he was when he was alive.

    Now, he regained a small amount of that memory.

    ''''What?!''''

    "You''re St. Tomacmore?

    Anti-Christian righteousness!¡¡I never thought I''d meet the man himself!

    He was a teacher who was increasingly respected by his students - and especially by the human race.

    Incidentally, the St. Tomacmore depicted in the portrait at the beginning of this episode bears no resemblance to the teacher himself.

    Naturally, it''s because he''s in an undead state, but he''s also a completely different person than he was before that, even before he was alive.

    I know this because I''ve seen him in the bath before, back in his living form.

    Well, I guess that''s what most portraits of historical figures are like.

 291-289 Final Battle Finals

    I''m Hakkai the Orc.

    I''ve traveled around to various places to accompany Prince Arowana in his training.

    When I think back on it now, it still comes back to me vividly....

    Most of them are dying.

    Our journey is coming to a close.

    We are now in the final stage of our journey.

    If we make it through this stage, it will be the end of our journey as an apprentice.

    We have received a proclamation from Prince Arowana that we will return home with our hearts full of pride.

    And now we are going to take on the challenge.

    This is the final stage of our journey.

    And that is.....

    A battle against the Emperor Dragon Geyser Dragon.

    * * * *.

    We have now come to the Dragon Emperor''s Castle, the home of the Geyser Dragon.

    The Dragon''s Castle exists on an isolated island far from the continent where humans live.

    It is said that the surrounding waters are dangerously swirling and even mermaids do not come near it.

    The Geyser Dragon, who lives in such a desolate world, is the king of dragons, standing at the top of the most powerful race of dragons.

    It means he is the strongest of the strongest.

    It had been in the story several times before, giving it a large and eerie presence, but it had finally appeared before our eyes.

    And then it became a battle.

    ''''Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    The first one to be hit was the same dragon, Ardheg-sama.

    In the form of a dragon, he tackles his father, Gaiser Dragon.

    ''''I will not forgive you!¡¡I won''t allow it!¡¡Everything you''ve been telling us is a lie!

    He''s against us!

    "You said you would choose a successor!¡¡The real purpose was to seize power from the child and keep him/her at the top of the heap!¡¡I''m disappointed in you!¡¡Your father is no longer a king or a hero!''''

    Emperor Dragon Gaiser Dragon had absorbed power from his son dragon to compensate for his aging and declining self.

    Choosing a successor was a convenience, a groundwork for a curse that would take away his power more easily.

    Master Ardheg was furious when he learned the truth.

    ''''I am!¡¡You and your people cannot take away my power and wisdom!¡¡I''ll do everything in my power to resist!

    Foolish boy! Do you really think that a Grintz dragon is a match for the dragon emperor, Gazer Dragon?

    The enemy, the Geyser Dragon, was huge and more devastating than any dragon he had ever seen.

    Its wings were especially huge, and when spread out, it seemed to have an area ten times larger than its body.

    ''''The Dragon King is the king of the world. Everything will be as I want it to be. You will be my sustenance, you little dragons will be my food. Be meek and offer your wisdom and strength!''''

    An eerie glow emanated from the Geyser Dragon and headed towards Ardheg-sama.

    Just as the light was about to envelop Ardheg-sama, it was reversed and dissipated.

    "What?

    "A counterspell has been placed on you!¡¡A promise that has been seen through an ulterior motive means nothing!''''

    As it was, Master Ardhegh launched an attack at Father Dragon.

    ''''Let''s go!¡¡''''Grey Breath!''''

    Master Ardheg sprayed a large amount of volcanic ash from his mouth onto the Geyser Dragon.

    The volcanic ash was a tiny piece of glass that would carve hundreds of thousands of microscopic scratches on anyone who touched it.

    And because it was minuscule, it entered the body with their breath and hurt them from the inside as well.

    ''''Now!¡¡Your father was frightened!¡¡Time for the all-out assault!

    Aisa.

    The next one to pop up is Son Gokhon.

    Of course we''re all here. No longer will I turn my precious companion, Master Ardheg, into a Lesser Dragon!

    ''''Ikkyuyo, excite all the mana drives collected on this journey at once!

    The power-up items that the Hermes God had scattered around various locations for Songgokphon''s growth had already been collected at the end of the journey.

    By activating all of them at once, Songgokphon would transform into his strongest hidden form.

    Songgokphon is an angel, but when the latest version of the game was released, the raggedy wings were removed. He said they would interfere with his daily life.

    However, now that she''s in her strongest form, her wings are once again spreading out on her back.

    The Final Angel Attack.

    The wings spread out and wrapped around Songgokphone, the main body, and became sharp like a cone with the tip running towards the geyser dragon.

    ''''Guaaaaaaaah!''''

    The cone pierced through the Gaither Dragon brilliantly, penetrating it and running through to the other side.

    As expected of the ace of our party.

    The destructive power is outstanding.

    "Don''t lick it........!¡¡I''m the king of dragons, I''m not going to die from a wound of this magnitude...?

    The Geyser Dragon.

    I''m sure you''re not going to be able to die even if the hole in your body is pierced.

    It''s not a good idea.

    Now it''s my turn.

    This hackai is also your travel companion.

    He has grown in his own way on this journey.

    I have stepped into a different evolution than the orcboleader and other orc companions, and I will demonstrate my strength as a Flaminess Orc.

    Saint Orc Fist!

    A holy attribute orc attack hits the Geyser Dragon at multiple levels!

    "Gunnohhhhhh!¡¡''''You''re so impudent!

    It''s not as effective as the previous two.

    It''s an attack that should be able to crush even the most advanced spirits in a single blow if the attributes are well matched.

    Nope.

    After all, let''s let those people take the final flower.

    Please!

    Mmm!

    ''I''m going, sir!''

    Prince Arowana and Master Puffa stand in line.

    Now is the time to strike the final blow that will be the end of this battle against the strongest dragon and also the end of this journey itself.

    "Puffa we will go together........!

    I''d go anywhere with you.

    The two men join hands and point their clasped hands at the Geyser Dragon.

    The target is unable to move as much as it would like due to the damage from the repeated attacks.

    Now is the perfect time.

    Prince Arowana has received a blessing from the sea god Poseidon on this journey.

    And Master Puffa also received a blessing from the Sea God Queen Medusa from the original.

    When a man and a woman who were aligned with the blessings of the gods of husband and wife loved each other, the blessings of the gods were multiplied many times over.

    ''''This blow.......is the culmination of my journey of cultivation.......!

    "Evil dragon king, perish before the power of love!

    The power of the sea and the power of love combined for the final blow.

    "''Break the love-struck sea god!''

    An ocean current appeared out of nowhere and ran with tremendous force, hitting the giant body of the Geyser Dragon.

    It is an even bigger current that could swallow the entire body of the originally large dragon.

    ''Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!¡¡What a fool!¡¡I am the king of dragons, the strongest man on top of the world, not even humanity!

    The Geyser Dragon still struggles as it is swallowed by the ocean currents and sinks.

    However, he is exhausted and loses his strength.

    The human race, which is nothing more than a dwarf insect, is aaaaah!¡¡The little dragons that are nothing more than my food!¡¡Why should I be defeated by these people?

    Father, your time is over.

    Master Ardhegg, the closest relation to the enemy, said.

    ''You don''t accept it, you stay at the top of your game, and you even play back and trample those who come after you. That is your sin. There is no living person who has sinned and will not be judged.''

    "Shut up!¡¡A replica of me.¡¡Don''t get your head out of your ass.¡¡Even if you defeat old me, you won''t be able to become an emperor dragon after all. As long as Alexander is around, that''s fine!

    "I don''t want to be an imperial dragon. "I will only watch over those who are heroes and kings.

    ''''Ogee eeee!''''

    After leaving some discarded lines like ''Even if I perish, the second and third.......'', the Geyser Dragon sank into the ocean current and disappeared.

    This was settled.

    ''''..........''''

    It was all over.

    As the culmination of your training journey, the defeat of the most powerful dragon would have been a fitting end to your journey.

    So let''s go home.

    Good night. - Good night. - Miss, can I squeeze your tits?

    Here is the warrior training of Prince Arowana.

    A Journey to the Land.

    It is the end of the first volume.

 292-290 Birth and return

    Yes, it''s me.

    I was born.

    Finally.

    My baby is born from Platy''s tummy.

    Woo hoo!¡¡Yay!¡¡Yes!¡¡Yay-way!¡¡Dude!¡¡Woooooooooooo!

    I ran around the farm so much in joy that I ran three laps around the farm, and was eventually seized by a group of worried Orcobos.

    It was my boy.

    A boy.

    Prathi did really well.

    She became a mother and I became a father.

    I know I''m on a new level.

    And I love my boy.

    Anyway, while we''re celebrating the birth, I have to give the newborn a name.

    ''Ummm...!

    I''ve thought about it a lot.

    "Saint Kidan, Jr.

    It turned out to be a pretty simple name.

    Well, I don''t use this name very often myself, so I thought it would be okay to just give it to her.

    For the time being, though, he''ll be called Junior.

    One day, when that day comes, he will be the Saint Kidan.

    My Lord...!¡¡Congratulations!

    Congratulations to you...!

    Okubo and Gov. Gov. Kichi also rushed to us in tears.

    ''We will protect you with all our might as a shield and maternity clothes for your sergeant!

    Thank you, thank you...!

    I was more than happy to celebrate the birth of my son with them.

    I feel like the farm has been refreshed by the large influx of young foreign students and the birth of my son Junior.

    I should say that the average age of the students has gone down.

    In the midst of the excitement of such celebrations, the farm was hit with another good news.

    Prince Arowana has returned from his training trip.

    * * * *

    Uh, I''m tired.

    Prince Arowana instantly returns to the farm through Puffa''s transition magic.

    How long has it been since I''ve been here?

    I hadn''t seen him for a year, at least from my point of view.

    Prince Arowana, who had spent a year traveling around the world, had definitely become more robust.

    His facial expression and the energy he radiated were far different than before his departure.

    Welcome home, Prince Arowana...!

    Saints, it''s been a while...

    A powerful handshake was formed.

    Even the strength transmitted from that, I could see the prince''s growth.

    The other members of the journey as well.

    Hakkai, the orc who had been sent to accompany him on the journey, was surrounded by his monster friends, who he hadn''t seen again in a long time.

    ........What is it?

    The returned Hakkai seemed to have a different impression compared to the other orcs...?

    Huh?¡¡Was he a mutant, too?

    Flamingo oak?

    What''s that?

    Meanwhile, Songgokphon, who had come to the farm once before, had also been reunited with his kindred Holkosfon.

    And sparks were flying.

    ''''The trip is over, and I''m done with my trip, so why don''t I just nuzzle you with Teme?

    Alright. Today I''m going to engrave the wonder of natto on you...!

    Why are you in a confrontational mood?

    And one more person.....

    There was one more person........a gentleman with a very burly impression.

    I''ve never seen that man before.

    Who is he?

    Yes....!¡¡I''ll introduce you to the Saint''s Hall...!

    Prince Arowana notices and brings me and the gentleman together.

    ''This is Lord Ardhaeg, who has joined us on our journey.

    Hello?

    Dragons.

    "Hoi?

    You almost bit your tongue.

    A dragon!

    Another dragon has appeared?

    Mr. Ardhegg stared at me intently....

    ''''Um.........what is it.......?

    No, I don''t know.

    What''s really going on?

    Mr. Arowana!¡¡I don''t know if this man is a hero or a king!¡¡Even with my own eyes!¡¡I have a feeling that it''s neither of those things, or even that it''s there!¡¡What the hell is going on?

    Hmmm, that''s the charm of the Hall of Saints.

    What the hell is this really about?

    While I was puzzled, Mr. Ardhegg wandered off that way with a shifting busyness typical of dragons....

    ''Oh!¡¡Sister Veerle, isn''t it?¡¡I was told you would be here!¡¡I really didn''t expect to see you!

    Hmm?¡¡Who are you?

    Do you remember him?¡¡Your brother dragon, Ardhegg the Grinz Dragon!

    "...?¡¡...Oh, I remember now!¡¡Are you a Dalper?

    No, sir!¡¡It''s Ardhaeg!

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡Now I remember, didn''t I, Seadr?

    It''s Ardhegg!

    It was Veerle who couldn''t remember a human face.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one.

    .........what is it?

    ...Do you feel like she''s changed the most?

    When Puffa returned after his trip, the sharp knife-like outlaw feeling he had in the beginning had long since disappeared, and he seemed calmer.

    On the contrary, he was rather enveloped in a mature charm that made me wonder if he was a different person even though he looked the same.

    ''''........Um, is this.......?''''

    I was confused by Puffa''s too much of a leopard, and I had to cling to Prince Arowana.

    What in the world was going on?

    Yes, actually...

    Prince Arowana said in an embarrassed tone.

    ''I have decided to marry you.

    Oh, what. Congratulations.

    Not much of a surprise.

    No, because...

    Prince Arowana and Puffa falling in love right on schedule, so there''s no room for surprises.

    Congratulations are in order, though.

    "Oh, and that makes Puffa look so much more attractive...

    Was that scented, muffled s*xiness the scent of a married woman?

    You''re still in the engagement stage, but you''re a hasty fellow.

    Prince Arowana continued in an embarrassed tone of voice, "We will settle down as we continue our journey together.

    We will continue to travel together, and I think we should settle down. The more we travel together, the more I am convinced that there is no other woman who will support me as well as Puffa.

    Okay.

    ''When I return to the mermaid kingdom, I''m going to head that way to my father and mother and ask them for permission to marry.

    It''s very strange.

    Even though I''m married and blessed with children, I still hate other people in my life.

    Anyway, the celebrations just keep coming up.

    Prathi and I are expecting a child, and Prince Arowana and Puffa are getting married.

    The celebrations are going to continue for a while.

    "This might be a good time to do it.

    Oh, Platy.

    Prathi, now a mother, showed up with Junior in her arms.

    Is Junior taking a nap now?¡¡You''re so cute when you''re sleeping.

    ''I was just hoping to see my mom and dad one time too. Just to show them Junior''s face.

    ''Oh, that''s great!''

    The king of the mermaid kingdom would love to see his grandson''s face.

    I think it''s a good time for your brother to return to the mermaid kingdom, if he''s going to return to his hometown with you. I''m sure Mom and Dad will be happy to see you all together after you''ve been away for a while.

    I very much agree with that.

    I''ll be at the farm in the meantime, waiting for Platy and Junior to get home?

    I''m dying of loneliness?

    Of course you''ll follow me, won''t you?

    What?

    "You''re going to mermaid country with me.

 293-291 Departure

    Thus, I took advantage of Prathi''s homecoming and went to the mermaid country.

    To greet my parents.

    Normally, the greeting is done when you get married, so it''s way too late to do it after the birth of our first child.

    But no matter how late it is, it''s better than nothing.

    That''s why I''m going.

    I''m going to the mermaid country where the mermaids live.

    "Then take care of it.

    While I visited the mermaid country, I left the farm in command of Okubo and Gov. Kichi.

    They are now the best of the old guard.

    They know the farm inside and out, so I felt comfortable leaving them in charge.

    ''''My lord.......will it really be okay......?''''

    Gobukichi asks worriedly.

    "Hey, don''t worry. You guys can run a farm with no problem.

    No, we''re not worried about our side. We''re worried about your side...!

    Hmm?

    "I hear there is some political turmoil in the mermaid kingdom, to a lesser extent. If any harm comes to you, your wife, or your sergeant...!

    Yes, please wear more guards!

    It got to Okubo.

    ''I''ll be fine. I''m going to say hello to Prati''s parents. What''s the risk?

    But just in case...!

    If anything goes wrong, you''ll be fine. I''ve got him.

    I pointed to Veerle.

    That guy will also accompany me on this visit to the mermaid country.

    ''''Fuhihihi, cute, cute.......''''

    Veerle was neck and neck with her newborn child, Junior.

    He must have liked her so much because she was so cute.

    He didn''t want to be separated from the boy, so he abandoned his efforts to regain control of the mountain dungeon halfway through the trip, and he was determined to join in this excursion.

    He probably wouldn''t leave Junior for a moment during his visit to the Mermaid Country.

    ''Nothing could be more reassuring with a dragon by your side. Junior can rest easy now. We can protect ourselves.

    What...! It''s true, but...!

    Gobbler and Okubo, you take care of the farm.

    Yes, sir.

    The personnel of the group visiting the mermaid kingdom were me, Prathi and Junior, who were the main group.

    And Veerle, who came along on his own.

    Of course, Prince Arowana will be there too.

    I heard that Prince Arowana''s party would be joining us for the entire trip.

    They want to make a triumphant return home with all of their friends.

    The means of transportation is by boat.

    It''s time for the Helkirke, a luxury cruise ship made of mana metal that I had built in the past.

    ''''I started out building it as a fishing boat, but...!

    Let''s not dwell on what has passed.

    I''d rather show Platy''s parents a luxurious ship decorated with the finest dwarven decorations in the world.

    We boarded the ship along with a minimal amount of orc goblins for steering........

    ''''Set sail!''''

    We set sail for the sea.

    Our destination was the capital of the mermaid kingdom.

    There, Prati''s parents, my mother-in-law, the Mermaid King, who is Junior''s grandfather and grandma, and the Queen are waiting for us.

    * * * *

    "While I''ve been on the road, you''ve made some more amazing things...!

    Prince Arowana looks down at his ship and says, "I''m sure you are.

    Of course you are.

    I can''t help but feel pleased when people compliment me on what I made myself.

    For the decoration, I borrowed the help of the dwarves.

    The ship has no sails and moves under its own power. Moreover, the exterior is made of mana metal, and no one else in the world owns such a thing except the Lord Saint. I have been to many places, but I have never found a place as astonishing as the Holy Father''s farm.

    It''s not worth it.

    You''re praising me too much, brother-in-law.

    Elsewhere on the deck, Son Gokh von and Mr. Ardhegg were playing with something like Kumite, or something like that.

    I don''t want them to do it seriously. If the angels and dragons get serious, the ship will shatter and sink.

    ''''But.........''''

    I uttered a fundamental question.

    ''Are we going to be able to go on a boat and get to mermaid country?

    Normally when Prince Arowana, Hendler, and the other mermaids came and went between the farm and mermaid country, they swam in the form of mermaids.

    From that scene, I vaguely wondered, ''Isn''t mermaid country in the sea?'' I was the one who was thinking about it.

    I''ve never heard it clearly to my face.

    But then, wouldn''t a magical steamboat going all the way over the sea be able to reach the mermaid kingdom forever?

    Hmmm, no need to worry. We are well on our way to mermaid country.

    ''If you''ve come this far, I have to ask you, frankly, where is the mermaid country?

    Under the sea?

    You mean the ocean floor?

    That''s what you''ll find out when you get to this point, isn''t it? We should be in sight by now.

    What?

    The Helkilke, a magical steamship, is zunting through the ocean.

    The operation is left to the orc goblins who boarded the ship as sailors, but it seems that they have a firm grasp on the route to be taken by Prince Arowana''s instructions.

    ''''Saint-sama!¡¡Our target island is in sight!

    An island?

    We''re going to reach the island?

    Maybe the island is mermaid country.

    The mermaid country is in the water?

    No, no.

    I was stunned when Prince Arowana denied it.

    It''s a land gateway to the mermaid kingdom, so to speak. It''s an island owned by mermaid royalty. It''s called Paradise Island.

    Paradise Island.

    We landed on this island for now.

    * * * *

    This island is....

    At first glance, I could honestly feel that the island is beautiful.

    Even viewed from a distance, the contrast between the white rock surface and the greenery covering it is easy on the eyes.

    When we entered the harbor, we found that the island has man-made facilities that could be called a harbor, and it is also a well-organized town.

    As the Herkilke came ashore, people who looked like soldiers rushed to line up on the dock.

    ''Prince Arowana!¡¡Welcome home!

    ''Princess Platy!¡¡Welcome home!

    A sharp, loud voice calls out.

    With that, the other soldiers stomp their feet with a zap.

    ''''Everyone, salute!

    ""Welcome back!"

    Another great welcome.

    It''s so ostentatious. This is why I usually don''t want to use this island.

    Prince Arowana, what is this island...?

    "It''s a kind of maritime negotiation facility that the mermaid kingdom uses when it has negotiations with land powers such as the demon kingdom of humanity, so to speak.

    Marine negotiation facility?

    "A landman couldn''t get to the bottom of the sea, could he?¡¡For security reasons, the mermaid kingdom did not want land people to enter the capital. Therefore, they built a facility for receiving land-based diplomatic missions not in the sea, but above.

    That''s this island?

    This is where the envoys from the demon kingdoms and the human kingdoms who came to propose marriage to Prati were also received. This is why the guards and welcome party is so overwhelming.

    That one.........

    The soldiers are still forming a bifurcated formation and showing their welcome.

    ''''It''s the Mermaid Nation''s Kingsguard,''''

    It''s...

    If you have legs, does that mean you''ve taken the drug that makes you an earthling?

    He must have been professionally trained to welcome guests from the ground.

    ''Prince Arowana!''

    "''Future mermaid king!''

    ''We''ve been waiting for you to return!¡¡Princess Platy!

    "''Brilliant in mermaid country!

    "Your talents are the crown jewel of mermaid country!¡¡I am happy to see that beauty again!

    ""Happily ever after!"

    They must have practiced it.

    Against the Mermaid Nation''s Kingsguard, who continued to make a huge noise that pierced his ears........

    Prathi threw a magic potion at them.

    ''''Ughhhhhhh?''''

    It exploded.

    "Prati?¡¡What are you doing?

    Shut up!¡¡The baby just barely fell asleep!¡¡Anyone who disturbs my child''s restful sleep will be killed!

    Yes, if you scream around that loudly, you''re going to disturb Junior''s nap.

    Mmmm guilty.

    Prati herself was grumpy because Junior''s night crying had been so bad the past few days that she hadn''t been able to sleep much.

    Still, he was relentless in throwing the explosive potion into the air.

    I thought I understood why she was called a witch in her hometown.

 294-292 Ultimate Trial Home Greeting

    The island, called Paradise Island, had not only beautiful nature but also buildings.

    A number of large mansions of an elegant style....

    ''''Guesthouses to receive emissaries from other countries, or mansions for stays...''''

    Prince Arowana explains to me as we walk together.

    He says, "I have had these mansions prepared in first class so that they will not be underestimated. I''ve had these mansions ready for you, lest we be insulted, and I''ve had dwarven craftsmen come from all over the continent to build them. They built everything.

    Whoa...!

    As we walked, we arrived at the farthest building.

    It was the largest and most luxurious building on the island.

    ''It''s a royal residence,''

    There were two people standing in front of the house, a man and a woman, in total.

    They looked like a reasonably old, mature couple.

    You don''t think that was...?

    Dad!¡¡Mom!

    Prati, holding Junior, said.

    After all, that couple is the Mermaid King and his wife who rule the mermaid kingdom.

    Prati, holding Junior in her arms, went into the arms of the older couple, their wife.

    a€?Oh, my dear Prati?¡¡You''re a spoiled little girl who''s become a mother, aren''t you?

    ''Oh,'' said the mature lady.

    ''Our mother, the Mermaid Queen Sheila.

    Prince Arowana explained to me.

    Prince Arowana and Prathi''s mother must be quite old, but she was so young and beautiful that it was hard to believe it.

    She was in her twenties at the most, and alongside Prathi, they looked more like sisters in their midst than mothers and daughters.

    But even so, there was an air of age-appropriate grace about her, as if she was a more ladylike princess than Prati.

    And the other one........

    ''''Moss!

    You''re sure the man over there is the Mermaid King, the father of Platy and his friends, right?

    His appearance and appearance are appropriate for his age, and he has the sturdy, muscular build of a champion.

    "It''s the Mermaid King Nagus...!

    With that, Prince Arowana steps out to meet his father.

    "Father, the unworthy Arowana, I have returned from my journey.

    Mooch!

    Bang!¡¡And......

    Your father, the Mermaid King, hit Prince Arowana?

    Without!

    ''Nuh-uh-uh-uh-uh!

    But Prince Arowana catches his father''s iron fist head-on, as if he''s going to hit him with a hammer!

    A wild impact. There is a crack in the ground at his feet, but the prince himself doesn''t retreat even a single step!

    ''''Oh........?''''

    You''ve caught His Majesty''s Orca Punch, King Nargus...?

    Prince Arowana, you''ve really grown up on your training journey...?

    The soldiers, stewards and maids around you are amazed and groaning.

    More....?

    Are you pleased with my growth?¡¡Then we''ll take it from here...!

    BAGOGON!¡¡And..........

    This time Prince Arowana hits back at his father!

    A tightly clenched fist hits the Mermaid King''s chest plate!

    ''''Mosuuuuuuuuuut?!''''

    The tremendous impact became a pressure of air and flew in all directions.

    Perhaps unable to withstand the force of the punches, the Mermaid King staggered back a step or two.

    ''''........For the first time, you were able to move your father with my fist.

    ''More!''

    The father and son hugged each other tightly.

    It was as if they were biting into the joy of being reunited.

    .........

    By the way, why does that father only say "mosu" before?

    .........

    Me and the rest of my companions were stunned by the overly bold development....

    Boom.

    And then an even more exciting development occurred.

    What a surprise, Prati threw an explosive potion at her father and brother, Prince Arowana, King of Nagas.

    ''So don''t bother!¡¡Junior will wake up!

    So the explosion you cause is more of a roar.

    ''Oh my goodness, Prathi-chan, you''re totally a mother. You care more about your own child than anything else...!

    "Look, mommy, look, this is my baby!¡¡It''s your mom''s first grandchild, right?¡¡Isn''t it pretty in a circle?

    Oh, so I''m a grandmother now?¡¡Oh my God, I wish I could still be active.

    What do you mean by "active"?

    I''m still in love. I still want to breed and multiply your children.

    ................?

    It''s thick.

    The Mermaid King''s family is strong.

    You know, I''m one of them now, since we got Plati as a wife, but...

    I don''t know if I can keep up with them...

    Oh, yes!

    Prathi came back over here to play.

    ''Dad!¡¡Mom!¡¡This is my husband!

    We''re finally going to be introduced.

    Oh dear.

    "Mossmoss.

    The time has finally come.

    The once-in-a-generation (that''s right, not once in a lifetime) event of greeting your parents is about to begin!

    * * *

    I''m sorry.

    He began by getting down on his knees.

    ''I am sorry that I proceeded to marry your daughter without your permission, and I am sorry that I was so late in greeting you.

    "Mister, you don''t have to apologize that hard........

    No, I apologize.

    There''s no harm in apologizing too much.

    The place had already changed to the inside of the mansion, and the Mermaid King family was all sitting on the long sofa.

    It''s okay, we heard that our daughter came to see you. I''d rather thank you so much for giving us such a jajah horse.

    Mooch!

    ''''At that time, the situation was complicated because of the absurd demands from the demon race and the human race, so we can''t help but be slammed with the situation. I''m grateful for the marriage proposal itself, but it''s going to be difficult for my daughter to marry into another country''s royal family...''''

    Mooch!

    The queen is talking about the commotion that led to Prati''s departure from the country.

    I''ve heard that both sides of the Demon Kingdom and the Human Kingdom heard of Prati''s genius and wanted her to be their bride.

    ''''Moss!''''

    We wanted our daughter to have a happy marriage, so we are happy that she has chosen to marry you.

    Mooch!

    ''Fortunately, I can see that you take care of Prati through many people, and this is how you even showed me your grandchildren''s faces. It would be a beehive of beehives for the Sea God to want more than this.

    Mooch!

    She''s a silly girl, but...

    Mooch!

    Please take care of him for a long time...

    Mooch!

    Good luck.

    Mooch!

    It''s very annoying.

    But I was relieved to see that the greeting to the parents went smoothly.

    Now that we''re done with the greetings, let''s give them a real welcome. I''d like to give Prathi-chan''s husband the whole country''s hospitality, so please come to the home country of the mermaid country like this, please.

    Mooch!

    The home country of mermaids?

    As I recall, this place, where we are now, is a guest house for dealing with emissaries from other countries.

    The home country of the mermaid country where the mermaids live is also said to be separate.

    ''''Great, Master!''''

    Prati spluttered happily.

    ''No one other than the mermaid race has set foot in the home country yet!¡¡I wonder if your husband will be the first in history!

    What?¡¡You''ll let us in, won''t you?

    Veerle said, half anxiously, half frustrated....

    ''Of course. My daughter and her son-in-law''s friends are also important guests. Both of them are welcome in our home country.

    Yay!

    A delighted Veerle.

    And we were to proceed to the bottom of the sea, to the capital of the mermaid nation.

 295-293 Pinocchio roost

    To the home country of the mermaids.

    But how do I get there?

    Again, which is the home country of the mermaid kingdom?

    Under the Sea

    I know, right?

    Aside from the mermaids, I''m just a human who came from another world, and I can''t do anything under the sea.

    I''ll just drown.

    How am I supposed to step into the realm of mermaids?

    You look worried, don''t you?¡¡But don''t worry, I''ve made a lot of arrangements for you when I heard you were here.

    Queen Sheila.

    Prathi''s mother says with a smile.

    ''A special contraption to reach the home country so that the land people don''t drown.

    We''re moving.

    * * *

    We arrived at the edge of Paradise Island.

    It was a small cove.

    ''This is where we''ll head home.''

    As he said it, Queen Sheila and Prati had taken their medicine and returned to their mermaid form.

    Obviously preparing to enter the sea.

    ''Sir, take Junior, please.''

    "Mm.

    Junior, who is probably a lung-breather-only like me, went from his mother''s hand to mine.

    I''m not sure if Junior, who is half mermaid, is born with an advantage in the water, but I don''t think we should verify that now.

    When she grows up, I''ll let her find out for herself.

    You''re going to join me in the sea, aren''t you?

    "I''ll have Junior!¡¡I''ll do it!

    Veerle wanted to hug Junior, but that''s his father''s job here.

    Keep it together.

    If something goes wrong in return, we''ll rely on the power of Veerle''s dragons to do the heavy lifting.

    Queen Sheila sprinkled some kind of liquid on me.

    And then it enveloped me in something that covered me in a tightly sealed envelope.

    Is this a soap bubble?

    What are we, wrapped up in a soap bubble?

    It''s how we get into the water. It''s the latest potion we developed to keep landmen from drowning.

    No, I made this.

    Prathi says.

    ''I got a request from Hendler to say, ''What''s it for?'' And I thought, "Well, it''s not for my family," but it''s not for my guts!¡¡Then you could at least say something!¡¡Why would you have me make this in the first place?¡¡A mermaid royal palace with many top-notch Potions masters!

    You know, leaving things to little Prathi is the best way to ensure success.

    When I saw the queen making a wiggly shinai, I thought, ''I''m not worthy of my age.

    ''''Hola, mom, you''re not good at pharmacy magic at all, are you?¡¡Even though you were born from me, Prathi, you''ve become a complete genius. It makes me want to brag, you know?

    Huh...?¡¡Well, it''s a necessity, but...?

    And so we were in the ocean.

    Oh, you can really breathe under the sea...?

    Even under the sea, the soap bubbles don''t break and hold air tightly around me.

    By the way, three of us, Junior and Veal were inside one of the soap bubbles.

    The soap bubble was sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean floor with us.

    But it''s a great bubble. The fact that it''s going down means it''s built to withstand high water pressure, right?

    Oh, I didn''t take the water pressure into account at all, by the way.

    "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    If you go down too deep, the water pressure will crush you and break you.

    Then the water comes in, and Junior and I die of asphyxiation?

    If that''s the case, I''ll use my dragon magic to enhance Shabon.

    and Veerle.

    A dragon you can always count on at any time of the day. If he''s up to it.

    It''s even more difficult to adjust this thing than I thought. If you pour too much magic into it, Shabong won''t be able to withstand it and it''ll break...?

    Good luck!

    Veerle can do it!

    In the meantime, Shabon was going deeper and deeper into the water, and it was completely dark, with not even sunlight reaching us anymore.

    However.

    I could sense the presence of "it" in the sea.

    I could sense that it was dark and my vision was about to be blocked.

    ''Well, we''re here.''

    There was a fish on the ocean floor.

    It''s not just a fish. A huge fish.

    So huge that just the word "huge" is not enough.

    Far too big!

    In front of that huge fish, even the dragonified Veerle would be a small insect in scale ratio.

    ''''What the hell is that fish...?''''

    Just the mere mention of such a huge body made a fundamental fear well up from the core of my body.

    It''s not just the size of the fish, but also the magnificence of the ocean that makes it so awe-inspiring.

    That''s mermaid country.

    What?

    "The fish itself is the capital of mermaid country.

    I didn''t understand what they were saying, but as I got closer, I eventually understood what they meant.

    Prathi and Queen Sheila swam up to the giant fish with my Shabong in tow, and to my surprise, I went into its mouth.

    ''''Eeeeee........?''''

    We went inside through the giant fish''s mouth and kept going, and eventually we came to a place where there was no water.

    There''s air.

    We got up there.

    ''Then no more Shavon is needed. Good night.

    Prathi said and sprinkled some kind of magic liquid on it again, and the Shavon cracked and disappeared without a sound.

    But I''m fine.

    I''ll say it again, there''s air here. We''re on the sea floor.

    "It''s inside that fish, isn''t it?¡¡Here...?

    Sir, can I have my Junior back?

    Prathi, too, took on the form of an earthling again with drugs and quickly re-hugged Junior.

    ''This giant fish is called Jigol. It was given to the mermaid race by the sea god Poseidos.

    Queen Sheila explained.

    Sheila explained: "It is said that this fish was sent to them by the sea god who took pity on the mermaids who lived in the depths of the sea, hiding behind rocks and other places. He said that the mermaids would be happy to live inside the body of the giant fish, which is a living organism that does not digest what it puts in its mouth and can come and go as it pleases.

    This is how the mermaids lived inside the body of the giant fish Zigol, and they even built a house and civilization there.

    That''s the Mermaid Kingdom...?

    ''''Now Gigol the giant fish is the capital of the mermaid nation and the land of the mermaid nation itself. More than 80% of all mermaids live in this land.

    The body of a giant fish is a mermaid city.

    It''s just like a fantasy setting.

    "If you go through that gate, you''ll be right in the territory of the mermaid kingdom. I''m sure the people of the country will welcome you with open arms, won''t they?

    Queen Sheila indicated that there was indeed a large gate.

    It is now closed tightly, so there is no way to see what is going on beyond.

    ''Mum, can''t we go in now?

    You must wait. There will be people coming later, won''t there?

    Are you a latecomer?

    At the same moment, there was a sound of water behind them with a zabang, and muscular men landed inside the giant fish.

    ''''Moss!''''

    It''s King Nagas and Prince Arowana.

    And further behind them were Puffa, Songokphong, Hakkai, Mr. Ardheg and his fellow travelers in training.

    ''Oh, so they were here too?

    I had my husband and little Arowana pull me into another Shabbos.

    ....Huh?

    But there''s no trace of Shavon, and all the non-human fishermen, including Songgokphong and Hakkai, are drenched.

    .....

    The soap cracked in the middle of the flight.

    What took you so long?¡¡I thought you were following right behind me.

    Sorry, Mother. It took me a while to get our special guest in before we left!¡¡Also, Shabong will break on the way...!

    I knew it was cracked.

    No, more importantly....

    Special guest?

    Who the hell are you talking about?¡¡I wondered, and at the same time the sound of water rose again with a thud.

    One of the last to come ashore.

    Does that mean he was the special guest in question?

    But......

    Are you...?

 296-294 End of the coup

    I am Bilan Bilan.

    I am a person who is truly concerned about the future of the mermaid nation.

    The mermaid nation is now on the verge of an unprecedented crisis.

    The end of the war.

    The war between human and demon kingdoms that seemed to last forever. The war between the human nation and the demon nation was thought to last forever, but it is over.

    The demon kingdom has won.

    In other words, the demon kingdom.

    Having won the victory, the demons will seek a new enemy with the momentum of the sunrise in order to taste more victory.

    That''s exactly what we mermaids are.

    It is self-evident that we are the only mermaids among the three strongest races, and we are the only ones who are not involved in the war.

    If a war breaks out, we mermaids will suffer a great deal.

    The worst thing that could happen is that we would end up following in the footsteps of the mermaid race and fall under the control of the demon race.

    That''s why we must avoid a war with the demon kingdom at all costs.

    For that reason, we must make a desperate movement, but the foolish mermaid royalty is not willing to do anything.

    They only covet the peace we have.

    This is not the way to go.

    If those who are obligated to do so will not move, then it is I, who truly care for my country, who must stand and lead it!

    Therefore, I am the true hero of the land of misery!

    * * * *

    Well.

    With like-minded friends gathered together, our Unguard Mermaid Squad has grown to a reasonable size.

    With this, we can take practical action.

    We can take action to save the mermaid kingdom from destruction.

    First and foremost, we must strengthen our relationship with the Demon Kingdom.

    We must build a friendship with the land lords and demonkind and make it impossible for them to attack us.

    I believe the most effective way to achieve this is through political marriage.

    If the Lord of the Demon Kingdom, the Demon King, gave the daughter of the mermaid royalty in marriage to the Demon King, the royal families of the Demon Kingdom and the Mermaid Kingdom would be related and the bond between them would increase.

    In fact, the story had been told before.

    The Mermaid King''s eldest daughter, Princess Prati, received an offer of marriage from the Demon Kingdom, but in the end, it was never decided and the marriage has drifted away.

    If only Princess Plati had married then, she wouldn''t have had to worry about it.

    The mermaid kingdom would have been safe.

    But it''s a waste of time to regret the past.

    We must look to the future.

    It''s not too late.

    All we have to do is make Princess Platy marry the Demon King.

    Then the demon kingdom and the mermaid kingdom will be friends and peace will last forever.

    His Majesty the Mermaid King Nargas has other princesses, but Princess Prati, the most beautiful and the most talented of them all, would be the best.

    The gift should be a luxury item.

    But now Princess Platy has left the mermaid kingdom after marrying a complete stranger.

    I have to bring Princess Platy back and make her marry into the Devil''s Land.

    The mermaid group of the Unguard Mermaid Squad gathered all their strength to search for her, but they couldn''t find her at all.

    In the meantime, they received some good news.

    Princess Platy herself has returned to the land of mermaids!

    This is a great opportunity!

    With our own hands, we will secure Princess Plati, and with our own hands, we will negotiate with the demon kingdom to make the marriage work!

    That''s exactly what those of us who care about the mermaid nation should do!

    * * *

    That day.

    That day that Lord Prati was returning home.

    A mountainous crowd of spectators was crowded in front of the main gate to enter and exit the country to greet him.

    They all adored the royalty and had gathered to catch a glimpse of them.

    They were peaceful fools.

    In the midst of the crowd, our heroes of the Unguard Mermaid Gang were also there.

    ''''All right, let''s go over the procedure, shall we?

    I, as the leader of the squad, say to my comrades who are in charge of the squad.

    ''Princess Prati will soon be entering from the main gate. We will attack there and take the princess into custody.

    And then I will marry her off to the Devil''s Land.

    There will be fierce battles with the guards, but you must get out of their way and bring Princess Platy to them!¡¡Bear in mind that the fate of the mermaid nation rests on this one battle!

    Um..., leader...

    One of the soldiers asked timidly.

    ''Are you sure?¡¡From what I''ve heard, Princess Prathi is married and has a child on the way. She is returning home to show that child to His Majesty the King, isn''t she?

    What about it?

    ''''No, um, I already have a family, and it''s a pity to separate them from it...?

    He''s a soldier who cares about trivial things.

    That''s why they''re lowly.

    "Look, Princess Prati is royalty.

    Yes...?

    Royalty must be sacrificed for the sake of the state.

    Protecting the country from danger and saving it from itself.

    That is the duty of royalty and the reason for their existence.

    Marrying into a demon kingdom is one of those sacrifices. It is natural for a royal person to marry someone who is more beneficial to the nation than the one he or she desires.

    In fact, Princess Prati is selfish for not doing so.

    We can think of it as our way of correcting her selfishness.

    We''d rather that Princess Prati should have no problems with her new bride. You can kill your ex-husband and child on the spot so that Princess Platy can marry a new bride with no problems. Then she will be able to marry into the Devil''s Land without any worries.

    ....?

    All right, here comes the princess.

    Don''t get wet.

    When the main gates are open and the princess''s presence is firmly confirmed, the mission is done.

    When this mission is successful, we will become the Mermaid Brigade and take control of politics in the mermaid kingdom!

    Main gate is open!

    Someone''s coming in!

    Make sure you''re okay!¡¡The princess would have flown right out.

    Oh.

    Isn''t it?

    She''s not a princess. She''s a prince.

    Prince Arowana?

    He hasn''t been out in public for years, why now?

    ''I''m home, ladies and gentlemen!¡¡Prince Arowana just returned from his training trip!

    A loud cheer went up from the surrounding welcoming spectators.

    We are hiding among these guys, but we can''t be bothered with all the noise around us.

    ''''I didn''t expect you to come back to Prince Arowana at this time...?

    In a time of national crisis, he went on a warrior training trip without a care in the world. He has no ability to read the time.

    If such an ordinary person becomes the Mermaid King, it will also be a national disaster.

    There is someone I would like to introduce to you all, even though we''ve just returned. A friend to my heart and an important man to my country!

    Hmm?

    "Demon Lord Zedan is here!

    Hmm?¡¡Huh?

    What is it, a line of demons standing side by side next to Prince Arowana, who seems to be very strong?

    And does that look familiar?

    Is that definitely the Lord of the Demon Kingdom, Demon King Zedan?

    ''''During your training journey, you have already visited the Demon City and agreed to sign a peace agreement. And today, the Demon King''s Palace has paid a visit to the Mermaid Kingdom accordingly!

    Prince Arowana is a rare hero!¡¡It is the greatest happiness for both countries to govern the country alongside him!

    .........

    We, the Yuukoku Mermaid Gang, as the first negotiating partner, know the face of the Demon King from portraits and the like.

    So I can say with certainty.

    That''s the Demon King.

    Prince Arowana, you''ve become best friends with the Demon King as part of your training journey?

    Our goal was to strengthen the relationship with the Demon Kingdom by bringing Princess Plati into the fold.

    Prince Arowana had already accomplished that?

    Then what is our position?

    ''There''s someone I''d like to introduce you to further!

    ''The third friend who has taken up our friendship!¡¡The name is...!

    ''''It''s Lord Saint Kidan!''''

    After Prince Arowana and the Demon King, a third man came out of the gate.

    This was a nondescript, hulking man, but...

    ........and next to him was Princess Prati with a baby in her arms!

    ''''This saintly lord is the husband of my sister Prati, one of the Almighty of the world!

    ''It is only under the Lord Saint that peace between the mermaid kingdom and the demon kingdom will be achieved!

    The Demon King and Prince Arowana talk about it at a good tempo.

    I think they''re in perfect synch.......!

    What would you do if a group of people were to harm your saint?¡¡Demon Lord?

    To Prince Arowana''s question, the demon king tame....

    "Destroy.

    I answered.

    ''I agree with you. The saint who took my sister Platy to wife is my brother-in-law. Anyone who tries to harm that entire family is an enemy of the entire mermaid nation!

    ............

    If this is..........

    Are you talking to us?

    You know what we''re up to?

    The Adversary Bilanvilan.

    I just got approached from behind!

    Who are you?

    You are Hendler of the Betas?

    And with a bunch of mermaid guards...?

    It''s long been revealed that you mermaids are planning an attack on the princess. Tie them up quietly.

    You.... you''re a debater...?

    You see? You see, Prince Arowana has already taken care of all your worries. A new mermaid kingdom under Prince Arowana''s rule will not need careless careless, thoughtless individuals who don''t trust a great ruler!

    Opposite!

    "Therefore, we will eliminate them!¡¡Guards, catch every last one of them!

    Ridiculous!

    Why are you arresting me?¡¡Why are you treating me like a criminal?

    Do I fear for the future of mermaid country?¡¡For the sake of my country...?

    No!

    Don''t gag me!

    Guggenheim.........?

 297-295 Mermaid Palace

    No, it''s going to work!

    Surprisingly good!

    Prince Arowana and the Demon King are all smiling broadly.

    That''s me.

    These two champions are nothing short of spectacular.

    ''''Just as I intended, we were able to arrest fifty of the tramps in the act. If we can get them to vomit dirt, it will be a fatal blow to more tramps.

    "It is good that the mermaid nation is stable. The new age, united by our friendship, will be a healthy one.

    Demon King, for this reason, he made a blitz visit to the mermaid country at the same time as me.

    At first, when this familiar person came ashore, I was like, "Why are you here? I was surprised, but the effect was extraordinary.

    "Isn''t the demon race going to attack the mermaid kingdom? I was able to blow away the rambling fears of the

    Here''s the explanation.

    In the Mermaid Kingdom, it seems that a group of rebels against the mermaid royalty has been smoldering.

    The fear that the mermaid kingdom and the demon kingdom might go to war was also fuelled by such groups.

    In order to increase the number of such people, Prince Arowana and his friends dared to create an opening.

    When they came out, they arrested them all at once.

    This was one of the meanings of Prince Arowana''s training journey.

    If we can hold the signing ceremony of the peace treaty tomorrow, the stability of the mermaid kingdom will be solidified. Even the insolent ones will not be able to move.

    I''m scared of royalty who think about that kind of thing every step of the way.

    It''s a world I can''t even imagine.

    My wife is part of the royal family, and she''s sitting next to me modestly changing Junior''s diaper.

    May this small life last forever.

    We had already reached the castle where the Mermaid King''s family lived on a daily basis.

    The interior of the castle is a strange structure with a river running through it, and mermaids swim through it to get around.

    There is also a section called the shore, where mermaids swim to rest and relax.

    The capital of the mermaid country is generally structured like that, and there are canals all over the city.

    It''s just like Venice.

    The canals even penetrate into the interior, and they are the passage of mermaids.

    It''s amazing that such complicated and full facilities are inside one big fish.

    According to the story, the body of this giant fish is divided into several compartments, some of which are half-water and half-land, while others are completely filled with water.

    I guess the mermaids live in different areas according to their preferences.

    It''s more and more perfect.

    It seems that such an unexplored region, the mermaid capital, is rare even for the strongest species of dragons.

    "Ho!¡¡It''s huge!¡¡I can''t believe we''re in the belly of a big fish!

    Yes, Sister Veerle.

    If it''s this big, you think it''s safe for me to come back to you?

    That''s very true, Sister Veerle.

    Want to try it out?

    Let''s do it, Sister Veerle!

    Stop it.

    Veerle and Mr. Ardheg stop in a hurry as they try to return to dragon form.

    Even if there was no problem in terms of volume, if two dragons suddenly appeared, they would panic.

    Especially Ardhegg, who seemed like a sensible gentleman, but he''s just a dragon.

    Also, there was a lot of activity at the royal palace as we were reunited with the other Prati siblings.

    I had only thought Prati''s place was Prince Arowana, Prati and Angel, but it was sweet.

    There were still many, vastly more.

    Two brothers and four sisters.

    And, to my horror, I heard there were still plans to breed them.

    Mr. and Mrs. Mermaid King and his wife are so close, they have no place to stay!

    I was like.

    ''I can''t lose, sir!¡¡We''re going to breed even more from now on!

    Prathi, who had inherited the gene, was now ready to rival him.

    ''''Mm!¡¡We''re going to be a royal family with Astareth and Grashara, and we''re going to have lots of kids too!

    Even the Demon King is inspired by this?

    Well, I don''t oppose it because it''s a good thing to have more children for the next generation.

    Rich country, strong army, rich country, strong army.

    And so it seemed that my stay in the mermaid kingdom was going to be peaceful, but...

    * * * *

    Father, Mother, I need to speak to you.

    This is where Prince Arowana made his move.

    That''s right, this visit was not only for Prati''s homecoming, my wedding greetings, and to show my grandchildren''s faces to the Mermaid King and his wife, but also for a more important reason.

    It was also the return of Prince Arowana, who had completed his training.

    Since he was the rightful successor to the Mermaid King, this was more important.

    But the prince was waiting for us to complete all of our requirements without a hitch, as if he was looking out for us.

    He''s a really good guy.

    ''I''m sorry I''m late to greet you, Arowana, too. It''s nice to see you after all these years, Mom.

    Mooch!

    Both parents are happy to see their son back.

    I can tell just by looking at him that he''s gotten stronger, partly because of his training. It sounds like you had a very meaningful trip.

    ''Your mother is right. The difficulties of the land have taught me many things. It is essential for me to govern the country from now on...

    Come to me...

    What?

    Without hearing a reply, the Mermaid Queen cradled her son, Prince Arowana, in her arms.

    Prince Arowana''s face was buried in her still youthful, taut breasts.

    "Mother, yeah!¡¡It''s time to stop this kind of nonsense...?

    It''s all right. You can come back to the breast that held you as a baby once in a while.

    It''s a really tough attack on a big man over 20 years old.

    No matter how much you grow up, you''re still just a child in front of your mother!

    ''It seems like only yesterday that you were sucking on my tits so hard as you did this. That''s really cute, my bladder...

    Wait a minute.

    Mother''s voice complaining to the Queen, full of happiness.

    It''s.....

    "Puffa?

    It was Puffa, who had been in attendance as a companion on the Prince of Arowana''s journey.

    He''d been strangely quiet up until now, and now the sharp knife-like nature of his possessions was exposed?

    ''Isn''t that too indiscreet for the next mermaid king?¡¡The king is also called the father of the nation. Treating a father as if he were a child is a source of contempt for the people.

    ..........

    Hee!

    The queen''s expression was deathly cold!

    However, the coldness was only for a moment, and it quickly returned to a cheerful smile.

    It was so instantaneous that I thought I was alone in my illusion.

    ''You''re right, you''re right. You are right, Arowana, you are going to be the next in line of responsibility for your darling, and you should treat her accordingly.

    ... hahaha...

    I''m glad you could warn me. You''re a good girl. What''s your name?

    My name is Puffa. I''m the one who overreacted.

    Puffa is speaking respectfully.........?

    This kind of unique atmosphere made everyone nervous.

    Even our junior is gulping down a gulp of air.

    ''''........So, father and mother, I''d like to continue our conversation.

    ''Oh, I know. You had something to say and I just broke my hip. What do you mean by that?

    I think it''s time for me to get myself together...

    At this assertion, the queen-sama''s expression fades once again.

    Mooch!

    ''As a matter of fact, many offers of marriage have come in. All of them are from ladies of mermaiddom. I''ll select the most suitable mermaid lady for the next queen.

    Then he tries to produce a pile of something that looks like an arranged photo....

    ''''No, Mother, I have already decided who should be my companion.

    Prince Arowana said, "This puffa is worthy to be my companion for life.

    This Puffa is worthy to be my companion for life. I beg your permission, Father and Mother!

    Prince Arowana took Puffa by the shoulders and held her in his arms.

    At that moment, everyone noticed this time.

    The mermaid queen was emitting a mischievous qi that even the demon king was surprised to see.

 298-296 Bride-in-law War

    Mooch!

    Please shut up, darling.

    More....

    The Mermaid King immediately said something, but was instantly chided by his wife and shunned.

    Perhaps that was ''permission! The word "moss" may mean "to be" or "to be".

    I don''t want to have to use the word "moss" to describe all of his intentions, though.

    "....Arowana-chan.

    My Queen, I turn again.

    To Prince Arowana and her son, Puffa''s son and his wife.

    ''Your mother loves you with all her heart. She wants your life to be happy all the way through.

    Then give me permission to marry you.

    Prince Arowana pressed on.

    ''I know my place, too. I want to be married with the blessing of my beloved father and mother!

    He was very aggressive.

    I wonder if Prince Arowana has acquired such a pushy temperament through his training journey.

    I don''t think he had it before.

    I think it will be an important factor in the process of policy making.

    ''By the way, you mentioned Puffa-san, right?¡¡Which way is the school coming out?

    ''''... nowhere in particular. I taught myself medicinal magic mostly on my own.

    An auditory hallucination like the sound of crisping and cracking every time you step on thin ice echoes through the room.

    What''s this tension!

    That''s not right. The queen is illiterate, it''s a blot on the face of the state.

    Isn''t it obscure to assume that someone is uneducated simply because they haven''t finished school?¡¡The potions that Atay makes are better than those educated elites, right?

    You''re a very confident girl, aren''t you? It''s rare to find a girl who doesn''t know what''s going on in the world who''s as confident as you are.

    I have seen the world with Prince Arowana. If you call Atai naive, then your son''s journey was meaningless.

    Scissipip scissip...!

    Nothing is broken, but you can clearly hear the disintegration?

    Scary!

    The clash of wits between Queen Sheila and Puffa!

    Is that why the air is choking!

    Could this be one of the most terrifying things in the world?

    A war between mother-in-law and mother-in-law?

    "Mother!¡¡Puffa!¡¡I mean, calm down, I mean...!

    Mostly, mostly, mostly, mostly...!

    The Mermaid King father and son just cringed.

    It''s no good being a man.

    But that doesn''t mean I, with whom I have less of a relationship with, can''t get in on it, and I don''t have the guts.

    Who the hell is supposed to be the mediator?

    Well........I guess I''ll just have to take a trip....

    The one who came forward to say that........

    Oh!

    You are my wife, Prati.

    Queen Sheila''s beloved daughter and Puffa''s evil friend.

    In other words, the position she occupies in this situation is that of a little mother-in-law!

    ''The role of the little mother-in-law is to stand between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law and intercede for each!¡¡You mermaid princess Prati, I''ll do my royal duty once in a while!

    I''m counting on you, my wife!

    You''re going to help ease some of this tension!

    Don''t say a word about little Platy.

    Platy, cleanse yourself.

    I was played by one word and slogged back.

    Little mother-in-law weak.

    ''''No, I won''t lose!''''

    I was excited.

    ''I''m a mother now!¡¡My mother is strong!¡¡Giant Steps with Mother Power!

    Come on!

    Mom!¡¡Listen to me!

    So I won''t talk to you until I get rid of this thing and then we can take our time...

    I don''t care!

    Queen Sheila pauses for a moment to adjust her stance to the spirit of her daughter''s release.

    Great job, Prati!

    ''Actually, I agree with your brother''s marriage to Puffa!

    First, state your position clearly.

    ''Because it sounds interesting!''

    The motives are scattered, though.

    ''''Well Mom seems to be opposed to the marriage because of Puffa''s lack of education. I don''t see anything wrong with that. Because Puffa is the best potions master in all of mermaid country!

    He is one of the best magicians in his own right, and that''s why he''s so convincing.

    ''You know, mum, the six witches that are rumoured to be around?

    What''s that, the Mad Hexenbiest?

    ''You don''t have to say it in full. .........Anyway, Puffa here is ranked as one of the Six Witches, along with Attah!¡¡That''s not the most remarkable thing about her abilities!

    Being counted as one of the six witches is practically like being recognized as a top class potions user.

    ''''I think that alone is a brand worthy of the Mermaid Queen!

    But a witch probably also has the connotation of being a ''problem child''...?

    Don''t say a word about that!

    The queen also boldly tried to argue with him.

    Prati, it''s not all magic that is taught in school. It is also a place to learn etiquette, social etiquette and the art of living. It''s also a place to learn etiquette, social skills and the art of living, which is more important than anything else for royalty.

    But then again, I''m not even out of school.

    Says Prati, a full-fledged mermaid royalty.

    "Last school dropout from Mermaid Witch Academy!

    You are proud to say that?

    I have no problem being a royal, and people from other countries even offer to marry me, so it should be okay for Puffa to be queen, right?

    "Platy...!¡¡I can''t believe you''re so protective of Atai...!¡¡You''re really a good guy........!

    The party in question, Pfa, was in tears.

    Furthermore, the Mermaid King, the Mermaid Prince, father and son, who were just standing on the sidelines behind him, were so pathetic.

    Because it would be more interesting to have an outlaw like you as a queen in the future because the country would be in turmoil.

    You little mother-in-law?

    I don''t even know where my mom goes to school.¡¡I''ve never heard of it, and I don''t see why a mom like that would have any business talking about her wife with her education.

    It seems that Prati''s covering shot hit a pretty accurate point, and the queen-sama let out a sigh instead of a rebuttal.

    ''''Well Prathi, you''re right. My mom never went to school either.

    I knew it. I knew it, Mum, you are a budding pharmacy wizard. I didn''t think you had any learning experience.

    Prathi''s reading was nothing short of frightening.

    This would destroy the queen''s rationale of ''opposing Puffa because he doesn''t have any education''.

    ''''Well it can''t be helped. Then let''s not oppose her from that side.''''

    Why are you so stubborn about it?

    Why do you have to be so stubborn?

    "Well, I''ll tell you what. Mr. Puffa, you said you were one of the Six Mad Demonesses, right?

    Yes.

    "Then I shall frankly test your qualifications as a witch to see if you are fit to be queen. In person.

    What?

    Both Puffa and Prathi twist their heads, wondering what they''re going to say all of a sudden.

    And the men are completely airborne.

    ''You mean to test our abilities?¡¡You don''t want to do that?¡¡Even if you let them fight a mock battle, that''s exactly what Puffa''s opponent would have to be, even if they''re not the same witch. Even the head of Mermaid Witch Academia has a heavy burden.

    It sounds like a terrible thing to say, but that''s how good Puffa is.

    ''''Then it''s easiest to see how good you are by hitting a witch with a witch, right?

    ?

    The queen''s words were increasingly unintelligible.

    Does she mean she''s going to make one of the six witches, Puffa, fight the other witches?

    But with whom?

    I don''t think all the other five witches, including Prathi, would be on the side of stopping the marriage of Puffa and Prince Arowana, would they?

    .... or is it four, to be exact?

    Is there still one more unidentified person in the Six Witches?

    It''s me you have to fight.

    ?

    It''s a long time ago now. It''s time to remember the time when Sheila Cannes was known as the Witch of the Dark (adobeer).

    The queen says the unexpected.

    The war of wives and daughters-in-law is now about to be thrust into a confrontation between the witches.

 299-297 Freezing cold vs dark

    "Whaaaaaaahhhh?¡¡My mom''s a dark witch?¡¡My mom?¡¡Um!?

    Prati was the one who was most shocked by the facts that were told to her.

    It''s my mother, and you didn''t know?

    And stop shouting too loudly, Junior cries.

    ''Speaking of ''dark witches'', the only six witches are unidentified!¡¡Various theories were fought over, including the ''dugong theory,'' ''refraction of light theory,'' ''experimental creatures developed by royalty,'' ''plasma theory,'' ''conspiratorial fabrication theory,'' and ''anomalous weather theory,'' a mystery within a mystery suspected of being real!

    It was such a mystery to me.

    That''s my mother?

    Well, what a surprise.

    Brother!¡¡Dad!¡¡You guys knew about this important fact........?

    Accused by their daughter and sister, the men of the Mermaid King''s family shuddered awkwardly....

    ''These guys!''

    Prati indignant.

    ''Wait, wait, sister. I wasn''t hiding it from you out of spite. It''s all for your mother''s sake!

    Mooch!

    "Your mother hates the fact that she is the Dark Witch, and she doesn''t want anyone to know about it. That''s why she doesn''t want anyone to know or talk about it. It was an accident that I found out. I was so shocked at the time that I locked myself in my room for two nights!

    Mooch!

    The prince is full of excuses.

    Is being a witch really such a bad thing in the past for the queen?

    So why are you willingly revealing yourself to us now?

    "Is that how opposed you are to my marriage with Puffa...?

    Mooch!

    Why?¡¡As expected, I didn''t expect to be rejected with all my might to that extent...?

    Leaving Prince Arowana''s confusion behind, the situation proceeded to accelerate.

    ''''Alright, I understand. If defeating your mother-in-law is a condition of your marriage, then I''ll shark your heart out and do my best to break it down and let you in.

    ''You''re not ready to call me mother yet, are you?¡¡Everything will be won in the game and then you''ll show that you''re qualified to be my wife?

    The mood for a duel was growing among the parties involved.

    What on earth will happen to this mother-in-law problem?

    * * * *

    In.

    Even if we were to duel, there were many problems in the castle, so we decided to move to a different location.

    What a battle on the open sea, out of the body of a giant fish, the capital of mermaids.

    This would not only keep the people around us out of harm''s way, but it would also protect the secrecy of the battle without the eyes of the rest of the world reaching us.

    We were allowed to watch the battle as a concerned party.

    The people on the ground, including me and the demon king, were to watch the game under the sea, wrapped in soap bubbles.

    Two beautiful mermaids with their lower bodies changed back to fish were staring at each other at the bottom of the sea where the sunlight did not reach.

    ''''Hmm, I don''t get it........!

    Prathi, the spectator and Shabbos keeper, is standing beside me.

    He''s been tilting his head incessantly since a while ago.

    What is the matter with you?

    I still can''t accept the fact that my mother is a dark witch. She was originally a mysterious ''dark witch'', but I didn''t expect her to be my mom...?

    Well, it''s hard to accept a family member''s hidden side, isn''t it?

    But since Princess Prati is also the "Crown Witch", it''s not that unlikely.

    Mother and daughter are both witches.

    Isn''t it possible?

    I don''t think that''s what I''m talking about. As I said, my mum doesn''t know anything about pharmacy magic.

    What?

    A witch is a title given to the most viciously skilled potions users. But even as a child, I had never seen my mother handle a potion. Not even wielding a test tube...

    This is why I never dreamed of my mother being a witch.

    It''s not because she is a family member, but because she is an outstanding witch herself, that the decision she made was completely betrayed.

    Is that what''s baffling to Prati?

    Such outside analysis aside, tensions between the parties involved are rising.

    ''''If it''s contingent on winning, we''ll do our best to crush it...!

    ''You don''t have to be a lousy honorary speaker, do you?¡¡You should use language appropriate to your crass upbringing.

    "..........?¡¡If that''s the case, I won''t hold back in any way, Obasan!

    The first move.

    Puffa throws out a test tube filled with potions.

    The contents would be her specialty, freezing potion.

    Originally, the ocean was her home, the mermaid.

    Her battles at home were much more fluid and speedy than the ones on earth.

    ''''Hmm?''''

    The potion-filled test tube cracks open on its own, leaking its contents before it can reach the queen''s enemy.

    It mixes with the seawater to form large chunks of ice and lumps that drift around them.

    Isn''t that an attack?

    Why is that nonsensical...?

    That''s Puffa''s signature order.

    Prince Arowana, who was also joining the line of spectators, said.

    ''''Oh, and place several ice blocks as obstacles, so that the enemy''s escape route is blocked and the cold air emitted by the ice slows them down. In this way, they block their opponents'' escape routes and the cold air emitted by the ice slows them down. Puffa''s method of combat is very methodical, despite its appearance...!

    Prince Arowana has traveled with us, so he knows what Puffa is thinking.

    He''s a kindred spirit and mature couple.

    That''s already blocked the way out for Mom. Even if there was some kind of trump card, all of them would be crushed. It''s a good thing that Puffa, despite his appearance, is a solid fighter.

    It seems that the jamming situation has already been completed.

    Puffa, who intends to order but also intends to fold up all at once, threw a test tube with magic potion at the queen.

    It flies through the seawater.

    ''''If it hits, you win!

    It would be the main offensive potion.

    To avoid it, you can''t move because the ice blocks around you are in the way. There was no way for the princess to surpass it.

    It was that time.

    We were not the participants in the game, but rather spectators, when an unexpected intruder came in our direction.

    Someone jumped in at great speed!

    Into the audience zone where we are!

    Look out!¡¡You thought your soap would explode on impact!

    What the hell was just jumping out of the sky?¡¡People?

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡¡It''s really Sheila''s sister is fighting.¡¡Why ehhhhh?

    It was a person, or rather a mermaid.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you get your hands on it.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    It is said that she is the oldest of the six witches, so why is she here?

    "Ahoy!¡¡Our research center''s measuring equipment emitted a strange underwater gain, so why don''t you come and see!¡¡My premonition came true!¡¡And there''s a bad premonition!

    What the hell?¡¡What''s going on here?

    Don''t play dumb with me, and tell me what you have to say if you have useful information.¡¡Or is it a blatant death flag!

    Zos Saira. Do you know who my mother is?

    Says Prati.

    ''You''re a generation or two ahead of the other witches, and you know a lot more than most. What''s the hurry?¡¡What''s the secret of a mom who can''t use medicinal magic and is called a witch?

    The Witch of the Crown, the Nushira is here too. Isn''t Okubo with you today?

    The mermaid''s characteristic color-blur will have to wait!

    Anyway, we have the perfect commentator and the story gets deeper.

    ''''Sister Sheila is not incapable of using pharmacy magic. She doesn''t use it.

    ?

    To be precise, we don''t need to resort to such degrading practices as potions.

    Bagong!¡¡And.

    A crushing sound occurred that echoed well in the water.

    ''Too much noise will wake Junior up!

    I looked and saw that all the ice blocks surrounding Queen Sheila had shattered.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.

    ''''!¡¡!

    Puffa also had a look of confusion on her face, not knowing what had happened.

    The puffa''s position has been breached?¡¡And all in an instant?

    It was probably the queen''s doing.

    But no one knew what exactly he had done.

    Except for a few people.

    "That''s the magic that Sister Sheila uses...!

    Zos Saira jumps in and says with a shiver.

    The magic that once existed in the ancient times of the mermaid race, buried in history and vanished.... The medicinal magic is nothing more than a diluted and degraded version of it. The true magic of the mermaid race, feared and sealed by even the gods....

    The name is.........

    Sacred Chanting Magic...!

 300-298 Sirens voice

    ''Sie kammt es mit goldenem Kamme, Und singt ein Lied dabei; Das hat eine wundersame, Gewaltige Melodei.......''

    Queen Sheila begins to sing.

    Strangely enough, her voice echoed throughout the sea.

    It was so cleanly audible to my ears in the air, blocked by soap bubbles in the sea water.

    What..., this song is not normal...?

    ''What are you doing, you stupid disciple!¡¡Guard it with Potions!

    Puffa, who was fighting against him, and Zos Saira, who had just intruded, were said to have been master and disciple in the past.

    Puffa reacted quickly on the advice of his old teacher.

    He cracked a test tube filled with magic potion and formed an ice shield in front of it.

    That ice shield shattered in an instant.

    Puffa, blown away by the impact.

    ''''Ughhhh!

    "That was close...!¡¡If you had been a moment later, you would have been hit by a direct hit...!

    The connection between teacher and student came to life in a strange way.

    ''The old witch!¡¡What the hell is going on?¡¡What the hell is Mom doing to Puffa?

    You''re old!¡¡Lady Sheila is older than you are.¡¡And yet, because she keeps her existence a secret, she''s the oldest of the six witches in this world!

    ''I don''t care about that part!¡¡Commentary!¡¡That''s why you''re here!

    It''s Prati''s forcefulness.

    Zos Saira has no choice but to explain.

    ...the chanting spell is a technique of using the voice to control magic. A landlord''s magic is conjured by spells, right?¡¡It''s the closest thing to that.

    Indeed, Queen Sheila has been singing gobbledygook for a while now.

    All the while, Puffa is shocked and retreating as if she is being struck by something invisible.

    "Just now, you said that this chanting magic is the original magic of the mermaid race, right?

    Mermaids used to be able to control their magic with words, just like land people. They used words and music as well. But mermaids must have had a much better aptitude for magic than land men. The power of their chanting magic far surpassed that of any other, and nearly destroyed the world.

    Zos Saira, who is apparently doing his own research away from the mermaid kingdom, knows something that no one else knows.

    The sea gods have taken a serious look at the mermaids and have taken the chanting magic away from them and sealed it away. It is said that the gods of the sea saw it as a pity that the mermaids had nothing, so they gave them apothecary magic and the giant fish, Zigol, instead. That was a long time ago.

    If that''s true, how is it that my mother could do ancient magic that should be extinct?

    It''s called retribution, isn''t it?¡¡The details of how this happened are unknown to the straw man, but Sister Sheila was born with the most powerful and dangerous power of the mermaid race!

    Fortunately or unfortunately, according to Zos Saira, Queen Sheila was born with enormous talents, but she had a sense of humour, as if her powers were being swept away by her own.

    As a young girl, Zos Saira was beaten to a pulp on the spot and forced to become her prefect.

    Sheila Cannes, a young witch, was able to do such acts with ease because of her inherent power.

    It was Sheila Cannes, the young witch, who could easily do such a thing by running amok with her power. She once tried to destroy the world by having Wara and Carp form a great magic formula. Of course, we were stopped in the middle, but...

    Blocked?¡¡Who the f*ck is...?

    He''s right over there, you see.

    I followed Zos Saira''s gaze, and there was a huge old man mermaid.

    ''''Mermaid king...?''''

    It was that young man who persuaded your sister to stop. The world was about to collapse. And we were saved, because we couldn''t stand up to her, but...

    Such an epic past story...?

    Mermaids have always been madly in love.

    "Yes, sir.

    The fat man gained the power to oppose Sister Sheila''s recitation with his own words in exchange for a pledge. He got the power to counter Sister Sheila''s chanting.

    His Majesty the Mermaid King is amazing.

    "Since then I can only say ''yes'', but that was enough to stop Sister Sheila from doing that," said the fearsome man. But now that she''s using the chanting magic again, I don''t know if the world is in danger again!

    Since Zos Saira was a party to the past, the way she was frightened was very real.

    While this is happening, the battle is still going on.

    But it is no longer a battle.

    Queen Saira''s magical song was only laying waste to Pfa one way or another.

    ''Den Schiffer im Kleinen Schiffe Ergreift es mit wildem Weh; Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe, Er schaut nur hinauf in die Hoh''.......

    Queen Sheila''s holy chanting magic seems to be always effective while she is singing, and Puffa is about to be scraped down by the swirling ocean currents.

    ''''This oooh!''''

    Puffa threw six test tubes at him at once, but the ocean currents bounced them off of him and showed no effect.

    ''''Absolute zero potions...?¡¡Even Atai''s most powerful potion doesn''t work...?

    Even so, the fact that they were able to hold out until this point was proof that Puffa was an unparalleled powerhouse.

    Whether you are a mermaid, human race or demon race, an ordinary user would have finished in less than three seconds.

    But that, too, can no longer be sustained.

    ''Ich blaube, die Wellen verschlingen Am Ende Schiffer und Kahn; Und bas hat mit ihrem Singen Die Lore-Ley getan.......''

    On the verge of being swallowed by the torrent that the chanting creates....

    "Liar!

    The slash of the hurricane tore through the ocean current.

    "?

    "Ah, anta!

    Queen Sheila also stopped singing due to the suddenness of the situation.

    What do you think you''re doing, Arowana-chan?

    Yes, it was Prince Arowana who interrupted the game.

    I''m not sure when it happened, but he swung the half-moon blade I had made and slashed through the ocean current.

    It''s a tremendous slash.

    I didn''t know that it was capable of producing such power.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. You mustn''t interfere with it.

    ''No, I will interrupt you. Because this is my fight, too.

    What?

    The future of Puffa and I can be together depends on this battle. "The future of Puffa and I can''t afford not to fight for this fight. I can''t be accused of being a pimp who works only for his wife.

    Then he held up his contraption.

    I respect your father more and more after hearing what Lord Zos Saira has to say. I can''t help but learn from your directness to love. So I will turn the contradiction to your mother!

    "If that''s what you mean..." "I''ll do it too, right?

    !

    A dragon and an angel appeared to shelter the young couple.

    That''s Mr. Ardhegg and Songgokphong!

    "In our travels, we have always joined forces. Let us follow the same example this time.

    That''s the last boss, isn''t it?¡¡Yeah!

    The friends who traveled with Prince Arowana are all together again........

    He''s the only one in that party who can''t act underwater, so he''s normally drowning!

    Come on, Hakkai!

    You''re with me!

    "....you''re with me!

    Princess Sheila stared at the group for a few moments, then quickly retreated.

    ''''It''s not fair, if they are so united, I''ll have to retreat.

    Mother...

    ''Or does little Arowana want to sack her mom with so many friends?¡¡It''s terrible, mommy, I''m so sad I''m going to cry...!

    No, it''s not...?

    Prince Arowana is upset when he is shown the gesture of crying.

    A man is vulnerable to his mother, no matter how old he is.

    ''''.........Does this mean the game is over?''''

    Mooch!

    For a while, I wondered what would happen.

    Puffa and the others were able to defeat Queen Sheila, who was showing more strength than they had expected, by the secret technique of the bond between their friends.

    ''''Yay!¡¡I won!

    ''''I''m happier than I was when we defeated the Geyser Dragon!

    Outside of the puffers'' jubilation, Queen Sheila quickly left by herself.

    She''s coming to the audience zone where we are.

    ''''Well I''ve seen a terrible travesty, Mom.

    ....

    Prathi with her unrelenting flippancy.

    This kind of thing is really Prati, but her mother, Princess Sheila, didn''t respond.

    If you''re going to back down so easily, you shouldn''t have opposed it from the start. What did you want to do by spilling secrets you don''t want to share with us?

    The fact that she was a ''dark witch'' was now also in the light of day.

    Queen Sheila began to speak as if she couldn''t bear to keep her in there.

    ''''Because..., because...!

    Hmm?

    ''Because I didn''t want you to be taken, Arowana!

    I shouted that and the rest of the time I hugged His Majesty the Mermaid King and cried out.

    Impossible to talk to her.

    To her, Prince Arowana is her son. He''s the first boy born.

    What she thought would always be hers and hers alone would become another woman''s. She wanted to disagree with him for no reason. You want to oppose it for no reason.

    I''m sure I understand now.

    Prathi said as she took Junior in her arms.

    If you start saying things like that........ ........I''ll definitely kill that woman.

    Don''t do it, okay?

    A mother has a mother''s, unnameable feelings for her son.

    It will be forever incomprehensible to a man.

    Well.

    Now that the battle is over, it''s time to rescue Hakkai.

    He was struggling in a hurry a moment ago, and now he''s not twitching anymore!

    * * *

    Hakkai managed to come up for air with artificial respiration.

    He returned to the capital of the mermaid kingdom and was in a happy mood again.

    The only newcomer in the middle of the day, Zos Saira, is being strangled by Queen Sheila.

    ''When did Zos become so chatty, Zos?¡¡Don''t you think it''s unclassy to go around touching on a woman''s past?

    ''Ad nauseam!¡¡Wala-ha!¡¡I''m trying to speak for something that''s hard for him to reveal!¡¡Because all you can do is take care of it, because if you really lose your temper, the world is going to disappear!

    Zos Saira was such a hard worker....

    I feel sorry for him. Next time you come to visit the farm, I''ll give you a little more time alone with Okubo.

    ''''But I''m surprised to learn that Arowana''s girlfriend is a student of Zos.

    Princess Sheila says, not loosening her choke sleeper to its extreme on Zos Saira.

    Sheila says, "Come on, tell me. Sheila says, "You can''t wait to tell me. Being Zosu''s apprentice is not like a niece to me.

    The equivalent of your sister is dying because she can''t breathe, sir?

    If it''s a girl like that, I can safely leave my Arowana in your care. She''s a bit too serious and inflexible, but I''d be happy to oblige.

    Yay!

    It was decided easily.

    I wondered what all the fuss was about so far.

    ''You did it, Puffa!¡¡Now we are blessed to be husband and wife!

    ''Let''s have the ceremony now!¡¡And the kids!¡¡I''m not going to spread the delay with Plati!

    They were in the mood for a wedding ceremony.

    I thought to myself, "This is going to be a celebration with no time to breathe.

    Oh my, we can''t get married yet!

    "What?

    The couple''s excitement stopped at the words from the Queen.

    ''What do you mean, Mother?¡¡Your mother would have approved of us, wouldn''t she?

    ''Atashi approved of you guys getting along, but not until you''re married. I mean, even if Attah and Darling approved of it, the world wouldn''t approve of it, would it?

    "What?!

    Prince Arowana will become the Mermaid King in the future, so of course he will need society''s approval for his marriage.

    ''You see, a girl who is called a witch usually comes with a bill of goods and is highly publicized, right?¡¡I know because I was a witch myself, you know?

    Eeeeee...?

    I had to go through a lot of hardship before I got married to my darling. Puffa-chan, you have to work hard to become a woman worthy of being a mermaid queen, don''t you?

    He was too righteous to make a sound.

    Puffa was originally a prisoner, so he couldn''t marry the king without thinking about it more and more.

    You''re at Prati''s husband''s farm, right?¡¡That''s where our young kids should be studying, so why don''t you teach them a class?

    ''I see!¡¡If you can win the hearts of the people by teaching a promising girl mermaid, you''ll be in a better position to marry your brother!¡¡Mom, nice idea!

    It was almost certain that Puffa''s life on the farm would continue, as he rode to Prati.

    The road to marriage between Prince Arowana and Puffa is still a long way off.

 301-299 Another way home

    My name is Hendler.

    I am a mermaid who lives in the land of mermaids.

    My gender is male.

    My occupation is a debater.

    I am proud of being a common mermaid who can be found everywhere.

    But...

    Recently, I''m not so sure.

    Because he''s always receiving special missions from Prince Arowana, the future leader of the mermaid kingdom.

    At one point, he was sent to his younger sister, Princess Plati.

    I even swam around among the mermaid nobles to mediate for the second princess, Angel.

    And now.

    Finally, they used force.

    I had to roast all the criminals who were disgruntled with the mermaid royalty and capture them all at once.

    I was to put the finishing touches to this.

    The strangers who had rallied to kidnap the returning Princess Platy were to be rounded up.

    We would round them up.

    I was in charge of the army.

    You can''t just leave that to the generals? But he couldn''t even make a big deal out of the operation because he didn''t know where the insurgents were lurking, and he left everything to me, who he could trust with certainty.

    I''m glad they trust me, but I have reason to be honestly happy about it.

    I am a debater, not a soldier.

    A debater is in the field, reading the times and explaining to the world in a way that is easy to understand, while at the same time arguing with other debaters to find a better policy.

    Sometimes they act as advisors to powerful people.

    In other words, they move their mouths but never their limbs.

    There is no such thing as the use of force.

    I can understand why Prince Arowana ordered me to command his troops.

    It''s about my origins.

    I''m the second son of a mermaid aristocrat, and my family is a family of soldiers who have been in charge of the mermaid kingdom''s military.

    It''s called the Beta family.

    My father is an active general in the Mermaid Kingdom.

    His sons were given a thorough military education from an early age, and were promised to become the military elite.

    I was among them.

    But I refused to follow the ruts that had been carved in my mind.

    I refused to follow the same path my brothers had taken and went down to the field alone to become an orator.

    Naturally, I was disowned by my home and told I would not be allowed to return, even at my parents'' funeral.

    I knew that was unavoidable.

    I had to pay a price to get my way.

    And.

    I returned to my parents'' house for the first time in a long time.

    "Yeah.........?

    Naturally, I wanted to talk to you about the anti-royalist roundup.

    It''s a good idea to have a detailed report on the results of the operation and apologize for the fact that I, an outsider, commanded the troops on my own.

    And that''s why I reported to the top brass of the military.

    And my family is of military stock, so if you throw a stone at the top brass, it will almost always hit your relatives.

    This time, when I was going to report the matter, I was told that I''ll ask at home, so I couldn''t avoid visiting them.

    I didn''t think I''d return home like this...?

    The timing of Prince Arowana''s return from his training trip, I would also be returning to my parents'' home.

    No one is expecting this.

    "Oh, Hendler!¡¡You''re finally here!

    My brother greeted me from the doorway.

    It was my oldest son, Wild.

    He was the one I was originally supposed to report to, and he is now the Captain of the Kingsguard.

    ''''It''s been a long time, brother. I''d like to quickly discuss the charges and treatment of the subject of your capture.......

    ''It doesn''t matter!¡¡Now, get in the house!

    What do I care?

    It doesn''t matter!¡¡The cutting down of royal assailants is an important part of the Kingsguard''s job!

    ''You have nothing to refrain from, it''s your house to begin with!¡¡My father is waiting for me, and he''s making his gills long!¡¡Quickly!

    Is your father home too?

    No, wait a minute, it''s as if he doesn''t want to see you or doesn''t want to see you!

    Wait, I just came to report...?

    * * * *

    You''re the worst of my children.

    My father, Beta Traditional, said.

    He is the head of the Betas, a family of distinguished military men, and now he is to be the greatest general in the Mermaid Kingdom''s military service.

    This is the mermaid who most embodies my family''s style, a name that will live on for generations to come.

    He was born a son of mine, but instead of being a soldier, he chose to be a debater, a debauchee, a weakling, a prodigal who stains our family name.

    You know, the minute I got home, I was all tapped out like this.

    That''s why I didn''t feel comfortable with it. I don''t have a heart of steel that doesn''t get hurt by being abused, either.

    But that doesn''t mean I''m na?ve enough to leave it at that.

    With all due respect, sir, it''s not your father''s idea that the debaters are weak. Being an editorial writer means risking one''s life to see the future of the country through the words of one''s mouth.

    "It is not with our mouths that we shape the future, but with our hands. At least that''s what all my ancestors did. It is our duty as a military family to do so.

    ''Therefore I have been disassociated from this house. I am going to be a debater, not as a relation of the Betta family, but as a mere man. I have no right to complain.

    It can''t be.

    Father said grimly.

    Nothing had changed from the old days.

    Years ago, he and my father had had these arguments, and eventually they had broken up and left the house.

    He hadn''t stopped by the house once since then because he knew that if he saw her, this would happen again.

    ''Well, well!¡¡So much for the discussion, father!

    My brother stepped forward to intercede.

    ''You didn''t call Hendler back to talk about that today, did you?¡¡There''s more to the story, isn''t there?

    Mmm....!

    After being admonished by his brother, your father changed his attitude.

    My father has always had a soft spot for my brother.

    The eldest son, an honor student, and the second son, a dropout.

    It''s inevitable that there will be a difference in the treatment of the common composition.

    ''''Well Hendler, the reason I allowed you to come home today is to give you credit for your achievements.

    What?

    You have done an excellent job of capturing them.

    That would definitely be a case of uprooting the anti-royalists.

    ''''No, that was an order from Prince Arowana, and I had no choice...!

    I don''t need to tell you all. You have the blood of the House of Betta in you, after all. The blood of a soldier who fights and tries to defend his country...

    Something about your father suddenly nodding with satisfaction?

    A development I hadn''t expected.

    ''Your father has been worried about you all along.

    Hee!¡¡Mother!

    You''re here?¡¡Well, of course you''re here, at your parents'' house!

    Father always says you''re badly made, but that''s because the worse the child is, the prettier he is. Your father is actually a sulky person.

    I''m sulking?¡¡Why are you sulking?

    Because you didn''t want to be a soldier. It was your father''s dream that Wilde, you, Pragat and Crowntail would join the army and take important positions.

    Even if he named his brother and sister.

    Did your father have such ambitions? But isn''t it dangerous to set up a parental government in the military?¡¡And I, as a debater, would think........

    To achieve such a great achievement while outside the army...!

    So the prince had no choice in the matter...!

    "At this time, with this achievement and my recommendation, I can twist you into any department. Now is the time for you and your brothers to join the army together and make the Betta family''s reputation for bravery known...!

    This is no good.

    Your father has gone into full-on child-rearing mode!

    I didn''t know that your father''s attitude can change so much just by meeting your expectations. I don''t know, maybe it''s only natural, but I''m not so sure about this.

    "Please wait, father.

    But then your eldest brother Wilde advises you, "I understand your father''s desire to be proud of Hendler, but you should not be so forthright.

    ''I understand your father''s desire to make Hendler proud, but I''m not sure you should be so forthright in your actions.

    What do you mean?

    Prince Arowana has now entrusted Hendler with everything because he has left the military and placed himself in a free position. Prince Arowana has the qualities of a wise ruler. He can use all sorts of personnel in all directions.

    "As you wish.

    What am I, covert or something?

    I''d rather not do that and focus on the work of the debaters, but I really want to.

    ''I see, you guys are able to look at the situation with new eyes. I guess I''m an old man now...

    Father?

    Hendler. "Hendler, it is hard for a warrior to fail to demonstrate valor, but the mark of a true warrior is to endure it. For now, support Prince Arowana from the shadows.

    That''s not true.

    My House of Betta will spare you anything. If you need help in completing a secret mission from the Prince, don''t hesitate to call on your father and brother.

    I''m not sure I can count on you.

    And I don''t have that kind of job to begin with.

    I''m only asking for a favor from Prince Arowana because he''s a good friend of mine who''s close to my age...?

    ''Ostensibly, he''s a debater. Behind the scenes, he''s a covert operative under the orders of the royal family. Isn''t that cool!

    ''''That''s why I said it''s not!

    Even though I raised my voice, the correction didn''t pass, and my family was in the mood to celebrate the return of the prodigal son as best we could.

    ''''Anata........of course Hendler''s disowned.......?

    ''''Unbound. Come back when you''re ready. I knew I was the son of an eagle...!¡¡Hendler is as proud of the eagle as all the other kids...!

    I can''t even force a correction if they make me feel this at home.

    It''s not fair.

    Thus, I finished my homecoming feeling as if my outer moat had been filled in.

 302-300 Different World Fertility Plan

    It''s me, back at the farm for many reasons.

    Prathi''s homecoming and my meet and greet with my parents ended without a hitch.

    It was a success.

    The Mermaid King and his wife sent us off, saying "Please come visit us again anytime.

    Prince Arowana, of course, would remain in the mermaid kingdom. He is now going to start making preparations for his succession to the throne.

    The Demon King was in the air for the second half of our visit. He resigned at the same time we did. He''s going to return to the Demon City to sign a formal peace treaty with the Mermaid Kingdom.

    First, Hakkai, the traveling companion who accompanied Prince Arowana on his training, returned to the farm and returned to work on the farm with the other orcs.

    Ardheg, the dragon, is said to be continuing his journey around the world.

    "I will watch over my heroes and my king in spite of the trials and tribulations! He said as he was leaving, but I didn''t know what he was talking about.

    The angel Songgok Phone went with him.

    I really don''t know why, but ''I''m a free spirit'' was a throwaway line.

    I heard that both of them will come to the farm or mermaid country to play when they''re in the mood, so I guess we''ll just leave it at that for now.

    And finally, she''s wonderfully in love with Prince Arowana...

    * * * *

    Let the lesson begin!

    Ms. Puffa, you can''t just throw us out there.

    She continues to live in our farm.

    She thought she was going to get engaged to Prince Arowana and move into the royal family of mermaids, but her criminal record as a witch has left her with a bad reputation.

    In order to solve this problem, Puffa needs to make a name for herself and her past, and she takes on the role of teacher as part of the solution.

    Currently, there are many female mermaid students studying abroad at the farm under the name of Mermaid Witch Academy Farm Branch School.

    The theory was that if they were trained to become excellent Potions teachers, their contributions would be recognized and their marriage to Prince Arowana would go smoothly.

    ''''You guys!¡¡You''re on your own as soon as you can, and you can be a part of it.¡¡I don''t want to ruin your life as a married woman, Atai!

    That''s just the opposite of what you want, isn''t it?

    And that''s not all.

    The farm is currently implementing a plan for young people to study abroad, so besides the mermaids, there are also foreign students from the demon tribe staying here to learn various things.

    In that sense, it''s the perfect environment for lecturer Puffa to gain a high reputation, so please work hard for the new stage.

    .....................

    ''''.........Hey, saint.......''''

    Hmm?

    You know, it''s been bothering me a little bit about my students...

    That''s true.

    Puffa was curious about it, and I was curious about it too.

    A change in the situation that had been bothering everyone had begun to leave the foreign students.

    That is.....

    It was a couples'' festival.

    Valkina-san, I didn''t understand a part of today''s lesson, so let''s review it together.

    Mr. Stark!¡¡Would you like to take the dungeon training tomorrow with me!¡¡I''m too scared to do it alone!

    Homemade chocolate!¡¡Eat it if you like!

    ''You don''t have a fiancee or something?¡¡He''s not here, is he?¡¡Yes!

    "Do you like the big tits or the little ones?

    ''''This is a popular fortune-telling among the demon race, and if the skull is crushed, the two of you will have the best chemistry!

    ''Don''t get me wrong!¡¡I love you at all, you know!

    .........

    A whirlwind of intense pink is blowing among the youth.

    "The color of love is all over the place...

    How did that happen?

    Of course that''s what happens when you mix teenage boys and girls together.

    Youth.

    Yes. Youth.

    ''''Young is amazing...?

    If a young man and woman are in the same place, there is no reason why love can''t happen.

    This seems to be a common principle in all worlds.

    The first thing that triggered this is the formation of a couple between Lycheeus and Eringian, and that seems to have been the catalyst for the formation of interracial couples one after another among the international students.

    ''''But, well, isn''t this also a good thing to achieve our goal?

    Puffa analyzes the current situation.

    ''What do you mean?''

    The purpose of studying abroad is to have the three races interact with each other and deepen their friendship. If these students become a bunch of colorblind people and get married internationally, the distance between the countries will be shortened even if they don''t want to.

    Indeed.

    It''s not the friendship I had in mind, but I guess it''s another form of bonding.

    It''s a bit carnal in nature, but if the children who learn from this school get married in the future and have children between them, the next generation of half-breeds will be very active in the future, and that will also help the era of peace.

    I can''t believe you are showing us how much you disgust me. I can''t wait to get married, I want to get married too...

    Puffa expresses his resentment.

    But you''re practically engaged, and your opponent, Prince Arowana, is taking time out of his official duties to come to the farm without missing a day of work.

    A storm of love is brewing on the farm.

    Tsk, I envy you rear-enders.

    However, it is the most natural thing in the world for all living things to find a mate and raise their young.

    So, basically, I''ve been keeping a low profile on the love affair, but then something happened that I can''t help but feel connected to it.

    From now on, I''d like to talk about that event for a while.

    * * * *

    It all started when Okubo approached me for advice.

    "Mr. Dalkish consulted me?

    Yes, sir.

    However, he was only a mediator, not Oakbo''s own troubles.

    The source of the consultation was Dalkish-san.

    He is a lord in the old human country.

    He is a young but capable lord, a sensible and sensible man who loves his people.

    The reason why they met was because the land they chose for the castle they wanted to build happened to be in the territory ruled by Mr. Dalkish.

    The Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle that was built there has now been turned into a tourist resource as a specialty of the territory.

    It seems that the Oakbos, as the creators of the castle, also occasionally visit the castle to maintain it, and they also stop by to say hello to the lord, Mr. Dalkish.

    ''''I''ve heard that Mr. Dalkish-dono has been having some troubles lately......and from what I''ve heard in detail, it''s a problem that we can''t handle, but I believe that my lord has a good idea......!

    "Law.

    I owe Mr. Dalkish a debt of gratitude, too.

    And he gave me tacit approval to build Okubo Castle, which was built in his territory without permission.

    I would like to repay him for his generosity, and I would like to be of service to him in any way I can.

    Well, shall we invite you to the farm so that you can consult with Mr. Darquish? It would not be polite to ask again.

    Yes, sir.

    That''s why we decided to invite Mr. Dalkish to the farm.

    * * * *

    Mr. Dalkish, who came to the farm, had a companion.

    His wife, Varina.

    Their familiarity with each other is somewhat complicated and cannot be discussed without reference to the Human-Magic War that had just recently ended.

    The former human country, which had lost the war, was occupied, and the Demon King''s army dispatched an observer to the lord''s side.

    The person who came to the lord Dalkish''s side with that role was Varina.

    They had a delicate relationship with each other in the past, but after many events, they came to love each other and got married.

    An international marriage of a demon human race. Probably the first of its kind.

    They are the forerunner of the whirlwind of romance that has swept through our farm, so to speak, and we hope to see more couples like them in the future.

    In a way, they are the older generation of our teenage couples.

    What kind of advice would such two people be asking for?

    ''''Um........first of all, congratulations on the birth of your heir, Saint-sama.

    Mr. Dalkish told me as soon as we confronted him.

    Did you hear about Junior from around Okubo?

    Thank you for your time. But today''s requirement is to hear your advice, so I''ll keep the greetings short and simple...

    ''No, as a matter of fact, our consultation has something to do with that...!

    Is this about Junior?

    We?

    ''Me and Varina have been together for a reasonable amount of time now. We seem to be a good match for each other as a couple, and we''re doing well every day.

    He cares so much for me, and with each passing day I feel more and more like ''I''m glad we''re married.''

    What a romance.

    ''But there''s only one problem with our marriage. And I''d say it''s a pretty important issue...!

    The baby is still...!

    Yeah?

    Well, Mr. Dalkish and Varina got married last winter. It''s not surprising that they reported a pregnancy at the right time.

    ''My husband is a lord. He needs an heir to whom he entrusts his estate. My husband is a lord and he needs an heir to whom he can entrust his fiefdom, and it is my important mission as the wife of a lord to give him a successor!

    ''But it''s been over six months since the wedding. Well...., although we have been trying to encourage it, there is still no gift beneath us...

    He said he''s starting to get impatient by now.

    That''s right.

    In a feudal society, the continuation of the bloodline is an important issue. Sometimes people are separated from each other because they can''t have children.

    In those circumstances, the two of them must be in serious trouble.

    It''s possible to take it lightly, saying it''s only a few months, but it doesn''t mean that there aren''t people who want to make a stink about this unusual international marriage between two human and demon clans.

    In order not to split the relationship between the two people you love with a trivial initiation, if there is anything I can do, I should do it without hesitation.

    .........

    But..........

    Is there anything I can do?¡¡To give a child to two people?

 303-301 Mother God Collection

    I''ve decided to help a human race Dalkish demon Varina international married couple who are suffering from a lack of childbirth.

    I have no idea how exactly I should help them.

    ''''Actually........there''s something that''s been bothering me.

    Unu?

    During the interview process, the couple expressed their concerns.

    ''As you may know, me and Varina are of different races. I am of the human race and Varina is of the demon race. There is no record of these two races getting married.

    ''And of course, the records show that a child was born during that time. So I was worried. What if a child is not born between a man and a woman of a different race? What if they were made that way to begin with...!

    The couple, especially his wife''s side, Varina, was in tears, almost crushed with anxiety.

    ''It is impossible for us to figure out what is really going on. But I thought that the Almighty Sage would know, so here we are...!

    I see.

    ...I''m not all-powerful or all-knowing, to say the least.

    But I want to do all I can for the people who rely on me.

    Naturally, I can''t answer their questions. I don''t have the knowledge to do so.

    But I have an idea of someone who might be able to give me an answer.

    * * * *

    ...and you summoned me?

    I called the No Life King''s teacher, and furthermore, the teacher used summoning magic to invoke a god.

    The god who came this time was Amphitrite, the Sea Mother Goddess.

    She is the goddess of the sea god tribe who rules the sea out of land, sea and air.

    ''''Why is it me?¡¡It''s the human race and the demon race that''s bothering you, right?¡¡''I won''t snatch it from you, the protector of the mermaid race, will I?

    Yes, you are left.

    However, Amphitrite had a track record in the past of advising my wife Prathi, who was also struggling with fertility issues, and had successfully made it to junior birth.

    It''s easy to hear from those past examples...!

    ''''I''m glad as God that you asked for it, so I can answer you to the best of my knowledge, but...''''

    Oh!

    I knew we could count on you, God!

    "The bottom line is that you can''t have children between people of different species.

    .........

    I''m going too far once and for all!

    Varina, who is standing in line with me and listening, has rape in her eyes.

    The human race, the demon race and the mermaid race are completely different creatures to begin with. The gods that gave birth to them are different. Their souls are different. That''s why they don''t get mixed up even if their two parents cross each other.

    ''Wait!¡¡And then...?

    An intruder came from another direction.

    ''''Oh, it''s a group of young foreign students.

    Do you mean that not only humans and demons can''t have children between us mermaids and other races?

    ''''Yes.''''

    The affirmation of the goddess Amphitrite caused the young people to be upset.

    A whirlwind of romance is now raging among them.

    Many girls must be thrilled with the sweet vision of a future where they will marry him....

    God''s proclamation shatters such visions of the future.

    "Can''t you do something about it, God!

    ''If I can''t have children, I will never be allowed to get married!

    ''''We''ll offer you a sacrifice, please, ah!''''

    With the girls clinging to the goddess, it was no longer just a matter for Dalkish & Varina and his wife.

    In the future, in the era when the three races should be harmonizing, international marriage should be greatly encouraged, but if this is not the case, it will not be a good start.

    This is a situation I want to do something about.

    Well...

    The goddess also began to worry about the difficulty.

    ''As for the root of the problem. The root of the problem is the same as what happened to the saint and Prati-chan the other day. It was only because of my blessing to Prati that we were able to solve the problem that time, but...''''

    ''So, blessings from Mr. Amphitrite to whomever you wish...?

    ''Aren''t there too many to do that?¡¡If you overuse the blessing too much, the scarcity value will drop, and most importantly, the mermaid race is the only one for whom the blessing of Atashi, the Mother God of the Sea, is effective.''''

    So it''s not a solution for the human race x demon race couple.

    Dalkish-san and Varina-san, who came to me for advice at the beginning, couldn''t be saved.

    ''''........I think we''ll need a drastic solution to this.

    God?¡¡What can I do?

    Goddess Amphitrite, you look like you have a secret plan.

    You''re right, the world has changed and conflict has ceased. You are right, the world has been changing and strife has ceased to exist, so we, the gods, should change our colors to match the changes. However, it''s impossible for me to do that alone.

    What do you mean?

    It''s going to change the entire world. A single god, who only has jurisdiction over the sea area, can''t possibly cover the entire world. We need to reach a consensus with the god that governs the reproduction of earth and heaven. ...My saint.

    Yes?

    Goddess.

    If you want to contribute to the world, do your best. Prepare a place where the sea, the earth and the Mother Goddess of Heaven can meet!

    * * * *

    Then I set up the place as Goddess Amphitrite said.

    ''''........Should I summon the Mother God of Heaven, Earth and Sea and the Three Realms here?''''

    "I''ve heard that''s what it is...

    As the day has changed, the goddess Amphitrite has returned to the divine world once.

    I will summon her again today.

    I''m going to ask the teacher again.

    I''m sorry for using you every time.

    ''''And this time, even the location has changed...!

    We''re not at our usual farm now.

    It''s far away from there, in the old human country, in the territory ruled by Mr. Dalkish.

    I can transfer magic to the transfer point I''ve set up in Okubo Castle, so it''s easy to move.

    Why are we moving like this...?

    ''You could have summoned him at the farm otherwise...?

    ''''Goddess Amphitrite requested it very strongly. This summoning is not to be done at the farm.

    Hmmm, they even said they would not respond to the summons if they could not drink it.

    Why such a strong request.

    ''''This time, we''re not only summoning the gods of the earth and the sea, we''re also summoning the goddesses of the gods of the earth and the sea, so isn''t that the connection?''''

    To do so, I''ve even had the teacher who summons me move from his dungeon.......

    All the galleries around me are paying attention with trepidation.

    Why are there so many spectators...?

    Excuse me, Your Holiness!

    It''s Lord Dalkish who had this place set up.

    It''s an honor to be chosen as the stage to summon the Three Mother Gods of Heaven, Earth and Sea.¡¡But while he was busy preparing for this, information was leaked everywhere...!¡¡We can''t afford not to report this to the Demon Occupation Office...!

    So, a lot of people came to see if we were lying or not, right?

    They''re watching us from afar, but when they see you, the No-Life King, they''re looking at you like, "It''s worth it to come.

    ''Good afternoon, everyone. Tomakumore has returned to humanity for the first time in a thousand years!

    And a teacher who waves good-naturedly!

    It''s been a while since I remembered my own name before I was born, and I''m feeling buoyant!

    Then, let''s get on with the ceremony. I''ll summon the founder, Amphitrite, the Mother God of the Sea, and Demeter Sephone, the Mother God of the Earth.

    ''Huh?¡¡Only two gods.

    From what I''ve heard, aren''t you going to summon the three gods of heaven, earth and sea?

    "Actually, the order in which they are to be summoned is also strictly regulated. ''''The two gods of the earth and sea are to be summoned first, and then the Heavenly Mother Goddess is to be summoned.

    What the hell...?

    "Meow.

    In response to the teacher''s summoning spell, he appears, distorting time and space.

    Two gods accompanied by a beauty that is not of this world.

    ''''Demeter Sepone-chan, hi,''''

    "Good to see you!¡¡....Oh my God, did you change your nail polish?''

    "Ah!¡¡I know!¡¡My husband hasn''t noticed me at all.¡¡It''s no good if it''s not between girls, is it?

    These goddesses are as light-hearted as ever.

    It''s not just the Amphitrite goddess, but also the Demeter Sephone goddess, so I''m not upset.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time.

    Some of them were blowing bubbles and falling down, while others were in tears and kneeling down to pray.

    Demeter Sephone, the earth mother goddess who joined us for the first time this time, says.

    ''''I''ve heard about it. The Three Mothers of Heaven, Earth and Sea agree to change the setting so that all humanity can love one another without distinction between species. That''s very nice. We''ll be glad to help you!''''

    "Aaah!¡¡I knew Demeter Sepone-chan would say that!''''

    The goddess hugged the goddess.

    ''But then it''s her that''s the problem.

    ''Yes, that''s right. The Immortal King hasn''t summoned him yet as ordered. Impressive.

    Both the Mother of Earth and the Mother of Sea have a cautious look on their faces.

    ''''If she bends the knee, it''s all over. We have to be careful........''''

    ''''Well, let''s have a long talk about it, including the saint.

    Who are the goddesses to be wary of?

    It is the third Mother God.

    Of the heavens and the earth and the sea, she controls the heavens.

    The Heavenly Mother God Hera.

    She is also the wife of Zeus, the king of the heavenly gods.

 304-302 Heavenly Queen

    Once again.

    Sensei''s summoning magic distorted space and split the heavens.

    The air, which was already tense due to the divine energy of the Earth Mother God and Sea Mother God, creaked even more.

    The one who appeared was a beautiful goddess who was no less beautiful than the first two gods.

    Sacred and seductive.

    However, compared to Demeter Sephone of the earth and Amphitrite of the sea, she was slightly more flamboyant.

    It is glittering and gaudy like a mirror that reflects the sunlight.

    The goddess who wore that kind of radiance was Hera, the Heavenly Mother Goddess.

    Among the three divine lineages, she belonged to Tenjin, who ruled over the heavenly realm, and was the wife of Zeus, the head of Tenjin Zeus.

    Heavenly Mother Goddess Hera.

    Earth Mother God Demeter Sephone.

    Amphitrite, Mother Goddess of the Sea.

    Each of the mother gods of the three realms are gathered together in one place.

    The first to speak, God Hera.

    "All women except me should die out equally.

    From the first word, it was a full-on fastball.

    ''Then my beloved Zeus will continue to stare at me and only me.

    Yeah, that''s her.

    "I''m relieved to see that you''re still as refreshingly scruffy as ever.

    Goddess Amphitrite and Goddess Demeter Sephone nodded in agreement.

    No, you can''t nod this!

    I''m being blunt and disturbing.

    ''''Saint. This Hera, hey, she''s a god who''s famous for being jealous.''''

    ''And yet Zeus, the husband god, is a super flirtatious person, so it''s the worst combination. In the past, hundreds of humanity''s women have fallen victim to the unreasonable combo of Zeus holding them in his arms and then being targeted by Hera''s jealousy...!

    It sucks.

    But in order to achieve the goal, her cooperation is essential. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have called for this kind of trouble.

    We have to somehow persuade her to make a world where any couple of humans, demons, mermaids, and fishes can get married and have children.

    * * * *

    No.

    I almost lost my temper several times during the process, but I explained the purpose of this event to Goddess Hera and asked for her cooperation, but she refused with one word.

    ''''What?¡¡Why?!''''

    ''''The realm of humanity is being cleared of all barriers. ''''Humans, demons and mermaids may have different ancestral deities, but they are all living in the same world.''''

    "Yes, we want couples in love to have babies of any species, regardless of race!

    For that to happen, we three gods, who were entrusted with motherhood by the All Mother Goddess Gaia, have to agree to change the setting of the world. Your agreement is also essential.

    The goddesses work together to convince Hera to join them.

    But to no avail.

    "I do not agree with your thinking.

    "So what?

    "The more children we have, the more humanity will be born in this world.

    "It''s not a good thing.

    It''s not good at all.

    What''s wrong with that?

    "As the number of humanity increases, so does the number of good-looking women..." "They and Master Zeus are going to have an affair again.

    I don''t give a shit!

    Can''t this goddess see anything but her husband''s God?

    I don''t know why.

    ''Well, if you know that you''re a machine that automatically kills your husband''s unfaithful partner, you won''t hate him...''

    It''s going to spring up.

    You have too many problems, God in heaven.

    ''Well, well, well, Hera?¡¡Think about it...!''''

    The goddess Amphitrite continued to tell her off.

    This could be to your advantage," she said.¡¡If we lifted the ban on interspecies romance, we would increase the rate of marriage among humans, right?¡¡Doesn''t that mean that by extension, there will be fewer women who will be poisoned by your bastard husband?

    Why?

    "Huh?¡¡Because after you get married, you can''t fall in love with another man anymore. Isn''t that obvious?''

    ''Ha, you''re a ridiculous moron. I have something important to tell you.

    Hera assured him confidently.

    ''My Lady Zeus will make a move on anyone, whether they are unmarried or married.

    "Yeah, yeah.

    "Your husband is an a**h*le.

    Not only the Goddess Amphitrite and the Goddess Demeter Sephone, but also me and Mr. Dalkish, who were watching by the side.

    The surrounding galleries, everyone sighed with a sigh of dismay in equal measure.

    It was a very disappointing situation.

    The teacher had given up on the teacher early and started an event to interact with the gallery, giving blessings and becoming the godfather of the newborn baby.

    ''''No, I''m really glad that evil god has been imprisoned already.

    "You''re trapped in a labyrinth built by Hephaistos, aren''t you?¡¡Her work is a safe bet. Tell her she''s not allowed out for the next 50,000 years.''

    "You don''t think so?¡¡Don''t you feel sorry for poor Mr. Zeus, trapped in here?¡¡Help us in our campaign for freedom!

    I''m not going to let you do that.

    I''m not going to be able to do that.

    "Don''t get me wrong...!¡¡But I still love Zeus with all my heart!¡¡And I love Zeus with all my heart, even his flirtatious nature!¡¡But I don''t want to be unfaithful to you, so I want to kill all the women in the world, don''t you?

    I''m not going to let you.

    The phrase "love" has never sounded so empty before.

    ''''........Geez!¡¡I can''t do it anymore!¡¡"My head is aching when I''m talking to this guy!

    I knew it, but convincing this psycho woman is going to be impossible...!¡¡It''s the last resort in this situation!

    "Saint!

    I have no choice but to give it to you, please!

    The two goddesses waved me over.

    It was supposed to be that way, but.... I''m not going to be able to get it right.

    But how am I going to be able to persuade a goddess with a loose screw?

    "Um, excuse me.

    Anyway, I spoke to the goddess Hera.

    ''What is it?¡¡"Will you not speak to me as a man of humanity?

    You don''t just hate women, you hate men too?

    "Yes, because my husband''s motto is ''Ugly men are not worthy of existence.''

    Evil God!

    No, I''ll let it go now because I''m getting off topic.

    I''ll just focus on the main issue of convincing the Hera Goddess that the problem is the main issue.

    ''You must be tired of talking.¡¡Would you like to take a break?

    Are you taking a break?

    ''Yes, I have prepared some delicious treats for the Goddess. Why don''t you eat it and relax?

    Then I took out the new pastry I had brought in from the farm in advance.

    It''s a chocolate cake.

    This new confectionery was created with the full cooperation of the cacao tree spirit, King Kaka, whom I recently got to know.

    I managed to fend off the pursuit of Veerle and Prati and brought it to this point.

    ''''What is this?¡¡Black?¡¡Can you really eat it...?''''

    He was wary of the chocolate cake''s appearance, but still took the recommended food with no resistance, as if it was fundamentally well behaved.

    With a fork, I cut the cake into small pieces and elegantly bring it to my mouth.

    ''''Mmmmmmmmmm!

    It was delicious.

    "What''s that?¡¡Delicious!¡¡It''s delicious!¡¡The dough is fluffy in the mouth, and there''s something that resembles cream with a mixture of intense sweetness and bitterness!

    "Ah, you''re nowhere to be found...!

    ''''I didn''t want Tenjin to know about the food there, so it was a last resort.

    The other two goddesses, their expressions were reluctant.

    But they too ate the chocolate cake and their expressions relaxed.

    ''''It''s a very good feeling because the candy is so delicious!¡¡I can grant you any wish now!''

    ''Then allow the human race to marry another race and have children.

    "Okay.

    Too easily!

    Thus, the Three Mother Goddesses agreed, and the setting of the world changed.

    All races could now love each other without discrimination and produce offspring.

    The world was another step closer to reconciliation.

    ''''Ha, good, good.''''

    ''''I feel like I''ve been put through a lot for all of this...!

    Goddess Amphitrite and Goddess Demeter Sephone, sighing with exhaustion.

    ''Hey, hey, where are these cakes made?¡¡I would like to bless the land and make it impossible to step in except for the heavenly gods for Zeus-sama?''''

    "Okay, okay, I''ll see you when you''re done.

    "What?¡¡What''s going on?¡¡Well, since you''re here, why don''t we talk more about it?¡¡Oh?¡¡Ah-rahhhh?''''

    Goddess Hera.

    She was forcibly released from the present world by the two female deities and returned to the heavenly realm of God.

    ''''We must not let the Tenjin people know about our farm!

    ''''That''s right, let''s ask Hermes-chan to do her best to fool me!

    Although the objective was accomplished, the rest of us were left with an unexpressed sense of fatigue and emptiness.

 305-303 The astonishment of the spectator

    My name is Saskani.

    I am of the human race.

    I was born and raised in the old human country of decent wealth, but then I heard a strange rumor.

    A god will come down to the land of man.

    When he first heard this, he thought, "What''s that? I thought.

    I thought that thanks to the occupation by the demon race, the idea of the end of life had spread, but I heard that was not the case.

    It''s not about God putting an end to the unholy world or anything like that, I heard.

    Then what is it?

    I heard that a feudal lord asked for permission to summon the gods, and the story leaked out and spread around.

    Which lord?¡¡What''s the point of spreading such a myth?¡¡At first I was indignant, but as I looked into it with interest, I found an unexpected name.

    Lord Dalkish-sama of the Walkian Frontier Territory.

    You think that person is the one who started it?

    Dalkish-sama was one of the most capable lords of the old human country, despite his young age, and he would never talk about anything crazy.

    If this Darquish-sama said so, does he really mean that a god will descend?

    I had a feeling that it was serious.

    As I looked into it more closely, I found out that the date of the god''s coming down was fast approaching.

    In order to find out if it was true or not, I had to go to the site.

    If the god really did descend and I missed it, I would be forever in the dark!

    Fortunately, my son has taken over the family business and I''m living in retirement, so I''m not busy.

    I''ve decided to take my grandson, who is starting to take an interest in many things, out to see things and even worship.

    ........hmmm?

    What?¡¡Son, are you coming too?

    No, we can''t.¡¡Huh?

    "I don''t want to be in business for a chance to see God"?

    No, I think you''re right, but...

    Wife?¡¡You too?

    I mean, are you going to close all the stores in the neighborhood for the day and go see God?

    It''s no use.

    I guess we should all go.

    Do you wanna meet God?

    Ooh!

    * * *

    And so we arrived at the venue.

    A surprisingly large crowd.

    Are you saying that all of these are all here for the same purpose?

    That''s how big the existence of a god is, after all.

    A strange group of people were stationed over there.

    ''''Now God will descend and destroy the evil demon race! And then he was drumming away.

    Is it a remnant of the cult?

    They must think that God is an unconditional ally to those people.

    No matter.

    What''s more important than them is the God who appears.

    In the hall, several people gathered together with Lord Dalkish-sama were discussing something.

    We onlookers, however, are blocked by the lord''s soldiers and cannot approach from a certain distance.

    I knew the rumors were true after all, I thought the moment I came.

    God can come to this place today.

    ........Why do I think that?

    Now let me present the convincing evidence.

    Among the people gathered in the hall and discussing it intimately with the Lords........

    The No-Life King was there.

    Of course I didn''t recognize him at first.

    Even though I was middle-class, I was an extremely common person, and there was no way I could possibly have witnessed a No-Life King, so there was no way I could match them!

    But some of the onlookers said, "Huh?¡¡Isn''t he the No Life King? If a querulous voice sounded like this, you would have to believe it.

    And even more so when you find out that the person who spoke up was a famous, A-class adventurer, Lord Mata Hassan.

    That''s the No Life King?

    The forbidden great mage who threw away his humanity in exchange for eternal life in the midst of the world''s two greatest disasters?

    The king of the undead?

    It''s said that at least five villages will be destroyed in the area where that thing was seen, the worst of the worst!

    You''ll live long enough to see such a super monster with your own eyes!

    Although, after seeing such a super monster with my own eyes, today might be the day I die!

    I thought, but the no-life king in question, noticing our crowd, turned to me.

    Gah!

    The No-Life King makes eye contact?

    Koeeweeeeeeeee?

    Some of the onlookers were even seriously scared and tried to run away, but surprisingly, the No Life King waved his hand towards us.

    ''''Ladies and gentlemen, hello. Tomakmore has returned to the human country after a thousand years!''''

    The No-Life King says hello to me in a friendly manner!

    He''s surprisingly nice!

    He seems so friendly and approachable!

    And he just called himself Master Tomakmore?¡¡Is that the legendary anti-clan righteousness?

    .........well, I''m sorry to preface this, but the bottom line is.

    I feel like the No Life King is the ultimate monster in the room, so even God would come out of it!

    Surely God will descend!

    Everyone was so convinced.

    Some of them had already just seen the No Life King and said, ''''It was worth coming...! Some of us were happy to see them, though.

    An ordinary-looking young man from the side of the hall said to me, "Well, doctor," he said.

    Then, sir, I''ll take care of it.

    "Yes.

    The No-Life King has responded to your request!

    How is it possible to make the Immortal King listen to a nondescript young man?

    For a nondescript guy?

    "Meow.

    The No-Life King''s spell (?) And with that, the space begins to distort.

    And then it appears.........

    "Demeter Sepone, hi,

    "Good to see you!¡¡....Oh my God, did you change your nail polish?''

    He really is God!

    He''s divine!¡¡It''s glorious!

    Huh?¡¡But wait... no?

    The two gods that appeared are the gods of the earth and the sea, not the gods of heaven worshipped by our human race.

    Oh, look, the remnants of the cult that was beating the drums are disappointed!

    However, our hope is not cut off....

    ''''Then I will summon the Heavenly Mother God Hera next.

    The tension that was about to drop as the No-Life King said it suddenly showed signs of recovery.

    The summoning ritual is performed again, and our human race''s guardian god appears!¡¡God in the sky!¡¡She is the wife of that king Zeus, that is, she is also the number two.

    Our most familiar heavenly goddess appears, and our tension as spectators is at last....

    ''''All women except me should die out equally.

    * * * *

    The meeting between Hera, the God of heaven, and the other gods was a terrible thing.

    Heavenly God''s lack of compassion for the people on earth. Not an ounce of it.

    The mercifulness of the gods of the sea and the gods of the earth and the gods of the sea in relation to it was compared and the cruelty of the gods stood out even more.

    Until then, "God in heaven is the Lord of the world! The remnants of the cult, who had been making a lot of noise, were also disheartened and despairing, "I''m going to quit the congregation..." and "I''m going to... too...".

    The meeting of the gods was unbearable to listen to, but Noraf King-sama, who seemed to have finished his work by summoning the gods instead, came up to us and we touched each other.

    ''Is that teacher?¡¡Are you okay with the miasma by approaching a civilian?

    The only thing that matters is that the miasma is not the same as it was yesterday. The miasma is a temporary phenomenon that eliminates the miasma.

    ''Oh!¡¡Great!

    "I''ve named the spell ''Fa Breeze''

    As much as God was disappointed, the popularity for this kind, no-life king exploded.

    Everyone lined up to shake each other''s hands.

    I shook hands with Mr. No-Living too. It was very touching.

    Some of them were young mothers who brought their newborn babies with them....

    ''I was going to ask God to bless the birth of this baby...''

    "It''s a girl, isn''t it?¡¡Then it would be better not to show it to the god Hera, who will curse you and say, "May you grow up to be an ugly skank that Zeus doesn''t care about.

    We all nodded in agreement.

    * * * *

    Thus, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to worship a god ended up being very disappointing, but thanks to Lady No Life King, we managed to pick up the pieces.

    I was really disappointed when Hera said ''I want to eat more cake'' and the other goddesses pushed her out of the house.

    When we get home, we''ll clean out the altar in the house and replace it with one that worships the god of the earth.

    I''ll tell my son to put the god of the earth and sea god altar in his shop, I''m sure it will sell.

    By the way.

    We didn''t know why the god was called on this day until the end, but apparently it was to ask him to marry and have children among the three races of the world.

    That turned out to be the case when the wife of the demon race that Dalkish-sama had married was pregnant.

    Whatever the case, congratulations.

 306-304 Persimmon Pea War

    That''s me.

    Lately, I''ve been doing a lot of activities outside the farm, but this time it''s inside the farm.

    A new companion that has sprung up in the dungeon orchard operated in the mountain dungeon of Viel.

    A tree spirit.

    They haunt the fruit trees that we grow, making them something like a ''tree with a will''.

    The trees themselves manage the growth of the fruit and inform us when there is something wrong with them.

    The tree spirits currently known to exist include Kaka-Oh, the spirit of Kaka, and Takenoko-Majin Take-Nokkorn.

    However, the number of fruit trees that have been transformed into tree spirits is steadily increasing, and today we met another tree that had been transformed into one.

    ''''It''s a persimmon tree spirit, Kakiemon!

    Persimmon.

    They are delicious.

    It''s very sweet even if you eat it as it is, and you can also make it into dried persimmon or persimmon jam.

    It is very difficult to distinguish between sweet and tannish persimmons, so it is very helpful to have the tree spirit take care of them.

    ''Here''s one for a sign of closeness!

    He said, "I was given two hands full of certain things to juggle.

    ''....What''s this?

    "These are persimmon seeds!

    Why?

    ''''Because...?¡¡Since I''m a persimmon tree spirit, it''s only natural for me to bring out the persimmon seeds...?

    ''''Yes, that''s right.''''

    I would have been convinced if this was a real persimmon seed.

    But this.

    A persimmon seed is a persimmon seed, but it''s not the kind of persimmon seed it should be.

    You don''t know what I mean?

    The point is, there are.

    There''s one more thing called persimmon seeds.

    Persimmon seeds are the perfect snack for sake, the rice crackers.

    The name "Kaki no tane" comes from the similarity of the shape of the kneaded glutinous rice that is cut into small pieces, coated with soy sauce and baked.

    It is often served mixed with peanuts.

    Huh!

    Persimmon seeds over there!¡¡The vegetable side, the persimmon, just showed it!

    You''re not funny!

    It''s not funny!

    It''s not weird, is it?¡¡What''s wrong with me, the spirit of the persimmon tree, putting out persimmon seeds?''''

    So!

    ...Oh well, whatever.

    This isn''t the first time that the mysteriousness of these spirits of trees has been felt. I''m sure the spirits of trees will continue to cause mysterious things to happen in the future, so it would be exhausting for me to react to each and every one of them.

    I''m sure that this is what I''m trying to tell you, to just accept it.

    Fortunately, kaki no tane (the sweets) are tasty, so let''s take them home and eat them as normal.

    If you think about it, most of the sweets are sweet things like cake, ice cream and chocolate, so it''s really good to have salty snacks here.

    I took a piece of it and put it in my mouth.

    It''s delicious.

    I like the salty and spicy taste of the soy sauce in the small pieces.

    I wonder if this spiciness is mixed with chili pepper.

    If so, it''s even more delicious.

    Eating like this makes me want a cup of tea...!

    I''d rather have a beer.

    I''d rather have a beer.

    Persimmon seeds are the kind of rice snacks that keep my beer going!

    Oh, shit!¡¡No!

    It was only supposed to be a mere tasting, but now I''m craving a beer!

    It''s only the middle of the day and if I breathe out the smell of alcohol, Junior won''t let me touch him for the rest of the day!

    ''Oh, what is it?¡¡What are you eating?

    As I was writhing in agony, someone else appeared again, lured by a hint of gastronomy.

    It was a lettuce rate.

    It''s rare that the first thing that comes up isn''t a prati or a viel.

    ''It''s a gift, do you want to try it?''

    Let''s have it. It''s delicious!

    Although she is a princess of the destroyed human country, Lettuce Rate has become accustomed to living on our farm.

    When she first arrived, she used to show her princess-like arrogance, but now she has become a hard worker and is totally at ease with me.

    It tastes like soy sauce!¡¡It''s tangy and spicy and chewy!

    You have a pretty good idea, don''t you?

    I''ve got an idea on how to make this one taste great!

    Hmm?

    Then, without asking me for permission, Lettuce Rate stirs something into the persimmon seed.

    It''s white, and a myriad of small grains as small as persimmon seeds.

    Peanuts!

    Does this guy carry peanuts (boiled in salt) around with him on a daily basis?

    ''Oh!¡¡I knew it! I knew it!¡¡Persimmon seeds and peanuts each come with a different crunch, alternately!¡¡Every bite has a fresh texture!¡¡That''s me!¡¡You''re a genius for developing this kind of combination right away!

    Indeed, I may be a genius.

    The idea of being in another world and arriving at Kakipi without being taught by anyone.

    You could be described as a genius.

    But...!

    What are you doing?

    What?

    Anger issued in my mind.

    Foolishness, such as mixing peanuts in persimmon seeds and other exquisite dishes, but sprinkling honey on the finest dishes!

    ''They taste better because they''re pure persimmon seeds, don''t they?¡¡If you put peanuts in it, you''ll spoil the flavor.¡¡That''s messy, right?

    "What?¡¡What are you talking about, this is the harmony of more than two flavors!¡¡If you eat only persimmon seeds, your tongue will be paralyzed by the spiciness!

    ''Then I''ll just drink the water!¡¡I''m sure a cup of tea or a drink would help reset the pungency, though!¡¡Why do I even bother eating peanuts!

    "If you drink that water, the persimmon seeds will swell up in your stomach!¡¡You''re going to fill up on food!¡¡It''s peanuts to keep you from doing that, you should know that much!

    ''I know that''s an offset in light of all the wasted stomach resources I''m going to devote to peanuts. Peanuts are so smothering and make your mouth dry that you end up having to drink water!

    You''ve been drinking too much water!

    It has broken out.

    Yes, this is the kind of battle that goes on and on.

    Is it possible to put peanuts in persimmon seeds?

    Some claim that peanuts are unnecessary, while others argue that the combination of peanuts in persimmon seeds is essential.

    The arguments of the two sides will never overlap and will continue to fight forever.

    Me and Lettuce Rate have entered into such a hundred-year war!

    "...what a stupid fight you''re having.

    After an hour of clashing with each other, the gallery looked at me in dismay.

    It was Prati with Junior in her arms, and Horcosfon.

    Prati would be the first to rush in when there was something tasty to eat, and Holkosfone would be the first to come looking for her because she was often involved with Lettuce Rate.

    And originally, Veerle would have joined this........

    ''''Veerle would have devoured the new snacks and left while you guys were bothered by the stupid fight, right?

    It''s true, it''s not!

    The persimmon seeds I got from Kakiemon had disappeared, as had all the peanuts.

    I''ll have to go get them from Kakiemon again or make them out myself!

    ''Isn''t good food good no matter what''s in the mix?¡¡Why do we have to fight the claim?

    Prati has a good point.

    Normally I''m open to that peaceful opinion, but when it comes to persimmon seeds, I''m not going to back down!

    ''I''m not backing down either!¡¡Being denied peanuts is the same as being denied my entire existence!

    When did you become such a Peanuts devotee?

    Prathi said in dismay.

    ''Let me explain that part to you.

    Holkosfone, who is good friends with Lettuce Rate, raised her hand.

    Lettuce Rate is really into bean-based crops, starting with beans, and peanuts are another thing she''s good at.

    So do you have salted boiled peanuts on you at all times?

    I''ve often said that I''m now a woman who''s devoted her life to growing beans, and I''ve been thinking about changing my name to Mamelate for the occasion.

    So the name lettuce rate comes from lettuce?

    I''ve also benefited greatly from Lettuce Rate''s help in growing soybeans, which are ideal for making natto (fermented soybeans).

    I see.

    That''s how passionate she is about beans. It''s hard for her to forgive her for being denied peanuts.

    I can respect that passion, and I can greatly sympathize with the spirit in which peanuts would normally be celebrated.

    But the only thing I can''t give up is mixing them with persimmon seeds!

    Me too!¡¡Definitely eat persimmon seeds with peanuts mixed in!

    The conflict will not stay. Till one of us two is defeated to death!

    I know it''s a stupid thing to say, but I''m afraid this conflict is going to have to be leveled.

    Then let me help you.

    Hmm?

    What''s up with Holkosfone?

    What''s he doing here?

    "...the best way to bring the two sides of the conflict to an even keel is to bring in a third force.

    Holkosfone, you yourself are the third force in the Kaki Phi war?

    "I''m announcing my participation in the war as a person who mixes natto with persimmon seeds!

    "I''m here!

    So don''t try to mix natto into anything!

    Holkosfone''s violent march forced me and Lettuce Rate to surrender.

    The persimmon pea war was unavoidably truce.

    You know what''s terrible about natto?

    It has the potential to be delicious no matter what you mix it with.

    I feel like persimmon pea and natto are a normal thing!

 307-305 Birth celebration rush

    It''s been three months since my son Junior was born.

    In the meantime, everyone has been congratulating us incessantly.

    The birth of a new life.

    We were in a festive mood every day, as if there was nothing better to celebrate than the birth of a new baby.

    Not to mention all the people who lived in our farm and all the guests from outside the farm.

    One time, for example, the Demon King came to visit us.

    ''''I''m sorry.''''

    I got down on my knees as soon as she came.

    "What?¡¡Why?!

    I''m baffled because I have no idea how the Demon King can bow to me.

    I''d like to apologize for being late in giving your son a baby shower and not being able to give it to him after all!¡¡How unworthy of me!

    Ah.

    So there you go.

    It''s not uncommon for people to give each other gifts to celebrate the birth of a baby.

    We also sent lots of baby gifts from the farm when Majo''s family gave birth to Gotia and Marine.

    On the other hand, the fact that our own Prati has given birth to Junior seems like the perfect opportunity to return the gifts.

    ''''I didn''t know what kind of gift to give to the Saint''s Lord''s beloved son...!¡¡To be frank, every potential gift candidate is rejected because whatever you give is inferior to what was originally here...!

    Oh, I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry...!

    For example, let''s say I''m giving baby clothes to our junior.

    However, we have a world-class seamstress on our farm, Batty, who is one of the best in the world.

    She designs and creates top-brand clothing.

    The materials are also first class, made only on our farm. She rarely uses legendary materials such as vajra silk, but even everyday materials such as ordinary silk and cotton are said to have tremendous value if they are presented outside.

    What could be better than homemade baby clothes made of such materials and creators?

    .... they couldn''t do it.

    It''s the same situation for other items, and they dismissed it as a gift.

    I don''t know what to give as a gift.

    I didn''t know I was troubling the Demon King like that!

    ''Ki, don''t worry about it. Anything is nice if it''s heartfelt!¡¡Isn''t it between me and the Demon King!

    ''''........No, I can''t continue to indulge in the saintly lord''s generosity like that. I''ve prepared this place to at least do my best to express my heartfelt feelings!

    Oh!

    So that''s the way you put it... a gift!

    Yes, sir!

    We will do our best to please that baby shower, whatever it is!

    We''ll sing a song!

    Huh?

    It is my pleasure to sing you a song of congratulations from my demon tribe, Lord Junior!¡¡That''s my gift to you!

    Seriously, I only purified my feelings and bumped into them.

    While Mr. Demon King coughed and adjusted his throat, Okubo and Gobukichi came out with their instruments.

    ''''You guys are going to play?!''''

    The orcs and goblins of the band played.

    A song by Demon King Zedan.

    It''s called "Ohayo Baby Bonjour".

    Hi, baby bonjour.

    Wow, what a beautiful voice.

    His low voice resonated in my stomach.

    He sang like a pro.

    The expression on my son''s face was cloudy as he listened to it in the front of the room with his mother, Prati, holding him.

    I''m not going to be able to get away with it," he said, "but I wish they''d be quiet.

    You can''t ask a zero-year old to be considerate of you.

    Maou-sama sang the chorus to the end.

    The stage was so good that it was almost a standing ovation.

    I don''t know if they liked it or not!¡¡Did they like it?

    But I wondered if it was too hard for a zero-year-old to understand that exactly.

    ''Oh!¡¡I see that Herr Junior is pleased!¡¡Thank God!¡¡The feeling was palpable!

    ''''What?!''''

    I looked over at him, and saw an indescribable grimace on Junior''s face as he wanted to take a nap right away.

    The zero year old boy had already learned to take care of himself.

    As expected of my son, I felt helpless at the same time.

    * * * *

    As such, many of the gifts given as birth gifts from the outside were intangible, showing the maximum amount of emotion.

    The Prince of Arowana gave me a sumo wrestling match to pray for good health for junior.

    Of course it was nice to see those events.

    What could be more gratifying than to know that everyone was there to celebrate his birth and wish him well?

    No, no!

    And so Junior is a happy man, and I thought his newborn period was going to pass him by, but....

    And then the big baby gift arrived.

    * * * *

    "We''ve got a baby shower for you.

    ''What?¡¡The doctor?

    There was a reason why I was suspicious of the visit of the No Life King teacher.

    The doctor was supposed to have already finished giving Junior''s baby gift.

    Quite early on, on the very day he was born, the teacher had cast a protective spell on Junior to help him grow up healthy.

    And yet you came to present him with a stack of gifts.....

    No way, teacher, after a thousand years of undead history, he finally asked, ''''Have you given me a baby gift yet?'''' "You''ve already given it to me"?

    "No, no, no, I know you''ve already given me mine. No, no, no, no, I know you''ve already given me mine.

    Huh?

    What do you mean, then?

    "These are the people who want to give Junior a gift, you know. Bye.

    When the teacher waves his wand, space is distorted and a dimensional hole is opened.

    It''s a familiar sight by now, but this means also........

    ''''God Descending!''''

    Hades, god of the earth, and Poseidos, god of the sea.

    In addition to them, all the household gods were rushing in, the first time since the last time the gods had gathered together!

    "Bless the son of a saint, it is I who gives his blessing.

    No, it''s me!

    The God of Earth and Sea?

    What the hell is going on here?

    "Congratulations on the birth of your successor, saint. Today, Mother Goddess of the Earth''s husband, Hades, has come to congratulate you in person.

    I''m telling you, that''s my role!¡¡Don''t barge in on me like that!

    Why are you being so rude?

    I don''t want my child to see that we have a cursory relationship, or even a divine relationship.

    Because it''s bad for education!

    ''What, saint. I thought that since a new life has been born to you, I should congratulate you on the birth of a new life. The Immortal King has ordered you down.

    I''m sorry to hear that, but...!

    I didn''t expect the celebration to come directly from God.

    It''s too big to be true, but now that you''re here, we should give you a good reception.

    ''That''s why I told you it''s me who gives blessings to the saint''s son!¡¡The gods of the earth, go home!''''

    But beside the God of Hades, the sea god Poseidos is persistently kneeling beside him.

    So why are they so hostile?

    It''s a celebration, so why don''t we all celebrate in harmony?

    "....the gods have laid down rules for this, my saint.

    The teacher, who couldn''t bear to look at me, added: ''God has some rules for dealing with people.

    ''''God has a number of rules that must be followed in dealing with people. One of them...!''''

    --God does not give man more.

    Oh.

    I''ve heard it all before.

    Before everything, God gave people so much power and blessings that the balance of the world was about to be thrown out of balance, so let''s just give them one, right?

    "By that rule, the gods only give your son one celebration. The gods are at odds with each other over that right.

    Okay, I get it.

    The gods'' situation with my kid Junior.

    I honestly wish you wouldn''t do that.

    If a war of the gods breaks out because of my son, it''ll be too risqu¨¦!

    ''''Let''s be stern here and strictly judge which blessing Junior deserves!

    God Competition.

    The Gift Fair for Junior has begun!

 308-306 Gift Fair

    It has begun.

    A contest between the gods, a gift for my son.

    I will be the host and judge of the contest.

    First of all, let''s hear the enthusiasm of the participants.

    "I''m going to kill them all.

    "Bow down before me.

    These were comments from both Hades, the god of the underworld, and Poseidon, the god of the sea.

    ''Things.

    ''''Mostly, Hades. Don''t you think it''s strange?''

    "What?

    "The saint''s wife is a mermaid, is she not?¡¡In other words, the son of the saint is also the son of his wife''s mermaid. Half of the blood that flows through him is that of a mermaid.''

    So?

    ''Isn''t this mermaid''s guardian the sea god Poseidon? Then it''s my job to give her a gift. Outsiders should stay out of the way.

    It''s like a skirmish has been going on since before the start.

    ''Kukukukuk........!¡¡''Shallow is the God of the Sea''

    "What did you say?

    "Whatever the birthplace, the child was born in the domain of God on earth, Our Lady of the Earth. Whoever lives on the ground is my child!¡¡"Therefore, the gods of the earth have the right to give us gifts in spades!

    "UGG?

    Um...!

    So much for the preliminaries, it''s time to get to the real game...!

    I''m taking a break from working today to keep you company...!

    "Very well!¡¡Then I will present to you from this gift prepared by the dark god Hades!

    Please!

    "Elixir of Life

    Wait a minute.

    You''re overreacting.

    The gift is too extravagant, I don''t like it.

    "No?

    ''No!¡¡Don''t give your newborn son what the High King, who has everything in such a world, would pursue in the end!

    Too much of a blessing was not a good thing.

    No, it was an issue before that!

    ''''Moderation, please!¡¡Moderation in gifts!

    "Kakkka!¡¡I guess I didn''t think it through, Hades!

    Poseidos, the sea god, turns a victorious smile on his shot down opponent.

    "You don''t have a clue what it''s like to be a human child!¡¡Sometimes what God takes for granted can be too much for a man to hold!¡¡Behold my best choice for that feeling!

    Then please announce it.

    The gift from Poseidos, the sea god, is...!

    The Dominion of the Seven Seas.

    Failed!

    We''re screwed!

    "What?¡¡What went wrong? Don''t look at me like that, Kaijin!

    What are you giving a zero-year-old boy?

    And the sea is not to be controlled!¡¡The sea is free!¡¡A free man unbounded by anything is the king of the sea!

    "Yes...!¡¡No....!

    "As expected, the judgement of a saint is very strict. Ordinary people would have gladly jumped at either of these gifts...!

    The ones who are willing to jump on the bandwagon are probably the ones you would rather not give.

    Hades'' choice, or Poseidon''s choice.

    Please don''t give them away casually for the sake of the world''s peace, okay?

    Now, the two main gods are thus disqualified.

    But there is no end to the challengers.

    There are many other gods who have been sent down today.

    "Oh, I knew it was a bad idea, the masters.

    "Men are hard-headed. Choosing gifts is a woman''s domain!

    The next two gods to appear were Demeter Sephone, Mother Earth Goddess, and Amphitrite, Mother Sea Goddess.

    They are goddesses that I just met the other day.

    That''s right, the teacher has summoned a lot of gods this time.

    I wondered if there were ten to twenty gods.

    And all of them want to give our Junior a gift?

    And they''re all vying for the one and only right to do so!

    "I will win this battle for sure!

    "Bless the son of a saint with my own hand!

    And I''ll have plenty of treats to show for it!

    I''ve just had a glimpse of a plan.

    Ah, so that''s why they''re all here.

    "Wait!

    "Come on, you hurried little dwarves. This is our curtain now. The mother gods of this world.

    Demeter Sepone and Amphitrite.

    What kind of gifts do the goddesses carry out?

    As they said, I still have the impression that women have better taste in gifts than men, so we can expect to score higher than the husband gods.

    ''Well, I''ve given it some thought. I''ll see what I can do to make them happy.

    ''I think it''s important to put yourself in the other person''s shoes for this kind of thing.

    That said, our junior is three months old.

    At best, I think he still has nothing to hope for but boobs?

    "Anyway, the baby''s a boy, right?

    ''Then you know what you want. And you will want it.

    And they announced.

    A must-have...!

    "''You are destined to be irresistible to all the women in the world!

    "Stop it!

    You''re turning my Junior into a harem character?

    "Huh?¡¡Is this one bad?''

    ''''Come to think of it, you''re the son of a saint. You don''t need to be given that kind of fate to be irresistible on your own, right?''''

    Don''t talk to me like that!

    Don''t make it sound like I''m irresistible to you as a parent. I''m not!

    No?¡¡It''s not there!

    ''I guess your mother didn''t make it either!

    Now it''s time for us to get to work!

    Following the Lord God and the Lord God''s wife, the Military Gods in the position of being his children are now up.

    This time, those Military God''s attack on them all at once aaaaah!

    ''''What I give to the saint''s son is the ability to obtain a thousand prey in a single hunt!

    ''I can''t take it home and I can''t eat it!¡¡Rejected!

    ''I''ll make sure you come back to life even if you die up to seven times!

    "That''s the backwards compatibility of the immortal!¡¡Rejected!

    "Let us drink the water of the fountain from which all knowledge has been dissolved!

    ''There''s going to be some kind of price to pay, so I reject it!

    "You will not be killed by man or beast!

    ''It rather smells like a death flag!¡¡Rejected!

    "You can be a man and experience a woman''s life!

    "Don''t let my son have his own weird s*xuality!¡¡Rejected!

    "You''re a pain in the ass!¡¡Frankly, the most powerful military force in the world!

    Frankly dismissed!

    "Well...!

    Reject!

    * * *

    All the gods'' suggestions were no thanks in the end.

    Because everything they''re offering is way over the top.

    I don''t want my child to become a hero. I don''t want him to be a hero, I want him to grow up calm and safe for the rest of his life.

    I also want him to grow up strong, even if he''s just a pupil.

    And all the gifts the gods give me are so out of proportion to my own size and exaggerated.

    You''d make my son the High King, the Emperor, or the destroyer of worlds!

    Well, just calm down, Master.

    My wife Prathi is coming out of her house.

    No, you''ll be angry at us for our children!

    "I''m so happy that everyone is celebrating my child.

    What?

    Celebrations can''t be shown by gifts alone. The gods go to great lengths to celebrate our bladder like this. I couldn''t be happier.

    ..........?

    Is this...?

    Yeah, right!

    ''Yes, the most important thing is to celebrate!¡¡We forgot something important!''

    ''It doesn''t matter who''s the best!¡¡Because everyone is the ONLY one!''''

    The gods said something convenient and went in for a run.

    But it''s scary.

    It was Prathi who made that escape route for them.

    Mother is strong, but isn''t Prati, who has given birth to a child, much stronger than she was before?

    ''I''ll hold off on the gift!¡¡First of all, let''s all celebrate the birth of this child!

    Hurray!

    Congratulations!

    Viva!

    "Viva baby!

    The gods surrounded my child and began to chant Hail Mary.

    What is this needlessly divine scenery?

    Coincidentally, it was also the timing of nap time, and although Junior was not happy about being disturbed from his sleep by the noise, he could see that the air was somehow praising him, and zero year old boy responded with a wry smile.

    Thus, everything came full circle........or did it?

    * * *

    I digress.

    We received congratulations from all quarters like this, but there was one guy who hadn''t made it yet.

    Viel.

    This dragon dotes on Junior so much that I thought it would be strange not to give him anything, so I asked him about it in an unprompted manner.

    ''There''s no need to raise it, is there?''

    ''Because I''m going to protect Junior all the time,'' replied Veerle.

    ''Because I''m going to protect Junior all the time. That''s the best present I can give you.

    ...........

    I have a feeling that this guy is the most dangerous.

 309-307 Dragon coming ha

    A dragon has come to our farm.

    No, a dragon attack is no longer a big deal.

    I don''t know how many times this has been repeated, including by Veerle.

    I''m not sure if it''s just because I''m used to dragons that I''ve gotten used to them that I''ve lost my senses.

    But the new dragons that appeared still blew my mind and the entire farm''s population away.

    That''s how different it was from the others.

    First of all, it was different in size.

    I''m used to seeing the dragons I''ve encountered so far, such as Veerle and Ardhaeg''s dragon form, many times, but they were different.

    They were about one size larger than that.

    Especially if it''s a dragon, the size of the wings that normally grow are different.

    Its body size itself is also one size larger, but as for its wings, they are nearly three times larger.

    So when it spread out its wings and flew, it seemed to cover the sky and looked much larger than other dragons.

    Furthermore, the color of its scales shone pure white, which should be a peculiarity of the dragon.

    The color of the scales of the dragons I''ve seen so far were silver if it was Veerle, or gold if it was Mr. Ardheg, or something like that.

    This dragon was as white as the shining virgin snow of the steeply falling universal snow.

    And most of all, the supremacy that the dragon exuded, if you can call it that.

    Even a layman like me can understand this.

    This is the kind of energy that a champion should radiate.

    ''''Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    "Uhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

    The dominance was so fierce that even the farm dwellers who should be used to such a thing were lost in thought.

    You can also have a look at the following information

    ''''This..., this can''t be........''''

    I stood there, stunned, looking up at the strong dragon in the sky.

    As soon as I took one look at that dragon, I was sure of it.

    ''''There''s no doubt about it...!¡¡That''s the Geyser Dragon!

    The most powerful dragon known as the Dragon Emperor!

    It''s been talked about a few times before and I only know the name, but that''s why it came to me.

    He is the creator of all the Viel and all the other dragons, and the one who rules over all the dragons.

    He''s even stronger than the dragons originally considered the strongest, which means that he''s on a level that can''t be helped.

    So why did he ride into the farm alive?

    Did we do something wrong?

    In fact, we''ve done things without even knowing it.

    Get ready to get down on our knees!

    While I was thinking about this, the Geyser Dragon (?) It circled in the air and didn''t seem to make a move.

    But finally, it landed on the outskirts of the farm, a long way from where we were.

    Why did it bother to land so far away from us?

    I dashed to the landing spot too.

    When I finally caught up with it, the divine strong dragon''s form was enveloped in light and shrunk into a zunken shape.

    Then it took on human form.....

    I''m sorry to bother you at work.

    The humanization of dragons was something he was used to.

    That Emperor Dragon (?) was transformed into a man, a figure that was truly worthy of the dignity of a champion.

    He was an old man with a rich beard.

    He may be an old man, but that doesn''t mean he looked old and decrepit at all, his spine standing tall and his whole body full of energy, exuding the same strength as a young man.

    His beard, which stretches from his chin to his navel, is white, as if he wanted to give the impression that he was an old man. However, the hair was silvery, as if it was too fine.

    His hair and beard were rich in quantity.

    He dared to feign old age, as if to preserve his dignity and friendliness.

    Someone with substandard youth and strength.

    It seemed that way to me.

    I want you to let down your guard. "I did not come here with a conflict.

    Oh, hi.

    The Emperor Dragon (?) Surprisingly friendly.

    However, they are the strongest of the strongest. The only way to do that is to disarm them because there''s no way to counteract them, even if they came with a fighting attitude.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. I knew I should have asked for help first, but since there was no way to get a message to us, I had no choice but to pay a visit to the place like I was barging in.

    Did I make you apologize for my rudeness in any way?

    Are you the most polite man in the world, this mighty dragon?

    No, no, don''t worry about it...

    I had a chance to look at it from the sky, and it is a beautiful field. Not only is it vast, but I could see the freshness of the crops at a glance, even from a distance. They must have taken great care in growing these crops.

    No, no!

    And it''s a compliment!

    I get so excited when people praise our fields!

    "I didn''t want to trample your precious field, so I''ve just landed here. Is it all right?

    ''No problem!¡¡It''s just a vacant lot!

    I wondered what it was like to come all the way down to the outskirts of the farm and worry about something like that!

    That''s great, Geyser Dragon (?). (laughs)

    You are more of a gentleman than I imagined.

    I wish I could make Vire learn from him.

    "I am Alexander of Graugrintzdragon.

    Huh?

    What''s a completely different name than you imagined?

    I was even sure of it.

    ''I got a hint of a dragon from here. Would you be willing to intercede if you could?

    * * *

    There''s no particular reason to say no, so I decided to deal with it.

    Speaking of dragons in our home, I''m pretty sure it''s Veerle.

    ''''Oh!¡¡Brother Alexander, isn''t that you!¡¡It''s been a while!

    As soon as they meet, Veerle greets the visiting dragon in a friendly manner.

    So they are acquaintances after all.

    And then Veerle says to Alexander-san and the others........

    ''Die.''

    ''''Why the cursing out of nowhere!''''

    The cursing came right after the greeting. And it''s one of the best.

    I had an important mission to watch Junior take a nap. Anyone who stands in the way of that will die.

    "Are you getting a little too junior-fundamentalist for your own good?

    Ever since our son was born, Veerle has been like this.

    Veerle is the one who caters to Junior more than Prathi and me, his biological parents.

    It''s nice to know that you like my son, but has that been too much lately? A few times I was worried about it.

    ''Well, Prathi''s going to look after Junior...!¡¡More importantly, could you introduce me to this dragon?

    "I have no choice, now that my master has ordered me to do so. This is my brother, Alexander.

    "Calling my brother a son-of-a-b*tc*?

    And I only thought this dragon was a Geyser Dragon, but I''m a fiercely mistaken man!

    I''m sure of it.

    How embarrassing to have done that!

    ''My brother is a Glaugrintz dragon. He''s the first candidate for the next Geyser Dragon.

    Heh.

    I''m sure you''re not the only one.

    I''m not sure I''m going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to find out what''s going on. You can say that the strongest dragon on earth now is Brother Alexander.

    Don''t lift it up too much. I''m just another dragon, living in peace. And my father has taken away my rightful place as his successor.

    Huh?¡¡Why?

    My father and I didn''t see eye to eye...

    "You''re an eccentric dragon who''s always favoring Ningen. Father always insulted your brother all the time.

    Veerle adds an explanation.

    That father guy is the dragon emperor, Geyser Dragon, right?

    He said, "But I do not regret it. My father looks down on them as a stupid and weak race. I think they are the strongest of them all, and they are capable of great things.

    My goodness.

    "It''s true that Ningens are weak. The abilities of each of us individually are limited. However, a Ningen is able to overcome any challenge by working together with many others. Even if they are not able to do so, they can build up their experience and belief in the problems they have faced, and pass it on to the next generation. And one day we will break through. That is the ability of a Ningen that a dragon does not have!

    You always talk fast when you''re talking about nigens.

    Veerle summed it up in one word.

    ''''So your brother is now nestled in a dungeon within the ningens'' sphere of influence to welcome the ningens?

    Well, I wanted to support my fellow Ningen. My dungeon is now open to all adventurers to come in and gather as they please.

    He''s an extremely kind dragon to mankind.

    ''''Father was making fun of your brother''s love for Ningxian, but since he''s already better than you, he can''t say anything bad about it. That''s why he revoked his brother''s qualification as his successor out of spite.

    "Emperor Dragon, that''s just too small.

    ''So the battle for succession by the other dragons began... Come to think of it, what''s wrong with you, brother?¡¡Now you''re out. Are you trying to re-tangle yourself in the race for succession?

    Veerle asked his eldest brother, who hadn''t been outside in a while.

    No, I am not interested in the position of emperor now. But I see that something has happened that even I cannot overlook.

    Mr. Alexander said with dignity.

    ''They knocked your father down, didn''t they?¡¡Veerle, do you know anything about that?

 310-308 Who killed

    The true and most powerful dragon.

    Alexander, the Glaugrintz Dragon.

    His sudden arrival gave us a hint of what was to come, though.

    I knew there would be an incident.

    "My father was knocked down...?

    I had to join in, as expected.

    If you''re Alexander-san''s father, that would be the dragon emperor, Gaiser Dragon, right?

    So the Geyser Dragon is down?

    This is a big deal.

    "I''ve only just found out, too. "I''ve only recently noticed that your father''s presence on the air has been lost.

    Can you feel that way?

    ''Father is a Geyser Dragon, even in his old age. His presence is felt throughout the world. It''s just that you don''t feel it unless you are careful to detect it, and I don''t care about him, so I haven''t paid much attention to him in a while.

    And only recently have they detected something unusual.

    I have not been able to socialize with my fellow dragons for a long time now. I was scurrying around to see if any of my people knew anything about it, and I found this place.

    And then he met Veerle.

    "Veerle, what do you know about it?

    I know.

    Veerle replied blithely, as usual.

    Huh?

    You know?

    Doesn''t master know about this?

    What?

    I heard those mermaids brought down my father.

    .........

    Hmm?

    Mermaid?

    Who is this?

    I don''t think I''ve ever heard of a macho-bull mermaid who could slay a dragon king!

    I got zero hits in my brain!

    "Master is a cold-hearted man. That''s him, Platy''s brother. He just got back from training.

    "Prince Arowana?¡¡Are you kidding me?

    I haven''t heard anything about it!

    Prince Arowana told me a few stories about his training after he came back, but he didn''t tell me that he slayed the Emperor''s Dragon.

    It''s a story of such a large scale that you didn''t dare to talk about it?

    That sounds like the kind of thing that would happen to Prince Arowana in the Middle Ages.

    "I''m Ardhegg''s man," he said. "I accidentally knocked father over. What do you want to do? In a consultative tone.

    I didn''t mean to take it lightly.

    I knocked him down by accident, all right?

    ....

    Hearing this story, Crown Prince Dragon Alexander with the appearance of a wise old man.

    He pondered for a while...

    ''So it was Ardhaeg and his friends who defeated your father?

    He confirmed that.

    No, wait a minute!

    Don''t tell me you''re going to take revenge for your father''s defeat?

    That would include Prince Arowana and Puffa?

    "I must see Ardhegg. Where do you think he is now?

    What are you going to do with your meeting?

    No way. ''You''ll pay for your sins. It''s not going to be like that, is it?

    "He''s probably flying all over the world right now, freewheeling. It''s a pain in the ass to find a regular guy.

    Okay.

    "So, I''ve already set up an emergency, anywhere-in-nowhere magic transmission for him!¡¡If you call for it, no matter how far away you are, it will fly by today if it''s the wings of a dragon.

    Hey, Viel!

    Why are we jumping to conclusions so quickly?

    Shouldn''t we wait and see what Mr. Alexander is up to before we start talking?

    Please, I need to see him.

    All right. Come on, come on, come on.

    What''s that spell?

    What do you want, Sister Veerle?¡¡Oh, isn''t big brother Alexander here too?

    And there he is!

    Mr. Ardhegg of the Grinz Dragon!

    How come they don''t have any time lag?

    Why can''t common sense be applied to everything about dragons?

    * * * *

    Thus, a total of three dragons gathered at our farm.

    How many dragons should we count ''how many''?

    Anyway.

    Veerle, the grinzel dragon (imperial dragon) who originally lived in our home.

    Mr. Ardheg, the Grinzel Dragon (Prince Dragon), who often shows up at our house.

    And Alexander, the crown prince dragon, Glaugrhin''s dragon, who is participating for the first time in this contest.

    ...I thought there was one more dragon or something, but I didn''t mention it because I didn''t want the story to get any more complicated.

    Just stay quiet in the liquor bottle.

    Anyway, here we are in a summit-like space where multiple dragons gather.

    ''I ask my brother, Ardheg, the Grintz dragon,''

    I''ll tell you whatever you want to know.

    "They say you have avenged our father, Gazer Dragon. Isn''t that right?

    No. I did not do it alone. It was a victory won by all of my traveling companions.

    Mr. Ardhegg!

    Don''t get your people involved in this mess without good reason!

    "Prince Arowana, whom I consider a hero and a champion, and his wife, Puffa. And Songgokphong and Hakkai. None of them would have defeated my father if they were missing.

    Normally, I would be like, "What a fellowship of words! And I''m about to be impressed, but right now I''m filled with anxiety!

    Are you okay?

    Wouldn''t Mr. Alexander say, "Well, let''s get revenge on all those people"?

    Well, you''ve done it.

    Huh?

    I knew that I would have to deal with your father myself sooner or later. It is my duty as the leading Glaugrintz dragon to do that. It''s a shame that I let you, my brother, take the blame for this.

    Well, that was surprisingly positive.

    He beat up my dad and then he said.

    "Master, you don''t get to observe well.

    Veerle told me to scold him.

    ''I explained to you in the flow that your brother and your father have a falling out. So why does your brother need to take revenge on your father?

    And in terms of personality, Alexander-san seems to be dunce and superior.

    So defeating the Geyser Dragon was the righteous and beneficial thing to do.

    I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one.

    ''You''re right!¡¡I couldn''t stand by and watch my father''s cruelty, so I stood with my friends!

    If you ask me, Mr. Ardheg was once sentenced to fail the ordeal, and the oath almost took away his power.

    With the loss of his power, the dragon lost his wits and turned into a beastly being called a Lesser Dragon.

    The princes of Arowana, who regarded Mr. Ardheg as a valued companion, said, "Don''t let them! He resisted, and in the process, he was able to defeat the Geyser Dragon.......

    ''Friendship is amazing...''

    That''s just what you''d expect from the three pillars of our effort and victory.

    "But if you say our actions are the great crime of killing my father, I will not defend myself. If you say that Brother Alexander, the man who will lead the charge against the new dragons, will be judged, I will obey you.

    Candor!

    I don''t intend to settle for such a high office. My desire is to see a ningen reach its full potential. I want to keep my distance from the dragon''s power struggles.

    But brother....

    Veerle interjects.

    ''Now that your father is gone, I suppose it''s inevitable that someone else will become the new Geyser Dragon, don''t you think?¡¡Isn''t that first candidate originally your brother, the rightful successor?

    If Mr. Alexander did not ascend to the throne as the new Geyser Dragon, then a battle for succession would break out among the remaining dragons.

    This time, there would be no mediator, and it would be a battle without honor and without rules.

    Moreover, if the most powerful dragons were to do this, the battle would not be settled among the parties involved...

    The collateral damage to humanity would be terrible.

    The aftermath of the battle could destroy a town or village, a normal occurrence.

    I''m not sure I''m going to be able to find out. The life of a ningen is very important to me.

    Is your brother a person?

    ''I have an idea.... Oh, yes!

    The hallucination of a beanbag light bulb shining above Mr. Alexander''s head.

    ''Ardheg,''

    Yes?

    You''re going to be the next Geyser Dragon.

    "Yes?!

    The sudden recklessness began.

    You are the one who defeated your father, who was a Geyser Dragon in this life, and you are the one who deserves to be his successor. You will be able to find out if you are a good fit for the position of the emperor''s dragon by your own strength. Isn''t that enough?

    There was a sense of intent to impose a nuisance.

 311-309 New Emperor is born

    ''Don''t wait a minute, brother!

    Perhaps because it was too outlandish a suggestion, Ardheg''s tone is funny with agitation.

    ''''Oh!¡¡I''m too big for a Geyser Dragon!¡¡I still think that in terms of rank and power, you''re the one who deserves it.

    My brother. I hate trouble.

    Crown Prince Dragon''s image of Ming-kun instantly squeezed out.

    I want to concentrate on my own dungeon management and only care about the health of the ningen who enter my dungeon. I don''t have the time to become a Geyser Dragon and manage the fights of other dragons.

    ''I beg your pardon!¡¡I don''t have the strength to subdue all of them!¡¡It was only because of the help of my friends that I was able to defeat my father, and there are many dragons stronger than me, including my brother!

    Dragons are more humble and auspicious than I thought.

    Is it just that these two are unique?

    "....!¡¡Yes!¡¡At this time, why don''t you leave the Geyser Dragon to Sister Veerle!

    At this point, a stray bullet was fired at Veerle.

    It''s not only that, but it''s also a great deal more powerful than I am.¡¡Wouldn''t it be better to leave it to Sister Veerle at this point to get it all sorted out?

    Was Veerle really that powerful?

    From the first time I met you, you were hesitant to attack your teacher, and I didn''t have a very strong image of you.

    Of course, he''s one of the strongest when he''s a dragon, but I didn''t think he was that strong among dragons.

    Is that how strong you are?

    Now, suddenly the story is turned off and Veerle is.....

    ''No.''

    ''''Sis, yeah!''''

    She firmly refused.

    Are you sure about that, Veerle?¡¡Didn''t you want to be a geyser dragon?

    That''s why you were trying to take the holy sword away from your teacher.

    Now it seems like a long time ago and it makes me nostalgic, though.

    ''Sweet master! "Don''t be naive, master, every living being changes with time. So do dragons. And I, too, have changed with the passage of time, and my hopes have changed!

    What does Veerle want now?

    Protecting Junior!

    Hey, hey, hey!

    ''A lifetime!¡¡I will protect Junior for the rest of his life!¡¡I will destroy anyone who tries to harm Junior, even if they are God!¡¡It is my pleasure to protect such a lovely Junior!

    ................

    My son has won the position of Emperor Dragon.

    I''ll ask Veerle to let the child go when the time is right, but the current situation will remain as it is.

    ''So Ardheg, you will be the Geyser Dragon after all.

    ''Yeah?!''

    Mr. Ardhegg is left on his own after being told off by his sister.

    "You defeated your father. There is no clearer requirement than this. Give up and become an emperor!

    A champion is not something you want to be, but something that is pushed aside.

    I felt like I was witnessing a good example of this.

    ''No, no, wait...!¡¡I guess I''m too good for that kind of work, huh?

    I know you can do it.

    I can''t. You must be as good as your brother Alexander, or at least Veerle''s sister...?

    I know you can do it.

    You can do it.

    Sister Veerle?¡¡No, but...?

    You can do it.

    You can do it.

    But you''re gonna...?

    You can do it.

    I told you you could do it, and you are persistent.

    Yes....!

    I saw a terrible folding.

    Thus it was decided that Mr. Ardhaeg would serve as the new Geyser Dragon.

    I''ll be a part of the accession process. If they find out I''m behind them, they won''t be so quick to do anything wrong.

    So why don''t you just do it yourself...?

    It''s not a question of who does it. It doesn''t matter who does it. It matters what you do.

    Now that the conversation is over, the matter is settled for now.

    All that''s left is for Ardheg, the new Geyser Dragon, to take charge of the dragons and bring peace to the world, and I''m glad he''s done.

    We''ll go over the specifics later........

    ''''Well, how about we have dinner at our house to celebrate Mr. Ardhegg''s appointment?

    It''s not like I''m going to be standing outside talking forever.

    I was only meant to be a mere bystander too, so it was time to make my presence known.

    No, it''s a ningen. We''ve already caused you trouble by barging in on you and you can''t interrupt us any more...?

    Alexander-san is showing a restraint that isn''t typical of dragons, which makes me feel even better.

    ''Don''t say so, please accept my entreaties.

    So I''ll take you up on your offer...?¡¡Speaking of which, Veerle, are you living under a ningen? Do you live under a ningen?¡¡You''re being quite drastic again, aren''t you?

    As we walked together to the main house, I asked Mr. Alexander Veerle.

    ''''Even I, who pride myself on being one of the most prolific dragon fans, haven''t gotten along that well.

    "Fufufufu...!¡¡That''s because Master is awesome. Your brother will soon realize this too!

    Veerle, don''t waste your time raising the bar.

    It seemed that we had to make a feast out of our arms here for one thing.

    It was also a celebration of Mr. Ardhaeg''s inauguration.

    * * * *

    It was a little late for lunch, but we decided to serve the braised pork cubes that we had prepared last night.

    To be precise, though, it''s braised horned wild boar meat.

    I also cooked an egg of Yoshamo, which I boiled together with the pork, and the broth soaked into the pork.

    I got some pickles from the brewery and added miso soup to the rice ball.

    Alexander-san, the strongest dragon, popped the dish, which should be unfamiliar to him, into his mouth without fear.

    ''''It''s.......delicious.''''

    For example, he reacted the way a reasonably high-ranking character would in a gourmet manga.

    ''No, I get offerings from the nigens from time to time, but I''ve never heard of this kind of deliciousness!¡¡This is one of the five strangest pieces of monster meat, square boa meat!¡¡I''ve heated it up to make it easier to eat...!

    I started analyzing it in a really gourmet cartoonish way.

    ''''You didn''t pass the fire directly through it...?¡¡This was heated up with hot water!¡¡And it''s not just water, it''s probably water that''s been mixed in some way. It''s been mixed and flavored. It''s soaked into the meat.

    The strongest dragon that can tell you your answer.

    It''s amazing.

    Because he doesn''t know the concept of "simmer" or "seasoning", he doesn''t use such vocabulary and his tone of voice is rather indirect, but that''s why he''s amazing.

    But that''s why it''s so great, because he knows exactly how to cook something he doesn''t know.

    ''Yes, yes, yes!¡¡My master is great!¡¡You must have admired brother Alexander!

    For some reason, Veerle was boasting about it as if it were his own.

    And Veerle," he said, "you''re a daily eater in our home. And then Veerle, you eat at home. You eat twice as much as Mr. Alexander and Mr. Ardhaeg.

    "What produces this kind of food. That''s unusual. Speaking of which!

    I noticed something.

    When I heard about the dragon that intervened in the war between humans and demons, wasn''t that you, Veerle?

    Oh, brother, did you know that?

    "You still don''t know much about the affairs of the dragon world, but you never cease to gather information about the Ningen world, brother.

    I miss it.

    It happened.

    The incident where Veerle hit the battlefield in the form of a dragon and said, ''I am the servant of a saint, and anyone who messes with my master will be burned to death.

    You''re telling me you''re a ningen, a saint?

    You''re very clever, aren''t you, dragon?

    I didn''t expect to meet you here. ''I never thought I''d meet you here...'' ''There are rumours about you in the land of the humans now, Mr. Potter. That there is a farm inhabited by an all-powerful man named Saint!

    Oh, no, you don''t mean that.

    How could it be here?

    You''re really perceptive, aren''t you, Alexander?

    And since you react so well, it makes me happy to feel like I''m being cheered up too.

    It''s probably partly because they are the strongest dragons in the world, but....

    I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to get a look at it.

 312-310 Visit the strongest dragons house

    Alexander the Glaugrintz Dragon.

    He is the true and strongest dragon.

    It seems that the Glaugrinz Dragon is also known as the Crown Prince Dragon, which means that he is the most likely candidate for the next Dragon King.

    In terms of simple magical prowess, sometimes the young crown prince dragon even surpasses the old emperor dragon, and the relationship between the current Alexander-san and his father''s dragon, Gaiser Dragon, was just like that.

    Such Alexander-san, however, had an unusual taste that no other dragon had.

    He seemed to love humans, or rather, humanity.

    Although it''s hard to use the word human because there are various races in this world, such as human race, demon race, mermaid race, etc.

    Alexander-san is compassionate with all of them.

    He allows people to enter the dungeons that he rules and allows them to gather and hunt.

    Such a dungeon that Alexander is the master of is called the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain, and it is known as the finest dungeon in the old human kingdom.

    It is said that the human tribes living in the human country revere Alexander like a god, and respect him with fear.

    The one who provided me with this information was Lytesseus from the former human country, who is studying abroad at our farm.

    ''''Oh, you''re such a great dragon...''''

    "I never thought I''d get to see High Dragon Alexander in person...?¡¡This land is amazing after all...?

    Litisseus-kun is trembling.

    That''s how great the dragon named Alexander-san is.

    I''m not happy with all the fawning over your brother Alexander. I''m a native of this land, I should be worshipped just as much as you are.

    My Viel is jealous of her unashamed popularity with the most powerful dragons.

    I want you to realize that her lack of respect is also related to her own daily conduct.

    ''''......... .........Come to think of it, does your brother have his own dungeon too?

    "It''s in a section of the city that nigens used to call ''human country''. ''The Holy White Maiden''s Mountain,'' as they call it, is a favorite haunt of the ningen.

    Lycheeus, your explanation.

    That''s right!¡¡Because the only dungeon where the Lord is present and you can come and go freely is the dungeon ruled by Alexander-sama. In other dungeons, the Lord could attack you just by stepping in!

    That''s the part where the Lord''s degree comes out completely.

    Come to think of it, when I first met Veerle, he yelled at me when he found out that I hunted in his dungeon without permission.

    ''''Alexander-sama says that he manages his dungeon so well that good materials and monsters come out consistently. The Lord Himself welcomes adventurers to enter the dungeon, so there is no risk, and that''s the best dungeon that everyone agrees on!

    Being attacked by the Lord Himself is the most dreaded risk of a dungeon with the Lord.

    When you talk about the master of a dungeon, it''s the dragon or the no-life king.

    I have a dungeon nearby. Would you like to come over and take a look?

    Does Veerle have a rivalry with you?

    Well, since you are here, let me have a look. I enjoy visiting other dungeons.

    You have such a hobby?

    I want to make my dungeon a better place to live by learning from them. I want to make my dungeons even better, so that all the nincompoops will have the courage to conquer them.

    How studious!

    ''Yes!¡¡Then I invite you to visit my dungeon!¡¡Enjoy the ingenuity that is encrusted in my realm!

    And so it was decided that we would go to the mountain dungeon of the Veerle with our guest Alexander.

    While staring at the back of his brother and sister, Ardhegg sighed.

    ''I envy you...!¡¡Your brother and sister both have their own dungeons...!

    ''So, you don''t have one of those, Mr. Ardhaeg?

    Only the most deserving of dragons can be the master of a dungeon. The only person who can be the master of a dungeon. I don''t even have a dungeon of my own, and all of a sudden I''m a Geyser Dragon...?

    It seems that he still hasn''t fully recovered from the lingering effects of the great selection he made the day before.

    I''m not sure what to say to that brother dragon.

    It''s not a good idea.¡¡If you become a Geyser Dragon, the Dragon Emperor''s Castle will be your dungeon as it is, right?

    Yeah, that''s right!

    I went from being a hermit to a castle owner.

    I could feel how much my rank had improved.

    * * * *

    And they arrived.

    ''See that, brother!¡¡This is my dungeon!

    Me and my friends from the farm often visit the mountain dungeon in Viel to hunt monsters.

    And while we''re at it, Okubo and Gobbler also accompany us as we prepare for the hunt.

    Our dungeons are divided into four areas, each with its own unique color scheme: spring, summer, autumn and winter!¡¡You''ll enjoy a completely different shade for each layer.

    Viel super proudly says.

    It''s unexpected. I want to incorporate it into my dungeon as well.

    ''I know, I know!¡¡You can copy me, brother, if you want!

    Hmm?

    As Veerle was getting good at it, Alexander-san''s interest went elsewhere.

    ''''Hey Veerle, what''s that?''''

    The trees were pointed to as a regular line of trees.

    Since the mountain dungeon is a different space that relies on natural mountain ranges, the interior of the dungeon is usually overgrown with trees.

    However, since it is basically a natural place, the trees are irregular in their arrangement and variety.

    And yet, the tree garden that Alexander-san saw must have caught his attention because the exact same type of trees were arranged in a predetermined way.

    ''That''s a dungeon orchard,''

    "The dungeon orchard?

    I answer for Veerle.

    I''m the originator and manager of the orchard, for one thing.

    It''s a good idea to take advantage of the constant climate in the dungeon to grow fruit trees. The fruit that this tree produces is delicious. Would you like to try it?

    Oh, oh....

    Mend the fruit that is ripe and close at hand, and squirm.

    Wipe the surface well and offer it to him.

    It may be a little too wild, but the person you''re dealing with is a dragon. If you presented them with a pineapple as is, they would be able to take a bite out of it and there would be no problem.

    By the way, the fruit was an autumn area pear.

    Alexander-san took a bite out of the pear as it was........

    ''''.........?''''

    His eyes widened.

    "This.........?¡¡I didn''t think such a fruit existed in this world........?¡¡Is this a magical crop?

    No, no, it''s just a fruit that grows in my hometown.

    I didn''t let him know that its home was in another world, as it would complicate the conversation.

    ''''How wonderful...!¡¡You don''t just use a dungeon as a place for materials to spring up, you grow them yourself...?

    Hahaha, are you surprised, brother!

    Veerle says proudly.

    Thus, my dungeon is a unique agricultural dungeon thanks to the joint efforts of myself and my master.¡¡It''s no wonder your dungeon doesn''t have an orchard inside!

    You talk about it as if it were your own achievement, but it was me and Okubo and the others who planted and nurtured the fruit trees, right?

    ''''Well, it''s hard to manage fruit trees, but lately the tree spirits have possessed me and I''ve been able to leave the management to them...''''

    While I was talking about it, the spirits of various fruit trees noticed my presence and began to gather around.

    I guess they were just trying to put me in a good mood.

    Starting with Kaka-Oh, the spirit of cacao, Kakiemon, the spirit of persimmon, and Ringo, the spirit of apple. Armikan, the spirit of the tangerine. The lemon tree spirit, Mama Lemon. The vine spirit of grapes, Strong the Grape. The banana tree spirit Sonja Banana.

    Before I knew it, the spirits of the trees had become quite diverse.

    "Saint!

    "Hail to you, saint, hail to you!

    ''My berries are ripening very well today!¡¡We''d love for the saint to harvest it!

    And for some reason they all come up to me.

    They didn''t even look at the original owner of the dungeon, Veerle.

    ''''Hey!¡¡I''m the master of this dungeon, guys!

    I got bogged down in taking care of Junior, and the dungeon reconquest process was slowing down again.

    The flow of boasting to my brother dragon ended up being an uncool way to end up.

    However, our visitor, Alexander-san, didn''t seem to be bothered by Veerle''s one-man show of affection.

    ''''Ningen.......no, I''m a saint.

    Yes?

    Can you do me a favor and help me refurbish my dungeon?

 313-311 Sightseeing sadness

    My name is Shabe!

    I''m an adventurer in human country!¡¡Way to go!

    I''m still in the bottom three, but one day I''m going to achieve great things and become a top-ranked adventurer!

    And for that, I''m going to find it!

    The Saint''s farm!

    If you can find the hottest topic in the Adventurer''s Guild right now, a mysterious utopia that no one has yet found, you''ve made your mark!¡¡Extra large!

    It would be even more than just saying you slayed a dragon or something!

    Wealth, honor, and dreams lie there!

    Let''s go to the saint''s farm!

    * * * *

    That''s why I''m here today....

    I''ve come to the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain, which is said to be the highest level dungeon in humanity.

    What does that have to do with the Saint''s Farm? Some might ask.

    .........

    ........not really.

    It can''t be helped!¡¡It''s not easy to find a saint''s farm, you know!

    I''ve been looking for it for almost a year now, and I haven''t found a single clue.

    So today, I decided to change my mind and stop by one of the best dungeons I happened to pass by on my journey.

    The Holy White Maiden''s Mountain is a mountain-type dungeon, and as its name suggests, it''s a mountain-type dungeon.

    And most mountain dungeons have a dragon as the dungeon master.

    This mountain also has a dungeon master named Alexander the Glaugrintz Dragon.

    He''s a very unusual dragon and loves mankind.

    That''s why he opened his dungeon to the humans and allowed them to come and go as they please.

    Normally, dungeons with masters would require advanced adventurers to be prepared to die to enter, but the system is so popular that it guarantees your safety.

    Moreover, since the Lord manages the dungeons, the rate of appearance of rare materials and monsters is high. It''s a dungeon where the rewards are well worth the risk.

    The owner of the dungeon welcomes you and guarantees your safety, so it''s a low-risk, high-reward proposition.

    The guild of adventurers assigns dungeon grades of one to five stars, but this is a dungeon with six stars, which is more than enough to make it a top-notch dungeon.

    That''s the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain!

    This is the best dungeon that every adventurer wants to visit, and I''m finally stepping into it!

    I feel like I''m taking my first steps as a first-rate adventurer!¡¡Let''s go!

    The Holy White Maiden''s Mountain has an Adventurer''s Guild Branch at the foot of the mountain, where you need to ask permission to enter the dungeon.

    In addition, there are lodgings for adventurers entering the dungeon, as well as various shops to help them prepare for the dungeon.

    There are also taverns for rest and relaxation, and even a gambling den and a theater.

    It was so large that it could be called a city.

    It''s the largest dungeon in the land of mankind, as expected of a dungeon in the land of mankind... and I entered the guild while feeling overwhelmed.

    Access to the dungeon is strictly limited by the Adventurer''s Guild, and basically only adventurers who have been approved by the guild are allowed to enter the dungeon.

    I showed the adventurer''s license I got in my hometown to prove I''m a member of the guild, and then I had to fill out an application form to enter the dungeon.

    Next, I have to fill out a dungeon entry form and write a pledge that I won''t accuse the guild of anything that happens in the dungeon, even if it''s my own fault.

    In addition, I have a certificate from the military police that states that I have not been involved in any crimes in the past few years, and I sign it, stating that I have looked over the profit chart of the dungeon acquisitions, which has different rates for different guild branches.

    In addition, I also responded to a simple questionnaire to determine if I would receive support from the guild for lodging and equipment during the dungeon challenge.......

    ..........

    Why is the guild''s dungeon entry procedure such a hassle?

    No, it''s because you can''t enter the dungeon unless you do it, but hey!

    Can''t it be simpler?

    After the fall of the human nation, the demon nation took over, this is a good opportunity to reform!

    ******

    After finishing the procedure, I was finally able to enter the dungeon.

    To the highest dungeon in the land of mankind, the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain.

    I''m really looking forward to it.

    Because they say it''s arguably the best dungeon in human country, right?

    It''s probably not as good as the one-star cave dungeons in my hometown.

    The scale and quality of the game is just as impressive.

    The monsters are strong and the level of the game is sure to rise dramatically as you fight to the death.

    There are lots of rare materials available and the rewards are probably gargantuan.

    Your dreams are about to unfold, this is a great dungeon!

    I wondered if I''d end up at the saint''s farm, which I''m sure I''ll be able to do in the future, and I tried to imagine what it would be like.

    When you arrive at the entrance of the dungeon with your dream in mind...!

    .... hmm?

    What''s that fence at the entrance to the dungeon?

    And in front of the fence, there was a standing sign that read.

    -- ''Dungeon ''Holy White Maiden''s Mountain'' is currently undergoing renovation and is closed to entry.

    What the hell?

    Why?

    This is a very touristy place!

    I''ve come all the way from all the way over here and now that I''ve finally arrived at the site, they''re saying ''You can''t go in''?

    You can''t get in?

    Why didn''t you make a big deal of it?

    Well, I guess I''ll come back here.¡¡I could have figured that out before I even thought of it!

    ...what?

    Was it?

    Have you notified the various Adventure Guild branches in the old human country?

    I guess I just didn''t notice it.

    That happens a lot too.

    But if you still can''t get in, you didn''t have to go through all that seven hassle, right?

    When I was booted out of the office, I didn''t feel like giving up....

    If you save the procedure, you can skip it the next time you come.

    The receptionist said softly, "I''m not going to be able to do that.

    I still didn''t feel good about it, so I tried to pick up the receptionist, but she flatly refused.

    ........d*mn.

    Mostly, the dungeon is being renovated....................what are they going to renovate and how?

    Aren''t dungeons supposed to be natural?

    Can you refurbish something that came naturally?

    ...I guess I can do it.

    Because dragons are the main attraction.

    At the very least, I wonder what they''re doing to refurbish it?¡¡I was going to take a peek inside to make sure I was in the right place, but I gave up because if I got caught, I''d get banned from the dungeon and at worst I''d be stripped of my adventurer''s license, so I left quietly.

    Still, it would have been inappropriate to go back home with nothing at all, so I went to the gambling den in the inn town and gambled a lot and left.

    * * * *

    A few weeks after that happened, I was still looking for the saint''s farm.

    As I was still searching for the farm of the saints, I heard a rumor about the "Holy White Maiden''s Mountain" dungeon.

    It was about the ''Holy White Maiden''s Mountain'' dungeon.

    Did you hear that?¡¡I heard that Master Alexander''s dungeon has been relaunched with a new look?

    I heard from my fellow adventurers that Alexander''s dungeon has been redesigned.

    Oh, does that mean the dungeon has been renovated?

    I hear it''s great!¡¡It seems that an orchard has been created in the dungeon!

    An orchard?

    I mean, you know, the fruit-producing one?

    Yeah, that''s amazing, but those berries are just so rare and precious that you can''t find them anywhere else!¡¡They taste amazing!¡¡I heard that veteran adventurers are going to raid that fruit as their main target!

    A fellow adventurer says excitedly.

    .........I see.

    Was such a new specialty created by the renovation?

    Not content with the status quo, they are aiming for better development with improvements and reforms.

    I''ve got to learn a lesson from you, too!

    I''m going to make some improvements and reforms, and one day I''ll be able to reach the farm of the saints.

    I don''t have time to earn money from these one-star dungeons!

    d*mn it, I need to get rid of the frustration of not being able to get into the highest dungeon and slip into a gambling den for all the money I have!

    Moreover, I found out later that the best dungeon had finished its renovation and reopened the day after I left.

    What''s the matter with you?

    Holy shit!¡¡I''m trying to turn this predicament around!

    We''re going to find you an absolute saint''s farm!

 314-312 Dragon coronation

    That''s how I''ve been renovating Alexander''s dungeon.

    That''s me.

    The other side is indeed the dungeon of the strongest dragon, and it''s big and magnificent.

    We were overwhelmed when we visited.

    It felt more like an invitation to a palace than a dungeon, and those of us working on the renovation were nervous throughout.

    Thanks to this, we were able to plant an orchard in Alexander''s dungeon, just like the one in the Veerle dungeon, and the dungeon orchard was completed.

    It will be a new landmark in the famous Mr. Alexander''s dungeon, which is a famous tourist attraction, so it was worth the effort.

    Just like that, Alexander-san and I became friends and we got to know each other well for a few days.

    A few days after that, other preparations were underway.

    Mr. Ardhegg would officially become a Geyser Dragon.

    Preparations for the coronation ceremony to formally signify that were steadily underway.

    * * * *

    And done.

    Today, finally, Mr. Ardhegg will be officially installed as the new Geyser Dragon.

    It is a coronation ceremony.

    ''Uhiiin...!¡¡Does it have to be me...?

    Mr. Ardheg still couldn''t accept the reality of the situation.

    A Geyser Dragon is an Emperor Dragon.

    The king of all dragons.

    In the dragon society, a fierce battle for the position of this Geyser Dragon had broken out over the succession of this Geyser Dragon.

    In the midst of all this, the original Geyser Dragon was defeated by a dragon and his friends.

    That was Mr. Ardheg.

    That''s why everyone is pushing him to be worthy of being the new Geyser Dragon.

    It is a wonder that what we were all supposed to be taking away from each other is now being pushed on each other.

    ''''It''s too much of a burden for me...!¡¡But is it really Big Brother Alexander or Sister Veerle who''s better?

    We''ve been through this already, but don''t push your luck, my dear.

    The new emperor dragon is being lectured by his sister.

    On the farm, Ardheg, today''s leading man, has the familiar Veerle and Alexander, the true strongest dragon.

    They were all in human form with a TPO.

    The coronation of the new Geyser Dragon will be held here at the farm.

    ''''........uh......um?''''

    I ask timidly.

    "I mean, why would they hold the coronation of the Geyser Dragon at our farm?

    No, I''m not saying it''s annoying or anything, but I feel like there''s a more appropriate setting for a ceremony to elect a prosperous dragon king, don''t you think?

    We helped with the preparations, but it ended up looking like a home party after all.

    You see...?¡¡That''s why we wanted to make it easy for people to come and celebrate Ardhek.

    Mr. Alexander, the most powerful dragon, replies.

    ''As if to exude the nourishment of an older man.

    ''Celebrate ... people ...?''

    The question was soon answered.

    ''Lord Ardhaeg!¡¡Congratulations on your inauguration as Emperor Dragon!

    Prince Arowana has swum from the mermaid country.

    The friends who were once with him on his training journey are here again!

    ''I heard that!¡¡How dare you rise to power with an imperial dragon!¡¡I''m proud to share this journey with you, fellow countrymen!

    "Dear Arowana...!¡¡You''ve taken the trouble to congratulate me...?

    Their hands are clasped tightly together, buzzing up and down.

    Prince Arowana isn''t the only one.

    Puffa, Hakkai, Sunggokphong and the rest of their traveling companions have gathered to celebrate their companions'' rise to prominence.

    .........

    The fact that most of the members originally lived on the farm was missed at this time.

    ''''Everyone...!¡¡Thank you all.¡¡I feel like being a Geyser Dragon is too much of a burden and I honestly don''t want to be one. It''s truly nice to have everyone congratulate me...!

    I blurted out my shameful feelings in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

    ''''But...!¡¡With this much support, I can''t just walk away!¡¡Let''s serve as the Geyser Dragon at all costs!

    That''s the spirit, Master Ardhegg!

    "Master Arowana, I am working diligently to become the Mermaid King!¡¡"My friend, I will be the King of Dragons and stand on the same level as Lord Arowana!

    "Ooooh!

    Do you think the Mermaid King and the Dragon King are on the same line?

    Oh well.

    Just make sure he''s okay.

    Well.....!¡¡Looks like your plan to get a lift from your people has worked.

    Watching from the side, Alexander-san nodded with satisfaction.

    What if this........this is a ploy that Alexander-san has concocted in order to make the person in question decide on a stomach?

    Does this mighty dragon have a plan?

    Well, now Mr. Ardhaeg has made up his mind at the last minute, and there is nothing to prevent him from finally becoming the new Geyser Dragon.

    ''''Then let the coronation ceremony finally begin. To show that Ardheg is the next Dragon King.

    The dragon crown prince, who is several dozen levels stronger than that Mr. Ardheg, said.

    A new king will be officially chosen, but there are others stronger than that.

    What kind of transformation will this twisted situation bring to the dragon world?

    No, it''s true to say that this was the situation from the beginning. And it seems that the Geyser Dragon itself, before Ardheg-san defeated it, was already no match for Alexander-san.

    ''''But........it just occurred to me....

    Hmm?

    My Viel says.

    She, too, had long ago lost her interest in the Gaither Dragon.

    ''How can I officially become a Gaither Dragon?''

    ............

    Not to mention me, even Mr. Ardhaeg and Mr. Alexander nodded their heads.

    ''''Isn''t it simply a case of the one who says his name.......?

    ''Then we wouldn''t have to engage in all that grandiose succession planning, would we?¡¡You need something special to be the new Geyser Dragon, don''t you?

    You''re a Viel and you''re giving me a straightforward opinion.

    Yes, you may be right.

    There''s something about being a new Geyser Dragon that makes it necessary to be a new Geyser Dragon.

    No one here knows what that is.

    Isn''t it bad that it''s already coronation day?

    Why did you leave this question until now?

    ''No, I don''t care about legitimacy anymore, so why don''t you just call yourself...?

    ''What?¡¡Something creepy like that!

    He was surprisingly methodical in his ville.

    So what do we do now?

    Postpone the coronation until a proper method is found?

    You think that''s even in your head.

    "Kukku-kukku, you''re in trouble, aren''t you?

    "Who''s there?

    An unknown person appeared at the coronation.

    It was a child.

    A child of about ten years old. He was the first child I''d ever seen.

    A child?¡¡Why are you here...?

    Our farm is located in a remote and unexplored area that cannot be reached in a hurry.

    It is not a half-hearted quest to get there.

    This is not a place a young child would wander into, if I''m mistaken!

    Who the hell are you...?

    The harmonious mood of the coronation was suddenly filled with tension.

    The fact that he came to our farm on his own is proof that he is no ordinary person.

    The fact that he was not an ordinary man was made even more eerie by the fact that he had the appearance of a child.

    "Don''t you see that?¡¡That''s not unreasonable, since your poor senses, with their Ningen-like temperament, can''t see right through to my essence, the great one.

    Are you...?

    Father!

    Mr. Alexander and Veerle are all alarmed at the same time.

    The child''s identity is revealed...?

    Well, you''re about to find out who I am, my children.

    The child said.

    ''''I am the true King of Dragons, the Emperor Dragon, Al-Gor of the Geyser Dragon...!

 315-313 Visit to Emperor Ryu

    "He''s a Geyser Dragon...?

    It''s the dragon that rules over all dragons.

    The title of the highest-ranking dragon.

    There was originally only one dragon that claimed that title.

    But after that dragon was defeated, there was a plan to have Ardhegg-san become the new Geyser Dragon.

    That''s when this child, who also calls himself a Geyser Dragon, appeared...?

    ''Father, are you alive?

    Mr. Alexander said.

    ''I heard you were defeated by Ardheg. I didn''t feel any of your vibrations at all, so I assumed that you had disappeared...?

    ''My shallow son,''

    The child looks at him with contempt.

    I, the King of Dragons, am not going to disappear so easily. As you can see, I am very much alive and well.

    But you didn''t lose that easily, did you?

    ''''Gung-uh?''''

    The child''s face twists into a gaudy expression as Veerle points out.

    ''Annoying!¡¡Mostly because these people are cheating!¡¡He''s taking things like angels and other mythical relics!¡¡And those mermaids use the blessings of the sea gods!

    He lays out an unseemly excuse.

    So, I''m not sure I''m right...?

    This child is the dragon emperor Gaiser Dragon who was defeated by Prince Arowana and his party?

    Veerle, Mr. Ardhaeg, and Mr. Alexander''s father.

    "Hmm, I am Al Gaul of the Geyser Dragon.

    The child said his name again.

    Geyser Dragon is a title, a title of sorts, and Al Ghul is his personal name.

    "Indeed, I was almost defeated by the vile sack of Ardheg and his friends over there...!

    What a sore loser.

    Veerle...!

    Don''t tell me.

    My body shattered and disappeared once. It took me a long time to reconstitute my body and revive it...!

    I''d say your father is very good at resurrecting people, but...

    Moreover, even though I said it took a long time, it hasn''t even been a year since the match.

    Even if the most powerful position belongs to young Alexander-san, should I say that the power of the dragon that still has the title of emperor as its own is as good as it can be?

    ''''But father, haven''t you lost most of your power due to your defeat?¡¡Now you are so weak that you can hardly be called a dragon.

    You''re right, my son, you do see through it. That''s right, I''m not a Geyser Dragon anymore. If you are defeated even once, the title of emperor is revoked. That''s just the way the system works.

    Geyser Dragon (ex?) in his young child form. said evasively.

    ''Eei!¡¡d*mn you, Ardhegg!¡¡I was trying to take power away from these foolish children and get it on par with the most obtrusive Alexander!¡¡I didn''t expect to get my feet wet by a little fish like that!

    That father........he''s here in person, so don''t be too direct.......?

    As expected, it was hard for Ardheg to be treated as a small fry.

    I''ve been defeated and the power of the Geyser Dragon was taken away, and I''ve used up most of my dragon power to revive it. The current me wants to stick my vengeance fangs into these hateful people, but...!

    Kick.

    The child''s eyes glare sharply at Mr. Ardhegg.

    ''Hee!''

    Mr. Ardhaeg isn''t the only one. To his companions, Prince Arowana and the rest of the party.

    "I don''t have the power. You can''t even challenge them with a vengeance right here and now.

    In an instant, Gaither Dragon in child''s form changes its body and transforms into its dragon form.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you get your hands on it.

    It''s not a good idea.¡¡O-gya!¡¡Hongyaahhh!

    However, the only thing fierce about it was the atmosphere he was creating.

    In reality, they are just small and cute.

    Mr. Geyser Dragon''s dragon form was like a small, colossal plush toy.

    ''''Look at it!¡¡I have lost my strength and I can only manifest such a diminutive form!''''

    It was no longer just a stuffed dragon.

    It was so cute that the girls living on the farm naturally gathered around it.

    ''''How cute is this? Cute. Cute. Cute. Kaaaawaii~! Pet him." "Stroke him." "Fluffy." "Cute and sweet." "Cute and sweet! "I''m gonna sleep with her tonight~!

    Very popular.

    That''s how cute the little dragon is.

    ''''Ughhhhhh?¡¡Stop it!¡¡How dare you show your disrespect to this great dragon emperor!¡¡How dare you!¡¡Huh?¡¡But do you want to sleep with me?

    He manages to survive, squirming like a dog that wandered into an elementary school.

    He returns to his human form again.

    Did you see that...?¡¡You think I''m going to be miserable now that I''m a loser?

    The reception has been pretty good.

    Ah.

    Maybe that''s why the human form is also a child form?

    Are you forced to use energy-saving mode in child form because you don''t have enough power?

    ''I don''t know what you''re talking about, but when you''re in ningen form, this is what you were originally doing.

    What?

    ''Isn''t it natural to choose the youngest, most resilient form? It''s funny that Alexander would go out of his way to choose an old and decrepit form.

    He said and glared at the father of all the dragons, the eldest dragon in the form of a clean old man.

    You don''t understand ningen, father. Youth is important, but just as important is the dignity we gain as we age.

    You are a ningen-favorite, and you have lost your way of thinking. Do you still not realize that it is because of that that you are no longer his successor?

    I saw that the inside of the Emperor Dragon and the Crown Prince Dragon was bad........

    But looking from the side, the child of the father and son glaring at each other is the father, and the old man is the son.......!

    That''s confusing.

    "I understand that your father is so weak that he is no longer able to harm me or Ardh?gg. I understand that your father is weakened and no longer able to harm me or Ardh?g, but that makes it even more difficult to understand. What is your father doing here?

    That''s true.

    This father dragon does not seem to have a good relationship with other dragons, and the only thing that comes to mind is to come and fight with them.

    But if he is so weak that he can''t even fight, then what is he really doing here?

    Hmm....

    Mr. Geyser Dragon," he sniffed, looking somewhat unamused.

    "I hear you''re trying to replace me with Ardheg as the new Gaither Dragon.

    Yes, he has beaten you directly. I think he deserves to take the throne for you.

    But you don''t know how to become a Geyser Dragon, do you?

    Our own Geyser Dragon cuts in on the problem that Veerle had also pointed out earlier.

    ''You think your father would know?

    Of course, I''m the one and only Emperor Dragon, Geyser Dragon.

    As he said it, the Geyser Dragon in his child form held out his hand.

    There was a ball in his hand.

    A transparent, crystal-clear treasure ball. Its color was red like a ruby.

    A red as thick as boiling fresh blood.

    Moreover, behind the transparent jade, there was something flickering like a flame.

    ''''This is.........?''''

    ''''It''s called a ''dragon ball. The dragon that takes this into its body can become a Geyser Dragon.

    You mean this red jewel is the regalia that guarantees the dragon''s kingship?

    "For hundreds of years, this ''Dragon Ball'' was inside my body. But it has emerged. In the wake of the recent defeat.

    In a battle with Prince Arowana Ippou?

    I told you. Defeat will not be tolerated by the Geyser Dragon. Any losing dragon that falls from the victor''s throne will be immediately abandoned by the ''dragon ball''.

    Various conflicts swirled in the eyes of the Geyser Dragon as he stared at the red jewel.

    That''s why I won''t have the Dragon Ball back in me again. It''s just a matter of keeping it in my possession. You''re going to be able to find out the best way to get the best out of it. That is the last duty of a dragon chosen to be the Dragon Ball.

    Is that why your father came here?

    That''s right. If you wish to become a new Geyser Dragon, take the Dragon Ball in your hand. If you wish to become the new Geyser Dragon, take the Dragon Ball into your own body, be it Ardh?gg, who defeated me, or you, Alexander?¡¡Veerle, you can''t really give up your ambitions either, can you?

    As if to fuel the desires of his sons and daughters, the Emperor Dragon (Yuan) in his child''s form showed off his red treasure jade.

    ''''Come and take it away from each other!¡¡Whoever gets this ball is the next Geyser Dragon!

    No, I don''t want it.

    ''Why don''t we just slap it into Ardheg as originally planned, that ball. That''ll fix everything, right?

    Neither Alexander-san nor Veerle seemed to be moved at all.

    Seeing this, Geyser Dragon (formerly) looked a bit boring........

    ''''You selfless people. ........But can you still keep a cool face after hearing this?

    Hmm?

    A wicked smile appeared on the dragon''s altered child, an evil smile that would never come to mind if it were a human child.

    ''When the ''dragon ball'' is taken in and a new Geyser Dragon is born, all other dragons will disappear. Their power will be sucked out of them and they will wither away.

 316-314 Secret of the dragon

    All of the dragons...?

    Extinguished...?!

    The statement is so disturbing that those present stop breathing.

    Perhaps satisfied with that reaction, the child with an evil expression willingly speaks.

    In the first place, do you guys even know what a dragon is?

    Dragons are the most powerful race on earth!

    Veerle answered immediately, but the former Geyser Dragon only returned a guffaw in response.

    ''Why are you being given the strongest power on earth?¡¡That''s what it means. All living beings in the world were created by the gods. The creatures of the earth are created by the gods of the earth, the creatures of the sea are created by the gods of the sea, and the creatures of the sky are created by the gods of the sky.

    So which god created the dragons?

    Heaven, earth and sea, not any god.........

    ''All the Elephant Mother God Gaia. The Creator God who created this world itself is our parent.........

    Dragons are transcendent beings who are not bound by any laws.

    A glimpse of their secret is revealed in the book, "The Mother Goddess of All Phenomena, who created the world itself and later created the Goddess of Heaven, the God of Earth, and the God of the Sea, respectively, and entrusted them with the colors of the world.

    The Mother Goddess of All Elephants, who created the world itself, later created the Goddess of Heaven, the God of Earth, and the God of the Sea and entrusted them with the colors of the world, respectively. But among the gods, there were those who arrogantly abused the living of the earth.

    It is said that the creator of the world was so worried about the situation that he appointed a guardian to prevent the child from doing whatever he wanted.

    These were our dragons! Dragons were born to watch over the gods, restraining them from going too far and correcting their arrogance. It was in this role that he was born.

    "No!

    The story of the former Geyser Dragon surprises not only us humans, but also our own dragons.

    It''s the reason we are allowed to be powerful enough to compete with the gods. We were created with a mission, and we are not allowed to prosper as we please.

    That''s not what you think...?

    Does this connect to the first story?

    It is said that all dragons will disappear whenever a new dragon king is chosen.

    When a new Geyser Dragon is chosen, all the dragons that were alive before will be erased to become one. The Geyser Dragons will then create duplicates of themselves to make up the numbers. In order to create an army to rival the gods. That is the life of a dragon.

    Why would you do that?

    To remember what we were given.

    As long as a living thing continues to live, its way of being will be transformed.

    It changes in response to the environment of the moment, forgetting the significance and even the destiny it should have had in the beginning.

    Sometimes we call it growth or evolution.

    Even an individual can change over a lifetime as if they were something else, but as a race, there is no way to stop the change as time goes on.

    If dragons are left to the passage of time alone, their evolutionary transformation as a race will cause them to forget their original mission.

    The mission to ''Watch and Punish the Gods''.

    ''''To keep them from forgetting that, we will periodically press the reset button...?

    Each time a new Geyser Dragon arose, it would destroy the species once and start anew from scratch, so it would never forget the mission it was given in the first place.

    Dragons can forever be faithful executors of the orders given to them by the Ancestor God.

    You can''t get away from the fact that you''re a tool of the gods, even if you think you''re the strongest on earth. They cannot stray from that way of being...!

    The child, a former dragon king, looked like a tired old man.

    "And yet, I resisted my fate. I was going to reign as the Emperor Dragon forever...!

    ''So that was that succession battle...?

    Alexander, the eldest dragon, asks.

    Yes. That''s why I removed you as my successor because I didn''t like your favoritism. I just wanted to stay on the throne forever.

    Then, using the absent successor''s chair as bait, he made the children, who were also duplicates of himself, fight each other, taking away their power and absorbing it through the gap.

    ''Come to think of it, that succession battle was just a prelude to the total annihilation caused by the replacement. In the end, only one dragon remains, and the end is still the same...

    The former Geyser Dragon laughed sarcastically as he said this.

    But I was going to be that last dragon myself. In the end, Alexander, I would have defeated you as well and taken your power. I was supposed to regain my youth as well and become an eternal emperor dragon, but that ambition was shattered by Ardheg.

    Abandoned by the Dragon Ball, he couldn''t do anything about it.

    He can only quietly accept his destruction....

    ''''But!¡¡Then let''s at least know the fate of your perdition and disappear with a sneer at you who scramble inelegantly!¡¡Come on, change the color of your eyes and compete for the "Dragon Ball"!¡¡Only the one who wins this will survive!¡¡The strongest of all dragons struggles to survive as they are hunted by the fear of destruction!¡¡I can''t believe there''s such a hilarious event!

    Al Cole, the former Geyser Dragon, who is no longer a member of the team, was already laughing high and low in complete desperation.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    ''''Sensei, sir.''''

    "Yes.

    Since it was a coronation, I had the teacher in attendance.

    It''s better to celebrate with everyone.

    I asked such a teacher to summon a god with another familiar summoning magic.

    Gaia, the Mother God of All Elephants.

    The root god who should be called the creator of all gods.

    I asked such an all-important god to help me.

    ''''Can you make sure that the dragons don''t perish even if they are replaced?''''

    "Okay.

    The laws of the world have changed.

    The dragons were now freed from the harsh fate of being wiped out, leaving a chosen one to be annihilated each generation.

    ''''Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    The former Dragon Emperor was shocked at how easily the problem was resolved.

    "No!¡¡That easy?¡¡If it''s so easy to survive, then what have I been through all this time?

    It''s true, isn''t it?

    "The dragon may not change, but the world will, won''t it?

    The summoned God of Gaia............................although she was the mother of all.

    I''m not going to just finish my business and leave, so I''m going to make a comment.

    I''m not going to be able to get it.

    Come in.

    The God of Creation sensitively finds and pinches the feast he has prepared for the coronation.

    He speaks while pinching it.

    ''I created you to keep an eye on my son''s daughter, the idiot in my lineage. But those idiots have gotten wise with the passage of time. I didn''t think we needed to keep an eye on anyone other than that a**h*le Zeus.

    I understand.

    The God of Hades and the God of Poseidon, who comes here to visit often, are generally good people, too.

    ...good gods?

    The Zeus in question was recently imprisoned by his own children. I don''t think that will be a problem. You are now free to live as you wish.

    It was the former Geyser Dragon who was astonished and upset.

    The other dragon faces didn''t seem to be particularly boiling over....

    "I don''t want you to live your life the way you want to...?

    We''ve already had enough freedom in our lives. What more freedom do you want?

    ''Wouldn''t it be better for your sister to live more tied up?

    Oh, I see.

    It''s true that these guys were free from the start.

    ''''That''s just how it is. I''m sure the gods'' yancha ceased to exist long ago. The dragons were free to do what they wanted too. This change is merely a full-fledged deletion of what was already a dead letter.''''

    Creator, take it easy.

    ''Live freely, dragons! Live freely, my dragons, and you too will live in this world. Act as you please and leave the meaning of your life behind.

    Hi-hooo!

    Viel.

    That''s a lot of excitement for no reason.

    ''''Well, since all that hassle has gone away, we can get on with it!

    The main point?

    What was it?

    ''Have you forgotten your master!¡¡Today is the coronation of Ardhaeg to become a Geyser Dragon!¡¡This is all you need, right?

    ''''Ah!''''

    Veerle, snatching the red treasure ball from the former Geyser Dragon, he didn''t hesitate to point it at Ardhaeg-san.......

    ''''Eat it!

    I crashed into him.

    The fist holding the dragon ball sinks into Mr. Ardhegg''s pigeon tail.

    "Gugueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    That''s like, "Gugueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee? I say.

    There was no ''dragon ball'' in Veerle''s hand as he pulled it out, and it was clear where he was left behind.

    ''''Ardheg!¡¡Geyser Dragon Inauguration!

    ""Oh!"

    Generous applause flew from the surroundings.

    ''''I was thinking of erasing the ''dragon ball'' from the dragon along with the unnecessary mission. It''s a good idea to have a chief to unite the tribe. I''ll leave it for you to use as you wish.

    The Creator God was generous in saying.

    Thus, a new emperor dragon was born in this world, and a new era had come for dragons as well as humanity.

    ......... is that right?

 317-315 Tiger Vision Dragon

    My name is Marie.

    My name is Bloody Mary of the Glaugrinzel Dragon.

    I''m the best candidate for the succession race that our dear father, Gaiser Dragon, held.

    I am said to be the most likely candidate to win the race.

    As it happens, I''m the second youngest of all your children.

    I am a dragon born after Alexander''s brother.

    That''s why I''m second in ability. Since Brother Alexander had a falling out with his father and stepped down as his successor, I can be said to be the strongest of all the dragons with the right to succeed.

    The next Geyser Dragon will be the next Geyser Dragon, and no one else, but me.

    I''m 100% sure of it.

    In the mountain dungeon I use as my base, the Black Widow''s Mountain Range, sister and brother dragons keep coming to me one after another to try to get me to join them.

    The palace at the top of the dungeon is always crowded like a ball with many of these humanized dragons.

    They all praise and flatter me as the future emperor of dragons.

    ''''Sister!¡¡You are beautiful today!

    One of the Grintz dragons, my brother, comes over to me with a smile of adulation.

    "I see no point in fighting for succession, sir!¡¡It''s bound to be Sister Marie who wins anyway!

    As he said this, he poured a bottle of Bacchus wine into my glass.

    You are the most powerful dragon in the world!¡¡The next Geyser Dragon must be your sister, I''m sure!

    You''re not just talking about that and looking for an opening to outsmart me, are you?

    When I pointed out to him in a mean way, his brother stopped drinking.

    What do you mean?¡¡I am no longer interested in being a Geyser Dragon!

    Really?

    Of course I do!¡¡Now it is my hope that your sister is the one who will do everything in her power to help you become the new ruler!

    You''re full of shit.

    I know that there are more than a dozen dragons gathered here.

    The only reason they obeyed me and came under my protection was so that they could have my back and gain an advantage over the rest of the competition.

    And when the time is right, when there are few enough competitors, you plan to betray me and successfully outsmart me, right?

    The proof of this is that none of these guys have formally declined to compete for the succession.

    Those who declined were immediately drained of their father''s magic and intelligence to become Lesser Dragons, so it''s only natural.

    In short, I haven''t given up on the top spot at all.

    But that''s okay, even if these people here are willing to betray you one day.

    I''m so much stronger than them that I wouldn''t let them kill me, even if they had the opportunity to do so.

    The only brother I fear is the only dragon in the world.

    The only brother I fear in the world is big brother Alexander.

    You''re not going to be able to find out if your brother doesn''t show up at the front line, so my victory is already confirmed.

    That''s why I''m not going to panic.

    The promised Empress always stands gracefully.

    Sister!¡¡Sister Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    Just as I was basking in the superiority of a champion, a clamor disturbed the place.

    One of the younger brother dragons jumped in with a change of blood.

    ''''What is it?¡¡I''m trying to be gracious tonight, so don''t make a big deal out of it, okay?

    "This is no time to be playing nice!¡¡This is a big deal!

    What?

    "A new Geyser Dragon has been selected!

    ..........

    .........

    Hmm?

    The place went silent as if it had been hit with a thump.

    It was probably because no one could understand the meaning of the words.

    A blank appeared in thought, and that blank became silence, although the void materialized with time for a while.

    ''''Ha.........''''

    Eventually, my thoughts began to restart.....

    A strange voice came out.

    Not only me, but also the crony dragons were in an uproar.

    It''s not just me, but also the crony dragons are in an uproar.¡¡What do you mean?

    We''ve decided on a new Geyser dragon?¡¡That''s not possible!

    The first stage of the succession battle hasn''t even ended yet, right?

    And why is the successor set to be chosen?¡¡It''s so abrupt!

    I was supposed to be the one to take over as the Geyser Dragon!

    There are some stupid dragons who were so shocked that they were able to express their true feelings, but I didn''t have the composure to worry about that either.

    I''m not going to be the only one.

    The title that I was supposed to get?

    Who the hell is that?¡¡How did he do it?

    You snatched the title of Gaither Dragon from your father?

    You!

    Okay?

    My brother dragon who jumped in to report I can''t remember his name!

    No, I don''t care who this guy is.

    I don''t care who he is.¡¡Give me the details!¡¡First of all, who became the new Geyser Dragon!

    ''Ha!¡¡I hear you''re Ardhegg!

    Ardheg?

    Never heard of that name before?

    I look around to see if I can find anyone. My eyes meet one by one with their cronies swearing obedience to me, but...

    ".........

    Um....

    I''m sorry, I don''t know...

    "Don''t you know...?

    We''ve never even heard of him. He''s such a weak and unknown dragon!

    That kind of information won''t help you at all!

    You worthless dragons!¡¡There''s no point in letting them get away with it!

    Well, okay, we''ll find out what the dragon is by the time we get to the bottom of this.

    It''s the MO.

    "How did this Ardhegg fellow snatch his father''s succession from him?

    No, he must have done it in a dastardly fashion.

    Because the battle for the succession was now in full swing.

    The winner hadn''t even been decided yet, so he must have used his words to get to your father and cheat him out of the title of Geyser Dragon!

    It has to be!

    Yeah, it''s...!

    The reporter''s dragon stammered.

    ''What!¡¡Just hurry up and tell us what to do!

    Our father, the Geyser Dragon, is out of sight.

    .........

    Ha!

    I heard that he was challenged to a fight by this Ardheg, and after a fierce battle, he was defeated. That''s why the title of Geyser Dragon went to the winner...!

    Your father.........lost........?

    I don''t believe it.

    No, before that, I can''t believe that he was able to forcibly seize the right to inherit the title of Geyser Dragon by such a method.......!

    If there''s a way to do that, I feel like an idiot for being a serious participant in the game!

    ''What an outrage!¡¡How outrageous!

    Ardhegg, my ass!¡¡It''s outrageous to disregard the established rules of succession disputes and harm your father!

    Sister!¡¡This must not be accepted categorically!¡¡Don''t let this ruffian turn into a Geyser Dragon in a whimper!

    I missed who it was that mouthed the words, but the words themselves hit me in the chest.

    ''Exactly!¡¡If he ignores the rules, then we don''t care about the rules either!

    "Let us all go forth and defeat this Ardheg!

    "And then we will elect a new Geyser Dragon by unanimous consent!

    You''re absolutely right.

    That''s right. It''s not a good idea to be the first one to decide.

    The perfect dragon that possesses intelligence, magic, grace and above all, strength, is the one worthy of being the ruler of the dragon.

    The thief who ignored them and snatched the title of king.

    I, the true king, will defeat him.

    Let''s get out of here...!

    My declaration was met with cheers from those around me.

    "Bloody Mary, you are the one who is going to execute the wolfsbane...!

    ''How beautiful!¡¡That''s the Glaugrinzel Dragon!

    "Let us, please, accompany you!

    Do what you want.

    The question is, where is this Ardh?gg fellow?

    I can''t afford to let him run and hide in fear of me.

    Well, that''s because I know exactly where he is.

    What?

    "To tell you the truth, it looks like his Geyser Dragon Coronation is going to take place... and I''ve received an invitation...¡¡You''ll note there that I avenged my father''s death.

    Well, how arrogant.

    I''m going to smash that contentment, such as the ceremony, without me.

    ''Everyone follow me!¡¡If you''re going to invite him over, we''ll visit him!¡¡To make his sunny day a bloodbath!

    The crony dragons cheered.

    ''''Yeah, but.......there''s one last thing I have to tell you.......''''

    Apparently the reporting dragon is still up to something.

    What?¡¡The mood to go off to battle is so exciting that I want to jump out at any moment.

    ''''This invitation.........!¡¡It wasn''t sent by Ardheg himself, but by your brother Alexander.

    Huh?

    Brother Alexander?

    Why is the name of the mightiest dragon, even beyond your father''s, here?

 318-316 Dragon House Uproar

    Me.

    The coronation of Mr. Ardhegg''s Geyser Dragon has been successfully completed, and the scene has shifted to a harmonious dinner party.

    Everyone is having a lively conversation while tasting the many homemade dishes from our farm that we prepared in advance.

    "Huh.........we really have become a Geyser Dragon.......!¡¡What are we going to do...?

    Rest assured, Herr Ardhegg!¡¡We''re with you, sir!

    Today''s guest of honor, Mr. Ardhegg, is having a chat with his traveling companion, Prince Arowana.

    ''....Haha, the food here is so good. It''s so good I don''t even want to leave.

    And Gaia, the Mother Goddess of All Elephants, who created the whole universe, was still around.

    She joined the dinner and devoured the food as her appetite took her.

    It''s especially tasty when it''s not like this dry meat. The more you chew, the more flavorful it becomes...?

    It''s dried squid. Would you like to put some of these chili mayonnaise on it to make it even better?

    Besides making the all-important Creator God chuckle sulme-chuckle.

    For example, over there, Veerle and Prati.........

    "Junior! Meat! Meat! Meat, meat~... delicious~?

    ''Gah!¡¡Stop it, meat is too heavy for baby food!

    They were making a lot of noise....

    And over there, Alexander the Glaugrintz Dragon and Al Gaul, now a full-fledged "former" Geyser Dragon....

    ''''Woo-hee?¡¡There''s onions in this...?

    You don''t have to like it, father.

    I knew they were having an exchange where they didn''t know which was the child and which was the parent.

    They were originally acrimonious, but it would be good if they had a chance to make up.

    Furthermore, that Bacchus came up to Mr. Alexander''s side.

    ''Hi, Prince of Dragons.

    ''A rare demigod, isn''t it?¡¡I thought he was the guy that showed up everywhere, but I didn''t know he''d show up here.

    They sound like they know each other.

    "This is the occasion for celebration. How would you like to taste my new brew?

    You''re the one who makes the drinks. By all means, serve it up.

    Yay, yay!

    ...it''s good. What kind of drink is it?

    It''s a drink I took from a dragon. Well, that''s a relief. I didn''t want to let anyone else drink it, so I had to stock up. I didn''t think it would be a problem for you guys to drink, so you just keep on consuming them.

    Just like that, it''s going to be all peaceful around........

    ''''Ummm........?''''

    Alexander-san suddenly roared out.

    ''''What''s the matter?

    If you get too serious, this is going to get really serious...?

    No, I was just wondering if this is enough to cook...?

    What?

    That''s ridiculous.

    There''s no such thing as a shortage, though.

    Even in its current state, there''s enough to go around for all the attendees.

    But when I think about the number of guests that will be coming...?

    Huh?

    Guests?

    You don''t know what you''re talking about!

    "I''ve sent out invitations to my fellow dragons to come if they wish. It''s good to have everyone here to celebrate.

    Why would he do that kind of thing without a word of advice!

    I thought he had an outstanding personality, but after all, Alexander-san is only a dragon, and every single thing he does is rough.

    ''''What?¡¡Wait a minute?¡¡Which means that the farm is about to be swarmed by an avalanche of dragons...?

    What kind of catastrophe is that...?

    Oh, speak of the devil...

    ''What?¡¡.........aha!

    Exactly!

    A group of dragons coming from the sky over there!

    Flapping its wings and slashing through the sky, it is approaching at breakneck speed towards us.

    It stops above our heads and stays in the air.

    ''You are a coward and a coward for presuming to be a Geyser Dragon!¡¡Where is Ardheg?

    said one of the dozen or so dragons in the room.

    "Your foul play is unforgivable!¡¡Bloody Mary, the dragon Glaugrinzel, the most powerful of all dragons, the one who would truly be a Geyser Dragon, has come to take you down!¡¡"Come on, sister!

    Mmm.

    As if to receive an introduction, yet another dragon stepped forward.

    This was a dragon that I could tell at first glance was completely different from the others, its scales were all black.

    Most dragons in this world are gold or silver, but this is the first time I''ve seen a black dragon.

    That''s why they looked so strong.

    ''''Oh, Marie is here.''''

    Then a young child looks up at the sky.

    But this child is not what it looks like.

    He is the oldest dragon that has lived for the longest period of time and has been transformed.

    He looks like a child, but has an adult brain. That''s this Al-Gor-san.

    You''re the only one who can''t speak English. Juice!¡¡To me, juice is the greatest drink of all!

    After all, you may be a child inside, too.

    Um..., but for now, explain that dragon...!

    Bloody Mary is the second duplicate I''ve created. You mean my daughter.

    Second?¡¡Then what''s the first one?

    Alexander, of course.

    Isn''t it?

    ''''As a Grinzel dragon, she''s the top of the line. That''s why her abilities are also very high. She was said to be the last and best remaining candidate in the succession battle.''''

    ''So what if I suddenly find out that Mr. Ardhaeg has become a Geyser Dragon?

    He must be furious. What did Alexander have in mind when he sent out the invitation...?¡¡It could be considered a provocation, but there''s still a slight possibility of pure good intentions...!

    Alexander-san, you have a hint of naturalness to you, don''t you?

    I''ve been getting to know you for the past few days, too.

    So.

    The pitch-black dragon that suddenly visited me first alighted on its own and rapidly compressed its body.

    That is the law of humanization used by the dragon.

    The Bloody Mary who was transformed from a dragon into a human form was a beautiful sister with a lot of s*x appeal that was bursting at the seams.

    ''You''re here?¡¡Ardhegg or something?

    She is dressed in an abyssal black dress, just as she was at the time of the dragon, and it''s so tight that it shows off her body line.

    She''s also very muscular, showing off her proportions.

    Is this s*xy adult girl one of the strongest dragons?

    Hey!

    Correction.

    They weren''t the strongest at all.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it.

    It''s not a good idea to have a good time.

    The actuality of this is that it''s not the same as the original.

    It''s really you, brother Alexander, who''s here?¡¡''''Why is he here?

    I''m going to run for it!¡¡I''m going to run for it!

    They''re all terrified.

    You don''t have any sense of decorum. You don''t have the manners to visit someone''s home and yet you''re unleashing all that hostility.¡¡Do you guys think you''re here for war?

    Maybe it is.

    ''Isn''t today a day to celebrate the decision of a new Geyser Dragon? I invited you to celebrate it with us, but if you are so rude, how can you feel sorry for the saintly lord who gave us the place?

    No, it''s okay.

    It''s okay, just don''t put my name to this too big a situation!

    Brother Alexander. I''m surprised you were behind all of this, it''s making the situation even more intrusive.

    "Nuh-uh?

    ''You were the mastermind behind this, weren''t you, in avenging your father''s death?¡¡By using an unknown dragon called Ardheg, etc. ...Is it a grudge that you were removed from the list of potential successors?¡¡Why do you have a puppet on the throne and stubbornly stay out in the open?

    Marie and the like had completely misunderstood.

    Well, I can understand why you would want to misunderstand.

    ''''But the imperial succession of the Geyser Dragon should be legitimate. We can''t allow you to break the law. Therefore, this Bloody Mary of the Glaugrinzel Dragon is the true Geyser Dragon!

    ''Yes, yes, yes!''

    "Marie is worthy of being the Dragon King!" the flying dragons ranted.

    '' the flying dragons ranted.

    ........that''s right.

    I''m sure you''re not the only one.

    They are still pathetic after all this time...!

    Mr. Alexander shook his head, saying, "Do it.

    ''You can only decide by force, no matter what. Then, on behalf of the emperor-elect Ardhegg, I, Alexander, will show you the true force of force.

    A pure white supremacy emanated from the body of the wise old man, who was called the strongest dragon.

    It seemed that just because this dragon got serious, it was all over...!

    Wait, brother.

    There was someone to stop him.

    ''I''ll take care of it here, Master Veerle of the Grinzel Dragon!

 319-317 Viru Musou

    Veerle?

    Why are you coming out here?

    Leave it to Mr. Alexander to burn it all to ashes or else it will all be fine, right?

    "...I was not happy about it.

    What?

    "These days it''s mainly dragons, and yet I''m the one who''s out of sight!¡¡I''m the most important dragon on this farm, and yet!

    I don''t know about that.

    I want to be part of the show!¡¡And Junior respects me!

    Junior isn''t old enough to remember what''s going on!

    Prathi''s advice fell on deaf ears.

    ''So let me have the floor, brother Alexander!¡¡I''m going to use my power to solve this problem in a spectacular way!

    Very well.

    The eldest brother readily admitted, "It''s true that I want to see your power to serve the saint.

    It''s true that I''d like to see what you are capable of in the service of the Holy Father. Bloody Mary is a good match for you.

    Yes!

    Yeah, are you sure?

    It''s true that Veerle has always been the strongest, but that''s because he was the strongest because of his race of dragons.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one with a strong race of dragons, but also the second strongest among them, isn''t it a burden to take on Marie-san...?

    ''''I''m not so sure about that........?

    It was Prati who said, "I don''t know about that.

    He walks out next to me with Junior in his arms.

    "Remember, sir. "Remember, sir," says Praty, "the people who live on this farm are getting more and more powerful like idiots. Even Veerle, the oldest person to have lived here, would have to follow that example.

    ''''Ha!''''

    "She''s so powerful to begin with that I didn''t see a relative change, but I think that''s exactly what she''s going to find out now. Veerle''s time here on the farm has paid off.

    The fruits of Veerle''s time on the farm.

    The only thing I remember is that he ate and slept every day!

    But those days of slumbering have given Veerle a new strength?

    Veerle, you''ve heard that name before, haven''t you?

    The Lady in Black, Bloody Mary, said.

    You are one of the most talented of your father''s children after me and brother Alexander. I didn''t know you were with him. But... but...

    Heh.

    Is Veerle really that powerful to begin with?

    But the idea of challenging me, the most powerful dragon in the world, is pretty silly, isn''t it?

    "Isn''t the greatest of them all, Brother Alexander?¡¡You are the second, second dragon!

    Gunnu?

    Marie''s expression is twisted, perhaps she was right.

    It''s a good idea. It''s a very good idea to have a good time. I am the strongest person who will eventually become a gaiser dragon!

    The black-robed beauty''s form returned to a jet-black dragon.

    Along with that, Veerle also transformed into dragon form.

    And in the blink of an eye, it flies high into the sky.

    ''''Oooh?''''

    But could they go a bit more fluffy, the gusts of wind making the dust stand up.

    The two dragons, confronting each other, glare at each other in the sky.

    ''''My poor little sister who is so dumb and pathetic. Even though we are the same Grinzel Dragon, there is an unbridgeable difference between us and me, who bears the name ''Glau''.''

    Marie, in her dragon form, said.

    ''Realize the difference and disappear with regret. After you, I have to do something about brother Alexander and take care of that crucial Ardhegg. I can''t be bothered with every little thing!

    Jet-black dragon qi rises from the black dragon''s body. Fiercely.

    Those black dragon qi condensed and crystallized and materialized into several bullets.

    ''''My dragon profound technique, Darkness Meetia!¡¡Eat a round of condensed dark dragon qi fire!''''

    The black air bullets that are launched at the same time as the declaration.

    A single shot is enough to blow up an island, and countless others with the power to attack Veerle at the same time.

    No matter how much of a Veerle you are, it is unlikely that you will be able to get away unharmed from this, or even survive.

    Even the strongest species of dragons can be killed.

    That''s the battle between dragons.

    Once again, I shuddered at how amazing it was, but something even more amazing happened.

    "Boeh.

    ''''Ugh!''''

    Veerle has erased that terrific black barrage of bullets.

    It''s a very simple matter.

    I''m not going to be able to say that it''s a good idea. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect.

    "Ridiculous!¡¡How could a dragon other than your brother be able to deal with this technique?

    As if it was too shocking that the special move was disabled, the black dragon backed away in the air.

    You''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of them. You thought I was weaker than you forever? That''s not true.''''

    What did you say?

    I''ve grown up, all right? I''ve lived on this farm, and I''ve gotten stronger from all the food I''ve eaten. And if anyone has made me stronger, it''s Junior!

    Junior?

    Why would my kid do something like that?

    Junior has taught me about love. It''s love that makes me strong. And now that I have love, I am the most powerful dragon in the world.

    He''s starting to sound like some assassin''s fist lore expert?

    "Look at me!¡¡I''ve got love, and I''m going to give you my greatest power.

    A fierce dragon qi erupts around the dragon form Veerle.

    It far surpasses even that of the second-ranked dragon, Bloody Mary.

    ''My love combined with my dragon qi is a hundred times stronger than my original dragon qi!¡¡Let go of me!¡¡My Dragon Profession: "Love, Love, Juteum"!

    The ray of light emitted from the viel was far larger and more terrific than Marie''s black bullets.

    Although it was only a single ray, it was such a burly ray of light that it seemed as if it would split the sky, and even a giant dragon could easily swallow it.......

    ''''Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?''''

    Marie acted as fast as she could to evade the attack.

    By throwing away the pride of being the strongest person in the world and running away at once, she managed to avoid the rays of light.

    Veerle managed to strike fear into the second-ranked dragon.

    It was just as Prathi had said.

    That guy from Veerle was also influenced by the farm in his own way by the strongest person.

    Isn''t it good to grow up, no matter who you are, in whatever form you are?

    Viel is great. Great Viel.

    "Oh, shit, he got away?¡¡This time I won''t miss, the chase, "Love, Love, Amore!

    And Viel didn''t know that he was going to relent.

    And Veerle didn''t know that he would relent.

    Almost continuously firing.

    Once the evasive action was finished, the moment was piled on top of the donkey, so it was even more dodgy.

    "Gyaaahhhh!¡¡I''m going to die.

    Oh, this was the moment when everyone was convinced that she had already died.

    It was the moment when everyone was convinced that they were going to die.

    ''''Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    "You''re going to die!¡¡"''Death..., huh?

    Another dragon jumps in and catches a huge flash of light.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more information on this topic.

    How.

    The second strongest dragon in all of the dragons was able to catch an attack so powerful that a direct hit would have resulted in death?

    Is that really the strongest dragon, Alexander-san?

    No, it''s not!

    Alexander is standing next to me in human form, looking up at the same scene.

    Then who is it?

    ''Oh?¡¡Ardheg, isn''t it?

    The dragon that caught the great flash of light was indeed Mr. Ardhaeg in dragon form.

    "Veerle, sister!¡¡You''re being too playful!''

    While dispelling the light particles that he had blocked off, Mr. Ardhegg said.

    ''Isn''t it great that you''re blocking my love attacks?¡¡Did becoming a Geyser Dragon increase your power?''''

    Veerle, on the other hand, was comfortable with the fact that his best super special move had been broken.

    "Dragons killing each other is a waste of time!¡¡Sister Veerle and Sister Marie, please be careful!

    ''''Ah, ah...!''''

    After nine deaths, Marie-san stared at the dashing rescuer in amazement.

    ''''You''re Ardheg...?

    ''''How true. Sister, I know that a youngster like me is not happy about being appointed as the emperor''s dragon, but please calm down...!

    You''re just like Ming-kun, trying to control the situation. Are you starting to realize that you are an emperor dragon right away?

    ''Alright, let''s see how much stronger Ardheg is now!¡¡"Love, love, aloha!

    "Aaaah!¡¡This is a good thing.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what to do with it.

    It''s also a great way to get a good idea of what you''re looking for.

 320-318 Dragon Breeding Circumstances

    The "Dragon Ball" is the proof of the Geyser Dragon.

    The dragon that takes it into his body calls himself the Emperor Dragon and rules over all dragons.

    It seems that it was a great thing after all, and after obtaining the ''dragon ball'', Ardhaeg-san stepped up to become one of the strongest dragons at once.

    ''''........The original Ardheg was supposed to be about the 20th to 30th strongest among all dragons......!

    Even Alexander-san, who was watching, couldn''t help but be surprised.

    ''''Kukkuk...!¡¡That is the fearfulness of the Dragon Ball. It''s a marvelous treasure that can turn any scrap dragon into the most powerful dragon...!

    Next to him was Mr. Al-Gor in his child''s form, smiling contentedly.

    Mr. Ardhegg, who prevented Veerle''s love attack to his heart''s content, came back to earth and humanized himself.

    ''It was tough...!¡¡Sister Veerle, you were totally unrelenting...!

    Thank you so much.

    "Master, master, master!¡¡What do you think?¡¡Wasn''t I awesome?¡¡Isn''t that worthy of Junior''s guardian dragon?

    Veerle also returns to his human form and runs up underneath me.

    I''m going to...

    Yup.

    It''s true that Veerle, who had awakened to love, was ridiculously strong, but........

    ''The impact of Mr. Ardheg at the end was so strong that it was vexing.

    ''Ahhhh!''

    Veerle who goes "gavin".

    But you''re the strongest to begin with, so there''s no need to pile on top of each other to show off your strength now.

    But now, I''m sure Bloody Mary will agree.

    That problematic Marie also came down with me back to her human form.

    As expected, her initial fierceness has been erased and she is as mature as a borrowed cat.

    ''Marie, the strong rule all, that''s the law of dragons.

    Mr. Alexander says, like his eldest brother.

    ''If Ardheg hadn''t saved you, you would have been obliterated by the Veal. You''ll have to accept this result and abandon your futile ambitions.

    Whew....

    It was a horrible thought, and Marie was wilting.

    You can see how weak she is by the fact that she is pinching a part of Mr. Ardhegg''s clothing as he comes down with her.

    ''Um, Sister Marie?¡¡Is it time to let me go...?

    ..........

    But she still showed no signs of leaving.

    .........

    Feeling some kind of vibes.......?

    Argh!¡¡What''s going on?

    Beside him, Veerle was an incomplete wind.

    Overwhelmed by the number two dragon and still full of excess power?

    ''Yes!¡¡Lots of your sister Marie''s cronies were there!¡¡We''re going to wipe them all out and get scuffed up!

    But now the sky is clear and blue all around.

    Not a single shadow of a bird, let alone a dragon, can be seen.

    ''''........Huh?¡¡Where did they go?

    Your dragon''s energy scared the shit out of him. All of them.

    Alexander said.

    These are the same people who originally wanted to win the battle for the succession behind the back of the powerful Marie. If they run into an opponent they can''t win, they will run.

    It''s a common misconception for the strongest species of dragons. If I''d just absorbed their power, we wouldn''t have lost to those ardhesgs.

    Al-Gor, as a former Geyser Dragon, is also bitter at the shameful dragons.

    No, I think he''s also mother-in-law enough to try to become strong by taking power from humans....

    "Father, what will happen to our dragons from now on?

    I don''t know. Normally, dragons would kill each other until they were the last of their kind, and then the remaining ones would create numerous duplicates of themselves and kill each other again, and on and on...

    But that fate was abruptly cut off by something.

    Mainly through the work of me and the teacher.

    I''m sorry.

    I have no idea what kind of life the dragon will have in its place.

    I don''t know if it will make any difference. Dragons are free creatures by nature. When they are freed from their fate, they will live freely again.

    Not only Veerle, but Alexander and Al-Gor have all lived so far with too much freedom.

    If freedom is something that can be earned through strength, then no creature is better suited to freedom than the strongest species of dragons.

    They would all enjoy their freedom no differently than they had before, I suppose.

    ........only one thing.

    The only thing that has changed is....

    ...

    Gaia, the God of Creation, who was actually watching the scene where this dragon riot was unfolding from start to finish.

    After finally swallowing the surume that had been making him gulp down his coochie, he said.

    ''''Hey.''''

    Yes, what is it?

    "Aren''t they nice?

    I say, and point to the creator god, Bloody Mary, who is still pinching Mr. Ardhaeg''s sleeve.

    I reply.

    ''It''s very bad, isn''t it?''

    "You feel the vibes of love, don''t you?

    You came to the point of desperation and were saved by Mr. Ardhaeg and came cooing.

    Dragons have an unexpectedly classic way of starting a love affair, don''t they?

    The first time I gave you the dragon''s way of being. I''m sure that when they are replaced, they end up starting with a single Geyser Dragon, right?

    Yes, sir.

    I''m not sure.

    ''From there, you create a duplicate of yourself to multiply your numbers. Parthenogenetic reproduction, as it were.

    So all the dragons that are currently present are Al Gore''s sons and daughters, and they are all brothers.

    ''''But since I changed the setting and changed the way the dragons are, I wonder if a different breeding method will be applied to the dragons'' prosperity in the future...''''

    ....

    "I saw the dragon couple and I thought...

    From parthenogenetic reproduction to reproduction with a spouse?

    Those two were the first couple of dragons?

    I''m sure that the meaning of the Geyser Dragon will remain purely as the chief and representative of the dragon. It''s a good trend for Ardh?g to be the first person to have a family as the first gaiser dragon to have such a meaning.

    And you think you''re going to create a new life with Mr. Bloody Mary?

    What are you gonna do, pop the hatchlings?

    The ecosystem would collapse if the strongest species proliferated too much, so why don''t we keep the birth rate low?¡¡Besides, since you''re the wife of the Emperor Dragon, I''d like to give this one a special title as well...?''''

    God of Creation.

    I suddenly get excited about making a setting.

    But how about a stronger sounding, gwynndragon?

    I don''t know...?

    "After all, if you muddle it up, everything sounds strong!

    Queen Dragon Gwyndragon.

    I don''t know if Marie will be called that in the future, but well, I''ll let this be a harbinger of a new era of dragons.

    * * * *.

    Thus, Mr. Ardheg''s coronation of Mr. Gaiser Dragon was successfully completed and dismissed.

    Alexander-san went back to his dungeon, and Ardh?gg-san is now going to build his own dragon as a Geyser Dragon.

    Marie tried to accompany Mr. Ardhaeg, but he ended up going back to his dungeon.

    The viel that''s there from the original, of course, stayed like this.

    ''You''re not going back?''

    Hmm?

    He was Al Gaul, the former Geyser Dragon.

    ''No, even if they tell me to go home, I''m no longer a Gaither Dragon, I don''t have a dungeon of my own, and frankly, I have nowhere to go.

    Is that why you''re staying with us?

    ''Fine, we''ve got Veerle, and one more dragon. ........what?¡¡What is this?

    It''s a hoe, though.

    Our motto is "Don''t eat what you can''t eat.

    If you want to live here too, you''ll have to work hard in the fields.

    Exactly three days after he said that.

    Three days later, Mr. Al Gore disappeared from our farm.

 321-319 The Great Demon King

    Today we have a new look........

    The Demon Lord came to visit.

    And with a family.

    His wife, Astares, and his second wife, Grashara, and their son, Gotia, and daughter, Marine.

    They had a son, Gotia, and a daughter, Marine, born to each of them.

    They said that they had just had their children born to each other, and I suppose it was because they wanted to let them meet each other.

    Despite the responsibility of being the Demon King, he takes time out of his busy schedule to visit me more often than before.

    Today, there are three children and three mothers.

    They are all gathered together and are having a good time.

    The two fathers were watching the peaceful scene from a distance.

    It was me and the demon king.

    I''m sure Junior has already met his grandfather, right?

    Yes?

    What do you mean?

    My Junior''s grandfather was........the Mermaid King?

    I did go to the bottom of the ocean to see him, though. You also visited the mermaid kingdom with me, didn''t you?

    Why are you doing this all of a sudden?

    Oh, no...

    When I asked him back, the Demon King seemed to be in a hurry to mend his ways, and then he looked particularly sad.......

    ''''Our Gotia and Marinated have yet to pass by the one who is my grandfather, so.......''''

    Huh?

    The demon king''s expression was more and more sad.

    "Does that mean that neither Gotia-kun nor Marinette-chan got to meet their grandfather?

    I''m sure that''s true, but I''ve told you that it''s none of my business. Forget it, saint, forget it...!

    That''s not going to happen!

    Gotia, my first born, must be about a year old!

    He''s learning to stand and walk a little, and he''s starting to learn a few words.

    What kind of a grandfather would not come to see you until you''re that old?

    ''''Well, there''s a lot of strings attached to the Demon King family. It''s hard to be like the city people........ I''m going to miss Gotia and Marine, but I can only apologize for this father''s unworthiness.......!

    No, it''s not!

    I heat up.

    ''What kind of grandfather doesn''t come to see his grandchildren for any reason!¡¡What the hell is that thing?

    Hey, Your Highness, please calm down!

    My unexpected indignation made the Demon King feel uncomfortable.

    Haha.

    I''m not very mature either. Let''s take a deep breath and calm down.

    ''''Thank you, Saint, for being angry for my children.

    Oh.

    I guess they can hear me now.

    Mr. Astares is coming over with his own son, Gotia.

    However, this is a problem that is deeply related to the internal situation of the Demon Kingdom. Therefore, we can''t force him to do so. If this child is going to stand on the back of the Devil''s Country sooner or later, he must learn to endure from now on....

    She said that and soothed Gotia in her arms.

    Gotia, who is almost a year old, has increased his strength and mobility, and is now fidgeting with the idea of breaking out of his mother''s arms and going on an adventure whenever the opportunity arises.

    What the hell is this...?¡¡What are the circumstances under which a grandfather wouldn''t see his grandchildren?

    I was still not convinced. He resentfully said.

    "....Master Zedan, would you like to talk to him?¡¡Maybe the saint can give us some more good wisdom and...?

    No, no, no, no!¡¡I can''t keep bothering you, even though you''ve been a part of the saint''s house many times!¡¡And moreover, this matter is my family. Don''t bother your saintly lord with personal matters...!

    I don''t mind.

    If it''s the Demon King and I, we should talk to each other about our private matters.

    Please, you have to talk to me too.

    Mmm....!

    The Demon King looked thoughtful for a moment....

    ''''All right, I''d like to ask you something.''''

    I said.

    That''s me and the Demon King!

    * * *

    "....the grandfather of Gotia and Marinette. That is my father, in fact...!

    Yes.

    It''s common sense, yes.

    "The Great Demon Lord Baal,

    It sounds like a big name again.

    Is this Daimyo-king a greater than the Demon King or something like that...?

    No, it''s not like that.

    Astares, who was standing in line with him, added.

    ''''The Great Demon King is a title of honor given to those who have served in the office of the Demon King. He is respected as one who has served his time well. He has no real power and has no say in politics.

    So it''s like an honorary position that comes with a retired person?

    ''''So, is there a rule that this Grand Demon Lord can''t meet his grandson?

    ''''No, that''s not true. Even the Demon King family is one family. We prefer to be close to each other.

    So, you mean to say that this Grand Demon Lord doesn''t want to meet his grandchildren of his own volition?

    Aren''t you the meanest grandfather ever!

    There are political reasons for that. It goes back to the time when Dad was the Demon King and I was still the Demon King''s son.

    Ah.

    That''s a bit of a past tense.

    "My father was a very dynamic man, a prince. You know, in more ways than one.

    What do you mean?

    "He had many consorts. The regular queen alone had six. Ten in the entourage - I don''t think he ever went, but it was close.

    ''''Wow.

    ''''Therefore, there were many children, and there were eight children who were the rightful heirs to the throne alone. One of them was me.

    ''''Moreover, Zedan-sama is the youngest born among them, and his succession is terminal. The people around him thought it was unlikely that he would ever become the Demon King.

    Mr. Astares explained, and I said, ''What?'' I''m puzzled.

    ''''But this person in front of you right now is the Demon King, right?

    ''''That''s right. Zedan-sama''s ascension to the throne was the result of a family drama. Zedan-sama''s older brother, the Demon King''s son with a higher level of succession......................how should I put it?

    So it was a boner.

    You don''t have to tell everyone.

    ''''In a near coup, Zedan-sama seized the real power and became the Demon King. His father Baal-sama was forced to retire at the same time, and he retired to his position as the Great Demon King.

    You think it was an involuntary shift?

    Don''t tell me that''s why you can''t get along with the current Demon Lord''s family by bending over backwards?

    "To Mr. Baal, such a change of regime would be a repudiation of his own administration. "To Lord Baal, such a change of regime would be tantamount to the negation of his own administration and the loss of everything he has achieved. That''s why he can''t get along with the current regime... and its symbol, Master Zedan.

    I don''t like it, though.

    The second queen, Grashara joined in the conversation.

    It''s true that the Demon Kingdom has improved since Zedan became the Demon King. When Lord Baal was the Demon King, I was only a grunt, but the reason I was selected and became the Fourth Heavenly King is because of Zedan!

    It doesn''t matter where you''re from or what faction you''re from, you can rise and fall on merit alone.

    ''So. The more Zedan-sama''s reign is recognized, the more the previous regime that was destroyed by that Zedan-sama was wrong. Master Baal has no choice but to distance himself from the current regime in order to protect the pride he once had as a Demon King.

    A loser''s last stand.

    He stubbornly refuses to see his grandson''s face after he was born.

    He retires to the throne of the Great Demon King and publicly acknowledges the existence of the Demon King Zedan, but privately refuses to engage in any kind of relationship and shows that he doesn''t really approve of the current government.

    That''s the best resistance of someone who has been relegated to a political loser and.

    The current Demon King........Zedan-san is very sincere and upfront about his responsibilities as Demon King.

    However, it caused a rift with his father and he lost his family ties.

    The Demon King, who has a strong sense of humanity, is suffering from the conflict.

    To the point that he left the explanation to Astares-san in the middle of the story and fell silent.

    ''''........''''

    As an unrelated person, I would say that Mr. Daima is just being silly and stubborn, but I''m sure he has something important to say that he can''t get rid of with that.

    But that''s also irrelevant to young children.

    Children should have the right to be loved by their parents as well as their grandfathers and grandmothers.

    In order to protect that right........

    Let''s do it..........

    The plan is to get Gotia-kun and Marine-chan to meet the Great Demon Lord.

 322-320 Demon King and Great Demon King

    I am the Great Satanic King Baal.

    I''ve been called the biggest idiot of the demon tribe.

    When I was the leader of the demon tribe, I encouraged the demons to spread their culture in preference to wars with their rivals.

    The war had gone on for too long, and the demon tribe''s mind was in turmoil. They had become too poor.

    If the war was to be fought with all one''s might and it was still uncertain whether it would end or not, shouldn''t the entire demon tribe''s culture be cultivated and their hearts enriched instead of being absorbed in it?

    With that in mind, he adopted a policy that favored each artisan guild and encouraged their culture.

    I went around buying antiques that had previously been worth only two or three pounds, at a high price, to show that even old things have their own value.

    However, my thoughts did not reach the people.

    At some point in time, my reputation as an eagle had been firmly established as a "fool who ignores his enemies and goes around playing around," and I had even lost the support of the senior demon tribe.

    My youngest son, Zedan, who had no expectations for me, was brought into power before I knew it, and he took control of the government.

    I was forced to ''retire or be imprisoned''.

    My resignation from the throne was truly a disgrace.

    That''s why people call me the greatest demon fool in the world.

    Was it wrong for me to do what I did?

    Was it a foolish desire to enrich the minds of the people?

    Well, in order to establish a civilized life for the demon tribe, I took the initiative to play around and throw money around.

    I had a lot of mistresses and had a lot of children, which made the issue of succession even more complicated.

    But it''s no use.

    I stood at the top of the demon kingdom, and I wanted to take the lead in playing with them, so that the people below me could have an open mind!

    .........

    Well, it''s a pity that my eldest and second son, who I had taken a liking to because of my influence, has grown up to be a foolish son who is only interested in fashion.

    But if he were to become the next Demon King, the anxiety would explode and a coup d''etat would happen.

    Zedan, the youngest son, was the only one to grow up to be a decent son who wasn''t neglected by me because of the death of his mother, would be the only one who would get everyone''s attention.

    When the coup d''¨¦tat forced me to retire, all of my many daughters and their entourages were gone.

    They either returned to their parents'' homes or followed their fallen sons to the capital, leaving me to fend for myself.

    Well, it would happen.

    There is nothing to be gained by standing by the side of an eagle that has been driven out of the Demon King''s throne and has no power at all.

    I''m left all alone with no one to look after me, so I have no choice but to continue collecting antiques and artifacts, wasting my retirement money.

    Even if I am reduced to the level of an individual, I will still follow my own policies.

    Call me an idiot if you want, but keep calling me that!

    * * *

    Today, Zedan''s guy came to my retirement home again.

    He''s a disciplined, or rather vindictive guy.

    It''s probably because he wants to mend his relationship with me after I forced him to retire and make his administration more solid, but he still comes to visit me regularly.

    But he still comes to visit me regularly, even though he''s just a pain in the ass.

    "Father, would you like to hear this now?

    Hmm, I don''t know.

    He must have come today to beg for the same thing.

    ''I want you to meet the child who was born,'' he said.

    From my point of view, she is my grandson. The two consorts he took to wife, the Demon Queen and the Demon Queen, gave birth to both of them.

    I don''t need your help.

    He must be smitten by the baby''s loveliness and think that I''m going to get along with his family.

    This Daimyo is not so cheap.

    Since he was forced to overthrow the regime, Zedan and I are enemies for life.

    Until the end of my life, I''m going to be a superior to Zedan as the Great Satanic King, complaining about everything he does.

    And I will buy all the artifacts I can find!

    With the retirement money that this guy contributes out of his own pocket!

    I knew it was a bad idea.

    A demon king would be a fool to waste his time on something so obvious.

    Now, when you''re done, go home.

    I''m busy tasting the new sausage that''s so popular in the Demon City right now.

    By the way....

    Oh?

    What''s ''by the way''?

    Don''t use a cutout phrase that you''re willing to overstay your welcome.

    "This statue of the god is a wonderfully good piece of work.

    Oh.

    Can you understand how good it is, even if you''re a Park Nenin?

    It''s already done. It''s our demon guardian, Hades. Very similar.

    "Looks a lot like"?

    What a peculiarly worded assessment, but oh well.

    "This one was brought in by that Leviathan guy you recently selected as the Four Heavenly Kings. Isn''t it a good statue?¡¡It seems to be alive with a soul.

    You''re right.

    ''''Don''t you think the demon tribe of the future should spend money on these things?¡¡In my day, people used to say, ''If you have the money to pay for this, spend it on the war effort,'' but ironically, you ended the war yourself.

    "I''m not the only one who could have done this. I''m just putting the finishing touches on the achievements accumulated by my father and the previous demon kings before him.

    A sycophant.

    The magicians of the past, including me, never thought that any of them would be able to end the Human Demon War.

    It''s like a natural disaster, and it will go on forever.

    That''s what everyone thought.

    Zedan, who ended the war, deserves to be called the greatest demon king of all time, but it would be too upsetting for me to admit that.

    But it would be too irksome for me to admit that.

    Now I''m talking about this magnificent statue of the god.

    The future of the demon kingdom will have more and more artisans to create such things and develop their eyes to appreciate such masterpieces. The people. Now that the war is over, the demon race will finally need culture.

    You''re right.

    Hmph.

    I don''t know if he''s just making conversation, but he''s pretending to be an honest, filial son.

    I don''t know what you''re talking about, but you''re pretending to be an honest and devoted son. The next step for those in power is to become the patron of many talented artisans and protect them, providing them with food, clothing, and shelter so they can devote themselves to their work.

    So the creator of this statue of the god is now under the patronage of his father?

    "Ugh...?

    !" It''s a good way to hit a sore spot.

    It is true that the genius who could create such a masterpiece, I would love to keep it with me, but I can''t.

    I don''t know who the author is, or even what his name is.

    I have asked many times to Leviatha, the person who brought this statue to me, but she has not told me anything.

    The only thing I can think is that the creator himself is stubbornly refusing to let the world know about it...?

    Good news for such a giant demon king.

    ''Ugh!''

    What the hell?

    A new third person suddenly appears in our private meeting with Zedan!

    Are you Belfegamilia, one of the Four Heavenly Kings in the Demon King''s Army?

    "Great Demon Lord, may I show you something?

    What?¡¡This?

    A letter?

    And isn''t the quality of the paper absurdly good?¡¡You can''t compare it to parchment.

    The invitation.

    The invitation?¡¡From who?

    From the people who built this statue?

    "What''s wrong with you?

    I hurriedly opened the invitation and read it.

    I hurriedly opened the invitation and read it, summarizing it as follows: "We would very much like to invite anyone with a good eye for detail like you to come and take a look at the exhibition.

    It was a fortuitous thing!

    Go!¡¡I''ll be there in a minute!¡¡Get the carriage ready!

    ''Wait, wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait. We''ll read everything that''s been written.

    What?

    Who is this letter to?

    That''s for me, the Great Satan, right?

    As I read on, I was astonished by the name on it.

    ''''This is aaaaaaah!

    ''''To the Demon King''s Family.''''

    It wasn''t addressed to me. It wasn''t addressed to me personally.

    But...?

    "When you say the Demon King''s family, don''t you include yourself in that?¡¡After all, you''re the Demon King''s father....

    Muu Muu Muu Muu...?

    But if you accept the invitation, you''ll have to visit the family as addressed, won''t you?¡¡First of all, with the Demon King himself, his wives, and the son he had in between...

    Then I must go with the Zedans, who have stubbornly kept their distance from me until now....

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one.¡¡Isn''t it Leviatha''s role to come and deliver the invitation...?

    I asked her to take his place for the sake of the Four Heavenly Kings. It''s just a bother.

    Zedan and Belfegamilia are talking beside me, but I don''t have time to worry about them.

    I definitely want to meet the genius who made this statue. But for that, I''ll have to go with Zedan and the others...?

    What am I going to do, Master Zedan?

    "Maimaima-sama.

    "Whoa!

    Belfegamilia?

    What?

    Your Majesty wants to mend the bond with you, don''t you think? Don''t you think that''s a waste of sympathy for a scum like you, who has no qualifications to be a father?

    Ugh...!

    That may be so.

    I have something to prove.

    I didn''t think you had any intentions, so I didn''t say a word, but the demon king was so considerate of you that he prepared a roundabout way to get you to do it. You don''t mind if I make a few concessions, do you?

    That may be true, but...!

    Go.

    Yes...!

    For some reason, I can''t go against Belfegamilia.

    This was the last straw that made me go with Zedan and his family to the place.

 323-321 Impressive meeting

    It''s me.

    We all decided to first discuss the plan to have Gotia-kun and Marine-chan meet their grandfather.

    As a result of exchanging various information, it turned out that the big customer who was buying the artifacts of Elon and the others was, to my surprise, the great demon king.

    Realizing how small the world is, we wondered if we could make good use of it.

    After we all pondered, we all came up with a plan....

    "Let''s fish with our crafts.

    We agreed on this idea.

    It seems that the Great Demon Lord likes arts and craftsmanship, and we have a lot of them on our farm. And we have a lot of artifacts like that on our farm.

    Pottery made by elves, leather goods made by elves, glassware made by elves, and so on.

    It''s mostly elves that make them, but anyway, if you can lure them out to feed on those things, I''m sure the Great Demon Lord will come to the farm.

    ''That''s where I''ll bring Gotia-kun Marine-chan face to face!¡¡What do you think?

    It''s a good idea.

    I got approval from everyone and decided to go ahead with it as soon as possible.

    First of all, I prepared to write and send the invitation.

    I asked the Demon King to act as an intermediary, but he said that he would first make his intentions known, saying, ''I cannot do something like that to plot against my father,'' before inviting me to join him.

    I thought he was a serious person, but that''s his royal genius.

    Our talks went well, and we decided to pay a visit to our farm, and we all welcomed him with sincerity.

    * * * *

    Today is the day of your visit.

    We''ll be waiting for the Great Demon Lord at the transition point.

    The only way to come from the Demon Kingdom to our farm is with transference magic, so this welcoming style was a promise.

    After the blurring of space caused by transference magic occurred in front of me, two strong-built demons appeared.

    One of them is the Demon King, which means the other aged one is the Great Demon King in question.

    ''''Welcome!''''

    Hmm.

    Great Demon King Baal looked a lot like the Demon King, just because they were father and son.

    Of course, he was older than the Demon King, and he was already old enough to be in his old age, but his physique was strong and you could tell even from his clothes that his muscles were swelling all over.

    If this man were to get into a fight, he would beat a young man in his twenties without a second thought.

    ''''Great Demon Lord Baal-sama was also known for his flamboyant playfulness, but he was also famous for being a martial demon king to match.

    Verena, who was standing next to me, explained.

    As expected of a demon girl, she was familiar with the affairs of her homeland.

    ''''When he was an active demon king, he used to stand on the front lines of the Human Demon War, wielding the raging holy sword Ainrot and blowing away the human race army by the thousands. That''s why it was hard for him to have an opinion even if he played with flair in his home country...''''

    I don''t know if you''re competent or incompetent...

    "Competent but sometimes violently incompetent," was the general consensus. That seemed to be the general consensus. Or alternately competent and incompetent...

    You''re a difficult person to judge.

    It''s because of that kind of person that the Demon Lord is unable to dislike you, and he''s probably struggling with the pain of trying to fix the relationship between you and him.

    Anyway, I''ll do my best to be that kind of support for her.

    Then let me take you to the main house first. This way........

    Hmm.

    The Great Demon King only said ''Mm''.

    Is he a man of few words, or is he nervous?

    It''s still difficult to pay off the barriers between our minds and open up to each other.

    * * * *.

    In the main house, both demon queens, Astares and Grashara, who had visited earlier, were waiting for me.

    The young children were naturally on their chests.

    ''''Dat, Great Demon Lord!¡¡Good day to you, sir!

    Thank you!

    As expected, he was showing full courtesy to his opponent, who should be called the father of the country in Alexandria.

    Grashara-san, who has been beaten up from a single soldier, is not used to being polite, so many things are at stake.

    ''''Good.''''

    The great demon king controlled them with his hand gestures.

    Finally, the demon prince Gotia-kun, the demoness Marine, and his grandfather met with each other.

    I have heard about this place from Zedan. If it''s a place that doesn''t belong to any group and is not confirmed, it''s as good as no place at all. There is no such thing as a formal meeting.

    Haha..........

    That''s why I said yes. Don''t forget that.

    In short, ''Don''t get me wrong!¡¡This doesn''t mean we''re not making up for it! I guess that''s the argument.

    Anyway, first of all, Astareth-san steps forward in front of the Great Demon King.

    ''''I received a seed from Demon King Zedan-sama. It''s for the Demon Prince Gotia.

    Hmm.

    I take the one-year-old child from Astares'' hand and hold it to my chest.

    He''s in the prime of life," he says. Frolicing like a fawn.

    The one-year-old Gotia is full of energy, just as he says he is, grabbing the Great Demon Lord''s beard and other parts of his body and trying to pull them away as if it were a curiosity.

    It''s not a bad idea to have a mother who is the heir apparent to the Holy Sword Zexweis. The next generation of the Demon Lord''s family will be safe.

    Thank you, sir.

    Returning Gotia-kun, the next person to face him was the Second Demon Queen Grashara and her daughter, Marine.

    "It was surprising that this Zedan guy had a second child, but.... He''s a silly, serious guy. Was he of the family lineage that inherited the Grudge Sacred Sword...?

    "Uh-uh!¡¡I''m a branch of a branch family, so I have very little to do with the main family...!

    Zedan''s skill is highly regarded for elevating such an unknown soldier to the position of the Fourth Heavenly King and still making a difference. To me, however, it''s a shame.

    After a quick hug of Marinette, I returned her to Grashara.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more to say. You''ve done a perfect job of that, Zedan.

    No, this is the work of Astares and Grashara through and through...!

    The Demon King said in awe.

    The Demon King was almost sobbing with tears of joy at the sight of his grandfather and grandchildren who had finally come face to face with him.

    ''''Maybe it was the right decision to hand over the throne to you after all. You ended the seemingly never-ending war between man and demon, and you made friends with the mermaid kingdom. The world is at peace because of you.

    Oh...!

    It''s a good trend.

    The Great Demon King, who has been unable to be honest with me until now, recognizes the Demon King''s achievements, and they''re going to reconcile...?

    ''''I think it would be better for me to leave all matters of the Demon Kingdom to you and completely withdraw from this old body. Do what you want with it. And that''s why I''m going to........

    Great Demon Lord, run out.

    ''''I''m going to tour this place as much as I want!

    Wait!

    I stop Daimao-san from kicking down the door and trying to escape, just in time to stop him.

    ''''Wait!¡¡We''ve teamed up to bring you and your grandson face-to-face today!¡¡What kind of a thought is it that you have that you should leave your room without giving a d*mn?

    That''s what I thought, but I only wanted to see the site where they made those wonderful plates and statues of the god!¡¡Bring me to you!

    I will!¡¡But first, you should love Gotia-kun and Marine-chan even more!

    I thought that if I dealt directly with my grandchildren, I would instantly become attached to them and become so obsessed with Gotia-kun and the others that I didn''t care about anything else, but that wasn''t the case.

    But that was not the case.

    You''re only interested in what interests you!

    ''''Shut up!¡¡I''m the Great Demon King, I''m a great man!¡¡Listen to me, and send me your entire workforce, all of it, to me!¡¡I''ll provide you with a superb working environment!

    Don''t just raise your demands.¡¡You will not leave this room until you have doted on Gotia and the others for as long as you''ve been neglecting them!

    I was able to intensely realize my assessment of the Great Demon King as ''competent and fiercely incompetent''.

    I''m not going to let him out of the room, and we had a fierce skirmish.

    Looking at them, I saw the Demon King''s family all smiling bitterly.

    It''s inevitable.

    This is the last resort.

    Please, doctor, I''m asking you!

    Absolutely.

    I was greeted by the No Life King teacher who was waiting in the next room for me to see if this would happen....

    I asked him to summon a god as usual again.

    The one I called this time was the Absolute Lord of the Demon Race, the Underworld God Hades.

    ''''Nooooooooooooooooo!¡¡The figure that looks exactly like the statue of the god in here could not be...?

    The Great Demon Lord was greatly horrified to see the God of Hades in front of him.

    The God stared at such a demon king as if he was avenging him.

    ''''Listen........cheating, you''re the worst!

    He began to lecture her in a pleading manner.

 324-322 Daimaou Farm Tour

    Initially, one of the ideas was the ''Summon the Underworld God Hades'' strategy.

    What''s above the king and what''s above the king is God.

    So if he called the God of the Demon Race and asked him to give orders, even if he was the Great Demon King, he wouldn''t be able to obey.

    It seemed to be very effective.

    However, no matter what the reason, coercion is not a good thing, and even for a god, it''s rude to call out to him every single time.

    So I said ''it''s only a last resort'', so I started off by asking for Daima''s conscience and carnal love, but my expectations were spectacularly disappointed.

    So I decided to call the God of Hades and ask him to preach to me.

    ''''You''re a bad demon king, aren''t you?''''

    The only existence that can ruin the Great Demon Lord, the Dark God.

    ''''Eh?¡¡The Great Satan?¡¡I don''t care which one. Your son is a really good Demon King and I gave him the title of ''best Demon King of all time'' and now you''ve gone back just one generation. Aren''t you ashamed of yourself?¡¡In the first place, isn''t the Demon King an existence that cares for the entire demon race as if it were its own child?¡¡And yet, you can''t even love your blood grandson, it''s shameful. I love every demon living on earth as if they were my own children. And I''ve heard that?¡¡It says you have had six wives. What kind of a concept is it that you have when you''re under the protection of Hades and your beloved wife?¡¡Aren''t you ashamed of being a demon race by imitating Zeus, such as taking a woman in hand...?''''

    He lectured me in earnest.

    Because of this, the great demon king was completely mentally beaten up and hurting.

    ''''Zedan........!

    I knelt down in front of my son and his wife and their children.

    ''I''m sorry...!¡¡Please forgive me for treating you so coldly...!

    Oh, come on, old man!

    Ming-kun''s Demon King, instantly breaks his own knee as well.

    ''''I think I understand my father-dono''s delicate position!¡¡And yet you''re forcing me to do something...!

    It''s all right. It''s all my fault for being so stubborn. From now on, we''re going to take care of each other as a family, and we''re going to take care of each other...!

    Thus, the relationship between the Demon King and the Great Demon King was successfully restored.

    By God''s compulsion.

    Now, shall we finally see the elves'' workshop?

    "Ooh!

    The Daimyo is strong!

    Even after all that mental beating, you still haven''t lost your desire?

    "He''s as tough as a demon king, no doubt.

    I got an extra endorsement from the Hades God.

    ''Come on Zedan!¡¡You, the current Demon King, will also work together to improve the culture of the demon race!

    Yes, Dad!

    Now that he''s made his peace, he''s gotten his demon king involved!

    The more powerful Daimaimaimaima is, the more impossible it is to stop him!

    It''s nothing to worry about.

    Well, let me take you to our farm''s craft site...

    Oh.

    Oh yes, I almost forgot.

    ''Thank you, God of Hades, for coming today. We have done our business, please leave promptly.

    That''s a bit harsh with God, isn''t it?

    Yes, you''re absolutely right.

    As expected, it would be extremely rude for you to go home like this, so I''ve decided to have you eat the feast I''ve prepared for you.

    * * * *

    Then we moved on with the Great Demon Lord leading us.

    Finally, we arrived. This is my farm, the workshop of the elves.

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa...!

    The Great Demon King exclaimed in admiration as soon as he saw it.

    In the workshop today, the elves are still painstakingly creating tools for daily use.

    ''''The elves who never stay under the roof are so diligent...?¡¡It''s an unbelievable sight...?

    ''What they''re making now is a leather handbag! They were ordered by Mr. Shaks of the Pandemonium Trading Company.

    Pandemonium and Company?¡¡They have a connection to this place?¡¡They didn''t say a word about this place?

    That was the deal.

    That''s the kind of promise a merchant has to keep to himself.

    Anyway, this is a wonderful workshop!¡¡How much money would it take to buy every elf I work for?

    Don''t get involved in price negotiations right off the bat.

    Don''t try to take everything with money and power.

    This forcefulness.

    This must be more typical and ''how'' the Demon King''s style.

    Zedan-san is too much of a personality as a Demon King.

    We must always remember to appreciate that.

    ''''Will you consider it positively?¡¡We need them to raise the cultural standards of the demon race!

    Many of the elves'' works are circulating in the Demon City, and I think they''ve already made a cultural contribution, but...''''

    If you insist, why don''t you talk to them directly?

    You sure?¡¡Then let''s get right to it...!

    The great demon king spiritedly attacks the elves and recruits them.

    But the answer from the elves is the same for all of them: "We will only move to a place where the food is better than the farm.

    We will only move to places where we can get better food than farms.

    He said.

    The Great Demon King was initially optimistic in his reply.

    ''''What''s that all about!¡¡No problem, the cooks in charge of this great demon king will serve you the best food every day!

    ''No.'' ''Dismissed.'' ''Out of the question.'' ''The title alone shows that it''s impossible.''

    ''''Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    The Great Demon King may have meant to offer the highest level of conditions, but to the elves living here, it didn''t appeal to any of them.

    For your reference, I took Grand Demon King-san into the kitchen and treated him to some of my farm''s food alongside the Hades God.......

    ''''I can''t win!

    He collapsed in front of the table.

    ''''Not just the crafts, even the food is above the top-notch in this place...!¡¡Yummy, yummy........!

    It was the Great Demon King who was propped up on the table and munching on an assortment of sandwiches.

    ''''Well, since it''s just the elves'' work site, do you want to take a look at the others?''''

    Is there anything else?

    Speaking of the creative department, in addition to the Elf Workshop, there is another specialty of our farm.

    Batty''s clothing room.

    The number of residents has increased since the farm study abroad program started, so she''s still very busy with her work.

    ''''Hohoho?¡¡Is there a demon at work here?

    He''s kind of proud to have found his own tribe.

    Gazing at the finished Batty products laid out haphazardly around...!

    "...hmm?¡¡Isn''t this some kind of farm-brand clothing?¡¡Right now it''s the most popular in the Demon City!

    Have you noticed?

    You''re right, you''re a good-looking person.

    "You mean to tell me that this little girl is a top-brand craftsman?¡¡Are you willing to work for me?

    So you wouldn''t mind if I headhunted you immediately?

    Batty was scouted by the great demon king under heaven.

    He stopped the sound of his sewing machine drive often and turned to this VIP.

    ''''If you ask me, ''Under you...''... I''m a veteran who originally served in the Demon King''s army.

    Oh, then, does that mean we''re going back to where we belong...?

    When I first joined the Demon King''s Army, Baal-sama was still the Demon King, but his chain of command was appropriate. I''m not sure how many times I almost died because of my unplanned march. If Astares-sama hadn''t found me and made me his second-in-command, I really would have died...

    Oh...?

    "After Zedan-sama became the Demon King, I experienced a calculated and reckless march, and it made me realize that ''the previous generation was really quite appropriate,'' so I don''t think I''m going to experience the same difficulties under the Great Demon King again...!

    Um...!¡¡No, I''m sorry...!

    Batty is a beat-up ex-soldier who joined the army since she was a girl.

    His sense of smell to sniff out the bosses to follow was well trained.

    * * * *

    Thus, the great demon king who had failed to scout with everything.

    He was outdoors in the dark.

    ''''It''s a nice place to be.

    On your left, old man.

    The Demon King is also lined up next to me, twilighted together.

    He''s a disciplined person trying to endure his father''s tragedy together.

    ''And at the same time, Zedan, I knew that your reign was better than mine...!¡¡I know firsthand. Zedan, I''ll leave everything from here on out to you, including the way you''re handling this place.

    ''''Father...?

    Thus, the relationship between the Demon King and his son was completely restored.

    ........Is that right?

    I''m on it!¡¡As Demon King of Zedan, I''m sure I can assuage your worst fears, Father!

    Oh, son.

    At any rate, after this, we had a harmonious dinner with each other''s families sitting around each other''s tables at supper.

 325-323 Princess Ambition

    A new system of studying abroad on a farm has been started.

    It''s an attempt to bring together young people from the human, demon, and fish tribes and train them to be the future of the world while interacting with each other.

    Thanks to this program, the average age of the farm has dropped dramatically, and at the same time, the population distribution of the farm has been greatly affected.

    The number of demons and mermaids had also increased.

    And the increase in the number of the human race was the beginning of the incident...?

    * * * *

    This is an opportunity!

    Lettuce Rate came before me to consult.

    It was Lettuce Rate, a former princess of the Human Nation.

    ''''Opportunity for what?''''

    "Restore the Land!¡¡This is your chance to launch a counterattack against the Demon Lord''s army!

    You''re talking nonsense again...!

    Lettuce Rate is a princess of the exiled country.

    She is the princess of the human kingdom that was destroyed by the Demon King''s army and was originally supposed to be executed with the fall of the country, but here she is.

    She was about to disappear with the dew on the decapitation table, but she survived by the mercy of her enemy, the Demon King.

    And here we are, in the form of exile or rather imprisonment.

    When she first moved here, she was full of high-handedness like a princess, but as the days went by, she got used to life, took off her horns, and changed her class to just a hard worker.

    Well, that didn''t correct the part of her that was still stupid, though.

    I thought he was no longer thinking only of the amount of beans he was going to grow, and he didn''t have an ounce of thought for his restoration as a princess.......

    ''''Look, look, look!¡¡You said you were an exchange student the other day, and there are many ethnic kids here!

    Yeah.

    "Let''s keep those boys on their toes!¡¡Eventually, he''ll lead a rebellion to restore the land and reclaim the human nation from the hands of the demon race!¡¡And I will be a princess again!¡¡Maybe!

    Oh, my God.

    I know they have a lot of potential, don''t they?¡¡They have a bright future, don''t they?

    The ability of these students to do so has rekindled the ambition that I thought had been extinguished.

    Please don''t do this.

    It''s really a delicate position to be executed for having a slightly dangerous thought.

    I''m always interested in keeping things civil, so please don''t take this risk in front of me.

    And it''s hard to get a read on whether or not he''s really serious when he comes all the way to talk to me about it.

    I thought I needed your permission to reveal my identity and gain your respect, so I came to you for advice!

    Oh, yeah...?

    Hey, you know what?¡¡Okay!

    I can''t read how serious this guy really is.

    Is it real?¡¡Are you really that stupid?

    Yeah, yeah.

    Yeah!

    I was curious to see how serious his stupidity was, so I gave him the go-ahead.

    I have the official permission from the Ceja to incorporate all the farm''s people into my household.¡¡It''s the charisma of the royal family and Ichikoro!

    With that, Lettuce Rate ran away.

    I was so worried about her that I followed her.

    I followed her.

    Hold back, hold back!¡¡Who do you think I am?

    ...who do you think I am?

    "Fear not, former Princess of Humanity, Lady Lettuce Slate!¡¡Have you forgotten my face!

    Lettuce Rate approached the human exchange students with all the momentum she could muster.

    The students are now helping out on the farm as it is not their time to study.

    Lettuce Rate, looking at the farm work of these young students........

    Don''t pull out the whole root.''''

    ''What?¡¡Is that so?

    "When you pull out the roots, you tear up the soil. And it''s a pain in the ass, isn''t it?¡¡These things don''t grow back as long as you trim the border between the stem and the root and cover it with dirt.

    Oh, I see.

    There was a lecture at the senior and junior levels of agriculture, and once again........

    ''''I am the Princess Lettuce Rate of the Human Nation!

    I called myself Babaan again.

    But the reactions of the foreign students of the same human race were thin........

    ''''.........Haha.

    I''ve been pretending to ignore it...

    On the contrary, she reacted like she was annoyed with me!

    ''Huh?¡¡Aren''t you impressed?¡¡Your royal family survived, remember?

    It would have been better for us if they''d just died out.

    ''''Huh?''''

    Lettuce Rate was shocked by the scathing words from the foreign student boy and girl.

    ''''Because we''re much better off now that we''re occupied by demons than we were when the royalty was still alive and well.

    ''Taxes are light, no thought control, and most importantly, no more war!¡¡We''re finally living in peace and prosperity, so please don''t set back the clock by doing something unnecessary!

    I want it now. I don''t want to go back to the past.

    Lettuce Rate is cornered by the frank arguments from his own people.

    ''Of course not. Look at the reality.

    ''I didn''t like the way this was going, so I was desperately pretending not to notice the princess walking around the farm,''

    What the tribal students have to say is also valid.

    The three races are finally coming together to create an era of peace, but how can they risk destroying that peace for the sake of the selfishness of a few royalty?

    ''''But I won''t give up!

    Give up the lettuce rate.

    I know it!¡¡There''s more than one way to move people!¡¡If you won''t work for the cause, then I''ll have to resort to other means!

    What the hell?

    You''re telling me you''re a former member of the royal family, and you have a lot of experience in winning people''s hearts and minds?

    "The most effective means of motivating those who are not driven by the greater good is profit!

    "Law.

    ''Follow me and I''ll give you the reward you deserve!¡¡So what do you think?

    You want to get paid for this...?

    Hey, tribal students, when you hear about the reward, you are a little shaken up!

    We all want money, don''t we?

    .........huh?

    But what money do you have at your disposal at the current lettuce rate?

    I''m a prisoner of war, you know?¡¡That guy?

    ''Come on, take all you want!¡¡I''ve been saving up for my farm life...!

    Lettuce rate, grabbing it out of the sack at his waist.........

    ''Beans!''

    They were just soybeans.

    Lettuce Rate became addicted to beans when he started growing his own favorite crops, starting with beans, then peanuts, soybeans, red beans, peas, etc.

    He grew so much of them that he now entrusted Lettuce Rate with the bean production for the entire farm.

    ''Come on, you''ll get all the beans you want if you stick by me!

    Lettuce Rate approached the people in a dignified manner. With beans.

    In response, the human race students had a look of ''disappointment''.

    ''''I don''t want to!''''

    ''Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?''

    Lettuce rate, in a truly unexpected wind.

    ''Why?¡¡How so?¡¡The beans, they''re delicious!¡¡You want it!

    No, the meat is better anyway, so...

    ''Hahhhh?!

    Lettuce rate, too shocking.

    But it even comes to a tailspin.

    I''d rather have sweets like cake and ice cream too...

    I''d like a drink.

    They all point out that there are many things that taste better than beans.

    "Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?¡¡Oh no!

    That was what knocked the lettuce rate down more than anything else.

    Thus, her mission to retake the country was aborted when she was making friends.

    * * * *

    "Whaaaaaaahhhh!

    Lettuce rate, crying.

    It''s so sad that she''s crying wet in her good friend Horcosfon''s lap.

    Good, good, he was really sad.

    Angel Holkosfon, patting his friend Lettuce Rate on the head.

    ''The way they made fun of my beans,''

    "Oh, you''re over there!

    I''m still accompanying him, I immediately tsk.

    You''re not sad that your return as a princess didn''t end up being a failure of the plan, you''re sad that your beans weren''t accepted.

    The beans are delicious!¡¡Oi Grandpa''s goodness!''''

    It really was.

    Where does this love of beans come from, Lettuce Rate?

    ''It''s indignant to me, too. An insult to beans is an insult to me and Lettuce Rate...!

    And now even Holkosfone is on fire.

    Master, I wish to remind you young people of the power of beans.

    ''Yes!¡¡I want to make sure I tell them that beans are good!

    He shouted as he cried out to Lettuce Rate.

    Hey, what happened to your territorial ambitions?

    ''I will do it with my whole being!¡¡Beans are delicious!¡¡Let them know it''s the strongest ingredient!

    It doesn''t matter anymore, hi.

    Thus, the spark of warfare was safely extinguished, and the slightly absurd topic of ''making beans popular among the youth'' was brought up instead.

 326-324 Making tofu

    Show young people how good the beans are.

    The purpose of the lettuce rate has shifted to something like that.

    And the original purpose of ''Reviving the Human Nation'' has been scrapped, case closed.

    So now we can focus on the beans.

    Help me out, Ceja!

    Help me out, Master.

    Yes, yes, yes.

    I was also asked to play a part in creating a bean movement on the farm.

    The foreign students who came to the farm were mostly teenagers, in line with the purpose of studying abroad. They are young people in their teens, with the purpose of studying abroad.

    It''s only natural that they would be interested in meat and sugar-filled sweets and liquor, which are much easier to understand than beans.

    ........hmmm?¡¡Booze?

    Oh well.

    Can the beans rise to youthful stardom with such formidable competition on the other side?

    This is going to take a lot of work...?

    The first thing that came to mind was to process the beans in some way.

    In both meat and sweets, the original ingredients are processed to the point where they can''t be recreated, and the taste and appearance of the food are perfected, so wouldn''t it be fair to say that the beans could be processed in the same way?

    What does it take to make beans...?

    A tofu hamburger?

    It''s like being on the same level as meat, but hamburgers are all about meat.

    A hamburger steak is a meat hamburger, and a tofu hamburger is a health-conscious hamburger, and a teenager who is only looking for calories is not going to like it.

    Then what else...?

    Ah.

    Wait, we just found out the answer.

    "Tofu.

    Tofu, taking the hamburger from the tofu hamburger, is tofu.

    Tofu is one of the most popular processed soybean products.

    Miso and soy sauce have already been produced, but surprisingly, tofu was not yet made.

    The point is that the first two belong to the condiment category and tofu is the food itself.

    Honestly, do you think tofu is popular with young people?¡¡I''m not sure I''m strong enough to do that...

    Very well.

    At last, let''s go to the other world farm and start making tofu.

    Master, how about natto (fermented soybeans)?

    If we don''t come to any more conclusions, we''re going to be pushed to the Holkosfon natto idea.

    Let the planning begin!

    * * * *

    Now I''m going to make some tofu.

    "Wow.

    After a long, long preamble, we decided to make tofu.

    The ingredients for the tofu are soybeans.

    I think I got the recipe from TV and manga in the world I''ve been in before, so I think I''ll be fine.

    Let''s use the soybeans that Letus Rate has lovingly raised to make the best tofu we can.

    First, the soybeans are dumped into the water and left to stand.

    Let the beans absorb the water and then simmer.

    When it comes to a boil, mash the soybeans with the water.

    Then wrap the soybeans in a cloth and squeeze them, and separate the juice and the dregs.

    ........And is it good?

    It should be good so far.

    "Oh...!¡¡The profound wisdom of the godd*mn Seljah is at work again!

    I have no idea what we''ll end up with...?

    Letaslate and Holkosfone, the people who started this whole thing, were marveling at it as they observed.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who can help with this, but it''s not as if you can help with all of these first-timers.

    Now, we''ve come to the point where the mashed and boiled down soybeans are squeezed and separated into the juice and the dregs....

    The squeezed juice is soybean milk. The squeezed juice is soybean milk, and the dregs are called okara.

    These are famous for being foods in their own right.

    Tofu is made from soy milk.

    I didn''t need any more okara, so I was wondering what to do with it.

    ''Wow.''

    Hmm?

    Before I knew it, there was a potty at my feet.

    He''s a dog-shaped monster and lives in my house.

    ''What is it?¡¡You want some karaoke?

    Woof!

    Okay.

    It was hard to get rid of it, so I''ll give it to you as you wish.

    Porgy happily devoured the okara, and the smell of the okara attracted many of Porgy''s dog-shaped monsters, who were also attracted by the smell, to come and devour it.

    Even Yoshamo and his friends come.

    Come to think of it, I''ve heard that okara was used as fodder for livestock in the previous world.

    The new menu for the animals on the farm will bring more people to the table.

    Congratulations.

    So....can you make the tofu from this side of the soup?

    Lettuce Rate asks the question.

    She says the soup, which she describes as soup, is probably referring to the soy milk, the juice that comes from squeezing boiled soybeans.

    ''Yes, that''s right, this soy milk is solidified, and you''ve got tofu.

    I''m sure it was.

    ''We can go on like this, you know?¡¡Soy milk is a nutritious and delicious drink. See, it''s like milk, right?

    Nutrition, hey, what''s the harm in taking it?

    It''s hard to imagine that food is good for your health in this world where nutrition is still underdeveloped.

    To the people of this world, food is something to be eaten only when one''s stomach is full.

    And whether it tastes good or not.

    Hmm, isoflavones are found in soy milk...?

    What''s that spell?

    Well, people in this world would think so.

    I''ve only heard a little bit about it myself, but it seems that the isoflavone nutrients in soybeans are very similar to female hormones, and once they''re in the body, they have a similar function to female hormones, or something like that?

    So, if you drink a lot of soy milk...

    If you take a lot of isoflavones.........

    It''s the role of female hormones in shaping your feminine body.

    Your tits will be bigger and your ass will be rounder.

    That was the moment I said that.

    A huge army lined up around us.

    "Hee-hee!¡¡What?!

    When did so many of them show up?

    We couldn''t even detect their approach.

    A large number of people who seemed to surround us. A characteristic of this is the unusually high percentage of women.

    About 100 percent of the human fence is female. 100 percent. It wasn''t just a high percentage, it was all women.

    "I have a question for you, Sage...!

    What is it?

    I was asked by one of the women forming the siege.

    Young.

    Probably one of the foreign students.

    ''''Really?¡¡I heard that that elixir has the ability to make your tits bigger...!

    and pointed to the freshly made soy milk.

    ''''What...?''''

    So I finally got it.

    This group of women appeared out of nowhere. Each one of them had small breasts as a common characteristic.

    Poor breasts.......or humble breasts group!

    Is it this regret and vindictiveness that has brought them here?

    ''''Saints!¡¡I''m going to take a sip of that elixir!

    If it''ll give me big tits!

    "I don''t want my boyfriend to sigh every time he sees my breasts anymore!

    It''s all coming over me with burning emotions!

    Do you guys really want big tits?

    No, but no, this soy milk is a key ingredient in our plan to make tofu!

    We can''t let it go to waste!

    ''Don''t be so dull!¡¡That''s our dream!

    "I don''t mind giving Saint Charming a squeeze when I get my big tits done!

    No, I don''t want that!

    Beside them, Lettuce Rate and Holkosfone, with their suitably ample breasts, didn''t move and just quietly watched from the sidelines.

    They don''t care about me........?

    I decided to quickly solidify the soy milk and make tofu.

    I was about to act on that decision, and then I thought to myself, "How do I get the soy milk to set?

    How can I solidify the soy milk into tofu?

    I thought to myself, "How can I make soy milk and make tofu?

    We got to the point where we were able to make soy milk based on the knowledge we got from the TV, but after that, it was too vague to remember what happened.

    How can soy milk be solidified into tofu?¡¡Will it freeze up if I wait for it to happen normally?

    I don''t know.

    I didn''t think it would be a waste of time to leave them unsure.

    At any rate, I gave the soy milk to the girls of the humble breast corps as they wished.

    Otherworldly Tofu Making.

    To be continued.

 327-325 Soybean bottomless swamp

    I''m continuing my otherworldly tofu making challenge.

    Last time, I was able to progress to the point where I crushed the soybeans, boiled them up, and separated them into soy milk and okara.

    But I can''t go beyond that yet.

    Once the soy milk is squeezed out and hardened, tofu should be ready to be made, but I couldn''t figure out how to get the soy milk to harden, even though I searched my memory.

    However, I couldn''t find the recipe for the soy milk solidification process.

    I can try to find various ways to make it harden.

    Will it harden naturally over time?¡¡It didn''t happen.

    Soy milk is still soy milk after a period of time. Otherwise, soy milk wouldn''t be a drink.

    So what else could it be?¡¡Freeze?

    Yes, it''s a straightforward means of solidification, but freezing it only ended up turning it into frozen soy milk, not tofu.

    The soy milk and okara that were produced in vain due to failure were devoured by the humble breast squad and the potheads, respectively.

    Extending the thought further, is there a special chemical that can be used to coagulate the soy milk...?¡¡I thought about it, and then a ping hit me.

    ''''Ah.........?''''

    The distinctive sound of the name that came to my brain.....

    "Nigari,

    Nigari.

    I''ve heard it''s necessary for making tofu.

    I can''t remember the details, but isn''t nigari the coagulant that coagulates soy milk and turns it into tofu?

    It must be so.

    Then, let''s get the nigari ready!

    How?

    How can you get something that you only know the name of?

    There''s no such thing as an internet search in another world, so you can''t just type in a name and say ''Here you go!

    I guess I need to be more wise here.

    .........The impression that "nigari" has something to do with the sea remains.

    It is probably made by processing seawater in some way.

    And speaking of the sea, I''ve got a powerful ally on my side!

    * * *

    Well, do you think it''s a good idea?

    My wife, Prathi, a mermaid whose home is the sea, is an expert in potions.

    It was easy to mix seawater and potions in my vague imagination and create bittern in another world.

    And I really could make it!

    ''Thank you, Platy!¡¡That''s what I''m talking about!¡¡Genius!¡¡I love you!

    ''Yah, I think I''m going to swim in the sky when my husband flatters me so much! ........I love you too.

    After hugging my beloved wife with Junior in between, I quickly put Platy''s otherworldly bittern into the soy milk.

    It hardened.

    Finally, what looked like tofu took shape in the other world!

    I cut the hardened soy milk into pieces and put them in a tofu-like shape on a plate.

    What''s this white stuff?¡¡It doesn''t look like any food I''ve ever had, can you eat it?

    Just relax.

    Looking down at the tofu prototypes with Prati, who was there from the moment they were completed in the production process.

    The first step is a taste test.

    Even if the tofu looks good on the outside, if it doesn''t taste good, it''s not good.

    In cooking, taste is the most important thing.

    Let''s have it as a cold tofu first.

    It''s the easiest.

    Just dump shavings, chopped scallions, and grated ginger on top of just tofu and pour soy sauce over it....

    Take a bite with chopsticks and bring it to your mouth........

    ''Yum!''

    Great success!

    Tofu has successfully recreated in another world!

    Wow, that''s a unique texture.

    Prathi took a bite and was amazed.

    It''s soft and fluffy and very easy to eat. If it''s this soft, it''s going to be a great first meal for Junior when he''s weaned!

    Prathi is taking a mother''s perspective by giving birth to Junior...!

    There''s no flavor in the toff itself, but that''s why I enjoy pairing it with any other flavor!¡¡The bonito flakes and scallions and ginger I paired with it are delicious!

    It was well received.

    ''OK, let''s see what''s next for tofu, a versatile ingredient that can be combined with any food!

    Heat the water in a pot.

    Take the broth, dissolve the miso, and then botch the tofu cut up like a dice...!

    Tofu miso soup.

    It''s a classic tofu dish!

    Cold tofu at room temperature is good, but you can also taste the goodness of tofu warmed with miso soup.

    This is.........?

    Prathi who saw the tofu miso soup, for some reason, has a pale expression.

    What''s the matter?

    "Sir.........I know........¡¡After all, I''m the one who developed the miso...!

    Hmm?

    "Miso is....soybean soup, right?¡¡You put tofu made from soybeans in a soybean soup...?¡¡That means this soup is 100% soy!

    That''s what you''ve noticed........

    "After all this trouble, I''m only eating soybeans...?¡¡It''s as if I''ve discovered a secret of the world that should not be known!¡¡Speaking of which, the soy sauce I just poured on the hiyakko is also made from soybeans?

    It''s not good, Platy!

    Don''t take it any further!

    We''re trapped in a soybean trap!

    * * *

    Just like that, Prathi and I finished our tofu dishes with a good meal.

    I thought to myself, "Another addition to the farm will enrich my diet," but then I realized that I had forgotten something important.

    Oh, yeah.

    How did we come up with the idea of making tofu in the first place?

    Lettuce Rate and Holkosfone, who love beans, asked me to develop a bean product that would be popular with the young people. The reason was that he asked me to do so.

    Although I can''t say for sure if the finished tofu will be a hit with the youngsters, it''s done now, so let''s go show it to them!¡¡And I looked everywhere........

    .........oh?

    There''s a lot of noise over there.

    I think I can hear the voice of the lettuce rate mixed in with the loud cheers.

    I went over to the direction of the voice to try it out.

    "Do you like big tits?

    ''''Ohhhh!''''

    "Do you want big tits?

    ""Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh!"

    .........

    There was a lettuce rate.

    He was agitating in front of a large crowd of women.

    ''If only I could drink this soy milk!¡¡You''re gonna have big tits!¡¡No more sighs from my boyfriend!¡¡The power of soy is great!¡¡Come on, let''s drink some soy milk!

    ""Woohoo!"

    It was a big crowd.

    Maidens dreaming of big tits were flocking to the soy milk poured into lettuce-rate mugs.

    ''Master,''

    ''Oh!¡¡Horcosfon!

    Beside him, Horcosfon was immersed in the process of making soy milk by mashing the soybeans he had boiled up.

    ''''The soy milk that Master developed is a great success. It''s gaining popularity as an elixir that will make your breasts bigger if you drink it.

    ''''So it''s not an elixir!

    Apparently, the request from Lettuce Rate and Horcosfon had been accomplished when they completed the soy milk.

    The bean power had an extraordinary effect on the troubled girls.

    Not only for the foreign students who were still in the process of being raised.

    ''Me too!¡¡Give me the elixir to make my boobs bigger too...!

    Like the cute girls on the elven team with cute breasts and stuff...!

    ''Whoa!¡¡With that, I can be as good as Astareth-sama!

    The demonic duo, on the other hand, have a thing for Verena.

    ''''Everyone calm down!¡¡The doctor will try these dubious items first!

    Even Dr. Karp the Mermaid!

    Soy milk has become popular with young and old alike.

    The lettuce rate was truly delighted.

    This is the power of beans!¡¡Someday I''m going to show the world the power of beans!

    Another new goal had been opened for Lettuce Rate.

    I was about to ask her if she was done with the reconstruction of the human nation, but she''s good at losing sight of her goal and working hard, so I left it alone.

    Later, I had her try some tofu, which was also a hit.

    * * * *

    Also.....

    ''Master, soy milk is fishy.

    Veerle!¡¡You were over here too!

    Veerle, the dragon, had joined the soy milk fiasco.

    I thought this was a rare occasion when you didn''t show up to cook.

    "Soy milk will make your tits bigger, and I''ll give Junior some tits!

    You have such ambitions?

 328-326 Trouble of Milk Goat (Part 1)

    Panu, a satyr, came to visit.

    She''s a type of beastman who lives in our house, and her race, which is a combination of humans and goats, is called satyrs.

    Panu is a representative of the satyrs that live on the farm.

    We''re in a pinch.

    It was a bit of a crisis.

    What''s going on?¡¡Did the trolls block your path when you went to graze to get fat?

    No, we have something much bigger and more evil than a troll standing in our way.

    My advanced otherworldly jokes were completely passed over.

    ''Also, I don''t want to get fat!¡¡I''m not fat!

    I fell for it a bit.

    ''So who is this opponent that you say is more evil and formidable and irreconcilable than a troll?

    Lady Lettuce Rate, sir!

    Why?

    There aren''t many people on this farm that are as cheap as he is, are there?

    ''Do you know the saint?¡¡Lady Lettuce Rate has recently developed a new drink.

    ''Oh...''

    Well, technically, it was me.

    Soy milk.

    I developed it in response to a desire to make beans more appealing to international students who had recently started living on the farm.

    Using beans as an ingredient.

    The main purpose of this product was to make tofu, but it was the soy milk that was created as a byproduct that became a big hit.

    If you drink soy milk, your breasts will get bigger".

    Because of this rumor, soy milk has become very popular among girls who have problems with it.

    Lettuce Rate, who had become a spectacular soybean fanatic, could not stop laughing.

    ''Miss Lettuce Rate is now working with Holkosfon to produce a large amount of soy milk every day!¡¡And we''re handing them out!

    For free?

    Generous even though there is no monetary system on our farm........

    It''s times like these that I''m unexpectedly reminded that lettuce rates are royalty.

    I''m sure they''re just so happy to be encouraged and lifted up that they''re out of sight of profitability or anything else.

    ''''Thanks to that, we satyrs have been badly damaged!

    Why?

    It''s really a ''why?'' But then it occurred to me right away.

    What these satyrs produce exclusively on our farm.

    Milk.

    Apparently, they''re very good at producing milk, by race, and that''s why they asked me to come to the farm. That''s why they even asked us to come to their farm.

    From then on, Panu and the other satyrs have been contributing to our farm by diligently producing milk....

    That''s our position!¡¡It scares me!

    No.

    I''m beginning to understand what Panu is trying to say.

    In short, are you afraid that the soy milk produced by Lettuce Rate might replace the milk produced by Panu and his team as the farm''s primary beverage?

    ''Milk and soy milk are both delicious, but isn''t milk''s standing kind of immovable?''

    It''s delicious, culinary and nutritious.

    The position of milk in the food world is kind of sacred and inevitable.

    Of course soy milk is very popular. "Of course soy milk is very popular, but it''s mainly for young ladies with unique problems, right?¡¡It doesn''t matter, especially since almost all of the men are still drinking the same milk as before...

    There''s no need to panic, right?

    ''No!¡¡It is from such carelessness that the downfall begins!

    You''re very conscious.

    Are you an astute manager who is always at the top of his game?

    ''If soy milk loses its popularity and we don''t want milk anymore we won''t be able to stay on the farm!¡¡Delicious farm food, a bed of fluff!¡¡I can''t bear to not taste it again!

    That''s the reason for the sense of urgency.

    And I''m starting to read something about how things are going to go from here.

    Because Panu wants some new product related to milk to counter the rising newcomers (soy milk rates)........

    ........you want me to develop it!

    I''m just developing all the time!

    ''We created a new product to compete with the newcomers, so we wanted to give the saints a look,''

    New product, I already had it ready.

    It''s very nimble.

    ¡ô

    This new product was created to compete with soy milk.

    Well, since it''s what Panu offers, it''s a dairy product.

    Panu and his team not only milk the products, but also process the squeezed milk to make various things.

    Like butter and cream.

    In their home village, they have become a brand for those products.

    What we''d like to offer you is cheese!

    ''Uh....''

    ''What?¡¡What''s the reaction?

    Cheese, huh?

    Well, that''s a typical dairy product.

    I know what you mean.

    Even where I''m from, the cheese counter was overflowing.

    It''s just that...

    I''ve eaten cheese myself many times, but what do you call it?

    What a texture, like chewing on that soap....

    ''But Panu and the others have been making cheese since you came to the farm, haven''t they?

    ''Yes!¡¡So I''m going to introduce you to a new type of cheese that''s different from any cheese I''ve ever made before!

    A new cheese?

    Panu has put a lot of effort into this.

    Meet the people who helped us develop our new cheese!

    Hey! They''re all gone!

    There were two people who appeared on the scene.

    First is Gala Rufa, one of the mermaid team and called ''The Plague Witch''.

    And isn''t it Bacchus, the half-human, half-god who controls the drink?

    "What a chaotic mix!

    Panu, Gala Rufa and Bacchus.

    What kind of an accident could happen with a demonic combination like this?

    And why would Bacchus be here?

    He focused on one of the two men he was introduced to.

    ''I don''t think you''re going to be useful for anything other than drinking?

    ''That''s the line of one who does not know the depths of drink, saint. What do you want to know? It was I who taught the Satyrs how to make cheese.

    What?¡¡Really?

    It was hundreds of years ago.

    According to Bacchus, he met the Satyrs when he was looking for a fruit to go with his main wine, and the cheese was the result of their joint research.

    Therefore, Master Bacchus is the creator of cheese!¡¡We''ve borrowed your wisdom to develop a new cheese!

    And Panu.

    ''And based on the ideas given to us by Master Bacchus, we have now enlisted the help of Gala Rufa.

    It''s another abrupt combination.

    Gala Rufa, the Plague Witch.

    What kind of alteration to the cheese with her help?

    I poured mold on the cheese.

    Wow...!

    It was. Gala Rufa is a rare, if not the only, germ researcher in the fantasy world.

    Indeed, I''ve heard of it.

    He said that even in the previous world, they use molds to age cheese.

    ''At Mr Panu''s request. We have created a fungus that mellows the taste of cheese through pharmaceutical magic!¡¡Because mold and germs are like relatives!

    Gala Rufa says happily.

    He''s quite happy that his research is required of him.

    ''Here''s a new cheese made from Master Bacchus'' idea and Mr. Gala Rufa''s mold!

    Gasp, this is the cheese that was placed on the table on a plate.

    It''s true that it looks like the very cheese I know....

    There''s something..., blue...

    Isn''t that what this is?

    Isn''t that blue mold?

    Mildew laced cheese?

    I''ve heard of that blue cheese, haven''t I?

    You''ve never tasted blue cheese in your previous world, and you never thought you''d see it in another!

    We''ve pulled together everything we have to offer and made it taste great!¡¡We would love to have the first tasting of the first one, Saints!

    Even if you say...?

    Even if I had been told beforehand that such foods existed, it would indeed be an act of courage to put the mold in my mouth as it was......?

    But I can''t just say "No way" under Panu''s expectant gaze.......?

    "Yeh, it stays!

    I threw the blue cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating, into my mouth.

    The momentum is there.

    And then..........?

 329-327 Trouble of Milk Goat (Part 2)

    "Oh my God!

    Previously on the synopsis.

    I was offered blue cheese, so I tried it.

    It''s so good!

    "What is this?¡¡What is this?

    It''s a completely different cheese than the one I tasted in my previous world!

    It''s soft and chunky and has a unique texture.

    It''s as if you''re chewing on rare meat or even fish sashimi.

    Raw texture!¡¡This is exactly what it looks like: raw cheese!

    Huh?

    Come to think of it, I remember overhearing it in the old world.

    They say there are two kinds of cheese, processed cheese and natural cheese.

    Most of the cheeses you find in supermarkets and convenience stores are processed cheese first.

    ........This is what they call natural cheese?

    I didn''t know cheese could be so delicious...?

    ''What a compliment!¡¡It was worth all the hard work I put into it!

    Panu was moved to tears.

    For Japanese people who originally love raw fish, raw eggs and raw oysters, wouldn''t natural cheese be more suitable for them?

    I never thought I''d be able to come to another world and have such an amazing encounter!

    Sorry to interrupt your excitement, saint, but you''re about to be amazed!

    Saying that, Bacchus, the God of Drinking, offered him........

    It was a glass of wine.

    It gleamed red and ruby in color.

    ''What?¡¡Wasn''t it water that you offered me?¡¡That''s the God of Drinking, but...?

    Just take it. It''s good to have it with that cheese.

    Huh?

    I''m not going to let Platy hold Junior when he''s breathing the stench of alcohol in the daytime.

    I mean, this guy has an agenda, too, and I''m sure he''d be okay with just one drink.

    As instructed, I took a bite of natural cheese first and then a sip of wine.......

    !

    ''''Umaaaaahhhh!

    This is also delicious!

    It''s not the same as drinking the wine alone or taking a bite of the cheese alone!

    The flavors of both sides complement each other, multiplying the effect many times over... ugh!

    ''Bacchus!¡¡It gives me credibility that you developed cheese in search of food to go with wine!

    ''Hahaha, yes it must be so. I love the combination of wine and cheese!

    Sigh.

    I feel like I''ve been enlightened.

    I didn''t know soft raw cheese could taste so good.

    But now that I''ve come to think of it, cheese that''s melted and soft on a pizza or something is also really good.

    The softer the cheese, the better it tastes!

    Then let''s have a taste...!

    Bacchus and Gala Rufa, the developers of this fresh cheese, also tasted it.

    ...Oh, it''s more tangy and salty than your average cheese.

    I poured a lot of salt water on it while it was ripening. We poured a lot of salt water on it while it was ripening so that the mold wouldn''t grow too much.

    Gala Rufa says.

    He was the one who planted the mold in the cheese.

    ''The flavours are strong thanks to the fungus that Gala Rufa synthesised.

    ''Yes!¡¡It''s a super blue mold created specifically with medicinal magic!¡¡I''m going to ripen ten times faster!

    Isn''t that too fast?

    Is this always the case on our farm?

    Gala Rufa, a germ-loving mermaid, was motivated to produce fermented foods when she first came to the farm, but she was indulged in working in the farm''s medical office out of necessity.

    Recently, a group of mermaid students studying abroad have served in the infirmary in the form of an internship, giving Gala Rufa more time to work.

    He''ll be immersed in his heartfelt love of bacterial research.

    Fermentation and maturation is an essential part of my brewing process. I''m always asking for Gala Rufa''s help too!

    ''I wish!¡¡"Let me and Master Bacchus make the best sake!

    And some snacks to go with it!

    The god and the witch shake each other''s hands tightly.

    I never imagined that the cooperation of these two would later lead to an astonishingly large event.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.

    What do you think, Your Holiness?¡¡Is this cheese acceptable to you all?

    Panu, the one who started this whole thing, peers at me anxiously.

    The cheese itself tastes wonderfully good and I can''t complain about it, can I?

    Just......

    Do we really have to go that far to secure our position?

    Everyone on the farm will still need milk from the satyrs, and I don''t think that will ever change.

    I want Panu to be able to spontaneously produce milk without worry, but I wonder if there''s a good way to persuade him to do so...?

    There......

    "Oh, there it is. Panu.

    My wife, Prathi, came trotting over. Holding Junior to her chest.

    ''....Hmm?¡¡What is this bizarre group of people?¡¡.......................naturally reeking of alcohol!¡¡Sir!¡¡I won''t let Junior touch you while you''re drunk!

    As expected, there''s a junior contact ban!

    ''Wait!¡¡I haven''t been drinking!¡¡I''ve only had one drink!

    ''I''ll question you on that later... but for now, Panu, I need to ask you again...!

    Prathi asking for Panu?

    That''s also unusual, what the hell is that?

    ''That one. Yes, sir...!

    Saying that, Panu rolled up his jacket, exposing the lush breasts within it to the raggedy breasts.......?

    ''Don''t look at the master!

    "Ughhhh?

    I was the one who was blinded by Prathi.

    .........

    With my vision blocked, I could only guess at the signs, but it seems that Panu is giving our junior a boob job.

    ''''Eh?¡¡Why?

    Isn''t it primarily the mother''s job to give her baby a boob?

    You mean Platy''s?

    ''I''d like to give Junior a drink as long as I get mine, but sometimes he''s not in good shape.......well, in that case, please do Panu a favor.......!

    I''m blinded by my eyes, but I think that''s exactly what''s happening right now, with our junior putting his mouth on Panu''s tits and sucking on them as his appetite dictates.

    "Satyrs can produce milk at any time of the day due to the characteristics of their species. It''s the perfect substitute for a mother''s milk supply when it becomes difficult to produce.

    Bacchus explains.

    The milk of a satyr not only tastes good, but also has great power over those who drink it. It is the best drink for babies. When my father Zeus was a baby, he was raised on some kind of goat''s milk.

    I hate to follow the evil god''s upbringing, but...!

    But...!

    That''s it!

    I was blindfolded and had an idea.

    "I''m going to breastfeed my precious Junior. That''s a job only satyrs are supposed to do!

    I mean, they''re worth it!

    As long as I''m in this role, I need the satyrs to stay on the farm!

    Well....!¡¡Drinking from your precious saint''s son...!¡¡That''s exactly what soy milk can''t do, only our milk can!

    That''s right!¡¡So you guys can stay on the farm!

    And so it was a good story.

    The Panus were happy to be recognized for their existence, plus the farm had a new taste for blue cheese.

    That''s a good thing!

    ........but........!

    Panu had a new realization.

    ''If Junior-sama grows up and starts drinking something other than milk, then we won''t have a reason for our existence again!¡¡............Please, Master Prathi!¡¡Please give birth to a second child before that!

    "What?¡¡What is it?!

    Prathi didn''t seem to understand as she was cried out.

    * * * *

    By the way.

    It was feared that the market share of milk would fall due to the rise of soy milk.

    After that, there was no particular drop in production volume.

    After all, the women who drank the soy milk with high expectations of its efficacy drank as much as the milk that the satyrs with big breasts squeezed out, expecting it to have the same efficacy.

    ........like a spell of analogy?

    See, you don''t have to worry about it, after all, everyone needs your milk and you''re safe.

 330-328 Who is strong

    One time, a young kid who was coming to study abroad with us started asking me this question.

    ''I don''t think it''s going to happen because Mr. Okubo and Mr. Gobukichi are so close, but if they fight, who''s stronger?''

    And to the people themselves.

    I was listening from the side and thought, ''What a stupid question,'' but Okubo and Gobukichi, who were the ones who were questioned....

    ''It''s not a big deal who''s stronger.

    ''Yes, we are all working for the same purpose under our saints, my saints. Where is the need to worry about superiority or inferiority?

    Adults!

    The two of them were so mature that I was impressed myself.

    Yes, being strong is meaningless.

    It''s something you only need when you''re going through a hardship or when you need to beat up a jerk, not to compare and contrast in normal times, much less to look down on someone weaker than you.

    Good point!¡¡Me!

    I don''t get it!

    There was one student who wasn''t satisfied with his current answer.

    It was the young demon race''s Eringia.

    She is famous for rebounding even among the farm exchange students, where the human, demon, man, and fish races are all mixed together without discrimination.

    She''s still pointy and sharp today.

    "We''re the Demon King''s Army, and our job is to fight!¡¡For those of us who do, how strong is our main concern!¡¡I can''t do that on a dime!

    Don''t you care about Mr. Theseus?

    "Who made fun of you?

    This exchange of youthfulness.

    I was relieved to see the atmosphere of the school.

    I''m sorry to say this, but we are now in the middle of the farm class for foreign students.

    Today, we''ve invited Okubo and Gobukichi as special instructors.

    The question that popped up in that class was the one I asked earlier.

    ''.........well, I guess you could say it''s an inevitable psychology.

    It was the No Life King teacher.

    He''s in the classroom with me.

    I''m sure they''ll be wondering who and what is the strongest person at their age. It''s because they are concerned with trivial things that they are young.

    These were the implied words of a teacher who has existed for over a thousand years.

    ''''In particular, the Orcobo and Gob Kichi are the strongest species, having achieved several levels of mutation while being an orc and a goblin respectively. You can''t help but be curious to see how strong they are.''''

    That''s right.

    Both Okubo and Gobkichi have been working on our farm for a long time now, but at first they were just orcs and goblins.

    ........should have been.

    And yet, as he worked for our farm, he unexpectedly became more powerful....

    Orcubo is.........

    In the final stage from Orcs to Warrior Orcs to Legatus Orcs.........

    Julius Caesar Oak to Julius Caesar Oak.

    Also Gov. Kichi..........

    In the final stage from Goblin to Spartan Goblin to Brave Goblin....

    They have evolved into Takehaya Susano''o Goblins.

    They had already overwhelmed the area around Astareth-san in the first stage of mutation.

    I don''t really know how strong they have become through further mutations, either.

    And anyway, these young people who are concerned about ranking the strength of their mutations seem to be very interested in it.

    I''m sure you''re right, as far as I''m concerned, both Okubo and Gobukichi are as good as the world''s two greatest disasters.

    What an outrageous view was salacious.

    The world''s two greatest disasters. They were the two most vicious and powerful beings in this world, the Dragon and the No Life King.

    One of the foreign students asks fearfully.

    Sensei, who is the No Life King himself, smiles bitterly and says

    That''s right, I''m not going to be the strongest man in the world anymore," he says with a wry smile.

    No, no, no...! No.

    Okubo and Gobukichi quickly followed up.

    They were very attentive people.

    ''''I would never stand alongside you and confront a teacher to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude!¡¡The idea of us beating the teacher is a foolish dream!

    ''Respect for old people, gentle demons. I shall receive your favor.

    Okubo, Gov. Kichi''s respect has fixed the position that the teacher is stronger than them.

    I wish all the foreign students would learn about this kind of strong but modest thing.......

    What''s that sense of grey...?

    I don''t know if I''ll ever get it right. I want to make things clearer.

    That''s how adults always run from conclusions!

    The students'' reputation was largely bad.

    They were young and could only talk about things in terms of ''1'' or ''0'' for everything. When does that mean they have grown up to be able to put a decimal point on it and come to a conclusion in between, or is it a compromise due to old age....

    I said.

    ''Let''s take one opportunity here to put their doubts to rest. To make it clear enough that there is no doubt about who is strong and how strong they are.

    "My lord is that...?

    The Orcubos look at me uneasily.

    Don''t worry, it''s not like I''m going to let you guys have a slugfest.

    It''s all about satisfying the students, so they should be the ones in charge.

    So, young people, I''m going to tell you...

    You''ll face off against the strongest people on our farm in a real battle format.

    * * * *

    Suddenly, the class was changed to practical skills.

    In the open air, in the open area of the planned cultivation site, young people of the human race, demon race, mermaid race, and fish race have gathered.

    ''''Today, we''ve prepared this opportunity for you to clear up any doubts you may have.

    I say to the crowd.

    But it''s hard to get a sense of strength from a casual observer. That''s why we''ve decided to put you up against the best of the best on our farm, so you can experience firsthand how strong they are!

    The foreign students booed at his explanation of his intentions.

    ''Gee!¡¡No!

    He''s going to kill me!¡¡He''s going to kill me!

    ''''I''m not interested in who''s stronger!

    As expected, they were all familiar with the basic level of the farm, and they were all trembling with a realistic fear of death.

    It''s fun to argue about who''s the strongest as someone else, but when you''re thrown into the middle of it, it''s a different story.

    That''s probably how it felt.

    ''''It''s okay, it''s okay, I''ll have everyone take it easy enough not to kill you...''''

    In fact, I think this kind of experience is very important for classes.

    By experiencing the world''s strongest level firsthand, we want them to feel the vastness of the world, to broaden their insights, and to have a compassionate heart....

    ''Well, let me give you an overview.

    The battle will be between all the foreign students of the Human Demon Mermaid collectively and one representative elected from the farm.

    Hearing that, the international students were simultaneously relieved and confused.

    ''''All versus one...?

    ''''That''s not fair, no matter how much you think it''s unfair, or...?¡¡Aren''t you taking us too seriously?

    How?

    So you think you can win if you all go at once?

    I handpicked the best of the best from the farms I worked on.

    There are five representatives in all. That means you get to play five rounds.

    It''s a mock game, so we''ll play five times whether we win or lose.

    ''''Also, just to remind you, the teacher and Veerle are not included in those five selections. And also Holkosfon.

    My compassion moved me that it was indeed too outrageous to hit that level.

    ''''Ah, um........?''''

    One of the students raises his hand timidly.

    What''s the question?

    Will the saints fight?

    ''No, I''m always the emcee and judge. It''s the other five that fight.

    When I answered that, a sudden cheer broke out among the students.

    ''''Yes!¡¡Good!

    ''''If the Legendary Class doesn''t show up, we might be able to survive somehow!

    Maybe we can win one!

    I''m very optimistic.

    Then, let''s get one of the five farm fighters to participate in this contest.

    The first one is a representative of the demon tribe living in the farm.

    He''s a former member of the Demon King''s Army and the Four Heavenly Kings.

    Verena!

 331-329 International students vs farm No. 5

    Miss Verena...?

    ''''Verena-sensei........?

    The younger students were looking at the appearance of the young female demon tribe.

    Good day to you all, we''ve been entrusted with the task of beating you up. I''m Verena, the ''self-proclaimed incompetent''

    Do you still use those two names...?

    The students knew Verena well.

    Even if it was just her previous job, Assistant to the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, she would be well known to the children of the Demon Clan.

    Even if that wasn''t the case, Verena was one of the teachers in the students'' classes. She taught them the tactical theory of the Demon King''s army, so they all know her.

    ........As a side note, Verena doesn''t struggle so much for the meaning of her own existence these days, but she''s still uncommonly happy when I give her a new job.

    When confronting Verena, the students of the Human Demon Mermaid are puzzled.

    ''''Let me explain the selection criteria for your five opponents up front.

    Why five people, including the meaning of the number?

    ''''I chose three of the five based on the criteria of being the strongest of each race. They are the strongest of the human race, the demon race, and the mermaid race.

    Of course, a further selection criterion of ''among the inhabitants of our farm'' also overlaps.

    ''''So Verena is the strongest of the demon race that lives in our home. So that''s why I was called.''''

    It''s true that the Demon King and Astares are demons and our dearest friends, but they don''t live on a farm, so they''re off the hook.

    "Verena-sensei is the strongest of the demon tribe...?

    After listening to the explanation, the students were half satisfied and half unconvinced.

    Within the confines of the farm.

    I think that''s a great look for young people who want to know the strength level of this farm?

    Well... if three of them are like that, the other two...?

    You have a pretty good idea, don''t you?

    The students were in a wake-up call as I said, "Well, if you don''t have any questions, let''s get started.

    ''Come on, if there are no questions, we''ll get started.

    Hey!¡¡Wait a minute!

    The students crowded together as I tried to signal the start of the game.

    It''s a strategy meeting.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect.¡¡Do you think you can go?

    ''No matter how hard you scramble, if you''re a teacher or Master Veerle, you''ll never win, but you''re Verena, right?''

    Sure, you can''t win one-on-one, but there are dozens of people in this group, so can''t you push them away with brute force?

    I think so. I think you can win by a dozen.

    I think you''re overestimating us, aren''t you?

    We''re having a serious discussion.

    ''How strong is Ms. Verena, anyway?¡¡Tell me, demonic group?

    You used to be the second in command to the Four Heavenly Kings, Queen Astareth, so of course you''re strong.

    According to his reputation, Master Aeshma, who became the Fourth Heavenly King after Master Astareth, and Master Bati, the Demon Dog, are much more flamboyant.

    You seem kind of plain, don''t you, Verena-sama...

    Hey, can we go now?

    Have you tired of waiting, Miss Verena?

    ''Yes!¡¡I''ll go, I''m fine, I can do it!

    We''ll show the saints that we can do it when we do it too!

    Okay, that''s the spirit.

    Let''s see, it''s foreign exchange student versus farm representative, round one.

    Battle of Verena.

    Begin!

    "Right hand to Hellfire Spirit Demolition....

    It was Verena who moved first.

    ""AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    Explosions and thunderbolts shot out from Verena''s right and left hands like machine guns.

    The young students ended up being blown away one way or another.

    ''''Winner, Verena,''''

    ''''Wait a minute!''''

    A relatively undamaged child among the stricken students shouted.

    ''''What was that, what was that?¡¡I know, I know, Ole, both the Hellfire Spiritual Breaker and the Blue Lightning Extreme Heavenly Light are the most powerful magic used by the Four Heavenly Kings class as their deepest moves!¡¡How can you keep pontificating on that!

    It was a streaky tempo like a small punch, wasn''t it?

    How is that part of you, Verena-san?

    ''It''s not impossible if you build up the necessary magic, skip the chanting, and connect the path with the spirits well.

    It''s impossible!¡¡Those assumptions are impossible!

    Everyone seems to be in the mood to have their common sense destroyed by the superb magic operation that Verena has managed to pull off.

    ''''Oh, he''s doing it!

    Then, from the outside world, Batty, another demon girl from the farm, came in.

    Is she taking a break from her sewing work?

    "I heard a terrible sound, so I came here and I knew it. Verena has really become stronger since she came here.

    The way you put it.

    You don''t think he was this strong in the first place?

    Of course. If you''d made it this far when we first met, you wouldn''t have been beaten unilaterally by Mr. Okubo and the others, would you?

    That''s when you followed Mr. Astares into town.

    That''s true, if you ask me.

    You''ll be able to find out the reason for your existence, because there was a time when Verena was looking for a reason for her existence left and right. It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one.

    Verena was one of the most dedicated students I''ve ever had.

    The teacher on the bleachers gave her a compliment.

    I was so absorbed in needlework that I didn''t have much combat training, so now Verena is far more powerful than me. I think you may be stronger than the current Four Heavenly Kings, Verena.

    ''I don''t think so, Master Belfegamilia is here.

    You''re right.

    and laughing cheerfully at each other.

    The battered students must have felt that this was a conversation above the clouds.

    ''''How can you live on a farm and obtain a Four Heavenly Kings level ability...?

    ''''How can that be...?''''

    Students who thought they could win if they bagged it with a few dozen people, showing the difference in rank.

    Then Verena, in a leader-like tone, says

    ''Ladies and gentlemen, I almost lost myself in this land once. I was desperately searching for myself, and if I did everything I could, I would have gained strength...

    I''m not going to leave you to find yourself.

    I want to encourage you to think about who you can be here. You can learn a lot from today''s experience. If you learn from your teacher, you will soon become a wizard like me!

    No, I don''t think so.

    Verena, who acted like some kind of educator in front of the youngsters, felt like she was still lost.

    ''''Well........''''

    So the first game against Verena ended in a disastrous defeat for the students.

    So, the second game...

    ""Wait a minute!"

    The students screamed in distress.

    ''You''re leaving already?¡¡You''re going next?¡¡After such a complete loss!

    Didn''t we say win or lose, we''ll go to the 5th round?¡¡We''ve only just finished the first round, okay?

    ''I beg your pardon!¡¡We''re all torn to pieces by Miss Verena''s merciless attack!¡¡It''s impossible for us to continue fighting, sir!

    That''s a shameful thing to say.

    But that''s okay. That''s why you asked the doctor to come here, isn''t it?

    Okay, here we go.

    When the teacher waves his wand, countless particles of green, peaceful light scatter.

    The light dances like snow as it falls and sticks to the bodies of the students who have been badly damaged.

    As soon as the green light bursts, the wounds on their bodies disappear and they return to a healthy state.

    ''''Sensei''s recovery magic will bring you back to life even if you die. Everyone, feel free to crush your balls.

    Demons, huh?

    When we''re ready, let''s go for the second round this time.

    As I explained before, the selection criteria for the opponents is based on the concept of the strongest person in each tribe''s farm. Our next opponent will be the strongest human race on the farm.

    ''''The strongest human race on the farm...?

    The students'' tensions rose as they reacted to the previous statement.

    Who is the strongest human race on the farm, they wondered.

    ''''Then please appear!''''

    Lettuce Rate, former princess of the human nation...!

 332-330 International Students vs Farm No. 5 Game Part 2 Part 3

    Lettuce rate....princess...?

    What''s with the slapstick look on your face?

    Is it funny that lettuce rates are the strongest human race on the farm?

    I''m sorry, but I''m not going to go easy on you. I don''t want you to be surprised...!

    ''Good luck with that lettuce rate.''

    My friend Holkosfone was by my side, cheering me on.

    On top of that.........

    ''''Is Letaslate-sama the next opponent?

    Lettuce Rate is the former princess of the destroyed human nation.

    That''s how famous she is, and even some of the foreign students were aware of her identity....

    ''''Yes, but what''s the problem?''''

    No, no, no, no!¡¡Isn''t the strongest of the human race the criteria for selection?¡¡What can I say, are you sure?¡¡That''s the strongest one?

    Even so, it''s only the strongest of all, narrowing down the range to ''living on the farm''.

    The only human tribe living on our farm is the priestesses who work for Bacchus, except for Lettuce Rate.

    Then there''s the satyrs who are making milk, which seems to be strictly the human race side, but neither of them are in combat jobs.

    ''''As a result, the strongest of the human race living on this lettuce rate farm.......!

    It''s just a process of elimination!

    Well.

    The foreign students were like the extreme end of the beaten path.

    Even compared to Verena earlier, Lettuce Rate''s appearance in this phase was probably too unexpected.

    It could be called out of place.

    ''''Is it okay...?¡¡Are you sure you want to do this...?

    I feel like I''m going to cry at the slightest poke...?

    No matter how much we hate the royalty of the human nation...?

    "Bullying the weak is an act unbecoming of a soldier in the Demon King''s army!

    Both of these statements come from the point of recognizing Lettuce Slade as a shitty scumbag.......

    ''''You''re not coming?¡¡Then we''ll go this way...

    The game had already begun.

    The lettuce rate rushed out. Only its speed exceeded even the gale.

    ''''Whoa!''''

    The students must have been surprised.

    The next thing you know, the lettuce rate was standing right in front of you.

    ''''Ha!''''

    Lettuce Rate''s unleashed fist. One of the students reflexively defended himself and grabbed his fist.

    But that was what Lettuce Rate had made him do.

    ''Let''s have a power match, shall we?''

    Huh?¡¡Woooooooooooooooooo!

    The student who grabbed Lettuce Rate''s hand ''princess and skin contact'' and exclaimed without being moved.

    I''m not going to be able to get it right. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more to say. However, the reason why he doesn''t fall to the ground is probably because the student is resisting with all his might and trying to push back with force.

    But Lettuce Rate''s hand is not pushed back at all.

    ''''What?¡¡What do you mean!

    "You''re losing power!¡¡To the princess!

    The other students watching around them are also confused.

    The student being pushed by Lettuce Rate seemed to be particularly large and proud of his strength, but he still wasn''t able to resist at all.

    He had already put his hands together and put his strength into it, but he was completely unable to compete with one of Lettuce Rate''s hands.

    ''''What do you mean!¡¡I''ve never heard of a human kingdom princess being a macho bull!

    If she''s that strong, she should have been able to fight in the war against the Demon King''s army!

    The youngsters are confused by the suddenness of Lettuce Rate''s power.

    It''s a good thing that Letasurate was right in the middle of it all. It''s easy to get carried away by nature.

    I''m not the first to be brilliant and strong. Strength is based on a foundation of unflagging effort...!

    Instead of being brilliant, I''m a muddy power type........

    Yes, the reason I''m so powerful is because I ate a lot of beans!

    Beans?

    The super power that comes from eating beans!¡¡Peas, peas, peanuts, peanuts!¡¡Plus, by eating Horkos-chan''s fermented soybeans every day, I''ve gained super muscle strength!

    Lettuce Rate pressed his hand with even more force, and the other student finally couldn''t support himself anymore and slumped to the ground in a shrimpy heap.

    Hi!

    What an idiotic power...?

    To be feared, it''s the bean power.

    It wasn''t an exaggeration to say that Lettuce Rate, who had obtained the unrivaled monstrous power of the beans, was sufficiently the strongest human race on the farm.

    ''''Anyone can become this powerful if they eat beans!¡¡"If you eat your peas!

    ''Can you believe it!''

    Lettuce Rate, having made the student fall into the ground by himself, now pulls him out of the ground by pulling him the other way.

    The person in question was already unconscious from the impact of being plunged into the ground, but Letasurate held the unconscious student''s leg........

    ''''Fuin........!

    I lifted it up.

    As if to raise it to the heavens, as if it were a stick or something.

    ''I''m still going!''

    Swinging down on the unconscious student, swinging it to the side, nimbly switching from right hand to left hand, and from left hand to right hand.

    In short, the human body itself is buzzing and swinging around.

    Just like a nunchuck........?

    Whirling the human body around while making a whirring sound...!

    The wind pressure was so great that it sent up a cloud of dust in the air.

    Come on, you can come from anywhere.

    ""AAAAAHHHH!"

    However, the students, frightened by the strange scene, flee in an avalanche.

    The second game.

    The farm side lettuce rate won.

    ''As long as you eat your beans, you''ll be strong!

    ''Yes, lettuce rate.''

    It was a victory for Lettuce Rate and Holkosfone, two people with a love of beans.

    * * * *

    What are you guys doing here?¡¡Two losses in a row is pathetic, isn''t it?

    The international students were beaten up by Verena to Lettuce Rate and the rest of the students who were beaten up in succession.

    ''Now let''s go to the third game,''

    ''''Wait a minute, eh?!''''

    The familiar phrase was repeated again from the students'' side.

    I''m done!¡¡Because I fully understand the strength and horror of the farm!

    But since you''ve invited the strongest of the farmhands and the strongest of the farmhands, you''ll need the strongest of the mermaids as well, won''t you?

    Yes, the player of the third game is the strongest of the farm in the mermaid race.

    So, this is the one to go.

    Yes, sir.

    ""Dear Prati..."

    Mainly mermaids, the Mermaid Witch Academia farm branch students screamed out.

    ''Did you think Puffa was going to come out of it?¡¡I wouldn''t have minded if it was her, but I asked her to take over for me today.

    I take Junior in my arms.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get away with it. It''s a good opportunity for me to teach you guys a thing or two...

    Their opponents up until now had a pattern of rapidly increasing their power after coming to the farm.

    However, this time Prati was strong from the start.

    ''''Study up a lot, what it means for me to be called the ''Crown Witch''.......!

    In terms of results, the third match was far more one-sided than before.

    Prati''s pharmacy magic was tremendously strong, and in terms of the quality of strength, it was the strongest of the ''perfect'' type of magic.

    Puffa-grade freezing potions.

    Lamp-Eye level explosive potions.

    He even used Gala Rufa''s magical bacteria and Zos Saira''s magical creatures to steadily and smoothly overrun them.

    ''''An all-purpose type that can do anything, that''s what''s so terrifying about the ''Witch of the Crown''.

    Mr. Puffa, the commentator, comments.

    He has no outstanding strengths and no weaknesses. It''s a solidity that doesn''t have any flaws, just the way the princes and lords fight.

    In order for a lower-ranked player to beat a higher-ranked player, they have to exploit gaps and weaknesses, so there is no enemy as desperate as Prati, who has no gaps or weaknesses, from the point of view of a lower-ranked player.

    Of course, there is no way the miraculous upset will happen, and Prati lays waste to the students to the end.

 333-331 International Students vs Farm No. 5 Game No. 4

    My name is Lycheeus.

    I''m a human exchange student studying on a farm.

    From now on, I would like to proceed from the viewpoint of us foreign students.

    * * * *

    It''s been a hell of a ride so far.

    The fifth game between the farm representatives and us foreign students started with the idea of "getting to know the strength level of the farm in person.

    The first three rounds were over, and we lost all three matches.

    And it was a one-sided battle, with a near-total defeat.

    Verena, Princess Lettuce Rate, and Mistress Prathi, who took part in the battle, were all on a completely different level of strength, and overwhelmed the dozens of foreign students like me.

    Naturally, I was among them, and we were all overwhelmed by the spectacle.

    I thought I had gained strength by experiencing things I''d never experienced before when I came to the farm, but....

    I thought I had experienced many things I had never experienced before and had gained strength, but my confidence was shattered in an instant.

    Farm, too deep........!

    Like me, almost all the other international students were broken and dispirited.

    ''How did this happen...?

    ''It''s because someone said something out of line...?

    ''Who''s that?¡¡Who''s the strongest person on the farm?¡¡And who was it that said that!

    There was already a search for the culprit who had said something that didn''t need to be said and caused tongue trouble.

    ''''Yes, yes, yes, it''s too early to complain!

    Mistress Prathi took over for the saint who was babysitting, and Mistress Prathi was the hostess.

    ''Because the game isn''t over yet. We''ve only won three of the five matches. The review meeting will be after everything is over.

    "Are you going to do it again?

    Our hearts are already breaking to pieces.

    Of course it is. In fact, this is just the beginning. This is just a warm-up exercise.

    "Didn''t we get dragged through the warm-up exercises?¡¡We?!

    One of the students exclaimed, but I couldn''t help it.

    They''re waiting for you elsewhere. I wish you well at best.

    Absent-mindedly, Mistress Prathi sprinkled us with a potion.

    What is this!

    A forced transfer potion?

    The effects of the potion on our skin forced every single one of us to be transported to a different place.

    * * * *

    And we arrived.

    Hmmm, where am I?

    A forest!

    There were many trees lined up around us, and the atmosphere was dense, with leaves blocking out the sunlight, a forest.

    You can find many people around, and it seems that we were all sent into the forest together.

    ''''Forcing this many people to transition is also unorthodox, but...?

    Do only uncommon things exist on a farm?

    And why are we in the forest...?

    The three matches that have been held so far have been held in the open plaza, which is perfect for a match.

    .........no.

    Everyone has a hint of it, but they are aware of it.

    That''s why I''m nervous.

    Who will be our next opponent?

    We all have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

    It''s funny when you think about it.

    The concept of the opponents that appeared in the three games so far.

    The human race, the demon race, the mermaid race, and the strongest of their respective farms have been selected.

    And yet, it was the fifth match.

    So what criteria were the other two selected by?

    Isn''t that an entirely different standard?

    Yes, there was a statement that started all of this in the first place.

    Who was mentioned in that statement?

    ''''I don''t think it''s going to happen because Mr. Okubo and Mr. Gobbledygooks are so close, but if they fight, who''s stronger?''''

    In other words, the rest of the two people waiting for you are...?

    ''''There it is!

    The voice of one of the companions rose.

    It was a voice betrayed by fear and confusion.

    When I turned around to look at the direction of the voice, I saw him.

    There it was.

    A bright blue knight brandishing a scythe........!

    ''''It''s Gobukichi-san!

    One of the twin peaks that united the farm''s monster army.

    It''s the goblin Gobukichi-san.

    Astride his beloved horse, the Mimic Octopus, and carrying his beloved farm tool scythe, he looked completely like a death knight.

    After all, the fourth and fifth of the fifth game are those two.

    ''''Run!¡¡There''s no way I''m a match for Gobukichi-san!

    One of the students tried to run away with a scream, but....

    At that time, Gobukichi-san was behind him.

    With that scythe on the neck of his opponent.

    It''s for mowing the grass?¡¡It''s a scythe!

    The bigger one will cut more with one swing.

    That being said, I can''t move a single finger.

    A student with a sickle on his face who looks like he''s about to pee his pants.

    But when did Gov. Gov. Kichi approach his opponent?

    There was more than fifty paces between the point where Gov. Gov. Kichi first left us and the student who screamed.

    I couldn''t see where he was closing that distance.

    Normally, I would have had to run or walk to close in on them, but they were moving in an instant without interrupting that process at all.

    It''s as if they moved in an instant, like transfer magic.

    ''''Then let''s move on.''''

    As soon as he said that, Gov. Gov. Yoshi''s figure disappeared!

    ........and then another student was behind him!

    Are you really using transference magic?

    Hmmm... at normal speed, you wouldn''t know what would happen to you guys...

    Gobbledygookichi said with a dumbfounded look on his face.

    ''Then let''s slow down a bit. I won''t learn anything if you guys get kicked around without understanding anything.

    Uh....?

    You''re students, so you need to learn to fight this war. Why you''re completely useless to me. Don''t just say, "I don''t get it, and I lost.

    That''s tough...?

    First of all, look at the feet. On the feet of my horse, the Mimic Octopus.

    Legs?

    What is it with Mr. Gov''t''s riding legs?

    The horse that Mr. Gobukichi rides is small and built like a donkey, just like his master.

    There doesn''t seem to be anything particularly unusual about him.......?

    .........?

    Huh?¡¡What the hell?

    The leg of the horse you are riding started to bend somehow.

    And it''s not halfway bent!

    And not content with just that, you''re going to make more circles and more circles...?

    I heard that this form is called spring-like. My horse, the Mimic Octopus, is a homomunculus horse created by Mermaid Zos Saira. The horse has the characteristics of a monster octopus, and it has the flexibility and instantaneous power of a horse that you wouldn''t expect from a horse.

    Spring-like... what do you mean?

    With all four legs like that, Gov. Yoshi''s horse, which accumulated instantaneous power.....................exploded at a certain moment.

    It leapt with tremendous force.

    It soared high above our heads.

    This time he slowed down considerably. You are seeing clearly, aren''t you?

    So what''s so late?

    I''m having a hard time following it with my eyes!

    Since we are in a dense forest here, it doesn''t take much altitude to jump up.

    This is the forest. If you jump too high, you''ll plunge into the spreading branches and leaves.

    But that wasn''t an inconvenience to Gov.

    Govkichi and his beloved horse jumped up, because when he jumped onto one of the tree trunks that lined up, he used the recoil to jump in front of the ground.

    At great speed.

    "Uhyaah!

    The students who were ahead of Gobukichi-san''s dive scream in fear and surprise.

    But by that time, Gobukichi-san had landed softly and taken his back.

    With his beloved scythe at his throat.

    ''So here''s what I''m going to say,''

    So that''s how Gov. Gov. Kichi was crossing behind us, one after another.

    This time he was able to add or subtract, so we could somehow understand his speed, but if he was serious, we wouldn''t even know what happened.

    It''s just a super speed goblin!

    "Now that we''ve got it figured out, it''s time to get serious. I''ll stop you in your tracks, so don''t move too fast. My scythe is used to cut grass, so I don''t want you to suck the blood of animals.

    With that, Gobukichi-san disappeared from our sight.

    In fact, he was just too fast for us to notice.

    But in reality, he just didn''t catch our attention at the breakneck speed.

    We were overrun too many times, how many times have we been overrun?

 334-332 International Students vs Farm No. 5 Match 5

    Gobukichi-san was, in a word, a speed bakemono.

    He rode a horse with special functions and flew around in space at an unnoticeable speed.

    His scythe, made specially from sharpened mana metal, would cut off our heads like dry grass.

    The forest, which is heavily shielded, is a good foothold for them to fly around, and when they recoil from the tree trunks, they fly around in all directions.

    ''''Whoa, whoa!¡¡Where is it?

    ''''Freeze, everyone!¡¡We''re going to put our backs to each other and eliminate the blind spots!¡¡Though I''m not fast enough to deal with that much!

    ''''Gobukichi-san got off his horse!¡¡That man can move as fast as that horse on his own!

    Then why do you need to ride a horse?¡¡Then why do you need to ride a horse?¡¡A fast-moving object is even more confusing when it''s split into two!

    Moreover, the current speed is adjusted to the point where we can somehow catch it, and if we''re serious, we can go so fast that we don''t even know what''s going on.

    We''re being played.

    ''''Strong........?

    Gobukichi-san''s strength was real, after all.

    The opponents we''ve clashed with in the past three matches, Verena-san''s magic, Princess Lettuce Slate''s monstrous strength, and Mistress Prathi''s steadfastness, all mean nothing in front of Gobkichi-san''s speed.

    Because you''ll end up getting ahead of him faster than you can try to do anything.

    This is one of the strongest corners of the true farm........

    The power of the gobbler''s goblin gobbler, Takehaya Susanoo.

    ''''And one of the strongest on the farm........''''

    Gov. Gov. Kichi stopped and emerged back from the super-accelerated world.

    Then he says.

    ''There''s another one. There''s no need to be too generous now, so let me introduce you to your fifth opponent.

    Deep in the forest, there was someone.

    I hadn''t noticed it at all before, but in that moment, I suddenly recognized it because the other person released a sign that I had refused to breathe.

    It was as if they were going to explode.

    ''''No way.........?¡¡There....?

    There it was.

    The other strongest.

    The orc''s Mr. Okubo was there.

    He, too, rides his beloved horse, the Gigant Rock, and carries his favorite axe (for felling).

    His appearance is that of a champion.

    ''''I''ll tell you what!

    You''re at the mercy of Gobukichi-san alone and now you''re throwing Okubo-san into the fray, are you serious?

    That''s not very considerate!

    ''''I''m your last opponent. I''m the last opponent, and since you guys are too fast for Gobukichi''s speed, I''m going to conclude that you''ve lost. I''m going to fight you, and I''m going to show you a different kind of strength than Gobukichi. For the sake of your posterity.

    Don''t worry about it!

    The events have been so shocking that my comprehension can''t keep up with them!

    I''m already full of it!

    I present you with a different shade of defeat. "Emperise Pressure.

    At that moment, something like a tremendous spirit emanated from Mr. Okubo''s body.

    Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

    .........No, wait.......?

    Is spirit something you can see?

    The qi emanating from Mr. Okubo''s body was so thick that it was visible, it was as if the air was glowing.

    And it wasn''t just visible.

    The trees growing in this forest were snapping and falling under the pressure of the Qi!

    A spirit with mass and offensive power!

    "Okubo-dono, don''t knock down the trees too haphazardly, okay?

    I know. We''re going to have to play fast and loose to minimize the damage.

    A champion of spirit?

    Just to be swallowed by that energy would be enough to crush us to death!

    Step by step.....

    Slowly but steadily, Okubo-san is approaching.

    With his enormous presence of mind.

    It was as if a wall was coming straight at him.

    A different quality from Gobukichi-san''s, a power too powerful.

    If Gobukichi-san is the strongest of the ''motion'', then Okubo-san is the strongest of the ''still''.

    If Gobukichi-san is the speed that no one can capture, then Okubo-san is the power that no one can resist.

    Caught between those two types of undeniably strongest, we could do nothing but cry.

    * * * *

    Okay, that''s it.

    The looming wall of chi stopped just as we were about to be right under our noses.

    Until then, we hadn''t felt alive at all.

    The spirit of the rift-blade disappeared from Okubo-san, and the formless Gobukichi-san also returned from the super-accelerated world.

    ''Did I scare you a little too much?¡¡Now you have an idea of the farm''s, general level of strength, as a realization.

    I think your questions are answered and your experience has been better.

    No..........

    The experience is so shocking I can''t think straight........

    How strong is Saint-sama''s farm, how strong is it fortified by your fighting ability!

    ''''Well, though, strength doesn''t really mean anything on a farm.

    What?

    ''A farm is a place to farm and be self-sufficient, you know. We don''t need more troops than we have to defend ourselves.

    It was probably Okubo-san, who had the strongest power on earth, who said so casually.

    That''s the first thing I wanted to tell you in this simulation. We''re not particularly proud of our strength, nor do we think we need it.

    ''There are more important things. We need to remember that very thing.

    Listening to Mr. Okubo and Mr. Gobukichi, I felt as if something heavy had been put in my stomach.

    Coming to the farm taught me a lot of things and I think I''ve grown stronger by leaps and bounds.

    In fact, I suppose that''s true.

    But no matter how strong I became, an emptiness followed me because on this farm, there were people who were even stronger on top of being stronger.

    There are always a number of them.

    Under these circumstances, no matter how strong you get, you can''t be conceited.

    But I think that''s what''s most important about being strong.

    You''ll finish your education here on this farm, and you''ll go home to your countries.

    ''Then you will be able to use what you''ve learned here correctly, and the experiences of today will live on. We will use the power we have developed here to protect, not to oppress, the weak.

    Orcs and goblins teaching me a lesson...

    These two aren''t just strong, they''re also first class.

    Their personalities are also first-rate.

    I''ve never seen orcs and goblins like them!

    Now that the fifth game is over, I''m sorry about the beating up. But I thought it would be a great asset for you guys to have.

    Well, let''s see if we can clear the tree that Lord Okubo brought down with his spirit.

    Do you think Master Aileron would be pleased if we chopped it up into small pieces for firewood?

    ''Wouldn''t it come back sooner if you grafted it onto a stump?¡¡Hyper fish manure is also added to the fertilizer...

    Attention to detail........?

    You two must be farmers from the ground up, to have so much power and yet not be negligent in your concern for nature!

    Not a warrior.

    That''s the reason why a saint''s farm is a farm...?

    * * * *

    Yes, Mr. Lycheeus.

    Mr. Gobukichi called my name?

    You were pretty good in the fight. You could always see me moving around.

    ''''Oh, I see that you think so too, Gobukichi-dono. He showed his will to fight my ''emperor''s pressure'' to the end, and when it came to the end, he tried to cut me down. So I stopped him in a hurry.

    No, no, no........

    It''s meaningless to be able to do that.

    Even if you could track Gobukichi-san''s speed with your eyes, you can''t deal with it if your movements don''t actually catch up to him.

    Trying to counter Okubo-san''s spirit is completely torn and just f*cking ballsy.

    Really, it''s just empty...!

    And so I''m in awe.........

    ''''Being able to humble yourself like that is proof of your talent. I''m sure you''re going to be a good next generation bearer, Litheceus-kun.

    I''ll be the man of the new millennium.

    I accepted the endorsement I received from the two stiff-armed monsters, still not realizing it.

    Rather than the future, the difficulty of the present was more sobering to me than the future.

 335-333 Looking back on the development of the farm

    That''s me.

    All of a sudden, I''m going to take another look at the development of our farm.

    The farm started out with just me.

    We cleared a lot of empty land, expanded the fields, built a house, and built many different things.

    Basically, I don''t have a plan, I just do what I think of, so there are many facilities and buildings scattered around the farm.

    It''s chaotic.

    We don''t want to regret or correct our disorder and lack of planning.

    I''ve had enough of the stifling thoughts of the rules and regulations in my previous world, so in this world, I''d like to do whatever I want to do with them.

    I want the people I live with on the farm to take it easy, so there is no obligation to give me permission to start something new.

    I want my friends on the farm to feel at ease, so they don''t have to give me permission to start something new, because I think it''s more fun.

    However, such chaotic development has created a lot of chaos on our farm, so it''s time to take a look back and reconsider.

    Our farm, the building facilities were reaffirmed.

    The majority of the farm is made up of fields and rice paddies, but what is being built are mainly houses for the people living on the farm.

    In the center is the mansion where I, the owner of the farm, live.

    I built this house very early on, but I built it larger in anticipation of the future, so there''s still plenty of room for more space.

    Me, Prathi, and Junior''s family are the ones who stay up in bed.

    The other two are Bati Berena''s demonesses. Early members such as the mermaid girl trio of Puffa, Lamprey, and Gala Rufa are also sleeping and waking up here.

    So do Letaslate and Horcosfon.

    The dressing room where Batty continues to make new clothes and the infirmary where Gala Rufa is packed is also located in the house.

    Veerle also travels back and forth between the dungeon he controls and the farm, depending on his mood, but when he''s on the farm, he generally sleeps and wakes up in this mansion.

    Or rather, lately, he''s been in the mansion for the most part.

    Isn''t it time for that guy''s dungeon, the tree spirits to really take over?

    In the back, very close to the mansion, there is an apartment complex where a team of monsters, including Orc Bogobukichi, sleep and wake up.

    I call it the ''Monster Tenement'' because of the form of the residence, but it''s really a tenement-style building, a long horizontal building divided into small sections, with orcs and goblins living in each room.

    It was the same for the leader, Okubo and Gob Kichi, who were also the same, and the simplicity of the world''s highest level of power.

    Other workshops where the elves work are also located around the mansion.

    A pottery workshop, a glasswork workshop, and a leather workshop.

    There is also a separate lodging for the elves themselves to sleep and wake up in. At first, the elves refused to sleep under the roof as a matter of pride for the forest people, but as they lived there, they began to envy the fluffy beds and cute pajamas.

    After some struggle there, they accepted civilized sleeping.

    The lodgings were built by the girls themselves, prefabricated from wood that had been cut down.

    Even though it''s a house, it has an outdoor feel to it, and I sometimes envy the girls who sleep in it.

    However, I would never say ''let me stay here'' because it would mean something else if I asked them to, though.

    Furthermore, the Satyr''s milk production plant, which Panu heads, and the brewery, which Bacchus runs with a group of priestesses, are a bit further away

    The facility was built at a time when the farm was quite developed.

    The satyrs'' workplace produces not only milk, but also butter, cream, and cheese, making it a surprisingly large facility.

    The brewery also produces a wide variety of beer, wine, sake and spirits, so there are several large breweries.

    Each of us has our own living space in the facility where we work, so we sleep and wake up at the same time.

    Next is the space where the newcomer to our farm, the mankind, demons, and fishes live.

    The orcs built this space at a rapid pace.

    I''m glad to see that they are building maniacs due to their excessive carpentry work in the first place.

    They tried a new challenge and built a three-story building.

    The three tribes of foreign students are required to live together without discrimination, but the dormitory itself was built in two buildings.

    However, the dormitory itself was built in two buildings in order to divide the students by gender.

    Even if the barriers between races are removed, if the barriers between men and women are also removed, they may become closer than expected.

    We learned that from the case of Eringian and Lytheus.

    I didn''t want to disturb the farm''s morals, so I drew the line there.

    Currently, I don''t think any mistakes will be made, as I''ve had Carp-sensei from Mermaid Witch Academia strictly enforced as a dormitory supervisor....

    I don''t think it will happen more than necessary........

    .........yes.

    Since this is a good time, I''ll also share with you how the international students learn and live on a daily basis.

    The purpose of the study abroad program is to educate the students to become the next generation''s supporters of various tribes while interacting with other tribes on the farm.

    So the young students basically take classes.

    It was too much trouble to build a school building, so I prepared only desks, chairs and blackboards for an open-air classroom.

    The instructors are mainly No Life King teachers, with Verena and Puffa as the main instructors.

    From time to time, special instructors such as the Demon King, Astares, and Prince Arowana would also stand on the podium to teach.

    Other than that, Dalkish, the former Lord of Humanity, will be lecturing on estate management. Shaks, the Chairman of the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, teaches economics. Mr. Edward, the Dwarf king, will be teaching engineering and....

    It''s an amazing elite curriculum, isn''t it?¡¡I think so.

    Of course, since I live on a farm, I don''t just learn about it, but I also get help with farm work as they say "those who don''t work shouldn''t eat," or I get to go into dungeons and hunt for them under the guise of combat training.

    If I didn''t do that, I certainly wouldn''t be able to support nearly fifty people in their prime eating years.

    But whatever the case may be........

    The number of people on our farm has increased considerably.

    Even if you add up the number of people who have appeared in our recollections so far, there must be two to three hundred people here.

    In addition to this, the earth spirits and the Huperion army including Porgy and the rest of the Huperion army, how many more people would there be if they were included?

    It''s no exaggeration to say that this is a rather large village.

    The facilities I''ve recalled up to this point are also limited to ''inhabited things'', as well as a brewery, a refrigerator, a hot spring, Holkosfon''s Natto Laboratory, a canal for pouring living water into it, a dock for mooring the magic steamship Herkilke....

    There are countless other facilities, large and small.

    That''s how our farm has grown and is appropriately sized........

    New problems have come up.........

    * * * *

    ''....we need more people...!

    That''s what it was all about.

    Someone might say, "Not again! This is a problem that is bound to happen regularly after all.

    In particular, the reason why we felt the shortage of labor this time was the massive influx of foreign students.

    It takes a lot of time and effort to provide them with housing and all the daily necessities they need. Of course, we also need food.

    We were beginning to worry that Okubo, Gobukichi and the others would not be able to produce and provide for them on their own.

    It was a look back at the farm facilities to reaffirm those things....

    Now what?

    It''s easy to hire more people, but our farm has grown to this point through repetition.

    We need more people because we don''t have enough.

    2. increase the amount of farmland and housing to cover the increased population; 3.

    (3) to increase the number of people because there are no more people to take care of the enlarged farmland, and (4) to increase farmland and housing to cover the increased population.

    And then more farmland and housing are added to cover the increased population.

    This repetition of this spiral of population inflation is not something that we can just ignore without a plan.

    I''ve said it''s fine to be disorderly and unplanned, but as expected, getting involved in the fundamentals of farm management is not...!

    Uh, is there anything I can do to make the process more efficient without adding to the labor force?

    Automate?

    No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no....

    I knew I''d have to ask the Demon King or Prince Arowana to recruit manpower, or maybe I''ll just go find another anthropomorphic monster in Sensei''s dungeon.......?

    ''''What, are you worried about manpower again?''''

    "Oh?

    The one who approached me was Puffa, the "Frozen Witch".

    She is one of the mermaid tribe living on the farm, and the fianc¨¦ of Arowana, the prince of the mermaid kingdom.

    ''Yeah, the fields are bigger and there''s more to do, and I think we''d still like it if we had more people than we do now. I don''t feel like increasing the population without a fight...!

    You have a better idea, though?

    What did you say?

    "I thought it would be a waste to leave that thing in there. If you want to reuse it on the farm, why not!

    Puffa!

    I wasn''t expecting you to have a brilliant idea.

    It''s no wonder the future mermaid queen has a family history of dealing with population and labor problems.

    And what''s your secret solution to the manpower problem?

 336-334 Rent an automatic doll

    We decided to take Paffa''s labor shortage solution, and we visited a place.

    It was the territory of the demon tribe, a section of the demon country.

    And it was deep in the mountains.

    But it didn''t take much effort to get there.

    It''s because they were able to come in a flash with shifting magic.

    In other words, has Puffa been here once?

    It''s nostalgic. It''s just as well that it''s deep in the mountains, so nothing has changed.

    The transference magic can only fly towards the transference point that has been set up in advance.

    In other words, you can only go there once you step directly into it and do the magic work of setting the transition point.

    This transition point set deep in the mountains must have been set up by Puffa.

    But what was the reason for such a thing in a place like this?

    ''I hope that one stays the same. Ah, there it is.

    Ahead of Puffa''s progress, there was a building of some sort.

    A mansion deep in the mountains?¡¡It looks like a series of mysterious murders are going to happen?

    Are you sure about this place?¡¡Aren''t you in danger?

    Puffa replies to my frightened face.

    "Don''t worry, it''s just a bunch of dolls.

    The Dollhouse Murders?

    Is that some kind of mystery novel?

    No, I''m not talking about that...?

    As Puffa walked indoors so quickly, I had no choice but to follow her, scared out of my wits.

    When I visited, I was immediately greeted by what looked like a doll.

    And lots of them.

    "Woo-hii-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

    I was scared as expected.

    The entrance hall was full of dolls.

    I can''t even count them, not just ten or twenty, but many more.

    Moreover, all of them are broken.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get a good idea of what''s going on, because the proportions of the dolls are much more realistic than the human ones, so the fact that they are broken is even more eerie.

    Even the face shape is even scarier because it is made to look like a mannequin, which makes it even scarier.

    The head was smashed, the body and the waist were separated in tears, and so on.

    It was a horrible scene.

    What kind of tragedy had taken place here?

    Standing here makes me happy.

    What makes you feel warm and fuzzy, Mr. Puffer?

    What kind of memories does this place hold?¡¡All I can see is the trail, and nothing but nightmarish memories are coming out of it.

    Well, they are nightmarish memories.

    Yeah?

    Here, Puffa finally told me about the tragedy of the nightmare that had occurred in this mansion and told me about it.

    Once, Prince Arowana of the Mermaid Kingdom was training as a warrior on earth.

    Puffa had accompanied him on that journey, and he had stopped at this house.

    The lord who rules this area asked me to stop by. The lord who rules this area asked me to check on a strange fellow living deep in the mountains.

    Weird guy?

    It''s a self-moving automaton created by a genius a few decades ago.

    Automatic dolls.........?

    Are there such things in this world?

    Then are there many of them lying around here too?

    "Atai and the Master worked together to destroy it...¡¡I really miss it. It''s a joint effort between the two of us...!

    Puffa swoons with a look of love on her face, but this isn''t just a joint effort between the two of them, is it?¡¡Didn''t you see Hakkai and Songgophone?

    ''But why would you come back to such a memorable place?¡¡Ah!

    I came to an idea.

    The problem of the labor shortage on the farm and the many automatic dolls that are lying around here.

    What if they were to be tightly knit together?

    You want an automaton working on my farm?

    I don''t need to feed and shelter them. Wouldn''t that be ideal?

    Is that why you brought me here?

    But these bastards are all broken, right?¡¡If you try to use it, it won''t work properly...?

    We''ll find and collect the ones that aren''t broken. With 9,800 of them, how could we not?

    Nine thousand and eight hundred?

    That many?

    "One hundred of them should be enough to make a workforce!¡¡You guys can sort it out!

    In addition to Puffa and I, there were many orcs and goblins accompanying us here.

    I guess the plan was to have them sort out some slightly damaged automatons for us to take back to the farm.

    Incidentally, one of them is Hakkai, who once traveled with Puffa, Prince of Arowana.

    Everyone worked quickly and efficiently.

    But you know what?¡¡We''re in the demon kingdom, right?¡¡Wouldn''t you get mad at me for taking something from your territory without asking the landowner for permission?

    You''re a saint, but you care about the details. Don''t worry about it, I''ve already lobbied the Demon King for permission.

    Puffa really is a woman who never fails to root around while being an outlaw.

    And thank you, Demon King, for breaking my bones.

    You can rely on your powerful friends.

    Now, I''m going to find an automatic doll in good condition. I''ll find one that''s as good as new!

    Oh, me too...!

    I can''t just stand here and let everyone else work.

    I''m going to dig up some treasure from this wreckage!

    Am I missing the point?

    Hey, so what do we do now?¡¡It''s like a quota of one or two bodies. But be careful and don''t get hurt!

    ""Yes."

    It wasn''t just me, Puffa, and the orc goblins on the scene, there were several other people accompanying us.

    Lettuce Rate and Horcosfon, who always seemed to have time on their hands.

    The mermaid race''s lamprey was also accompanying us.

    And a few elves as well. And Verena is also participating in this event in her homeland, the Demon Country.

    In fact, it''s rare to find something to do outside of the farm, so I got the impression that people who like unusual things had gathered here.

    My wife, Prathi, wanted to come, but she was reluctant to stay because if I went out and she went out, there would be no one to see Junior.

    Veerle followed suit.

    I think his obsession with Junior won out over his curiosity.

    If only my husband had been there at the right time, we could have come together. I wanted to reminisce about that day with you both...!

    Paffa refers to Prince Arowana as her husband, and the two are engaged to be married.

    "He tries to flirt with me at every opportunity...!

    No. .........The master, you know, he was concerned about the master of this mansion.

    The owner of the house?

    It looks like a rundown, abandoned house that''s been uninhabited for a long time?

    He was a magical researcher for the demon tribe who died decades ago. Apparently, he died of a broken heart, having failed to prove his talent. He said it was the fault of the system''s administrators that they couldn''t find a genius for him.

    It''s like a serious Prince Arowana.

    "I thought the master would be happy to know that the works left behind by that dead genius could be put to good use on the farm, at least in part. Well, if I bring these guys back to the farm and show them how they work, that will be enough to accomplish the purpose...

    It''s Puffa who always puts Prince Arowana first.

    If she keeps up her momentum, the day when she becomes the new Mermaid Queen will not be far away.

    I was relieved to hear her say so.

    "My lord, my lord!

    The orcs accompanying me are making some kind of noise.

    What''s going on?

    ''It''s a big one!¡¡I''ve unearthed a big one!

    The big one?

    What does that mean?¡¡Do you mean to say that you''ve found a clean, brand new, almost new automaton that is completely undamaged?

    Let''s see........and then I went to see....

    When I went to take a look........I found that a really huge automaton had been unearthed.

    It was a big one!

    It was an indisputably physical giant.

    It was more than three times as long as any other automaton.

    Moreover, the giant automaton had not stopped functioning like the other wreckage dolls, and it was running around with vigor.

    ''Dangerous!¡¡Evacuate!

    With its huge body, it''s going to smash down the decaying buildings without any regret, and everyone runs away, not wanting to be buried alive.

    "Pfaaaaaaah!¡¡That thing!¡¡That''s an automatic doll too.

    It''s a strange one, though, judging by its shape.¡¡I didn''t see one like that last time I was here!

    Even Puffa, who has been here before, didn''t seem to know about it.

    You can''t miss it because of its size, but where was it hiding?

    And why are you here now, and why are you flailing about so vigorously?

    ''''No, this isn''t the time to be thinking about it, if we don''t do this, we''ll be trampled down... ugh!

    ........but that wasn''t going to happen.

    The friends who had heard the commotion and rushed to the scene attacked at once.......

    Starting with Holkosfon''s Manakanon, Lamp Eye''s Explosive Magic Pill, Verena''s Extreme Magic Serials, and Hakkai''s Saint Oak Fist, all of the bullets hit, and the giant automatic doll was daringly smashed.

    ''''.........Our children are so tough.......!

    But in the end, what exactly was that giant automatic doll?

 337-335, the dream of the nine hundred eighties, breaks

    My name is Marriage.

    I am a genius magic researcher.

    I was born with a talent.

    It is a talent enough to overturn the conventional wisdom and initiate a new one.

    I was born to change the world.

    I need the patronage of the powers that be to prove my talent and spread it to the world.

    Since I was born into the demon tribe, I went to the Demon King, the most powerful person in the demon tribe, to show off my genius to the fullest.

    ''''I don''t need a dream story.''''

    What a fool you are!

    Don''t you know what a loss to the world it is to cast out my genius without understanding it!

    The world has been turned upside down.

    There must be something wrong with the world to make such an incompetent person a demon king.

    There must be something wrong with the world to not recognize me!

    No, this would be more of a revelation.

    I will smash the world that is wrong and make it right.

    That''s what my genius is for.

    I realized how to use my talent.

    It was a momentous day in that sense.

    Let''s destroy the world as it is now in order to create a world that recognizes me.

    With this genius of mine!

    * * * *

    It''s been thirty years since I made that decision.

    My dream was not going to come true.

    I put my own magic theory into practice and gave birth to an automatic doll.

    It took me 30 years to complete it.

    I only had to make one.

    I''d have to say ''What?¡¡''I wasn''t a genius by any chance, was I? I feel like that.

    After all, it''s been 30 years.

    I was able to believe in myself without reason because I was young. That youthfulness has been completely lost with the passage of time.

    In the original plan, I was supposed to complete this in just one year.

    Thirty years.....

    It was just a situation that brought my own incompetence into sharp relief.

    An automatic doll.

    It''s true that this is a masterpiece in which all of my talents have been put into, but I can''t change anything with this one doll alone.

    At the very least, it needs a large army of over ten thousand dolls. We can''t change this world and we can''t fight the Demon King''s army.

    You''re going to create those 10,000 bodies now?

    I can''t.

    My lifespan will surely end before I can complete it.

    Does this mean that this is the limit of my talent?

    So, in the end, I was an ordinary person who couldn''t change the world?

    No, if we give up and accept reality here, the thirty years we spent on making automatic dolls will be in vain!

    That''s the only thing I won''t admit, and I''ll never admit it!

    Okay, if this happens, we''ll make a new plan.

    If you don''t think I have enough life left in me to accomplish this plan. Add some more years to your life span.

    How about abandoning my old, decaying body and replacing it with a new one?

    Fortunately, the new body has an atelectroscope.

    It''s an automatic doll.

    I will transfer my memory and consciousness to the soulless automaton that my genius created.

    For a genius like me, that much is easy.

    Okay, the new body should be the strongest body anyway.

    Now that the first model is complete, we have all the data we need to develop an automatic doll.

    This is the basis for further improvement and optimization, and I will make the most powerful battle-type automaton in my new body!

    When it''s completed, I will use its unparalleled fighting power to destroy the demon kingdom and create a new world that recognizes my talent!

    * * * *

    .... another forty years have passed since then.

    As expected, I''m a bit of a wreck.

    My back hurts all year round, and it''s hard for me to walk. My teeth have fallen out.

    In spite of this, I am able to live alone in a laboratory deep in the mountains because my first automatic doll, which I completed forty years ago, is taking care of me.

    Thank you, you''ve really helped me.

    ...You prepared the food for me earlier, didn''t you?

    The fact that this guy keeps repeating the same instructions over and over is the essence of his prototype. I told him that the plan to make 10,000 automatic dolls had been scrapped, but he spends his free time mass producing his own prototype...

    However, today will be the last time I''ll be in this guy''s care.

    Because after forty years of work, I''ve finally completed my own new body!

    A developmental automaton far more powerful than the first prototype!¡¡This is what my new body deserves!

    ...although it ended up taking me even longer to make it than the first one.

    Plus, I added too many new features, and I had to keep expanding it to make it consistent, and before I knew it, it was as big as a dragon...?

    ........Oh well, that''s okay.

    Big is strong. I can see the future me, who has turned into a giant automatic doll, destroying the demon city in its entirety!

    All right!

    Now finally, the final step. Transferring my consciousness to a giant automaton!

    When that is accomplished, the giant automaton will see completion as this I-marriage itself.

    Sitting on this consciousness transfer pedestal....

    Start the transfer!

    Estimated time for completion of all data transfer........

    Eighty years later!

    * * *

    ........How did I not notice this before I started?

    The transfer time of personality data is too long.

    That''s how large the data capacity of the intellect''s memory, emotions, and consciousness is........

    As soon as the data transfer begins, my original body stops its life activities and can''t even go back.

    The memory consciousness is stored in the transporter once, so it doesn''t matter at all if my original body rots or dries up........

    Why does it take a moment to suck it out, but it takes decades to pour it into a new body?

    No, that''s enough.

    It''s all done.

    Because today, after eighty years, the process of transferring personality data has been completed.

    It was born.

    Giant automaton marriage 2!

    It took 30 years to create the prototype automaton. Forty years have passed since I created a developmental automaton in order to make it my own new body. Eighty years to transfer the personality data into that body!

    ...it''s taken me over 150 years to finish it...

    But what time has passed is in the past!

    All that matters is now!

    Now is the time for everything to be ready and the vengeance on the demon kingdom to begin.

    I will destroy the old world and create a new one.

    That''s why I was resurrected, I''m a giant god with mechanical devices!

    Now, let''s crawl out from the lowest level of the lab where the Titan is housed!

    The lab is now useless, and I don''t care if it collapses.

    Huh?

    There''s a lot of wreckage, huh?¡¡And isn''t that what''s left of the automaton?

    Did that guy from the first machine continue to mass-produce it even after I started the personality data transfer?

    But why is it broken?

    Anyway, when we went out to the surface, we found that the situation was much different than we had expected.

    There are many people here.

    Demons, orc goblins and even humans?

    What tribe is that woman with wings on her back mixed in with them?

    I''m not sure.

    This variety of faces...?

    I don''t know, but oh well.

    It was nothing short of unfortunate that you suddenly met me in full operation.

    As a prelude to the creation of a new world by this mechanical giant of a god, Marriage 2, we can all die!

    The arms on this giant automaton aircraft have the muscle power of four hundred orcs!

    One cleave, and the entire surface of the earth will be uprooted!

    Whether it''s demons, humans, or anthropomorphic monsters like orcs and goblins right in front of you!

    You can take on a bunch of hundreds of people and expect nothing less!

    That winged woman is also a bit of a study, but it doesn''t matter.

    It''s a trivial matter in the face of my genius feats.

    I''m going to kill everything that''s alive!

    .........

    ''''Manakakanon simultaneous firing.

    "Hellfire Spirit Breaking Slash and Blue Thunder Extreme Heavenly Light!

    Saint Orc Fist!

    "Eat my original recipe for flaming potion!

    "Pea Power Lariat!

    A volley of something awesome came and I dared to be a bit of wood.

    Why?

    The result is finally finished...?

 339-337 recognized genius

    After I returned to the farm to take care of the marriage, Puffa and the others stayed behind to continue their work.

    They were working to recover and reuse the automatons that had been left exposed in a laboratory deep in the mountains.

    The automatic dolls were placed on the shoulders of the orc goblins that were returning one after another with shifting magic.

    They must have dug up the relatively undamaged ones from the pile of wreckage.

    ''''Even after the death of the creator, Marriage, the remaining auto-dolls created their own same-type machines according to the blueprints and increased in number.......''''

    "Project for the mass production of 10,000 autopsies..., has he really been working on it?

    Its creator himself, now a giant doll with only a head, sits with me and watches the scene.

    Mariage''s voice was like she was biting down on a bitter worm.

    ''''But what do you plan to do with those crude dolls back home?''''

    "Repurposed for the workforce.

    Both of Marriage''s eyes flickered at my immediate response.

    From time to time, it shows an automatic doll-like reaction.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about it.¡¡I''m sure it''s quite a sight to behold to my inventions.......?

    You''re happy that your research is drawing attention again, aren''t you?

    But you''re just an amateur. Do you think you can use my research so easily?

    Hmm?

    ''Even though the first machine was produced by proxy, those dolls were designed by me. The intricacies of their construction cannot be compared to water wheels and carriages. It would take a genius of my caliber to be able to maintain these dolls and move them around on command. There aren''t many people in the world who can do that...!

    A man who wants to brag about it at every opportunity.

    Well, I know what he means.

    Automatic dolls have magic, which is the technology of this world, as their basic structure, but they also seem to have an engineering aspect to them, as they rely on shaped dolls.

    I''m sure the average person in this world will be unable to handle such a thing.

    I can understand why Marriage wants to be proud that no one else can handle it but her, but....

    * * * *

    Fifty-two cars up.

    Hooray.

    It''s easy to forget these days, but I have the power of the ''supreme bearer'' gifted by God.

    It is the ability to draw out the performance of the item in my hand beyond its limits.

    With this, I was able to touch and check my dolls to repair them.

    Recently, I''ve been blessed with companions and tools that allow me to do a lot more without having to rely on the supreme bearer.

    I''m both happy and sad.

    That''s why it''s good to be blessed with the opportunity to rely on the gift of the god Hephaistos for a long time.

    ''''Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

    And seeing her own designs being readjusted one after another, Marriage exclaimed loudly.

    ''''Why?¡¡The structure of an automatic doll that I spent my whole life inventing was analyzed so easily.

    It was like assembling a plastic model...!

    I decided to have the automatons do some simple field work first.

    My work is to change the world...!

    It was a goggle-eyed complaining marriage, but it was still somewhat of a floating attitude.

    ''''........Is it helping?''''

    Hmm?

    "Does my automaton work?

    Yeah. I''m sure you''ll find that the doll does a very good job of it. It''s a very good thing that you can make decisions on the simple things yourself.

    ''I know, I know!¡¡The magic decision-making device built into the head is the key to an automatic doll!

    As I thought, she couldn''t help but be excited that her work was being evaluated by others for the first time, and that it was positive.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what to do with it.

    What kind of a foothold have I made........

    ''''The Saint''s Hall.''''

    Oh.

    They''re already here.

    You''re fast, Demon King, I just sent you a message just now....

    You can''t afford not to rush over when the saintly lord calls. I''m always in your debt and.......

    "Demon king!

    Marriage reacted immediately to the great demon race that appeared.

    "You''re a demon king?¡¡That''s just a normal, strong-looking guy...?

    It''s just like the Demon King Zedan of our time.

    The demon king is a dignified man who faces the present marriage of an absurdly large head-only doll, which could be called a bad taste object.

    His good thing is that he''s serious at all times.

    "That''s........that''s the self-moving doll that you made up?

    ''''Ha, yes........?''''

    The demon king carefully observed the automatic dolls working in the field.

    Then he said, ''''I see.

    ''''I see, it''s a magnificent technology. The puppets move by themselves and cope with their own thoughts. If this technology were to spread, it would revolutionize the labor situation around the world.

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa...?

    ''''I''ve heard about your life. I regret that the then Demon King made a hasty decision, as his successor. We, as rulers, should have listened more seriously to the people below us.

    "No!¡¡Your words alone have rewarded my one hundred and fifty years of hard work!¡¡I''m honored beyond measure...!

    As soon as he gave me a compliment, he flipped out.

    Cash, but well, I know the feeling.

    ''The current demon kingdom has an institution for researching and inventing new magic. Would you be willing to work there if you wanted to?

    "My Demon Lord...!¡¡Oh, what a merciful word...!¡¡I have no talent, but I will do whatever I can to help the Demon King.

    In his own lifetime, he was neglected, and he was rewarded across generations.

    His efforts, which had never been acknowledged, were now recognized.

    I''m home!

    Oh, puffa.

    And Puffa, who had remained at the scene until the end, also returned with transition magic.

    In his hand, there was still the remnants of an automatic doll........

    However..........

    ''''Huh?¡¡Isn''t this thing too broken?

    The standard for the automatic dolls to be recovered from the laboratory should have been the ones with relatively little damage among the broken ones.

    However, the last one that Puffa brought back was so miserable that it was no longer a total loss, no matter how much of my ''supreme bearer'' it seemed impossible to repair.

    ''This wasn''t brought back for reuse, you know.

    So what was it for?

    He''s special. I smashed it a long time ago. Took me a while to find it.

    What is the meaning of this most battered automaton?

    "Well, that''s...?

    The answer was given by Marriage, of all people.

    "The first unit... the first automatic doll that I created with my own hands...?

    That''s right, the first time you guys were bothered, this was the one that greeted you. When you were thought to be dead because of the personality transfer, you kept your mouth shut and continued to protect the lab all by yourself.

    When I asked him what caused it to be totally destroyed, he said that Sunggok Fong had gone out of fear.

    That gal angel.........?

    ''''Oh........?

    It was made by the hands of an unfortunate genius, spent most of his life with him, and continued to serve the corpse even after the death of his master.

    Is it ignorance and mockery due to the puppet?

    I felt as if a small amount of light remained in the eyes of the first doll, which had almost fallen apart.

    "Oh.........?

    The marriage has disintegrated until it has become an automatic doll and then only a head.

    You were supposed to be the one to cook my meals...!¡¡You really listened to me........''''

    "It''s beautiful outside but let''s move to the city and we''ll take our chances with the city....

    ''Well let''s go home to our house. I''ve been accepted. I''ve been accepted. I''ve got nothing to be proud of. Now all you have to do is look after yourself...!

    "Kaeri, let''s go home.

    Something like a faint light poured down from the heavens.

    As if guided by that light, something like a vision emerged from the wreckage of two automatic dolls.

    One man with an uneven appearance and a brand new shiny doll.

    ''''Eh?''''

    They stood side by side and ascended as if guided by a light from the heavens, and then disappeared out of sight as they disappeared over the horizon.

    At the same time, what should be called life force disappeared from the wreckage of the two automatons.

    They no longer moved forever. Everyone who was present truly felt that fact.

    ''''........She''s come to pass!''''

    I was shocked to see a phenomenon that could only be interpreted as such, and I was in a state of shock.

    I''m not going to be the only one.¡¡Can an automatic doll become a Buddha?

    A doll has a soul?

    So the alchemists didn''t just transfer memories, they transferred souls as well?

    And the first puppets, who were originally dolls, had souls?

    And they ascended to heaven!¡¡Isn''t the underworld underground?

    Even though they were subjected to a barrage of criticism, it didn''t matter since they were no longer in this world.

    Everything is fine as long as you are satisfied with yourself.

 340-338 Doll life

    Oh, I was so surprised.

    They suddenly came of age.

    No, it''s a mystery whether or not there is a concept of ''coming of age'' in the fantasy other world.

    Anyway, Marriage, the inventor of the automatic doll, and the first automatic doll he created.

    It seems that the reunion of these two people after a long period of time gave them a lot of satisfaction.

    They both have souls in their bodies (?). and ascended to heaven.

    The one in the sky is supposed to be the heavenly god world where those infamous gods of heaven live.

    Well, okay, details.

    In the first place, Marriage was originally supposed to have died about a hundred years ago, and she should have become that way earlier.

    ''''Even in the next life, be a good boy...''''

    No.

    I don''t even know if there will be an afterlife.

    All I could do was watch them depart.

    Do you think I should have said, "Good luck in the Underworld"?

    * * *

    Anyway, the inventions that the genius left behind, the automatic dolls, will be put to good use on our farm.

    The dolls that were brought to the farm were exactly 100 in number.

    There are still more than 9,000 dolls left in the wreckage in the back of the lab, but we only have enough to make 100 dolls work for us.

    The rest will either continue to be left out in the open, or the demon king will order his staff to retrieve them. For future research.

    That''s how the newly joined........or rather, the hundreds of automated dolls that were deployed.

    They are contributing immensely to the efficiency of the work on our farm.

    After all, they (they?) is a doll.

    You don''t need to live, so you don''t need a place to sleep and you don''t need food.

    The bare minimum, as long as you have space for maintenance and storage, you can get by.

    Now..........

    We''re going to be short on staff ¡ú replenish the workforce ¡ú expand the fields and houses to support the increased workforce ¡ú we''ll need more people to run the expanded workforce.

    And that''s all thanks to automation with automated puppets!

    Hail the automaton!

    Hurray for mechanization!

    .........

    The automatic dolls are mainly engaged in simple tasks.

    Checking the crops for diseases and insects, and watching for vermin and birds.

    Transporting supplies on the farm.

    They also manage the steamboat dock and the hot springs, among many other things.

    This is all due to the high quality of the automatic dolls that Marriage has worked so hard to make.

    Thanks to its magical sensory sensors, artificial intelligence, and posture control system, it can do some pretty complicated things on its own.

    Even in the previous world, the things that could only be entrusted to a human being can be left to a machine with no worries.

    "Oh no...!¡¡That''s great, Demon King!¡¡Isn''t this a technological breakthrough!

    The demon king watched the work of the automaton together.

    I asked him resiliently.

    He also said that he appreciated the automaton that Marriage had made and wanted to incorporate it into his country''s research.

    The samples from the farm would be a valuable example for the practical application of automatic dolls in the demon country.

    Someday, his dream of having the automated dolls created by Marriage working in villages and towns around the world could be realized.

    ''Oh, about that...!

    The demon king is trembling.

    It''s hard to say.

    "I''m talking about the improvement of the labor situation with the automatic puppets.......to tell the truth, I''d say it''s been resolved........or is it enough......!

    Yes?

    "We demon tribe have an uncanny monster...!¡¡Orcs and goblins and all that. Where we need more hands, they work for us, and we already have enough...

    That was it.

    In this world, there are beings called monsters that occur in dungeons, and furthermore, the relatively human-like forms of these monsters are said to be able to do what they say with magic.

    ''''We used to send them to the front lines when we were at war with the human race, and they''re still used for labor in many places. They are low in intelligence to begin with and can only perform simple tasks...!

    That''s the same as the use of an automatic doll.

    I''m sure the Demon King in Marriage''s time also thought about that and rejected it. His proposal. Making automatic dolls to pay for it is usually enough for anthropomorphic monsters...!

    Indeed.

    But then why?¡¡Didn''t the demon king give an unreserved appraisal of Marriage, who had just come of age, and even invited her to the institute?

    You gave that much credit to a study that had no hope of working...?

    Oh, really?

    A good lie?

    You lied to me, Demon Lord, you lied to me about people!

    Oh no.¡¡Um..........?

    Demon Lord, you blatantly looked away!

    I knew it!¡¡You''re a good person, Mr. Devious.

    But why did you tell a lie that was so obvious?¡¡It''s a good thing that he went to the Buddhist temple right away, but if not, what should I do to make him look good?

    Ah!

    Did you perhaps calculate it?

    The demon king could have predicted that Marriage would ascend to heaven without any desire to live in this world?

    ''''Oh no..., I didn''t think she could forcibly transfer her soul to such an inorganic object and settle down for so long...!¡¡At the very least, he wants you to leave for the underworld satisfied...!

    The Demon King is kind after all...!

    No, but that doesn''t mean that his research is really worthless!¡¡We can''t use him as a direct labour force, but we''re looking for other ways to use him in our research institutions...!

    It''s okay.

    The follow-up is good.

    I know that the Demon King was sufficiently attentive as the Demon King.

    ........

    Whether or not the results of Marriage''s research will be passed on to future generations is something we can look forward to in the future.......

    We who live in the present, let''s focus on the present.

    ''''It''s all right!¡¡His work is paying off right here!

    On my farm!

    An anthropomorphic monster that has already occupied the role the automaton aimed for!

    That''s one thing that puts us at a disadvantage on my farm.

    Orcs and goblins working on our farm will quickly evolve into higher beings without us even knowing it!

    Starting with Okubo and Gov. Gov. Yoshi, they are now valued farm buddies!

    I''m not going to be a tool!

    Most importantly, we can''t afford to mass-produce any more entities that might upset the balance of the world!

    Those mutated orc goblins seriously have that much power!

    ''But!¡¡The automatons will be fine!¡¡They surely couldn''t have evolved!

    They''re just puppets and they''re not alive!

    Just a few minutes ago, the first doll, along with its developer, did its best to look away from the phenomenon of the ascension of the first doll, which is proof of something with a soul...!

    The dolls must be the perfect simple labor force for our farm!

    ''You''re so busy, sir...!

    What?

    Who stands behind me saying that?

    Platy?

    My wife!¡¡With Junior in your arms?

    ''Has that kind of optimism ever come true!¡¡I''m going to slap the reality into your feckless hopeful master!¡¡Whatever you keep on this farm is going to be special!

    Junior, who was being held by Prathi, was nodding his head just as he said, ''Nunda.

    ........no.

    Wait a minute?

    You can''t do that every time, can you?

    Until now, it''s been like a series of coincidences, how many miracles can you bear to have so many?

    And it''s okay, because the automaton itself is something special in the eyes of the public!

    There''s no room for further development.

    You can''t enjoy your life if you''re always wary of a dangerous future!

    It''s okay.

    I''m fine!

    I''m telling you, those automatons are going to stay that way forever!

    * * *

    .........

    Automatic doll, it changed about a week after we started putting it on our farm.

    "Let''s get to work today!

    We can hang out with the kids afterwards.

    That''s so funny!

    The automatic doll is talking like a high school girl!

    The form of the doll''s appearance, which was just like a spherical jointed doll, has been smoothly changed to human-like!

    The hair is growing back and the face is soft and expressive.

    They look like human beings themselves!

    I mean, they''re all cute girls!

    An automatic doll is turning into a cute girl!

    What happened to the automaton when I took my eyes off it for a second?

 341-339 Pygmalion Project

    I was encouraged and inspired by the uprightness with which she worked every day, and I was drawn to her.

    And I''m fascinated by her.

    I know that anyone who hears this will laugh at me.

    After all, I''m not in love with a human being.

    In fact, it''s not even a living being.

    But the feeling of love is burning and unstoppable.

    I love her!

    She is the reason why I was able to run up to the top of the class from the bottom of the class in the past.

    Because of my passionate love for her!

    But she is a doll, and no matter how much I love her, she doesn''t respond to me.

    No matter how poetically I chant my love songs, she doesn''t respond.

    I know that.

    I know that, but somewhere inside of me, I feel lonely.

    But that''s okay.

    I''m just happy to have her, the mute, next to me.

    Even if it''s a doll, having the one I love next to me is enough to make my heart feel warm and welcoming like spring.

    I''m sitting side by side with my girlfriend, who I took out of the warehouse without permission, enjoying our private time together.

    I''m sure it''s a good idea.

    Something abruptly and unexpectedly appeared in the way.

    A majestic figure with a rich beard.

    He is the god Hades.

    He is the Lord God who created us demons.

    The One who rules the earth world out of the earth and sea heavens.

    The Lord God of Earth and Sea Heaven.

    There was a bowlful of fried rice in his hand.

    ''I detected some emotive vibes and followed them. I detected some emo vibes and followed them back.

    Leave me alone.

    "Robust with no respect for God.

    I''d run out of faith if I had to watch you regularly come to the saint for food.

    I''m sorry for your single-mindedness, Hades. I''m sorry for your single-mindedness, but I''ll let Hades bring you a blessing, and I''ll make up for the lack of a soul that can''t express itself.

    From the hand that held the Hades God''s chopsticks, he released something that looked like shiny stardust.

    The stardust stretched out in countless numbers, trailing behind me, and eventually I arrived at my precious doll.

    My precious honey is surrounded by light?

    Honey!

    Calling my doll "honey" is really quite a ploy.

    It''s annoying, God.

    Anyway, my precious lover was enveloped by the light and disappeared from sight at all........

    However, when I saw her again, she was completely different from before.

    ''''........Master.

    He speaks?

    That''s the first thing that surprised me.

    My Idea, bathed in God''s stardust, was completely different from a doll.

    It was like a living human being.

    Its skin was soft and warm, and its expression was rich.

    The doll''s spherical joints were gone, and its body was the very definition of a living creature.

    And a beautiful woman who was so beautiful that you could swallow your breath.........

    .........big tits?

    You can wear this as a set.

    The God of Hades released more stardust from the edge and turned into clothing as it inhabited her body!

    ''God!¡¡This!

    "I''ve just recreated your beloved to a degree worthy of your company. "I just reworked your beloved''s body just enough to make her worthy of your time. Show her a little kindness now and then, and Demeter Sephone will fall in love with you again.

    This god seems to have a lot of ulterior motives!

    But I''m glad!

    My honey is going to be a life that can speak and has the warmth of body heat.

    We''re going to talk a lot and spend time together and more....

    ........we can do it!

    "Master. You made me human. I wouldn''t be human if it weren''t for you. I love you too. Please keep me close to you for a long time.

    Yes!

    I''m going to marry her!

    A regular soldier in the Demon King''s army would have enough money to support his wife and children!

    When we return to the Demon City, we''ll formally take our vows before the gods and become husband and wife!

    Oh, God was right in front of me now!

    "Hmmm..... But it seems unfair to give life to only one of them.

    And then Hades-sama waved his chopsticks again and sent the stardust flying into the air.

    The stardust scattered around the farm and disappeared from our view, but it seemed to surprise the people around the farm...?

    I breathed life into all the dolls we have in the land to thank them for feeding us daily. I''m sure the saint will be very happy to see them all buzzing with activity.

    Hades-sama disappeared with a heartfelt ''I did a good thing'' kind of look on his face.

    Did he return to the world of God?

    Anyway, I got the best girlfriend I ever had and I was at the height of my happiness.

 342-340 New Teacher

    I noticed that the automatons had turned into people.

    It seems to be the work of Hades, the god of the underworld.

    It''s like a thank you for always offering me an offering. You can''t thank me enough.

    And by offerings, you mean that whole bowl of rice you usually feed him?

    What are you going to do?¡¡You took the advantage of not needing food or shelter, and now you need food and shelter when you turn human!

    You have the gall to turn every single one of us into a young maiden!

    We can''t just leave her lying on the ground like this, can we?

    In the meantime, Okubo was busy building the quarters at a rapid pace, and under Batty''s guidance, the former automatic doll maiden herself was busy tailoring her own clothes.

    ........I was thinking that this was going to happen.

    Come to think of it, I was told before with Okubo, Gobukichi and the others, ''Anthropomorphic monsters don''t have emotions, so there''s no need to treat them as human beings,'' but now that I''ve lived with them, they''ve acquired emotions and they''re great farm companions!

    History has repeated itself!

    I can''t look at the orcs and goblins like they''re tools now, and if they were to suddenly part ways, I''d be as sad as my gut being cut up!

    I''m sure that''s what would happen to the automaton girls as well.

    ........I don''t have an immediate idea of what to do, so I''ll put the former automatons aside for the time being.

    Let''s deal with the most pressing issues first.

    * * * *

    This is the story of the farm students.

    They are studying here so that they can be the future leaders of the country while promoting exchange with the human and demon kingdoms and mermaid kingdoms.

    ''''What can you learn about state management on a farm? Some may argue that our farm is different from those out there, but that''s okay.

    Our farm is different from those other places.

    We have many fine instructors who will be a great help to them in the future!

    A prime example of this would be the teacher of the No Life King.

    As the most powerful undead that transcends death, the teacher has wisdom knowledge that has lived for more than a thousand years, and he has a lot to learn, which is truly Everest-level.

    He himself seems to love teaching, so it''s a win-win situation for the foreign students to learn the ultimate in magic, and the teacher can touch the young people.

    In addition, Verena and Puffa, two of the most talented teachers of the demonkind, mermaids and fishes, have taken up full-time positions.

    Demon King, Astares, and Prince Arowana also come to visit us from time to time and teach as part-time instructors.

    That''s when it occurred to me recently that these instructors were well-balanced.

    Isn''t the lineup of these instructors lacking in balance?¡¡And.

    What does that mean?

    Let''s go over the members I just mentioned again.

    Let''s count the teacher separately as a transcendent........

    Verena (demon race), Puffa (mermaid race), Demon King (demon race), Astares-san (demon race), and Prince Arowana (mermaid race).

    That''s right.

    They''re all demons and mermaids.

    There are three basic races in this world: demons, humans, and mermaids.

    And yet the teachers at my farm are extremely unbalanced in the composition of these three races.

    In short, there are no teachers of the human race at all!¡¡That''s what I''m saying.

    If we don''t do something about it, when our students graduate from the farm, they''ll be prejudiced against us because they think we''re too young to be good at it!

    We must hurry up and get a teaching staff for our race!

    The master is always getting hung up on details.

    I got a dumbfounded look from Prathi, who was raising the kids.

    But I''m not stopping.

    I''m doing this for the future of the students studying on the farm, and by extension, for the bright future of the entire world.

    I''m inviting a human instructor to the farm!

    * * * *

    So I tried to find someone from the human race who could teach the young people.

    The first person I thought of was one of my few friends of the human race, Mr. Dalkish, who is a lord of the old human kingdom.

    He spoke passionately about what it was like to be a lord in the old human country, but when it comes to the know-how and experiences of ruling, Demon King and Prince Arowana have more knowledge than me.

    He had some originality in his stories of hardships unique to the frontier lords, but there was not much to gain for the students.

    Instead, he told them about the hardships and problems he encountered during his marriage to the demon Varina, the first ever international marriage of a different race.

    The students listened intently to his story.

    By the way, congratulations to his wife, Varina, who is now pregnant after all the hard work she did the other day.

    Congratulations.

    Speaking of other acquaintances, the former princess of the human kingdom, Letasurate, who originally lived on our farm, is a very good friend of mine.

    What do you think she''s going to teach you? I was anxious to get him up to the podium to try it out.

    And sure enough, he didn''t disappoint me by only talking about beans, and in a way, he didn''t disappoint me.

    Since she used to be royalty, I asked her if she had anything to tell me about her experiences in that area, but she told me that when she was a working princess, she didn''t do anything to help herself, not even eating or playing.

    Rather, it was the ultimate type of antagonism.

    However, due to Lettuce Rate''s thorough bean-pressing, some of the students who got healthy by eating a lot of beans were able to crush rocks with goopan (no magic), so it seemed fruitful in that respect.

    But it was still weak.

    Isn''t there a human instructor who can open a lecture that is more unique to the human race?

    I''ve run out of ideas within my circle of acquaintances, so I''m going to have to rely on someone else''s messenger, a friend of a friend, to help me out.

    Let''s all expand it.

    A circle of friends!¡¡Duh!

    * * * *

    Then how about adventurers and such?

    "Adventurer?

    The person who consulted with me was the strongest dragon, Alexander-san.

    I became acquainted with him through the dragon fiasco the other day, and because of that, he came to visit me on a regular basis.

    Dragons have always been the strongest race, but this Alexander is apparently the strongest among them all.

    Even if the second strongest dragon, Bloody Mary, the new Geyser Dragon, Ardheg, and Veerle, who has awakened to the vibration of love, were to join forces and attack him, they would still be able to win.

    Such is the case with Alexander-san, who also occasionally stands at the podium to let his students enjoy the wisdom of the dragons.

    I''m sure he''s learning a lot.

    If it''s a dragon, there''s a Veerle in our farm, but that guy is too sentient to teach a class.

    ........So when I asked for further opinions from that Alexander-san, the word that came out was adventurer.

    ''''Adventurers are a profession unique to the human race. I''ve heard that there are no similar professions in the Demon Kingdom or the Mermaid Kingdom.

    What''s going on?

    I guess it''s an adventure.

    Traveling to slay a demon king?

    ''The first thing is to conquer the dungeon. There are adventurers lurking in my dungeon every day.

    Mr. Alexander has a dungeon in the territory of the former human nation, and he makes it his home.

    ''It''s common for dragons to be the masters of mountain dungeons,'' he said.

    I heard that under the rule of demons, mermaids and other humans, dungeons are sealed off by the military. Only the human nation is not like this and adventurers were born to be experts in dungeon control.

    ''You hear a lot about the Texans in human country...''

    ''The adventurers have accumulated unparalleled know-how after years of conquering dungeons,'' he said. Show that off in the pulpit and it will help our young people grow.

    Alexander is unusually human-loving for a dragon.

    He was willing to talk to me.

    ''''Then, let''s pick up a talented adventurer from among the adventurers who have come to conquer my dungeon and negotiate with him.

    Is everything okay?¡¡Won''t they be pissed off at you for ''being a jerk''?

    "I''m close to the guild of human adventurers, so that''s not a problem. I have opened my dungeon to the adventurers, so much so that they give me gifts at the season''s end.

    Common sense says that the dungeon where the Lord is located is inaccessible due to the maximum danger, so a dungeon where the Lord welcomes you would be precious.

    With those requirements, Alexander-san went back to his dungeon for a while.

    * * * *

    I came back later.

    "There was an adventurer named Akesaka Momoko.

    Huh...?

    ''You''re the most active adventurer I''ve ever seen conquering my dungeon right now. I''ve climbed up to the fifth level on my first attack. I said to her, ''Would you like to be my instructor?'' I tried to offer it to them, but they refused.

    Huh?

    ''I''ve been busy seeking out the saint''s farm! I was told. But, well, after thinking about it, she''s a summoned otherworlder, and let''s not fall outside the requirements of being a human race instructor. So I approached another one there.

    Are you the real deal?

    ''Hmm. A great one responded to the scouts!¡¡After all, he''s one of the only five S-class adventurers in the world!

    Mr. Alexander was woozy as hell.

    Rare enough to excite even the strongest dragon?

 344-342 Silver Wolf Adventurer Class

    We now had an adventurer named Mr. Silver Wolf.

    But that man, the moment he saw the No Life King''s teacher, he burst into bubbles and sat down.

    Most of the people who have faced the teacher in the past have also reacted in a fearful manner, but I think this person is the most intense in terms of reaction.

    ''''Is it okay to do this...?''''

    Everyone in the welcoming group thought that it was a good idea, but Alexander''s follow-up helped to lift the reputation of the group.

    I see, so you can say it''s a bizarre reaction because of my real-life experience.

    ''''S-sorry, I had the trauma of being chased around by the Earl of No Life King in the past...!

    Oh!

    What a specific episode like that!¡¡And the way he shows it off is casual and on point!

    "I was treated like a hero just for escaping the Count''s ''hunt''...!

    He smiled sadly.

    ''Sir, isn''t this a high point?¡¡I think you''d make a good instructor.

    ''Hmm, if that''s the case, let''s hold off for now. I''m not sure I''m qualified to teach my lovely students.

    Sensei, why are you so hard to judge?

    The teacher is now pretending to be the parents of the students!

    * * * *

    Thus, it was decided that Mr. Silverwolf would give a special lecture to the foreign students at our farm.

    He was recommended by Alexander-san and was said to be one of the top adventurers.

    ''''By the way........?

    ''''What is it?''''

    ''''No, you have a distinctive face...?''''

    It may be rude to the first person I met, but I was still curious about Silver Wolf''s face.

    It may have something to do with the name Silver Wolf.

    His face.

    It was the wolf itself.

    It wasn''t a metaphor or anything, it was the face of the wolf itself.

    ''Werewolf!

    ''I''m a werewolf, you know.

    Whoo!¡¡Wolf!

    No.

    "You know, my saint, I told you before. That''s what a few of us have in common.

    And the doctor.

    Yes, I do remember. We talked about this when the satyrs came in, didn''t we?

    The satyr was a beastman who was a combination of a goat and a man.

    In the olden days, there was a spell that combined man and beast, forcing many people to combine with all kinds of animals.

    Nowadays, such inhumane magic has been eradicated, but the people who were combined with the beasts have passed their characteristics on to their descendants, who have established themselves as a clan of beastmen.

    I''m a descendant of the werewolf, a combination of man and wolf. I''ve got a lot of time and energy to spare. I am convinced that I became an S-class adventurer because of my natural talent as a werewolf.

    ''''I see........?''''

    However, seeing Silver Wolf-san who became stubborn as soon as she mentioned her appearance, I guessed that there must have been some unpleasant events that occurred because of that.

    So it would be better not to mention it any further, but.......

    The wolf-shaped monster potheads said, ''Friends?¡¡New friends? There was no way to stop him from following behind.

    ''''Beastmen will increase their physical abilities according to the synthesized beasts. Their aptitude for being adventurers will naturally increase.''''

    Mr. Alexander, who was with me, added: "It''s true.

    ''Indeed. Besides me, Golden Bat, Black Cat, Pinktonton....... Of the only five S-class adventurers, more than half of them are beastmen.

    It was four out of five.

    ''''Adventurers are a profession that is always in danger. Unlike the Demon Kingdom, this is a human kingdom that has no concept of protecting its people. It is believed that the first adventurers are the warriors who stood up under their rule, saying ''the only way to protect yourself is to fight for yourself''.

    Eventually, like-minded individuals came together to form a mutual aid union, which became the foundation of the Adventurers'' Guild.

    The dungeon is the ''present danger'' for the people of the human nation. If a dungeon is left unattended, monsters will flood in and harm the surrounding villages. The warrior guild for self-defense first entered the dungeon and focused on getting rid of the monsters.

    Such activities accumulated over a long period of time, and the system was perfected.

    Before long, some of them made such work their goal from the start, and gave it a name.

    That''s what an adventurer is.

    Great!

    I needed someone to talk to me about that!

    I would love for you to speak in front of your students!

    The Adventurer''s Guild is an organization that was formed from a background that has nothing to do with the Human State. The Adventurer''s Guild is an organization that was founded in a way that has nothing to do with humanity. However, we adventurers have remained independent and unbending in our quest for power. That is the pride of our adventurers.

    Mr. Silverwolf seemed to be getting back on track as he spoke.

    He wasn''t the man he was supposed to be when he was freaked out by the doctor and sat down!

    Now, if you would please share some of those connotations with my students...?

    The knowledge and experience of an adventurer is an asset. It''s not good for business if you show it to others. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what to do.

    I think I''m getting back on track enough to say some troublesome things.

    ''Then let''s get to the dungeon.

    What?

    You don''t learn how to be an adventurer from a book, but you learn it in the field, and you put it into your body. "The adventurer''s mentality is not something you can learn at the desk, but something you learn in the field and put directly into your body. The nobles of the human nation who are unable to do this think they know it from knowledge alone and cannot casually enter a dungeon and come back. That has happened many times.

    Oh...?

    It''s not about knowledge, it''s about experience!

    It''s kind of genius!

    ''I understand!¡¡So let''s get to the dungeon!¡¡Which one do you want?

    Which one?

    Mr. Silverwolf tilted his head at my statement.

    I thought the gesture was like a dog seeing its own image in a mirror, but I''ll keep that to myself.

    ''''Oh, it means there are two dungeons we can go to from near our place.

    "With an eagle.

    It''s my dungeon.

    The doctor and Veerle raised their hands in line.

    ''You mean extracurricular... You want the teacher''s dungeon?¡¡You want the dungeon in Vire?¡¡I''d really like to get a professional''s opinion on that...?

    Huh?¡¡Wait?¡¡Can you give me a minute?

    Once again, Mr. Silverwolf has behaved in an unprofessional manner.

    In other words, a cowardly attitude.

    ''What do you mean?¡¡Um, you mean there''s a dungeon with a no-life king over there doing the main thing?

    Sir.

    ''Oh, so it''s called a teacher...?¡¡And what''s the other one about?¡¡The girl?¡¡What does the "is" have to do with dungeons?

    Veerle is a dragon, remember?

    ''''Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    I thought I knew that dragons could turn into humans since I''ve seen Alexander-san in wise old man mode.

    I''m surprisingly surprised.

    ''''No, uh-uh?¡¡Even if you know you can transform, it doesn''t mean you can see through it...?¡¡What?¡¡That means there''s a dungeon with the Dragon Lord in it too?

    There''s one nearby.

    Mr. Silverwolf, he heaved and fell to his knees.

    Was it enough of a shock to make your body relax?

    ''Two dungeons with the Lord...?¡¡Undiscovered...?

    The teacher and Veerle are still in shock as they argue with Mr. Silver Wolf.

    They''ll make you come to my dungeon!¡¡This is my chance to show my greatness once again!

    ''''No, I prefer my dungeon to ensure the safety of my students. I''ll be watching them so I can respond to the unexpected. You''re out of the loop, so you won''t know what to expect.

    "Aren''t you being too protective of those guys?

    The teacher is torn between which one of them should be the site of the extracurricular class.

    It''s true that the teacher is very kind to the students, or she is very protective of them.

    That''s what I call a teacher.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time.¡¡What the hell is this place?¡¡How is it possible that there are two undiscovered master dungeons adjacent to each other?

    Like I said, this is the farm of the saints.

    "Saint''s Farm?¡¡It''s even better than they say!

    Next to Silver Wolf-san is shocked........

    Veerle transformed and took on dragon form.

    Apparently, it''s going to be black and white in a fight.

    They fought something or other and the teacher won.

 345-343 Silver Wolf Adventurers Class Practice Edition

    That''s why I came to the teacher''s dungeon.

    Here, the S-class adventurer, Silver Wolf, will teach us the official adventurer''s dungeon strategy. Everyone should not miss this opportunity to see everything without blinking and turn it into my flesh and blood.

    ""Yes."

    There are a total of about four to fifty students in total for the human, demon, mermaid, and fish race, but they said there were too many to enter the dungeon at once, so they would be divided into ten students each.

    It was Silverwolf who suggested that, and according to the professional, ''Entering a dungeon with a large number of people is suicide.

    It doesn''t matter how many people are in the dungeon, the dungeon will eventually win on a scale. A large number of people will only add unnecessary casualties if their movements are restricted.''''

    He said, "I''m going to teach you chickens the secrets of dungeon diving.

    ''I''m going to teach you chickens the art of dungeon diving.

    He says.

    ''We don''t think about winning dungeons,'' he says.

    ''Dungeons, like nature, are not something mankind can challenge and control. Those who want to control the dungeon. You will pay for that arrogant idea with your life. Look, respect the dungeon. Enter the dungeon as a sneak thief to plunder away a fraction of the wealth it stores.

    I received connotations from the beginning.

    You are indeed a top class adventurer.

    Is it true that the closer you get to the top, the more humble you become, the stronger you really are?

    ''''Then let''s get into the dungeon right away!¡¡I want you to teach me more so...!

    Wait.

    As I was about to enter the dungeon, Silver Wolf grabbed me by the collar and pulled me into the dungeon.

    Thanks to this, my neck tightens up and I go ''eek! I''m like, ''Ugh!

    "Who would be stupid enough to try to enter a dungeon all of a sudden?¡¡You''re dead once now!

    ''What?¡¡''''Really?!''''

    ''''The cave dungeons can be filled with stagnant mana. Even if you inhale it, it can have a harmful effect on your body, and in the worst case, cause death. First time you find a dungeon, you need to be especially careful!

    As he said this, Silver Wolf produced a small box from his pocket and also took out a thin, short wooden stick from the small box.

    Only the head is red.

    As soon as I saw it, I realized that it was a match.

    I didn''t know there were matches in this other world.

    I lit it with the expected action and threw the lit match into the cave.

    ''If that fire continues to burn without extinguishing, the air inside is fine for now. You won''t lose consciousness and collapse in just one breath.''''

    The fire of the match continued to burn on the floor of the cave dungeon and spontaneously extinguished by burning down the shaft wood, which was the main body and fuel of the match.

    In that case, I would recommend this.

    In addition, Silver Wolf took something out of his pocket.

    It was a single flower in a pot so small it could fit in the palm of your hand.

    This is the canary grass, an important item for adventurers. The color of the petals change in response to the slightest bit of dirt in the air. Watch this as you move through the dungeon, and be careful when the color changes. Moreover, this flower not only reacts to the poison in the air, but also to harmful magic.

    The students exclaimed in admiration, "Oh........

    It was truly an amazing feat of wisdom accumulated by adventurers.

    Yes, it''s brilliant. That''s why it''s worth inviting them.

    The teacher also applauded Mr. Silverwolf''s famous lecture with generous praise.

    ''''Then, saint-sama, all students. I will be waiting for you in the deepest part of the room as a rasshopper.''''

    See you at the deepest level.

    "You are to arrive there as soon as possible...

    With everyone waving at me, I entered the dungeon first and staggered my way forward.

    To the dungeon that was originally my home base.

    Seeing the back off, Silver Wolf-san, after being silent for a while, said in a serious voice.

    ''''One more thing........there''s an ironclad rule that you must follow when entering a dungeon.

    What is it?

    "Do not enter the dungeon with the Lord!¡¡If you go in there, you will die!

    Dungeons lesson is over.

    * * *

    ........so we continue our extracurricular lessons with the excuse that ''the teacher is kind, so the only exception is the teacher''s dungeon''.

    We entered the dungeon in earnest and proceeded inside.

    But..........

    "Progress is slow...!

    The dungeon attack led by Silver Wolf-san was truly a turtle''s pace.

    He would check for enemy ambushes and traps in each section to ensure safety before proceeding.

    Each time I checked to see if there was a break in the retreating path as well, my progress was slowed down more and more.

    ''''Um.........shouldn''t we proceed a little more smoothly.......?''''

    I''m accompanying the students as a visitor, and I''m in a hurry to interfere.

    "At this pace, we don''t know how many days it will take to get to the deepest part where the teacher is, and I need to be back by evening to prepare the food...?

    ''''What do you mean!¡¡You can never go too far in a dungeon, no matter how much you try to keep yourself safe!¡¡You could be wiped out just by the slightest lack of caution!

    A professional adventurer among professionals, the skill of a master craftsman was infinitely redundant and unsophisticated.

    Well, actually, high skill is generally true.

    The first time you enter a dungeon, you have to be even more cautious!¡¡We don''t know what''s ahead of us!

    For us, it''s a dungeon we''re used to walking through like a garden.

    Indeed, this is the first time he''s broken in.

    ''''My progress is rather faster than most adventurers. ''''I''m progressing faster than most adventurers,'''' he said, ''''due to the warwolf''s keen sense of smell, which allows him to explore his surroundings. Such as...!

    ''''You smell like rotten mud........!¡¡There you are...!

    What?

    Skinstone, a mimetic monster. Its skin resembles a rock, and it hides from the eyes of its prey by blending into the rocky terrain.

    Huh?¡¡Really?

    It doesn''t look like there''s a single fumigant, let alone a monster, in my eyes?

    It''s true that inside the cave dungeon, the walls, floor and ceiling are rock-based, which would be great if such a monster could hide... but...

    Let''s check it out, Okuma.

    Yes, sir.

    Just to be sure, the single orc who was accompanying me headed to the range where the monster in question might be lurking.

    ''''Eh!¡¡What are you doing?¡¡Don''t tell me you''re going to use the monster as an abandoned pawn to see if it''s in danger?

    He''s not an abandoned pawn.

    I wouldn''t use our precious orcs for that.

    One of our farm orcs, Okuma, moves forward in a staccato fashion.

    And sure enough, as soon as he stepped on a certain point, he was attacked by numerous tentacles.

    The tentacles looked as if they had grown out of the floor, but in reality there was an octopus-like monster that looked like a rock and stuck to the floor.

    The octopus tentacles were tangled in Okuma''s extremities and were all strangled-san....

    ''''Haha!''''

    With one spirited shot, the rock octopus shattered and disappeared as a fine piece of meat.

    "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    Silver Wolf exclaimed when he saw that.

    ''''Skinstone is a four-star dangerous monster and yet?¡¡They can''t win if they are caught, so they are supposed to fight from a distance!

    "This rock octopus used to wander around in Sensei''s dungeon a lot. It''s always a spirited effort to blow them away, just like now.

    With that, Okuma stalks forward.

    New rock octopi attacked Okuma one after another, but each time he was blown away by the spirit of the attack.

    "........."?

    Silverwolf''s professionalism is astonishing, as he keeps an eye out for traps and keeps a close eye on them.

    However, it was none of the business of my orcs who can crush all the traps that were set.

    ''''........Uh......everyone?''''

    I call out to the students on behalf of a neglectful Silver Wolf-san.

    ''''Don''t refer to Okuma''s behavior right now, okay?¡¡That kind of thing would be impossible even for the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King Army class. Everyone should definitely take a cue from Mr. Silver Wolf''s method.

    ''''If I had that much power, I would be able to randomly crunch through it...!

    There was the sound of Mr. Silver Wolf''s common sense as an adventurer being broken.

    ''''My lord, my lord...''''

    Okuma calls out.

    ''There''s another monster out there!

    "Whoa!¡¡That thing!¡¡A vicious monster with a 5-star rating of danger!

    And while Silver Wolf was surprised........

    ''''Tsk.''''

    The vicious monster with a five-star danger rating was shattered by one punch from Okuma.

    ''''Whoa!¡¡There''s a vicious monster!¡¡If it''s found, Class A and above will be called out as a matter of urgency for a disaster-class monster!¡¡With a single blow!

    I''ve seen him do it a lot.

    I don''t have to teach you anymore if he''s around, right?

    Don''t say that.

    Mr. Silverwolf''s teachings will be a valuable resource for young people.

    ...should be?

 346-344 Dungeon Value

    Silver Wolf''s adventurer''s course is still going on.

    The S-class adventurer''s wisdom and caution in surviving in dungeons was admirable, though.

    More than that, the S-class adventurer was more surprised.

    In the teacher''s dungeon.

    ''''What is this dungeon?

    And so on.

    ''''There''s mana metal ore again.¡¡It''s only mined from the five-star cave dungeon!¡¡Even a piece of mana metal as small as the tip of your pinky finger can be brought back and you can live forever playing with it.

    Well, I remember Edward-san, the Dwarf King, was also surprised.

    The trouble with Edward-san is that he often dies from being too surprised.

    Mine it for me, will you?

    Yes!

    The orcs are digging out the manna metal ore with a pickaxe under my direction.

    "So carelessly!

    Silver Wolf was even more surprised by this series of actions.

    The manna metal is something that comes up on its own, so I was told that I could dig it out as soon as I found it. That''s what the teacher said.

    "Manna metal gushes out of the ground all by itself?¡¡That''s ridiculous, it''s said to take hundreds of years to crystallize from the time it arises...?

    Huh?

    Once you dig it up, it''s back to normal the next morning.

    Is that what I think it is?

    Does having a teacher affect you in any way?

    While we''re talking about this, the monster''s back in town.

    "Ugh!¡¡Everybody behind me!¡¡I''ll teach you how to respond to a monster raid!

    And then, Silver Wolf, you put our students on your back.

    I thought it was nice to have something teacher-like here, but for some reason, that dignity was immediately blown away.

    Hmph!

    Checking the figure of the monster coming towards you.

    ''''That thing is ahhh!

    A lump of walrus-like flesh coming at you at breakneck speed, swimming across the ground.

    Long fangs like swords sprouted from its upper jaw.

    ''''That is an extremely rare monster!¡¡Big task!¡¡Are they even in this dungeon?

    Oh, my God.

    "Killed in one fell swoop!

    As usual, my orcs are prompt in their work.

    The walrus-shaped monster''s head was cracked open and it died in a jittery convulsion.

    What the hell?¡¡What is this dungeon?¡¡Speaking of Big Tusk, it''s that rare of a monster that you''ll be lucky enough to meet once in your lifetime!

    Wow, it''s such a rare monster? But it''s quite common in this area.

    And me.

    ''Yeah?

    ''You go in once, you''ll run into him at least once, and, you know, right now.

    I pointed.

    From that point, a group of giant walrus monsters were approaching us.

    "A bunch of rare monsters yeah!

    "Everyone prepare to intercept!

    Since there are so many of them, I also pull out my Evil Holy Sword Dry Schwartz and join the fight.

    For some reason, those walruses attack in groups.

    Was the first one just a precursor?

    As the orcs and I desperately tried to intercept it, before we knew it, the walrus monster''s corpses had piled up into a pile and the crisis was over.

    ''''Whew, finally a breath of fresh air...''''

    Big Tusk''s corpses...?¡¡So many.........?

    A shivering Silver Wolf-san shuddered.

    ''''But even if you defeat this monster, its use value is low... The meat is full of fat and hard to eat...?

    "What are you saying?¡¡Big Tusk''s tusks are as valuable as the treasures they hold!¡¡It can be turned into all sorts of tools, and more importantly, when ground into powder, it''s an elixir that can cure all diseases!¡¡That''s why I''m considered lucky to have encountered this guy!

    Heh.

    This monster, which I thought was seemingly worthless, has such a use?

    ''A first-rate adventurer, indeed!¡¡You have a lot of experience and have fought many different monsters, so you know a lot about features!

    What parts of the monster are used for what purpose?

    I think it''s not only worthwhile for the students, but for us to learn as well.

    Please teach us how to do it!¡¡The wisdom of an adventurer making the most of a monster!

    No....!¡¡Before that, what is the anomaly of this dungeon where such rare monsters are popping up...?

    Oh, there''s another monster!¡¡How can I make use of that?

    ''''Another fiercely rare monster aaaaahhhh?!''''

    This is how the S-class adventurer''s useful lessons progressed.

    * * * *

    Then we reached the deepest part, the bottom of the room, the teacher.

    ''Conglutination.''

    He received a round of applause from his teacher.

    "You have reached the very depths of my being.¡¡I knew you guys could do it!¡¡It''s stunning!

    Sir! We did our best, sir!

    The students who were accompanying me ran up to the teacher.

    They were just following me and the orcs, though they didn''t do anything in particular.

    And further to the side, Silver Wolf-san was squatting down as if he had run out of steam.

    ''''........Um, are you okay?¡¡Are you that tired?

    I''m so tired.¡¡But it wasn''t the walking and fighting that made me tired...!¡¡Mental fatigue!

    Yes, sir.

    "What the hell is this dungeon?¡¡A normal dungeon would be a big deal, with rare materials and rare monsters in hot water!¡¡Excellent!¡¡The dungeon itself is an excellent dungeon, like a mountain of treasure!

    "It''s so embarrassing...!

    The doctor blushed and was embarrassed.

    Even that mummy-like face has the ability to blush.

    ''''What kind of rating will this dungeon get when it''s officially registered as a guild.......?¡¡A 5-star rating of the highest grade........?¡¡No, even more than that, it will be certified as a 6-star...?

    Mr. Silver Wolf, he was mumbling something.

    "A six-star dungeon........!¡¡The highest grade that surpassed the highest, which until now was unique only in Alexander-sama''s dungeon. Originally, five stars was the pinnacle of the grade, but it was an exceptional grade because it was said to be extremely excellent, exceeding even that...!¡¡None other than Alexander-sama''s ''Holy White Maiden Mountain'' was an impossible grade, but finally, a second example...?

    ''''No, I''m embarrassed...?

    The teacher was embarrassed again.

    It''s not a good idea.

    It''s not a good idea to have a good time.

    This is not educational at all!

    What?

    Suddenly I wondered what it was, and this is a challenge to the planning intent itself, which is to have students learn how to attack a dungeon?

    Because it is!¡¡Everything about this dungeon is off the charts and insane!¡¡It''s overflowing with rare materials and riddled with rare monsters!

    ''''Oh, yes...?

    ''Common sense will be destroyed!¡¡Think of this as normal and go into a general dungeon!¡¡You''re going to be disappointed in the drop-off!¡¡Disappointment!¡¡You can''t learn the common sense of dungeons in this dungeon!

    ''''Excuse me...?

    ''''I''m really...?

    Even the teacher was apologizing with me.

    It''s true that the best way to learn is to experience the average, right?

    I''ve only experienced the dungeons of Sensei and Veerle, so I didn''t know what to expect, but I didn''t realize they were so out of the ordinary and awesome...?

    What should we do?¡¡What should we do?¡¡Should I report it to the guild?¡¡Did you know this dungeon existed?¡¡If I did that, it might seem like all hell would break loose...?¡¡But considering my duty as an adventurer........?

    Silver Wolf-san is conflicted with her head.

    ''''Especially teacher!¡¡Your existence is the problem!

    ''''What!''''

    Silver Wolf''s excitement suddenly turned to the teacher.

    You will be able to find out more about this by looking at the following information¡¡It''s a good thing that I''m doing my best to help my students grow up, but...?

    It''s your kindness that''s the problem!

    Kindness?

    The teacher is shocked by this.

    "You''re really sweet. It''s hard to believe that you''re the No-Life King of Terror. So that''s the problem. Other No-Life Kings are not as forgiving as you are!¡¡It''s rather brutal!¡¡It''s ruthless!

    What if they think that your kindness is just a matter of time?

    What happens if a student, so used to your kindness, decides to walk up to another No-Life King because he thinks it''s just a matter of time?¡¡You''ll die for sure!¡¡Because for humanity, being in the sight of the No-Life King is synonymous with death!

    That was an eye-opening point.

    It''s true that the No-Life King is the world''s worst. Their existence is a disaster.

    It''s easy to forget that our closest teacher is so friendly and generous, but the No-Life King is essentially the most dangerous thing in the world.

    Hey.

    ''''Heehee!''''

    Before I knew it, Veerle was behind Silver Wolf-san.

    I don''t like it when you only praise your corpse. And don''t forget there''s a dungeon for this Veerle at the farm as well as for him!

    ''What?¡¡Um.........?

    "You''ll see my dungeon this time!¡¡And you''re going to have to give me a higher rating than a corpse-mobile!¡¡Let''s go, let''s go!

    Saying that, he carried Silver Wolf and ran away.

    "I.........I''m afraid I''ve forgotten about it......!

    On the other hand, the teacher was shocked.

    The No-Life King is a dangerous and frightening thing. The encounter is the same as death. If you numb such basic senses, you''re putting your students in danger of death...?

    Teacher, you are taking it too seriously.

    The teacher is too much of a teacher.

    ''''This looks like we need to hurry up and set up a class.''''

    Class?

    ''It''s a class to teach them the horrors of no-life-king. Maybe we should have another extracurricular lesson for that.''

    Extracurricular?¡¡What is it?

    "This is a class about observing the No-Life King, not the eagle.

 347-345 Immortal Earl

    My name is.........

    .........no, I forget.

    I forgot my name a long time ago. That''s the trend of the No Life King, the existence beyond death.

    To us, the conquerors of death, the days when we were the living trapped in old age and perdition are a disgrace.

    So we throw them away.

    Including the names we were called when we were alive.

    Now that I am victorious over death, the mere mortals are afraid to call me ''The Count''.

    If I had to choose, that is what I am called as a transcendent.

    I have absorbed the dense mana of the dungeon, and yet I have been reborn as an immortal without losing my ego.

    The title that is given to such a transcendent being is the No Life King.

    That''s right, I am the Count of the No-Life King.

    I am one of the most vicious beings in the world.

    I rule Country Castle, a half-cave, half-archetypal mixed-use dungeon.

    The No-Life King usually resides in cave dungeons, but that''s not very elegant, so I''ve renovated it myself.

    Today, adventurers like rats invade this opulent and bizarre labyrinth.

    It''s so shameful.

    Even though they know they will die if they enter, are they compelled to come in for the treasure?

    You think you can get away with it?

    Either way I will welcome these irreverent intruders.

    It''s the perfect way to relieve boredom.

    The game of ''hunting'' is not complete without prey.

    Brave little thief. Adventurers and other intruders.

    These are the brave sneak thief, the adventurer, the intruder, the brave men who deserve to be the Count''s prey.

    Hunting is a noble sport.

    The hunt is a noble sport. They use all of their wits and physical strength to hunt down their prey and make them suffer as much as they can before they kill them.

    The brutality of this kind of battle is worthy of a strong man''s taste.

    I love this game of hunting.

    I love the game of hunting, especially the game with the wily prey called adventurers.

    So, what kind of prey will the adventurer be today?

    It''s good to be clever, it''s good to be agile, it''s good to be beautiful.

    In the end, whoever you are, you are destined to be hunted down and killed by me.

    I hope you will entertain me by running away unceremoniously.

    If you do your best to entertain me, I may make a piece of cloth and hang it in my study as a reward.

    That''s what I call a reward.

    I hope I have a good catch for my collection.

    Come now.

    You poor, lowlife, doomed to die.

    This Count of the No-Life King, who transcends death, will tell you the absolute difference between you and me.

    I will not die, and you will surely die.

    That too hopeless difference in existence!

    Come on!

    Boom!

    I''ve been hit!

    * * * *

    "...and thus...

    The No-Life King''s teacher said.

    ''The No-Life King is an extremely dangerous monster,'' said the No-Life King''s teacher, "while burying a No-Life King of his own kind and separate species with a single blow.

    The No-Life King is an extremely dangerous monster. ''The No-Life King is an extremely dangerous monster, an irredeemable fool who has transcended death and has forgotten the value of life. He occasionally finds someone with a life to play with and kills them. A truly irredeemable fool.''''

    Sorry I''m late, this is Hackai from Flamingo Oak.

    .........

    I''ve missed this feeling.

    I accompanied Prince Arowana on his warrior training trip, but since finishing that trip, I have been working with the other orcs on the saint''s farm as before.

    Today, I accompanied him as an escort on a social tour that was the teacher''s idea. It was just a precaution.

    But my fears were unfounded.

    The teacher, who was leading the field trip, slaughtered another No-Life King with a single blow.

    "Whew!¡¡Nah, what is that?

    Ah, it wasn''t slaughtered.

    It''s a vicious immortal king that was able to eat the teacher''s magic attack properly and not be killed by a suicide attack.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. I''m sure you saw that.¡¡The No-Life King doesn''t die and is unusually tough because he calls himself the Immortal King. Basically, there is no way for a living person to resist the No-Life King. Unless you have a holy sword or an extremely holy means of attack such as the angelic Manakanon,''''

    The students who have come to visit are nodding their heads in admiration and taking notes.

    ...That''s great, you guys.

    You guys are having a great experience now, aren''t you?

    All the No-Life Kings are scum and worse. This Count is a prime example. He chases people around, torments them, terrorizes them, and then kills them in despair, calling it hunting. He does this for a living, and it''s his hobby.

    I''m going to rag on you in front of him.

    ''As such, the No Life King is fundamentally a bunch of personality twisted scum. No exceptions!¡¡You must never go near it. That is the golden rule for survival. Do you understand?

    That''s a good answer.

    It''s full of criticisms.

    ''''Stop fooling around, you ruffian!

    The master of this dungeon, the No Life King, became furious.

    .........you do, don''t you, after being called a complete mess like that.

    Moreover, it was on top of being barged into his own home....

    "I wondered what the hell was going on here.........¡¡Why?¡¡Why is the No-Life King here?¡¡Why is there a No-Life King in here?

    I want to teach this young man something useful. The No-Life King''s folly and incompetence.

    The No-Life King and the No-Life King confront each other.

    The king, who should be alone by nature, has gathered in the same place.

    I overheard a rumor in the wind. I heard from the rumors that in a corner of the old human country, there is a fool who has become immortal and is most arrogant. I thought this would be a good teaching tool. Of course, it''s a bad example of what can and should not happen.

    "Ho ho!¡¡How well you know me!¡¡To the transcendent who defeated even death?

    So do I. So do I. But so what?¡¡What''s to be proud of when you don''t die?

    The doctor said quietly, "People die.

    He said quietly, "People die. Every living being has an end, and that is death. That is the natural and natural way to die. We are simply going against the laws of nature.

    .....

    Because a man dies, he gives birth to a new life. That continuous repetition is the true eternity. Anybody who strays from the cycle is ugly and miserable. I wanted these kids to see you, so they can see the ugliness of it. You can''t be afraid of the No-Life King and yet be the No-Life King.''

    A no-life king is one who was a past person.

    One who was alive and became immortal by breaking the forbidden law. With that knowledge and power, would one of those young people have the potential to become a No-Life King?

    "I wonder if teaching it is the best thing I can do for the d*mned.

    "Wise words, don''t be shrewd, you bastard!

    The other No-Life King is even more excited.

    You are the lowly breed of the No-Life King, talking as if you know what you are talking about!¡¡Last seat!¡¡I''m supposed to be the high no-life king in comparison!¡¡I''ll destroy you right here!''''

    The Count''s evil magic power rises.

    "My ultimate original magic will destroy you with the Noblesse Hundred Bullets!

    The number of magic bullets are flying at the teacher all at once.

    If the teacher is hit by these bullets, not only the teacher, but also the students behind him or her will be blown away without a trace.

    But that wasn''t the case.

    The horrendous swarm of magic bullets was dispelled with a single wave of the teacher''s finger and disappeared like a haze.

    ''''Ha!''''

    The count who released the magic power was most surprised.

    ''''It''s inexperienced magic control. I''ve been a lifeless king for a couple of hundred years and you think you can beat me in a magical battle?

    The doctor said.

    ''There is a difference in rank between you and the No Life King. You''re a rookie a thousand years too young to take on me.''

    "A thousand years.........¡¡You..........no, you........?''''

    Perhaps sensing the difference in strength, the No Life King''s Earl trembled as his bones clicked.

    ''''I''ve heard of it...!¡¡A limited No-Life King who stands at the pinnacle of even the strongest and worst of the No-Life Kings...!¡¡"Three wise and one foolish"!¡¡Are you one of them?

    "Now that I think of it, the doctor told me something like that.... It''s not good that he''s self-appointed.

    By the way.....

    ''It was Dr. D. who taught me about you, too. Do you have a lousy no-life king who could be a teaching tool? And ask him about the mana communication. I was introduced to you. You are a drunkard worthy of the title ''Doctor'' for keeping detailed data on all the No-Life Kings except yourself.

    "Doctor, doctor...!¡¡Even the Immortal High King surpasses the Immortal High King, the Immortal High King.......?¡¡The No-Life High King is right in front of me?

    ''''But in person, he''s even worse than I''ve heard. What do you think the students will be able to show them if they actually see this evil in person, even if they only overhear it?

    "Wait!¡¡Please wait!¡¡I would have given you the best of both worlds if I had known you were such an important man!¡¡I''ll do my best to entertain you from now on...!

    It is not necessary. I am determined to destroy you.

    "What!

    "Never again do I have to play a foolish game of hunting. "Granting death to the immortals who have forgotten what it''s like to be dead is the prerogative of the Immortal King.

    "No!¡¡("I don''t want to die!")

    !

    The brutal Earl, who had been killing adventurers as prey in the name of "hunting", was angered by his teacher and was permanently sealed away.

    Since then, the Country Castle has become a dungeon where adventurers have come to enjoy the throngs of adventurers without a master.

 348-346 Return as a special teacher

    Yes, it''s me.

    Suddenly I''m bored.

    The teacher left, saying ''I''m going to teach the students a lesson on the horrors of No Life King''........

    For some reason, I was the only one left behind.

    I was also interested in No Life King other than the teacher, so I wanted to take a look at it, but I thought, ''Why don''t we leave the adventurers we invited to go out? I stayed because I had an opinion that I was going to be a good guest.

    Well, I''m the owner of the farm, so the host can''t just leave the guests alone.

    So I followed Mr. Silverwolf into Veerle''s dungeon.

    Viel, in a fit of rivalry, half-heartedly took Silverwolf away from me.

    Since Silverwolf was raving about his dungeon, he wanted to have his own dungeon praised as well.

    A guy with a deep need for approval.

    I went into the mountain dungeon in the Viel and after searching everywhere, I finally found it, only to find Silverwolf in tears.

    ''''I didn''t know there was still this.......such a tremendous dungeon.......?

    It seemed that he had already experienced the dungeon of Veerle.

    ''''The monsters that come out and the materials you can pick up are of the highest quality. The dungeon orchard is above all........the origin of Alexander-sama''s dungeon, the original orchard was here....

    "Master, this guy is terrible!¡¡They say that the dungeon orchard that Master and I started is a rip-off of your brother Alexander.¡¡It was your brother who copied it!

    Veerle said pruriently.

    ''''Even the cave dungeon just now is of such superb quality that the guild would be turned over if it were to become public knowledge...?¡¡A mountain dungeon of the same level of superlative quality from the side that I only thought was unprecedented.......?

    Mr. Silver Wolf?

    Well please don''t cry?

    ''Praise the structure of the dungeon as well as the materials that come out?¡¡A multi-seasonal dungeon of my own design, created by God!

    Veerle I''ll praise him immensely later, but for now, just leave him alone...!

    I''ve heard that my mind''s capacity has been overwhelmed by the events I''ve faced....

    Give it all a little more time to sink in.

    "Hey you.........?¡¡What the hell is this place!

    And Mr. Silver Wolf clutched at me.

    ''''There are two dungeons lined up in such close proximity, and two of them are super good!¡¡If we submit it to the guild''s review, we''re sure to get five stars, maybe even six!

    ''''Brother Alexander''s dungeon is six stars, right?¡¡Then I''ll have seven stars!

    Veerle, can you not come in right now...?

    What is this place with all these awesome dungeons?

    So what is this place, the Farm of the Saints?

    Silverwolf-san huffs at Veerle''s tea that was put in without punishment.

    ''''I see........?¡¡The Saint''s Farm........?¡¡The frontier that has been widely rumored and explorer-type adventurers are trying to find it all.......?¡¡Oh, that''s right...?

    Mr. Silverwolf starts mumbling as if he were convinced by one person.

    It''s scary.

    ''''That''s why everyone is trying to search for it so bloodily.......!¡¡Such an immense amount of wealth is lying dormant...!¡¡The Saint''s Farm. It''s the last unexplored place left in this world...!

    No, it''s not that big of a deal, is it?

    It''s just a place where we live in peace and quiet on a daily basis.

    I know, I know. I''m not going to tell anyone.

    I didn''t say anything.

    "...I did not find this place by myself. I was only brought here by the hand of a transcendent named Alexander-sama. I won''t be shameless enough to call myself the First Discoverer of the Secret Region with such good fortune!

    Well....

    That''s the work of a man who has never known pride in his adventures.

    I don''t know about this, Silverwolf, but I hear you don''t tell anyone about this place.

    I don''t mind if you don''t, though, do you?

    No?

    So what do we do now?¡¡I''d like to continue to have the young ones taught the way of the adventurer, but...?

    There is no one to teach them that important lesson.

    That''s because they are on a social field trip with their teacher.

    I''m sure you''ll be back by supper, but what should I ask Silverwolf-san to do in the meantime?

    Well...........¡¡In that case.........?

    That Silver Wolf-san says with a fidgety expression.

    ''''Can I challenge this dungeon while I have some free time?¡¡I couldn''t help but get my temper up when I saw this new dungeon...!¡¡And all the more so when it''s such a good dungeon...!

    ....

    When you see a dungeon, you can''t help but conquer it.

    This is the way of the adventurer, isn''t it?

    * * *

    Thus, Silver Wolf-san enjoyed the dungeon attack to his heart''s content.

    Both Sensei''s dungeon and Veerle''s dungeon.

    Of course, he couldn''t conquer them all in one day, so he spent many days on them.

    I was impressed by the fact that he was so devoted to dungeons, forgetting to eat and sleep while giving an adventurer''s lecture to farm students, which was originally a requirement for him, and I was impressed by his obsession with dungeons.

    For me, it was meaningful to hear from Silverwolf''s adventurer''s knowledge about what parts of the dead monsters he defeated and how they were used in the dungeon.

    No one surpasses adventurers in their knowledge of how to make good use of the monsters and materials they can pick up from dungeons.

    We even learned how to make good use of the parts we used to throw away because we thought we couldn''t use them.

    This should be called an unexpected harvest.

    For the next month or so, Silver Wolf-san camped in the dungeon without staying in the farm house, and trudged through both the teacher and Veerle''s dungeon.

    By that time, I and my students had learned everything we needed to learn, so Mr. Silverwolf left the farm triumphantly.

    It was a good time for us to get to know each other.

    By the way, I heard that Silverwolf-san was treated as a missing person by his peers due to his stay on the farm for the past month, and there was a theory that he had died.

    It''s a common story in the adventurer''s industry.

    Thus, our farm''s plan to invite a special instructor (adventurer) to teach at our farm was a success.

    * * * *

    The following is an aside.

    Since the Demon King has been here for a while, we talked about the adventurer, Silver Wolf, who had recently returned.

    If the Demon King had come to visit us a little earlier or if Silver Wolf had stayed a little longer, we could have introduced each other.

    ''''An adventurer........I''ve recently become interested in that profession as well.

    ''What?¡¡Don''t tell me you want to turn into an adventurer, Demon King?

    ''''It''s not that. With the end of the Human-Devil War, the Demon King''s Army is slowly being reduced in size. In the Demon Kingdom, the management of dungeons has been led by the Demon King''s Army, but there is a proposal to outsource this type of work to the private sector.

    I see.

    The guild of adventurers will be the consignee.

    We''ll be able to make use of the institutions unique to the human race in the demon kingdom where there are demons.

    This is exactly what we can do now that the war is over. It''s a great feeling to feel that the world is progressing.

    Of course there are many dungeons in the Demon Kingdom, but every manageable dungeon has a member of the Demon King''s army stationed in it. If we let the Adventurer''s Guild take over the management of those dungeons, and the Demon King''s Army is out of the picture, I think we can cut down on a lot of personnel...

    Mm-hm?

    As far as I''m concerned, I think it''s a pretty good idea.

    So why would the Demon King, who is cheating on such a dream plan, have a somber expression on his face.

    ''''Actually, that plan isn''t going well...''''

    Why is that again?

    Opponents.

    The leader of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army.

    Belphegamilia of ''Fallen''.

    You are now the commander of the Demon Army and the head of the military. You can''t do anything about it if she doesn''t agree with you. Normally, you can just say ''Isn''t it okay?'' to any issue, but this time, why...?

    I don''t think it''s a good idea to just say ''isn''t it good?

    You are in a position of responsibility, aren''t you?

    "...what''s that person against?

    That''s the wrong question.¡¡The only thing I blurted out was...!

    A word?

    "She''s going to make her move...

    And.

    What are you doing?

    * * *

    I couldn''t have imagined it at the time.

    The strongest of mankind, making even the Four Heavenly Kings, Belfegamilia, afraid.

    The president of the No Life King.

    Its hidden shadow lies deep within the Devil''s Land.

 349-347 Disappearance Adventurers Return

    I''m Shabe. I''m a humble budding adventurer.

    When I heard about it, I freaked out.

    A dead S-class adventurer, Silverwolf?

    The adventurers were talking about him.

    Mr. Silver Wolf was one of the only five S-class adventurers in the world.

    Among them, he is known for his skillfulness.

    He''s a lone wolf and doesn''t form a party, always challenging dungeons alone.

    His solitary behavior is admired by many adventurers.

    I''m a big fan of my brother Silverwolf, too.

    The mainstream adventurers usually choose either the Golden Bad or the Black Cat faction when deciding which of the current S-class adventurers they are fans of.

    The connoisseurs usually choose the Silver Wolf brother.

    That''s why I was shocked when I heard the news of Brother Wolf''s death.

    ''''How absurd!¡¡Oh, my God!¡¡I don''t believe it! I thought.

    I heard that Brother Wolf had disappeared while he was regularly attacking the six-star dungeon, "Holy White Maiden Mountain".

    Some witnesses said that just before he disappeared, he was called in by the guild.

    From there, various speculations flew about his disappearance.

    The theory that he was forced to marry the guild master''s daughter and ran away.

    The theory is that he was caught having an affair with the guildmaster''s daughter-in-law and ran away.

    The theory is that the guild master forced me to be a homos*xual and I escaped.

    There were various rumors.

    Incidentally, he later denied any lustful relationship with the guildmaster and his family.

    Why did those rumors start?

    Anyway, it''s been a week or two, but I still haven''t heard from Brother Wolf....

    Has he finally died in a dungeon somewhere?

    If a monster eats you, there''s no corpse left and there''s no way to confirm your death.

    Just when I was told that.........

    Silver Wolf''s brother came back.

    He hadn''t been back in about a month.

    Since we had assumed that he was completely dead, everyone was truly surprised.

    I also witnessed the miraculous return of my brother Wolf with my own eyes.

    I was so concerned about his safety that I went to the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain, where he was last seen, and used it as a base to attack the dungeon.

    I''m glad the renovation work is done.

    It''s a good thing I registered a lot of stuff when I was here before.

    So that''s why Brother Silverwolf showed up at the Sacred White Maiden''s Mountain Guild Branch again...

    The atmosphere was very different!

    It''s quiet and yet it''s very impressive...?

    It was as if he''d gone up to a higher level than we''d ever seen before.

    Of course, I was the lowest-ranked person on the team, so I had to watch it from a distance.

    The A- and B-grade people were trying to talk to him, but he didn''t seem to be saying anything.

    Where the hell were they for a month when they were missing and what were they doing?

    When asked, he doesn''t answer any questions.

    So the rumor is, ''What did Silverwolf do for a blank month?'' It spread in this direction....

    The theory that ''I was confined under house arrest because I was forced to marry the guild master''s daughter.

    The theory that he was under house arrest because he was caught having an affair with the guildmaster''s wife.

    The theory: "I was under house arrest because the guild master forced me to be a homos*xual.

    He later denied having any lustful relationship with the guildmasters.

    However, the brother Wolf, who is the guildmaster, has never spoken about it, so there''s no way for it to develop, and before long the rumors are gone.

    My brother himself has been attacking the Sacred White Maiden''s Mountain as if he had never been away from home before, and has been making his way to the upper levels.

    I''ve been struggling with the zakkofrog monster at the lower levels.

    ........that day too.

    I managed to exchange the flesh, skin and oil from the frog monster I defeated for money to pay for lodging that day.

    When I was drinking with the little money I had left over.

    ''.........sharing a seat, okay?

    "What?

    The unbelievable thing happened.

    My brother Wolf was sitting across from me.

    Wow!

    Brother Silverwolf!¡¡Does he really have the face of a wolf?

    Beastman War Wolf is so cool!

    I profess to be a fan of my brother Wolf, but of course I don''t know him and I''ve never spoken to him.

    I''m sure they don''t even know my name or my existence.

    That''s what I thought, so why did you come out of nowhere?

    I''m not going to be able to tell you what is going on.¡¡With such a surprised look on your face?

    What?¡¡Um..........?

    Sometimes we adventurers drink in the same tavern. Or do you not want to eat with me?

    ''No way!¡¡Cheers!

    .........cock.

    And then we smash our drinks against each other.

    .........

    So cool~!

    Brother Wolf''s way of calling a toast is so cool~~~!

    A toast?

    I don''t know what it means, but it''s so cool!¡¡I''ll use it next time!

    You, by the way...

    Yes?

    I hear you''re trying to get to the saint''s farm?

    How did you know that?

    Yeah, yeah!¡¡I dream of discovering a saint''s farm and going down in history!

    It''s a big dream.... But does the farm of the saints really exist?

    What?

    ''The only information we have is rumors that raise eyebrows. There is no evidence or witnesses to determine its existence. Maybe there is no such thing as a saint''s farm. Yet you continue to search for it?

    What is this, some kind of serious question?

    I feel like my adventuring life is going to be ruined if I answer this question without being careful.

    I have to be very careful what I say.

    "There''s always a saint''s farm. I''m going to find it. That''s my adventurous spirit!

    Brilliant.

    Brother Wolf smiled with satisfaction.

    ''Your determination to put your saint''s farm on the line is well understood. In spite of your passion, I have some good things to tell you.

    My brother quirked his finger and gestured, ''Lend me your ears''.

    When he did as he said, Wolf''s brother whispered in a small voice that no one but his ears could hear.

    ''The Saints'' farm exists!

    What...?

    What did you say?

    Brother!¡¡Why are you so sure about this?

    You''re not actually going to find the farm of the saint?

    I''m not qualified to claim to have discovered that place anymore. You''re going to have to find it for me. ........Find it, the whole world is there!

    What a strong word!

    My brother has not been seen for a month...?

    "Silverwolf''s brother........!¡¡I''ll find the saint''s farm!¡¡And I''ll be the first to report to my brother!

    ''That''s what makes you a hot soul adventurer. I can''t tell you many things, but I will give you one piece of advice.

    Brother Wolf said.

    ''There''s a No-Life King on the Saints'' farm!

    The No-Life King?

    The two biggest disasters in the world?

    Did you come back from a place with such a vicious presence?

    Oh, speaking of the No-Life King, the Earl of Country Castle is in the news recently for his disappearance.

    ''''Huh, I can''t say any more from you, but I''ll give you one last piece of advice. There''s not only a No-Life King in the Saint''s Farm, there''s also a dragon!

    What did you say?

    The two biggest disasters in the world are lined up!

    Speaking of which, I heard that a dragon claiming to be the saint''s servant was attacked during the war...?

    This is an even more bizarre world than I imagined.........................the farm of the saints.

    But Brother Silverwolf has survived such an atrocious shroud of violence.

    ''I can''t tell you anything about it, but I wish you the best of luck in fulfilling your dream of being an adventurer...!¡¡Adios!

    And then Brother Silverwolf left.

    .........Brother.

    You entrusted me with your dream of becoming an adventurer, didn''t you...?

    I''m going to do my best to find the saint''s farm so that I can live up to your expectations!

    .........by the way.

    Silver Wolf''s brother, who had left my seat, went two seats away from me and sat down again.

    We were sharing a seat, after all.

    Across from Brother Wolf was a young female adventurer sitting across from him.

    ''''By the way, I hear you''re going to the saint''s farm?

    Are you saying the same thing you said about me?

    Could it be that you''re talking to each and every adventurer who professes to be aiming for the saint''s farm!

    ''I am no longer qualified to aspire to that place, but still, let me tell you one thing...''

    ''Oh, shit!¡¡I''ll get to the saint''s farm without you telling me!

    Momoko-chan, that''s a tough one....

    You should have at least listened to her.

 350-348 Looking at the stars

    When Junior is chagrined, I generally take him outside.

    I''ve found that it''s easier to get the baby to stop crying outside because there are multiple things that interest him.

    That day, Junior started to get antsy before bedtime, so I decided to go outside and soothe him.

    ''I''m glad it wasn''t after I fell asleep...! I thought to myself.

    I also thought that it was starting to get cold, so I should stop nursing him outside.

    Junior immediately stopped crying as he was intrigued by the scenery outside.

    It was the starry sky that he was obsessed with.

    It was night now.

    Moreover, the clear night sky was full of twinkling stardust, spreading out countless times, as bright as midday.

    ''''........duh.

    With me holding him in my arms, Junior stretched out his hand towards the top of his head.

    He then grasps his outstretched hand in a tight grip when it is stretched to its limit.

    He stretches his fist out again and grabs it again, reaching up to the sky.

    He repeated the process.

    Guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw, guffaw....

    The repetition of the inexplicable motion made me go, ''? I just twisted my head around, but gradually I realized what my child was trying to do.

    He is trying to grab a star.

    That star shining in the night sky. She mistakenly believes that it is within reach if she can reach it.

    It''s a childish misconception.

    It''s a cute and romantic movement.

    "Everyone is attracted to the starry sky that floats in the night sky........

    I felt a little bit like a galactic hero.

    Then I thought to myself.

    As Junior gets older, he''ll be interested in all kinds of things.

    Even the countless stars floating in the night sky.

    There is a romance in the stars.

    That romance will stimulate a child''s rich sensibilities and play a role in building his or her character.

    For Junior to eventually become an adult with a rich heart....

    The stars matter!

    * * *

    So I decided to make an astronomical telescope.

    Speaking of stars, astronomical observation!

    Speaking of astronomical observation, telescopes!

    When Junior''s grown up and smart enough to understand how nature works, we''ll look through the telescope together to strengthen the bond between parent and child!

    "Hey, Junior, that''s the M45 Predacious Cluster.

    "You know everything, Dad!

    You can expect an exchange of "You know everything, don''t you!

    Father''s dignity eels!

    Let''s build a telescope for that!

    Is it possible to build an astronomical telescope and other things that smell like civilization? It sounds like it''s going to be okay.

    It''s not that complicated structurally, and we''ve made a lot of things in the past.

    If we put our know-how into it, there is no reason why we can''t make it.

    Let''s make an astronomical telescope!

    * * *

    As a layman, I have a preconceived notion that there are two important elements in making an astronomical telescope.

    The body and the lens.

    The lens, well, it''s not a telescope without it.

    I''ll ask the glasswork team of the elves to make it.

    The lens is originally made of glass, and I''m sure that Poel''s glasswork team has accumulated a lot of experience in making lenses from their past work on the microscope.

    Gara Rufa''s passion for studying bacteria = perfecting the microscope is now put to good use here!

    As far as the Pauers are concerned, it''s ''Nightmare Again! I guess that''s what it''s all about.

    The lens is fine, but the next most important thing is the body of the camera.

    The next most important part is the tube to which the lens is attached.

    I decided to form this from paper.

    According to what I heard, the old telescope was made from paper.

    In fact, our farm also produces paper.

    The goblins strain paper out of the high-quality wood from the dungeon orchard.

    However, it''s only used as memo paper on the farm, and since there''s not much use for it, we were about to stop producing it when Shax from the Pandemonium Trading Company came to our attention and said, ''We''d love to sell this paper to you! He cried out to me.

    So I''m still making some of the paper for wholesale to the Chamber of Commerce.

    The goblins seem to enjoy making paper, so there''s no problem.

    I borrowed some of the paper and made it into a tube like a poster.

    After adjusting the thickness of the tube, I coated it with lacquer and hardened it.

    Now the tube was completed.

    Edward and aileron were arguing again about whether to decorate the surface with gold leaf or to keep the natural texture of the lacquer, but they ignored it.

    The telephoto lens, which the Poel with Glasswork team had worked so hard to complete, was attached, and it was finally complete!

    An otherworldly astronomical telescope!

    * * * *

    That''s not food?

    Veerle lost interest with that word and left.

    But there were many others in the crowd, curiously surrounding the completed telescope.

    ''''A tube like that...?¡¡What can you do with something like that...?

    They say you can see things in the distance with it.

    Like clairvoyant magic?

    Everyone is curious about the telescope.

    It is already set on a wooden base, facing diagonally upwards.

    For it is far up in the sky that this sees through.

    ''Look at this, Platy!¡¡When Junior gets a little older, we''re going to do some stargazing with this!

    "Huh.

    A wife with a face that clearly doesn''t understand the romance of men.

    It''s okay!¡¡Father and son alone in the night sky, staring up at the sky, just you and me!

    Do you want to check the performance of the telescope now for that?

    When the time comes for Junior to grow up, ''There was a defect! I can''t help it if that''s the case.

    Also, I realized while building the telescope that we are in a different world.

    There is no way that the structure of a celestial body is the same as the one in the previous world.

    Why didn''t I notice it first?

    In other words, although there are countless stars twinkling in the night sky in the same way, the position and brilliance of the stars are completely different.

    Even the total number of stars is incomparable.

    That''s why there''s no way he can win respect by disregarding his knowledge of the previous world''s celestial bodies.

    There would be no Orion, the Great Triangle in winter, or the Great Triangle in summer in this world.

    I looked at it with the naked eye and found that there was not even the North Star. There was no Big Dipper either, so there would be no dead star.

    ''''Then Junior will be observing all the stars while he''s a baby to accumulate astronomical knowledge in this world...!

    You could even create your own constellations on the celestial chart of this world.

    "Hey, hey, those tools are for looking at stars at night, right?

    Prathi, who didn''t seem particularly interested, said while picking up Junior.

    ''But it''s daytime now?''

    Yes, the timing of the completion of the telescope was just at midday. We have to wait until the sun goes down to do full-scale astronomical observation.

    But I thought I could at least check the telescope''s performance during the daytime, so I looked through the lens.

    Oh, it looks good.

    I took a look at the distant mountains as a test, and was able to see the detailed shapes of the trees that covered the surface.

    Nice work, an otherworldly telescope!

    This is the result of the amazing skills of Poel and his glasswork elves.

    Now let''s take a look at the sky in earnest.

    It''s daytime, but if we''re lucky, we might be able to see something Venus-like!

    I looked into the sun, being careful not to look directly at it only........

    ''.........what is it?

    Within the lens of the telescope, I saw a strange, unexpected reflection.

    A cloud.

    The telescope is pointing upwards, so it''s only natural to see clouds in the sky....

    The subject of the strange thing is not the clouds.

    It''s the person standing on the cloud.

    A person on a cloud?

    What do you mean?¡¡Isn''t he like a god or thunderbolt like the old TV?

    Hmm?¡¡God?

    Me, puzzled, not stopping to peek. The person standing on the cloud didn''t seem to notice that he was being watched from afar.

    He was a beautiful, beautiful young man who was easily recognizable at a glance, but that beautiful young man was suddenly on top of the clouds.......

    ''''A~~~!¡¡Porong!

    he shouted out.

    It didn''t make sense.

    It was also unclear why he could hear the voice when he was looking through the telescope, but I put that aside....

    ''''A~~~!¡¡Polonk!¡¡ A~~~!¡¡!¡¡ Aaah~~~~~!¡¡!¡¡!¡¡Polonk!''''

    He repeated a mysterious scream.

    Incidentally, he also faked it. It''s a good idea to make a move like a parody of a coma Chi in response to the shouting.

    I watched such a surreal scene through the telescope.

    Soon, a beautiful young man screams in frustration. Above the clouds.

    ''No!¡¡Between "ahh" and "polon" isn''t perfect!¡¡If we don''t figure out the ultimate pause here, it won''t be a one-shot gag that will cause a thumping laugh among the gods!''''

    And the beautiful young man said again, ''''Ahh!¡¡And then the beautiful young man again said, "Ah! And then the beautiful young man repeated the movement again, shouting in a strange voice like a coma-chi.

    I took my eyes off the telescope.

    It was impossible to see the beautiful young man in the heavens with the naked eye, and the white clouds were just shimmering with ease.

    ''..............................huh.

    I asked one of the people close at hand, who looked like he knew what he was talking about.

    ''Are there any gods in the heavenly realm, Apollo?''

    ''What?¡¡There is. Apollo, one of the children of the celestial god Zeus, is the most fatherly god of art, along with Athena, the god of war!

    I knew it.

    ''Is comedy an art form? I was caught up for a moment.

    ........The otherworldly telescope was sealed because it was a serious violation of the privacy of the gods who live in the heavenly realm.

    Me and Junior have ambitions to do parent-child astronomical observations!

    You gods of heaven!

 351-349 Afforestation plan progress

    Elzariel has come.

    She is an elf. A great criminal who once led a bandit gang of his own people to raid all over the world.

    In case you''re wondering, she was a righteous bandit who only stole from bad rich people.

    She''s been caught, released, and various other things, and now she''s working on a tree planting project.

    Her visit today seemed to have something to do with that.

    ''''Well so what are your requirements today?''''

    ''Wait a minute. I''ll eat all this delicious food and then...

    As soon as we visited, it was Elzariel, who requested a meal before we could talk.

    She was shoving the food into her mouth with the force of rice grains, as if she were sprinkling them around.

    The food here is delicious after all!¡¡I''d like to steal the entire pantry!

    I''m afraid so.

    This Elisariel-san seemed to particularly like it, and because of this, ''I don''t want to leave! He even gurgled like a child.

    As he scraped his new fried rice like a suction machine, Elzariel-san was greedy in a way that he hadn''t shown even during his time as a bandit.

    ''''Oh, I ate, I ate. I''m full, I''m full, another!''''

    Um..., I think it''s time for the requirements...?

    I have something to tell you, and you got permission from the Demon King''s Army to come here, right?

    I even went to the trouble of using transference magic to send you off and pick you up.

    If this is the case, if you say ''I made up some random errand to eat your meal'', your credibility will be ruined.

    It''s just that he''s an ex-thief and hard to believe.

    "Don''t worry, I''ve got things to do. We''re here for a reason. And it''s an errand that concerns you as well.

    Elzariel the Elf says.

    ''It''s about the planting operation,''

    Afforestation work.

    It was the work of reforesting the withered forests of the elves.

    A forest that once stretched out in the territory of the former human nation.

    But now it was gone.

    This is because the mana of the earth has been sucked away by the legal magic used by the human race.

    The mana, the source of magic, is also the energy that supports natural life activities.

    The Elven Forest, which has been withered away by the tyranny of the human race, will be restored to a green space again.

    The person working directly for this purpose was this Elzariel.

    The forest was originally inhabited by our elves. I have no objection to bringing it back to life.

    So the Elf Forest Restoration Project, spearheaded by Elzariel, is being carried out.

    The specific task was to plant trees.

    We planted a number of young saplings in a clearing that had been fertilized by the natural manna.

    In a decade or so, the saplings would grow up to become mature trees and form a forest that would flourish for hundreds of years.

    But.....

    We have a problem.

    Problem?

    They have interfered with our work.

    Interference.

    There''s a word for that in there that isn''t gentle.

    But why would you want to sabotage it?

    What Mr. Elzariel is doing is a fine charitable work, and I don''t think anyone is going to be in trouble.

    On the other hand, I don''t think anyone would benefit from interfering with his planting work.

    Who in the world would interfere with that?

    An elf.

    An unexpected name came up.

    ''That''s Elzariel, isn''t it, Mr. Elzariel, the race you come from?

    ''''Are you saying that the elves are hostile?¡¡To the same elf, Elzariel?

    ''Elves are an exclusive race by nature. Even if they''re of the same race, they''re completely outsiders just because they belong to different races. The ones who attacked you are the local elves who still live in the forest. ........I mean, Zimoel!

    ........It''s fine.

    In the territory of the old human race, the forest where elves could live was really less and less, but there was still a small amount of forest left.

    We''re aiming to restore that forest to its original size........

    It is said that there is an elf who lives in such a cat''s forehead forest and stubbornly keeps up the old way of life.

    I guess I''m a hardcore conservative elf. With less and less forest to live in, many elves have either moved to the demon country where there are still plenty of rich forests, or they have abandoned their permanent lives and turned into bandits.

    Elzariel, for example, is a cutie who changed his career to a thief.

    He didn''t start stealing human beings out of love for anything, but rather after a tough choice to live.

    ''Maybe I should say that moving to a new place or exploring a different way of life is the easy way out. Compared to sticking to your original way of life. The one who chose that hardest path is Zimoel, who still dwells in the few forests of humanity.

    Do you like that name?

    Clinging to a dying forest and preserving the traditional way of life is an unimaginably harsh task. The people who dared to choose that harshness are truly stubborn. Especially among the elves who are stubborn by nature.

    In the forest where the old guardian elves live, an intruder appears.

    It''s a tree-planting party, of which Elzariel-san is a member.

    I''m not going to be the only one who can do that. Nature, we will expand the existing elven forest.

    A small amount of elven forest remains in a very small area, affected by the depletion of mana by the human race.

    They wanted to expand it back to its original extent.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make this happen. It''s a very good idea to get the cooperation of the elves who still live in the elven forest. Then they turned us away.

    What?

    They may be our own people, but the ones who left the forest are not our friends. If you approach the Elven Forest, they will see you as an intruder and will attack you.

    You can''t do that, can you?

    That''s what I''m talking about.

    They shoot arrows at personnel who are trying to plant trees around the forest.

    They are digging up the young seedlings they have planted.

    We were told that they were interfering with our work and that no progress was being made at all.

    Even though this is a charity work that will not bother anyone. The people who have stubbornly preserved their old ways of life by clinging to a dying nature must have become more and more stubborn...!

    ''''The only way to proceed with the planting process is to eliminate this Zimoel. I have joined forces with the Demon King''s army to attack him...

    Wasn''t there a way to discuss it?

    But after all, the elves are invincible in the woods. Visibility is obscured in the forest. The elves will approach, completely oblivious to the trees, and will aim at you with hundreds of arrows. And they will aim at you with a hundred arrows out of a hundred.

    In contrast, the other races are not familiar with the forest and have no way of cutting off the signs.

    They are goofier, more goofy, more northerly and easier to hunt than any dumb beast.

    The shamanic magic used by elves is a form of magic magic, but it is more closely linked to nature spirits. If that thing shoots an arrow that grants them magical barrier nullification, their prey is finished.

    Catch.

    ''''That''s why it''s too dangerous to throw the Demon King''s army into the fight. Only an elf can defeat an elf in the forest. In other words, it''s me!

    Mr. Elzariel pointed to himself.

    ''''But no matter how brave I am, it''s reckless to take on a group by myself. We must have a reasonable number of people here as well. ........so!

    You know I''m here?

    Finally, we found out the main issue.

    So Mr. Elzariel came to our farm to get a headcount for the fight.

    Because there are at least twenty elves living in our farm.

    And they are well known to Elzariel-san.

    After all, we used to be bandits together.

    ''''So you are here to help Elron and the others?''''

    That''s right, I''m bringing back the ''Stonecutters of the Thunderstorm'' for a limited time to get rid of all those elves who are blocking our planting operations!

    No, he''s just your kind of guy...?

    Only elves are capable of fighting elves in the forest in a decent manner.

    In accordance with that providence, it could be said to be an appropriate response.......

    ''Oh no!¡¡Absolutely no!!!!

    The brown beauty interrupts the meeting between me and Elzariel-san.

    It''s Elf Elon, who represents our farm''s elf team.

    ''''Elron?¡¡You''ve been overheard!

    I''ll be on my guard for a visit from Miss Mitchell, that''s the least I can do!¡¡And I''m not going!¡¡I''m not going into battle!

    What?¡¡Elon, we are on the verge of seeing our homeland restored!

    Now you''re talking like that!¡¡I followed Miss Sally away from the farm, but at the end of the day, even though I was done with my business, they kept me back with some difficulty and I couldn''t go back to the farm forever, of course I couldn''t!¡¡I''ll never do that!

    Elzariel-san, trust me.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of your time in the world.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them.

    They hated to leave this place with every fiber of their being.

    Eei!¡¡You''ve gone soft.¡¡Is that why you''re the second-generation chieftain of the Stone Grinding Gang of Thunderstorm?

    I''m only a platter-maker now!

    Shut up!¡¡I want to live here and have a nice meal every day, but you guys are the only ones who look at me like I''m cheating!

    "I''ve finally found my true feelings!

    Now, as a farm owner, what should I make of this proposal?

    If it comes to a battle, the opponent is an elf of the same race.

    They don''t seem to care about the dew, but it''s not pleasant to watch two people of the same species killing each other, and of course there will be casualties when they fight.

    The elves on our farm are our most important workforce and our closest friends.

    I don''t want to lose a single one of them now.

    ''''Then I guess the answer is clear.

    He said to Elzariel, who was still wrestling with Elron.

    ''''We cannot lend you our elves. Instead, let me introduce you to a powerful helper.''''

 352-350 high elf

    The change came from some other direction than what I expected.

    The normal elves who could come and go in and out of the forest freely reported.

    ''''The human nation has been destroyed!

    And.

    .....

    Hmm?

    Wasn''t a country meant to be destroyed? Well, it has existed since before Warawa was born.

    But when he heard the report, he honestly thought, ''So what? That''s all I could think of.

    We, the Elves, have no part in the world. We are not concerned with the world.

    But according to the young man, it is different.

    The reason our forest is drying up and narrowing its scope is because of the legal magic used by the human race, isn''t it?

    The mana of the human race had been forcibly robbed from the earth, and because of this, the power of nature was diminishing.

    If the human nation was destroyed, then the magic his nation had put up for defense would stop, and the mana that was taken would return.

    Yay.

    Then the warriors would not be destroyed, right?

    Our forest will also stop declining, or at least not perish.

    If all goes well, the returned mana will revitalize the forest and it will return to its original, rich, great sea of trees!

    Just when I was exhilarated to hear that it was a wonderful thing....

    Then another change came from a different direction.

    The Demon Lord''s Army has come to visit me in the forest.

    According to them, he is the one who destroyed the human nation.

    Are they coming to tell you that they are going to change the ruler?

    No one will ever rule in the Elven Forest.

    The elves will only serve the forest that feeds them.

    If you want to play ruler, go outside the forest. This is none of our business.

    What?¡¡What''s the difference?

    I thought you were here to compel us elves to swear an oath of obedience.

    I''m not sure I''ve ever seen such a thing before.

    I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that I''m not one of them.

    But not you demons.

    We want to see the rebirth of the Elven Forest.

    I was surprised to see one of the demon tribe''s men coming out of the crowd.

    It was our own kind of elf.

    "I am Elzariel, granddaughter of the mighty Elf warrior, the valiant Elmoelus.

    Well, when was the last time you left the forest for the grandson of a madman?

    Why is such a person in the company of demons?

    Things are changing fast out there. And that''s why I''m here with the Demon Lord''s Army.

    What do you say you want?

    Planting.

    The food chain?

    Shuffling, shuffling, shuffling....

    You eat the forest?¡¡How dare you!

    You want to hurt our already dying forest, greedy greedy bastard!

    ''No!¡¡Plant it!¡¡It says plant a forest, plant a forest!

    I''ve been listening to this story of the outer elves for a while now, and I''m beginning to understand what it means.

    The idea is to revive the forest by planting young trees in a place that is now dead and vacant.

    With this method, we can restore the forest much faster and more efficiently than letting nature take its course.

    Hmm?

    "I think this project of the Demon King''s Army is worthwhile, and I came to see you today to ask for your help in this time of hardship, as you have never abandoned the forest and continued to live here.

    Hmm.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve seen an elf outside the village.

    But our business is of no consequence.

    I''ve said to him.

    I understand what you want to do. Now get the hell out of here.

    It''s...

    They can do whatever they want to do in the outside world, whether they fight or kill each other. They can do whatever they want in the outside world, whether they want to fight or kill each other. That is why we will not allow them to interfere with us.

    But this is for the reclamation of your forest...

    Do you think we''re obligated to follow them if it''s beneficial?

    That is disgusting and kind.

    Listen to me. This forest belongs to the elves who adore and respect it.

    I will not allow any outsider to tamper with it.

    Nor will they meddle with our godlike forest.

    A forest is only a forest if it is nurtured in nature.

    Nurtured efficiently by human hands?¡¡I''ve had enough of your profanity!

    Such an act is an insolent attempt by men to rule the forest. It is the daughter of the forest and the elves will not tolerate such evil. If you do so, know that you will be punished accordingly.

    "You''re not just going to help us, you''re going to hinder us?

    Elthoelmoels'' granddaughter suddenly turned to look at me like a wild animal.

    It seems to be a warrior''s bloodline.

    It''s a good thing that the outgoing elf is a stray cat that has lost its elven pride. They don''t even understand the nature of the forest and are sympathetic to the fools out there. An elf like you is no longer an elf!

    ''I didn''t think I could talk to a stubborn man clinging to a declining forest... but it was still a good idea. But this is already decided. You old-timers can''t overturn this!

    ''You think he''s going to come by force?¡¡Good, I''ll show you that there is no one who can defeat an elf in the forest. No, you are an elf.¡¡But will our failing instincts in the city be understood by us?

    And so the negotiations have come to an end.

    Sooner or later, new rulers will come to conquer us.

    It''s no big deal.

    This is the same thing that has been happening since the time when the tribesmen ruled outside the forest.

    Many times the greedy royalty of mankind have compelled our elves to follow their vassals and send some of their best-known elves to the palace to serve them.

    Every time we beat them to a pulp.

    I don''t care if the outside rulers are men or demons.

    We Elves will always be independent!

    If you don''t agree with that, then you can always call me!

    * * * *

    A few days later.

    The demons were attacking us after all.

    Fools. You can''t get away with it because you''re too small and narrow, but the elves in the forest are invincible.

    They are perfectly hidden in the trees, completely oblivious to the fact that they are hiding in the trees, and they can shoot hundreds of arrows that nullify their defensive magic.

    You''ll be reminded of the fear of your hunted prey.

    .........

    We were annihilated by the goblins that seemed to have been sent by the enemy.

 353-351 Goblin armor sleeve touch

    It''s me.

    We are coming out of the farm for a long trip today.

    The Elven Forest.

    So this is the home base of the elves....

    But it''s really desolate...?

    We''re just at the point that should be the entrance to the forest.

    We were standing on the borderline between the area of trees and the area that is not.

    Strictly speaking, the position is one step down to the outside of the forest.

    Perhaps if we tried to enter the forest side any further, the arrows of the elves who had turned into manhunters would fly at us mercilessly....

    However, what was more worrisome than that was the desolation inside and outside the Elven Forest.

    A wilderness where not a single blade of grass grew.

    The soil was dry and silky, the rocky surface bare.

    The strip of depressions that stretched straight out as if drawing a line across the ground must have been a river that once flowed through it.

    Now it has dried up and there is nothing to see.

    Such a desolate landscape stretched as far as the eye could see.

    This was the result of natural mana being extracted by legal magic........

    ''''Now that the human nation has been destroyed and the legal magic that devastates nature has stopped, the mana should be returning to the earth little by little. This earth is about to be revived.

    So we''re talking about planting trees and helping to revive them.

    A battle is inevitable to get the local elves themselves, who live in the area, to approve it.

    If we continue with our planting operations, there will be serious delays if there are any interruptions by Zimoel. It is essential that we deal with Zimoel before we can start work in earnest.

    Elzariel says, sounding serious.

    She too has become serious about her planting work before long.

    On the other hand........

    ''No!¡¡I''m going home!¡¡I''m going back to the farm, the home of my heart!

    Aileron, who was half forced to be brought to the farm, was still crying and screaming.

    I believed that if I was taken away, I would never be able to return to the farm again due to the forcefulness of Elsariel-san.

    ''''Don''t worry, I''ll take responsibility for bringing you back with me...!

    Ugh, I can''t leave my saint for a second.

    He just clung to me as he said that.

    ''Don''t go any closer to the woods, either of you.

    Elzariel said with the tension of a warrior.

    ''Already, the Zimoels have positioned themselves near the entrance to the forest.

    Local Elves.

    But I couldn''t feel anything.

    The forest in front of me was filled with tranquility, and there was nothing but a sense of quietness and seclusion.

    I could even hear birds chirping through the trees.

    Is there an elf lurking in this peaceful space, aiming to kill you?

    With the elves'' cloaking skills, not even a little bird would notice. But the elves can detect each other. There are at least five of them. They are pointing their arrows in our direction.

    There are six of them.

    Elzariel-san puts a correction on Elron''s narrative.

    ''''As I thought, your instincts are also dull. I''m sure you''ll be able to find one guy in the vanguard who is extremely good at blocking out all the attention. If you were alone, you''d be dead by now.

    "That''s why I said ''at least''!

    The first and second head eyes arguing with each other.

    I can''t participate in their argument because I don''t feel anything.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more to say.

    No one can find the elves who hid in the forest, and thus cannot attack them.

    But the elves can see their prey wandering through the forest in full view.

    The elves who have the forest on their side are invincible.

    Isn''t the reason why we were able to easily catch an aileron who once infiltrated our home, because we encountered him outside the forest?

    Normally, there is only one way for a race to defeat the elves that lurk in the forest. It is to burn the entire forest to the ground.

    "How could you be so violent...?

    I pull back from Aeron''s abrupt explanation.

    But in order to defeat an elf who received absolute terrain support called a forest, the entire forest, the guardian of the forest, had to be defeated.

    "The reason why the elven forest has shrunk to this level is not only because of the depletion of mana, but also because the forest was burnt down in the war with the human nation...

    ''Again, that''s the only and surest way to hold off the local elves who can''t hear you. But that won''t work this time.

    That''s right.

    The original idea was to revive the elven forest in the first place, but it would be a disaster if the few remaining original forests were burned to the ground.

    That''s why we must accurately find and capture the elves that have blended into it without harming the forest.

    Is that realistically possible?

    Uncovering the elves that lived with the forest was the equivalent of sorting through the sand and mixed grit without tools.

    Even the teacher and Veerle seemed to find it a difficult task.

    Especially for Veerle, he''s going to get bored and blow up the entire forest in a heartbeat.

    That''s why you brought the perfect helper to help you out, right?

    Someone caught my gaze and marched forward proudly.

    One of the two major leaders of our farm''s monster team.

    This is Gobbler Gobkichi.

    Today is his day of triumph.

    ''''I will do whatever you ask of me.

    Gobukichi declares himself to be reliable and worthy.

    He is usually inconspicuous, hiding behind Okubo, but his abilities are comparable to those of Okubo.

    On the contrary, in missions that require such attention to detail and accuracy, he is more capable than Okubo.

    ''''If it''s Okubo-dono, he''ll certainly be able to reap four or five trees with his momentum first...''''

    Gobkichi said with a wry smile.

    ''So instead of renting out the elf team, we''re going to have Gobkichi work for us!¡¡For God''s sake, Gobbler!

    ''Are you sure you''re okay?¡¡The fact that you only brought this one guy with you means that rather than mobilizing all my former subordinate elves, this one guy can solve everything...?

    Elzariel seems to be half-convinced of Gobukichi''s ability, which he still doesn''t know.

    ''''You''re a poor judge, Miss, I''ll vouch for Gobukichi''s abilities!

    Aileron pounds away with confidence.

    Why do you have to be so bossy?

    Abandoning the gallery''s buzzing, Gobbledygookichi walks off in a haphazard manner.

    Now it looks as if the monster has a big mouth, heading towards the elven forest.

    ''Wait!¡¡If you break in that casually, you''ll get an immediate shot at...?

    Maa-maa.

    I pushed back Elzariel-san, who was in a hurry, and in the meantime, Gobbledygookichi would go on, everywhere.

    Then we entered the forest in earnest.

    Even from us, the trees were in the way, overlapping us, and we couldn''t see Gobukichi clearly.

    And the response from the other party came quickly.

    Eight arrows were immediately shot at the intruder in my territory.

    ''''Eh?¡¡Eight?

    Wasn''t there six lurking elves, in Elzariel''s view!

    Those eight arrows flew precisely towards Gobukichi.

    At this rate, he would undoubtedly have so many arrows stuck in him that he would end up looking like a hedgehog.

    But it wouldn''t happen.........

    All the arrows were knocked down by Gobukichi''s scythe!

    ''''What?!''''

    Elzariel-san, who was watching the game like that, was puzzled.

    ''''Some of those arrows came in from a perfect blind spot!¡¡They were knocked down as well!

    Moreover, the elven arrows are said to have been given magic, which not only nullifies protective magic, but also has enhanced penetration that can be broken through with some armor.

    All of that doesn''t translate to goblins.

    ''''........This Gobukichi was previously given a blessing from God....

    Yeah.

    I was once offered a feast by a group of gods as a reward.

    Many of the farm''s inhabitants got a blessing, and Gobb Kichi must have been one of them.

    Orion, the god of hunting, gave me a blessing to hunt a lot of game. Through that blessing I gained the ability to predict things.

    A seer?

    They say you can see something.

    Gov''t has a couple of seconds in the future?

    That ability allowed Gobukichi to read the enemy''s movements ahead.

    That meant that he was perfectly capable of dealing with it.

    ''There is no arrow that can''t be struck down with the precognition given by God and the mana metal grass cutter scythe given by you, my lord. And.....

    Whoa?

    From our point of view, the gobbler has disappeared.

    He''s moving super fast.

    "Based on the angle of incidence, we can figure out where the shooter is. You guys think you can just change the location every time you shoot. I''m a lot faster than that.

    What? Huh! Hehehe!

    Three screams could be heard at once from the elves lurking in the forest.

    Probably gobbledygookichi got them........

    They weren''t exactly on the same page as the others, yet they screamed almost simultaneously!

    "With Gobukichi''s speed, will it be easy...?

    The speed of Gobukichi, who had mutated into a three-step mutation into a Takehaya Susano-o goblin, was faster than it sounded.

    This had been proven in a mock battle with the farm exchange students the other day.

    The ''speed'' he had acquired as a mutant goblin.

    The ''speed'' that comes from the ability to foresee things.

    There probably isn''t anyone who has both of these things that can be ahead of Gobukichi...?

 354-352 Goblin vs High Elves

    Well, it has become a one-sided development.

    In the forest, the elves who were claimed to be invincible were stunned one after another and fell from the trees.

    It''s all the work of Gobukichi.

    He can immediately determine the location of the archer by looking at the angle of incidence of the arrows fired when attacking, and when he gets close enough, he silences them with a single blow.

    "Tesshu-teki!

    ''''Awwww!''''

    Gobukichi, who knows it by heart, stunned the enemy elf without hurting him and gently lowered him to the ground.

    It is retrieved by me, Elron and Elzariel-san, who follow. We hang it on a rope and restrain it.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who can do this.¡¡Isn''t that all it takes to bring this thing to an end?

    That''s why we brought him here, after all.

    Strike the lurking elves without hurting the forest where they are holed up.

    The gobbler carries out that difficult order without difficulty.

    ''His daily work must have paid off.

    What''s your daily work?

    Farming.

    The main work of our farm goblins.

    Although it could be considered the core work of the farm, it was the goblins'' responsibility to grow the crops to provide daily sustenance for the inhabitants, and to take daily care of them so that they would grow to a fine end.

    Day after day, they would cut the weeds, exterminate pests, and check the crops for disease.

    It was the goblins who were in charge of this task.

    ''It''s because of their leader, Gobkichi, that they can accurately take out only the elves hiding in the forest. It''s because he''s the one who pinches out the pests and weeds while avoiding the important crops.

    ''''Hey, you put an elf and a pest weed together!

    Elzariel-san''s protests were also there.

    The elves that were neutralized by Gobukichi are accumulating more and more.

    It''s a good idea to stop using it soon because the ropes we prepared to restrain them will run out before they do...?

    "Don''t worry, I''m just tying up some ivy and making a new rope.

    Making improvised tools out of natural materials is the elf''s forte.

    Aileron and Elzariel tying the rope.

    That''s very reliable!¡¡I''m not very impressed, though.

    In the meantime, a change seems to have occurred in the battle that Gobukichi is passing through.

    ''''Little wise gaijin.......!

    Oh, what a clearly different atmosphere of elves appeared.

    Or rather, it''s completely different than before.

    ''''Huh?¡¡Is that an elf too?

    The High Elves...?

    What is he, a high priest?

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good deal more out of it.

    It looks like white porcelain or marble.

    And the color of his hair is a shimmering blonde, which is also different from the normal elves.

    The only thing they had in common was their long, pinned-up, pointed ears.

    ''''........''''

    And the body.

    I''ve only met buxom elves before, but that white blonde one, how slender...?

    Hmm?¡¡What are you thinking?

    "It''s nothing...?

    When I was so relieved that Plati wasn''t there, Aileron saw right through me!

    "That''s a high elf, a higher type of elf, and naturally more powerful than ordinary elves. Naturally, they''re tougher than ordinary elves.

    Elzariel said with a shiver.

    ''He''s an elf who lived for a long time in the forest and took that clean mana and air deep inside his body and adapted to it. Their basic amount of magic power and their handling of magic is off the charts.

    That skin and hair color is said to be a sign of complete union with nature...?

    As I recall, the High Elf was also the last remaining chief of the Elven Forest. His name was .............

    A name with four El inscriptions?¡¡That''s how powerful he is?

    No, that''s confusing.

    If you keep writing "El" over and over again, you''re gonna have to use a word.

    No, please don''t say that.

    Anyway, the fact that he''s out there indicates that he''s planning to start a fight. You can''t make any more sacrifices...?

    We''ve tied up a lot of elves on the other side, you know.

    I''m sure the village is on the verge of ruin, and the human losses will be more than normal.

    "You insolent people, how dare you harm our lovely daughters?

    "No, I didn''t kill him, but...?

    He''s just unconscious.

    Not a scratch on him.

    "This is the chief of the true elves, the straw that will take care of me. This High Elf, El-Llsey.

    It''s still confusing...?

    On the other hand, Gobukichi doesn''t seem to be in a hurry to get lost...?

    "You wish to be on friendly terms with your people.

    A gentleman''s response!

    "If you will listen to us again, we would like to stop fighting now and set up a meeting.

    How convenient for you to attack us. Realize that you are the aggressor.

    Not good, I can''t say a word back.

    Yes, objectively speaking, we are clearly the aggressor, but we need to fight first for the sake of conversation, so please, one!

    "Evil is a fool, and evil is defeated. That means you will be defeated. Let us prove that now, with the power of this high elf, Ellelsi.

    For a moment, her blonde hair seemed to flutter up.

    It was the magical power she was releasing that was as dense as an air current, blowing up her light hair.

    ''The High Elves can control the forest itself by becoming one with it. The power of the forest is the power of the straw. The power of the forest is the power of the straw, and the straw and the forest are one and the same. Know that this is the power of the Elves beyond the Elves!

    At the same time as her declaration, an amazing phenomenon happened.

    Inside the forest we were in, the trees and grasses that make up the forest itself began to grow at a furious pace.

    It was as if we were watching a fast forward video.

    That wasn''t enough, the growing vegetation undulated like a snake, following that high elf like a fierce beast with a beastmaster as its master.

    ''The vegetation..., like an animal...?

    ''Are you surprised?¡¡This is the magic of the warawa as a High Elf. The trees and plants are like arms and legs to the warrior who is the forest itself. It''s as if you''ve wandered into the warrior''s hands and into his body.

    This is an awesome development.

    If this forest itself works according to her will, then yes, we are indeed rats in a sack.

    Not only are we enemies in all directions, even the ground we''re treading on is an enemy.

    The high elves that have the forest as their ally, the high elves that have the forest as their ally, have a sense of ''having the forest as their ally'' that is on a different order of magnitude.

    ''''You can no longer apologize for that. You may be swallowed up by these plants and sink into the soil to feed the plants and trees.

    I''m sorry to say that...

    Gov. Yoshi replies.

    ''You can''t beat me with grass and trees. Ever. I have my reasons.''

    What?¡¡If you have a reason, just tell me!¡¡Before you get swallowed up and disappear!

    Following the will of the High Elves, the super-grown plants and trees attacked Gobukichi in a serpentine swell all at once.

    It was like a tidal wave of plants and trees, but it did not swallow Gobukichi.

    That''s because it was slashed and scattered before it could.

    ''''What?!''''

    A surprised high elf person.

    ''''I won''t call you by your name at will!

    "What''s going on here?¡¡All those magical plants with their magic in them...?

    She cut them.

    Goblin Kichi, holding up his scythe, says, "Our Goblin team''s job is to manage our land.

    "Our job as a goblin team is to maintain the farmland. Our mission is to keep mowing the weeds that grow day in and day out...

    Well, okay!

    For such goblins, fighting the high elves who control the plants and trees is an everyday task.

    Because it''s all about cutting the grass.

    From Gobukichi''s point of view, the High Elves were the most adept opponent he had ever faced!

    ''''Stupid?¡¡You can''t bear to break the magic of the strawberry for such a stupid reason!¡¡............

    Her protestations were in vain, as Gobukichi slashed through the multiple layers of grass and trees in a wave attack, and approached close to her.

    ''''It''s useless, this sickle is a tool for cutting grass. It is the most suitable weapon for controlling the grass.''

    ''''Yahhhhhh!

    Checkmate thrust a scythe blade at the High Elf''s throat.

    The fearsome forest manhunter army was overpowered by Gobukichi alone.

 355-353 Japanese bowl

    Thus, the forest''s elven control was complete.

    Wait.

    You didn''t want to overrun them.

    You wanted their help in planting trees.

    How is this developing into a bloody and humane conflict?

    Are you still saying that?

    When I protested in bewilderment, Elzariel-san let out a sigh as the status quo supervisor.

    ''''It''s because these guys are so hard-headed and won''t listen to you, isn''t it?¡¡These guys didn''t just refuse to cooperate, they even sabotaged it. We''ll have to beat them to death.

    Saying that, he looked at the captured forest elf group.

    Although they were easily subdued, if it wasn''t for Gobukichi, there would have been casualties on both sides and it would have been a shura.

    ''''O you invaders!''''

    There was one elf in the midst of the captivity who was still very vigorous.

    He was the last captured High Elf child.

    His name was......... I don''t want to. I don''t want to say it.

    ''''You Ellelcy!¡¡I will not tolerate your insolence!¡¡I''ll continue to resist even if I''m the last of the forest elves!

    ''So that''s a hard name to say!

    I discussed with everyone that we needed to do something about it.

    ...huh?¡¡It''s hard to call her name, so can''t you give her some kind of nickname or abbreviation?

    How about four El''s and four El''s?

    "Okay, well, since there''s a she on the end, I''ll just abbreviate her as L4C.

    Congratulations on the abbreviation.

    Hey!¡¡Don''t abbreviate the sacred name without permission!

    L4C interrupts our conversation with an angry voice.

    Her rebelliousness is at a level where I''d like to think it''s built into her genes, but if we can''t talk about it at this point, we''re really just invaders.

    Even if it''s a decision to finally let her go, we must somehow negotiate with her before then to get her to cooperate in the planting process.

    Then let''s start negotiating.

    Mr. Elzariel said.

    ''We''re going to cut off one finger at a time until we say we''re going to help with the planting process.

    "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!

    It''s not a negotiation!

    It''s a severe form of torture!

    "Can''t we have a more open-ended discussion?¡¡Let''s see what we have to say and come to a conclusion to everyone''s satisfaction!

    That being said, their arguments and ours are completely parallel...

    There was complete resignation in Elzariel-san''s eyes.

    Incidentally, Gobukichi is currently cutting the grass, saying, ''I''m worried about the bushes over there.

    Maybe it''s an occupational disease from years of mowing the grass, or maybe it''s just that I can''t seem to stay when I see a bush that has grown beyond a certain point.

    I''ll let the gobbledygooks who run to hobbies do what they want.

    ''''Um........L4C-san, would you listen to us?''''

    So don''t call me that!

    Anyway, I want to keep things quiet and I''m going to try to negotiate boldly.

    "We''re not trying to harm this forest. Rather, we''re trying to help.

    The elven forest, which has shrunk to a fraction of its original size, will be made large again.

    That''s why we''re planting trees.

    ''''And I''d like the local forest elves to help... or at least watch over it without interfering...''''

    You don''t know what the forest is. You don''t understand what the forest is all about, do you?

    L4C was looking down on me like I was an idiot.

    ''''........good?¡¡A forest is a gift of nature. They spring up naturally, they grow, they flourish, and they die out. That''s the meaning of it.

    Ugh...?

    But what arrogance is it to have these activities managed by human hands? That''s what you''re talking about, isn''t it? We have been with nature, and we have been made to live with nature, and this is unacceptable to us!

    No.........well, if you put it that way, is that so?

    In this case.

    Just when I was about to give up, my savior showed up.

    ''I guess I''ll just have to do something about it,''

    What, aileron?

    The head of the elves on our farm?

    All this time I was like, "Why did they take this guy here? She had a very strong sense of humor, but now she''s finally on stage!

    ''''Saint, Miss, can you leave it to me?¡¡I''m sure I''ll convince the elven chief of that.

    Yeah... ''''Well........?''''

    The enigmatic confidence of both me and Elsariel-san was overwhelming.

    Then, Elron, kneeled in front of L4C-san.

    ''''..........................What?¡¡You''re an elf who left the forest to go out?¡¡You''re not worthy of being an elf if you''re away from the forest!

    Dear L4C. You''re so stubborn in your quest for survival that no words can make sense to you. I''m not going to tell you anything. So I will not tell you anything. Instead, I would like you to see this.

    Nanny?

    Aileron, take down the furoshiki wrapping strapped to his back and open the wrapping.

    ''''Well, you brought something like that with you, what''s that thing? I thought, but what was in the open package was...?

    It was a plate.

    What is this.........?

    Huh?¡¡Why?

    Why the plate?

    At this time?

    What''s that a**h*le doing?

    Even your sister, Elzariel-san, has a disgusted look on her face!

    "What a wonderful plate.........?

    Eh..........?

    This plate........did you make this plate?

    Yes, sir.

    Aileron''s job on our farm is to make pottery.

    He makes tableware, jars, turtles, and other tools of life.

    That plate may be one of the pieces of pottery made by aileron, but....

    The plate that aileron held out to me was not just a plate, it was something.......avant-garde.

    If it was an ordinary plate, it would naturally be circular, but that plate made by aileron, while based on a circle, seemed to wave with considerable distortion.

    Moreover, the color of the plate was a dark green, like green tea.

    That''s what caught L4C''s eye, why?

    The color of the plate...?¡¡A thick green, as if it were mossy?¡¡It''s not evenly distributed, it''s rippling and uneven in shade, just like moss growing on a rock...?

    I experimented many times with this green glaze to get as close as possible to the natural greenery of the leaves and moss. Thanks to this, we were able to create a clean, natural-looking product that still feels natural.

    ''Moreover, the shape of the plate........ It''s not a perfect circle, it''s distorted. But this distortion creates the same atmosphere as wood and stone. It''s like something that can be found anywhere in nature...

    L4C has been raving about it.

    To me, it just looks like a plate.

    I have brought it to you that you, the High Elf, will understand. I have gone to great lengths to capture the beauty of nature on this plate.

    And aileron.

    ''He''s putting his heart into that right now?¡¡Stupid, huh?

    You''re in a heated artistic debate with the dwarf Edward...?

    You''re an idiot.

    Mr. Elzariel, you are relentless.

    But what''s going on, is L4C''s gaze glued to that plate?

    ''Lord L4C said: "Man''s handiwork is not natural,'' and maybe it is. But I created these plates to recreate the beauty of nature with human hands!

    Such a grand concept?

    Of course, it was not an easy task, and I failed many times. However, it was worth it, and I was able to complete this plate. I am still far from the ultimate goal, but I think I have managed to capture the beauty of nature. For a dish made by human hands

    "Mm-hmm...?

    Is L4C making some kind of noise?

    What if it''s working?¡¡You don''t make sense to me, do you?

    What has been created by human hands is not without natural beauty. Human beings are one of the first things born of nature. There is no such thing as being separate from nature!

    So you''re saying that a tree planted by man can be part of the natural forest?

    Wise counsel.

    "That''s a cheeky little girl teaching a high elf strawberry.

    L4C stood up with an aileron distortion plate in his hand.

    Very well, the forest elves will help you with your tree planting project.

    We agreed to it!

    Elzariel-san and I were truly astonished at our unexpected success in persuading him.

    It seems that even the werewolves had a narrow view. It is true that people are part of nature. As nature gives birth to nature, so nature is born from human hands. Just like this plate....

    It was a world I still didn''t understand.

    Even to Elzariel, who stood stunned next to me.

    ''Do I have to live another hundred years or so to understand it, too?¡¡That feeling...?

    Huh?¡¡What do you mean, a hundred years...?

    That high elf is 200 years old?¡¡Isn''t he a lolioli hag?

    Thus, the problem was solved with many surprises, and the Elf Forest planting project began to move forward again.

    Incidentally, Gobkichi continued to cut the grass diligently during the negotiations, creating a single, well-maintained path that connected the Elf settlement deep in the forest to the outside.

    ''''This will make it easier for you to come and go!

    "ohhhhh?¡¡What are you doing to the hideout of the ghostly elves, you goblins!

    To the elves, Gobkichi was like a natural enemy.

 356-354 New Emperor Development Part 1

    My name is Ardheg.

    The man who was chosen to be the new Geyser Dragon.

    ...though I was being pushed around halfway through the process.

    He destroyed his father, who was the previous Geyser Dragon, and was retained as his successor due to his merits.......

    Even though in terms of strength, there are higher ranks like Brother Alexander and Sister Veerle.

    Neither of them are interested in the title........

    So, if someone else has to do it, I''ll have to be the Geyser Dragon.

    A new age of dragons.

    I want to usher in an era where dragons will be able to blend in with humans and other species.

    I will be the emperor dragon.

    The first thing I have to do after I take the throne is to build a castle.

    If I don''t have a stronghold, the emperor dragon won''t know what to do.

    * * * *

    That''s when I came to the ruins of the Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    It was a huge dungeon that my father, who was a Geyser Dragon before me, had used as his base.

    But now, it''s just a vacant lot.

    ''''Ugh...''''

    I''m just standing there, it''s too bleak.

    There''s nothing.

    There''s nothing but bare earth.

    The world''s only and largest walled dungeon, the Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    It should have once been here, but it should have stood tall with a majestic presence that made you look up.

    There was no shadow or shape left.

    Why?

    "No..., I had a feeling that you might be...?

    I had an idea.

    The castle-shaped dungeon, the Dragon Emperor''s Castle, is a dungeon that was materialized by the mana released by Father, the Geyser Dragon.

    Normally, the terrain creates stagnation in the mana that convects around the world, and the stagnant, highly concentrated mana distorts space to create dungeons.

    However, dungeons are created by the density of mana released by a single life, which should only be created by the action of the majestic nature.

    The only entity that could do this was the Geyser Dragon.

    Father had distorted space-time and materialized it with the mana spewed from him to create a giant castle.

    That was why defeating Father had caused the Dragon Emperor''s Castle to disappear.

    It was only logical that if the cause disappeared, the result would also disappear.

    That''s why the current site of the Dragon Emperor''s Castle had turned into an empty wilderness.

    ''''I was going to sit in the castle and make you feel like an emperor...?

    He was a dragon that had received the title of emperor.

    You have to live in a suitably luxurious nest to show that you are still a good fit.

    Since I inherited the title of Geyser Dragon from my father, I was thinking of taking over his residence as well...?

    I didn''t know that the residence had disappeared like a haze...?

    ''Why are you so stunned by the obvious?''

    "What?¡¡Father!''''

    He suddenly spoke to me from behind, so I turned around and saw a little dragon that looked like a pea grain.

    I''m not going to be the only one who has a problem with it.

    He was defeated by me, Lord Arowana and the others, who beat him to a pulp, and he lost his former versatility and became this small.

    ''Father, when did you get here?¡¡"I thought it was left over from the saint''s farm...

    I was planning to live out my days sleeping and eating there, but that saintly fellow started asking me to work. I didn''t want to work, so I ran away.

    "Work your ass off...?

    "Godd*mn saintly insularity. Why do I have to work while Veerle''s people are practically sleeping off their food?

    You don''t want to make any more special exceptions because you already have your sister Veerle.

    Is that why you came running to me?

    "Why, of all places, would you come to me?

    "Maybe because you''re the next Geyser Dragon, you''ll be the one who pays homage to the old me.

    Don''t be selfish, this dragon.

    Well, since I don''t feel like destroying my father dragon even more after he died once and turned into such a diminutive existence.......

    I''m not going to let you go.

    It''s a good thing that you''ve come to rely on me, but I don''t have the time to worry about anything else.

    Huh?

    ''''It''s because I''ve suddenly stretched from a houseless dragon that doesn''t even have its own dungeon to a geyser dragon. Finding a new home is the immediate problem.''''

    The Dragon Emperor''s Castle, which I had been using as an atheist, has dissipated as you can see.......

    It''s hard to show that the Emperor Dragon is a homeless child.

    ''''What are you talking about?¡¡If you don''t have a home, why not build one?''

    What?

    ''You ... don''t understand how much of a transcendent being you''ve become, do you? Okay?¡¡You have become a Geyser Dragon, remember?

    Yes, that''s why you''re struggling.

    Isn''t that why you''re struggling?

    It really isn''t a title you can live up to.

    ''''Then why don''t you use your power to create a new Dragon Emperor''s City?

    Huh?

    No, no, no, wait.

    Generating dungeons, especially on terrain where mana stagnation is not possible, is impossible with an ordinary mana concentration.

    ''''If there''s a single life form that can release such a high concentration and high output of mana, that would be none other than a Geyser Dragon.''''

    So, I''m guessing you''re the Geyser Dragon now.

    "What?

    Well, it was.

    ''''You already know that it''s not just the name of Geyser Dragon that you inherited, you already know that. With the ''Dragon Ball'' implanted in your body, you are also a Geyser Dragon, the power you possess is also a Geyser Dragon.''

    If you ask me........

    In the past, when I fought Bloody Mary''s sister, the power I displayed was incomparably stronger than before.

    ........well, I think it was mostly Veerle who fought her.......

    Anyway, I was so strong that I was surprised at myself.

    ''''That was also because I became a Geyser Dragon. ''''You think it was because you inherited the Dragon Ball?''''

    "Try releasing your mana. I''m sure you''ll have a Dragon Emperor''s Castle you''ll like.

    I''m still a little skeptical.

    Shall I do as your father suggested...?

    Mana release!

    Woohoo!

    .........

    ........................oh?

    It''s really starting to materialize.

    My Dragon Emperor''s Castle, which took the form of my image...!

    "This is my castle...?

    My new Dragon Emperor''s Castle is to be built on the site where your father''s Dragon Emperor''s Castle once stood.

    I will reign as the new emperor of dragons, and this is my new claim to fame.

    Finished, but...?

    ''What is this?

    It wasn''t a castle at all.

    Or rather, it wasn''t even a building.

    It''s not even a building. It''s more like a mountain heaped up from some unknown material.

    "The image is not good enough for you, immature man.

    He was chided by his father in his little dragon form.

    He said, "You need to materialize under a clearer image, otherwise you won''t be able to build a proper Dragon Emperor''s Castle. You still seem to lack many things. You can''t call yourself a Geyser Dragon with just a vast amount of dragon power.''''

    No, Father.

    You sound like a respectable senior citizen?

    ''''It means that you need to accumulate more than just the power you''ve inherited to become the real thing. You must become a true Geyser Dragon. Looks like it''s worth training for.

    What do you think you''re doing?

    Your time is hard, isn''t it?¡¡After all, there are a lot of guys who aren''t geyser dragons but have geyser dragon level powers. Alexander, Bloody Mary, and then Veerle. I can''t wait to stand in the same line as those guys.''''

    "Do you really need to be on par with those people?

    ''''If you''re going to be a Geyser Dragon, of course. The first thing we need to do is to build up our image to be as good as theirs!¡¡Create a huge and detailed image of the Dragon Emperor''s City!

    "Don''t do it!

    I don''t know what it is, but I was to receive a lecture on the Emperor''s Dragon from my father, whom I had defeated once.

    I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

 357-355 New Emperor Development Report Part 2

    It continues to be Ardheg of the Geyser Dragon.

    .........

    No, maybe it''s not the Gaither Dragon.

    I''m losing confidence.

    Because no matter how many times I try, I can''t do what your father told me to do, I can''t do it.

    ''''Ha, you worked hard. You worked hard, lots and lots of hard work...''''

    ....

    And this shack is the result of all that hard work?

    Father.

    Don''t speak in such a tone that your disappointment is obvious.

    The New Dragon Emperor''s Castle was composed of my released mana that materialized.

    It was small.

    It was really small.

    A hut by human standards.

    There is only one room inside.

    There''s enough mana to release.

    Now that I''ve got the Dragon Ball, my power is definitely on par with my father''s in his prime.

    What''s missing is an image.

    I can''t create something proper because I haven''t yet created a clear image of the castle in my mind.

    My lousy thinking ability can only cover the scale of this hut at best.

    I''m sure you''ll agree that it''s impossible for me to make a Geyser Dragon. Let''s switch places with brother Alexander now...!

    "...well...?¡¡Well, don''t look so glum, okay?¡¡''Everyone does this at first?''

    Your father''s tone of voice has become overtly gentle...?

    It''s rather hard to know that you''re making me care...!

    ''''Especially you, you went from not having a dungeon of your own to suddenly becoming a Geyser Dragon. You don''t know much about the dungeon structure, and you just don''t have enough knowledge to create an image, right?

    Your father is eerily kind...!

    I''m feeling more and more miserable.

    ''''..........''''

    Perhaps he couldn''t bear to see me so depressed, but he couldn''t help it.

    "...shall we talk about something else?

    "Yes?

    "The age of dragons will be very different from now on. Do you know why?

    That''s because.....

    I''m not talking about the fact that Geyser Dragon has replaced me with my father, but because Gaia, the god of the ancestors who created the dragons, has changed the way dragons are, right?

    You are not the only one," he replied, and your father nodded with satisfaction.

    I''m sure that the nature of the Geyser Dragon will be very different between my generation and yours. And dragons are free-spirited by nature.

    Yeah, it''s.........

    And it''s their own thing.

    It''s a free-for-all, isn''t it, Dragon?

    The freedom allowed by the powerful. Because they are the strongest living beings and have no natural enemies, dragons are not bound by anything. Freedom is the pride of the dragon. A dragon''s pride is its pride.

    Dad continued.

    Father continued: "That''s why I never liked Alexander. He is the strongest of all dragons, yet he favors and helps the weakest of men. It is an act of self-imposed bondage. No man in his right mind could be more proud than that.

    That''s why your father did not recognize Brother Alexander.

    He even tried to take the power from his son and daughter, the dragons, to fight against you.

    And that''s how he ended up with you and your garrison. In the end, I am the cornerstone of a dragon''s pride. In the end, I am the pride of dragons, the cornerstone of their pride, and I am the one who has lost the strength that gives me my freedom...

    Father is somewhat self-mocking.

    ''I digress,'' he reiterates.

    But that''s not the way dragons are supposed to be. Gaia, the Mother Goddess of the All, has decided to change. Ardhegg, you are a dragon that, like Alexander, is devoted to humanity. A rare dragon, if you will.''''

    Well, that''s, uh...

    But it''s your father''s fault that I became the man I am.

    To find the King Who Wasn''t a Hero or the Hero Who Wasn''t a King.

    That was the ordeal that Father had put me through in the beginning.

    In order to accomplish this ordeal, I had no choice but to observe humanity.

    Because of the content of the ordeal, the question is "What is a hero? "What is a king? I had to stare at humanity while also thinking about it.

    Thanks to that, though, I was able to meet Lord Arowana and get a deeper look at what humanity has to offer.

    It''s a good thing that we''re in the midst of a new era, and maybe it''s time for a different kind of Geyser Dragon. A dragon like you, who will try to reconcile with the lower races. Alexander would be a good candidate for that, but he has no desire to do so himself. Then I guess you''ll have to do it.''''

    Father...!

    I always thought of him as a really free-spirited, unthinking dragon, but I didn''t realize he had such deep insights...!

    "You''re the man with the brightest eyes, Father.

    "What the hell?¡¡What the hell?¡¡Who are you?

    I was suddenly called out from behind, which startled me and my father as we turned around to see a jet-black female dragon.

    I''m not going to be able to get it right.

    This is.........?

    "Bloody Mary, Sister!

    The Glaugrinzel dragon''s?

    I''m sure you''re not the only one.

    The first time I saw her, she was in a state of shock.

    It''s not that I shouldn''t, but........?

    There''s no reason for you to come.

    I''m sure you''re not the only one who''d like to see what kind of Dragon Emperor''s Castle you''ve built as the new Geyser Dragon. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. You have to make sure that you behave properly.

    And she looked at my first poor piece of work.

    ''What is this?¡¡You can''t call this shack a castle?¡¡I knew it was just a rumor that someone turned into a geyser dragon for a slip-up.

    She scoffed at me.

    I was disheartened.

    I''m sure that the reputation of the Geyser Dragon will fall to the ground if you keep going on like this. I''m going to have to instruct you on how to do it.....

    Have you come to mock me, sister?

    I know better than anyone else how miserable I am. Just leave me alone.

    It''s not a good idea.¡¡What''s the matter with you, you''re depressed?

    "Ah, I just got it back together...

    Father was dumbfounded.

    ''Marie?¡¡Seriously, what are you doing here?¡¡Are you here to at least be sarcastic about not being a Geyser Dragon?¡¡You don''t impress me as a dragon, do you?

    ''I didn''t mean it, Father!¡¡I just want to make sure that this outlaw is holding his own as a Geyser Dragon.

    ''Don''t say that......... Ah!¡¡Could it be that in the absence of Alexander and Veerle, you can beat this guy and take the title of Gaither Dragon?¡¡''''Dirty Marie-chan, you''re so dirty!

    "No, please don''t!¡¡Please stop making weird accusations!

    It''s not a good idea to be bothered when people are seriously depressed.

    The only thing that matters is the fact that you have to be in a position to make a decision. It''s a good thing that you have a lot of time to spare.

    "You don''t pick up anything you don''t have to, either!

    I don''t know why I was pissed off.

    I don''t know why.

    In the midst of such a confusing situation, more confusion underneath is thrown in.

    ''''Are you there?¡¡Are you there, Ardhegg and company?

    A clamorous voice as if pouring down from the sky.

    I''m not going to be able to get a good idea of what''s going on, but I''m going to be able to get a good idea of what''s going on.

    Hmmm, I don''t recognize it.

    ''I''m Grintz Dragon Magony!¡¡I heard you used your dirty hands to steal the Geyser Dragon!¡¡I will be the Geyser Dragon!¡¡I will defeat you vile and hold the title of Geyser Dragon in my hands, who should truly have the title of Geyser Dragon!''''

    Was he also involved in the battle for succession to become a Gaither Dragon?

    "The rumors are even more widespread than I imagined...?

    "It looks like Alexander got wind of it. That kind of challenger is going to come to you in a heartbeat, don''t you think?

    I was growing more and more bitter at your words.

    Should I be at the center of such a fist fight, whether or not I should be?

    "What''s the matter with you, Ardheg?¡¡Is this Master Magoneux giving you the creeps?¡¡He''s a coward, a petty little thing from a dragon who won by cheap shots!¡¡If you want to abdicate your life, as soon as you want me to abdicate my life....................

    He was in the middle of saying what he wanted to say when he was up in the sky.

    He was forced to interrupt his speech.

    For he had received a severe blow on his person.

    ''''Oh, come on!¡¡What is this jet black dragon magic power now?¡¡........haha!¡¡Bloody Mary, sister!

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your sister Marie, who has risen quickly and is unilaterally beating up my brother Magoney.

    "Who am I to be a coward?¡¡Who called me a knickknack?¡¡........You said something you shouldn''t have said in front of this Bloody Mary, didn''t you?''

    "Hey!¡¡Wait a minute, wait a minute, sister Marie!¡¡I cursed a thief named Ardhegg, a thieving dragon...?

    A thief!¡¡Okay, remember!¡¡An insult to Ardhaeg is an insult to me!¡¡Pay for that disrespect by spitting out blood!

    Ruthless.

    It is the second largest of all the dragons, the Bloody Mary sister''s serious onslaught, and the attacking dragons are beaten to a pulp in the blink of an eye.

    Are you actually a good person, Bloody Mary?¡¡No good dragon?

    Dragons are not what they seem........

 358-356 New Emperor Development Part 3

    This is why the dragon that came to threaten me was beaten to a pulp by Bloody Mary and ran back home.

    I''m not going to be the only one who''s not afraid to try to get a shot at the position of the Geyser Dragon with that level of ability.

    Sister Marie comes back to me in a daze.

    ''I''m scared.

    ''Good thing!¡¡"Ardhegg!

    "Yes!

    "That''s why that scum of a dragon is persecuting us so aggressively, it''s mainly because of your disappointment in our position!

    I can''t argue with that because it''s been said so zealously.

    ''I mean, the problem is that you''re not recognized as a Geyser Dragon!¡¡I didn''t become his successor through due process. You have to prove yourself worthy of being a Geyser Dragon on merit!''''

    "Yes...!¡¡Yes, that''s right!''

    I couldn''t help but nod my head in agreement with her, because she was so right every step of the way.

    But you''re so weak-minded!¡¡That''s why I''m getting licked by a stupid dragon like the one that just came in!''''

    Huh...!¡¡My God, I''m sorry...!

    ''''Apparently you have a lot of things that are missing to become a Geyser Dragon. As long as you have powers, you''re not an emperor!''''

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who''s been in the same boat for a long time," muttered your father next to you.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get away with it.

    "Huh?

    "I will train you to be a dragon worthy of Geyser Dragon, both physically and mentally. "I will train you in mind and body to be a dragon worthy of being a Geyser Dragon.

    "Eeeeeeeeee?

    How could that be?

    I''m sure you were expecting me to say something like, "I''ll be the one to take over for you, the cowardly one.

    What did you say?¡¡It''s a wife''s duty to beat a cowardly man to the top!

    "Tsuna?

    It''s nothing!

    What is it?

    ''''Anyway, I''m going to train you to be a great Geyser Dragon!¡¡Brace yourself!

    Something like that.

    * * * *

    For some reason, your sister Marie began to teach me.

    It seems she''s going to make me look like a proper Geyser Dragon.

    It may sound like a big deal, but Bloody Mary has the right to say it.

    She is the second most powerful dragon, after Brother Alexander. She was once a leading candidate for the next Geyser Dragon.

    Even compared to the unwillingness of Brother Alexander, he is a female dragon who knows what a Geyser Dragon is.

    I''m going to sit on my hands and listen to your lecture, and your father is taking a nap at the side.

    And my father is enjoying a nap by my side.

    "Good thing?¡¡As a Geyser Dragon, the one thing you lack most right now is dignity!

    "Dignity?

    "Geyser Dragon is the strongest. Stronger than anyone else. That kind of strongest person doesn''t look to anyone for help or care about anyone. Acting freely to everyone is what a Geyser Dragon should be!

    Free spirited.

    That''s exactly what my father said.

    ''And you''re just like...¡¡You''re so low and polite to everyone!¡¡That''s how you''d call yourself a king?¡¡You''re more like a squire!

    Hmm?¡¡If you ask me.

    But I''ve been acting like this since the beginning of my existence in this world.

    "Am I that low, huh?

    ''Low!¡¡How can you say "sir" and "ma''am" and not be so low to begin with?

    Is that so?

    But being polite is one of the most important things I learned on my trip with my friends.

    I don''t want to be told to change that now.

    ''''When it comes to the Emperor Dragon, you must behave arrogantly and with arrogance!¡¡"Don''t talk to me like that!

    "What...?

    ''Then put it into practice. You will treat me like a champion!

    I don''t like being told that.

    I don''t know what to do.

    ''Well...?¡¡''Try calling me by my name first?''

    "Did you call me by my name?

    ''You call me "Sister", don''t you?¡¡The Dragon Emperor has no sister or brother!¡¡All dragons are below you!¡¡It is only fitting to call them out!''

    It might be a good argument.

    I''m afraid that if I disobey him, he''ll snipe at me again, so I decided to obey him honestly.

    That argument itself isn''t like Gaither Dragon, though.

    ''......Well, Marie?

    ".........??

    As soon as she was called, your sister stiffened.

    Why?

    You didn''t take it as an insult to be called out?¡¡It''s unreasonable to make me call you that, isn''t it?

    Okay.

    You sure you want to do this?

    You''re being polite!¡¡I told you, in the eyes of the Geyser Dragon, all dragons are nothing more than subordinate beings!¡¡It''s like being a servant or a slave!''

    "Yes....!¡¡Well.... no!

    That goes for me too!¡¡Even I, who once flourished as a Graugrinzel dragon, cannot resist you!¡¡It''s absolute obedience!

    It doesn''t look like that, does it?

    "You are the Lord''s irresistible master in my sight!¡¡I will yield to you and disobey no command. If I am commanded to do so, I must obey!''

    Do you think that''s a bit much?

    ''No, it''s not!¡¡I''m owned by you!

    You don''t need to insist on that much force.

    No, you''re going to go that far to harden my mind as a Geyser Dragon.

    This is the way I see it, Marie.

    You can see how passionate she was about becoming a Gaither Dragon in the past.

    It''s a good idea to continue practicing. You''re going to have to continue practicing, in order to act like a Geisha dragon.

    ''''Yes.....?

    "As I said before, Geyser Dragons look down on all dragons except themselves. "Look down on me like that.

    ''''Even if you say so, how in the world am I supposed to look down on you...?

    ''''You can''t help it, child. ''''Remember what I did earlier and try to come up with an answer.''''

    Marie your sister-or is that what Marie told you to do?

    As I recall.....

    1....call me by my name.

    2....no honorifics.

    (3) The other person is my property.

    I put all of these things together and came up with my own way of saying very condescending things to people.

    "Marie, you belong to me.

    "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!

    Sister!

    As soon as you said that, I started to writhe, sister!

    What''s wrong with you?¡¡Was she really that humiliated?¡¡To be called "mine"?

    Oh, you''re in agony!

    It''s okay.¡¡Okay, that''s great!¡¡That''s it!

    ''You''re happy about it?¡¡...No, it''s good?

    ''We''re going to go further!¡¡Say that word again, with even stronger meaning!''

    I don''t care what it means.

    I don''t care what it means!¡¡You could do a lot worse than that.

    That''s a tall order.

    ...like this?

    "Marie, you are mine for life. I will not let you go again.

    ''''??????????!''''

    Sister.

    Why are you firing the Darkness Mitre into the sky?

    Isn''t that your final profound technique!

    This technique releases countless barrages of bullets formed by the Darkness Dragon Qi. Even a single one of them is capable of wiping out the human city without leaving a trace!

    Don''t fire so recklessly!

    You okay?¡¡You didn''t use that stray bullet to eradicate anything, did you?

    No, I couldn''t get something else to come out of my chest.

    What is what?

    Do you mean you''re that desperate for humiliation?

    "I think it''s time to end this, sister. I think this drill is going to be too much for you.

    "What are you talking about?¡¡What''s happening now?

    What''s happening now?

    Next time, you will show that I am yours with your actions, not just your words. I belong to you!

    What do you mean, action?

    I''m scared to death of your sister, Marie.

    ''Well, you could just kick and punch him, couldn''t you?''

    "Hitting and kicking"?

    How did you get that idea?

    It''s the order of all living things. The winner is beneath the loser. You will clear the line by ripping me to pieces and stomping on me!

    "Is Marie a masochist?

    As you can imagine, my father woke up from his nap and tsked.

    And I said to him.

    "I refuse.

    Huh?

    ''I firmly refuse to do that. It is a foolish and ugly thing to do, to hurt others unnecessarily.''

    This is what I have learned from my travels with Lord Arowana and his friends.

    Because ningens respect and honor each other, they are strong even when they are vulnerable.

    Even dragons are not allowed to harm others for no reason just because they are strong. Now that I''ve become a Geyser Dragon, I will make sure that this is the era.

    "...so I won''t hurt you, if that''s what you want.

    "So I won''t hurt you, whether you like it or not. You''re very important to me.

    "What good is he doing?

    You are the one who guided me through my entire life.

    I''m not going to let him get away with something so difficult.

    "How kind-hearted...!¡¡It''s a good thing that they are so important to you.

    Your sister''s eyes are kind of moist.

    Are you still mad at me!

    Maybe. My argument is more in line with human values, which would be difficult for you, a dragon in the making, to accept.

    What can I do to calm your mind?

    Yes, I know.

    "At least this will help...

    "Yikes!

    I hugged Sister Marie.

    Arowana and her friend, the Demon King, had told me that hugging is a way of proving friendship among humans.

    The hug is the proof of friendship among humanity, and even after a match, the embrace is more than just a victory or defeat, it is a way to confirm the bond between us.

    If I could at least convey my friendship to your sister with that act...?

    "How daring!¡¡"You''re too bold!

    "Sister?¡¡Sister eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

    Instead of regaining her composure, she fainted.

    Why?

    Father, help me!¡¡What''s the meaning of this?

    Leave him alone. It''ll happen soon enough anyway.

    Father Al-Gor, who was watching from the side, said with a dumbfounded face.

    ''''I thought there was no way to kill a dragon on earth, but it seems there was only one. They say they are too happy to die...!''''

    What do you want?

    And so, under the guidance of my father and sister, I continued my training to become a full-fledged Geyser Dragon.

    It''s a long way to go.

 359-357 angel test

    It''s me.

    I have an unusual guest in mind today.

    Or should I say, I barged in on my own....

    Hermes, the God of Wisdom.

    He is a god who makes regular visits to our farm, which is rare in the heavenly realm of affiliation.

    The god of the earth and the god of the sea are all frequent visitors, though.

    So, what''s this Hermes God up to today?¡¡I asked him....

    ''''No, I''m sorry, saint. I didn''t mean to barge in on you like that, but...''

    I said as I ate some of the farm''s special sake lees.

    I''m going to perform a very important ceremony. We could have done it in the heavenly realm, but I thought that having you and Puffa-kun in attendance will help us make a better decision.

    Judgment?

    Can you make me make any decisions?

    You don''t think it''s going to be a decision that will determine the fate of the world, do you?¡¡"Are we evil or not?

    I''m afraid that the God of Heaven is going to catastrophize that kind of thing to an easy conclusion.

    And Puffa is going to attend?

    What do you want with Puffa, one of the six witches of the mermaid race, who is engaged to Arowana, the prince of the mermaid kingdom?

    I didn''t think there was any connection to the God in heaven?

    ''''No, I just wanted to hear her opinion on the journey with that girl. Or rather, the person in question hasn''t come here yet, but...''''

    ?

    What the hell was that?

    Who''s coming?

    As I was wondering more and more, I heard a roaring sound coming from somewhere.

    It''s a high-pitched sound that slices through the air and sounds like it''s getting closer to us.

    It must be the Doppler effect that makes it sound so high pitched.

    The sound gets higher and louder the closer it gets, and it ceases to be above us.

    Then it came down with a whimper.

    ''Hehehey, hi-hi-hi!''

    Songgokphone, eh?

    The angel girl.

    Sunggokphone was destroyed thousands of years ago and I repaired it and brought it back to life.

    In this day and age, there are only two angels in existence today, Holkosfone and Songgokhoun.

    Compared to the other one, Holkosfon, she is smaller and slower in stature.

    She has the impression of a young girl.

    I''m not going to be able to get it right.¡¡I''m seriously busy...¡¡I mean, who are you really, calling out to me?

    "Is that a god?

    There''s something odd about the way he speaks, though.

    If I had to guess, the main thing today is Songgok Phone?

    If that''s the case, it makes sense that Puffa would be in attendance. Paffa used to travel around the world with Songgok Phone for a while.

    Is that why?

    ''''Well speaking of which, what did Songgokfon do after the trip was over?''''

    They didn''t tell me what to do. I was just going through the motions.

    Heh.....

    It''s no wonder I never saw you at the farm.

    Recently, I was invited to join Alekki''s husband''s dungeon, and I was the middle boss. It''s so refreshing to be a warrior.

    ''Such bloodlessness...''

    A divine weapon that once nearly literally destroyed the world is the middle boss........

    Even though there''s no shortage of Lasbos........

    ''''But I knew we couldn''t just leave it at that.

    God Hermes says.

    ''Recall, too,'' said the god Hermes, ''why I sent Prince Arowana with you on your journey. Why did I take Songokphong with me on the journey of Prince Arowana?''

    I didn''t ask you anything.

    To begin with, I was the one who asked Songgokphon to go on the trip afterwards.

    Why did Songgokhoun go with Prince Arowana and the others?

    It''s all about using common sense!¡¡You can''t have a being with epic power like an angel moving around without straightforward judgment!¡¡If they buzzed full power on a whim, that would be the end of the world!''''

    I see.

    So, he decided to give me Prince Arouwaana and Puffa to guide me, and also to give me a treasure trove of travel experiences to hone my common sense.

    That''s a fair decision for a god, isn''t it?

    If you don''t mind the inconvenience of Prince Arowana and Puffa being forced into it.

    After the princes'' trip was over, I''d like to see if Sunggok-dong has acquired the common sense I''ve been expecting from him!

    Now?

    "So now!

    ''Why didn''t you do it right after the trip?''

    "I didn''t forget about it!

    You forgot?

    Well, in any case, it would be unbearable if a Transcendent like Songgok Phone were to suddenly destroy the world, so the test is meaningful.

    I''ll be watching with respect.

    ''Well, I''m going to ask Songgok Phone a lot of questions now!¡¡Let''s use the simulations to determine how to handle various situations!''

    Question one.

    ''Son Gokhwon was walking down the road.''

    I can fly. There''s no way I''m going to walk, though.

    It''s a simulation!¡¡........and there was a man down in the street. He seems to be in bad shape. What would you do?

    In this quiz that asks for common sense, the correct answer would be to take care of the fallen man and carry him to a nearby house.

    How would Sunggok-dong answer?

    "I''ll deal with the bad guy who''s making the person suffer.

    Both me and the Hermes God screamed.

    How did you come up with that answer?

    Does "execute" mean "to execute"?¡¡There''s no bad guy in this world that needs to be executed, don''t spread it out!

    I know. Every time someone is in pain, there''s an evil person behind them. Evil lords, vampires...

    He''s not here!

    He''s not here, hey...?

    If we don''t help him, he''ll be unhappy again. It''s best to destroy the evil from the source. The prince and his sister also did it well.

    ''''Puffa!''''

    I approached my traveling companion, Puffa, and he immediately looked away.

    "What do you mean?¡¡You did it!

    ''Everywhere we traveled, there were conveniently such things.... No life kings, vampires, automatons and evil lords.

    Why does it have to be such an all-star affair?

    You guys have a lot of fun with all the events on your trip, don''t you?

    I mean, all suffering is rooted in evil. I mean, apart from the evil, I''m happy.

    Isn''t that a dangerous idea?

    The idea that getting rid of something undesirable will solve the problem.

    It''s easy to take a turn for the worse.

    What are you going to do about it?¡¡Isn''t the common sense you''ve acquired as a result of your travels leaning in the wrong direction?

    "Hmmm, did I choose the wrong person?¡¡No, but I believe in you!¡¡Question two!¡¡I''m sure the second question will give you a better answer!¡¡Hurry!

    Right.

    Let''s put our hopes on the next question.

    Probably the final question. That''s how bad the answer to the first question was.

    So, let''s go!

    Problem!

    "You are in desperate need of help.¡¡To save the world, you''ll have to sacrifice the lives of your friends!¡¡Who do you want to take, the world or your friends?

    That''s a pretty common one!

    It''s the ultimate choice.

    Will you put all the peace in the world first, or will you help your fellow man, a family member who has shared your pain and suffering?

    All or nothing?¡¡Public or private?¡¡Reason or compassion?

    It is indeed a big picture issue that can never overlap. Not everyone will be able to come to the same conclusion on a question that should be correct in both cases.

    How would Songgok Phone respond to that question?

    ''''........mate!

    Oh.

    He didn''t worry too much, and he said it decisively.

    "There''s no such thing as a victory in abandoning your friends.¡¡We need our friends to save the world!¡¡So I will never abandon my friends!

    Whoa!

    Good, I don''t know what kind of sensible thing to say.

    Fellowship!

    So that''s the most important thing you''ve developed through your travels!

    And that''s what Prince Arowana and Puffa taught her.

    Hey Puffa!

    Well...?

    Embarrassed, Puffa averted her gaze, embarrassed.

    I knew I could count on you.

    Songgok-dong has learned something important as a result of his journey!

    And then we''ll join forces with our friends and beat the crap out of our enemies!

    ''What?''

    When you beat up the enemy, you beat them up together. My brother and sister taught me that the best way to beat up the enemy is to beat them up!¡¡Whenever the world is a bad place, there''s always a bad guy doing bad things!¡¡If we can beat up that guy, everything will be fine!

    Friends were important, but friends were important for everyone to sack.

    And you just talk about how the only way to deal with a crisis is to get rid of the bad guys!

    Is this answer the right answer?

    The test was subtle as to whether Songgokphong had gained decency through his travels.

 360-358 Ryuen Cherubim

    It''s Shabe.

    I''m working as an adventurer today.

    I''ve been working exclusively on the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain.

    It''s the world''s finest dungeon ruled by the strongest dragon, Mr. Alexander.

    Challenging the dungeon is a great way to learn and grow as an adventurer.

    The dungeon itself is huge, with many different types of fields, so you can experience multiple situations and encounter many different monsters and learn their characteristics.

    Most importantly, because the dungeons are of the highest quality and attract many adventurers, you will have many opportunities to work with veteran adventurers of A level and above.

    They''re all good people, and they can teach you a lot.

    There''s no other dungeon where you can learn so much.

    And because the owner of the dungeon, Mr. Alexander, has taken a liking to the humans, the survival rate is unusually high.

    In fact, I started off challenging the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain as a tourist, but now I''m taking it seriously.

    I believe that challenging this ultimate dungeon is the best way to improve myself.

    I''ve actually grown.

    In the beginning, I used to run out of steam on the first layer of dungeons and retreat from them.

    But now I''m able to make it to the halfway mark!

    It''s a great thing!

    Under the terms set by the Adventurer''s Guild, solo adventurers who can reach the halfway point of the Sacred White Maiden''s Mountain are unconditionally allowed to move up to Class C!

    I''ll make it to the halfway point in the next attack, no matter what I have to do in order to get promoted too!

    * * * *

    ........So.

    I''m actually attacking "The Holy White Maiden''s Mountain".

    We''re on a roll!

    We''re lucky, we don''t run into any nasty monsters along the way, and we have items and energy to spare!

    I''ve got some extra time on my hands, and I don''t have a stomach ache along the way, so I''m sure I can go on!

    The familiar path is about to end.

    There should be a middle ground just ahead when you step into unknown territory!

    The goal is right around the corner!

    As long as I can keep up this pace, I''ll be able to step on the ground in the middle of the road for sure.

    The title of C-level adventurer is right around the corner!

    The higher you go up to C level, the more dungeons you can get into and the more income you''ll earn!

    If we can afford it, we can focus more than we already do on finding the saint''s farm!

    I feel like I''m living the dream step by step!

    No, don''t get carried away. We''ll make sure we get the results in front of us. I won''t feel sorry for my Silver Wolf brother if I forget to be that steady!

    Let''s go!

    First of all, checkmate to reach the midpoint of the ''Holy White Maiden Mountain'', a condition for promotion to C class!

    It''s the last step.

    .... hmm?

    Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?

    ********

    ... yes.

    This is Hackai of Flamingo Oak.

    ..................Ah, this feeling that I miss again.

    Today we are visiting Alexander-sama''s dungeon, the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain, today.

    My errand is to see my former traveling companion.

    The angel Songgokphong has been officially appointed as the guardian of the dungeon.

    ''''Hee hee hee hee, you can call me anywhere you want, but it''s fine...''''

    Sunggok Phone shoots Manakanon wildly.

    The power is said to be kept to a level where it won''t kill you even if you''re hit.

    How did this happen...?

    The trigger for this was a common sense test by the god Hermes.

    After Songgokhovon''s poor test results, he decided that more guidance was needed.

    Alexander, the strongest dragon, was chosen as the new educator.

    ''''He has the power to destroy even gods, but he is a genuine sensible person. Mr. Alexander is the only one who can teach common sense to Songgokphon!

    Or something like that.

    It seems that it also helped that Songgokphon originally worked part-time in Alexander-san''s dungeon before he visited the farm.

    ''''Please manage it at your place until Songgokfon learns common sense!

    The strongest dragon readily agreed to the Hermes God''s full-hearted request for his own convenience, ''''I''m sorry.

    ''''A man as strong as Songgok Phone walks around the world without any sense of decency. That would certainly be a crisis for the world. If it''s up to me, I will guide him as best I can.

    What a sensible word.

    With that in mind, Songgokphong has been assigned to work at the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain in earnest, and will be learning a lot of things under Master Alexander.

    I, Hakkai, came to check on Songgokphon on behalf of the saint, but from a quick glance, he seems to be doing okay.

    He''s working well and properly.

    He''s working well and properly, and he''s reaping the benefits of the adventurers who are attacking the dungeon.

    "Oyaaahhhhhh?

    Oops.

    Another adventurer in range was blown away by a direct hit from Manakanon.

    With that, Sunggokphong''s shooting is so accurate and agile that, well, it''s impossible to avoid it.

    Defense is even more impossible.

    Even just suppressing the power so as not to die.

    ''''Holy crap!¡¡Foul bastard!

    One of the blown up adventurers yells out in a desperate manner.

    You said it''s impossible to break through if you''re in position, no matter where you are!¡¡And now you''re setting up at the key point that you must pass through in order to get to the back of the building.

    Hi, Osan. How are you doing today?

    Songgokhon seems to be familiar with that middle-aged adventurer.

    He has been playing the role of a guardian in Alexander-sama''s dungeon for a part-time job for a while now, so he seems to be acquainted with the aggressive adventurer as well.

    ''''Osaan, you know what?¡¡You worked here part-time, and you said you were going to be a warrior for a while.¡¡That was a lie.

    What the hell?

    I''m officially going to work here. I''ll continue to exterminate men without mercy. Yello.

    ''''It''s not nice to meet you!

    To the adventurers of the human race, when they were being protected by Songgok Phone, they had almost hit a dead end.

    A mid-boss with the strength of a last boss is the ultimate nuisance.

    ''''Not yet, not yet...!

    Hmm?

    Adventurers rising up from another direction?

    They are young over there. It''s like they''re just starting out.

    I''ve decided today that I''m going to reach the halfway point and get to the C grade by any means necessary. I don''t care what obstacles are standing in my way!¡¡I''m going to get over it with my hot, burning spirit of adventure!

    And then, in a straight line, they charge at Songgokphone.

    "Whoa!¡¡Walls are meant to be smashed!

    ''Manakanon bang!''

    ''''Eeehaaaaahhhh?!

    The young adventurer who daringly challenged him was blown away by a single blow.

    There are situations in which fervor alone will not help.

    In this way, Alexander''s dungeon has a new specialty.

    In this way, Alexander-sama''s dungeon was born with a new specialty: "Son Gokphon, the angel of death who retires immediately upon encountering it.

    ''''Yeeeee!¡¡It''s fun to hunt small fry with an overwhelming force!¡¡I''m going to steadily and steadily work hard in this new home!

    I could see how many simple adventurers were sacrificing their lives to this life.

    It''s a good thing you''re right, huh? Since you came all the way to check up on us, why don''t you come over here with us today?

    Eh, me?

    We dodged a bullet together, didn''t we?¡¡I''ll miss my sister and the prince, but today it''s just the two of us to exterminate them!

    Well, I guess so. I''ve come all this way.

    I''ll reminisce about the time of my trip and let my guard down for a change, shall I?

    "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡¡What is that orc?

    ''''It''s so strong you can''t believe it''s an Orc!¡¡I''ve never heard of an orc attacking with holy attributes before!

    "That two-top can''t even break through on defense!¡¡Not even an S-level adventurer could do that!

    Seeing the adventurers who were being cleaved off like dust, I began to feel a bit distressed as well.

    I felt sorry for the adventurers too much at this point, so I poured out my anointing to Alexander-sama to reconsider the operation of Songgok Phone.

    Anyway, since the specification is that encounters and instant game over, it''s too egregious to keep her fixed to block the routes that she must pass.

    So I had her wander around freely, not staying in one place, and if she happened to encounter one, the game was over.

    Even with that specification, it''s still a game of luck, but the adventurers will have to do their best in that situation.

    Everything is about to go well, but it will collapse just by hitting Sunggok Phone.

    I hope that you will not be frustrated by the demons.

 361-359 Sleeping Beauty

    We''re doing a play!

    Veerle said out of the blue.

    ''A play?''

    ''Yes, the play!¡¡I''m going to show Junior the play and make him happy!

    I say.

    I see.

    It''s very good, isn''t it?

    A play sounds like something that children would enjoy, and it would be good for their emotional education.

    I could tell that Veerle really cared about junior high school students, that he had planned such an event with them in mind.

    I''ll be able to watch it.

    Yeah.

    Me, Prathi, Junior and I decided to watch the play.

    The only problem is that I don''t know if baby Junior can understand the play or not.

    It would be fine if his parents, Prathi and I, understood it instead.

    Junior is on the lap of his mother, Prathi, ''What''s going to happen?'' He looks around.

    ''Let the show begin then!¡¡The play is ''Sleeping Beauty''!

    Oh.

    It''s an old story I''ve told to Veerle.

    In the original world, it''s an orthodox story about a princess who falls asleep under a curse and is awakened by a prince''s kiss.

    I was surprised that Veerle chose to make a romantic performance.

    At the beginning.

    The scene where the fairies give the newborn princess a gift.

    Something is rushing in.

    A small, cute group.

    ''''Yousseh!''''

    We''re ready to go!

    You must give them your sustenance!

    They were the spirits of the earth.

    Spiritual beings that governed the operation of nature, beings that materialized and took the form of pretty girls.

    Moreover, there is more than one of them, and even now more than one of them are gathering like a haze of clouds.

    ''I see, you are the fairies.

    It''s kind of bewildering to be called a genie playing a fairy....

    What is the difference between a fairy and a genie?

    We''re the good guys!

    It''s Master Veerle''s yosei, and he''s playing the yosei!

    I''ve been yelled at, and I''ve been yelled at, and I''ve been yelled at!

    Okay, so don''t fold it up.

    The spirits who play the fairies. Their role in the story is to give various gifts to the princess to celebrate her birthday.

    The gifts are all vague, like beauty and virtue, like a fairy tale....

    Junior-sama and lukewarmness!

    Tanjo''s gift to you!

    Bibo, the song is for you!

    And why are you all flocking to our Junior?

    You''re wrong. I think you should be crowdsourcing the princess from Sleeping Beauty.

    I mean, is there no one to play that all-important princess?

    ''Gah-ha-ha, did you see that, master!

    Veerle laughed out loud.

    ''This is the highlight of the play!¡¡The star of the show is Junior!

    What?

    I''ve gone out of my way to make Junior the star of a story with a baby in it!¡¡This allows Junior to experience the extraordinary feeling of being the star of the story!

    Veerle, you had to come up with such an unpleasant stunt under the guise of a play?

    It sounds like a great fun project for children, but wait a minute.

    The Sleeping Beauty" stars a princess, right?

    My junior is a boy!

    The fact that he and our actor are not of the same gender could be a fatal mistake!

    "Hmmmmmmmmmm...!

    The eerie laughter that comes out of nowhere?

    What now!

    Even the spirits of the performers react to follow the script.

    ''''Mmmm, this is it!

    What''s the next line?

    It''s a witch!

    "She''s coming!

    Witch?

    Although there were a few spirits who forgot to say their lines.

    The character wearing a black cloak that appeared to match the groove of the scene change was.......

    Isn''t that........Gala Rufa?

    One of the mermaids who serves on our farm and is known as "The Plague Witch".

    She even appeared on the show?

    What is she doing?

    Even Prathi watching the play next to her had a dumbfounded expression on her face.

    Gala Rufa, in a bar stoic tone, as if she were reciting lines she had memorized.

    ''I mean, is Gala Rufa playing a witch?¡¡Even though they called you a witch in the first place?

    I guess you could say that''s why I''m so into it. It''s too much of a dialogue, isn''t it?

    Gala Rufa''s barbs were enough to make me and Prati on edge as we watched.

    ''''I''ll put a curse on that girl to get back at you for making me out to be an outcast. To get back at you for treating me like an outcast, I''ll put a curse on her.

    That''s the part.

    In Sleeping Beauty, she''s the witch who curses the princess in anger when she''s not invited to her birthday celebration and gets hacked off.

    Gala Rufa for that casting.

    There''s something too addictive and scary about it.

    ''A curse on the princess to die........ Hee!¡¡No matter how much of a play it is, I can''t do such a horrible thing to the saint and Prati-sama''s child!¡¡This place ... well, let''s make it a softer curse!

    He took the liberty of changing the subject.

    ''Well let''s do this then!¡¡I put a curse on Master Junior to be liked and swarmed by every germ imaginable!¡¡I''m rather glad the germs are so popular!¡¡This is no longer a curse, but a celebration!

    Gara Rufa''s love of germs has come to the fore.

    Because Gala Rufa is the only person in otherworldly fantasy who knows about the existence of germs, her love of germs knows no bounds.

    ''''Gee!¡¡What a curse!

    Prathi screams as a mother.

    I know from my studies that germs can cause diseases and are dangerous!¡¡I''m not strong enough yet to be a baby, and if Junior gets swarmed by germs, he''ll die!

    ''Calm down, Prati. It''s just the setting in the story...!

    Gala Rufa creates a super duper curse with the intention of making it mild.

    As expected of the six witches, the title of madest of the six witches is not to be scoffed at.

    For the time being, Gala Rufa, who played the role of a witch, left the stage after finishing her role.

    The performance was more than enough.

    "And here I am at last!

    Veerle came out.

    The timing couldn''t have been better. In light of the development of Sleeping Beauty, are you the last fairy to fight against the witch''s curse?

    You''re trying to get me the best role possible.

    But the witch has the nerve to ignore my perfect script and improvise. I''ll be d*mned if I''m not going to improvise even more.

    You''re the star of this movie?

    "Therefore, I will give you a blessing that far surpasses the witch''s curse. Dragon armor, dragon magic, and dragon life span to Junior.

    Veerle''s body began to shine, and just before he activated his dragon magic in a stiff, not theatrical way........

    ''''Don''t get serious with the play!''''

    Prati kicked me off.

    ''''That''s why I usually say I won''t give Junior any reckless enhancements!¡¡Isn''t that the course for the gods to follow?

    "Geeeeeeee...!¡¡It was....!

    The gods of the earth and sea have caused a ruckus before when they tried to give Junior a ridiculous blessing.

    * * * *.

    So in the end, the play "Sleeping Beauty" by Veerle was stopped there.

    Most importantly, I made the heroine''s princess look like our junior, so there was no way to go any further.

    How should we play out what happens after the princess grows up many years later?

    I''ll say it again, Junior is a boy, not a princess.

    ''''Ummm...!¡¡I thought it would be fun to incorporate Junior into the play...!¡¡I didn''t know there was a pitfall like this!

    Veerle was shaken by the lack of workmanship in his script.

    Well, this guy also planned a play to make Junior interesting, and as a parent, I''ll thank him.

    "Oshibai was interesting!

    I''ll do it again!

    It''s going to be a spectacle of love and wonder!

    As an actor, the spirits of the earth seemed to enjoy the play.

    The project of the play itself was good, and I''m happy to try it again when Junior is a little older and able to make decisions.

    ''I chose the sleepy thing because I wanted a play with a baby in it so I could get Junior to perform, but I should have screened him more severely. ....At least the main character has to be the same gender as Junior!

    Veerle was still reflecting on the situation.

    And he was trying to connect it to the next one.

    ''Then do the next play with a baby boy in it!¡¡That means Momotaro!¡¡Master!¡¡Put Junior in this thing!

    "Hi, it''s Peach Tree Spirit Peachtitanba.

    Veerle held out some kind of giant, talking peach.

    ''Let Junior experience the exhilaration of cracking and coming out of this thing with a bang!¡¡And you''ll feel like a hero as Momotaro!

    Stop it.

    Junior is too young to ask for such a hard performance.

 362-360 Pasta Alimentale

    I wanted to make a new dish.

    I haven''t done anything like that lately.

    I''m thinking it''s time to expand the repertoire of menu items on our farm, and I''m looking for things to do.

    ''But, well, it''s not too much trouble.

    We don''t have any materials, so we don''t want to do anything complicated like growing them from scratch.

    We''ll just use what we have now.....

    However, our farm is now quite well stocked with a wide variety of ingredients, and we have most of them now.

    I miss the frustration of the old days when we would say "we don''t have this" or "we don''t have that".

    So I decided what to make.

    Should I make spaghetti or something?

    For some reason, the ones I''ve made so far have been mainly Japanese style, so I''d like to try my hand at some Western style.

    I would like to try my hand at western style dishes around here.

    And if I''m going to make it anyway, it would be easier to develop it into something equivalent to the main meal.

    That''s why I decided to make spaghetti, and I don''t mind, right?

    * * * *

    Koo-neko-nee, koo-neko-nee....

    I mix the flour with water and egg and so on and knead it.

    I feel that this work is already familiar to me.

    I often make bread and so on.

    Today was a prototype, so I made fresh pasta instead of dried noodles.

    I didn''t have a pasta machine or anything like that, so I made it by hand.

    When the dough was suitably finished, I chopped it up with the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz and made it into a proper noodle shape.

    .........and then the usual men appeared.

    Prati and Veerle.

    Whenever I create a new dish, they notice and come over with an Esper-like sensitivity.

    The only thing different lately is when Prathi hugs Junior.

    ''The master is making a new dish!

    Prati said with a twinkle in her eye.

    ''He has the eyes of a hunter.

    ''Hah, no, look closely. Do you have a knothole in your eye?''

    What did you say?

    Veerle says next to him, somewhat provocatively.

    "Don''t fish have a memory?¡¡You''ve probably seen it before, the way it''s made. It''s made by kneading flour into thin strips. That''s...

    Tame.

    "....it''s udon!

    Hi, wrong.

    I''ve made udon noodles before.

    It''s only natural that it looks familiar, and since it''s a noodle made from the same flour, it''s not surprising that you look at it differently.

    ''Master - how could you be so thoughtless as to try to create something existing with such an up-and-coming look?¡¡There''s been no new work lately, and I''m guessing you''ve run out of talent.

    Oh?

    Oh, well. If it''s only noodle soup, I''ll help you cook it. I want you to get to know this Grinzeldragon''s handiwork.

    And so, for some reason, Veal also rolled up his arms and joined in the kitchen.

    Mix the right amount of flour and water, and when it''s mixed together, knead it!¡¡Kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten kitten...!

    What''s that? Veerle started beating his hands with great speed.

    Udon.

    But this is not the case.

    I''ve already finished the noodles, so let''s move on to cooking.

    There are many different kinds of spaghetti, but today I think I''ll make the simplest one, peperoncino.

    So here''s the peperoncino.

    I drew oil in a frying pan, added chopped garlic and pepper, and fried it.

    Meanwhile, Veerle continues to work on making udon noodles.

    ''The noodles are done!¡¡Now let''s boil it, let''s wash it!

    Leave that guy alone.....

    The peperoncino making continues.

    Next, I''m going to make udon soup!¡¡You have to make a broth with katsuobushi and kombu and add soy sauce and mirin!

    Throw the pasta into the prepared oil.

    Stir-fry thoroughly to combine the flavors, and season with salt and pepper.

    Put the boiled udon noodles in the bowl with the dipping sauce.¡¡And then add leeks, and leeks, and leeks!¡¡Add more scallions and more scallions!!!

    Remove from the pan before the noodles get hard and put them on a plate....

    ''''Done!''''

    Spaghetti peperoncino!

    Udon!

    ''''No!''''

    There were two different dishes on the table that had nothing to do with each other except that they were noodles.

    What is this?¡¡I thought it was udon, but it''s not udon at all!¡¡The master has made a pathetic version of udon!

    Don''t say things that would make all Italians angry.

    The new dish you''ve been waiting for. I call it spaghetti or spaghetti or peperoncino.

    "That''s a lot of names, which one?!

    It''s too much trouble to explain them all from scratch, so just call it spaghetti for now.

    Oh, well, let''s get right to it...

    Prati, who had only been watching from the sidelines, sat down and tasted the peperoncino first.

    Even though I didn''t teach her, her spinning motion of teasing the noodles with her fork was elegant. As expected of a former princess.

    ''''Good!''''

    Teletellee.

    ''This is so good!¡¡At first I didn''t know what would happen to udon noodles without soup, but it''s a completely different texture and flavor!¡¡It''s so tangy and spicy!

    It was quite a rave.

    But Prati also put the pasta in the udon category. It couldn''t be helped, though, from the order of things.

    It''s an adult flavor in many ways........

    It''s got nink in it...

    I don''t even know if we''re ready for baby food yet.¡¡It''s definitely too early for Junior to be saying, "You know what?

    Let''s give him the satisfaction of still having platy tits.

    "Huh!¡¡Those juniors deserve udon noodles!

    Veerle said something.

    Udon doesn''t have such a strong taste, and it''s perfect for riniuju food!¡¡Udon is the righteousness!

    A mysterious push from Ville.

    Since when did you get such a push for udon?¡¡A particular prefectural citizen?

    The fact that this dragon was able to easily make udon noodles by hand before I knew it is frightening.

    What are you talking about?¡¡It may not be suitable for junior''s baby food, but the peperoncino is a blast!¡¡The spiciness of the chili and the smell of garlic will give you a lot of strength!

    And then there''s Prati''s mysterious pasta thrust.

    Are you from a particular boots-on-the-ground land?

    "Don''t hit Junior with your garlicky breath!¡¡Didn''t Junior smell that?

    Shut up!¡¡Udon is so tasteless!¡¡Be a miso stew and come back!

    I don''t know why, but a noodle war has broken out.

    "Stop, why do the same noodles need to fight each other...?

    But I can''t stop the two most powerful people on the farm.

    It''s no use........we''ll just have to call in the best helpers.

    Holkosfone!

    Yes, sir.

    It''s Holkosfone, the Angel of Destruction''s turn.

    Horcosfon immediately stood in the kitchen and threw the raw pasta that I had left to fry into the pan and.......

    And natto (fermented soybeans)!

    Natto pasta

    And then Veal combines the leftover boiled udon noodles with regular dipping sauce....

    And then he throws in some more Natto!

    Natto udon noodles.

    A specialty of Kagawa became a specialty of Mito City in an instant.

    In this way, any food becomes more delicious when combined with natto. If you can make a dish taste better by mixing natto, then the dishes are all brothers. There''s no need to fight with each other.

    ''I see!''

    Veerle and Prathi hugged each other.

    ''I''m sorry I was wrong!¡¡There''s nothing racist about good food!

    ''Yes, spaghetti is a great noodle!¡¡No need to distinguish and fight!

    I held Junior in my arms as he passed me and watched the scene of peace.

    Yes, good friends are the best.

    We have to cook to make everyone smile.

    Now let''s develop a tomato sauce and try spaghetti with meat sauce next.

 363-361 Oath of bright red tomato

    Pasta was introduced to the farm.

    It was the horkosfone that made the most use of the pasta.

    Natto spaghetti is up.

    I was also making natto spaghetti with natto in the pasta.

    The erosion rate of natto is too high.

    Ever since pasta was established on the farm, Holkosfone has been actively mixing natto (fermented soybeans) with the pasta, cooking natto spaghetti and serving it to the residents.

    Thanks to this, the residents of the farm have come to accept the notion that pasta is a dish that is mixed with fermented soybeans.

    If it was served with natto (fermented soybeans) for the first time, one could not help but think so....

    I watched from the side and thought so.

    I''m not saying that natto (fermented soy beans) spaghetti is bad.

    But pasta is not only natto. I want to tell everyone that it can be combined with many more things to create an infinite variety of flavors.

    If it goes on like this, the possibilities of pasta will be closed off to natto.

    That would be unfortunate for both natto and pasta.

    So before that happens, I''m going to open up new possibilities for pasta!

    Holkosfone has started adding mentsuyuyu to their natto spaghetti!

    No matter what kind of authentic spaghetti you make, the impact will be inferior if he completes the ultimate spaghetti with fermented soybeans and the highest rating from the residents.

    We have to hurry!

    * * *

    So I''m going to make spaghetti with meat sauce.

    After all, authentic spaghetti is meat sauce.

    A pasta dyed red with tomatoes is the essence of spaghetti.

    I don''t want my friends on the farm to think that natto (fermented soybeans) pasta is my primary dish unless I show them that bright red pasta.

    Anyway, I''m going to make spaghetti meat sauce!

    For this, you need meat sauce.

    The meat sauce is made from a combination of ground beef and tomato sauce.

    Tomatoes.

    They are the first thing grown on our farm.

    I bit into one of the first tomatoes to ripen on newly cultivated farmland. I still can''t forget the freshness of the tomatoes in my mouth.

    I don''t think I''ve ever had to use a tomato in a real meal before.

    Until today, I''ve never used them for cooking, except to bite into them or cut them into pieces and put them on salad.

    We don''t use tomatoes in miso soup in our family.

    It''s very exciting to make a full-scale cooking process out of tomatoes.

    Now, let''s make a puree from the tomatoes that will be the basis of the meat sauce.

    We stewed them until they had lost their original form, and then crushed and strained them to a mush.

    And then the Veal comes.

    ''Here he comes.''

    Why is this guy the first one to show up every time I try a new dish?

    Do you have a special sensor?

    Normally, Prathi would show up as a set, but since Junior was born, he has been fluctuating between showing up and not showing up.

    I guess he didn''t come today to take care of Junior first. I''ll bring him the finished product later.

    ''Oh?¡¡That''s a tomato!¡¡What are you going to do with them in hot water?

    Then, the fast-paced Veal turned his attention to the meat sauce he was working on.

    The tomatoes taste great just as they are, don''t they?¡¡Why do you put it in hot water?¡¡Will it be like a boiled egg?

    No, you won''t.

    In the meantime, the tomatoes were boiling over and turning to mush.

    Veerle looked into the pot and pinged.

    ''''I get it, this is...!

    He found out what it was.

    It''s tomato ketchup!

    How do you know what tomato ketchup is?

    ...Oh, yeah.

    I remember making tomato ketchup once, in this world.

    That was when I tried to make an otherworldly sausage.

    Ketchup was still essential for flavoring, so I made it.

    What, I was already cooking tomatoes.

    It''s close, but it''s something else, and it''s not the same as ketchup.

    What?¡¡I''m looking forward to the ketchup because it''s good, too!

    Veal is getting very interested in this.

    Anyway, the puree is ready, so I set it aside for a moment and fry the other element needed for the meat sauce, the ground beef.

    ''Oh!''¡¡Meat, meat!

    It''s the same in every world that gets excited when meat is thrown in.

    And in parallel, I also start boiling the pasta.

    I finished the fresh pasta the other day, and then I made the dried pasta.

    Now I don''t have to start hand-rolling when I need to.

    While the pasta was cooking, I finished the meat sauce.

    I mixed the ground beef with the sludgy tomatoes and it was starting to look like meat sauce.

    I read off exactly when it''s going to be al dente, so I colander up the pasta, put it on a plate and pour the meat sauce on top!

    Finished!

    Spaghetti with otherworldly meat sauce!

    ''Oh!¡¡Spaghetti with no natto?¡¡How original is that?

    Natto spaghetti is the standard on our farm.

    ''But it''s good!¡¡It''s delicious!¡¡This ground beef sauce is so juicy!¡¡And the tomatoes are still nice and red!

    But the meat sauce was also a hit.

    Veal, sucking down the spaghetti without bothering to turn red around his mouth.

    ''I love the red color!¡¡It''s the color of the flame breath we dragons breathe!

    I''m glad to hear that you like it.

    Now, since we''re here, let''s give Prati a taste of it. I transfer the leftover spaghetti to a small plate and go to find her.

    I headed to the bedroom, thinking that she was probably with Junior, and sure enough, she was there.

    He had some kind of uncanny look on his face.

    ''Even though it definitely smells good in the air. I can''t leave a sleeping Junior alone so...!

    He was making him put up with it.

    The meat sauce spaghetti that was offered to him was already slurping up a delicious-looking spaghetti.

    ''''Delicious!

    "It''s superimposed.

    Eat lots of food and produce tits for junior to drink.

    * * * *

    Now that we''ve gotten a feel for the prototype, let''s get to the mass production of spaghetti with meat sauce.

    Then we''ll feed a lot of it to the farm and let everyone know that spaghetti isn''t just about natto.

    When I returned to the kitchen, a certain number of people had already gathered there to do their best.

    What''s the matter?

    Did they get caught up in the smell of meat sauce too?

    But that''s not what I heard.

    It was Viel who collected them.

    You guys!¡¡Today I''m going to feed you spaghetti with a difference!

    To my surprise, Veerle is going to make his own spaghetti and serve it to you.

    Are you trying to recreate the same recipe for meat sauce that I demonstrated earlier?

    I''ve never seen Veal do such a thing before, but today, what''s going on?

    Have you become a rival to Holkosfone, who makes all sorts of Natto spaghetti?

    The first thing to do is to boil the noodles.

    I threw the dried pasta into a pot of simmering water.

    The water is properly salted and the noodles are boiled in a certain way, so he''s pretty handy.

    And when the noodles are just right, I pull them up...

    Move it further.

    Huh?¡¡Where do you keep the meat sauce?

    "And throw ketchup all over it.

    Ohhhhhhhhhh?

    Veerle, you bastard!

    The ketchup you keep in the fridge and put on all your pasta?

    "No, you didn''t, Veerle!¡¡You''re not!¡¡What do you put on your pasta with meat sauce, not ketchup?

    It looked like such a pain in the ass to make!¡¡It''s the same thing anyway, so why not put ketchup on it?¡¡I''ve been thinking about that since I saw Master making it!

    "Not the same thing, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    Spaghetti with meat sauce on pasta!

    And then I put ketchup on the pasta...!

    That''s a Neapolitan, isn''t it?

    That''s not the same thing as a Neapolitan!

    Spaghetti Neapolitan, which no real Italian would approve of, has already landed in another world!

    And by someone other than me!

    Oh, it''s better than it sounds.

    But it''s half-boiled pasta cooled by ketchup.

    I''m sure you do!¡¡Because essentially, the way to make a Neapolitan is to fry it in a frying pan while tossing it with ketchup and other ingredients!

    But it''s still quite popular!

    ''Ummm, that''s not a good response yet. Master!¡¡Together we''re going to study more perfect spaghetti with ketchup!

    No, I know the perfect recipe for spaghetti with ketchup!

    It''s called Neapolitan!

    How can you be so studious, Veerle?

    In the end, the new Neapolitan we made was a hit with everyone on the farm, including Veerle.

    ...and the meat sauce too!

 364-362 No need to go to the deep sea again

    Prince Arowana came to visit.

    The one who was most pleased was, of course, his fianc¨¦e, Puffa.

    ''Master!¡¡I''ve missed you!

    My dear future wife!¡¡Me too!

    They hugged each other and spun on the spot.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect.

    You''re not going to be able to get a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    Still, for both of us, it was a void that was equal to eternity.

    My wife, Prathi, who is next to me, said as if she understood.

    Recently, I''ve finally realized that mermaids themselves are a race with very deep romantic feelings.

    It''s so deep that you could call it a sinfulness?

    ''Lord Saint!¡¡It''s been a while!

    Prince Arowana, who has finished mingling with his girlfriend, is coming towards me.

    So it''s only been three days.

    I hope my nephew is doing well!¡¡By the way, I''ve got something interesting to tell you today!

    He said it in a kind of pompous way.

    You didn''t just come here for fun today, but you have something to do with it...?

    * * *

    A martial arts competition?

    What does that sound like?

    Sir that''s it.

    Oh, yeah?¡¡I know what you mean.¡¡Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, that''s it.

    Yes, yeah, a thing.

    Oh, yeah.

    Later, Prathi told me secretly about it.

    The martial arts competition is a festival held by the mermaid race.

    It''s a martial arts festival where mermaids compete to win or lose.

    Mermaids who were proud of their skills would compete in one-on-one matches, fighting, fighting, fighting together, until they were the last one standing.

    It''s said to be an event to determine the strongest in this way.

    ''Oh, I remember!¡¡Didn''t they talk about that last year too!

    I think it was Prince Arowana who won.

    Hmm!¡¡So the season has come around again, I see!¡¡I''m in this year as a previous winner too!¡¡I''m under pressure to be on the receiving end of the challenge!

    ''''There''s no one in the mermaid kingdom that''s an enemy to the current master!

    ..........

    They''re really excited, aren''t they, this couple?

    Don''t tell me you''re already poisoned by the festive atmosphere?

    ''''........Because the warrior swimming competition is one of the most exciting events in mermaid country. It''s especially exciting for male mermaids!

    Only male mermaids could participate in the Wushuushu competition.

    This means that the competition is a test of a man''s pride and pride, and they say it''s going to be exciting before the event begins.

    Prince Arowana, in particular, won the same tournament last year.

    He was the defending champion, so he should be fired up.

    As I recall, Prince Arowana is going on an ascetic''s journey! I thought it was because he won the same competition last year.

    The prince has changed a lot after that trip.

    The fact that the tournament was the catalyst for that change makes me very emotional.

    A year has already passed since then.

    A year has passed and the tournament is being held again...?

    And I would like to make a proposal to your highness.

    Prince Arowana loomed over me with Zuzuys.

    ''Will the Lord Saint come to the convention this year?

    Yeah?

    ''''I was actually thinking of inviting you to last year''s tournament as well, but after all, the venue was in the middle of the ocean. Not only is it not the domain of land people, but the saintly lord doesn''t seem to move from his farm, so it was difficult to invite him...!

    Oh my.

    I didn''t know you cared about me like that?

    But nowadays, it seems that the saint has been traveling a lot, and more importantly, he once visited the mermaid kingdom. Would you like to show the Mermaid King and his wife the face of your grandson again?

    Proposal.

    ............................yes.

    I want to maintain a good relationship with my wife''s family, and I should visit them as often as I can if I have the chance.

    It''s a big festival.

    Isn''t that a good enough reason to come?

    All right, let''s go.

    Yay!

    It was decided that we would go in an OkLet''s Go kind of way.

    Since this is Prathi''s parents'' house, of course my wife Prathi and her two treasures Junior will be going with me.

    We did it, Junior. You''ll get to see your grandpa and grandma again, won''t you?

    Prathi spoke to her son.

    Junior, of course, was not yet old enough to understand, and only looked back at his mother''s face blankly.

    Because he''s still a baby, right?

    I don''t understand words, do I?

    ..........

    You really don''t get it, do you?

    What''s with the baby''s occasional all-seeing look?

    And ''You didn''t look like that, did you?'' As soon as he said that, he quickly shifted his interest to something else.

    ''Well, I''d be happy to accept your invitation anyway!

    Thank you!¡¡As before, the whole mermaid kingdom will welcome you with open arms!

    After making the promise of a visit, Prince Arowana went to the farm to have fun.

    After chatting with Prathi and me, he spent the rest of the day gorging on pickled cucumbers and wrestling.

    We taught the students a lesson about the mermaid kingdom, and then we ate cucumbers and wrestled again.

    And then, after flirting with Pfafa, he returned to the sea.

    * * * *

    Later.

    At last the day came to visit the mermaid country again.

    "Sail away!

    Aboard the magical steamship Herkilke, we cut through the waves.

    The road from the farm to the mermaid kingdom is once in route.

    We will go to Paradise Island, which is a diplomatic window that the mermaid kingdom has secured at sea, and from there we will enter the magic potion soap bubble and go underwater.

    It''s not going to break again, is it?

    ''''I''ve modified it properly, so it''ll be fine!

    The members of the Mermaid Nation''s Breath are me, my wife Prathi and my son Junior, and naturally Veerle is joining the family.

    Now, it''s as if Veerle is everywhere in our family with Junior.

    Will he grow up quickly and leave us more quickly than anyone else?

    That''s the part I''m a little worried about.

    I''m going to visit the mermaid country again with the above members.

    I wonder what in the world is waiting for us this time.

    But I wonder if we''ll ever see the giant fish again.

    The mermaid country where the mermaids live is inside the body of a big, big fish.

    It''s like something out of a fairy tale, but it''s about time we could see the outline of that giant fish on the ocean floor...?

    You''re not going out there today.

    ''What?¡¡Really?

    ''It''s a martial arts swimming competition today. It''s a blood feast of men''s spears, muscles and fighting spirit. It''s not something you can do in the city.

    Such a fierce festival?

    So the Wushuushu competition will be held outside the mermaid kingdom and I can see it. It''s a special place.

    Seriously.

    A faint light on the dark ocean floor.

    And the presence of countless people.

    The closer you get, the more you realize.

    An open-air arena set up just for the tournament.

    A large number of fighters and dozens more crowded into the arena.

    The air was filled with a strange kind of heat.

    This scale, this intensity.

    It''s true that it''s satisfying to be told that you can''t fit inside the clothes of a giant fish with a mermaid country.

    This is...!¡¡Wushu competition........?

    The largest battle tournament in the mermaid kingdom.

    Male mermaids vie with each other for pride in their strength and skill.

    It was an event to determine the strongest of them all...?

 365-363 Marathon competition spectator seat

    "Wow...!¡¡I''m fighting........?

    As soon as we arrived at the venue, Prathi''s expression lit up.

    By the way, we''re in the ocean now.

    Prati has now reverted back to her mermaid form and is pulling the soap bottle we''re in.

    Ground people like me and Junior can breathe and not get wet in the sea because we are inside the soap bubbles.

    More importantly, it''s a martial arts swimming competition.

    It was far bigger than I had imagined.

    The competition seemed to have already begun, and men''s bodies were clashing all over the venue.

    "Unnuah!

    Nuggaaah!

    The screams of men who don''t want to put too much into their ears echo.

    You can hear it even under the sea.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    They each held a spear and shield in their hands and were fully armed in their attire.

    ''''Well that''s the basic fighting style of male mermaids.

    Prati said as she pulled the soap bubble we were riding on.

    ''While the female mermaid fights with potions, the male mermaid''s weapon of choice is her own well-honed body. Two arms and a thick tail fin. The clash of power and strength they produce!

    Smells like sweat.

    What a sweaty convention I''ve come to, what a sweaty convention I''ve come to.

    Is this okay with Junior''s education?¡¡Aren''t you afraid to show it to me?

    In the midst of all this, the first match I saw was quickly being won.

    Two male mermaids swam from the full distance of the set match field and accelerated to clash with each other.

    Pike and shield, shield and contraption clashed with each other.

    ''''Guhaaa!''''

    And one of them was blown away.

    The deciding factor in the game would be the pure difference in acceleration.

    ''There is a winner!¡¡Winner, Wild!

    The crowd erupted with the declaration of a referee-like person.

    It wasn''t the only place where the match was taking place, there were any number of match grounds to look around and men were clashing with each other.

    ''''Great ... it''s a lively crowd,''''

    ''At this time of the day, it''s probably a qualifier. There''s no end to what we could do if we played every single game one by one.

    Prathi explains.

    ''I see, it''s a qualifier, so we''re doing it at the same time...!¡¡How many of them are in the contest?

    There''s at least a thousand of them, right?

    A thousand people?

    That was an order of magnitude higher than expected.

    I didn''t know it was such a large convention...?

    The whole mermaid nation is participating in this tournament, so I think it''s still not much. It varies from year to year, but I''m sure the average number was about the same. After all, this is how the best male mermaid in the country will be decided.

    ''I thought mermaids.......were a more elegant species.......''

    It''s kind of like this, it''s like a fairy tale with love and love....

    There''s a great concentration of men after I stepped into this tournament.

    It''s just like a man of the sea!

    As you go through the venue, manly lines fly out along with the heat of the men.

    ''''Whoa!¡¡A fight with you is truly doomed!

    "We are bound by a red thread!¡¡To fight!

    All my life!¡¡Practice is hard work!¡¡That''s exactly what it was for today!

    ''Come on!¡¡Let''s enjoy the fight!

    ''More!¡¡Tell me about yourself!¡¡What kind of training you''ve had!¡¡What are we fighting for!

    Fighting is the supreme form of communication beyond s*x!

    Manly.

    I walked through this heartburn-inducingly masculine venue and by the time I reached the VIP bleachers, I was full.

    "Master........I''m getting heartburn.......I''m getting heartburn...!

    Even Veerle, my companion, is struck by the air and goes crazy at the dreaded male mermaid festival.

    And the one waiting for you in the VIP section is...!

    "Ah, long time no see, you''re here!

    It''s Queen Sheila, the queen of the mermaid kingdom.

    You are my son''s grandmother.

    It''s been so long, Mom. You look much younger than you used to.

    You know what I mean?¡¡Moms are women, too, and they should be beautiful every day!

    Mother and daughter rejoice at their reunion.

    The bleachers for the royalty are specially constructed, a temporary (but still luxurious enough) building with chairs to sit and watch the game.

    The strangest part is that somehow, in some kind of logic, the air is filled with air, so that from now on, me and Junior, the groundlings, can relax without Shabon.

    Perhaps this is due to the mermaid''s unique pharmacological magic.

    The inside was spacious enough, and even more so, it felt like the space of a royal prince.

    I''m so glad you''ve been able to come to the depths, Saint. Junior has grown up again...!

    ''''It''s been a while........?

    It''s not "far away" but "deep", how can you say that...?

    Moreover, Queen Sheila wasn''t the only one waiting at the VIP seat.

    There are a variety of unexpected faces in this room.

    Sister Veerle, I thought I''d see you again if you were here.

    Ardhegg.

    He is a member of the dragon clan.

    Moreover, he is a newly turned Geyser Dragon, the pinnacle of the clan, and is not one who would normally attend a mermaid''s event by mistake.

    The reason why he was invited to the martial arts tournament was probably because of his friendship.

    Mr. Ardhegg and Prince Arowana are close friends.

    In the past, they traveled the world together and worked together to defeat the previous generation of Gaiser Dragons.

    Since they are such friends, it''s not a problem for them to play together.

    I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that the ultimate life form of a dragon is attending an inferior race''s event. The dignity of the Geyser Dragon is diminished.

    ''There''s even Marie!

    What was even more surprising was next to Ardheg''s.

    Bloody Mary, the Glaugrinzel Dragon, who is called one of the strongest of the female dragons, was there.

    ''''Why are you with us?

    ''''What?¡¡Is it strange for me to be with Ardhegg?

    It''s funny!

    The way you and Mr. Ardhegg are sitting side by side, you act like you''re the first lady.

    What in the world has happened without my knowledge?

    Ardhegg is still an inexperienced gaiser dragon. I will always be there to guide you so that you won''t be underestimated by a lesser race.

    ''''Huh........?''''

    I sighed at the picture-perfect tsundere attitude.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you, sister Marie. Has she gotten stronger since then?

    Hee?

    Veerle is happy to see Marie and her sisters again.

    However, the most important thing is that Marie-san is terrified.

    Is this an after-effect of the defeat the other day?

    ''For coming so much for little Arowana!¡¡My child is really a lucky man!

    Queen Sheila is buoyed by the breadth of her child''s friendships, but looking at her again, the dragon emperor.......

    ''''Just so you know, your husband is the one with the most awful connections in the whole group, right?

    Prathi pointed out to me somewhat calmly.

    ''''........Speaking of which, isn''t the Demon King here today?''''

    The Demon King is also an important friend of Prince Arowana, and I think it''s a good idea to invite him for the sake of friendship between the nations.......

    Queen Sheila replied to that.

    Queen Sheila replied: "Of course, we''ve talked about that. But, you know, we have never been able to welcome anyone from another country to this tournament. We haven''t had the know-how of welcoming and guarding them.......

    Even if you research and prepare for it, there wasn''t enough time to prepare for it when you thought of it, so this year they decided to forgo it.

    When it comes to the Demon King, he is a guest of honor, and if he is rude, it would be an international problem, wouldn''t it?¡¡In that regard, it''s rather easy for you guys to be ''royalty-related''. You just have to treat them like royalty.

    Is it that easy...?

    Once again, the severity of their treatment of us scared us, but we decided to fulfill our purpose for being here.

    In other words, it''s a watch of the WUWA competition.

    The venue was already full of excitement at the preliminary round.

    Some of the winners will advance to the finals.

 366-364 Martial Arts Competition Qualifying

    We were invited to the Royal Seating, which was a great place to watch the games.

    It was built in the middle of the open-air venue, and it was also the highest point of the venue so that we could see all the qualifying games going on at the same time.

    If I were to call it a privileged seat, this is exactly what I should say.

    It makes me feel uncomfortable to be in a place like this...!

    It was like he was cheating.

    I felt that my common sense was embedded in my bones.

    Isn''t this necessary?

    Prathi says, fondling Junior.

    ''It''s your duty to watch the royals, too.

    "Duty?

    Yes. Wushu competition is not just a contest of strength. It''s also important to find a talented mermaid warrior. It''s a good idea to have a strong mermaid, regardless of her status, because if she wins the tournament, she''ll be the center of attention.

    The mermaids who are successful in this competition are given a royal welcome and important posts at the palace.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you get a chance to make a decision," he said, "the royal family also has a role to play in making such decisions, and I can''t afford to miss any of the matches. It''s a great opportunity for me to get to know them better," he said.

    I see...!

    Thanks to Prathi''s commentary, I felt a little less guilty, but I''m not actually royalty, so I don''t get involved in such judgments, and I''ve been worried that I''m still out of place! I was beginning to feel uneasy about being out of place.

    It''s a good idea to keep an eye out for them because they''re not going to be in the same place as you. Prathi-chan, you''ll take care of that for me.

    Okay.

    Dee-dee, I don''t know, maybe I should try harder too?

    I don''t know anything about watching sports...?

    .........hmm?

    ''Speaking of which, where are Prince Arowana and the King?¡¡I haven''t seen him at all?

    Normally, they are the ones who should be here.

    That''s exactly what they should be doing, as the heart of the royal family.

    ''''Those kids aren''t here. Because of course they''re not here...''''

    The queen chuckled.

    ''''Those girls are contestants themselves.

    * * *

    Well, that''s right.

    I heard that Prince Arowana won the tournament last year, and of course he''s competing in this one too.

    See, he''s just playing in the other block.

    Queen Sheila pointed to a rather exciting game field.

    Prince Arowana was there.

    Would it be a lot of fun if the prince and the previous winner were to compete?

    ''''Mom, what are your brother''s odds this year?''''

    1.01 times. Well, it''s an ironclad bet. It''s not worth the bet.

    You''re betting on it!

    But that''s how much Prince Arowana is the best of the best. He''s the most likely candidate to win.

    It''s just before the match, and it''s still the calm before the storm, but his opponent, a male mermaid, is overwhelmed by the prince''s dominance and is trembling.

    He was a boy mermaid who was not yet old enough. Maybe it''s a strange coincidence of luck in the lottery, or maybe it''s just a pity that he suddenly ran into a potential winner.

    "Match........start!

    The referee called out mercilessly.

    With that, the boy mermaid was blown out of the match field.

    ''''Guhaaaaahhhh?

    Eh, what?

    What happened?

    A moment passed and I didn''t understand what happened. If you''re going to sit on the royal throne, you have to find someone who''s useful, right?

    ........Oh, it''s okay. Because that game is for royalty?

    ''''........Brother, you just pushed your opponent out of the way with your spirit......?

    Platy commentary.

    To be able to do that?

    ''''Arowana-chan has really grown up in her warrior training, hasn''t she? The amount of energy you''ve put into this project is far greater than you were before you left.

    Of course. Lord Arowana has been through countless hazards in his travels!

    Mr. Ardhaeg was proud of his personal side.

    But Prince Arowana''s rapid progress did not stop.

    He showed his dignity even after his victory.

    The winner is Arowana!

    Almost at the same time as the judges'' declaration........

    ''''Master~!

    A beautiful mermaid swims up from outside the game field and hugs Prince Arowana.

    "Isn''t that Puffa?

    Isn''t that Puffa?

    Puffa, the Frozen Cold Witch, one of the six witches.

    You''ll be able to see that they''re all in the same position as last year, assisting Prince Arowana with his seconds.

    However, she''s undaunted.

    You''re not afraid to embrace each other.

    That''s a masterpiece of Atai!¡¡We''re going to go straight to the championship!

    ''It''s Puffa...!¡¡I''m glad you''re happy to see me, but aren''t you a little too casual about it!¡¡They''re looking at you!¡¡There are a lot of people watching!

    A man and woman hugging each other in the middle of the game field would attract unwanted attention, and even more so when the man on the other side is a prince.

    "Who''s that strange old lady hugging the prince?

    "She''s so beautiful!

    A voice said.

    ''''I heard that Puffa was Prince Arowana''s second man since last year. Was he that blatant even then?

    I don''t know, I haven''t seen it myself. I don''t know, but obviously they''ve been raising the bar since this year...?

    It was this year that Puffa got engaged to Prince Arowana.

    However, because her background as a witch prevents her from getting married by the balls, she can''t just marry outright to gain the support of the people.

    Prince Arowana and Prince Pahwa are not quite ready for the wedding ceremony.

    I guess their strategy is to build on the existing facts by showing everyone around them how much they love each other.

    ''''How far-reaching...?

    I could sense Puffa''s strong will to marry her no matter how long it takes.

    But, Mr. Puffa.

    It''s easy to forget that you''re a wanted person, but you''re a wanted person, so you don''t want to get too big a deal out there?

    ''''Well, for that amount of time, Prince Arowana will be able to win without any problems.

    We''ll be in the finals for sure.

    Just as I was about to turn my attention to another game.

    I felt a tremendous chill. And from up close.

    Whew!

    It''s Queen Sheila!

    Queen Sheila has a dark aura about her!

    All over my little Arowana, you goofy cat, you unprincipled slophead!

    No, no, no!¡¡That said, she''s my fianc¨¦e!¡¡You''re entitled to be sticky and not a slopper or something...?

    No, even so, I know that there is no room for logic to intervene in the daughter-in-law issue.

    But don''t feel like you''ve won. I''ve already made a move to shatter that sweet plan of yours........!

    Do you have a typing machine?

    No, I''m sure that''s not how it was supposed to go down...?

    Before the queen could wonder what on earth she had done, she found out the answer.

    At another match, she announced on a high note.

    ''''Let the match begin!¡¡That''s it!

    ''''Quick!''''

    Another blink-and-you''ll-miss-it moment happened again in another place.

    When I looked to see who in the world had won, I saw a huge man mermaid who made me cringe just by looking at her.

    ''''That''s it!

    His Majesty Nagas the Mermaid King!

    The father of Prati and Prince Arowana, and the husband of Queen Sheila.

    He submerged his opponents under a single blow, naturally sending the crowd into a frenzy.

    ''''Tsutsumi ee!¡¡''''His Majesty the Mermaid King, you''re so good!

    "Even though it''s been ten years since you''ve participated in this tournament, your strength hasn''t diminished at all!

    His Majesty Nargus, who in his youth once set an unprecedented record by winning the title for fifteen consecutive years and has been preparing for induction into the Hall of Fame ever since, is competing this year!

    It is said that this tournament will provide an opportunity to see how much Prince Arowana, his successor, will grow up.

    Will this be a generational shift?

    The crowd was also excited to see the participation of the two princes.

    The man behind this tremendous turnout is....

    "Mmm-hmm, watch this, you unworthy wife.

    Of course you are Queen Sheila.

    I won''t let you marry her while she has a black eye.¡¡If you don''t beat my darling, the engagement is off. Keep that in mind.

    When did that happen?

    The recklessness from Queen Sheila was amazing.

    The martial arts competition is now in full swing, and even the fate of the two loved ones is at stake.

 367-365 martial arts competition, rush participation

    With the surprise of the Mermaid King''s own participation, this year''s WUWA Swimming Competition was a great success.

    Even though the finals hadn''t yet begun, the festivities had reached an all-time high during the preliminary round.

    * * * *

    The finalists are all here now, aren''t they?

    That''s how far the matches had progressed.

    Some of the preliminary blocks were already deserted with all the matches already completed, and the sounds of contraptions and shields hitting each other were much more sparse.

    ''''Darling and boy, you''ve made it to the finals just fine.

    Queen Sheila was right, His Majesty King Nargus and Prince Arowana made it through the qualifying rounds in record time.

    Both of them finished all of their matches in the blink of an eye, so that''s not surprising.

    But King Nargus was the first to advance to the finals, and he was the first to get a run for his money.

    That''s not really the point of the competition, though.

    It''s a good idea to have the same group of regulars in the finals, such as General Shark and Master Tachi-fish, so the lineup will be the same as always...?

    ''Come to think of it, we haven''t seen Master Samma this year, have we?

    He didn''t participate in this year''s competition. "He didn''t participate in this year," she said, "If His Majesty is participating, then he can go ahead and do it. I knew he would continue to compete with the prestige of the seniors.

    It''s a living legend of the mermaid world.

    Prati and Queen Sheila were giving a general review of the qualifiers that had been digested so far, with a genial look on their faces.

    I don''t know much.

    ''''How many people do the finals take?''''

    Sixteen.

    Sixteen......

    That means they''re going to play four rounds in a tournament format.

    For a tournament of this scale, it should be worth seeing.

    It''s because the martial arts competition is a matter of pride for male mermaids. The women use magic potion and the men use a spear. If that''s the ironclad rule of mermaids'' battle, then being inferior to the handling of a contraption is a disgrace to male mermaids.

    "Except for the actual battle, this tournament is the best stage to show the strength of the pike. The men will be in high spirits.

    It''s a tournament that mermaids have a special place in their hearts.

    I have to brace myself accordingly and watch the tournament.

    How many slots do we have left, Mom?

    There''s still about four or five more. Oh, but now we''re down to one.

    Queen Sheila was right, one of those intense movements in the qualifying blocks, which were no longer few and far between, had converged.

    ''The match is over!¡¡Winner Hendler!

    And I knew the winner.

    ''Isn''t that Mr. Hendler? He''s in the competition?

    It''s a good thing that she''s a runaway, but she still participates in the martial arts swimming competition. In addition, he has a relatively high chance of making it to the finals.

    Hendler kun used to come to our farm as a substitute for Prince Arowana when he left for warrior training.

    So I know him well, but he was strong.

    ''''I mean, if he''s going to make the finals of this tournament, he must be absurdly strong.

    I''m sure he''s one of the top 20 in the mermaid kingdom. You''re one of the best soldiers in the mermaid kingdom, and you''re really making a splash.

    But he''s a debater, isn''t he?

    Your talents have been wasted.

    By the way, there were several other brothers from Mr. Hendler''s birthplace, the Betas, but he was the only one who made it to the finals.

    Again this year?¡¡Isn''t the Betta family''s eldest son the captain of the Kingsguard?¡¡Are you sure that the fighting fish are all right?

    I don''t know what it is, but it means that without Mr. Hendler''s presence, the face of a prestigious family would have been destroyed.

    When I was paying attention to him, I noticed a beautiful red-haired mermaid running up to Mr. Hendler who had just finished fighting.

    No, it''s underwater, do you want to swim up to it?

    ...Isn''t that...?

    Isn''t that Lampwicke?

    That''s the same witch that works on our farm?

    And he just snuck off the farm?

    Everyone knows she''s been seeing Mr. Hendler, but...?

    I didn''t know she was going out with Mr. Hendler and that Lampwick came to the show to support her boyfriend.

    "So the only witch left on the farm is Gala Rufa.

    She''ll get her work cut out for her.

    No, you can''t.¡¡When you get home, you''re all gonna sit down and apologize to Gala Rufa.

    Oh my, little Hendler, you''re old enough to be in the same boat. I can''t leave her in the corner with such a pretty girl.

    I know, Mom, I know it''s a witch.

    There are two players in this tournament who have witches in their seconds.

    I hope this doesn''t cause some kind of disturbance....

    * * * *

    And so the rest of the preliminary rounds were successfully completed, and the sixteen men and women who would advance to the finals were decided.

    All of them were strong male mermaids.

    This tournament was especially exciting because the Mermaid King and his successor, a prince, were competing at the same time.

    It seems as if this tournament itself is a ceremony of succession to the throne. The anticipation of a battle between the king and the prince was growing.

    However, a problem arose.

    * * * *

    My queen!¡¡My Queen, it''s bad!

    A soldier rushes to the royal seat.

    He was the one who brought the urgent news.

    Oh my, what''s going on in such a hurry?

    ''It''s a big deal!¡¡One of the players scheduled to participate in the main final.........................has changed his s*x!

    .........

    ...Yes?

    What did you say?¡¡Are you related to the Harpies?

    You are probably right.

    Queen Sheila was so surprised and upset that I couldn''t move from listening to her.

    ...What did you say?

    s*x change?

    My thoughts are freezing up because I can''t understand what I''m hearing.

    What do you mean by a s*x change!

    ''''Totally, that clan from long ago........?¡¡We should have banned them from competing after all........!

    But if we put a limit on their participation, they might say it''s racist or something...!¡¡Didn''t you end up having to let him compete, Mom?

    "That''s why it''s so tricky!

    While Queen Sheila and Prathi were growling at each other, I couldn''t help but ask, so I interrupted them.

    I don''t know if I''ve misheard you, but I want to make sure I''ve heard you correctly............Didn''t you say s*x change?

    I told you.

    Oh, shit.

    My ears aren''t even a little bit broken. That''s what makes me sad.

    "....The Ishidai are a very special clan of mermaids. In the beginning, they are all born as men, but half of them change to women in the middle of their lives...!

    ''''One of the finalists is an Isidai tribe member who has just had a s*x change, of all things. The Wushuang Competition is a sacred martial arts festival that only male mermaids are allowed to participate in. Female mermaids aren''t eligible to participate!

    We''re in a bind. It''s not a good idea to have a newborn baby. This will spoil all the excitement in the game...?

    The queens seemed to be worried that the finals would be incomplete because of the absentees.

    No, before that.........

    They all flushed it out smoothly.........

    Mermaids change their s*x........!

    ''Hey mom, can''t we get someone to compete instead?¡¡The person who played the last match of the qualifying round with that absent person...?

    I thought about that too. I thought about that too, but the soldier said that they''ve already gone home. It''s not a good idea to choose someone from the other preliminary blocks, but there will be a dispute over who to choose...?

    Both Queen Sheila and Prathi had a troubled look on their faces, but one moment, their eyes suddenly met mine....

    A bad premonition...?

    ''''Oh yes, let''s get the master to compete instead!

    Yeah.

    I knew it!

    Your husband is going to be a great name for me as my husband.¡¡I''ve always wanted to make sure that Attah would know how awesome my husband is somewhere someday, so I''m killing two birds with one stone!

    "Didn''t that rock hit anywhere?

    I didn''t even hit a bird, it just sucked up into the sky!

    I''m not even awesome!¡¡Not even mermaids!¡¡It''s at a level where I would instantly drown if I participated in an undersea battle.

    Well I hope I can apply to the Board of Appeals and get it through...!

    How do you like it, Your Majesty?

    Please stop!

    As I said before, you will die of asphyxiation without a fight!

    "But think about it, sir...!¡¡If your husband doesn''t compete...!

    Hmm?

    Do you want me to fill in for you?

    It was Mr. Ardhegg who came forward to say so.

    ''''Only males are eligible to compete. If that''s the case, the only other males in the field are me and Junior. Since babies are naturally excluded, there''s no choice but me.

    "No, no, no, no!

    It''s obvious that this is a bad idea!

    DRAGON!¡¡Dragon Emperor!

    If Mr. Ardhaegh entered the competition like that, it would ruin the tournament in a different way!

    ''''Isn''t it good? Show the inferior races how terrifying dragons can be.

    And Marie, don''t get agitated.

    Don''t let this happen!¡¡If I refuse to compete, Mr. Ardhegg will compete instead and the martial swimming competition will be reduced to ashes!

    Everyone is working so hard........

    What in the world should I do........?

    Oh....!

    Oh?

    I''m going to compete in a tournament...!

    Are you watching this, Junior?

    This is your way of life, Dad!

 368-366 Martial Arts Competition-Saints Ability

    That''s why I....

    I''m going to participate in the Wushuushu swimming tournament in a hurry!

    In order to fill the void left by the absent swimmers, I had to jump into the tournament.

    What am I supposed to do with that?

    I''m human, you know?

    He can only breathe through his lungs.

    I''m the one who has the audacity to challenge a mermaid to an underwater battle...?

    I think you''ll die of asphyxiation before it becomes a proper contest...?

    This is deep under the sea.

    Although we''re inside an air-filled space filled with the special secret art of mermaids so we''re not drowned, if we step out of that space, we''ll have a pathetic drowned body!

    But my wife Prathi, holding Junior, didn''t move a bit.

    ''Don''t worry, I''ve got something good for you to do to make this happen.

    ''Did you expect this situation?

    What Prathi held out on her hand was a damp seaweed lump that looked like a squirt.

    It''s rather fine and slimy.

    You have to put this in your mouth. Don''t swallow it.

    Oh, could it be...?

    Yes, uh-huh.

    "Ahhh.........?

    As I was told, I sipped and sucked the droplets directly from Platy''s hand.

    The chunky feeling of viscous seaweed in my mouth.

    But at the same time, the cool, refreshing taste that spreads in your mouth.

    This is good.

    I jumped out of the air area of the royal bleachers.

    I''m immediately surrounded by seawater, but I won''t panic, and I won''t drown.

    I''m breathing underwater now.

    I can breathe underwater now, thanks to the drops Prati gave me.

    "Oh my God, Prathi, did you even make all that fun stuff up?

    "The more you chew, the more air you generate, the more air you generate!¡¡As long as you have that thing in your mouth, even land people can operate under the sea!

    This was created by Prathi through the application of a magic potion.

    I knew my wife was a genius!

    When you''re holding Junior, the soap bubbles may be safer, but when you''re looking for agility in a rough situation, even if you don''t mind getting your clothes wet, this mozuku is definitely more advantageous.

    This solves the disadvantage of fighting in the sea.

    I feel like we''re going to make it!

    By the way, I''m getting tired of chewing the drops in my mouth.

    OK, let''s swallow it.

    Gulp.

    "Goo-goo-goo...?

    I told you not to swallow it!¡¡That''s why I have mozuku in my mouth, so I can breathe!

    It was!

    * * *

    Prathi gave me a new air drop and I joined in earnest.

    The final tournament of the bushido tournament.

    The reaction of the galleries in attendance was ''what the hell? It was like that.

    It was unheard of for another race to participate in the Sacred Mermaid''s Martial Competition.

    It was as if they could feel the confusion and caution of whether they should accept it.

    Oh man, it''s like being in a needle-in-a-haystack...!

    ''''I didn''t know that the Lord Saint was going to compete!¡¡This is getting interesting!

    It was Prince Arowana who laughed away the heavy atmosphere in a breath.

    That''s the dignity of a prince.

    ''''O all you covetous ones gathered at the war festival!¡¡I can vouch for the strength of your saintly lord. I''m sure he will give us a worthy fight at the mermaid''s festival of warfare!¡¡Everyone should watch with anticipation!

    Mooch!

    Even the Mermaid King?

    I appreciate you following me, but could you please not set the bar too high?

    * * * *

    That''s how my warrior swimming competition begins.

    I''m hoping that I''ll be able to win as far as I can because I''m just a reservoir.

    The first game.

    My opponent was a man named Shark General.

    .........

    .........hmmm?

    Does that name sound familiar?

    Master, General Shark is one of the regulars in the tournament.

    Prathi comes over to the side of the field to give me some advice.

    ''You''re pretending to be a second man.

    ''He''s a general from the mermaid nation, but he''s fierce, and he''s a winner, so be careful!

    Such is her.

    She went out of her way to carry Junior in her human form and was wrapped in Shavon.

    Well, that''s okay........

    A former winner!

    And fierce!¡¡As if to back up Prathi''s commentary, his opponent, General Shark, looked more like a Mohawk roaming the wilds of the turn of the century than a general.

    ''Gyahahahaha!¡¡I never thought I''d run into Princess Platy''s danna so soon!¡¡It''s a shark!¡¡No, it''s brilliant!

    It was some kind of rather large sword that was wielded in a two-pronged fashion.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you get your hands on a new one.

    The first thing you need to do is to get a good idea of what you''re looking for. If you are cut by the jagged blade of the two blades, you will be bitten by a shark, so be careful!

    What am I supposed to be careful about?

    ''Princess Prathi''s in love with you not only because you''re a great guy!¡¡And you''re good at it, too!¡¡Strength is the charm, eh!

    Shark attacked me without a signal to start the match.

    It''s super scary, so I dodge, shattering my back, but since I''m in the water, everything I do is slow, and I dodged, but just barely.

    Even though I was able to use the air-drop to get some air, I''m still a land-based guy.

    A mermaid with tail fins would be no match for me underwater.

    "I''m going to tear you to shreds!

    The mermaid''s unique rapid swimming style makes her attack again before she can catch her breath.

    The mermaids are faster and sharper in the water.

    How in the world should I counteract this...?

    But I''m not a fool, either.

    I also have my own trump card. I have the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz in the middle of the ocean, and most importantly, I am the Supreme Bearer.

    If you have the "Supreme Bearer", you can swim well, right?

    It''s like holding water well in your hand.

    After all, she is the "supreme bearer" who has worked many miracles in the past.

    This time too, you might be able to swim faster than a mermaid with the theory of "I caught the flow".

    If that happens, good things come first.

    Catch the wave!¡¡Wave access!

    Just like that, I''m scratching the seawater around me with the intention of grabbing the water.......?

    ''''Heh?¡¡What''s that nonsensical move?¡¡It''s the best way to get the most out of your time.

    I''m not sure if they took my mysterious dance as a loss of will to fight, or if they couldn''t keep up with me, the enemy comes to decide the game.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you find yourself in a situation where you can''t get your hands on something.

    It''s not just a matter of grasping the water, but also a matter of grasping the core of the water.

    ''''Over here!

    The ''supreme bearer'' firmly grabbed the seawater, drawing out more than enough of the water''s potential.

    ''''Gehee?¡¡What is this?¡¡The current?¡¡The current is aaaaah!

    The stream of seawater that originated from my hand swirled violently and attacked General Shark.

    I grabbed the water.

    By grasping the essence of seawater, I''ve become able to control the current at will!

    ''Hogeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡¡Being swallowed up!¡¡Being swallowed by the vortex!¡¡You can''t fight the current!¡¡You''re spinning!¡¡He''s going to be swallowed by the vortex.

    Swallowed by the vortex, General Shark had no way to resist the forces of nature.

    They are no more than a sock thrown into a washing machine and then blown away with the vortex.

    He''ll be alive.

    Maybe.

    "...the victor, husband of Princess Platy, the saint.

    The referee''s proclamation sealed my place in the second round.

    On the other hand, I....

    "Gubububububububububububububububububbo!

    "That''s why I told you not to speak when there''s an air drop in your mouth!¡¡I want to spit it all out!

    As soon as I shouted in a spirited manner, seawater was in my mouth as much as I could.

    Wow.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve caught a glimpse of the recklessness of the "supreme bearer".

    I thought I could just get a little kappa-level swimming ability, but I didn''t expect him to go so far as to manipulate the current.

 369-367 Martial Arts Competition-Four strong teams

    The martial arts competition continues to be very exciting.

    However, it''s a big day.

    The final tournament is well underway and there are only a few matches left.

    The mermaid fighters were also eliminated and narrowed down one by one.

    Now, there were only four players left on the playing field.

    And it was up to the four of them to determine the winner.

    Who are the four chosen fighters?

    First of all, Nagas, the Mermaid King.

    He is the best of the mermaid kingdom in both name and reality. The champion, who has won the championship for the past fifteen years in a row, will be back after a long absence. Will the legend continue?¡¡Are we going to snatch the championship again this year as a matter of course?

    Next, the mermaid prince Arowana.

    Winner of the previous year''s tournament. He has proven himself in his previous matches. Will he be able to defeat the great father-king in the tournament and become the next standard-bearer?

    Third.

    The controversial Hendler.

    The second son of the Betas, a family of soldiers, known as the "Fighting Fish" family. He is the second son of the Betas, a family of soldiers.¡¡And a flood of tweaks.

    The fourth.

    Me.

    I''m sorry for being out of place.

    The semi-finals and the final will be held among these four.

    The highlight of the show will be the match between His Majesty King Nargus, the King of Mermaids, and Prince Arowana and his son.

    The strength of King Nargus is legendary in the mermaid world, and now Prince Arowana''s bravery is gaining momentum.

    Will a new generation rise to power?

    Or will the older generation stay on?

    It''s a match that must be watched because it even involves the issue of succession to the throne of the Mermaid Kingdom.

    This matchup between the King and the Prince will take place in the final.

    Since the tournament has been divided into different blocks, the only way for the father and son to face each other in the final is to advance to the semifinals.

    The cards for the semifinals are....

    The first match.

    The Mermaid King Nargus vs.

    Second match.

    Prince Arowana vs. Hendler.

    This is the card.

    I''m going to fight your father-in-law?

    The fact that I''m fighting my father-in-law makes me wince.

    I''m in an airy area during the break, so I can talk normally.

    It''s not a bad idea to have a hardball fight with your wife''s father?¡¡I don''t care if he''s strong or weak, I don''t want to fight him.¡¡I''m scared!

    I''ll be fine.

    Prathi, who connected me to him, said as if it were a completely different person.

    My dad is a pretty martial artist, so he''s a guy who''s happy to take a real swing at anyone, even his immediate family!

    ''''That''s so scary!

    Take a real punch from that massive body of the Mermaid King!

    My head is going to fly off the tee like a golf ball!

    Can''t we abstain now?¡¡Haven''t I fought enough?

    You''re in the semifinals.

    So we''ve come this far, assuming we''ve made progress, we can start thinking about pulling out...?

    ''What are you talking about, sir?¡¡We''ve come this far, we''re going for the win!

    We are going to win!

    My wife''s ambitions have no bounds.

    The first time in history that a different species has won a martial arts competition.¡¡Isn''t my husband the one who deserves that crown?¡¡Now is the time to show the whole mermaid kingdom that my master is the best in the world!

    Please control yourself, Platy.

    I''m glad you''re so proud of me, but too much self-aggrandizement is not good for you.

    And though I, too, think my wife is the best in the universe!

    ........haha, sweet, sweet. Such a sweet prospect, isn''t it, like turning the ocean water into sugar water?

    "What did you say?

    The one who appeared with such a provocative tone was the Frozen Witch, Puffa.

    She''s a fellow witch.

    "Puffa!¡¡You ditched work on the farm again, didn''t you?

    You''ll be fine with Gala Rufa staying on, won''t you?

    You guys are going to apologize to Gala Rufa when you get home, aren''t you?

    And so the tongue-twisters continue.

    ''The martial swimming competition is a venerable mermaid race, you know?¡¡There''s no way another species is going to win!¡¡The winner is supposed to be Prince Arowana of Atai!

    "What did you say?

    It was common for witches to clash with each other when they met.

    A common scene on the farm was also happening here at the Wushuushu competition site.

    ''''It''s only natural. The winner of the Wushuushu competition is the one who stands at the top of the mermaid world!¡¡And if anyone deserves it, it''s our youngest and strongest member of mermaid royalty!¡¡He''s both noble and strong, Prince Arowana!

    "Don''t be an idiot!¡¡Of course my husband can win the championship more than my brother, you idiot!¡¡How blinded by love do you think I am?

    That''s my line!

    You''ll be able to get a good look at the prince as the fianc¨¦e of Prince Arowana, so of course he''s going to be favored.

    In contrast, Prathi, too, has no doubt that her husband, me, is the best.

    This argument could go on and on and on and on!

    Wait.....

    Then a new witch appears.

    The "Hellfire Witch" Lamp Eye.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, you have been sorely mistaken. The winner is going to be my lover, Miss Hendler!

    This is getting more and more complicated.

    Instead of putting their fights to rest, they came to the fight because they wanted to be in love with their own girlfriends, and the fight just got worse and worse!

    "Mmm-hmm... it''s going to be noisy, you little whiny little girls.

    Even Queen Sheila came out?

    "You don''t understand the history of the Wushuushu Martial Arts Competition, do you? How can my darling, who has won the Wushuushu Martial Arts Competition for the past 15 consecutive years, be so far behind all those other young lads?

    Then he began to declare his own husband, King Nagas, the winner.

    Prathi, Puffa, Lampay, and Queen Sheila, glaring at each other and sending sparks flying.

    Prati is me.

    Puffa is Prince Arowana.

    Lamp-Eye is Hendler.

    Queen Sheila is with King Nargus.

    I''m the spouse or lover of all the warriors who made it to the top four.

    "With all due respect, ma''am?¡¡One of the ''poppycock'' you''re referring to includes your own son, doesn''t it?

    ''Yes, Mom!¡¡I will not have you calling my chosen husband a "young man"!¡¡The winner will be my husband!

    "My Lord Hendler is not a young man, either!¡¡I''m a man of substance, hard-working, literary and military bravery!

    And the young witches bravely talk back.

    Thinking back, the women gathered here are called the "Crowned Witches," Prati, Puffa, the "Freezing Cold Witch," and Lampuai, the "Hellfire Witch.

    Prathi, the Crowned Witch, Puffa, the Frozen Witch, and Lampuai, the Hellfire Witch, and Queen Sheila, the Dark Witch.

    And Queen Sheila, the Dark (adobeer) Witch, is a secret, but she is the Queen.

    They were all witches.

    The term "witch" is a designation given to the best potion users among female mermaids.

    Currently, there are only six people in the world who are officially called witches, and four of them are here...!

    ''Anyway!¡¡The winner will be my darling!¡¡A dandy darling with a lot of connotation and fat, there''s no way a twenty-something or so boy could take a back seat to that!

    ''Times are changing!¡¡You''ll see the climax of my master beating my dad to the end of the ocean!

    So when that little boy was born with a stomachache, you gave birth to a son...!

    ''''Lady Hendler is second to none!

    If the high achievers of the Wushu competition were the stardom of male mermaids, then the Six Witches were the pinnacle of the female mermaids'' admiration.

    Four of these witches (though it''s a secret that one of them is a secret) have met and are having a great battle.

    It also draws the gazes from the surroundings.

    ''Hey...!¡¡Princess Prati and Queen Sheila are having a father-son fight over there?

    "And joining them are the Frost Frosty Witch and the Fiery Witch?

    Is it true that Prince Arowana is engaged to the Frosty Witch?¡¡Isn''t this a national crisis?

    No, considering the princess is already a witch, maybe it''s not so critical.

    I mean, how could Hendler be dating a witch?

    He''s got everything but his job title!

    The situation is unprecedented, with everyone who has made it to the top four having a witch''s second.

    With all of this, the tournament heads towards its climax.

 370-368 Martial Arts Competition-The Strongest Enemy

    Well, for me, there''s more to be shaken up than that.

    More than the excitement of the whole tournament, more than the wives who are cheering me on.

    It''s far more important than any discussion about who is the best.

    The fact that his next opponent is King Nagas...!

    Mr. Nagas the Mermaid King is Prati''s father.

    In other words, to me, he''s my father-in-law.

    ........to fight someone like that, even if it is a match.......

    ........It''s hard to do!

    I''m telling you, it''s not going to be easy!

    I''m the number one son-in-law in the world who shouldn''t cheat!

    How can we fight against such a man?

    If you really fight against him, you might harm your relationship with him and he might get angry with you if you cut corners.

    Can you entertain people?

    What are you looking at, mister?

    Prathi said in a voice that exuded ruthlessness.

    ''You must win!¡¡When we''ve come this far, we''ll crush every enemy that stands in our way and reign supreme!¡¡You''re gonna kill my father and your brother!

    That''s your kin, isn''t it?

    What''s wrong with the Mermaid King family?

    Cut it out, Junior, don''t you think you''re going to show him a boneheaded fight just because he''s been born?

    "No... let''s just stop worrying about what we have to do and focus on what we do best.

    Maybe it''s the only choice I won''t regret.

    I throw the air droplets into my mouth again, allowing me to breathe underwater.

    ''You''re not going to accidentally drink or vomit again, are you?¡¡We don''t have much left.

    ... (Goggles). Okay!¡¡"Bababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababut?

    "So!

    Prathi gave me a new air-drop and I won''t talk anymore.

    I''m not going to talk anymore.

    The first semi-final match venue.

    I''m not going to be able to get to the bottom of it.

    His Majesty the Mermaid King Nagas.

    The king who rules the mermaid race that governs the sea.

    I think I was able to really feel the size and magnitude of this in one day.

    I hadn''t really understood it until now, but.

    What''s the point of winning the tournament for fifteen years in a row?

    He''s completely built up an era, isn''t he?

    He''s become so strong that he''s refrained from competing, perhaps because he''s become too strong, or maybe he''s withdrawn from the tournament in the last ten years to let the next generation take over, but this year he''s reversed course.

    But this year, he''s reversed his policy and is now competing in the tournament, and I don''t think Prince Arowana, who has just returned from his training trip, had anything to do with it.

    He''s probably starting to think about leaving it to the next generation as a king, too.

    For that reason, he needs to be in the final and relative to his own son.

    I want to hand it over........!

    I thought with all my heart.

    I don''t want to be the one to interfere with such a dramatic tournament structure.

    I want to back off before I incur the wrath of the people from all walks of life.

    But my wife would not allow me to do so.

    "Instant kill!¡¡Daddy, I''m going to tear you to pieces and feed you to the crabs!

    So how can you relentlessly say that to your own father?

    There''s more...!

    Look, your stepfather is hurt!

    Don''t lose, darling!¡¡I''m going to teach my languid son-in-law to be a real dandy!

    ''''I''m not feeling good, gabobobobobobobobobob...?''''

    d*mn, I couldn''t help but correct him even if he spat out an air squirt.

    Prathi gave me a new droplet........!

    And finally, the semifinals.

    The match begins!

    * * *

    In this situation, the first move is a must.

    I decided to fight quickly and get it over with, so I decided to use an in-depth technique from my first move.

    I activate the "Supreme Bearer" and grab the seawater.

    The seawater then demonstrates its full potential and creates a current.

    Whirlpool tide, activate.

    The vortex created by the supreme bearer is a tornado in the sea.

    The first round and the second round were won with this.

    The third round, the semifinals, will be decided by this, too!

    ...if only it were that easy.

    "Most.

    The mermaid king was not in the least bit intimidated by the whirlpool that was approaching like a demonic dragon.

    Rather, he held out his hands to intercept it.

    ''''Moss, moss, moss, moss, moss...!''''

    And then, to my surprise, a whirlpool was generated from each of the Mermaid King''s right and left hands that he held up!

    Just like I created it.

    Or rather, two at the same time?

    The whirlpools collide and cancel each other out, but King Nargas''s was superior in power because it had two, and only one whirlpool reached me.

    If I hadn''t avoided it, I would have been swallowed up and whirled around.

    I was able to create a whirlpool with the ''supreme bearer'', but King Nargus naturally doesn''t have that gift.

    Then how did they manipulate the currents and create the vortex?

    That''s a darling dandy.

    Queen Sheila at ringside.

    Commentary is not commentary.

    A darling outpouring of dandies means that they follow even the tide. You know you''re a boy when you need a reason to do something!

    I don''t understand.

    But this is not a good time to keep your distance.

    This is because the firepower of the long-range attack by the whirlpool tide is clearly superior to that of the other side. It''s a good idea to bring the game into close quarters.

    Now is the time to draw the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz and slash at it with a lunge!

    But that doesn''t mean they don''t have a plan to deal with it, too.

    Speaking of male mermaids, they have a shield and a pike.

    The mermaid king Nargas also carried the one he had on his back as part of his fighting etiquette, but he held it in his hands and attacked.

    A metallic sound was heard with a click.

    The three-pronged spear thrust out by the mermaid king clashed head-on with my evil holy sword.

    It''s an even match.

    No, wait.

    Evenly matched with the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz?

    One of the seven holy swords that the Dark God Hades created to conquer the earth?

    ''''Mosh-mosh-mosh.''''

    You look surprised.

    Queen Sheila translates for King Nargus, who can only say "Mos". Braggingly.

    "That holy halberd is the trident, the divine weapon of the sea god Poseidon. A facsimile!

    I don''t want a replica.

    "A royal token passed down from generation to generation in the House of the Mermaid King. By inheriting the trident, the Mermaid King will cement his claim to the throne!

    If it is a copy of God''s things, it is God''s creation.

    Just like my Evil Sacred Sword.

    Does that give us enough evidence to properly fight each other?

    Yuck.

    The Mermaid King is far more massive than you can imagine.

    If you get far enough away from him, he''ll attack you with a whirlpool, and if you get close enough, he''ll use his divine weapon, a trident.

    This is definitely a Demon King-grade skill.

    Do the kings of this world really have to be this strong?

    If you don''t take this seriously, you''ll be pushed aside in a hurry.

    To begin with, have I ever fought this seriously before?

    I feel like I didn''t leave it up to Okubo, Gov. Yoshi and the others to do it at all.

    If you don''t fight on a regular basis, you don''t develop a fundamental fighting instinct and you''re likely to be pushed down quickly.

    In that sense, I was brought into a very close contest, and it was very close to the edge...

    * * * *

    "Fight''s over, winner-take-all, Master of the Princess Platy.

    The audience sprang to life.

    It was probably so.

    The unbeaten king, who had won many championships since his days as a fighter, was finally defeated.

    He lost because he was out of stamina.

    The reason for his defeat was his lack of stamina.

    "Yes, yes...!

    No, I''m pretty much out of breath too, but...!

    "Puh-lease, Prati, get some new drops...!¡¡Fresh oxygen...!

    You deserve all the credit for your hard work.

    I found out after straining my body to the limit.

    These air drops are not only good for breathing in the water, but also for replenishing oxygen after a rapid workout.

    To be honest, I couldn''t hold my breath to fight anymore either, so I would have lost if King Nagas hadn''t surrendered first.

    I don''t even know if I could have avoided the attack without my body moving.

    ''''Moshu........!

    King Nargus, who should have surrendered, walked towards me.

    I''m the one who won, but I''m too tired to move...!

    Mooch!

    He says, "You''ve shown me what a saint can do. It makes me feel more secure in my daughter''s hands.

    Thank you, Queen Sheila, for the translation.

    I''m glad that after a fierce battle, you have been more strongly approved as your daughter''s marriage partner.

    Well, anyway, there''s one more game left to play, and that''s the final.

    And I can''t even move a muscle.

 371-369 Martial Arts Competition-Winner decision

    The second semi-final match was Prince Arowana vs. Mr. Hendler.

    This was also an unexpectedly good match, and it was a long drawn-out affair.

    Overall, Prince Arowana was the better player, but Hendler was unusually tenacious, and at times got the upper hand.

    However, in the end, Prince Arowana won the match due to a difference in basic skills, and Hendler was dispersed in the semi-finals.

    By the way, I heard that Hendler''s appearance in the last four is the best record for him.

    He was steadily building up a career that had nothing to do with being a debater.

    The pairings for the finals were thus determined...

    Prince Arowana versus me.

    Most of us were expecting a father-and-son showdown between Prince Arowana and King Nagas.

    I think people are getting excited because they didn''t see it coming.¡¡It was enough to make me worry.

    But in reality, the enthusiasm did not wane.

    Even though the father-son showdown was foregone, the replacement card was the future mermaid king and his sister-in-law.

    In other words, a brother-in-law showdown.

    I, who was entrusted with the baton by my father, the aged king, will be challenging my brother-in-law to the final of this year''s tournament to see if he has what it takes to be the next king.

    That''s the way it''s supposed to be played.

    As I''m getting ready for the final, Prathi says, "Don''t worry about the voices around you.

    I don''t care what they say!¡¡Let''s continue to defeat your brother and let the master become the king of the mermaid kingdom!

    "Don''t reveal your ambition.

    When I''m king, who will run the farm?

    I''m on my way to the big stage, where winning would be a hassle, but I can''t cut corners now.

    "Platy, can I have an air drop?

    No more swallowing and spitting.

    * * *

    I went into battle with an air mop and was able to breathe underwater.

    The stage for the finals was one of the most gorgeous match grounds.

    Because there will be no more matches after this one. It''s the big stage that the whole audience is watching.

    There, he will face Prince Arowana.

    Although he was in awe with his mouth, the concentration of fighting spirit rising from the surface of his body was tremendous.

    He was like a different person from Prince Arowana, who always comes to the farm to play and do stupid things and go home.

    But this is Prince Arowana''s true form.

    He''s the future king of the mermaid kingdom on his back.

    To show his greatness, the finals are the most important event of the tournament.

    As long as you''ve been chosen as the opponent, you have to fight a battle that you won''t be ashamed of.

    "...Prince Arowana.

    I opened my mouth.

    ''You are my wife Prathi''s brother and dear friend. It is unpleasant to cross blades with that you, but think of it as a kind of competition and bob-bob-bob-bob-bob...?

    Huh?

    What is it, it''s kind of stuffy in here?

    Speaking of which!

    Now I was chewing air droplets so I could breathe underwater!

    If you talk and open your mouth, the air droplets in your mouth will drift out into the ocean.

    "Aga-baba-baba!¡¡Wrecking ball!

    So how many times do you keep repeating the same mistake, sir!¡¡Are you stupid?

    You know what?¡¡I thought it would be disrespectful to my sworn enemy if I didn''t return the favor to Prince Arowana here.

    You know what?¡¡What do men have to do to get through to each other?

    "Whoa!

    !" No, wait!

    Right now it''s not even close anyway!

    I can''t breathe with more and more seawater in my mouth!

    Platy!¡¡Hurry up, Platy, get a new air drop!

    Now, before I choke on it!

    Can''t help it, you really are an idiot master...?¡¡Err, what?

    Prathi rummaging in his pocket for a new air drop.

    What''s the matter with you, quickly!¡¡What''s the big deal, we need fresh oxygen as soon as possible or we''ll die!

    I''m going to run out of air drops.

    What did you say?

    It''s his fault!¡¡It''s easy to vomit and swallow as if you were eating grass around here or there, and the amount you consume is just too much!¡¡In the first place, I never dreamed that my husband would participate in this event, and it was only as a precaution that I carried a cell phone, so the amount is not that large!

    It''s true that I may have been a bit of a mess, and I apologize!

    But right now, we need to get our oxygen fix somehow, sooner rather than later!

    He''s breathing in the water!¡¡Naturally, you''re breathing!

    Isn''t there any other way?

    Oh, I can''t breathe!

    I can''t breathe!

    Breathe!¡¡Come on...?

    "Ah..........?

    I thought I heard Prathi''s stupid voice, but I couldn''t help myself.

    Isn''t it funny to watch yourself drifting underwater?¡¡I was thinking, ''Oh, that''s an astral projection, isn''t it?'' He realized after a moment''s delay that he was not the only one.

    ''''Gyahhhh!¡¡The master is dead!¡¡The master is dead ah!

    As it turns out, I didn''t die.

    I was immediately pulled into the Shabong by Prathi, and a quick artificial respiration brought me back to life and I was able to survive.

    The only problem is that all that commotion blew up the final of the martial arts competition, and it ended up being a blur.

    * * * *

    Results.

    The winner of this year''s martial swimming competition is Prince Arowana.

    He won for the second year in a row in glory.

    The final match was treated as a no-win situation.

    Because it''s basically impossible for me, a terrestrial, to do underwater activities.

    Prathi''s genius invention had made the impossible possible, and if that invention was lost, it would be impossible.

    Therefore, the winner was Prince Arowana.

    ''''It''s not very tight...?

    If it were true, I was hoping for a more heated final.

    It''s going to take about fifty weeks in manga magazine terms.

    And yet it ended in the worst possible self-destruction pattern, with the enemy drowning on its own and dying....

    ''''Don''t mind me, Sage Lord...!

    Prince Arowana, who was the clear winner of V2, would follow up.

    The tournament was already over until the awarding ceremony, and it had become a quiet after the festival.

    ''''We are the ones who forced you to participate in the competition...!¡¡I hope the saintly lord enjoyed it...!

    The event was over, and we were ready to leave now that we had nothing to do.

    We had no more business to attend to, and I had to take care of the farm.

    We''d like you to come to watch the swimming competition next year, too. I don''t mind if you want to participate in it from the start.

    No, no...!¡¡Now that I''ve realized that this kind of thing is definitely not in my nature...!

    It really is.

    Tilling the soil and building houses seems to suit me a lot better than fighting battles.

    It''s just.

    And yet, Prathi is muttering to himself next to me.

    I''ll have to triple the amount of air drops next time I come back...!¡¡No, five times?¡¡It''s better to be creative in preventing accidental ingestion and spitting up, and it''s also better to examine other media besides mozuku...!

    Can we please stop planning a new strategy for the next tournament?

    ''''Hmmm........my son-in-law, I won''t let you get away with it, will I?

    Queen Sheila said some scary things about the group that was going to see you off.

    "My darling will make it up to you. You''ll come again next year, won''t you?

    Mooch!

    Unlike the men, the women are left with some kind of grudge.

    ''''Well come to think of it, now that Prince Arowana has won, what are you going to do?¡¡Isn''t it about time you acknowledged your marriage to Pfafa in earnest?

    What are you talking about?

    Queen Sheila plays dumb.

    Prince Arowana and Puffa still have a long way to go in their love affair.

    I don''t think I''ll make a decision this year because there was no direct confrontation between Prince Arowana and Darling. You''ll have to wait until next year to find out.

    "Oh no!

    She put off her wedding plans to next year.

    Pahwa was saddened to hear that. I feel bad for causing such a mess.

    Well, I''m happy to spend my days with my family.

    I would like to visit again and again if I have the opportunity.

    ''''That''s why, next time I''ll come for the purpose of watching the game completely.......!

    The Mermaid King and his family saw us off and we left the mermaid kingdom in peace.

 372-370 General view of martial arts competition, viewpoint of spectators

    My name is Iwa.

    I''m a common mermaid living in the land of mermaids.

    I am a commoner who lives in the land of mermaids, but the one event that I look forward to every year is the Wuxing Tournament.

    Male mermaids from all over the country gather to fight and battle it out to determine the strongest.

    No matter who you are, it''s a blood-curdling event.

    Normally I work in the country selling salmon roe, but when the day arrives, I can''t help but jab into the void.

    The highlight of this year''s tournament is the Arowana Prince.

    He''s not only the next mermaid king of the world, but he''s also the winner of last year''s competition, which is a great name for him.

    In addition, he has been training for almost a year on the land of hell without being proud of his glory.

    Everyone was looking at this year''s competition as the perfect opportunity to see the results of Prince Arowana''s training.

    Other final tournament regulars, such as General Shark, Zangyou Touhou Master Tachibana, and Fighting Debater Hendler, were also expected to compete.

    I was able to get a ticket for the tournament, which was sold out by a tremendous ratio, and I was able to watch the tournament live.

    I''ll be taking a day off from work, so I''ll let my customers eat some tobiko (Japanese tobiko) and be patient with the salmon roe.

    My attention is also on Prince Arowana. He''s going to win again this year.

    I''m going to witness the prince''s successive victory with my own eyes.

    * * * *

    When the tournament actually began, it was even more exciting than we had expected.

    His Majesty, the current Mermaid King, Nargus, participated in the tournament with a blitz.

    His Majesty, who hadn''t participated in a single tournament since he declared his retirement after winning the championship for 15 consecutive years, was the last to do so.

    This was a very exciting moment for the martial arts swimmers of yesteryear, and they speculated on what was going on in his heart.

    What was going through His Majesty''s mind as he returned to the ring after nearly ten years of silence?

    The majority agreed that it was still a matter of ''assessing the qualities of Prince Arowana, his successor.

    Depending on the outcome of the match, would he be able to succeed to the throne?¡¡The excitement in the audience was at its peak.

    We could be witnessing a moment that would change history.

    Prince Arowana and King Nagas both won their preliminary fights to advance to the finals in the fastest time possible.

    They''re too strong.

    It was no surprise that King Nagas was strong, and Prince Arowana was just as strong, crushing his opponents one by one.

    As I suspected, the prince had done some significant training...!

    Power up to prove it!

    And who is the female mermaid who stands by Prince Arowana and provides proper support in all the games?

    I think he was at last year''s convention?

    I asked a Genin watcher about it, and she said she was one of the Six Mad Demonesses, the "Frozen Cold Witch" Puffa.

    I don''t know much about her, so I didn''t recognize her, but according to the top-secret information, she''s the fianc¨¦e of Prince Arowana.

    It''s amazing to have a witch as a wife!

    Prince Arowana is a rare hero!

    He''s shown he''s strong enough to take over as the Mermaid King even today, and the Mermaid Kingdom is safe and sound.

    This year''s tournament is going to be the sole domain of the father and son of the mermaid king.

    Just when it seemed like that.

    An unexpected turn of events occurred at the Wushuushu swimming competition.

    * * * *

    It happened in the final match of the tournament.

    The incident happened in the final match of the tournament, where one of the finalists had a s*x change and had to leave the tournament.

    The hall was shaken with anxiety, saying "It''s not the same as that, it''s the same as the Ishidai," but the surprise was just beginning.

    The absent swimmer was replaced by the first non-Indian swimmer in the history of the martial arts competition.

    Princess Prati''s husband.

    A land man called a saint.

    Princess Prati, the eldest daughter of the Mermaid King, was overwhelmingly popular among the mermaid people for being an outstanding potions user herself.

    Many male citizens were secretly shocked to learn that the princess had gotten married.

    To tell you the truth, I was one of them.

    The fact that Princess Prati had married a land-based man was a hot topic of conversation for a while, and I wondered what kind of man he would be like. The interest in the project was very high.

    We recently entered the mermaid kingdom together as Princess Prathi''s homecoming, and it was the first time we appeared publicly, but just by showing our faces, I said, ''Isn''t that normal? The only impression I was left with was.

    Prati-sama''s husband is participating in a martial arts swimming competition?

    Although there may be pros and cons to the participation of other species in the venerable mermaid martial arts festival, the audience ignored them and paid attention to her.

    Princess Prati''s husband.

    Since the princess herself is a great person, the land man chosen to be her partner must be great too.

    It''s rather unconvincing if it''s not awesome.

    If you have a monopoly on Princess Plati, who has tens of thousands of fans in the mermaid kingdom.

    It was jealousy.

    But the person in question. At least from the outside, he looks normal.

    He doesn''t look strong, in fact, he looks weak.

    Is he okay?

    Is she really so special that she deserves to be Princess Prati?

    In order to find out the truth, today''s hasty entry into the tournament was a good idea.

    What''s more, the man who was to face Master Prathi''s husband in the first round was the shark general.

    The ferocious General Shark.

    Although he was a soldier in the Mermaid Royal Palace, he had risen to the rank of general by virtue of his naturally belligerent nature.

    He is a battle maniac who loves to fight and participates in the annual swimming competition.

    He has won the championship in the past, and he''s skilled enough to expose the strength of the Rikujin.

    ''''General, go ahead!

    "Kill the enviable Rikuto who is flirting with Master Prati!

    Cheers from the audience also overflowed from the audience with personal grudges.

    General Shark''s ability is so real that if his opponent is a small fry, he would be crushed in less than a moment.

    Since you''re in the enviable position of having Princess Plati as your possession, it would be more balanced if you had that much difficulty, right?¡¡As a fan of fish fighting, I watched the unknown match while including some of my support for the "why" of the match.

    The fight began.

    And the result was horrendous.

    The result was horrendous.¡¡I''m being swallowed up!¡¡You''re being swallowed up by the vortex!¡¡You can''t go against the flow!¡¡You''re spinning!¡¡It''s going round and round!

    A whirlpool has swallowed General Shark!

    A landman is trying to drag seawater into a whirlpool!

    How is that even possible?

    Can a land man do that? ! Can a land man do that?

    Anyway, the game was over in an instant, and the land man, who had married Lady Plati, easily defeated one of the strongest mermaids in the world.

    Is this ability real........?

    * * * *

    It was the real thing.

    Princess Plati''s husband, the Rikito, killed his opponent in the second round with a whirlpool attack, and in the semi-finals, his opponent, His Majesty Nagas, the Mermaid King, was the one to beat.

    And in the semi-finals, she faced the hottest player of the tournament, our mermaid king, His Majesty Nargus.

    It looked like a digestible match until he faced Prince Arowana in the finals, but in the semifinals, they had a great match.

    You''re not backing down against His Majesty, the legendary Nargus, who has been the strongest swimmer in the past Wushuushu competitions...?

    You let His Majesty Nagas use the trident!¡¡Even though King Nagas has won the past fifteen years in a row without wielding a single trident, he won it with his bare hands!

    And not only did you let him use the trident, you''re going head to head with the trident!¡¡What is the sword of a landman that goes toe-to-toe with a divine contraption!

    Is it the legendary weapon of the land?

    The fierce battle between His Majesty''s Nargus and the Rikito was one of the longest of all the matches, and yet it was a great battle that didn''t have a single moment of boredom.

    And the decision was something no one expected.

    His Majesty Nargus had given up first.

    Even though it was inevitable since he was already old, in the end, Rikuto won the game with the stamina of youth.

    The legend was shattered.

    The living legend of His Majesty Nargus, who continued to renew the myth of his invincibility in the Wushu competition, has finally been shattered.

    And by the hands of another race.

    This may be an insult to the pride of mermaids, but for some reason, the audience, including me, was satisfied with the outcome.

    We had just witnessed such an exciting match.

    I had seen such a heated match, so I was naturally satisfied.

    My opponent might have been frustrated if it had been any other landlord, but the best thing about him was that he was Princess Prati''s husband.

    As expected of a man chosen by Princess Plati.

    Princess Prati''s husband.

    I''m very happy to hear that a saint has a friendship with the Mermaid Royal Family.

    Now both the Mermaid Kingdom and the Mermaid Royal Family are safe and sound.

    Banzai!

    ...Well, I wasn''t so sure about the final match with Prince Arowana.

    I had heard that land people couldn''t breathe under the sea, but I didn''t know that the special potion that made it possible for them to do so would run out and they would drown.

    So Prince Arowana hadn''t won a battle.

    There was nothing to be ashamed of, though.

    But all in all, it was a good tournament, with more matches than usual, and a lot more worth watching!

    I''m a fan of the genin, and I''m very happy with it.

    Let''s fill up on energy and sell shishamoko from tomorrow!

 373-371 Battle of Mountain Dungeon

    Watching (or participating in) a martial arts swimming competition The event is over....

    I came back to the farm that I call home.

    ''No, it''s nice to be on the ground after all...''

    As a land-dwelling creature by nature, I realized this as soon as I came back from the bottom of the ocean.

    I like the fact that I can breathe anywhere without hesitation!

    The air is great!

    Breathing is fun!

    I can say that being aware of this feeling is one of the things I gained from my journey to the bottom of the sea.

    ''''That was fun, master!

    That''s what Veerle, the dragon, shouts.

    She, too, was on a tour to watch the martial arts competition, but her presence was airy from the middle of the tour.

    It''s amazing that the presence of the dragon disappears from the tournament, but Veerle seemed to enjoy watching it with her fellow competitors Ardheg and Marie in Veerle.

    I was very grateful to them for taking over and watching Junior when I decided to join the tournament and Prathi started to imitate seconds.

    In a way, Veal was more experienced with Junior than us, his parents.

    I''m excited!¡¡Even though it was a shabby battle between the lower races, it''s still very exciting to see them get down and dirty with each other and try to take the victory!¡¡Shush!

    Veerle is really excited and starts shadow boxing in human form.

    Is it shadow if he''s excited in another world?

    He is the strongest race of dragons to begin with, so he must have the will to fight.

    Veerle was like this all the way back from the mermaid kingdom.

    I was so excited that I was chilled out, wondering if he would turn back into a dragon.

    ''Master!¡¡I have a newfound appreciation for that!¡¡After all, the essence of living things is struggle!¡¡Fighting is what elevates the organism!

    That''s a very strange thing to say.

    That''s why I''m going to fight!¡¡You will live to be the most powerful dragon in the world!

    What?

    Did you just say something rash under the influence?

    Stop it!

    You''re a dragon, and once you start fighting, you have no idea how much trouble you''ll get in.

    It''s a high probability that everything will fall apart!

    And what are you going to fight?¡¡How many of them are there to oppose the strongest dragon in the world?

    The only one that can do that is the same dragon.

    Don''t tell me you''re going to pick a fight with your compatriot, Mr. Alexander or Mr. Ardhegg?

    No, I don''t. No, I''ve had enemies a long time ago. This is a fight or flight.

    ''What? !''

    I should have put him down a long time ago. But I gave myself all kinds of reasons to postpone. I must say, it made me less ferocious as a dragon!

    ''''Even if it''s dull, it''s totally fine!

    Hate seems to be pouring out of Veerle''s tone, and I''m confused as to what kind of opponent would make this guy, a dragon, feel so much hostility.

    It''s the day you crush them and feel good about it!¡¡The mermaids remind me to release my battle instincts!

    And then Veerle runs off.

    I can''t leave her alone because she is too boisterous to say anything, so I run out after her.

    I run after her.¡¡Where do you think you''re going?¡¡I mean, don''t you want to fly back to your dragon form?

    The only thing I can do is to run after her, and the continuous motion makes it hard to breathe.

    "I just came back from the bottom of the ocean...!¡¡You''re losing oxygen again?

    * * * *

    So that''s how I followed Veerle and arrived at the place....

    ''''Isn''t it a mountain dungeon?''''

    A dungeon with Veerle as the master, located near the farm.

    I wondered where he was going to attack it after being so brave, but it''s his own home.

    ''''Who do you think you''re going to come back to your home base to beat up?''''

    ''You know as well as I do, master!¡¡These people have been living in my dungeon for quite some time now!

    What?

    As I was tilting my head to see what on earth they were talking about, a buzzing sound approached me from the back of the dungeon.

    ''''Saint-sama!¡¡Aren''t you a saint?

    Welcome, Your Majesty!

    "Do you want to see us?

    We have a lot of colorful fruits that say, "Do you want to see us?

    Are the fruits talking?

    I should explain the wonder that I don''t know how to do this.

    Here in the mountain dungeon, I plant fruit trees and grow fruit as part of my farm work.

    This is because the mountain dungeon is essentially a sub-space with a stable climate and many slopes, which is ideal for growing fruit.

    The fruit trees, which prospered to the point where they were named "Dungeon Orchard", began to be possessed by a spirit of the tree.

    The tree spirit is a product of our fantasy world, a kind of spirit that possesses trees.

    It is a kind of spirit that possesses the trees and makes use of their characteristics to coexist and prosper.

    I was surprised when I first confirmed its existence, but since it wasn''t harmful, I eventually tolerated it.

    On the contrary, it manages the growth of the possessed fruit trees and helps me to harvest more fruit.

    That''s why most of the fruit trees planted in the dungeon orchard are now possessed by tree spirits....

    These tree spirits are the ones that greet me now.

    Kaka-Oh, the spirit of the cacao tree. Kakiemon, the tree spirit of the persimmon. Ringo, the spirit of the apple tree. Arumikan, the spirit of the tangerine. Mama Lemon, the spirit of the lemon. The Vine Spirit Strong the Grape. The banana tree spirit Sonja Banana. Berry Tree Spirit Berry Nice. Chestnut Tree Spirit Chris. Plum Tree Spirit Ume Emperor. Peach Tree Spirit Peachtitanba. The cherry tree spirit Kyoranbo.

    There are a lot of them anyway.

    I don''t know why, but these tree spirits were the fruits themselves.

    If it''s oranges, it''s oranges, and if it''s apples, it''s apples that are possessed by the tree spirits, or it floats around and comes close to me.

    I was very popular.

    Thank you guys for taking care of the trees. Is everything OK?

    As a greeting, I asked........

    ''Everything is fine! "The orchard that our saint has carved out cannot be in trouble! ''We''re managing it as best we can, sir! "All hail the saints!

    The level of loyalty is comfortable.

    The mountain dungeon is becoming more and more crowded with tree spirits like this....

    ''''Citehaaaaaaah!

    ''''Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!''''

    Suddenly, Veerle spat out a breath of fire in his human form and attacked the tree spirits.

    In other words, he could spit out breaths as a human?

    ''''What''s the matter with you, Veerle?¡¡Are you suddenly a rebel?

    I didn''t say that!¡¡I told you I was going to destroy the enemy!

    Yeah.

    Yeah, that''s what I said.

    "These tree spirits are our enemies!¡¡It''s a nasty one, encroaching on my domain!¡¡Today is the day we''ll get rid of every last one of these guys!

    What?

    Speaking of which.

    For some time now, there has been trouble between the spirits of the trees and Veerle, who have newly begun to live in the dungeon orchard.

    Originally, the owner of this dungeon was Veerle.

    I built the dungeon orchard with Veerle''s consent, but the spirits that sprang up there hadn''t gotten permission from him.

    The monsters are genuinely derived from the dungeon and are useful to the viel for food and guarding the dungeon, so he allows them.

    However, it seems that tree spirits are fundamentally spirits and not monsters, and they have a different view of the world.

    They live in the dungeon without my permission, and most importantly, they have no respect for me!¡¡I don''t want them in the corner of my dungeon!

    said Veerle.

    It''s true that there''s a problem with unauthorized access.

    You can''t just ask the spirits of the trees for their permission.

    ''I have permission to do so, if you don''t mind.

    "I took it from the saint!

    You can''t just get permission from me!

    It''s true that I''m the creator of the dungeon orchard, and I''m the owner (?) of the Veerle who controls the dungeon. Although I''m also me.

    Ultimately, Veerle is the master of the mountain dungeon, so I want him to show his humanity.

    I know that Veerle tried to control the spirits of the trees whenever he could, but Junior was born and Veerle was left alone in the meantime.

    So Viel is determined to finally get down to brass tacks and resume control of the situation.

    "I''m the master of this dungeon!¡¡Show me some respect!¡¡Or else I''ll die!

    Veerle approaches the tree spirits.

    But..........

    ''''We refuse!''''

    "We, the spirits of the dungeon orchard, owe our allegiance only to our saint.

    "I do not serve two masters!

    Why are you so loyal?

    Only to me?

    This is an invasion!¡¡An invasion of our dungeon orchard!

    No, no!

    It''s been in the Veerle''s domain from the start, not to mention taken!

    We''ve no choice but to ask him to leave!¡¡''We have a tree spirit representative!

    ''Oh!¡¡He must be able to repel the vicious invading dragons!''''

    A representative of the tree spirit?

    I''ve never even heard of such a thing before.

    A representative of the tree spirits who rely on all kinds of fruit.

    He could even go toe-to-toe with dragons.

    He was truly the king of fruits.

 374-372 King of Fruit

    And then it came out, representing all the tree spirits living in the dungeon orchard....

    ''''This is the Tree Spirit of Dorian.''''

    They came.

    Even among the tree spirits that depended on the fruit, it was the largest, with countless spike-like sharp protrusions sticking out of its rind.

    It''s that bizarre appearance that makes it impossible to mistake it for anything else.

    Durian.

    This is a durian, a type of tropical fruit.

    It is also known as the "King of Fruits" because it has various powerful characteristics among fruits.

    ........is that why?

    Is that why you''re the greatest of all tree spirits?

    ''''Yes, Dorian is the king of the fruit world. And I, the spirit of the tree, am the king of Dorian. So.....

    I call myself Dorian Tree Spirit.

    "My name is Dorian Chiou.

    After the introductions are over........

    "The dungeon orchard is the ideal home for our tree spirits. The dungeon orchard is our spiritual paradise, but we can''t just give it up to them, even if they are dragons. If you insist, I, Dorian Kaiou, will fight on behalf of the entire tree spirit!

    No, so this is Veerle''s territory from the beginning........

    ''''Gufufufu........!¡¡It''s all right. The courage that the vegetative sentiment looked up to challenge this Grinzel Dragon''s Veil without fear. I''ll spare you that spirit...!

    Veerle''s form has changed.

    It changes into a huge body that can look up to the dragon''s true form.

    I will fight you in your true form!¡¡I will burn all of you tree spirits and restore peace to my dungeon!

    What you''re saying sounds like a villain, but the reasoning is overwhelmingly on the side of Veerle.

    What should we do about this?

    I just came back from the martial arts competition and I''m tired, so let''s watch it for a while.

    "Let''s be the first to go!¡¡''''Bite me, Dorian head butt!

    First, Dorian''s tree spirit Dorian Kaiou rushed forward.

    It used its body, which was much larger, harder and heavier than the other fruits, to hit its body.

    Moreover, the durian''s rind is filled with spikes, so a direct hit at a reasonable speed would be extremely painful.

    However..........

    ''''Haha, it doesn''t work!

    Veerle snickered as he was attacked.

    ''That''s not enough to break a dragon''s scales,'' he said, ''I will remind you of the folly of standing up to me. I will remind you of the folly of standing up to me.

    Well, it was obvious........

    No matter how much of a king you are, a dragon doesn''t stand a chance with the king of fruit, right?

    Dorian''s side couldn''t do any damage no matter what they did.

    On the other hand, the attacks from Veerle''s side would be instantaneous and deadly even with a single scratch.

    Since this fight is such an impossible task, it would be appropriate for me to stop it at the appropriate place.

    And after the reconciliation, we can discuss the right of residence for each other.

    That''s what I had in mind, but....

    ''''That''s a dragon. But just because your attacks are incomprehensible, doesn''t mean you''re running out of options. You must know that the strength of the spirit of the tree is its ability to use all the features of the possessed tree!

    What is Dorian Kaiou going to do on top of this, when it has already been proven that no attack will work?

    Neither slashing nor striking the dragon''s scales could graze the scales.

    If there is any means left........

    ''Eat it!¡¡No, scent eeeeeeeeeeeee!''''

    Dorian Caiou''s fruit-like exterior, its total body cracked open.

    The pericarp-covered interior is exposed.

    The inner flesh is exposed.

    That''s when.

    Before the eyesight can see the pulp.....

    ''Smell eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

    Not only Veerle, I also screamed in agony at the stench!

    What is that smell?

    It''s like rotten meat?¡¡But it''s so much worse than that!¡¡I don''t want to breathe that stench in the air, I want to throw up!

    "Stinky stinky stinky?¡¡Is it you?¡¡Is it you?

    It''s true, indeed.

    Dorian Kaiou is proud of his victory, exposing the pulp to the outside air.

    ''''Really?!''''

    I pull up an overheard memory.

    The Dorian, the king of fruit, which I''ve never seen before in my previous world.

    I''m sure it''s very expensive, and at the time, I couldn''t afford it.

    More importantly, I couldn''t even find them in the local supermarket.

    However.

    There was another reason why we didn''t have them on hand.

    From what I''ve heard, durian smells like a mess!

    Too smelly to be treated in the store like any other fruit, though not very well!

    Customers will complain!

    Such a dangerous fruit is a durian!

    ''Geez!¡¡It stinks!¡¡Dieuuhhhhhh?

    The stench was having a perfect effect on Veerle.

    Even dragons that can''t communicate with anything, whether it''s cutting or striking, can''t stand the stench.

    ''Stink!¡¡It stinks hundreds of times worse than the sticky beans made by the feather woman!''''

    "Hahahahaha!¡¡''Not even a dragon is an enemy before my fragrance!

    "Shut up!¡¡It just stinks!¡¡But the smell is too strong!¡¡But it stinks too much to approach!''''

    To my surprise, the stench attack was indeed effective.

    I''ve been told that since they are the strongest creatures in the world, their sensory organs are also well-developed, so the stench emitted by Dorian is even harder.

    The fact that they are superior to other life forms is even more damaging.

    Come to think of it, if the beastman Silverwolf had been here, would he have died because of the stench?

    Is this...?

    Is it really going to happen?

    Dragon Overthrow by Dorian!

    "Don''t lick it!¡¡I won''t be defeated like this!

    Veerle, the dragon''s wings are flapping their wings in the air.

    It''s a great way to get the most out of the game. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.¡¡I''ll annihilate you from here with a long-range attack!

    A dragon, after all. It''s not an opponent that can be pushed through on the basis of smell alone.

    It''s a good thing that you have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    There is no better way for Dorian to attack.

    It''s time to stop this.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time.¡¡Doubledown?

    I myself was still within the range of Dorian''s stench, so the stench made me very grumpy.

    I''m a little out of touch with the fresh air since last time.

    "That''s enough for now, Veerle!¡¡You''ve got a winner!¡¡There''s no point in destroying any more of it!

    "Don''t be a fool, master!¡¡This stinking fruit is absolutely toxic!¡¡If we don''t burn it down without leaving any ashes, the damage will spread!

    It''s sad that what Veerle says is so righteous.

    ''No wait!¡¡No, it''s not!¡¡You''re right, though, Dorian is a stinker and a disaster.¡¡And that has more than compensating advantages!

    What is that?

    It''s so good!

    Fruit is to be eaten.

    If it''s good to eat, it''s probably Taisho.

    That''s why Dorian is called the "King of Fruits" and that''s why it''s so delicious.

    Veerle landed on earth and returned to human form.

    He took a bite of the durian flesh that Dorian Kaiou presented to him.

    ''''Yumeeeeeeeeeee!

    It''s that good?

    I didn''t eat a durian when I was in my previous world, either.

    It''s not something I could afford, and I never wanted to eat it.

    Why did I plant a durian in the dungeon orchard in the first place?¡¡No. Did I plant this?

    I have a vague recollection of this, but I took a bite of the rumored durian.

    "Wow, it''s so good!

    I can''t believe it''s a fruit.

    But it''s delicious.

    It''s almost enough to make me believe that there are people who would borrow money to eat it.

    It stinks!

    ''''Yes!''''

    Dorian Kaiou is suddenly named, and Dorian Kaiou is freaked out. He was quite scared after being pushed to the point of being burned out.

    ''''I''ll forgive your existence in spite of your deliciousness!¡¡From now on, I will come to you every day to offer you your fruit!

    ''''Wow, I understand!

    Beside that, I gave a verbal warning to the other tree spirits as well.

    The other two are the same, but they are not the same. Trouble is not allowed in this dungeon.

    "''Yes,''

    Thus, the war without honor in the mountain dungeon came to a peaceful end.

    To sum up this incident........

    Dragon strong.

    Dorian stinky and delicious.

    There were two points.

    ''''Master!¡¡Durian, that''s good!¡¡We''ll make Junior eat it too!

    Stop it!

    Dorian is not ready for babies.

 375-373 Wool Mystery

    Today, Batty came to me for advice.

    ''I want to make a warm garment.''

    And.

    Batty is the garment maker on our farm.

    She used to be a soldier in the Demon King''s Army, but because her family was a tailor and she herself had a dream of becoming a dressmaker, the supply and demand for clothes on our farm matched up.

    So Batty has been making clothes for us for quite some time now.

    She finally wants to try her hand at something new.

    Winter is coming soon and I want to make winter clothes in preparation for it!

    And I want to make winter clothes for that!

    ............I see.

    As a person from another world, I''ve already experienced winter in this world twice.

    The first time I was caught off guard and didn''t deal with it in time at all.

    It wasn''t until the second winter that I was able to prepare for it in earnest.

    In the meantime, I''m sure Baty did a great job as the only person who could make clothes.

    The first winter, he hurriedly put together a warm cotton comforter, and even the second winter, he made warm fur coats for all of us.

    ''''Well that''s right. We already have a fur coat, don''t we?

    So even if we were to make warm clothes, it wouldn''t be a new endeavor.

    Our farm has even more residents, so I''ll have to shake Batty again to get him to mass produce clothes........

    ''''It''s not.''''

    Batty says.

    ''Furs are great, but I want to make something more, something different, a warmer garment.

    "Huh?

    Batty says.

    The main material of winter clothing is fur.

    The idea is that animals wear fur to survive the cold, so it would be warm enough to strip and wrap them in it.

    But that doesn''t allow for creativity!

    The creators said it was a bother.

    What does that mean?

    Fur is already a complete design, so there is little room for creativity on the part of the creator. And since fur is already a complete design, there is little room for creativity on the part of the manufacturer.

    It''s not exactly loungewear.

    Thinking about it, it is true that in the past winters, even if we warmed up the room with the stove, the clothes were made of silk or cotton like in the summer, and we had to put on a futon or a shaggy coat because it was cold.

    It was cold, so they wore bedding and shaggy clothes, or they wore fur coats indoors.

    I don''t want to wear that kind of thing anymore.

    This winter, we want to make beautiful and cool clothes that are designed to solve those problems!¡¡As a designer!

    As a designer, huh?

    Bati is also the representative of the most popular fashion brand in the capital of the Devil''s Country now.

    His consciousness is growing.

    So I thought I''d like to borrow some wisdom from you, saint.

    You ask and I''m treated like a box that''s got a good idea...?

    Do you have any ideas?¡¡A fabric that isn''t as exaggerated as fur, but is as compact as cotton or silk, yet more insulating than cotton or silk...?

    Like yarn?

    Don''t even call it wool.

    It''s the standard for winter wear. You could make a sweater or a belly roll out of it, and it would keep you warm.

    Wool?¡¡What is that?

    "What?

    Don''t you have any yarn?

    Don''t you have any?

    Do not underestimate the other world.

    It is not uncommon for people to not understand what is common knowledge in my former world.

    I''ve been thinking that this world is naturally here too.

    Sheep.

    This is a world where there are even goat beastmen, and I thought that there would be sheep.

    But there aren''t?

    Sheep, are you out of this world?

    If that were the case, there would be no wool, and there would be no sweaters, scarves, bellies, or woolen pants made of wool.

    I can see why Batty, who is supposed to be an expert in clothing, is puzzled by the idea of making winter clothing.

    Are there any sheep in this world?

    I''m here.

    What?

    Which one is it?

    Are you here?

    And they don''t use wool?

    What''s going on here?

    I don''t see how a sheep could possibly have anything to do with making clothes...?

    I mean, aren''t sheep raised for the sole purpose of hunting wool?

    Although I may grow it to grow other meat.

    It''s delicious, isn''t it, Genghis Khan?

    I don''t think we''re quite on the same page here. Isn''t that usually the purpose of raising sheep?

    Huh?

    Paper.

    Paper!

    Something unexpected came out of an unexpected place.

    * * * *

    Parchment.

    It took me quite a while to come up with that, too.

    I''ve only seen it in the movies at best.

    In the old days, especially in Europe, people used to make paper from sheepskin.

    In the same way, it is common in this world to make paper from animal skins.

    I heard that the large sheep farm in the Devil''s Land is also used to process the skins of all the sheep into paper.

    By the way, what do they use as paper in the mermaid kingdom?

    Kelp.

    A passing Prathi passed by with a brief answer.

    Well, how one uses natural objects depends on the culture of each place.

    But once you understand, it''s easy to understand.

    All you have to do is get some wool from a sheep farm that is run for the purpose of making parchment.

    I suppose that in our world, people only focus on the skin and not the wool.

    I can see a future where you can buy sheep for two or three pounds and be very happy about it.

    Maybe you can get it for free!

    ''''Um........I don''t understand what the saint-sama is saying from a while ago.......?

    Batty was looking at me as if he was looking at me as if he were a poor person from earlier.

    ''''Eh?¡¡Why?¡¡Wool. Wool!¡¡If you can make and knit that wool, you''ll have a perfect winter coat!

    That''s why I can''t understand the wool.

    What?

    The conversation is still not engaging from earlier.

    We are at odds with each other''s understanding.

    Because sheep don''t have hair, you know.

    What?

    !

    In order to prove it, I left the farm and visited it.

    This is a sheep farm in the country.

    I heard that the demon king''s army is directly involved in purchasing the sheepskin produced by them.

    ''''Paper is an essential part of government affairs, you know.

    Batty, who has accompanied me as a guide, says.

    In contrast, this is the first time I''ve seen a farm in this world.

    No, I''ve never seen a ranch before in the previous world, but I''ve never seen a ranch before.

    Even I can understand the strangeness of this ranch.

    This place specializes in raising sheep that are used as raw materials for parchment under the direction of the Demon King''s Army, so all the sheep that are grazing here are sheep.

    And those sheep.....

    "They don''t have any hair!

    No hair!

    The whole body of the sheep with no hair, exposing its smooth skin.

    It''s like the skin of a newborn baby.

    That''s right. If it had hair, it would get in the way of writing and you couldn''t process it into paper. It''s the absence of hair that makes it such a good material for leather paper, right?

    Batty tells me as if he were admonishing a child.

    I found out the true nature of the discrepancy that I didn''t understand for a long time by seeing it for myself.

    An otherworldly sheep.

    It was a sheep that didn''t have a single hair to make it easier to produce parchment.

    This doesn''t even give me the idea of switching to the textile industry!

 376-374 Seeking hair

    Continuing the story at the sheep farm.

    ''No hair!''?

    They walk wherever they want and eat as much as they want.

    It''s a truly idyllic scene, though.

    Without wool, they can''t get yarn, and without it they can''t make sweaters and belly rolls!

    So what''s woolen?

    Even Bati, a professional clothing maker, doesn''t know about the existence of yarn, so it must be a completely out of this world concept.

    The most important thing is that the sheep is like this....

    Sheepskin is the raw material for paper.

    In a world where that is the dominant value, the sheep may have run out of wool with each passing generation in their quest for parchment.

    Because if you''re going to process skins, the hairs that grow out of them are just a hindrance.

    Parchment with hair on it must have been very uncomfortable to write on.

    Those who produce parchment may have tried to keep the sheep from growing hair in order to make the process more efficient.

    Even if they didn''t know anything about breeding, they may have at least tried to find a breed that was empirically superior to their own.

    After hundreds of years of this process, the hairless sheep became the standard.

    Or rather, the only sheep that were available were the hairless ones.

    Or rather, the only sheep that could be used for parchment production were the hairless ones.

    But what to do?

    I sighed as I looked at the woolless sheep on the farm.

    Sweaters and woolen pants are just what Batty needs, but there''s nothing I can do about it if the sheep don''t grow hair.

    But there''s nothing I can do about it if the sheep that are supposed to be the source of these things don''t grow hair.

    But since this story started, I''ve been in the mood for a nuked sweater this winter, and I don''t know what to do.

    ''I''ll find another monster in the dungeon that grows some kind of woolly thing...?

    I''m going to break my bones again.

    As my mind was reeling at the thought....

    In the vast meadow of the ranch, I saw something moving that wasn''t a sheep.

    "........Is that a person?

    No, because we are in a demon country, the demon race.

    However, they look like farmers in their dull clothes and straw hats.

    You can see that the demon race is no different from the human race at all.

    "Um, excuse me.

    I called out to him for some reason.

    An elderly man who seems to work at the ranch noticed and came over.

    "It''s rare to come to such a remote place. What do you want to do in my ranch?

    He was a rancher, not just a ''worker''.

    He continued his story with dignity.

    ''No, I''m just a visitor. I just want to see how many healthy sheep there are.

    I did not have a clear purpose in mind when I spoke to him.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    There are people who love things........who love things like this. Well, if it''s okay with you, you can look around as much as you like.

    Thank you.

    They''re going to close soon anyway. If you want to see it, it''s not too late.

    What?

    I was surprised to be told something unpickable all of a sudden.

    Close it?¡¡You mean you''re going to quit the ranch?¡¡Not a temporary break?

    Yeah, I''m officially out of business. It''s no longer profitable. There''s no profit in raising sheep any more.

    Then the rancher laughed sadly.

    It was a dry laugh that came out after giving up on everything.

    ''''Oh no...?¡¡Then the sheep here are...?

    ''''The ones with good bloodlines can be taken in by other farms.............................but the ones that aren''t will be discarded. Old sheep have a bad smell and are not even edible...

    What a shameful thing to hear...!

    I know it''s a tough business, but it''s something...!

    No, isn''t that funny?

    Batty, who was listening from the side, interrupted.

    ''''Isn''t this supposed to be the Demon King''s Army''s holding farm?¡¡All the sheep we raise are processed into parchment and delivered to the Demon King''s Army. There''s no way they''re going to be left unsold!¡¡You''ll never need paper for office politics!

    Indeed, Batty is right.

    Imagine if I could get by without paper in the office I was in in my former world, and I can see that it would never happen.

    ''No...!¡¡There''s that, girl. The Demon King''s Army told me that they don''t want any more sheep that we make for them.

    You''re not suggesting...?

    I heard they found a replacement. It''s much nicer and stronger than the paper made from the skins of our own sheep, and we can make a lot more...

    What...?

    Did you know that high quality paper is now made in the Devil''s Land?

    The Pandemonium Society, of all places. They said that the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce created this amazing paper. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of it. I''ve heard that the capital''s paper guild is also very weak...

    It''s a tough story...

    I agreed with Batty''s muttering to himself.

    Even if technological advances are indispensable, no one''s life should be threatened by the friction.

    We should also take good care of those who are affected by the paradigm shift.

    It was the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce that developed the new paper.

    I''m acquainted with Mr. Shaks, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce there.

    Can I say something about.........?

    ''''Saint-sama.......how could this be.......?

    I wonder if Batty has noticed, and he gives me a worried look.

    Our farm.

    We also make paper.

    I''m going to have to say that I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

    I thought it would be better to have it as a notepad, but it didn''t have as much use as I thought it would, so I decided not to do it.

    When Shax-san from the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce found it, his eyes changed color........

    ''''Don''t stop making it!¡¡If you don''t want it, sell it to us!¡¡I''ll pay you whatever you want!''''

    I had no reason to refuse, so I sold it to him.

    I don''t have any use for my money, so it''s not good for us to have it.

    And so on.

    After that, our farm continued to make paper just to get Shaks to take it back to us........

    Lately, I''ve been using it for notebooks used by foreign students...?

    "Batty........is this.......?¡¡This new paper that''s coming out of the woodwork...?

    There''s a 9 or 10 in 10 chance it''s from us.

    That''s almost 100% accurate!

    We''re the ones trying to ruin this ranch.

    How dare you show your face to us, huh?

    Well, we''re under the protection of the Demon Lord, so we won''t be led astray all of a sudden. I''m going to take some time to reduce the size of the farm and look for another job. Well, at my age it''s hard to find a different job, so I''m thinking of raising some other kind of livestock...

    Hahaha...?

    The fact that we had to raise only sheep is now our revenge. It''s not the same as raising cows or goats or sheep, and it''s depressing to have to find a buyer. If we don''t do that, we''ll just end up eating all the food we can get.

    Hahahahaha...!

    All I could do was laugh dryly.

    This guy!¡¡We are the source of the disaster that has befallen this man!

    A sense of urgency to do something about it arises.

    I don''t have the nerve to turn a blind eye to the problems that I''m responsible for!

    I don''t have hair on my heart!

    The sheep of this world don''t have hair!

    ''Yeah, yeah!¡¡Hey, rancher, can I touch your sheep?

    What do you want me to do with them?¡¡Weird customer, huh?

    It''s a rare sight to see, and the rancher is getting more and more suspicious of my odd behavior.

    But I guess he''s abandoned the bowl because there''s no more to go.

    That feeling helped, and he readily agreed to my impertinent request.

    Soon after, he catches one of the sheep wandering aimlessly through the meadow and pulls it to him, grabbing it by the scruff of the neck.

    As you would expect of a livestock farmer in his day job, he has no hesitation in his handling of his livestock.

    It was really smooth and bare skinned when I saw it up close.

    Once again, the hairless mammals give me a strange impression when I see them up close and personal.

    "Here, touch it all you want.

    ''Thank you!

    She just came out of nowhere and head-butted me.

    Violent?

    Is she a vicious sheep?

    Don''t worry, it''s going to be all right. It''ll only be a short while before you get it over with.......

    The second shot is painful, but I manage to touch the sheep with both hands.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve had a chance to do this.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time.

    The gifts from God dwell in my hands, and I can draw out more than enough of the potential of anything I touch.

    If that power can also work on the sheep....

    Even the sheep that no longer grow the wool that is so beneficial to people by nature....

    Mokokokokokokokokokokokoko....

    It was as if I could hear the onomatopoeic sound of "mokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokok.

    My familiar fuzzy wool.

 377-375 rejuvenated wool

    Heee!¡¡That''s disgusting!

    The owner of the ranch, the demon tribe.

    The bizarre happenings in front of my eyes have scared the shit out of me.

    I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that the sheep I touched grew firmer and firmer at an amazing rate.

    The fuzziness grew and grew and grew.....

    It''s time to stop this.

    And even though I thought, "I''m not going to stop," it continued to grow.

    It''s all by the power of God in my hands.

    The only thing that matters is the power of God in my hands.¡¡What''s going on here?

    Even Bati was surprised by this.

    It''s a good idea to let go of your hand and fingers, but they are in serious trouble because they are entangled in the wool.

    I managed to forcefully pull my fingers out, but by that time the surface area of the sheep had grown to about six times its original size.

    "What is this?

    The sheep''s surface area was about six times its original size.

    The smooth, hairless sheep was now a lump of hair so large that we could look up at it.

    He was so fluffy that I couldn''t even see what was inside him anymore.

    ''''Aaaaaaaaah!¡¡My sheep is aaaaaaahhh!¡¡My~~~!

    As expected of a rancher, he rushed to the clump of hair in a hurry.

    To them, livestock is an important asset and a companion to live with. You can''t blame them for being worried.

    I''m fine.

    I take a couple of steps back and then pull out the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz and release it.

    Pastor, your face turns pale when you see it.

    ''''Don''t worry. It''s definitely not going to be like what you fear. He''s getting a bit cramped.......!

    I''m going to unleash the blade of the Evil Sacred Sword at the mass of hair that is difficult to determine if it is a living being or not.

    It''s not a good idea to be able to tell if it''s a living thing or not.

    The one who screamed on behalf of the sheep itself was the rancher.

    A moment later, in the wake of the slashed lump of hair, there stood a sheep that had been sheared off and became hairless again.

    There was not a scratch on it.

    ''''Your holy sword is just amazing.

    I calmly respond to a compliment from Batty.

    It''s true that the holy sword is actually more awesome, and I feel like I''ve lived through the experience of peeling potatoes and carrots on a daily basis.

    With the sharpness of this evil holy sword, I could scrape off the skin of vegetables with extreme thinness, and the same was true for sheep''s wool.

    ''''Well........this clipped hair.............Ow!

    A crisp sheep.

    Once again, he head-butted me again and went back to the grassland.

    All that was left was a vast amount of wool.

    This is the wool of a sheep...?

    That''s what we''ve been told doesn''t exist...?

    Both Batty and the rancher are curious about this mysterious object, a wool that they have never seen before.

    It''s so fluffy. It''s so fluffy, it''s not even close to goat or cow hair!

    I''m sorry, sweetheart, but we have to go back to the farm and get the goblins. Tell the goblins to bring along their spinning tools.

    I understand. Oh, excuse me, Uncle, but can I set up a temporary transfer point here?

    While his uncle was dumbfounded, Batty set up his own transition point and flew away with his transition magic.

    I''ve been waiting for this to happen for a while now.

    I''ll use the time I have to wait and wash this wool.

    Prepare for the proper treatment.

    ''''If you have a watering hole, can I use it?

    Huh?¡¡Oh.........?

    The completely soul-deadened rancher obeyed my request in a good way.

    The wool has just sprouted, so it wasn''t particularly dirty, but I''ll wash it anyway.

    Using the effect of the "supreme bearer", the dirt sloughed off and dried quickly.

    In the meantime, Batty returned.

    As instructed, with a few goblins.

    Again, as I had instructed, each goblin had brought a spinning wheel and other spinning equipment with them, and they were all ready to go.

    ''Alright, spin yarn from this wool!

    The goblins in this region who would do this are excellent.

    They are experienced in hand-spinning from the yarn and cotton spat out by the vigorous silkworm on a daily basis, and they are not intimidated by opponents of a slightly different hue.

    They work quickly and efficiently, and in no time at all, the wool scattered around the farm disappears and is gathered into a few balls of yarn.

    The goblins of my farm were quick to praise their speed.

    Now, let''s take the yarn we''ve created and...!

    It was my turn again.

    I already had a crochet hook for knitting in my hand.

    While I was waiting for Batty to bring back the goblins, I chipped away at the wood to make it.

    I shaved the wood with the evil holy sword Dry Schwartz, of course.

    The holy sword was very successful.

    The crochet hook scooped up the yarn and the yarn and thread knit together.

    Normally it would be a tortoise step knitting, but I have the ''supreme bearer'' so it goes crazy fast.

    While Batty and the rancher are amazed at how fast I can knit, I''m able to finish a sweater.

    ''Sweater!''

    It was a simple, hastily made, but tightly made sweater.

    After all, the clothes made by the saints don''t have any decorations at all, don''t they...

    Batty is going to ruin it the moment he''s done.

    ''That''s OK!¡¡That''s the way I''m wired, you know?

    My clothes are still very stiff, aren''t they?

    Even the goblins have failed me!

    Okay, that''s why I''m going to let Batty do all the clothes making.

    This sweater is a prototype, so to speak.

    It''s proven that you can take yarn from the sheep of this world and knit it.

    And the rest.....

    "Rancher!

    I bowed to the owner of the ranch.

    I bowed to the owner of the ranch with all my might.

    Could you let us buy this yarn for you?

    Eh?¡¡Me first!

    The rancher is perplexed by the proposal out of the blue.

    It''s only natural.

    Of course, these yarns come from the sheep on this farm. You, the owner of the sheep, have the right to raise those sheep!¡¡So I have to buy it from you first!

    But that said, it''s a little out of the blue...?

    I already have the money for you.

    ''So much!''

    When I sent Batty to call the goblins, I had him prepare it with me.

    This money was given to me by Mr. Shaks of the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce as payment for the paper.

    By giving this as payment for yarn, the wealth is being returned to the rightful party..., supposedly!

    ''''Then.........now.......?

    The rancher''s ability to think was paralyzed by the surprise of being up and running, but he accepted it without much resistance.

    The sheep that I touched will continue to grow hair from now on. The sheep I touched will continue to grow hair from now on, not as rapidly as before, but it should grow at a very natural speed.

    Is that so?

    That''s what I sensed through my ''supreme bearer'', so there''s no doubt about it, right?

    ''Let''s touch the other sheep and keep their pores open. From now on, you can shear the wool that the sheep grow and sell it to a tailor to make a living. I''m sure you''ll make a fortune.

    I''ll tell Mr. Shaks to take the initiative and buy up the sheep.

    With this, this farm and the sheep should be able to crawl out of the gloom of bankruptcy.

    ''''Oh........!¡¡How thankful I am...!

    The rancher was finally able to swallow the situation and fell to his knees on the spot with tears streaming down his face.

    ''What mercy. What a miracle you have done. ........What kind of God are you who can perform such a miracle?

    ''I''m not that big of a deal. I just wanted to digest my karma.

    No, really.

    "Guffaw!

    And then the sheep tackled me again, headbutting me.

    What the hell are they doing here?

    ******

    Thus, I had successfully cared for someone who was about to lose his job from the otherworldly technology we had leaked.

    As an aside, the ranch would later become famous for ''growing hair from a sheep that was not supposed to grow hair''.

    Gentlemen from all over the country who were suffering from hair loss would come to the ranch and try to get their fortune by touching the rare and shaggy sheep.

 378-376 Care for cleaning up

    My name is Sevrose.

    I''m the guildmaster of the Paper Industry Guild.

    It''s like I''m the organizer of a union made up of parchment craftsmen throughout the Demon City.

    Weak individual craftsmen can''t help but form a group to streamline their trade and make it easier for them to get their claims across.

    The parchment made by the members of our guild is of very high quality.

    The parchment is made from sheep skins that are carefully raised in the guild''s exclusive pasture, using a strictly confidential, step-by-step method.

    His main client is the Demon King''s Castle.

    Since documents are absolutely necessary for political and military affairs, there are always orders for paper.

    The parchment we deliver to them is reputed to be strong and easy to ink.

    As long as there is no more paperwork in the world, the demand for paper will never disappear.

    The parchment maker was a popular occupation because he would never be deprived of a lifetime of work.

    But now.

    But now.

    We, the Paper Guild, were in a tight spot.

    We could not sell parchment at all.

    It was absolutely necessary for certain jobs.

    It was thought that the demand for this paper would never cease.

    There was no one to sell it to.

    The bulging inventory is overwhelming the warehouse!

    How did this happen?

    I know why.

    It''s because a powerful commercial enemy has emerged.

    The Pandemonium Company is selling a completely different quality of paper, and it is selling like hotcakes.

    That''s why the sales of the parchment produced by our Paper Guild are falling off.

    Bastards!¡¡Is it fun for a big business association to splash out on a small amount of money?

    The Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce is a large commercial organization that has direct dealings with the Demon King himself.

    Incidentally, the difference between a guild and a trade association is that a guild is a union of artisans, and a trade association is a trade association of merchants. The union of merchants is the guild and the union of merchants is the Chamber of Commerce.

    Anyway, if a large trading association attacks us with its connections and money to the maximum extent, even if it is united as a group, its craftsmanship will be irresistible.

    No matter how much you polish your skills and improve the quality of your products, there is nothing more sad for a craftsman than to be overturned by marketing.

    So I ordered a copy of a new product from Pandemonium Trading Company.

    I thought I would laugh at the poor quality of the paper that a merchant would order from an unknown source.

    But as soon as I took a glance at the paper that arrived, that distorted sense of disgust vanished.

    The reason was that the quality was far better than the parchment produced in our guild.

    ''''What kind of paper is this made from...?

    Even though I showed it to all of the paper-making experts in the guild, I couldn''t understand it.

    What kind of animal skin was used as the material?

    It''s not sheepskin, that''s for sure.

    As a member of the Paper Guild, we have spent decades skinning sheepskin, stretching and tanning it, drying it, and removing the remaining wool to make the best paper.

    The new paper we snatched from the big trading company is so light and soft that you wouldn''t expect it to be made of sheepskin.

    When I tried to write something on it, the sensation of the pen running was very pleasant, and the ink soaked into the paper appropriately and blended well.

    Conclusion.

    It''s much better than the paper we make.

    "I thought you were selling it through your marketing skills...?

    I didn''t know that even the quality of the product was far superior...!

    It''s a wake up call at the guild meeting.

    There was absolutely no chance of winning.

    Everyone was panicked at the worst possible prospect of going out of business, but that didn''t mean that there was anything in particular that could be done to break the situation.

    But there was nothing we could do to overcome the situation, because we had been following the traditional parchment manufacturing method since the days of our distant ancestors.

    There''s no way we can come up with a new method just because the old method doesn''t work.

    Oh, we''re done........?

    The Paper Guild, which has lasted for hundreds of years, is over for me...!

    Everyone was already in despair and felt like they couldn''t even get a job....

    * * * *

    One day, the orcs came.

    And goblins.

    "What the heck?

    A crawl of Orc goblins poured into the Paper Guild meeting place in a corner of the Demon City!

    What a huge number!

    What''s going on here?¡¡If they are anthropomorphic monsters, then someone sent them to us!

    "Who is the representative here?

    One of the orcs barging in will ask you.

    A talking orc?¡¡The fact that this orc speaks is surprising and shocking, but the majesty this orc radiates is even more impressive and makes me shiver.

    Is it some kind of general?¡¡He was such an awe-inspiring orc that one would think, "I''m not sure.

    ''You must accept your reckoning.

    Orc said.

    What do you mean!

    What did we do to make amends?¡¡We''ve just lived our lives honestly, day in and day out.

    So now that we''re on the verge of closing down our business, what more is there to accept?

    ...Oh no, I accept it!

    We are the ones who have to pay for it!

    This is what my master wanted. You must now do as we say and lessen the burden on your hearts.

    What the hell is going on?

    We are the ones who are losing our jobs right now, and our hearts are burdened to the max!

    Then let''s start right away, Gobukichi-dono!

    Yes, sir.

    Now there''s a goblin in the room!

    And he''s carrying something under his arm?

    This is the finest wood that I have ever cultivated in the mountain dungeon.

    "Wood?

    Yeah, if you look hard enough.

    It was a log cut down to a size that was easy to carry around.

    The goblin took out that log with the scythe....

    ''''Haaaaaaaah!

    Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    What did he cut up the log?

    He swung the scythe at great speed and cut it into tiny pieces of wood.

    This is what it means to be chopped into tiny pieces!

    Thus, you take a small piece of wood and you put it in a pot and you cook it.

    ''''Yesyyy!''''

    The sliced piece of wood is thrown directly into the pot and put on the fire with the water.

    I''m sure you''ve prepared that pot as well?

    You don''t want to use fire in our house, it''s dangerous!

    Bring it to a boil, remove only the wood fibers, and then strain it into a mold.

    No, really, what are these orcs and goblins trying to do?

    It''s like a square picture frame made of some kind of wood, and this one is also made of stewed and soggy wood scraps.

    ........what are you trying to do!

    I really don''t get it.

    ''When you''ve finished straining it reasonably well, let it dry...!

    "Hellfire Spirit Demolition!

    ohhh?

    The goblins have blown away all the water in one go with some kind of flaming heat magic.

    It''s done!¡¡Handmade paper!

    What''s that?

    Could this be the latest fine paper from Pandemonium?

    Isn''t this the exact same shape and quality as the samples we bought?

    It can''t be...?¡¡The orcs and goblins have just shown us how to make fine paper...?

    You mean they showed me the whole process from beginning to end?

    But how can paper be made out of wood...!

    For those of us who think of paper as something made from the skin of an animal, it''s an eye-opening experience.

    Did we see it all?¡¡The way we make paper...?

    But seeing is not enough. You have one day to master the process.

    How dare you?

    Why would you do that?

    So take some of the burden off your mind, my dear.

    A request for you to return from the sheep farm. I must relieve you of the burden on your mind, my dear, who is tormented by the guilt of knowing that your work is taking away the work of the innocent.

    To do that, you must master the art of making paper on our farms and learn to live independently.

    Come on, let the training begin!¡¡Gather as many craftsmen as you can gather!¡¡From now on, we''re going to teach you one-on-one with the full strength of the Orc Goblin Army that belongs to the farm!

    A group of barging orc goblins let out a bullhorn.

    It was a completely unfamiliar trend, but the Paper Guild''s artisans received a Spartan education from the Orc Goblins that day and were able to learn an unknown paper making method.

    Now we, the Paper Guild, can supply fine paper that is as good as the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce?

    Can our business, which was dying, be revived?

 379-377 Expo proposal

    It''s me.

    Gov. Okubo and his friends have returned.

    My lord, we are back.

    I''ve been teaching you how to make paper as you requested.

    Yeah, right!

    Thank God!

    I went to visit a farm in the Devil''s Land to get some wool, and I happened to learn a fact that the paper industry in the Devil''s Land is in danger of being destroyed.

    It was that the paper industry in the Devil''s Land was in danger of being destroyed.

    Moreover, the cause was the woody paper that had escaped from my farm.

    If I hadn''t thought to provide it to Shax-san, a merchant who came and went from the farm, before I knew it, it would have swept the market and put pressure on the existing traders.

    Even though I didn''t know it, I still feel guilty knowing that my actions threatened the lives of innocent people.

    I was able to show the mainstream parchment ranchers, who had been the mainstream supplier of materials for parchment, a new way to earn a profit by teaching them how to use the wool.

    But my mind is still not clear.

    I''m sure the people involved in the production of parchment, as well as its raw material providers, are going to be lost in the streets because of me.

    So I asked Gov''t Okubo and his friends to come out and teach me the art of papermaking, which they had mastered.

    The plan worked.

    Although it was only for one day, the paper craftsmen of the demon city seemed to have desperately learned new skills and mastered the process of making woody paper.

    ''''However, there will still be some problems though...''''

    To get a paper as high quality as farm-made paper, you''d need the best lumber grown on the farm and they''d have to start arranging the raw materials from scratch.

    They will have to develop their own replacements for the various paper chemicals made by Mistress Prathi, and even though I have taught them how to make paper, they will never be able to get off the ground. I don''t think they will ever be able to get off the ground simply because we''ve taught them how to do it.

    From there, let''s put their professional passion and skills to work.

    Anyway, now I''ve succeeded in digesting the karma I''ve been accumulating without even knowing it!

    No more guilt-ridden nightmares every night!

    Your daily meals will be delicious again!

    I was feeling refreshed with that thought, and later on, some problems were derived again.

    I thought it was good that I was going to do it, but now I''m getting into trouble without knowing it.

    Is this what the butterfly effect is all about?

    * * * *

    That day, Mr. Shaks of the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce came to visit me.

    He looked very tired.

    "I''m in trouble...!

    The expression on his face was also troubled, and the word that came out of his mouth was ''troubled''.

    What in the world happened?

    I''m sure you did that the other day, right?¡¡The Paper Guild...

    Yeah.

    Teaching the paper making method practiced on the farm to the Demon City''s Paper Guild was something Shax-san had done without permission.

    There would be no reason to ask for permission.

    I don''t care who I pass on the skills developed on my farm to, it''s up to me, the owner of the farm.

    In the meantime, I''m aware of saving it from causing social chaos...

    Did karma happen to you?

    What''s the consequence of karma?

    Because they have a monopoly on our product, make a profit, and then try to muscle in on the existing businesses, right?

    Thinking back, the deal with Shax-san began through the Demon King''s family.

    In accordance with the wishes of Batty and the elves who wanted to sell their works, they needed someone to mediate the sale and purchase.

    That''s when we were introduced to Shax-san.

    I was hoping that Shax''s trade association, which controls the demon tribe''s largest trade route, would be able to sell the works of Bati and the elves appropriately, and even after that, he would frequently visit the farm and find interesting things to sell with the astuteness of a merchant.

    It''s a good thing that we''ve reached this point in our relationship, but if we''re going to be forced to take part in something that''s not worthy of our trust, then we need to consider revising our relationship...

    ''No way!¡¡I''m not trying to be naughty!¡¡It''s true!

    Shax-san said with an expression that made him look like he was about to cry from the bottom of his heart.

    I don''t know how far I can see through the great merchants of the sea and mountains, but at least it didn''t look like an act.

    ''We always aim to be a business that serves the world and the country!¡¡It''s not a pretty business, and it won''t last long if it doesn''t coexist and co-prosper with the world!¡¡It is very frightening for a merchant to incur resentment from a stranger!

    This also sounded like a serious statement.

    ''''As was the case with the sausage machine!¡¡After making a big sale, they outsourced the sale to a street vendor who was affected by it, so that they could share in the profits!¡¡I just didn''t want to cause them to resent me!

    Even the big merchants didn''t want to buy something.

    ''''So, against the Paper Guild, too?''''

    ''In this case, we don''t know how to manufacture the saint''s supreme paper on our end. We had intended to sell it as a limited luxury item.

    The supreme paper.

    Is that what they call it...?

    It''s a luxury product with a slightly more luxurious feel than the paper you use every day. That''s how we positioned it so that it wouldn''t scare off existing products, but the quality is so good that we''ve been inundated with orders for it beyond our expectations.¡¡I can''t afford not to respond since I have an inventory...!

    Come to think of it, Gov. Gov. Kichi and the others had gotten into a good mood and were passing around the paper that they were making around to Mr. Shax because they had no use for it.

    It must have been a considerable amount of paper.

    Shax-san, as a merchant, couldn''t stay without selling what he could.

    ........Huh?

    So I''m gonna be in the end of this, right?

    ''We''ve been doing everything we can to put the problem behind us, but there''s no way we can stop it...!¡¡I had considered putting my trust in the saint, but it was a last resort...!

    It seems that Shax-san was also troubled while turning his hand behind the scenes.

    ''''Well, that was also resolved by the saint-sama''s boneheadedness, and those of us who couldn''t do anything about it are just unworthy of it...!

    No, no, no!

    But it''s been a while since we''ve had another flashpoint.

    Sparks?

    More sparks?

    ''''We have heard from various quarters that the Paper Guild has been instructed by a saint, and protests are pouring into our trade association...!

    What do you mean by "protest"?

    ''It''s unfair that only the Paper Guild is being disclosed the secret process, and that we should be informed.'' From various quarters, from the Sewing Guild, the Stonemason''s Guild, the Pottery Guild, to the Tanner''s Guild.

    "What?

    The products that we can wholesale from Saints'' farms are that great, so we want the secrets of their production process down our throats from our peers.

    Nevertheless, technology is life to a craftsman. No matter what happens, it must be kept secret.

    All the craftsmen were aware of this as well, so they couldn''t openly say, "Tell me your secrets.

    However, the other day at the Paper Guild, the super-technology was handed down unilaterally.

    All the things they had endured up to now erupted in one fell swoop at that fact...!

    But why would that bring you to Mr. Shaks?

    ''''We are the only ones who deal in goods from the saints........ We are the only ones who deal in goods from the saints.......and for them, the only one who can track the connection between the saints and the ''Farm'' brand is our trade association, so we are being pressed every day......

    .........

    Did I do something careless again?

    Even the case of the paper mill guild and the sheep farm production could have been solved smarter if it was carried out after consulting with Shax-san and the Demon King.

    Isn''t this just endlessly solving one case leads to another!

    ''''No, no, it''s not something the saint-sama cares about!¡¡If you are a transcendent saint, you should always behave as you see fit. We don''t need to worry about the things we do not have to worry about.

    I say that, but...!

    The protests from the craftsmen will eventually go unanswered if we let them ignore it. We too have the privilege of making money from our dealings with the saints, so it''s times like these that we have to take a stand...!

    But when you get into trouble like that because of me, my guilt is tingling again!

    It''s something like that, but the food I eat won''t be good and I can''t sleep with the pillows banging against me if I leave the bruises related to me unattended.

    After all, I''ll take care of it myself........!

    I don''t want to be bothered by your saint.

    Mr. Shax was trying to push me away softly.

    Well, I have a record of causing more trouble with the Paper Guild.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way out of this.

    I''m sure Shaksus, a thoughtful merchant, will come up with a good plan that will work out for all sides, and we on the farm side will provide the power.

    What do you think?

    Well I''d like to take you up on your offer.

    Mr. Shax confided in me after a thoughtful discussion.

    ''''If you are willing to cooperate with the saint-sama, I would rather disclose the farm''s super-technology in response to the other party''s request. There is also a way to do that. ........no no no!¡¡Of course, it''s not unlimited!

    He followed up excessively, just to make sure there was no misunderstanding.

    ''It''s a limited disclosure. That would give the artisans a certain amount of understanding, and it wouldn''t cause a stir on the part of the saints. That way, we won''t cause a stir in the saint''s personal affairs. It would mean that a compromise would be reached.

    ''I understand that, but how do you decide on such a convenient spoonful?

    I have a better idea.

    Mr. Shaks said.

    ''We''re going to have an exposition,''

 380-378 Standing the Great Demon King

    Expo?

    That''s something I''ve heard of.

    What was it........Osaka?¡¡Nagoya?

    An exposition is an event to display the fruits of technology. The goal of an exposition is to show off the technology of our country and to enhance our national prestige.

    Mr. Shaks explains.

    ''In this case, we''ll be showcasing the tremendous skills of the farm. The clothes that Batty made. The clothes that Batty made, the crafts that the elves made, all of those things will be on display.

    But that''s not all.

    "By exhibiting and explaining not only the resulting work, but also the process of its production. "Not only the resulting pieces, but also the process of their production can be displayed and explained, allowing visitors to see the demon craftsmen and satisfy their demands. Because what they want to see is the farm''s generations-old mastery of excellence.

    Well, when I''m lifted up so high.........

    I''m embarrassed........!

    Moreover, when it comes to an exhibition, the period of time must be divided. Once the exhibition is over, it will be the end of the period, and the craftsmen will not pursue it.

    In other words, once you''ve taught it, you can cut off the endless requests to teach it again.

    It was an "I see" idea that dared to disclose the technology as an event, so that there would be no consequences for the future.

    It was a clever idea, as expected of a merchant. Cunning.

    I would like to ask you, saint, to positively consider holding an exposition...!

    Am I in charge?

    ''Of course, sir!¡¡If it''s a farm fair, there''s no one else who can take the center stage but the saint!

    .........

    Hmm, I don''t know.

    Normally I wouldn''t like to do something so public, but....

    But I''ve been a big part of the reason why we''ve gotten to this point.

    If the exposition is the solution to this problem, what do you do without me taking the lead in taking responsibility for it?¡¡There''s also a feeling that this is a good thing.

    And another thing that was important was the timing.

    We''re about to enter winter.

    This will be the first winter since Junior was born.

    We can''t work in the winter on our farm because the ground is covered with snow.

    In general, winter is a time of leisure.

    We could use the free time to prepare for the exposition.

    ''Yeah, I''m starting to feel like we can do something.

    * * *

    However, it''s not a decision I can make on my own, so I''ve decided to try and get everyone to agree on something.

    The main people I consulted with were the elves'' team leaders, Batty, and Okubo and Gobukichi.

    The vocational side of the farm is their domain.

    "Exposition...?

    When I first approached them for advice, they didn''t look like they were on the same page.

    I don''t blame them for that. I don''t really know what I''m going to do when I hear about the expo.

    ''In short, it''s about showing the world what everyone else is doing on the farm. Sewing clothes, frying dishes. We''re sewing clothes, we''re burning dishes, we''re chopping wood. That''s the part of the process that people in other parts of the world hadn''t seen before.

    And the result is the only thing that gets out into the world in the form of a work of art.

    If only the results were shown to the public without a process, people would be confused.

    Because of all the confusion this time, I would like to make the manufacturing process open to the public in order to clear up the confusion.

    In the form of an exposition.

    I think it''s a good idea.

    The first person to speak up was Batty.

    The demon girl in charge of our farm''s clothing.

    Her opinion should be listened to since the idea of selling the clothes she made to the outside world in the first place was the beginning of the connection between the farm and the outside world.

    ''The technology on this farm is transcendent in every way. I can understand why people are confused when they''re only shown the fruits of their labors.

    Batty said that if left unchecked, there might be some who would make a bad move to find out the secret.

    To avoid that, it would be good to disclose a little information.

    If we take the form of an exposition, we can adjust the degree of information to be disclosed at our discretion, and I don''t think that''s a bad thing. It''s not a bad thing. It''s just the bad idea of a merchant.

    And it was Batty, whose casual manner of speaking was harsh.

    ''Where are the elves?''

    We don''t mind. You want to see it, we''ll show it to you.

    On behalf of the elf team, Elon says emphatically.

    ''''In this kind of situation, the less skilled people seem to be more wary of having their skills stolen, but it''s not a problem for us farm elves. In fact, if you can steal something, try to steal it!¡¡No one else can duplicate the superlative!

    The ailerons were confident in their skills with a mysterious professionalism.

    I mean, they finally called themselves Farm Elves.

    ''What do you think, Okubo and Gobb Kichi?''

    I''ll talk to the remaining farm dupes.

    ''We will do whatever it is you wish, my lord.

    I will do so in good time.

    They were the same as ever.

    ''But doesn''t Oakbo have some preparations for Oakbo Castle or something?¡¡Can you afford it?

    It won''t take place in late winter for them to meet, and even if they do, I have no intention of making a difference to your life and your promise to Lord Dalkish. And even if they do, I will not make a mistake in serving my life and the promise I made to Mr. Darquish.

    Oakbo is so serious.

    With the agreement of these friends, it was decided to hold another farm exposition.

    * * * *

    But first and foremost, though, we have to start with the preparations.

    Question.

    Batty raised his hand.

    ''Is there anything that''s set in stone?¡¡Like where it''s going to be held and how long it''s going to last. Any specifics about what you''re going to exhibit?

    Nope, it''s nothing.

    "We''re having an expo! It''s just that one word that set the project in motion.

    We haven''t decided what we''re going to do.

    So we''ll start talking about it. I''m looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!

    ".........................

    There was an air of disappointment from the people around me, ''This is no good''.

    Because it can''t be helped!

    I''ve never planned or even seen an expo before!¡¡You''re starting with absolutely zero knowledge!

    ''But don''t worry. Naturally, I''ve got a reliable consultant for this project!

    A consultant?

    Mr. Shaks, who initiated the plan.

    Mr. Shax bowed silently behind me, looking uncomfortable.

    ''And one more...!

    Are you still here?

    ''''It''s Great Demon King Baal-san!''''

    The old demon tribe appeared with a dignified appearance while wearing a tremendous amount of spirit.

    His supremacy was natural, after all, he was once the top demon king of the demon tribe.

    His predecessor was the Grand Demon King.

    ''''........Why is the Great Demon Lord here?''''

    However, they all had a rather thin reaction to Baal-san''s appearance.

    Even Batty, the former Demon King''s Army, was not surprised.

    He is after all a retired person.

    ''''........I have told the Great Demon Lord about this story.

    And Mr. Shaks.

    Why do you have to go through all that trouble...?

    It''s inevitable that he''ll find out later, if the story gets too big...?¡¡I think it''s better to tell you at the earliest opportunity than to have you harp on and on about it all the time...!

    Ah.

    The Great Merchant has a lot of hardships too.

    And then there''s the Great Demon King. You are as lively as a fish with a lot of water.

    "Since I''m here, you may think you''re in a big boat. After all, I am an expert in expositions!

    Is that so?

    When I was the active Demon King, I used to organize expositions on my own initiative. About 500 times during my reign!

    Too many.

    You should have done something else.

    I''m sure you''ve already heard of this, but there was one policy that Baal-sama was particularly focused on as the previous Demon King. To improve the culture of the Demon Kingdom.

    I know.

    That''s why Master Baal, during his time in office, greatly promoted crafts and invested heavily in them. The frequent fairs were part of this.

    At the time, however, the country was in an all-out war with humanity.

    At such a time, Mr. Baal''s policies, which could be seen as a game, did not gain the support of the people, and he was forced to abdicate in a change of government that could be described as a coup d''¨¦tat by Mr. Zedan.

    "No exposition has been held since Baal''s abdication," he said. But it''s been a while since Master Zedan replaced him, and above all, the war is over.

    So much for cooling off, eh?

    Great Demon King, he was so lively.

    ''''Now is the time to show the wisdom of the culture to the entire demon race!¡¡When it comes to the exposition, it''s only natural to burn!¡¡And when the theme is this farm, success is as good as guaranteed!

    He''s very enthusiastic.

    I''m giving my full support to the exposition!¡¡We''ll make sure it''s done to perfection!¡¡I won''t spare you any money!

    This money came from the state budget, didn''t it, Mr. Zedan?

    Without knowing what it was, we got a strong sponsor and our expo organizing project has started in earnest.

    I still don''t really know what we''re going to do....

 381-379 Build a pavilion

    I''m going to do an exposition.

    No, I don''t know what we''ll be doing myself.

    The point is, it''s going to be an exhibition of our farm''s products, right?

    We''ll have to come up with a concrete plan for what to do.

    Great Demon Baal said.

    He''s a sponsor, advisor and producer, and he''s going to interfere in a lot of ways.

    The first thing we need to do is decide where to hold the event. That''s the foundation of everything.

    The venue......

    Is it the Demon City after all?¡¡And it''s an event to show the demon tribe''s artisans.

    Well, I think we''ll have a prime location in the Demon City.

    Huh?

    There must be some old houses in the prime real estate that have no use. "There were some old mansions that were in prime locations but had no use for them. And build a new venue on top of them.

    "Wait a minute!

    Don''t you think that''s a bit much?

    Why do we have to demolish it?¡¡Why don''t we just rent that house and use it as a venue?

    Fools, when it comes to expositions, even the hall where they take place is built to be one of the exhibits. A first-class exposition is one that has a unified theme and a commitment to everything related to it!

    How can you be so particular about it?

    Do you think I''ve been fooling around with the exposition?

    "The Great Demon Lord has a point, but...

    Mr. Shaks says to keep him guessing.

    I''m sure there will be a backlash if we have to demolish the existing building. We can''t afford to be grudgingly stingy with this exhibition.

    No... but I can get away with a little...!

    Do you understand now that during your reign, those violent measures have caused a decline in public opinion, and led to Lord Zedan''s coup d''¨¦tat?¡¡Please be careful with yourself.

    In this way, wasn''t Mr. Baal a real dark monarch?¡¡I can''t help but feel that this is not the case.

    However, it is true what you say about ''the building in the hall is one of the exhibits''. That''s exactly what Master Baal, the exposition master who held 500 expositions during his reign, would have said.

    Is that a compliment?

    I''ll take that as a compliment. You are indeed an exposition master!

    ''''Well then, the exposition is about building the venue from scratch. ........What do you really want to do about the location?

    ''''There are vacant lots in the Demon City too. Although they are not in the prime area. I think it would be better to find a suitable location and size among them.

    I see.........

    If it''s a vacant lot that''s up for sale from the beginning, there won''t be any trouble, right?

    Ah, um.........!

    Those who timidly interrupted our conversation.

    It was the Orcs.

    They are a large group, led by the representative of the Orcubo.

    Is this all of our Orcs?

    What''s up, Okubo?

    I''ve heard that you''re planning to build this fair from scratch, my lord?

    Yes.

    "I beg you, then, to entrust this task to our orc army...

    ..........

    Here they come.

    My orcs have a build mania.

    They get fidgety whenever they try to build something. As they got involved in the construction of all the houses on the farm, the Orcs truly became aware of their love of plumbing.

    What do you think, Mr. Shaks...?

    In the meantime, I''ll check with Shax-san, who is the most straightforward person in the room to give his opinion.

    ''''Isn''t it fine?¡¡Given the policy of the venue itself as an exhibit, it would be appropriate to have the building built by Lord Okubo and his team.

    Yeah! And high-fives to Okubo and the others.

    But are you sure you''re OK?¡¡And right after this is over, there''s Oakbo Castle, right?

    Then the real question now is where to set up the venue. I''ll have to find that for you.

    Mr. Shaks gets up from his seat.

    So you''ve decided everything that can be decided here today.

    ''''Yo, if you don''t mind, I''ll accompany you...!

    Okubo raised his hand in a biting manner.

    The location of the house has to be the first thing to consider when building a good house!¡¡Let us choose the perfect place to build the perfect venue!

    "That''s...?

    Shax-san glanced at me.

    I nodded my head in silence. I don''t want to pour water on it since Okubo and the others are trying to do their best.

    If we all worked hard, we could do something good.

    With that in mind, I decided to add Oakbo to the venue selection team.

    And then.....

    * * * *

    You can''t decide.

    A few days later, Mr. Shaks arrived with a sullen look on his face.

    It seems that the search for a venue is difficult.

    ''''Okubo-dono''s conditions are too strict, we can''t find any land that meets our demands at all...?¡¡I''ve already cleaned out all the empty lots in the Demon City...!

    Okubo....!

    When I glared at him, Okubo looked away from me as if he was in a bad mood.

    He is usually the most calm and accurate judge on the farm, but when buildings are involved, he goes berserk.

    When the things you like are involved........

    Who does he look like?

    But, my lord!¡¡This is what we need to do!

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡The vacant land in the Demon City is too small and too small to be a very suitable venue!

    ''If we set up in a place like that, it''s going to be small and white!¡¡More!¡¡We need more space!

    Not only the Orcbos, but other orcs as well.

    Their obsession with building has gone too far.

    How did all the Orcs become such a building maniac?

    "But there''s no convenient place for them to build in the Demon City...?

    ''''Since it''s the capital of the Demon Nation, it''s only natural...?

    In order to secure a land that meets the needs of the Oakbos, they would have to demolish the original buildings.

    "That''s why I''ve said that from the beginning!

    Leave Mr. Baal, who is drinking beer and rolling around in the dark over there....

    To tell you the truth, I agree with the policy of Lord Okubo and the others. There is no doubt that if the exposition is led by the saint, it will be an unprecedented one!¡¡We can''t keep it small and cozy!

    Did you get all hot and bothered, Mr. Shaks?

    If that happens, it will be a disgrace for us, the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, to the end of our days of helping to organize it!¡¡So I have a suggestion for you!

    What is it?

    How about we build a venue outside the Demon City?

    What do you mean?

    Does that mean it''s going to be held in a city or a village other than the Demon City?

    But apparently it''s not.

    ''''The Demon City is a big city, but if you step outside the walls that surround the city, there are still unspoiled lands. It doesn''t belong to anyone.

    That''s the fantasy part.

    You can use as much land as you want as much as you want as long as you have permission from the demon king. With the Demon Lord''s permission, we can do construction work on it, so why don''t we just use the outside of the city as a venue?

    There''s no limit to the amount of land we can use!

    The Oakbos were excited.

    This would allow them to use an unlimited amount of space to set up the exposition hall the way they wanted.

    ''Isn''t it a disadvantage to be away from the city?

    As usual, Daimajio-san said with a beer mug in one hand.

    He said, "The traffic is very inconvenient, but it''s a bottleneck to attract customers. Even in the Demon City, there have been cases where people didn''t prosper because of the distance between the Demon City and the center of the city, but isn''t it too adventurous to go outside the Demon City?

    Especially in a fantasy world like this, it becomes a danger zone where monsters might attack if you step out of the city walls.

    Some of the people living in the Demon City have never been outside the city since they were born. They think that the other side of the wall that surrounds the city is hell.

    Go out behind those walls and look at the exposition!¡¡The opinion that this is also a tough one.

    ''No!¡¡The displays provided by the farm are awesome, and they bounce off even such bad conditions!¡¡I want to make it a priority to unleash that awesomeness without limit!

    Mr. Shaks said passionately.

    ''My dear!¡¡We''d like to build an awesome venue outside the city too!

    Please give me permission!¡¡My lord!

    I couldn''t say no as the orcs also pleaded, and I gave my permission in a rooted way.

    * * * *.

    But even for me, I had my own agenda in deciding where to set up.

    I didn''t want to disclose too much about the farm, even if I did. I didn''t want to create too much noise in our neighborhood because I didn''t want people to know too much about the farm.

    So even if we do hold an expo, we don''t want too many visitors to show up. The number of people in the know should be minimal.

    In view of that, I thought it would be more convenient to have the exhibition site in a remote location.

    However, I would later realize how naive my decision was.

    The problem was that it removed restrictions on those who wanted to hold the exposition.

    By building a venue outside the city, the space limitations were removed.

    What would be the consequences for them...or me included, of being unstoppable?

    I had no idea at the time what the consequences would be for them.

 383-381 Stage completion

    And so, while preparations for the exposition were steadily underway....

    I didn''t get too involved in that side of things.

    That''s because Junior wasn''t feeling well.

    He''s just recently started eating his baby food, but his appetite seems to be low.

    Wouldn''t he normally eat a lot more?¡¡I think.

    People around him say it''s just his imagination, but what if it''s a sign of a serious illness?

    I was worried that it was a sign of a serious illness, so Prathi and I stayed with him all the time, but he finally ate a lot this morning, so I was relieved.

    Now that I felt at ease, I was concerned about the progress of the exposition, so I decided to see how it went.

    According to what I heard, Okubo and his team have already picked out a suitable location outside the city and started construction.

    ''''I wonder how much progress we''ve made...? So I visited it....

    * * * *

    ........It was already finished.

    ''''Huh?''''

    Everything at the proposed exposition site I visited was so neat and clean that it was ready to open without any worries.

    There was no sign of clutter from the production process.

    What do you mean?

    We did it.

    With a satisfied look on his face, it was Okubo who came to greet him.

    This guy is the main culprit, after all.

    ''''We have done everything in our power to finish it at a rapid pace so that it will live up to your name. It''s the fastest job we can do. I hope you will be satisfied with it...?

    Yes, you''re fast. You''re fast. Because...!

    I think it''s only been three days since construction started.

    "You''re going too fast!¡¡You''re working too fast!¡¡Is this thing strong enough?¡¡Isn''t it gonna collapse in an earthquake?

    Shall we play games like that?¡¡Don''t worry. We did the fastest job possible with maximum safety.

    In three days?

    That''s clearly a speed that struck a security chord, don''t you think?

    The reason I''m so anxious about such a fast job is because...

    It''s not just the speed. It''s not just because of their speed, it''s also because the finished product is far better than I expected.

    What they built was an exposition hall.

    .........it was supposed to be.

    Just from the letter alone, I had imagined it to be about the size of a circus tent built in the suburbs.

    That was not the case.

    It was a city.

    It was a city.

    It''s much more compact in scale than the Magic City, which is just a stone''s throw away.

    However, the buildings and paved roads that line the streets, and the well-maintained scenery are perfect for a city!

    Isn''t this civilization more advanced than the Demon City?¡¡It was a beautiful city that made me want to say, ''''Isn''t it more civilized than the Demon City?

    ''''Yes, but according to the advice from the Great Demon Lord, I heard that the exposition hall should be as neat as this one, otherwise it would be embarrassing...!

    That cultured bastard again!

    Orkbo''s who instigate and make it in three days.

    All this stuff!

    Have these guys advanced to a point where I can''t even imagine what they''re capable of?

    Do we really need to go this far?¡¡I''ll tell you again, this is a city.¡¡Isn''t this a city where people could live?

    ''''According to the Great Demon Lord, the exposition needs a ''pavilion'' with a theme for each and every one of the pavilions. Accordingly, we have built as many pavilions as needed for this exhibition.

    Building?

    What is it, Kakukan?

    The main one is the Cloth Hall, which is mainly run by Lord Batty. The Pottery Hall, which is mainly run by Lord Elon, and Maerga''s Leather Hall. Maerga''s Leather Hall. Poel''s Glass Hall. The woodworking hall of Lord Mieral.

    I see.

    The buildings themselves look like they could be home to a normal person.

    Hm?¡¡But wait. Isn''t that a bit odd?

    What is this?

    If the pavilion is an exhibition hall, then the exhibition section Okubo just enumerated should be enough to run out of material.

    Roughly five or so........

    But........I''ll say it again?

    For an exposition hall the size of this city, there are at least 20 pavilions, no matter how you estimate it!

    The other fifteen?¡¡What''s in the pavilion that''s about to be built?

    ''''The thing is........the construction of the venue is underway. We''ve received requests from various departments...?

    What do you mean by departments?

    We want to take part in the exposition, and we want to have our own exhibition hall. And then we got to this point where we had to listen to all these requests.

    Who the hell do they want?

    Well, I guess we start with Master Bacchus.

    That demigod!

    What''s up with that trickster who is half god and half man and has been living with a love of alcohol for thousands of years?

    ''''He wants to use this expo as an opportunity to announce his newly developed liquor on the farm...!¡¡That''s the one that stands over there...!

    Okubo, pointing to a strikingly bizarre building that seems to be inspired by a brewery.

    The exhibition hall hosted by Bacchus-sama.... It''s the ''Sake House''!

    That''s just the way it is!

    According to Okubo''s explanation, all the beer, sake, shochu, whiskey and fruit wine developed on the farm can be tasted there.

    It''s a facility that''s sure to cause trouble...?

    Yes, sir. We will have extra security for the event.

    That''s wise.

    A number of people said, "I''m sorry, but that''s not what happened.

    It''s not going to be like that, is it?

    And then that building...

    Okubo explained matter-of-factly.

    ''That''s the ''Natto Hall'' hosted by Lord Holkosfon.

    Natto!¡¡Horqosfon!

    I knew he''d show up too, didn''t I?

    Is this a good opportunity to spread the wonders of Natto to the world?

    Next to it is the sister museum, the Beans Hall. Princess Lettuce Slate''s Hall.

    "Is that guy in there too?

    Isn''t there a compliance issue with that?

    I mean, she''s not supposed to be allowed in the public eye, right?

    The princess''s ambition is to share the wonders of beans with the world. She''s going to appeal to people with all kinds of legumes: soybeans, red beans, peas, plantains and peanuts. According to her, ''This is a battle for balls! And...

    They called it "balls" or "beans".

    So, he has teamed up with the Natto Museum in Holkosfon and hopes to conquer the whole country by means of beans.

    Her ambition is growing like a princess.

    The mermaids want to take this opportunity to tell the humans and demons on the ground about potions. They have opened the Potions Hall. In addition, the children of the former automatons will hold the Puppet House and present the results of their research on the automatons left by the late Mariage Alchemist.

    Hoho.

    A lot of flowers are blooming.

    "Gobukichi-dono is also excited. They are going to present a systematic method of weaving silk and cotton into cloth. It seems that they are going to present a systematic method of field management. It is presumptuous of us, Orcs, to present our research on the original method of construction that we have cultivated through our construction experience...!

    It was too gorgeous.

    For me, it''s an expo that I started lightly, but it''s turned out to be a big deal.

    Wisdom packed into a city-sized expo hall like this.

    Of course, this is not all there is to the farm, but even so, it''s still a superb technology for the outside world.

    What will be the impact on the world when it leaks out...?

    When I''m thinking with a difficult look on my face, Okubo asked me if I could sense his anguish.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time.¡¡Would it be better to cancel it?

    But how anxious you seem to be asking that question...?

    That''s right.

    We''ve all worked so hard to prepare.....

    You have a chance to present what you''ve developed on the farm....

    Let''s just keep going...

    Oh!

    We''ve all worked so hard on this.¡¡Let''s make it the best expo ever!

    And so our farm fair began.

    I knew it was going to be a bigger deal than I thought...?

 384-382 Opening

    My name is Pazussey.

    I''m the guildmaster of the Leatherworkers Guild.

    The economy is not good these days.

    This is because a powerful business enemy has appeared.

    I''ve been marketing the Farm brand through the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce.

    Their customers, the senior demon tribe, are buying their products because they are so good.

    They didn''t even pay attention to our products.

    In the first place, when you sell something in the Demon City, you must belong to an artisan''s guild that deals with the product you are selling and reveal your origin. The brand that calls itself "Farm" doesn''t do this at all and keeps everything a mystery.

    We don''t know the manufacturing methods, the location of the workshops, or even the faces of the artisans.

    We''d like to protest their lack of respect for our territory, but there''s no way to do so since we don''t know where they are.

    We had no choice but to protest to the Pandemonium Trading Company, which dealt in their products...

    ''''The Farm''s workshop is not located in the Demon City. Isn''t it necessary to have a workshop in the Demon City to join each artisan''s guild?

    I was distracted.

    ''''We have signed a contract with a farm workshop in a certain place far away from the Demon City to import their goods. Therefore, we do not violate the honor of your guild.

    I''ve been told off.

    I''ve done a thorough investigation, but there''s no evidence that the farm''s work is manufactured in the demon city, and it''s true that it''s imported from outside.

    This is unheard of.

    Highly skilled craftsmen open their workshops in the magical city without exception. It''s because this is the way to sell your name and become the best.

    All of the craftsmen outside of the Demon City are inferior to those in the Demon City, and it is impossible for them to import them on purpose. Hence, the guild was also not prepared to take any countermeasures.

    Moreover, farm brands are not just leather products.

    They also sell crockery, glasswork, and woodwork, so the types of jobs affected were not just ours.

    They were originally established as a fashion brand, you know.

    The Chamber of Commerce says, ''We''ve narrowed down the number of products, so there shouldn''t be any impact on our competitors''.

    There is a sufficient impact.

    The other side was so overwhelmed by the quality of the products that the rich people who were our customers said, ''I''ll wait for years until I can get my hands on the farm''s products! and turned their backs on our products, saying, ''I''ll wait for years to get the farm products!

    We can''t keep going like this.

    If we can''t somehow make our products better than the farm''s, or at least close to the quality of the farm''s products, the guild''s artisans will have to hang themselves in line.

    That being said, they couldn''t suddenly change the skills of the masters that they had worked so hard to protect, and they were pondering what on earth they were going to do.

    The pandemonium trading company in question sent us news.

    ''We''re holding an exposition,'' they said.

    Exposition.....

    It sounds familiar.

    They used to be held all the time during the time of Lord Baal''s reign as Demon King.

    Come to think of it, I don''t think we''ve had one since Lord Zedan took over.

    Well, why don''t we join in?

    Let''s use the exhibition to display our best work to get more visitors, right?

    Huh?¡¡No, it''s not!

    Not an invitation to join, but an invitation?

    What did you say?¡¡An expo for farm workers only?

    They''ve been shrouded in mystery until now!

    If you go there, you''ll find out the manufacturing process and the secrets of their high quality?

    Yes, it''s frustrating to accept their invitation to go there, but....

    But for those of us who can''t produce anything close to the farm, it''s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to know our enemies.

    So, I''ll take the offer.

    For craftsmen, technology must be kept secret, so why not open it up to the public and see what happens!

    * * *

    And the day.

    I heard that the exposition is going to be held today.

    I wasn''t the only one heading out to observe.

    Various guild masters from the Sewing Guild, Stonemason''s Guild, and Ceramic Crafters Guild had gathered there, and there were many distinguished faces.

    They must all be troubled by the farm brand.

    They don''t have a clue what they''re doing, they''re releasing all kinds of products.

    Where is the venue for the exposition?¡¡But to my surprise, it was outside the city.

    It seems that they went out of their way to set up a venue in a vacant lot in the suburbs.

    Why can''t they just rent out an empty lot or an empty house in the city and hold the event?

    It takes a long time to get there and back..." we complained, but we were still rocked by the carriage that the Chamber of Commerce had prepared for us, and that''s about it.

    After a short time, the exhibition hall came into view.

    We were surprised to see the exhibition hall.

    "This is the fairgrounds!

    It''s a town!

    I didn''t even know there was a city here!

    It''s on a plain halfway from the Demon City, not even on the main road.

    The guild masters who were invited, including me, were just stunned, but the guiding officer of the Chamber of Commerce told us something even more surprising.

    This city-like venue was built in three days by the farm staff.

    What?

    How can that be?

    I''m a craftsman, for one thing, and I know what I''m doing!

    A city like this, a carpenter''s guild and a mason''s guild all working together would take a year to complete.

    Even if you say so, it''s true.... You all know that just a few days ago, this was just a field, right?

    I mean, I guess so...?

    No, it''s not time to dwell, we have to surprise ourselves in other areas.

    What we want to know most right now is what the guys at the Farm have to offer!

    That''s what you''re going to see here!

    Yes, the exposition hall is divided into themed pavilions. From here, everyone is free to take their turn at the pavilion.

    As soon as the usher announced it, we rushed out as quickly as we could.

    Our goal was to find a pavilion for each type of work.

    There is a sign at the entrance of the pavilion that says "XX pavilion", so you can find it there.

    "Here?¡¡What is this place?¡¡What is this place a pavilion to show us?¡¡What?¡¡What''s with the gooey beans?¡¡I made a mistake!¡¡Coming up?¡¡No, wait.¡¡It''s just a big mistake!¡¡Mistake...!¡¡Noaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah?

    You idiot. The Guildmaster of the Stonemasons Guild brilliantly walked into the wrong pavilion and blew up the wrong one.

    But........what is the Natto Pavilion?

    I''m very curious about it, but I can''t bring myself to go there later.

    I should always aim for one thing and one thing only.

    * * * *.

    And here we are.

    Are you sure this is the right place?

    There is no mistaking the name "Leather Museum" scrawled at the entrance of the museum.

    So this is where the secrets of the farm''s leather goods lie.

    Let''s go in and seize the future of our guild!

    Welcome!

    I was greeted as soon as I entered the building.

    Quite a pretty young lady, is she a guide?

    Thank you for coming to the "Leather Museum"!¡¡I will serve as your Companion, Humanized Automata #37!

    Oh, wow...?

    That''s an unusual name...?

    But it would be nice if you could show me around.

    I''ll have to make use of everything available and steal as much knowledge as I can steal here!

    You don''t miss any little thing........?

    I almost missed it as soon as it happened.

    The companion who came to meet me first...?

    You''re wearing...?

    "Yes?

    Isn''t what she''s wearing made of all leather?

    And it''s top-notch?

    ''You see what I''m talking about. Each of the pavilions in the expo has its own unique uniform for the companions to wear.

    Uniform!

    That''s it?

    Our companion uniforms are of course all leather, in keeping with the theme of the Leathernecks.¡¡These uniforms were designed by Mr. Bhatti, the dressmaker, using tanned leather provided by the farm''s leather making team. All uniforms at the venue were designed by Mr. Bhatti.

    You designed all the uniforms all by yourself?

    You said you set up this venue in only three days, how did you make it in time!

    That''s not what I''m surprised about.

    I''m a master of the Leather Workers Guild. So I should be surprised about the leather...?

    The leather in your companion''s uniform is...?

    Hydrolex...!¡¡Kirisaxica.¡¡Oppison...!¡¡Dinogator...!¡¡Sun Bison...!¡¡All of them are made of ultra-premium leather, a three-star or better monster!¡¡Connect them together like a patchwork...!

    ''As you well know!¡¡That''s as good as the guildmaster of the Magic City, isn''t it?

    I couldn''t even think of making a uniform out of such a luxury item.

    I''m not sure if this expo is anything more than what I imagined it would be.

 385-383 Looking into the Cave

    The Guild of Leatherworkers Guild''s Guildmaster, Pazussey, continues to see the show.

    I''m going to visit the farm brand''s independent exhibition.

    I''m not going to be able to get away with it," he said, "but I am interested in the same area as I am in my profession.

    I''m going to make a thorough observation of the Leather Museum and gather all the information I can in my brain.

    I started my tour with the idea that I would be able to see the place....

    As soon as I stepped in, I was amazed.

    No, it was a different matter than the companion''s uniform.

    ''''UHIAHHHH!!!''''

    When I entered the museum, there was a line of monsters near the entrance.

    Hyderock. Kirisaxica. Oppaisons. Dinogator. Sun bison and yon bison. Even gobison!¡¡Square Boa and Erimaki Wyvern?

    Are those vicious monsters lined up in the building?

    "Don''t worry, sir. They''re all stuffed.

    Hakusei!

    I managed to stop myself from sitting up at the companion''s explanation.

    If you ask me, they don''t move at all, they don''t feel alive...?

    As part of the ''Leather Museum'' exhibit, it was created with the intention of letting consumers, who usually see only processed goods, see the actual material, the actual monster.

    It''s the first time I''ve ever seen one of these monsters in person, and I''ve only seen a few of them in picture books.

    I''ve never seen many of them before, but they are all high quality leather materials.

    Do all the leatherworkers on the farm usually process such good materials on a regular basis?

    ''''By the way, these stuffed animals will no longer have any use after the exposition is over, so we plan to sell them to those who wish to buy them.

    Really?

    Sell me!

    I want that stuffed Ogbison!

    ... no.

    "Further down the line, you can see the farm''s leather goods team at work in real time.

    What?¡¡You mean to tell me I get to see you at work?

    Yes.

    The companion readily admitted it!

    Seriously!

    We try to move our workplaces to this area during the expo. That goes for Master Bati, the pottery team, the glass team, and the woodwork team as well. The purpose of the expo is to show you how the farm works.

    Aren''t you being a little generous?

    The finished product is displayed at best in my estimation, and I observe it to the point of being piercing.

    It would be good if I could see from the workmanship and details of the product what technology was being used and if I could incorporate that into my work.

    ........or so I thought.

    But to show me what they are doing is just like asking me to steal their skills.

    Are you quite an idiot?

    Or are you so confident that if someone steals your skills, they won''t become a business enemy like us?

    It''s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

    Feel free to steal all of our technology if you''re willing to let us steal it!

    That''s what craftsmen do without honor!

    By the way...

    "Hmm.

    My companion asks me if I''m alone.

    I understand you are the only guest. Do you have any companions with you?

    Hmm, I came alone, but so what?

    "The guests who headed to the ''Clothesline'' had a lot of company with them...

    Yeah.

    The guys from the clothing guild have brought a lot of brand representatives to join the guild.

    They said it was for their own benefit, but....

    I debated about bringing one of the guild''s artisans with me, but in the end I came alone.

    We don''t know what''s in store for us yet, so it''s just a precaution just in case.

    ''''Here we are, this is the leatherwork team''s temporary workshop.

    "This is ahhhhhhh!

    Clear glass?¡¡Workers are working in the space beyond, separated from the rest of the building by a wooden partition!

    Is that an elf?

    Are they elves?

    These are the elves who make the products...?

    This is the leather goods team, headed by Maelga-sama. Maelga is known as the coolest number two in the elven team.

    While listening to the companion''s explanation of ''That''s definitely extra information...''....

    If the elves are involved in manufacturing, then of course we can''t win.

    I thought to myself.

    The Elves, also known as the Forest People, are a mysterious race that never mixes with other races.

    Their dexterity is said to be one or two of the best in all races, and the tools they make are said to be worth a thousand dollars just by picking up discarded items in the forest.

    ''''If they were made with the best materials for such elves, they would be the best products...!

    Can''t win...?

    Look further to the right.

    The companion points to something.

    What''s more?

    ''That''s the sewing machine that''s running over there, sir.

    Sewing machine?

    What is that, about the fish?

    The master of the farm invented these treasures, and they sew faster and more rhythmically than anything else on the market. Only the leatherworkers and Master Batty''s dressing room are equipped with one of these on the farm.

    ''''No........I can''t imitate that.......!

    I collapsed to the spot.

    The elves as a race and the hidden treasures like sewing machines are far beyond the level that can be managed by trying to imitate them.......?

    And to top it off, the super high-grade monsters that are used as materials...!

    How much money and time would it take to prepare those materials...?

    Even if I knew that, the only thing that came over me was the realization that I couldn''t imitate it, that I couldn''t win.

    He couldn''t stand up again in despair.

    ''You, too, as any leatherworker would know...''

    "Ah, Lady Maelga.

    One of the elves who was working in the public space opened the door on the partition and came over to us.

    ''The snake is a symbol of immortality. It is said that they never die and live forever. Do you know why?

    ''Cause you''re molting, right?¡¡In the olden days, people watched the snakes molt and thought that they would not die each time they were rejuvenated...!¡¡That can''t be normal...!

    ''But there is a lesson to be learned. Like the serpent that sheds its old garments and becomes a new man, we, too, can shed the old skin that clings to our hearts and become our new selves. We too can shed the old skin that clings to our hearts and become our new selves.

    What?

    Oh, yeah?¡¡You see, I''m hopeless at winning because I can''t get rid of my old ideas!

    You can''t do the unknown if you''ve given up on it before you''ve even begun!

    Although you are far inferior to us in terms of dexterity, there are still a few things you can do to try to imitate us. During the exposition, you''ll be watching intently and taking in what you can.

    Yes!

    What a solid encouragement!

    ''You are indeed a calm Maelga-sama!

    Lady Maerga, calmly!

    ''I''ll coolly go back to work. I have to get a fur coat for winter use by the end of the day.

    And with that, back to the workspace, Mr. Elf!

    Cool!

    The other elves greeted it........

    "Squad leader. We can''t make progress here after all!

    ''It''s not a place I''m used to. Most of all, I don''t feel comfortable in the public eye!

    I protest.

    ''We don''t want to spoil it,''

    The squad leader cut it off with a single shot.

    ''''This is also what you wished for. You want to show the demons what you can do. Then show them what you can do. The pride of our elves.

    That''s great, calm Lady Maerga.

    Okay, I''m going to be here every day for the duration of the event!

    We''re here to see Maelga.

    And stare at their skills and learn as much as you can!

    Next time I come, I''ll bring as many of the guild''s artisans with me as I can.

 386-384 encounter and touch

    My name''s Diablo.

    I''m ten years old.

    I perceive each day as a sparkling jewel with the raw sensibility and sensitivity of a young boy.

    Every day is an adventure.

    Always a new place to visit for the first time.

    Even if these days will fade into distant memories, I will live in the present to the fullest so that I can become an adult with a rich heart.

    I''m a city girl living in a magical city. I''m a city girl living in Mazak City, and I''m very fashion-conscious.

    I was born in Majo and grew up in hip-hop, so I am always up to date on the hottest trends.

    That''s why I''m always on the lookout for the hottest trends.

    So what''s today''s topic that''s going to shake me up...?

    Exposition...........?

    It''s a futile game that the previous Baal-sama did a lot of, right?

    I heard from a lot of people that you were forced to step down as Witch King!

    We haven''t done any of this since Master Zedan became the Demon King, because it''s useless!

    And now it''s happening.

    It''s all over my teenage friends in the area.

    I''m interested in it, too. I''m really interested in it, too.

    After all, Zedan ascended the throne before I can remember.

    In short, I''ve never been to any of the previous expositions.

    In other words, the upcoming expo will be my first ever.

    It''s a must-see for me, right?

    I''ve asked my mom and dad for help.

    Take me to the expo next holiday!

    What?¡¡No!

    Too far and dangerous?

    It''s too tiring and a waste of money?

    What''s your reluctance to do anything about it, Mom?¡¡Is that what a married couple with a ten-year-old should do?

    Don''t get defensive in life!¡¡Withdraw, and you''ll get old.

    Let''s go, let''s go, let''s go!

    NeNeNeNeNeNeNeNeNeNeNeNeNe!

    No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!

    No, no, no, no, no, no, no!¡¡Oh, whoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoohoo!

    Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    !¡¡Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    What?

    You''re going?¡¡I can go?

    Yeah!

    You see, that''s my negotiating skills!

    Next time you''re away from home, let''s go to the expo with the whole family!

    * * *

    And that day!

    I''m going to the exposition!

    Lunch is ready!¡¡Canteen ready!¡¡I even wore a sun hat!

    My mom and dad are on my left and right, and all we have to do is move forward.

    Huh?

    We can''t get to the venue?

    The fairgrounds are outside the Demon City, so it''s not easy to get there!

    Pandemonium, our partner in the operation of the festival, is offering free carriages that go directly to the venue, but there are so many people that the sun goes down waiting for their turn to arrive!

    Sit!¡¡Oh, my God!

    So we''re not going to the fair?

    No, that''s okay.

    That''s what Dad said.

    You can''t get there by carriage, you can walk. I''ve been told by the coachman that it''s within easy walking distance. I heard that the carriage is only there for safety reasons.

    Isn''t that right, Dad!

    So it''s much faster to walk than to wait for the carriage to take time to get there!

    But you. There will be monsters out of the city, won''t there?¡¡I''m scared.

    Mom says.

    That''s right. My neighbor''s sister says there are monsters out there, and they are crawling with them.

    If you run into one, you''ll be dead, won''t you?

    I guess the reason the Chamber of Commerce is sending out carriages is because they want to be on the lookout for monsters, and I''m a little scared too...!

    Don''t worry!¡¡My dad''s retired now, but he was in the Demon King''s Army once!¡¡If it''s a few monsters, I''ll come out and protect you and your mom and My Sun!

    Really?

    You''re awesome!¡¡I''ve never heard of that!

    So, if a monster shows up, my dad can take it all down with his fingertips, so you can cross the fields and go up the mountain in peace!

    It''s a picnic!

    * * *

    And here we are, at the Exposition!

    It was a real walk in the park!

    But it''s great, Mom and Dad!

    Look!

    The expo hall is like a whole city!

    Town!

    There''s a bunch of buildings lined up, and the floor is paved and flat!

    It''s probably nicer than the neighborhood we live in!

    I''ve never been to an expo before, but it''s such a great festival!

    I don''t know if it''s ever been this great...?

    ''It was held many times during Baal-sama''s reign, but... They all seemed to be smaller than this one...?

    Huh?

    So the current fair is much better than the last one?

    Is it because we''ve moved to the age of Master Zedan?

    So Master Zedan is a more awesome demon king than Master Baal?¡¡My dad says so too!

    "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

    You don''t say that out loud!

    Mommy and Daddy are very angry at me!

    Mengo-mengo!

    That aside, we''ve arrived, so let''s take a quick look around!

    The building that houses the different exhibits they call it a pavilion!

    I need to go to that pavilion!

    That''s the Bean Pavilion!

    What?¡¡Dad, I''d like to see the ''Okubo vs. Gobukichi Exhibition Match'' that''s going to be held at the special ring over there...?

    What?¡¡The Bean Pavilion is definitely more fun.

    It''s my ghost telling me it''s the right thing to do!

    Well, let''s go to the Bean Pavilion first...?

    Yes!¡¡That''s how I love my dad!

    I went to the "Bean House" with my mom and my family...!

    * * *

    ''Ohohohoho!¡¡Welcome to my control of the ''Bean House''!¡¡This is my kingdom, so to speak!¡¡I am the ruler of this place, Lettuce Rate!

    Whoa!¡¡Mom!

    There''s a funny lady here!

    The lady in the Bean House is a bit of an unapproachable lady!

    Mum says, "Shh, don''t look! That''s what they say!

    ''Now that you''ve come to the mansion, you''ll be coming home to the wonder of peas. Soybeans and red beans and peas!¡¡Go ahead and gobble it all up!

    Wow!

    They have all kinds of beans piled up in the museum!

    He said I can scoop up as many of those as I want!

    Okay!¡¡Then I think I''ll eat a mountain of food, Dad!

    Great job, Dad!

    I''m still growing and my stomach is still small, so I''ll just eat it one piece at a time!

    And that crazy lady in the head is still speaking enthusiastically!

    ''That''s not the only depth of the bean!¡¡There are some amazing foods that come from processing beans!¡¡For example, this soy milk!

    Soy milk?

    You''re as white as milk!¡¡What kind of drink is this?

    "Don''t underestimate the importance of soy milk as a drink.¡¡It has certain special properties!

    Special effects?

    My boobs will be big!

    Mommaaaaahhhhhhhhh?

    Mommy suddenly started chugging soy milk in one gulp!

    Not yet!¡¡I''m a mother, but I still need more volume!

    You''re a great guy who never gives up on a woman, mama!

    And when you finish your third cup of soy milk...!

    Dad even started eating things like natto (fermented soy beans)!

    * * *

    The Bean Pavilion alone was more than enough for us to enjoy, and we visited the other pavilions as well.

    In the Leather Pavilion, we were amazed by the impressive stuffed monsters, and in the Glass Pavilion, there was an all-glass, transparent building.

    And most importantly, the elven women were beautiful!

    At the Potions Hall with the mermaids, my mom was curious about beauty potions again.

    Dad ended up watching the "Okubo vs. Gobukichi Exhibition Match" and was very excited about it.

    Sounds like the adults had more fun in the end!

    But we couldn''t see everything in one day, so we said let''s go back!

    Fun fair!

    That''s what''s trending this year in Demon City!

 387-385 Lets make a train

    Me.

    The Farm Expo is finally happening.........

    It seems to have been well received.

    More than anything else, it seems that the artisans of the Demon City, which was the intention of holding the event this time, have been reached exactly.

    They were invited by the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce and came to the event from the first day, but for some reason, they started coming back day after day.

    I don''t know why they keep coming back every day, but the number of visitors seems to be increasing every day.

    They told me that all the artisans in the guild had come to visit, but they couldn''t all come at once.

    That''s why it was supposed to be a rule that they would take turns observing as many as they could.

    But after one visit, the craftsmen said, "I''m not going to visit all of them at once.

    However, the craftsmen who visited us once said, "I still have a lot to learn! I heard that the number of people in the pavilion is not decreasing and each pavilion is in a state of confinement.

    Not only the craftsmen but also the general public came to hear about it.

    The pace of the crowds far exceeded our expectations, and the expo hall was becoming more and more crowded with each passing day.

    It''s exceeding our expectations!

    After the fifth day of the exposition, Shax from the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce came to wipe off the sweat and report back.

    ''''I thought we were preparing to respond with a pretty bullish expectation of visitors, but.......but even that has been exceeded and it''s starting to creak in various places. It looks like we might need to increase our staff significantly.

    I don''t know, I haven''t checked out the response much........

    ''Sometimes, Saints, the time frame for the exposition...?

    Our original agreement was for about a month, wasn''t it?

    I myself don''t really know how long I''ll be doing the exposition. So I decided to swallow Shakus-san''s proposal for one month.

    "Can''t you extend it?¡¡At this pace, we can''t satisfy all the visitors!¡¡Preferably in three months.¡¡No, about 6 months?

    I got a huge extension proposal.

    But we have our own farm life, and I don''t want to be tied down to the exposition for too long.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future.

    We''ve already created a transition point in a secret space in the exhibition hall, and we''ve been able to instantly move there.

    That''s why when the closing time comes, I can use my transference magic to return to the farm and sleep again, but to ask me to continue doing that for half a year, let alone a month...!

    ''We''ll have Okubo Castle at the end of winter, and we''ll resume farming in the spring. After all, you can only do that during the winter.

    Wha... okay!¡¡Then at least extend it to two months.¡¡Please, please........!

    Since Shax-san asked me to get down on my knees to ask me, I had no choice but to say ''yes'', making it difficult for me to refuse too.

    ''''I''m sorry, but.......there''s one more thing I want to discuss with you.......!

    Mr. Shaks, more to come.

    It''s about transportation.

    As you know, the venue for the exposition is located on a flatland a bit far from the Demon City.

    It was a painstaking plan to get enough space to set up, but it seems that this is now becoming a problem.

    Initially, we planned to solve the problem by dropping visitors off and picking them up in carriages. But the number of visitors far exceeded our expectations, so we couldn''t do it anymore...!

    Shax-san is quite generous since he gave a carriage to run back and forth between the Demon City and the exposition hall for free, but I guess that means he still can''t make it in time.

    ''''In this situation, I think we have no choice but to put our trust in the wisdom of the saint once again.... Please, please........!

    Hmm....

    You mean the traffic problem between the Demon City and the exposition site?

    If the problem was that the number of visitors was too many, it would have been even more of a problem to set up inside the Demon City, which was definitely smaller than it should have been.

    ''''How........?

    In other words, they wanted to get a lot of visitors to an exposition hall that was a bit far from the Demon City quickly and safely, right?

    If you have any idea of such a method........

    ........train?

    It''s been a long time since I remembered a scene from the world before.

    A train, the most powerful public transportation system in the world.

    If we were to recreate that in another world, the traffic situation would be solved at once.

    That''s if we can recreate them...?

    I don''t think that''s possible.

    There are too many problems to solve before it''s completed.

    But can''t we adopt a train-like format where we can put a lot of people in a big box?

    And as long as we can get it moving somehow, we''re good to go.

    I''ll ask Okubo and the others to make one for me to try out...

    * * * *

    And a few hours after I told him to.

    It was quickly completed.

    The otherworldly carriage (unfinished) (prototype) (no wheels) (no power).

    Isn''t this just a container?

    It''s really a box for putting people on, with no other tricks.

    It''s a tool for experimentation to see how to make it work........

    ..........

    The construction techniques of Okubo and his team have been amazing lately!

    How did they manage to assemble this thing in just a few hours?

    Although made of wood, the size of the carriage is perfectly comparable to a carriage from the previous world.

    There are no chairs inside, and the construction is simple, but that doesn''t mean you can build this in a few hours...

    ''''Well, what''s done can''t be helped...!

    Let''s face it.

    ''Do you have a good idea to put people on this and move them around?''

    What?¡¡Well, is it still magic?

    It was an answer that was typical of the demon race, which is good at magic.

    ''''But........telekinetic magic that would move things to this point?¡¡But it would require a considerable amount of magical power, and that would only be possible with the Four Heavenly Kings class. We can''t possibly mobilize the Four Heavenly Kings to carry people...!

    If I asked them to do it, they would do it........

    But I''m sure the people of the Four Heavenly Kings have their own positions too. Let''s not do anything rash.

    "My Lord.

    That''s when Okubo suddenly raised his hand.

    He''s the kid who made this impromptu vehicle, so it''s only natural that he''s here, but what''s going on?

    I have an idea but why don''t we let this guy pull it off?

    This guy?

    Oakbo showed a beast that looked as if the rock itself was walking on four legs.

    It looked like a rock, but it was a full-blown horse.

    Oakbo''s beloved horse, the Gigant Rock.

    This horse was created by crossing the genes of a horse with a monster with some kind of awesome power as a homunculus horse, and even with Okubo''s huge body on its back, it is able to run around quickly and easily.

    Its appearance is that of a heavy tank.

    Even among the homunculus horses that live in our house, he boasts of his power.

    But that doesn''t mean...?

    Are you sure you can move a car?¡¡"Don''t worry, I''m not pushing him.

    Let''s see if you can''t make him do it.

    and a rope in the vicinity tied the carriage to the Gigant Rock.

    The carriage doesn''t even have wheels on it yet, though. The giant horse, which was proud of its strength, was light....

    ''''Oh!¡¡She''s gone!

    He pulled.

    A large drag mark was left on the ground, but....

    "If we can attach the wheels later, we''ll have enough room to go.¡¡That''s great, Gigantorok, you didn''t know you were so powerful!

    Competent, hardworking, and very much like his owner.

    Well, then, let''s get this carriage on its feet!¡¡Get the mana metal ready...!

    Please hold.

    It was Mr. Shax who stopped it.

    ''''I''m sorry, sir. Please refrain from using mana metal.''''

    Yes?

    We will provide you with an alternative high quality steel. Therefore, please refrain from using manna metal, as it could wreak havoc on the market! It would wreak havoc on the market!

    ''''Ha, haha........?

    I nodded my head as Shax-san''s sheer power pushed me away.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of your time in the city.

    So-called "horse train"?

    The road to the realization of the otherworldly train was still going to be a long one.

 388-386 Ryoma goes

    Thus, the horse train, which allows the Gigant Rock to pull carriages, was officially adopted.

    With its power, it could pull even when the train was fully loaded, making it a very convenient means of transportation.

    As for the speed, it is estimated that the Gigantorok is a power type of train, and it can only run at best for people.

    But that''s not a problem.

    The exposition site and the demon city are not that far apart from each other from the start. The problem is the danger caused by letting ordinary citizens walk in the field outside the city.

    The guests will be enchanted by the teacher to ward off monsters, and if you have Okubo as a servant, there is no danger.

    The only problem is.....

    "One Gigant Rock isn''t going to be enough for you, is it?

    The Gigant Rock is also a living organism.

    Even though it was a homunculus horse synthesized with a monster, if it was alive, it would be tired and hungry.

    It would be absurd to keep going back and forth between the exposition hall and the Magic City to transport visitors.

    That''s exactly what I''m suggesting, running all day long like a train. This is beyond the dimension of working like a carriage horse.

    "But considering the speed of the Gigant Rock, we can''t take a break...?

    As I said before, the speed at which the Gigant Rock is pulling a carriage and running is only as fast as a person can run at best.

    If they were to do this while taking breaks, they would only make a few round trips a day.

    If we were to do this with breaks in between, we would only be able to run a few round trips a day, and we would not be able to reach our original goal of efficiently transporting as many passengers as possible.

    "If we had at least one more cow, we could take it in turns to pick up and drop off the guests efficiently...!

    Okubo comes up with a brilliant idea, but it''s not very practical.

    The Gigantorok is the most powerful horse on earth, and it''s hard to imagine anyone else being able to pull a carriage like that.

    I don''t think any other horse could pull a carriage as unorthodox as the Gigantorok," he says.

    "I don''t think the Mimic Octopus could do it either...

    The Mimic Octopus is Gobukichi''s favorite horse, a fast and agile sprinting horse with unmatched speed and agility, but that''s why you can''t expect him to be a powerhouse.

    ''''If there''s anyone else...!

    Oh, there he is.

    There he is.

    The greatest horse of all.

    * * * *.

    Dragon horse Sakamoto.

    That''s my horse.

    A homomunculus horse that came to our house because he wanted a horse to move around the farm to begin with.

    Naturally, he became my favorite horse because of his ability to outperform the Mimic Octopus and the Gigant Rock, but....

    Right now, it was grazing on its own in a vacant lot on the farm.

    "Hey, come here!

    It doesn''t respond when I call it, but it doesn''t respond.

    It may not be unheard because it reacts only to the ear and moves.

    It''s ignoring me intentionally.

    Why is that?

    She''s sulking because she hasn''t been bothered for a long time.

    Okubo, who came with me, told me to give him some advice.

    Come to think of it, Okubo and Gobbledygookichi had a lot of contact with their beloved horses in one way or another, and often appeared astride them.

    However, I don''t remember riding him at all recently...?

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one.

    I don''t think I was on the road much before that, do you?

    Now that I think about it, I can see why...?

    So you think Sakamoto, the Dragon Horse, is feeling like an abandoned puppy?

    I''m sorry!¡¡I''m sorry for leaving you alone!

    In my defense, I''m a farmer at heart and I was afraid of riding a horse, but it hurt you, didn''t it?

    But it hurt you, didn''t it?

    But that''s okay!¡¡I''ve got work to do today!¡¡It''s a special job that only you can do!

    When I said that, Sakamoto raised his head, which had been lowered to graze, and turned to me.

    A good response.

    The horse was hungry to be needed, after all.

    I tried to respond to that guy''s hopes, and I explained this mission to him....

    ''''Bullhihihihihihihi!''''

    I was kind of pissed off.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about. It''s not a good idea.

    Pride.

    This is indeed a homunculus horse that was created using the genes of a dragon. He''s so proud and troublesome.

    ''''But hey, I called out to Sakamoto because I thought he was the only horse that could do this...''''

    He responds with a twitch.

    ''It was originally a project that started because the Gigant Rock can do it. After all, only the Gigant Rock can do something like this, right?

    "Bullheeheehee!

    Sakamoto lets out another angry cry.

    The translation is, ''Don''t be silly!¡¡There is nothing that other horses can do that I can''t do! I can''t do anything that other horses can''t do.

    He is a horse who has ridden well in the past.

    Maybe it''s because he''s inherited the dragon gene, but he''s very proud and easy to provoke.

    You did it, didn''t you?¡¡I''m going to prove to you that there is no better horse on this farm than me!

    I''m going to prove to you that there is no better horse than me!

    But how is it that we are able to understand each other''s intentions so well?

    * * *

    Then Sakamoto actually decided to try pulling the carriage.

    It was still a prototype carriage with no passengers and no wheels on it, but Sakamoto kept pulling it........

    ........flew.

    Oh, my God.

    She jumped.

    You beat him to run?

    I knew that he could fly, being a dragon horse.

    I didn''t think he''d fly with a carriage he was pulling!

    The carriage you''re pulling is floating parallel to Sakamoto''s. What does that mean?

    This is the power of the dragon!

    Puzzled, Veerle appeared.

    Bring it on, commentator!

    We dragons use dragon magic to take the weight off when we fly. No wonder Sakamoto, with half my blood in his veins, could do it.

    He was the genetic donor for Sakamoto!

    ''Sakamoto must have worked his magic on the back of the truck to make the weight disappear. That''s why we can pull them together and fly. Well, that''s only natural if you''ve inherited my power!

    He piled on that part of the appeal and Veerle had left.

    He would go to Junior again.

    As expected of a dragon horse, Sakamoto. He''s done more than I could have ever imagined.

    If the whole carriage floats, we don''t have to put on the wheels we were going to put on.

    Because it floats.

    This is truly linear!

    Isn''t this an otherworldly linear carriage with a train in one step?

    There may be too much going on...!

    Now it''s all in one fell swoop!

    If we let Sakamoto pull it, we can drop off and pick up a lot of customers safely, comfortably, and in the fastest way possible!

    No matter how heavy a load Sakamoto had him pull, he was able to travel without losing the slightest bit of speed because he could eliminate the weight itself.

    The distance between the demon city and the exposition hall can be reached in a few seconds.

    The ability to travel faster would allow for sufficient breaks, and every problem was solved.

    That''s a done deal!

    * * *

    .........So the next day, the other world''s linear carriage by Sakamoto opened right away, bringing many visitors from the magical city to the venue.

    Because of the curiosity, the linear carriage itself became a part of the exposition, and some people even came to the exposition for the purpose of riding the carriage.

    Sakamoto himself was still not happy about the idea of imitating a carriage horse, but he soon got into a good mood when the passengers said, ''Wow!

    This is just like Veerle.

    Thus, while Sakamoto played a big role in a long time and comforted his emptiness, the problems at the expo were solved and it was an all-or-nothing result.

    Behind that.........

    ''''It can''t be helped, Sakamoto is your beloved horse, so you can''t be a match for him. There''s something good about you.

    There was Oakbo consoling the Gigant Rock, which was being shoveled out of service.

    He was a gentle man who could care for his horse.

 389-387 Build a tower

    It has been a few days since the fair was held.

    Even so, the popularity of the fair has not waned and the number of visitors has been soaring.

    According to the management''s tally, the one with the most visitors in each pavilion was Lettuce Rate''s "Bean Pavilion".

    Surprisingly and ''Is that enough? It has a strong sense of humor, but its simplicity makes it easy to communicate with men and women of all ages. And it seems that the theme of food, an iron plate, was very effective.

    It seems that the ironic theme of food was effective.

    My natto (fermented soybeans) also sold well because of its popularity.

    Holkosfon said.

    ''Seriously?'' I thought.

    Next, the pavilion hosted by Viel was very popular.

    I thought to myself, "They had a booth there? I was surprised that they had a booth in the pavilion and it was surprisingly popular.

    And it was surprisingly popular.

    When I asked what kind of theme they were exhibiting, I found out that it was a pavilion to introduce bread and udon noodles, and it was called the "Wheat Pavilion.

    The name of the pavilion was "Wheat Pavilion".

    Viel will bake bread and make udon noodles by himself, and at the same time show off the deliciousness of dishes made from wheat.

    I was momentarily surprised by the fact that the ville itself is the source of the food.

    .........though looking back on it, he could make bread and noodles before I knew it.

    Is it because he''s a dragon that he can do anything if he wants to?

    Veerle had now become a genuine gluten jar.

    It seems he is trying to create a whirlwind of wheat in the land of evil.

    And it''s very popular.

    I knew the food type is strong.

    At the moment, they''re still trailing behind Lettuce Rate because it''s hard to imagine the actual product from the title, but they''ve introduced pasta as a new menu item, and are preparing to add peperoncino, meat sauce, and Neapolitan to their menu.

    The battle for the top spot between Lettuce Rate and Viel is sure to heat up sooner or later, as people become aware of the deliciousness of flour.

    Other than that, the "Glass Pavilion" where Poel is located was well received because the pavilion building itself is unusual.

    Everything is made of glass, and the walls and roof are transparent.

    It is said to be called the "Crystal Palace" because of its brilliant and gorgeous exterior.

    It is very popular with visitors every day.

    Seeing such a lively atmosphere, I began to think to myself, "I''d like to do something like that too.

    I want to do something like that too...

    It''s too late now.

    I''d decided to sit on the sidelines before the event and not get particularly excited about it, but now that it''s actually starting, it''s looking much more fun than I thought it would be, and I''m starting to feel like I want to be a part of it.

    But you know what?

    I don''t think I can beat Lettuce Rate or Veal by opening a pavilion now either.

    All the goodies have been taken away by the preceding teams.

    If I''m going to do it, I want to win, and if I can''t win the event, I don''t want to do it.

    So I''m going to take some other approach to the expo and bite the bullet.

    So..........

    .........yeah.

    I have an idea.

    * * * *.

    ...Monuments, sir?

    I called Mr. Shaks immediately to discuss the matter with him.

    Since he is now in the position of chairman of the exposition''s steering committee.

    ''Yes, I''d like to build it, but I''ll do it.

    A monument is a monument.

    A structure that symbolizes something and bequeaths it to the future.

    ''I want to symbolize the farm fair, to give it shape!¡¡I want to work on that!

    If it''s what your saint wants to do, we can''t oppose it. We have plenty of land to spare, and we can do things pretty freely, don''t you think?

    The advantage of daring to set up the venue outside the city has emerged.

    We have the advantage of being able to use as much land as we want. There is also the fear of running out of space.

    And when you say monuments, what kind of things do you plan to build?

    Tower.

    The tower?

    Mr. Shaks looks stunned.

    ''You''re building a tower with a monument?''

    Because the World''s Fair is all about the tower.

    The fair?

    The Expo and the World''s Fair will be much the same.

    I want to build a very vivid tower and get people''s attention too!

    That''s why I''m building a tower.

    And then we''ll add a splash to the expo.

    Good things come first, so the construction of the tower began immediately.

    The proposed construction site is an empty lot on the outskirts of the exposition site. As I''ve said many times, the exposition site set up outside the city is surrounded by vacant land and can be expanded as much as needed.

    So we called the construction-loving Oakbos together and started work.

    The Orcobos asked a question.

    My lord, you are going to build a tower, what do you plan to build?

    Good question!

    It''s important to share an image.

    This time, even though the tower is a tower, its purpose of existence is not practical.

    It''s just a symbolic element to enliven the exhibition.

    We want to make it look flashy and artistic, something that will catch everyone''s attention.

    Artistic...?

    Like, for example, bang, arms wide open!

    Both hands?¡¡In a tower?

    And put a face to it!

    You''re gonna put your face on a tower?

    "And your face will shine like the sun!

    ''Is it possible you''re cracking something?!''

    Oakbo is sharp.

    It can''t be helped. To tell the truth, that''s the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word "exhibition".

    I''m going to recreate that tower that blew the world''s minds in another world, and then I''m going to blow their minds one more time!

    Anyway, I drew up a blueprint and actually started building the tower.

    Thanks to the bewildered help of Okubo and the others, it was also completed at high speed.

    An otherworldly version of the Monument Tower!

    At first glance, the exterior of the building is eye-catching.

    Flashy colors!

    I don''t know why you have a face!

    Its so nonsensical appearance causes everyone who tries to pass by to look back.

    The tower itself is a huge structure, so the area that catches the eye covers a wide area.

    ''Nah, what the hell is that?

    ''''The tower!¡¡But what a bizarre look, eh?

    It''s art!¡¡They make art out of buildings!

    What an extraordinary scale!

    "Where do you think this exposition is going to go to beat us up?

    It was mainly the craftsmen who reacted well.

    They were immersed in all the technical pavilions, but when they saw the monument''s tower outside, they were shocked.

    If they were that surprised, it made it all worthwhile for us to build it.

    True art transcends the boundaries of the world and shakes people''s hearts.

    I''m sure that every visitor to the exhibition will leave with an image of its bizarre appearance burned into their minds.

    I was very satisfied with the show....

    ''What the hell was that?''

    I heard that voice from the masses.

    ''Look up,''

    Is there something coming down from the sky?

    Everyone starts to notice something unusual.

    I looked up and saw that there was something coming down from the sky.

    A shining speck of light is coming down from the bright sunny day to the surface of the earth.

    It was so bright that I thought the sun had fallen down, but no, it hadn''t.

    It was shining like the sun, but it was smaller than the sun.

    Something small that shines like the sun.

    It ended up at the top of the monument tower I had built, of all things.

    What in the world was going on?

    The audience at the fair couldn''t help but take notice.

    When all eyes were glued to the tower, the descending light made a move.

    From the top of the Monument Tower, it spoke out while glaring at the many people.

    ''''........I am Apollo. I am the most beloved sun god from the father god Zeus.

 390-388 Tower of Babels Sun

    I am Apollo, the sun god.

    I am one of the most beloved sons of Zeus, one of the most beloved sons of Zeus, the apex of the lineage of the God of Heaven.

    Zeus, God of the Father, will not be released from his imprisonment for the next 300 million years due to an error.

    In the meantime, it was my role, his most beloved son, to rule the skies in place of the Father.

    From the beginning, I have been in charge of the operation of the heavens with my sister god Artemis.

    I will rule the heavens until your father is released from prison for completing his duties!

    We need to develop a new one-shot gag for that!

    .........a one-shot gag.

    What''s with your eyes?

    I am Apollo, the sun god.

    I am in charge of the management of the sun and the daytime operation of the heavens, but I am also the god of art and culture.

    Art is comedy and culture is comedy, isn''t it?

    So, day and night, I continue to develop funny gags that will send the heaven, earth and sea into a whirlwind of laughter!

    Now for a good gag that will make everyone laugh!

    In order to avoid being told by Artemis, the moon god who is my sister and who controls the operation of the night, ''Your brother''s gag is cold, you must die!

    It was one day when I was working tirelessly like that.

    * * * *.

    There''s a lot of noise on earth, I thought.

    I was getting buzzed by the cultural sensors of Apollo, who is both the sun god and the god of art and culture.

    I looked down at the ground to see what was going on, and it was very noisy.

    Is it a gala?

    People on earth are gathered in one place and are making a lot of noise.

    As a god of art, I can''t help but be intrigued by this kind of atmosphere.

    Let''s see, is this such a lofty cultural gathering that it would suit my glasses?

    Isn''t this an event for the demon clans?

    The demon race created by Father Zeus'' brother, Uncle Hades, the Dark God, is out of my jurisdiction.

    They are unimportant, so to speak.

    The reason why your father was imprisoned in the first place is because the human race that he created was defeated by the demon race.

    In light of this, it is acceptable to hold a grudge against the demon tribe.

    Even if you are interested in the cultural gathering, if the demon tribe is hosting it, you must decide to ignore this Apollo.

    The cultural gathering that was silenced by the God of Art is nothing more pathetic than this!

    .........hmm?

    What was that about, anyway?

    A point in the event of demons on the ground.

    In a certain section, something is being built?

    It''s already been held, but it''s too far off to start building at that point, right?¡¡I also thought....

    What are they building?

    The tower?

    Maybe.

    Mankind will build a tower. Father used to tell me that was a bad sign and that I should be careful.

    In this case!

    It''s time for the Divine Manual that Father Zeus entrusted to me before his imprisonment!

    Six hundred and sixty-six items on how to behave as a god, how to punish mankind when they get carried away, etc.!¡¡It''s richly detailed!

    I''m told that an experienced god from the outside world wrote down his actual experiences, so it''s very reliable!

    If something goes wrong, your father had given you this manual to follow and embarrass the human race!

    It''s times like these that I use the God''s Manual....

    Search for the tower in the index, and then, and then, and then........!

    ...There it is!

    That''s forty-nine thousand five hundred and seventy-two pages.

    ''When Mankind Began Building Towers, the Thought and Purpose''

    Um, what?

    "Building a tower is proof of mankind''s arrogance. It is the desire of men to build taller than the gods to climb to a higher place.

    What did you say?

    I didn''t know that the construction of the tower had such a terrible meaning!

    Come to think of it, the demons had defeated the humans and become the rulers of the earth.

    On top of that, it was natural for them to challenge the Heavenly Goddess who controlled the human race behind the scenes to a fight to get rid of her.

    So this was the tower as a means to climb up to the heavens for that purpose?¡¡Is that so?

    This is a big deal!

    I must take measures as the Sun God to protect my father''s absence!

    What should I do?

    Let''s go back to the God''s Manual and search for a solution!

    What to do when mankind builds out a tower (example)

    Oh!

    "Let''s make it impossible for them to understand each other by scrambling their language. Then they won''t be able to cooperate and they''ll never build a tower again.

    What?

    !

    What the hell does this manual say?

    The God who wrote it must have a bad character!

    The manner in which it was written is too insidious!

    As a colorfully bright sun god, I''d like to deal with it more peacefully.

    Also, he''s the god of culture, so I want to give him a refined and vivacious ruling.

    Hmmm, what to do?

    Maybe it was because I was so engrossed in my troubles.

    I slipped and slipped, not paying attention to my feet....

    I fell over.

    ''''Ah.........huh?

    And it was a bad place to rub it in.

    The heavenly realm where the gods live. Because I was at the edge of the clouds where the gods live and work....

    I fell from the clouds beautifully and went headlong to the ground.

    ''''Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!''''

    I fell.

    The realm of God in heaven is above the high clouds in the sky.

    So if he stepped off of it, the destination would be.......

    Yes, above ground.

    * * *

    (falling)

    * * *

    Thud.

    It seems to have fallen to the ground.

    "Ta-ta-ta-ta...?

    It''s been a long time since I''ve done that.

    In the past, the God of Heaven used to fall from the heavenly realm like this. My father would say, ''Oh, my foot slipped!'' and every time he fell down and came back, he would increase the number of mistresses and children.

    But after the agreement was signed, such excuses are no longer accepted, and he is no longer careless.

    Moreover, I calmly looked around and realized that we were not on top of the tower in question.

    This is the top of the tower in question, isn''t it?

    You fell here because you were too focused on it?

    Oh, and besides!

    All the demons in the party are looking at me!

    I''m standing on a ledge in a tower, and there are a lot of people watching me!

    This is just like...?

    Isn''t this like my solo live performance (full house)?

    The demons looking up at me on the tower....

    What''s that...?

    It''s a god!¡¡It''s a god...?

    And that figure, the most brilliant of all the gods in heaven, is the sun god Apollo...?

    Why would the God of the Sky come to a demon fair...?

    The Lord of the Air...?

    I don''t know, the audience is confused.

    The quality of a real comedian is to provide the audience with laughter and excitement and not to give them a moment to swoon.

    As the god of culture and art, I too must do my best to warm up the audience!

    Okay, now it''s time to get that one out.

    I was actually going to premiere a new story at the upcoming God''s Roundtable!

    I''m going to give you the fullest story that is sure to make you laugh out loud!

    I crossed my arms in the lower position and then........

    "It''s fun~

    With a bang, he raises his arms in the air!

    Right arm, left arm, both arms, upward!

    Yeah!

    What do you think?

    The shape of his arms and his torso seem to form a letter "Y", and the word "Wai" is a very effective gag.

    How can mankind be so advanced that even the gods can''t understand it?

    Crackle, crackle, crackle....

    Crackle, crackle, crackle.....

    "God bless this fair...!

    I don''t care if it''s God in heaven or God on earth.

    Thank God. Thank you....!

    It''s so funny.........!

    I''m so happy!

    I thought that if I actually performed this in front of the gods, I''d get another one from my sister Artemis saying, ''That''s why it''s so boring, you''re going to die!

    How very understanding of humanity!¡¡It''s a culturally advanced creature!

    Because I''m a demon?¡¡Because I''m a demon race created by my personal Uncle Hades?

    Let''s get over this right now and let''s not talk about humans or demons.

    "We, God of Heaven, do hereby pledge to bless and protect all human beings, regardless of race... "I hereby swear to bless and protect all human beings, regardless of their race...!

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa~?!

    That''s right.

    There is no reason for those who understand the culture to fight with each other.

    This world is now united through gags!

 391-389 Art War

    It''s me.

    In the world I used to be in, the unification of humanity broke down in the wake of the Tower of Babel.

    And now, in the other world I live in, the tower I built was the catalyst for the world''s reconciliation.

    Hades, the underworld god, and Poseidon, the sea god, were hurriedly called out.

    ''''No, what?''''

    What is it?

    At the request of the sun god Apollo, an agreement was made on the spot that all three world gods would protect humanity without discrimination.

    ''''Heavenly gods make decisions on the fly, even Zeus'' kids, you know. Well, we have no reason to oppose it either, right?¡¡I don''t care how many tenants you have, they won''t change their promises, so let''s get on board, okay?

    "Spit up in your mouth.

    So both the god Hades and the god Poseidon were sufficiently vigilant while they swore an oath to each other for the rank of the god who would rule their respective worlds.

    In the exposition hall we were hosting.

    Originally, there were many spectators, so many people would witness the gods'' pledge.

    ''''The gods..., the gods are right in front of me...?

    Is this a dream or an illusion...?

    What a wondrous sight...

    Everyone is so moved that they''re praying.

    That''s the way it is.

    Well, it can''t be helped if the main gods of all the realms, including our own god of faith (Hades), get together in one place.

    ''This is not an exposition event,''

    I had a hard time explaining to him.

    ''Saints, did you get involved again?¡¡By the way, it smells good here and there, but can we have good food at your place again?

    "Hey, Poseidon. "Hey Poseidos, don''t bite off too much because this event is supposed to be for humanity. It''s no more pathetic for a god to steal food from people than it is for a grown man to steal a child''s toy.

    Even the gods are attracted to the farm food served in each pavilion.

    "G''day Y

    "I''m gonna have a great day.

    Some of the things that the god Apollo had were popular.

    Well, no matter what the process is, the world is getting closer to peace, which is a good thing.

    The world''s precious element of anxiety, the movement of Tenjin, is also going to be calmed down for the time being.

    Peace is best.

    Everything I do should lead to peace.

    That''s what I thought, but....

    * * * *

    The battle begins.

    It was suddenly disconcerting.

    The time was still in the middle of the exposition period.

    It was still in the middle of the exposition period, and the number of visitors was increasing due to the sudden advent of a god.

    It was a perfect day for a picnic. Blood rain is perfect for a dry and sunny day...!

    What''s the scary thing about it?

    Who is responsible for this inevitable disquieting behavior?

    The elf Elon.

    He was the leader of the elves on our farm.

    "What is it, Elron?¡¡I can''t leave you alone when you say something so disrespectful.

    After all, his past is his background.

    ''What are you talking about, Saint?¡¡''You challenged me, over there!¡¡Then I must stand tall as a proud craftsman myself.

    "Who is the proudest craftsman?

    No, this guy.

    His obsession with pottery is so great these days that it''s not even fair to say so.

    Originally, I made him fire the plates as a punishment for stealing into our farm.

    Now he is completely devoted to his work and pretends to be an all-out potter.

    He also exhibited a pavilion dedicated to pottery at this year''s expo, which was well received.

    I don''t think that his vessels are so unique that no one can follow him.¡¡However, it seems that this is not the case.

    To begin with, Aeron''s wares have been in circulation in the demon kingdom for some time now, and they seem to have gained a following slowly and steadily.

    ''''The way the glaze is applied...''''

    I can even sense some s*xuality in the distortions around here...

    And I witnessed the knowing narrative at the pavilion in Aileron, too.

    So far, the introduction.

    "...so who are we trying to fight?

    It''s a dwarf!

    It''s out.

    The twin peaks of this world''s subspecies.

    The Elves and the Dwarves.

    In this world, they are both derived from the magical race.

    It is said that elves and dwarves are the result of a faction that was defeated in a civil war, escaped and developed on their own in the place where they escaped, and as a result they became a separate race.

    It is said that they have forgotten their old rivalry and do not hesitate to trade with each other when it is reasonable to do so.

    Here comes the war between elves and dwarves.

    Why...?

    ''''And yet here we are, right?

    A group of dwarves rode proudly into the farm exposition hall here, just as Elon had said.

    At the head of the group was a familiar bearded man.

    ''Isn''t that Mr. Edward?''

    Saints, it''s refreshing to see you away from the farm, isn''t it?

    Edward-san is the king of the Dwarven Underground Empire.

    It seems that the trend among dwarves is to call him "master" instead of "king", but....

    We''ve invited him to our farm a few times to help us with some of the details that only dwarves can handle.

    ..........

    So, Edward, you and Elon met each other there.

    You guys are good friends.

    ''''We''re not buddies!''''

    He countered with a double entendre.

    Even so, this is a breath of fresh air.

    ''The time for dwarves and elves to understand each other will never come!¡¡Especially with this artistically-inclined elf!

    ''That''s my line!¡¡True beauty is found in nature!¡¡Beauty does not come from deliberate artifice like yourselves!

    Let me tell you the same thing!¡¡What beauty!¡¡It''s born out of relentless discipline and research!¡¡Technology!¡¡Skill!¡¡That is the root of beauty!

    The sparking elves and dwarves.

    Well, these guys have this kind of relationship.

    There is no doubt that both of them have the spirit of craftsmanship, but the direction of beauty they pursue is completely opposite, and every time they meet, they argue about it.

    The confrontation had finally come to an end...?

    The stage is just the right place for this. I''m going to show you your amateurism in front of the public!

    ''You''re the one who''s going to be embarrassed!¡¡I''m going to show you the moment when a craftsman race, previously overrated for being an artisanal race, is being turned into a monster!

    They were both staring at each other with more hostility than I could have imagined.

    So this is what you mean?

    ''You think we''re going to have an art showdown between Elon vs. Mr. Edwards in this exposition hall?

    ''''Exactly!''''

    This was a showdown of fate.

    The two men had been battling each other on the farm for a long time, and now they had arrived in a black-and-white situation.

    Aileron''s natural beauty?

    The beauty that is so precisely composed by Mr. Edward''s technique?

    An exhibition that attracts a lot of visitors is the best way to decide which art form is better.

    It''s also the perfect place to have a discerning audience to judge the event''s purpose.

    We are proud to present our masterpiece from the Dwarf Underground Empire. Let''s compare it to your humble creation!

    Very well!¡¡How about a vote count to decide the winner!¡¡ Let the visitors put their bills in whichever one they like!¡¡Now we''ll finally see which side of the argument is correct, something that has been fuzzy for years!

    Aileron, you seem to be standing up to Edward''s challenge.

    I didn''t think that this is the one big event that would bring the farm expo to life here....

    A slingshot craft showdown between elves and dwarves.

    .........

 392-390 King of Craftsmen

    And so it began.

    Aileron vs. Mr. Edward in a craft showdown.

    Is it Elon''s claim to natural beauty or Mr. Edward''s superb craftsmanship?

    A showdown between the ultimate and the supreme to see who deserves true beauty.

    The venue continues to be the exposition site.

    It is held in the ceramics pavilion led by Aileron.

    Plates, vessels, and several ceramic pieces from the Elf side of the exhibit are lined up.

    On the dwarven side, there are elaborately crafted precious metal objects such as crowns, crowns, honorary deeds and swords.

    They were lined up as if they clashed with each other head-on.

    Spectators passed through while looking at these pieces and voted for their favorites at the exit.

    Voting cards were handed out one by one at the entrance, and in order to prevent organized voting, dwarf elves were banned and only demons and other races were eligible to vote.

    Also, to prevent one person from voting more than once, the ballot is said to have a special spell applied to it.

    Once a person touches one of the bills, a trail is left behind, and if they pick up a new one, an alarm will sound.

    Cooperation, system configuration Verena.

    ''''Too authentic........?

    At any rate, I could see the genuineness of his enthusiasm for the game.

    "You want to go to such lengths to prove your point is correct...?

    Elron''s pottery and Edward''s goldsmithing.

    Both are in the realm of master craftsmanship, but that''s why you want to prove which one is better?

    The game was not limited to the category of two wills, but had begun to take on the aspect of a match between the races of elves versus dwarves.

    ''''Hey!¡¡There''s an elf and a dwarf fighting over there!

    What?¡¡I don''t believe we have that kind of event planned.¡¡Isn''t this a great fair?

    The rumors started to spread and the air was filled with people visiting at least once.

    To begin with, both elves and dwarves are sub-species, unfamiliar to the demon race.

    It is said that elves in particular are a solitary race that does not have any interaction with anyone other than their own race, so they are even more mysterious and intriguing.

    It''s not just the peculiarities of elves and dwarves that attracts attention.

    The exhibits also grabbed the visitors'' attention.

    "This is it!¡¡This is the best of the dwarves!

    The golden gems the dwarves mined themselves are used sparingly and decorated with centuries-old techniques.¡¡Look at this intricate openworked carving...?

    How many hundreds of years will it take for a demonologist to come up with something like this...?

    Whoa!¡¡Such a huge emerald, without sparing a second thought!¡¡The cutting is great!

    It was a great success.

    I was watching the competition from the side, but I wondered how this game would turn out.

    From my layman''s point of view, it seems too one-sided.

    Because while the dwarves'' exhibit is a huge haul of gold and silver treasure, the elven works are just plain pottery, right?

    It''s just something made from kneaded clay.

    There''s no way they could match the gold and silver gems in terms of value in the first place.

    Why did Elon get into such a reckless game?¡¡I was even baffled....

    Surprisingly, a lot of votes were cast for the aileron pottery as well.

    ''''The farm has come up with another ambitious new piece!

    ''''........this color!¡¡...the shape!¡¡It''s like a piece of nature cut out of the ground!

    You can see the world in the vessels.

    The potters on the farm are breaking new ground in the art world!

    Huh?¡¡Oh, no?

    The ballot box on Elon''s side of the ballot is also filled with bills.

    ''''A lump of clay is competing with gold and silver...?

    ''''Elron-san''s work is now a big boom in the Demon City...!

    The person standing next to me explaining, "I''m not sure.

    Who''s that?¡¡I thought.

    It was Shax-san, the demon trader.

    ''Mr. Aileron, who has added personality to his tableware and built a unique worldview, is truly an alchemist who adds more than pure gold to a mere lump of clay!¡¡For some things, a single bowl of Mr. Aileron''s firing is worth a castle.

    One castle?

    Where in the Warring States period of Japanese history was that from?

    I was surprised and amazed, but the passage of people flowed like a river, never ceasing to flow.

    At that moment, I hear another noisy, moving voice coming from the crowd.

    Screaming?

    Why?¡¡How can such a wonderful thing be made by human hands?

    "Master Babegitto?¡¡We don''t want to disturb other people.

    A young apprentice-like man struggles to keep the old man from clinging to the glass case (by Poel) that surrounds the exhibit.

    ''This color!¡¡That distortion!¡¡I don''t care what I have to do, I can''t serve it in my own d*mn kiln!¡¡I''m going to apprentice myself to the master craftsman who created this masterpiece.

    "I don''t think I can do that!¡¡You''re the master craftsman who controls the biggest workshop in the Demon City!

    No!¡¡You have to drop everything and start from scratch!

    If we did, we''d be on the street!

    And then he was dragged away in a single agony.

    What is this?

    Well, it seems to be someone in the same business as you, perhaps, but is Aileron''s skill enough to make even those people delirious?

    * * *

    Well.

    In the meantime, today''s business is over, and at the same time, the voting has closed.

    The votes will be opened immediately from now on to find out how many votes were cast for either side.

    I can''t help but look forward to the thought of that spare surface being distorted with humiliation when the vote is over!

    Mr. Edward and Elon are already sending sparks of bee gaze flying at each other.

    Which master craftsman will the artisan goddess smile at?

    Whether you cry or laugh, the lid is about to be opened without any resentment, just before........

    ''''Wait!''''

    With a sharp restraint, everyone stopped moving.

    Even the people in charge of counting the votes have stopped, so naturally the counting of votes doesn''t proceed.

    Can''t we just leave this game open?

    Eh?

    Now?

    To begin with. Who is the kid who is calling for the cancellation at this time?

    ''It''s me!¡¡I''m Eltrigger from the Elf Pottery Team!

    Aileron leads the pottery team, one of the farm''s elf teams, but of course, Aileron is not the only one making pottery.

    There are a little over ten members of the team who split up to work efficiently on the pottery.

    You will find that Eltrigger is one of them.

    ''The work of Squad Leader Aileron, Master Edward!¡¡They''re both great, and that''s fine!¡¡It''s impure to try to force a superiority complex!

    What are you talking about, Eltrigger?

    Squad Leader Aileron is puzzled by the squad members'' sudden rebellion.

    ''''Haha, you scared the shit out of me when you came here!

    Mr. Edward laughed even harder at that.

    Most likely, he''s not confident of winning, so he''s going to say it''s not a good idea. That''s a wise decision for an elf. There is no way that an elf''s sudden training can defeat the superb skills of the dwarves!

    No, Master, I agree with her.

    What?

    Further out was a young dwarf.

    It was one of the dwarf craftsmen that Edward had brought in with him.

    ''Bodwan!¡¡What the hell are you doing?

    ''Master!¡¡You have lost sight of what a craftsman is!¡¡It doesn''t really matter which one is better!

    What''s the phase where both the elf side and the dwarf side are trying to convince their superiors with admonitions from below?

    Well, I guess I''m forgetting something important.

    It''s not natural to be concerned with superiority. I never could have produced anything good with that kind of attitude.

    And did you succeed in convincing him?

    Easy.

    ''Master Edward. Looks like we were wrong.

    Hmm, each artist has a different way of devoting himself to his work. It''s the various forms of beauty that make them shine.

    Those who were concerned with each other''s path shook hands firmly.

    A reconciliation after a violent clash of claims. It was truly the plot of a great circle.

    ''''It''s not....

    What''s this?

    I was too abrupt to follow it, though.

    In the midst of all this, the people who created this sudden flow of events were out of the crowd.......

    ''''Fui~, we managed to get it over with.

    So we''re all good.

    Huh?

    Did you two conspire together in some way?

    ''Of course!¡¡If the odds are stacked against you, just try to find out who''s better!¡¡Whoever loses loses loses a lot of money!

    I don''t care if you win!¡¡But what if we lose?¡¡What if we lose?¡¡The brand image we''ve built up will be destroyed and we''ll lose a lot of orders!¡¡It could be an existential crisis!

    ''And all you get from winning is satisfaction, which is too high risk and low reward!¡¡It''s best not to play this kind of game!

    It''s best to fake it out by saying it''s not true!

    It''s like a good job by both forces, the calm number two on the side of the hot top.

    Now, let''s bury the results of the disasterous vote in the dark, the whole ballot box!

    "Burn, burn, burn!¡¡Burn every last speck of ashes so as to leave no evil behind!

    * * * *

    And so the Elf vs. Dwarf craftsman showdown came to an end.

    The winner is still unknown due to two capable confidants.

    However, since the match itself took place, it created a buzz, and new orders have been pouring in from both sides since it ended.

    Those two capable confidants.

    You''ve calculated this far and put a stop to them at the last minute?

 393-391 The whisper of the Holy Sword after a long absence

    It''s the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz.

    Did you forget about me?

    It''s a holy sword that''s used as a weapon by the Lord, called a saint.

    It doesn''t matter if the sword has a will, it''s a holy sword.

    It''s been a very long time since I''ve heard a word about this, but it''s alive.

    Well, it can''t be helped that we haven''t heard from you to the point where people are thinking you''re dead. After all, there wasn''t much to talk about at all.

    Originally our swords were created by the Dark God Hades to defeat the human race.

    The seven holy swords would fight each other and bite each other, and the one that survived would become the strongest true holy sword and crush the human race.

    That was the system.

    But unexpectedly, the broken holy sword revived and turned the battle between the holy swords upside down.

    In the meantime, the demon tribe defeated the human tribe and put an end to the war. With that, the holy swords were no longer needed in the first place.

    How are we supposed to claim our existence on top of that!

    It''s done!

    We are no longer part of the Holy Sword!

    If this was a graceful existence, it would be so cleanly ended that it wouldn''t matter if it disappeared smoothly, ''My role is over...''!

    The holy swords don''t have to fight anymore!

    After all the fighting, the race of men that should have been destroyed has been defeated!

    So what are we going to do now?¡¡What is the reason for our existence?

    For a while.

    While I was blocked up, I didn''t want to fight with whatever they did to me, and no matter how much the Lord treated me roughly, I had no reaction.

    Or using me as a knife.

    Or using me as a saw.

    Or instead of an axe, or a grass cutter sickle, or a plane, or a chisel, or a carving knife, or a thread cutter, or a cutting scissors, or a high branch cutting scissors, or a cake knife, or a butter knife!

    Like a kettle with a knife!

    Like a food processor!

    ...ha-ha-ha.

    I''m sorry I was distracted.

    I''m not mad at you.

    Because I am the Holy Sword that has already lost its role.

    Even though I could have been thrown away, I''m grateful that people still use it.

    Food, wood, and even stone.

    As long as I can cut anything, it''s proof that I''m happy.

    Lately, I''ve been enjoying thinking about how to keep the ingredients fresh.

    I might as well just become a knife, and that would be fun for the rest of my life.

    That''s what I kept thinking every day.

    .........but still.

    Hasn''t my life been a bit of a bear these days?

    There are so many opportunities for the Lord to use me as a proper weapon.

    The one that made an impression on me was when I went to the bottom of the ocean the other day.

    At first I wondered what He was thinking. You dipped me, the sword, into the sea. Salt water. Saltwater, saltwater, I''m going to die!¡¡But I''m a holy sword.

    It wasn''t made of anything more than salt water.

    And that''s where the battle was supposed to take place.

    I don''t know what it is, but it''s a series of fierce mermaid battles!

    ........well, my strongest Lord won most of his opponents with one twist without me.......

    But my last opponent!¡¡It''s the trident, the sea god''s weapon!¡¡It was a replica, though.

    My first battle between God''s weapons!

    I''m so excited!

    I recently remembered something I forgot, that it was originally created for this!¡¡It was the best moment in my life.

    Is something coming?

    Am I experiencing the biggest wave ever?

    I had a feeling that this was the place to be.

    But wait, you can''t get carried away here.

    I know that the sword that is me, when I''m in a groove, I fall into a huge pit.

    It''s always been like that before.

    That''s why I''m going to discipline my mind not to get carried away this time, too.

    I''m not going to have bad expectations!

    I had been guarding my heart like that....

    But then something even more distressing struck me.

    * * * *

    Ladies and gentlemen, I''m pleased to bring you to the gallery.

    The guy hosting the event says ostentatiously.

    I don''t know who he is.

    It''s probably the locals you hired for the exposition.

    You''ve already surprised your ears with your travels around the various pavilions. I''m sure you''re thinking, "Well, I''m used to surprises. You''ve already surprised your ears and ears, and you''re probably thinking, ''I''m used to being surprised, a few things don''t surprise me. But what is still surprising is the magnificence of this exhibition.

    And then the host, the man who hosted the event, removed the cloth curtain that was hanging over me with a bang.

    Seeing my sword exposed, the audience shouted in amazement.

    ''''It''s a holy sword!¡¡The Demon King carried the Angry Sacred Sword Ainrot, his brother''s sword. Its name is the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz!¡¡This is your first sighting in the Devil''s Land!

    All the attention and admiration is flying towards me!

    Great!¡¡I haven''t seen this much attention since the human race picked me up a thousand years ago!

    No, it seems like the excitement of attention is greater now!

    As expected of a demon race created by the God of Hades, who was also created by the God of Hades, you seem to know exactly what I''m worth!

    .........well.

    I''ve skipped a step here, so let''s talk about the details.

    It all started with this thing called an exposition.

    It''s the kind of thing the guys are into right now.

    We''re setting up all sorts of events... but don''t we have one item that could be a highlight of the expo?¡¡That''s what we were talking about.

    It''s rare, it''s famous, and just hearing the name makes you want to come see it. That kind of thing.

    After much discussion, they chose me!

    For the exhibit that should be the highlight of the farm expo!

    And so I am set up in the Special Exhibition Hall, surrounded by a large crowd of onlookers.

    An exhibition hall!

    A mansion built just for me!

    That''s the Holy Sword...?

    It''s the same sword that the Demon Lord wears...?

    What a mischievous, jet-black sword...?

    Mom, I''m scared.

    They''ve been watching.¡¡Seen and feared...!

    Awe-inspiring yet mesmerizing...!

    Yes!¡¡This is what a holy sword should be!

    I am the Holy Sword!¡¡It''s not a knife or a saw!

    It''s a horrible, deadly madness of slashing to all life!

    It feels so good!

    It feels too good!

    I''m climaxing in the pleasure of being exposed to the admiring gaze....

    I bought it!

    You know what that sounds like?

    ''I bought that sword!¡¡How much does it cost?¡¡No, I''ll pay you whatever you want!¡¡"Will you give me that holy sword?

    Who is it?

    Among the countless onlookers, a miserable old man is screaming ''buy, buy, buy''?

    In response, the man who was hosting the event gave him a troubled look....

    ''''I''m sorry. This holy sword is not on display for the purpose of selling it. It is loaned to you on the promise that we will return it to its owner...!

    ''Then let me see the owner!¡¡We''ll negotiate and buy it outright!¡¡A holy sword like the Demon King''s things. If you get it, it will be the best foil for my family lineage!

    My goodness.

    I don''t blame you for wanting a superior me, but a weakling like you isn''t fit to be my master, is it?

    That''s exactly what we need to be the strongest like the Lord now........

    ''Wait a minute!¡¡That holy sword is mine!¡¡How much does the owner want?¡¡I can pay him 200 gold pieces right now!

    Stop sticking your nose in my face for a small price!¡¡Then here are five hundred gold coins!

    One thousand two hundred!

    Please wait!¡¡This is not an auction!¡¡Please don''t fish out the price!

    There was an ugly fight going on over me.

    And with money.

    How dare they try to get me with money.

    ...............................

    * * * *.

    And.

    The Lord notices me lying at his feet and picks me up.

    Just like the first time I met him.

    ''Isn''t that the Holy Sword?¡¡Why is it here when it''s supposed to be in the exhibit hall?

    ''Didn''t you crawl all the way up here on your own again?¡¡We''ve been through this before.

    You''re a hard man to blame.

    I have pride in being a sword myself.

    It''s better to have someone who uses it everyday, whether it''s a knife or a saw, than to be used as an ornament by someone who has no ability.

    And even more so if the person you admit to being the master is the strongest person on earth.

    ''''I told you I''d definitely come for you later.

    ''He''s a lonely man. You miss your husband more than I thought you would.

    Say what you want.

    I''m not going to let anyone else dump me while our Lord is alive anyway.

    By the way.

    My sudden disappearance from the exhibition hall has led to all the visitors being suspected of theft, and they are banned from entering and leaving the museum until the Lord comes to the rescue with me.

 394-392 Special customer

    It''s me.

    I think the doctor has been acting weird lately.

    It''s like he''s not feeling well.

    No, I don''t even know if the already dead No Life King should have any energy.

    Anyway, he looks lonely.

    Recently, a lot of farm residents, including myself, have been coming to the expo recently to run it, so I thought it might be related to that.

    While we are busy with the expo, many of the Orcgoblins and other residents have been staying behind to do some of the minor work during the winter months.

    The most important thing is that the teachers are busy with their students'' classes, so they shouldn''t be lonely...?

    Do you want to go to the exposition too?

    ''''No, no, no........?''''

    It was clearly a reaction to being hit by a figure.

    Understandable and friendly.

    ''''Why don''t you just come?¡¡It''s not like this is your first time in a human village, is it?

    You went to Dalkish-san''s territory to summon the Three Mother Goddesses before, didn''t you?

    At that time, you stepped on the soil of your homeland for the first time in a thousand years, and you looked so happy to see the people.

    If you came, we would be very happy too.

    I''ve come to think about it now. I thought that I had done it so rashly.

    Has it been to a human settlement before?

    ''The No-Life King is an evil to mankind. Encounter means death. He is a mindless creature who, having been freed from death, despises life and does not regard life and death as dust.

    What''s the...?

    "I don''t think a No-Life King should cross paths with the living so casually...

    Teacher, by any chance.

    Are you reeling from the fact that Mr. Silverwolf scared you more than he should the other day, or that you saw other vicious no-life kings in person on a social tour?

    It''s okay, Doctor!¡¡The doctor is nothing like the other no-life kings!¡¡We know better than anyone that you are kind!

    ''''No, but........?''''

    A lot of people are going to have to wait until they are able to get their hands on some of these things.

    It''s the same as in the past.

    The only thing that matters is the fact that they''re all in the same boat.¡¡Don''t be so timid!

    ''''Your teacher is very accommodating to us, aren''t you!

    He''s not a bad guy!¡¡A good one!

    The teacher seems to be very excited about the fact that he encourages people, demons, mermaids and all races.

    "You guys...!

    The teacher got courage from his students and decided to leave the farm again and go to the human village.

    This time it was for the complete purpose of sightseeing.

    * * * *.

    A special visitor was coming to the exposition.

    We had announced that in advance, so everyone was fidgety as the visitors made their way around the pavilion.

    ''Who is this special visitor...?

    ''A celebrity?''

    And so on.

    No one expected it to be not even a person. He''s a former human being, though.

    And as soon as the teacher appears, the expo hall is thrown into a frightening quagmire...or even down to the bottom.

    Geez, it''s a monster!

    It''s the undead!

    No, it''s the No Life King!

    The miasma is the most common cause of death in the world.

    The miasma is already suppressed by magic, so it is purely out of fear of the No Life King.

    ''''I knew it........!

    The doctor''s heart was about to break, and that''s when it happened.

    ''Sir!¡¡I''m so glad you came!

    Mr. Zedan, the Demon King, welcomed the teacher with all hands raised.

    Even the Demon King came to see me today.

    "Oh, you didn''t think you''d come here for me?

    ''''Of course, I was taught by you. I was taught by you, of course, and I''m one of your students!

    I remember that the Demon King had retreated to the farm for a time and learned magic from his teacher.

    He was the Demon King who responded to that debt of gratitude.

    ''''I''m here too!

    "Even the Great Demon Lord?

    He was the father of the Demon King and the previous Demon King.

    He loves culture and had a big hand in organizing this fair.

    ''''What a blessing...?

    The teacher was so moved that he almost cried.

    The visitors around him were also moved to tears.

    It''s the Demon King...?

    ''''The Demon King and the Great Demon King. Did you guys reconcile?

    You two greet the No-Life King together?¡¡How important is that?

    Are we having a special guest today?

    Demon King!¡¡Great Satan!¡¡No Life King!¡¡Which one is the most important customer?¡¡I can''t even tell which one is the most likely!

    Not all of them?

    Anyway, thanks to the warm welcome of the Demon King and the Great Demon King, the air around the teacher became soft.

    ''''Come on, Master, let''s look around the exposition together. If you like, you can visit the Demon City afterwards. I''ll show you all the sights.

    It will be a 1,000th anniversary of the No-Life King''s visit to the Demon City as a guest. Enjoy your stay.

    The teacher was at the level of sobbing with tears at the treatment of a state guest from the highest authority.

    ''''Thank you. ........I''m glad I came. I''m glad to be here.''''

    By the way, the secret is that I was feeling like a grandchild (adult) who came to the city with his grandfather.

    Anyway, I''m glad to see that you are able to enjoy the exposition in this way.

    * * * *

    An aside.

    Besides the Demon King and the Great Demon King, there was another demon male who was interviewing the teacher.

    He seems to be a great man in his own right, but he doesn''t seem to be very high and mighty in a somewhat loose atmosphere.

    ''''Let me introduce you, Sensei. He''s one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army and the Demon Army Commander, Belfegamilia.''''

    This guy?

    I''ve never seen him before.

    "Oh, you. I have heard so much about you.

    I''ve heard about you for a long time, too. I know it''s a bit of a hassle, but I''ve always wanted to meet you.

    The teacher and Bellefegamilia shake hands with each other.

    What is this familiar atmosphere?

    It''s like we know each other, isn''t it?

    I''ve heard about him for a long time. I know his apprentice.

    And the teacher.

    What do you mean that you know this master?

    "I heard that one of the ''Three Sages and One Fool'', who is on a par with our master, has become known as the Demon King, and I should have been the first to greet him, but I''m too much of a bother...

    "I know. That''s what a disciple of a master does.

    The two of them were at a high level, exchanging ''Hahahaha'' and laughing at each other.

    From what I heard in detail, Belphegamilia was one of the top-ranked No-Life King''s strongest, and it was Belphegamilia who was taught a secret breathing technique that allowed him to gain strength comparable to the No-Life King while he was still alive, he said.

    .............

    I can''t even imagine!

 395-393 One of the visitors to the exposition

    My name is Viktorin.

    I''m a magical technician of the demon tribe.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of good reasons to be interested in this.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    Monsters.

    Some of the monsters spawned from dungeons can be used.

    During the war with the humans, many serviceable mimic monsters were sent to the front lines.

    However, with the end of the Human-Demon War, the imitation monster market is rapidly shrinking.

    The demand for them was falling.

    ''''Can''t we do something about it?''''

    The client requested that I modify the monster to be

    Stronger and more ferocious.

    Seeing a modified monster that was far stronger than before, the high and mighty of the Demon King''s army would be stimulated by the desire to use it to fight a war.

    ''''No, I wanted you to adjust it so that it could make fine movements for peaceful use...?

    Don''t tell everyone, client!

    You are a magical engineer genius, Victorin!¡¡We know all about it, sir!

    In fact, I will create the strongest and worst monster that even exceeds the power of the Demon King!

    * * *

    ........it happened right after the end of the Human-Magic War.

    It took me more than a year to complete the project, but it was worth it.

    It''s done!

    A personal creation, a modified monster with ultimate power.

    I call it the Custom Orc Destroyer!

    I used an orc as a modifier element because it was the most affordable.

    The one with the highest basic combat power as an anthropomorphic monster is the giant ogre, but it''s valuable because it''s strong, and modifying an originally strong one to make it even stronger doesn''t have much of an impact.

    On the other hand, goblins are small and hard to add features to, and skeletons and bones are all you can do with them.

    That''s why I decided on an orc that''s in the middle of the pack in many ways.

    The mods worked wonders!

    The magic makes it possible to reduce traditional muscle strength by 1.5 times. Up to seven times more!¡¡Not only did it increase his arm strength, but also his agility, and in operational trials it reduced the time it took a traditional orc to defeat a skeleton by 17%!

    The results are good.

    In my opinion, I recognize that the performance is close to that of the Warrior Orcs, which is a mutant breed of Orcs.

    Sorry for the bragging rights, but I''ll stop bragging soon enough anyway.

    Many people, including the Demon King, will be witnessing the performance of my custom orc.

    From what I hear, there will be a fitting unveiling of my newly completed masterpiece.

    I hear there''s an exposition going on!

    It seems to be a long time since the fair was held, but that''s not the point.

    I heard there will be some special oaks on display at the fair.

    You are cocky in spite of my masterpiece orc.

    Let''s go to the exposition and crush that cheeky orc with my orc!

    It will be a fair and there will be a lot of people watching. A perfect place to attract attention and advertise my achievements!

    Yes, my masterpiece, the Custom Oak Destroyer!

    Your debut performance is about to be announced!

    * * *

    Then we actually rode into the exposition....

    Our masterpiece orc''s debut battle was over in less than a moment.

    It was a splendid instantaneous killing.

    ''''Hohaaaaaaahhhhhh?

    This was my scream as I witnessed the unbelievable truth.

    The one who was instantly killed was my modified Orc.

    I was blown off my entire body with a single finger from the other side.

    ''''It doesn''t feel very good...''''

    The orc on the other side says.

    .........................Say it!

    "...our people have been tampered with like an article. As if we were objects.

    Orcs speak as if they have a personality?

    Even though the anthropomorphic monsters don''t even have the wisdom to use their words, let alone have self-consciousness!

    ''''It''s not a very tasteful act. I stood up to it because I was challenged, but I hope that this is the only time I will have to deal with such a bad tasteful matchup.

    And the orc who tells you off in a gentlemanly tone, "What is this orc?

    What in the world is this Orc?

    Not only did he blow up my masterpiece with a single finger, but he has the wisdom and decency to speak the language fluently and criticize his opponent logically?

    ''No!¡¡This is some kind of mistake!¡¡The orcs I''ve poured my heart and soul into improving cannot be defeated!¡¡This time you''ll take on this guy, Custom Oak Destroyer #3!

    Are you still here...?

    ''No. 3 looks the best adjusted of all the custom orcs that have reached the level of perfection!¡¡I''m sure the custom oak that was just hit was a failure that didn''t adjust well!¡¡They must not have been able to deliver conventional performance at all!

    No, not at all.

    Hmm?

    What''s the state of the other orc...?

    ''How can you treat your own subordinates as objects, much less trust them...?¡¡Then we''ll have to show them. An absolutely decisive defeat that cannot be perverted in any way.

    Then it didn''t take more than a moment.

    Not only the big three, but all of them, not only the big three, but also the two, four, and five to eight that I brought along with me, were blown away and defeated in an instant.

    Even if the custom orcs I developed were bunched together, they were no match for me.......?

    Mr. Okubo, you are overreaching.

    A goblin speaks to you from beside you...?

    Don''t goblins have the ability to understand human language?

    It''s just a matter of time before you get serious and you won''t last a second. If you''re serious, you won''t last more than a moment.

    ''''That''s why I wanted to let you know that there are so many people out there, and I wanted to let you know that in their eyes, monster modification is of no benefit. Don''t you feel the same way, Lord Gobukichi?

    Well, that''s true, but...

    Not only are there orcs, but even goblins are in an unusual atmosphere!

    Could it be that these guys are........mutants?

    "Warrior Orcs?¡¡Spartan goblins?

    Among orcs and goblins, there are rare individuals who mutate and have abilities dozens of times greater than normal.

    If such a mutated individual appeared on the battlefield, the results of battle would be tens of times greater.

    My orc modification work was also aimed at a mutant Warrior Orc.

    But now, there are actually Warrior Orcs?

    ''''No, there are not, but...''''

    "What?

    If these great orcs aren''t Warrior Orcs, then what are they?

    "...when a Warrior Orc mutates further and becomes a Legatus Orc.

    ''''Ha!''''

    "It mutates further into a three-stage mutated Julius Caesar Orc. That''s me.

    "Triple mutation.

    You don''t know that?

    How is that even possible?¡¡There''s a 1 in tens of thousands chance of a single mutation!

    And the probability of that mutation occurring in the same individual 3 times in a row is 1 in tens of thousands... 1 in tens of thousands?

    That''s freaky...?

    "By the way, Gobukichi-dono over there is also a three-stage mutant.

    This is Takehaya Susano-o-Goblin.

    .........

    .........oh no, I''m in shock and I''m unconscious!

    Two individuals with three levels of mutation that could be the probability of such a trillion or kyo?

    Compared to that, my modified orc is just child''s play...?

    "Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi...

    Then a new person comes along!

    I was startled by what this time was, but it was relievingly normal.

    I heard there was some trouble. I''m worried about you, so I came to check on you. Isn''t this the time for an exhibition match event between Okubo and Gobukichi?

    I had planned to do so, but this guest, with his own orcs in tow, challenged me to do so. I am sorry that things did not work out as planned for you, my lord.

    My Lord?

    Is that what that diamond-studded three-stage mutant called the Hutu man?

    You mean to tell me that he is the owner of the mutants?

    And the creator?

    Tell me!¡¡Tell me about it!

    "Whoa, what?

    I cling to the man.

    "The secret to creating a high-powered, triple-mutated monster!¡¡I admire your outstanding skills!

    ''I don''t know what you''re talking about, but it''s not my fault that Okubo, Govt. Yoshi and the others have grown up to this point. They grew up on their own.

    Oh no...?

    It''s almost as if the orc-goblins are a whole person...?

    If I had to choose, I''d say it was affection.

    Love?

    The more love you give them, the stronger they become.

    Yeah, right!

    What I was missing was love!¡¡They just regarded the orcs as goods, so they never moved on from there!

    Okay....!¡¡The scales have fallen from my eyes........!

    "?¡¡Is that so...?

    ''I will treat my orcs with love from now on, too!¡¡I believe they will grow up to be miracles!

    Because love is the power to believe in miracles!

    I will raise my orcs to great heights with all the love I can muster!

    What the hell...?

    He''s at an age when he wants to be that kind of crazy.

 396-394 Exposition visitor part 2

    I''m a demon babegit.

    I''ve been crying every day.

    I can''t make the dishes just the way I want them to be.

    I''ve been making dishes for more than 50 years. It''s been more than fifty years since I''ve been making dishes, and it''s in the past that I thought there was no one better than me in the demon kingdom.

    That day and time, at that place, that guy from the Great Demon King showed me the most bizarre plate.

    After knowing the existence of that plate, I could never call myself the best potter in the Devil''s Land again.

    The colors and shapes that surpassed the common sense of plate making until now.

    I tried to make a plate that exceeded it, but I couldn''t make it at all. I can''t even imitate or come close to that wonderful dish, let alone surpass it.

    I couldn''t even know what kind of paint to use when I tried to make a brightly colored plate.

    If you try to make it into a bizarre shape and distort it easily, it will lose its strength, and worst of all, it will break during firing in the kiln.

    Even if you repeat your mistakes over and over again, you won''t even get the hang of it.

    When I first started, I was optimistic that it would be a challenge, but I knew I could make it work.

    I took pride in the fact that I was the best potter in all of Makoku. If I had the skills and know-how that I''d developed in my past work, there was no reason why I couldn''t do it.

    It was that kind of thinking, but it felt like all the confidence I''d accumulated over the past fifty years had been shattered.

    I''m already an old man and my heart is breaking...!

    I never thought I''d be faced with a situation that would break my heart in my later years...!

    What has been my life as a craftsman all this time...?

    Don''t get shocked by your work alone, master.

    What are you doing, apprentice?

    You''re doing your job!¡¡They''ve already been baking plates for forty-seventy consecutive shifts!

    "I''m asking you to bake normal plates. We''re asking you to bake plates that are not for sale, that have strange shapes and colors. It''s almost a hobby, isn''t it? Baking those dishes is just a forty-seventh consecutive day off.

    Shut up!¡¡You''ll always be half a man because you don''t know the superlative value of this plate!

    There''s nothing funny about it, just a round, white, round dish to bake on!

    ... (irritated)

    Excuse me!

    But I''m not going to stop making new plates!¡¡I''m at an age when I''m already a retiree, you guys can do plenty of work on your own!

    It''s just that Master''s dishes have brand power. The Great Demon Lord really does a lot of unnecessary things for his master...

    I agree with you!

    All right, let''s get going.

    Huh?¡¡Where?

    I didn''t know they were having an exhibition now. I heard that a strange plate made by Master''s obsession farm is on display.

    What?¡¡The new stuff on the farm!

    Dozens of gold coins, depending on the market value. Depending on the item, there are several hundred gold coins on display.

    It''s not just a new creation, it''s like the person who made it is here. That''s very unusual, because his name hasn''t even been mentioned until now.

    What did you say?

    There''s the creator of the farm''s alternate plate that I''ve been dying to meet!

    I''ve reached out to all kinds of messengers to talk to you at first sight, to no avail, and to this day I''ve had to try and do it by trial and error!

    "I can''t do this!¡¡Let''s go to that expo or whatever it is called right away!¡¡I''ll meet you in person and ask you to teach me!

    I knew you''d say that. I hope this will help you to give up on it in some way.

    * * *

    Then came the exposition hall.

    I didn''t expect it to be outside the Magic City.

    There was no way we were going to get around in a gigantic carriage pulled by a flying mystery horse. I was astonished even before we arrived.

    The apprentice who came along with me without hiding his intention to be some kind of chaperone.

    I heard that the people and things you are looking for are in a place called the Pottery Museum. I heard that there are ceramic plates and vessels on display. ........Oh, before we go there, shall we stop by the ''Natto Museum''?

    I''m not going!

    We''re not stopping anywhere. We''re going straight!

    Here''s an encounter with the creator of that oddball dish you''ve been dreaming about!¡¡I didn''t even look aside, of course!

    And when I arrived at the scene of the crime, I found myself comparing techniques with the dwarves, perhaps because it was a good day.

    "Wow!

    To be able to compete with the dwarves, who are touted as the world''s best craftsmen, the farm''s artisans were a godsend after all!

    I''m going to apprentice myself to the master craftsman who made this masterpiece.

    "There''s no way you can do that!

    Even though my students chided me, I didn''t leave the room until the closing ceremony.

    I circulated the room where the dwarves and My Heart Master faced off many times, and voted for the Heart Master after receiving a ballot card (after the first one, all votes were invalid).

    The dumbfounded disciple left Ira alone and seemed to enjoy the rest of the pavilion....

    ''Master, have you been here all this time?¡¡The tempura udon and yakisoba pizza were really good.

    They''re having a super fun time!

    And after the break-up and the close of business, we finally got to see each other as we had longed to...!

    * * * *

    ''''.........I never thought that the master I truly believe in was an elf......!

    But I''m convinced.

    I''ve been working as a demon craftsman for fifty years, and my know-how is not even close to what I''ve learned as a demon craftsman, and the only person who can compete with the best dwarf craftsman in the world is an elf.

    "Take me as an apprentice!

    ''''All of a sudden, you''re throwing five bodies?

    Master Elf was greatly surprised.

    He was still an elf like a young girl, but age had nothing to do with the skills he cultivated!

    "This babygit, although I am a wrinkled old man who can''t even master half the skill and sensitivity of your old man, I would like to learn from you and polish my skills even more...!¡¡I want to devote myself to it until I die!

    "Mm, good thinking!¡¡Anything I can teach you, you can do!

    How noble!

    That''s the kind of master craftsman who creates such masterpieces!¡¡His heart is a lot bigger than mine!

    No, I''m telling you, no.

    Apprentice?

    If it is known that you, the owner of the kiln, have become an apprentice of another style, the reputation of our kiln will be ruined. Please don''t do anything rash for the sake of ten workers.

    f*ck you!¡¡A craftsman is more interested in honing his skills than defending his position!¡¡That kind of self-preservation is what rots the technique!

    God, that''s the craziest thing about you...

    That''s what craftsmen are supposed to do, till the day they die!

    No, wait.

    Then a different elf from my heart master, Lord Aeron, interrupted the conversation. Perhaps he is one of the members of Master Elron''s workshop?

    Oh, what''s that, El Trigger?

    ''At this point, I have to tell you, we''re having trouble with Team Leader Aileron making weird dishes too.

    Weird Dish?

    A mutiny?

    "I''ll admit that your plates are artistic, but they would be too unwieldy for everyday use, wouldn''t they?¡¡These days, we get orders directly from the saints to us, saying, ''Make me a regular plate.''

    Seriously?

    Master Elon is astonished!

    You didn''t know this?

    ''How can you be so...?¡¡I imagine our saint is enjoying his daily meals on my art glassware...?

    That may have been true at first, but nowadays we tend to put too much emphasis on artistry. It''s getting harder and harder to handle, don''t you think?

    The elf states matter-of-factly.

    Ah, could it be that this guy is the deputy squad leader?

    This is a good opportunity for you to go back to your roots and return to more user-friendly, more conventional tableware.

    No!¡¡Aside from the saints, I have fans across the country who are eagerly awaiting my academic and cubist vessels!¡¡We can''t change the lines now!

    I understand!

    I''m one of those fans!

    ''By and large, the vessels I make are the ones that sell the most through the trade association!¡¡It''s a record high!¡¡Isn''t this necessary to raise funds for the Elven Forest Restoration Project?

    Maybe so, but our top priority should be the order of the saints.

    ''No, no, no!¡¡I want to bake a crooked bowl!

    I know, master of the mind!

    It''s a true craftsman''s nature to follow his or her own desire to express themselves!

    No, I think it''s about doing what the client wants...!

    ''I''m with you on this one!¡¡Keep making distorted plates forever and ever!

    Ira and the Master of Hearts understood each other.

    Beside them, Euler''s apprentice and the deputy squad leader at Lord Aileron''s place walked up to him with a sigh and shook hands tightly.

    ''''What is it?''''¡¡Like the closeness between people who have that troubled boss?

    And this dwarf prot¨¦g¨¦ of the dwarf tribe comes along and lays his hands on top of each other.

    An alliance to keep a troublesome chieftain in check was formed?

 397-395 Expo Visitors Part 3

    My name is Luciferago.

    The man who was to become the Demon King.

    He was the former Demon King''s eldest son and legitimate son. Normally, he should have followed in your father''s footsteps and become the Demon King.

    But in reality, that was not to be the case.

    This was because his youngest brother Zedan had staged a coup d''etat.

    I had high hopes for my youngest brother, who was said to be good at his job and would become a great general if he was sent into battle, and a great prime minister if he was used to run the country.

    If that''s the case, I''ll just leave the Demon King to you," he said. I was joking, and then he really took away the Demon King''s position...?

    No, as a matter of fact, most of my subjects have sided with Zedan.

    They said that Zedan was more suitable for the position of Demon King than I, a fat boy.

    Because, like my father, I am a culture lover and art advocate. I held balls day after day, as if I wasn''t going to be beaten by my father, and I had many literary painters in my salon.

    It was a dissipation of money.

    It is said that he felt a sense of crisis: "If he continues to be the witch king, the demon kingdom will collapse. That''s why my brother had a sense of crisis.

    That''s why he made Zedan, the most talented brother of all of them, rise to power.

    You''re exaggerating. Didn''t you just melt half of the national budget?

    That''s why I''ve been downgraded from being a demon king to being a provincial lord of a small and humble estate.

    So now, I should be the Demon King, but I''ve been downgraded to the position of the lord of a small provincial estate, and I''m living a modest life.

    Well, normally I would have been killed by the crown prince who lost a power struggle, so I should be grateful for the fact that I''m being kept alive even if I''m a tamer.

    However, the management of the fiefdom is also done by a deputy, and I can''t touch it at all, so it''s really tame.

    I''m keeping you alive out of pity, so please keep quiet until you die of natural causes.

    I thought that if he was still alive, the situation might change and he might have a chance to come back, but he couldn''t.

    Zedan was originally a very capable man.

    At one point it seemed like a good opportunity to get back into the swing of things with his disappearance or something, but nothing like that.

    He immediately blitzed back in and wiped out all the sycophants who had gotten carried away by the slightest opportunity.

    This time I erased the remnants of the rebellion that I couldn''t get rid of when I became the Demon King.

    Immediately after that, the Human Kingdom was destroyed, and the Human-Devil War ended.

    Having achieved a feat that none of the previous Demon Kings had been able to accomplish, Zedan''s regime was now on a firm footing.

    He''s successfully married off his wife and made an heir, so he''s got no chance.

    It''s all over.

    I was on the verge of desperation, thinking that my hymns will remain hymns forever, that''s when I started to feel desperate.

    I received a letter from our actual demon king, Zedan.

    I was super scared.

    After all, it was from his younger brother who had made sure he was completely dominant as the Demon King.

    There''s no more reason to keep your brother alive, so it''s time for you to die. I sent you a bottle of poison as well.

    However, there was nothing included in the package that seemed to be poisonous, so I opened the package and read it fearfully...

    The invitation.

    It was named.

    ''''It''s been a long time since I''ve held an exhibition. Your brother Luciferago was particularly fond of such events. I would like to renew our friendship.

    There were some requirements in there.

    You''ve got to be kidding me!

    They didn''t even like it but they were shoved deep into the countryside and made into lords in name only.

    And they were called out on a whim to come up to the capital and say, ''Oh, I see.

    I am the pride of the man who was to become the former Prince of Demons, the Demon King!

    You may be a loser, but you will not flatter a winner!

    ........I''m not afraid of being caught and executed the minute I return to the Demon City or anything like that.

    I''m sorry, I''m lying, that kind of development is seriously the scariest thing I''ve ever seen!

    Out of pride and fear, I ignored the request from this youngest brother.

    Some time later, I received a letter from my father as well.

    It was the father of the previous Demon King who was now retired as the Great Demon King.

    ''''My dear son,'''' he said. I heard that you haven''t responded to your brother''s request. Is he too weak to hold a brush? Is he so weak that he can''t even hold a brush? I want to see my beloved son for a long time, so this is a good opportunity for you to come. You really love fairs, don''t you? During the reign of the Demon Prince, you hosted the fair for 17 months in a row.

    Your father must be a retired old man who has now had all his power taken away by Zedan.

    It''s not surprising that he was ordered by Zedan to take part in the luring.

    As the eldest son, he was the most beloved son by his father. He was spoiled by your father and branded unworthy of being the next Demon King.

    I will not go to the Demon City even if my beloved father asks me to do so!

    And so I rejected all invitations and retreated into my territory for a few days....

    He''s coming...!

    * * * *

    "Who the hell do you think you are to ignore me when I say ''come''?

    This me, Luciferago, the former first choice for the next Demon King.

    He has a broken holy sword at his throat.

    "You think you have the right to refuse the Demon Lord''s request?¡¡If you''re thinking it, that''s a hell of a lot of hubris. So much so that it''s not even worth keeping alive.

    Hiiiiiiii...?

    You don''t want me to have to come all the way up here. You know that I am a pain in the ass, don''t you?¡¡And you''re putting all this time and effort into me, and you''re selling me a fight?

    We don''t sell them!¡¡I''m not selling it!

    This is the man who can unabashedly threaten me, who in this day and age would have been the Demon King.

    Belfegamilia.

    Aren''t you the Fourth Heavenly King now?

    ''''Didn''t I tell you when I kicked you out of the Demon City?¡¡It''s His Majesty''s mercy to keep you alive, and you have to remember to thank Him every day?¡¡So why are you ignoring the Demon King''s letter?¡¡Were you so stupid you couldn''t even read?

    "No, but...?¡¡It was said that if you step on the soil of the Demon City again in the future, I won''t let you live...?

    That''s right, right now, right in front of you!

    Of course the Demon Lord''s order takes precedence over this, right?¡¡You''re incompetent enough to make that level of judgment, that''s why you''re going to fail the city.

    Excuse me?

    Well, I knew you were incompetent and I didn''t do anything about it, so I''m to blame. I had to put up with a lot of hassle in order to get to you. Now you have a choice. You can die here and now, or you can go up to the capital and be executed in front of the Demon King.

    Doesn''t that mean we''re going to die anyway!

    Truly terrifying.

    In the new kingdom represented by Zedan, the most frightening of all is Belfegamilia.

    On the surface, he plays the role of a lazy, useless person, but when he goes behind the scenes, he does everything in his power to get rid of anyone who gets in his way.

    The reason why the somehow sweet Zedan is somehow able to serve as the Demon King is because Belfegamilia is playing the role of the demon demon behind the scenes.

    I was their political rival, so I know this best.

    If Zedan hadn''t stopped him, Belphegamilia would have killed all of my brothers and sisters who had a shot at the Demon King title.

    After Zedan stopped me, his threat to kill me if I showed even the slightest suspicious movement was very scary.

    I was also too scared that some of my younger brothers, who didn''t understand the threat and were complaining about it, didn''t hear from me at all.

    Zedan wrapped himself up in benevolence, and Belfegamilia tightened it up with rigor.

    It is the balance of these two that makes up the bedrock of the current kingship.

    "Then let''s get going. Neither I nor the Demon King has time to waste on scum like you.

    Hi....

    Thus, I had to step on the soil of the Demon City, which I thought I would never be able to step on again while I was alive.

    * * * *

    When I actually arrived in the Demon City, I was unexpectedly warmly greeted.

    ''''Brother!¡¡I''m glad you came!

    And it was the Demon King himself.

    My youngest brother, Zedan, embraces me with his arms outstretched.

    ''''I was worried when you didn''t respond to the letter I sent you!¡¡I didn''t expect you to come in person...

    ''''Well........we''re deep in the mountains......so communication is inconvenient......?

    Even in the audience, Belphegamilia was glaring at me from behind, so I treated her as a ''vassal'' rather than a ''kinsman of the king''.

    Otherwise, there would be no life.

    ''''I am a subject of His Majesty. I fear too much hospitality is too great...!''''

    What do you mean? You''re my brother!

    "It is His Majesty''s mercy that I am alive and well when I should have been put to death for interfering with His Majesty''s supremacy. I have no choice but to repay this favor with loyalty.

    That''s the correct response, right?

    You''re not going to kill me, are you?

    I glanced back and saw Belfegamilia nodding.

    ''Good!

    ''Well then let''s get to the exposition right away. Your brother loves expositions, you know!¡¡Belfegamilia will come with you. Today, the three brothers will enjoy themselves to their hearts'' content!

    "It''s a pain in the ass, but I''ll go out with you.

    Zedan said it so smoothly........

    Belphegamilia''s true identity is one of the many sons that his father Baal gave birth to by women from all over.

    His mother was a maid of low rank and was not recognized as the heir to the throne, but when he showed off his abilities, Zedan found out about it and called him in.

    Maybe that''s why he''s so strict with the rest of the Demon King''s family, except for Zedan.

    For some reason, Zedan was the only one who was given special treatment and responded to the officer''s request, which is why the Demon King Zedan was born.

    In response to his achievements, Zedan publicly adopted that guy, a commoner, into the lineage of the Fallen Sacred Sword Fiagelp and took him as the Fourth Heavenly King.

    It was a procedure that could only be done by someone who was connected to the Demon King family''s bloodline, even if it wasn''t officially recognized.

    In any case, as long as Belfegamilia was around, Zedan''s position as the Demon King would be secure.

    * * * *

    Well, that''s about it....

    Exposition fun!

    Super fun!

 398-396 Expo Visitors Part 4

    My name is Gomame.

    I''m a mermaid.

    .... or should I say "was" mermaids to be more precise?

    I don''t have those supple, shimmering, scaled tail fins now.

    Just two ugly, branched legs growing out of my crotch.

    I don''t live in the ocean filled with beautiful seawater, but on hellish land.

    Why do I live in such a place, well, I am a sinner, a mermaid.

    I was banished permanently from the sea to the earth after committing a crime.

    It''s a punishment that was only recently introduced in the mermaid kingdom. It''s the result of Princess Platy, the most prodigious genius in the history of mermaids, developing a semi-permanent land-humanizing potion.

    I suppose I could say I''m the first to be sentenced.

    Wonder what kind of crime he was sentenced to such harsh punishment for?

    ...I suppose. Now that I think about it, I may have done something outrageous.

    I tricked the royalty into eating and drinking without paying for it.

    You didn''t just eat and drink for no money, did you?

    I ate every bit of freshly caught seafood at Tukey''s Market, the largest fish market in mermaid country.

    Unfortunately, one of the fish and shellfish I ate up was a super rare, premium ingredient, metallic platinum silver sea urchin, which was destined to be offered to the royal family.

    It was super tasty.

    But Princess Prati, who was looking forward to the metallic platinum silver sea urchin, was super furious.

    She imposed a heavy sentence of banishment from the earth.

    According to one theory, Princess Plati was so angry that she perfected the perfect land humanization drug or something.

    Either way, I''ve been upgraded from a petty food escape criminal to a serious criminal.

    On land, where I was banished, I was forced to live a completely different life than the one at home.

    But life on land is not as hard as I thought it would be once I got used to it.

    As a female mermaid, I know how to make potions. Though I''m not as good as those so-called "witches".

    I was able to sell potions of my level of quality to people who didn''t know anything about medicine, and I was able to earn a lot of money.

    Now I''ve started to open a shop in the capital of the most prosperous demon kingdom in the land, the Demon City.

    I even deliver to the Demon King''s Castle.

    Just like this, life on land, which I was not used to, was starting to be smooth sailing.

    * * * *

    I heard a strange rumor.

    It''s an exhibition that''s been held recently outside the Demon City.

    I heard that mermaid medicine is being sold there.

    It''s called the Mermaid Hall. The process by which mermaids make the potion is explained in an easy-to-understand manner.

    They actually sell mermaid pills. I hear they''re better than this store''s, and they''re in danger of going out of business.

    As we are only an apothecary, such rumors come in from time to time.

    I was suspicious. As a mermaid, I know the strangeness of mermaid potion circulating on land best.

    Are there any mermaids who have been banished to the land just like me?

    To be honest, I can''t think of any other reason for the appearance of potions on land.

    I decided to take a break from the shop and go to the exposition to find out the truth.

    It''s a much bigger event than I thought it would be.

    The space is packed with visitors and the pavilions are all of a high standard.

    Where can I find a pavilion that sells mermaid potions?

    I thought you said it was called The Mermaid House?

    This is the Natto Museum, I made a mistake.

    But natto (fermented soybeans) is very tasty.

    We had to make a few detours, but we were still able to find the Mermaid Hall.

    The exterior of the pavilion is quite elaborate, with a design that reminds me of the ocean floor.

    .........

    It''s awfully nostalgic.

    No matter how well I''m getting on with my life on land, I can''t get rid of the nostalgia.

    I want to eat sea urchin.

    What an unbelievable way to bring back memories of the sea, isn''t it?

    What kind of outcast mermaid would run this place?

    I went into the ''Mermaid Museum'' for now.

    The inside was even more of a mermaid than I thought it would be.

    The explanations of the potions on display are just right.

    It''s just like a potions school in the mermaid country.

    You can''t openly disclose such a thing in other countries? I thought there was no wonder that the place was packed to capacity every day with such detailed explanations.

    And then there was the souvenir corner.

    Mermaid potions were laid out as if to confirm the rumors.

    Verification.

    Conclusion.

    "It''s real!

    A real potion.

    Only a female mermaid who is a potions user would be able to create it.

    Potions is a magical product.

    We need the ingredients for the potion, but we also need the magic power that the creator emits. So even if you have the recipe and all the ingredients, in the end only a mermaid potions user can create potions.

    So there''s no doubt that mermaids are involved in this!

    But who the hell is behind this?

    You''ll know at a glance. The high quality of the potions on display at the souvenir corner.

    The quality of the potions reflects the skill of the mermaids who made them.

    There was no doubt that the person who produced this potions was a potions master who was far more skilled than I was.

    If this potions were to be sold in the Magic City in earnest, my shop would surely go out of business...!

    Seriously, who the hell made this thing...?

    Clerk, clerk!

    Yeah?

    I called out and one of the store keepers came running up to me with a response.

    He was carrying some kind of baby. Customer service while babysitting?

    Oh well.

    ''''The potions here are of excellent quality!¡¡There aren''t many potions of this level on the Mermaid Nation mainland!

    Do you know what that means?¡¡Your eyes are high.

    Does the waiter look happy?

    As if it was a compliment to you?

    It''s a pleasure to meet a guest who can make a difference. You must be very knowledgeable to gain such insight on land?

    ''No, no, I''m a former mermaid.

    What?

    I should be able to say that I''m a former mermaid, as I was forced to change my tail fin into an ass and beautiful legs with a magic potion.

    However, it''s been a long time since I''ve encountered a thing that makes me feel like home, and my nostalgia is hard to contain...!¡¡Is it possible to meet the creator of this potion?¡¡At least to face your hometown...

    Speaking of which, as I recall, you''re...

    Hmm?

    "A market bartender who went on a binge in the marketplace, using my name as a cover.

    Hmm?

    And you are...?

    This face, these huge breasts, this aura of divine genius?

    This is the one...?

    Princess Prati?

    What''s Princess Prati doing here?

    Because I''m the host of this pavilion. It''s a good idea to have a mermaid with some experience in the field to help you sell medicine directly to the public.

    No, before that!

    Why is the Mermaid Princess of the Mermaid Kingdom, Princess Platy, on land?

    The potion in this gift shop is, in other words, made by Princess Platy?¡¡That''s why they''re of such high quality!

    Are you sure you want to sell such a valuable thing as a souvenir?

    I''m sorry, I didn''t recognize you at first glance. It was so long ago that I''d forgotten about it.

    The same goes for me...?

    I didn''t expect Princess Prati to be on land.

    Moreover, the baby you''re holding on your chest...?¡¡You didn''t build it?

    What?¡¡You''re living in the Demon City now?¡¡You''re a tough guy, exiled on land, trying to make it on your own...

    No, I mean..., it was just luck...?

    What is this?

    All of a sudden, it''s like this is a tangled mess!

    I was young at the time. "I was young at the time, but I didn''t realize that I was going to be deported just because I was seized with a feast. But it''s good, isn''t it, a metallic platinum silver sea urchin...

    Yes, it was super delicious...!

    I''ve learned a lot of things since then. Since then, I''ve learned that there are many other delicious things to eat besides sea urchins. Vegetable stir-fry..., tonkatsu..., it really is a revelation to meet my husband.

    The princess...?

    He''s drooling.¡¡You''re having a difficult time with your son.

    ''So now I have the nerve to forgive myself for what I did then!¡¡Let''s undo your deportation!

    Eeeeeeeeee?

    I didn''t think that the return to the mermaid country I''d dreamed of in my dreams would be fulfilled in a place like this...?

    Hope will come to you one day...!

    Yes!

    I thought...

    Huh?

    ''''You just remembered. When I came from the Demon Kingdom to apply for a bride to Attah, I wondered, ''Where did my reputation come from?'' I mean, isn''t it difficult for information to travel back and forth between land and sea?

    Ah.

    Come to think of it, was Princess Prathi in a fuss about getting a wife?

    I''d heard rumors about it, though I didn''t know the outcome.

    I wondered if any of the deported mermaids were talking shit about me on land.¡¡I was guessing that... yeah.

    He looks at me, who lives in the Demon City.

    ''''You were the culprit, weren''t you?

    Wait!

    No!¡¡No, I definitely have an idea!

    I think he said something bad about Princess Plati when he sentenced her to deportation every time he drank at a bar.

    And now it''s going around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around and around...

    Wait, I''m sorry, I can''t help it!

    How dare you use bad language as a benchmark for getting a wife?

    We''re short on staff at our pavilion. Especially the souvenir section, which requires expertise. I was trying to get a mermaid student who was studying abroad to help me out, but because of the fact that our school doesn''t allow students to work part-time, or something like that, my former employers at Carp said it''s not allowed.

    Princess Prati grabbed me by the shoulders.

    By the way, you''re not busy right now, are you?

    The baby gave me a ''sorry'' look.

    From then on, I had to close my shop and take a temporary job here until the expo ended.

    If I work hard here, I might be able to find my way back to the sea!

 399-397 Unexpected rare visitor elven thief attack

    My name is Eto.

    I am an elf who has been allowed to incorporate only half of the word "El", sacred to elves, into my name, still out of the elven lineage.

    Unable to live in the forest of my homeland, I run away and wander about aimlessly.

    More and more of my people stay with me, and before I know it, we have grown into a large group.

    The name "Tsuji Kaze no Sodegiri-Dan" was chosen because a group needs a name for itself.

    ''Tsuji Kaze no Sodekiri-dan''.

    In these times, the only livelihood for elves out of the forest is that of bandits.

    Our group naturally became a gang to steal from the rich and rich, and became a feared bandit group in every major city.

    We are the twin pillars of the two major groups of thieves in the elven world outside the forest, the Tsuji Kaze Band and the Stone Grinding Band of Thunderstorm.

    I''m sure you''ll find that you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with us.

    Since then, we haven''t heard of them, and they''ve either spontaneously disappeared or, even if they were to rebuild, it would take a long time to do so.

    In other words, in the meantime, we, the ''Tsuji Kaze Sode Cutter'', are in charge!

    We can enter any mansion as much as we like without having to fight with our competitors!

    Today, we''re going to steal from all the crooks!

    * * *

    Well, gentlemen, let''s get down to business, shall we?

    A total of seventy-eight members of the "Tsuji Kaze Sobekiri Gang" were gathered together in their secret hiding place.

    ''''Head, are you working?

    Have you found your new prey?

    The lively members were already boiling over.

    I''m not afraid to answer with my dignity as a master.

    It''s a big place to go to steal this time. If we succeed, we could all be playing for the rest of our lives.

    Really?

    It''s a treasure trove of treasure, and the security is thin.

    Less work, more profit. Low risk, high reward.

    Such a dreamy place to steal was discovered.

    The place..........

    It''s an expo!

    An expo!

    That''s right.

    An exposition is currently being held on the outskirts of the Magic City.

    There are a lot of farm products there that have been talked about for a long time.

    The farm?¡¡That brand''s?

    The one that has recently appeared on the market like a star, dominating all the talk.

    That brand that is coveted by the celebrities in the Magic City and now fetches an eye-poppingly high price!

    My fellow members, thank you for explaining.

    It''s just like that farm brand. The expo is organized by the farm producers.

    Therefore, there was a lot of products made by them.

    ''We''ve been unable to locate the workshop and consider whether or not to break in, but this is the perfect opportunity. We will promptly infiltrate the exposition hall and bring back the treasure with our hands full!

    Heads!¡¡I want to hear it!

    The group''s member elves raise their hands.

    ''''Our ''Tsuji Kaze Sleeves Cutters'' aren''t just bandits, they are righteous bandits!¡¡We should only target those who are rich and not robbing the poor, especially the rogue merchants and bad agents who are raking in the rough by abusive means!

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡Is this time the other party piling on the bad deeds that should be stolen from us!

    Huh, everyone is very particular about what they do.

    It''s true that I, as the head of the group, haven''t forgotten the pride of our group.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re in the market.

    ''''Don''t worry, these people like the Farm also have the qualifications to be robbed by us righteous bandits.

    Are you okay? What the hell kind of evil do you think you''re doing?

    What kind of dirty things do you do?

    Well, I''ll tell you.

    We didn''t do anything bad.

    ""What?"

    Hear me out. They have not done any of the common misdeeds of the world, but there is another kind of stain that is unforgivable, one that is unforgivable to us elves. And that is unforgivable to us elves.

    To us elves? What do you mean, head?

    Hmm.

    So let''s make a big announcement here.

    There''s an elf among the artisans working on the farm!

    ""What did you say?"

    Well, I''m still surprised.

    "We elves are a race that lives in the forest. Even if we are away from the forest, we will never forget our life in the forest. We don''t sleep and wake up under the roof. That is the pride of the elves.

    That''s right, head!

    ''But the elves who belong to the farm forget their pride, live under a roof and work with fire!¡¡Like the oily demons and the human race!

    Is this what an elf should be allowed to do?

    Not allowed!

    "No pride!¡¡Shame on you!

    It is an insult to our entire race of elves!

    They must be punished!¡¡Punish me!

    They''re angry, aren''t they?¡¡I feel the same way.

    "No more retribution for an elf who has forgotten his pride!¡¡Therefore, I''ve decided that the exposition hall is a target for our thievery!¡¡Steal the luxuries they''ve created by throwing away their elven pride and sell them for a throwaway price!

    ""That''s the Tenchu!"

    We, the Sobekiri Gang of the Tsuji Kaze, have made up our minds.

    We join forces with everyone else and head to the expo site.

    * * * *

    Night.

    When it comes to thieves sneaking in, it''s night.

    The exposition hall at night is different from the daytime, with not a single soul in sight and full of silence.

    ''''There''s really no one here, is there?''''

    Even though it was after hours, we were expecting at least some security guards to be there....

    Thanks to that, it was really easy to sneak in.

    It''s not a level of carelessness........ Is the manager of this venue an idiot?''''

    Not only is the security lacking, but they haven''t been guarding it since the beginning.

    It''s as if they are asking us to steal anything and everything.

    Well, if you''re such an idiot, it''s good for us too.

    If you''re not wary of stealing, it''s ''it''s OK to steal''.

    I''m going to take all of them as a favor to you.

    "But you know what I''m talking about, don''t you?¡¡There are only four kinds of pottery, leatherwork, woodwork, and glasswork to steal!

    Preliminary research shows that the elves are only involved in the production of those four species.

    If you mess with anything else, the pride of the righteous will be lost.

    ''''This is only a heavenly tribute to the elves who have broken their pride!

    Okay! I know what I''m doing, head!

    OK.

    The first stop is the pavilion where the pottery is displayed. I heard that some of the pottery there is worth hundreds of gold coins per piece.

    It''s hard to understand how such a mere piece of clay can be worth such a high price, but we could make a lot of money just to get such a piece.

    ''''You got there in the meantime.

    So this is the Pottery Museum.

    Then I''m sorry to trouble you. I''m here to get you a souvenir...

    I stepped inside the pavilion.

    It was that moment.

    A huge face stood in front of me, close to the front of the pavilion.

    ''''Fwiw!

    A face!¡¡A face with a simple structure that looked like scribble?

    But a face as huge as my entire body appeared as soon as I stepped into the pavilion!

    What is that, a ghost?

    I thought you were unmanned!

    "Jeez, it''s a djinn!¡¡That''s a djinn!

    A magical creature in the form of a spirit?¡¡That magical creature that a high-ranking magician uses to create them?

    You''ve been laying a security detail to hide that thing?

    Well, that''s why they''re out in the open!

    Let''s get out of here!¡¡There''s no way our powers are a match for Jin!

    Can''t hit a bullet?¡¡Will it slip through?

    That''s why I said it won''t work. But their attacks hit us, which is so unfair!

    I triggered the trap, so even if we leave the building, they''ll still come after us!

    Oh, no!¡¡There''s more and more of them!¡¡More and more of them!¡¡They''ll be all over us!

    There''s nowhere to run!

    Surrounded by a bunch of magical spirits, we thieves have no way out.

    Our mission to infiltrate the exposition has thus become a total failure.

 401-399 What the Expo Brings

    The exposition is coming to an end.

    Initially planned to be held for one month, it was so popular that it was extended to two months.

    Although it''s a slow winter season, it''s not so busy because we are also preparing to hold Okubo Castle in the human country.

    I''ve almost digested those less busy two months.

    The expo was just a transfer of what we were doing on the farm, but a lot happened in the past two months.

    First of all, each pavilion had the highest rate of visitors.

    Lettuce Rate & Holkosfone''s "Bean Pavilion" and Viel''s "Wheat Pavilion" were battling it out for the top spot.

    It''s a predictable flow, but food-related products are still strong.

    Regular visitors who come to these two pavilions with no particular purpose in mind always stop by and try the bean and wheat dishes, and they become repeat customers.

    It seems that the farm''s ingredients are as tasty as drugs for the people of this world.

    At first, I thought it wasn''t flashy enough to be a "bean vs. wheat" showdown between staple food and staple food, but it turned out to be a heated battle because the ingredients were farm products.

    Also, there were no other side dishes on display.

    During the exhibition period, the competition was fierce, but the wheat from Wiehl''s was better than the other wheat.

    They not only introduced breads, but also udon and pasta, and sales steadily increased, but halfway through, Lettuce Rate''s Bean House and Horcosfon''s Natto House merged.

    But the combination of the addictive nature of natto and the diversity of beans made it possible for them to regain their momentum and overwhelm Veal.

    ''''Nunnu~!¡¡I can''t afford to lose to a ningen with the pride of dragons and wheat on the line~!''''

    I don''t know if he said this or not, but when it came to the climax of the game, Veerle forbade it.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you''re in a position to make a good impression.

    Fruit bread, fruit udon noodles, fruit spaghetti, and other items that would normally make you question your sanity were a huge success due to the novelty and the deliciousness of the fruits themselves.

    The victory was confirmed by a decisive margin, but I thought I should be careful because it was against humanity.

    It was then.

    Even Dorian''s tree spirit Dorian Caiou came over to cheer him on.

    ''''Master Veerle!¡¡I can help you too!

    What the hell?¡¡! You''re not coming!¡¡It stinks so bad, people will run away!¡¡If you want to help, you better go to the feather woman!¡¡Go sabotage my business with a stench!''''

    I don''t know if I said that or not.

    Sure enough, Viel''s ''Wheat House'' was contaminated by the stench of durian, and it was shut down earlier than expected before the grand finale.

    It seems the deliciousness of durian was still too early for this world.

    Well, it was good to see that the relationship between Veerle and the tree spirits was good.

    Just like that, the Grand Prix crown was given to the duo of Lettuce Rate & Horcosfon.

    It feels like another step forward in their ambition to control the world with beans and natto.

    There were many other accomplishments as well, and the team of artisans who were the impetus for the original expo seemed to have had a productive period.

    The elves were able to show off their skills to the artisans in the Demon City who visited every day, and the placement of the workshops of the new elves as aftercare went smoothly.

    As for Eto and the others who went to the fairgrounds to steal....

    After that, we negotiated with the Demon King and things went smoothly, and Eto and the rest of the "Tsuji Kaze Sobe-Kiri Gang" atoned for their sins by treating them as laborers in their respective artisan guilds.

    Now they participate in each elf pavilion and are being drilled in the basic techniques by the old elves such as Elon and Maerga.

    It seems that they will further pass it on to the craftsmen of each demon race.

    It was a treatment that would kill two birds with one stone, raising the level of craftsmanship in the Demon City and encouraging the rootless elves to settle down.

    In addition, the ''Mermaid Pavilion'' was organized by Prati in addition to others.

    The mermaid medicine worked well for various injuries and illnesses, and the place was crowded with injured and sick people every day.

    It seems that the development of medicine and pharmacology in the demon kingdom has been lagging behind due to the presence of magic, so Prati''s "Mermaid House" seems to have greatly enlightened the people.

    The Demon King who stands at the top of the nation and Prince Arowana are mabuddies, and there may come a day when trade is established and mermaid potions are distributed in the Demon Kingdom.

    I think Prathi created that opportunity.

    By the way, before I knew it, Prati taught the mermaid who was scouting the area the method of the terrestrial humanization potion, so that she could return to her original form and return to the sea at any time.

    But when the trade began in earnest, she was given the responsibility to be the local commander, and she said she would stay in the demon kingdom for the time being.

    Other than that, the family members and boyfriends came to the "Clothing Hall" run by Bati, and the "Liquor Hall" in Bacchus was shut down early because of the overflow of drunken people who began to bother the surroundings.

    Aside from the organizers, I began to visit the venue five times a week from the first day the teacher arrived.

    At first, people were afraid of the teacher because he was the No-Life King, but they gradually became more open to him, and by the last day, he was treated like a specialty.

    The rumor that if you ask the teacher to pick up your child, he or she will help him or her to grow up healthy has spread, and many mothers are willing to ask him or her to pick up their sons and daughters when they meet him or her at the expo.

    The children were scared and cried out, but the teacher laughed and picked them up and gave them memories (not traumas) that will stay with them forever.

    It was suddenly noisy for the teacher, who has spent time alone in the depths of the millennial dungeon, and I hope you enjoyed it.

    Also, Demon King-san called his brothers who live in the region after the exposition, and he was happy to see them again after a long time.

    They''re also making progress in repairing their relationship with their father, the Great Demon King, and the Demon Kingdom will continue to be safe from now on.

    * * * *

    Such an achievement.........

    The Farm Fair has successfully completed its stipulated period of operation and has reached its finale.

    There were many requests for more, but the expo ended on time, once and for all.

    On the final day, the event drew to a close with a record-breaking number of visitors.

    Good night!

    After the last customer was dismissed, we had a launch party with just the exposition staff.

    The food was lavish in its own right.

    ''I didn''t know what to expect at first, but it was pretty fun,''

    ''That was awesome!¡¡I''ve had the first handful of responses to the awesome power of the beans!

    and lettuce rates.

    This guy who made the pavilion the most prosperous may have enjoyed the expo the most.

    This is the end of the expo. We''re going to eat and drink tonight because we''re tired, but we''ve got to make sure we clean up after ourselves tomorrow.

    Cleanup?

    This venue.

    It is good that it was built in a hurry for the exhibition, but it is necessary only during the exhibition.

    Once it is over, it is no longer needed.

    You''re right. What are you going to do with it?

    We''ll destroy it without a trace, okay?

    Isn''t that what expositions are all about?

    When the festival is over, it will all be gone, and its transience is good.

    So, tomorrow, I want you to start taking things apart, Orc team.

    Yes, sir.

    Okubo and his team seem to know this, and they have no hesitation in destroying their own work.

    They believe that crash and build is the key to do-it-yourself projects.

    "No, wait, wait, wait, wait!

    That''s where Mr. Shax comes in to cling to me.

    The chairman of the Pandemonium Trading Company, the so-called great merchant.

    He''s also one of the organizers of the exposition, so he was present at the launch, but what''s going on?

    ''I can''t believe you''re tearing down these amazing buildings!¡¡Please don''t!¡¡There''s plenty of ways to reuse it.

    That''s all right. We''ll take them apart in the proper order and reuse the building materials.

    ''''In that sense of repurposing, ah!''''

    He was something of a stubborn Mr. Shaks.

    But I don''t think leaving a group of buildings this far away from the city won''t help," he said.¡¡The end result is that they will be left alone. It would be dangerous if it became a place for thieves and monsters to live...

    ''''Ugh. ........Then at least leave that tower alone!

    Oh.

    The Sun Tower of Babel?

    That tower will remain a symbol of this fair forever.¡¡Please, please, not that tower!¡¡It will be the ultimate tourist attraction as the tower where God descended!

    It''s true that that tower where the Sun God Apollo descended.

    If you destroy it, Apollo gets displeased and says ''I''ll destroy the demons after all'', then that''s a problem.

    I understand. Let''s keep that tower.

    Yeah!

    I worked on the tower myself, and I''m very attached to it.

    It''s a good thing that we''ve decided on a plan for dealing with the aftermath, and the long and frenzied exposition has now come to an end.

    The next step is Okubo Castle........the events will continue.......?

 402-400 Planning Meeting

    Well, the expo is over and it''s early days....

    We have to rev up our engines for the next event.

    The Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle.

    It all happened last winter.

    Last winter, I listened to the wishes of the Orcs who wanted to build a castle and left the farm.

    The castle was named after the leader of the Orc team, and before I knew it, it was named after the leader of the Orc team.

    But building it on an outsider''s land later became a problem, and the lord thought it was an act of invasion and attacked and used athletic equipment to intercept the attackers.

    In the end, Okubo Castle was a large scale participatory athletic event. And it became the site of that event.

    The first edition of Wind Cloud Okubo Castle was a great success, but that wasn''t the end of it.

    Because it was so successful, there were many requests for a second event, so the decision was made to hold a second event in response to that.

    Exactly one year after last year''s event, it was decided to hold a second one.

    It was the end of winter.

    It was the end of winter and we started preparing for the second event, the Wind Cloud Okubo Castle, at that time.

    Along the way, we had to make some sudden decisions, such as holding the Farm Fair, and our schedule got cut up.

    At the same time, preparations for the Wind Cloud Okubo Castle were also being made.

    The winter has become even less busy than usual, though.

    The Farmer''s Exposition ended without incident, so we''ll be concentrating on Okubo Castle.

    From here on, we''ll be talking about preparations for the second Okubo Castle and the actual event for a while.

    I will now turn back the clock a bit and talk about the early stages of preparations for the event.

    It was right before winter, when the decision on the Farm Fair had not yet been made.

    * * * *.

    ''Err, so...''

    I will address the main group of people gathered here and state my agenda.

    "We are conducting the second planning meeting for Wind Cloud Okubo Castle!

    ""Wow."

    Crackle, crackle, crackle........

    No, it''s not really something to applaud?

    The fact that it''s so exciting in the planning stages means that people are looking forward to it too.

    It''s a big event during the busy winter months.

    Let''s do it, my boy!

    The one who is especially excited about it is Okubo.

    It''s also the fact that his name is in the plan. And he''s the one who started it all in the first place. We need him to be motivated.

    But I don''t need to worry about him, his motivation for the event is maxed out, and the rest of the architecture-mad orcs are very enthusiastic about it.

    This single point alone was enough to guarantee the success of the event.

    All of us orcs are going to make this event even more difficult than last time!¡¡My arms are going to be ringing as I don''t want to let a single clear out!

    ''Shitty difficulty breeds disrepute, so make sure it''s moderately clear, okay?

    Yes.

    The agenda for this year''s event is to see what attractions will be available based on the lessons learned from last time.

    Okubo Castle is a user-participatory athletic event.

    Last year''s event also featured thrilling challenges that required the use of the entire body, such as crossing an average platform and avoiding large rocks that tumbled down a slope.

    This time, we''re looking to use that experience to create a more severe game balance, and we hope that our customers will get a thrill, an excitement, and a sense of accomplishment from completing the event. Let''s bounce ideas off of each other, shall we?

    I''m sure you have some thoughts on how we could have done this or been more aggressive at that event last year, so let''s build up the event based on those.

    Then, first and foremost, let me make a suggestion from this Oakbo!

    Oh,

    At any rate, it''s the facial role of this event, Oakbo.

    I thought a suitably energetic proposal would be submitted.

    This is the second attraction, and we''re going to replace everything that was institutionalized in the first!

    "What?

    That''s so bold!

    "Castle Okubo is constantly evolving!¡¡That''s what we''re going to show our users!¡¡Shattering the naive notion that last year''s experience could give you an advantage!¡¡I''m going to show you a whole new Oakbo Castle!

    Okubo''s tension gets crazy when he''s involved in this event.

    It''s a different story when your favorite is involved.

    But if we have to replace all the attractions..., can you make a replacement?

    "Don''t worry!¡¡Our entire Orc team has already gathered our wisdom and come up with fifty-six and seven ideas!

    ''''Many!?''''

    Oakbo wasn''t the only one who was excited about the event.

    The Orcs are generally in a trance.

    If they were left to their own devices without pulling the reins at this point, wouldn''t they be able to complete an outrageous Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle that would far exceed the previous one?

    Please hold.

    Then, the long-awaited brakeman.

    It was one of the foreign students studying on the farm, a child from the human race.

    Why was he here?

    I took part in last year''s Castle Oakovo as a user.

    "Oh!

    Event experience?

    You''re right, user input is valuable!

    How far have you come in the last year?

    The third gate.

    This guy is way ahead of me, who retired at the second gate.

    This year, I''m going to clear all of them!

    As someone who experienced last year''s event, I can tell you that changing everything can be confusing. People who experienced last year''s event and want to come back because they want to have the same experience as last year. If it''s completely different, they''ll be disappointed.

    ''''Ummm...?''''

    Okubo snorts at the more solid opinion than he expected.

    That''s the argument that always arises when making a sequel.

    "I''m going to make a new ________ that''s completely different from the previous one!

    "If it''s completely different, do an entirely new one.

    He said.

    I don''t think there will ever be a resolution to that debate. It''s important to both challenge the new and protect the old.

    So in this case, too, we''ll take in each of the arguments in moderation.

    "Let''s keep the attractions that were popular last time and replace half of the old attractions with half of the new ones. Let''s talk about which of the old attractions we should keep first.

    Then let''s switch out the third barrier attraction!¡¡It''s my first time killing!

    He was filled with resentment towards the attraction he had been eliminated from.

    ''And Okubo. Five hundred dollars is too much, you need to narrow down the list of potential new attractions. Or at least no more than ten.

    ''Then this ''Hell!¡¡I urge you to adopt an attraction where ''iron balls fly in from all directions and at the same time the ground sinks and is swallowed by a sea of lava.''

    Rejected!

    Why is the broken difficulty created by the creator''s runaway consciousness unacceptable?

    This needs to be checked by a third party every single time.

    ''Master, master...''

    And in the fullness of time, Veerle joined in.

    To the meeting.

    "I''ll be there this time, won''t I?¡¡Where are you going to put them?

    ''''So I''m not letting you join!

    Realize that as soon as you, the dragon, come in, the game balance will be destroyed!

    You are forever banned from Castle Okubo!

    Anyone else have an opinion?¡¡In order to push aside Veerle''s suggestions, we need a lot of announcements!

    Well, how about this?

    Oh!

    Next time I''d like to make this kind of alteration to the castle tower. It has nothing to do with the attraction, but...

    Oh,

    * * *

    This was discussed in the late fall, just before winter.

    Looking back, I wonder if Veerle''s exasperation at not being able to participate in the event over here exploded elsewhere?

    The "Wheat House" she opened at the Farm Fair was of great quality and brought a whirlwind of gluten to the Demon City...

    Veerle was able to enjoy the exposition to the fullest.

    While the fair was going on, the Orcs were also preparing for the second Orcobo Castle at the same time.

    Mainly, the sub-leadership of the orc team. Orkla, Orkma, Ork Ninusi, Ork Torver and others were leading the renovation of the castle.

    When the exposition had successfully reached its finale, and it was time for us to join them in preparing Oakbo Castle, a strange thing happened.

    The second, Wind Cloud Okubo Castle.

    It was announced that the event was cancelled.

 403-401 unpredictable war

    It was already really electric.

    On the first day we arrived to prepare for the second Okubo Castle, we were informed that it had been cancelled.

    "Okubo Castle has been cancelled?

    How come?

    It''s so sudden that I don''t even know what to say!

    I''m so sorry...!

    The one who apologizes flatly in front of me is the lord Dalkish.

    Oakbo Castle is located in the territory he governs, and we can''t proceed with the events without his permission.

    Incidentally, he became this world''s first international married couple after getting a demon tribe as his wife, and just recently, he seems to have had a long-awaited heir son.

    It was worth the effort of negotiating hard with that hard-to-get-together Hera Goddess.

    Be that as it may, Mr. Dalkish is now a standing event co-organizer.

    Since the profits from holding Okubo Castle extended to the territory, even he should have been positive about the second Oakubo Castle.

    So why the cancellation of the event after all this time?

    That''s it?¡¡The profit didn''t reach the target?¡¡So there''s no point in holding a second one?

    This is so unreasonable!

    No, no, no...!¡¡In the first place, the previous profit figure was fixed last year, and we were able to earn many times more than the annual profit raised by the entire territory in just one event. I can''t thank you enough.......!

    Then why did you stop...?

    Oh!¡¡We didn''t get a complaint?

    Some shill for some nasty little organization that says, ''This event is outrageous! Or something like that!

    ''If that''s what you mean, I''m fine!¡¡We are backed by the most powerful person in the world, the Demon King!¡¡Ask him to beat the moral harassment out of him with power...!

    Let me tell you that the right argument is not always right!

    ''No, that''s not what I''m saying...!¡¡Besides, the Demon King has also given his approval for this cancellation...!

    The Demon King is one of the participants!

    As one of the participants, the Demon King is one of the participants, "This is the year I''m going to break through the first gate! You were so eager to do it!

    What''s the reason for that?¡¡What kind of a reason could cause a cancellation of a meeting with a demon lord?

    It was a mutiny.

    The words came out of Mr. Dalkish''s mouth more disturbing than I expected.

    Rebellion!¡¡Why did you do such a stupid thing, Mr. Dalkish!

    ''It wasn''t me!

    Oh, it''s not Mr. Dalkish.

    It was a surprise and a loss.

    ''''The mastermind of the rebellion is the lord of the Grand Balg Domain, a large territory two neighbors from here. He had the delicate bloodline of being the grandson of the two previous human kings, and he was in an ambiguous position even after the destruction of the human nation, but I never thought he would start a rebellion...!

    Mr. Dalkish also had a blush on his face.

    ''''Although the human country has been destroyed, the lords still have the duty to govern the warfare that occurs within the country. I must quickly gather my troops and work with the other lords and the Demon King''s army to put down the rebellion.

    And that''s why they''ve cancelled Castle Okubo...?

    If we can''t put down the rebellion as soon as possible, there is a risk of warfare spreading throughout the former human country. This is certainly not the time to be holding a carefree festival.

    Oh, my God, yes.

    ''''Even if it were to be held, the Grand Balg territory where the rebellion took place is a major transportation hub. People who live in many parts of the human country will come here through that territory.

    If that place is blocked off by war, the second Oakbo Castle will drop incomparably from the number of visitors it attracted in the first edition.

    No, this is not the dimension to worry about.

    If the rebellion is prolonged and the traffic in that something-or-other great territory continues to be blocked off, Dalkish-san''s territory could be cut off from people and dry up.

    ''''Is it likely that the rebellion will be put down soon?''''

    ..........

    The silence came back.

    ''''.........I don''t know. The other party is one of the most prominent great lords of the old human country. In addition to having an army and a large amount of materials, its central city, Melkaide, is a city with a defensive power that is known as a fortified city.......

    Dalkish-san''s expression became cloudy.

    ''''The walls surrounding the city are the largest, not just in the old human country, but even including the demon country. It is said to overwhelm the others in height and thickness. It''s also one of the leading trading cities in the country, so if they were to rely on their stored supplies to siege the city, how many years would it take them to do so...?

    What''s that story about Odawara Castle?

    It is true that if they are holed up in a solid fortress, they will not be able to attack it easily, and if the situation is bad, it will take years to defeat it.

    In a prolonged war, the burden will be on the attackers rather than the defenders, and in the worst case, they may not be able to hold the line of battle and will have to retreat.

    If the traffic is divided and the civil war continues, people will be more anxious.

    There will still be people who are dissatisfied with the rule of the Demon King''s army, and

    If rebellions were to erupt here and there in response to the prolonged civil war, the human nation could be plunged into an unprecedented era of warfare.

    The other side, perhaps realizing this, has not made any moves to attack us and has adopted a complete siege strategy. That alone would be enough to cut off traffic and damage the current regime....

    It''s definitely not a festive atmosphere...

    Even Mr. Darquish got his wish and finally had a boy with his wife.

    How sad that he had to go out to fight, leaving his newborn child behind.

    Even if it is a lord''s duty.

    I don''t like war.

    ''Then let''s crush the war,'' he said.

    ''''If that rebellion is put down immediately, the human nation will be safe, right?

    What?

    The second Oakbo Castle will also be held without delay.

    ''Oklahoma, Oklahoma,''

    Ha!

    He called out to the sub-leader orcs at his side.

    ''''Have you completed the contraption in the example yet?''''

    Just be ready to move whenever you are.

    They''re very reliable.

    Hold on, sir!¡¡It''s true that with the help of a saint, you could put down a rebellion in a second, but this is only a matter of a human nation!¡¡It must be settled by those who live in the human nation!

    As a lord, he is a firm and proud statement.

    Don''t worry. We have no intention of infringing on your profession. But as your friends, we''ll do everything we can to help you.

    ''What are you doing?!''

    Mr. Darquish''s expression was tighter than when he announced the rebellion.

    ''Because your generous help is unimaginable!

    That''s all right. Just a little help.

    First of all, me, Orcubo, and the rest of the farm people won''t be involved in the fight.

    If we did, we would be directly involved.

    It doesn''t mean that the people are going to take matters into their own hands.

    Then there''s another thing.

    The stinkers that were slammed into Oakbo Castle should get their comeuppance at Oakbo Castle.

    Our involvement in this case with us is entirely through Oakbo Castle.

    We''ve been looking forward to Oakbo Castle since before winter and now you''re trying to force us to cancel the event.

    We will not have our fun interrupted!

    We''ll put down the rebellion today, and we''ll hold the Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle as originally planned!

    I''m sorry.

    I will support you.

    You''re really here to help us, aren''t you!¡¡First of all, how do you plan to retaliate at Castle Okubo?¡¡They''re in a territory far, far away, next door, next door!

    It is true that castles are regional bases.

    They exist to protect and cannot be used to strike out on the other side.

    A building cannot be moved from its place.

    But entertainment is about making the impossible possible.

    One idea that came up during the planning meeting.

    The idea had been adopted and was already viable.

    Thanks to the hard work of Okura, Okuma, and Ok Ninusi and the others while we were building up the expo, we were able to do it.

    Then let''s set out immediately.

    Any delay in putting down the rebellion will hinder the holding of the event.

    Normally we don''t want to fight, but we do.

    For the sake of the festival, it''s up to us, and Okubo Castle, to do the right thing.

    Sally forth!

 404-402 Poor Lord

    I am Osennim, Duke of Grand Balg.

    I am the man who will be the new King of Humanity!

    My mother, the wife of the former Grand Balg Lord and Lady of the Grand Balg, is the unmistakable beloved daughter of the previous Human King.

    Although she lost her royal status when she surrendered to my father, she still has royal and noble blood in her veins.

    And that bloodline has been passed down to me.

    That means I have the right to take the throne as the Man King!

    Of course, in peacetime, it would be sinful to wish for such a thing.

    I''m a vassal and a servant of the royal family.

    But!¡¡That revered royalty is gone!

    Every single one of them was executed by the evil Demon King''s army!¡¡Maybe!

    Then I will have no choice but to stand up for myself, even if my blood runs thin.

    It is the duty of a noble bloodline that runs through this body.

    ........Although I thought that I was going to do it, I couldn''t quite put it into practice, and for about two years I was complacent.

    Even if you revolt, you don''t feel like you can win.

    The Demon King''s Army was powerful. Even if we are a great fiefdom, it''s not an opponent that the lord class can raise an army and fight properly.

    Moreover, the occupation and governance by the Demon King''s Army is very generous right now.

    Low taxes, generous protection. Cheap taxes, generous protection, and the people are indulging in these practices, and they say, ''We''d rather be ruled by demons! ''I don''t want to go back to the days when royalty and the Faith were overbearing! They can say as much as they like.

    They can''t even expect the support of their own people, not to mention that they can''t win with a decent army, no matter how you look at it, they have no chance.

    After two years of calm analysis of the situation, he realized that ''now is not the right time'' and maintained an attitude of ostensible obedience.

    It''s time to say, ''''Is it time to go on like this?'''' And just as his ambition was about to be quenched, he appeared.

    The messengers of the Order.

    The Order, a huge power that once ruled the human nation along with the royalty, the Order.

    That''s why there were survivors.

    They had survived by hiding underground.

    ''''.........Lord Osennim of Grand Balg is the one who is the sorrowful nation. The vessel that would become the leader of our times.

    The messenger of the Order who sneaked into my house secretly saw through my essence.

    I''m sure you think so too?¡¡I''m the future king, right?

    It''s time for you to stand up. Although the people are ostensibly in love with the demons, their true intentions are the opposite. They must be dreaming of returning to the age of human pride.

    I''m not so sure about that.

    I think you mean it when you say that the people''s grasses have accepted the rule of the demon kingdom, don''t you?¡¡Because it''s nice to see the natural mana being returned and the administration being cleaned up, right?

    f*cking ambitious person, you''re a calm and collected man.

    Huh?¡¡What did you say?

    No, that''s all right. We, the Monastic Rebellion, are here to help you behind the scenes.

    What kind of clever name is that?

    "The resistance is made up of the brave men and women of the Order who escaped the clutches of the Demon King''s Army. Blessed be the god Zeus, and since we stand with you, we are assured of a public victory.

    Eh, but didn''t the Order escape first when the Demon Lord''s army invaded?

    You can never have too many allies, but you can''t play with someone who might run away in the nick of time, can you?

    "d*mn solid......... As expected of an old raccoon who has survived in this era of turmoil.

    Why are you being so cryptic?

    Hmmm, now that I''ve thought about it, joining forces with you guys would be too risky, so I think I''ll just sit this one out for now.

    My chance to be the King of Men will come.

    Shut up!¡¡Then they can control your mind with their magic!

    What?

    It would be useless to an innocent person, but it would be enough to convince someone with undeserved ambition!¡¡No need to think about the messy details!¡¡You just need to push on with your foolish ambition.

    * * *

    Okay, I''m going to start a mutiny.

    So I''ve caused a rebellion.

    Why is that?

    "We will bring justice to the wicked demon king''s army and the foolish people who follow him.

    That''s right!

    You have been sent by my confidant, the League of Religious Rebels!

    Cool name for an organization!

    As you wish. Now, my lord, let''s raise the specter of the revival of humanity from your domain. If a person as big as you move, I''m sure other lords and bureaucrats will respond in kind. Or even the most powerful members of the Adventurer''s Guild.

    Hahaha, I''m not flattered.

    But the more allies we have, the better. Let''s issue a proclamation to all the lords in human country.

    ''''This is an excellent decision. Now the restoration of the Human Nation can be accomplished.

    So I wrote a lot of letters.

    I sent them.

    I received replies.

    It was very disappointing.

    "My dear Lord Grand Balg. I did not think you''d be as stupid as you are.

    From the very beginning, the sentence is so powerful that it makes your face goop.

    It is an ironclad rule for conquerors to eradicate bloodlines that are connected to the royal family, no matter how many relatives they are separated from. However, the generous Demon King''s Army would only blame you if you were a clear-cut royal, and even allowed you to serve in important positions. Your act is a betrayal of that Demon King''s army''s favor.

    I don''t need to say it with such force.

    ''''I am also a foreign relative, but I am also allowed to be a lord. Therefore, I cannot allow you to do this. I''m not going to let you get away with this. I''ll have your head on my shoulders to secure the lives of all the lords of humanity.

    This was a declaration of war, to say the least.

    What''s the point of being sold a fight in response to a letter asking for cooperation?

    The other replies are full of harsh words such as ''traitor'', ''traitor'', ''does not deserve to live'' and ''kill by our own hand''.

    I felt my heart breaking.

    In the end, even my son, whom I had sent as a hostage to the occupation authorities....

    The fact that he had rebelled against me while I was being held hostage meant that he had abandoned me. That''s why I''m going to kill you with my own hands!

    He replied.

    ''P.S. I handed the letter my dad sent me urging me to revolt straight to the Governor. ''Good grief.''

    Will the Demon King''s army know that I''m planning a rebellion?

    What did you do, you stupid son?

    I''ll tell you what, you stupid father.

    Don''t anticipate my feelings and put your response in a letter!

    It''s no use to us now. "There is no choice in the matter. We must mobilize our troops and prepare for battle. It''s a matter of seconds, sir.

    Uh-huh. Yes.

    "The city here in Merkaide, controlled by the Lord, is a fortified city surrounded by the largest walled city in the world. If we stick to the siege, it will take years to bring it down, and in the meantime, the main roads within the human world will be cut off and traffic will be paralyzed.

    That''s right.

    The damage to the Demon King''s Army, which is now on the side of the ruler, is immeasurable...?

    ''''We have already unleashed our own men in every corner of the city, and have taken hostage the families of our garrison commanders. I won''t be able to disobey your orders just in case. Get to know me. I declare a holy war to reclaim the holy human nation from the demons!

    What, you''re really good at this?

    All right, Dad, I guess I should declare war!

    * * *

    The day after we announced the start of the war, the city of Melkaide, where I am from, was completely surrounded.

    The formation was a mixed army consisting of a vigilante corps led by the surrounding lords and a unit dispatched by the Demon King''s army.

    ''''........Isn''t that too fast of a response?''''

    "Because you''ve been sending letters here and there inadvertently, haven''t you?

    I knew it...?

    Because it was you, the messenger, who asked for allies.

    I was surprised that no one else came on board.

    I''m afraid that''s inevitable. We''ll just have to do what we can to get out of this situation. Even if you don''t have any backup, you''ll still have this impregnable fortress city of Melkaide!¡¡We''ll fight for years until we run out of power here!

    Can''t we just keep fighting until we''re done?

    Couldn''t you be the Eagle King?

    No, wait, why did I want to be the man king?

    The moment I tried to remember something important, an event happened that didn''t matter.

    ''''My lord!¡¡Oh, my God!¡¡Enemy reinforcements!

    Yeah, don''t make a fuss about it. There are plenty of reinforcements coming in the future. We won''t be able to last much longer if we''re overreacting.

    You''re right, sir, but the reinforcements that have shown up this time are different, or...?

    Unusual?

    What the hell is going on?

    "They''re attacking a whole castle!

    Hmm?

 405-403 Oak Castles Moving Castle

    It''s Osennim, lord of the Grand Balg territory, again.

    I have found myself in a desperate situation.

    I am surrounded by both human and demon armies as a traitor.

    And what''s worse.

    And what''s worse, something unidentifiable has appeared.

    What was that, really?

    As I was standing on the edge of the ramparts looking out, something huge caught my eye.

    Huge.

    It''s so huge that at a glance it looks like a building.

    It''s piled up with stone walls, and the top is........what is it, painted with mud?

    But the walls are so white and flat that it''s hard to believe they''re earthen walls.

    If I had to decide what to call that building based on its solid construction and scale, it would be a castle.

    It was a castle indeed.

    A castle right in front of our city...?

    Are you saying it was built for a siege, an overnight castle?¡¡No wait....?

    Neither the eagle nor the messenger of the Order could understand what happened next, and their minds went blank.

    The castle moved.

    It was slowly crawling on the ground, and was definitely moving toward us.

    The messenger and I screamed together.

    The castle?¡¡The castle is moving!

    You don''t mean to tell me that''s how you got here?¡¡On the ground!

    The unbelievable event is astonishingly unbelievable and confusing.

    What is going on?¡¡How did this happen?¡¡What is your goal?¡¡What would be the purpose of moving the castle?

    Just as I was starting to lose my train of thought as these questions erupted, I heard a call from the mysterious moving castle.

    ''''Ahhhh, Myktes, Myktes, it''s sunny today, but the waves are high.''''

    What is it?

    That''s very loud, isn''t it?¡¡How well does it sound that the castle is so far away from here?

    ''Are you making the voices themselves louder?¡¡Is it some kind of magic?

    You really don''t know what''s going to happen in the future, so you have to watch it with all your might.

    ''''Saint, let me be the one to make the recommendation,''''

    ''Oh, yeah?¡¡Then please.

    The owner of the huge voice changed from normal-looking to young and sharp.

    ''''........Gohon, I tell you, Grand Balg Lord Osennim. I am Dalkish, Lord of the Warkia Frontier.''''

    The Walkian frontier?

    What does that little lord of a small fiefdom want with me, a relative of the royal family?

    "I''ll be blunt. Surrender. I''ve been assured by the occupying authority of the Demon King''s Army that I''ll spare your life if you surrender now. Your actions are reckless from the point of view of victory or defeat, and are a nuisance to our people. I sincerely hope that you will now return to making a wise choice.

    Sigh.

    That would be good too.

    ''''Oh no, is the shock of the moving castle releasing your brainwashing?¡¡Magic Overlay!

    "d*mn you, you young bastard!¡¡I am the man who will be king of the human race!¡¡A new dynasty of humanity begins with me!¡¡I''m going to guillotine you and the rest of the world for a change!

    Well, that''s a relief.

    A moving castle is a fake.¡¡What good is a moving castle going to do for the war?

    We should just ignore them and pay attention to the huge army that surrounds the city!

    "Well, since you refuse to surrender, we''ll just have to open fire.

    Huh?

    Can you hear me, too?

    ''Then experience it to your heart''s content. This Okubo Castle what is it again?

    Didn''t you just rephrase that?¡¡I asked you again, didn''t I?

    I don''t know what it is, but the fortress surrounding my city Melkaide is the largest in the world.

    Even with the magical magic they use, it''s impossible to break.

    If you want to fall prey to the arrows and stones that rain down from the top of these walls, then come at me!

    "Catapult ready.

    Huh?

    What''s going on in the upper part of that moving castle, and something big is coming out of it?

    What''s that?

    Armed and loaded, aim and fire!

    Oooh!

    Something flew out, running over the looming behemoth!

    It was as if an arrow had been shot from a bow. But it was dozens of times bigger than a bow and arrow!

    What the hell!¡¡What was shot out?

    Something that flies over our heads.

    It was so far away and flew so fast that we couldn''t see it with the naked eye.

    Moreover, the unidentified mysterious object easily flew over the world''s highest city walls and fell into the city''s interior.

    ''''Ahhhhhhhhhh!

    My walls!¡¡Our city''s ironclad defenses were breached so easily!

    ''''Calm down, they might as well be rocks, judging by their size, but one or two of those things could fall into the city. It won''t even cause a scratch in this big city!

    "Idiot! A huge rock hitting a civilian would be a disaster!¡¡The people of the city I rule!

    I hurriedly had the soldiers check the situation, and they gave me an unexpected answer.

    ''''My lord!¡¡An object thrown in from outside the city is not a rock!

    Then what?

    It''s a person!

    Huh?

    ''''Perhaps they''re flying soldiers who have been treated with magic to absorb the impact and throwing them inside the city walls!¡¡More and more enemy troops are coming in!¡¡There''s no way to prevent it!

    It''s true that while I was listening to the report, something was being shot out of the castle and falling inside the soldiers.

    Are you saying that that something is the enemy soldiers themselves?

    How absurd!

    ''Yeah!¡¡Where the enemy enters, there will be one or two of them!¡¡We can surround them and kill them immediately!

    The messenger of the Order shouts for the eagles, but the response from the soldiers is not good.

    ''''But the raiders are stronger than we thought, and even if we surround them, they won''t be easy to take out.

    What the...?

    Although they are all children under 20 years old, their swordsmanship and magic are so skillful that no ordinary soldier could ever compete with them!

    In the meantime, the movements thrown from that castle are repeated, and I don''t know how many projectiles have been put inside the city walls so far.

    If all of them are enemy soldiers, and all of them have the strength of a single horseman, then our city could be crumbled from the inside as it is!

    ''''Eh, you useless bastards!¡¡Fight harder!¡¡Kill and clean up a few soldiers as soon as possible!

    The messenger of the Order also lost his cool and pushed the eagle away and ordered him away.

    Then another soldier came running in.

    ''Report!¡¡I see the purpose of the raiders!

    What?

    It is true that the opponents are not sending soldiers to us just for fun.

    In order to defeat us who are holed up inside the city walls, they must have some definite objective in mind.

    If they were to cut a small number of elites deep into enemy lines and aim at us....

    The most likely scenario was a single general fishing.

    "Hee!¡¡Don''t tell me it''s here!

    The messenger of the cult noticed the same thing and got scared.

    "Gather all the men you can find.¡¡Don''t let the enemy get too close to us!

    "With all due respect, sir, the enemy is not targeting you.

    Huh?

    ''You... or rather the families of the captains you''re holding... The intruders got us out of there in one piece. And I want you to blow up all your friends on guard.

    No way...!¡¡You think...?

    If you get the hostages back, I have no reason to follow you!¡¡Bring my lord back to his senses!

    Seeing the messengers of the Order being beaten up by the soldiers, I thought to myself.

    It''s not easy, is it?

    Hey, what are you doing?¡¡Rude to the messenger of the Order...?

    Yeah.

    ...hmmm?

    What was I doing?

 406-404 A castle run by orcbos

    Yes, it''s me.

    It''s me.

    Let''s go back in time a bit....

    It was right around the time we were about to launch from Mr. Darquish''s territory.

    * * * *.

    "Move Castle Oakovo.

    This was one of the ideas that came up in the planning meeting.

    I''m sure the guests will be very surprised when Okubo Castle starts to move.

    There''s nothing more to it than that.

    If you ask me if anything will happen because the castle is moving, I can''t really say that anything will happen because it''s a user-challenged event.

    People who see it are surprised and that''s it.

    But it looks fun, so we make it.

    That would be the hobby world.

    Orkla, Okuma, Okuninushi, and Oktober were working on the second ''new'' attraction for Okubo Castle at the same time we were holding the exposition, and they had successfully completed the moving Okubo Castle.

    ''But it''s only the keep, though.

    ''''It''s not as if we can move the entire castle.... It includes natural objects...

    Orcs who are also humbled.

    That''s what I''m talking about.

    ''''It''s amazing just how much you can move it in the castle tower!

    Really.

    Let me explain here that the keep is just a part of the castle. It''s the thing that rises gleaming in the middle of the castle.

    It''s the one that''s on the wall of Nagoya castle.

    It doesn''t have any particular meaning, but it''s a symbolic facility of the castle, but that''s why people will be surprised if you move it!

    So I tried to make it move.

    ''''........You mean to move this to the battlefield?''''

    The first thing that puzzled me when I was told the summary was Lord Dalkish.

    He is the first one to be puzzled.

    ''''People will be gobsmacked, won''t they?

    You''re right, they will get past you, but...?

    In a fight, you have to spook them to win.

    And in that regard, nothing is more effective than our moving castle of Okubo (the keep only)!

    ''Don''t worry!¡¡The new mobile Okubo Castle has a whole lot more on board!¡¡It will surely help in the fight!

    Oh!

    And so, Okubo Castle went to war.

    Okubo Castle, get going!

    With my call, the castle leaves the ground and advances at an appropriate speed.

    It''s really happening.

    Mr. Dalkish''s jaw came off in astonishment and his eyeballs nearly popped out of his head.

    ''It''s tremendous, Saint!¡¡So the power of the saint has gone so far!

    Ha ha ha, not so much.

    No, I''ve heard. In the saint''s stronghold, there''s a ship that can operate by its own power?¡¡This castle also has some sort of magic trick built into it that makes it run faster than human knowledge!

    Did you hear about the magic steamship?

    But this mobile Okubo castle has another power source.

    The power source is...!

    "It''s carried by the orcs.

    ''''Hahhhh!

    At the bottom of the keep, all the Orcs from our farm were lifting the castle and carrying it in a hurry.

    Like a mikoshi?

    In other words, a mobile Oakbo Castle.

    Power.

    People power!

    You didn''t think it was going to be that primitive?

    There''s no way I''d ever do anything else...

    You''re right, with wheels and caterpillars?

    It takes too much time and effort to develop a drive engine and make it practical.

    So, the most accessible drive engine.

    I''ve decided to rely on human power!

    No, orc power precisely because the orcs are carrying it?

    ''But are you sure?¡¡How could even an orc carry such a huge castle...?

    Darquish is right to be worried.

    I''m also a bit worried about whether the Orcs'' strength can last until the battlefield, which is located in the next-door neighboring territory.

    I took a look at the bottom of the castle to see if the orcs could keep up their strength.

    The orcs carrying the castle up.

    ''''Wasshoi, wasshoi!

    "Light.

    It''s lighter than I thought.

    Hey, we don''t all have to carry these things, do we?¡¡I''ll take half of it.

    ''You mean it would be easier if we took shifts!¡¡You''re so smart!

    It''s not as bad as I thought.

    As expected of our Orcs, our Orcs are specially made. It''s not hard to imagine that they could lift a whole castle tower.

    "We''re going to attack the battlefield like this!

    We''re going to blow your mind with our awesome mikoshi.

    Whoa, whoa, whoa!

    Oh, when did you get into the groove of the fight mikoshi?

    The castle is on its way to the battlefield.

    Our strong Orcs trudge all the way to the destination, carrying the castle with ease...

    * * * *

    And when we actually got to the battlefield, our Oakbo Castle was the center of attention.

    From enemies and allies alike.

    ''It''s amazing, Mr. Dalkish!¡¡We''re standing out on the battlefield!

    ''''It will be, but...?''''

    Dalkish was puzzling over whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

    Anyway, the war started.

    They refused to surrender, so they decided to attack.

    "Catapults ready.

    It was like a gun barrel coming out of the middle of Oakbo Castle.

    This was one of the new projects of the Wind Cloud Okubo Castle.

    The human catapult, as it was called.

    ''''Fire!''''

    It''s not a shell or a stone from a thrower that is fired with the barrel of a gun at the call.

    It was a person.

    This was a turret designed to shoot out people themselves!

    Let me explain.

    First of all, I''ll cast a spell on the person I''m shooting out, so that they can absorb any impact once and stay safe.

    Then we shoot them out of the catapult.

    That''s all.

    Now we can transport the person itself to a remote place by a bullet.

    Even jump over high walls.

    Now we can send our forces to the enemy''s stronghold surrounded by the walls without any effort!

    What a bold idea...!¡¡Saints, you had this kind of trick prepared in advance?

    This is one of the new attractions.

    Me, responding to Mr. Dalkish''s excitement and explaining it to him.

    The original idea was to make a flying attraction.

    Flying feels good, and I thought it would be fun to make a game where you fly and land on a target area.

    That''s how we came up with the human catapult.

    Is it powered by rubber?¡¡Air?¡¡Gunpowder?¡¡Linear?

    This is also human-powered.

    I''m going to eject and get a push back from the orcs. That''s all it takes to get a person to fly.

    There was a concern that the crucial shock-absorbing magic would be released when the Orcs pushed him back out, but we were able to solve this problem with refinement and practice.

    ''''Come on, Orcbo Castle''s human turret!¡¡Beyond the enemy''s defenses and inside!¡¡Send in my best men!

    By the way, a catapult?¡¡And the soldiers we''re sending into the enemy''s camp at...?

    These are the international students who have come to study with us.

    A promising boy and girl who are living in our house on a farm study abroad project.

    They are catapulted out from time to time.

    As I said at the beginning, the farm is not going to be directly involved in the war.

    The reason is that once an Oakbo or Gobukichi or whatever comes directly to the front, it becomes a one-sided game, which could cast a shadow on the world''s balance of power until later.

    Although I feel like it would be ruined once they set out at Oakbo Castle...!

    In this respect, foreign students are the ones who are expected to return to our society in the future.

    There is no problem for them to play an active role in the front line, in fact, it will be a spectacular debut for the future elites.

    ''''Don''t be timid. ''''Don''t be timid, if you guys can fully demonstrate what you''re learning on a daily basis, you should be able to kick that level of enemy lines without a hitch...!

    The teacher who came with me because he was worried about his students.

    He''s excited to be next to me.

    I''m not missing a single one!¡¡You guys are strong!¡¡You can do it!¡¡You are not rotten oranges!''

    Doctor, please calm down...

    If I get too excited and you leave, that''s the worst one-sided game of all, right?

    I''m afraid, however, there''s no time to worry, and it looks like our side will win hands down.

    In fact, the inside of the city walls is a real-time situation.

    Verena uses her clairvoyant magic to show me the inside in detail.

    ''''If it''s demon race versus demon race, it won''t be easy like this, being countered with inhibiting magic, though.......''''

    The state of the enemy camp shown through Verena''s magic was the heroic appearance of the normal warriors of the foreign students.

    As expected of them, they were strong, as they were being instructed by their teacher every day.

    ''''Inside, there seems to be someone holding an important person hostage. Is this why the soldiers are compelled to follow...?

    Well then, let those people go and we''ll settle the matter.

    And that''s not going to happen........

    ''''Then let''s try to use the back of the house to push the envelope here!

    The back of the hand?

    Actually, it''s just what we want to use.

    The final weapon in this new, moving castle of Okubo.

    Use the main gun!

    "Shuhou?

    I was born a Japanese boy, and I can''t escape the spell of big ship big gun policy.

    The only way to win is to unleash a big one.

    A blatantly yucky barrel of artillery extending from Oakbo Castle.

    It was several times larger than a human catapult.

    ''''Firing from that barrel is the supremacy that rises from the Okubo!¡¡We will use the power of the ultimate orc as a beam cannon!

    We''ve come all this way and you still need help?

    Well, everything in this castle of Oakovo is orc-dependent, is it not?

    In any case, the supreme energy that Okubo releases with all his might can annihilate a city like that one a hundred times if it flies in a directional manner!

    This is the perfect trump card for Castle Oakovo!

    The weapon, which uses the Orcobo''s supremacy as a cannonball, is called the "Ha-Do Cannon"!

    I''m going to shoot you.

    Oh, wait a minute.

    When I''m in a groove, Verena pours out.

    We''ve just received a flag signal from a student who''s rushing into enemy territory. I''m taking the enemy commander prisoner. Hmm, the battle is over.

    Well....

    Without playing our best trump card, the battle ended in a landslide victory for us.

    I''m glad to hear it, though!

    Mr. Dalkish was very angry at me.

    As you can imagine, the last one was too badly ridden.

 407-405 Princess judgment

    Thus the rebellion in Grand Balgue territory was put down in less than a day.

    Fortunately, we were able to capture the ringleader and his party without any casualties in this battle.

    There were no civilian or even combatant soldiers killed.

    It was a miracle.

    ''This is all thanks to the saints.

    Mr. Dalkish shook my hands and thanked me.

    He was so angry at me earlier.

    ''It was only with the support of the saints that I was able to subdue him like picking up a kitten. It''s only because of the power that separates us from the norm that we can successfully subdue everything!

    I tried to blow it all away with my powers.

    That was a bit too much of a joke, wasn''t it?

    ''What about the mastermind, my lord?''

    ''''That''s a complication...?

    After hearing the details, what is it, the lord here was also a victim?

    It''s as if he was brainwashed with legal magic.

    Brainwashing?

    That''s not right!

    It was the remnants of the Order. They approached the Grand Balg Lord Osennim and forced him to listen to their words by brainwashing him with magic to incite him to revolt. Fortunately, we were able to capture that sorcerer as well, so I''m not worried...!

    Even if the worst person is the one who was pulling the strings behind the scenes........

    I heard everyone is at a loss as to how to deal with the lord who was being manipulated.

    ''''If the lord was just plain bad, we would just frankly dismiss him and be done with it...''''

    There are too many extenuating circumstances for him to have been manipulated regardless of his self-will.

    Is he guilty in the first place?¡¡So, I hear they''re in big trouble right now.

    ...so cut off my head right here and now.

    Is this the lord who is supposed to be the most evil person this time, saying solemnly.

    ''''My outburst has created a crack in the trust between us and the Demon Lord''s Army, the most important army at this time of year. The only way to fill that crack is to pay for it with our lives!

    Well no, but it''s the remnants of the cult that manipulated the Lord, isn''t it?

    "And yet, legal magic cannot deceive the heart of the utterly innocent!¡¡I fell into their trap because I had ambitions to be king one day, and they saw right through me!

    Surrounding the blame-filled lord, the other lords all looked at each other, ''''We''re in trouble...? The other lords all had this look on their faces, ''''It''s going to be troublesome.......''''

    If they were all lords of the same lords, everyone knew this war criminal lord and everyone knew each other.

    Deciding to execute his acquaintance would be the most difficult thing to keep awake at the limit.

    If this person was not at fault for the core of the crime, it was even worse.

    If possible, I''d like to keep things quiet, but considering the trustworthy relationship between me and the Demon King''s Army, I can''t hand down vague punishments to the traitor.

    Only by crying over the hillbilly''s back, can the rule of law be maintained.

    If it works, it doesn''t work.

    Just when we were all struggling to find a way out of this dilemma....

    Cee-jae!

    Hmm?

    Was that a voice calling out for me?

    Where are they calling from?

    Ceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    So where are we going to find them?

    Is that it?

    A dot of shadow in the blue sky above us.

    From the silhouette, ''Is it a bird?'' I thought, but no.

    The wings spread out to the left and right are certainly bird-like, but they are too big for a bird.

    And the center of the bird is very close to the ground.

    The silhouette of a fascinating woman.

    The person with wings was the angel Horcosfon.

    And Holkosfon is flying in the sky with another person in his arms.

    ''Ceja!¡¡I''m calling you, so why don''t you just find out!

    Lettuce Rate?

    Princess Lettuce Slate, the exiled princess, has arrived.

    You flew here, hanging from a holcos phone?

    Let''s get you down!

    ''Yes!¡¡Toh!

    Lettuce Rate fell from the air away from the Holkosphone.

    From the looks of it, it had an altitude of twenty meters, but it didn''t let that stop it from landing in a spectacular five-point ground-rotation and rushing towards me with its momentum.

    "Ceja!¡¡What the hell are you waiting for here?¡¡We don''t have many more days until the event date!¡¡Hurry up and go back and finish up!

    Apparently, they were in a hurry and came to pester me.

    Even though the Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle is in danger of being held due to the rebellion, the rest of the members of the team are determined to do it as planned anyway, so the rest of us stay on site and work hard to prepare.

    Everyone believes that we can put down the rebellion and hold the event, but there are some people who are intolerant, and that''s exactly what this guy is, a lettuce rate!

    ''Our beans are on a ride right now!¡¡The expo proved that the beans are going to be everyone''s favorite!¡¡Now that we''ve conquered the Demon Kingdom, it''s time for the Human Kingdom!

    You''ve just won the top spot at the Farm Fair, your own "Bean Pavilion".

    We want to build on this momentum and move to the next level!¡¡For this year''s Okubo Castle, we''re shifting the target audience from attendees to spectators, and we''re going to set up a stall-like facility to sell beans in a big way!¡¡But that winning plan won''t be a total disaster if the event itself isn''t held!

    Didn''t I tell you why?¡¡We need to do something about the rebellion here, or we can''t hold the event itself!¡¡That''s why I''m trying so hard to subdue it!

    What!¡¡What happened?¡¡You''re the one who''s trying to thwart my ambitions?

    I point at them silently.

    The person I was pointing at was the one who was in the cult of the one who was being manipulated, because the poor lord who was being manipulated was poor.

    ''''It''s you, huh!

    ''''Heehee!¡¡Are you the Lettuce Slate Princess?¡¡What do you say!¡¡If you stand up, you''ll be the symbol of the anti-magic tribe taking back the human nation!

    The cultist''s claim was indeed a good argument, but not at the current lettuce rate it reaches.

    ''''Shut up!¡¡You interrupted an event for that kind of nonsense!¡¡You ruin the chance for so many people to interact with the beans?

    Heeeeeee!

    d*mn you, Xu!

    Lettuce Rate''s cannonball punch pierced the cultist.

    That one hurt.

    The farm work and the nourishment of the beans that I consume every day combine to make Lettuce Rate grow so massive that I couldn''t even imagine it from the first meeting.

    Even with a bare-handed punch, Veerle and I can easily beat them at the first level of this dungeon.

    "Guegh Granny!

    I still won''t forgive you!¡¡That''s for green beans!

    That''s for peas!

    "This is for the peas!

    Yeah, for peas!

    That''s for the peas!¡¡For red beans!¡¡For the cashews!¡¡........and this is for the peanuts!

    Pathetic.

    The cultists who were beaten up by the Lettuce Rate, which was no longer a rigid forceful warrior, were blown away by the raggedy zorkin.

    ''''To those who despise the beans, there is only death.

    I said something rather scary.

    ''''Princess Letaslate!''''

    And then all the old brothers around him are all flipping out at the same time.

    Towards the lettuce rate.

    ''Oh my God, what''s the matter?''

    No, you''re the princess.

    Oh!

    Don''t look as if you just remembered.

    ........The people gathered here are the lords of the Lord Human Country.

    You will naturally know the face of Lettuce Rate, who was once one of the top of the human nation.

    .........Huh?¡¡Could this be super annoying?

    ''I did not know that the Princess Lettuce Slate was alive and long lost, and that her mists were not of this world...!

    ''Lift your head, Lord Zestodend. I''m not a princess now, but a bean-counterpart, Lettuce Rate.

    You''re changing classes.

    ''So you don''t even have to thank me. I can now accept the destruction of the human nation, too. To be honest, the beans are more important than that.

    Don''t be blunt, that''s not how it works.

    ''I hear you, it''s always the Faith that''s to blame in the end. So why don''t you put all the blame on the Order?

    But then the justice of the law will...!

    is the defendant, Osennim?¡¡Was it three?¡¡I was in charge.

    ''''It''s annoying. Well, I''ll tell you what. Ceja, do you have a piece of paper and a pen?

    Okay.

    I handed him a set of writing instruments, and Lettuce Rate smoothly wrote something down.

    It''s one of the most nurturing aspects of this guy I''ve seen in a long time.

    I''ve written this here. "In the name of Princess Lettuce Slate of the Human Kingdom, the Order is immediately disbanded and the Priests are ordered to return to secular life without any exception.

    ''''Oh!''''

    I don''t have any power after the destruction of the human nation, but the members of the cult who rely on the old power will have to obey this order. It''s all you can do.

    You''re right.

    I think I''ve never seen this guy so smart before.

    "If we deliver this to the Demon King''s Army, it will be a great help for them to crack down on the Order. As a reward for that, you can ask for forgiveness for Lord Grand Balg''s sins. Now it''s all settled!¡¡We''re going back to Ceja and we''re going to play Castle Okubo!¡¡And we''ll sell the beans!

    After all, this guy was only thinking about beans.

    Thus, the rebellion riot in the human country was settled by the participation of the exiled princess Lettuce Rate in the blitz.

 410-408 Further spring

    Spring is here.

    Time to get started.

    Spring is coming when the snow melts and the earth appears, ready for farm work.

    The spirits of the earth have finished their winter dormancy and are coming out of the ground.

    ''Long time no see!

    It''s been a long time since I''ve seen you.

    I''m looking forward to working with you again this year!

    It''s a New Year''s Day.

    The energetic children have announced the arrival of spring.

    Festivities here and there are over, now it''s time to get back to tinkering in the dirt!

    All right, gentlemen, let''s go for it.

    Since it was the end of the season, we held a ceremony with all the residents of the farm.

    There are a lot of people here.

    There must be at least three or four hundred people here.

    Anyway, everyone shared their motivation and started to work with "Eeyore".

    We set to work on the farm.

    First, the Goblin team led by Gobukichi cut the weeds that were growing even under the snow at the speed of the lawnmower.

    I touched the soil, which had been plowed by the Orcs with power and was in just the right condition, and prayed that the crops would sprout.

    ''Grow well!''

    Now it actually grows.

    You don''t have to sow seeds to get them to sprout.

    It''s because of the ability of the "supreme bearer" that resides in my hands.

    It is the ability to draw out the latent potential of anything I touch beyond its limits, or rather, to draw out what is not latent.

    The soil touched by me is able to exceed its limits and sprout seeds that I haven''t even sown.

    What''s that?¡¡However, this ability allows me to grow crops from my previous world that don''t exist in this one.

    Through years of breeding and improvement, I can grow produce from my former world that is very tasty.

    The taste of these products is very popular in this world, which is probably one of the reasons why they were so popular at the Farm Fair and at Okubo Castle.

    We served farm food at those events, too.

    Mostly beans and flour.

    After that, we scattered the hyper fish manure created by the mermaid team, and then we said, ''Please grow up healthy,'' and we put our hands together for a break.

    Now they will start to sprout tomorrow.

    The fertilizer that the mermaids make from the fish monster will make the crops grow ridiculously fast.

    It grows faster and tastes better, too.

    So our farm''s crops are proud to be the best in the world....

    But we are not without our faults.

    For example, the crops sprouted by the Bearer of Excellence do not have any seeds.

    There is a part of the plant that should be called a seed, but when you try to plant it, it doesn''t grow.

    When I dug them up to see if they were seeds, I couldn''t find any. It seems to be decomposed as soon as possible and returned to the soil.

    Probably a pseudo-crop produced by the ''supreme bearer''. They thrive and are treated so that they do not affect the original ecosystem.

    Anyway, the crops I produce will last only a generation.

    So even now, the beginning is from the "supreme bearer".

    We can''t keep doing that forever, so a new attempt is being made.

    This is an attempt to grow our world''s original seeds, which are imported from outside.

    The duo of Lettuce Rate and Holkosfone are taking the lead in this endeavor, and although they have ambitions to "rule the world with beans," they are not satisfied with the beans that come from the "supreme bearer" that will only last for one generation....

    Only by multiplying and prospering can they cover the world with beans!¡¡So I also ordered beans indigenous to this world that can do that, and I''m growing them in parallel with the beans I generate.

    .........By the way, beans are the seeds themselves, so they are likely to be affected by the invalidation of the seeds by the ''supreme bearer''.

    The beans just don''t grow if you plant them, but their taste and processing seem to be the same as normal beans.

    It''s a wonder.

    And as for the lettuce rates of this world''s indigenous beans that can reproduce and thrive, I hear there''s a problem with that too.

    "They don''t taste much better...!

    And.

    After all, the wilder crops of this world are no match for the improved crops of the other world.

    We can''t have the taste of the beans that Ceja grows for us to be able to attract the public.¡¡"This is one long and short...?

    "Don''t give up, let''s keep at it, lettuce rate.

    That''s how I wanted to support their positive attitude.

    ''If you cross a good bean with a good bean, you''ll get an even better bean, won''t you?'' And I gave them a hint.

    It''s a true breeding principle, but the girls, being honest at heart, took the idea and started crossing beans with beans from this world.

    That was last year.

    We have hyper-fish manure, so the results of the crosses were immediately apparent, and then one day in the springtime....

    Hey Ceja!¡¡Look, look, look!

    I came to show him the results of my research.

    ''I found out something interesting!¡¡If you cross a variety that produces round beans with a variety that produces wrinkled beans, for some reason the odds of producing round beans are higher!¡¡It''s not 50-50!

    "It''s a mystery, lettuce rate.

    ...lettuce rates have been the first to discover Mendel''s Law.

    In this world.

    I left it at this minute, thinking that the law of dominant recessiveness would find itself on its own.

    Other than that, a spring-like scene....

    Is it the foreign students?

    They are learning on our farm to become the future leaders of the Devil''s Country, Mermaid Country, and Old Human Country.

    No, a lot of couples have been forming for a long time, but the pinkness of love has become even more intense in the spring.......

    It''s spring.

    ''''Hey, hey, Litisseus, do you like me?''''

    You like it?

    Ask me if I like it too.

    Do you like me, Mr. Ellingia?

    ''Don''t get cocky!¡¡There''s no way I''m going to like you!

    It''s not fair to pout at that point in time.

    ''Oh, no, no, no!¡¡I love it!

    The flowers of love are in full bloom.

    In the first place, all living things are born to fall in love, and they are the ones who should fall in love the most at this time.

    That''s why it''s fine to fall in love, but it''s hard to guess what''s going on with them when they''re so dense.

    "Let''s be unhappy!

    Finally, some people began to lose their minds to the overly rich color of love.

    It''s the "Frozen Witch" Puffa.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who has the skills to make the world''s finest potions.

    You''re younger than me, and you''ve never been happier than you are now!¡¡This is inexcusable!¡¡Songgokphone!¡¡I''m going to blow up every bit of sweet air these guys generate and be done with it!

    Miss Aisa.

    The free angel Son Gokhon, who had come to play, hurriedly seized Manakanon as he turned to him without hesitation.

    ''''Wah!¡¡No, no, no, no, no, no!¡¡¡¡What are you doing, Puffa!¡¡Sunggokphong shouldn''t listen to Pfa in this state either!''''

    Because...!¡¡Because they want to erase these guys from the world even though they can''t marry yet.

    But you''re also engaged, you know.

    And to Arowana, the prince of the mermaid kingdom.

    If you''re his wife, you''ll be the queen of mermaids in the future.

    Why are you jealous of others when you have such a high rank?

    Engagement and marriage are not the same thing!¡¡In the case of you, you''re too far away to see each other often, which makes it all the more frustrating!¡¡I feel like destroying other people''s happiness!

    Although I say ''only once in a while'', didn''t you see Prince Arowana here yesterday?

    And he said he''d be back tomorrow.

    ''Ah!¡¡I can''t take it anymore!¡¡I want to marry you, I want to marry you, I want to marry you!¡¡I want to see my master, I want to see him every day, I want to see him every minute of the day.

    "Miss, pull yourself together. I''ll drink with you to relieve your sorrows.

    Supported by Songgokphong, Pfa headed for the brewery controlled by Bacchus.

    Perhaps he would drink painfully in the daytime and get desperate.

    That''s a bad trend...

    Ugh, Platy?

    Before I knew it, Prathi was standing next to me.

    Junior held her tightly too.

    ''As for my sister-in-law, I laughed for a while and watched the situation where she wanted to marry me but couldn''t and bit her teeth. I''m getting tired of it by now. I can''t even be a bait and switch when it gets that painful in the first place.

    It''s hard to tell whether he was kind-hearted or devilish.

    ''As expected, I thought I could marry my older brother after he won the martial arts swimming championships in a row, but I still didn''t forgive him,''

    ''I don''t forgive you for that, or rather I feel like I made you woozy, but...?

    I was going to drag it out as long as I could, laugh at it, but it got boring quicker than I expected. It''s a good idea to sponsor them and show them your gratitude in this situation, all things considered.

    Prati, I say to my future brother and sister-in-law.

    I want to support Prince Arowana and Puffa too. Do we agree on the general policy?

    With that in mind, I''ve already set my goals for this year.

    This year, I will marry Prince Arowana and Puffa.

 411-409 Making toys

    Well.

    I didn''t care about the other bastards.

    There was one thing I needed to focus on more than anything else.

    Junior.

    Born last year, my hope. Or rather, my son.

    A shimmering stardust.

    Junior is growing up fast as the seasons change from winter to spring.

    I can''t take my eyes off of him for a moment, because the degree of change in a child at this age is day by day.

    Every day brings new excitement to them.

    Junior, especially these days, has already started to learn to crawl.

    Junior has gained a lot of mobility.

    He is like a tiger with wings; he can use his hands and feet to break into any place he goes.

    ''''It''s not safe over there!

    He''s going to fall!¡¡We are going to bump into each other!

    It''s not a piece of wood!

    At home, I feel safe because the spirits of the earth are watching over me, but I''m really afraid that children at this time of year are going to get into terrible trouble if I take my eyes off them for a second.

    Is there anything we can do to help...?

    Anyway, I wanted to make sure that junior didn''t go up to a dangerous place without permission, and didn''t hit or fall or touch anything dangerous.

    Then it occurred to me.

    Babies at that age are full of curiosity. They will go up to anything that catches their attention, which is a risk.

    So I thought if I gave him something more interesting and intriguing to do, he would be more likely to stay in one place and manage it.

    ''Let''s give them a toy.''

    Toys are of interest to children more than anything else.

    Toys grab children''s hearts and minds.

    That''s why children will gawk and cry with all their might in the toy section, and children are fascinated by toys.

    If junior has developed enough physicality to learn to crawl, he will also understand the fun of toys.

    It would be a relief to parents if he or she would quit the dangerous adventure because of their fascination with toys.

    In fact, Junior''s room is already crammed with toys, like the wooden horse (not the triangle) that Mieral made for him, and the rattles that the Demon King gave him through the Pandemonium Trading Company.

    But I think our junior has moved up a notch and is now at an age when he or she is playing with more intelligent and sophisticated toys.

    That''s why we''re going to develop a new toy that uses their overflowing intellect.

    The one that came to mind immediately.

    Building blocks.

    As the name suggests, it is a toy to be played with by piling up wood.

    What''s the fun in that? It''s a wooden block in various shapes that can be assembled to look like a variety of things.

    The blocks are made up of a limitless number of combinations, with as many endings as there are users. It is said to stimulate children''s imagination and foster a rich sensibility.

    Okay, let''s make some building blocks!

    To develop our junior''s sensibilities.

    The purpose is starting to blur early on.

    * * * *

    So I started to make the building blocks....

    First of all, I had to choose the right materials.

    What kind of wood should we use for a baby toy?

    Babies are delicate in many ways.

    Babies are delicate in many ways, and unintentional factors can be detrimental to their health.

    The various components of wood can have an effect on the human body and can have unintended consequences.

    I have heard somewhere that a camping trip to a camping site where people died of poisoning when they used a tree branch as chopsticks.

    It''s not that extreme, but babies don''t have the resistance and immunity that adults have, so you have to choose the materials more carefully than anyone else.

    If I didn''t have that kind of care, I would have chosen cedar wood as the only choice, but I wonder how it would be?¡¡Cedar for the baby?

    Cedar has pollen allergies and all that.

    What does pollen have to do with wood?¡¡You''ll be told that, but they are a baby. We have to take into account the possibility of that happening.

    Would premium wood cypress be OK?

    I think the high quality of the building blocks makes them very safe, and I want my junior to use them, even if they''re just blocks.

    But wait!

    I''ve heard that cypress wood is a problem for people who don''t like its distinctive smell.

    I''ve heard that it''s often used as a building material for baths because of its unique smell, but on the other hand, it''s not used for tableware because it interferes with the delicate fragrance.

    I heard it''s not allowed to be used for rice containers.

    After all, cypress may be bad for a baby''s delicate sense of smell!

    So what is it?

    ........lacquer is definitely a bad idea. It gets ripped.

    No, no matter what kind of wood it is, if the surface is varnished after processing, does it matter what the composition of the messy wood is?

    ... no!

    Children have a habit of wanting to put anything they get their hands on in their mouths.

    Even the building blocks are sure to be slobbered over with deloddero if passed to Junior!

    But what about it?¡¡How is it possible that the licked varnish can''t just melt off and get into Junior''s body and cause something bad to happen to him?

    I don''t know!

    I don''t know what''s right for the baby!

    I don''t know what kind of material is right for the baby, and I don''t know what kind of material is right for the baby, and I don''t know anything!

    * * * *

    In the end, I had to ask for help from the elves.

    Come to think of it, they''ve already told you about the time they gave Junior the wooden horse.

    If that wasn''t enough, we could ask them for help.

    So I asked the Elf Team for help.

    "The building blocks," he said, "are pretty ordinary for a saint.

    The squad leader, Mieral, told me.

    As expected, it seems that building blocks are orthodox children''s toys even in this world.

    "What''s this unusual toy?¡¡Building blocks!¡¡It''s wonderful! I didn''t think that was going to happen.

    I don''t care if that happens every time, it''s just too tiring.

    I''m not sure what kind of shape the building blocks should be in.¡¡A basic cube?

    There should be a variety of shapes. How about a triangle or something?

    ''No triangles!¡¡That''s a sharp angle!¡¡What if something goes wrong and it sticks in Junior''s face!

    You''re really overprotective, Saint.

    ''A gentle shape that won''t hurt you no matter what angle you hit it from.... Yes, how about a circle?¡¡Like a circular sphere from all angles?

    It''s going to be a hell of a challenge as a building block, isn''t it?

    He was a guy who was so overprotective that it was the opposite.

    How many blocks would be the right number of blocks?¡¡Twenty thousand?

    Less, please.

    Thus, with the help of Mieral and the others, the otherworldly building blocks were successfully completed.

    * * * *

    But this time, the completion is not the end.

    Everything is a standard for my breath junior.

    It all depends on whether Junior will like it or not.

    Will Junior be able to play with the building blocks?

    I held the building blocks out in front of Junior in fear.

    ''I thought they were making a mess, but I didn''t know they were making this mysterious thing!

    While being dismayed by his mother, Prathi.

    Junior took one of those blocks, of the building blocks in question, in his hand!

    ''''Oh?!''''

    Myeral, my co-creator, cheers with me.

    ''Junior''s interested in building blocks?¡¡Success?¡¡Is that a success?

    No, not yet. Children will always play in ways that are beyond our expectations.

    Indeed, Mieral is right.

    You just grab the pieces of the building blocks you''ve grabbed and buzz them around as if they were airplanes and that''s it!¡¡It could be a pattern.

    However, our junior was different.

    He piled up one block on top of another.

    "Oh!

    And then take yet another block and turn it on to yet another of the two stacks of blocks!

    "''Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!''

    Me and Miera caught up with me and Miera, and even Prathi cheered loudly.

    ''You understand this!¡¡Junior knows what building blocks are!

    That''s what I''m talking about, son of the master!¡¡That''s clever!

    We are the ultimate in parental stupidity.

    Junior put it on top of the third step, then on top of the fourth step. Junior put it on top of the third step and then on top of the fourth step.

    Like a tower.

    "...?

    While we were struggling to understand the situation, Junior knocked down the tower of blocks he had built with his own hands.

    The rattles rattle.

    And then he piles them up again from scratch, breaking them down and building them up again.

    This is like...?

    "Sai no masonry!

    One pile for my father, two for my mother, and so on.

    It''s a never-ending, self-supporting process.

    This is the junior way of having fun with blocks...?

    Babies never play with blocks in the way adults expect them to.

    I thought I knew the theory that babies don''t play with blocks in the way adults are supposed to.

    ...my child.

    Why do you have to play such a tricky game?

 412-410 Hammer Song and Tower of Dharma

    This is how I made the building blocks for Junior. He''s a good dad.

    But I couldn''t get enough of the building blocks, so I wanted to make another one.

    When I saw Junior piling up the stones at Sai-no-kawara (Sai no Kawara River), I remembered that it was a toy similar to that one.

    A toy very similar to that one.

    That is to say.....

    "Daruma Drop!

    The toy is a cylindrical stack of pieces that you have to tap and pull out and drop one by one!

    The rule is that if you can beat it to the end without breaking it, it''s OK.

    While it may take some time for junior to understand this toy, it''s not a bad idea to have it ready for him/her to grow up.

    I''ve been wanting to play with it for a while now.

    It''s a Daruma-drop.

    I used the leftover materials from the building blocks, so I used them to make this.

    I got the paint from Mieraal, and it was completed by coloring each piece gaily.

    This is the otherworldly Dharma doll.

    If you can make it in another world, anything can be ''Other World''.

    "Only the face is a tragic result, but...

    It can''t be helped.

    The "supreme bearer" doesn''t work on the artistic side of things, which is appreciated by the viewer!

    Oh well.

    I''ll play Daruma himself.

    "Right, there you go.

    A hammer strikes the second step from the bottom of the pile of cylindrical pieces.

    With a kerfuffle, the pieces fly out and the top part of the Dharma drops into the empty space.

    It settled in with no problem at all.

    ''''.......Oh no, the ''supreme bearer'' has been activated.

    The ''supreme bearer'' who draws out the potential of what he has in his hands beyond the highest, will be able to knock out the pieces of the Dharma Drop with just the right amount of force through the mallet he holds.

    Or rather, he can do nothing else.

    ''''I didn''t think that the gift given to me by God would have made my body unable to enjoy the Daruma Drop...?

    I did enjoy it, though.

    I beat out all the pieces smoothly and promptly cleared the Daruma Drop.

    Musou, fun.

    But the simple structure of the game makes it easy to get bored. Especially if you have zero difficulty.

    After playing it for a while, I''ll keep it until Junior is old enough to play it.

    But.....

    I thought, "What''s this?¡¡Isn''t that food?

    Veerle had already sniffed it out.

    Veerle, who comes in seconds when I make a new dish, was certifying it as an outlier because it wasn''t food.

    Originally, he could have appeared when I was making the building blocks, but since he didn''t produce any food, his sensors were probably delayed.

    Moreover, eventually the other residents were attracted to it and gathered around.

    ''Unusually, I thought they were making something other than food, but what''s this all about?

    Hmmm, a toy?

    That''s how they''re supposed to play it. A wooden mallet goes off to the side.

    Oh!¡¡What a novelty!

    "Daruma-dropping, they call it!¡¡It''s brilliant!

    Are we really doing that right now?

    "Whoa!¡¡You blew the whole place up!

    Those orcs have a hard time adjusting their strength.

    ''I don''t like chiming in...?

    Daruma-dropping became a big deal on the farm before it became popular among the juniors.

    Orcs, goblins, elves, mermaids, satyrs, earth spirits, and foreign students all became obsessed with gouging out the belly of a daruma.

    Sometimes, I thought it would be nice to have that kind of waiwai waiwai waiwai waiwai waiwai, so I left it at that.

    And a few days later........

    * * * *.

    Things were developing in an unexpected way.

    "What is this...?

    In front of me, there were swirling towers lined up in front of me.

    It''s about four or five meters in diameter?

    It was such a huge structure, but it wasn''t really a building.

    It was a toy.

    A giant toy that rivaled the building.

    Its name was the Gigant Dharma Drop!

    ''''You guys made it...?''''

    I look around at the throng of orcs, goblins and elves in disbelief.

    It seems that they were so impressed with the standard Dharma Drop that I created that they copied it many times over, making it the same shape but on a different scale.

    It would be easy to combine the building skills of an orc with the skill of an elf and the versatility of a goblin.

    But there is a difference between what they can do and what they do, which is the same, but separated.

    Why did you do it?

    Why did you actually make it just because you could?

    Because it sounds fun, doesn''t it?

    I thought I''d give it a try and make it the new attraction at Oakborough Castle next year!

    Did you intend for that to happen?

    Anyway, this is the life-size Daruma-dropping game that began.

    The difference is not only in size.

    The top of the giant pieces piled up in the shape of a cylinder was not the face of a Daruma doll, but a person.

    It was a person.

    What a giant Daruma doll with a man on top!

    ''Hahahahaha!¡¡I''m glad you''re here to beat me!

    I mean, you''ve lost most of these functions.

    ''A sense of balance cultivated in the woods!¡¡I''m going to show you what the elves are really like!

    I haven''t been up in a long time.

    From the looks of it, standing at the top of the giant Dharma Drop were Veerle, Prati and Elon.

    And Panu, the satyr.

    I don''t know why this choice was made, but the competition started anyway.

    On the ground, the orcs pounded with a wooden mallet the size of a rice cake making machine.

    If the object is large enough, it doesn''t matter how strong it is, so the Orcs'' movements were like full swing batting.

    Naturally, because the orcs were struck with all their might, it was a circular piece of daruma-dropping, flying through the air with tremendous force.

    The goblins were on the verge of catching the surrounding onlookers as they were about to jump into the air.

    And at the top.

    ''''Ugh! "Kyah! ''''Ha!'''' Huh...!

    The four women riding on the summit, the upper pieces are pulled down by gravity.

    The impact and shaking is so great that it would normally be difficult to stand.

    "Isn''t that why...?

    This is the element of victory or defeat in the giant Daruma-dropping game that is not found in the original Daruma-dropping.

    If the person on top couldn''t keep their balance and fell on impact, they would fail as well.

    The bottom player quickly punches out the piece, and the top player uses his sense of balance to stay on his feet.

    Is this the essence of this competition?

    It''s stronger than I thought...?¡¡The recoil is going to send me flying...!

    "Gubuhuhahahaha, you''re only a low life form if you''re distracted like this!

    At the top, Veerle was still showing off the dignity of the strongest creature dragon.

    No matter how vigorously it fell, it didn''t falter, as if the impact wasn''t felt.

    ''''Huh?¡¡If your posture is as solid as that, you can drop the piece with a bang at the bottom too!

    I''ll be the first one to reach the bottom!¡¡I''ll take the top!

    Did we have a rule about that?

    You can shoot out all the pieces and get the top players to the ground. The fastest one to do so is the winner.

    Well, in that case, the top player''s sense of balance is directly related to the winner.

    It''s because the bottom can''t punch the next piece until the top is stable.

    It''s directly related to how fast and slow the pace is.

    ''But Veerle''s stability isn''t half bad...!

    He didn''t move slightly, as if the impact hadn''t been felt at all.

    This would allow the riders below to continue hitting at a high pace and easily pull away from the rest of the field.

    As expected of Veerle.

    The dragon is always flying in the air, so does that mean he has a good sense of balance in the air!

    It''s like we''re really floating!

    ...Oh, wait a minute?

    Doesn''t that Viel guy really float?

    The same levitation magic that is used when flying in dragon form is also used in the human version.

    It''s not fair!¡¡I can''t feel the vibrations coming through if I do that!

    Wow, I''ve been found out!

    I got caught up in the spotlight because I was carelessly running at the front of the pack.

    Veerle is disqualified for violating the rules.

    The first other person to reach the ground and win the top crown was not Prati or Aileron, but Panu the satyr.

    She was a dark horse, but as a goat-beast, she was able to traverse the roughest terrain in the mountains and could climb vertical cliffs with ease.

    Her sense of balance was also the best on the farm.

    This is how a new kind of fun was born on the farm.

    It''s a new way to have fun on a farm, and it''s sure to spread to the rest of the world.

 413-411 Spring international students

    Hello, my name is Lytesseus of the human race.

    It''s been a long time since I moved to the farm of a saint for training and study.

    Now that the winter is over and a new year has begun, we are still doing what we do.

    During the winter months, we helped with the exposition, helped with and participated in the Aukbo Castle, and took part in putting down the rebellion.

    We were also involved in putting down the rebellion.

    I was one of the people who was thrown inside the Citadel Merkaide by a human catapult.

    I was the first to tell them to use me as bait to rescue the hostages.

    I wanted to fight with my buddy Eringire, and before I knew it, a separate team rescued the hostages and we won.

    So, in the spring, the festivities outside ended and we returned to the farm again.

    Now the farm is more like a family home again, but that doesn''t make me feel safe.

    There is no one place where we can feel safe on the farm of the saint who surpasses all common sense.

    Especially for us foreign students, we were terribly afraid of the dawn of winter.

    In the spring, they would wake up.

    The ones most feared by us international students will wake up.

    And indeed they did.

    Today we are going to be overrun by them.

    * * * *

    Long time no see!

    We''ve returned!

    I love you, sir!

    Spirits of the earth.

    For some reason, the spirits of the earth, which are supposed to be one with nature and formless, have become materialized on the farm.

    It''s not enough for them, they start cleaning up.

    They say that''s their mission given to them by the saints or something.

    And it seems that the area they clean includes the dormitory we live in...!

    You guys aren''t flipping out!

    Now that we''ve returned, we''re all free to live happily ever after!

    There is not a speck of dust in the sky!

    And you''re cleaning our room without even asking?

    You know what?¡¡What''s wrong with that?¡¡Because?

    I thought it would be rather nice if they would be organized.

    That''s a sweet, sweet idea.

    ''Let''s get on with it!

    I''m going to pick up your freshly mopped up pants.

    We''ll find out what''s underneath.

    And without reservation, our private parts are invaded.

    There is no sanctuary!¡¡Everything is laid bare and exposed.

    Wait a minute!¡¡Don''t touch that part!¡¡I''ll clean it up myself!¡¡I''ll do it, ah!

    !" one of the students begged.

    "I can''t listen to you!

    You will not find a rage.

    There''s no jibes!

    I want you to do a thorough search underneath those belly buttons!

    It''s like.

    It violates the secret realm of teenage boys, who are much more impressionable and sensitive than people around them think.

    "I''m going to find out what''s underneath the bed!

    Actually, these earth spirits hadn''t been around for a while because they were not allowed to work during the winter months.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more than you need to know about this.

    The timing of the attack was so unbearable!

    Hell!

    These spirits of the earth are our invaders!

    Well, why bother, boys?

    The spirits are coming to visit me, and I''m crying and screaming.

    That is, the girl students!

    In the meantime, the farm''s dormitories are divided between men and women, but you can come and go as you please!

    ''''What''s so sad about meeting such cute little spirits?

    ''Hey, cute!¡¡I''ve missed you all winter!

    The girls pick up the spirits and hold them up.

    When they materialize, they look like cute little girls and are small and tumble.

    They are small and rollable, and their reactions are honest.

    That''s why they''re so popular among female students who like cute things, and whenever I see them, they end up being adored.

    She''s so cute!

    Ka-wai-iiiiii!

    "Cute, wow, wow, wow!

    Kawaawaawaawaawaawaaaa?

    A strange voice peculiar to girls.

    Why do girls lose control over cute things?

    On the other hand, the adorable spirits wriggled out of the girls'' restraints and paper-thin embrace, wriggling away from the girls.

    They leapt from their chests and did a double spin in the air before landing.

    It''s Okizukimuyo!

    We have the shame!¡¡I won''t even look at it until it''s done!

    We''ll catch up later.

    The spirits don''t interrupt their work to play.

    That job is to trample our sanctuary of cleaning.

    I''m serious.

    So cute!

    I''ll see you later!¡¡You''re gonna be cleaning our dormitory, right?

    I''ll have snacks waiting for you.

    Thus, the girls returned to their rooms to get ready to welcome the spirits and others.

    .........

    Why, well, the girls don''t have an eye for something so cute.

    In order to escape from the reality of being overrun by the spirits, I decided to think about it.

    I''m a bit of a genie of the earth, but the girls are very fond of Porgy and his friends.

    Porgy and his friends are dogs that live on the farm and are actually some kind of wolf-type monsters, but I don''t know much about them.

    Dogs are cute.

    To the girls, that''s all they need.

    I often see girls petting Porgy and his friends before or after class.

    Porgy and his friends look confused, but they accept it with a resigned expression.

    Incidentally, Porgy is also popular with the boys, and they are happy to come over to us when we call them.

    Is it because they know exactly what part to stroke and how to moderate it?

    We''ve found them!¡¡I found a wicked thing!

    And the Yoshamo''s.

    The Yoshamo, which is a bird-shaped monster and is kept on the farm to get eggs, also has a niche fan base that tries to pick them up at every turn.

    A female fan.

    However, the Yoshamo are belligerent by nature and will inevitably attack you if you get close enough.

    I''ve often seen him try to pick her up and get kicked back, but recently I''ve seen him finally succeed in picking her up in yet another situation.

    ''A girl''s obsession with cute things, it''s amazing...''

    I looked up at the blue sky through the window and thought, "I found a kosuprei-sho!

    I have found a kosuprei prize!

    It''s a time to piss off your girlfriend!

    With the wailing of the men who had been exposed for what they absolutely did not want others to see, I was beginning to think that it was time to report to the saint and let him rule the place.

    I understand.

    It''s not the spirits'' fault.

    It''s Dr. Carp, the mermaid, who is instructing those girls to uproot the man''s treasure.

    A saint of higher rank must intercede because he understands the vexation of men''s emotions.

    I''m sure he does.

    I suppose so, but I''m getting quite parched inside.

    ...hmm?

    A cat.

    I noticed that the cat had slipped up to my feet.

    Oh, speaking of cute, little girls are cute and dogs are cute too.

    But cats are pretty cute too.

    Stroking the cat''s supple body somehow soothed my heart.

    I guess cute things have a soothing effect on people''s hearts after all.

    Aww, it''s so cute.

    Cat-chan is cute.

    .........hmm?

    Oh, did we have cats on the farm?

    No, look, there are cats everywhere.

    Aww, cats are cute.

 414-412 Cats have immortality

    You had a cat.

    Oh, no, it''s me.

    But there''s a cat.

    I was on my way home from farming when I saw her licking her feet on the side of the road.

    That''s a cat, right?

    It''s a cat, isn''t it?

    I''ll check with the accompanying gobbler, but I''m sure of it.

    It''s a cat.

    Cute.

    ''Chitty-chitty-chitty...''

    When I spot a cat, I purr my lips anyway.

    It always looks at me in response to the sound. Cats have a keen sense for everything.

    You should not approach them carelessly here.

    Stray cats are very cautious. First of all, stick out your index finger to the cat with your finger outstretched.

    They will surely walk up to you and sniff your fingertips.

    "Cute.

    She''s cute.

    Gobukichi understands how cute the cat is.

    Eventually he gets used to the smell and now he rubs his fingertips on the part of his whiskers.

    He is rubbing his scent on it.

    I suppose he is marking his own scent as a sign that it is safe to do so.

    Even if you put aside such a theory, the act of a cat rubbing against you is .....

    ''''That''s cute........!

    ''''That''s cute........!''''

    It was enough to steal my sanity away!

    In our world, this is how people have been fascinated by cats since BC!

    I''ve never seen this before. What''s going on?

    I wonder what''s really going on?

    This was the first time we had seen a cat on the farm.

    This was quite puzzling.

    If the cat was a local cat, we should have met him earlier.

    Even if he had come from another part of the country, it would be a bit unlikely.

    The farm is a few months'' walk from the nearest human settlement.

    ''Not entirely improbable, but...?

    Because I''m a man myself who trudged through those months to get here.

    I was able to reach it by grazing and fishing for food along the way.

    I think there''s nothing a cat can''t do, because I was a poor modern child, and I was able to do it.

    But he''s got nice hair for that, don''t you think?

    I pick him up with the cat''s side.

    It''s so submissive and irresistible that it''s hard to believe it''s a stray.

    Her fur was lustrous, and she didn''t look thin and gaunt. Rather, I got the impression of a beautiful cat with just the right amount of flesh and suppleness.

    ...and meth.

    Is it possible that someone else could have brought it in?

    I agreed with Gobbledy''s reasoning.

    It''s a good thing that I''m not the only one.

    It''s not hard to imagine that it''s not a good idea to be able to have a good time.

    It''s also possible that one of the foreign students brought it in secretly. It''s at that age. You''d probably want to have a pet too.

    I just wish you had been patient with Porgy and the others.

    If Gobbledygook was right in his reasoning, wouldn''t he be in a big hurry to get rid of his pet now?

    Pets are like family, so to speak, and I know how hard it is to be missing.

    It could very well be your cat because it''s so friendly, and we should take it home with us.

    So let''s see if anyone else is secretly keeping them.

    We decided to take the cat home with us.

    ''My lord, it must be hard to pick up even the cat with the farm tools in your hands. I''ll take care of it for you.

    Cute guy. You can take care of the farm stuff then.

    No, the cat one.

    The cat fell out of the slippery slope with a bit of a bang, fighting with Gov. Gov. Kichi for the cat-carrying role.

    ''Whoa!¡¡The cat''s unique mollusk...!

    Really, the cat is like a liquid at times.

    No, not even close.

    If the cat runs off somewhere like this, you''ll have a hard time finding it again!

    I thought....

    The cat wasn''t running anywhere, just running alongside us, clinging to our legs.

    Cute.

    Moreover, its mewing sound of ''nyah-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya.

    '' "Cute.........?

    In the end, me and Gobbledygookichi felt relieved until we arrived at Ine.

    * * * *.

    Then we arrive at home.

    The main house in the center of the farm is where I''ll be sleeping.

    I''m home.

    Welcome home. Want to stay for dinner?¡¡Do you want a bath?

    It is my wife, Prati, who greets me.

    After Junior was born, I left the brewery work to other mermaids to focus on the housework. She has been waiting at home for me to come home.

    Today, she came to meet me at the door again, carrying Junior in her arms.

    ''Hey hey hey listen to me, listen to me?¡¡.... hmm?¡¡What''s that?

    Prathi can''t help but notice the strange object next to me, crying ''naa''.

    ''He''s hairy like Porgy and his friends, but small, isn''t he?¡¡Hey, what''s going on?¡¡Come to me.........?

    As soon as the cat takes one look at Prathi, it jumps up to her at surprise speed.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find the right one. You''ll be able to hear the ''hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm'' sound.

    You''ll be able to see that it''s a good thing.¡¡Are you really that close to me?¡¡He liked me!

    There''s no one who would be offended by being fondled by a cat, so that''s why. I''m not afraid of being smelled by the cat.

    I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

    That''s why I wondered if this was the first time he had ever seen a cat....

    But is it because she is a mermaid that she is so fond of cats?

    Cats are so well known for their love of fish that it is sung that cats are chased with fish in their mouths.

    Such a cat is so eagerly smelling the mermaid''s platee...?

    The smell of the ocean...?

    "The smell of fish...?

    Me and Gobukichi shivered side by side.

    ''''Yah, she''s cute!¡¡What is your husband?¡¡Are you going to keep her?

    Prathi was also instantly captivated by the cat and melted down.

    ''''No, if it''s this friendly, it must be a cat already owned by someone else. I''m going to look for an owner now.''''

    Let''s start with the most black students.

    With that in mind, I went to the students'' dormitory with my cat.

    * * * *

    "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

    "Pussycat!

    Hmm, pussy cat!

    ''''Ababababababboooh!''''

    The tension of the students reached a climax all at once as they dealt with the cat.

    This is that thing.

    It''s that thing that happens when a stray dog wanders into the school.

    They were surrounding the cat, especially the girls.

    ''This is a pattern where the cat is more exhausted...?

    However, the important thing, the student who said she had this cat didn''t come forward.

    I don''t feel that she is silent because she doesn''t want to be scolded.

    This cat does not seem to be owned by a foreign student hiding.

    Moreover..........

    If it was this cat, would you have seen him before?

    I''ve seen you in the dorms a few times, haven''t I?

    I thought it was a local stray cat...

    I even got a testimonial from someone who said

    Apparently, this cat has been on the farm for quite some time.

    Where the hell does it really come from?

    Finally, when this cat''s presence was beginning to creep out.

    "There you are.

    "Oh, doctor?

    The No Life King teacher came to visit.

    But he''s not looking at me.

    ...to the cat?

    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of these things, but if that''s the case, you should at least say hello. Even though you are so small and hard to find...

    What do you mean, sir?¡¡I mean, who are those words to?

    "Hey, there''s the cat.

    What?

    Sensei at last!

    ........No, I don''t think Sensei, the king of the immortals, would be blown away.

    Could it be that this cat, Sensei, is his owner?

    Everyone would go blurry in front of the cat!

    "No, I don''t want to own him, I want to know him,

    ?

    ''''You are misunderstood because of such a form. With the highest longevity, knowledge and magic among the No-Life Kings, the .......Doctor of the No-Life King.''''

    The doctor said to the cat.

    The cat mewed ''nyah'' in affirmation.

 415-413 Supreme King of Immortality

    "Sneeze, don''t let them know you''re here.

    "Shavettaettaaaaahhhhh!

    The cat shattered!

    The cat!

    "Calm down, Your Holiness, that''s no ordinary cat.

    "Because?

    "It borrows the body of a cat, but the astral body in which it resides is not the same as that of an eagle. Like an eagle.

    You''re like your teacher.

    You mean...?

    "A No-Life King like me. I''m the oldest of all the No-Life Kings.

    Dr. No-Life King?

    That''s what this cat is!

    I am no more than a little over a thousand years old compared to this one. I''m only a little over 1,000 years old compared to this guy. I''ve learned everything I need to know in my eternal life, and yet I still use the body of a cat to roam the world in search of knowledge. That is the way to be a doctor.

    Oh, no!

    He''s so cute!¡¡He''s just like his teacher inside, even though he fawns over people all the time.

    So he''s a hawkish grandfather?

    Isn''t that a scam?

    I''m not a swindle, I''m a cute cat.

    "Shavetta!

    "Cats have the right to be loved.

    He wags his tail and thumps the floor while lying down.

    That arrogant attitude is just like a cat''s!

    But how did the No-Life King turn into a cat?

    I''m not transformed. "I didn''t transform, that cat''s body is a real cat. That cat''s body is that of a real cat, and not the body of a doctor.

    The doctor explained on his behalf.

    The doctor''s main body is still stored deep in the headquarters dungeon. The doctor is possessed by a cat, sending its astral body flying because of that ''main body''.

    The No-Life King''s body is a hybrid of body and astral body, so it shouldn''t deteriorate over time, but after 4,000 years of moving it, it''s going to get old. I thought, "Well, it''s going to die out if I don''t move it," so I kept it intact and used the cats'' bodies instead.

    "I''ve wanted to think about it for a while now, but why the cat?

    "Cats are cute!

    "Cute, but...?

    Oh my God.

    It was the cat that appeared on the farm, the No Life King.

    I thought it was odd that I saw him on a farm where cats were not supposed to be present, but I didn''t think it was a good idea.

    I didn''t know there was such a great cat in the farm.

    The No Life King, one of the world''s worst disasters!

    And the most awesome of them all!

    Yes, I am one of the Three Sages and One Fool, the most powerful of all the No-Life Kings. I''m the No-Life King with the longest life expectancy of all of them.

    You''re the doctor who came up with that weird title, aren''t you?

    ''I put you among the "Three Sages". You''ll be glad you did.¡¡The criterion for selection is that you must be able to win with a Geyser Dragon and a tern.

    One of these awesome no-life kings comes to our farm!

    What''s the farthest thing from cute and tense about cats?

    "There''s no need to be afraid. "Don''t be afraid, this guy''s foundation is definitely cats.

    Through the mouth of a cat, says the doctor?

    I''m connected to cats all over the world through the astral network I''ve built through my years of magical research. I''m connected to cats all over the world through the astral network I''ve built up through my years of magical research, and I share my senses by borrowing their bodies whenever and wherever I need them. Thanks to this, we can observe any event in the world in real time.

    But can you perceive that much with your cat''s sensory organs?

    It''s going to be okay. The eyes, ears, nose and whiskers of a cat are much more efficient than those of humans.

    The doctor said, "Except for the tongue, though.

    I''m not trying to override your personality, or even your cat''s. I won''t do anything that would bother the cats.

    But then the doctor starts licking his own paws.

    It''s true, it''s a cat.

    He can''t concentrate for a second and grooms himself.

    But now we know what the No-Life King is.

    It''s an oddity among the ultimate transcendent No-Life King.

    He uses only his spirit body, away from his decaying body, and inhabits a specific animal on earth.

    From the doctor''s description, I assume that he can possess every cat in the world, and that every cat in the world is his eyes and ears.

    If such a thing is possible, there is nothing he cannot know in the world.

    Even though his original body had decayed to the point where it could no longer be used, he still came up with such a crazy idea.

    ''It''s pretty amazing that a No Life King''s body can live long enough to decay...?

    Prathi said with a shudder.

    ''''Nya, it''s not such a bad thing, since I was able to live in a cat''s body thanks to you. I wanted to be a cat at least once in my life.

    "Maybe in 2,000 years, I''ll try it myself.

    The doctor said so, and two (one and one?) There was a huge laugh during the

    No Life King joke.

    It''s too transcendent for me to laugh at!

    ''''........So what does the doctor want at the saint-sama''s farm?''''

    ''What are you talking about?'' the doctor asked.

    ''What are you talking about?¡¡The teacher introduced me to this place. I told him it sounded interesting and that I was going to observe.

    ''I did say that in the Mana newsletter, but that was a couple of years ago.¡¡Why now?''

    "What do you mean by that, No. 2? A year or two isn''t much of a margin of error for a No-Life King.

    "Come to think of it, that''s true. You''ve been spending so much time with the living lately that you''ve lost your temper.

    "This is proof of your youth. Chitose is still full of energy.

    Another Transcendentalist joke!

    Does that mean that...?¡¡This monster cat was visited by a teacher?

    I''m sorry. It''s only a matter of time before he finds out about this place, and I thought it would be better to tell you than to be accused of not telling you later.

    It''s like being a junior to such a bitter senior....

    Is that what the doctor would be, a no life king called Dr.?

    He has an insatiable appetite for knowledge. Four thousand years after becoming the No-Life King, he is still in search of new knowledge. That''s why he''s possessed by cats, everywhere in the world.

    It''s an important condition to be near mankind in order to gain knowledge. Cats and dogs are the most natural people to be with mankind. And cats are the only ones who can climb on top of the table and not be scolded.

    You know how we get angry in our house, right?

    The world is always full of new knowledge. Some no-life kings feel like they''ve learned everything in just a few hundred years, but they''ve reached their limits. The world is always new, as long as you have a fresh mind. That''s what immortality is all about!

    The cat...!

    The cat said something significant.

    This farm is very interesting. Even if you hadn''t introduced me to the farm, I would have noticed it and visited it. You''re not to blame.

    I don''t blame you...?

    Besides, if you want to keep this a secret, you''re not thinking straight these days. You''ve done some pretty spectacular things in both demon and human countries.

    Are you talking about the Farm Fair and Castle Okubo...?

    Is that part of the point you''re making?

    "Don''t worry, I''m not as tactless as the gods in the sky. "Don''t worry, I''m not as tactless as the gods in the sky.

    So you''re saying you won''t overreach on the farm?

    "I am an observer. "I just stare at them in silence.

    The No Life King stretched out in the form of a cat.

    He looked like a soothing cat itself.

    ''''What do you think, do you want to get rid of me?

    "...No, if you say there''s no danger, I know the doctor and I can''t be indefensible. Stay as long as you like.

    Cute little cat.

    It''s a bargain just to be there.

    If such a cat would come to live with us from over there, it would be OK.

    Even though we already have Porgy and his friends on our farm.

    It''s great to have a cat in addition to a dog!

    Well, I dare say there''s a problem....

    ''Wow, it''s a cat!

    ''It''s so cute!

    The spirits of the earth noticed the cats'' presence.

    They too seemed to love the cuteness of cats, and they instantly swarmed around them.

    ''''They are so cute, so cute!''''

    Stroke it!

    "Stroking his belly!¡¡Stroking your head!

    You will pick your chin up!

    He pats his tummy!

    Grab the tail!

    You will turn your ears upside down!

    You must plug the hole in your nose!

    As soon as he yawns, he pulls his thumb out of his mouth.

    Do whatever you want.

    It was standard behavior for children in front of a cat.

    ''...........''

    Surrounded by them, Dr.

    Oh, he''s gone!

    Neco has escaped!

    Ouunoooooooooooooooo!

    A cat''s natural enemy, a child.

    They don''t know how to take it easy because they are young, and they chase you because they are cute.

    It''s a complete thank you nuisance to cats.

    It''s not a good idea to go after them.¡¡I hate children!¡¡Hey!¡¡Go away eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.''''

    Technically, I''m a spirit and not a child.

    Even the Supreme No-Life King''s doctor had only one weakness.

    Because he''s a cat.

    I''m not good with children.

 416-414 Life with a cat

    That''s how the cat took up residence on our farm.

    The No Life King, to be exact.

    Doctor.

    He is one of the strongest No-Life Kings called "Three Wise and One Fool", and he is also the oldest of them all at four thousand years old.

    He is even longer than even the doctor.

    But in reality, he is a cat.

    The cat is taking a nap in a sunny place.

    A dog was watching him. It was a wolf-shaped monster, Porgy.

    It had a very melancholy expression.

    ...Um...doctor?

    I, who couldn''t see it, called out to him.

    The pile of hay is for Porgy, so I''d appreciate it if you don''t invade it.

    ''It''s a comfortable place to sleep. "It''s a comfortable place to sleep. It''s animal nature for the strongest to take the top spot.

    Porgy looked up at me with more and more sadness in his eyes.

    A dog that loses its bed to a cat.

    This happens all the time.

    We''ll make a better bed for you, how about this one...?

    I''ll tell you when I''ve finished your new bunk.

    You cat...!

    If you''re going to act like that, we''re going to have to take the last resort, too!

    ''Ooh!¡¡All the spirits of the earth!¡¡There''s a cat in here!

    "Whaaaaaaahhh!

    I know your weaknesses!

    Expose yourself to the adorableness of a child who doesn''t know how to add or subtract!

    And the spirits of the earth come.

    ''''Let''s kill them!

    Let the cat die.

    "It''s time to get out of here!

    Huh?¡¡Is the death toll thicker than you thought?

    As for me, I was planning on making him tired of being cute and cuddly, but isn''t the response too much more destructive than before?

    We''ve realized that!

    I''ve noticed!

    The cat breaks the house!

    Without stopping to chase the doctor around, the spirits say

    "Scratch the wall!

    You must break the alarm!

    You will spread the evil around!

    They were all over the place!

    I won''t allow you to hurt the house!

    Yeah.

    The job I gave the spirits as the master of the farm was to clean the house.

    They sweep and rinse the house day and night to keep it clean.

    To those children, the cat is a grudge enemy of the house by its very existence.

    The other day I was dazzled by the cat''s cuteness and lost sight of it, but I guess I took the time to notice it!

    The cat is going to be kicked out!

    I won''t forgive you!

    The spirit of the earth chasing the cat around.

    They really don''t know their limits when they turn on a switch.......?

    The last time a high level spirit, Arakune, came in, they were beating up on her for exterminating vermin, and now she''s the highest level No Life King.

    Fearless?

    "Wait, everyone...!

    He interrupts the cat and the spirits.

    ''Doku no Sugosujin-sama!

    I can''t kill it!

    Kokijin, kill the cat!

    No, it''s you guys who are trying to kill it.

    In order to appease these excited spirits, we must persuade them with the feeling of treading on thin ice.

    ''''I understand how you guys feel. It''s true that cats can make your house dirty and hurt you.

    I guess that''s the fate of pet ownership.

    If we want our pets to heal us, we have to come to terms with the problem somewhere.

    But right now, the spirits of the earth are in the position of ''scavengers'' and look at cats from that perspective alone.

    Persuasion that appeals to their emotions will not work.

    So......

    So, we decided to try a different approach.

    "But cats are useful!

    What''s going on?

    OK.... the spirits are biting!

    ''What the cat would benefit the house. It''s ... catching mice!

    "[? !"]

    The spirits'' expressions changed.

    They were shocked, as if they had been struck by lightning.

    ''''That''s right!¡¡That''s right!

    A rat is a terrible thing to be a cat.

    Nibbling at the bare bottom!

    It''s time to eat the food!

    ''''We are going to spread the plague around... ugh!

    The spirits, their hate for rats is more than cats.

    But how do these guys know so much about things, how do they know about the plague?

    It''s the cat that kills the mouse!

    Cats are good!

    ''''Whether it''s a white cat or a crawly cat, a cat that takes mice is a good cat... ugh!

    The spirit''s feelings towards the cat changed to the exact opposite.

    ''''Cat, it''s a big deal!

    It''s so cute!

    Fluffy!

    To praise the cats, they raised their bodies up, but this was a great annoyance to the cats.

    After raising and lowering the cat for a moment, the spirits, satisfied for a moment, went back to their work.

    They''re in a hurry to antagonize and welcome each other...?

    The remaining doctor wasn''t much different from his tossed around pet, who had been tossed around too much.

    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s not a bad idea to have a good time.

    "It''s just as saintly as you said it would be. That''s quite a curvy one...?

    The doctor reluctantly surrendered the bed, and Porgy jumped into the empty seat, delighted that he was the original occupant.

    ........But Porgy should show a little spirit to try to manage on his own.

    ''''Don''t you have any pride in being a dog?''''

    It''s a wolf monster!

    What''s more.

    So, doctor, shall we put you to work as we promised?

    What are you talking about?¡¡You''re the one who has to work for a promise. I''m going to make my own bed. It has to be cool in summer and warm in winter, with just the right amount of space. Not too small and not too big.

    You have some things to do first, don''t you?

    They say they get rid of the rats in the house.

    That''s how you contribute to the farm, though, and that''s why you''ve been given the genies'' blessing.

    ''Everyone does some kind of work if they live on the farm. ''Veal is enough not to work'' is my motto!

    Some say that the pretty ones are contributing enough, but this is the time to do it.

    ''Let''s catch a rat and see how qualified you are to be kept on the farm!

    The rats outside were fine because Porgy and his friends would come to suck on them, but as expected, they couldn''t get indoors.

    It is indeed a problem to prevent rats lurking in the ceiling or under the porch.

    But if the cats can do something about it, I hope they can!

    "Nope.

    But Dr. Brennan refused to play along.

    I''m an elegant house cat. I''m an elegant house cat, and I''m proud of not working. I''m just grateful to be able to flatter them.

    ''I see.

    "All right!¡¡We''ll catch the rats!¡¡I''ll hunt all of them, even if it takes 100,000!

    You just have to be honest from the start.

    "Oh dear, I don''t have a choice.

    The doctor''s cat eyes stare at our main house.

    "Unya-ya.

    Then I cast what looked like an incantation, and instantly bot bot multiple things fell in front of me.

    It was a rat.

    Several dead rats.

    ''''There are fewer than I thought?¡¡I''ve already gotten rid of it.

    ''Come to think of it, Prati regularly sets traps...?

    "So I didn''t have to do anything about it?¡¡But I''ve done my duty. Next time, you''ll do your duty and make your bed.

    Hey, hey...!¡¡But first, what the hell did you just do?

    "Magical Meow.

    It''s a cat that comes up to me and says nothing.

    It''s an anti-dungeon interception spell developed about 3,000 years ago. The spell kills any life forms that match the specified area setting. It''s convenient because you can set the range and target conditions as you like.

    So he killed all the rats lurking in the main house and moved them around in a momentary shift...?

    ...I realized.

    After all, this cat wasn''t just a cat.

    It had mastered magical wisdom that rivaled even the teacher''s.

    He was an immortal high king.

 417-415 Magic Revolution

    Thus, since he became fully at home on our farm, he has been appearing everywhere.

    They say that cats can get in anywhere as long as their heads are through, but no, really, they are everywhere.

    The living room, bedroom, toilet, or bath ... I don''t go near it because I don''t want to get wet, though.

    I can''t help but get annoyed when people meow at me while I''m cooking in the kitchen.

    ''Meow-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya-nya''

    ''Yeah!¡¡It''s only at times like this that you can be so cat-like.

    I know what it wants, so I have no choice but to drop the excess bone of the fish I''m grating on.

    You can lick the part stuck to the bone, too.

    ''Stingy yah, you can drop your plentiful body on me, can''t you?

    One of those classes where Dr. D was particularly present was that of the international students.

    He was sitting in the barrels and staring at the teacher lecturing to the foreign students.

    ''''Difficult to do........?

    The teacher was nervous as he was being stared at by the no-life king''s senior students.

    Unusual.

    Nevertheless, we ended the class successfully and dismissed.

    ''''Teacher, thank you for your guidance today too!

    Come on, let''s go help with the farm.

    I have to practice on my own.

    See you later, pussy!

    Cute cat.

    The students had become completely comfortable with the cat''s presence, so they didn''t wishy-washy in their excitement, and it was all they could do to give him a pat on the back as they rubbed against each other.

    After the students were gone from the class room........

    ''''Teaching the living, you''re a lover of things...''''

    The doctor joked with him.

    I thought that only a master could be so drunk. I didn''t know you were going to imitate him.

    "No, please. I, unlike him, am well aware of the laws that must not be taught to people.

    He casually says something scary.

    The half of what I am teaching them is for my own benefit. I thought that if the knowledge I acquired in my xenomorph form was useful to the world through them, it was also the reason why I became immortal, right?

    That''s an interesting way of putting it. Those who become the No-Life King are usually in search of eternity.

    The eternal and unchanging eternity is a pseudo-eternity. Don''t you think so? The true eternity lies in the repetition of life and death, a change that never stays for a moment.

    "I know, I know.

    ''The eagles who have given up their true eternity, entrusting them with what they have stored up can send them off into the eternal tide. This is my supreme pleasure in becoming the Immortal King.

    Yeah.

    It''s a difficult conversation.

    I can''t even get close to a conversation that is only possible because they are people on the other side of transcending death, and I''m still not free from the agony of the four seasons.

    ''''Nya, if that''s what you mean.''''

    The Doctor had an idea.

    "I can teach you something, too. I''ve just been thinking about a subject.

    What did you say?

    "Hasn''t the doctor ever thought about it?¡¡Isn''t legal magic too futile?

    What is legal magic?

    It is one of the magical forms in this world.

    Magical magic used by the demon race.

    I don''t know if it''s called magic after these two heads.

    I don''t know if it''s called magic at the beginning of these two. I''m not sure if it''s called magic or not, but these two are the mainstream on earth.

    I''ve been thinking about it for a long time. I''ve been thinking about this for a long time now, for the two mainstream magic, legal magic is inconvenient, delicate and too expensive!¡¡Hurting natural mana every time you use it, or too inefficient!''''

    It was also a problem that only the priests of the Order can use it. That can only serve to strengthen a small privileged group.

    So.

    So what about it?

    ''A handful of convenient, efficient, and usable magic magic magic for everyone. ''''Only a handful of legal magic that is inconvenient and inefficient can be used by anyone. Don''t you think that''s too uneven?

    ''Yes, that''s true, but...''

    ''''So I''ve been wanting to do better with my legal magic!¡¡The Order is not a monopoly on this corrupt organization, and it can be used by anyone!¡¡And naturally, it''s gentle and has no side effects!¡¡And I want to create legal magic that can be used in a wide variety of ways!

    Oh!

    The teacher''s reaction is vivid.

    ''''.........The war between humans and demons is over, and the era of humans hurting each other is over. In that sense, it''s not a problem to give the human race a new power.''''

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. I also want to help them as a former human being.

    Is Dr. D. from the human race?

    From man to immortal king, from immortal king to cat.

    It''s quite an unusual background.

    All right. Well, in that case, I suppose I can help you too.

    "If you''re willing to help me, I can make progress.

    ''''Let''s not do that. His jutsu form is too unique.

    This is how the teacher and the doctor started their new magic development project.

    An ambitious attempt to rebuild the inefficient and useless legal magic into something that could be used properly from scratch.

    It was a subject worthy of the supreme No Life King joining forces to take on.

    * * * *

    So you called me first?

    The one who was summoned was the god Hermes.

    He''s a god that belongs to the heavenly realm and is the only god that can come down to the lower realm at his own will, perhaps because of his position as a messenger of the gods.

    This time, though, I was summoned by my teacher.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with them. I''ll give you a sense of propriety.

    "You still dress like a joke, Doc. I don''t mind it at all. Why don''t you do what you want?

    Surprisingly or not surprisingly, the god Hermes was indifferent to the transformation of the lower world.

    ''''No, it''s not that I don''t care, okay?¡¡I can''t think of anything else right now, but Apollo made a pact with the Three Realms on his own.

    Oh, at the farm fair.

    "There''s a god in the heavens who is opposed to that thing. It''s going to be a war between the pro and con sides of the heavens, isn''t it?

    That''s definitely not the case.

    ''''Are you sure you''re okay!

    ''Me, Velassuarez and Hercules will be on Apollo''s side, so it''s okay. I don''t think we''ll cause any trouble in your world, okay?¡¡And if things get bad, we can turn to Uncle Hades, Uncle Poseidon, and we can turn to Uncle Poseidon.

    Ha.

    Well, good luck with that.

    ''''Still, just to be sure, you''re going to make magic with the human race in mind, right?¡¡"No, will you two be the reason our race goes through a mysterious evolutionary process?

    "Don''t worry, we''ll handle this in a reasonable fashion.

    Even though the doctor has undertaken to........

    Something vague and uneasy remains.

    The biggest problem with legal magic is that it takes in an enormous amount of natural mana to produce its effects. As a result, the mana that should fill the earth will be depleted, and this will have an adverse effect.

    And the teacher.

    It''s a small-scale spell that only allows the human race to manifest using the mana in their bodies. It''s enough to handle it on an individual level.

    ''Makes sense from a story standpoint, but are you sure?¡¡''''If you ask the human body for a power source of legal magic that can deplete even natural mana...''''

    Doesn''t the person who used it instantly turn dry?¡¡So that''s it.

    Well, that depends on what we''re working on.

    I don''t think there''s anything to worry about. "I don''t think there''s anything to worry about..." "The human race has the largest amount of mana among the three major species.

    Huh?¡¡Really?

    ''''That is the characteristic of the human race. The reason why Princess Lettuce Rate gained her strength is because of this. The human body''s mana that it possesses during its life on the farm is activated and converted into muscle power.

    Is there such a mechanism behind this...?

    "It''s also related to the fact that all of the ''Three Sages'' such as myself, my teacher and my master are from the human race. But most humans are not able to make use of the abundant mana they were born with.

    The doctor and the doctor stand up to put an end to these unfortunate times.

    * * * *

    And the doctor and the doctor worked very hard.

    They believed that their newly developed magic would open up a new future for the human race.

    Why would they, who should have already transcended life as the No Life King, still serve the humans trapped in death?

    Is it pity for being a transcendent? Or is it atonement for what you have left behind to become a transcendent?

    Or maybe it is to satisfy both, the owner of a power beyond human knowledge will use all of it to take on a task worthy of challenge.

    The result......

    * * * *

    ''Yes!¡¡It''s done!''

    ''''The first new legal magic is complete!

    The teacher and the doctor erupted in joy.

    I''ve never seen the doctor so excited.

    "It''s not very powerful at the moment, but I''m sure it will develop further from here!

    "It''s a small step, but it''s a big step!

    I watch from afar as they tremble with joy.

    Then the god Hermes came to me again.

    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of these things. What can I do for you today?

    ''Hey, I told you the other day.¡¡I told Master Hades that the Immortal King was going to spend the rest of his days working on his magic. Then he said, "It''s a pity that the humans can''t use magic.

    It seems that he set up the human race to be able to use magic magic as well.

    ''''Now the demon race and the human race can live separately, right?

    ''''Wait a minute!''''

    Thus, all the hard work of the Transcendents had come to nothing.

    .........God is still doing the same bad things, isn''t he?

 418-416 There is no ramen unless it is tonkotsu

    I need new strength.

    More than that?

    I was perplexed when Veerle asked me about it.

    Viel is the strongest race of dragons, and Viel belongs to the strongest class of those dragons.

    With the exception of Alexander-san, a very different class, it might be accurately called the strongest of the strongest.

    You think you''re the strongest of such strongest and still want power?

    How ambitious are you?

    Can''t we use that ambition to work on the farm?

    "A dragon''s pride is at stake. We can''t afford to lose to a bunch of ningen women any longer.

    Hmm?

    A human woman?

    Who''s that?

    That''s the one with the feather woman all the time!

    Ah, you mean Lettuce Rate.

    It''s a good thing that you are an angel, so it''s perfectly natural for you to have wings on your back, because you''re like a duo with Holkosfon now.

    I''m sure you''re not the only one.

    That''s because she''s so badly inflated in power these days that it''s hard to understand, though.

    Still, it''s not enough to threaten her with a dragon, is it?

    What do you mean? I''ve already been defeated by him twice.

    What?¡¡How long has it been?

    There will be no more humiliation for a dragon!¡¡We''ll win this time!¡¡So we need a new force for that!

    Veal said with an effort.

    ''There''s a new flour menu!

    .....

    Oh, I see.

    So that''s it.

    You mean the cooking competition...?

    Yeah.

    We used to have a winter fair at the Farmer''s Fair and Castle Okubo. Lettuce and her friends cooked beans. I''m sure you''ll find a lot of people who have been in the business for a while now.

    They were the most popular of the two events, as they were the most popular foods, and vied for the top spot.

    In both cases, Viel was defeated.

    ''They''re cheating!¡¡You throw in all kinds of stuff just because it''s beans!¡¡It''s like there''s no such thing as a kind over here!¡¡They don''t know the difference between light and strong flours!

    Still, you, you could produce a dramatic repertoire of bread, noodles, pasta, and other cooking results, right?

    I''m assuming there''s no handicap.

    ''But I still want more breadth in my repertoire!¡¡So master!¡¡Give me new powers!

    Finally, the translation is complete.

    It seems that the ''new power'' that Veerle is talking about is a new wheat dish to counter Lettuce Rate & Horcosfon.

    I think I''ve said it before, Veerle........

    When did you become such a genuine gluten jar........?

    ''Alright, alright. Well, let''s see if we can''t find a way to make udon toppings or pasta.

    ''That lacks punch!¡¡More!¡¡We need something new, more fundamental!

    A selfish dragon.........

    A wheat dish that''s fundamentally different from bread, udon and pasta........

    ''''By the way, you''re not allowed to eat cake or anything like that.

    Most of the cakes and tarts are made of wheat, and at the farm fair, I was asked, "Isn''t it OK to make pastries? After consultation, it was rejected.

    There are too many differences between staple foods like bread and noodles and sweets, and the two genres are so different that they become uninteresting.

    Also, I''ve always known that farm food is very addictive from our world.

    I don''t mean to put anything bad in it.

    If we served the already addictive sweets, the event was forbidden because of the sense of urgency of not knowing what would happen.

    If the Viel side allows sweets, the Lettuce rate side will probably serve red bean soup and yokan.

    If this happens, it will be like Japanese sweets vs. Western sweets and the aspect will change completely.

    In other words, the new menu will be all about staple foods, right?

    But aren''t we about to run out of staple wheat menus?

    Bread, right?

    Udon noodles, right?

    It''s pasta, right?

    What else is there to say...?

    Oh.

    Should I make ramen?

    You got a good idea so fast?

    Veerle''s eyes sparkle.

    Speaking of ramen, noodles. Wheat and staple food, both of which are excellent ingredients.

    It''s a great way to get a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    When people go to a ramen shop, they only eat ramen and go home.

    The dish which is unique and seems to be difficult to eat, and has never been available until now.

    Ramen.

    Shall I make it in response to Veerle''s order?

    * * *

    And..........

    ''Noodles are done...!

    The process of making the noodles has been repeated many times with udon and pasta, so I left out the process.

    The only thing that''s different is the addition of brine. I''ve seen this in some Chinese food manga.

    It took a lot of work to figure it out and procure it, but we managed to complete it.

    What is this?¡¡It''s just pasta!

    And Veal has a common misunderstanding.

    "I thought I was going to create a new dish, but I''m disappointed to see you bake an existing one, master!¡¡I think you''ve run out of talent!

    ''The quality of abuse is tremendous when you get the chance, man.

    But this is where ramen is different from the rest.

    Ramen is not only about the noodles, but also about the soup.

    It''s not just the noodles, it''s the soup!

    That''s why we''re going to develop the soup.

    Oh.

    There are four main types of ramen soup.

    Miso, soy sauce, salt, and tonkotsu.

    That''s why I make tonkotsu (pork bone) soup.

    Hmm?¡¡Wasn''t there a strange pause just now?

    You think there''s another kind of ramen soup besides tonkotsu?

    "I don''t know if I''m being too hard on myself, but isn''t this a f*cking rude awakening?

    I don''t know what you''re talking about.

    I don''t think so.

    We need to make tonkotsu (pork bone broth) soup.

    If you want to make a cup of noodle soup, just open the sachet, pour some powdered water over it and it''ll be ready in 3 minutes, but it''ll take a lot of work to make it from scratch.

    Above all, you need pork bones.

    In our world, we use the bones of a wild boar-shaped monster as a substitute.

    Fortunately, we have a square boar (a.k.a. horned boar) on our farm, which is one of the best examples of meat we consume.

    We usually crush the bones that remain after dismantling a pig to make fertilizer, but we were able to get them from there easily.

    The bones of a horned boar are simply stewed.

    How long do you think you''ll be cooking?

    From now until the evening, maybe?

    "Yugata!

    I just finished breakfast just now.

    "It''s going to take so long?¡¡It''s too costly!¡¡You''re suggesting we start preparing before lunch to make dinner, which is insane!

    ''You''re going to spare yourself the trouble of beating the lettuce rate?

    "Gosh, I can''t back down when you say so!

    Thus, we decided to try our hand at making otherworldly pork bone soup.

    "Master, you want to boil the bones, right?¡¡What''s with all those tons of vegetables and shoyu?

    It''s all about adjusting the flavors. Pork bones alone would taste monotonous, and it''s unknown how much potential horned boar bones have.

    Let''s let it simmer and get the flavors out, then we''ll taste it and add ingredients to make it thicker.

    Veerle and I continued our fumbling attempts.

    * * * *

    It took us until nighttime, far beyond our original estimate.

    ''''Geez!¡¡What''s that smell!¡¡It stinks!¡¡It smells so bad!

    Prathi uttered a protest as soon as he entered the kitchen!

    I knew you were making something else, but what a stinker you are!¡¡It smells like everything in the house, beyond the confines of your kitchen!

    That''s all right. That''s good, because you can smell it two doors down. That''s real tonkotsu soup.

    I don''t know!¡¡Look at that, Junior''s got a scowl on his face because he smells so bad!

    I''m sorry, my child.

    I''m sorry, my child, but you''re not even a year old yet and you''re too young for tonkotsu (pork belly).

    But I''ll keep working on it so that one day you too can have tonkotsu.

    ''....Master, isn''t it time for you to go?

    Veerle, who had a completely artisanal look on his face, said while sipping the soup he had taken from a small plate.

    That''s enough.

    Now, combine the noodles and soup in the bowl........!

    Done!¡¡Otherworldly Tonkotsu Ramen!

 419-417 Gonkotsu Ramen

    This is how we all tasted the finished ramen.

    There are no ingredients.

    It was a trial product.

    To begin with, we haven''t developed any ingredients for the ramen, such as chashu, pickled bamboo shoots, boiled egg, and bean sprouts.

    The ramen is likely to be an opportunity for development.

    For now, at least sprinkle some chopped scallions on top...

    ""Itadakimasu"

    Me, Veerle and Prathi try to eat it all at once.

    Churp churp churp churp churp....

    Yummy!

    Veerle shouted first.

    ''Good one, master!¡¡At first I thought it was an udon patty, but this is unique!¡¡Especially not the juice!¡¡You''ve taken your time!

    It was a big hit.

    Hmm, I like my udon noodles to be light and simple, but...?

    Prathi said as she made a mini ramen on the accompanying spoon.

    ''I knew women had to make mini ramen noodles to feel good about themselves!

    ''''I think some of them will like this one. .....................Gyaa Junior!¡¡You''re not ready for this food!¡¡Go drink your mommy''s titties!

    A rare example of abuse not becoming abuse.

    He managed to quiet Junior down as he reached for the ramen, and the ramen was a great success.

    ''''Now we have a new trump card against that bean lady. ........But! It''s a third-rate thing to do to cut loose on this!

    Huh?

    I''m going to make even more changes to the master''s ramen creation and create my own ultimate ramen!¡¡If you do that, you''ll never be beaten by a bean girl and feather woman again!

    They say that too much is better than too little, right?

    ''I just had an idea that came to me while I was boiling the bones of a wild boar!¡¡Let''s get on with it!

    ''What?¡¡Where are you going?

    I drank every single drop to the soup, and Veal ran out.

    I can''t leave her alone, so I follow her.

    Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    Prati stayed behind with Junior.

    You wash the bowl.

    * * * *

    Viel visited the brewery.

    Demigod Bacchus is in charge, a place where all kinds of drinks are produced.

    ''Why is Veerle here...?

    What does liquor and ramen have to do with it?

    Regardless of my doubts, Veerle pushes his way through the brewery and ends up at the far end.

    He kicks the liquor bottle there with a kick.

    "Now is the time to wake up!

    "What is it?¡¡What''s that?

    A voice came from inside a sake bottle!

    It was particularly large among the sake bottles lined up inside the brewery, large enough to hold several people.

    A huge lizard floating inside the liquid that looks like sake.

    No, a dragon.

    ''''Is this........?''''

    I remembered.

    This thing is Grinzel''s dragon Seedle!

    That''s the dragon that came to the farm some time ago!

    "Oh dear, Veerle, it''s been a long time. You haven''t seen me lately?

    I''d forgotten all about you, but now I remember!

    Almost all dragons in existence are brothers and sisters.

    This Seadr and Veerle are like sisters to me.

    It''s hard to understand why they''re immersed in alcohol....

    ''''There''s another good brew maturing today. The dragon extract seeping out of me is the most delicious liquor you''ve ever tasted.

    It''s hard to understand when it''s explained to me.

    In short, it''s like hub wine. It''s hard to understand.

    ''He doesn''t want you to wake up too much. I just want to breathe quietly and quietly until your father''s successor is chosen.''

    ''Father would have defeated you long ago. Now Ardheg is the new Geyser Dragon.

    "What?

    A startled, astonished drink bottle dragon.

    "What''s that?¡¡I''ve never heard of that before!¡¡Why doesn''t anyone tell me that?

    Forget it. I''ve got a new job. I''ve got a new job for you, so just get out of the bottle!

    Viel pulled his sister dragon out of the liquor bottle with a forcefulness that only a dragon can muster.

    Then he took her out of the brewery.

    ''''..........''''

    The only thing left in that thing was a giant bottle of sake that only contained genuine sake. That liquor is full of the essence of the female dragon that was there a while ago....

    ''''No way........?''''

    What is Veerle trying to do? I''m beginning to understand what it is.

    * * * *.

    Whew, the water is nice.

    My hunch was correct.

    It was a bad premonition, though.

    The dragon, Seadr, fresh out of the liquor bottle, was now being cooked in a pot.

    In a huge pot.

    "I didn''t think it was possible, but...?

    The viel must have been inspired by the pork bone soup.

    They''re not using pork bones, but rather dragons to make ramen soup?

    "The dragon that stands at the top of all living things!¡¡The soup from that dragon is supposed to be the best!¡¡Now we can definitely beat the bean girl and feather girl!

    Haha, Sister Veerle thinks weird thoughts every time, don''t she?

    This person being cooked-you said Mr. Seedle?

    She transformed from dragon form to human form when she was boiled, and fit perfectly into a giant pot that was just enough to hold one person.

    From there, it was hung over a direct fire, or perhaps it had the look of a drum bath.

    However, the water surface of the pot was bubbling and boiling, just like a bath from hell.

    The water is very hot. I''ve been soaking in lukewarm water until now. It''s a nice gap between hot and cold.

    If it were a hot water commercial, the temperature would be too dangerous to be offended by, but for the dragon, it''s no different than lukewarm water.

    It''s supposed to be a bathing scene with a humanized, s*xy and buxom Seadr, but it doesn''t have any s*xuality to it.

    When the soup comes out, season it. Add the onions.

    So this is what you call bath salts!¡¡It''s going to do wonders for your skin!

    While listening to the various misaligned exchanges, I left it alone, thinking that the dragons wouldn''t stop when I stopped them.

    Returning to the main house, I served the ramen noodles in the tonkotsu soup that I had taken from the horned boar earlier to the residents who had gathered for the ramen.

    It''s an annual event when the new dishes are ready.

    After some time had passed since the tonkotsu ramen was finished with great success, I went to look at the ville again.

    * * * *

    It''s done, master!

    They say it''s finished.

    In the bowl that Veerle presents to me, the noodles floating in the broth with some kind of divine brilliance that I''ve never imagined.

    ''This is the ultimate dragon ramen!¡¡No, it''s the dragon version of tonkotsu ramen, so it''s dragon kotsu ramen. ........Gong Kotsu Ramen for short!

    Don''t come trying to fold it up.

    ''''I''m honored to be able to help you, Veerle-sister!

    Ms. Seadul still felt like a hot spring beauty, immersing herself in a hot pot with a drum bath.

    Did you move your residence from the liquor bottle to the pot?

    Come on, master!¡¡Well, you''d better get out there and try it now!¡¡Me and Seadr''s joint ramen!

    "No.

    "What?

    Well, listen to me.

    Why do you think I refuse to sample the food?

    Didn''t we do a similar thing when we made Dragon Wine before?

    Do you remember what the creator, Bacchus, said to me when I tasted it?

    ''''Drinking too much alcohol with dragon extracts is very powerful and will make you immortal.

    ...because I''m not!

    ''It''s easy to imagine that the broth from the dragon is similar!¡¡It''s too dangerous to eat!

    ................

    As I pointed out, Veerle put down his gonkotsu noodle and fell off his lap.

    ''''Well I thought that was the case halfway through, too.

    You''ll stop when you find out.

    Why do we push on to the end?

    In the end, the gonkotsu ramen was consumed alone by Veer, who was able to accept the benefits of the ramen as a kindred spirit.

 420-418 New Emperor Development Report No. 4 Ryu Teijo? Completed

    My name is Ardheg.

    I am the new Dragon Emperor.

    It''s been several months since I took over the title of Dragon Emperor Gaiser Dragon.

    How have I been spending that time?

    * * * *

    .............................

    "...not again.

    Along with my father''s cruel judgment, I also realized that I had failed in my attempt.

    Building the Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    I had yet to accomplish the first task I needed to tackle as a Geyser Dragon.

    For the sake of convenience, the topmost dragon, the Geyser Dragon, is allowed to have an advantage over other dragons in all matters.

    Creating the Dragon Emperor''s Castle was one of them.

    Dragons usually own dungeons as their own dwelling places, but Gaither Dragons create their own dungeons to live in.

    They materialize the powerful mana emitted by the Dragon King and turn it into a dungeon.

    He is a powerful dragon by nature, but only the Geyser Dragon can create dungeons by himself.

    This is a castle-type dungeon that only the dragon emperor is allowed to create, and it is his own private dungeon.

    That is the Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future.

    Since I had inherited the throne, I thought that I should follow in the footsteps of my predecessors, and so I set about building the Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    I''ll build my own beautiful castle!

    Now that a few months have passed........

    ........it''s not done yet.

    ''You''re making progress, aren''t you?¡¡...well, it''s getting better, compared to the first time?

    Follow up with your father, the previous Geyser Dragon.

    The fact that your father, who was arrogant and insolent, is taking care of you is unbearable.

    But he''s still small, right?

    The aspect of the Dragon Emperor''s Castle that was materialized by my own ejected mana, which was erected in front of me, was... small.

    It''s small.

    It''s a decent size, I guess.

    Compared to the first one I built, as father said.

    Even so, if we apply it to the standards of the ningen group, it''s as big as a common class would use to live alone?

    If we dare to call it a barn, it''s a barn.

    That''s the kind of atmosphere the Dragon Emperor''s Castle had.

    ''I guess I don''t have enough images. The amount of mana is sufficient, but if you don''t have a clear image of how to materialize that mana, it won''t take shape.

    My imagination is a bit of a dick.

    I can only realise a barn as far as the barn is concerned with my imagination, but when it comes to a huge castle, it''s too big for me to keep up with the details.

    That''s why it''s impossible to materialize it, isn''t it?

    "This is the result of your hard work for the past few months?

    The first Dragon Emperor''s Castle that he had created was a shack that was far from even this one.

    If only we could compare it to that, we might have made progress.

    However, the fact that it was not up to the required standard has not changed now or in the past.

    It''s not enough at all.

    ''''........Am I still not talented enough for the emperor''s dragon......?

    ''Ohhhh..., you''re dejected again!¡¡Come on, don''t lose!¡¡Live life to the fullest!

    Your father encourages you to collapse at your own inadequacy.

    Lately, this has been happening all over again.

    ''.........you are a pathetic emperor........''

    That''s what the other character here says. ................Dragon stuff?

    Anyway, it was Sister Bloody Mary who was with me anyway.

    ''''It''s incompetent to take so much time and effort to build a single Dragon Emperor''s Castle. The fact that such a useless dragon is the representative of all dragons is nothing short of humiliating.

    Sister Marie was originally the second most talented of all dragons and was most vigorously aiming to become the next Geyser Dragon.

    That''s probably why it''s so hard to forgive a small boy like me for being appointed as the emperor''s dragon for some reason.

    I''m sure it''s not the first time he''s ever come to my home, the planned site of the Dragon Emperor''s City, to complain to me.

    It''s not a good idea to have a good time with your friends. You are lucky. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future.

    She was right.

    I just got lucky and became a Geyser Dragon.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to defeat your father when he was active, because of the cooperation of his friends, and then the far more powerful Alexander and Veerle stepped aside, which allowed me to take over the position of his successor.

    You can''t help but feel like you were "forced" into it.

    "I''m not worthy of being a Geyser Dragon after all!

    "Oh, not again...?

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find it. I''m sure you''ve heard that Ardheg''s guy is notoriously vulnerable.¡¡In the dragon world, tsundere is still uncharted territory, you know?''''

    "What''s with the tsundere?

    "I visited the saints the other day, and they told me. I told him about your behavior, and he said, ''Oh, you''re just being charming.''

    "So what is tsundere?

    I''m crying out in despair and they''re arguing about tsundere, but they don''t seem to be paying attention to me at all!

    Am I even worth bothering with?

    Never mind!¡¡If this happens, I''ll go down in history as the weakest Geyser Dragon ever!

    ''Oh, it''s a pain in the ass. Marie, comfort him.

    "Why me?

    You''re the one who made me cry. It''s a good time to be nice to them, and if you''re nice to them now, they''ll like you a lot.¡¡The delinquency after a twang is double the power of the gap effect.''

    "Is that...?

    Oh, I don''t feel like doing anything.

    Maybe I should stop acting like a geyser dragon and go back to being a normal dragon?¡¡And I was thinking momentarily....

    "Hey, do you have a minute?

    Yes, sister Marie?

    I''m helpless right now. If you''re going to curse again, please do it another time.

    ''Don''t be so unfaithful. ''Don''t be so unfaithful, you''re acting like a nice enough Geyser Dragon. A fine one.''

    Don''t say that again.

    That''s a prelude to raising and dropping your sister Marie''s kind words to you, isn''t it?

    I''m not fooled.

    ''''That''s rough...?

    ''What''s the matter with you that you can''t at least build the Dragon Emperor''s Castle!¡¡You''re just a little clumsy, that''s all.¡¡It''s okay to have at least one generation of Geyser Dragons that didn''t have a place to live among the many generations of Geyser Dragons.''''

    What do you think about that...?

    If you think about it, it''s an amazing sight for your father to take the initiative to be the comedian.

    It''s just that he''s a previous generation Geyser Dragon, you know.

    "If Ardhegg really wants to find a place to live, he can come to my dungeon!

    Hmm?

    My dungeon, the Black Widow''s Mountain, is one of the most magnificent dungeons in the world, both in terms of size and interior design!¡¡It''s as good a place as any for a Geyser Dragon to live!''''

    What''s this guy talking about?

    "All dragons are subject to the Geyser Dragon!¡¡If you want it, you''ll have to offer it up as your own dungeon!

    "Hey, if you''re going to play a sophomoric game, finish it. Don''t indulge in delusions on the way.

    Sister Mary and Father were having a discussion, and then....

    We have a new visitor.

    Prince Arowana of the mermaid race.

    "Lord Ardhegg!¡¡It''s been a while!

    Lord Arowana!

    Prince Arowana and Prince Arowana are best friends beyond their species.

    He and Prince Arowana are best friends beyond the borders of their own race, and they are also the best of friends who stood up to and defeated their father when they were both in the service.

    Even after I inherited the Geyser Dragon, he still comes to visit me from time to time.

    They transform into their human form to suit their opponent and give each other a massive friendship hug.

    ''....tch.

    Don''t be jealous of your husband''s friendships, either.

    Marie''s sister and father also transformed into human form together.

    But it''s a problem.

    Even though I''ve welcomed my friend Prince Arowana, the castle I''m supposed to entertain him in is not yet complete.

    I''m not very good at imagining things!

    Even though the dragon has enough power!

    ''I see... Doesn''t that mean that Lord Ardhaeg is unable to embody the image of the palace because it is lacking?

    Yes?

    ''Then why don''t we use my mermaid''s palace as a model to clarify the image?¡¡You will remember Lord Ardhegh well as he has come to visit you many times, won''t you?

    I see.

    As you said, I remembered the palace of the mermaid royalty where Prince Arowana lived, and I embodied the Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    That''s it.

    It''s a little bit of a mermaid flavored design, but it''s a huge structure that''s big enough to be a castle!

    ''Great!¡¡With just one piece of advice from Prince Arowana, the Dragon Emperor''s Castle has been completed!

    No, it''s Lord Ardhegg, the Dragon King!

    Such precise and concise advice, as expected of the future king of the mermaid race!

    By the way, Sister Marie stared at Prince Arowana''s back with an abhorrent look in her eyes.

    Why?

 421-419 New Emperors Development Report Part 5 Ramen Invasion

    My name is Ardheg.

    Prince Arowana is my best friend.

    I may be a dragon and Prince Arowana is a mermaid, but the bond that we share in our travels and our joys and sorrows is more than just a matter of race.

    Above all, Prince Arowana is a hero.

    When I was a mere dragon, I was given the task of finding a champion who is not a hero, or a hero who is not a champion, in order to succeed Gaiser Dragon.

    It was for this reason that they turned to the English-minded Prince Arowana, but in conclusion, he was a ''Hero and Champion''.

    Even though he fought alongside me, the dragon, he defeated Father Gaiser Dragon, even though he was a human being.

    This is truly the work of a hero.

    And since he was a mermaid royalty, he would later ascend the throne and become the Mermaid King.

    I am truly honored to be on such good terms with Prince Arowana.

    Some dragons look down on humans as a lowly race, but I disagree.

    That''s not what I think.

    Sister.....................

    Sister?¡¡Sister Marie....?

    Your sister doesn''t stop glaring at Prince Arowana.

    Why?

    ''Our life together.... our love nest...!¡¡At the advice of a lowly mermaid race........

    It''s rude by all accounts to bite your nails in silence and shoot your guest an arrow-like gaze.

    ''''Don''t do it, sister!¡¡How dare you disrespect the prince!

    No, have I done you any disservice?¡¡I''m sorry, I don''t know much about the etiquette of dragons...?

    I and Prince Arowana were puzzled, while my father, who was watching from the side, was in human form...

    "Nothing is going to happen with the two of us together, Park Nenin...!

    ........he said something incomprehensible.

    Anyway, the current me, Sister Marie and Father have transformed from their dragon form to human form to accommodate the guest, Arowana.

    Now that Prince Arowana has come to visit, the Dragon Emperor''s Castle is complete.

    I''d like to host a banquet for our guests inside, but...

    Oh yes. They''re here!

    Who on earth has come?

    This is Sister Veerle.

    One of the Grinzel dragons who live in the farm of the Hall of Saints.

    And what brings him here?

    Huh?¡¡Veerle...?

    Once Marie recognized Sister Veerle, she hid behind my back.

    I''m sure you''ll remember the last time you were beaten by Veerle.

    I''m sure the memories of that time will come back to you as a nightmare.

    You just showed up at my place again, with no warning. What''s going on?

    ''Huh?¡¡What are you doing here?¡¡No dragon is going to make an appointment to come to visit humans. That''s the freedom of a dragon!

    It was.

    I''m sorry, Prince Arowana. There''s no such thing as politeness in the dragon''s dictionary.

    So, what are you seriously doing here?¡¡I don''t know, I mean....

    The reason I was curious about the errand that Sister Veerle had visited me so far was because I was curious about the mysterious object that she had dragged in.

    What is that?

    A shed?

    There is just enough hut for one Ningen to fit in. And it''s not just a hut. It had wheels on both sides so that it could be easily moved by pulling.

    It''s the same as it was when Veerle''s sister, who transformed into a human being, literally pulled it up here.

    I''m not sure I''m going to be able to find out what''s going on, but I''m going to be able to find out.

    You are curious about it?¡¡This one''s bothering you, isn''t it?¡¡It''s called a food truck!

    Ya?

    It''s not as if Sister Veerle wanted to show off her stall, but she was really proud of it.

    If you want to serve ramen outside, this is the must-have item, master made it for us!¡¡With this, Ramen Stall Veerle-Tei has struck!

    What''s ramen?

    I don''t understand the explanation of words I don''t understand by using words I don''t understand?

    But if the saint''s house is behind this strange view, it makes sense.

    That human being only does things that we can''t even imagine.

    If the Saints are involved, I can''t help but feel confused.

    There.

    Prince Arowana thinks so too, since he''s known the High Priest a lot longer than I have.

    Never mind.

    So, what kind of ramen is this?¡¡And what is your sister Veerle really doing here?

    It''s a slow dragon, isn''t it?¡¡If I''m the one who pulled the stall, then I''ll have no choice but to serve you ramen.

    I don''t know.

    I don''t know what ramen is in the first place, because I don''t know what ramen is.

    You don''t even know what ramen is, that''s a poor insight!¡¡A picture is worth a thousand words, you can''t catch a tiger in a thousand words. Wait for me to show you the real thing right now!

    Saying that, Veerle sister, she hid on the other side of a hut called a stall.

    It''s hard to see what''s inside, because the perimeter of the stall is covered with hanging cloth.

    It''s a good thing that you are doing something inside, but is it cooking?

    It''s coming in!¡¡It''s three ramen shops!

    Oh, I''m so sorry!

    Anybody else in the house besides Sister Veerle?

    Inside the stall?

    And shortly thereafter.....

    * * * *

    Three ramen noodles!

    A dish to be placed in front of me, your sister Marie, and your father.

    The food?

    It''s the first time I''ve seen the kind of thing I''ve ever seen, but there''s a huge amount of something rather long and slender thrown in with the soup in a deep-bottomed plate.

    Seriously, what the hell is this?

    That''s ramen?

    Master taught me how to make ramen, and it''s an excellent product.¡¡Take it in good faith!

    Well, if a saint is involved in the production, don''t you worry...?

    Not only me, but also Sister Marie and Father lift the bowl and carefully observe the food inside.

    The food of the saint''s house is not out of place!¡¡This is a great opportunity!¡¡Lord Veerle, let me have a bowl of food!

    Prince Arowana, who happened to be in the position to witness the event, also expressed interest in ramen.

    "No, not you," he said.

    Huh?

    That''s a bit surprising.

    I didn''t think my sister Veerle would be so mean.

    No, that''s not it. It''s my own version of the ramen that Master taught me, and I put my own spin on it. I tried too hard to make the ultimate ramen, and in doing so I went a little too far.

    That''s him...?

    "If a ningen eats it, it will either go mad and become immortal, or it will explode and die.

    What?

    Only the same dragons could take this Veerle characteristic noodle. So I''ve come to see you.

    I see.

    But it''s going to be okay, right?

    I was a little worried, but I had no choice but to try some of Sister Veerle''s special ramen.

    It would be a waste if the food was wasted.

    It''s delicious.

    It was delicious.

    These long, thin ... what are they called noodles?¡¡The noodles are delicious and crunchy with every bite.

    ''''How can a dragon cook...?¡¡But wait, I wonder if Ardhaeg likes a woman who can cook?

    You''re right, this is a very rich dragon''s energy. A nincompoop would be in a world of hurt if it was ingested by a nincompoop...

    Marie and Father are tasting it too.

    "Yes, it was good.

    The soup was basically delicious, so everyone ate it right away.

    The soup was the one with the thickest dragon energy. That must be the secret of its taste, but how in the world did they transfer the dragon energy?

    My father is a dragon who knows the difference! I''ll tell you the difference!¡¡The secret to the deliciousness of this Viel''s special ramen!

    Totally.

    The cloth on the stall the curtain is called a curtain?¡¡The curtain is rolled up to reveal the inside.

    What was inside the stall was.....

    It was a naked woman in some kind of very large pot.

    The pot was filled with other hot water and was boiling gooey.

    ''''Ladies and gentlemen, have a nice day. My name is Seidl from Grinzel Dragon...''''

    ''There''s a lot of seedling broth seeping out of this soup!¡¡The secret of its deliciousness!

    When we saw and heard that, I, Sister Marie and Father all sobbed in unison.

 422-420 New Emperor Development Report Part 6 Family Increase

    "What the hell do we have to do to get them to eat?

    I shout on behalf of the whole group.

    My name is Ardh?gg.

    My sister Veerle gave me a recipe for a dish that is outrageous.

    The same dragons are cooked in a pot for a long time, and the dragon element that seeps into the water is the key to the soup!

    You''ve got to be kidding me!

    "Geho Geho Geho Geho...!¡¡Eeeeee.........?

    Your sister Marie is sobbing and choking.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one.

    You''re not going to be able to find out what''s left of your daughter''s water...?

    Even your father, the previous Geyser Dragon, was intimidated by this, to the horror of Sister Veerle...?

    It''s not just Sister Veerle who got away with it this time.

    "I''m glad to hear that you like my taste.

    ........and the other Grinzel dragon waving his hand from inside the pot.

    Did you say his name was Seedle?

    The fact that I don''t remember hearing it means that it''s a subordinate dragon that isn''t that powerful.

    It''s a small, insignificant little thing from the point of view of your father and sister Marie, but even that little thing can overwhelm a powerful dragon in an unexpected way...?

    This is the way the weak fight, to be feared...!

    ''''I don''t think so!

    This is how the female dragon that was the secret ingredient of the ramen noodles. She jumped out of the pot for good.

    The pot was boiling, so she was naked and soaking wet, but that''s the dragon.

    The surface of her body immediately dries up with dragon magic, and clothing embodying mana covers her body.

    Her transformation into a human was a beautiful woman full of s*x appeal.

    The elegance and bewitching nature of her human form was no less than that of Sister Marie''s human form.

    You are Ardheg-sama, aren''t you?¡¡New Geyser Dragon, I''m pleased to meet you.

    Huh?¡¡Hm?

    For the insane way he appeared, his greeting was surprisingly polite.

    Courtesy was in the dragon''s dictionary.

    ''This Seadr of the Grinzel Dragon wishes to extend its heartfelt congratulations to you on your accession to the throne of the Geyser Dragon, and pledges its absolute loyalty and eternal approval to you. And I pledge my absolute loyalty to you and my eternal approval.

    The way he fell to one knee and prostrated himself was the very courtesy of humanity''s vassals.

    It was the first time anyone had ever done that to me.

    The other dragons are always complaining about me becoming a Geiger Dragon.

    They are all talkative and quarrelsome.

    Compared to that, Seadr is very soft spoken.

    Do they respect me?

    First time being respected as a Geyser Dragon!

    Thank you. Having you say your blessing makes me feel like a Geyser Dragon for the first time.

    What a nice dragon.

    If this had been a common sense way of appearing, I wouldn''t have had anything to say about it!

    Fearful words, my dear. ''I am on the side of Master Ardhegg, am I right in thinking that?

    ''Of course!¡¡As long as you want it to be...!

    ''So you''re not going to take away my power and wisdom?

    What?

    "You''re not going to turn me into a Lesser Dragon, are you?¡¡Find out for sure!¡¡And yet, he looks at me and says, "I''m sure you can find relief for my life!

    And yet you still cling to me?

    Nanikore?

    Seadr was scared shitless when he heard that you were taking away his children''s powers. He hid in a bottle until things got under control.

    ''Haha, that happened to me...''

    You know what you did, don''t you?

    Sister Veerle and father come to look after you in a harmonious manner.

    Don''t be so calm, help me!¡¡Stop her!

    Mr. Seedl, are you just going to keep pushing yourself up against me?

    You''re not going to repeat your father''s tyranny, are you, now that you''ve been replaced?¡¡You don''t mind if I live?

    It''s not as if I''m a threat to the other dragons as my father was.

    I''m not going to be able to tell you what to do with it.

    She hates that she''s become that way more than anything else.

    That''s why she''s going to do everything in her power to flirt with me.

    ''If you guarantee my safety, I will serve you for the rest of my life!¡¡The new Mister Geyser Dragon!¡¡Make me your first servant!¡¡I''ll do whatever you order me to do!

    The offer of total obedience is all for self-defense, I guess.

    The spirit of putting your own safety first is amazing. It''s a good thing that I''m impressed.

    "Ardheg-sama is my master!¡¡I''m going to adore Master Ardheg for the rest of my life!¡¡You are the most important person in my life!¡¡........hmm?

    A hand is placed on Seadul''s shoulder.

    The moment Seadul notices it and turns around, a stabbing body blow is delivered!

    ''''Gubububoye?''''

    Seadul lets out a moan that doesn''t sound like a maiden and writhes around.

    And then sister Marie shook off the fist that touched Seiduul as if it was dirty.

    ''''I heard there''s a shameless person who is a dragon but imitates a thieving cat, is this guy?

    I asked you, you were right in front of me the whole time.

    Why did your sister Marie beat up Seadr?

    ''You need to remember that, don''t you?¡¡Dragons are proud creatures, there is no such thing as a flirtation. If they lose their pride, they don''t deserve to live, do they?

    What?¡¡I was just trying to stay alive, and now you''re putting yourself in danger!

    It really is.

    You can''t get rid of them.

    It''s a good thing that you''re so eager to kill.

    I know that one. It''s that daytime drama my master mentioned.

    ''''Marie''s flames of jealousy melted away........ Seadr was also out of tune with his choice of words, but I guess he''s a natural.......

    Your sister Veerle and your father are standing by knowingly.

    Ardhegg!

    Huh?

    What happened to you, Marie?

    I''m scared, sister Mary!

    Don''t get too comfortable just because this little filthy dragon mocks you.¡¡You''re only half a man.¡¡It''s a hundred years too early to be floating on the sycophants!

    ''Yeah, right!¡¡We''ve got to brace ourselves!

    ''Yes!¡¡I will only praise you when I think you''ve done really well, and only then will you be happy!¡¡Don''t be swayed by any other female sycophants!

    I understand!¡¡From now on, I won''t be happy about anyone''s praise!

    So I''m the good guy?

    ''''Sister Marie.

    You can teach us how to be a champion, not to be swayed by every noise from outside.......

    What a blessing!

    Um....I''d like to try ramen too...?

    ''It''s no use. Then I''ll make you a regular pork bone broth.

    Sister Veerle and Prince Arowana are also completely ignoring us and are having their way with us!

    I think they''ve all realized that they can''t keep up with us...

    On the other hand, over here in question, sister Marie and Seadr are competing with each other for some reason!

    ''It''s not fair!¡¡You are naturally the strongest person in the world, so why do you need to flatter Lady Ardheg?¡¡I don''t want you to be a distraction to my survival!

    "Bah, don''t be ridiculous!¡¡When have I ever flirted with Ardheg?¡¡I''m one of the strongest dragons in the world, and I''m instructing this half-man...

    ''Then keep your mouth shut!¡¡Don''t interfere with my flirtatious survival strategy!

    "So that''s why you''re acting like a dragon.¡¡If you''re gonna flirt, why don''t you flirt with me too?¡¡I''m very strong myself!

    You don''t understand...¡¡At times like these, it''s good to focus on the strongest One and flirt with Him!

    We''re having an incomprehensible argument.

    "Whoa!¡¡This is ramen?¡¡It''s just as good as the food invented by our saint.

    Hey, Viel. Give me another bowl of ramen. Just the regular soup.

    ''What?¡¡There''s still some seedling soup left, so I want whoever can consume it to consume it. You eat that one, father.

    * * *

    And so.

    "I''ll live here too.

    It''s something decided.

    ''I''ve found Master Ardhegg to be a kind man, so it''s definitely safer to stay by his side. It''s a far cry from your cruel and inhumane father!

    Ha-ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha, he''s listening.

    Seadul doesn''t realize that it was the previous Geyser Dragon who took the form of a child there.

    ''It helps that there''s only more dragon wine and gonzo noodle soup that Seadul can''t handle on the farm. Ardheg, don''t ask for the rest, okay?

    Forced me to be troublesome?

    Thus, there''s another roommate in my Dragon Emperor''s Castle. This was coupled with an increase in the number of

    ''Oh no!¡¡I''m not ready to be flattered yet and I''m not ready to live with such a direct and flirtatious guy!

    And is Sister Marie still not back in her dungeon?

 423-421 People who want to get married

    Yes it''s me.

    Let''s get on with implementing the goals I set for this year that I set at the start of spring.

    Huh?¡¡Late enough?

    Don''t be so harsh. I have a lot of work to do, too, and it has to be in order.

    That''s why I set a goal for this year.

    To marry Prince Arowana and Puffa.

    I''ve made a number of couples on my farm so far.

    I''ve even earned the nickname ''matchmaking farm'' because of the number of couples I''ve made. That''s what I call it.

    But it''s a fact that we''ve made so many couples happen.

    Among them, Prince Arowana and Puffa are a relatively new couple.

    With Prince Arowana, who is promised to be the future King of Mermaids.

    Puffa, one of the Six Witches, a heretic of the mermaid world.

    Regime and heresy.

    Order and chaos.

    A leader and an outlaw.

    They seem to be opposites, but they''re so close to each other that they''ve come to like each other.

    But it was love at first sight for Puffa.

    For a period of time, they trained as warriors, and their relationship grew stronger.

    It seemed like they were in love with each other and it seemed like it was just a matter of time before they got married, but when it came time to get married, they didn''t.

    But when it came to the question of whether they would actually get married, they didn''t. It''s been a countdown since last year.

    So, we decided to get together to discuss what to do about it.

    Don''t think that this is an unnecessary meddling.

    It is a vital mission of living beings to breed and raise their children, which should take precedence over anything else.

    The importance of this mission is heightened in a different world where civilization''s help is still insufficient and harsh.

    Marriage is an important first step.

    The people around them must work together as one!

    So it''s a meeting.

    All concerned parties gathered at my house on the farm to sit around the table and discuss.

    The topic of discussion: "Why can''t Prince Arowana and Puffa get married? (sighs)

    Deden.

    First, let us hear from our own people.

    Prince Arowana, Puffa himself.

    "I want to marry...!¡¡I want to marry you...!

    Already Puffa was crying as she plopped down on the desk.

    She must have wanted to marry Prince Arowana so badly. And yet I can''t marry him. Why?

    "...I would first like to thank everyone who has gathered here. For all you have done for me and Puffa, we are grateful.

    He was a disciplined Prince Arowana.

    This is the kind of person that makes everyone like him and he is worthy to be the next Mermaid King.

    ''The truth is, I''m sorry for taking up everyone''s precious time for us. I probably should have declined, but lately...

    Yes, sir.

    "Let''s go to the farm and have a pleasant chat among our friends. Usually, it''s me, High Priestess, and High Priestess. Then, I realized that both you and the Holy Father have already had a child. ...So, we can only talk about our children!

    Yes, I''m sorry.

    I''m sorry, my dear.

    It''s a great time for fathers to talk about how cute our kids are and how hard it is to raise them, but I''m single, so I''m not allowed to join in!¡¡Every time one of us is left behind, I think!¡¡I want to get married too!¡¡And he wants to have a child!

    I''m sorry, I''m really sorry for being so serious.

    It''s true that lately, more than 90% of our chats with the Demon King have been about his children.

    The Demon King and this boy is only slightly older than my Junior, and his experiences are very helpful!

    But beside that, you were making Prince Arowana feel alienated!

    I''m sorry!

    But if that''s the case, then Prince Arowana is just as eager to get married as Puffa, right?

    You want them both so badly, you can''t marry them, so why not?

    Let''s examine that area first.

    Then let''s let Mr. Hendler speak first.

    "As you wish.

    The speaker is Mr. Hendler, the oratorical mermaid.

    He is a male mermaid loyal to Prince Arowana.

    He usually lives in the mermaid kingdom and knows more about the situation there than us who live on the ground. He knows the atmosphere of Namma.

    That''s why I asked him to come to the meeting.

    Since Prince Arowana is a prince, he has to be aware of the national sentiment in his behavior.

    A public figure cannot decide his own life by his own will alone.

    In contrast, her lover Pfafa is one of the most feared six witches in the mermaid kingdom.

    If she were to marry the prince, there would be some hindrance.

    If the prince is the future king, his wife is the future queen.

    If a witch becomes the queen, the country will fall apart!¡¡Like.

    I thought I was afraid of such a headwind that I wouldn''t go through with the marriage....

    ''''That''s not true, is it?''''

    Mr. Hendler gave a calm analysis of the situation.

    It''s true that the Six Witches have a reputation for being outlaws, but they are also the most admired and respected potions master in the mermaid kingdom. When it comes to the love affair between the Six Witches and the Prince, there are many people who will congratulate them.

    Yeah, I know.

    But it''s not all of them, is it?

    "I mean, old guard, I mean, I just don''t want to be an outlaw after all!¡¡Isn''t there a force that says...?

    Of course I''m here. No, I was there.

    Hmm?

    Well, since the recent purges have resulted in the arrest or downfall of all those who opposed the royalists. If we fail to act now, there will be consequences. They don''t have the guts to question the prince''s story of marriage.

    It''s even more so since the catalyst for the purge was the story of Prati''s relationship with the princess.

    ''Therefore, I see no cause for concern about your marriage in terms of public sentiment. It may be presumptuous of me, sir, but I am very much in favor of your marriage.

    That''s a very clever way to end the evening, Mr. Hendler, a real debater.

    May I also say something?

    It was Lamp Eye who raised his hand.

    Like Puffa, she is one of the Six Witches and is called the ''Hellfire Witch''.

    What good idea from her as well...?

    "You must also discuss my marriage with Mr. Hendler.

    ''Hey Gorah!''

    ..................it was simply a request.

    Lamp Eye is a couple with Mr. Hendler.

    ''These seats!¡¡It''s being discussed for the sake of Atai and your husband!¡¡Don''t stick your head out of your ass!

    Puffa also grabbed onto the lamp eye in a serious manner.

    ''''It''s time for us to officially be together. We need your support, not just for you guys, but for us as well!

    "You can marry her if you want, you guys!¡¡Attai and the others!¡¡I can''t do that, so I need everyone to help me!

    It''s true.

    Both Prince Arowana and Puffa want to marry each other so badly that they can''t do it, which means that there are obstacles outside of their feelings.

    The fact that they can''t do so means that there are obstacles outside of their feelings.

    But that is not the national sentiment of the mermaid nation.

    Mr. Hendler''s report earlier proves it.

    So what else...?

    You know what to do.

    It was here that Prathi finally spoke up.

    She had been at the meeting, but she had been silent for a long time with Junior in her arms.

    ''Your brother and Puffa. What''s standing in the way of their marriage is more than anything else ... it''s your mum.

    Yeah.

    Yes.

    Yeah, of course.

    It''s pretty obvious, isn''t it?

    Seriously.

    That''s right...!

    ''''That''s right!''''

    The last person to utter a furious voice was none other than Puffa himself.

    Sheila Cannu, the Mermaid Queen.

    She is the wife of His Majesty''s current Mermaid King Nagas, Prince Arowana and mother of Prati.

    She is opposed to her eldest son''s marriage....

    .........?

    I don''t think Mom can let her children go, either. She doesn''t want Puffa to get her brother''s attention. You have to admit that you''re married to him, but you''re trying to delay it as long as you can...

    And to this day, there is no progress.

    I can understand the feelings of Queen Sheila''s mother, but as expected, I feel sorry for the two of them any longer.

    I''ve got to do something to help them.

    At the heart of the matter is my mother. If you can convince her, they can get married.

    Prati, continue.

    ''That''s where I got an idea for you!

 424-422 Kazu Brans Wife

    Sheila, the Mermaid Queen.

    She is the wife of His Majesty the Mermaid King Nargus, and in other words, the mother of Prince Arowana and Prati.

    In spite of her humble position, she has a generous mind and body, and has the air of a hero.

    She has an elegant and graceful demeanor, but she''s also very strong, and is considered one of the strongest men in humanity.

    She is also one of the biggest concerns about Pfafah''s controversial marriage.

    Since ancient times, the issue of marriage and mother-in-law has always been a problem for marriages, and the case of Prince Arowana and Puffa was no exception.

    Anyway, they couldn''t marry without Queen Sheila''s permission.

    That''s really the last hurdle, since most of the other obstacles have been removed.

    Queen Lasbos Sheila, so to speak.

    Thanks to this Lasbos, the marriage has been delayed for almost a year now.

    We have to do something about it.

    So, we have decided to cooperate with the people around us to make a move.

    * * * *

    Mom!¡¡Welcome!

    Queen Sheila and King Nargus paid a visit to our farm.

    It was their first visit to our farm.

    Considering the atmosphere between the two of them, it would have been nice if they had come earlier.

    As expected of a king and queen. "As expected of a king and queen, they have their own positions and cannot leave their country lightly. Especially on land.

    "Most of it!

    Both of you had already taken a potion to change your bodies, and the lower half of your bodies had changed from fish fins to two legs.

    It was a procedure for mermaids to work on the ground, and this is how Prathi and others have adapted to the ground.

    I always wondered what kind of fun place Arowana goes to every day. Isn''t it just as nice as I imagined?

    Queen Sheila, she said, looking around.

    She seems to have been impressed by the scenery of the countryside that covers the whole land.

    I''m happy to see her happy, since I put all my heart and soul into creating it.

    Ssssss, ssss, ssss!

    King Nagas is excited.

    "I wish you had called me sooner, since it''s such a nice place. .........Well, I knew it would be difficult for me to visit the place until my son-in-law was recognized, but.......

    You threw the rebels in jail or kicked them out of office!¡¡No one can complain about that anymore!

    Prathi says something scary.

    ''More importantly, Mum!¡¡I had a special favor to ask you to come today!

    What?¡¡How unusual is it that little Prathi is begging for a favor?

    The two of them are having some kind of mother-daughter conversation.

    The first thing that comes to mind is that Prathi has always been a girl who can do everything by herself, so she rarely begs for favors. It''s a good thing that you''re not a handful, but as a mother, it''s a bit lonely...

    ''Oh, I don''t care what happens to me!¡¡But more importantly, what I would like to ask you today is...!

    Duden.

    "I want you to acknowledge the marriage of Prince Arowana and Puffa.

    ''.........that''s what I mean!

    ''''...........''''

    Wow, Queen Sheila''s expression changed in an instant!

    She went from cheerful to cold.

    If I were to compare it to a bodhisattva, it would be from a bodhisattva to an asura!

    "If you''re wondering what in the world I''m going to say to you when I call you to land...

    Isn''t it time to go?¡¡That idiot brother Yankee sister-in-law has already decided to get married. Now all we have to do is agree to it, and we can get married tomorrow if Mom agrees. I''m tired of watching those guys writhing about wanting to get married, so why don''t you let them move on to the next step?

    That''s a no-no.

    I knew it, or rather, Queen Sheila was stubborn.

    Their marriage is different from those of the people in the city," said Queen Sheila. Arowana is the future king of mermaids. She is the future king of the mermaid kingdom and she will have to take over all the affairs of the mermaid kingdom in the future, following in the footsteps of her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Because she is such a responsible girl, her wife must be prepared to take on the responsibility as well. I can''t give you permission to marry her before you can develop that resolve!

    What do you really think?

    "I can''t let another woman take my baby boy.

    Yeah.

    The reason for stopping the marriage, it was more emotional than I thought it would be.

    We all had already imagined it, though.

    I know what it''s like to be a mother, and that''s why we''ve all been slipping away without interfering so far, but it''s time to let it go.

    I have the secret to making a mom like that honest!

    Oh my God, Prathi, you''ve been summoned to the land and you''re still planning something, aren''t you?

    After all, Sheila, being her mother, she knows what Prathi is thinking.

    And is she daring to come on board?

    ''I want you to eat this!¡¡Puffa!¡¡Come on!

    Nice to meet you...!

    This is where the party in question, Puffa, appears.

    He''s shaking like a puppy.

    The foodstuff that Pfaffa presents on the plate is....

    "Vegetables?

    Cucumbers, eggplants, radishes, carrots, etc. were cut into small pieces, ready to be eaten in one bite.

    ''You''ll know it when you eat it!¡¡How worthy Paffa is of being your brother''s wife!¡¡Would you make a good wife!

    It''s true that a good cook is the first requirement for a good wife. What?¡¡Did you cook this?

    ''''Fish, will you........?''''

    Puffa was too frightened and had become a strange character.

    I have a bitter memory of being beaten to a pulp in a duel before, and for Puffa, her mother-in-law is now positioned as a natural enemy.

    ''''Well, I understand what you''re saying, but is that why it''s okay?¡¡Isn''t this just cutting up vegetables?¡¡Does this mean I''m not even cooking...?

    Just try it!¡¡Because that will tell you everything!

    The queen is pushed towards her own daughter and sips on a mere vegetable sashimi.

    ''''MOSSUMO!''''

    Meanwhile, King Nargus was enjoying himself by wrestling with the orc goblins on the farm.

    And Queen Sheila''s eyes widened as soon as she put the vegetable in her mouth.

    ''''This is more than just cutting up vegetables!¡¡''''It has a totally different texture and taste!¡¡At least it''s a whole lot better than just raw vegetables!

    You know what I''m talking about!¡¡These vegetables are marinated by Pfafa with all his heart and soul!

    Yes.

    The vegetables that Queen Sheila ate were not just vegetable sashimi.

    It was a dish made with more skill and process than that.

    That''s right........pickles!

    ''Puffa is in charge of the farm''s fermentation department!¡¡Of all those, nukazuke is the fermented food she does best!¡¡Because my brother is my favorite!

    Nukazuke is a method of soaking rice in the bran that separates from the main body of the rice when it is being polished.

    The bran is stirred at regular intervals because the bran bed will rot if left unattended.

    In some cases, it must be done every day.

    Because of the difficulty of maintaining it, having a good bed of bran can be the status of a good wife.

    Puffa''s pickles are top-notch!¡¡I''m using my magical role knowledge as a witch to make the best bran bed I can, and then stirring it every day without fail to keep it fresh!¡¡Even when I was accompanying my brother on his martial arts training, I had to go back and stir it up with transition magic once every day!

    Her tenacity to keep the habit alive.

    It was all so that her future husband, Prince Arowana, could enjoy the delicious bran pickles.

    The taste of this nukazuke is what makes it so delicious!¡¡It just proves that Puffa can be a good wife!

    What the hell?

    I know, I''ve seen this before.

    I used to read those cartoons in a previous world. You know, the kind where you take a troubled antagonist and turn him into a saint with a delicious meal.

    No matter how twisted his character may be, once he cooks for them and the protagonist blurts out his sermons, his character is changed like a lie.

    He turns into a true human being like an angel, and they reconcile as if they never had a fight in the first place!

    Who would''ve thought Plati would use such a technique?

    You can''t believe her wits!

    "Oh!

    And Queen Sheila''s on board!

    Can we keep up the momentum?

    But it''s not working.

    "ohhhhh?

    Cooking manga isn''t as easy as it sounds after all!

    Is it possible to change someone''s mind with a single dish?

    Surely, Pahwa who can make such delicious pickles would make a good wife. Arowana must be a lucky person to be able to marry her.

    Well, that''s...?

    But we mustn''t forget. You mustn''t forget that Arowana is going to be a mermaid. His wife will not be just another wife. She will have a more important role to play as the mermaid queen.

    There is a difference in the weight of responsibility between a mere married woman and a queen.

    I can''t complain when this is pointed out to me.

    Then I will give you one last try, Your Majesty. Get past this, and I fully approve of your marriage. No two words for a woman.

    Oh!

    If we can clear that up, can Prince Arowana and Puffa get married this time?

    The final stage.

    And what is the final stage of the ordeal...?

    Well, yeah. You have now proven that you are qualified to be a good wife by marinating in bran. Then you''ll have to demonstrate your qualifications to be a queen by marinating in bran.

    Queen Sheila declared in a loud voice.

    ''Go and make the Queen''s bogeys!¡¡And when that is recognized, let''s also recognize that you are fit to be the next queen!

 425-423 Worried Puffer

    Prathi''s strategy regrettably failed to break through the situation.

    ''''Gnnnnn........?¡¡The strategy I thought of was...!

    Prathi looked very frustrated, but let''s be glad that we were able to take the final step.

    I''ve been told that as long as I pass the final test, he will allow me to marry him.

    Sheila is the current queen.

    She won''t do anything sneaky to change her words, and she doesn''t want her daughter and son to hate her.

    That''s why this is the final stage.

    Get over this problem and this time we will marry Prince Arowana and Puffa!

    I thought...!

    * * * *

    ''Gogogogog...!''

    Puffa let out a terrific roar, which was not typical for a woman.

    The reason for this was because of the final test given to her by Queen Sheila.

    If he could only clear it, he could marry her, so he bravely tackled it, but he was stalled.

    The process didn''t go as far as he wanted and he was about to roar in frustration.

    "What the hell is the queen''s bogeymen...?¡¡What the hell is that?!

    ''The queen''s baking soda.

    That was Queen Sheila''s final challenge to Puffa.

    If a good dip is the proof of a good wife.

    She had to prove by soaking in bran that Puffa was fit to marry Prince Arowana and become queen.

    The ordeal was to produce a baking dish to prove that Puffa was fit to be queen.

    Was that really so outrageous?

    What is the queen''s pickles?

    In the first place, the princess would not have the luxury of making pickles by herself.

    It was the farthest thing from the princess and her nobles, so to speak, and I wondered how they could represent the queen.

    So Puffa was at a loss for words.

    ''Nuno-no-no-no-no!¡¡I don''t know.¡¡How can I make the pickles look like a queen?

    I''m not sure I have any ideas.

    He was just writhing in agony as if he was exasperated.

    Prince Arowana, on the other hand, is watching his fianc¨¦e''s lasciviousness from a step back.

    I''m sorry, Pfa........!¡¡You''ve put yourself through all this trouble to marry me...!

    He was in tears, chastising himself.

    I wonder where this guy was when he was in direct conflict with Queen Sheila?

    Well, I know that when a wife and mother-in-law are at odds with each other, you don''t want to be the enemy of either of them....

    "Don''t worry, Puffa!¡¡I''ll go through the ordeal with you!¡¡If we, who will eventually become husband and wife, work together, I''m sure we''ll be able to get over it like we once did when we defeated the Geyser Dragon!

    An ordeal that was put on par with something awesome.

    ''Thank you sir!¡¡So, tell me, what kind of marinade would be best for the Queen to marinate in?

    I have no idea!

    Stand back!

    Prince Arowana is treated as a useless husband even before he gets married.

    It doesn''t help that he''s actually unreliable.

    It''s sad.

    "My queen my pickles don''t make any sense at all. How can you make a pickles look like a queen?¡¡Do you want your pickles to be upscale?

    That''s the most honest way to go about it.

    Just because it''s a luxury product makes it feel royal.

    It doesn''t feel like it''s wrong, though.

    ''No, no!¡¡It''s only ''rich man''s pickles'' at best!¡¡I can''t even describe what it''s like to be royalty, let alone a queen!

    I think there are other problems, though.

    In any case, just making it a high quality product won''t make it a "Queen''s Nukazuke".

    It won''t be able to satisfy Sheila-san.

    ''''I know, I know, I know.......!¡¡Your mother-in-law is trying to tell Atai what a queen is through this ordeal.......

    Have you already called me "mother-in-law"?

    ''I''m trying to tap into that mindset so that Atai can support her husband as a queen after they are married!¡¡Hoping that Atai would make a good queen to support the master at his feet!

    Do you think so?

    I get the sense that all you intend to do is harass the young woman who is taking your son away from you as best you can, right?

    But I''m sure that doesn''t bother Puffa either.

    Now, let''s get you out of this mess.

    "Don''t worry, Puffa!¡¡I''ve got an aide for you!

    What?¡¡Help?

    You came to help me at my request.

    Queen Astares and Grashara!

    "Oh?¡¡The Demon Queen?

    A light dwells in Puffa''s eyes.

    "Speaking of the Demon Queen, she is the Demon King''s wife!¡¡Demon Queen!¡¡I see!

    Do you get it, Puffa?

    Yes, the two active queens must know what it means to be a queen''s wife.

    If they would listen to them, they would be able to understand the essence of a queen and use it in their baking.

    ''That''s great, saint!¡¡How did you come up with such a breakthrough in such a short period of time!¡¡That''s a saint!

    "Ha-ha, yeah I''m great.

    It''s great that Astares and the others were able to call me and come right over on such short notice.

    How are you doing?¡¡A queen is never too busy, is she?

    ''If the saints call you, you should cancel any plans you have and run to them.

    ''The saints will always be there for me!¡¡We need to seize the occasional opportunity to return the favor this way!

    The muscular Second Queen Grashara.

    She made a clenched fist and spoke with enthusiasm.

    ........Since both of them were originally members of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, they gushed with an aura of military personnel rather than a queen.

    I''m starting to feel a little uneasy about whether it was a good idea to rely on them.

    Moreover, if Puffa-dono eventually becomes the mermaid queen, she will be on a par with us. We must help each other, as we are the queens of the neighboring countries.

    You want to hear what it''s like to be a queen?¡¡I''m on it!¡¡We''re the older guys and we''re going to make sure we teach you a lesson!

    ''A queen is..... It can be summed up in one word.

    ''What a surprise!¡¡I have one word of truth that is indispensable to me as a queen!

    ''Then I shall announce that word at the same time. I hope it will be of some help to Lord Puffa.

    I know what to do!¡¡I''m talking to you!¡¡Se-no...!

    What are the qualities needed for a queen to be...?

    Ruthless!

    Muscles!

    ..........

    ''''Oh?''''

    Then the battle began.

    ''Muscles?¡¡What muscles?¡¡I mean, it''s totally a power-type idea!¡¡You haven''t changed since you were in charge of the Four Heavenly Kings'' meat fight, you!

    You''re not the only one!¡¡Ruthless!¡¡The queen is the worst person to have it!¡¡Treat them with charity and generosity, Queen!

    I don''t know why, but I''m getting very worried about the future of the Demon Kingdom.

    I called the two current people to be the queen''s reference, but they are not helpful at all.

    This won''t solve Puffa''s problems!

    "Muscles...?¡¡Well, is there any way to marinate the meat?¡¡And ruthless. Quick freezing may give a different taste to the pickles. To begin with, cooling is the 18th of Atai, the ''Frozen Cold Witch''!

    I''m referring to it!

    No. Puffa''s mind is stuck in a stew, unable to make sense of things.

    I''m afraid I''m going to get lost in this mess.

    The important thing is that the existing queen demons are useless because of infighting.¡¡Is there anyone else in this room who can help Puffa?

    That''s where I come in.

    The angel Holkosfon is here.

    ''I offer you ingredients worthy of ''The Queen''s Nukes''. I petition you to consider it.

    It''s natto, anyway.

    Holkosfone has become the rare character who can read the punchline just by appearing on the scene, Holkosfone.

    ''Natto, sir.''

    I know that!

    You''re going to pickle natto with bran?

    No way!¡¡The true horror of natto is that it can be!

    Too many times we let people think they''ll never have it, and then when they try it, it''s good!

    But no!¡¡It''s time to change the thought routine of trying to punch in everything with natto!

    To begin with, I wonder if natto (fermented soybeans) would do any good for this theme, "The Queen''s Nukazuke"?

    But Master Puffa seems to be willing to consider it.

    What?

    When I turned around, I saw Puffa staring at Natto, muttering to himself.

    Do you want to wrap it in a cloth or something?¡¡I got some vajra silk from Batty''s place...

    "Don''t push forward, eh, eh, eh!

    Puffa''s hesitation was getting worse and worse.

    Will they really be able to pass the ordeal that Sheila-san put out at this point!

 426-424 Kings bran pickles

    In the end, I spooned Puffa''s side of the table because there was nothing I could do about it, and now I turned to the contestants.

    Queen Sheila, the Mermaid Queen, was now sitting around the table with her daughter Prathi, having a cup of tea.

    ''Mum, aren''t you being too much of a wife tormentor?¡¡If you keep this up, your mean mother-in-law character is going to take hold, okay?

    You''re still bitter as ever, Prati. Prathi is as harsh as ever, but it can''t be helped. If we get married, Arowana won''t belong to me anymore. Arowana won''t belong to me if we get married.

    ''But that doesn''t mean your brother can''t be married for life, does it? Especially since he''s a prince. Puffa is a very talented man, so he''s not much better.

    ''It''s not something you can explain in those terms. Prathi will understand eventually. When she grows up and is old enough to get a bride.

    Queen Sheila has my Junior.

    To her, he''s her grandson.

    ''''Imagine if Junior, as an adult, took a cheeky-looking woman and said, ''I''m going to marry you''...?

    "Yaaaaaahhhh?¡¡Oh no!

    Prathi was disturbed.

    You don''t like it that much.

    ''I''ll kill you!¡¡I''m going to kill that sassy b*tc*!

    Right?¡¡Isn''t it kind of sweet that I haven''t killed you yet?

    You didn''t have any reaction when I got married.

    Do you miss me?¡¡I''ve got a lot to say to you, Prathi, but generally, when a girl is going to be a bride, her father is upset. Daddy cried when he heard that you got married on land.

    Speaking of Dad, was it Mr. Nargus the Mermaid King?

    I didn''t know there was such a conflict at the bottom of the ocean that we didn''t know about...!

    ''Prathi, you should have a girl this time. That way you will understand. There is a difference between the way a daughter and a son, a father and a mother love each other.

    He said something significant.

    It''s no wonder he has more life experiences than us.

    Maybe I should keep that in mind.

    Junior is a boy, so maybe it won''t affect me that much, but it''s possible that he''s going to have two or three children in the future, and there''s a good chance that it''s a girl.

    My sweet daughter grows up to be my age....

    If the bastard who brought her in was a gangly pierced charlatan.

    ''''Gyaaahhhhhh!

    ''Sir, bother me!

    It''s hard!

    I didn''t know it was this hard even before my daughter herself was born!

    We need to eradicate all the charlatans in the world!

    That said, it''s still a parent''s selfishness, isn''t it? It''s just a nuisance to the children to wish them to stay as children forever. You know that, don''t you?

    Queen Sheila sighed sadly.

    Also, His Majesty Nargus was still over there wrestling with the orc goblins.

    "I mean," she said, "they were just harassing me with their ''express what a queen is like by marinating in bran. "I was a horrible mother-in-law," she would say.

    I knew he was harassing you!

    You can''t talk about the queen in Nepali.

    I''m sure you do!

    I didn''t think you only intended to harass me completely and completely!

    But I''ll stop bothering those kids. I''m sure they''ll bring you some nukazuke that matches the subject matter. Whatever it is, we''ll give them a pass. Then Arowana will be hers as opposed to mine.

    Momma, it''s a wise decision.

    Me and Prathi clapped in unison.

    This is the decision of a mother.

    Acknowledging that she has overcome the struggles that come with loving her son and has become a man.

    ''''It''s done!

    Oh, make a rumor and you''ll be quick.

    Isn''t that Puffa?

    With Prince Arowana in the back.

    You''ll be able to see the difference.

    ''It''s done at last!¡¡The Queen''s Nukes" as you wish!¡¡I''m sure it will meet your needs!

    That''s right, mother!

    Can''t we afford to get to Prince Arowana?

    What happened in that nukazuke factory when I left?

    Let''s see.

    In contrast, Sheila-san was calm.

    She had declared earlier that she would let him pass no matter what, but she would want to keep her dignity in check.

    For Puffa''s sake, who had worked so hard to get to this point.

    ''''You understand, don''t you?¡¡If you can survive this ordeal, you will be the wife of Prince Arowana, and eventually the mermaid queen. Are you sure you are prepared to do so in your dish?

    ''Of course!¡¡Preparedness of Atai, and behold!¡¡This is how Atai arrived at the Queen''s Nukes¡¡That name...!

    Boom!

    And a big tub to be placed in.

    Puffa, you brought a tub with you?

    ...It''s durian noodles in salted water!

    Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡¡Ahhhhhhhh?

    The smell of durian is strong as usual!

    Only half of them are peeking out of the tub, and numerous prickly protrusions are lined up all over the surface of the durian fruit.

    The fact that he has his eyes and nose there is a sign that he''s not just a Dorian.

    This is Dorian''s tree spirit, Dorian Chiou, isn''t it?

    "Oh, hi.

    Thank you, man!

    "It''s the first time I''ve ever dipped into something called a boggy floor and it''s surprisingly comfortable.

    "I don''t need to feel like it''s my first time in a spa!

    Anyway, Dorian came out, and in an instant, all hell broke loose!

    Prathi quickly ran off with Junior in his arms.

    Nice decision, Prathi, because it''s still too much stimulation for the baby!

    What is this...?

    As expected of Queen Sheila, her cheeks twitch and she is speechless.

    You''ve done a good job of breaking the queen''s heart.

    ''''I''m very grateful that you listened to me!¡¡This stuff in the bran bed is durian!¡¡They call me the king of the fruit!

    I''m the one who taught it.

    Yes, the durian is the king of fruit, right?

    "Dunk that king in the bog!¡¡This is the Queen''s Nukes!¡¡I believe we have fulfilled your mother-in-law''s order with flying colors!

    Puffa''s eyes are bleary.

    I guess it''s the end of a lot of straying, and Prince Arowana is in the same tension.

    Now, in response to this, Queen Sheila''s judgment is........?

    There are many things I would like to say to you, but first and foremost is one thing, isn''t it?

    Yes, sir.

    Was it this Dorian?¡¡They call you the king of the fruit?

    It is indeed.

    Don''t answer yourself, Dorian.

    ''''Oh yeah, you''re so noble........

    Yes.

    "What do you think we could do with ''The King''s Nukes''?

    That''s it.

    The theme was "The Queen''s Nukes". It''s slightly different from "The King".

    But even so, there was enough of a gap between the two that I couldn''t stop myself from saying, "It''s not a small matter.

    Everyone who was present here thought that it was Queen Sheila who mentioned it in the end.

    ''''..........''''

    Puffa and Prince Arowana, all with a shattered look on their faces.

    ''Wow!¡¡It didn''t work!

    I broke down crying.

    ''I can''t, I can''t!¡¡Now I can''t marry the master any more!

    "Don''t worry, Puffa!¡¡I''ll lay down my crown to be with you if it comes to this!¡¡We''ll make a happy family together!

    Even Prince Arowana, who has been talking about rarely, has been cornered and tempered.

    There''s even the stench of Dorian mixed in with this unseemly couple and it''s getting noisy.

    To contain the situation.

    The only way to save the situation from becoming hell...!

    Queen Sheila is the only one who can decide.

    He passed!

    ''''What?!''''

    Puffa, Prince Arowana, raises his face from staring at the ground.

    ''I acknowledge your, what the heck.......enthusiasm and hard work!¡¡If that''s all you have, I''m sure you''ll be able to build a happy family!

    Really?¡¡Yay!

    It was decided ahead of time that whatever came up would pass, but it''s hard to find a subject as difficult to force a pass as this one.

    Still, you did well, Princess Sheila.

    I''m amazed that you were able to pass that thing by force.

    I did it!¡¡You did it, Puffa!¡¡Now we''re officially husband and wife!

    We made it!¡¡It was harder than fighting the Geyser Dragon!

    A man and woman crying and hugging each other, sharing the same joy.

    It''s rare for a couple to have overcome such a steep obstacle to get together on our farm.

    I hope they''re happy for that, happy for them.

    ''Ha, I''ve finally allowed it to happen.

    On the other hand, Queen Sheila, on the other hand, also looked as if a possession had fallen on her.

    ''''So now the days of dominating Arowana are over, and the long, long war of wives and daughters-in-law is about to begin instead. It''s as exciting as it is lonely.

    By the way, me and King Nagas ate the bran-soaked durian together.

 427-425 Successor of fermentation

    And so it was finally decided that Prince Arowana and Puffa would be married.

    Hooray for them!

    Many of them also applaud the congratulations.

    ''Congratulations!''

    Congratulations.

    I wish you the best of luck.

    Tsk.

    Who just licked his tongue?

    Well, I guess I was jealous of someone who wanted to get married anyway but couldn''t yet.

    More importantly, there are two of them now.

    ''Alright!¡¡We''re going back to mermaid country now!¡¡In fact, preparations for the ceremony have been arranged in various places and are on standby!¡¡All that''s left to do is welcome the bride and we can do it right away!

    ''Yes!¡¡As expected of a master!

    The two of them embrace each other without hesitation of being noticed.

    The tension is out of control, but that''s how long you''ve been putting up with it, isn''t it?

    Well, I wish you happiness.

    Still, isn''t it too hasty to get married immediately?

    You can''t wait until the end of the day.

    "What?

    Queen Sheila points out on my behalf.

    Of course. They''re ready for the ceremony, but they haven''t even got around to arranging the guests. Not everyone comes that day after inviting them.

    "Two is enough for me to say my vows!

    That''s not going to happen. You are the future mermaid king and queen of mermaids, so you should invite important people from all over the world to a big party. That''s the duty of a champion.

    Mmm....?

    Just a few minutes ago, I was asking ''What is royalty? It''s hard not to listen to the couple who have been asking themselves the same question over and over again until they break down, so it''s hard not to listen.

    ''And Mr. Puffa. Don''t you have some work left to do?¡¡Is there anything we should do before we get married?

    No, sir.

    "Don''t give me a strong, clear, immediate answer.

    Dazzled by the marriage, Puffa could see nothing else.

    ''You have important work to do on this farm, haven''t you?¡¡Are you going to throw that out of the blue and leave for a bride?

    It is true if you ask me.

    The potions technology possessed by the mermaid race is essential to their farms.

    They make fertilizer that makes crops grow incredibly fast, coolants that are used to rapidly cool rooms to make refrigerators, and other common medicines to cure injuries and illnesses, all of which rely on the secret arts of mermaids.

    Puffa is in charge of making fermented food.

    In the past, Prathi was in charge of this task, but as the farm grew, he took over the responsibility.

    If Puffa is going to marry Prince Arowana, he can''t continue to live on the farm.

    As it has been said many times, being the king''s wife comes with a reasonable amount of responsibility.

    ''.........Puffa is leaving the farm.......''

    Until now, his mind had been too focused on the goal of the marriage itself to turn his attention to it, but together, Puffa would naturally live with Prince Arowana in mermaid country.

    ''Here ... I can''t stay on the farm.

    Well the farm will be in a lot of trouble. The amount of space they''re going to have to fill with Atai''s capable hands is quite large.

    You''re being an a**h*le.

    But he is right, and the farm''s fermented food department will not be able to stand if Puffa is gone.

    Prathi can''t be in charge like she used to be.

    She was replaced because she couldn''t handle it anymore.

    ''Don''t worry, I''ve already taken care of that.

    The girl Puffa was pulling from somewhere.

    The girl who appeared suddenly looked familiar.

    "You''re one of Angel''s friends...

    Discus!¡¡I''m going to take over Miss Puffa''s successor!

    An heir?

    Such a big deal.

    This girl must have been one of the cronies of Angel, the second princess of the mermaid nation who came to the farm some time ago.

    You''ll find that the Six Sorceresses, including her sister Platy, were beaten back while challenging them, and since then they''ve been working hard on the shorthanded farm.

    He was treated like an apprentice to the Six Witches.

    Discus is one of them.

    I''ve trained him in all of Atai''s pickling techniques. I''ve trained him in all of Atai''s pickling techniques, and he''s more than capable of taking over the fermentation department.

    Seriously?

    I was only an amateur when I came here.

    After Atai left, you can leave everything to him. "When it comes to making pickles, he''s already as good as Atai. I wouldn''t mind giving her the name ''The Frozen Witch''.

    Miss.

    I know you''re in tears, sister, but it''s only in the area of making fermented foods that you''ve caught up with your sister, right?

    Wouldn''t it be better to start with another area of expertise and let them rape a witch?

    I mean, you''ve done a really good job of training your successor.

    You''re dead!¡¡I''ve made all kinds of preparations to leave as soon as we get married!

    Puffa''s obsession with marriage was tremendous.

    "...you''re okay with it?¡¡I''ll rely on you, but...?

    In the meantime, I''ll ask the mermaid girl, Discus, who has been appointed to replace her.

    ''If you''re going to take Puffa''s place, you''ll be asked to live on the farm indefinitely for now, as you''d expect.

    ''''Yes!¡¡I promised Missus!¡¡I''m going to finish up Miss''s territory for you, Atai!

    Yeah?

    So then, all is well.

    The marriage between Puffa and Prince Arowana seemed to be going smoothly, but...

    "Wait a minute!

    Something stopped me.

    Who are you?

    It was all going to come together.

    I disagree with that decision!¡¡To succeed your sister-in-law, wasn''t it just me, Paffa?

    "What?

    Who are you...

    Angel!

    Angel, the second princess of the mermaid kingdom!

    Prince Arowana and Prathi''s sister!

    Princess Angel here is running for the job of pickle maker.¡¡Quickly put me in my place!

    I don''t want to.

    Why?

    I ask you, why would I ever want to take your place in Puffa''s place?

    Even though he''s already handpicked and groomed and appointed his successor?

    Because...¡¡It was founded by Prathi and developed by Puffa''s sister-in-law, right?¡¡Then if I take over, the mermaid sisters of the Mermaid King family will continue the tradition for generations to come!

    "Don''t be so selfish as to create a tradition.

    I''m not obsessed with that.

    We don''t have a pedigree on our farm.

    It''s a matter of merit, character, and motivation, and we''ll take the discus who was nominated by his predecessor.

    "Oh no, no, no!¡¡It would make me feel equal to your sisters if I had the same job as them!¡¡I want to be in charge too!

    "Is that your motive?

    It''s so impure!

    Hey, come on, Mom!¡¡Please do me a favor from your mom!

    and Angel, who puts his trust in Queen Sheila.

    If Angel is the sister of Prince Arowana and Prati, then of course she is Queen Sheila''s daughter.

    How will Queen Sheila respond to her daughter''s indulgence?

    How will Queen Sheila respond to her daughter''s selfishness? My son-in-law, will you do Angel a favor for me?

    "Swallowed it all?

    You think you can go easy on my daughter, do you, Queen?

    Prince Arowana and Prathi are so strict, I thought you''d have to discipline them.

    You know mama... she has a big soft spot for kids.

    The eldest daughter, Prati, said with a bitter look on her face.

    The fact that the firmness of me and my brother, the indulgence is concentrated on Angel, who is just underneath, and she''s a total idiot sister...?

    But because of that, Prathi disciplines me like a demon, and I''ve managed to maintain a standard that I can present to the public. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s a good kid.

    Even Prince Arowana was stunned.

    ''Alright, we''ll just have to play the game now!

    Angel took the liberty of saying.

    ''Which one of you would be better suited to succeed your sister-in-law Puffa!¡¡We''re going to have to make pickles!

 428-426 Battle for traces

    And so it began.

    A battle.

    A single, merciless match for the position of head of the Fermented Foods Division.

    The competitors are Discus and Angel.

    ''Discus!¡¡I know we''re friends, but today we''re enemies!¡¡Let''s fight each other fair and square with all our might!

    ''''Taha...?''''

    Discus was smiling.

    They are two of the five people who originally called themselves the Five Witch Saints and rode into the farm.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing.

    Especially the one from Discus to Angel.

    ''I guess friendships aren''t forever!¡¡Two people who were so close together, and now they''re enemies!¡¡But I will not resist my fate!¡¡Beating you and grabbing the glory is my destiny!

    ''''Tahahahahahahaha...?

    I guess I''m already used to the part where I feel doomed and excited on my own.

    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    ''''.........And when you say match, what exactly are you going to do?

    You know what to do!¡¡If you''re going to decide who''s in charge of making pickles, that''s what you''re going to do: taste test the pickles!

    Hoho.

    That makes sense, doesn''t it?

    Puffa served in the farm''s fermented food department.

    If you want to follow in his footsteps, well, you have to be familiar with making fermented foods.

    By the way, how good is the discus who was officially appointed by Puffa?

    Come in.

    A tub offered to me.

    There was a cup of rice bran inside.

    It was a bed of bran for making pickles. The cucumber was dug out of the tub, washed and cut into pieces to remove the bran.

    The process was very clever.

    I made the bran bed by myself," said Atai. Miss Puffa taught me how to do it all by myself.

    "Law.

    Now take a bite....

    I put a cucumber in my mouth, pickled in salted water.

    "Tasty!

    It''s really nicely salted!

    Isn''t the saltiness and spiciness of the bran bed perfectly adjusted?

    I told you. As I said, this discus is technologically on the verge of being equal to that of Atai.

    Puffa shuffles out of the room to face his mentor.

    ''There''s still one thing that''s missing to be completely even with Attai, though. Once that is filled in, you''ll be truly perfect.

    Master, what''s that?

    Love.

    Did he just say "love"?

    ''The desire to be eaten by the man I love!¡¡That''s what soaks into the pickles and makes them taste many times better!¡¡Just by picturing the master''s happy face, the lactic acid bacteria that live on the bunk beds of Atai will be a hundred times more active!

    ''I see!¡¡I''m learning, Master!

    You''re gonna have to find someone fast.

    Yes!

    Will the day come when Discus wakes up to the bog of love?

    ''So the discus has shown its overwhelming taste power, versus...''

    Angel, the second princess of the mermaid race?

    What are you going to do about it?

    Can you even make pickles?

    If you can''t do that and you''re trying to follow in Puffa''s footsteps, Kimi.

    I''ll be blown away.

    "I''ll be fine!¡¡I already have it all set up!

    Don''t, the tub is placed in front of my face again.

    ''Discus taught me the other day to pickle it!¡¡This is made by Princess Angel.¡¡Special Royal Nukazuke!

    ''''Whaaaa...?

    I didn''t expect that he was being instructed by Discus, who was challenging him as his opponent.

    Even though there was no one else suitable, it is exactly the act of repaying a favor.

    But the reason you were taught is because you were taught just the other day, right?¡¡How can such a haphazard preparation beat a discus with direct instruction from Puffa?

    That''s where my noble blood and grace comes in!

    It''s a perfectly bad royal behavior patter.

    I guess the point is that you''re supposed to compare Discus''s boggy pickles and Angel''s boggy pickles and decide which one tastes better.

    Isn''t that the kind of game you want to play?

    ...Very well.

    In order to obtain a result that satisfies everyone, let''s make sure we do our best to judge it.

    Then we''ll have a proper judge.

    Someone who can make a fair judgment after comparing two people''s bran pickles.

    * * * *

    So I called the No Life King teacher.

    ''Sir, it''s nice to meet you.''

    "Mm.

    Angel interrupted me while crying something.

    How can you be a teacher?¡¡Isn''t it too much to ask for a no-life king to be a judge over pickles?

    No, that''s not true.

    I''ve been serving takuan as a souvenir since the beginning of our relationship.

    So his judgment of taste must be top-notch!

    Um....but if you could still do it, would you have an easier judge...?

    You''re an easy judge. I mean, most of you guys are good at what you do.

    Currently, Angel and her friends are students at the Mermaid Witch Academy Farm Branch School, which was established on the farm.

    They are wrapped up with other students of the human and demon races.

    They are also wrapped up with other human and demon students, which is probably one of the reasons why they''ve been so lacking in recent years, but that doesn''t stop them from being pampered by their teachers as one of the prettiest students!

    You''re the type to praise and encourage. "Don''t worry, no matter how bad your pickles are, I''m sure he''ll find something good in there!

    You can''t tell me that beforehand!

    By the way, if we were to divide the judges by difficulty level....

    Berry-Easy: Queen Sheila.

    Easy: Prince Sheila.

    Normal: Prince Arowana.

    Hard: Me.

    Very Hard: Puffa.

    Nightmare: Prati.

    .... or something like that.¡¡Do you want to take the plunge and try the Nightmare?

    Easy, please.

    You''re right, I didn''t want to run to the Berry Easy.

    If Queen Sheila were to be the judge, she would let Angel win outright, regardless of taste.

    I guess Angel''s good sense told him that this was a bad idea.

    Now that it''s officially decided, let''s see.

    Sir, the review.

    Thank you!

    The doctor eats.

    Paprika dug up from an angel bed of bran.

    A paprika?¡¡Why did you pickle those strange things?¡¡It''s because of Angel. ''It''s the royal family''s humidity, so it should look special. And that must have been a strange thing to say!

    .........Anyway, taste the paprika, Sensei, without showing a single confused face.

    I chew it for a while........

    ''''........let''s try a little harder!

    ''''No!''''

    Even the teacher, who usually praises most things students do, couldn''t find the beauty in it and had to euphemistically ruin it with maximum angularity.

    Sorry teacher!

    Thank you for being so thoughtful, doctor!

    ''Whoa!¡¡My nukazuke is aaaaah!

    And Angel breaks down in tears.

    It seems that he could tell that it was not good enough.

    "My ambition to follow in the footsteps of Puffa''s sister-in-law and join the flow of the royal family is ah!¡¡The dream of being close to your big sister is ah!

    Angel, who was so frustrated that she cried out.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    ".........discus?

    ''I have a request. May I turn it over to Mr. Angel, the head of the brewery?

    What?

    What are you trying to tell me, Discus?¡¡You were the one who got appointed!

    "Mr. Angel found you and took you in as a crony. It''s thanks to him that I was able to come to the farm and apprentice myself to Miss Puffa, whom I respect. I want to repay that favor to Master Angel.

    "Discus!

    ''Naturally, the practical side is handled by Atai!¡¡We won''t slow down the work like we did with Miss Puffa, and we won''t diminish the quality of the flavor!¡¡So the position in charge should be Angel-sama!

    Doesn''t that mean that Discus is actually in charge and Angel is only the head of the decorations?

    Okay, so?

    ''Oh my God, thanks for the discus!¡¡I knew you were my dear friend!

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡From the moment the princess said she was my friend, I was ready to give my life to you!¡¡Let me continue to work for you!

    Two girl mermaids embracing each other.

    I slightly wonder if this is the right way to go, but Angel''s way of moving people around by virtue of his humanity is much more like royalty than Prince Arowana and Prati.

    Queen Sheila is the first to have her daughter grow up (?). I was moved to tears as I witnessed the Parent Fool.

    ''Moshu...!

    And King Nagas was weeping. Super parental idiot.

    After all, fathers are even sweeter to their daughters than they are to their daughters!

 429-427 Sequel to the Mermaid

    That''s how the marriage of Puffa, Prince of Arowana, was decided upon. They were to be together in the clear light of day.

    It will still take a little more time to prepare for the wedding, but once the ceremony takes place, Puffa will move to the Mermaid Royal Family and leave the farm.

    Will we finally have a graduate from our family...!

    I''m going to miss you and I''m very emotional...!

    Paffa himself was using the time he had left on the farm to mentor his younger students.

    He had already prepared a worthy successor named Discus, but he was going to do his best to train her because Angel had jumped in.

    ''''Since I''m going to be Attai''s successor, I''m not going to allow you to be a decorative topper, Ora!¡¡I''ll work it up to the point where it''s useful!

    ''Wow!¡¡My sister-in-law is as strict as my own sister!

    Angel''s wailing voice echoed throughout the farm.

    Well, that''s what she chose to do. I hope you''ll do your best to get over it.

    ''''Angel-chan........!¡¡Work hard and be a great witch...!

    Queen Sheila watches from the shadows.

    What are you doing here, my dear?

    ''''No......... I''m sure I''m curious about little Angel who''s training.......¡¡Isn''t that her?¡¡It takes the longest of all our kids. He''s been in a lot of trouble since he was born. But why is that?¡¡That''s why it''s even cuter...?

    It was a line that would have given Prathi a headache if she had been here to hear it.

    Fortunately, or rather, she''s staying with her own child, Junior.

    ''''........As I recall, the queen has been lenient with Angel for a long time now, right?

    I know.

    I''ve witnessed it.

    I didn''t talk about it because it wasn''t much of an event, so I didn''t let it pass, but the truth is that when we visited the mermaid country in the past, Angel was always with us.

    The first time I came to the mermaid kingdom to see my grandson, and the time of the martial arts competition.

    I''m sure you''ll find that you''ll be able to find a lot of people who are willing to pay for your services.

    But that didn''t mean we didn''t have much to say about it, so we didn''t go through with it.

    But Angel had been gooey and attached to Queen Sheila the whole time.

    The only time they were apart was at most when the queen was confronting Puffa.

    I didn''t have much to say about it, so I didn''t go through with it.

    Since that time, I had thought, ''The queen is very lenient with her second daughter.

    ''''You understand...!¡¡Angel is a princess, too, and as a position of responsibility, she has to be raised strictly!¡¡But I didn''t want her to hate me, so I coddled her.¡¡What a horrible mother you are!

    So instead, your eldest daughter disciplined you like a demon...?

    How well balanced is that...?

    ''But now that Puffa-san has come to marry you, it''s encouraging to know that you have not only Prathi-chan, but also another sister who is even more strict. I''m sure Angel-chan will grow up to be a great lady now!

    Oh, my God.

    If you''re disciplined by a double Prati and Puffa and that still doesn''t work, there''s nothing you can do about it...!

    When I was feeling that way about Angel''s future and reassured....

    "Ah, mamah!

    Angel, our own Angel, spotted his mother and ran over to her.

    Then he hugged her.

    ''Help me, my brother and sister-in-law!¡¡My brother and sister-in-law are much tougher than I expected!¡¡This is no different than Prathi''s big sister, and mommy needs to say a word to her!

    A princess who spoils her mother without hesitation.

    But you can''t. Queen Sheila welcomes Puffa''s Spartan education for your own personal growth.

    I''m sure she approves of Puffa''s discipline with a clear conscience.

    Well, I think you''re being a little hard on her.

    It was no good.

    A parent-fool was only a parent-fool.

    ''Hey, Mr Puffa?¡¡I don''t think education can be too strict, you know?¡¡Can''t we have candy and whip, whip and candy, candy and candy here, please?

    Finally, the whip is gone!

    In response, Puffa.........

    ''''I can''t do that!¡¡The day that Atai leaves the farm is right around the corner!¡¡By then, this guy needs to be finished, at least to the point where he can help with the discus, or the farm will be in trouble!

    That said, just because you''re strict with them doesn''t mean they''ll follow you.

    This!

    One of the warring parties in the war between wife and mother-in-law. A diagram of the conflict over the educational policy of the children (grandchildren)!

    Why is this breaking out even before Puffa gave birth to Prince Arowana''s child?

    ''We have been asked by Prati to be as strict as possible.

    ''Nuh-uh!¡¡Prati-chan, did you switch sides?

    No, I thought Prati''s position was the same as it was throughout the entire process.

    It''s the sister who always remains my sister''s enemy.

    You can''t get away with it.

    I''ve decided to change the subject because I''m starting to feel like it would be sterile to continue this topic any longer.

    I had to force it.

    ''I''m glad you''re here to visit, but how long can you stay here?¡¡After all, the king and queen must be busy...?

    By the way, the king is still having fun with the wrestling.

    Even Prince Arowana has joined in, and a phantom grand finale that was not seen at the martial arts tournament is unfolding.

    Substitute?

    It''s little Zos Saira.

    That thing?

    Zos Saira, the Witch of the Abyss.

    Isn''t she the one we''ve been looking for?¡¡Isn''t she a wanted fugitive?

    Are you sure you''re comfortable letting someone like that take over your administration?

    I wouldn''t worry about it. Don''t worry, Zos Saira is a very capable person. It''s not hard to understand why she can''t handle politics.

    ''Maybe so!

    ''And Zos Saira, you are Mr. Puffa''s teacher, aren''t you?¡¡Paffa is going to be the queen and she won''t look good if she''s a criminal forever. We need her in some kind of position.

    "You''re going to hurt my teacher because of Atai?

    The person who shuddered most at this news was Puffa.

    It''s not often that people talk about it, but they admit that Puffa was a disciple of Zos Saira.

    I''ve never seen him get involved in anything like that, though.

    ''Yes!¡¡What do you think about having Zos Saira act as a matchmaker for Arowana and Puffa''s wedding?¡¡Won''t Puffa be happy to see her master off?

    "What?!

    Puffa and I are both astonished.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    No....?¡¡But a matchmaker has to be a married man, right?

    I don''t know if it''s the same here. I don''t know if it''s the same here.

    You don''t have to be married, do you?

    Oh, I''m sure Zos Saira has a partner in mind.¡¡Or maybe Mr. Okubo?

    Where do you get all this information from?

    Information that Okubo himself doesn''t even know he has!

    And yet, in the land of mermaids, Queen Sheila is grasping it from afar.

    ''Wait!¡¡We''re not sure of that yet!¡¡I don''t know how things will turn out if I poke around at this point!¡¡Too sensitive!

    Oh, yeah?¡¡Zos Saira, too, is thinking that if your apprentice becomes a married woman first, she''ll be able to shrug her shoulders and let you marry her together at this time. If you have a partner, there''s no need to stop, right?

    How did you have to go through all that trouble?

    Oh, shit!¡¡Even among the mermaids who are in love with each other, when she becomes the queen, her attributes are outstanding!

    You''re trying to get more and more people around you to get married, not just yourself!

    You tried to stop your own son''s marriage to the limit!

    Ah!¡¡So the ban on his son''s marriage has been lifted and you''ve lost your grip?

    ''In fact, I''ve already arranged for one marriage to be consummated. If those two become husband and wife, Arowana and Puffa, I think it will help both of them.

    Huh?

    You''re not suggesting...?

    Queen Sheila, we are back.

    Before I knew it, the "Hellfire Witch" Lamp Eye was standing right beside me.

    He hadn''t been seen at all during Queen Sheila''s hospitality, but which way had he gone until now?

    Oh, dear, you''re home earlier than I expected. How did it go?

    It went much smoother than I expected. The people of Mr. Hendler''s family have been so kind as to welcome me. All thanks to the queen''s help in advance!

    It''s all right. Hendler, the Betas'' treasured son, is a good friend of Arowana, too. What better way to support the future of Arowana''s administration than to have him as a member of the Kingsguard with you.

    You went behind my back and supported the wedding of Mr. Hendler to Lump-Eye!

    You scary queen!¡¡The situation is moving at a dizzying pace with this person''s involvement!

    ''''So, Saint. I regret to inform you that I have to leave the farm to start a new life. From now on, I will serve the mermaid kingdom as Lady Hendler''s wife. I have trained my sisters-in-law, Veiltail and Crowntail, to guard Princess Platy at the farm.

    Well, you''ll have to talk to Platy about that!

    Anyway, congratulations to you guys on your wedding!

    It''s always nice when a man and woman who love each other get together, no matter what the circumstances are!

 430-428 Sake revenge plan

    While the mermaids'' celebrations continue, there are still some unresolved issues smoldering under the surface at the farm.

    Actually, there are so many of them.

    Today I visited the brewery to solve one of them.

    One of the many facilities on our farm.

    It was a facility hosted by Bacchus, the god of alcohol, that produces all kinds of liquor ... and vinegar.

    Working there are the priestesses of the Bacchus cult.

    They are all of you who drink, drink, and believe that alcohol is the joy of life.

    Its guru is Bacchus, the god of alcohol.

    He''s also the object of my faith.

    They say he was born thousands of years ago to a god and a man, and is said to be a demigod, a half god.

    He transcends a lot of things just because he''s half god''s blood mixed in, and he doesn''t die or age.

    He is more immortal than the No-Life King and wanders the earth forever.

    The only reason he wanders the earth is for drinking.

    After all, at one point, all the demigods had moved to the God Realm, but he was the only one left on earth because of drinking.

    He was the only one who stayed on earth because he was the only one who was able to meet and drink new alcoholic beverages on earth and create new alcoholic beverages for himself.

    It is said that he refused to join the official gods because of this, making him an unprecedented drinker.

    So.

    So Bacchus lives on a farm and makes sake.

    It''s not that I asked him to do anything, it''s just that when I noticed it, it was something like that.

    As expected of a god, even if he''s only half a god. He is too free to do what he does.

    But now Bacchus, very depressed, was nodding off in a corner of the brewery.

    ''''.........You haven''t recovered yet?''''

    Even though it''s been a long time since then.

    Yes, Bacchus has been depressed lately.

    He''s a man of action, but he doesn''t do anything, and leaves his important work to his followers.

    That''s why the brewery itself is running without any problems, but that''s no reason to leave Bacchus alone as he is.

    ...No, in fact, I''ve left it wide open.

    After all, it''s been ever since the exposition ended....

    The reason why Bacchus has become so depressed is because of the exposition.

    The event that took place in the Devil''s Land the other winter.

    A farm fair.

    There, the farm members presented what they had cultivated, and it was very well received.

    As a matter of fact, Bacchus had also exhibited at the expo.

    The theme, of course, was alcohol.

    Bacchus came to the farm and presented for the first time my otherworldly knowledge and the many unusual drinks made from the farm''s unusual crops.

    Naturally, he was impressed.

    A long line of people lined up at the "Sake House" Bacchus hosted, and all the drinkers in the Demon City gathered there.

    The number of customers was great. I think it was in a position to compete with Lettuce Rate''s "Bean House" and Viel''s "Wheat House" for the highest number of visitors.

    But it was not to be.

    Instead of being crowned the number one in terms of number of visitors, Bacchus''s Sake Pavilion disappeared without a chance to compete for the top spot.

    The reason for this is that the only thing on display is alcohol.

    If you drink, you get drunk.

    The Liquor House has been flooded with a large number of drunks around it.

    They got drunk and tangled up with people around them, lying down on the side of the road, and to top it all off, they threw up.

    The whole exposition was closed on the same day because of the danger to public safety.

    Bacchus''s "Liquor Pavilion" became a phantom pavilion that was only open on the first day.

    This seemed to be a great shock to him.

    Even now, long after the exhibition had ended, Bacchus was still depressed.

    ''My liquor..., my liquor was not accepted like this...!

    And.

    He''s letting out all those ramblings.

    ''What went wrong...?¡¡My drink is not supposed to make me feel bad...?¡¡The sake made by the god of sake is a good sake that will never be forgotten!

    That said, though.

    I''ve heard that food and drink made on the farm is much tastier than outside.

    I''ve heard that the food and drink made on the farm is much better than the food outside.

    Such a pattern was overflowing.

    Especially Bacchus, who seemed to be really into the expo, brought out all kinds of sake from the farm.

    Not to mention the most popular wines in this world.

    Beer, sake, high alcohol spirits, and of course the most popular wines in the world.

    I tried to bring out as much fruit wine as I could, and even tried to include a bottle of ryuzu on the menu, but I had to stop myself from doing so in a hurry.

    That''s how enthusiastic they were about it.

    And yet, it was cancelled.

    I can''t blame them for being shocked.

    If they''d at least limited it to low strength sake, we wouldn''t have had any drunkenness problems...

    "We were going to serve whiskey and shochu with water!¡¡And yet before you know it, it''s straight...!

    That''s very drunk.

    Well, so would I. I wanted the whole fair to go off without a hitch, and I couldn''t afford to let any trouble happen.

    In fact, during the course of the event, we received several requests to reopen the Sake House, but in the end we did not accept them until the very end.

    We couldn''t guarantee that we wouldn''t serve drunks again, or that they wouldn''t cause trouble.

    ''Because nothing is more unbelievable than the word of a drunkard,''

    Oh my God!¡¡Drinking could bring peace to the world!¡¡All the people in the world could be friends with alcohol!

    You could say that all mistakes also arise from drinking, though.

    But, well, it''s heartbreaking to see Bacchus so discouraged as he is.

    From the finale of the exposition to today, there''s been so many things to do, like Castle Okubo, the attack of Dr. No-Life King, and the fiasco of Prince Arowana and Puffa''s marriage, that it''s been hard to get to grips with them.

    It''s time to encourage Bacchus in earnest.

    Please, saints!¡¡I failed at the expo, but I want to spread the word about the wonders of booze to the world!¡¡Give me another chance!¡¡What do you have?

    That being said, are we supposed to serve farm-made alcohol in public again?

    I can''t allow it because I can see that I''m going to get drunk and get in trouble again anyway.

    They say it''s too good to drink until you''re drunk.

    How ironic.

    It is an absolute requirement to prevent drunkenness. The worst thing that could happen at the exposition was to get vomited on. But if it goes beyond that and you get into a knife fight, it''s a joke.

    That said, if you drink and don''t get drunk, it''s not alcohol.

    It''s a matter of degree.

    It''s okay to be drunk. Just don''t get so drunk that you cause trouble for the people around you.

    No one gets drunk as planned with the intention of getting drunk from the beginning.

    That is the fear of alcohol.

    ''So we need a way to eliminate... or at least reduce the number of people who get too drunk.

    Why are you drunk?

    It''s because you drink.

    We get drunk beyond our limits because we drink too much.

    So how can we cut down on the amount of alcohol we drink?¡¡Can you make it so I don''t drink all the time?

    Oh.

    That''s right.

    It''s bad enough that he only drinks.

    ''Just make him eat and drink other things, not alcohol. That was the easy part.

    Come to think of it, they only served alcohol at the exposition.

    Is it because he is the god of alcohol and has no interest in anything but alcohol?

    If they only served alcohol, of course they would get drunk!

    ''What?¡¡What?¡¡What did I do wrong?

    You demigod!

    We''ve found a solution to the problem.

    Put out something other than alcohol!

    You drink a drink, put something in between and then drink again.

    This cycle dilutes the alcohol in the body and prevents intoxication.

    In other words.....

    Snacks!

    We need a snack of booze!

    Thus the policy was decided. As a first step towards organizing a liquor revenge event, we''ll create a snack of otherworldly liquor!

 431-429 Seven ingredients

    So we talked about adding snacks to our drinks.

    However, it doesn''t seem to be such a serious problem.

    The farm has been in existence for quite a while now. The farm has been in existence for quite a while, and some of them are good to go along with drinks.

    Edamame to go with beer.

    Cheese to go with wine.

    I made a lot of things.

    It seems to be enough to serve with these things, but that doesn''t mean we can cover everything.

    There are other kinds of drinks, too.

    At any rate, I''d like to prepare some other snacks to go with the sake and whisky.

    Whiskey snacks don''t immediately come to mind, so I''ll leave it at that for now....

    Let''s think about what goes with sake...and shochu.

    Sake was a big hit at the "Sake Pavilion" on the first day of the fair, too.

    If we could have some sake snacks, we wouldn''t have so many holes in our menu.

    That''s why I thought about it....

    ........Because sake goes with everything, we''re at a loss when we try to find the perfect sake, aren''t we?

    Do you want to take the super high road and go for surume or salted fish?

    But the purpose of preparing snacks this time is to help the alcohol dissolve in the drink, not just drink it.

    Therefore, we want to eat more food to dilute the alcohol.

    Is it a staple food?

    Then I had an idea.

    "Oden!

    Speaking of oden, it''s a standard drinker''s dish at a bar.

    One of the happiest moments of a drinker''s life is to have a hot cup of oden and a hot drink at a stall.

    Oden can be a great substitute for rice, and you''ll probably get less alcohol in your system because of it.

    The theory being that you''ll naturally get less nausea!

    All right, let''s make some oden!¡¡Let''s make an oden that goes well with sake!

    ''For God''s sake, saints!¡¡I would love to finish that oden and all that stuff to spread the word about my sake!

    Bacchus was listening beside me, and he went from despondent to lively.

    ''Idiot!''

    ''''Gubbo!''''

    He blew Bacchus away with a lariat.

    "What are you going to do by leaving it to others?¡¡It''s your problem, your wish to have as many people drinking alcohol as possible!

    Once again, it''s a bastardly wish.

    You can''t just leave it to someone else to make snacks for you!¡¡You do it!¡¡The fact that you made this oden with your own hands should go perfectly with the sake you made!

    Oh?

    You''re going to change.

    Bacchus immediately echoed my sermon.........

    ''The saints are right...!¡¡What have I been fooling myself about?¡¡If you really care about the sake, I''ll have to make the snacks myself with great care!¡¡Liquor and snacks must be mixed together!

    Mm, that''s right.

    "Saints!¡¡I came to my senses!¡¡I''m all motivated to spread the wonders of alcohol to the world this time!

    Now that you have that line, Bacchus is back in full force.

    So, let''s work together to create an oden!

    I''ll hand over the body to Bacchus, but of course I''ll be there to help!

    "Oden needs garnish!¡¡Oden is a dish decorated with a wide variety of ingredients!

    Oh!

    So I''m going to arrange the ingredients for the oden one by one.¡¡They say when you have it all together, any wish will come true!

    That''s probably the other one.

    To complete the oden, we need to prepare the following ingredients....

    1. radish

    2. eggs

    3. kelp

    4. konnyaku

    5, Tofu

    6, chikuwa.

    7. Mochi

    ...it!

    First you get the daikon, Bacchus!¡¡You can go ahead and pull out the fruit from my field!

    Rajass!

    Bacchus dashed into the field.

    ''A big one!¡¡I pulled out the ones growing around there and... what?¡¡How is it getting out of the ground by itself?¡¡Does it have a two-pronged tip?¡¡Like feet?¡¡He escaped!¡¡Why did Radish run away on his own?¡¡Wait a minute!

    The evolution of our crops has recently entered uncharted territory.

    While Bacchus is chasing after the daikon, I''m going to get to work.

    Tofu, chikuwa and rice cakes are indispensable ingredients for cooking, and let''s say you have prepared them before and used them.

    You don''t just throw them into the oden pot.

    By further processing, they will evolve into the familiar ingredients that are only recognized as oden ingredients.

    First, the tofu.

    This is then deep-fried as is and made into a thick slice of tofu.

    This completes the ingredients for oden.

    Also, the drained tofu is made into deep-fried tofu. Put the mochi into the baggy bag and you have a baggy cloth with mochi in it.

    There are other things that can be made with tofu, too.

    Start again with Nama Tofu. After mashing the tofu, I mix in the chopped carrots and burdock.

    Then we roll it up and fry it in oil, and it''s ready to eat.

    I didn''t know it was possible to make so many kinds of oden with just one tofu.

    I am glad that I made the tofu in response to the wilfulness of the lettuce rate when I made it.

    I was disappointed when the soy milk ripped it all up, but I''m still glad I made tofu!

    ........and I also made chikuwa.

    I''ve made kamaboko before, so I made use of that experience and ingredients.

    A thick fried tofu, a baggy baggy with rice cakes, cancerous mushroom and chikuwa.

    We now have four kinds of oden!

    Furthermore, let''s try the next stage, making konnyaku.

    ........To tell the truth, this is the most difficult problem this time.

    I''ve never made konnyaku before.

    It is not so simple as an ingredient, and therefore, there was no opportunity to pay attention to it.

    However, konnyaku is absolutely necessary for oden.

    Shirataki is made from konjac, too.

    .........I remember that konnyaku is made from yams, right?

    I''ve seen this in the episode where Lu0n attacked the Zantian sword.

    There''s also a method of growing and processing konjac potatoes with the ''supreme bearer'', but it''s going to take some time.

    Now what to do........

    But then someone came.

    "I am the Konjac Mondo, the Konjac Potato Tree Spirit.

    Seriously?

    Even the konnyaku potatoes have been turned into trees?

    But is that okay?¡¡Konnyaku potatoes don''t grow on trees.¡¡I thought it was a tree spirit because it haunts trees!

    Don''t bother with details. It''s more important to note that someone recently got engaged here.

    Oh, yes.

    Is it Prince Arowana and Puffa, Mr. Hendler and the Lamprey?

    "I brought you konjac to celebrate your engagement.

    Joke.

    What a nonsense and I ended up with a konnyaku!

    There''s even a konjac thread attached to it, in other words, a white waterfall!

    In addition, there''s even a konnyaku ball!

    "If you like, I can teach you how to make konnyaku from scratch at a later date. See you later.

    Thanks...?

    By an unexpected turn of events, we got a konnyaku without any effort.

    At the same time, Bacchus, who finally caught a radish, fought with the Yoshamo and got an egg.

    The remaining kelp was given to us by Prathi.

    Now all the ingredients were ready to go.

    When they were all boiled, the pot turned into a jewel box...!

 432-430 A relaxing izakaya

    My name is Sabbath.

    I consider myself the best drinker in all of Devil''s Land.

    He has drunk all the alcohol in the world, and he knows what it tastes like.

    I''m proud of that, and that''s why I can''t stop drinking when I hear about a new brew.

    That''s why he can''t sit still when he hears that a new brew is on the market.

    Wherever it''s on the market, you have to be the first to rush out and have a drink.

    It was the same at that time.

    An exposition was held in the Magic City for the first time in years, and there was a lot of publicity.

    It was written on a flyer that a pavilion called the ''Sake Pavilion'' was being held in the exposition.

    The blood of drinkers was boiling.

    No matter how small the event, if you''re involved with alcohol, you have to go and see what you can drink.

    That''s what new brew hunters do!

    So, on the first day of the expo, I got into the expo hall by carriage.

    Without looking aside, I visited the sake pavilion.

    The first thing that surprised me was the fact that the brewery was not run by a human being.

    It was Bacchus, the God of Wine.

    That''s the god we drinkers worship, isn''t it?

    It''s amazing that the booze god himself is hosting this event.

    The drinks served exceeded our expectations because of the fact that Bacchus was serving them.

    First of all, the wine I was used to drinking was so good that I thought to myself, "This isn''t what I''m used to drinking! The wine was rich, deep and delicious.

    The wine was rich, deep and full of flavor.

    Compared to this, the wine I usually drink, which is distributed by the guild of liquor stores, is too thin and crude.

    What a great wine!

    I was impressed that this is the kind of sake that the sake god himself made, and yet, while I was still excited, new surprises hit me one after another.

    Beer, whiskey.

    Beer. Whiskey.

    Japanese whiskey.

    This time, it was a new kind of sake that I had never seen before. And all at once.

    Each one was as good as the first one served, and each one had its own unique characteristics.

    The beer was sizzling and foamy in the mouth.

    The whiskey had a throat-burning liquor strength and the smell of smoke in the air.

    The Nihonsh is so clear you''d think it was water, but it has a strong liquor flavor. It was clear as water, but the flavour of the liquor was strong and smooth.

    None of them had ever been drunk before, and they tasted better than any liquor I''d ever had before.

    I am the best drinker in the land of evil, this me.

    I had no choice but to drink them all up, and I drank them all down, one after the other.

    To my horror, the event, which is part of the exposition, is said to be giving away all the alcohol for free.

    This super-duper tasty sake, that is.

    Is there such a miracle!

    If so, we must drink it all up!

    They drank at a raging pace. They drank beer, grape, whiskey, and nihonshu, and then beer again.

    That would have been a bad idea.

    I ended up throwing up.

    By the time I realized it, I was completely drunk.

    What a surprise that I, the biggest drinker in the land of evil, had misjudged the pace of my drinking.

    I guess I shouldn''t have drunk so many different kinds of alcohol at once.

    There were others who had messed up like me, and in the worst case, there was even a person who had lost consciousness and was being carried away.

    Anyway, the situation was terrible.

    It was just as expected.

    The next day, the "Sake House" was closed.

    I was stunned when I went to the fair with a hangover in my head.

    I repeatedly pleaded for the reopening of the sake pavilion, but in the end the exposition was closed without being accepted.

    It also meant that they refused to revive the sake pavilion.

    Oh, what a fool I was.

    I made the mistake of a young man who had just started drinking, getting drunk and not being able to assess his own limits.

    It was not fair to call himself the best drinker in the Devil''s Land.

    It was all my fault that the sake was too good to be true!

    I drank every day in disappointment.

    One night, long after those days had passed, there was a night.

    * * * *

    ...hmm?

    Was there ever a bar in that place?

    The entertainment district of the Magic City.

    In a lonely corner on the outskirts of the city, I found a signboard that I had never seen before.

    It said "Oden Bakkasu".

    Oden?

    What is that?

    It''s a bit of a mystery, but using the name of some kind of sake god in the name of the restaurant is a bold fellow.

    It''s also true that you want to check out the first time you visit a bar, even if it''s not the first time.

    I went inside anyway.

    "...Come in.

    The restaurant was awfully small.

    The table was stretched out horizontally between the kitchen and the seats.

    It was the first time I''d ever seen it, but I understood that this is how the owner serves the food he''s made.

    What can I get for you?

    The owner asks, so anyway....

    ''Booze.''

    I replied.

    First and foremost, drink the booze.

    Judge how good this restaurant is by what kind of liquor it serves. That''s what you do as the best drinker in the Demon Kingdom!

    You shouldn''t do that, sir.

    But the owner refused.

    It''s not good for you to drink on an empty stomach. Liquor is only a friend of food. Drinking is just a friend of food.

    Huh?

    Who the hell do you think you are, telling a client what to do?¡¡I was frustrated, but it soon hit me.

    That''s right.

    I hadn''t eaten anything at the expo, just poured the booze down my throat, and that was how I''d gotten drunk.

    Now it sounds like an appropriate reflection on my former failure.

    ''You''ve got one taken.

    ''The proprietor''s right. Something to eat..., I would say, but what do you deal in here?

    The sign said ''Oden'', but the word ''Oden'' was too obscure.

    I apologize for my cheekiness, but this is a free gift. Please try it.

    A plate presented to me across the table.

    Inside the plate, which is quite deep, is a rather large ingredient filled with translucent soup.

    Is this some kind of soup?¡¡The garnish is awfully big for a guy like you?

    Oden is a dish that is ordered in units of its ingredients. What we just served to our customers are radishes, eggs, and ganmodoki.

    Huh?

    I''m not sure, but I''m going to try something that looks like a translucent root vegetable.

    Is it a member of the turnip........?

    How well it resembles and is translucent is how it looks, though.

    When you eat it, you can see that the broth is well absorbed.

    The taste of the root vegetables themselves was mixed in with the taste of the soup and was very gentle.

    The boiled egg also soaked up the flavor of the soup in its own way.

    But what kind of bird''s egg is this?¡¡Do you feel full of energy just by eating it?

    The Yoshamo eggs are high in energy and retain their strength even when boiled. If you''re happy with them, it''s worth the effort to catch them.

    ?

    Well, anyway but that last one is even more curious, isn''t it?

    What is this ... what?

    What is this ''cancer pseudo'' thing?

    Ganmokudoki is made by kneading crushed tofu with a variety of chopped vegetables and frying them in oil.

    Yeah?

    It turns out that there are some things that can''t be explained to me.

    Eimamayo, I put it in my mouth, and it was delicious.

    It was even more soaked up by the soup than the radish I had earlier, and it tasted gentle.

    ''''Haaah...!

    Well, I get it.

    The heart of this "Oden" is the soup.

    The taste of the soup soaks into the various ingredients and makes them taste much gentler than they should.

    A large square pot visible over the table was filled with radishes, eggs, cancerous mushrooms, and a variety of other ingredients that were soaked in the soup.

    Inside the soup, the cause of tenderness.

    ........I see.

    This is what I overlooked in that exposition.

    The gentleness of the oden soup soothes the inside of me, which had been ravaged by the constant pouring of alcohol.

    If I hadn''t had the oden, I wouldn''t have gotten so badly drunk.

    I hadn''t even considered the toll that drinking sake would take on my body.

    Well, I think it''s time for me to serve you some sake, too.

    ''''Ah, no...?''''

    I''m not even in the mood for a drink today.

    As I was about to say that, the cup was placed in front of me.

    The cup is so clear that it could be mistaken for water, but it does have a rich aroma.

    ''''Nihonshu!

    We met at the exposition''s "Sake Pavilion"!

    I thought I''d never be able to drink again after it was closed...?

    ".........

    The wretchedness of a drunkard who just thought he''d had enough for today, but drinks when he''s served.

    .........

    Mmm!¡¡That''s the taste!

    It''s better than the one I had at the expo!

    My belly, soothed by Oden, was revived with the vitality to take in the nihonsh without regret!

    The rustic taste of the oden and the quirky freshness of the nihonshu complement each other.

    ........that''s right.

    This is how sake was originally meant to be enjoyed.

    ''I hope you enjoyed it.¡¡You know what sake tastes like?

    ''Ah, yes!¡¡That''s it!

    This owner can do it!

    Who would have thought that he would have calculated so well to complete a menu that maximizes the taste of the sake?

    Who the hell is this guy...?¡¡Ah!

    I looked at him closely and finally realized it.

    I didn''t notice him at first because his clothes were completely different, but I saw his face once at an exposition, and I''ll never forget it.

    You are not.....

    Bacchus, the God of Drinking!

 433-431 God catches

    It''s me.

    I wonder what''s going on with Bacchus?

    After Oden was finished, I was the one who came up with the idea on how to market it.

    Bacchus wanted to make a big event like the old expo and serve sake and oden in front of a crowd, but I was the one who waited.

    After all, when there is an event, a drunkard makes maximum noise and eventually runs amok.

    That''s what had gone wrong at the expo.

    So why not do it on a smaller scale this time?

    Since we have a full line of sake and oden, why not make it like a small izakaya (Japanese style pub) and let each and every drunkard who visits naturally taste the sake?

    Bacchus agrees, and surprisingly, he himself ends up being the owner of the izakaya.

    The building and land used for the restaurant was already owned by the Bacchus Order, so they sent an orc team to renovate it on the same day.

    I was casually reminded of how great the Bacchus Order is that they are always holding down the prime land of the Magic City for something.

    This is how Bacchus Tavern was started.

    The main dishes are oden and farm-raised sake.

    Bacchus himself said the first day was well received, so I''m sure they''ll continue to do well in the future.

    I guess I''ll have to go check it out on the second day.

    With that in mind, I moved with transition magic. I entered the demon city and came to the place where the shop was located.

    ''''Help!¡¡Help me, saint!

    Something about Bacchus was trapped.

    He was wrapped up in a length of rope, unable to move.

    "Why?!

    I thought I''d come to inspect a peaceful tavern.

    How come we''re about to run into a bloody mess?

    Are those the ones who are tying up Master Bacchus?

    Verena, who accompanies me, pointed out.

    I can''t use transition magic, so I''ll always have to be sent back and forth. In addition, if you''re going to be walking around the Demon City, a local guide would be reassuring, so I asked her to accompany me.

    The group that Verena points out to me is a group that looks badly patterned from what I see.

    They don''t have the appearance of soldiers or officials. The clothes are mixed, and they look like plain clothes.

    So it''s not like it was an upper intention to tie up Bacchus.

    So is it a private fight?

    Then I, Saint Kidan, am here to help you.

    I will help my friend Bacchus, and I will make the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz suck your blood!

    One moment, please.

    Verena stops me in my unusual tension.

    ''''Could it be that they are from the Tavern Guild?''''

    The Tavern Guild?

    ''''In the human country, there are only adventurer''s guilds, but in the demon country, there are guilds for every type of occupation, and they provide mutual support. The Izakaya Guild is a guild that split off from the Restaurant Guild and was formed by a group of shops that serve alcohol and food.

    Hmm.

    That''s how individual vendors help each other and band together to protect their business.

    ''''Why are those tavern guild people tying up Bacchus?

    Probably because they were operating without a license.

    Ah.

    Come to think of it, I didn''t think anything about that when I opened a store in the Demon City?

    Even though it''s a different world, the Demon City is a law-abiding city with a suitably advanced civilization.

    You need a permit to do business there, right?

    Bacchus''s goal was to spread the splendor of alcohol and the deliciousness of oden, so he overlooked the money-making aspect of it.

    And this is the result of that?

    The people of the guild in the tavern, who looked like they were not very good, spoke to Bacchus, who was tied up.

    You''re not going to be able to say no to who you''re doing business with here, brother?

    It was the very thing of a scary person asking for shovel money.

    Hey, is this okay?

    The Tavern Guild is a legitimate organization, right?

    If you want to run a restaurant in the Demon City, you have to join the Tavern Guild.

    Ignoring it is picking a fight with us. Huh?¡¡Are you going to do it?

    It''s the perfect time to get involved, people in the know!

    No.... we''ve got to get to Bacchus as soon as possible!

    But that''s weird...?

    Verena seems to have noticed something different.

    But now is not the time to be pretending to be a mystery novel like that!¡¡We need to intervene immediately!

    It''s true that operating without a license is a problem for the Guild. But is it really such a big deal that so many people come here to surround it?¡¡There seems to be some other reason...?

    Huh?

    And while I''m doing that, Bacchus is tightened up and in a pinch.

    ''Kyah, help me!¡¡Please help me!

    See, she''s screaming like a maiden!

    We have to help them as soon as possible!

    No, let''s wait and see what happens. The only way to resolve this is to find out what they want.

    Why are you so cold-hearted, Verena-san?

    In the meantime, the Tavern Guild''s people are surrounding Bacchus...!

    We don''t usually push this hard, but we have a reason to. But there''s a reason why we have to push so hard this time.

    You!¡¡Where did you get this sake?

    A bottle of sake was sitting on the table.

    Isn''t that the daiginjo sake that Bacchus made himself?

    I''m sure he brought it out of Bacchus'' oden shop....

    ''This is a new kind of liquor created by Lord Bacchus, the god of alcohol, Nihonsh!¡¡Why would such a valuable item be in your shop as an unregistered guild member?

    ''''I''ve already figured out that this is a rare brew that was only served for one day at last year''s fair!¡¡And that it''s made by Master Bacchus!

    Spit it out!¡¡Where did you get this drink?¡¡Tell me!

    Ah, so that''s what it''s all about.

    The "Sake House" was open to the public for only one day at the Farm Fair.

    The new Bacchus sake served there was legendary.

    As a result of the closure of the brewhouse, these new brews became coveted by the drinking public, never to be consumed again.

    If it was suddenly available at an unknown restaurant, would the izakaya industry change its mind?

    It''s a surefire sell-out product if it''s served in a restaurant.

    ''Tell me!¡¡f*ck off!¡¡Where did you get this drink?

    The new brew made by Master Bacchus.¡¡This is not the kind of booze that an unlicensed Mogul store should be serving!¡¡This is what we, the Tavern Guild, have to manage and distribute properly!

    ''''Even our sister guilds, the brewery guild and the liquor store guild, have to make sense!

    ''''I can sign you up for a special tavern guild if you''re honest and spit it out, Ora!

    Guilds are subdivided according to the type of work...

    The guilds are categorized according to the type of work they do. The vague division of guilds into different categories is always a source of trouble.

    Verena also said with a dumbfounded face.

    In the meantime, the interrogation of Bacchus by the Tavern Guild continued.

    ''''If you still won''t speak, or if you insist on not speaking.......!

    I''m going to make you talk with your own food...!

    Huh?

    They took out the oden that Bacchus serves in his shop.

    The temperature is just right and it''s simmering.

    Now, talk quickly, or I''ll put this hot oden in your mouth.

    ''Where do you want to start?¡¡Is it the radish with plenty of hot juice?¡¡Or is that a cancerous thing?

    What an outrage!

    It''s against the treaty to use a good oden as a torture device!

    I can''t take it anymore!

    Stop it, all of you!

    "Aah!¡¡Who are you!

    The ragtag ragtaggers of the tavern guild were surprised and confused by my intrusion.

    I can''t forgive these guys for what they did!

    I called out to the trapped Bacchus.

    ''You won''t have to endure this anymore!¡¡Reveal yourself!¡¡Let them know who these guys are up against!

    ''Oh, saints!¡¡All right!¡¡You''re lifting the limiter!

    Bacchus, in response to my call, released his divinity.

    Until now, in order to be the old man of the oden shop, he dared to block the demigod power, but he received my permission to release it.

    The ropes that had been tied up with the divine power that blows up are also naturally released and sent flying.

    ''''Ooohhhh!

    This is aaaaaaaaaaah!

    The astonished ragpickers.

    They completely regain their divinity and look up at the emerging Bacchus.

    Let''s hold back!¡¡I know who this person is!

    I was the last man standing.

    "He is the god of wine, Bacchus, the creator of wine!

    What? "Ewwww!

    To the guilds that handle alcohol, Bacchus, the god of alcohol, is the god of worship.

    They tied up Bacchus, interrogated him, and even tried to get him to eat hot oden.

    How punishing!

    Heh!

    ''I''m sorry!¡¡Forgive me, ooohhhh!

    The ragpickers are lying down in waves all at once.

    So, is this case settled?

    * * *

    By the way, the hot oden was cooled to the right temperature before everyone enjoyed it.

 434-432 Before the wedding, the lamp eye edition (above)

    Will you marry me?

    Yes, sir.

    I am the mermaid debater Hendler.

    A lifelong blunder.

    I never thought a woman would ask me to marry her.

    Lamprey, the love of my life, is a woman of exceptional talent who is called a witch by the mermaids.

    While I was wondering if I was worthy of her, she asked me to marry her.

    This is a man''s role, but what a delay.

    I had no choice but to accept her proposal with open arms.

    Thus it was decided that Lamprey and I should be married.

    Coincidentally, my beloved Lord, Prince Arowana, also raised the candlelight ceremony at the same time.

    His opponent was also, coincidentally, one of the six witches.

    As if by chance, she and the prince got married at the same time.

    And he is also one of the six witches.

    He marries the highest-ranking woman in the mermaid kingdom at the same time. It was painful to imagine how the people around him would react to this connection.

    However, he can''t avoid paying tribute to Lump-Eye''s feelings, so he finally decides to pay tribute to her.

    It was time to pay the tribute.

    It would be very troublesome for me to settle down.

    Well, it''s a lot of trouble because of my birth and the path I''ve taken so far.

    I was born into a great family, ran away from home, cut off my family''s ties and became a solitary debater.

    Still, marriage is a big deal in life.

    He said he couldn''t not tell his parents about it, so today, he took his fianc¨¦e back home with him.

    * * * *

    And when he met with his father, the first thing he said at the opening was....

    "Are you planning to become a mermaid marshal?

    Why?

    It was very unexpected.

    The Mermaid Marshal was the head of the Mermaid Nation''s military department.

    It was so bad that the position was currently vacant because he had to have all the skills, knowledge, supremacy, and virtue.

    Or rather, it''s been vacant for the past few decades.

    If someone was newly appointed as the Mermaid Marshal, it would be an amazing feat that would go down in history.

    I''ve been told that in the distant land of evil, a person named Belfegamilia was appointed to the position of commander of the demon army, and the Mermaid Marshal is the equivalent of that.

    Why do you think I have been given such a prestigious position?¡¡Did you get lost in the blood?

    ''No?¡¡Your recent accomplishments, I think they are of sufficient quality and quantity for you to go after the Mermaid Marshal, don''t you?

    My father, who holds the position of a great general in the Mermaid Kingdom Military Department, says, "Currently, the Mermaid Army has two great generals in addition to your father.

    At present, the Mermaid Army has two other generals besides your father, and the policy of the army is decided by consensus of the three, and with the approval of the Mermaid King.

    However, when the Mermaid General takes office, the decision will be completely left to that one person.

    Do I have to shoulder that kind of responsibility?

    It''s horrible to imagine.

    "Think about it. Your reputation is at an all-time high thanks to your efforts to put down the last coup. You are now known as ''Prince Arowana''s best friend''.

    Is that what they call you?

    No, I knew that.

    But I''m a publicist, so I have to be quick to listen. I don''t feel comfortable with people calling me that...

    In addition, last year you tied for the top 4 in the WUWA swimming competition. While the other three were all monsters of a different dimension, you, Takebe, still showed your presence.

    I just got lucky.

    That''s all I can really say.

    King Nagas, Prince Arowana, and the Saints.

    The main reason I made it to the semi-finals was that I didn''t hit these strongest guys until the semi-finals.

    If I had hit them, I''m sure I would have been defeated when I did.

    ''''But you still fought to the end in front of His Royal Highness the Prince. That was definitely a great game!

    I lost in the end.

    This was my final semi-final match.

    My opponent was Prince Arowana, whom I admire very much. But fighting him in person showed me how strong he was.

    After just one bout, I knew right away that I couldn''t win.

    The results of my martial arts training on land were more than enough. Before he left for training and after he returned, the prince''s supremacy was different like a different person.

    The match itself was a long one, but that was willpower.

    I just wanted to see how close I could get to my lord.

    It''s the height of insolence for a vassal to want to compete with his master. Your record of warfare is the best in the world.

    ''Maybe so, but...''

    In that tournament I had earned the reputation of being the strongest in the entire country, except for the royalty.

    A title too exaggerated for a mere debater.

    To top it all off, I''m now going to join with one of the Six Mad Demonesses. I''ve heard that Prince Arowana will soon have another one of the Six Mad Demonesses as his bride.

    Father.....

    It''s better not to call it ''Crazy Six Demoness'' in front of him.

    ''''Regardless of how you interpret this, it will result in strengthening the bond between you and the prince. You have achievements, your abilities are well known, and you have uncommon ties to the future king. Above all, you have a good bloodline!¡¡I think we have enough groundwork to go after the first Mermaid Marshal in decades!

    "I think? I''m not.

    Father. He thinks he can turn out the best in his family.

    It''ll be great if it happens, won''t it?

    You''re right, father-in-law!

    And there was another one who was excited.

    He is sitting next to me.

    ''This lamprey, from now on, I will do my best to support you as Master Hendler''s beloved wife!¡¡Master Hendler is a genius!¡¡It has the potential to reach the Mermaid Marshal!

    Do you think so?¡¡That''s what I''m going to marry, and I know Hendler well!

    "Your father-in-law is the one who sees through Master Hendler''s brilliance.¡¡With my unofficial help, I hope to raise him to the rank of mermaid marshal!

    My fianc¨¦ is really motivated.

    ........well, it''s because his original occupation is the Mermaid Palace Kingsguard.

    As expected, as someone who has been in the military, I understand the greatness of the Mermaid General.

    I''m sure she''d be excited to hear that her husband would be able to take on such a great role.

    "Wait, father, I''ve told you many times...!

    If you''re going to have a family, you''re going to have to have a real job. Now it''s time for you to join the army.

    That''s a tough one to say!

    It''s sad to see a debater''s job not considered a regular job.

    ..........and Lamp Eye. He''s willing to give up his prestigious duties of guarding Princess Plati on the farm to join me.

    I''m going to have to give up a part of myself to make a new life for us.

    Isn''t that what marriage is all about?

    ''What post would you like to have in the military?¡¡How about a second-in-command of the Kingsguard?¡¡You''ll learn a lot from your captain''s eldest son!

    I''ve already made a lot of decisions.

    ''My, I''m here today to ask for permission to marry, so let''s talk about that first...!

    Oh, that''s right. It''s often said that rushing the conversation is a bad habit of mine. Hahaha!

    Father, you can''t hide your embarrassment with a single smile.

    ''''It''s a great honor to have one of the Six Mad Demonesses in our family, an honorable maniacal demoness!¡¡I''m not the best person to be your son, but it''s nice to meet you!

    Don''t give me that crazy talk.

    Lamprey says without cracking a smile at all.

    It''s scary.

    It''s time for you to meet the whole family, isn''t it?¡¡We''ve got them all for today!¡¡Just hold on for a moment as I call you in!

    Father said with a cheerful smile and walked out of the room.

    I''m sure he''ll bring all the family members who are waiting in another room.

    If the face-to-face meeting with the parents and siblings is done without a hitch, the lump eye will finally become a member of our family.

    ''''.........You don''t look happy.

    When we were alone, she said abruptly.

    ''I''m sorry. It''s not appropriate for such a happy occasion...''''

    ''I''ve always wondered if Master Hendler had anything to do with your family?

    He asked me a question that I had never been asked before, in no uncertain terms.

    ...No.

    If I had to ask her, this would be the only time to do so.

    I''ve been giving off an air of not wanting to be asked, so she was wise enough to leave me alone with her intentions.

    But if I was going to be dealing with the family in question from now on, there was no way I could avoid mentioning it.

    I also made up my mind.

    ''''Well, it happens all the time.''''

    I start to talk about it in fits and starts.

    How I came to be out of this house.

    "I was a failure,

 435-433 Before the wedding, the lamp eye edition (below)

    The current head of the Betta family, Traditional, had four children.

    The eldest son, Wilde.

    The second son, Hendler.

    Third son Delta.

    The youngest sister, Crowntail.

    Of these four siblings, only three grew up to live up to the name of the famous family.

    The eldest, Wilde, with the face of an illegitimate son, was able to win at the top of everything. The youngest son, Crowntail, although a woman, was blessed with a talent for warfare, and while studying at the prestigious Mermaid Witch Academy, he is certain to join the Kingsguard after graduation.

    And of all of them, the one with the most brilliance is the third son, Delta.

    It is said that he was the most gifted genius since the Betas began, and he is said to be a prime minister or even a general.

    Among them, I''m the only one who didn''t stand out.

    I tell the lump eye I''m going to be with in the future about my life.

    I don''t like to talk about my past, but I can''t stop talking about it to the girl I''m going to share my life with.

    I can''t do anything as well as other people," she says. Not even studies, not even martial arts. When I was little, my brother did everything better than me. Whenever he beat me, my father would scold me for not being good enough.

    As I lived my life, I gradually came to believe that I was worthless.

    I didn''t think I was worthy of being part of the venerable family of betas.

    Rather than live the rest of my life being despised, I thought it would be easier to leave the family and become a nobody.

    That''s why I decided to leave home. I chose to be an editorial writer by chance, and I would have preferred anything as long as I could keep my distance from this house.

    But it was a good fit for the s*x, though.

    ''I ran away from the house, after all. I didn''t want to be called a failure. I don''t want to be called a failure, and I''m returning to that house today. It just doesn''t feel right.

    ''Master Hendler has become a fine man. His military prowess and achievements are unparalleled. Shouldn''t you feel that you can now go home with your heart in your hands?

    ''Maybe so, but...''

    But maybe the emotions that were ingrained in me at a young age cannot be erased.

    I will always be the fall guy in this house.

    In the meantime, there was a lot of noise on the other side of the door.

    Father must have brought his family with him.

    I opened the door and it became a full-blown wailing mess.

    ''Now let me introduce you again to Hendler''s new wife!¡¡First of all, I''m the head of the Betta family, traditional!¡¡I am a general in the army of mermaid nations!

    I know. I''d like to thank you for your support.

    Lampey prostrates herself smoothly.

    She''s good at this.

    This is my wife, Comet. This is my wife and mother-in-law, but do not forget to get along with each other.

    No, my dear, you''re not part of a queen''s household.

    Mom, you are so irreverent.

    The family introduction moves to the children''s section.

    His son, Wilde. He is the captain of the Kingsguard, so he may know Lord Lamprey, a former Kingsguard, but...

    ''As you say. Captain, what a pleasure it is to see you again in this way, what can I say...

    Lumpy eyes in front of my brother.

    He really is a good sport.

    "I know you''ll be in good hands with my brother. "I''m going to need you to lead my brother into trouble.

    What a nuisance.

    Surprisingly, Lamp-Eye seemed to know her youngest son, Crowntail, as well, and she was congenial.

    The speed at which she is adjusting to our home is frightening.

    At this rate, I really think I''m going to have to go back to my parents'' house when I get married.......

    ''''Ah, finally...?

    ?

    What''s going on?

    Your father''s tone was suddenly awkward...!

    "My third son, Delta...

    Oh Delta.

    He was my younger brother, the most talented of the four brothers.

    ........The reason I left home was also because of my complex towards him.

    I was thinking that he must have grown up to be a great man by now........

    .........

    ..........Huh?¡¡What''s up with this wild young man?

    "...if you''re Delta?

    ..................!

    He didn''t answer.

    He looked away.

    It looks different, but I''m pretty sure it''s because it''s a shadow of its former self.

    This is Delta?¡¡You''ve been called the genius since the Betta family began!

    A lot has happened since you left home.

    I got an earful from my brother Wild.

    He was brilliant as a child, but as he grew older, he couldn''t keep up. We can''t call him a genius anymore.

    Yeah...?

    "I was not nominated for the Mermaid army''s top job two times in a row. By law, I''m no longer eligible to take the exam. The only way to join the army is to start with a first-class diploma. Unless you''re a good swimmer like yourself, you''re not...!

    ''''Speaking of which, did Delta participate in the competition?''''

    He''s out of the first round.

    "Whee........?

    I didn''t expect this to happen.

    When they were young, the second and third sons were constantly being compared to each other.

    "Hendler is such a bad guy.

    "Why can''t you do as well as Delta?

    That''s what I''ve been told.

    I haven''t seen him once since I left home, but today I finally saw him again....

    Clearly our positions have been reversed........!

    ''You''d think our positions had been reversed, wouldn''t you?

    ''What?!''

    Delta said abruptly.

    Hostile tone.

    ''You must feel pretty good!¡¡They used to look down on you, now they look down on you!¡¡Isn''t that a good sign?¡¡This is the brother who was told he was a genius, and now he''s in a bad way!

    My brother was devastated.

    The reality of the situation was that he had become all but deflected by the inevitable.

    There was something familiar about him. I had just left home and that''s exactly what I was feeling.

    "Hey!¡¡I''m sorry, you two. I''m sorry, both of you, for not being polite...!

    Nooo!¡¡Ugh..........?

    Your father holds him by the scruff of the neck and he struggles.

    Really, I had high hopes for a while, but I was wrong. Hendler is a lot better than that. I''m so proud of you!¡¡If you come, my house is safe...............Bobbe?

    Pang.

    With a very good sound, your father was blown away.

    It was because he was slapped on the cheek with all his might.

    The one who slapped him was Lamp Eye.

    My fianc¨¦e.

    What the hell!

    As my eyes widened in surprise, not only at me, but at the whole family, she began to speak.

    ''You are an unfit father.''

    To my father.

    ''I can''t believe you can only love your children with your abilities. I am disappointed that such a man is the great general of the mermaid kingdom.

    No, it must be a great general...?

    I can''t have my husband working for a man like this. It''s too early for Master Hendler to be returning to this house.

    When I said that, Lamp Eye, he took my hand........

    ''Excuse me for today. I''ll see you again when we are ready to receive Master Hendler properly in this house.

    What?¡¡Hey, hey...

    And you.

    Lamprey says to Delta, who is crawling on the floor.

    My brother was once called a genius.

    Whether you rise or fall is your business. But don''t bring my husband into this. Family and siblings will always be together, but there are times when you still have to fight alone. If you want to win, don''t take it out on them, fight alone until you win.

    ''''............?''''

    Delta''s eyes widened with a huff at those words.

    Was there something that could be understood?

    Well then, mother-in-law, I beg your pardon. I apologize for my rude exit.

    ''It''s okay - you said what I really had to say for me, and you said it for me.

    Your mother was magnanimous.

    A husband who is a great general was beaten up by his wife.

    ''Forgive him. That man was never born not to be a soldier, so he can''t see it any other way. He only knows how to love his children and how to be a soldier.

    That''s what I was told and it made me huff and puff.

    It''s true that since I was a kid, I''ve been a soldier when it came to praise and scolding.

    That''s one of the good things about her. That''s one of the good things about her, but sometimes it''s not enough. I''m glad you pointed that out to me. It took me about 20 years to say what I wanted to say.

    No, you are Lady Hendler''s mother. I will respect you all my life.

    There was something about the women alone that made them bond.

    While the others were stunned.

    ''So, Master Hendler, let''s leave for today.

    Hmm?¡¡...hmmm?

    I''m leaving with her hand in mine.

    ''What?¡¡Where are you going?¡¡Aren''t you two going to live here from today...?

    Figure it out, girl. You don''t deserve to be in Alexandria, Alexandria. Delta, you don''t deserve it.

    As a mother, she turned her stern gaze on her third son.

    People have been too quick to flatter you that you are a genius. But it''s your fault for being so conceited that you didn''t take the chance. Now you have to figure out how to get on with your life. As your mother, all I can do is to stay on your side for as long as I can.

    .........

    With your mother, it seemed that your father and brother would be fine.

    ''But are you sure?''

    I ask as I head for the exit of the house.

    ''I thought marrying me was a prerequisite for coming home. You''re a born-and-bred military man.

    I will enter the military register and serve my country as his wife.

    Such a life plan would have allowed her to leave her post as Princess Prati''s guardian.

    ''No, it''s not. I''m not marrying into the House of Betta, I''m marrying Lady Hendler.

    Yes.

    "It''s good to live in poverty as a debater''s wife. I''m sure Lord Prathi will understand.

    Her powerful words brought back a powerful memory.

    It was the first time I met her.

    I remember how she beat me to a pulp that time, too, because of an unintentional word I had said.

    I could live with her and never get bored.

 436-434 Gala Rufa edited before the wedding

    I am Gala Ruffa.

    I''m Gara Rufa, one of the Six Witches, known as the ''Plague Witch''.

    Ha ha.

    After all, it''s been a long time since I came to the farm.......

    An event happened that made me realize the passage of time.

    Mr. Puffa is getting married.

    You mean the Puffa?

    Puffa-san, who was the most protruding of the six witches and seemed to hurt everyone she touched, would enter the household.......

    ........I never imagined it when I met her.

    In addition to that, I didn''t know that Mr. Lamprey would get married.

    If I recall, there were three of us in total, including these two and myself.

    The three of us visited the farm together, didn''t we?

    Two of them got married at the same time and I was the only one left.

    ................No!

    That''s not what I''m talking about. It''s not that I''m behind schedule.

    But both Puffa and Lampuie are getting married and moving to different houses of marriage, so they can no longer continue to live on the farm.

    It looks like they will safely graduate from the farm.

    I would be lying if I said I didn''t miss them.

    After all, we were farm colleagues who worked together.

    Recently, we have been working in different departments, and there were times when we didn''t see each other all day long.

    But even so, there was a bond between us as people who worked together.

    Now they are leaving the farm.

    They would marry and leave me alone.

    ................................No, no!¡¡I don''t envy you!

    I congratulate you on your marriage, and I say congratulations, but that''s just in general terms!

    Not from my personal values!

    I''m just a researcher!¡¡As long as you can study Potions, you don''t need to be as happy as other people

    I am majoring in germs!

    They are still unrecognized in this world, and were first named by the knowledge brought in by the saints.

    Invisibly tiny little organisms are breeding all over the place, causing all sorts of events.

    Once I foresaw the existence of bacteria and published a paper on it.

    However, the Society of Mermaids did not approve of it and, on the contrary, criticized me, calling me ''crazy''.

    This was the occasion when I became known as the "Witch of the Plague".

    Even so, I didn''t give up my theory, and as a result of various things, I ended up being thrown into a mermaid prison.......

    Because from there, the route to reach this farm was extended.

    This farm is amazing!

    The germs that caused you to despise me for being crazy are admitted as a matter of course!

    The master of the farm, the saint, is a master at putting germs to good use!

    Fermenting crops with bacteria, causing them to break down harmful components and remake them into more beneficial nutrients.

    Simply to make it more delicious.

    When I was shown this process, my spirit as a researcher was thrilled.

    Not only did they prove the existence of a bacterium (*named "Saint") that had never been proven to exist before, but they were able to make effective use of it in a single step!

    It''s enough to make me soar just to have my theories confirmed as correct, but you''ve established a practical application!

    How great the saints are!

    As I was continuing my research in my own way, I was in charge of the bacterial-related work on the farm.

    I am the one who makes the seed koji that Master Bacchus needs for brewing alcohol.

    In the case of beer, it''s the malts, and in the case of wine, it''s the indigenous bacteria on the grape skins that allow the alcohol to ferment, but in the case of sake, the koji needs to provide the fermentation bacteria.

    Koji is necessary for making miso and soy sauce, so Mr. Paffa often comes to get it.

    From now on, Mr. Puffa''s successor, Mr. Discus, will probably come to get koji from him in the same way.

    Also, in terms of effective use of the fungus, I''ve been assigned to be the farm''s medical officer.

    As I predicted in my theories, as I predicted, many of the diseases that humans developed were still caused by bacteria.

    The pathogens that entered the body caused various symptoms, and the body developed a high fever to kill such invading bacteria.

    The saint''s explanation makes a lot of sense.

    If we can find out what germs have entered the body, we can find out what diseases we have contracted and we can establish what to do about it.

    Currently, my lab on the farm has ninety-eight different deadly diseases that are considered incurable in this world (including diseases that affect crops).

    All of them are drugs for diseases caused by viral pathogens........

    .........ha.

    It''s presumptuous of those who rejected my theories to want to take care of this medicine.

    Only after we get a little more advanced in civilization and can understand my ideas.

    The world will be entitled to the benefits of my research.

    Until then, only the farms of the saints will be able to enjoy my talents, my research and my achievements.

    I will only work for a farm that understands me!

    The farm is the best!

    This is my utopia!

    I''m not leaving this farm for life!¡¡I''m not going to leave the stage like Mr. Puffa and Mr. Lamprey!

    Because this is my final destination!¡¡Because this is my goal!

    I''m not moving from the farm anymore!

    We''re going to be studying bacteria here for the rest of our lives!

    ''''Ahhhh, hahahahahaha!

    ''Ah!¡¡Lady Gala Rufa is starting to laugh high! ''Another one of Lady Gala Rufa''s mad spirits gone up in flames!¡¡We''re coming with you!

    Heckery and Batrax, who were working in the same room, run over and laugh together.

    ''''Hahahahahahaha!

    ''''Gehehehehehehe!

    "Hahahahaha!

    They were the girl mermaids who moved in with the Second Princess Angel and started to help me somehow.

    I''ve been doing more and more every time I''ve lived on a farm for a long time, so having an assistant is very helpful.

    ''Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    ''B-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-be-!

    .........

    Wait, both of you?

    Why do you have such a dirty laugh?

    ''What?¡¡Because in order to match Lady Gala Rufa''s muddiness, it has to be this special kind of laughter!

    ''''That''s right!¡¡Ordinary laughter doesn''t even begin to describe Lady Gala Rufa''s madness!

    ...........

    So why does the world want to make me a mad magical researcher?

    I''m perfectly normal.

    I''m just studying bacteria in a normal way.

    To say that the concept of bacteria is beyond our current understanding and that studying it is maddening is just an imposition of values.

    The breakthrough of the old ways is the beginning of the new technology.

    Breaking out of the old ways?¡¡That''s not what you think...?

    The overthrow of the present mermaid kingdom?¡¡And the establishment of a new nation!

    Stop replacing every single thing I said with dangerous thoughts.

    Why are you trying to madden me so relentlessly anymore?

    I''m a very ordinary magical researcher.

    Research is all about being humble, quiet, and unchanging.

    ''''I understand!¡¡That means...!

    You understand.

    That''s my little pupils, indeed.

    "A true Mud is not to sprinkle it about freely!¡¡In peace time, it''s hidden in your belly!¡¡I guess boiling gently under water is the real maddening thing to do!

    ''Right!¡¡The fact that you''re laughing so geeky and high as you proclaim that you''re a Mad is proof that you don''t have enough Mad to make up for it with your behavior!

    ''''A true Mad Potions user like Lady Gala Rufa doesn''t need to behave like one!¡¡Because your usual behavior is mad enough!

    "Sit down, sit down, and be mad!¡¡What a complete mad!¡¡I respect you from the bottom of my heart, Gala Rufa-sama!

    ........Well I''m glad you respect me.

    I feel that the direction of respect is definitely wrong.

    ...while Mr. Puffa and Mr. Lamprey are getting married and enjoying their new lives.

    I''m going to spend the rest of my life surrounded by these idiot disciples.

    I suddenly feel jealous of the two of them.

    * * * *

    .... hmm?

    Ah, yes, yes.

    The pickup person came to call me. Oh, is it that time already?

    Well then, I''ll be gone for a few days, so please take care of me for a few days, won''t you, disciple?

    ''''Yes, sir.''''

    It''s Heckery and Batrax with a good reply.

    It''s up to the two of them to decide where to go.

    It finally starts today.

    We''re going to attend the wedding of Prince Arowana and Mr. Puffa.

 437-435 wedding

    The day has finally come.

    Prince Arowana and Puffa''s wedding!

    That day!

    That''s me!

    Naturally, I will be attending the wedding.

    I''m the groom''s best friend and brother-in-law, and the bride''s former employer.

    Prathi will be in attendance with Junior as a family member, and Gala Rufa will also be there as a family member.

    Batty tailored a party dress for me, and it looks good on her.

    By the way, Prati and I are also wearing formal wear today.

    It''s been a long time since we''ve been back to the seabed, hasn''t it? We usually stay at home while everyone else is diving.

    And Gala Rufa.

    It really is.

    It''s a shame everyone wants to put you in charge of the farm''s mermaids and then send you off to mermaid country.

    But not today.

    After all, it is a fine ceremony and all hands must be present.

    The girl mermaids that Angel brought with her, such as Discus, Veertale, Hechelly and Batrax, have grown up steadily, and I''ve been able to leave them in charge of their absence.

    The problem is that Angel himself has not grown up at all.

    I''m off.¡¡I know my absence will create a huge gap, but we''re all going to have to work together to keep it alive!

    ""Yes."

    The angel also temporarily returned to the mermaid kingdom to attend the wedding.

    She''s also royalty, so there''s no reason for her not to attend.

    However, I don''t think there''s anything else she needs to focus on from here on out, so she''ll probably disappear from here on out.

    And now, the all-important star of the day.

    I can only say that she is the star of the show.

    Pfafah, the bride of the wedding ceremony today.

    For some reason she was standing alone on the beach.

    She was staring at the horizon in awe.

    "What''s going on here, Pfafa?

    Why don''t you just dive down to get to the ceremony.

    What the hell are you standing around for if you''re not going to turn your bottom half back into a fish?

    ''Don''t interrupt me, sir. The wedding has already begun.

    He was pulled back by Prati from behind.

    Then I watched quietly for a few minutes.

    A change occurred.

    Something emerged from the surface of the sea, approaching towards Puffa.

    It was a human head.

    It gradually emerged, revealing a face, a neck, a shoulder, and finally a whole body, and we realized who it was.

    It''s Prince Arowana.

    The groom of the day.

    When he came within sight of Puffa standing on the shoreline, he knelt down....

    "I have come for you. I ask you to come to the Mermaid Palace to be my wife.

    I will come to you.

    The bride holds the groom''s hand that is held out to her.

    .........Hmm, it''s really a ceremonial and solemn scene.

    I understood what Prati meant when she said, ''The ceremony has already begun.

    I''m sure that this series of exchanges between husbands coming to greet their wives is one of the ceremonies handed down among the mermaid royalty.

    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea. Master Junior, please.

    He hands Junior to me and walks over to an empty-handed Prati bride and groom.

    ''The witch gives the bride a potion. A potion to win their love.

    You''re talking about a curse, aren''t you?

    Apparently this is a process that is not part of the regular ritual.

    Anyway, take the medicine offered by Prati........

    The lower half of the puffa''s body shines brightly, and the two legs, standing firmly on the earth, dissolve into one, boundary melting.

    By the time the light subsided, it had turned into a tail fin covered in scales.

    The lower half of its body is a fish.

    A mermaid''s original form.

    I''m sure Prati gave him the medicine to release the earthly human form to regain the appearance of a mermaid.

    You can now go back to the sea. Thank you for everything. Take care of yourself in the new place.

    It doesn''t feel like a new place for Atai just to go back to his home waters. Thank you. This has been the most intense experience of my life so far, Atai.

    There''s a hint of nodding from the surroundings...?

    ''But my life here ends today. From today, Atay will live in a new place, under a new title. ...the Prince''s wife. A very un-Atay-like name for a prince.

    You''ll look good in it. A sensible woman like you.

    Puffa looked satisfied as Prince Arowana embraced him.

    ''My wife has been a great help to me to this day!¡¡The most impenetrable sanctuary on land!¡¡Eternal thanks shall be given by the mermaid race!

    It was an important day for the ceremony, so it was a big deal to say.

    "The wedding ceremony will take place at the bottom of the sea in the mermaid kingdom!¡¡Come on down to the mainland and wave to the attendees!

    I''ll see you there.

    Prince Arowana and Puffa dove into the sea with him.

    They would be heading to the mermaid country where the ceremony took place.

    It''s a long, long aisle.

    No, it''s in the sea, so it''s a virgin passage?

    ''What do we do?¡¡Chasing?

    My people, Prathi and Gala Rufa, can turn into mermaids and swim away, but not me and Junior.

    Will we take a boat to Paradise Island once we''ve visited mermaid country before and then dive into the bubbles?

    That''s going to be a bit complicated.

    No, I''ll use transference magic this time.

    I can use it.

    "Didn''t Puffa make those crystals with the coordinates?¡¡They''re supposed to be flying towards it.

    Well, there was such a thing.

    It''s a mobile transfer point that Puffa completed with all of his talents in the hopes of accompanying Prince Arowana on his training mission.

    Normally, you would only be able to fly to a point that was set up by magic.

    Once a transfer point is set up, it cannot be moved. So if you wanted to fly to a different place, you had to first physically move to the destination and then set up a new transition point.

    However, the crystal with the coordinates developed by Puffa is portable, so it can be transferred anywhere the crystal goes.

    Prince Arowana, who was training to become a warrior, could wear the crystal and follow it anywhere on his journey.

    "Come to think of it, since then, Puffa''s love for you has become vindictive...?

    "According to what he says, they can''t make the same thing anymore. I''m sure she pushed herself to the limit of her abilities to travel with her brother...!

    The crystal with such a coordinate code is now said to be enshrined in the palace of the mermaid kingdom.

    In that case, can you fly without worrying?

    I''ve already got a special transfer spell from Puffa, so we can fly with it. All attendees, gather around!

    As instructed by Prati, as soon as the magic solidified within the range of action, Prati immediately opened the lid of the test tube and dripped the liquid filled inside.

    The moment it fell to the ground, it immediately vaporized and emitted colored smoke.

    And in large quantities.

    It was so thick that it covered all of us who were stuck in one place, and the smoke completely blocked our vision.

    And after a short time. When the smoke cleared, we were able to see better.

    The landscape was completely different.

    I should have been standing on the farm''s shore, but now I was indoors.

    A large room with a majestic atmosphere. It''s a room, but it''s so large that it''s hard to believe it''s outside.

    Moreover, the material of the walls is marble-like and luxurious.

    ''''Well it''s definitely a nice room.''''

    I thought intuitively.

    In the center of the room, the example coordinate crystal was enshrined. I knew it must have flown towards this.

    ''''Oh my goodness!¡¡Welcome!

    And Queen Sheila, who greets us.

    Then I''m sure that this is the mermaid country.

    I''m sure you''ll find that transition magic is very useful. Arowana should have come back in a flash.

    ''Those two are part of the wedding ceremony, swimming to get to the ceremony site. Let them make out with each other as much as they want.

    We moved after Plati and the others.

    The capital of the mermaid country is located in the belly of a super giant fish, and it has air and even architecture.

    That''s why Junior and I, as terrestrial humans, can operate without any problems.

    ''Look, it''s mermaid country again!

    I was showing Junior the scenery outside and getting my mind off of what was about to happen.

    Yes, Prince Arowana and Puffa''s wedding was to be held in the mermaid country.

    The wedding is being held here in the mermaid country.

 438-436 Oath of God

    Me being ushered into the ceremony hall.

    And I was overwhelmed by the crowd inside.

    "Too many people!

    Well, to be precise, it was a mermaid.

    As expected of a prince''s wedding, the place is packed. Large scale.

    The floor of the ceremony hall is covered with water and the mermaids are able to swim around freely.

    As a terrestrial, I can walk on the water with Plati''s magic potion, but....

    I''m sure the people attending the ceremony are all great people.

    So many of them. Too many to count.

    A royal wedding is awesome after all...?

    Am I not the right person for this...?

    Don''t worry. Of all the people here, you are without a doubt the greatest and most powerful.

    Who''s going to pick up my soliloquy?

    But when I turned around, it was Lamp Eye, the "Hellfire Witch"!

    And his mate, Hendler, with him!

    Oh, and congratulations to you guys.

    Thank you, sir. We''re not much of a party, although we had a modest sushi ceremony.

    Because she and Mr. Hendler had joined him, she quit the farm and returned to the mermaid kingdom ahead of Puffa.

    I thought she was going to take the opportunity of her marriage to take up a major position in the mermaid kingdom and serve her country, but apparently, Mr. Hendler is still going to be a debater.

    With Lamp-Eye.

    Lamprey is a born-and-bred military man, and I thought he would make her husband a general after the marriage, but that''s not the case.

    I''ll protect Princess Platy for the rest of my life! And then you quit that job too.

    So, love takes precedence over everything else.

    But I''ve given the job of security guard to my sisters, Veiltail and Clowntail, so I guess that''s not a problem.

    "You will be there. It''s only natural. You are the bride and groom''s dearest friends.

    No, sir. It was not proper for my wife and I to attend a royal wedding. We cannot thank Prince Arowana enough for his mercy in allowing us to do so.

    Awesome, Mr. Hendler.

    But don''t you want Prince Arowana to put you in charge anyway, eventually?

    ''I am sorry, Master Prati. For resigning my guard duty and not getting a comparable mission...

    It''s all right. It''s just amusing to hear that you''re taking your love life over a soldier''s mission. We already heard about what''s going on at Betas. Well, if your brother and Puffa get their personnel files, they''re going to put you in a position of power and we''ll have a little bit of free time.

    Prathi had made the same prediction.

    And so the time passes while they are gabbling.

    Finally, the ceremony would begin.

    The bride and groom will be on their way.

    A huge door giggled open and a radiant man and woman emerged from it.

    It was Prince Arowana and Puffa.

    They were in the most radiant state in their lives, dressed for the occasion.

    By the way, Batty designed their dresses.

    Her sense of style is known across the border.

    A round of applause greeted the bride and groom.

    Everyone here congratulated the newly born couple once again.

    ''Hugghhhh!¡¡Congratulations!¡¡What a bunch of bullshit!

    Oh, my God!¡¡What!?

    I was surprised to see someone crying cancer next to me.

    It''s an acquaintance of mine, so I''m twice as surprised.

    It''s Zos Saira from The Witch of the Abyss.

    Did you get invited too?

    Of course!¡¡I was Puffa''s mentor.¡¡I deserve an invitation...!¡¡Puffing and puffing!

    And then he starts to cry!

    Why are you so moved by your apprentice Puffa''s beautiful appearance?

    Wasn''t she that kind of a character, you evil witch?

    Well..... Her parents died when she was a child and she was all alone. I picked it up by accident. It''s a good thing that you can''t get away with it, because it''s too pathetic, so I took care of her until she became independent...

    He suddenly started to reminisce!

    He began, "After I had trained him in the art of witchcraft, I gave him his own way, but he was not in a position to feel a debt of gratitude to me. We were neither of us feeling indebted to each other, and I didn''t know the rest.... I can''t stop crying when I see her at her happiest today.

    Yes, yes, yes.

    I''m also surprised. I didn''t know this guy had such a tearful personality.

    You''re surprisingly good at taking care of people. It''s not just Puffa, but Angel and the other girl mermaids also kind of love her.

    ........no, no, no.

    The stars of today''s show are Prince Arowana and Puffa.

    I have to pay attention to them without looking aside.

    They make their way down the aisle.

    The sight of Puffa cuddling up to the groom was unimaginably ladylike.

    ''You''ve become a married woman and you''ve got a unique s*x appeal.

    Language.

    Prathi chided me in a whisper.

    They walked down the aisle to the altar.

    There they would pledge their eternal love to each other. Towards God.

    ........I knew you were a mermaid, so your vow is to the sea god Poseidos?

    Yes, that''s right. We are the creators of the mermaids.

    I''ve met the god Poseidon in person, but he seemed like a lazy person (god).

    I wonder if the future of the two of them will be okay if they are made to swear by him?

    Why don''t we switch to the Hades God?

    That god would at least not cheat on me.

    Now, when they go up to the altar, the priest or priestess will see to the marital vows on behalf of God........

    .........Huh?

    Funny.

    I even remember a priest greeting the bride and groom at the altar!

    Isn''t that the teacher?

    The No-Life King''s teacher?

    What''s a guy who lives in an above-ground dungeon doing at the bottom of the ocean?

    Because I asked him to.

    "Platy?¡¡Did you do this?

    I may be an idiot, but it''s my brother and his friend''s wedding, and I want it to be great. And who better to witness the vows than the teacher?

    No one!

    That''s a dumbfounding argument, but you''re thinking of the inconvenience to the teacher!

    Thank you for making the trip to this far away!

    I''m very happy to see the two of you embark on this journey. I wonder if this is how a parent feels...?

    No, he''s enthusiastic about it!

    That''s sweet!

    ''Then let''s set the stage for the two of you to make your vows. And Hennyala.

    As the teacher chanted the spell, space distorted and a giant being appeared on the altar.

    The sea god Poseidos appeared.

    ''''I summoned a god again ah!

    In person!

    He''s going to make me swear directly to the god!¡¡Love!

    Never seen a wedding like this before?

    I don''t know if I have... Didn''t the Demon King make his vows in front of the God of Hades himself...?

    Just because there''s a precedent doesn''t mean you can''t repeat it twice or three times, though!

    The attendees are also dawdling and fainting in surprise.

    ''Today, on this good day, I''m happy to have the honor of blessing the heroes of the mermaid race.

    "Truly, congratulations to you both.

    There was another goddess lined up next to the god Poseidos.

    Who?

    You''re not the goddess Amphitrite, wife of the god Poseidos, are you?

    You mean Queen Medusa, the goddess of the sea. The other queen goddess of Poseidon.

    The second god?

    That godd*mn polygamy?

    "Amphitrite is the Mother Goddess of the Sea for childbirth, but Lady Medusa is in charge of the marriage. Puffa just received her blessing from Medusa.

    "You, who have my blessing.

    The Goddess Medusa spoke up.

    She was a goddess with black hair as deep as the sea at night in the moonlight.

    ''After all, you have gone the way I thought you would. Continue to fulfill your responsibility to support those you are responsible for.''''

    ''Yes, I swear to the Queen of God that I will support her as his wife for the rest of my life.

    Pfa states reverently.

    With this, the couple''s vows were witnessed by the gods.

    "Huh?¡¡I haven''t heard a single word from you!

    God d*mn it, Poseidon, shut up. I''m in the middle of something.

    And while more than half of the attendees were sitting on their haunches, all but a few were floating on water.

    Their wedding would be memorable enough to be talked about later.

 439-437 envious people

    I am the daughter of a venerable mermaid nobleman.

    My name is Black Bass.

    I''m very uncomfortable today, and I can''t stand it.

    I was born into one of the most prominent mermaid families in all of mermaid country. It has strong ties to the royal family and wields absolute power.

    Since I was born into this family, I should be in the highest position in the world.

    Namely, the Mermaid Queen.

    The Mermaid King''s wife, who holds the highest position in the land of mermaids, is the one who is most suitable for me.

    I am the best in family, bloodline, and rank, so it is only natural that she would come and ask for your hand in marriage.

    The current Mermaid King is too old to be married to an old man, so I''ll leave it off....

    I heard that his son, the first prince Arowana, is quite handsome.

    The first prince will eventually become the mermaid king.

    I have a feeling that if he''s in that kind of position, he''ll be able to match me.

    Very well.

    Prince Arowana, I''m ready to declare you my future mate.

    But don''t be too happy about it yet.

    I''m not a cheap woman who will go snogging just because I''ve decided to.

    If you really want me, you have to come to me to ask for me.

    It''s important to take the initiative in love affairs.

    The difference between the two is the difference between the two of you in terms of how you show your love for each other first.

    Love is a go!

    Whoever likes it loses!

    That''s why I must get Prince Arowana to like me.

    You can''t marry me until the prince has made his bones to me and is willing to give up all the wealth in the country to marry me.

    Fortunately, I am the daughter of the best and most prominent family in the mermaid country.

    When that fame is conveyed, I am sure that the other side will come to claim me.

    All I have to do is wait and wait for the right moment and wait gracefully.

    I will wait and wait for the time to come and watch my prey fall into the trap.

    And so time passed as the prince waited and waited for his future betrothed to visit.

    A year passed....

    Two years passed.....

    Three years went by.....

    Four years went by.....

    Five years passed..........

    * * * *

    It has been twelve years now.

    And yet, Prince Arowana is still not here.

    Why?

    I''ve been waiting for him for a long time and I''m the daughter of the best and most respected family in the mermaid kingdom, so why hasn''t he come?

    Doesn''t he have barnacles in his eyes?

    Thanks to this, I''m at the end of my marriage season, and my parents have been urging me to marry anyone and everyone by the time my next birthday comes.

    Even if I said that, even if my marriage is not yet at the end of its life, the last minute is already half over!

    It''s like 70 percent done!

    I don''t know if I''ll ever get a good deal on a woman like that!

    No!¡¡I can''t believe I''m marrying a lowly middle-class nobleman!

    No!¡¡Before that, it''s Prince Arowana!

    You''ve lost over a decade of waiting for him to ask you to marry him, so you have to be responsible for him!

    Where the hell is this guy taking his time?

    If he was a man, he should have just come over and asked you to marry him!

    I''m not going to marry you until he gets down on his knees and asks for your hand!

    This is punishment for keeping me waiting for so long!

    Just as I was feeling so indignant, I heard something I couldn''t believe from my father.

    "Oh, by the way, His Royal Highness Prince Arowana...

    Prince Arowana?

    What?

    And now he''s finally going to propose to me and give me half the country as a wedding gift?

    I hear he''s getting married.

    With me?

    How could it be you?¡¡No.

    Why?¡¡If a prince is going to marry a woman, it will have to be the right one.

    Like this me!

    Who''s the best woman?¡¡A rotting bad stock like you...!

    Shut up, old man!

    ...but it''s inexcusable!

    Prince Arowana, you wait for me long enough and then you turn your back on me!

    You play with a woman''s innocence.

    If they''re on board, I have an idea!

    My pride!¡¡My fame!¡¡And most importantly, I''m going to make you pay for the decades of work you''ve done with your stick!

    * * *

    And when I got into action, I met my friends.

    What friends?

    "We were tricked by Prince Arowana!

    I adored you so much and you didn''t even give me a second thought.

    So do I!¡¡I used to do a spell every night to make sure my thoughts got through to them before I went to bed.¡¡It didn''t work at all!

    and lamenting that none of these women have made any effort to be adored by the other.

    Adoring, reminding, or a spell.

    That''s not enough to get the other person to love you!

    Even if I say so myself!

    Ah, you mean........all of you who are here now.......?

    Those who, like me, harbored feelings for Prince Arowana, but in the end never reached them and scattered!

    Those who were broken in love?

    There were so many of them?

    Prince Arowana is popular after all, isn''t he, Prince Arowana?

    Here in the secret underground meeting place, dozens of the heartbroken fianc¨¦es of Prince Arowana (self-proclaimed) are here....

    I''m tempted to say that I''m surprised that they''ve gathered so much.

    Well, I''m one of them.

    I''m sure that none of the people here have made the same approach as I did.

    ''.........we''re comrades.

    He speaks to unite us all.

    ''We have been betrayed. We adored Prince Arowana so much, and he trampled on our feelings. And he chose a woman whom he did not know. ...when it was I who should have been chosen!

    What?¡¡What do you think you''re talking about?

    I''m the one who should be chosen by my prince.¡¡Don''t let an old lady like you get out of line!

    You''re so presumptuous!

    We are not united at all!

    They think they''re number one and they look down on everyone around them.

    What a bunch of self-centered people...?

    That''s why Prince Arowana won''t give you the attention you deserve.

    ''....No, now is not the time to break ranks. The enemy is so clearly defined...!

    Enemies?

    Yes, me... or the hateful slope-brained cat lady who stole Prince Arowana from us!

    I''m not here to do anything ill-advised!

    We already have all the information on our enemies to defeat!

    This Puffa, or whatever the hell her name is, who is about to marry Prince Arowana, is a commoner. She''s not from a very famous family.

    Commoner woman!

    I won''t stand for this!¡¡Such a lowlife stealing the Prince''s favor!

    "I''m a nobleman, and I am worthy to be the prince''s wife!

    Apparently, the only people gathered here are the daughters of the noble class in the mermaid country.

    I''m one of them.

    Well, of course. If you want to win the love of a prince, it''s not even worth it for less than a commoner to want it.

    That Puffa woman was actually chosen by the prince instead of wishing for it.

    A commoner woman.

    This is unforgivable disrespect!

    ''I guess we, the nobility, will have to teach you a lesson here. That to get the benefit, you have to be qualified...!

    Come on!

    "Commoner women are unforgivable!

    ''Let''s all pull that commoner girl down and have Prince Arowana re-select a truly deserving queen!

    Everyone''s minds are made up!

    Use of force!

    It''s the prince''s fault. He chose a commoner over a nobleman like me.

    You have to fix what''s wrong.

    The day of the ceremony!¡¡Now is as good a time as any to kick off a commoner girl and marry her instead!¡¡Somebody in here, and Prince Arowana!

    Well, I''m the one who will be chosen in the end.

    ''Let''s head in with one mind!¡¡For our future!

    ""For the sake of our happiness!"

    This is how the conversation was settled, right after.

    ''''Um.........do you have a minute?''''

    It''s not a good idea," the feeble-looking female mermaid informs us at a leisurely pace.

    "I''m just wondering, is your marriage partner, Puffa, one of the Six Mad Demonesses, ''Frozen Cold Witch'' Puffa-sama...?

    ?

    Who is the Mad Six Demoness?

    The worst potion user in the mermaid world. And Princess Platy is one of them...?

    With that word, a third of the assembled women gave up and left.

 440-438 Parade

    Me.

    Prince Arowana and Puffa''s ceremony went off without a hitch.

    It ended without hassle, but after it ended, the ceremony site was in a horrible state with dead bodies lying all over the place.

    ''''Awwwwww........?

    "The god, Poseidon, the god of the sea, is here before us...?

    Everyone sat back in shock at the appearance of the god.

    We said we were going to make a vow in front of the gods, but who would have thought that a god would actually appear?

    Therefore, about 60% of the attendees were so shocked that they were shaken to the core.

    They couldn''t move on the spot and were left to die.

    What kind of wedding is this, where people vow their love to each other in front of God...?

    Such a wedding is unheard of...!¡¡Will Prince Arowana, who performs such a ceremony, become a mermaid king that surpasses His Majesty''s Nargus...?

    By all means, Prince Arowana''s charisma is in good hands.

    Well, that''s a good thing, too.

    "Lord Saints!¡¡Thank you for joining us!

    Prince Arowana comes in with his new wife after completing his vows before the gods.

    Puffa, who was neatly cozying up to her new husband, made an unprecedented impression.

    ''''Ah, what can I say, congratulations on your marriage...?''''

    ''Thank you!¡¡The ceremony isn''t over yet, though!¡¡The wedding feast is about to take place, and I would like to invite you to join us, saintly lord!

    It''s the same format as the world I''ve been in before.

    After the Shinto ceremony, there''s a banquet with the meaning of a celebration.

    That''s the wedding banquet.

    Hmmm!¡¡A banquet?¡¡You''re going to be served food at the saint''s place, then I''ll have to attend!

    Poseidos is still here.

    Just go home.

    No, don''t do it, Master. No, you don''t want to disturb the shallow water people without good reason!

    Goddess Medusa rebuked it.

    That''s the dignity of a wise woman.

    It''s not good for a god to influence the son of a man too much. That''s what the gods in heaven have proven time and time again. Since we have completed our role of witnessing love, we should leave promptly.''''

    "What?¡¡But he said he''s going to serve dinner, so...

    ''I don''t think the saints will be served dinner today, sir.

    I''m leaving.

    She knew how to handle her husband.

    As expected of a sea goddess.

    ''I like Medusa-chan because, unlike Amphitrite, she spoils me a lot.

    I don''t hear any such thing, sea god.

    Fly home.

    Well then, we''ll be leaving, but I have one last thing to tell you.

    Yes, sir.

    ''The key to having two or more wives living peacefully under one roof is not to try to be the best,''

    Stop it!

    Don''t enjoy the secret of polygamy''s ability to keep your family happy!

    Not as much as the gods in the sky, but still gods!¡¡I''m not going to leave you with a lousy word!

    Thanks to that, after the gods left, the air was indescribably delicate.

    ''''........Well, well, let''s get back on track and move to the reception hall.

    Well, let''s forget about God.

    It sounded like Nietzsche was being pretentious.

    ''The wedding reception will be held on Paradise Island.

    Well, um...

    Paradise Island is an isolated island owned by the Mermaid Kingdom, located in the ocean.

    It is a diplomatic window, so to speak, that the mermaid kingdoms deep in the sea have prepared to conduct diplomacy with the countries on the ground.

    They invite envoys of terrestrial species who can''t live underwater to the island to negotiate and welcome them.

    I visited there once, and there were many luxurious and elegant buildings that deserve to be named the diplomatic window of the mermaid kingdom.

    The natural scenery was also superb, reminding me of a resort area.

    There are already envoys from other countries gathered there to celebrate our wedding. After all, our position compels us to speak more broadly...!

    Prince.........it''s the future king''s wedding.

    That''s why there will be words of congratulations from abroad.

    We''ll also have a parade to mark our passage to Paradise Island. We''re going to report to the people of the mermaid kingdom about our wedding. After all, it is important to report to the people...!

    It really is a tough marriage for royalty.

    There are so many people to report to and be recognized by.

    This time it''s largely divided into........

    Divine ceremonies are for domestic officials.

    The parade is for the people.

    Wedding receptions are for foreign countries.

    ........and so on.

    I''d like to invite the saints to participate in the parade. The more flashy the festival, the better.

    Are you sure?¡¡If you and the rest of us join in, people will think that you and your husband are the stars of the day, right?

    My wife, Prathi, teases me, but it doesn''t feel like a joke.

    It''s a joke. The people must see that the future king and his future husband, Atai, are more dignified than the poor princess and her husband, right?

    Oh?

    Huh?

    Puffa is also defeated and talks back.

    It seems that his character hasn''t changed after all, even though he''s married.

    And so a parade was held to inform the people of the mermaid kingdom of the prince''s marriage.

    The capital of the mermaid nation (in the belly of a giant fish) has a large canal running through its center, and mermaids swim around in it on a daily basis.

    It was there that the parade course was chosen.

    The canal is already so big that even tankers can easily pass each other, so it was perfect for events like the parade.

    Mermaid soldiers lined up like a procession of feudal lords and were advancing in the middle of the canal.

    A boat like a portable shrine was floating in the middle of it, and the prince and his wife who got on it were waving their hands to the right and left.

    The people lined up on both sides of the canal to see the prince, who had finally received his wife today, and his beautiful bride, who had won the prince''s heart.

    Behind them followed a line of officials, all aboard the luxurious but smaller cruise ship than the ship of the lead couple, the prince and his wife.

    I''m also on that boat, and Prati, Junior, Lamprey and Hendler, Gala Rufa, Zos Saira, and Dr. Saira are also on board.

    I guess all the people who attended the ceremony will be riding in this to the reception hall.

    ''It''s not easy being at a royal wedding...''

    I thought honestly.

    It''s not enough to ask for the consent of the whole country to get married.

    It''s just that if my husband wasn''t my husband, I wouldn''t have had to do this much either.

    Prathi said in an exasperated tone.

    She''s a princess too, you know.

    If it were true, she would have had to hold a ceremony like this, but because she married me, she didn''t hold the ceremony itself.

    ''''Well I wonder about that too?''''

    Just when I was starting to feel like I couldn''t go on like this.

    "Ohhhh?

    My body shook as the ship suddenly stopped.

    The ship suddenly stopped.

    Junior was startled and started to cry.

    What''s going on?¡¡The line''s stopping.

    It''s not supposed to stop here, is it?¡¡What''s going on?

    Curious, I jumped off the scenic boat and ran over the canal.

    Thanks to the potion that Prathi was able to make, I can stand on the water.

    ''Wait, sir!¡¡I''m coming with you!

    Prathi jumped off the cruise ship after him.

    He looked really hard to swim with, as he had to keep Junior dry in his arms.

    When we got to the front of the parade, we found a strange sight.

    There were a lot of women blocking the path of the parade to prevent it from proceeding.

    ''We are Prince Arowana''s True Wives Society!

    "Fake Bride Pfa!¡¡Come out!¡¡I will be defeated for seducing a prince!

    What are they talking about?

    They may be mermaids after all but how many dozens of them are there?

    Can we hold back the procession of feudal lords if we form that many groups?

    It''s like a women''s club that resents the fact that your brother is married.

    Prathi says as he catches up.

    ''Your brother will be popular with that too. I''m sure all those people who dreamed of marrying your brother in the future and dashed their dreams on their own are getting angry on their own.''

    Is that why you''re protesting the bride, Puffa?

    To them, Puffa is just another slothful cat who snatched their seat.

    How unreasonable.

    Prince Arowana and Puffa got married completely for their own reasons, and they had nothing to do with it.

    Moreover, some of the female mermaids holding up the queue were clearly out of proportion to Prince Arowana''s age, weren''t they?

    Uh, madam?

    Why don''t you try to get Prince Arowana to marry you, too?

    Oh, great.

    A voice from behind me.

    I turned around and saw our bridal gown puffers?

    "I never bought a fight that was sold to me. That''s what happens when you get married. I''m going to wipe out all the evil insects that love your husband. Why don''t I make it my first duty as the prince''s wife?

 441-439 Six Witches Rally

    A harmonious wedding suddenly turned into a confrontational mood!

    In the middle of the parade, on the canal, with the people watching, Puffa and many female mermaids were staring at each other.

    That''s Puffa?¡¡That''s the bad girl who cheated Prince Arowana!

    "Don''t wear a pretty wedding gown!¡¡That''s so cheeky!

    That was actually supposed to be me wearing it!

    The vindictiveness comes from all over the place.

    Really, they''re shocked and angry that Prince Arowana got married.

    ''''First of all, like a nobleman, I''m going to declare war on you!

    One of the female mermaids from the clique says

    ''My name is Black Bass!¡¡A venerable mermaid noblewoman!¡¡A noblewoman who is no match for a commoner like you!

    Oh?

    "Huh?¡¡What the hell are you looking at me for?¡¡That''s why commoners don''t grow up!

    He was scared to death and said to Puffa, "That''s why I don''t think a bottom-feeder like you deserves a Prince Arowana.

    That''s why a bottom-feeder like you doesn''t deserve to be Prince Arowana.¡¡Now, get your shit together and get out!¡¡A prince''s wife deserves a noble woman like me!

    What are you talking about, b*tc*?

    "Don''t get lost in the hustle and bustle of the moment!¡¡I''m the wife of Prince Arowana!

    A split in the ranks is brewing.

    It''s only the sentient people who have colluded in the hatred of Prince Arowana''s new wife.

    "Why don''t you just call me and tell me what''s going on?

    For the first time today, Puffa gives me his usual vicious look.

    ''You don''t like Atay, do you?¡¡Then why don''t you try to remove it by force?¡¡Well, if I can beat Atai, I can give that guy the right to marry me, okay?

    "Puffa, wait a minute!

    Prince Arowana rushes to stop him, but Puffa is determined.

    "Don''t trust in the power of Atai, master. Do you think that Atai can be defeated by a bunch of young ladies?

    "Yeah, but...?

    You have to admit that.

    It''s true that Puffa is the "Frozen Witch". That title doesn''t disappear when you marry and become a married woman.

    She is undoubtedly the strongest potions user in the mermaid kingdom.

    She is one of them.

    ''''Ugh........?''''

    ''''Is that guy a witch after all...?

    Even the vigorous female mermaids immediately surrendered and backed away.

    They are under pressure from Puffa''s spirit.

    ''The people are watching you. It''s just in time for us to show you. The new prince''s wife, the ''Frozen Cold Witch'', is a force to be reckoned with...

    Wait a minute.

    The only thing stopping Puffa from throwing a test tube full of Potions at any moment was my wife, Prati.

    It was my wife, Prati.

    She handed Junior to me and herself stood alongside her sister-in-law.

    ''What the...?¡¡Are you trying to warn me not to overdo it or something?

    ''Attention?¡¡I''m not going to do anything halfway like that. I''m going to fight, too.

    ''Huh!''

    Prati in her wedding dress.

    You take out a test tube filled with Potions.

    It''s my brother''s wedding to a bad friend. I won''t let them interfere with it!¡¡As a little mother-in-law!

    "Mother-in-law?¡¡I don''t like that role revelation!

    ''We can''t let the star of the day dew up!¡¡This little mother-in-law is going to punish you for your wife!

    Even Prathi joined the enemy camp and the female mermaids were upset.

    Prathi''s bravery must be even more roaring than that of Puffa. After all, she is a princess and a witch. You''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of them.

    "Then I, too...

    What''s more, there''s a lamprey!

    "It is my lifelong duty to protect the royal family, even though I am no longer associated with the mermaid army. "It is my lifelong duty to protect you from the mermaids, and I don''t see why I shouldn''t fight for you, Puffa, who is now a member of the royal family.

    Me too.

    Unexpectedly, even Gala Rufa leapt into the fray.

    ''''It''s not very often that these four of us do something together anymore! I''ll join you for the sake of memories!''''

    That''s why.

    "Stop meddling in the affairs of my lovely apprentice...!

    And the ultimate was Zos Saira.

    A look of horrible anger is on his face as he turns to his enemies.

    Who is the common man?¡¡Who is the lowest of the low?¡¡The insults to my disciple, whom I trained, are inexcusable!¡¡Don''t think you''re gonna die easy!¡¡I''ll take in the Deep One''s body, keep him conscious, and slowly take the time to turn him into flesh and blood!

    And what you''re saying is very scary!

    But what about the five female mermaids who have gathered on the front lines...?

    The Crown Witch, Platy?

    Puffa, the Frozen Witch?

    The Flame Witch of Hell, Lamprey?

    Gala Rufa, the Plague Witch?

    The Witch of the Abyss, Zos Saira?

    "Six witches at once. That''s quite a sight to see...

    And finally, Queen Sheila appeared at the end?

    Only a few people know that she is the last of the Six Witches and the last one of the strongest, the Witch of Darkness (adobeer)?

    But it''s a perfect battlefield for all six witches to rampage. Burn, freeze, consume, devour and rule all as you please. This Sheila Cannes will allow you to do just that. Sheila Cannes will allow you to show the horrors of witchcraft and add some flowers to your wedding.

    " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

    A horrible person made them decide to do something terrible.

    It was a one-sided overrunning that began there.

    Puffa had already reduced the air around them to a low temperature beforehand, and the cold had slowed down the opponent''s movements.

    Into such a stalemated enemy, Puffa and Lamprey mercilessly throw attack magic pills.

    ''''Gee!

    The test tube containing the potion is dead.

    The test tube containing the potion exploded as soon as it was hit, blowing away the jealous female mermaids with a bang.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have the explosive power adjusted so that you don''t die, but still, it''s relentless!

    ''Run!¡¡You can''t win!¡¡Six Mad Mad Demonesses, all together in one place!

    Don''t be afraid!¡¡You can''t run away!¡¡We must stop at nothing to win the love of Prince Arowana!

    You can''t win!¡¡I''m so scared I want to throw up!

    It''s not a good idea!¡¡Get your mind right and you won''t have any more ailments!

    "But my head hurts, I''m dizzy, I''m in knots...?

    Me too... and me too... and me too... and me too...

    What?

    A number of the enemy''s female mermaid group suddenly complained of physical ailments.

    They can no longer stand and even squat down, but they are blown away by the magic potion of the platyramp eye from those who did so and fly away.

    ''''Is this........not your imagination?¡¡What are they doing to you?

    Hmmmm.........................You are slow to notice.

    The one who lets out a creepy laugh is "The Plague Witch", Gala Rufa.

    Her behavior is truly that of a mad scientist.

    ''''This area has already been sprayed with a magical germ that I have specially manufactured. It''s a boastful product that only infects those it targets within a certain range.

    ?"?

    Gala Rufa does a great job of explaining it, but if you don''t understand the concept of germs first, you don''t know what he''s talking about.

    ''When you get infected, it causes symptoms similar to the common cold, but it goes through a much faster cycle than the common cold. That''s why the germs are killed off so quickly, but can we survive the onslaught of Prati-sama and the others with the conditions rattled by the symptoms?

    ''Huh?¡¡What''s going on?¡¡What the hell is this guy talking about?¡¡Funny!

    This is how Gala Rufa is treated again, as a freak.

    And worse is over there.

    It''s Zos Saira.

    The supermassive Deep One (a monster-like creature created by Zos Saira) is so huge that it can stand upright on the bottom of a canal with its feet on the bottom of the canal, and it overwhelms its opponents by simply sticking its upper body out of the water and banging its arms around.

    ''''Ughhhhhh!

    ''''Help!¡¡I''m dead!¡¡I''m going to die!

    The female mermaids who were jealous of Puffa and attacked him were just running away.

    It was no longer a matter of winning or losing.

    It wasn''t even a form of competition.

    Nor was it.

    Puffa and the others are the Six Witches, the highest magic potion users in the mermaid world.

    If all of them banded together to fight, they wouldn''t be able to do anything about it, no matter how many hundreds of ordinary people were working together.

    In the first place, one of them can win without any problems, so overkill is a good thing.

    In fact, I''m beginning to feel sorry for the jealous mermaids who try to force their way through.

    ''Hmmm........it''s a wonderful sight. It''s nice to see an overwhelming display of power.

    Queen Sheila said something very scary.

    ''You''re not going to fight?''

    It''s a secret, but even the Queen is one of the Six Witches.

    When she goes to war, she will be perfect, but she only watches from a step back.

    I have a special way of fighting, don''t I?¡¡We can''t just show it off in such a public place, can we?

    It''s such a well-crafted excuse.

    And you know what, this is actually just like the annual event of mermaid royalty.¡¡I was attacked by a bunch of jealous people who were planning to marry my darling when we got married.

    You think history repeats itself?

    What did you do then?

    Did you fight with the Holy Grail?

    Of course we couldn''t do that, so we fought without magic. I beat them all with goofballs.

    I realized once again.

    I knew this guy was the strongest.

 442-440 reception

    Thus, an overwhelming storm of overrunning that wasn''t even a battle broke out........

    ........Has not a minute passed?

    It was all settled.

    Not a single person was hurt on the Six Witches'' side, and not a single stain was on the dress they had dressed up for the wedding.

    All of the raiding mermaids who had been jealous of Puffa, who wanted to marry Prince Arowana, were now floating puckered up on the surface of the canal in mermaid country.

    I think they''re still alive, at least.

    ''It''s not enough of a sideshow!

    Prathi''s one word said it all.

    It wasn''t even a sideshow, let alone a fight, for Prathi and Puffa and the others.

    Strong, too strong.

    This was the power of the six witches feared in the mermaid kingdom. That it was demonstrated in the public eye without regret, it was an event that would go down in history.

    After all, the place was packed with ordinary citizens who had come to watch the wedding parade of Prince Arowana.

    ''WOW!¡¡"This is the power of the Mad Six Demonesses!

    "Six Mad Mad Demonesses fighting together!

    ''And as I said, each one of them is still very strong!¡¡After all, witches are the most powerful potions master!

    And great enthusiasm.

    But please don''t call her the Crazy Six Demonesses. They hated it.

    Originally, the term "Crazy Six Demon Femalejie" was used by many people in the mermaid kingdom as a term for the strongest female mermaid in the world. It seems that the six witches were brought together after the rumor that they had been in a flurry of activity.

    So essentially, the six witches are not connected to each other.

    They were complete strangers to each other.

    All of them gathered together to fight as a team, so it must be exciting for the spectators like an all-star event.

    ''''Oh, if only there was a ''dark witch'' in this!

    If only The Dark Witch were here, it would be perfect!

    And a voice that can be heard leaking from the gallery.

    ...........................There''s actually a ''dark witch'' here too.

    It can''t be helped. It can''t be helped, since the existence of the ''dark witch'' is questionable...

    "Yeah, I have to think it''s great that there are five witches here...?

    I can hear it leaking out again.

    It''s okay, the "dark (adobeer) witches" do exist.

    And they''re all here, and they''re all here.

    He won''t reveal it, but he''s not willing to do so.

    "Dear mermaid nation!¡¡See it?¡¡This is the power of the Six Witches, as they say!¡¡The power of fear!¡¡One misstep of this power and the world will be at risk of extinction!

    The "Dark Witch" herself speaks.

    And what he''s saying is scary.

    ''But nothing that serious will ever come to pass!¡¡Because Puffa, the most prudent and fearsome of the Six Witches, the Frozen Witch, will be the new wife of Arowana, the next king!¡¡Mr. Puffa will be surrounded by the love of my son and will lose his ferocity!

    The people were more and more excited by this declaration.

    They took a horrible witch to wife and brought her under their control.

    What an amazing mermaid Prince Arowana is, to be able to do such a thing.

    That''s the mermaid king of the future!

    The most terrible?¡¡Puffa?¡¡I don''t want to hear it...?

    Hold it down, Lamp Eye. It''s an announcement for the outside world...!

    Prathi restrained the ramp-eye in his defiance.

    ''Attai is rabid?¡¡That mother-in-law is a lousy one, isn''t she...!

    "Keep Puffa in check, too!¡¡You know what I mean!¡¡You''ll boost your brother''s stock if you say so!

    It was a busy day for Prati.

    Although not popular with some, Queen Sheila''s speech basically struck the hearts of the people with a thud...!

    Long live Prince Arowana!

    "Long live Princess Puffa!

    "I wish you a long life!

    "The mermaid kingdom will flourish even more in future generations!

    It was a great turnout.

    As you would expect of a queen who has been a queen for several decades, she knows how to agitate people.

    Do you understand, Pfa?¡¡You need to be able to do these things too, you know?

    ''Nuh-uh-uh!¡¡One day, even Atai will be able to...?

    Thanks to the unexpected trouble, the people would be more excited and the prince and his wife would be accepted smoothly.

    The rest of the parade resumes, and as planned, we exit from the belly of the giant fish, the mermaid capital of the world, and make our way through the ocean.

    We surfaced and arrived at Paradise Island, an island owned by the mermaid tribe.

    This is where Prince Arowana and Puffa''s wedding reception will be held.

    * * * *

    If a Shinto ceremony is a ceremony to pledge marriage to God........

    A wedding reception is a party to report your marriage to society.

    Both are important and necessary.

    With a more social and secular nature, the wedding banquet adds a number of more important guests.

    Important people from other countries.

    After all, it is only the marriage of a prince that will bring congratulations from other countries.

    This is important because it is a confirmation of the good relationship between nations.

    Since the mermaid country would be a natural terrestrial country, it is not surprising that the Paradise Island, the window to the earth, was chosen for the wedding reception.

    Many demons, humans, dragons, and even mermaids who came up from the ocean floor with the bride and groom had already joined them in the hall that had been designated as the venue for the party.

    As I looked around, I immediately saw a familiar face.

    "Demon King!

    The ruler of the Demon Kingdom, the chief of the Demon Clan, and the Demon King were naturally present at the wedding party.

    ''''So they were over here. You should have attended from the divine ceremony as well, Demon King-san...''''

    No, no, no, the Miracle of Marriage is a sacred thing for each species. Outsiders should not trespass on it with impunity.

    The demon king said with political prudence.

    It is true that Prince Arowana is an ally, but this time I want to prioritize the relationship between the demon kingdom and the mermaid kingdom, the nation. That is why the friendship between our two countries will last for many years.

    I see.

    So that''s why they attended from the wedding banquet.

    Other traveling companions who accompanied Prince Arowana on his warrior training also attended from the wedding banquet.

    They were Songokphong, Hakkai, and Ardhegg and his friends from the Gaither Dragon.

    We don''t want to go through all the hassle of the ceremony. I''m just going to eat. We''re going to eat it all!

    Sunggok-dong ran out to the buffet style feast served at the wedding reception.

    And the rest.....

    It''s been a while since Mr. Ardhegg has been away.

    No, no...!¡¡I''ve always been a great help to the saint''s hall, but I couldn''t do much to thank him...!

    He was greeted like a businessman.

    Since he is participating in the banquet of humanity, Mr. Ardh?gg has naturally transformed into his human form.

    And behind Mr. Ardhegg, there are many things lined up.

    I wonder if there are four of them?

    And one of them.........

    "Veerle, you''re over here?

    ''Master!¡¡And Junior, we finally got to see each other again!

    It was Veerle who ran up to Junior as Prathi held him.

    I thought I would accompany Junior this time because he usually doesn''t leave his side, but I didn''t see him when he left, so I left him behind.

    And this is where he unexpectedly joined us.

    We don''t want to have a boring ceremony. I''d rather be waiting for you while eating something delicious!

    He''s saying the same thing as Songgokphon.

    And there were other dragons behind Mr. Ardhaeg''s back that were also humanized in the same way.

    ''Look, look, Sister Marie!¡¡Your bride is beautiful!

    "Nay, Seadr, do not let the appearance of a lowly race deceive you.

    Isn''t that Mr. Bloody Mary and Mr. Seidl?

    Why are those two with Mr. Ardhaeg?

    ''But lovely!¡¡I''ve always been fascinated by the Ningen marriage ritual.¡¡I wish I could marry her in a pure white dress like that!

    ''What are you talking about? A proud dragon imitating an inferior race... Pathetic, pathetic...!

    Bloody Mary, I can''t take my gaze off Puffa''s bride figure from earlier as she sits at the bride and groom''s table.

    ''''Wow, white doesn''t look good on me and...!¡¡What would Ardhegg think?

    Sister Marie can wear anything she wants, don''t you think?

    "Does that mean I can wear a wedding dress?

    What''s with the love comedy, you dragons?

    The last accompanying dragon, Al Gaul, the previous Geyser Dragon, was piling up more of the buffet with an enlightened look on his face.

    That''s the kind of expression you get when you''re forced to watch a romantic comedy up close and personal.

    * * * *

    It''s very impressive.

    Queen Sheila said with great emotion.

    But we''re really well gathered, aren''t we?

    Especially the dragon tribe.

    This is the first time that the Emperor''s dragon and his family attended a human wedding.

    Maybe this is the virtue of Arowana''s people. I''d say they should be grown up. With this, should we be allowed to say something about it?

    Mooch!

    His Majesty Nargus, the Mermaid King, answers.

    What on earth do you propose to announce?

 443-441 Succession to the throne

    Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention for a moment?

    "Most of it!

    Queen Sheila and His Majesty Nargus, the Mermaid King, stand side by side and say, "We''re afraid to entertain you during our chat.

    What is going on here with the king and queen standing together?

    First of all, I would like to thank you for being here today for my son Arowana and his daughter-in-law Pfafa. My son and his wife are very fortunate to have so many friends.

    "Most!

    As you know, my son Arowana is the firstborn son of Nargus the Mermaid. She is the first in line of succession to the throne. If things continue as they are, Arowana will surely be the next mermaid king.

    Mwah!

    And today, Arowana''s wife, Puffa, will succeed me as the next mermaid queen.

    "Mooching, mooching, mooching!

    The whistling noise...!

    Everyone in the hall thought.

    Me, the demon king, and Mr. Ardhegg, too.

    "It''s so annoying, isn''t it?

    Let her do her job and have a chat with her.

    Hey!¡¡Songgokphone and Veerle!

    You don''t just say what you think!

    "Both of you have overcome many hardships and have reached an impeccable level of mental and physical fitness. If I were to give up the throne of King and Queen right now, they would be fully capable of doing so from this day forward.

    ''''Mother........?''''

    Her groom, Prince Arowana, shed tears of joy at these words.

    In place of King Nargus, who had been rendered speechless by a certain incident in the past, the queen had spoken not only for herself, but also for the king.

    So the words of recognition from her mother were twice as poignant as those of her father.

    With a handkerchief taken out by the bride, Pfafa, she wiped away her husband''s tears.

    ''So.....

    And Queen Sheila continued.

    "I think I''ll give up the throne right here and now.

    "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    Big announcement all of a sudden.

    What kind of a casual declaration is that?

    That''s why Prince Arowana''s blood is all over the queen and her friends.

    "What did you say?¡¡What did you say, mother?¡¡You''re joking, aren''t you?

    I don''t say this in jest. Especially in a public place like this.

    That''s right!

    We''re right in front of the representatives of each country.

    Does this mean that your father will abdicate his position as mermaid and your mother will no longer be queen?¡¡And you mean I''m going to be the Mermaid King instead?

    Yes, what else is there to do?

    You don''t have one, do you?

    Prince Arowana collapses after checking.

    I tried to find another way to receive it, but it didn''t work out.

    Arowana," said Prince Arowana. Of course this is your decision, darling. Mum is just telling you that.

    Mooch!

    And now your stepfather is crying all the time?

    To assure you that it was your own will?

    As I said before, you''ve already got what it takes to be king. I''m sure you''re ready to give up the throne at any time. Then the sooner the better.

    So it''s a little out of the blue...?

    Because when he succeeds to the throne, we have to have another event for the coronation and so on, right?¡¡Gather the people again. If that''s the case, wouldn''t it be more profitable to do it now, all together?

    "For that reason?

    d*mn, Queen Mermaid!

    "It''s our birthday and Christmas coming up. Target.

    "I''m sure all of you in this room have come home from your weddings without a care in the world, and the next day or so you say, ''We''re going to have a coronation!¡¡Gather round! I''m sure you''ll think it''s a hassle to get the word out that I''m not.¡¡Hey?

    Many in the pew looked away as Queen Sheila shook her off.

    It was more of an eloquent dismissal of the gaze than anything else.

    ''If we have to put a cool down period, it will be at least a year from now, won''t it?¡¡Both myself and my darling want to abdicate as soon as possible and live a carefree retreat. So, why not?¡¡Let''s do it, okay?

    That''s not very casual, is it?

    Anyway, Prince Arowana, the sudden turn of events was very confusing.

    I''m sure they should have at least consulted with him beforehand, but they didn''t, did they?

    Why are you trying to surprise me...?

    And so a smaller hand gently holds Prince Arowana''s hand, which is going right and left.

    A woman''s palm.

    ''....Puffa?

    You can''t be unseemly. There are representatives from all over the world watching us.

    She was right, and now the world''s dignitaries were watching with bated breath.

    In this situation, if they panicked, their reputation would only be diminished by that much.

    ''''.........''''

    Prince Arowana caught his breath.........

    ".........puffa.

    Look at the mate you will be with today.

    It''s already not his problem alone.

    If he changes, she has to change too.

    ''You don''t need to worry about Atai. I''m going to go with you wherever you go, so from the beginning...

    I''m sorry.

    Prince Arowana once again knelt before his parents.

    "I, Arowana, risk my life to fulfill the burden of the Mermaid King. I will serve my country, serve my people, and honorably disgrace my predecessor.

    "Moss.

    His Majesty the Mermaid King Nargus presented it to him, a golden three-pronged weapon.

    It is a replica of the trident, the most powerful blade owned by the sea god Poseidos.

    A replica of the strongest blade the sea god Poseidos possesses, reduced in size so that it can be wielded by humanity.

    Even so, it is a deadly weapon that an ordinary man cannot even touch.

    It was also the jewel in the crown of the mermaid race, a weapon that only the highest-ranking man was allowed to possess.

    When the trident weapon passed from King Nargus to Prince Arowana, all of his power and authority would be passed down from parent to child.

    Prince Arowana stood up and held the divine weapon in both hands.

    King Nagas''s hand left his bow.

    At that moment, Prince Arowana was no longer a prince.

    A new king was born in this world.

    ''I declare it here and now!

    Prince Arowana, or rather King Arowana, raised the point of the spear high into the sky.

    I am Arowana, the new mermaid king!¡¡Be a servant of peace to the mermaid nation, its people, and all the world!

    A thunderous round of applause erupted.

    It was proof that all those gathered here recognized and celebrated the birth of the new Mermaid King.

    I didn''t want a mess to happen from here and be called back to the coronation ceremony at a later date.

    I wanted to make a decision.

    And then the new mermaid queen, snuggled up next to the new mermaid king.

    Puffa.

    A new beginning for both of them, and a new path to a new path.

    It''s a difficult path, but I''m sure they can make it.

    King Arowana.

    Queen Puffa.

    Here is a new form of married life.

    * * * *

    And so Arowana and Puffa''s wedding came to a close without a hitch.

    I can''t call him ''Prince'' anymore, but I''d rather not call him ''King'' either, so I settled on ''Arowana'' after all.

    I don''t know why we call him "Prince" anymore, but it''s a normal thing to call him that.

    However, Arowana and Puffa will forever remain our dear friends, and I''m sure they''ll continue to visit us when they see us, or we''ll come visit them.

    In fact, the one thing that is going to change a lot in the future is.....

    ''''Oh no, that''s finally a weight off my shoulders!

    Mooch!

    Nargus and Sheila are no longer the Mermaid King or the Mermaid Queen.

    The two of them must have gotten quite a bit of free time after retiring.

    What will they do now?

    I can''t read the future.......?

 444-442 Q&A

    My name is Al Ghul.

    I used to be the strongest man in the world.

    But I''m not anymore.

    I''ve fallen from strength to strength, and now I''ve seen the most horrible faces I''ve ever seen at a wedding or so I''ve attended.

    I hoped I wouldn''t see you again, so why are we running into each other here?

    To us dragons, humanity is a worthless opponent. They are nothing more than little worms that scurry around at the edges of our vision.

    Twice in the past, however, the former Geyser Dragon, Al Gore, had been made to feel his life was in danger.

    One of those two men was in front of him now.

    Sheila Cannu or something like that........

    It''s the Holy Ghost Wizard.

    * * * *.

    After the wedding was conveniently over, I had a chance to sit down with this embodiment of horror.

    I didn''t want to talk about it.

    But if I were to defy him and provoke his wrath, I''d be in over my head right now.

    My son has already done that to me, he has taken all my powers.

    I don''t have the strength I had when this woman gave me a taste of death and I ran away in a horrified body!

    ''How interestingly fate has made it possible for us to meet again in this way.

    Says the Woman of Terror.

    "I was an active Geyser Dragon, a woman who could torture me and kill me at any time.

    I''m surprised to learn that one of the people who defeated me was your son. It does seem odd.

    I was a tough guy and that''s all I could do.

    Once, I was a Geyser Dragon and there were two human beings who stood toe-to-toe with me, and two of them survived.

    This woman was one of them.

    I''m sure you''ll find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing.

    Even dragons can turn into lizards in front of them.

    It''s not necessary to be so frightened.¡¡Now you are the father of a friend of my son''s. So aren''t we all friends then?

    You''re kidding me!¡¡You mean to tell me that the mighty Geyser Dragon is going to be friends with the humans?¡¡You wouldn''t be proud of that!

    "Huh?

    ''I am humbly invited to be your friend!

    I am now nothing more than a powerless wooden dragon.

    You cannot resist the mighty!

    You''ve changed a lot, but you''ve also changed a lot as a friend. You used to say ''I''m going to end this world'' and now you want to be the queen.

    Come to think of it, this woman''s appearance has changed a lot in the past.

    It was twenty or thirty years ago. The woman I met back then was wild and had dark eyes that seemed to despair of everything in the world.

    She was small in stature, and I don''t think her breasts were as full as they are now.

    ''Oh, you remind me of things I don''t even want to remember,''

    Excuse me!

    ''''It''s okay. The truth is, you shouldn''t forget about it. ........Back then, I thought ''this world has no value'' and ''it would be better to erase it'', and I tried to erase the world just like that.......

    The scary thing about this guy is that he can do it!

    It was all done with the Holy Chanting Demon Act, though.

    ''''What was it called?¡¡What about the No-Life King who gave you the chanting magic?

    "Old Princess. She was an immortalized mermaid who used the underwater cave dungeon as her home base. I''ve been researching the primordial magic of the mermaid race, which is called the Holy Grail, and I''ve been experimenting a lot with it to get my hands on it. And in order to obtain it, he conducted numerous experiments.

    This woman was one of those test subjects.

    It''s not uncommon for mages who are out of the way to use a live ningen as a test subject for research and development of new magic.

    If you take away an orphan or something like that, no commotion would be the first to occur.

    This woman would not be the only one abducted by the Sea Immortal King in such a manner.

    ''The only one who survived was me. In addition to me, there were a hundred other children brought into the old princess''s dungeon to be experimented on, but they couldn''t stand the process of opening the magic circuit of the holy chanting magic, and they all died.

    You were the only one who stuck it out.

    Then she mastered the Holy Chanting Magic.

    The first thing this woman did with the Transcendental Magic she had just acquired was revenge.

    The old princess of the No Life King was instantly annihilated.

    ''''The children brought to the experiment site were friends for a short time, even though it was an unfortunate turn of events. "The children who were brought to the test site were unfortunate enough to be my friends for a short period of time, and when they were killed like trash, I thought to myself, ''What''s wrong with this world? I thought the world was wrong...

    It would have been shocking enough for a child only ten years old or so at the time to despair.

    A young mind and the power to determine the existence of the world.

    When these two extremely unbalanced elements were mixed together in one body. It would have been a clear world crisis.

    It''s not just a matter of time before the world is in crisis. It''s a system that''s on a different level from other magic. It''s the perfect truth for those immortal kings to pursue with their endlessly wasted time.......

    ''''Yes, in fact, it wasn''t just the old princess who was plotting to revive the Holy Chanting Demonic Law in this world. Almost all of the No-Life Kings in the sea were chasing after the Sacred Chanting Demon Method, so I made them disappear. So I made it disappear.

    What the woman said was not a metaphor or a joke.

    Just as there are countless dungeons on the ground, there are countless dungeons on the ocean floor.

    They''re called underwater cave dungeons or something like that.

    Since there are dungeons, there are also quite a few mermaids who absorb concentrated mana and become No-Life Kings.

    However, there are currently no No-Life Kings in the sea.

    Not a single No-Life King from the mermaid race.

    This guy wiped them all out.

    The No-Life King in the sea, alone.

    There''s not a single No-Life King in the sea that comes close to the Three Sages and One Fool, but he could still pull off such a horrible act of evil because of the Holy Chanting Demon Law.

    That was a forbidden law that should have been sealed.

    I''ve seen it firsthand.

    I poked my nose into this guy who was slaughtering the No-Life King of the Sea at the time.

    That was a mistake.

    I was running away from him as fast as I could.

    ''''Well it may be too much to destroy the world, but with your power, it would have been easy to rule the entire world. To be satisfied with a mere country, and not the ruler himself, but his spouse...

    She is a very strange woman.

    It''s enough for a woman to have a good home. I used to think that the world was worthless, but my darling taught me something different. I would have devoted my life to that person and given birth to his or her children. What else could make you happier?

    What?

    I wasn''t sure if he asked me that.

    And even if you wanted to rule the world, you couldn''t really do it, could you?¡¡I''m listening, there''s another strongest person on land who didn''t stand up to you, who was a Geyser Dragon just like Atashi, right?

    Ah.

    Another one I don''t even want to remember.

    That guy was strong as shit, too.

    Belfe Gamilia.

    ''''He''s like a guy who inherited the secret technique from the ''Three Sages and a Fool'' old master and became a No Life King while he was still alive. He''s that guy and he''s messed up and hard to fight...

    Once, I fought a casualty, but not a single attack hit me, and any counterattack was painful in its own way, and somehow lingered.

    In the end, I was in a ''can''t do it'' mood and ran away.

    I don''t enjoy it and I don''t want to fight again.

    ''It''s a horrible time to think about it. You and Belfegamilia, the strongest of them all, were born at the same time as two niggers who could defeat me.

    Are you sure you''re not the strongest person I know?¡¡In terms of strength, your son has long since surpassed you, and there are probably other human beings who could defeat you, too. See, like that saint?

    There''s so much ambiguity about him, I don''t understand.

    I''m sure he could beat me if he wanted to.

    The only thing more annoying than the human race are the No-Life Kings.... In the end, you and Belfegamilia surpassed this Gaither Dragon with the power given to you by the Immortal King.

    Immortal kings are usually like that.

    He transcends being human and pursues the truth of something, usually with an earned eternity.

    Something beyond the long, long path that will never be reached in a man''s lifetime.

    The holy chanting magic method that the old princess had revived and the secret method that the old master had created were both worthy of that truth.

    ''''But why would those immortals give it to a living ningen?''''

    The threat created by this is Sheila Cannes and Belfegamilia.

    If you''ve grasped the truth, you should keep it carefully in your possession.

    Why would you give the truth to the most insignificant and vulnerable ningen of all?

    Because you knew that truth is beyond the control of the dead.

    Sheila Cannes''s fellow said as if he understood.

    The truth doesn''t mean anything if it''s in one person''s hands. It''s only when it is passed on to others that it gains meaning. The old princess and others have always seen me as an experimental animal, but I''m sure Master wanted someone to take over his creation.

    Is that what it is?

    In the end, a person cannot be disconnected from others, even if he or she were to become immortal. That''s a truth. It took them thousands of years to grasp the truth that I learned through my encounter with my darling. What a disaster!

    Yes, sir.

    I don''t know what I''m thinking.

    "Wait a minute. This is a bad idea.¡¡If other No-Life Kings start doing the same thing, we''ll be in trouble!

    Even now, there are many No-Life Kings on earth.

    If they were to wake up like them and offer the Ningens the great magic they''ve spent hundreds of years cultivating for thousands of years.

    One after another, threats like Sheila Cannes and Belfegamilia?

    Well, it sounds like that''s already underway, doesn''t it?

    What did you say?

    You are in the presence of a saint, aren''t you, sir?¡¡I heard that the No-Life King is the one who gathers these young people together and teaches them?¡¡My child took one of the classes and said, ''The teacher''s class is so easy to understand! And then he said, "I''m so proud of you.

    Oh, yeah?

    I saw you when I was visiting the saints.

    ''''I only thought, ''There are immortals doing strange things,'''' but when I thought about it, it''s a disaster!

    He''s a no-life king with multiple students!

    Several new Sheila Kanne and Belfegamilia from that group!

    ''''In a way, you might be the most dangerous No-Life King teacher in this world right now. Giving the Immortal Mysteries to the living so generously...''''

    "The balance of power in the world is out of whack!¡¡Oh no!¡¡The farm is still in trouble!¡¡Should I just destroy it now?

    I''m not going to let you do this, am I?

    Heeeee?

    Sheila Cannu returned to the old atmosphere only this time.

    ''''Two of my daughters are staying with the saint, so if you''re going to mess with them, that means you''re going to make an enemy of me, right?

    ''''Shahssssssshah?''''

    I apologized as soon as I could in fear.

    I don''t mind. "Well, let''s see if something new can come out of this new experiment that will have a positive effect on the world. Let''s just wait and see.

    So what kind of world will that bring?

    What if our dragons aren''t the strongest in the future?

    Anyway, the topic of my conversation with Sheila Cannes kept changing like this.

    Before I knew it, several hours had passed and we were in a lively conversation.

 446-444 New Emperors development history Part 8 Ryus social tour

    And so we interrupted.

    A dungeon mastered by brother Alexander of the Graugrintz Dragon.

    To the "Holy White Maiden''s Mountain".

    * * * *

    "The young Geyser Dragon visits us out of the blue and wondering what is going on...?

    The deepest part of the dungeon... or should I say the topmost part in a mountain dungeon?

    Anyway, Brother Alexander, who sits there, has taken human form.

    It seems that even in normal times, Brother Alexander, who shows a bizarre devotion to humanity, takes on a human form instead of his original dragon form.

    He is a superb dragon that far exceeds even the Dragon Emperor Gaiser Dragon.

    It''s probably easier to stay in human form than in dragon form, where his power is radiated in an uncontrolled manner.

    We''re going to follow the example of the landlord we''re visiting and transform into human form.

    "A visit, huh? A tour, huh? It''s good to see you so eager to learn.

    Brother Alexander is the undisputed master of dragons!¡¡I thought that the dungeon ruled by your brother would be the reference for building a new Dragon Emperor''s Castle!

    Brother Alexander has the title of Glaugrinz Dragon, also known as the Crown Prince Dragon.

    The first candidate to succeed Gaiser Dragon, also known as the Emperor''s Dragon, is named after him, but of course, in order to obtain this title, one must be extremely strong.

    In fact, brother Alexander is so strong that he is far stronger than the framework of a Glaugrintz dragon, to the point that his father, when he was an active emperor, was afraid of him and planned to destroy him.

    Normally, Brother Alexander should have been the one to become the new Gaijin Dragon, but it seems that he is not interested in you, so I was given a bowl.

    Otherwise, there''s no way a young man like me could become a new Geyser Dragon.

    However, your brother promised to give me as much support as possible when I hand over the throne to him.

    That''s why I''m relying on him this time.

    ''''I''ve heard that your dungeon is very popular with the ningen!¡¡I would love to learn the secret to that!

    "N-ha-ha-ha, you''re so good at flattery for being an emperor.

    Your brother''s on a roll?

    It was very unusual.

    ''Making dungeons is my life''s work. The destruction and the struggle are both bloodthirsty, but they are less meaningful than the creation and nurturing of dungeons. If you have the strength to do so, you can destroy anything, but you can''t create and nurture anything by yourself. So I have compassion for those actions.

    ''Great!¡¡It''s helpful, brother!

    After all, Brother Alexander is different from any other dragon.

    Not only is he the most powerful, but he knows how to act like a healer.

    You are a hero and a champion, too.

    But you''ve never set eyes on my dungeon, brother. You know as well as I do. My dungeon, the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain, has been beloved by mankind for hundreds of years. Mankind has always needed dungeons. The more precious and abundant materials a dungeon can provide, the more highly valued it is. The more difficult and challenging they are, the more adventurous they are, the better. This means that dungeons will be judged by mankind. This is important. If you don''t have others to evaluate your dungeons, you''ll be complacent. On the other hand, to my surprise, my dungeon received a six-star rating on the dungeon grade set by the human race!¡¡Isn''t that great!¡¡The truth is, dungeons are only starred from one to five, but that''s six stars beyond that!¡¡Well, I don''t think I''ve ever felt that much effort paid off before!¡¡If you''re going to build a dungeon too, be aware that humans will invade it. Because if you build something they''ll love, they''ll surely respond to it!¡¡That''s what it means to be creative!¡¡The best part!¡¡You''ll know it when you try it too, and that''s the fun of it!

    ''He talks so fast when he talks about dungeons, doesn''t he? Tsk.

    Father clicked his tongue out at me.

    "No, father, you mustn''t do that, not with your tongue.

    ''Shut up!¡¡You young Alexander is feeling enlightened!¡¡What''s the point of making something up!¡¡You can just make a dungeon by following a template!

    As usual, father is not on good terms with brother Alexander.

    "Speaking of which, Ardhegg, I''ve been wondering about you for a while now...?

    Your brother interrupts his story and asks you.

    You''ve come to visit us with a lot of people. You have a very large group of people.

    They kept insisting on following us.

    Why are they all so disgruntled?

    That''s right.

    The dragons who came with me to visit my brother Alexander''s dungeon.

    For some reason, they were all in a bad mood.

    You can''t blame Father for being at odds with Brother Alexander from the start, but....

    Bloody Mary, older sister.

    ''Why Alexander?¡¡Why did you stop at Alexander''s place?¡¡You''ll learn more in my dungeon, won''t you?

    Then, Sister Veerle.

    My dungeon is more amazing than yours. It''s smaller in scale, but I''m confident that it''s the winner in terms of concept and ideas.¡¡That''s all of those parts that Master has tweaked, though!

    And Seedle.

    ''''Gyaaahhhhh...!¡¡This is the strongest dragon, Brother Alexander?¡¡My waist is twitching just standing in front of me...!

    This guy is simply scared of brother Alexander''s strength, though.

    The other two...?

    Especially Veerle. Why are you here too?¡¡I think you''ve gone back to the farm, don''t you?

    Marie''s guy asked me to join him!¡¡Together, we''re going to stink up Brother Alexander''s dungeon!

    Why are you so insidious, Sister Marie?

    I can see why Sister Marie, who was once a contender for the title of Gaither Dragon, would have been hostile to Brother Alexander?

    What is this floor?

    Sister Marie, pecking at the floor with your fingertips........and stroking....

    ''See how much dust there is on the floor?¡¡Not a very clean dungeon, is it?

    Sister Marie, you can''t do this!¡¡You''ve been acting like a mother-in-law since before you got married!

    What are we really doing here?

    As you''d expect, the floor would be dirty.

    ''''I''m sorry. I am responsible for failing to cleanse the great master''s throne.''''

    Who?

    I noticed that there was someone beside Brother Alexander.

    It was humanoid, but it had no flesh and bare bones. I could tell at a glance that it was undead.

    ''''Uh, who are you?''''

    "I am the No-Life King in the service of Master Alexander, sir.

    Huh?

    "You work for the No-Life King, brother?

    Wow!

    How many other dragons have you ever seen?

    I could be the No-Life King''s lackey in a heartbeat if I wanted to!

    I''ve got a dead body in the neighborhood!

    Both Marie and Veerle have a rivalry!

    Especially Veerle, are you talking about the teacher?¡¡I know the No-Life King''s teacher is more of a guardian to Sister Veerle!

    ''''Don''t worry about it. ''''Don''t mind me, I''m a fool compared to the other immortal kings. I''m not even close to the Three Wise Men and One Fool.

    This kind of humility is what''s so frightening to me.

    And yet, the older sisters are taking the words to heart and are domineering.

    You are right, aren''t you?¡¡There''s no telling how good a no-life king can be at being a squire, right?

    We are the dragons!¡¡Respect!

    The No-Life King hangs his head reverently, but that''s just an attitude of hospitality to his guests, right?

    How does that Immortal King move when in front of a non-customer?

    My dear family. Grant them what they desire. Tell them I will guide them through my dungeon to their heart''s content.

    "As the master wills.

    The Immortal King obeys his brother Alexander''s orders.

    You are not going to show me around by yourself?¡¡Aren''t you lacking in respect for the Dragon Emperor Geyser Dragon?

    Sister Marie takes on a challenging tone.

    Stop it!¡¡He''s a dominant force to be reckoned with, and on top of that, his brother Alexander is a dominant force to be reckoned with!

    That''s a perfectly legitimate question, and it pains me to say it. But I can''t leave this place now. I hope you''ll allow my household commander to represent me.

    Reason?

    ''A party of adventurers. A party of adventurers are about to reach this summit. Wouldn''t it be a pity if the Lord wasn''t present at the finish line?

    How thoughtful you are, brother!

    "So it''s the adventurer Momoko''s party? It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who''s interested in it.¡¡Also, there''s Songgokphone roaming around on the eleventh level right now.

    That''s all right. I believe in the potential of the Ningens and the others, and I will just sit here and wait. I leave the hospitality of my brothers and sisters to you.

    Acknowledged, sir.

    How cool is your brother?

    He believes in the ningen that are challenging him, and is doing his duty as the one being challenged.

    I don''t like it when you act like a good little girl.

    ''Dragons should be more vicious than that.

    I''m a better man than you!

    The other dragons don''t like that.

    Dragons are basically an irredeemable race.

    Now, let me show you around.

    Oh, that''s very polite of you.

    We begin our tour of the highest dungeon, guided by the House Order of the No Life King.

 447-445 New Emperor Development Report No. 9 Supreme Dungeon Structure

    I, Ardheg of the Geyser Dragon, am now visiting a dungeon ruled by a foreign dragon.

    The Holy White Maiden''s Mountain, ruled by Brother Alexander.

    No more than this in the estimation of mankind.

    I came to visit the dungeon to collect reference materials for my own dungeon.

    I''ll walk you through the main courses and give you an overview of our dungeon.

    Brother Alexander''s squire, the No-Life King''s family order speaks.

    Or rather, how can the one, which is feared by the world as the two greatest disasters in the world, be made to obey the other...!

    This would tell us more than anything else that Brother Alexander is the one who transcends dragons.

    The Holy White Maiden''s Mountain belongs to the mountain dungeon in classification. It is a dungeon where the natural mana circulating around the world is dammed up, stagnant and stagnant in the Great Mountain.

    I know what it is, and I''m not stupid.

    "This is rude.

    You are not to be perturbed, Sister Veerle.

    It''s only natural that I''m here to study, so it''s a matter of course. I''m grateful for that.

    But our dungeon is also enhanced by the mana emitted by the master himself. That''s why it''s one of the best in the world.

    It''s...!

    It''s the same logic as the Dragon Emperor''s Castle created by the Geyser Dragon.

    ''''Well, I''m sure Alexander can do it.

    Father said evasively.

    ''''A hybrid of natural mana and the mana emitted by the Transcendent Dragon. That''s why you can make large scale dungeons. It''s even bigger than the Dragon Emperor''s Castle I once built?

    "The Holy White Maiden''s Mountain is now divided into thirty-three sections.

    Thirty-three is an awful lot of people...!

    ''''There are twenty-four main sections, eight sub sections plus one. The main mountain where the master is waiting for you is made up of twelve levels, and you can take two climbing routes. Twelve times two is twenty-four compartments.''''

    Why do you take two routes...?

    "to meet the needs of the adventurers who enter the mountain.

    Sister Marie and Sister Veerle are whispering behind me.

    ''''I heard there are twelve levels.¡¡How many levels are in your sister Marie''s dungeon?

    "d*mn it, all ten levels!¡¡So what?¡¡So what?

    "Shit, we even lost to Marie''s dungeon!

    Another futile rivalry........?

    ''''With the care of the master, we have recreated a variety of environments to allow you to collect a wide variety of materials. "We cannot go directly to the top of the mountain, but we can obtain most of the materials that are not available in the main mountain.

    The monsters and materials that emerge differ depending on the dungeon environment.

    I think they''re trying to provide a wide variety of environments so that you can get a variety of materials.

    ''''Each of the sub-eight sections is divided into different types of mountains: rock mountain, tropical mountain, volcano, snow mountain, poison mountain, thunder mountain, mine, and spirit mountain, and each of them has a No Life King administrator.

    What?¡¡Besides you?

    ''''All of them were S-class adventurers during their lives, and were turned into undead after swearing allegiance to Master Alexander. They are called the Eight Jieks, and can be challenged by going to the deepest part of the sub-division. ''With the monsters they have raised,''

    He''s not going to fight?

    "so that no one can win.

    ''''Ah.

    ''''When you defeat the monsters trained and nurtured by the Eight Jieks, you will be rewarded with a badge. If you collect all eight badges, you will be given the right to challenge the master at the top of this mountain.''''

    What is that system?

    Huh?¡¡Wait a minute?

    ''So what happens if you go around all eight sections and make it up the main mountain without collecting a badge?¡¡Is brother Alexander through?

    I''ll get a compliment from the master personally. After that, you''ll get a souvenir and go down the mountain.

    It''s a friendly system.

    ''''Originally, the purpose of challenging the Eight Masters and collecting their badges was to measure their ability to fight the Master directly. But there''s no way that humans can fight a master properly. It''s a formality after all.''''

    Yes.

    ''''It''s a commemoration that you''re fighting the master. ''''I''m going to fight him to the bitter end so that he doesn''t kill me.

    It has become a complete sideshow.

    Why is brother Alexander doing something that can only be seen as a waste of time?

    I know exactly what I''m talking about!

    It was Sister Veerle who exclaimed, "I''m not sure what I''m going to do.

    ''What did you find out?

    That mindset has something in common with my master!¡¡It gives maximum excitement to those who challenge it!¡¡They used to say that when they were building Oakbo Castle and the exposition!

    That High Priestess?

    How could it be that Brother Alexander and His Holiness thought exactly the same thing?

    ''So the wise man is going to cross the same bridge?

    ''I see!¡¡So the most important thing in dungeon building.......is to entertain the intruders in that way!

    ''Yes!¡¡The master called this entertainment!

    Entertainment!

    That''s the key to dungeon building!

    I came to visit and suddenly I learned something important!¡¡That''s my brother Alexander''s dungeon!¡¡And the saintly ism!

    ''Entertainment...... Was Marie aware of that when she made her own dungeon?

    I don''t think I''ve ever thought about it for a second.

    But if Brother Alexander and the Lord Saint think alike, there must be some sense in that!

    ''Alright, then, Master Veerle of the Grinzel Dragon will show you how it''s done!

    My sister?

    Don''t patronize me!¡¡I''ve inherited my master''s imms, and I''ve been well received at the exposition and at the stall at Oakbo Castle!

    That''s my sister!

    How dare you learn wisdom from the Hall of Saints and take it as your own!

    ''Alright, I''ll call your brother Alexander and we''ll launch a new entertainment project in this dungeon!¡¡Let''s go back to your brother!

    "The master is a fun-loving man, and I''m sure he''ll agree with most of what I have to say.

    What a surprise.

    In Brother Alexander''s oversized dungeon, Sister Veerle, who was taught by the saint''s hall, is hosting a project.

    So, you want me to learn how to make a dungeon from that?

    * * * *

    And the next day, the plan is carried out.

    The next day, the plan was decided: "Well, adventurers who are going to challenge the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain today, I have a message for you. I have a message for you.

    At the first level, the family order says.

    In this place that should be the entrance to the dungeon, many adventurers, regardless of strength or weakness of veteran newcomers, pass by.

    It''s a perfect place to make contact.

    I''m the No-Life King,

    It''s rare to see a family order come down to the first level.

    Another remodel announcement?

    The adventurers are used to it, and they pay attention to the house decree and listen to it, as they are sure it will be meaningful information.

    It''s not a good idea to be a part of this, but it''s an urgent matter, so I''ve decided to tell you directly. This dungeon will be hosting a special event from today.

    What''s going on?

    What is it?¡¡Do you think this is a good deal?

    Everyone was curious as they waited for the order.

    And the announcement was made.....

    "It''s Dragon Enrichment Month!

    It''s ""Dragon Fortification Month!"

    He continued.

    ''''Currently, our dungeon is visited by dragons who are younger siblings of our master. Master Ardhaeg of the Geyser Dragon, Bloody Mary of the Grauglinzel Dragon, Veerle of the Grinzel Dragon, and Seadr of the Grinzel Dragon.

    Those dragons roam the dungeon and usually attack when they encounter adventurers.

    That''s Dragon Enhancement Month!

    Wait a minute!¡¡Does that mean... that means...?

    The world''s most powerful dragons, wandering around the dungeon like normal monsters?

    That''s the worst part!¡¡I''ll die just walking around in that dungeon!

    ''''Even though the difficulty of the dungeon has increased dramatically with that demon angel on the prowl!

    The adventurers were loudly criticized.

    Why did he launch such a terrible plan?

    "Because we want you adventurers to have a fruitful dungeon attack.

    It''s fruitless!¡¡Soon everything, including life, will be returned to the earth!

    ''''How did you think you could conquer a dungeon on such a devilishly difficult level?

    The adventurers asked a lot of questions.

    In contrast, my family members, as expected of a no-life king, responded calmly.

    ''''To that question, let me quote the words of the proposer, Veerle-sama, as they are. ........According to him, ''The thrill is the best entertainment!''

    That statement left all the adventurers present speechless.

    The thrill is the best entertainment.

    It''s tough and difficult, and a momentary lapse in judgment can cost you everything.

    Overcoming such a hellish situation will give you a sense of accomplishment greater than anyone else''s. That''s the thrill, the entertainment.

    That''s the thrill, the entertainment.

    Isn''t that right, sister Veerle?

    I''m proud of you, and this is the secret to your success.

    I''m sure you''ve learned this lesson from the saint, so let''s make this a very hard obstacle for your own adventurers.

    I''ve been observing the first level with my magic from afar, and your father is one of them, with his anxious struggle.

    ''''I wonder if we''ll ever feel a sense of accomplishment after being forced to go to a level of difficulty that we''ll never achieve?

    I muttered.

 448-446 Dungeon Stall

    It''s Chave the Adventurer, man.

    Someone help me.

    A few days ago, the difficulty of the dungeon I was attacking changed like a nightmare.

    There are now dragons prowling in the normal field.

    What''s that?

    What''s going on here?

    Normally, dragons are supposed to be sitting at the back of the dungeon as dungeon masters!

    Why are they hanging around?

    And it''s not just one!

    Four at once!

    This nightmarish situation occurred in the world''s highest dungeon, Holy White Maiden Mountain.

    It was undoubtedly the best dungeon in the world, but everyone screamed at this change in difficulty that exceeded the limit.

    It had become a vicious dungeon that no one could enter, and if they stepped one foot in, they would never get out alive.

    Because it''s a dragon!

    How am I supposed to conquer a dungeon that encounters dragons as if it were a normal monster!

    Originally this dungeon even had a demon angel hanging around, like Sunggok Phone or something like that, which means encounter = retirement.

    I wonder if the same ''walking game over'' will proliferate and that guy will relent a bit?¡¡I was expecting that, but that wasn''t the case.

    Rather, it''s more like "A business enemy?¡¡I''m not going to lose! And I started to get fired up.

    All the wrinkles are going to us adventurers!

    ''Oh my God!¡¡Oh my goodness, the S-class adventurer, Mr. Silver Wolf, has been killed by a dragon!

    What?

    When I rushed over to check on his safety, I found that Silver Wolf''s brother was about to be carried down the mountain.

    d*mn it for being beaten up so badly!

    ...I''m afraid you''re in for a surprise. You''re no match for a dragon...!

    You''ve got to get a hold of yourself, brother!

    Shit!¡¡I will avenge my brother Silverwolf!

    You can''t!

    I was beaten, but I found a weakness in a dragon. It''s an all-black dragon called Bloody Mary...!

    What?

    Even if he is beaten, it doesn''t mean he was just beaten, but he gets some kind of result.

    Is this the greatness of the S-class?

    ''''To that female dragon, it''s like, ''You and Mr. Ardhegg are perfect for each other,'' or ''Yo, ma''am! Or, ''Your husband said he likes you! When I blow into him, he gets embarrassed and averts his gaze. Take that moment to run away. That should be enough to dodge that dragon!

    That''s awesome, bro!

    But my brother retired as if he''d been ripped to shreds in exchange for trying to figure out a strategy.

    The dragons were holding back and not taking their lives but there was no such thing as this!

    There''s no way even an S-class adventurer could clear a difficulty level that would tear them to shreds!

    What the hell am I going to do?

    * * *

    And...

    I''m dying in a corner of a dungeon.

    I went in there in a torn-up state, but I was spotted by one of the dragons, and after being chased around, I fell off a cliff and got smashed all over my body.

    I''m in a lot of pain and can''t move.

    I seem to have escaped from the dragons, but I don''t think I''ll be able to go on anyway.

    Or rather, it''s life threatening.

    He''s so injured that he can''t move his body. My life will be over as soon as one of the monsters passes by here.

    ...Is this a stupid way to die?

    Some of my colleagues have been telling me. Some of my colleagues said that we should hold off on attacking until the dragons leave.

    They said that dragons are boring creatures, just have a little patience and they''ll go away.

    It''s also called "Dragon Reinforcement Month". Month.

    ...But that''s not it.

    Moving away from danger is not how adventurers live.

    If you wanted to be safe, why didn''t you become a government official?

    If you chose the path of an adventurer as a way of life, you must dare to challenge the dangers, otherwise your choice will not be worth it.

    .........that''s why I don''t wish for dangers that go beyond the limit, though!

    No, I don''t want to die in distress after being chased around by these dragons, that''s a stupid way to die!

    I need to survive somehow!¡¡And I want to conquer the dungeon alive!¡¡I want to be an S-level adventurer, too!

    And, yes. I wanted to find the saint''s farm, too.

    Oh no, there''s still too much to do with my life.

    Somebody help me, please, somebody...!

    It''s a bother.

    "What?

    Next thing I knew, someone was standing over me.

    It''s a little girl.

    A girl in this super-dangerous dungeon?

    This is so out of place!

    He was a lucky guy to be found by me. Well, the voice in my mind was so loud, I could see it from outside the dungeon.

    ''What?¡¡Um...!¡¡No, you can''t be puzzled. I''m sorry, little girl, but can you go get some help?¡¡As you can see, my brother is in quite a bit of trouble...!

    Shut up. I don''t care if you''re dead or alive.

    What the hell?

    What kind of kid is this?¡¡You''re acting so cold!

    All you have to think about now is whether you''re going to eat ramen or not.

    Ramen?¡¡What do you mean?

    I know it when I sit down.

    The girls lifted me up by my body in a heap.

    The girl lifted me up in a heap, and contrary to appearances, she had great arm strength!

    As I was lifted up, I noticed something strange right beside me because of my elevated perspective.

    A hut?

    A wooden hut with wheels on each side that can be moved.

    ''This is where you will sit. This is the seat for the customers of the stall!

    Customer?¡¡What''s ''yatai''?

    I was sitting down without saying a word and there was a table in front of me, and it smelled great.

    The girl stood on the other side of the table and began fidgeting with something.

    ........cooking?

    When I told my master about this place, he was furious. ''You can''t make a game out of a difficulty level you don''t intend to clear! You know.

    I''m not sure what you''re talking about, but I have a feeling that the master and his ilk are right.

    ''''That''s where we decided to make adjustments. Even though Seadr and Sister Marie chased me around, I''m going to eat this ramen and hang on!

    and the bowl the girl puts on the table (?) There was a strange food inside the ramen that I had never seen before.

    That''s ramen?

    What''s this?¡¡It''s a soup dish?

    But what is that thing in the soup that''s so long and thin?

    We don''t know anything about it and can''t get at it...?

    "Come on, eat. Your only choice is to eat ramen here or die.

    Practically an option?

    No, I''ll eat it.

    Either way, the dragons were chasing me around, I was running out of energy, and I was starving to death.

    Even if this ramen was poisoned, I would still eat it.

    The pain in my body from the fall is still there, but I manage to hold the bowl with my trembling hands and drink the soup first.

    "....What is this?

    Delicious.

    Super tasty!

    I also tried the long, thin thing in the soup, which is also delicious!

    What''s with the chewy texture?

    The more I ate, the stronger I felt, and the faster I ate, the faster I ate, and in no time at all I had finished it.

    I ate it up in no time.

    We''re doing a double dip in the soup. But you''re drinking all the soup, aren''t you?

    Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    What does this mean?

    As soon as I finish the ramen, power rises from my body!

    The injury you sustained when you fell off the cliff is completely healed like a joke.

    Is this what the noodle soup is supposed to do?

    The soup I made with Seadr is now tolerable to humans after I diluted it five hundred times. Still, it''s very effective. Once it''s inside your body, it heals all injuries and raises your physical capabilities many times over.

    Indeed!

    I feel light!¡¡It''s so powerful.

    Now I''m as good as a B-level adventurer!

    This is my master Veal''s special gonkotsu ramen with farm-style soy sauce.¡¡Free handouts during Dragon Fortification Month!¡¡It''s a power up and a balancing act!

    Ooh!¡¡Thank you, sweetheart!

    With my current power, I''ll be able to get to the top while escaping the dragon!

    I knew there was a reasonable return hidden beyond the risk!

    Only those who take on the super-risk of the roaming dragons will be able to eat these ramen noodles.

    And you can power up!

    It''s a wonderful world we live in!

    This is the life of an adventurer, through the dangers and rewards!

 449-447 Mermaid King couple visit

    Me.

    Mr. Arowana and Mrs. Puffa came to visit us at the farm.

    "This isn''t taking too long!

    They just had a wedding the other day!

    Puffa in particular, after seeing off the farm with such an emotional farewell, was sent home so fast, it''s kind of awkward, isn''t it?

    I''m glad that you came to visit me, though!

    I''m sorry, Saints. I''m going to be very busy from now on, thanks to the sudden handing over of the throne to me, I''m going to be busy enough to die.

    That''s right.

    He is no longer the Prince of Arowana, but the King of Arowana.

    He''s now the dignified Lord of the Mermaid Kingdom, having been handed over the throne just as a gesture of hospitality at a wedding.

    His responsibilities and workload are far greater than when he was a prince.

    For the time being, the new system with me at the helm must take shape as soon as possible. So, it looks like I won''t have time to come here for the next few months. So, I guess it''s better to do it now while it''s still fresh!

    Oh, I see.

    Well, make yourself at home. Think of it as your home.

    In fact, this was my home until a few days ago.

    "Hail, Queen Puffa?

    Stop calling me that!¡¡It''s so ostentatious it makes my ass tingle!

    Puffa, who lived in our house a few days earlier, was being teased by Prathi in a grand manner.

    I''m not a tease," he said. I just want to pay my respects to the Mermaid Queen, don''t I?

    "It''s deliberate, princess!¡¡I was prepared for this, but I didn''t expect to be handed over the queen so soon. I can''t get used to this...?

    Queen Puffa, aren''t you?¡¡It''s a pleasure to meet you, Queen Puffa.¡¡Let''s try to maintain some semblance of trust between us, shall we, Queen Puffa?¡¡Purge, Queen Puffa?

    ''''Cease and desist!''''

    Prathi was getting super carried away and teasing the current queen.

    I was about to stop her, but Arowana-san stopped me from doing so.

    ''No, Puffa has to get used to being a mermaid queen too. Now he will be teased a little. It would be ideal if she became completely unfazed by that sort of thing.

    I see.

    The king and his wife must have had a tough time. The weight of their responsibilities is different.

    "Puffa must be my companion in private and in public life. We don''t have enough people. Many of the old vassals are retiring with their fathers, and they don''t want to influence the new regime. It''s hard to choose a young person to replace them........hmm?

    ?

    What''s going on?

    Mr. Arowana, did you just stare at me in the middle of a conversation?

    "...Saints, would you like to be the Prime Minister in the mermaid kingdom?

    "No, no, no, no, no, no!

    What is this, a headhunter?

    You can''t!¡¡I''ve got a farm!¡¡It''s not in your nature to be a palace servant to begin with!

    "Well........come to think of it, if I were to call on the saint-dono, I''m sure he''d have a problem with the demon king, so I''ll just have to give it up......

    Is that the point of giving up?

    Well, we could have avoided a strange development anyway. Good.

    You''re in so much trouble that you want to call your husband in, is the mermaid country that short on talent?¡¡Are you okay?

    No, there are. There''s a lot of talented young people out there. But. It takes a lot of courage to select a young person for a low position in the original position, to be the equal of a retiring veteran, or...?

    It''s not easy to establish a new system, isn''t it?

    I knew it.

    The person I want to select above all else is that guy!¡¡It''s Hendler!

    I knew Hendler-kun''s name would come up here.

    I suppose so. He is one of the best in the country in terms of ability, performance, and personality, as well as the trust of the king himself.

    It''s just that he''s a nobody to begin with, and that''s why it''s so hard to pick him.¡¡I really want to install him as a general, but if I give such a big role to him who isn''t even a military officer, that would cause friction!

    He''s pondering it.

    I''ve been thinking about it for a while now, but for some reason we''re still apart.¡¡I was hoping that Lamp-Eye would take care of that when they got married...?

    There''s something about Lampwicke, she''s a reasonable woman.

    Puffa defends his equals who have worked together on this farm for a long time.

    He has a bit of a queenly air about him.

    ''But I really want Hendler in my belly. What do you think, High Priestess?¡¡How do you get Hendler to work well and still minimize the friction from those around him?

    I''m the wrong person to ask...?

    If I answer that question, it would mean that I would be interfering in the politics of the mermaid kingdom, wouldn''t it?

    But I wouldn''t want to overlook Mr. Arowana in his time of need.

    Why don''t we create a new position for ourselves?

    Oh?

    For Mr. Hendler. There is less power, but more you can do, and we can create those positions. If you have less power, you won''t be looked at by others, and almost everyone will obey you if you tell them you''re acting as the king''s power.

    Is the system like an Edo-era sycophant?

    Since Mr. Hendler has been working under the direct orders of Mr. Arowana, this will suit his nature.

    When he has proven himself, he can be made a minister or a general.

    That''s the Holy Spirit!¡¡How easy it is for you to answer such politically oriented counsel!

    It helped that I read a lot of historical fiction in my former world, man.

    I can be a hazy know-it-all!

    Then Atai will put him through his ramp eye. It''s better to use a private line to get your intentions across accurately, right?

    Ever since Princess Puffa decided to use her own personal connections to get her husband''s attention, she''s been acting like a queen.

    So don''t make fun of me.

    Prati continues to tease the new queen as usual.

    But then again, so did Atai. I never dreamed of being in this position. I would serve the queen for the master.

    "Puffa has truly come to realize that she is a queen.

    Mr. Arowana says with satisfaction.

    Maybe it''s a good thing we waited until after the ceremony. It''s fortunate that our life on the farm has helped Puffa to develop the ability to lead others. Wasn''t that what your mother was thinking when she stopped us from getting married?

    No, she didn''t.

    Queen Sheila had delayed their marriage as long as possible because she did not want her son to leave her hands.

    However, this gave Arawanappafa and his wife time to sort out their feelings and shape their mindset as king and queen.

    This led them to realize the surprise succession to the throne from the wedding ceremony.

    The way things have been arranged, one wonders if it was really planned.

    It''s good to be married. I didn''t think it would matter what they called you if you lived together, but when they call you husband and wife, it''s a different story!¡¡You feel like you''re making progress!

    If she''s that happy, it''s only fair that our efforts are worth it.

    We also tried to gather our wits and support to get former Queen Sheila to allow us to marry her.

    The two of us worked the hardest, though.

    They finally got their wish and became a married couple.

    I wish them good luck in their future lives.

    Queen Puffa, by the way, would you like a cup of tea?

    What do you mean, all of a sudden?¡¡I mean, seriously, you''re not going to stop attaching a queen to it, are you?

    I''ve got some pickles in here. Do you want some?¡¡It''s the work of the new guy who took charge of the brewery for you?

    Oh, yeah, that''s good, so we can see if that guy from discus is up to snuff with you. I was going to come see him later, but...

    I''m not the one who made this.

    Puffa took a bite of the pickles....

    ''''Who made this nukazuke?

    I snapped.

    "The pickle is so sweet!¡¡We haven''t even put in the time!¡¡The bed of bran isn''t ready for the taste, and it''s limp!¡¡How dare you make this kind of cowardly pickles, claiming to be Matthew''s successor?

    Huh?¡¡Have you lost your temper?¡¡It was actually Angel who pickled it!

    Prathi lives happily every day.

    We had Junior and I, and the farm is growing day by day.

    I didn''t think Prathi and I were missing anything in our married life.

    When I attended the wedding of Arowana and Puffa, I realized that I was missing something.

    After all this time.........

    ''.........me and Prathi didn''t have a wedding, did we?

    We''ve decided what we need to do next.

 450-448 Saint Wedding

    Me and Prathi are husband and wife.

    We''ve been living together for a while now, I think.

    We''ve had a baby now.

    Junior is napping soundly on Prati''s lap.

    But we''ve had a smooth sailing and no fear, and I''m not sure if we''re lacking in anything.

    Now I''m wondering, "Should I have done this? And then there are things that come up to look back.

    One of them.

    I didn''t have a wedding.

    It was.

    I met Prathi and it was more like momentum.

    I was fishing and she caught me.

    Not metaphorically, but verbatim.

    You don''t know what I''m talking about, but as it was, Prathi barged in and became my wife and we''re still married till today.

    Our marriage was just a flick and a bang, so there were many things we didn''t do that we should have normally done but didn''t.

    The wedding was one of them.

    If I hadn''t noticed, it might have ended without any notice.

    However.

    After witnessing Arowana and Puffa''s grand wedding the other day, I thought to myself, ''Don''t we have to do it too? I''ve developed a feeling of.

    A sense of mission?

    You mean like an obsession?

    Then these words came out.........

    "Do we do it too.......wedding.......?

    ''Sir!''

    The first and strongest to react was Prati.

    I''ve been absorbed in playing with Queen Puffa until now, but she turns around and looks at me.

    ''Oh no, we''re not having a ceremony, are we? Watching you and your friends'' wedding ceremony makes me feel that we should do it too.

    It''s soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

    Prathi said to me, ''What now! I thought he would be angry with me.

    ''''Master Aaaaahhhh!''''

    He came rather fiercely at me.

    Don''t be abrupt, Junior was startled awake.

    ''Good!¡¡Okay!¡¡Very good!¡¡Let''s have a wedding!¡¡Let''s do it now!

    Junior is scurrying around with a "What''s this, a hostile attack?" look on his face. Junior is scurrying around with a look of ''What is this, an enemy attack?

    We were in the middle of a nap, but calm down, mother!

    "All right, wedding.

    Mr. Arowana is very happy to be there.

    He has always done more than we can imagine. I''m sure it will be great when we have a wedding.

    Please don''t raise the bar.

    It''s never too late to do it. If you are getting married, my wife and I will be present at the ceremony.

    I just told you I''m going to be busy?

    By the way, Queen Puffa is not here because she has gone to snigger Angel.

    That''s right.

    I feel like it''s too late to have a child, but still, it shouldn''t be too late.

    Let''s do it.

    To make this the culmination of the lovemaking that Prati and I have been cultivating till today.

    A wedding that has been delayed in the lapses!

    ''Yay!

    Prathi throws Junior right over the top with a banzai motion in joy.

    And catch!

    Stop!

    High, high, high for Junior is still too early!

    But anyway, it''s a wedding.

    We''ll just have to get ready. We have a lot of stuff to do.

    The first thing we need to do is...

    * * * *

    ...or is it Veerle?

    Why does Veerle''s name come up here?

    I was married to Veerle, too.

    It was in the early days of farm development.

    When it was decided that I would marry Prathi, I took advantage of the opportunity to marry Veerle, saying "Well, I''ll do it too".

    Has it been already three years since then?

    During that time, I thought I hadn''t separated myself from Prati and Veerle, but is it a difference in consciousness?

    The more time Prathi spent with me, the more our marital connection took shape and led to the birth of Junior.

    With Veerle, on the other hand, nothing much happened.

    Well, I''ve made a lot of memories and I believe we''ve created a deep bond that is worth the time we spent together.

    However, the form of that bond seems to be a different thing from that of a married couple.

    How does Veerle himself perceive it?

    I felt that since we were going to have a definite ceremony, a wedding with Prathi on the other hand, I couldn''t proceed with ambiguity.

    So I went to visit Veer downstairs.

    That guy was now addicted to making ramen noodles.

    ''''........there are still a lot of messy flavors.

    After tasting the slowly simmering soup, Veal said.

    The kitchen was built exclusively for this purpose, and he has been working tirelessly to perfect his own ramen soup.

    He was dressed in a black shirt and hachimaki, a very real outfit, and if he folded his arms over it, it would seem perfect.

    He''s going to explore new territory as a gluten jar.

    "You want more vegetables to soften the taste?¡¡That would also raise the content of the dragon extract from Seadr by 0.2%...?

    "...Ville.

    I decided to talk to him because I wasn''t getting anywhere.

    Veerle noticed me and smiled........

    ''''Oh master!¡¡Have you come to watch me make ramen?

    No, sir.

    Well, I suppose we need to keep an eye on you to make sure you don''t do anything devastating.

    Watch me, master!¡¡I''m an original!¡¡The Gongkotsu Ramen is almost ready!¡¡I''m gonna be there in time for Junior to learn to eat things!

    You''re gonna make Junior eat this?

    You''re going to make him eat this shit?

    Yes, Veerle is fiercely protective of Junior, who was born between me and Prathi.

    It''s as if he''s a child of his own, so much so that even Prati and I, his immediate family, were sometimes puzzled.

    I wonder how this guy really treats our family.

    Of course, in a broader sense, Veerle is an important family member now.

    I don''t want to destroy the bond we''ve built by touching the ambiguous parts of our relationship until now.

    But if we don''t take that risk and move forward, we won''t be able to form a stronger bond.

    I decided to take the plunge.

    ''''Hey Veerle........''''

    I told Veer.

    I told Veer that he and Prati would be married.

    Oh, isn''t that what we did at the beach?¡¡Isn''t it okay?

    Light?

    So what do you think?

    Is that all right with you, Veerle?

    Oh, that''s the one I married to my master, isn''t it?¡¡I didn''t know much about marriage at the time either. Anyway, as long as I could get the holy sword away from my master, I would have been fine with anything.

    Wha...?

    Since then, a lot of things have happened, your father has been destroyed, and there''s no need to get the holy sword. All I want to do now is to enjoy living with my masters.

    Veerle...!

    You.........?

    ''Master is kind and cooks a lot of good food, and Prathi''s guy is petulant, but well, he''s never bored with me. And Junior is!¡¡Junior is adorable!¡¡Protect them forever!

    When the dragon says it, the word ''forever'' is not just a metaphor....

    ''I''m having a blast living here!¡¡I''m going to keep this place for Master and the Juniors forever!

    Viel.

    I didn''t know you cared that much for me....

    ''''Veerle!''''

    I unconsciously hugged Veerle. With Prathi too.

    ''Veerle!¡¡You''re one of the great families we have!¡¡Let''s live to die together!

    ''I can''t believe you thought that far ahead!¡¡Mom is happy!¡¡Take care of Junior in the future, neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    When and where did Prathi spring up from?

    It''s a good idea to hold Junior under your arm while you hug Veerle with me to put him in between you and me.

    ''Gueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡¡What the hell is that!¡¡Master and Prathi are squeezing me from both sides like a sandwich!¡¡It''s painful!¡¡Whoop!¡¡It''s going to pop out from underneath me!

    Thus, the bond with Veerle is confirmed and without any worries....

    Don''t let your wedding to Platy get underway!

 451-449 Preparation for marriage

    So let''s do it.

    Me and Prathi''s belated wedding.

    Prathi wanted it to happen now, but in a hurry, we''d miss the boat.

    A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

    It''s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and if something goes wrong here, it can''t be undone.

    It is often said that it will be a source of sarcasm for life.

    That''s why I''m going to prepare for it carefully and make sure that I can do it without any mistakes!

    Now that the precedent-setting wedding of Arowana and Puffa was a huge success, I''m going for that one!

    So let''s get all the things you need for your wedding!

    Let''s make a list of what''s out there first!

    Wedding dresses.

    Wedding rings.

    Wedding cake.

    Bouquet toss.

    A gift.

    That''s about it.

    First of all, a wedding dress is a must, since Astares and Puffa, who got married earlier, were wearing one too.

    My Plati will also be dressed in a gorgeous wedding dress on the day.

    Making the dress is easy.

    We''ll just ask Bati to make it.

    I''m sure he''s accumulated a lot of dress-making know-how from his many weddings, and I''m sure he''ll be able to pull it off easily.

    Next, the standard gift is a plate, so we''ll leave it to the elves.

    The wedding cake is a fresh one, so we''ll make it just before the wedding.

    The first thing to start with is........

    I think it''s the wedding ring.

    Engagement ring.

    A ring exchanged with a promise to each other until death do us part.

    Since ancient times, the grade of a wedding has largely depended on how many months'' salary the ring you give when you propose is worth.

    There are even anecdotes of fierce men who dove into caves of lava caves and waterfalls to get a pair of rings.

    I was rather shocked at the fact that I hadn''t even given my wedding ring yet while married, but this time the slogan is ''it''s not too late'' for everything.

    Let''s get the best wedding ring for Prathi!

    But here''s where I realized Hatta.

    Did we exchange rings at my brother-in-law Arowana''s wedding, which should be a reference for everything?

    And.

    I don''t think I did.

    It''s not a good idea to make assumptions.

    This is a fantasy world. What was common knowledge in the previous world I lived in could be said to be common knowledge in this world.

    The marriage of a man and a woman to leave behind the next generation is common, but isn''t it natural that there is a difference in the details of the marriage?

    You must be wondering, "What do they do with wedding rings in our world?

    "Don''t they have a wedding ring supplier in this world?

    Just to be sure, I asked a few people on the street, but they all said, "What''s that? The response was.

    I knew you didn''t have a wedding ring.

    No, this should be taken to heart as an opportunity to do the opposite!

    If no one else knows about it, then it can become a trendy concept known only to me.

    I''ll be the one who writes a new shape to this world''s weddings!

    I''m kind of on fire when I think about it!

    So let''s get to work on your wedding ring!

    ''What?¡¡What?¡¡What is it with you, sir?

    Prathi nursing Junior.

    Me touching his left hand closely. Especially the part at the base of his ring finger.

    I''m sure Prathi is embarrassed and confused. I haven''t told him the real reason for this.

    I thought it would be a surprise for you.

    I''m not going to be able to tell you what I''m talking about.

    The gift that resides in my hand, the supreme bearer, is also easy to measure and remember the size of things I touch with precision.

    I touched Prati''s ring finger and measured the width of its enclosure.

    Now we have all the information we need.

    All we need to do now is make the product!

    Okay, thank you!¡¡Now we can take it to the next level!

    ''I don''t know what you''re doing, but you have to hurry, don''t you?¡¡I can''t sleep at night because I can''t wait for the wedding!

    I was glad that Prathi was looking forward to the wedding like a schoolboy on the eve of a field trip.

    But you''ll just have to be patient and wait for a little while longer. I''ll produce the best wedding ever!

    * * *

    And I''m going to make a ring, but it''s easy to make.

    Because I have a supreme bearer.

    This gift given to me by Hephaistos, the god of modeling, has the power to draw out the performance of the item in my hand beyond its limits, and that power can also be used to make things.

    I''ve created many different things with my own hands in the past.

    This time, I''m sure even the ring will be easy to make by myself.

    The materials were the familiar manna metal.

    It seemed like a nine-tenths victory with this, but there was a problem: "It''s tasteless....

    "Tasteless...?

    This is what I let slip in front of the prototype.

    I shaved and kneaded the mana metal based on the measurements from the platys to complete the ring, but its appearance was, well, tasteless.

    In a word, it''s a metal ring.

    It''s nothing more, nothing less.

    Normally, a ring is what you would call a ring, right?

    It''s an accessory.

    Its appearance should be decorated in a variety of ways with fashion in mind.

    It could be finely carved.

    There are also gems.

    Most rings would be sprinkled with jewels to make them more fashionable!

    But the wedding ring prototype made by me has no such fancy elements.

    It''s simple and rugged - like an eccentric old man living deep in the mountains.

    It doesn''t have the glamour associated with marriage!

    Yes, this is the only weakness of my ability ''supreme bearer''.

    It has no characteristics related to artistry at all.

    Thanks to this, I''ve created a prototype ring that is not interesting or anything in terms of design!

    That''s right, thanks to this shortcoming, I''m relying on Batty to make clothes and the elves to make dishes and household items.

    I didn''t expect it to be a bottleneck here as well...?

    If I give such an uninteresting ring to Prathi........

    -- ''What?¡¡What a shabby-looking thing. You don''t love me to wear this crappy thing as your wedding ring. I''m divorcing you.''

    What will I do if I get in trouble?

    "Do I need a new approach to this...?

    If you can''t do it yourself, there''s always the option of outsourcing, right?

    So are Batty''s clothes, and the elves'' crafts.

    The same could be done with a ring.

    At first, I thought handcrafting was the ultimate in heartfelt work, but how many men in the world propose to their husbands, and how many would be willing to take on such a difficult task?

    No, I don''t think it''s a fraction of a percent. I don''t think he''s a fraction of a percent.

    So I''ll hire a professional to make the ring and show the amount of love I have for you by the amount of money it costs.

    That''s three months'' salary!

    I don''t make a lot of money right now, but I''m not on a payroll!

    ''Then the question is, who''s going to make me a ring...?

    I quickly search my brain to find someone who could deal with this problem.

    The people I''ve known and the connections I''ve built up are fine assets to me!

    I will use them to show my love for Prati.

    Then it occurred to me: dwarves.

    These are the species that are said to be the best at making things in the world.

 452-450 Order to dwarf

    I''ve known the dwarves for quite some time.

    What was the first time?

    Oh yeah, I had them help me build a magic steamship.

    Since then, I''ve borrowed their skills every time I''ve needed to build something that requires a fine metal structure.

    It seems that the dwarves are a sub-species that originally originated from the demon race and branched off from there.

    However, their physical characteristics do not resemble those of the demon race; their skin is white, their height is short on average, and their bodies are generally thick.

    They were stocky and plump.

    It seems that all of this is due to the underground life that they have instituted, and the underground space is expanding as holes are dug in every direction for the purpose of mining ores in the Dwarven Empire that stretches underground.

    It was me who was interrupting such an underground dwarven empire.

    * * * *

    ''Welcome, welcome, Saint!¡¡You are welcome!

    The one who welcomes me with open arms is Master Edward, who is apparently the representative of the dwarf tribe and the king of the Dwarf Underground Empire here.

    In other words, the welcome from the chief himself makes me feel scared inside.

    I''m sure you''re not going to be able to get away with it.

    ''''What do you mean?¡¡Now Saints are the best guests in our underground empire!¡¡I''ll give you the best possible hospitality.

    You''re treating me like a VIP?

    I don''t know why, I don''t remember placing a number of large orders like that.......?

    ''And you''re a saint?¡¡What can I do for you now?

    The king of the dwarves asks me with some kind of flirtatious look on his face.

    No, Mr. Edward is in a position to call himself the king of the dwarves in his role, but he doesn''t call him king, he lets him call him master.

    I wonder if it''s an artisanal obsession?

    ''....Yes, actually, I have something I''d like you to make for the dwarf.

    Of course!¡¡Speaking of things to us dwarves, we make things!¡¡It''s not like those elves are kneading the earth!

    ..........

    As usual, the rivalry with the elves is tremendous.

    Is this due to tribal rivalry?¡¡Or is it a personal vendetta?

    And what shall we make of it?¡¡I''m sure His Holiness is planning something on a much larger scale than we can ever imagine!

    I want you to make me a ring.

    What?

    When I told him what I wanted, Edward-san''s tension visibly dropped........

    ''A ring, huh...''

    Why do you look like you''ve been shrugged off?

    A child when your birthday present was an encyclopedia?

    ''Oh, no, it''s fine. Even if it''s a ring. ...................but a ring?¡¡How ordinary for a saint...?

    Hide your disappointment in front of your guests.

    Apparently, Mr. Edward thought I was ordering the production of something outlandish and bizarre that he had never seen before.

    That''s what he expected (hoped?). The order for the ring was all too common, contrary to the

    "...well, rings are the most common job that dwarves receive.

    Is that so?

    ''''The unit price is cheap because of the small size, and we get orders every day from the demon tribe. It''s just the right job for me to have half a dozen people take the place.''''

    The feeling of disappointment that comes from receiving such a commonplace, mindless order from me is seemingly endless.

    "No, no!¡¡Still, it''s an order from a superior customer!¡¡No matter how crappy it is, I''ll finish it with all my heart and soul!

    ''I''m not being sincere when I say ''crappy''.

    ''Shall I ask someone else for help?'' I thought about it, but I used to just ask for advice.

    I want to buy a ring for my wife. And I want to get her two rings as a set, along with something I''m going to wear myself.

    ''A gift for your wife?¡¡The ring?

    What is it?

    No, it''s an unusual use for a piece of furniture.

    Huh?¡¡How rare is this?

    And in our universe?

    Even if it doesn''t have the look of a wedding ring, isn''t it normal for a man to give a woman a gift?

    And isn''t a ring the most essential gift?

    "Mostly for myself. Most of them are for me, and they require extreme tune-up to win the battle.

    What does this world need from the ring?

    The culture gap is becoming more and more apparent.

    Oh, well, I brought my materials, so that''ll do.

    "Huh?¡¡Manametal!?

    Edward-san stopped breathing for a moment as he saw the mana metal ingot on the desk.

    ''''It''s okay ... isn''t it?''''

    Duh!¡¡I''m fine!¡¡This master of the Dwarf Underground Empire, Edward, you didn''t stop your heart and lungs early and often!

    Normally, if you stop your heart even once, you''re out of luck.

    But since we can''t ask you to come to a dwarf country so far away this time, please try not to have a cardiopulmonary arrest!

    ''''Well, a small amount of mana metal, just enough to make a ring, won''t freak me out now. Don''t lick the dwarf master!

    It''s crazy to die at the mere sight of a chunk of metal.

    Does mana metal have a special effect on dwarves, just as silver bullets can kill a werewolf?

    Well then, let''s get right down to business, shall we? Before we start making rings, let''s hear the details from our saint.

    Oh.

    It''s an interview to ask what kind of ring we want to make.

    Based on the answers we receive, we try to create a product that satisfies the customer, which is the most natural process for a craftsman.

    "We''ll use manna metal as the material. We have to measure the finger size of the person who will wear it next...

    Don''t worry, that''s already done.

    I told him the size of Prathi''s ring finger, which I had measured in advance.

    And mine, too.

    It''s all right. Okay, now let''s see if we can decide on a ring design.

    Oh, oh!

    Yes, that''s what I''ve been waiting for!

    I wonder how many hundreds of years the dwarves have studied the artistic designs that I can''t handle myself, while taking over!

    Please share that wisdom with me!

    Let me show you how it''s done.

    ''''Oh!''''

    Master Edward, ordered a young man who looked like a subordinate or apprentice to bring out some kind of thin, flat wooden box.

    When I opened the lid, I found a lot of rings inside.

    ''''What''s this great!''''

    Each of the numerous rings had a thousand different and unique shapes.

    I''m sure you''ll find a lot of people who are interested. The ring sample box contains sample designs of masterpieces created by dwarven ringmakers. Customers who place an order can choose the design of their choice from these samples.

    I see.

    The rings in the box are just samples and the material is brass. I can''t say they are expensive, but the designs are all first class without exception.

    The fine carvings, and even the shape of the rings themselves are original....

    I mean.........

    .........I noticed.

    I took a look at these countless sample rings.........

    Isn''t it too flashy?

    What?

    Yes, I thought.

    All of them are too elaborate in their design, or perhaps too big and cluttered for that.

    It''s a ring that looks like something some kind of queen or something would wear.

    It seems to be decorated with a lot of queen empresses with names like Elisabeth, Ekaterina, Elitica and so on.

    If you put this ring on your index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger, it might work as a mechanic''s sack.

    Wedding rings are for everyday use. It would be better to keep it simple so that it doesn''t get in the way of your daily work...

    "What are you going to do with a simple ring design?

    I don''t want to be told that kind of ''I never thought I''d be able to say that''.

    You know, how are you supposed to go about your daily work with a ring that covers the first joint of your finger like this?

    Once again, you''re overconfident in your skills.

    ''''What''s that voice?!''''

    I turned around to see who was talking and saw a brown-eared, immensely beautiful woman standing at the entrance.

    Its physical characteristics are definitely elves.

    An Elvish Elf, isn''t it?

    What are you doing here? You were supposed to be here for the rest of the farm!

    ''I heard the saint was going to the dwarves and I knew this was going to happen.¡¡It was a no-brainer!

    Ugh!

    Edward-san is frightened by Elon''s pointing at him.

    Both of these guys are still like this.

    ''It was a saint who gave me the opportunity to pursue the beauty of nature in the first place!¡¡Did you think that he would be misled by the deliberate artifice and beauty of your dwarves!

    "And that''s why your saint gave us the ring...?

    ''The beauty that is stripped away all the waste and left in the end. That''s the beauty of nature!¡¡Farthest from your style of adding a lot of stuff gobbledygook!¡¡You can''t satisfy a saint with that stuff!

    No, I like fancy stuff too, I do.

    The conversation was about to get more and more complicated as the two men stepped together, trying to get them to fight the art debate at any opportunity.

 453-451 Gem Garden

    I am about to give a wedding ring for Prathi.

    However, that plan was slowly coming to a halt.

    ''Can''t I........?¡¡Can''t we dwarves make a ring for a saint?

    ''That''s what I mean!¡¡You''re getting your comeuppance here for being so conceited about technology!

    It''s kind of self-serving, but I''m not denying the dwarves'' technology itself, you know?

    I just think it''s too lumpy and inconvenient for everyday use.

    This aileron, the maker of beauty that unites us with nature!

    It''s a pretty big title to carry around, isn''t it, you elf?

    But can you work with metal?

    Can''t?

    You''ve seen that.

    That''s why I didn''t ask the elves to do it in the first place!

    The elves, who pride themselves on being messengers of the forest by nature, restrict many things in order to live with the forest.

    Living away from the forest is also forbidden, and sleeping and waking up under a roof is also forbidden.

    It is also forbidden to sleep and wake up under a roof, and it is also forbidden to use or make tools made of metal that do not exist in the forest by nature.

    The city elves from the forest don''t seem to follow the rules very strictly.

    So, Elon, take your advice and create a simple ring that looks just right.

    "What?¡¡Does that mean you want me to collaborate with this elf?

    Don''t mind if I do.

    You guys don''t always get along with each other, so why don''t you guys take this opportunity to work together?

    Mm......

    ''We''ll work together for the sake of the saints. ...So the theme of the work is ''harmony''.

    ''Solemn Harmony''?

    So why are you trying to force it up?

    Despite some misgivings, I''m sure that if Elon is with us, he will design a simple-is-best ring worthy of an engagement ring.

    .........

    I''ll include a check from me.

    ''''Let''s let the eagle and the elf stew on the design, then will you choose the jewels for the saint-sama?

    Choosing jewelry?

    It''s the jewel that goes in the ring.

    Oh, I see.

    A ring is an accessory. Speaking of accessories, it''s a jewel.

    Shall I sprinkle some jewels on Prati and I''s wedding ring, too, to make it a little more fashionable?

    What kind of jewels do you want?

    If it''s an engagement ring, it''s probably best to keep it as a birthstone, but what month was Platy born?

    No, was there ever a proper calendar in this world to begin with?

    Hadn''t you ever even bothered with it before?

    ''You don''t need to think so much about it here, why don''t you think about it while you''re looking at the real thing?

    ''What?¡¡The real thing?¡¡Can you see it?

    Of course, for those who want to buy trinkets, we have a whole collection of jewelry for them to browse. Why don''t the saint sit there and decide what kind of jewelry he wants to buy?

    This is indeed the world''s leading production base for metal tools.

    I didn''t know it had such an excellent service.

    It sounds interesting. Let''s go with me.

    ''Oh?¡¡Why would you, an elf, be interested in jewelry?

    It was Mr. Edward who was suspicious of Elon''s words and actions.

    But I can see it.

    The current aileron is probably not the tribal instincts of an elf, nor the sensibilities of a dishbreader, but rather a certain other one-time habit that is making a lot of noise.

    Yes, when they were an elven bandit group.

    * * * *.

    This is the dwarven underground empire''s pride and joy, the Garden of the Moon!

    Wow.

    I was led to a room filled with display cases and countless shiny, transparent stones lined up inside.

    How many of these are there in total?

    ''Well?¡¡There''s a lot of buying and selling going in and out. Even so, there must be 500 units at any given time.

    Gosh!

    Terrific.

    How much will it rise to in terms of assets?

    I feel like I''m in the wrong place and I''m trembling from the bottom of my heart.

    I''m a small-minded commoner at heart!

    On the other hand, his companion, Elon.

    ........d*mn it, it''s posting guards every ten paces. This is just as alarming as it sounds.

    Don''t make a scene out of old blood.

    We''re going to pick out the gems for the wedding ring from here, aren''t we?

    How true. You should have the finest jewelry for your saint.

    It''s not me that decorates them, but my wife.

    I said a pair, but that one is the main one!¡¡Don''t forget that!

    The finest gems are on display in this section.

    Hey!

    Where are you taking me?

    Don''t just take me to the most expensive place in the world!

    And don''t take me with you, Aeron!

    If you let him get too close to something too expensive, he might not be able to keep his old bad blood down!

    Every gem in these cases is special. They all have their own names.

    Such a thief is likely to come after you with a warning!

    For example, the largest diamond here is known as the ''Star of Comerica''. For example, the largest sapphire here is called the Star of Comerica, the Star of Sindh. The "Swallow Blood" ruby is named for its blood-red color, and the "Star of Sindh" is one of the largest sapphires in the world. There are also many others, such as ''Tears of the Blood Queen'', ''Star of Gigant'', ''Diamond Joz'', ''Tears of the Mermaid'', ''Tears of the Maid'', ''Destiny Stone'', ''Earthly Star'', ''Positively Fight'', ''Tears of the Han'', ''Star of Love Intelligence'', ''Pospopi Pelo Pelo'' and many others.

    That''s a lot of stars and tears.

    That''s the kind of flair you get for naming gems.

    But I can see how all of the gems just introduced are ridiculously expensive.

    No, wait.

    Why, unbeknownst to me, is the wedding ring I''m giving Prathi, the wedding ring I''m about to give her, going to be made into a super expensive item?

    That''s what you mean when you say you''re going to have this top-notch gemstone on your ring!

    Wait a minute!

    I would prefer to go in a more modest way, sir!

    "Among them, I would like to recommend this gem for you, saint!

    He wanted to bring out the best of them!

    Mr. Edward!

    Why are you throwing yourself so hard at my request?

    This Broken Diamond!¡¡A jewel most worthy of being worn by a saint!

    That''s why I''m not going to wear it.

    But what''s with this jewelry?

    The jewels Edward showed me were indeed a good job at first glance.

    There was something stiflingly majestic about it.

    This Broken Diamond has a very unique history.

    Wow.

    As expected of a super high-class product, it even has a history.

    It was originally excavated from a mining site in the human country, but a wealthy man made off with it without permission. It is said that the soldier who caught up with them cut them down and took them back.

    What?

    Later, it was inlaid into the hilt of a certain treasure sword as an ornament, and a priest put a curse on it so that it could kill more enemies.

    Curse?

    What are you talking about, you dwarf?

    The Slaughter Curse was so powerful that the hero, who had the sword in his hand, lost his mind and fought on until he died. When he died deep in the enemy''s camp, the sword was handed to him as spoils of war, and since the sword was broken, only the jewels were removed and prized.

    Wait a minute!

    Henceforth, whoever possessed this jewel became mentally ill and attacked everyone who wished to possess it. It is said to have met a miserable end. Each time, the owner changed hands and came to this place.

    I mean, isn''t that the kind of jewelry that''s really cursed?

    The kind that brings misfortune to its owner one after another?

    I''ve heard some rumors about it, but I never thought I''d see it in another world!

    No....before that.

    What kind of a tool do you suggest, a**h*le dwarf?

    You heard me say that!

    I''ve asked for a wedding ring!

    Why in the world would he choose a cursed gemstone for his wedding ring?

    These guys are going to perform a ceremony so concerned about good luck that they can beat you up just because of the amount of money you can divide by two!

    Why are you trying to throw a lump of bad luck in there!

    ''''Hmm, I don''t understand what the saint is saying from before...''''

    Aileron.

    He tried to steal those fine gems without being noticed, but he couldn''t do it.

    It''s like he gave up and joined our conversation.

    It seems that there is a gap between the saint''s perception of jewels and our own. Don''t you think it would be better to explain what a gemstone is from the beginning?

    In this world.

    What is a gemstone?

 454-452 The role of gems

    What role does the ring have in this world?

    Elf, Aileron''s answer.

    ''That''s obviously an armament, isn''t it?''

    ''What?¡¡Armor?

    Why?

    Is that what you''re wearing on your finger to hit me?

    Or rather, the ring, the jewel that goes in the ring. It''s usually a blessing in disguise.

    In this world, gems are said to be formed when the spirits'' breath gathers and hardens in the ground.

    It''s a sacred thing.

    That''s why gems don''t come from dungeons. Even saints don''t find gems in the dungeons of their teachers and villes, do they?

    Yes, I know.

    It would be nice if gems were unearthed, since manna metals are found.

    However, I''ve never once seen them.

    I didn''t notice it because I''m not interested in it.

    It''s because they are blessed by spirits that they have a powerful spiritual power and influence their owners. The effects are varied, but...''''

    For example.....

    Increasing the owner''s physical abilities, shutting out certain bad influences (poisons and curses), augmenting the power of magic, and conversely, preventing magic from the enemy....

    Apparently, such effects can be obtained by equipping a gemstone.

    It''s just like a normal RPG equipment!

    You can''t get away from the fact that it''s not a good idea to buy a ring, it''s usually a warrior in the Demon King''s army. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. The rest is just for rich people to buy for speculation.

    You know your stuff, don''t you?¡¡How could an elf who only cares about the forest know so much about jewelry?

    ''Of course. What kind of thief doesn''t know about stolen goods?

    What?

    I''ll take the initiative to listen to Elon''s unintentional comments........

    I see.

    The most functional form for wearing jewelry = the ring.

    That''s why the ring has become a practical tool in battle?

    I''m not going to wear a ring for decorative purposes?

    ''What?¡¡Decoration?¡¡Why?

    It didn''t seem to be there.

    We''ve discovered another cultural divide....

    When the discrepancy between our perceptions became clear, Edward-san spoke up again.

    ''''Therefore, my recommendation for you, Saint, is this ''Broken Diamond''!¡¡Let''s put this in a ring and make a big fat ring!

    "So why not?

    That''s a cursed gemstone, isn''t it?

    No matter how much a gemstone benefits its owner with its magical powers, if it''s a cursed gemstone, it''s counterproductive!

    That''s not just offensive or negative to the owner!

    Why do you want me to carry that thing?

    Because you''re a saint!

    A personal grudge?

    Have I ever done anything to cause Mr. Edward to hate me so much?

    No, no, no.¡¡This is what I think. The reason why this diamond has been called the ''cursed gem'' is because no one has ever been able to properly control its power!

    So you''re telling me that they''re destroying themselves?

    ''But if you are a saint, you are the best in the world!¡¡I believe I can even master the curse of Broken Diamond!¡¡That''s why this ''cursed gem'' is only qualified to be worn by a saint!

    Well, you have a point.

    And aileron.

    Nah.

    Don''t make me and my spellstone look like the Chosen One and his equipment.

    I''m a much more normal person than you guys think.

    So, I could die from being cursed to death in an indefinite amount of time, and at the height of my happiness with my wife and kids, I don''t want that.

    ''I''m sure your saint can make this jewel do something right that I''ve never seen it do before!

    Even if I could handle the curse, if you can handle it, I can''t imagine the benefits it would give me to help me work the fields.

    Do you have any idea what my life cycle is like?

    You just don''t want to get something that you know you''ll never be able to have.

    ''Well, just to try it out...''

    Stop!¡¡Don''t try to force me to hold it!

    The effect of the gemstone itself doesn''t need to be embedded in the ring, it just needs to be touched directly...!

    What?

    Look closely, you dwarves!¡¡You wear gloves in advance to handle a cursed jewel!

    Now what is that thing?¡¡I guess it''s a glove that blocks the curse with a fantasy effect or something.

    I, on the other hand, am barefoot!

    No!¡¡I don''t know about anyone else, but I have the gift from God in my hands, the Supreme Bearer!

    This hand that brings out the performance of what you have in your hand to more than the limit.

    What happens if the cursed jewel touches my hand?

    It would be great if you could successfully counteract the curse, but if you raise the curse''s potency beyond its limits, the worst that could happen is that I would die instantly?

    I didn''t think that I was going to be in danger of dying horizontally while preparing for the wedding?

    In a way, it''s like a flag, and it''s right!

    I''m going to have a wedding when I get back........?

    And the moment the cursed jewel touched my hand........

    Pow......

    Shattered.

    The gems.

    ....

    .....

    .....¡¡............

    Me, Mr. Edward, and Elon all screamed together.

    The shattered gems!

    And it became a thousand pieces and flew wildly around us!

    This isn''t the time to comment on how beautiful they are, glittering like stardust, or anything like that!

    I didn''t expect this to happen!

    Does this mean that the Bearer destroyed the source of the curse in an attempt to protect me from it?

    It''s amazing that you can do that, Supreme Bearer!¡¡I thought, but then I immediately realized a new problem.

    ''''Repayment!

    I''ve smashed such a large jewel that seems to have a market value of hundreds of millions of dollars into pieces of wood!

    It''s so big!¡¡That''s why there are so many pieces of it!

    We can no longer rely on memory for the original size, but it had to have been big enough to be a drainage stone!

    Shattered?

    Damaged?

    Compensation....?

    Not necessary.

    I heard a voice from somewhere.

    Is this...........................from the top of my palm?

    There was barely a single piece of jewelry left in my hand, and in the light emitted from one of the jewels, a vision of a beautiful woman emerged.

    .........Hologram!

    ''''I am the spirit that resides in this gemstone, thanks to you, I have been freed from the curse.''''

    "Yeah...?

    "I was once a divine being. I was supposed to be a being who brought blessings to people with my immense spiritual power. But a monk with an evil heart has placed a curse on me...!¡¡Because of that fat, balding, constantly stinking breath old man who cursed me, I couldn''t properly exert my power...!''''

    I could see how dedicated the spirit was to the bone of resentment.

    However, thanks to you touching me today, the curse has been successfully dispelled. Hundreds of years after I was born, I can finally use my strength to be useful. To repay your kindness, I will do everything in my power to protect you.

    Having finished saying what he wanted to say, the vision of the spirit disappeared.

    All that was left was the countless pieces of jewelry that were scattered about.

    ''''Ya.........''''

    Yay!

    The elves and dwarves frolic around me.

    ''Great, saint!¡¡I didn''t know they could break the curse so clearly!¡¡That''s a saint indeed!

    This is a fair price for a gemstone that is easily haggled over at the behest of its owner.

    I don''t know what these guys are saying, but is this understanding correct?

    I could get a gemstone to adorn my wedding ring, he said.

 455-453 Saints Gift

    In.

    It''s a shattered diamond........

    ''''It''s amazing, Saint!¡¡Each piece of jewelry has the same protective power as before it was shattered!

    That''s what the appraisal came up with.

    In our world, gems are not so much ornaments as commodities.

    They support their owners with their inherent power of protection.

    Apparently the size and beauty of the jewels themselves are secondary to their size and beauty.

    That''s why Edward was very satisfied with the fact that each of the countless pieces of shattered jewels had the same blessing power as before they were shattered, which meant that the blessing power was doubled.

    It seemed that he could somehow avoid paying for the damage.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    It''s a good idea to make a ring with these diamonds.¡¡I, Edward, master of the dwarven underground empire, will create the ring of a lifetime!

    And the cost will be...?

    That won''t cost you anything.¡¡The cursed jewel that was a defective stock has turned into an effective one at once, so it can be profitable!

    Don''t tell me this guy was planning to force me to have a defective product from the start, right?

    Oh well.

    If you''re going to make it for free, that''s fine.

    A dwarf with the best hardware workmanship skills in the world was going to make our wedding rings for us.

    If it''s a small, shattered diamond, it won''t bother me to put it in the ring.

    * * * *

    However, the process was extremely difficult.

    Mr. Edward, who tried to decorate something whenever he had a chance, was strictly controlled by the supervisor, Elon.

    ''''So!¡¡Why are you trying to add to that?¡¡We don''t need anything!¡¡Simple is best!

    ''But I think it would be cool to put a feather here and...!

    ''I don''t want to look good like that!¡¡The saints want it simple!

    Edward, who has made it a beauty to add to the project, is very confused when he is forbidden to do so.

    Nevertheless, he tries his best to comply with the client''s wishes, and with the help of advice from his rival, Aileron, he proceeds with the work.

    Abandoning even his own "ism" in order to meet the client''s demands is a kind of craftsmanship.

    Remove the garishness and simplicity of the design and make it refreshingly simple.

    That refreshing simplicity is the hue of my affection for Prati.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the cursed diamond that you''ve obtained, but it takes a lot of sense and skill to treat it in a casual way that doesn''t bother you.

    Edward struggled to design the ring and put all his effort into making it.

    Aileron also did his best to help.

    The end result is complete.........

    * * * *

    "...this is a wedding ring...?

    I don''t have much of an artistic sense, but I understand.

    This is a masterpiece.

    Just as I ordered, it''s a simple design that won''t get in the way of your daily use at all.

    However, even with the simplicity of the design, there are some eye-catching touches, and the diamond shine that is casually used is not a bad taste at all.

    We did it!¡¡It''s going to be this Edwardian masterpiece for sure!

    It was worth it!

    ''It''s an honor to have such a beautiful ring!

    Even the jewel spirits emerged and expressed their joy.

    That''s how well it turned out.

    And it comes in pairs as ordered.

    Now all that''s left to do is give them to Prati!

    * * *

    I''m going back to the farm as soon as possible.

    To deliver a token of my love to Prathi.

    I look for her to see where she is and she''s just outside, taking care of the farm.

    She was holding Junior and fondling him.

    In this busy time!

    The first thing that comes out of my mouth is anger at me for skipping work, but it''s not that serious as work on the farm is going slowly.

    I apologize and then cut to the chase.

    "Prati, I''ve got something for you.

    ''What?¡¡What''s new?

    Perhaps sensing my seriousness, Prathi started to get dogged.

    ''It''s a nice vibe!''

    "Saint, keep it up!¡¡Push it out in one fell swoop!

    Adolescence.

    Watching (watching?) from a distance Mr. Edward, aileron, the gem spirits.

    ''..................

    Normally I would have kicked them off, but they did a lot of work in making the wedding ring, too.

    I suppose I have the right to be present at the conclusion.

    So, before I hand you your wedding ring........yes.

    Let me properly explain the purpose of the wedding ring.

    I''ve already learned that the ring is perceived differently over here and over there.

    Explaining.........

    That''s Prati.

    It''s rare to explain something to someone and have them understand you, and that''s my wife, Prathi.

    I didn''t know that the world you were in before had its own strange customs. But it looks interesting. The ring is worn on the ring finger of the left hand closest to the heart, and the ring vows to ''stay with you until death do us part''. ...It''s very magical.

    Well I just broke the curse, but....

    The way Prathi sees it, as expected of a witch!

    ''You said you were going to have a wedding.¡¡I''ve prepared it as the first step in that process. Will you accept my wedding ring?

    I''m sorry, but we can''t do that.

    Huh?

    What?

    You''ve come to this point in time and refused?

    Because I''ve already received proof of your husband''s love.

    Saying that, Prati held out her left hand, and on her ring finger was a ring.

    That is!

    The ring finger of your left hand?

    Prathi was already wearing a wedding ring!

    And that ring looked familiar to me too. I had made it myself.

    It was the ring that I had made at the very beginning of this wedding ring making chapter!

    I made it, but I left it on the workbench...?

    And you think that''s how Platy found it?

    That''s a curious ring. I put it on my left ring finger as soon as I got it in my hand. The ring fits perfectly on my left ring finger. I don''t know if it was because of your husband''s power or because of the mana metal.

    No, no, no, no...!¡¡That''s the one I tried to make. Instead, it''s a failure!

    It''s too simple and tasteless, isn''t it!

    If you rely on the "supreme bearer" to make it, it''s inevitable.

    I think there are limits to how simple it can be.

    That''s why I asked the dwarf to make me a simple yet sophisticated ring.

    ''I''ve made a much prettier and more fashionable ring than that!¡¡I''d love for you to go that way...!

    ''But it wasn''t your husband who made that, was it?''

    Well, yes.

    Here''s the requisition.

    "This one''s better. I don''t care how badly it sucks or how ugly it is. Your husband put his heart and soul into this ring, it''s a symbol of our love.

    Platy...!

    Yeah, she''s right.

    I''d forgotten the most important thing.

    The most important thing about giving a gift is that it''s heartfelt.

    It''s empty if you are just concerned with the appearance of things without regard to them.

    That''s Prati, you''re a great reminder of such important things.

    She''s the light that lights up the right path when I''m lost!

    So, Prati, will you accept this wedding ring again?

    I made it all myself, from one to ten, with my own hands, and it''s a nondescript ring.

    Yes, I''d be happy to oblige.

    Thus, the ring finger of Prathi''s left hand was lit by the glow of the ring, a sign of a married woman.

    Once again it was realized that we were a married couple.

    The onlookers watched from a distance.

    ''''Eh.........?''''

    Our...?

    ''''The hardships?!''''

    Edward-san, Elon and the gemstone spirit stood side by side, stunned.

    Well, that''s right.

    I put all that effort into making the ring.

    But we already had the ring we needed!

    So, I''m sorry?

    * * *

    Incidentally, the ring produced under these circumstances was sold to the public.

    It was sold under the brand name "Saint''s Ring", and when worn, it doubles one''s strength, speed, magic and wisdom, and fivefold increases one''s luck.

    It seems to have fetched a ridiculously high price because it nullifies all physical abnormality and also increases resistance to magic.

    The design is fixed, so you can make the same thing more and more often, and there are many pieces of jewelry left over, so it''s easy to mass produce.

    It will be very profitable from those factors, so I hope that will make up for the free work this time.

 456-454 Fifth Element

    I''m Batty.

    I''m Batty, our farm clothes maker.

    I have received another order from the saint.

    He asked me to tailor a wedding dress for Prathi.

    Saint Prathi''s couple got married on the spur of the moment, and since they hadn''t even held a wedding ceremony yet because they were working hard to develop the farm, they''re having a belated wedding ceremony.

    So they wanted a wedding dress.

    When he told me, I thought, ''Well, it''s finally here!

    It''s been years since I realized my dream of becoming a dressmaker on the farm.

    I''ve made a lot of clothes.

    I''ve made many, many different kinds of clothes.

    I have made many different kinds of clothes, even wedding dresses.

    The first one I made was the wedding dress for my former boss, Mr. Astares.

    You can''t afford not to have a wedding ceremony for your boss, so we held the ceremony in the Demon Kingdom.

    I tailored it at that time.

    I also made one for Grashara, who became the second demon queen.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do, but it''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you want to do.

    Well, since I was going to make it, I did my best.

    I don''t cut corners and deliver mediocre work just because I don''t like them. I put my pride in my craftsmanship by making a wedding dress with an elaborate design that would make even a muscular woman look pretty.

    And just recently, Lady Puffa''s wedding dress was fresh in my mind.

    It was fresh in my mind.

    And I also made Mr. Lamprey''s wedding dress at about the same time.

    Recently, I''ve been making a lot of wedding dresses in succession.

    But that''s why my know-how and skills have increased.

    ...To tell the truth, I''ve added a secret theme to the four wedding dresses I''ve made here.

    It''s a theme that I, as the maker, decided on myself, and I didn''t tell the people who would be wearing the dresses about it.

    The wedding dress worn by Lady Astares was ''Wind''.

    The wedding dress that Grashara wore was "Earth".

    The wedding dress that Puffa-sama wore was ''Water''.

    Lampey''s wedding dress is "Fire".

    That''s the theme I tentatively chose for the wedding dress to match the individuality of each of them.

    Before I knew it, I had all four of these elements in place!

    No, I didn''t intend for it to be like this from the beginning.

    Astareth-sama''s light and dry impression was based on the image of "wind," and the great woman Grashara, who had been a power type since the days of the Four Heavenly Kings, would be suited to "earth".

    The Mermaid Queen Puffa would be the perfect match for the image of "water", and Lamprey, the so-called "Fiery Witch", would have no other theme than "fire".

    I noticed that there were wedding dresses that were made of earth, water, fire and wind.

    While I wondered what it was, on the other hand, I was also excited.

    Conquering all the attributes?!

    Then he asked me to make a wedding dress for Prati to wear!

    You thought it was "full of life"!

    Wedding dresses in "wind".

    Wedding dresses in "Earth".

    A "Water" wedding dress.

    A "fire" wedding dress.

    I''ve created a wedding dress with these four attributes, and now I''m going to use my skills to create the fifth wedding dress!

    There is no one more suitable to wear it than Lady Prathi.

    Now is the time to create a wedding dress for Lady Prati that goes beyond the four attributes of earth, water, fire, and wind to create a wedding dress with the fifth attribute.

    I took it as such a revelation!

    So it would be my pleasure to use it.

    I need a fifth wedding dress!

    * * *

    .........Oh, by the way.

    I made the dress for my former colleague Varina when she got married, too.

    I didn''t have any particular inspiration for it, so I made it unconsciously.

    * * * *

    Well then.........

    Shall we proceed with making a wedding dress for Prati-sama?

    The ban on the use of Vajra silk is lifted unconditionally when making a wedding dress, which makes this job even more exciting.

    That''s what I call "beating arms.

    First of all, I''ll think of a plan.

    The theme is "The Fifth Power".

    I want to make a wedding dress with a new power that surpasses all the attributes of earth, water, fire and wind.

    At this point, I''m already thinking, ''What is this guy talking about? That''s what I''m talking about.

    No, this is a necessary process to create the greatest wedding dress on earth!

    So!

    What exactly should the fifth wedding dress be, what attributes should it be?

    Speaking of attributes that surpass the four attributes of earth, water, fire, and wind, yes........

    .........light?

    The "light" wedding dress?

    Yeah, it looks strong.

    Her whole body is glowing with brilliance in her wedding dress!

    The mere exposure to that light will annihilate every last evil spirit and vampire!

    Not good!

    And when it''s Prathi-sama who wears it, she looks even stronger.

    She''s the wife of the supreme and most powerful saint, the one and only, and the mistress of the farm.

    That Hare''s outfit is exactly what is appropriate for a brilliant, shining ''light''!

    Yeah!¡¡We''ve already decided!

    The fifth wedding dress to be worn by Lady Prathi is.....

    In a wedding dress of "light"!

    How about that...?

    "Oh no!

    You startled me when you spoke to me from behind.

    You''re Verena?

    My former colleague, not Verena!

    You don''t come into my dressing room without asking me!

    ''Looks like you''ve been planning a wedding dress for Lady Plati...?¡¡"Light" that''s not bad. But don''t they realize that there is a fifth element candidate that is comparable to ''light''?

    What?¡¡The element against the light?

    That''s the element to light...

    Darkness?

    Yes, that''s right. Where there''s light, there''s darkness. Darkness is the ultimate power on par with light!

    A wedding dress that embodies the power of that ''darkness''!

    That is, the ''dark'' wedding dress!

    No, no.

    For all intents and purposes, ''darkness'' isn''t appropriate for a celebration.

    Therefore, it''s not even appropriate for a wedding dress theme.

    ''Don''t do things based on the coolness of the letters, former colleague.

    Verena can''t be trusted to pursue a weird vibe from time to time.

    ''''Well, then what else do you want?''''

    Think about it now. ¡¡Don''t tell me you''re going to do the same thing?

    Of course I am!¡¡I''m indebted to both Saints and Prati on a regular basis, and I''d love to help you whenever I get the chance!

    I''d rather have this guy around to make me feel more lost....

    It''s the fifth power!¡¡How about "sky" when it comes to "light" and "darkness"?

    "Sky".

    It''s just like that...

    ''In the same way, like ''nothing''!¡¡But that would mean that Master Prathi would have to get married bare-chested!

    He shows up in a mappa and says, "This is the ultimate wedding dress! !

    This is the ultimate wedding dress!

    "Also, I was thinking, why don''t we go to the next level here?

    Up?

    ''Don''t say the fifth power, try the sixth and seventh. I was taught a new word by a saint the other day!¡¡....it''s an allegory.

    Arayaashiki?

    Arayaashiki''s wedding dress?

    I don''t know what it is, but it looks awesome and strong!

    How do you not want to make an ''Arya'' wedding dress?¡¡It''s worthy of Batty''s whole heart!

    It''s true that my artisan spirit makes a lot of noise but.......?

    But there is only one wedding dress that Prati-sama can wear.

    I can only choose one of the ideas that have just come up!

    At first I thought I''d have to choose a "light" wedding dress, but the "Aryaji" wedding dress looks awesome and I''d like to try it, and the "nothingness" wedding dress looks like it would surprise me...?

    Now I think the "Darkness" wedding dress would be hard to get rid of!

    Oh, what to do.

    What kind of wedding dress am I going to wear?

    "Batty, what are you doing?

    Then the saint came to me.

    It would be good to ask that gentleman, a dress-making client, for his opinion.

    There''s something I forgot to tell you. It''s me and Prathi''s wedding, and I think I''ll follow the traditions of the world I was from and have a color change.

    What?

    Is it redoing?

    What''s that?¡¡I''ve never heard of it before.

    To be very frank, I want the bride to change several times during the ceremony, and I want her to have several different dresses to match. To put it bluntly, the bride will be changing several times during the ceremony, and we need you to prepare a few different dresses for her. I''m sure it''s a lot of work, but we need you to do it for us.

    After saying that much, the saint-sama left.

    Dressing up.........?

    How many different kinds of dresses do we have...?

    That means.........

    ''Yes!¡¡I can make a lot of wedding dresses ugh!

    You can try that theme or this theme.

    Hahahaha!¡¡It''s getting serious!

    I''ve got to be on my deathbed!

 457-455 Gods duel

    And finally.....

    My wedding day has come!

    I''m overwhelmed by the fact that I had my big day!

    We''ve come a long way, come to think of it.

    The day I met Prathi for the first time comes back to me as if it were only yesterday.

    The path they have taken together since then is the history of the farm''s development.

    He got married to Prathi.

    We''ve been getting married for a long time now.

    I feel like this is another milestone in our relationship.

    I''m sure we''ll be able to move forward after all the vague steps we''ve been taking.

    I had already prepared for the ceremony and was wrapped up in a pure white tuxedo.

    The very appearance of a groom.

    How could he recreate the tuxedo with just my verbal designation?

    Batty is still amazing.

    This tuxedo is made of vajra silk and seems to have more protection than bad armor.

    It''s a fitting choice for the big day.

    I''m going to wear this today and declare another vow to Prati.

    ''''Master-, are you ready?

    Veerle came into my waiting room.

    He''s all dressed up today.

    I''m all set up for the event! "I''m ready for the event!" "You''ve got some nerve sending me out to meet you!

    Don''t say that. After the ceremony, we''ll have another feast. Then we''ll have a lot of good food.

    ''That''s the fun part!¡¡Okay, let''s get my new ramen on the side as well!

    I''ve always been on the side of the food, but before I knew it, Veerle has become the one who makes you eat.......?

    While confirming that everyone is changing little by little, I head to the ceremony site with Veerle.

    We decided to hold the ceremony in the grounds of the farm under a blue sky.

    Normally, weddings are held in churches or shrines, but we don''t have such a fancy facility on our farm.

    But it''s not right to go out and rent out a cathedral just to hold a ceremony.

    After all, we wanted to have our ceremony inside the farm.

    So we had an open-air wedding.

    Fortunately, we were blessed with good weather and the sky was a nice blue sky.

    "It really is a beautiful day for a wedding...!

    Oh, what a perfect day for a fight!

    .........

    Hmm?

    What Veerle had just said caught me and stopped me in my tracks.

    Had I heard him wrong?

    "Veerle, hahaha, you misspoke, didn''t you?

    We''re not dueling, we''re marrying.

    It''s true that "duel" and "marriage" sound so much like each other that they could be mistaken for each other.

    But the meaning is very different.

    "Marriage is a joyous occasion, but a duel would be a disaster. No, you can''t do that!

    No, you''re right. You''re going to duel.

    ........I don''t know what Veer is saying.

    ''So I suppose a duel will take place before the master and Prathi get married. That''s great master!¡¡What a great way to get a big bang for your buck by putting in a bloody event before the show!

    Nobody has any plans to do that.

    What do you mean?

    This is all very new to me.

    Who is going to come in and ruin our good day with blood?

    Isn''t that what this duel is all about?

    "The gods, sir?

    Veerle replied.

    * * * *

    When I arrived at the wedding venue, the place was not in a harmonious mood, but rather was enveloped in a tense atmosphere.

    The source of the tension was those guys.

    Hades, the dark god, and Poseidon, the sea god.

    For some reason, the two main gods who rule over the earth and the ocean descended to this world, and they couldn''t get enough of it, creating a confrontation mood.

    ''''Why?!''''

    I can''t help but be confused.

    What is the reason for the conflict between the gods to break out on this day when we should be celebrating our new beginning?

    And, of all places, in this place where we are going to conduct our wedding ceremony?

    Can''t we go somewhere else, at least?

    Oh, my dear saint, you''ve finally arrived!

    "The game doesn''t begin until you, the Witness, arrive!

    Don''t start!

    What are you harassing us for, gods?

    We want to spend the whole day in harmony, so why are you trying to ruin it?

    What are the two gods trying to do to us?

    "You''ll know it when you see it. Duel.

    I just hoped it wasn''t.

    I knew it was just as I saw it.

    ''''Why are we dueling!''''

    In addition to the gods, there were many other farm officials gathered around.

    Everyone was dressed up in their own way.

    Everyone is in a festive mood for this day, but the gods are trying to crush your mood.

    May I ask why?

    I won''t quit knocking out the gods, though, depending on the reason.

    So, what kind of response will the gods Hades and Poseidon give us?

    "....of course it is.

    "to get your rights.

    .........

    Rights?

    ''''The right to receive the marriage vows of a saint!''''

    These gods who did not get along with each other were saying in unison.

    Ah.

    So this is what it means?

    As was the case at Mr. Arowana''s Puffa''s wedding the other day, marriage is usually a commitment to God to love.

    ''Do you pledge to love your wife in sickness and in health?''

    "I swear!

    is a vow made to God.

    That''s why weddings are also called Shinto ceremonies, and marriage is almost without exception a religious ceremony in many cultures!

    My brothers in the sea.

    "What is it, brother of the earth...?

    "As we have often said in the past, saints dwell on earth, and if that''s the case, then it''s only natural that the husband of Mother Earth, the patron of the earth, should take an oath! As I''ve said many times before, the saints dwell on earth, and if that''s the case, it''s only natural that the husband of the earth''s guardian, the Mother God, should be the one to take the vow!

    But the bride is definitely one of the members of the sea. But the bride is one of the family members of the sea. I have the right to take the vow too!¡¡You might as well step aside!

    What?

    What did you say?

    And so, both sides are refusing to budge, and finally, they''ve come to a point where they''re using their powers.

    Whoever wins this duel will receive their oath!

    "And we''re going to make an offering from the saints!

    That''s it, after all.

    We''ve had similar skirmishes before with Junior''s baby shower and such, and the motive for that one ended up being that he wanted an offering from me.

    Apparently, the gods were desperate for the delicious rice and alcohol from our farm.

    But this must not become a source of conflict.

    It''s the first time in thousands of years that we''ve gotten serious with each other, brothers of the sea.

    It was so long ago that I''ve forgotten it. But I do remember the face of the Earth''s brother who was crying his eyes out because he was defeated by me.

    It seems to be a long time ago. It''s so easy to fabricate facts based on such vague memories!

    The dark god Hades and the sea god Poseidos face each other with the scythe and the trident (original).

    The people of the lower world surrounding them were in a mood to watch the game, irresponsibly.

    This was not good.

    The battle of the century between God and God.

    It''s too big of an event to blur our wedding!

    Wait!

    I stopped.

    And I said.

    ''I''ve decided who I''m going to take my wedding vows to!

 458-456 Ryuzen Oath

    "First of all, I''m not swearing an oath to either of you two gods.

    No matter which one you choose, you''ll always have a lump in your throat.

    It''s like a fight to the bitter end.

    What?¡¡Then to whom do you owe your vows?

    Don''t tell me it''s the gods of heaven?¡¡Not them!¡¡Think well!

    Both the God of Hades and the God of Poseidos are in a panic.

    Ignoring the bewilderment of these two gods, my gaze turns to.......

    ''''Veerle.''''

    Hmm?

    I say to the dragon, who was about to drive the noodle stall into the ceremony site early, "We swear to you.

    "We will make a vow to you. We will walk together as husband and wife.

    "''Whaaaaaat?

    The gods all scream out in unison, but what''s the problem?

    The dragon is the most powerful creature in the world, and its existence is already like a god.

    I''m sure you''ll find that it''s a good idea to treat such a dragon as a substitute for a god.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    And sir.

    ''It''s only meaningful when we give our vows to such a Veerle. I''m sure she''ll continue to watch over us and make sure our vows are fulfilled.

    When I finished saying that, the expression on my own Veerle''s face gradually began to shine.

    At first it was, ''What the hell is this guy talking about?'' He had a dumbfounded look on his face like that, but slowly his understanding caught up with him, and he had the shimmering look of a dog who knew he was going to be taken for a walk....

    ''That''s a good idea, Master!¡¡I am!¡¡Let''s see if Viel, the Grinzel Dragon, can make it!¡¡That''s the duty of an absolute strong dragon, wahahahahahahahahaha!

    The person in question has enough motivation.

    On the other hand, the two gods who have been taken advantage of by the fishermen are.....

    "Eeeeee~?

    ''''Wait a minute!¡¡It''s true that dragons may be comparable to our own, but it''s only when we swear by the gods that we are able to do so...?

    He tries to bite down on it ungrudgingly.

    ''''I know both of you are great gods, but I cannot welcome a rough god who brings strife to my farm. I beg your pardon.

    ''''Oh no!''''

    A bewildered voice came from around them.

    "Saint, you''re preaching to God...!

    Really?

    After all, our saint is the strongest in the world.

    ''''We must not be hostile to that person alone...?

    A voice that is difficult to distinguish between awe and shudder came out.

    .........

    No, no, no, no, what are you taking too seriously?

    I''m just a cowardly, weak farmer from everywhere.

    ''Alright!¡¡You can swear to me whatever you want!¡¡I give my blessing in the name of the most powerful race of dragons!¡¡Swear it!¡¡You must swear immediately!

    Veerle, who was pulled up to the max at once, is untouchable.

    I''m not sure what''s going on, but I''ve been watching it with a smile.

    The real star of this case is finally arriving.

    It''s a good thing that you''re so excited about this.

    Bride''s entrance.

    Prathi in her wedding dress appeared here.

    ''''Hoaahhhh!

    Beautiful!

    A shell-shocked voice came out of her mouth.

    Prati''s bridal gown is Bati''s new ''light'' wedding dress.

    I''m not sure what "light" is, but it''s true that Prathi is shining brightly in it!

    ''I''ve put all the skills I''ve developed so far into this one,'' he said, and I thought I could see the satisfaction in Batty''s chest.

    ''Ki!¡¡You''re beautiful!¡¡No, seriously!

    Thank you for that. ...Well, I became a mother myself, and I didn''t think it was a little late to have a wedding. It''s a good idea to do it after all. It will be a memento of a lifetime.

    Prathi is embarrassed but happy.

    After all, a bridal gown is a joy for any woman.

    As she says, even if it''s after she becomes a mother.

    ''''........hmm?¡¡Speaking of which, where''s Junior?

    My mom is going to be watching me during the ceremony.

    Indeed, there were older men and women standing in line behind Prati, following her.

    King Nagas and Queen Sheila!

    No, they are no longer Mr. and Mrs. King and Mrs. King since we gave them to Mr. Arowana.

    But since they are still Prathi''s parents, they are also our lovely Junior''s grandparents.

    ''This is both of you!¡¡How dare you take time out of your busy schedule...!

    It''s okay, because we were very busy with our time away from the throne.

    Mooch!

    Sheila, holding her grandson Junior in her arms, looked so young it was hard to believe she was his grandmother.

    But who better to take care of Junior during our ceremony than the Lady Sheila, who will take care of us both?

    ''But your groom has come up with a very good idea for the event. We had given up hope of ever seeing Prathi in her wedding dress again.

    "Suuuuuuuuuuuuuu...!

    It''s Mr. Nagus!

    His Majesty, the former Mermaid King Nagas is sobbing!

    Tears!

    So it''s those things, eh?¡¡Because you saw Platy''s wedding dress?

    She didn''t seem particularly upset at her legitimate son Arowana''s wedding, but she''s changed so much when she becomes his daughter?

    As I''ve said before, a daughter for male parents and a son for female parents is probably more special than any other combination.

    If I were to have a girl after Junior eventually........

    I feel like crying just thinking about it from my current perspective.

    Oraa, you guys are not messing around!¡¡I can''t wait to get the ceremony started!

    Veerle was jumping and rolling around.

    His motivation seemed to have increased dramatically as he occupied an important position in the event himself.

    ''''It can''t be helped, you stupid dragon...!¡¡So mom, take care of Junior during the ceremony.

    Come on, man.

    I entrusted Junior to the most trusted person in the world....

    Me and Prathi were belatedly going to the big day of our lives.

    * * * *

    The attendees were lined up in a hastily prepared outdoor chapel in a corner of the farm.

    Most of them were residents of the farm, but there were some people who came to celebrate despite their busy schedules, such as Mr. Demon King and Mr. Arowana, who were close friends of mine.

    It was originally planned to be a family affair.

    It was going to be a complementary wedding ceremony for the couple when they were already old enough to be married, and it would be embarrassing to have such a big one.

    So we had to walk down the aisle directly on the ground to the bride and groom...or is it the old guard?¡¡We walked side by side in a line at the altar to the altar to take our vows.

    ''Good day to you, sir.''

    "Yes, sir.

    The priest is a familiar teacher.

    He''s a reliable and dignified figure of the No-Life King.

    But how many times do you think this is the first time you''ve performed the marriage ceremony?¡¡Truly, I am giddy ever since I met the saint.''

    Thank you for your time.

    "There is no such thing. "I can''t imagine a time when we were stuck in a cave and had nothing to do.

    Then, while exchanging chit-chat with the teacher, more from behind him........

    ''Kooky!¡¡Stop wasting time and get on with it!

    Veerle was hastily selected for the role he was sworn in to play.

    He climbed further up to the top of the altar and puffed up.

    "Don''t get cocky.¡¡The master and the platys swear an oath to me!¡¡You are only a bridge between the two!

    "Okay, okay, then you better be stern.

    Totally.

    Me and Prati. We both stand side by side before God ... or the dragon.

    ''Then you guys ..., I swear!

    You shouldn''t have made me swear.

    I''ll take care of the rest, you just keep your head down and stay quiet.

    Summarize, and shut up.

    Then me, Prati and the doctor faced each other.

    "So, you two are now, or rather have been for quite some time now married.

    Sorry for the anomaly.

    ''Do you both pledge to care for each other and to respect each other in health and in sickness...........................as we already practice it?''

    Yes, sir.

    I swear.

    Husband and wife stand side by side and make a vow.

    I am going to be the one!

    Viel, be quiet for a minute.

    All right, let''s end with a kiss.

    A kiss?

    In front of all these people?

    I know it''s necessary, but this is so embarrassing!

    But both Demon King and Arowana did it, didn''t they? Let''s do it here, so that Prathi won''t make me a tease for the rest of my life, shall we?

    Btuh.

    The entire venue cheered.

    Our wedding was complete here.

 459-457 invitation

    My name is Dalkish.

    I am the lord of a corner of the land once known as the Human Nation.

    It''s only a very small fiefdom, though. That''s why even an inexperienced person like me can manage to run this place.

    Anyway, I''m one of the many weak lords in the old human country.

    I''m one of the ragtag ones.

    There are lords of great lords far more powerful than me, and even high officials in the center. Even the heads of the local Adventurer''s Guild branches are probably in a higher position than me, depending on the size of the branch.

    With that in mind, I would like you to follow the following story.

    * * * *

    The invitation came.

    Who told you that?

    My beloved wife, Varina, is a demon from the Demon Kingdom and is different from me in terms of race to begin with.

    I was originally sent by the victorious demon king''s army as a guardian, but we somehow found ourselves on good terms with each other.

    The marriage between a man and a woman is out of the question, or rather, the relationship between my girlfriend and I is like that, and at first there was a lot of noise about it, such as the world''s first international marriage.

    However, the bond between me and my beloved wife did not come about naturally.

    There was one person, or rather, one group of people who were absolutely essential to the beginning of our marriage.

    The invitation we received this time was from that person.

    ''''Lord Okubo-dono came to deliver it to us personally...!

    Well, then...?

    Yeah, it''s an invitation from Saint Francis.

    He''s having some kind of a wedding.

    Huh?¡¡But isn''t the saint already married?¡¡You would have had a baby, right?

    Indeed.

    But when I carefully read the invitation, I found out that Saint Akishino and his wife hadn''t held the wedding ceremony right after they got together, so they were planning to hold it again this time.

    Mr. Okubo has verbally explained that to me.

    ''And you''ve been invited to join us? I''m afraid so.

    Absolutely.

    When it comes to the saint, he is an all-powerful person.

    He can lead the most powerful army, easily change the shape of heaven and earth, and subdue any supernatural being.

    If he wanted to, he could easily rule the entire world, but he doesn''t try.

    Is it selflessness or hawkishness...?

    However, the fact remains that he is the ultimate all-rounder, and he is one of the people you should never make enemies with.

    The reason why I became acquainted with such a person was, of all things, when that person built a castle in my territory....

    ''''It''s only natural for me to accept the invitation, but this might be a good opportunity for me.

    ''''You mean that...?

    Fortunately or unfortunately, my wife and I have become so close to the Almighty Sage that our relationship with him has deepened over time, to the point where we are invited to celebrate like this.

    We are grateful for this, but we also feel the pressure to be with him.

    In particular, we felt a sense of debt to our saint.

    You didn''t invite me to your wedding.

    It''s time for us...!

    The castle built by the saints led us to become aware of each other as a man and a woman.

    Varina and I ended up getting married.

    But, to our surprise, no one was invited to our wedding ceremony, not even the people involved.

    Wouldn''t the saint be angry about that...?

    ''I''m sure he wouldn''t be, since he''s a big-hearted saint, but...?

    ''''Why didn''t you invite me if you''re still bothered by it now?¡¡After all that you''ve done for him?

    No!

    Wouldn''t it be rude to invite them?

    You''re dealing with a man who''s as good as God!

    And to call it a celebration for a weak lord like me!

    You''re saying, ''There''s a thing called class!

    I understand that very well, but...!

    You''re right, my wife understands.

    She''s also a former officer in the Demon King''s Army. She is very sensitive to these delicate power relationships!

    ''''The difference in status and position, and depending on it, just inviting someone of far higher rank into the same place can be outrageously rude...!

    That''s why I didn''t dare to call out to him, even though he was a saint to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude.

    If I only reported the results after everything was in place, then it would be ''Yoshi! We thought.

    But since then, our association with the saint has been deeper than we expected.

    Despite what we had hoped, the castle Okubo built by the saint still stands in our territory and is an important tourist attraction.

    I can''t tell you how much that castle has enriched us.

    During the annual event, His Holiness joins us as participants in the various challenges.

    He always drops out in the middle of the event.

    Even though it''s always painful for me to clear all of the hurdles in spite of that!

    Not only that, when my wife and I were having trouble conceiving a child, she even summoned a goddess to solve our problem.

    Thanks to her, a new generation of the world''s first human and demon blood was born between us.

    They are my greatest treasure.

    You have helped us to have a child, and our gratitude to you, Mr. Sage, has increased more and more.

    And the invitation to come here.

    We didn''t do it at our wedding, but they invited us.

    ''Isn''t this a bad idea...?

    The thought that we were going to be able to do that is growing in my mind.

    I now regret that I did not invite the saint to our wedding that time in the past, and it was a mistake.

    ''''Well anyway, I''ll have to accept the invitation.

    Not going is not an option.

    Again, we were in agreement.

    Good.

    Varina, I want you to have something to celebrate. I''ll have something for you to celebrate.

    From a saint''s point of view, any gift from my level would be like dust, but it''s important to me that the feeling is understood!

    We don''t mind if it puts a little pressure on the family budget. We celebrate by bringing more than we can afford.

    We''ll make our excuses as best we can. Why didn''t you invite us to your wedding?¡¡Explain it all with arguments and you''ll understand, wise saint, you''ll understand!

    My good wife, Varina, pointed out to me in my desperation.

    ''But wouldn''t it be rude to explain?

    .........

    Eh?

    ''It''s a day of celebration for the saint and his wife that they are the stars of the show, right?¡¡Doesn''t it bother you to hear the arguments of our woodworkers on such a day?

    ''Oh...''

    That''s not all. When it comes to the ceremony, there will be many more guests, and it must be a lot of work for you and your wife to greet them all. It must be a lot of work for the saint and his wife to greet all of them. How much time do we have to deal with such a situation...?

    ''''Stop!

    Don''t imagine such an actual, seriously likely situation!

    The wife of an ex-magic officer has a really good analysis of the situation, but now I hate her for being so wise!

    But I still have to go!

    To the wedding of a saint!

    To repay the debt of gratitude that my predecessors have placed on me so far, and to continue our good relationship!

    For the sake of the future of my territory, I must challenge you at this time.

    Ideally, I would attend the saint''s wedding table and successfully greet him and show him that I accepted the invitation.

    Attendance would be ruined if you didn''t get it, you know.

    ''I haven''t seen Darquish-kun. Didn''t you come? And it''s definitely not going to be!

    And a little chatting while I say hello.

    It must not be too long. Weak lords like me shouldn''t hold the lead for too long, and I''m sure there are people several levels higher than us who want to have a chat with the saints!

    If you don''t keep it brief and leave, those people will stare at you!

    I mean, be as concise as possible. A quick word or two would be nice. In the meantime, I''ll have to make an opening that I didn''t invite to our wedding.

    What a difficult mission!

    But if I can''t complete it, there''s no future for my territory.

    That''s how big they are.

    "Good luck to you. I''ll be supporting you while I''m away.

    What are you talking about?¡¡You''re going too, right?

    What?

    My wife, Varina, is a bit of a surprise to me.

    It''s the only time she''s out of it.

    ''Of course!¡¡In a social setting, one set of clothes is all you need!

    Yes, it was!¡¡It''s no use, sir!¡¡When this happens, we''ll go to hell together!

    "What do you think a human''s wedding is? That''s a statement, but please understand that this is such a nerve-wracking place for us.

    Anyway, we''re heading to the wedding of the saints!

 460-458 With a flock of tigers

    This I, Lord Dalkish, am fully aware that I am only the level of a cat.

    It means that I have the wit of a cat.

    What would happen if I were to cross paths with a group of tigers?

    That was the day I realized that.

    * * * *

    The day of the saint''s wedding.

    Dressed to the best of our ability, my wife Varina and I came to the venue.

    Then I realized that we had made the biggest preparations imaginable.

    We had made the greatest preparations imaginable, but even that wasn''t enough.

    ''Oh it''s been so long!¡¡It would be the Dalkish of the Human Nation Lords!

    In terms of timing, we were still in the attendees'' pleasantries stage of the meeting, which hadn''t yet opened in earnest.

    The one who spoke to me there........

    .........it was the Demon King.

    The Demon King.......................You remember my name?

    ''''It''s been a while!¡¡How could you possibly remember me?

    Well, of course, you''re the master of the estate where Castle Okubo is located. I''ve been beaten by that castle many times. Next time I''ll make it to the final gate!

    .........

    You don''t remember this as a negative connotation, do you?

    It''s been a long time since the Human Kingdom was occupied by the demons.

    I''m well aware that the Demon King, the head of the demon tribe, is my master in place of the Human King.

    Why is this sovereign so friendly to you?

    The answer was obvious. It''s because this place is so special!

    I take it you were invited to the wedding. Well, that''s not surprising. You and the Holy Father are very close friends.

    Did I make it look like that, sir?

    If it looked that way to everyone around me, should I be happy or afraid?

    After all, Saints are terrifying.

    To attend a wedding and the first person you''ll be chatting with is the earthly champion, the Demon King!

    Even if I am a weak lord, I can''t talk to him in person!

    The only reason I can do that is because this is the saint''s house!

    Even with that thought, in the end, it''s still ''Horrible, Saint, horrible! I can only conclude that!

    Oh, yeah. Well, since you''re here, let me introduce you.

    ''What?¡¡Who is it with?

    "I am now officially crowned Mermaid King, Lord Arowana.

    Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    After the earthly champion, here comes the king of the great sea!

    "Mister Arowana, Mister Arowana, come over here for a moment!

    What is it, Lord Demon?

    You want me to come?¡¡He''s here!

    A young man as majestic and eagle-eyed as this demon king, the newly enthroned mermaid king!

    "Allow me to introduce you to the mermaid king, Lord Arowana. I''d like to introduce you to the Mermaid King, Lord Arowana, and this is Dalkish, the lord of the human kingdom. of the realm that owns the former Okubo Castle.

    ''Oh!¡¡Come to think of it, I''ve seen your face before!¡¡You''ve made it to the podium of the entire barrier together!

    Huh?

    So you are a participant in this year''s Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle?

    Oh no, I don''t remember any of them.

    There were quite a few champions this year, so I can''t remember all of their faces.

    But this person remembered them all?

    What a wide range of vision and memory!

    "As a lord, Master Dalkish governs his domain with integrity, and his work is always professional and thorough. He is a very good administrator.

    And somehow the demon king started to appreciate me?

    "That''s what I saw when I visited the site to work on Okubo Castle. Come to think of it, the three of us here, a demon, a mermaid, and a man, are the three leading races of the world.

    "Really? Then shall I make a vow of reconciliation between the three races?

    Stop it!

    You can''t put me in the same category as you and your big shots, they''ll be crushed under the weight of their vows!

    Help me, wife!¡¡I looked for Varina, but unfortunately, she too was occupied with giggling between the queens of various countries.

    What a really high level here.

    * * * *

    Saint-sama''s farm is truly amazing.

    The double punch of the Demon King & Mermaid King at the beginning was already going to sink it, but the other attendees were also terrific.

    First of all, Silver Wolf was here.

    One of the human nation''s proud S-class adventurers. I also saw him at Okubo Castle, but to have such a celebrity come and go is amazing for a saint to be here!

    There are even dragons, no-life kings, and other beings whose level of ''awesome'' is on a different dimension.

    ........Also, there was Lady Lettuce Rate.

    Lettuce Rate, the former princess of the human kingdom.

    Wasn''t the one you saw in the previous rebellion uproar a phantom.......!

    Furthermore, Bacchus, the head of the Bacchus cult.

    Huh?¡¡Is that the King of the Dwarves over there?

    I knew this from the beginning.

    It sinks in that I''ve come to a place where I''m out of place.

    I want to go home now...!

    That''s the clincher.

    It''s a one-on-one death match between the Lord God of the Earth and the Lord God of the Sea.

    The gods are fighting over who will receive the saint''s marriage vows.

    But the saint who is preaching to the Lord God and the two gods on this occasion is also amazing.

    The fact that there is someone who can preach to God is amazing.

    Who else, aside from the saints, could do that?

    And then an even bigger exception appeared.

    Alexander, the Glaugrinz Dragon, passed the baton to Saint-sama and took over the sermon to the Lord God and the others.

    ''''.............Are you not ashamed to be gods?''''

    The gods sitting a bit farther away from the saint''s wedding, even after the saint''s wedding has begun in earnest.

    Alexander, the super dragon, holds them down.

    I''ve heard the legend that he is the most powerful dragon in the world, but I never thought I would see him in person.

    Just looking at the Lord God, my eyeballs said, "I can''t do it anymore! And you''re screaming!

    "As masters and rulers of the world, you must have more dignity than anyone else, right?¡¡And yet you are so caught up in your own immediate greed, how unseemly it is. Did you want an offering from the saints?¡¡I''m overstepping my bounds in fighting for it.

    Because...

    "Stop, Poseidon!¡¡Don''t talk back to me!¡¡''''We''ll beat you to a pulp with the two gods together!

    What kind of power relationship is there between the Lord God and the most powerful dragons in the world?

    Oh my God, I''m so scared!¡¡The fact that such a powerful dragon is attending a wedding with an innocent face is scary in itself!

    I knew you''d come.

    This place was too out of place for a very ordinary little lord!

    ''''Ah, Mr. Dalkish, it''s been a long time.

    "What the hell?

    What the hell?

    When I woke up, the saint was right behind me.

    While I was being buffeted by these shocks, the ceremony was over.¡¡And now we are moving on to the feast without a moment''s hesitation!

    Once again I''ve blundered so badly that I just zoned out during the ceremony!

    No, it can''t be helped. It''s a shock to see them all of a sudden. If I was surrounded by such amazing people, I''d get nervous and stop thinking too.

    Aren''t you supposed to be awesome?

    Is this some kind of Saint Nick''s number one joke?

    "Ahhhhh!¡¡That saint!¡¡You''re looking good today, my dear.

    ''Please calm down. I''m really glad that Mr. Darquish and his wife are here today. They are good friends of mine.

    What a waste of words!

    I''d like to apologize for not being able to invite you to our wedding and explain the situation.

    ''''Please don''t worry about Darquish-san and the others'' wedding. I know that you are a lord, so there will be some minor ties and I know that it can''t be helped. It''s rather hard for me to be bothered by Dalkish-san.

    Followed ahead of time!

    What a sense of attentiveness.

    Thank you for the gift. You know, when you have a child of the same age, you think in the same way. It was really helpful.

    And even the poor wedding gift we gave you, which I''m sure was a poor wedding gift!

    Now, if you''ll excuse me. You''re excused, Mr. Alexander, but that''s enough. I''m sure the gods will be sorry for what they''ve done.

    "Mm, if the saints say so.

    Alexander-san was kind enough to attend, but I''m sorry for making him preach to you. I''m sorry to be a preacher, but I hope you will enjoy your dinner.

    Furthermore, the saint also has some kind words for the gods.

    ''''Both the god Hades and Poseidon, please go ahead and eat the wedding feast. We have prepared plenty for you.

    "Oh, yeah! !

    Generous to the gods that did it!

    Is it possible that you are the ultimate God, Saints?

 461-459 wedding cake

    I''m in a very good mood.

    That''s because it''s your wedding day. There''s no way I''m in a bad mood on such a festive day.

    My heart is as wide as Lake Biwa.

    I''ll laugh and forgive a few mistakes.

    To the God who did it this time, I say.

    ''The idea is that there are so many gods in this world that we should honor them without separating them. I also honor all gods with that idea, so I don''t have any special favoritism for anyone.

    Therefore, I don''t have to try so hard to be the object of my faith.

    Everyone is my god.

    That''s why I''m going to offer my offerings to everyone.

    You sure? ''Yes!''

    I hope this persuasion will put an end to this kind of commotion of the gods from now on.

    The reception!

    We were all drinking and singing at a wedding celebration.

    It was more like this was the main event, and everyone was tucking into the farm''s food.

    Viel set up a noodle stall without being told to, Bacchus served oden, and Holkosfone scattered natto (fermented soybeans) to the rest of us.

    Even if I didn''t act on it, something always came out of the farm.

    ''Okay, I can''t lose, either,''

    Of course, I don''t have the option of not moving.

    It''s just me and Prathi in the lead role. I''m the one who''s going to do all the work to make it happen.

    That''s why I have something for you.

    Think again here once again.

    When I think of weddings, this is it!¡¡The accompaniments that will be included.

    I''ve already prepared some of the essentials for my wedding.

    Wedding rings, wedding dress, color changes.....

    Of course, it doesn''t end there.

    The next thing I prepared was........the wedding cake!

    An oversized cake that is displayed at the wedding reception. It is said that putting a knife in it together is the first time the couple works together.

    I got that one for you, too!

    As the main event of this reception!

    Sir, are you going to do something?

    Prathi in her wedding dress glances at me, sensing my intentions.

    ''As expected of Prathi, you haven''t spent much time with me.

    The wedding cake is still a secret even to Prathi.

    It was a surprise.

    The day before the ceremony, I spent the entire day in the kitchen baking a cake for this purpose.

    It was tough to make a cake that was twelve tiers high and longer than I was able to grow.

    The sweet smell of the cake leaked out of my mouth, and I''m pretty sure everyone already knew.

    But the time for all that hard work has now come to pay off!

    The wedding party is in full swing, so it''s the perfect time to serve the wedding cake.

    I want you all to hear this...!

    The people gathered in the hall are focused on my revised tone of voice.

    Everyone seems to understand. They all understand that something is about to start.

    I''ve arranged a special event to celebrate the day. Where I come from, we''d say it''s an essential part of the wedding ceremony.

    Let''s have a look.

    Wedding cake!

    A giant cake being carried on a stand.

    This piece of work is getting more and more magnificent as it is carried outdoors.

    After all, it''s as tall as a 12-tiered whole cake.

    I think it''s the biggest dish I''ve ever made.

    Hoaaaaaaaahhhh?

    Kyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    This is a good thing.

    Strange noises arose from everywhere, mostly from women, emitting strange noises.

    Cake!¡¡It''s a cake?

    I never imagined a cake that big existed in this world!

    We have never imagined it!¡¡I''m so proud of you, Saint, for being able to create something so awesome!

    I''m so excited about this.

    ...Well, speaking of women, I love sweet treats.

    The first time I baked a cake, a lot of girls flocked to it, and it was a big mess.

    If a non-standard large cake like this one showed up, that would be a lot of excitement.

    I wanted a reaction to the curiosity of a wedding cake as an event, but the ladies'' interest in the one that was completely ''a giant towering, sweet and delicious cake'' was all over the place.

    ''Awesome, Master!¡¡Is it all cake?¡¡You want to eat all of it?

    As expected of Veerle, he couldn''t stand the ramen and ran over to me.

    When this guy says it, it sounds as if he''s going to eat the whole thing by himself.

    You made this for the wedding?¡¡Can you make a cake this big for a wedding?¡¡Great job, master!¡¡Let''s have a wedding every day from now on!

    A wedding is not that kind of event.

    Where I''m from, there''s a tradition at weddings of the bride and groom cutting a huge cake into pieces. It''s the first joint effort of the bride and groom. So, platy!¡¡Let''s get together for a cake cutting!

    JURU...!¡¡.........eh?

    Prathi''s appetite for cake had reached a critical point and she couldn''t do that either.

    ''''Saint-sama!¡¡Let''s have our cake and eat it soon!

    Cake!¡¡Cake!

    Carve it up!

    ''I can''t take it anymore!¡¡I''m going to take a direct bite out of it!

    The sweet smell of the giant cake is stealing all of the women''s sanity, so any further delay could lead to a riot.

    Let''s get this done quickly.

    That''s right sir!¡¡You''ll have to carve it up or we won''t all eat it!¡¡...but if you bite into a whole cake this big...!¡¡If they eat you like a hug...?

    I don''t know, Prathi''s consciousness is completely taken up by the cake.

    I have to cut it up quickly.

    If we cut it up into little pieces, the women will come to their senses.

    ''''So I''m going to insert the blade.

    I''ll be using the Evil Sacred Sword Dry Schwartz for the sword.

    I''ve been working with this one for most of my life, so it''s perfect to use it for this memorable task.

    I grabbed the hilt with Platy and inserted it into the cake.

    As expected of a holy sword, the blade goes into the cream and sponge without any resistance.

    ""AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

    For some reason, just by cutting it, the women cheered.

    The sharpness of the holy sword didn''t stop there.

    It went in and out of the giant cake with unnoticeable speed.

    Each time it was divided into smaller pieces with a line of cuts, it turned into a short cake that was just right for one person.

    Since the original was so huge, there was a tremendous amount of it when cut into pieces.

    It seems to be enough for the number of people attending a wedding.

    Of course, as a saint, this was my best work of art.

    There are no imitations in wedding cakes, as is sometimes the case with wedding cakes, and the cake is 100% edible.

    "Here you go!¡¡Bon app¨¦tit!

    ""Hooyahhhhhhhhhh!"

    Maidens of all ages, who have forgotten the language of people, rush to the cake.

    There are plenty of refills, so just eat one plate at a time, okay?

    It''s a much different reaction than I had originally planned, but it''s good to know that they were happy.

    Not only the girls, but also the men and the gods were tucking into the cake, and the entire wedding party was filled with a sweet aroma.

    ''''........The sweet scent is also transferring to the Holy Sword......''''

    I guess I can''t take this scent for a few days.

    A holy sword that gave off the sweet scent of sugar, that was what it was.

    There isn''t any.

    The important thing is that Prathi is also stuck with the cake for herself.

    He ate another plate and reached for the next one.

    Prati, you shouldn''t eat too much...?

    It''s okay!¡¡...see, Junior can''t have his cake and eat it yet.¡¡I''m going to eat a lot of food and sweeten my mother''s milk so Junior can have a taste of cake!

    The most unimaginable infant food education method.

    If you take in enough sweetness to change the taste of mother''s milk, you''re sure to cause problems elsewhere, so don''t do it.

    Anyway, thanks to the wedding cake, the wedding party became more and more exciting.

 462-460 Wedding last event

    Me and Prathi''s wedding also passes with constant excitement by adding various tricks.

    ''It''s fun!

    "The cake is delicious!

    The Earth Spirits were also very happy....

    "Woof!

    Meow!

    Porgy and the doctor are also very excited.

    The wedding reception was also well attended, with Prati wearing a variety of dresses with different patterns to attract the attention of the attendees.

    That''s Batty!¡¡What about the wedding dresses that I''ve been thinking about, such as the ''Darkness'', ''Nothingness'' and ''Arya''?

    When I thought about it again, I didn''t think any of them would work, so I discarded them.

    However, every celebration always comes to an end.

    It''s a shame, but the wedding ceremony, which has been going through many changes of hands and techniques, is coming to the final stage.

    * * * *

    Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here today.

    I, the groom, give my own speech to close the show.

    Everyone looks at me.

    ''Since ancient times, it has been said that a marriage requires three bags. The first is, well........Ikebukuro?

    Sir, is this a good time to talk about it?

    Prathi''s tweak interrupted what could have been a long speech.

    ''To put it bluntly, it is with regret that the wedding will soon be over. So we would like to conclude with one more entertainment.

    ''Oh,'' the cheers that go up.

    ''What importance will the saint surprise us with this time?''

    It was a giant cake. Now it''s a giant cake!¡¡I''m giving you a giant oshiriko.

    In the minds of the girls, our weddings have become the image of a sweetheart convention.

    But alas, it''s not.

    What we''re about to do is ... a bouquet toss!

    This is the last time we see Prathi in her wedding dress.

    In her hand, she holds a bouquet of bright, voluminous flowers.

    ?

    "Buke to?

    Slaughter a warrior?

    Everyone seems to be confused about the meaning of the bouquet toss.

    That''s what happens when you bring in customs from the previous world, after all. This time it''s a series of such things.

    They don''t seem to understand the meaning of the bouquet toss. Then let me explain it to you!

    Prati, who has already been briefed by me, holds up the bouquet with a sly look on her face.

    ''This bouquet!¡¡I''m a bride all day long, and I''m carrying it with me, and I''m full of the happiness of marriage!

    ! Oh, wow...?

    An overwhelmed crowd.

    The bouquet toss is meant to share that happiness!¡¡I''m going to throw these flowers out!¡¡The first one to take it is the new holder of the bouquet!

    " " " " " "?

    So whoever takes the bouquet will be the next to get married!

    "[?

    No, Mr. Platy?

    You don''t need to talk so definitively about it?

    It''s just that there is such a superstition, but it''s not confirmed.

    I don''t want people to complain, "I took the bouquet, but I couldn''t get married! I don''t want them to claim, "I took the bouquet, but I couldn''t get married!

    No, no, no...?

    That''s like a good luck charm, isn''t it?¡¡We have such a tradition in my country too...!

    Yes, these women are quite aware that this is only a game.

    But if it''s for your saint''s plan, then...?

    Or is the spell also a curse?

    And they''re getting serious, aren''t they?

    It''s finally time to get serious.

    Among them, the one who is in super-serious mode with thick magical power spewing out of her body is the foreign student Erin Gia.

    She already has a boyfriend, and the sound of ''marriage'' seemed to be even more familiar to her.

    You''re still a student.

    Of course, those who are already married are taking it easy.....

    If it was just a couple of months ago, I would have gone to get the bouquet even if I had to kill everyone who stood in my way.

    muttered Puffa, a newlywed hottie.

    The voltage boils over, mainly among unmarried women.

    ''I am the one with that bouquet...!

    "I''m sure your saint will be rich in blessings.

    ''I''m the one who''s going to follow in the footsteps of Lady Plati!

    ''I want to marry you!¡¡I want to marry you!¡¡I want to marry you!¡¡I want to marry you!

    The quality of the signs emitted was beastly.

    It doesn''t seem like the climax of a wedding ceremony, but more like a shura alley.

    I''m going to throw it then!¡¡They''re all bloody and fighting over it!

    Prathi shows his beautiful pitching form.

    By the way, the bouquet toss is supposed to be held right after the vows are finished, but this time we brought it to the end of the wedding reception to add to the excitement of the event.

    I didn''t expect it to be this exciting.

    Whew!

    The bouquet thrown from Prathi''s strong shoulder flies higher and farther than expected.

    ''''Okyaaaahhhh!''''

    The unmarried women rush towards the bouquet, emitting a beastly roar.

    I''m already scared.

    It was more like a herd of piranhas rushing into raw meat.

    The bouquet is still in the air, but since it is also a substance, if it falls to the ground under gravity, the young maidens are likely to eat out its intestines.

    Bouquets don''t have intestines.

    But.

    That didn''t happen.

    The bouquet gained altitude and flew.

    "What?

    How did it happen?

    Somewhere along the way, the bouquet flew through the air at a speed that was clearly gaining new momentum!

    It was like a multi-stage rocket igniting?

    But why!

    Of course, the bouquet didn''t fall to the ground, but rose to taunt the unmarried maidens below.

    ''''Looks like the propulsion potion worked just fine.

    And muttering next to me is the bride, Prati.

    I knew it was you!

    "Because it''s our wedding and we want to end it on an exciting note.

    That''s why you did this?

    It''s not going to be so easy to clear an event that starts with me. I''ve made some adjustments to the difficulty level to make it that much more difficult.

    That''s not my business!

    The bouquet is already flying through the air, turning right and left, and then suddenly dropping right back, flying on an extremely complicated trajectory!

    Is this also the effect of the magic potion that Platy put in the bouquet?

    I''m not going to back down like this!¡¡Ooohhhh!

    But the one who isn''t frightened is Eringya!

    As a demonic girl, she flies by stepping on the head of a rival maiden, who is looking for a bouquet together!

    Wow, can you use me as a stepping stone?

    "As it flies, ''Flying Black Lei''!

    She uses magic to fly like a demon race.

    She''s also a talented candidate for being chosen as a farm exchange student. Since she''s also learned well on the farm, she''s able to perfectly read the complicated trajectory of the bouquet and steadily approach it.

    ''''Got it!''''

    I, watching from the side, thought so too.

    Just when Eringier''s hand was about to grab the bouquet...!

    I won''t let you!

    What?

    What?¡¡Bouquet himself rejected Eringier!

    He reached out with his ivy-like tentacles and popped her hand!

    What do you mean?

    "You did a great job of getting me to play my last card, Eringire!

    Prati shouts next to me.

    Did you do this again?

    I put my intentions into the last defense mechanism, the bouquet itself, for this to happen!

    How is that even possible?

    I just transferred the spirit from the mountain of the Veil. It''s the same plant, so it wasn''t too difficult.

    But that doesn''t mean you can try and do it!

    Can you do it?

    My wife was a great witch of the crown.

    "Hahahahaha!¡¡So, by the order of Lord Prati, this willing bouquet is definitely not going to be caught by anyone!¡¡I''m free!¡¡Nothing holds you back!¡¡''''I''m going to run around in all directions in this sky, ah!''''

    The willful bouquet that had some kind of strange piquancy maintained full speed, and finally swept past Eringya, who was still desperately clinging to it, and disappeared into the sky beyond the sky.

    Kiran.........

    Leaving a single point of light in the sky.

    ''.........the bouquet got away!

    How is that even possible?

    The whole point of the bouquet toss has been turned on its head!

    If no one else can accept it, no one else can get married!

    What do you think you''re doing, the person who made these crazy modifications to the car?

    I''m sorry. I got carried away. I''m sorry!

    Prathi in her bride''s outfit stuck out her tongue and laughed teh pelotonically.

    Did she think that would cover it up?¡¡It''s deceptive, though.

    I''ve been thinking about this for a while now...

    If you leave an event to Plati, there''s a high probability that he''ll fail to adjust the difficulty level.

 463-461 Closed

    Thus, the whole program ended without a hitch, and Prati and I''s wedding was a success.

    In the end, the ladies booed at the unexpected situation of successfully escaping from the bouquet, but we managed to make it up to them later.

    The guests returned to their homes by transference magic.

    ''''Ladies and gentlemen, please take this one home.''''

    And then handing it to each guest....

    It was the last and final project of the wedding.

    It was a gift.

    Speaking of weddings, a gift is given to each guest as a token of gratitude.

    That''s the gift you give to your guests.

    Naturally, we have a gift for our wedding as well.

    What is the standard gift?

    After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that it was a plate.

    A big plate that could serve any kind of large amount of food.

    Of course, I''ll have Elon and the others bake it. Nowadays, the Elf dinnerware plates are very popular in the Demon City, and the people who receive them are sure to be smiling.

    But that''s still not enough to make them happy.

    This time, we want to give them something original that they can only receive as a wedding gift.

    We wanted to decorate it in a way that it could be considered a standard wedding gift.

    That''s right, we''re going to paint our portraits in the den!

    We had ailerons bake the plates at a rapid pace, and we had elves and foreign students who had a passion for painting paintbrushes in their hands.

    Me and Prathi, the two of us smiling while facing each other.

    The painting material is glazed, so it can be used enough as a dish. We put a lot of food on the plate, and when it''s finished, we''ll meet my wife and I at the bottom of the plate.

    This is a typical gift that you can''t afford to receive and is guaranteed to make you say, "That''s not very good..." or "I can''t use it, I can''t throw it away.

    It''s a good thing that you know that much," he said. You might say, "I don''t want to get a gift from you," but the anguish that arises from being presented with that kind of gift is one of the best parts of a wedding.

    I just want everyone to make their weddings as sad and joyous as their hearts desire!

    So I give it to you!¡¡I''m still the number one on this list of gifts you can''t afford to receive!

    A giant plate with the couple''s portraits on it!

    * * *

    I didn''t know this at the time, but....

    For example, in the world I lived in before, in medieval Europe, plates were not used as normal tableware, but were sometimes displayed in the room as decorations.

    It seems that such a custom exists in this world as well, and the plate I presented to the guests as a joke, "A large plate with a portrait of a married couple", was understood to be for decoration and enjoyment.

    It is said that the guests who received the platter happily displayed it in the parlor and other places, showing it off to visitors.

    This is the face of the saint, isn''t it? She was so moved that she asked her husband''s permission to make a reproduction of the painting.

    He displayed it in his mansion and other public places.

    Why?

    It is said that the existence of saints who live in hiding somewhere in the world is widely known and revered as ''the all-powerful equivalent of God''.

    The image of such a saint is often described as a sacred painting, and it has spread throughout the world as an object of idolatry.

    In this way, the image of the saint and his wife became a popular subject for painting.

    Of course, I had no way of knowing that such a serious problem would happen to me when I was making gifts for people with a light desire to play around with them.

    .........................

    ..............

    And so the wedding is over and the special time between me and Prathi has passed.

    The guests were seen off, the cleanup of the ceremony was over, and we returned to our peaceful, uneventful lives.

    I took off my wedding dress and pure white tuxedo and went into very normal, everyday clothes.

    It''s nice to get dressed up once in a while, but I''m more comfortable in something I''m used to wearing on a daily basis.

    ''Junior~, sorry we''ve been apart for so long?¡¡It must have smelled like matcha in grandma''s arms~

    Prathi is happy to get Junior back from his mother-in-law Sheila''s custody during the ceremony.

    Although it''s exciting to feel like a bride, she seems to be more concerned about being Junior''s mother now.

    Junior, who had been enjoying himself in his mother''s arms for a while, now reaches out to me.

    You''re going to bother me too," she says. That''s so sweet of you, Junior.

    I took Junior from Prathi and held him up.

    Although I did this and performed the rituals, which seemed to be a milestone, I didn''t particularly feel like anything had changed since it was over.

    It did.

    I''m not sure if it''s a normal couple, but we''ve been married for a long time.

    ''....But the memories remain.

    Well, we had a nice cake and I got to toy with a bunch of little girls with my bouquet.

    Is that the right way to remember a wedding?

    Well, okay, if Prathi said it was fun.

    If there is one thing that has changed, it is the ring that shines on the ring finger of Prathi''s left hand.

    It''s an extremely simple ring with no decoration whatsoever, but that''s the proof that Prathi is now a married woman.

    A little change at the end of the fuss.

    People change from day to day through the accumulation of such things.

    The fuss of a wedding is over.

    Our farm is going through another day of gradual transition.

    As a postscript, for a few days after the wedding.

    Needless to say, in the first few days after the wedding, Platy was in the best mood ever.

    * * * *

    Now, I digress from this.

    Bouquet is back.

    We''re back!

    Why?

    You''ve flown off into the sky.

    I didn''t expect you to come back.

    ''''I''ll need Prati-sama to refill my flight propulsion potion before I can continue flying.

    Do we need to keep flying?

    The audience booed because you won and walked away from the game without anyone''s help.

    And now that the wedding is over, why do you want to keep flying?

    Are you the type of person who feels the need to fly?

    ''Oh, wait a minute - I''ll inject you now.

    Refuel?

    I don''t know what it is, but it''s a potion to keep you flying even more!

    I don''t understand what Platy''s doing.

    Come on, just let him run out of steam and crash into the ground!

    ''That''s not how it works, by the way! It would be more beneficial in some way if this girl kept flying.

    What''s it gonna do for me?

    When I''m completely baffled by the understanding.........

    "........ah!¡¡There''s the bouquet!

    ''Really!¡¡Chance to catch it!

    A girl passing by instantly jumped on the bouquet.

    What''s this instantaneous force?

    "That''s not going to happen!¡¡Now that Master Prati has replenished my propellant, I''m all set!¡¡That means there is no element of getting caught!''

    Then the bouquet bastard flew again at a speed his eyes couldn''t follow, and he swept the girls off their feet with ease.

    ''Ah!¡¡I let him get away again!

    You''ll see!¡¡I''m going to catch you next time!

    Why are you saying that line like the police...?

    ''None of the girls were able to catch the bouquet on the day of the ceremony, were they?¡¡So the promise of ''If we catch him, we can marry him'' is still alive.

    What''s that?

    You''re not supposed to catch the bouquet in the first place, are you?

    I guess we''ll have to reconcile our values from there?

    ''The dreaming bachelor maidens still compete with each other to catch the bouquet that sometimes appears on the farm. But the bouquet got away so fast and fiercely quick that no one has been able to catch it yet.

    The bouquet was somehow treated like a 00 meh.

    It is said that if you can beat it, you will get huge experience (marriage experience).

    However, it''s not as conscientious of a difficulty adjustment as the Hare Mehru, it''s more of a booty made by Platy, which is famous for setting up a broken difficulty level, so it''s a d*mn fast game with a 100% evasion rate.

    Moreover, the devil''s specification was that even if you did catch it, the reward was only superstition level.

    But the maidens still scrambled to catch the bouquet.

    They dream of the day they will wear a wedding dress.

 464-462 Sansukumi

    Well, now that the wedding has ended without a hitch....

    I''d like to tell you a little story here.

    Have you ever heard of the three classes of people?

    Suppose there are three something called ABCs.

    A beats B, B beats C, and C beats A.

    In such a roundabout way, no one can be the ultimate winner in the end.

    The most famous example is the frog, the snake and the slug.

    Even rock-paper-scissors is a three-way tie.

    It''s a pretty interesting idea in the sense that everyone loses to someone else in the end.......

    In fact, we have one in our farm.

    The trifecta.

    Let''s take a closer look at them today.

    * * * *

    First up is Porgy.

    This is a wolf-shaped monster that lives in our farm.

    Their official name is Hupericaon, and I heard that if we released them to the world, there would be a huge army of them.

    Besides Porgy, there are dozens of Hupericaons other than Porgy, and they patrol around the farm to exterminate vermin such as rats and other vermin, or if they find a suspicious person, they will either raise a howl to warn them or deal with them with their own fangs.

    They can also play the role of a guard dog, contributing greatly to the farm.

    They are also the wolf or dog.

    With their fuzzy fur and charming expressions, they are very popular on the farm.

    Dogs are cute.

    They are really cute.

    The Hupericaon Porgy is looking up at me with a sad face today as well.

    He sobbed, ''Kuhn.....

    ''''You''ve been robbed of your bed again...?''''

    In the corner of the farm, there are many places where Porgy and his friends sleep.

    They spread hay on the floor in a sunny place, so it must be quite comfortable for them to sleep.

    However, there was an outlaw who occupied Porgy and his friends'' bedrooms.

    It was a cat.

    ''....Doctor, Dr. Kora.

    ''N-nya?¡¡What''s with the naps?¡¡''Interrupting a cat''s sleep is a mortal sin.

    What''s the problem with taking that nap away from the rest of the world''s bedrooms?

    ''Why are you robbing Porgy of his bed?¡¡I made you your own bed the other day, didn''t I?

    A great cat tower in the house.

    Surprisingly, though, I got a kick out of it and made it five-layered. It''s hard to forgive the doctor''s outrage, including the fact that he threw that masterpiece away.

    "I''d like to sleep outside on a sunny day. That''s why it''s the most comfortable place to sleep.

    You cat.

    He is just like the cat itself, unruly.

    However, the cat is a troublesome opponent that can''t be trifled with.

    The truth is that the No-Life King is feared as one of the world''s two greatest disasters.

    Moreover, the doctor is called one of the strongest among the No-Life Kings.

    That''s why even Porgy would give up his Muza Muza bed.

    ''''Anyway, since Porgy looks sad, can you give him back his sleeping quarters?

    "They refuse to sleep. "Cats sleep wherever they want to.

    Okay.

    So we''ll have to use extreme measures.

    Let''s go!¡¡Spirit of the earth!

    ''''Nyasoo!''''

    In response to my command, small children came out of nowhere at once.

    These are the spirits of the earth.

    ''''Goshujin-sama has given us permission!

    I love cats!

    I''m going to be a pussy!

    In the blink of an eye, the cat was surrounded, manhandled and stroked.

    There was no mercy in that cuteness, and it was as if it was being overrun.

    "Neez!¡¡When you stroke it, you need to relax more.¡¡You stroke it backwards from the direction its hair grows!¡¡Who is pulling your tail?

    Those children are originally spirits, but when they receive the power of the gods and materialize, they somehow take the form of cute girls.

    I''m not sure how much I love my pets, but I don''t know how much I love my children, and they don''t know how to control their power.

    That''s why the child loves cat-love, but sometimes he or she runs away from it.

    In other words.

    A cat''s natural enemy is a child.

    ''d*mn!¡¡We''ve got no choice but to retreat!¡¡''Saints, don''t think you''ve found my weaknesses in this!''

    The doctor couldn''t stand it and ran away from the earth spirits.

    ''''Ah!¡¡It''s a pine tree!

    You''ll have lots of fun!

    "Let them observe the hole in your buttocks!

    Following the fleeing cat, the spirits of the earth are also pushing forward.

    And then Porgy rushes up to the empty bed, curls up happily and takes a nap.

    Good thing I''m happy for you, Porgy.

    It''s all right.

    I patted Porgy''s curled up back with the lone remaining doggy spirit of the earth.

    Dogs are good, after all.

    * * *

    I proceeded in a very normal way about the cat talking.

    The seed of it is the Dr. No Life King speaking through the cat, but I want to mention it again here because the mechanics of it are complicated.

    Fundamentally, the cat itself is not the Dr. No Life King, the No Life King.

    The doctor is possessing the cat and talking to it... or something like that.

    The true body of the Doctor is an immortalized human just like him, but the body of the oldest No-Life King is indeed very old, and is sealed deep in his dungeon, unable to be moved.

    Apparently, the Doctor can possess all the cats in the world by sending out something like radio waves from his body.

    In other words, every cat in this world is the Doctor.

    Everything the cat sees and hears is known to the doctor.

    The cat on the farm right now is just one of the doctor''s terminals, and even if that cat were to die, it would have no effect on the doctor''s body in the extreme.

    All he had to do was replace his senses with another cat.

    And if it''s simple magic (but still at a level beyond human knowledge), it can be used through a cat.

    However, the cat''s own instincts are also firmly on the surface, so the state of the cat while possessed is probably fifty percent doctor and fifty percent cat.

    That''s why the cat''s instincts make it vulnerable to children who play catty games with it.

    Now let''s get back to today''s theme of the three classes.

    As you may already know, the three members of the three classes in our farm are Porgy, the doctor, and the spirit of the earth.

    Porgy is deprived of his bed, and Dr. Potty is overrun by the spirits of the earth.

    This is the final combination of the three groups to complete the alliance.

    In order to complete the triad, the final combination of the three sets of power relations must be confirmed.

    For example, here''s what happened.

    The Earth Spirits work as cleaners on the farm.

    They were originally given entities by the Earth God to help them.

    They are working hard every day to help the farm.

    Basically, I tell them to only clean the inside of the house, but sometimes they get so motivated that they even go outside.

    Even though there is a lot of danger outside.

    Oh, I''m going to clean up that...

    The Spirit of the Earth noticed a number of farm tools that were temporarily placed on the ground.

    Many of the farm tools were sharp or sharp or dangerous, depending on what they were.

    The farm tools that the child had just spotted were also very dangerous, such as the scythe of a draught.

    It would be very dangerous if he touched them carelessly and cut them.

    I will be praised for cleaning up!

    But the spirit of the earth cannot predict the danger.

    I was just about to run up to a pile of farm tools....

    ''''Wow?''''

    He stopped when he was sucked by the neck root.

    A potty appeared out of nowhere and pulled the earth spirit away from the dangerous farm tools by pulling the cheating spirit away from the earth spirit.

    ''What are you doing?¡¡Let go?

    No, Porgy is right.

    I''m one step behind in protection.

    ''Didn''t I tell you not to touch farm tools or weapons because they''re dangerous?''

    I''m sorry.

    The spirit of the earth is obedient, so if you tell him properly, he will obey you.

    But the credit goes to Porgy.

    When the little ones were in danger, they were quick to come to their aid.

    They were really reliable dogs.

    Thank you!

    He stroked her head and Porgy licked the child''s cheek in return.

    * * *

    That''s how we have a three-way tie-up on our farm.

    Dr. Potty steals from Porgy and....

    The spirit of the earth loves him like a cat.

    Porgy protects the spirit of the earth.

    This roundabout way of going around the farm is a bustling place, and it will probably bring the farm''s workers a sense of vitality.

    But now the hustle and bustle has ceased.

    The reason is that all three are taking a nap.

    Coincidentally, Porgy, the doctor and the spirit of the earth were all sleeping in a mass.

    The spirit of the earth used Porgy''s large body as a pillow, and the cat, who loves gaps, inserted herself between them.

    They''re quiet now, though.

    When they wake up, the hustle and bustle will start again, I guess.

    A three-way hustle and bustle that will never end.

 465-463 Demon King

    The Demon King came to visit.

    I feel like I''ve seen him from attending the weddings of Arowana and myself, but it''s been a long time since he''s visited just to meet with me and have a chat.

    Is it because of that?

    It''s been a long time since we''ve been across from each other, but.......

    ''''Well, you''ve changed, haven''t you?

    Okay.

    The Demon King only answered in a few words.

    Now we were lazily sipping tea across the table........

    Somehow, there was a mysterious tension in the air.

    What should I say?

    Do we need to go further?

    How can I say that I''ve gained some dignity, or...?

    I''m glad to see it. As Master of State, I have more integrity than any other.

    Not like that!

    Oh God, do I have to be more direct?

    No, but the nature of the problem is delicate.

    You can''t ruin the atmosphere by saying it too clearly...!

    This is something that can''t be undone.

    Don''t let it get to you.

    What?

    I guess it''s all right to say so. I, Demon King Zedan.

    That I''ve become a chubby fatty.

    ''No, you''ve gained weight, Demon King.

    I can''t believe it...

    Speaking of the Demon King, that is the head of the demon race.

    His greatness is boundless, as he is in a position to control the race and rule the country.

    Hence, his appearance is also a mass of dignity, and when I first met him, he was so tall and muscular that I could look up at him.

    When he was standing up close, it was as if a wall was closing in on him, and he was full of intimidation.

    In contrast, now........

    "You said you could say it clearly, and then you said it really clearly...?

    His entire body is rounded.

    The contours of the face are the same, and the fingers and arms are thick.

    Since he was originally muscular, if you pile on the flab on top of that, you will have an even bigger man.

    Although he was intimidating, the quality was more of a looming wall of flesh than a looming wall.

    Hot and bitter.

    ''''........I''ve gained weight.''''

    Yes, sir.

    You''ve been really fattened up.

    But I''ve never been aware of the Demon King''s condition until now.

    We met at my wedding the other day.

    It''s not going to happen overnight, is it?

    Well, but I had other main issues to deal with at that time.

    I was so focused on that that I overlooked the Demon King''s modulation, I guess.

    ...You were trying not to see it?

    The war with mankind is over. The world is at peace. I, too, was once occupied with warfare, but now that we have no enemies to contend with, I have become bogged down in domestic affairs, doing nothing but paperwork.

    So you''re saying that''s why you don''t move around as much?

    I thought I was practicing every time I found time to practice. It seems that the amount of exercise has decreased more than I thought. And now I''ve found myself in this mess.

    I''m sure you can understand how hard the Demon King has to work.

    After all, he''s the king.

    Everything about the management of the Demon Kingdom depends on this person''s decisions.

    He may overeat under stress.

    And that''s what we''ve got here.

    I''ve been blessed with two wives and a child, and I look forward to coming home every day. When we all sit around the table as a family, we tend to eat and drink too much...!

    Happy fattening...?

    I was hoping it wouldn''t be a problem. It''s a natural part of getting older. I know a lot of people who were intrepid when they were young, but as they reached middle age, they suddenly got fat!

    That''s the fat man''s excuse?

    "So I thought I''d be okay with it, but the other day I was finally told to ''lose some weight''.

    Who told you that?

    Belfegamilia...!

    That demon army commander...

    What do you have in mind when you told your master that?

    "He said, ''My Demon King, you''ve gotten so fat lately, haven''t you?''

    A fastball.

    With a fast ball and no finesse?

    How dare you talk to me like that, Demon Lord?

    ''''And then he added: ''Even though peace has come, the Demon Kingdom is still a martial arts country. "Although peace has come, the demon kingdom is still a warrior kingdom. We will maintain peace by always threatening our enemies with overwhelming force and making them back down.

    Oh, yes...!

    If the demon king, the leader of the demon kingdom, becomes obese and obese, and his appearance is far from that of a warrior, the country will be belittled and it will lead to the disaster of war. Above all, it''s unseemly.

    ''''He''s coming to hit you with everything he''s got!

    That''s great, Demon Commander. You can''t talk to the Demon King that freely.

    Isn''t there any disrespect in the Demon Kingdom?

    "That''s why I can''t help but admit it...!¡¡Yes, I was not about to see it!¡¡From your own flab!¡¡From the tender meat in my belly!¡¡The demon race that defeated the humans to become the supreme power on earth. I have to be the strongest demon race in the world to fulfill that responsibility!

    A grief-stricken demon king.

    Maybe it''s because of his obesity, but that''s enough to raise his body temperature and bring sweat to his forehead.

    ''''So, Saint Lord!¡¡Why don''t you help me lose some weight?

    Me?

    "I won''t tell you the hard way!¡¡It gives us a place, and that''s all we need!¡¡I can''t let my people see this demon king running around shaking his belly if he doesn''t lose weight!

    It''s true that if it''s a farm, the demon tribe wouldn''t be able to reach us.

    But there are students of the demon race studying abroad, right?¡¡They''re the future leaders of our society, and I think they''d be especially insecure if they saw us.

    ''I''ve been trying to lose weight so that I can take some time off from official work. I''m going to stay here for a few days and work out. Could I use some space?

    No, uh...?

    You think you can take a fat body and make it muscular again in just a few days?

    If that''s what you think, I have to say that you are naive in your perception, Demon King.

    The fat that''s already attached to your girth has been cultivated over a period of months or even years.

    It doesn''t compute to lose it in just a few days.

    You can''t lose weight unless you spend the same amount of time on it as you gain it.

    Demon King''s diet plan.

    I feel a great deal of anxiety...?

    * * * *.

    However, if it''s a request from the Demon King, there''s no reason to refuse.

    Anyway, I offered him a flat plot of land in a corner of the farm.

    There''s a lot of untouched land in our house.

    Good!¡¡Well, it''s been a while since I''ve gotten some exercise!

    Demon King," he said, shaking his belly, "by the way, what kind of exercise are you going to do?

    ''By the way, what kind of exercise are you planning to do?

    I asked him to try it.

    I was kind of worried and couldn''t take my eyes off him.

    ''Mm, I haven''t been riding for a while!

    Riding?

    ''Don''t worry, we''ve got the horses with us!¡¡Black Flame, over here!

    In response to the Demon King''s call, a giant horse with pitch black fur approaches.

    ''''I haven''t been able to ride you for a long time due to the continuation of political duties. Today, let''s ride a thousand miles together as the wind!

    No, wait, Demon King.

    Riding a horse is a horse that runs, right?

    Does riding that horse help you lose weight just by riding it?

    I''m sure there''s a lot of things that an expert would say, but I''m still worried.

    "Then let''s go together, my horse!¡¡Heavens no!¡¡.... good heavens!

    The thick body seems to be tough to handle, and I finally managed to straddle it on the second try.

    I thought they were going to gallop off as one man and horse....

    ''''Whoa!

    The horse immediately turned into a pole and dropped the demon king from his back.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what''s going on.¡¡Why do you shake me off?

    The horse only looks down at the confused Demon King with cold eyes.

    That eye.....

    It''s not a good idea. You''re not going to be able to ride it.

    He told the story.

    ''I won''t give you a ride until you lose weight. You better squeeze that unsightly body before next time.

    I ran off and went off on a long run alone.

    I still felt like I was on the wrong track.

 466-464 Different World Diet

    "Gogohhhhhhhhhh?¡¡Nuh-uh-uh-uh-uh?

    The demon king is wailing in sorrow.

    It seems that the refusal from his beloved horse, ''You''re too heavy, don''t ride'', was quite a shock to him.

    ........but I understand how the horse feels.

    When the current demon king cries, that''s enough to raise his body temperature and make him sweat, and sweat steam rises.

    Even a horse would want to refuse to ride a fat man like that.

    The black horse from earlier also looked proud........

    It''s the Demon King''s beloved horse.

    .........well.

    I can''t just leave the Demon King-san in despair like this.

    The fat may have been added to his heart, but the Demon King was unimaginably weak from before.

    He''s still wailing.

    ''''Goooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    ''''Stop wailing.''''

    I said like a god offering a helping hand to a brave man.

    Even though he''s the Demon King.

    ''''I''ll help you. I''m sure you''ll be able to see the Demon King back in his original massive form.

    Oh, is it true, Saints...?

    Where I come from, there''s a secret formula for losing weight. It''s called Diet!

    "Great battle!

    ...........

    The Demon King seems to be imagining some different characters, but it''s just an impression, so I won''t pursue it.

    ''Dieting is the ultimate self-discipline done to get close to the ideal weight. You are willing to work hard to become your ideal body shape, your ideal self...!

    In this world, though, we wouldn''t even have a similar concept.

    The culture is backward and they don''t have enough food to feed themselves, so they just hoard nutrition when they have it.

    In other words, the fatter you are, the more virtuous you are.

    It is said that in the past, being obese was a condition for being beautiful.

    On the other hand, the demon king who has trouble getting fat and wants to lose weight is probably a very rare case in this world.

    ''''Various schools sprang up in search of a more effective diet, and a hundred families competed with each other. I will teach you the profound secrets of this other world, Demon King, I will teach you. All for the sake of peace in this world and your rectus abdominis.

    To dig up six split bellies from the fat millennium earth...!

    ''Oh, Lord Saint!¡¡How dependable!

    Thus began me and the Demon King''s otherworldly diet life.

    ''''I didn''t know that Saint-dono even knew about such things!¡¡I didn''t know they had a system for losing weight!¡¡So His Holiness is blessed with children and still in shape?

    That''s because I''m out in the field working the plow every day.

    There is no better way to stay healthy than to exercise.

    After all, if you move, the flab will fall off on its own.

    But if you get old and your metabolism slows down, it may not be like that.

    ........Scary.

    ''''There are people like Demon King-san whose work inevitably limits their exercise. They are consumed by hard work at their desks every day and don''t have time to stand up and stretch their backs a bit. Such people don''t have a normal metabolism, and they only accumulate what they eat...!

    ''Yes, yes!¡¡That''s right!

    The diet is there to help people like that. The purpose of the diet is to achieve the maximum effect with little effort and time. The purpose of dieting is to achieve the maximum effect in less time and with less effort. It''s about making your life more efficient. It''s not about losing weight for fun or anything like that.

    Yes!

    Since ancient times, many different types of diets have been developed.

    All of them are for fun and to lose weight.

    Which of these diets would you recommend to the demon king?

    Let''s go on a carbohydrate diet.

    "Freezing cold, holy vision, great joy!

    .....

    You are imagining a different script, aren''t you?

    Oh well, every single one of them is a waste of calories.

    ''The biggest cause of obesity, is eating. Excesses accumulate because of the imbalance between supply and consumption. That''s what makes you obese.

    So why don''t we eat?

    Animals need to eat to replenish their energy and if they don''t eat, they will die, which is why the stress they instinctively generate by not eating is so great.

    Food restriction is not a dark cloud, but a calculated restriction.

    Carbohydrate restriction is the culmination of that calculation. It prevents further weight gain by not consuming the biggest cause of obesity, ''sugar''!

    And exercise reduces it.

    A diet is ultimately, you can''t do anything about it without exercise!

    ''Oh, so the Tosits are poisonous then?

    ''''I can''t say that in general, but I will ask you not to eat foods that are high in sugar, Demon King.

    At least when you''re on a diet.

    What are those ingredients?

    Staple foodstuffs. Rice and barley. There are restrictions on bread and noodles made from wheat.

    It was then.

    Veerle was there.

    He looked shocked and pale.

    He was holding a bowl of ramen noodles that was boiling hot in his hand.

    Master........is it true what you just said?

    ''''Eh?''''

    ''No!¡¡No!¡¡Oats aren''t poisonous!¡¡Bread made from kneaded barley, udon noodles, pasta, and ramen noodles!¡¡It''s a very tasty ultimate food!

    Viel clings to me.

    .........

    Apparently, it was something she shouldn''t have heard.

    ''The barley is!¡¡It''s a wonderful food that makes everyone happy!¡¡You can''t limit it!

    So why are you so desperate?

    Veerle has become a born gluten jar and her love for wheat food has reached a troublesome level.

    If you talk to her about sugar restriction, it''s only natural that she''ll get all over you...!

    ''No, I''m not saying ''don''t eat it'' without thinking about it.¡¡You can''t just eat too much...

    Is that him?

    You can''t get rid of it.

    You''ll be able to get a good idea of what to expect.

    You can''t just sit back and wait for the sun to shine.

    Veerle, all of a sudden, enters the diet.

    This guy doesn''t make you lose weight, he makes you lose weight.

    ''Ningen will get lighter if he moves a lot without eating!¡¡Then move around like you''re going to die!¡¡And don''t eat anything!¡¡If you do, you can eat all the barley you want!

    There it is, the polar opposite!

    And a contradiction!

    This is a sure-fire dieting trend, nothing extreme lasts forever.

    Continuity is what dieting is all about!

    All right!¡¡The first thing we need to do is to do some light exercise!¡¡Let''s go!

    Earlier than I finished, he transformed into the dragon form of the main body of Veerle.

    Is that really...?

    I''m going to be the one to go on a diet!¡¡Now fight me!¡¡You''ll die if you don''t do it with more than you mean, and it will be a great exercise!''

    Limit!

    I can''t go head-to-head with a dragon, it''s not whether I lose weight or not, it''s whether I live or die.

    Don''t put such a harsh requirement on a diet!

    I''m fine, master!¡¡I heard that Prathi''s brother, who got married the other day, was safe after fighting Ardheg and the featherless feather woman!''

    Platy''s brother?

    Oh, you mean Mr. Arowana.

    And Ardheg is Mr. Ardheg, and featherwoman without feathers is probably Songgokphong.

    That''s confusing.

    I''m sure it was a mock battle, though, right?

    ''It''s like training on a diet!¡¡Ah, yes, oh yes, the winged woman!

    The winged maiden who appeared from the air as if to respond when Veerle called out.

    Something descended.

    Is that Holkosfone, the angel on my farm?

    "You wanted to see me, Veerle?¡¡I''m busy making natto now, so I''ll be quick.

    "It''s a good idea!¡¡Platy''s brother was pinned down by a dragon and an angel, so this guy should be able to do the same thing on the same terms!¡¡After all, he''s the king of a Ningen race!''''

    You think you can compete on the same terms as our king, Arowana?

    Are you out of your mind?

    How could Arowana survive this?

    It had to be for the sake of Master''s friend, the Demon King. ''''Angel Holkosfone, let''s launch the massacre mode with all sincerity.

    "Ha ha ha ha!¡¡If it''s just the two of us in a fierce struggle, this will be great exercise!¡¡I''m going to wring it out until it''s less than half as light as it is now!''

    No, that''s definitely a life-supporting weight.

    ''''Gyaaahhhh!

    The obese body of the demon king, the dragon and the angel disappeared in the intense light emitted by the dragon and the angel.

    Now, the dragon and angel fierce battle diet unique to other worlds has begun.

    It''s a good thing that the other world''s diet is not as severe as ours.

 467-465 Can I lose weight or die

    ''Gyahhhhhh!¡¡AAAAAAAGH!

    The demon king who is running away while screaming.

    I''m sure that even that person would have no choice but to become like that after receiving a double attack from a dragon and an angel.

    ''Oraa, running away all the time is shameful!¡¡Why don''t you try to fight back!

    If the goal is to reduce body weight through the expenditure of physical strength, wouldn''t that still meet the requirements?

    They don''t slacken off in their attacks despite the lighthearted banter.

    Although Viel fires a dragon breath and Holkosfone fires a series of manacanon without mercy.

    ''''Oh-oh-oh!¡¡Kyaaaaaaaahhhh?!

    As usual, the demon king is running away while letting out a shameful scream.

    In the past, he wouldn''t be the kind of person who would scream like that even if he was facing the danger of death.

    I''m sure the heart has also lost its hardness due to obesity?

    "Yes!¡¡We''re taking a break around here!''''

    Veerle said after about an hour or so.

    I''m sure you''re not the only one.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more than just a few of them.

    ''''It''s not good that you''re going to wear out your life like this. I need to nourish myself!''''

    Veerle returned to his human form.

    There was a table and chairs prepared from where, and I made the Demon King sit there.

    This is my special noodle. This is my special noodle.

    "Wait a minute.

    I don''t mind giving them something to eat.

    Why is that choice, of all things, ramen noodles?

    Isn''t that the Diet Warrior''s Grudge Match?

    There''s no way you can sweat a lot of spicy ramen and have zero plateaus!

    I''ll be fine!¡¡I put my heart and soul into this ramen and it will help you lose weight!¡¡Trust me, master!

    He said to me.

    The reason is that the demon king is at his limit of physical strength and he''s out of breath and about to run out of steam.

    He didn''t have the time to talk to you.

    Now, eat. I''m going to make a special "ahh" for you.

    ''''Ahhhhhh...!''''

    Then he took a mouthful of ramen, a lump of oil and sugar.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it.

    "Ko-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ooh!

    What the hell?

    The demon king is suddenly furious!

    His whole body is radiating a brilliant aura!

    "Hey Veerle, what did you do?

    I fed him the soy sauce gonkotsu noodle soup that I serve to all the adventurers. It''s made by distilling the essence of the seedling''s milk and diluting it 500 times.

    "What?

    Is that thing that could make you immortal if you were to ingest it?

    Don''t let the Demon King eat something so dangerous!

    But if you dilute it to five hundred times its original size, it will indeed be neutralized?

    It''s already been proven that there will be no serious harm to humans!¡¡It was worth it to pull a stall in brother Alexander''s dungeon!

    Didn''t they do some kind of human experiment?

    Anyway, even though I made it extremely thin, I was able to inject the ingredients of a superior species of dragon that far surpasses the human race, but I''m fine, Demon King.

    The fact that he was dying a moment ago was a lie, as he was full of energy and fought vigorously.

    ''''Whoa, whoa!¡¡My body is filled with energy.¡¡I''m even more elated than I was when we invaded the human country!

    The Demon Lord is full of energy.

    That''s the spirit. Now, let''s eat natto (fermented soybeans) together, shall we?

    Bang!

    Holkosfone makes you eat natto (fermented soybeans) in the midst of the confusion.

    ''''Gooooooooooooooooooo!¡¡More power to the world!

    And it has a definite effect.

    What is this amazing thing about natto?

    I guess we could go on a natto diet.

    Natto, which is unfathomable because it seems to be really possible.

    ''Yes!¡¡Now that I''ve got my energy back, I''m back on the diet!¡¡This time you''re going to have to cut back a little slack!¡¡Get ready to go!

    ''Oh!¡¡This demon king, Zedan, battles dragons and angels!¡¡Oijaaah!

    The heroic spirit of the call returned and progress could be seen.

    The Demon King no longer raised his pitiful screams like he did earlier.

    Just like this, the Demon King''s diet picked up its pace.

    * * * *

    The pattern of the Demon King''s diet is....

    Viel and Holkosfon deplete him to the limit of his strength.

    A bowl of ramen noodles with dragon extract will bring him back to life.

    And he makes him eat natto.

    And then he fights again.

    This process is repeated.

    The flabby flesh is shaved off as he exercises beyond his limits, and before long, the Demon King''s original muscular muscles are revealed.

    The special training of dragon and angel battles in hell also trained the muscles themselves, and I had the impression that they became more muscular than when I first saw them.

    Is there an effect of the dragon extract in the ramen?

    When it was over, it wasn''t just a few days.

    Before the sun went down, the Demon King recovered to his original muscular body.

    ''''I........the Demon King.......am the strongest......!

    His supremacy is not in an unusual concentration, and his glaring eyes are as if he could stare down a small animal.

    ''''There is no enemy in front of me........no one to rival me......!¡¡All life is under my control, all the world is my land...!

    ....Huh?

    Isn''t that scary, isn''t it, Demon Lord?

    The diet was too harsh and warped my personality!

    ''Maybe I ate too much gonkotsu ramen...''

    Veerle says comfortably, as if it''s someone else''s problem.

    ''Dragon extracts are not expelled from the body and keep accumulating all the time. That''s why once the adventurers have eaten it, they don''t want to eat it again for the rest of their lives. After the second bowl, they will have to eat human tonkotsu ramen.

    Hey, hey, hey!

    You fed the Demon Lord more than two cups of this stuff?

    In its original form, it would have turned into a berserker, even though I diluted the dragon extract 500 times to give it a 500-fold boost!

    You eat two cups of it, 250 times as much?

    If you eat three times as much, 13 times as much?

    It''s getting closer and closer to a dangerous concentration.

    "Is this the reason why the Demon King suddenly said some scary things?¡¡Answer me, Veerle, why did you do that!

    I was tempted to believe that a king could withstand a concentration greater than normal!

    Don''t take trusting people lightly!

    "Conflict demands it of me...!¡¡The people who live in the slumber of peace don''t deserve to live...!¡¡Start a war.¡¡Killing each other is the history of humanity...!

    If it goes on like this, the Berserker-turned-Demon King will start another world war!

    "Get a grip, Demon Lord!¡¡You weren''t supposed to be that character!

    You are a true champion of generosity and kindness, aren''t you!

    ''''Think of Mr. Gotia and little Marinette!¡¡Those kids will cry if they see the Demon King like that!

    Yeah, yeah!¡¡I am the father of Gotia and Marinette, and the father of the nation, and fatherly charity is forgiving. I must make sure that my successor, Gotia, sees that...!

    I managed to come to my senses by shaking my shoulders.

    ''Aw, man.

    ''No more of this diet!¡¡It''s too dangerous!¡¡Physical adjustments are a risk-averse exercise!

    ''But you don''t have to diet anymore, do you?''

    As Veerle pointed out, at the end of the mock battle in hell, the demon king had melted away the wasteful flab and thrown it away.

    He was as muscular as he was, and there was no need for further dieting on top of this.

    ''''Oh!¡¡I never thought I''d get back in shape so quickly!¡¡That''s what I call the Saint''s Temple Diet, it''s so powerful!

    I didn''t know about this awesome diet either.

    If I could lose weight that instantly, I''m sure everyone would want to do it. I''m sure not even one in a thousand people could achieve it.

    "Now I can show that Bellefegamilia guy off, too!¡¡Also, the old man who pulled out ''You''re fat!''!

    It was good.

    ''I feel some kind of accomplishment!¡¡Okay, let''s sip our usual drinks instead of celebrating!

    What?

    Saying that, the Demon King took it out from somewhere........

    A tube.

    It seems that there is something liquid inside it.

    The demon king looked up at it and gulped it down in one gulp.

    ''''I''m filled with energy!¡¡After all, this is the source of my power!

    Well, what is it?

    I was curious and asked him to show me the rest of what the Demon King had drunk.

    It was something familiar.

    It was mayonnaise.

    ''''Cause discovered!''''

 468-466 devil rebound

    ''I think I know why the Demon King got fat!¡¡It''s mayonnaise!¡¡There''s no doubt about it!

    The demon king was chugging the mayonnaise in one gulp as if he was having a drink after work.

    There was no doubt about it, since it was done right in front of me.

    My God!

    ''No wonder you''re getting fat if you do that!¡¡Why?¡¡Why mayonnaise?¡¡Mayo is a drink!

    No!

    Not drink!

    The demon king guzzled it down, that''s how fat he got!

    The Demon King is the most important body that supports the Demon Kingdom.

    He must be a court cook who is in charge of meals?¡¡You must be very careful.

    He wants to make sure that the Demon King stays healthy.

    And the Demon King himself is a person of moderation. It''s strange to think why this would make you obese, but....

    "I didn''t know such an unknown soldier was lurking around here...?

    Mayonnaise.

    It is made by mixing eggs, vinegar and oil.

    It''s especially high in oil, and it''s almost an oil.

    So it''s high in calories!

    "Of course you''re going to get fat if you drink this stuff!¡¡Why did you do this!¡¡Why did you do this?

    That being said, mayonnaise is a great way to relieve the stress of government service.

    It''s not a drink!

    It''s a kind of condiment.

    "When I put mayonnaise in my body, it feels like a power from the bottom of my body is coming up...!¡¡No matter how tired and depressed he may be, he always drinks mayonnaise and is instantly motivated. That''s why I can''t stop drinking mayonnaise.

    You depend on it...?

    It''s horrible. I had no idea that otherworldly mayola was this serious.

    ''Did they even have mayonnaise in this world in the first place?

    I developed mayonnaise on a farm a long time ago....

    If it was already there, it wasn''t a development.

    ''No, I learned about mayonnaise in the Hall of Saints.

    "What?

    I''m baffled by the demon lord''s confession.

    I had a dinner with him during one of my visits. I was struck by the richness of its flavor. I was shocked by the richness of the flavor, but I was even more surprised when I heard about the recipe. It was made with raw eggs!

    Yes, it is, but.

    Is there any inconvenience, sir?

    "Eggs must be eaten hot or they''ll get sick and be deadly!¡¡Otherwise you''ll get sick and tired of it, and it''ll kill you in a heartbeat!¡¡And yet mayonnaise made from raw eggs isn''t the least bit dangerous!¡¡You''d be shocked!

    Yeah, well...!

    Are we talking about salmonella?

    Eggs have a high probability of carrying such dangerous bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

    We often hear that you can''t eat eggs on rice except in Japan, but the reason is that there is a difference in the control system of each country where salmonella bacteria are removed or not.

    Eggs are treated as a normal foodstuff in this world as well, and there may be damage caused by salmonella bacteria.

    We also mix vinegar with mayonnaise, you know.

    Vinegar is the number one disinfectant ingredient.

    Even if a raw egg has salmonella on it, the vinegar mixed with it will kill it all.

    That''s why mayonnaise is safe even if you use a raw egg and don''t heat it at all.

    I was struck by the magical properties of mayonnaise. I was impressed. That''s when I decided to introduce mayonnaise to the land of evil.

    ''What?¡¡Seriously?

    If you ask me, the ingredients for mayonnaise are eggs, vinegar and oil. You can easily find all of them in the Devil''s Land. Moreover, they''re very nutritious and can help starving villages. In fact, when we sent mayonnaise as a relief supply to a famine-stricken village, no one died of starvation.

    Seriously?

    Isn''t that just a normal support thing that works?

    You sent a lot more than just mayonnaise, didn''t you?¡¡Mayonnaise-only relief supplies are now considered to be harassment!

    "Mayonnaise quickly spread throughout the land of evil.

    The mayonnaise that is sweeping the Devil''s Land....

    It started on a farm!

    Even so, it wasn''t well received at first. People were afraid to use raw eggs. So, as the devil king, I swallowed the mayonnaise in one gulp to show the world that it was safe to eat.

    You think it''s become a habit?

    So mayonnaise has become a drink?

    Captivated by the deliciousness of mayo?

    But that''s the result of the fat one!¡¡If you show that you don''t have food poisoning, if you show that you''re potentially obese, you''re going to end up being dangerous!

    Nuh-uh, the reason I gained weight was because of the mayonnaise...?

    It seems he hadn''t thought of it at all, and he was shocked.

    What the hell.

    The fact that I developed the mayonnaise in this world was the reason why the demon king was fattened up.

    Master....

    Master....

    Veerle and Holkosfone stare at me with a look of blame, as if it were someone else''s fault.

    ''''It''s my fault after all!

    The master''s food is hard to find. You have to be careful with it, okay?

    I don''t want Veerle to tell me.

    Anyway, Demon King, from now on, please don''t binge on mayonnaise. It''s definitely the reason why you''ve become a fat person.

    "Eeeeeeeeeeee?!

    The demon king, his face paled with a horrendous expression.

    Are you that shocked?

    Wait a minute. Mayonnaise, mayonnaise is now an absolute necessity in my governmental affairs. I must take it in between times to keep my mind steady!

    You''re addicted!

    Look.

    You may think you can lose weight again if you''re fat, but you can''t lose weight in a reckless manner like this one, not in a golden age.

    The only thing that supported the recklessness that is the Dragon & Angel Diet today was the supreme deleterious drug, Vire''s Dragon Extract-infused ramen noodles.

    However, dragon extract has a lifetime allowance, and the Demon King doesn''t know what will happen if he takes any more of it.

    That''s why I can''t let you eat even one more bowl of Dragon Ramen!¡¡And you can''t have a reckless diet like today''s without Dragon Ramen!

    Gong kotsu noodle soup, master.

    Viel is a stickler for detail!

    Can''t you get by without ramen noodles and natto?

    And Holkosfon continues to push for natto.

    But that''s not the root of the problem.

    ''Stop from getting fat in the first place. Just say no to mayonnaise and that''s what you''ll get.

    ''''I''m telling you, if you can do that, there will be no hardship!

    I don''t think I''ve ever seen the Demon King in such a tight spot.

    This is the work of mayonnaise.

    Please, Saints!¡¡Mayonnaise is essential to the efficiency of our governmental affairs!¡¡I mean, how can you overlook the fact that our country needs mayonnaise?

    That''s right, master!

    Huh?

    Why is Veal in the race?

    He''s the highest-ranking guy in the country, which means he''s got the hardest job in the world!¡¡I''m sure the burden is enormous!¡¡I don''t think we can do this without something to ease the burden!

    I agree with Veal.

    Even Holkosfon!

    ''''The reason this world is stable right now is because the ruler, Mr. Demon King, has the ability to make normal decisions. As a person who wishes to see stability, I appreciate that supporting him is the right thing to do.

    These two people suddenly took the side of the Demon King.

    What''s the matter with you two?

    No, I understand that too.

    The reason why this world is at peace is because of the efforts and cooperation of the people who live in this world, but it''s also because of the great ruler of the world, the Demon King.

    Because of the Demon King''s peaceful policy of ruling the world, I''m able to relax and live on the farm, tinkering with the soil.

    I know that.

    That''s why I have to support the Demon King as much as I can...

    Okay, okay.

    "Oh?

    Try making half-calorie mayonnaise to make it as fattening as possible.

    ''Thank you, saint!¡¡You are my benefactor!

    I know, I know.

    Mayonnaise is mayonnaise when you make it half-calorie, and mayonnaise is mayonnaise.

    That it''s not a fundamental solution.

    I''m a demon king who could go back to being a muscular macho in one day.

    Will he eventually go fat again?

 469-467 Tweet of Angry Holy Sword

    I am the furious Sacred Sword Ainrot.

    It is one of the seven holy swords!

    .........

    Ah.

    There''s no point in sighing from the start.

    Even though it''s a sword and it doesn''t even have a mouth, you can''t help but sigh.

    It''s because I''ve been in the greatest decadence ever in the more than one thousand years since I was created as a holy sword.

    The mission of the Seven Holy Swords was to fight and destroy each other.

    By devouring each of them, they would gather their strength, and the last one would become the true holy sword with ultimate power.

    My previous half-century or so was spent fighting to complete that mission.

    Similarly, I had struck down four swords of my own that were aiming for the True Saint Sword, absorbing their power and becoming even stronger.

    There were two swings left.

    Defeating them would allow him to become the True Holy Sword of his dreams, but those guys didn''t want to come out.

    After several hundred years of futility, I finally encountered one of them.

    I was ready to take a bite out of it, but the master of the sword was an extraordinary fellow.

    He forged a defeated holy sword that I had destroyed in the past and brought it back to life!

    What''s going on here?

    I was confused as to how the resurrection of the defeated would be handled in terms of the rules, but it was even more of a shock to me.

    The resurrected Zexweiss, the Holy Sword of Delusion, had turned into the True Holy Sword.

    Its strength is also strong, and with five swords'' worth of power, I was treated as a small fry.

    The same was true for the resurrected Grudge Sacred Sword Humphvirette, and I, who was the leading candidate to win the Holy Sword, was now a mere mortal.

    For hundreds of years since I was born, I''ve been fighting for my life, so what was the point of my efforts?

    Not only that, the resurrected & perfected Zexweis and Hunhvioret broke through the ''Sacred Barrier'' put up by the Heavenly Goddess, paving the way for the demon race to defeat the human race.

    That was the role that the True Holy Sword should play.

    The role of the holy sword was completely over, and I no longer knew what it was for.

    From then on, it was only there to adorn the waist of its owner.

    After the war, the Demon King, who is now focused on domestic politics, can''t ask me to do anything other than decorate him.

    Occasionally, though, it''s used to kill lesser dragons.

    After the battle, my existence is no longer important.

    In an age of peace, why would I need a sword?¡¡If you don''t need it, I''d rather have it smashed and erased from the world.

    I''m not going to forget how sharp I am as a sword and as a weapon.

    I don''t want to grow fat like my former master, who''s completely changed.

    But he''s really gotten fat, hasn''t he?

    Isn''t it about time we overlooked this?

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one.

    You can''t afford to be so complacent.

    Who speaks to me with a thought that can only be understood by this holy sword?

    Evil Holy Sword Dry Schwartz!

    A swing at my nemesis that I should have defeated.

    ''No, hey, that''s not what it used to be. Let''s relax our shoulders and enjoy the peaceful world we live in now. .........though swords don''t have shoulders!

    Huh, you''re turning into a completely weak-looking sword, aren''t you?

    .........

    What''s wrong with you, you''re too sweet!

    There''s a terribly sweet smell coming from the blade. What''s happening?

    ...and that''s how I''m doing my job for the Lord right now.

    I don''t know, but Dry Schwartz''s hint of enlightenment was frightening to me.

    That''s all I can say, "You''re in trouble, too.

    By the way.

    The reason we are talking to each other like this is because my master has visited his master again," he said.

    It seems that he has come to consult with his master about his recent obesity problem.

    Hmm, how pathetic.

    I''m sure he''ll return to his normal muscularity after four or five months of fighting and slaying enemies.

    Peace is bad, after all.

    Demons have to spend all their time fighting.

    I wonder if we could have a fierce battle that would awaken the Lord''s fighting instincts?

    It''s called a flag.

    What do you mean, Dry Schwartz?

    Before I could ask, a battle came upon me.

    A dragon!

    I wished that a devastating battle would break out, but isn''t this exceeding the limits?

    A dragon attacked!

    A dragon, not a Lesser, but a regular dragon!

    Even if I am a holy sword, this is more than I can handle!

    And what about the winged humans attacking us with dragons?

    I''ve never seen anything like it.¡¡What kind of species is this? It''s more powerful than any species I''ve ever known!

    "Holkosfone is an angel, the most powerful life force the gods of heaven have ever created!¡¡You''re as strong as a dragon, so be careful!''''

    What the hell?

    With Dry Schwartz''s distracted cheering, my Lord shook me and fought these two vicious bodies.

    To be honest, it wasn''t really a fight.

    It looks like you''ve managed to survive the onslaught of the monsters, but even so, my lord, you''ve done well.

    You''re not going to be able to get away with it, but you''re still going to be able to get away with it.

    It''s still a dull moment for me, but I''m still recognized as the strongest master of all time by the Angry Sacred Sword Einrort.

    It would be a great blessing to be able to continue to fight this master until he died.

    But the good times would soon pass.

    The fat Lord soon ran out of breath and went to rest.

    How boring.

    After all, you can''t get true elation in a mock battle that isn''t a real battle.

    While I was discouraged, the Lord ate a meal to regain his strength, but as soon as he took a bite....

    Ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    What the hell?¡¡A force so strong it burns down my blade!

    Is this the Lord''s power?

    I can''t believe that some kind of power the Lord has consumed is affecting me!

    What tremendous power!

    "The benefits of Dragon Ramen...

    Great!¡¡That''s great!

    Is this the power of a dragon?

    The dragon power that springs from the body of the Lord spreads through his hands to me, gaining momentum!

    It''s more than just a true holy sword, it''s an evolution!

    With this power, I can fight dragons and angels even more than before!

    This is the Holy Sword I''ve been looking for!

    "Do you want to fight Sonja?

    Huh?¡¡What?

    What did Dryschwartz say?

    It''s not him.

    Then whose voice is it?

    "Naraba, I will give you more power. And then you can destroy it all and kill it.

    Could this be the power of the dragon that comes from my sword?

    All dragons have that wild, destructive urge to destroy that which tries to control me.

    "Ask for more power, and I will give it to you. Then I will swallow it all and destroy it!

    No, sir.

    What now?

    "Do not ask for destruction. Your master wishes for everlasting peace. Your master wants to see lasting peace and to protect people''s small happiness. Isn''t that the most noble thing you can do?

    Who are you to say so?

    "I was ingested into the body of the demon king along with the dragon extract, the holy spirit of natto.

    The Holy Spirit of Natto?

    Surely my Lord ate some gooey, sticky beans with his ramen noodles?

    Does natto show the right side of things?

    Good and evil.

    Light and dark.

    Dragon extract and natto battle!

    I am, I am........?

    * * * *

    Hey, Einrodt!¡¡Why did you suddenly stop talking and give me an answer?

    Dry Schwartz.

    You kept calling out to me with concern, thank you.

    ''What?¡¡What''s with the sudden change in attitude?

    I was reborn.

    The light and darkness rivaled each other inside me, and in the end, the light won.

    "What?

    I realized.

    This was a time of conflict. Not as a weapon, but as an instrument to aid the Demon King in his quest for peace.

    Natto told me that.

    Natto?¡¡What''s that?

    The dragon extracts give you more power, and Natto controls that power.

    Now I have both of these things to surpass the true holy sword, and I''m able to make it right.

    The Natto Sacred Sword.

    The Natto Sacred Sword, I''ll use it to survive this reign together with the Demon King.

    ''''I don''t know, but it''s good to eat natto with the Dragon Ramen, isn''t it?

 470-468 Magic development again

    In the meantime, Demon King''s diet was successful (tentatively), and the usual peace returned to me.

    .........

    I guess this is what they call putting off the problem.

    Oh well.

    I''ll just change my mind.

    While I was walking around the farm, I found yet another group of people who caught my attention.

    It''s the doctor and the doctor.

    "What are you doing in the farm...?

    The doctor doesn''t need a reason to come to the farm to visit, but the fact that it''s the doctor he''s hanging out with invites caution.

    After all, both sides are no-life kings who live for thousands of years.

    They are some of the best of them.

    If those two people are talking secretly with their foreheads together, it would be strange not to be alarmed.

    The cat''s forehead is small, though.

    ''''But I don''t know how to talk to them...''''

    It''s kind of like those two.......or one and one.

    They are discussing in a super serious atmosphere, so it''s hard to interrupt. Since it''s the teacher, it''s unlikely in all likelihood that it would put him or her in a bad mood, but after all, they do pay attention to the elders.

    In that case, it''s time for the youngsters to take a turn.

    That''s why I put in the spirits of the earth.

    It''s Neko-chan!

    There''s a cat in here!

    I''m going to be a pretty cat.

    As a child, the earth spirit in the form of a cat is very popular with the spirit of the earth.

    And because he is basically a child, he can boldly attack adults without reading the atmosphere.

    "Geez!¡¡I''m back again.¡¡Help me!

    The doctor was caught on the spot and was writhing in agony, but the doctor was already holding him by the torso, making it impossible for him to escape.

    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you can''t escape.

    Hey, Sensae, how do you do?

    And the spirits of the earth are unafraid to say hello to even the no-life king''s teacher.

    Children don''t know what to be afraid of.

    A child does not know what to be afraid of. I''m proud of you for being able to say hello.

    Greatness!

    We were great!

    The doctor is also a basic child lover, so he spoils her endlessly.

    Even though the conversation with the doctor was interrupted by him, instead of being angry, he smiles with a big smile on his face.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to do that.

    In the meantime, these are the spirits who ask the doctor for help........

    ''''Of course it''s fine.''''

    "You dare to question me?

    "I''ve been betrayed! I''ve been betrayed!

    I got permission from Sense!

    It''s time to go to work!

    First time in a row!

    The spirits of the earth can do whatever they want.

    When they force the cat, the doctor, to lie down on his back, they ruffle his belly.

    At this point, the cat already had a resigned expression on his face.

    ''Excuse me, I''m sorry, my children are shushing me.

    I talk to the teacher in a natural manner.

    Perfectly natural, if I do say so myself.

    "It''s all right," he says, "but I''ve never been very good with children. I can''t help but do whatever you ask of me.

    ''''Grandpa-nya!''''

    While being stroked, the doctor throws out a tweak that also serves as a protest.

    2. such a doctor is teased day and night by the Holy Spirit of the Earth.

    3£®He can''t help but ask the adorable Holy Spirit of the Earth for a favor.

    .........

    The trifecta is not established. In this lineup, the teacher is just an absolute weakling.

    Oh well.

    I was finally able to talk to him with the tense atmosphere broken as I''d planned.

    So what were you and the doctor discussing?

    It looks rather serious.

    I can''t help but be curious after seeing that atmosphere.......

    ''New magic development nyah.''

    The doctor said as he was still being stroked all over his body.

    ''New magic...''

    I''m pretty sure I''ve heard that one before.

    Are you suggesting that we make an original spell for humans?

    "Yeah!

    But that story was dropped, wasn''t it?

    The great races that line the earth.

    The human race and the demon race.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    There was a time when the doctor and the doctor were struggling to develop a better magic for the human race to replace such a faulty legal magic.

    The efforts of those two great no-life kings were ruthlessly crushed by the gods, though.

    ''''The gods tinkered with the setting so that magic magic could be used by the human race as well, right?¡¡Wouldn''t that solve everything?

    "That''s not a very good idea, my saint!

    Oh?

    The teacher is excited.

    "Every race has its own advantages and disadvantages. ''''Magic magic is a magic that is invoked with the help of the spirits that exist in this world.

    ''And all the spirits of the earth were created by the gods Hades and Demeter Sephone!¡¡So are these guys!

    The doctor points to the earth spirits flocking to him and says.

    The two of them seem to be getting more heated.

    The demon race is a human race that was created by the gods of the earth, so they have a good match with the spirits of the earth. They share the same ancestors.

    ''In contrast, the human race produced by the gods is a distinctly different species!¡¡I''d rather be the enemy!¡¡''''A definite handicap to the magic magic magic that requires you to communicate with spirits and minds!

    I see.

    It''s not as simple as just saying "I enabled you to use it," is it?

    It''s not a good idea to use magic magic magic that borrows the power of spirits, because it is necessary to communicate with nature, so it''s incompatible with the human race that is outside the nature of the earth.

    Then, just in the right place, a couple walked by.

    Litesseus and Eringian.

    An international couple of the human race demon race who were farm students and still different in this day and age.

    ''''Timely, come here for a minute.''''

    ''What?¡¡What is it?

    I just lined up two different people of the human tribe and demon tribe, and let the earth spirit face each of them.

    ''''Oi-chan!¡¡Please hold her in your arms, Onii-chan!

    As for the demon maiden Eringya, the earth spirit is also well nostalgic for the demon race maiden.

    It''s a level that is not reserved.

    ''''What?¡¡What are you guys, stop it, don''t get attached. I don''t like children!

    A line that sounds like something a child would say.

    But in the end, Eringya was defeated by her roots and picked up the earth spirits.

    ''''Wow!''''

    Someday I''ll be like this with the children of Lycheeus......... Gufufufufu.........!

    While the maiden is immersed in her fantasy, the other combination is........

    ''''.........!

    ''''.........?''''

    There was a mysterious tension in the air.

    The human race''s Lycheeus and the earth spirit. They kept a certain distance from each other and refused to move.

    They are jittery as if they are wary of each other.

    ''''Um, what is this?¡¡Why are the children so obviously wary of you?¡¡I thought I was good at babysitting and stuff back home...?

    Lycheeus-kun is confused.

    Is that because he is human?

    They are a race of people who were sent by the gods to invade the earth and have long withered the earth with their legal magic.

    But that''s in the past, and there''s no crime to be attributed to Lycheeus-kun personally.

    You have to be understanding of the spirit of the earth.....

    I don''t have any choice.

    Hey, man.

    In the end, Lycheeus was also able to embrace the earth spirit, but the air of ''reluctance'' is blatantly conveyed.

    ''''Thus, the human race is hated by all the spirits.

    "Depending on the type of spirits, they may dislike humans even more fiercely. It''s no wonder they can''t use magic magic to enlist the help of spirits.

    I see...

    Gods, another lazy job.

    That''s where you need to be!¡¡There''s a new magic for humans for humans!''

    Education that stretches the character of the student!¡¡We are going to develop a new kind of human magic for the benefit of the human students!

    The Immortal Kings and others were burning.

    Therefore, the development of new legal magic, it''s a restart.

 471-469 Characteristics of human race

    Why?¡¡Are these strongest Immortals that passionate about developing new magic?

    You could say that is the habit of the No Life King.

    To begin with, he hadn''t had enough of the straightforward life and gave up being a man to gain immortality.

    The purpose of this is usually to further his magical research.

    There is no more ideal than the No-Life King for a magical researcher who is not limited by lifespan, meaning that he can continue his research forever.

    You have to be a high-ranking wizard to be a No-Life King, too.

    A new subject for such a person would be an exciting subject to study.

    On the other hand, they may also feel compassion for the human race.

    It may be that they have a hidden motive to help the war defeated, abandoned by the gods, and helpless, childlike people.

    I''m sure the teacher has one, no doubt.

    It''s no longer necessary to argue that he is a kind person.

    As for the doctor''s side........I don''t know.

    It looks like a cat and its expression is even more unreadable.

    The only thing I can do is to convince myself that the creature is just like that.

    The new magic development project for the human race is promoted by these two parties.

    * * * *.

    "First, let''s review the characteristics of the human race.

    "N-nya, this is a necessary step in the process of creating suitable magic for humans.

    What are the characteristics of the human race?

    I guess you could say that the absence of any of the traits is more of a human trait?

    "The only thing that makes humans superior to other species is the amount of mana they possess.

    You said that before.

    Human beings need mana in order to carry out their life activities. Every species has its own life force within its body, but in the case of the human race, its capacity is much higher.

    As we were talking about what was going on, one of the girls came in from somewhere that I hadn''t called for.

    It was Lettuce Rate.

    Lettuce Rate exhaled with a huff, straightened her posture, took Yamaseigou''s gait, and quickly shot out a fist from there.

    ''''Say!''''

    That regular fist thrust, even though it was shot out into the void, was of tremendous power, and the air from the bullet flew up to where we were and struck our chattering faces.

    I''m sure if I hit him with a fresh tree, he would smash it to pieces.

    ''End of the warm-up before the field work!¡¡Come on, we''re going to grow some more beans today.

    As I said before, the reason why the princess is so powerful is because she uses her body mana, which is twice as big as anyone else''s. She must have developed her talent while living on the farm.

    "As expected of royalty, they have even more mana than the rest of humanity.

    True lettuce rate, when did the power character become completely on board...!

    But is that unique to humans?¡¡It can be said that the human body''s mana, which is known as "the", is the reason for its usefulness.

    It''s a good idea to use the human body mana to your advantage.

    I wish I could make good use of that huge amount of human body mana.

    I''ve been working on a research project that I was working on until I got side-swiped by Hermes'' idiot god. I''m going to make some kind of new magic that expands on that.

    These two, who will undoubtedly be listed among the world''s strongest candidates, are serious about completing this project.

    "We have an idea.

    The teacher says enthusiastically.

    ''How about some recovery magic?¡¡The life mana would go hand in hand with the self-healing power of plants and animals.

    "A recovery spell?

    The doctor''s reaction was loud.

    It''s also a good idea to make sure you have a good idea of what you''re looking for. The recovery spell is an orthodox goal, but it''s the most difficult spell that no one has ever perfected.

    Huh?

    Really?

    ''''There have been several No-Life Kings who have tried to develop recovery magic in the past, but they have all failed. Do you want to try the impossible?

    ''''The reason the No Life King can''t use recovery magic is because he developed it based on his own magical power. How could he activate his life force by relying on the Immortal Mana?''''

    The teacher replies stagnantly.

    ''''To begin with, the No Life King itself can absorb the stagnant mana in the dungeon and regenerate as much as it wants, so you yourself don''t need any recovery magic. That''s probably why they''re not serious about developing it.''''

    "To a point.

    But I''m not!¡¡I''ll show you how to develop a recovery spell that can be easily mastered by the human race to help your students grow even further!

    The teacher''s motivation was tremendous.

    What could inspire a teacher to be so determined to serve the young people to this extent?

    ''''Um........may I ask you a question?''''

    That being said, there was something that was bothering me too, so I asked.

    ''I think you used recovery magic before, Sensei, is that bad?

    See, didn''t a teacher once heal a student''s wounds in the blink of an eye?

    Oh, you mean those?

    As the doctor suddenly remembered.....

    It''s not a recovery spell. It''s just a temporal manipulation of the body to undo all the damage.

    "And I''m trying to return your body to the way it was before you were hurt.

    Hmmm...!

    Is that so...?

    Wasn''t time that easy to manipulate?

    * * *

    However, the development of recovery magic would take time, even for Dr. Ika, so he decided to start with a quick method of using the human body''s mana.

    He would use the human race''s surplus mana to strengthen their muscle strength.

    This was the one that lettuce rates naturally, and by combining the power of mana and muscle strength, he would be able to exert higher physical abilities.

    Both offensive and defensive power will be blown up.

    It seems that the teacher had already figured out how it works, and he immediately made it into a technique that anyone can use and taught it to his students.

    Most of the foreign students who live in our farm are also very talented, so they learn it in no time at all.

    * * * *

    Ochaaahhhh!

    A mock battle between students.

    The human race students overwhelmed their demon and mermaid classmates, winning consecutive battles.

    ''''Everyone is growing up as we watch........!

    The teacher looked on with satisfaction.

    The human race students who had mastered the mana muscle strengthening method approached their opponents with tremendous vigor, crushing and blowing away their defenses without a care in the world.

    The demon students didn''t even give them time to use their signature magic.

    It''s not a good idea to have a good time.

    "The power gap is too great!¡¡You can''t last ten moves in close combat!

    He was only horrified.

    ''''With the rule of facing each other and then fighting at the beginning, the demon children have no chance against the human children anymore,''''

    Well, we should at least be far enough away to make room for the spell.

    That''s how much of a gap there is between the human race and other races in terms of fighting ability.

    It''s not a bad idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing.

    ''''It looks like we need to revise the rules for mock battles...''''

    The human race was defeated in the war, but what would have been the result if this ability had been spread before that?

    I''m a teacher who has created such a terrifying power-up method with ease.

    It''s a good idea to develop a recovery spell at this rate. I''m sure you''ll be very happy to see the world develop with my help.

    A teacher who is continuously motivated.

    I thought that perhaps this farm could be the starting point from which the teacher would change the whole way of being for all of humanity.

    And I digress.

    The human race students who had doubled their muscle strength after learning from their teacher, but none of them were able to beat the lettuce rate in a power match.

    ''Beans!¡¡Your power comes from the beans!

    Lettuce Rate said of his victory.

    ''If we all wanted to be strong, we could all just eat our beans!¡¡It''s the beans that give you the power!¡¡The beans are the champions of the world!

 472-470 Students clash

    My name is Valkina.

    I''m an exchange student on a farm.

    When I first came here, I was afraid that I''d be sacrificed.

    I''m having more fun than I thought.

    * * * *

    Over and out!¡¡Valkina the Winner!

    I won again.

    New trick from your teacher?¡¡A technique?¡¡I''ve been on a roll ever since they taught me how to do it.

    I can move twice as fast as before.

    The power and speed are both tremendous.

    With these physical abilities, it''s easy to jump in and take them out before they can use their magic.

    The human race has won again!

    We did it, Walckiner!

    Lavish praise from the schoolmates of his tribe.

    These days, the mock battle classes were dominated by the human race if one looked at the species.

    Or did they win it all?

    With the physical strengthening methods his teacher had taught him, the human race was now in full swing at the farm school.

    ''Nope, it feels great to win!

    ''I like the idea of winning it all!¡¡Just perfect!

    It''s all thanks to some secret tricks my teacher taught me.

    His fellow human beings couldn''t help but be excited.

    Victory was such a good feeling!

    Hmph!¡¡Don''t let it go to your head!

    And then there''s someone who tries to throw a damper on the aftermath of our victory.

    It''s the students of the demon tribe.

    All of the three main tribes are studying at the farm school.

    "In the War of the Humans and Demons, you humans have been defeated, and we are now under the control of the demon tribe!¡¡Forget that and get carried away with this little victory, you fluent people!¡¡Get your head out of your ass!

    What?

    Even though people are in a good mood.

    You''re sour grapes, but that''s a nasty thing to say.

    "I know that," he said, "but that''s not what this is about. I know that, but that''s not the same thing. What''s wrong with being happy about something that''s right in front of you?

    ''Ugh!¡¡But that........the big picture........?

    It is very frustrating to lose, and the demon students try to mount up by citing the results of the former war.

    But there''s a saying that goes, "It''s a matter of buying and selling.

    ''''That war would have been won if we had this technique back then, wouldn''t it?

    "Nuh-uh?

    See.

    The girl who speaks frankly on the human side says frankly, "Winning the war is just a matter of time.

    You''re the one who doesn''t have to worry about winning the war. If you want to try it again, let''s have another war?¡¡If this technique strengthens the entire human race, we''ll kick the demon race to the curb next time, okay?

    "You said it!

    The atmosphere is becoming more dangerous and explosive.

    ''''No fighting!''''

    It was that Lycheeus guy who broke in before anyone else.

    I knew it was this guy.

    ''''I don''t care who wins!¡¡I think it''s all about peace or not!¡¡Neither the demon race nor the human race can easily destroy the peace they have grasped after overcoming a hard and painful battle!

    If Lytesseus, the outstanding honor student in the farm school, breaks in, no one will be able to compete with him.

    Ku..........

    "What''s the matter with you, being a good girl...?

    That''s the most you can say in anguished disgust.

    We don''t train on a farm to be strong, we don''t train on a farm to beat anyone up or look down on anyone!¡¡We''re all going to be strong enough to keep the peace!

    ''Yes, Lycheeus is right!

    Mr. Erringia?

    I got (or was gotten?) as soon as I came to the farm. Even she agreed with you.........?

    ''''You can''t help but win or lose in a mock battle. But that''s not the point, the point is that they compete with each other and progress........ .........hmm?

    Hmm?

    What''s the matter, Theseus?

    When I thought that his body suddenly started to tremble........

    Wooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    It flew!

    Lycheeus flew away!

    What''s going on?

    What kind of phenomena are we being shown here?

    Whoa!¡¡ Whoa!¡¡ Whoa!

    Lycheeus is flying almost directly upwards with the momentum of a bow and arrow being shot.

    So why?

    You didn''t even show the slightest bit of pretense like that!

    The biological mana!¡¡I can''t control the bio-mana.

    Eh? !

    Ah.........

    Since all the students of the human race have already mastered the body strengthening method using biological mana taught by their teacher, of course Lycheeus has mastered it as well.

    Or rather, he was the first to master it.

    However, she is a genius to begin with, she still can''t completely control the surplus of biological mana and sometimes goes out of control like that.

    ''''But that doesn''t mean it will fly...?

    I didn''t know about the human race having a higher amount of biological mana than other races until my teacher told me about it....

    It seems that among them, Lycheeus is the one with the highest basic biological mana reserves.

    As expected of a genius.........

    That''s why he ended up in that situation when he used his biological mana so poorly.

    ''''Litisseusu!¡¡Come back to me, Litheceusu!

    On the ground, Eringya was in a panic.

    Even though they haven''t been able to control it yet, if a power of a different dimension was shown off like that, everyone would be taken aback.

    And it doesn''t matter what it is.

    ''''Let''s go back to independent practice........!

    I''m going to help you with the garden...

    Everyone goes back to doing what they are supposed to do.

    The peace was preserved by the noble sacrifice of Lycheeus.

    * * * *

    I''m sorry about earlier.

    is a guy named Rathil.

    He is from the demon tribe, and we happened to be working on the same project.

    There are still some people on the demon side," he said, "who are still trapped in a strange sense of pride. The demons have won the war. The demon race is the greatest of all.

    You''ve been there, haven''t you?

    In the old days, but all that cheesy vanity blew up in your face the minute you stepped foot on this farm.

    Well.

    A lot of common sense is shattered in this place.

    When I first arrived here, I didn''t understand it at all.

    "Demons aren''t the strongest in the world, they''re just a tiny, lowly race from everywhere. The saint, the teacher, Mr. Veerle, Holkosfon...

    ''Don''t do it, you''ll end up spending all day listing the names of the Transcendents.

    Yeah, well...

    But I know what you''re going to say.

    Anyone who walks into a place like this feels like they''re just a pittance, right?

    I''ve been getting beaten up by your race in mock battles lately. I''m thinking that maybe it was just a fluke that we won the war, and that demons aren''t really such a great race.

    No, that''s not...?

    It''s true that demons can use magic. But if the humans use mana to enhance their bodies, they will be crushed before they can cast a spell. Their initial speed is completely different.

    It''s not something each species is good at.

    You heard the doctor and the saint, right?

    ''''If that''s the case, then maybe the demon race isn''t a race suitable for fighting after all. Maybe it''s wrong for such a race to be the champion of the earth...''''

    Rathil seemed to be quite thoughtful.

    I say this because I''m on the losing side of the war, I don''t think there is any such thing as a superior or inferior creature in the first place.

    Each of us has our own way of survival, and as long as we survive, we win.

    But even if you say that, it''s unlikely to get through to Rathil, who has lost his confidence now.

    Behind our newfound power and empowerment....

    I can''t believe someone would have this kind of trouble.

 473-471 Student conflicts

    It continues to be Warkina.

    The days go by with my worries unresolved.

    Today was an extracurricular class for the purpose of actual battle training.

    We entered Master Veerle''s mountain dungeon and actually fought and hunted against monsters.

    Of course it''s a serious battle against monsters. There is no way this is going to be a mock battle. Everyone, brace yourselves.

    ""Yes!"

    Led by Mr. Okura, an orc.

    She said, "If you sense danger, you must run away immediately. The purpose of today''s training is to improve your judgment. Just don''t shout for help. You may attract monsters instead of friends.

    They give you a quick warning.

    But it''s not the first time we''ve entered a dungeon like this, and frankly, it''s quite common.

    For the farm, it''s a matter of supplying meat and other materials, so it''s something we''ve become accustomed to.

    We want a lot of meat, so we need to be efficient. We want a lot of meat, so we need to be efficient.

    See, here''s the thing.

    It''s called extracurricular, and it''s a meat supply with students!

    The custom-made target is a square bore, and as always, the one who hunts the most will be awarded the daring prize. Still, the important thing is to stay safe. Safety first.

    ""Yes!"

    That''s why we''re entering a mountain dungeon.

    However, it''s a bit tricky because we''re tied up as a couple.

    If you''ve got a boyfriend or girlfriend, you''re going to be paired up as a couple.

    Lycheeus!¡¡Come and join me!

    ''''Uh, yeah fine, Mr. Erringia...?''''

    Just like that.

    There are cases where it''s always a party of three or four instead of a two-person team, but the fact that it''s two people today is probably for real efficiency.

    The number of teams itself increases due to the small number of constituent elements, and that''s why it''s spread out.

    This means that the rate of encounters with prey will also increase.

    "Rathir, why don''t you come with us?

    Oh, yeah...!

    I''ve decided to team up with Lartil.

    The only reason we''re in this situation is because neither of us has a girlfriend.

    ''Valkina is a strange one, isn''t she? You''re so popular and you don''t have a girlfriend...

    Well, I don''t really care about that kind of stuff.

    In human country, does it really matter if he has a girlfriend?

    Ouch!¡¡Dude!¡¡That''s not how you are, young lady!

    Regardless of that, I wanted to team up with Lathil today.

    It was because his words the other day bothered me a lot.

    We were crawling through the mountain dungeon.

    The personnel had already dispersed and there was no sign of anyone else in the area.

    ........you know, you shouldn''t worry too much about the differences between races.

    I''m going to lay out some encouraging words of encouragement I''ve been thinking about a lot over the last night.

    ''Do you know if I told you that the biological mana of the human race is held in greater quantities than the others?¡¡The average human race is about fifteen to seven with the other races being ten. That''s just the difference between them.

    Princess Letaslate is indeed royalty, or should I say royalty, though it seems to have two or three hundred mana holdings.

    Litesseus has a thousand or two thousand.

    I heard that a no-life king like Sensei is infinite because he absorbs and uses not only his own mana but also the natural mana around him.

    ''''For that kind of difference, you guys can make up for it enough with your good magic, we just haven''t found a way to do it now...!

    No!

    He was interrupted by a sharp voice.

    "I know you''re trying to cheer me up, but it''s just making me feel miserable. Just leave me alone...!

    ''''Uh........?''''

    I didn''t know Lartil had thought so hard about it.

    It''s not about the demons, it''s about my own lack of talent. I don''t have enough talent to stay here. I''m going to ask them to send me back to where I came from.

    ''No, wait!?''

    I tried to do something to dissuade him, but I was interrupted.

    I noticed a pair of red eyes peering at me from a narrow gap in the folded trees.

    "At a time like this...?

    It''s a monster.

    We had originally entered the mountain dungeon as part of field training to fight monsters.

    You can''t go through with your prey.

    We can talk about it later. We''ll take her down later.

    That''s it.

    Both I and Lathyr are armed with a variety of weapons.

    My favorite is the thick-walled hatchet.

    Some people say it''s not very cool, but the blade is thick and strong, and it can split even a small amount of fur and shell in one fell swoop.

    The shortness of the blade makes it easy to handle, and it''s a pretty good weapon to bring into a dungeon!

    In contrast, what Rathil was holding was a sword.

    Although it is said to be an officially issued item of the Demon King''s army, it is inexplicably slender and unreliable.

    It''s not a good idea to have a special order target. It''s a custom-made target, my lucky day!

    The meat is so good, they consume so much.

    A horned boar emerges from the shade of a tree.

    Two tusks sprouting from its mouth and two horns from its head. They seem to have been named the square boar from the fact that the tips of the tusks are connected to form a square shape.

    Suppose we hunt that square bore and get praised by everyone?

    Let''s go!

    Oh, hey...?

    Overcoming my partner''s restraint, I make the first move.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of trees around, so I''ll be able to kick the trunks and jump to the right and left to get behind my prey in the blink of an eye.

    You see, it''s just like watching Gobukichi-san''s super-fast movement.

    Naturally, it''s as fast as a dying worm compared to its original home, but it''s still able to successfully disrupt a monster!

    He swung the axe across his brow, exceeding even the reaction time of a wild animal.

    With an uncontested fatal wound, the rabid boar lost the strength from his legs and crumpled to the ground with a crunch.

    Ceased?

    It''s gone.

    After killing it, we pray for the beast''s good health and well-being. The saint''s teaching that the rule is to receive the corpse and use it as flesh and blood for life.

    Okay, then, let''s start draining the blood right away. It won''t taste so good if it still has a bad smell.

    ''Oh, oh...?''

    Rathil was scowling.

    .........No good, I took care of everything by myself.

    Should I have let him have a few flowers to restore his confidence?

    ''''Um........sorry?''''

    No, it''s fine, it''s not necessary...

    Rathil doesn''t seem to have been discouraged because he was originally discouraged.

    If you''ve already fallen to the bottom of the barrel, there''s no way to go lower than that.

    ''''Since you were able to strengthen your body, your movements have changed completely. You were like a gobbler.''''

    No, no, no, no, no!

    What''s the point of being on a farm if you can''t do that...

    More and more, Lartil is depressed.

    Is there a double bottom?

    I didn''t know how to encourage him anymore, and he was cracking up.

    "....Oh?¡¡There''s the square bore again?

    Again?

    That''s a hell of a lot to take in.

    I''m too busy taking care of my friends to do anything about it!

    Yeah, we''ll kill you quickly and efficiently again.

    Ah, but then Rathil would be depressed again!

    He said he would head for the prey in question while struggling with the dilemma of what in the world to do. I quickly realized that my worries were trivial.

    The monster in front of me was indeed a square bore.

    Like before, it would be almost danger-free to hunt it.

    If it was just a single one.

    The square bore ''tachi'' in front of me right now is.....

    No matter how you estimate it, there were at least twenty of them.

    "There''s a group of them!

    On such a scale as this flock, there were two of us.

    This is not a good idea.

 474-472 Unity of students

    It''s kind of easy to defeat, so people tend to think of Square Boa as such a weak monster....

    That''s not true.

    Their fierce rush is the greatest. It is said that there are few monsters that can surpass its speed.

    A wild boar charging into a straight line from a low position is difficult to deal with, and there is no hope of getting rid of a heavyweight boar that is pouring its full weight on you if you come across it.

    The square bore was equipped with the two tusks and two horns that give it its name, a total of four sharp edges.

    It is said that many adventurers have had their bodies torn to shreds by those things.

    --''''Square boas are famous for their delicious meat, but they''re even more famous for their danger.

    The person who taught me was Silver Wolf, an S-class adventurer who was invited to be a special lecturer sometime ago.

    What''s the deal with that guy being the only one to teach me about the dangers of monsters?

    I mean, to the people on the farm, it might be like foodstuffs growing legs and coming over from the other side, but to us regular people, it''s still dangerous.

    But for the rest of us, it''s just as dangerous.¡¡Warkina, what do we do...?

    Rathil is feigning calmness at first glance, but his voice is trembling.

    The square-bore crowd is still gazing at us with a price-taking gaze.

    As soon as they realize that they are easy to kill, they will attack us without hesitation. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to get out of it. I''m not sure how many of them are out there, but we can''t reach that many by ourselves.

    I guess so...!

    Right now, it''s more a matter of numbers than anything else.

    No matter how much power I''ve gained through physical enhancements, I''m not confident that I''ve been enhanced enough to survive the rush of a square bore and be safe.

    As I said before, the average amount of biological mana possessed by the human race was about 1.5 to 7 times that of other races. Five to seven times as much as other races.

    The range of power-ups was also only within that range.

    The square bore that he killed first was also close, but he had no choice but to leave it behind and run away.

    My own life is more important!

    Take your time.¡¡If it becomes a normal chase, you''ll never get away with it...!

    First of all, people can never beat a square bore on pure driving speed.

    Even more so when it comes to mountain roads.

    And that''s what Silverwolf said!

    We''ll have to find a way out of there. The magic will wear off.

    "Oh, oh...?

    His reply was brave, but his voice is still trembling.

    Fear permeates your body.

    Did he see through it?

    Before Rathil could complete the spell, the boar attacked him!

    "Whaaaaat?¡¡Hiiiiiiiiiiiiight?!

    The spell chanting is interrupted by the horror.

    I''m going to have to swing my sword around randomly.

    "Idiot, if you swing it so blindly...?

    I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them.

    Meanwhile, the boar continues to close in on Rathil.

    ''''d*mn it!

    The hatchet I threw as quickly as I could hit the square bore, which was running to attack Lartil, hitting him in the head.

    I was hit by a lie!

    I didn''t expect it to really hit.

    But if I hadn''t hit him, L¨¢thil would be badly injured by now.

    Lartil!¡¡I''ll take care of this one, so run!

    ''But!¡¡But...!

    No protests, no strikes!

    He rushes over and pulls out his hatchet in a great hurry.

    I was able to kill one of them, but there are still dozens of them left.

    They are frightened by the loss of their companions, but they will attack again soon, regardless of that. It''s a d*mn shame.

    I''m going to have to call for help while I''m still holding out!¡¡It''s the only way to survive!

    What''s so great about having someone so conveniently close...?

    It''s the end of our lives, isn''t it?

    No, it''s not.

    At worst, if you can get away with calling for your friends, Rathil will be saved.

    Whoa, whoa, whoa.

    The rest of the square-bores attacked us immediately.

    En masse, en masse, no mercy for the beast.

    "You''re targeting me for killing my own people, so that''s good...!

    Don''t go to Rathil''s side.

    The physical enhancements your teacher taught you aren''t infinite or universal either.

    There''s no way you can become as strong as a dragon or angel grade just because you can turn a little more biological mana into power compared to other races.

    You can''t even kick out dozens of square boas in an instant.

    Nor can you stay safe after being slashed by fangs and horns.

    He wouldn''t be able to stay out of it for that long.

    I''m sorry.

    Miss Sera........!

    Valkina get down!

    What?

    I obeyed the call before I could think.

    As I crawled down, a tremendous amount of wind pressure rushed over my head.

    The wild boars were blown away by the wind pressure.

    After flying through the air, they were damaged by hitting tree trunks and being knocked to the ground.

    ''''Is this magic!

    Wind-attribute magic?

    That means the person who shot this is...?

    Lathyr?¡¡I thought you were running away!

    I''m not leaving you alone!¡¡I have one last thing to be proud of, too!

    There would be no pride in dying stupid!

    ''Now that you''re a wallflower, I can afford to chant a spell!¡¡Let''s get out of here while we can!

    Oh, oh...

    Oddly enough, it''s just as we first planned.

    I''ll run away as soon as I disrupt the scene with an attack spell!

    But..........

    "I''m not going to make it in time!

    The wild boars are quickly regrouping and attacking us!

    It''s time to do it again!¡¡Valkina!¡¡Protect me until the spell is ready!

    Yeah!

    Rathil is not a brave man, to be honest.

    That''s why he''s so scared of danger, and he screws up in many ways out of fear.

    But if I''m a wall on all sides, blocking all danger, he can cast spells without worry.

    That''s exactly what I''m supposed to do, the muscle-bound fool.

    I can''t hold out for too long.

    "You better be ducking under the gun!¡¡"Vacuum whirlwind cannon!

    ''''Don''t say that at the same time as you shoot, phew!

    Even so, he gets down at the perfect time and confirms that the wild boars are flying in the fierce wind that fires out.

    However, the wild boars are tough.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find the best way to get the best out of it.

    "Hey Rathir!¡¡Do you have any stronger magic?¡¡You can''t get rid of them all, no matter how hard you shoot at them!

    ''''Even so, if it was fire magic or something, it would be a wildfire!¡¡The most widespread attacking magic that doesn''t damage its surroundings is this!

    So that''s it, d*mn it!

    But it''s steadily effective.

    Skip and smash them over and over again, and eventually the damage will accumulate and they''ll be stuck.

    Even with my attacks, I''ve been able to take out some of them.

    "I''m going as far as I can go!¡¡Rathil, cover me!

    I''ll take care of it, Valkina, but don''t let any of them past us!

    I''m the vanguard and Lathil is the rear guard.

    They are in a formation that cannot be broken by the mutual protection of each other.

    If a boar can break it, break it!

    Just when I thought it was a good idea.

    The square bore was wiped out.

    In an instant.

    ''What are you guys doing?''

    ''''Orca-san!''''

    With a blow from the battle-axe fired by the orc Okra-san, the wild boar, which still had more than twenty heads, were blown away all at once.

    We risked our lives to confront a group of monsters that we were about to confront.

    After all, only farm dwellers are monsters...!

 475-473 Growth of students

    We were both hit in the fist by Mr. Okura.

    Okay?

    "Ow!

    It hurt like a scream.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    I told you to run away if you''re in danger!¡¡What do you have the guts to stand up to!

    This was the reason why Okra was so angry.

    ''What would I say to the saints, your teachers, and your parents if something were to happen to you!¡¡I almost had to cut myself open and apologize!¡¡Use better judgment!¡¡Know when it''s time to get out!

    "I''m sorry!

    Around them, the square boas were dismantled by their classmates who had heard the commotion.

    There were a mess of them, so this would be enough to replenish the meat.

    ''So, but we couldn''t escape either...!

    The square bore is faster than a man''s feet, and there''s no way for it to survive other than to stand up to it...!

    Desperately trying to make excuses alongside Rathil, Orkla said frankly.

    ''You should have just climbed the tree.

    "What?

    Wild boars can''t climb trees. Didn''t I tell you before that the best thing to do is to take shelter and get by?

    ...........

    ........it seems to have slipped my mind completely.

    Well, it seems that in an emergency situation, you can''t remember the important things, can you?

    Well you will take points off for Valkina and Lathyr respectively.

    "Yes.....

    So we''re out of danger.

    * * *

    We got a point deduction, but we survived and it was a big win for us.

    A lot of experience.

    With me in front and Lertil in the back.

    This position will allow us to build on each other''s strengths and compensate for our weaknesses and make the fight more solid.

    "Thank you, Valkina, you saved me from dying.

    When I got back to the farm, he thanked me again.

    ''Oh, come on,'' he said.

    It''s the same for me. I think that thing went down pretty well, don''t you?

    Huh?

    I''ll protect it, buy us some time, and you make the big move.

    Oh...!

    If the thing works well, I don''t feel like I''m losing to anyone.

    Even if you obtain power through physical enhancement, the damage that can be done by a single person''s body is not much after all.

    This was well understood after being attacked by a herd of beasts.

    I''m not sure what to make of it, but I''m sure it''s not the only thing that is missing from our human race''s fighting style.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to use your own spellcasting skills. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. I''ve never been able to string together a series of special spells with such ease during a battle.

    I didn''t pause to call it a streak, though!

    ''So I mean I could chant from one activation to the next without interruption!

    The supremacy has returned to Rathil, who had been worrying about it.

    He won''t be suggesting that he should return to the demon kingdom anymore.

    You know, I broke my sword in the mountains, didn''t I?

    It''s a very pathetic way to go about things.

    "Forget that.¡¡So, I''ve got a new weapon for you...

    ''What?¡¡That?

    It was a cane.

    As a human being, it didn''t make sense to me.

    "Can a staff be a weapon?

    And.

    If it''s a weapon, it has to have a blade on it first, and even if it''s a blunt instrument, if it''s a blunt instrument, it should be made of heavier metal.

    And yet, a staff........

    ''''A staff?!''''

    I''m sure you don''t understand, though, as a human race. It''s a magic wand, which is a supplement to the use of magic.

    How?

    ''You inset jewels and spell gear for spiritual effects, or you inscribe spirit hymns to deepen your communion with certain spirits. So that enhances your magical powers.

    I don''t know, different cultures.

    Does that make you a better magician?

    ''Yes, we can enhance the effectiveness of the spell and skip the chant!

    But isn''t it an unreliable piece of armor?

    If I hit you with a cane this thin, it''s going to break on me.

    ''So you''ll be relying entirely on magic in battle. You could say that''s a biased way of fighting. But I think that''s the way the demon race will be fighting from now on.

    There was no hesitation in Rathil''s expression.

    ''''From now on, the demon race will never be able to compete with the human race in terms of muscle strength and close combat. If that''s the case, rather than compensate for the areas in which they can''t, it''s better to polish up their strengths even more and develop them even more.

    So from sword to staff...?

    ''Of course, if that happens, they''ll fall apart in a heartbeat if they''re brought into a close meatball fight. But you''ll be able to help me then, won''t you?

    Of course.

    Demons and humans are no longer enemies of each other.

    They will work together to face the same enemy.

    Different races, different characteristics, different strengths and weaknesses.

    If we make up for these differences, I''m sure we won''t have any enemies on earth.

    The demon race and the human race will change greatly from now on. The person who is able to read these changes will be able to rise to the top of the next generation. In that sense, we''re at the forefront of this change, so this may be an advantageous time for us.

    So you''re not gonna leave the farm?

    Of course, I''m going to find out how far I''m willing to take my talents in this environment.

    It is not the strongest that survive.

    It is those who resist the changes of the times and follow the environment faithfully that survive.

    That, in the end, is probably a lot closer to the truth than the weak and the strong.

    After a long time of worrying, Raatil realized what strength was.

    Of course I don''t think the answer I''ve come up with is the right one. The other demon students at the farm are still concerned with close combat alone.

    Really?

    I heard that I asked the teacher to devise a system to use magic magic for close combat, so that it can be activated immediately without chanting. Also, I heard there are people experimenting with ways to strengthen the body using biological mana.

    By demons?

    The Body Enhancement Method uses biological mana, which exists in all living things, as its source.

    Since all living things have it, it''s logical that anyone who is alive and intelligent enough to utilize the mana can use the Body Enhancement Method.

    ''Just because the human race happens to have the highest basic amount of biological mana, there''s no rule that other races can''t use it, right?

    Even so, since they would still lose on the basic amount, it was obvious that they would lose even if they challenged the human race in the same way.

    In order to go even higher, we will need to be more creative.

    ''''Everyone will be looking for all sorts of new forms. There is no way we can be shaken down while in the same place...!¡¡I''ll definitely run through to the end........!

    Seeing the fighting spirit of Rathil, I think I understand why the human race lost the war.

    We were given a physical strengthening method and were just intoxicated by its awesomeness.

    But that''s not good enough.

    It''s not enough to just be satisfied with what we''ve been given.

    If you want to be strong, if you want to move up, you have to evolve.

    You have to think about what you''re going to do, and you have to walk on your own two feet.

    If you can''t do that, even if you are blessed with a little tailwind and can move on while sitting, there is no wind for how long.

    There is no wind, and those who walk on their own feet will overtake them when they are just standing there.

    ''''Like these guys...?

    Right now I''m gaining an advantage with the new technique my teacher taught me, but if I don''t, I''m sure I''ll lose again soon.

    I''m proud of my victory, but I feel like I''ve been beaten.

    That''s why the demon race is so terrifying.

    I''ll look for it myself. I''m going to look for a new future for the human race. It''s not Garra.

    The humans and the demons, we''ll just have to stick together.

    We hold each other''s hands.

    There is so much to gain from this place.

    * * * *

    By the way.........

    The demon race guy and the human race girl who were arguing at the beginning of this story.

    Wasn''t there?

    I heard they''re going out.

    I heard that they fight each other as much as they can in the front and flirting behind the scenes burns a lot.

    Bother.

    Explode.

    Explode.

 476-474 Different World Cafe Circumstances

    It''s me....

    I think I''m going to have a review meeting.

    Of what?

    It''s our wedding.

    Hasn''t it been a long time ago?

    I know.

    It was such a fun and wonderful wedding, but looking back on it, it was a long time ago.

    How time flies.

    I''ve been a hundred years old.

    Does it even count as remorse?¡¡That wedding was awesome, and I''ll remember it for the rest of my life, and in a good way!

    More than anything else, I couldn''t be happier to hear that from Prathi.

    After all, it was a completely Prathi main event.

    It would be best if Prathi had a good time and left some memories behind.

    However.

    We want to make sure that the other attendees are as happy as possible, not just the most important one, Prathi.

    ''Sir, you''re so cool!

    Oh, come on.

    But I''m sure the invitees were mostly happy to be there.¡¡Everyone looked satisfied when we left, didn''t they?

    Indeed.

    The attendees at the wedding were largely divided into two groups: farm residents and off-farm guests, but neither of them were divided, and both of them broke up with expressions of contentment.

    Some of them were so surprised that they looked like their souls had been pulled out of their mouths.

    The only part that got booed was the bouquet toss I crafted, at best.

    Does Platy feel bad about that?

    I''m starting to reflect on this after all.

    Incidentally, the super-fast mobile autonomous operating bouquet that Prati remodeled and developed is flying around the farm in high spirits today, toying with the young maidens who are obsessed with the desire to get married.

    ...............No, it''s not.

    That''s not what I want to reflect on.

    ''''The feast I served at the wedding reception.........''''

    Food?¡¡That was perfect!¡¡They''re all so good, my cheeks are falling off!

    She used to gobble up a lot of food in her bride''s outfit, too.

    Prati thinks back to those days and is happy.

    "It was a celebration day, so I went all out and prepared the food. I''ve gone all out to prepare the food, both in quantity and quality.

    So why not feel sorry for yourself?

    But when it was over, I realized something was missing that I didn''t see from my perspective.

    What?¡¡What''s missing?

    That''s what we''ve been discussing today.

    What''s missing...? You''re going to make up for it by making new dishes again?¡¡It''s been a long time since the master has made a new dish.........

    Make sure he doesn''t drool all over the Junior in his arms.

    So?¡¡What are you cooking, sir!¡¡If you decide to make it, goodness hurry up, Justice go!

    ''I didn''t even say I was going to make anything...?''

    I think Prathi''s tension is higher than at the wedding.

    ...let''s not dwell on it.

    ''Let''s keep reflecting on it. What I''m concerned about is the drinks.

    Drink?

    A meal is accompanied by a drink.

    It is written as eating and drinking and eating and drinking.

    If you just eat without a drink all the time, you won''t be able to swallow it because the water will be gone from your mouth.

    ''''Well then, there''s no problem, is there?¡¡I mean, we had all the best drinks at our wedding that Bacchus had prepared for us.

    Prati was trying to imitate Bacchus'' tone and failed to do so.

    ''Yes, there was booze, too.

    Bacchus, the founder of the world''s alcoholic beverages, handcrafted this drink from farm materials.

    It is undoubtedly one of the finest.

    Heaven will punish you if you complain about it. He''s a demigod from the heavens.

    Sake is an essential part of the celebration, or rather, I can''t afford not to have it, so that was good.

    It was perfectly tailored.

    But on the contrary........

    ''There were no drinks other than liquor.''

    What?

    It''s alcohol, after all. Not everyone can drink.

    The average age of our farm has also been lowered by taking care of students from different countries.

    Naturally, they are not old enough to drink. And yet, during the reception, there was nothing else to drink.

    We thought it would be a shame to miss the party.

    Well, we were drinking like normal people, so it was hard to notice.

    Isn''t it?

    I didn''t think of it because I''m a long time ago and I''m an adult now.

    I didn''t notice it until I looked around.

    Junior is going to grow up from now on. Junior is going to grow up, and he has to eat a lot of food and grow up like a child.¡¡That''s when the only drink that comes with the feast is water, isn''t it?

    Do you drink?

    Mr. Prathi?

    I think we need to start talking from the point of view of NO underage drinking?

    "Hmm, so we''re going to make a drink that tastes like alcohol, but doesn''t get you drunk like alcohol?

    You are very perceptive.

    Well, that''s just it.

    We''ll have a drink.

    "But I don''t drink! The list of "soft drinks" is usually placed in the back of the menu for those who are not familiar with the menu.

    Oolong tea, cola, orange juice, coffee, tea, turmeric extract and chilled candy.

    Things like that make drinking fun, even for the lowly!

    I should have made something like that too!

    That way the underage kids would have enjoyed the wedding party more!

    It''s not too late. I''m gonna make a non-alcoholic crispy drink. I''m gonna make a non-alcoholic palipic drink.

    ''Wow!¡¡That''s what I''m talking about, Master!

    Prathi applauds with her own child on her chest.

    She probably cares about anything as long as it tastes good.

    Now, let''s review the drink situation on our farm.

    We''ve been living on a farm for quite some time now, and the only thing we''ve had to drink all that time has been water?

    Have you been pouring alcohol into your body all this time?

    It''s indeed different.

    I''ve been having tea while chatting with visitors like Arowana-san and Demon King-san, and as expected, serving white water to guests.......

    Right?

    So, if you ask me if we already have a tea ceremony culture on our farm, it''s a little complicated.

    You need tea leaves to brew tea, and to get tea leaves, you have to cultivate and grow a tea plantation.

    So you already have a good tea plantation in your own backyard?¡¡If you ask me if I''m in fact, I''m not.

    I''m still very new to tea production.

    I haven''t even made coffee beans yet.

    Then, more and more, what is that tea you''ve been drinking with Demon King and Arowana?¡¡That''s the story.

    Let''s reveal now what that otherworldly tea is.....

    It''s a leaf that was torn off in the area and boiled as it was!

    No, listen to me.

    That was in the early days of farm development. There was a lot of work to do at the time, such as expanding the fields, making miso and soy sauce, and building a house, and we didn''t have the resources to make tea, a delicacy.

    But I felt it was too lonesome to drink just hot water, so I tore four or five leaves from a tree that grew around the place, put them in a pot, and boiled it.

    When I tried it, it was reasonably good.

    Fortunately, we''re on a farm and there are leaves and weeds all over the place, so ease prevailed and we kept to this method for a long time.

    I had a lot of other things to do!

    But maybe it''s time to make a proper tea.

    It''s going to take a lot of time and effort to build a tea plantation for that.

    And a coffee plantation.

    So, let''s try to make the other kind of drink.

    Juice.

    Let''s make a real drink.

    So that junior will grow up and be able to rehydrate nicely.

    We are going to try to make otherworldly juice.

    * * *

    ........ah.

    Come to think of it, you could make barley tea among teas, couldn''t you?

    I was shocked that the miko at Bacchus'' place made them before and I just forgot about them.

    I think I''ll make a lot of them this year.

 477-475 smoothie

    I''m going to make me some juice.

    Well, I don''t know if it''s easy or not.

    The most important ingredient for juice is fruit. There are plenty of fruits in the dungeon orchards of the mountain dungeon, so we have no trouble finding them.

    It''s probably easier than building a tea plantation from scratch.

    However, I''m not sure if we''ve ever made any fruit juice at all on our farm.

    It''s pretty easy to make juice just by squeezing fruit.

    I''ve served orange juice, the simplest kind, at least for my wedding.

    There were other fruit juices, but I refrained from drinking grape juice because it might be mishandled with wine.

    The apple juice was also rejected because of its similarity to white wine.

    In the end, only orange juice was served at the banquet.

    It''s very easy to make such an otherworldly orange juice.

    Prepare a whole orange.

    Let the power-hungry orcs hold it and crush it.

    That''s it.

    Orcs are so proud of their power. Even with the skin on, the oranges are crushed in an instant.

    They crush even the summer oranges in their hands so easily.

    That''s exactly what Oak is, the most powerful juice maker in the world.

    ........However, it''s a shame that there''s an abundance of beer, wine, whiskey, and sake at a banquet, and yet the only soft drink of choice is orange juice.

    After all, making orange juice is an urgent task!

    Let''s proceed with what I told myself I was going to do.

    What kind of fruit juice should I pursue other than squeezing it normally, I guess it would be a blender.

    It''s the kind of blender you often see on TV, where you throw fruit into the machine, turn it on, and it crushes it with a horrible sound like ''SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! and crush them into mush with a horrendous sound.

    It''s a blender.

    Homemade juice for health everyday! I often saw commercials that said something like that. I was attracted to it every time I saw it, but I didn''t want to buy an appliance just to make juice.

    It seemed like a lot of work to maintain.

    But now I live in a different world where I can do most of the things I want to do.

    I''ll even use a blender to make juice!

    No. Can you make a mixer in an alternate universe of swords and magic?¡¡But I''ve got no time to spare.

    I''ve got a strong ally in the equipment business.

    Once again, I''ve asked the dwarves to make me a blender.

    An otherworldly mixer.

    I''m amazed that they were able to make it with just my poor explanations.

    It''s made from mana metal.

    With the help of Poel and the rest of the Elf Squad, we were able to add some glass parts, so we can check the contents and turn it into powdered juice.

    It''s a wonderful world we live in!

    So, I received the finished apparatus today.

    I decided to try it out right away to see how it turned out.

    * * * *

    That''s why I went up the mountain dungeon and came to the dungeon orchard.

    I thought it would be better to do it in a place where the raw fruit was growing directly.

    ''Huh?¡¡Master, isn''t it odd to see you here?

    I walked into the dungeon orchard and ran into Veerle.

    ''''Well why are you here?''''

    What are you talking about?¡¡This is my dungeon.¡¡What''s wrong with me?

    Well, yes.

    The master of the mountain dungeon where the dungeon orchard is located is Veerle, here.

    I''d almost forgotten about him since he''s been staying at my place for so long.

    "You''ve been home more often than I thought?

    I''m thinking of modifying the dungeon. It may not be as good as Brother Alexander''s, but I want to make it more multi-leveled than Sister Marie''s dungeon!

    What do you mean?

    ''More than that, master!¡¡What''s that weird thing you''re holding in your hand!

    Veerle notices the blender I was carrying under my arm.

    You''re a perceptive fellow, as usual.

    I know what it is!¡¡Master''s trying to cook up something new and tasty again, isn''t he?¡¡My keenest instincts tell me that!¡¡I''m so sure of this!

    All right, all right...!

    Well, it''s almost impossible to cook a new dish without Veerle and Prathi finding out, so it''s an inevitable path.

    ''Well, shall we try it together?¡¡Making fruit juice?

    ''Oh!¡¡You mean fruit? You make it out of all this fruit?

    Of course I do.

    I put the mixer on the table in the orchard.

    This is a different world, so there is no electric power.

    If we wanted to move it, it would be by hand.

    The dwarves had come up with an ingenious way to attach a manual handle to the machine.

    When you turn it, the gears work together to turn the blade inside the machine.

    Of course, the blades are used to chop up the stuff inside and break it into pieces, and then reduce it to a liquid-like consistency.

    It''s scary.

    It is a contradiction that a fresh and healthy fruit juice can be made from an instrument that looks like the poster child of destruction.

    That''s the fun of cooking, isn''t it?

    Anyway, let''s actually do it.

    So what exactly should we try to put in there?

    Well, let''s start with a simple orange.

    After all, orange is the best fruit juice.

    I put in all of them without peeling them.

    I wanted to test the limits of this blender to see if I could do it.

    I cut it into four pieces and put them into the blender.

    And then I closed the lid...

    In.

    Turn the handle!

    Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?

    It''s also hard work.

    However, the action is well transmitted. I can feel the cutter inside of it rotating furiously.

    "Yes!¡¡Isn''t this going to rip the fruit inside to shreds...?

    The spinning blade was spinning too fast to grip the pulp.

    Couldn''t you just pour water on it?

    I see.

    Veal poured water into the blender.

    Then it was a good mix and the orange inside spun furiously.

    "Oh, it works!

    I am the best judge of character!

    Is it because Veerle has recently started to cook himself?

    That he didn''t even know what he was going to make, but took the appropriate action on a gut feeling?

    Fearful Viel.........

    And as I tried my best to turn the handle, the orange lost its original form and became more and more liquid.

    "As expected of the mana metal, even the peel of the orange is chopped up tightly.......?

    I was worried that it would be difficult as expected with the turning power of human power, but the material was the winner.

    "That''s how it''s done. Mixer Juice No. 1.

    Pour the liquid into the glass.

    As expected, the skin is crushed.

    Come on, Veerle, drink up.

    Oh, you''re sure that''s it?¡¡It''s easier than you think........?

    Veal is orange juice with the peel that I should have never seen before, but there was originally oak hand-squeezed juice too, so it''s not that fresh.

    So I didn''t hesitate to chug it down without hesitation.

    ''''It''s ... bitter.''''

    Huh?

    It will be so if you put the skin in after all.

    The skin of a fruit is bitter, you know.

    That''s why you have to take the skins off when you eat them.

    "Wait a minute, Veerle, this is not the time to learn to use a blender!

    The power of the mixer was proven when I found out that I could pour the whole skin over it.

    Let''s operate the mixer with enough confidence.

    The true value of a blender is that it can chew up and mix up whatever you put in it, even if it''s not the same thing at all. Even if they''re not the same thing at all...

    In other words, it''s a mix of different ingredients that can be made into a blender and not hand-squeezed by the orcs.

    Now let''s try making otherworldly mixed juices!

 478-476 nice mixing

    Orange, for example?

    Oh?

    Then I''ll put a banana in.

    Oh!

    Add some more apples, and let''s put it in the blender!

    Zugogogogogogog!

    The mixer makes a loud noise and breaks the contents into pieces.

    Then the mixture is poured back into the glass.

    Now drink!

    ''This time it looks good!¡¡I love oranges, apples and bananas!

    Don''t say ''this time''.

    Well, this time I took all the peels off, so I don''t think there''s any bitterness or miscellaneous flavors...

    I''m ready to go!

    This is how Viel heard the first prototype of the otherworldly mixed juice.

    I tipped the glass upside down and drank it in one gulp.

    Buhaha!¡¡Yum!

    Thank goodness I had a ''delicious'' meal.

    I''m sorry if it doesn''t succeed since the dwarves and elves worked so hard together to make it.

    ''''I see!¡¡So this is the kind of advantage of mixing things up!¡¡The tangerine juice is good, the apple juice is good!¡¡No wonder it tastes so much better when you mix them both together!

    You''re excited. That''s good.

    Also, it''s an orange, not a mandarin orange.

    It''s the little things that count.

    And you can''t even juice a banana. That''s a new discovery.¡¡I thought that squeezing a banana wouldn''t help, but the idea of shattering it to make it drinkable is a triumph of ideas!

    Yes.

    ''Master!¡¡I wonder if this is something else you can mix?¡¡Grapes, pears, and melons can all be turned into juice in a blender!¡¡It''s exciting just to imagine it!

    Veerle has become completely enamored of the mixer.

    But Viel, if you think a mixer can only mix fruit, you''re still limited in your thinking, right?

    Why don''t we get off the mountain to prove it?

    ''Oh!¡¡You''re going to have to show off your blender to the rest of the guys!¡¡Wait a minute!¡¡Then we''ll have plenty of fruit for the ingredients!

    Veal collects every bit of fruit that''s around the dungeon orchard.

    Now the unveiling of the real mixer will begin.

    * * * *

    We returned to the farm from the dungeon orchard.

    I rode the viel in dragon form, so the trip was easier than it was going to be.

    ''Scrape away!¡¡And fear not!¡¡This is the master''s new power, the mixer!

    Veerle was always proud of his accomplishments as if they were his own.

    But it helps to be generous with the fruit I brought from the dungeon orchard, making and serving juice.

    This allows me to focus on my new endeavor.

    Those with free hands are drawn to the blender one by one with curiosity....

    "Delicious!

    It was a very popular mix.

    It''s so much clearer than the juice you just squeezed out of it.¡¡Maybe it''s because I ground the whole thing up!

    You mix a lot of fruit together, it''s so good for your health!

    ''Saints!¡¡This is made of glass that we made, right?¡¡Isn''t this the part up here?

    I''m glad to hear it was accepted.

    It''s very smooth and delicious.¡¡It would be a good meal for Junior when he''s weaned.

    The mixers received high praise from the platitudes, and the mixers were steadily gaining citizenship.

    ''Guhahahahahaha you see that!¡¡With this mixer, fruit has been taken to a new level of possibility!¡¡It''s the dawn of a new world!

    Veerle has been on a roll for a long time, but you know from experience that there are pitfalls in such situations, right?

    Let me show you that fruit isn''t the only thing you can put into a blender!

    What?¡¡Master, that''s...?

    That''s what I came down to harvest.

    Tomatoes.

    Remove the lintels from the bright red ripe fruit and cut them back into reasonable pieces and put them in the blender.

    ''''But first, we have to wash them once........!

    I need to make sure the rest of what I used before is poured out so that there is no flavor left........

    Once again, I throw the tomatoes into the blender and give them a sprinkle of salt.........

    .....................and then turn!

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    Tomato juice!

    A bright red liquid fills the cup.

    ''When I say health juice, this is what I mean.

    "Are you sure about this, master?¡¡Throw in the vegetables?¡¡You want me to mix them?

    Of course I can mix them.

    The blender is a big vessel.

    It has the magnanimity to accept anything, whether it''s vegetables or fruit.

    Even leafy things like cabbage and spinach!

    Oh!

    It''s root vegetables!

    "Oh, wow!

    What''s more, the blender turns it into delicious juice!

    And the result is vegetable juice.

    Add some fruit to sweeten it up, and drink it all up.

    "Oh, wow!¡¡How refreshing this is!

    It''s like the tiredness in your body is gone!

    The vegetable juice was a hit with the orc goblins.

    They also work out every day in the fields.

    They need a quick source of vitamin supplementation that''s separate from their daily diet.

    ''''How great is this...!¡¡The mixer is, is the mixer all-powerful!¡¡Everything in the world will be swallowed up by the mixer!

    No, indeed, not that much.

    It''s more difficult for the mixer to be treated like that with the great demon Abaddon.

    ''''If that''s the case........then.......what if...?

    Veerle, wannabe shivers.

    ''Couldn''t even ramen noodles be put into a blender?

    I can''t call.

    It''s definitely better to eat ramen as it is.

    Then..........

    Those willing to join the conversation further.

    It was a lettuce rate.

    ''The beans!¡¡I think they''d be easier to crush in a blender after they''ve been boiled down and softened!''

    Well, I suppose there are ways to cook it...?

    Is that a paste?

    If you just want to make a drink out of beans, just be straightforward and use soy milk.

    ''So how about natto?''

    I knew it!

    I knew you were here, Horcosphone!

    Natto won''t turn into mixed juice!

    ....?

    The horror of natto (fermented soybeans) is that you can''t say ''no'' 100%.

    I think it''s worth studying.

    ''What about adding milk with the fruit?¡¡And I think it''s going to be richer in flavor.

    The other farm dwellers would naturally argue with each other about making better mix juice.

    Sooner or later, a new otherworldly mix juice may be born out of my hands.

    * * * *

    And one last thing.........

    ''Veal, take another taste.

    Oh, what?¡¡Come on, if it''s good, come on.

    The liquid offered to Veerle, who replied pleasantly, was........

    ''''Oh!¡¡This feels like something I haven''t seen before again!¡¡It''s so green!

    Mm-hmm, try it.

    Without a doubt, Veerle gulped down this lush juice in one go without hesitation.

    And then..........

    ''''Mazzu?!''''

    I got the reaction I expected.

    "What is this?¡¡Tasteless!¡¡I mean, it''s bitter!¡¡You''re green!¡¡What the hell is this!¡¡I''ve never seen anything made by the master that tastes this bad in my life!

    It would be, because that''s how I made it.

    While I was grinding things up in the mixer, I thought, ''You could make it.'' I thought.

    Green juice.

    Famous for its bad taste and good for your health.

    If I could make it, I tried to make it. However, I didn''t know the ingredients, so I mixed in all kinds of greens, and it was a ''so-so green juice''.

    Ugh, Master tricked me. Tasteless, tasteless........!

    Veerle chivvied the homemade green juice while mumbling and grumbling........

    ''''I finally drank it all. It tasted bad.

    You''re following the protocol very carefully.

    Apparently, reactions to green juice are common in other worlds as well.

 480-478 New Emperors Development Story 11 Black Hobby

    It''s the continued Ardheg of the Geyser Dragon.

    We have arrived.

    To the Black Widow''s Mountain, a dungeon ruled by Sister Marie.

    ''Ho, this is another magnificent.

    First of all, we get a bird''s eye view of the whole thing from above.

    The mountain-type dungeon in Anegami was made up of several mountains that formed a magnificent landscape.

    As the name ''mountain range'' is given to it, it seems to be formed by multiple peaks.

    This alone made it far more magnificent than any other mountain dungeon, but what was also overwhelming was the fact that the entire mountain was covered in jet black.

    A true ''Black Widow''.

    What kind of mechanism did that blackness use to cover the mountain?

    At first I thought it was a row of trees with darker foliage, but it looks different.

    The black has a slight sheen to it.

    I don''t think such a shiny black color could be produced by the plants, no matter how much they are darkened.

    As I got closer, I realized.

    ''''That''s a crystal........?

    Large black crystals were growing out of the mountainside in countless numbers.

    That''s exactly how the trees grew.

    What is this?

    ''''Are you surprised?¡¡This is the phenomenon I''m causing with my magic.

    Sister Marie said proudly.

    ''''It''s the home of the most powerful dragons. It has to be a magnificent structure to match. The crystal tree that feeds off of my dragon magic has been specially bred to be exclusively black crystal.¡¡How''s that working out for you?¡¡Isn''t the black all over the mountain stunning?''''

    Is it a crystal that grows like a tree, feeding off the magic of the dragon and growing like a tree?

    When I descended and landed, the scenery was even more fantastic.

    My favorite color is black. Black is a noble color, it represents the dignity of a strong man. Black is the color of nobility. It represents the dignity of a strong man and the nobility of a noble species. This is me, Bloody Mary, the dragon of Graugrinzel, a lady''s dragon wrapped in jet black.

    "I knew your sister liked black, but...

    I didn''t know you were so thorough.

    It''s an all-black house.

    "I think there is a limit to everything.

    It''s depressing to see all the black in any direction. It''s a funeral for all those nincompoops.

    Seadr and father followed suit, muttering their favorite thoughts as they followed.

    Putting aside the pros and cons of total blackness, one could only admire Sister Marie''s magical power that could achieve such a thing.

    How much more dragon magic power would be needed to make the black crystal grow over such a large area?

    Needless to say, for a crystal to grow so thickly was a magical phenomenon that went against the laws of nature.

    To be able to keep it growing on such a countless scale and still maintain it is impossible for even an ordinary person, even for a dragon.

    It''s not just the older sister, Marie, who once stood at the top of the battle to determine the successor to the emperor''s dragon.

    ''''You won''t be found out if you break just this one crystal and take it home, right?''''

    "Sweet, Seedl. I''m going home with at least ten of them.

    Seadr and his father are discussing something unimportant.

    ''It''s no use being surprised by standing on the outside edge. Now let me show you the inside. The inside is the body of a dungeon.

    You''re leading us into the dungeon, sister Marie.

    She has been in a good mood since a while ago.

    When we were in your brother Alexander''s dungeon, he was irritable all the time, but has something changed?

    After all, doesn''t Sister Marie feel good about her brother Alexander, the ultimate strongest dragon?

    "Come on, this is the inside!¡¡Let''s transform into human form, shall we?!

    Huh?

    Is that the rule?

    I''m being asked to transform myself as if to say, "Let''s take off our shoes here.

    There''s no reason to refuse, so I''m going to obey.

    I''m trying to make the dungeon a human-sized version of myself. I''ve tried many different ways to make it look the best. What do you think?¡¡Isn''t the sea of black crystal trees seen from the ground also magical?

    Are you sure...?

    By the way, Seadr and your father are bent on bashing the crystal tree any time they want to. Shouldn''t we be worried about this?

    ''''Crystal trees are things that grow one after another in response to my magic. It''s not worth worrying about if it''s plucked out a little bit.

    Is that so...?

    ''''In fact, some of the nigens at the foot of the mountain go into the mountains to get the black crystal, but they don''t care and leave it there, right?¡¡It''s called pruning?¡¡I''ve heard that trees look more beautiful when they''re thinned out and shaped a bit, rather than left to their own devices.

    Well, yes.

    And even on the farm, the saintly lord was chopping up the trees in the garden into small pieces.

    As for me, I''m happy to let them off the hook for pruning the trees. The mighty ones don''t pay any attention to the actions of the little buggers.

    It was a line that could be considered arrogant, but it was also a line that could only be said because it was Marie''s sister.

    Although she was not as impressive as Alexander Brother and Veerle Sister, she is also without a doubt one of the strongest class dragons.

    ''''Oh, really?¡¡Then let''s bring home a lot more!

    I''ll cut down 10,000 trees.

    And father and Seadr were even more excited.

    ''''Guorah!¡¡Who said it was okay to go that far?

    And as expected, Marie snapped.

    There is a limit to everything.

    And then, after advancing through the fantastic black crystal forest....

    You''ll be able to find out more about this. This is the deepest part of my dungeon, the Black Widow''s Mountain Range........

    There was a palace there.

    The building was so large and majestically built that one could look up at it.

    This palace also seemed to be made of black crystal, and everything from the walls, to the roof, to each and every pillar, was shining jet black.

    ''''It''s called the Xuan Long Palace!¡¡It''s also where I usually sleep!¡¡I''m sure I''m the only one who has built such a beautiful palace among the many dragons out there!

    In terms of opulence alone, Sister Marie''s palace must exceed all the buildings created by the ningen.

    The saint''s house is also more comfortable to live in than it is luxurious.

    ...............................

    .........What''s the comfort of living in the Black Crystal Palace?

    Sister, I think I got a crucial clue about building the Dragon King''s Castle from this palace.

    ''I know, I know!¡¡You''ll have to take a page out of my book and build a gorgeous palace to the best of your ability!

    That the most important thing in housing is comfort.

    ''So let''s move on to the next one, crunchy!¡¡I''ll give you a tour of the palace!¡¡You should learn my decorating sense, too!

    I''d like to learn.

    Then we went further into the palace.

    As soon as I stepped in, I immediately noticed.

    ''''Sister?¡¡Is that a sign...?

    That''s a good sign. You''re not a geyser dragon if you don''t have that level of intuition, are you?

    This palace.....

    There''s a dragon inside, isn''t there?

    .... or ''You''re a dragon too, aren''t you?'' If you''re asking me to do this, then you''re right.

    That''s not true.

    I''ve just stepped into the palace, and I, sister Marie, Seadr and father.

    And then there''s the dragon''s breathing response.

    And more than one.

    There are definitely more than a dozen of them in the back.

    "Not all dragons are as brave and bold as you. They are insignificant and weak, but if I bundle their numbers together and take them with me, they can serve as an accessory to my strength. That''s why I''m keeping them around.

    The other dragons living in Sister Marie''s palace are her cronies.

    They were the ones who had once participated in the battle to determine the successor to the emperor''s dragon while trying to follow the potential winner, Sister Marie, to keep them safe.

    I had seen them before, so I was relatively free of confusion.

    These were the same dragons that had barged in with Sister Marie during my Geyser Dragon inauguration, right?

    The knowledgeable Saints'' Hall used to call such things "foxes that borrow from tigers" and "whale sharks", but what would the dragons, which are supposed to be the most powerful race, do with the authority of the same dragons?

    We went to the back of the palace to meet the dragons who were actually surrounding the palace.

    Because we are indoors, they have changed their appearance into ningens and remain silent, paying attention to me.

    "What are you standing there like a blur?¡¡It''s disrespectful!''

    It was scolded by Sister Marie, who was originally the master of this place.

    ''''This is the new Geyser Dragon, Ardheg!¡¡The Dragon Emperor!¡¡Get on your knees and swear your allegiance!¡¡To our new ruler!

    Sister Marie took the lead.

    Surprising. I thought she was the one who was most unhappy with me being a Geyser Dragon.

    It brings tears to my eyes to think that she actually approved of it.

    On the other hand, the dragons who had taken up with her........

    ''''.............................We refuse.

    What?

    ''''Master Marie, no, Bloody Mary. You who have succumbed to such a fake emperor dragon are no longer worthy of a flirtation. This dungeon is ours too. Losers can turn tail and walk away.

 481-479 New Emperor Development Report Twelve Dragons Revolt

    There''s something of a cloud in the air.

    Bloody Mary, one of the most powerful dragons.

    The cronies who have been working on your sister, Marie, to ensure her safety, have now revolted?

    It seems that a mistake has been made.

    Sister Mary," she says.

    "You''ve made a mistake in your existence. Do you want me to make it right, or do you want me to make you all disappear right now?

    You''re mad at me, sister!

    That''s right, she would be a bad credit to the leader of the pack and a dragon if she was left to fend for herself after being rebuffed by her cronies, who should be her loyal servants.

    In order to protect her own pride, she must kill all the dragons that had joined her until now.

    But.....

    Please wait, Sister Marie.

    Don''t stop!¡¡This is a problem in my controlled dungeon!¡¡As a dungeon lord, I am obligated to execute the traitors!

    Execution.

    .........As soon as the words came out of Sister Marie''s mouth, a hint of fright rose from the crony dragons.

    ........That made me more and more certain.

    ''Apparently, not all of them have a rebellious streak against your sister.

    What?

    "Someone''s trying to incite them into... or subjugate them into joining the rebellion, isn''t it?¡¡...Is that you?

    I looked for it and found it right away.

    I was sitting at the far end of the palace, on some kind of throne-like chair, so it was strange that I hadn''t noticed it before.

    ''''You are........Agibend!''''

    Since Sister Marie knew his name, he must be one of the crony dragons, after all.

    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but I''m not sure if it''s a good idea.

    ''''Have you got a brain drain or something?¡¡Otherwise you wouldn''t be able to sit in that chair, would you?

    ''Sister Marie is about to turn into a power of destruction!

    That chair is mine. The strongest and smartest person in the dungeon should be in that chair. The strongest and wisest in this dungeon should sit in that seat, and you and your little fishy can''t even touch it!

    So you think it''s acceptable to you?¡¡Nonsense.

    The dragon called Agibend or whatever it was called smiled woozily.

    ''''You would have qualified if you were once a fierce anathema. But now it is not. You are no longer the strongest or the queen. You are nothing more than a shabby loser.

    "What?!

    The sister Marie, who was leading a large number of cronies, is being betrayed by them?

    Should I, as an outsider, refrain from interfering in what happens in the dungeon she rules?

    I was going to ask for advice from my father, but he immediately sensed that this was trouble and ran away with Seadul out of the palace.

    Don''t they seem to be getting along?

    ''You ... no, Marie, you are no longer the strongest dragon worthy of our respect. You are a fallen dragon that has fallen to the ground after being defeated unceremoniously by another dragon.

    Well, you saw it up close and personal when I was defeated by the Veerle, and you ran away in fear. Then you ran away in fear.

    Sister Marie''s wonderfully sarcastic return to her sister Marie!

    Are they the same ones that were with the dragon group when Sister Marie came to the farm?

    I don''t care if you''re tired of me being defeated. You want to go to Veerle''s place and wag your tail?¡¡Like a dog instead of a dragon, right?

    "I will not do so. We are not but this, I, Agibend, the dragon of Grinzdragon, now stand on our own path.

    Agi-something rises from his throne and says, "Bloody Mary, I will take this dungeon from you and I will be the master of this dungeon.

    "Bloody Mary, I will take this dungeon away from you and I will be the master of it. And this is where my supremacy begins!

    ''So you''ve been taming the other servants in my absence, waiting for my return?¡¡Did you think you could take me down if you all got there?

    Shut up!¡¡You''re not worthy of attack when you''re defeated!¡¡No, on the contrary, what can you do but cuddle and flirt with a coward who became a Geyser Dragon by such good fortune alone!¡¡You''ve lost your pride in your strength, too!¡¡There is no reason why we can''t fulfill our duty to such a weak man.

    This isn''t the same guy who was flirting with me a long time ago.

    Angry dragon air rises from Sister Marie''s skin...?

    ''More than that, you just said something you shouldn''t have said, didn''t you?¡¡Is Ardhaeg a coward?¡¡On the contrary, I can''t believe he became a Geyser Dragon just by luck alone. I won''t forgive you for insulting me, but more than that, insulting him crossed the line. I''m not going to let you die easy.......!

    ''''Hiiiiiiii........?''''

    The crony dragons, except for Agi Bend, who may have been forcibly added to the rebellion, were frightened by Sister Marie''s fury.

    It''s really an irredeemable lowlife. The fact that I was defeated doesn''t make you stronger, does it?¡¡Why should I be any weaker than you?¡¡So why did they think they could beat me?¡¡This Glaugrinzel dragon, Bloody Mary....

    At this rate, Marie, I really think she''s going to annihilate all of her cronies here.

    The only thing to do is to call out to them.

    "Please wait, sister.

    No! Purge the traitors, that''s the chief''s job. These people bit the hand that feeds them, so they don''t have the right to survive.

    Will you allow me to do it?

    Yes?

    I''m not asking them to stop the purge.

    ''Apparently their underestimation of your sister has a connection to this underestimation of me.

    Normally, the next gaiser dragon is determined by overcoming the ordeals handed down by the previous generation.

    But I disregarded those rules and defeated my father directly to become the new Gaither Dragon.

    They don''t like that.

    They don''t like that, because they were willing to take the ordeal seriously.

    I know why they want to call me a coward.

    You can''t afford to listen to insults from your own people when you''ve become a Geyser Dragon. If I do not listen to them, I will lose my dignity as an emperor.

    Ardheg...?

    Once I''ve demonstrated my power to the fullest, my disrespect for you will naturally change. I know she is dear to me.

    ''''Sister Marie, after a little while, your expression changed dizzily........

    ''Yes, that''s right!¡¡You and I are as one now!¡¡If everyone is afraid of you, then everyone will be afraid of me!

    Yes.

    As the ningens used to say, ''Wives should build up their husbands!¡¡He said that at our wedding the other day!¡¡I''ll follow suit and give you the right to wipe out the weakest of the weak!

    ?

    Thus, I was safely transferred the right of execution and faced my fellow countrymen.

    I was clearly relieved to see them.

    "You think I''m weaker than you, Marie? I know that''s a relief, but...

    Interesting.

    That said, the one who came forward was that male dragon called Agibend or something like that.

    From the flow of events and the way he spoke, there is no doubt that this guy is the mastermind of the rebellion.

    You will stay back. I will slaughter this fake emperor alone.

    You''re on your own, aren''t you?

    You think that by killing me, you can become the next Geyser Dragon.

    If that''s what you''re after, then your fellow rebels are more trouble than they are worth.

    "You fool...!¡¡You could have just hidden behind Bloody Mary and shivered, but you''ve gone out of your way to come forward to be killed...!

    Are you going to kill him?¡¡You''re the one who did this to me?

    ''Of course!¡¡You''re nothing more than a bit of luck and a fluke and you''re a Geiger Dragon!¡¡There are no such contingencies!¡¡This is your chance, Master Agibend, let''s see if you can''t beat the shit out of you and flay you in person!

    Very well.

    As a matter of fact, I don''t feel at peace with insulting Sister Marie.

    "If you win, you can take your title of Geyser Dragon or whatever you want. "If you win, you can take the title of Gaither Dragon or whatever you want, but if I win, you will never be allowed to run afoul of me again. Not only to your sister Marie, but to me as well.

    "Go ahead and tell me all you want!¡¡I''m going to win one way or another!¡¡Kukkuu........my luck is about to change. I never thought I''d get the chance to become the Dragon King, Emperor Gaiser Dragon, so easily!

    Lucky for me, you''ve been calling me lucky and despicable, but are you okay with the luck that comes your way?

    But this is not the best place for a battle, is it? Come on, I''ll take you to a bloody stage.

    The battle will apparently take place elsewhere.

    .........

    But even though the purpose of the visit was to visit sister Marie''s house.

    The story is going in a more and more disturbing direction, isn''t it?

 482-480 New Emperor Development Note 13

    The rebellious dragon Agi Bend took us to a place called...

    We were at the top of a mountain.

    It seems to be one of the many mountains connected to the Black Widow''s Mountain Range, a dungeon originally ruled by Sister Marie.

    I''ve set up a dueling arena at this spot, which has a great view, but... I didn''t know my servants were using it for their own purposes...

    Sister Marie, who accompanied him, said in a dumbfounded manner.

    ''''Bwahahahahahaha!¡¡Now come on up!¡¡To the place of your death, let this Master Agibend of the Grinz Dragon advance to give the false emperor a fitting end!

    Agibend has already returned to his dragon form and is waiting for me.

    I''m not going to be able to get out of it, so I''m going to take on the form of a dragon and fly on my dragon''s wings once before descending to the dueling grounds.

    It''s wide and big. It''s not likely to cause any unnecessary damage, even if it''s a bit violent.

    I''ve been using it as a dueling ground, and it seems to be blocked off from the surroundings by a ward. The source of the magic power is your sister Marie.

    I''m sure you''re not going to be able to get away with it.

    ''''........hmm?''''

    Before the fight could begin, one strange thing caught my eye.

    At the top of the dueling arena, on a pedestal high enough to look up, there was something there.

    ''''........A human?''''

    There are not just one Ningen, but dozens of them on a pedestal.

    It seems that they are fixed with magic or something to prevent them from escaping.

    I''ve heard that this place is in the area of the demon kingdom as humans call it, so.......demon race?

    "What is a ningen doing in a place like this?

    Did you notice that?¡¡You seem to be a moderate gourmand when you see how quickly you realize that, don''t you?''

    Gastronomy?

    No way.........?

    There are several villages of Ningen around this dungeon. Or is it the demon tribe? You''re the one who blackmailed them into making a sacrifice. I''m quite fond of ningens!¡¡Especially the tender flesh of a young female!¡¡I''ve been wanting to eat such a treat every day for some time!''

    "Agievend!

    Sister Marie lets out a cry of indignation.

    ''''You took a sacrifice from a ningen!¡¡Such vulgarity in my domain!''

    "I''m in control of this place now!¡¡I don''t care how the ruler behaves!¡¡You''ve been out of this land long enough, and I don''t need you to tell me what to do!''

    "....?

    Sister Marie was with me for a long time to support me in my early days as a Gaither Dragon.

    I''ve been away from my home base, the Black Widow''s Mountain, for a while now.

    If that void led to the rise of such a lowlife, then the blame lies with me.

    I''d like to ask you one question.

    What?

    ''You took a sacrifice from a ningen while your sister Marie was away, didn''t you?¡¡How many people have you killed?

    ''Hmph, I''m afraid we haven''t eaten a single one yet. We''ve collected the sacrifices and are about to break up the feast, when you arrived.

    I see.

    So, an irreversible situation has been avoided.

    Thank goodness.

    ''But that''s good timing!¡¡I will be the one who kills you, and I will feast on those niggers as a celebration!¡¡I''m sure it''s all delicious!

    Then it''s all the more reason why I can''t afford to lose to you.

    The people who were brought here as sacrifices will be sacrificed if I lose.

    I won''t let that happen!

    d*mn it!¡¡You are nothing but a future where I kill you!¡¡Eat ''Breath of Fire''!

    A huge flame shot out of Agi Bend''s large mouth.

    It''s a high-level attack that surpasses the "Breath of Fire".

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    It''s not a good idea.¡¡He ate it right!¡¡Even if they are dragons, they can''t live under the blasting breath of their own kind!¡¡You''ll be a whole roasted dragon!

    "Congratulations.

    What?

    The flames and the blasts blasted away to show that I''m safe.

    In the end, I had to be careful not to spread the damage in the direction of the Ningen''s pedestal.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find it.¡¡My explosive breath doesn''t kill you, it doesn''t even hurt you?

    "You''ve been licking your lips over the Geiger Dragon.

    I''ve been greatly enhanced by the Dragon Ball that I inherited from my father.

    My defense has also increased by leaps and bounds.

    Well, it''s not cool to be proud of winning with a power that wasn''t yours to begin with, so let''s keep it quiet.

    I''m not going to be able to tell if this is the end of that attack.¡¡Then it''s this one''s turn, eat it, ''Grey Breath''!

    Countless volcanic ashes are spewed out of my dragon''s mouth.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get your hands on it.

    ''''Hahahahahaha?¡¡Hahahahahaha?¡¡What is this?¡¡Ashes?¡¡Are you going to sprinkle this stuff on us and attack us?¡¡How stupid is this?

    Agievent was winning with volcanic ash all over his body.

    But I wonder how long that specialty will last.

    ''A typical third-rate dragon, Agibend.

    Oh, Father?

    Dragons are strong. They are so strong that they sit on their overwhelming power and neglect to train themselves further. Lack of study is part of it.

    My father, who was running away from everything, found himself standing next to your sister, who was watching the game.

    "Volcanic ash," he said. You''ll get hurt if you mix them with the ashes from burning trees and grass. That''s exactly what happened to me. I had to fight Ardheg.

    What do you mean, father?

    To the knowledge of the niggers, volcanic ashes are microscopic fragments of solidified magma that have cooled and hardened. When the magma cools, it turns into rock. When the magma is cooled down, it turns into tiny drops of rock, and when cooled down, it hardens into tiny grains, smaller than a pebble. As small as a grain of ash.

    The small, solidified, powdery rocks are volcanic ash.

    Its nature is much more vicious than just ash. It''s a rock, even on a grain. "It''s more vicious than just ash," he said, "because even on the grain it''s a rock, which, if inhaled by a weak human, can damage the throat, injure the lungs and tear the surface of the eyeballs. Ardheg''s Grey Breath spits out tens of thousands, if not millions, of such ashes all at once.

    Because it is on the grain, it goes into any minute gaps and claws at delicate parts.

    Moreover, it is even sharper because the magic of the dragon resides in it.

    It slashes the enemy on a microscopic scale.

    "Goooooooooooooh!¡¡It hurts!¡¡What is that gap in the scales is tingling?¡¡It hurts!¡¡I can''t breathe!¡¡I can''t breathe!

    The fine volcanic ash is slowly eating away at Agi Bend.

    From the softest, most delicate parts.

    ''Then let''s move on to the next phase. Agi Bend, you deserve harsher punishment than that.''

    Lord Saint, Brother Alexander.

    It''s time to unveil the new special move that you have developed by walking under two absolutes.

    ''''Ha!''''

    I let out a breath, pursing my mouth.

    The smaller outlet creates a more convergent, unidirectional stream of ash.

    The radial breaths consolidate in a line.

    ''''What''s this?¡¡This is ah!

    With the concentrated flow, more and more volcanic ash is spewed out in great volume and with high pressure.

    What happens then?

    A line of high-pressure volcanic ash from the eruption of the volcano is aimed at Agi Bend as if swinging a sword down.

    ''''Ohhhhhh!''''

    The horror of the volcanic ash is already well known to me and I have activated my dragon magic. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.

    ''Ridiculous!¡¡The wards will be broken!¡¡The best dragon magic on earth?

    Isn''t that obvious?

    Father will explain things for me while I''m under attack.

    A stream of volcanic ash concentrated in one direction. Tens of millions of grains of volcanic ash erupt in a single count. It''s as powerful as a gust of wind. Even if they are just tiny grains of rock, if they are rubbed against each other hundreds of millions of times in succession, they can cut through the scales of a dragon. And Ardh?egh adds dragon magic power to every grain of ash,

    ''''Ayoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    The dragon wards couldn''t stop the momentum of the breaths in the slightest, and the aggregated volcanic ash breaths that came in contact with them mercilessly split the dragon''s scales apart.

    You will be able to find a lot of people who will be able to help you.

    I asked the saint to see this new technique I''d developed. He said to me, ''It''s just like a chainsaw.

    --He said, ''It''s like a chainsaw.

    "Disgusting!¡¡I give up!¡¡I admit it!¡¡I admit defeat!¡¡So release the bracelet.

    ...........

    I was going to stop fighting if I accepted the surrender.

    Until I saw those ningens held captive as a sacrifice.

    "No.

    You can telepathize with dragon magic while spitting out breath.

    ''If you only want to rebel against me, it''s still good. All dragons have the right to challenge the Geyser Dragon. Because I think so.

    But you took an innocent ninja, trifled with her, and then tried to kill her.

    That is unacceptable. No dragonborn shall be allowed to harm the world. "The dragon emperor will be punished for trying to harm a Ningen.

    Purge.

    This is my first action as a Geyser Dragon.

    "Oh, no!¡¡Help!¡¡''''Stop, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?''''

    Agibend, who was too busy holding back the converged breath to even escape and avoid it, eventually ran out of strength and couldn''t even do that, and the breath that couldn''t be held back mercilessly cut both sides of the dragon''s body.

    Agibend, cut in half, disappeared from the ground without a trace, along with its grandiose ambitions.

 483-481 Good couple of couple dragon

    My name is Prabhu.

    I''m a girl who lives in a village in the Devil''s Land.

    I don''t mean to boast, but she''s quite a beauty, and I''ve been told that it would be nice to go up to the Demon City and become a maid when she''s older.

    My village is located in the countryside, far from the capital, but it is prosperous because of the nearby dungeons.

    The black crystal that you can get in the dungeon contains the magic of a dragon, and it can be turned into a powerful amulet when it''s processed.

    Men from the village often go into the dungeon to get the crystal, and they all come back safely.

    The ruler of the dungeon, Lord Black Dragon, has a big heart, and he doesn''t pay any attention to what we demons do.

    Thanks to this, we''re able to live a fairly prosperous life even though we live in the countryside.

    But that doesn''t mean we should let our guard down.

    Our enemy is a dragon.

    They are the most powerful beings in the world and think of us humans as nothing more than insects.

    Even if they don''t care about you now, you never know if they will wreak havoc on you at the slightest chance.

    Don''t get used to having a dragon in your life. Fear the dragon.

    My grandfather, the longest living man in the village, used to say that.

    The words of his grandfather, the longest living man in the village, came back to him.

    A dragon attacked the village.

    The dragon said, "From now on, I will rule this land.

    The dragon said: ''Now, it is the noble dragon general, Lady Agievend of Grinz Dragon, who will rule this land. I have a warning for you, Ningen. Make a sacrifice for Master Agievend.

    And.

    I''ve heard that it was a pitch-black female dragon that ruled the mountain dungeons for a long time.

    I wonder what happened to it?

    Has there been a downfall in the world of dragons?

    Anyway, our village is also in turmoil.

    We were told that they would destroy our village if we didn''t obey, so we had to sacrifice someone anyway.

    We had no choice but to refuse.

    Because the opponent is a dragon.

    There were some people who thought that they would ask the Demon King in the Demon City for help, but the deadline set by the dragon was too late, and even if they did, there is no way they could beat the dragon, even with a demon army.

    It was decided that if the demon king had a problem and the entire demon kingdom would be shaken by it, we would offer a sacrifice with tears in our eyes.

    And I became the sacrifice.

    I ran for election.

    The dragons also ordered ''the most beautiful young maiden in the world''. I''m confident in my abilities as a maiden.

    For the sake of the village, I would gladly put my body on the line too!¡¡I tried to be enthusiastic.

    A few other girls my age were chosen to be sacrificed, and the dragon grabbed them and carried them to the mountain dungeon.

    The dragon seemed to be taking sacrifices from neighbors in addition to my village, and when I arrived, there were other pathetic-looking girls.

    In the end, there were a dozen of them, and I guess all of these girls would be sacrificed to the dragon....

    How in the world are they going to treat the sacrifices?

    I was optimistic that we wouldn''t be taken and eaten, and that we would be made to work as servants or be made to be the wife of a dragon, but I heard that we really would be taken and eaten.

    There is a picky eater among the dragons who loves human flesh, and we were brought here for him.

    We didn''t expect the worst.

    We panicked, but it was impossible to escape from the situation, so we had no choice but to enter the dragon''s belly with grace.

    That''s when I reached the point of resignation.

    The Savior appeared.

    * * * *

    (screaming)¡¡I give up!¡¡I admit it!¡¡I admit defeat!¡¡So release the bracelets.

    No.

    The savior was also a dragon.

    They were trying to eat us, and now they''re overwhelming the evil dragon with some kind of awesome power.

    "The dragonkind that I rule shall do no harm to the world. "The dragon race that I rule shall do no harm to the world. I will punish you as the Dragon Emperor for trying to harm a Ningen.

    "No!¡¡Help!¡¡''''Stop, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!''''

    The bad dragon screamed out an unseemly plea for its life, and in the end, it was cut in half and disappeared.

    Amazing.

    They say that dragons are the strongest, but they are even more powerful and weak among them.

    ''''Ah, Agi Bend has been killed!

    You can''t believe it.¡¡So that''s why you were able to rebel when Lady Mary was away?

    "I thought that Ardhegg was supposed to become a Geiser Dragon by a stroke of luck?

    The other dragons are confused!

    These were the dragons that had been around since I was brought in, and one of them was the dragon that threatened the village and took me away as a sacrifice.

    ''Well, your master dragons have disappeared. By my great master dragon.''''

    "Hi, hi, hi, hi!¡¡It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you get to the top of the mountain. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work.¡¡You, too, who conspired with the untrained Agievend to carry out the rebellion, are untrained. The same fate as the head.

    Huh?

    Wasn''t the all-black dragon a dungeon lord that has been lore in the village for a long time?

    "Mmmmmmmmmm, I''m sorry, Miss Bloody Mary!

    "It couldn''t be helped!¡¡There is no one who can defeat Agibend while you are away!

    "They had no choice but to follow him!

    And the rest of the dragons were in a panic.

    It''s just like the village kids. Just like when my grandmother found out about the prank.

    You''re selling out your pride to the strong. No dragon has ever learned to behave like a weakling. I can make you disappear for good.

    ''''Forgive me, oh, oh, oh!

    The dragons had fully surrendered to Black Dragon-sama.

    They have no intention of resisting.

    You can''t be wrong. You''re not the one who decides your fate. In name or in fact, we are the rulers of the dragons, the new Geyser Dragon, Ardhaeg.

    The dragon who had been fighting earlier got off.

    The winner, of course. The loser is no longer in this world.

    ''''Heeheehee!

    ''''New emperor-sama!¡¡"Please, please have mercy on me!

    I never doubted your abilities, Your Majesty!¡¡''''Agi Bend''s idiot is self-serving!''''

    A lot of other dragons are desperately trying to defend themselves, but the one who is coming at us, ignoring all the important strong dragons.......us?

    What?

    Don''t tell me this dragon is going to eat us too?

    But the dragon suddenly transformed into a human form........

    It''s a cool guy who looks like he''s in the Demon City.

    ''I''m sorry everyone. I''m sorry, I''m sorry that one of the most foolish of our dragons has caused you trouble.

    He bows his head.

    ''I am Ardheg, the Geyser Dragon. I am Ardheg of Geyser Dragon, the unifier of all the dragons in this world. I swear on my name. As long as I am the Emperor Dragon, no dragon will attack humanity. If anyone breaks this prohibition, I will personally see to it that they are punished.

    ''What are you doing so poorly against a Ningen?''

    Now it''s just the pitch black dragon!

    And she transformed!

    She''s a very beautiful woman!

    I know you''re a fan of ningens, but you don''t want to be licked.¡¡Nice words, ninjas. I''ll follow Ardheg''s policies in general, but if you guys make a move on me, I''ll do my best to fight back, so you''ll have to keep that in mind.

    Heeeeeee?

    This sissy dragon looks like a sissy wife, tightening the generosity of a handsome dragon.

    "Don''t worry. You''ll be sent back to your village.

    Tell your people to spread the word. This is the new ruler of the Dragon People, the one who will hold the title of Emperor Gazer Dragon, known as Ardheg. If you wish to receive the mercy of the dragon, praise him and serve him.

    It''s amazing how shrewdly women try to stand up to their partners!

    She really is a sister-wife!

    ''I understand!¡¡We''ll definitely go home and spread the word about what we saw today!

    ''That there is a strong and gentle dragon couple!

    Ah.

    I got the impression that the other kids were a couple too.

    ''''Fufu?!''''

    And the dragon''s sister reacted excessively.

    ''''Because isn''t that right?¡¡You''ve been in the right mood for a while now!

    She sounds like a solid sister-wife!

    The rescued maidens are praising their friendship, but the one being praised seems to be confused.

    What are they talking about?¡¡I''ll burn you down if you don''t talk like that!¡¡I''m going to bring back some black crystals as a souvenir!

    This is how we safely returned to our respective villages, and the story of how a couple of friendly dragons were protecting humanity was known throughout the world.

 484-482 Development of different world green juice

    How do you do?

    I''m watching the mermaids in class today.

    "The most intelligent act in the world is!¡¡Invention!

    Standing at the podium of the blue sky classroom, Prathi is making some enthusiastic speech.

    Mermaid Witch Academia, a prestigious school in the Mermaid Country.

    When did some of its enrolled students start to live on the farm?

    These days, though, they tend to be lumped together with the mermaid tribe''s foreign students.

    Nevertheless, the classes on potions used only by the mermaid tribe are thus open only to mermaids.

    Young female mermaids.

    ''Creating something new requires ideas!¡¡On top of that, you need to have the uprightness to keep trying and failing, but not to be frustrated by it!¡¡That means talent and hard work!¡¡You can''t carry out your invention without the two together!

    Prathi speaks passionately.

    Today she''s playing the role of a teacher.

    She''s already a well-known potions user herself, and she''s well qualified to teach people.

    The first reason why she didn''t take the initiative in teaching the mermaid students is because she had a lot of work to do with her newborn son, which was not an option.

    The second reason is that Puffa, a potions user of the same rank, was more energetic in her role as a teacher, so she didn''t get much of a chance to teach the mermaids.

    However, Junior had grown up and was becoming less and less of a handful, and Puffa had gotten her wish and married Miss Arowana and left the farm.

    So Prathi has been teaching more and more lately.

    The Mermaid Witch Academy''s female mermaid students seem to be thrilled to have Prathi teach them directly.

    It''s because Prati is the princess of the mermaid kingdom and one of the best magicians of the mermaid race, the ''Six Witches''.

    Even just seeing her face is sure to stimulate your heart, and if she even taught you, you''ll be proud of her in the countryside.

    Such as Prathi.

    If you''re wondering what we''re going to do in class...?

    So today, I''m going to ask you all to invent something!

    It''s a crazy thing to say.

    "We''ll make you our own original Aojiru.

    Hmm?

    I was confused by the phrase that suddenly fell on me.

    I was watching the class with Junior in my arms to let him see his mother''s courage, but as expected, I couldn''t help but ask questions.

    ''''Hey, hey, Prathi-san?''''

    "What''s the matter with you, sir?¡¡I''m a teacher now!¡¡Call me Professor here!

    Prathi is a woman whose personality is influenced by her title quite a bit.

    That''s what I call royalty.

    So, Pratisser.

    Stop mixing up titles and names!

    Why are you trying to get your students to invent a green juice?

    Green juice is a new trend that has emerged on the farm in recent years.

    We had an event where we made various juices using a newly developed blender, and we made a green juice along with fruit juice and vegetable juice.

    All you have to do is squirt the raw material grass and leaves in a blender and squeeze it.

    I used it as the last punchline, and it was very good in that area too.

    My heart fluttered the moment I saw the green juice your husband made!

    ''As for my husband, I hope he gets a flutter on another part of his life.

    ''Green juice!¡¡That''s what makes us witches the best match for the liquid.¡¡It''s a mixture of many herbs that can be taken easily to regulate your health, isn''t it?

    If you think about it, that''s true........?

    So the green juice is something that is so compatible with the pratys who make potions?

    Even if we say "green juice", it must have been made by mixing various grasses and leaves.

    It''s the same as mixing a magic potion, isn''t it?

    Hundreds of herbs! And when the commercials claim it''s going to work, it seems like it''s going to work!

    So today, I''m going to ask you to invent your own original blend of green juice with a variety of herbs. It''s a practical lesson!

    The students'' confusion, "Why is this happening? The confusion of the students is tremendous.

    It''s as if they can smell it from the atmosphere, even if they don''t say so in words.

    "You can use all the medicinal herbs we grow on our farm as ingredients!¡¡From the most common to the source of the world''s two most precious elixirs!¡¡The farm''s herb garden has an assortment of everything!

    The herb garden is that...?

    There''s even a spirit plant...?

    ''''I''m not surprised that the conviction that ''this farm must have them'' came first...?

    Anyway, the mermaid students were reckless.

    I''m sure that in time, they''ll say that "Mr. Puffa was more competent as a teacher," but in any case, in order to pass the class, they had to mix some medicinal herbs to complete the green juice.

    Will the girl mermaids use their young sensibilities to blend a green juice that they''ve never seen before?

    ''''Yes sir!¡¡It''s done, sister!

    The first female student to raise her hand was Angel, the second princess of the mermaid kingdom, who was also Prathi''s sister, Angel.

    It''s not, because the mermaid king has now been replaced and Arowana has been enthroned... What on earth is the king''s sister called?

    I don''t know much about it, so I''ll continue to call her Princess.

    Anyway, that''s what Angel is.

    Well, that''s my sister for taking first place.

    ''Of course!¡¡You may savor the Mermaid Royal Green Juice that the princess attaches to!

    Royal Green Juice, which seems to be mixed up with some different trademarks.

    It''s a green juice made from the most expensive medicinal herbs found in your sister''s herb garden!¡¡With the amount of raw materials used, that''s worth a hundred gold pieces per cup!¡¡It''s also clear that the green juice that reaches the highest amount alone is the best of all!

    Rejected!

    Why?

    Angel is blown away by the shockwave released by Prati.

    ''Mix all the high end products together to make a high end green juice!¡¡There''s no way you can raise your pass with such an easy idea!

    That''s right.

    Compounding is a very creative exercise in creativity!¡¡Even the most ordinary of herbs can elicit unexpected effects when mixed together!¡¡That''s not what a compounder is supposed to do!

    Mmm-hmm.

    The price per unit is too high if you only use high quality products!¡¡It''s easier to make money by lowering the price of each item and selling them bigger and wider!

    Hm?

    What are you talking about?

    Unit price?¡¡Profits?

    Are you platy...?

    Trying to make money selling green juice?

    "Ugh!

    I guess I was right.

    Why are you so obsessed with money now?¡¡As a princess, Prati is not in a position to care about money, right?

    "If there''s no bread, eat the fish.

    Because I can''t help it!¡¡We have Junior now!

    "Hmm?

    ''Whatever you''re going to do to raise Junior from now on, it''s obviously better to have the money!¡¡What if he wants to go to a good school in the future?¡¡You should save up as much money as you can now to support Junior''s dreams!

    The claim was too correct and shattered, my heart.

    Indeed, Prathi was right. Childcare is a costly affair. So far I''ve tried to be self-sufficient and have as little money as possible.

    But is it self-serving to force a child to live the way a parent does?

    Junior is just an innocent baby now, but he''ll grow up and have a dream, and maybe in the end he''ll be a doctor or a minister!¡¡You could be a brave man in a vertical society!

    It''s my baby!

    You''re too disappointing as a parent to not be able to support a single penny at that point!

    All right!¡¡It''s true, we do need the money!

    You understand, sir!

    I didn''t know the necessity of money until I came to a different world.

    Is this what it''s like to be a parent?

    I''m sure the green juice is a great way to make money.¡¡It''s a health food, after all, and they don''t have to be injured or sick to buy it!

    ....

    Just leave the sales to the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, and you''ll be blown away!

    ...it''s Prati.

    So you''re just going to pitch in with your bounty and solicit ideas from your mermaid students?

    Is that not a problem?

    ''In that case, Master Platy!¡¡I have a nice idea!

    A mermaid student who comes forward.

    You don''t look familiar, is this the first girl you''ve seen?

    ''Minimal cost!¡¡But the money is maximized!¡¡If you tear off the weeds around here and make a powder and call it "the farm''s original green juice," you''re sure to sell like hotcakes!¡¡Amateurs can''t tell the difference anyway!¡¡It''s okay to be a Texan, Texan!

    "Fraudulent business practices will be severely punished!

    All the mermaid students at the farm are supposed to be nice young ladies...

    How did you come up with such a crazy idea?

    Anyway, the female student who tried to disguise her food was blown away by a shockwave from the prathi with a brand of failure.

    .........

    By the way, Prathi, how on earth do you send out shock waves?

    I don''t see her using any potions.

    Has she acquired new skills as a mother?

 485-483 supreme leaf material

    ''I knew it was a bad idea to solicit ideas from students!¡¡They''re only little girls, they''re useless!

    Don''t count on the students.

    As a mother, Prathi plans to get child support money from the mass sale of green juice.

    But first and foremost, she has to perfect her product, green juice, in order to achieve this plan.

    Green juice is a health food that everyone agrees on.

    I think Prati has a good eye for it.

    There''s nothing better to sell than a health food that has the cause of good health and yet people continue to buy it as a consumable product.

    And there''s a great affinity with mermaids who manufacture potions.

    ''But!¡¡I tried to think of some wacky ideas for my youth, but to hell with it, you guys!¡¡After all, Mermaid Witch Academia is one of the most prestigious schools in the mermaid nation!¡¡The elite that go there seem to have their heads hardened from adolescence!

    Prathi''s disrespect for the prestigious school is enormous.

    Is it backward because Prati has such a history of dropping out of Mermaid Witch Academia?

    Anyway, I feel very sorry for the students who have been pushed around by Prathi''s plan.

    I''ll have to make a move on my own now.¡¡One of these six witches, the proclaimed ''crown witch,'' this Prati!

    Let''s start with that.

    You''re the one making the money, right?

    So, students!¡¡I don''t have time for class, so I''ll just have to study on my own!¡¡It''s okay, a really talented kid doesn''t need to be taught by someone else to make it big, like me.¡¡All right then, stand up!¡¡Thank you!¡¡Charge!

    Prati ran off with a tirade that denied the entire school system.

    Leaving behind a group of mermaid students who had yet to be taught anything except being forced to make a prototype of green juice.

    -- ''''As a teacher, Puffa-san was clearly better than you.......!

    It was as if the cries of these girl mermaids'' hearts were echoing.

    Sorry?

    Anyway, we''ll take care of Prathi''s runaway, so you mermaid students can focus on your schoolwork.

    * * * *

    ''Then I''ll show you!¡¡It''s the real, top-quality green juice that witches create!

    Prati is finally trying to create a green juice by herself.

    He is an amazing potions master, even if he is called a "witch". If Prati were to seriously produce a blend of green juice, what kind of amazing thing would be created?

    I''m just curious.

    ''As a matter of fact, we do have an allocation in mind!¡¡What and how much to mix to create this Master Plati''s Original Green Juice!

    ''What?¡¡Really?

    So let''s take a look at that curious recipe.

    Medicinal herbs: a little bit.

    Poisoning herb: a little bit.

    ivy leaf: Only a little, but not much.

    Wild ivy: If you have it, add it.

    Other.

    ...........

    Sounds surprisingly normal, doesn''t it?

    They are all commonplace materials that can be found in a village tool shop.

    It''s true that it''s impossible to do business with too many high-grade materials at a high cost, as I said during my time with Angel, but...

    Are you disappointed that the materials are too ordinary?

    No, no, that''s not...?

    You don''t have to make it up as you go along.¡¡It is true that the materials currently available are far too ordinary for the witch attaches to handle. You''ll feel like I''m shrugging my shoulders. But I don''t want you to lick it. We don''t have all the materials yet!

    What?

    These are just extras!¡¡It''s better to have one kind of awesome thing for these things, and that''s what you''re going to bite into if you make it the highlight of your day!

    I see!

    "Contains 500 million milligrams of taurine. Or something like that!

    "There''s still that one missing piece of my material.¡¡Add that to the mix, and you have my perfect green juice!¡¡But it''s not in my hands yet...!

    What?

    Do you have any medicinal materials that Platy doesn''t have?

    I thought this farm was growing and harvesting everything, but I was proud...?

    What''s that last ingredient, by the way?

    ''Leaf of the World Tree!

    ..........

    Another familiar phrase appeared.

    The leaf of the World Tree is an item commonly used in RPGs for reviving people.

    Did they have them in this world too...?

    ''I mean, do you have a World Tree?¡¡This world?

    I don''t know much about it because I grew up on the sea, but they say it''s deep in the forest somewhere. It''s a huge tree, thousands of years old, and they say that its roots, trunk, branches and leaves all have spiritual powers...!

    Although the leaves are indeed not effective in reviving the dead, it is said to purify all poisons and give life force.

    "If we use the leaves of the World Tree as the main ingredient in our green juice, we can market it as ''World Tree Leaf Healthy Aojiru''!¡¡It''s going to sell like hotcakes!

    Well.....

    It''s definitely good for you.

    I''m going to go find the World Tree now!¡¡They say it''s somewhere on earth, but I''m sure I can find it!¡¡And for Junior''s sake!

    Nothing is impossible for a mother who cares for her children.

    Speaking of the World Tree, despite its size, it''s hidden and difficult for ordinary people to find.

    Even in this world, they are probably located deep in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, and you have to go through a lot of hardships to get to them, don''t you think?

    Are you sure you want to incorporate that into your materials?¡¡Won''t it cost you more and the price will still go up?

    It''s okay!¡¡There will be plenty of ways to cut costs on our farm!¡¡I hear you''re going to fly on a viel to where the World Tree is!

    That''s right, there''s no place in the world you can''t go if you''re on the wings of a dragon.......

    Considering Veerle''s fickle nature, it doesn''t look like we can expect a very stable supply.

    ''''We don''t even know where the World Tree is in the first place...''''

    I mean, is there really a World Tree?

    It just goes up in people''s rumors, and maybe it''s something in a dream world that doesn''t exist.

    It''s okay!¡¡This is how even the saint''s farm, which is suspected by many to be real, exists!¡¡What are you going to do if you can''t trust the master of it, sir?

    I can''t even make a sound when I hear you say that...?

    I''m not sure I''m as much of a dream world dweller as he is.

    Then I should believe there''s a world tree and try to find a place to live.

    To put those leaves in the green juice.........

    * * * *

    Yeah, I know where the World Tree is.

    Just as I was about to gather information by asking around first....

    There was a quick hit.

    The witnesses were the elves.

    ''''It is located in the settlement where we elves live. Elves are a race that originally lives in the forest, but they build settlements in the forest where they have lived and lived since ancient times.

    Apparently, the World Tree is located in the largest of the several villages.

    I''m sure it''s because of the World Tree''s protection. It''s called the ''City of Elves'' because the largest number of elves live in the largest forest.

    It''s a far cry from the forests of humanity, which are getting smaller and smaller because of legal magic.

    "Ha ha ha ha!

    I see, the World Tree is located in the Elven Forest.......?

    If that''s the case, it''s not going to be easy. The Elves are famous for being an exclusive race that hides in the forest.

    It''s going to be extremely difficult to get them to enter the forest, let alone share the leaves of the World Tree.

    I can smell the adventure!

    ''Good!¡¡Let''s go!¡¡To get a leaf from the World Tree!

    ''What?¡¡Saints, do you want the leaves of the World Tree?

    The elf who had been listening in reacted to my statement of determination.

    ''''Then why don''t you just buy a normal one?''''

    What?

    This is where the story began to change.

    According to the elves, the elves who live in the large settlement with the World Tree are more open-minded than the other elves because of their great prosperity.

    It could be said to be snobbish, though.

    They are interested in the civilizations of demons and humans outside the forest, and sometimes trade with them.

    In such cases, the leaf of the World Tree is the most used as a trade item on the elven side.

    In the Elven City, it grows indefinitely, but outside the city, it is prized as the best of all medicines.

    There is no better product than this.

    ''''It''s pricey, but it''s in circulation in its own right, so if you ask the Chamber of Commerce to bring it to you, they''ll bring it to you. Why don''t you talk to Mr. Shaxu about it?''''

    The elves advised me to do so, so I did so.

    Later, a large amount of World Tree leaves were delivered to me.

    * * * *

    ''Tasteless!¡¡One more!

    Shakus exclaimed after drinking the prototype of the "World Tree Leaf Green Juice" that Prathi had completed.

    ''''It''s good!¡¡World Tree leaves are a luxury item, but they''ve been on sale for so long that I was in a rut, as expected!¡¡With a new twist, it''s going to sell well again!

    That''s how Shax-san and the green juice that came to be handled by this business association became a huge boom around the Demon City, and an avalanche of money came pouring in underneath my wife and I.

    Although it was as originally planned........

    ''''Well........it''s kind of unexplainable.

    Well....

    Prati and I couldn''t get rid of this feeling of disappointment in our hearts.

    The world tree in this world is quite mundane........?

 486-484 Guild vs Shokai

    I was curious about the oden shop run by Bacchus.

    Bacchus is half god, half man, and has been alive for thousands of years.

    He''s almost a god, but he''s an incomparable drinker and has spent thousands of years of his life making, drinking and propagating sake.

    The other day, we talked about how important it is to have snacks with which to enjoy sake, so he opened an oden shop as part of his experiment.

    As part of his efforts, he opened an oden shop and opened one himself, serving delicious sake.

    I was very worried about the fact that the god of sake was in the customer business.

    I had planned to check on him often to prevent trouble, but my wedding, Arowana and I''s wedding, Demon King''s dieting, and various other things have put me off.

    .....

    I was going to live a carefree life in this world, but now I find myself getting busy.

    Well, I guess I''ll just have to accept it as part of my homework.

    This is how I came to check on Bacchus in my spare time.

    Now, how did the Sakagami''s oden shop change while I was away from it?

    Is it still thriving?

    I took a peek....

    * * * *

    There was a conflict going on.

    A corner of the demon city where Bacchus'' oden shop is located.

    There, dozens of powerful demon men were staring at each other.

    ''''A micro guild, don''t get your head out of your ass!

    I could say the same thing, you commercial dog!¡¡Don''t think you''ll listen to me if I let capital take care of things!

    It''s pretty nasty.

    Why is the situation in this oden shop so inextricable every time I visit?

    Oh, you''re a saint. Welcome.

    On the other side of the bickering men, Bacchus, the old man in charge of the store, was cooking up oden as if nothing had happened.

    ''I''ve been worried about you lately when you haven''t shown your face. Have you been cheating on me at another restaurant?

    You should come up to the farm and show me your face.

    Whenever he finds something he''s crazy about, he hangs on to it.

    He has been repeating this for thousands of years and is a demigod bacchanal.

    As expected of an uninhibited goddess, he has inherited the blood of an uninhibited goddess.

    There may be a lot of talk, but it''s polite to order first when you sit down.

    Okay, I''ll have daikon radish and chikuwa and a piece of deep-fried tofu, please.

    Drink?

    ''I don''t drink in the afternoon. I''m in the mood for lunch right now, and if I had a meal, I''d just want one.

    Because the otsuwa is so thick, the oden at Bacchus'' restaurant goes well with rice.

    If they served oden at lunchtime, it would surely sell well.

    In fact, rice was served.

    White rice with oden on the side is very tasty.

    So what is it with these guys who are blocking business so badly in front of the store?

    While I was tucking into my delicious oden, a group of sweltering men were pushing and haggling with each other in front of the store.

    That must have made it difficult for customers to come in.

    "Well, all I care about is serving good sake and oden to the people!

    ''As usual, you''re only interested in what you''re interested in...!

    This god is like this every time and if we were to face him properly, we wouldn''t be able to talk about it.

    We need another solid commentator here.

    "Verena.

    Yes, sir.

    Verena, who was accompanying me, was seated next to me, taking a bite out of a chikuabu.

    ''''Wait a minute, until you finish eating this...?

    ''''Calm down and eat.''''

    Since Bacchus''s Oden shop is located in the Demon City, it''s essential that I get a transfer magic personnel to send me there to visit.

    It was Verena who would serve as that.

    And if you think about having them show you around the inside of the Demon City, Verena, who formerly belonged to the Demon King''s Army, is the one to hit the spot.

    ''''........Thank you for the meal. .........Well, the one side that is arguing in front of the store is probably the people from the tavern guild, right?

    Yeah, he was there the other day...?

    They were the ones who had shut down Bacchus when I visited this oden shop before.

    In the Demon City, there is a guild that should be called a mutual aid society for every type of job, and if you don''t belong to it, you can''t open a shop.

    In the past, Bacchus'' oden shop had been censured by the tavern guild for operating without a permit....

    ''''Didn''t Bacchus solving the problem by revealing himself?

    ''For a profession that involves alcohol, Master Bacchus is a patron saint. I remember the special case was granted and the permit was issued immediately.

    As expected of Verena, who was also involved in the aftermath, she knew very well.

    ''''But then the quarrel with the guild is all settled, right?¡¡Why are you causing a ruckus in the storefront again?

    That''s probably a reason on the other side, isn''t it?

    The other side?

    Well, being in a tussle means you have someone with whom you have a clash of opinions.

    If you look closely, the crowd of men is divided in half and they are staring at each other as if they are in the heavens.

    ''''Tussling with the guild.......who the hell are they?''''

    ''Once you understand that, you''ll understand the reason for the confrontation, but before you do, please give me an additional halfpenny.

    Verena seems to like the concoction.

    ''Gobo-ten and Shirataki for me too.

    Thanks to the delicious oden at Bacchus, we''re not getting anywhere.

    * * *

    Woo, woo, woo, woo...!

    I''m so hungry.

    When we''re satisfied, we finally step into the fray.

    So what are you guys fighting about?

    What are you doing, old man?¡¡You''re a stranger, get off your ass!

    Great swordsmanship.

    I tried to intercede, but he wouldn''t listen to me at all.

    ''Enough!¡¡What do you say we chase them off by force?

    "Rough guilds are quick to resort to violence. If you insist, you''ll learn that it''s not just your money that''s inferior.

    No, the rancor is building up and is now on the verge of an outburst.

    If this continues, a brawl could break out right in front of Bacchus'' shop.

    If that happens, it could destroy Bacchus'' shop. If this happens...!

    Would you like my magic barrage to wipe them out?

    And Verena.

    She''s gotten really robust, too.

    When the time comes, I''ll ask her, ''Please! I tried to do it, but....

    ''Don''t do it, it''s unseemly.''

    There was a voice that conquered the ruffians ahead of me.

    And this voice was familiar to me, and me too.

    He is.........

    "Isn''t that Mr. Shax?

    The great man who leads the merchant association in the Demon Kingdom!

    What does a man who knows our farm well come to visit us?

    Well, well, my dear saint. We''re meeting in the middle of nowhere and it''s not so unexpected.

    Mr. Shax noticed me and greeted me reverently.

    He''s as shrewd as ever.

    ''''There''s no way you wouldn''t be involved in the restaurant run by Bacchus-sama, you know.

    No, it''s a restaurant...?

    Don''t you think that''s a bit...?

    Our people have made a fool of themselves. I know it must be very disappointing to you, Mr. Sage, but for my sake, please forgive us...!

    No, no, no...?

    No, no, no...?

    The head of the company is indeed very good at what he does?

    So the people on the other side who are having trouble with the guild are from the Chamber of Commerce?

    I don''t know what to say. I''ve instructed them that those of us who belong to the Chamber of Commerce, even if we''re at the end of the line, have the opportunity to be seen by our customers, so we should always act gracefully and not offend them...

    You''re doing a thorough job of training your employees, aren''t you...?

    Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡¡What''s the idea?

    Another newcomer to the show.

    Don''t you talk to me like that, Shax?¡¡You keep talking shit like that, and I''m gonna take you down like you did in the old days!¡¡This tavern guild''s guildmaster, Samijra, is!

 487-485 Fateful two

    Who is this new guy on the scene?

    Unlike Mr. Shaks, I don''t recognize him completely. It''s definitely the first time we''ve met.

    You can tell he''s a demon race from his dark skin, but he has a really well-defined, sideways, broad physique.

    However, he is not obese, but has a strong body and looks energetic and forceful.

    He was energetic and forceful, with a strong sense of urgency that could be seen in his face, and he had the appearance of a hard-driving president of a small business.

    I didn''t expect you to visit the guild master himself.

    I don''t think I can get anywhere with just my guys. What''s it like for you to be out in the field like this?¡¡Mr. Chamberlain?¡¡Aren''t you supposed to be lounging around in a luxurious room when you get big?

    ''''It''s a poor idea. As the Chairman of Commerce, I must not sit still for a moment in order to enrich the Chamber of Commerce and the entire Demon Kingdom. It is the duty of the Chairman of Commerce to run to wherever there is a lucrative business opportunity and organize negotiations.

    You just haven''t gotten over the old habits of your time as a slave, have you?¡¡No matter how high and mighty you pretend to be, you''re a frontline worker who can''t get anywhere unless you do it yourself.

    ''You can''t just sit back and make money in any industry. The assumption that the executive level of the Chamber of Commerce is not coming into the field is the prejudice created by your dark folly.

    ''''Who is dark and stupid, Teme!''''

    Who is this old man who is violently cutting his tongue with Mr. Shaks?

    Me and Verena were looking on in dismay, and the old man noticed...?

    Oh?¡¡What''s the point of a freak show?¡¡If you''re done with your dinner, get the hell out of here. And go back to work. When you eat, you work, that''s the right way to live.

    Keep your mouth shut, Lord Samjula. This is the most disrespectful thing you''ve ever said to the man, you really are a dullard.

    ''What?!''

    They reacted to each other''s sarcasm one by one.

    If I let these two people speak only, we wouldn''t be able to talk for any length of time.

    ''''Mr. Shax, could you introduce me to them?

    I would like to call this ''Mr. President'', a well dressed man.

    '' ''........I''m not someone the saint would want to know. Please silence him like a pebble on the side of the road.

    I''m going to do something about that...

    Mr. Shax speaks grudgingly as I bite down on him.

    ''His name is Samijula, and he''s the guildmaster who now unites the tavern guild. He''s kind of like the master of the bandits.''''

    You mean like a big man?

    The Tavern Guild and the Chamber of Commerce stared at each other in a Bacchus storefront.

    It''s not unusual that they even came out to the top of each of them.

    What in the world is going on in the tavern of Bacchus?

    ''''It''s not that complicated, Saint.

    Reading my confused expression, Mr. Shaks explains.

    ''It''s rather natural. Considering the great selection of food in this restaurant...''

    So it''s not really a restaurant...?

    An oden shop is an oden shop, right?

    ''''These days, it''s gaining a reputation in the Demon City. "These days, the Demon City has been gaining a reputation for being the best in the world, with delicacies that you''ve never seen before and drinks that you''ve never had before. There''s a famous shop on an unnamed backstreet that deals in all these delicacies and undrinkable alcohol. Moreover, whether it''s a lie or not, the proprietor of the shop is none other than Bacchus, the god of wine...

    .........That''s right, if God himself was running this place, there would be a rumor.

    When I heard the rumor, I immediately began to investigate. And I found out. And I found out that Master Bacchus'' restaurant was a real place!

    And that''s why you were at the restaurant...?

    I know Master Bacchus, the god of wine, is here for his saint!¡¡That means that this restaurant must have had a lot to do with the saint''s cooking!¡¡If so, it must be delicious!

    Mr. Shaks is excited.

    ''And good food brings in profits!¡¡We would love to take a bite out of the profits!¡¡I beg you to form a business partnership with our company!

    Is that what you''re talking about, after all?

    ''''There are already many people who want to taste the drinks and delicacies served by Bacchus, the God of Wine!¡¡We, the Chamber of Commerce, want to be in the business of getting those big orders and bringing them to Master Bacchus!¡¡Wouldn''t you like to hear from the saint as well!

    Mr. Shaks is a big merchant.

    You can''t get away from it.

    It''s just a biological habit of merchants, and it doesn''t matter what we do.

    We''ll provide you with a new store in a prime location, not in a back alley like this one!¡¡The best sale deserves the best storefront. The Chamber of Commerce will pay for all expenses!¡¡By all means!

    Wait a minute.

    A hand is placed on Mr. Shax''s shoulder as he heats up.

    Thick, stubby fingers. It was a strong man''s hand that reminded me of a workman.

    ''''Samjura-dono........?

    The master of the tavern guild we were just introduced to.

    "It''s too much for me, Shokai. It''s not just the food and drink and the place to enjoy it, it''s under the jurisdiction of the tavern guild. This is not an outsider''s place to be.

    Our trade association is active wherever there is a profit to be made. I hope you won''t impose your old-fashioned sense of turf on us.

    That''s why people don''t like the Merchant''s Association. Our guild has been carefully cultivating our shops, projects, and trademarks, and now they''re stealing every single thing from us.

    ''The fact that it has caught the eye of our chamber of commerce means that it is worth it. Isn''t it an honor?

    "Don''t you dare stay on your high horse!

    They started arguing again.

    Mr. Shaks and Mr. Samajula and all that.

    Why do they get along so badly?¡¡I''m going to need an explanation from someone here, aren''t I?

    The Guild and the Chamber of Commerce have been at odds with each other for ages.

    The perfect candidate for the job was also Verena.

    A good commentator.

    ''''The guilds..., besides the tavern guild that is in front of us right now, there are many other kinds..., that is, as many guilds as there are jobs, but all of them hate the Chamber of Commerce. To them, the Chamber of Commerce is the enemy.

    Why?

    Why don''t we just get along?

    ''''To begin with, the Chamber of Commerce is a large commercial organization. With large capital behind it, it secures distribution channels, makes huge profits from trade, and even deals with the Demon King. Its scale of commerce can be said to be on a national level.

    Houhou.

    ''''In contrast, each professional guild is a coterie of small, private business owners. The guilds are formed to solve problems that can''t be solved on an individual level by working together in the same industry. Guilds are formed with that in mind.

    Large capital and private business owners.

    I''m starting to see what the story is.

    ''Who are the people in the guild trying to work together to confront...?''

    ''As you can see, it''s a pandemonium business. As soon as they see that there is a profit to be made, they surround themselves with large capital and monopolize it. Talented artisans, new products that are showing signs of great popularity, and much more. There are countless things that the Chamber of Commerce has snatched away from sole proprietors.

    Protecting the interests of private owners from large capital. So that''s also the role of the guild.

    Individuals vs. organizations.

    The weak vs. the strong.

    Lower level vs. upper level.

    That''s the relationship between the guild and the Chamber of Commerce, I guess.

    ''''And this time, the big capital and the micro-enterprise are in conflict over Bacchus'' oden shop...?

    ''''It''s a shop directly run by Bacchus-sama, who is the patron god for the Izakaya Guild, so we want to worship him........ And it must not be taken away by the Chamber of Commerce........!

    So this is how they squabble, and each one of them comes out on top in a catastrophe.

    Master Bacchus will not be given to you!

    Listen to me. It is in the best interest of Mr. Bacchus to associate with us.

    Top executives bickering with each other.

    This is no different than when the subordinates were clashing with each other.

    ........Hey Bacchus. What do you want to do?

    I decided to leave it up to the parties involved in this kind of situation, so I threw in the towel.

    ''I heard those guys want to do business with you, who do you want to work with?¡¡Are they from the Guild?¡¡Or is it Mr. Shaks and the others?

    ''I want a lot of people to drink good booze and feel good about it. That''s all I want.

    That''s right.

    And there''s no way God would be trapped by money in the first place.

    Since Bacchus himself doesn''t want to do it, it seems to me that he should just close his shop and hide in the shadows.

    I don''t think he''s going to be the owner of the oden shop forever.

    Therefore, I will share the road with someone who loves my sake and oden more.

    Hmm?

    Contend. Show me how much you love sake and oden. To the victor goes the crown.

    That''s why God!

    They''re going to start fighting each other!

    ...So what you''re saying is that we''re going to win the race?

    Whoever wins can do business with the Bacchus Oden Shop?

    ''That''s good!¡¡I''ve been working in pubs for 40 years, so I have an absolute advantage.¡¡There''s no way I''m going to be able to beat the mercantile atmosphere that has stayed so high!

    ''''You will be reminded of the extent of the common man''s business. That you can''t compete with the big capital of the Chamber of Commerce no matter how hard you try!

    Mr. Samijra and Mr. Shaks were both willing to do it.

    Now here and now a battle was about to take place without humanity as determined by God (only half of them)!

 488-486 Oden eating game

    This is how Shaks and Samijra ended up fighting over the right to jointly run the guild with Bacchus.

    Both sides being representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and the Guild.

    I have a feeling that this is going to be a storm.

    ''''But what exactly do you mean by ''contend''?¡¡Don''t tell me you''re going to get into a fist fight?

    I have a feeling that''s another big deal that needs to be stopped....

    ''''Don''t worry, Saint. We are merchants. Merchants don''t fight for blood!

    ''Exactly!¡¡To us, money is blood!¡¡The expense is bleeding!¡¡Gahahahahaha!

    They don''t get along, but they''re on the same page at the right time, aren''t they, these two?

    The format of the game is already decided.

    Since this is a battle over oden, it''s only right that we use oden to win!

    Huh?

    Beefsteak?

    How about some oden?

    That''s right!¡¡It''s a quick-eating contest of oden!

    The lowly members of the merchants'' association and guilds swarming around them made a noise.

    ''''The game is about how fast you eat your oden!¡¡Whoever eats the most oden in time wins!

    The heat is the deciding factor in this game!¡¡If you eat hot oden in a hurry, your mouth will burn!

    ''To prevent that from happening, you have to eat it cold. But waiting for it to cool naturally takes time!

    ''It''s how efficiently you cool it down that determines the outcome!¡¡Then I''ll get you some water!¡¡Any hot oden can be thrown into water and it''s instantly room temperature!

    ''I''m going to cut this one into smaller pieces to increase the surface area and speed up the cooling time.¡¡Then I need a knife!

    ""Oh, my God!"

    and the two underlings of the Chamber of Commerce and the Guild, who deviated to prepare for a quick-eating contest, were blown away by the flash of the Evil Saint Sword Dry Schwartz.

    ''''Don''t waste your food!''''

    ""I''m sorry...?"

    Don''t play with the ingredients that the farmers and fishermen and hunters have carefully prepared and the food that the cooks have worked so hard to prepare.

    When you eat, do your best, savor and enjoy that food.

    ''''This is the first time I''ve ever seen a saint wield a sword...?

    The only thing that upsets Saints in everyday life is wasting food.

    Thank you for the explanation, Verena.

    "Mr. Shaks, Mr. Samjula.

    "Yes?

    ''You''re not, are you?¡¡You will respect the food, won''t you?

    Each of you are the head of an organization.

    Yes, of course!¡¡Such worldly rhetoric coming from the mouths of fledglings who don''t yet know how to reason!¡¡I''ll give you a stern talking-to later, so please don''t listen to me!

    ''''I''m the Master of the Tavern Guild, man!¡¡I value food and drink as much as anyone!¡¡There''s no way I''m going to play the quick-eating game, no way I''m going to!

    So, what kind of game are you playing?

    ''As the saint says, a dish is only as good as its taste and its appearance. How would you like to play a game that goes deeper into that?

    You mean... you''re a drinker...?

    A drinking game?

    There''s a new word in there that I can''t understand!¡¡It''s like a hobby comic in a shonen magazine!

    You are the master of the guild in a tavern, so this is the drinker''s game. Do you think you''ve brought the game into the ring where you are the best at what you do?

    "Of course you''re on board, right, Chairman of the Board?¡¡I''m proud of my handful of roots on a regular basis. Even the winning method covers everything, right?

    ''''Naturally. As Chairman of the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce, I can''t afford to lose to a private owner in the city. No matter what kind of game system you use!

    And the two of them sparked off with a bee.

    It''s a lot of fun.

    But what kind of game is this "drinking game"?

    Hmm.....?¡¡A drinking game...?

    Do you know that, Verena?

    Looks like a commentary position is taking hold, don''t you?

    ''I''ve heard that. I''ve heard it said that a drinker''s grade is how well he can get through. He who knows his food, knows his drink, and can eat and drink it most beautifully is respected in a drinking establishment.

    Those who do so are called in awe: .........

    ........and a drunkard!

    ''You two, Shax and Samijula, are competing for the prestige of their respective drinkers!¡¡The Master of the Tavern Guild, Samijula, is naturally a heavy drinker!¡¡In contrast, Mr. Shakus, as the chairman of the chamber of commerce, must have a wide range of insights from attending various dinner parties!

    The two of them are going to show each other the experience and knowledge they have gained so far?

    They are competing with each other with the dignity of adults, the complete opposite of gluttonous and fast-eating!

    * * * *

    Well, I must admit, I was afraid of that swordplay earlier!¡¡Even though our youngsters did something stupid, it was a boon to see your husband''s bravado!

    Haha, I wasn''t very mature either...!

    And the guild master, Samajra-san, is getting involved with me in some way.

    He must have naturally sensed the importance of the saint since Shax-san has been lifting up so much.¡¡Business people have an amazing sense of smell like that.

    Verena.

    Your commentary skills are just as impressive. You''ve had a hard time believing that you have no personality.

    "Once I''ve beaten that cheeky Shax, I''d like to get on with my deal with you.¡¡Keep it under positive consideration while you win!

    What the...?

    Does he really have a lot on his plate, huh?

    That''s like a one-man president...?

    "The current master of the Tavern Guild is a hard worker who has had to work hard to get his way...!

    Hey, Bacchus!

    He''s the one at the center of things, and now you''ve disappeared?

    The guild in the Demon City is a mutual aid society of like-minded people. The guild master, who is the representative of the guild, is also the owner of the guild and runs his own shop...?

    ''''Then, that Samijra-san is also?

    I''ve heard that he''s a master at running the largest public tavern in the Demon City, the Shy Bacchus Tei, as well as two other stores at the same time. That''s probably why he was chosen to be the guild master.

    Did they use your name in the name of the restaurant?

    That''s the God of Drinking?

    Such a big shot started out as an apprentice in a tavern and worked his way up to the top. There are many businessmen in the Demon City, but he is the only one who has risen from empty-handedness to that level. ...except for one person.

    I didn''t realize the god of sake knew that much about me. It''s a blessing to me, as a liquor businessman, to know that the gods of sake know that much!

    Mr. Samjula, laughing caracara, grabbed Bacchus by the shoulders.

    ''Even I still have ambitions as a businessman!¡¡I want to put your booze on display at my store!¡¡If we win, will you ever consider it?

    It''s all about the outcome of the game!

    Then the game began.

    Mr. Shaks and Mr. Samajula, both sitting side by side at the counter of the Bacchus Oden Shop.

    They sit side by side in the same direction, but there is a beehive of sparks between them.

    ''But really........what kind of game are we going to play on this one?

    As I was reaching the peak of my bewilderment, there was a quick move.

    The one who made the first move was Shax-san, the chairman of the merchant association.

    ''''My lord........''''

    What''s with the gleaming eyes...?

    Radishes.

    What''s the point of a normal order?

    What''s the point of this?¡¡Just eating oden like a normal person!

    "Daikon..........?¡¡As expected of the chairman of the board, you''re off to a solid start...!

    What''s Verena saying?

    You''re off to a solid start as a commentator, aren''t you?

    Daikon is the most basic ingredient in oden!¡¡It''s as simple as just slicing the ingredients into rounds and boiling them!¡¡That''s why it reflects the restaurant''s unique flavors!¡¡The broth in which the oden is cooked soaks up the most, exposing its flavors in a way that cannot be hidden!¡¡Soup is the life of an oden!¡¡To make sure of that, radish is the best first move!

    .........

    Is that what a drunkard''s duel is all about?

    There are people who go to bars and fail to order their drinks in the right order.

    The winner is the one who does those things and is more consistent in his or her order of eating?

    It''s great, but it''s too much trouble!

    ''''Shax-san, I''d say your first move is a success. .... and Samajula, how will he fare when he''s allowed to make the first move...?

    And it''s Verena''s actual situation.

    The master of the tavern guild, who had been keeping silence while everyone around him was bothered, finally moves.

    ''''.........Shochu, with hot water....

    ""This is..."

    Everyone around them, including Verena, starts to make noise.

    ''''Sheesh, sheesh........?

    Not only that, even Shax-san?

    That''s not cool, Shax. You missed your first move, that''s for sure.

    Yeah, that''s right. It was a big mistake to call it a solid first move.

    Are you wannabe and shivering to Verena?

    What the hell are you guys up to?

    The first daikon is a solid plan for an oden eater. But it''s only for eating oden!¡¡But this is a tavern!¡¡It''s also where we drink!¡¡So what would you do without asking for a drink first!

    ''Verena, calm down!

    ''Mr. Shax was so focused on the splendor of Oden that he despised alcohol in the tavern!¡¡And in front of the God of Drinking, Master Bacchus!¡¡This is a huge disappointment!

    In contrast, Samijura-san ordered the first drink of the day.

    As expected of an izakaya, he knows how to eat and drink in an izakaya.

    But what is this?

    Oden is only better when eaten with alcohol. At least in an izakaya. Forgetting that and narrowing your horizons, Chairman of the Board of Trade, you''ve lost your rank, haven''t you?

    What the hell?

 489-487 serious game

    The first phase of the match, Samijura-san got the lead in his true nature as a tavern guild master. Her choice of drink was Shochu with hot water. The fact that it''s hot water instead of water is a high point, in keeping with the theme of Oden, which is trying to warm you to the core.

    Verena is totally a good play-by-play guy.

    The game that takes place in Bacchus'' oden shop has entered a realm that is a bit beyond my comprehension.

    In contrast, Shakus-san, who inadvertently ordered food before liquor in the tavern, ordered liquor in a hurry, but I can''t deny the impression it was lackluster. We ordered a bottle of shochu with hot water. Even though it was the best solution, it was the same as the other person''s, so we were falling behind.

    Really real life.

    ''How would the saints here evaluate the first move of both sides?

    Ha, a highball would be nice, wouldn''t it?

    Better yet, stop putting me in the commentary position.

    ''The second move to follow began. Mr. Shax ordered ... eggs, konnyaku, and gummoji!¡¡It''s a basic choice.

    Mr. Shaks, you''re going to have to be tough on the basics.

    Is the idea still solid from your position as the head of a large capital company?

    In contrast, Samijura-san...?

    "A half-centimeter.

    !

    And the chickweed.

    Buzzing, buzzing, buzzing, buzzing!

    The gallery was abuzz with noise.

    ''This is Samijula!¡¡We''ve got a big win coming out of phase two!¡¡Both hanpane and chikuwa-bu have their share of likes and dislikes in the oden sauce!¡¡By daring to ask for that, you''re aiming for more oden connoisseurs!¡¡By the way, I love it, chikuwa-bu!

    Verena''s personal argument exploded.

    But it''s certainly a common sense thing to be able to say that you ''like'' something you don''t like.

    Is this a big point?

    ''''Gnnnnn........?

    More than anything else, my opponent, Shax-san, is overwhelmed.

    I was so impressed with the way my opponent ordered that I stopped moving. As if to make use of the gap, Samajra-san is even more aggressive!

    ''Cabbage rolls and sausages!''

    That''s...?

    Heretical newborn babies in the world of oden!

    They have crossed the ocean and are high-powered people with a side-character name.

    At first glance, they may seem barbaric and disrespectful of tradition, but the depth of Oden is that they accept everything without hardening their thinking.

    Believing in Oden''s ability to tolerate, the order I placed was an order of courage.

    Here again, Samijula, you have raised a man as a drinker!

    Can''t you see...?

    What''s the matter, Trade Chairman, have you stopped eating?

    It has become a one-sided game for Samijra.

    Samijura said to Shaks.

    You''ve changed," he said to Shaks. You were more adventurous in the old days. You weren''t the kind of guy who could stick to the basics and stay small.

    I say as I chivvy up a cup of hot water.

    ''Has your standing become more stable and defensive?¡¡But a businessman who doesn''t compete is a tricky thing to figure out, isn''t he?¡¡The future of the Chamber of Commerce looks bleak if you stay on your own. ........more shochu, General, more shochu.

    "Hey.

    This is a perfectly timed refill!

    And with a tedious sermon, like a drunkard. Does that also count as a point?

    Samijura-san''s understanding of drinking is too deep for the face of a tavern guild master.

    ''''........But, Samijura-san has been talking funny just now, hasn''t she?¡¡Against Mr. Shaks.

    They used to be like that, or they used to be like this.

    It''s really a troublesome way to get involved in a drinker''s relationship, but that kind of thing only comes up when the people who know each other are familiar with each other from the past.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this," he said. This was when he was still a teenager.

    Huh?

    What did Bacchus say?

    From an early age, he was very perceptive and quickly rose to prominence and was entrusted with important tasks. His talent caught the attention of the Chamber of Commerce and he was headhunted and transferred to the company. He is a hardcore upstart who has risen through the ranks of the Chamber of Commerce to become the chairman of the trade association, and that''s him. That''s what he is.

    Master Bacchus, you know?¡¡What can you tell me about my background...?

    Being a barroom dad, I get a lot of gossip.

    Mr. Shaks, I thought you were born into the upper class, but you''ve gone through all that hardship...?

    Hmm?¡¡But you were working as an apprentice in a tavern...?

    That''s right, it''s my joint, my bar.

    Samajra-san said as she ate her cabbage roll.

    I was a year older than him, but he was so quick to learn that I didn''t even notice the difference in level of understanding. I couldn''t stand it when I was used by my juniors and I had to learn the job as hard as I could. I thought that in the future, this guy and I would compete with each other for the position of store manager.

    He took a sip of liquor and licked it....

    "I never thought I''d end up at a trading company. I felt betrayed. I stayed at the store and worked my way up to the position of store manager. At the same time, I owned several shops and became a guild master. But even so, I''m still the king of the mountain compared to you, who became the chairman of the trade association.

    Even I have become great. I worked hard to become great...!

    Don, there was a loud bang on the table with the bottom of the empty glass.

    ''Mr. Shaks is rough!

    ''I wanted to rise to the occasion!¡¡I wanted to get ahead as far as I could!¡¡Because I believed that going up was the key to happiness!

    ''Is that why you went to the Chamber of Commerce?¡¡Better than that?

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡And you can''t be either!¡¡Not content with just being the owner, he became the master of the Tavern Guild!¡¡Everyone wants to be great!¡¡I don''t want to be poor in the lower classes!¡¡Do you want to go back to those days when you just started serving as an apprentice, when you were half-empty and were only allowed to eat sambara potatoes!

    Samballa?

    What''s that?

    It''s one of the most popular crops in the Land of Evil. It''s one of the most popular crops in the Land of Evil. Because of that, it''s cheap, and it''s an indispensable food for poor people.

    Like potatoes?

    ''The fuzzy texture of the sambara potatoes we work and eat at night when we are beaten by our superiors and ragged and battered!¡¡That tasteless potato made me climb to this point!¡¡He said he''d be flat to live like that for the rest of his life!

    Sambara potatoes....they sure are not very good. When you and I were in the service, the boss was a real jerk, and the only thing he would eat was that sweet potato. The only thing he would eat was the sweet potatoes... We ate them while crying. Because of that, the potatoes turned out to be salty...!

    ''It was my only saving grace. Even if it was salty, I couldn''t swallow it without the taste...!

    It''s getting to be a bit of a sobering story...?

    ''I don''t want to taste Sambala potatoes ever again!¡¡That''s why I keep on making money in the Chamber of Commerce!¡¡I can''t lose in a place like this for that!¡¡......Master!

    Hey.

    Konjac!¡¡Cancer!¡¡That would be!

    What''s your choice?

    Isn''t that a legendary combination of fatty oden?

    Those three items are skewered together to make a beautiful piece of art that is a godsend.¡¡It is impossible for Shax-san, an otherworldly person, to have this knowledge, but...?

    Is it possible that he has managed to pull off this form with his sense!

    The people around him are also shaking with astonishment at this sense.

    Shakus has been pushed around by Samijura, but now he can say that he has regained his footing.

    The game is becoming unpredictable...!

    You''re good, Shax. Your old shiny face is back. Well, it was worth the talk, wasn''t it?

    You''re the one that''s gonna get trampled if you keep acting like you''re somebody else.

    Rivalries spark each other!

    The game has reached a climax...?

    Now, to conclude the contest, I would like to offer you a dish to finish it off.

    You want me to order a menu from Bacchus?

    Interesting, isn''t it a competition to see who gets to eat the general''s recommendations?

    I''m really proud of it. Let''s savor it with your name on it.

    What was presented in front of the two enthusiastic men........

    The one presented before them with a lot of oden sauce........potatoes?

    What?

    It''s true that potatoes are a good oden dish.

    However, they are difficult to make because they are prone to collapse. I''m sure they weren''t on the menu at first.

    I''m sorry, Bacchus, but did you study this stuff without me knowing?

    Don''t be silly!

    Mr. Shaks stands up and protests.

    ''Isn''t this a Sambara potato!

    ''What?¡¡This is it?

    The Sambara potatoes that you were reminiscing about earlier?

    ''We, of all places, could have gotten a sambara!¡¡I''m sure you heard the same old story I just told you, shopkeeper!

    Yes, and I would like you to eat on it.

    How rude!

    For Mr. Shaks and Mr. Samajula, the potatoes are a symbol of a painful underclass.

    What is Bacchus''s true intention in this harassing act of deliberately recalling bad memories?

    "No, Shax, you gotta try this potato...?¡¡What the hell?

    Huh?

    At the urging of his old friend, Shax, reluctantly, takes a bite of the potato.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect.

    The dewdrop soaks into the soup and tastes so good...?

    "The god Bacchus spent a lot of time preparing this soup. That''s what makes it taste so good. Even if it''s just a potato full of bad memories...

    "No, on the contrary.......it''s as if the oden sauce gently envelops the bad memories stuck in the potato.......?¡¡These potatoes are so delicious...?

    ''Yeah, and those days weren''t all bad memories either. It''s a good thing that you have a friend to help you through the hard times. If you hadn''t come in a year late and you hadn''t come in, I would have definitely fallen apart and run away.

    ''''Even I........you always protected me from my nasty superiors. Just because you''re a year older than me........!¡¡Yes, this potato reminded me of that. It''s hard, but it also reminded me that I had some good memories...!

    These oden potatoes...!

    The boys, older and fully grown, shook each other''s hands with gusto.

    Tears were streaming from their eyes.

    ''Will you allow me to work with you to repay you for that time?¡¡I want to work together with the Chamber of Commerce and the Tavern Guild to spread Master Bacchus''s oden regardless of status or rank.

    Well, you and I had an amazing experience today, and I want everyone to feel the same way...!¡¡We can do anything, you and I can do anything........!

    ''Just like that day...!''

    Applause erupted from all around them.

    Celebrating the reconciliation of the men who departed from the same place and trapped in their respective paths.

    The rivalry between the Tavern Guild and the Chamber of Commerce was now resolved, and it was a happy ending.

    Did Bacchus set out to win the game with the intention of making this happen from the beginning?

    He said he was a tavern owner and used to get a lot of gossip, but he was preparing potatoes to reconcile the two of them after learning of their backgrounds?

    It''s the kind of concern that a god who has lived for thousands of years would have...!

    You''re ending the story like a gourmet comic again!

 490-488 Challenge Homemade Sekaiju

    Bacchus''s tavern seems to be safe and sound, and I finish checking out the situation and head back to the farm.

    When I came back, Prathi begged me to do something.

    ''Grow a world tree, sir!

    ''Yes?''

    It was another intense plea.

    I mean, a world tree?

    "...grow"?¡¡On the farm?

    Yes!

    It was no longer reckless beyond begging.

    Didn''t the World Tree grow that easily?

    Isn''t that an image that has already risen from the beginning of the world?

    I knew it was derived from........green juice?

    ''Yes!¡¡The leaves of the World Tree are now an essential ingredient in this original green juice of mine!

    It''s something I can''t explain.

    The leaves of the World Tree are even capable of reviving the dead with the highest class of recovery items in some cases, but you''re allowed to make a green juice out of it?

    They say, "It''s not good, I need another drink," and then they say, "Can I have another drink? I can''t drink another cup!

    A health food that is too extravagant, the green juice containing the leaves of the World Tree is selling fast in the Demon City.

    I heard that Plati''s product is selling like hotcakes in the Magic City.

    Because it''s effective against all diseases.

    It''s inevitable. That''s because it''s the leaf of the World Tree.

    But you know, the World Tree Leaf is currently purchased through the Chamber of Commerce.¡¡That''s why it''s costing me a lot of money.

    By the way, the profits from selling the green juice are saved for Junior''s upbringing.

    It was the money I needed to raise my child well.

    But when I was selling the green juice through the Chamber of Commerce, I thought...

    What is it?

    ''I''m not sure I want to go on like this. A lot of people are getting healthier from drinking my green juice. But the cost of buying the leaves from the World Tree is high, and the price is so high that only a few people who can afford it can drink the green juice...!

    Has the cost of purchasing the leaves of the world tree become a bottleneck, and the price has gone up that much?

    Huh?¡¡Is this the current price of green juice with World Tree?

    .....

    It''s so expensive.

    If I have this much money, I can go to Bacchus''s oden shop and have a good time.

    I''ve been traveling back and forth to the Demon City, I''ve come to understand the market price there.

    ''''Eighty percent of this price is added to the cost of purchasing the World Tree leaves...!

    Wow.

    ''If we could grow a world tree on the farm and harvest its leaves, we could cut the price of green juice by less than half!¡¡Hey, come on, mister!¡¡Grow a World Tree, sir!¡¡To bring green juice to more people!¡¡For the health of the world!

    Prathi has been awakened by a mysterious sense of mission.

    I want to respond to her kindness, but before that, there''s an insurmountable problem.

    ''''You say it''s easy to grow a world tree, but...''''

    I don''t know if that''s actually possible.

    That''s what the World Tree is, right?¡¡Isn''t that fabulously valuable?

    Basically, I imagine it to be in the category of a system that is unique to the world.

    What''s a world tree that can grow that casually, like shin hairs or something?

    I''m fine!¡¡You can do it, Master!

    My wife has a tremendous amount of trust in me.

    ''Your husband has accomplished a number of things that were considered impossible before!¡¡So it''s okay!¡¡I''m sure you can do it again this time!

    That''s what Prati says, but there''s actually never been a single impossible that I''ve tried to make possible.

    I''ve never found myself trying to make the impossible possible.

    That''s why I''m afraid that I''ll fail if I hit it with my greedy eye from the start.

    But I couldn''t cripple Prati, who was staring at me with expectant eyes....

    ''''Okay, let''s give it a go.''''

    Yay!

    * * * *

    But, well, when you get the world tree to sprout, grow, and grow enough to harvest the leaves, it''s another kind of farm work.

    I''ve made a lot of new dishes and stuff like that, but it''s been a long time since I''ve tried something new with pure farm work, so my arms are ringing.

    So how do we grow the World Tree?

    First of all, if I were to sprout and grow the World Tree, I would need something to be the source of the World Tree.

    A seed of the World Tree, a sapling, something like that.

    If there were such a thing, though. If there are such things, where would we get them from?

    "You''ve got the Master''s power. Can''t you grow a barbarian with it?

    Prathi says matter-of-factly.

    That''s probably what she''s expecting. It''s probably the ability called ''supreme bearer'' that resides in my hand.

    This ability, which is a gift from God, is to bring out more than a hundred percent of the potential of the person you touch.

    With this overly nonsensical effect, if you hold a sword, you can become a swordsman, and if you hold a knife pan or other cooking utensils, you can become a cooking iron man.

    Not only that, if you touched the soil, you could maximize the soil''s potential or more, sprout seeds that hadn''t even been sown, and cultivate crops.

    It''s safe to say that the reason I''m able to continue living on a farm in another world is all thanks to this ability.

    I''m sure Prati is relying on this power, and he''s trying to make the world tree sprout up from scratch by being the supreme bearer.

    I couldn''t think of any other good moves, so I gave it a try.

    But I couldn''t do it.

    I couldn''t feel the life-giving texture of the soil, which I would normally be able to feel if I touched the ground.

    How much soil potential can be maximized

    Even the ''supreme bearer'' who could bring out the above, did not reach the potential to make the World Tree sprout up...?

    ''''As expected of the World Tree, it''s incomparable to other agricultural products...!

    So I guess we''ll have to think of something else?

    That''s Prati.

    If things don''t go your way for once, you don''t freak out, and you immediately take the next step.

    I''ll see what I can come up with.

    But it would be impossible to grow the World Tree from scratch. I have to admit that already.

    It would be nice if we could find at least a little clue to help it grow.

    Based on that, the World Tree would sprout and grow... it would not work out so well, would it?

    ''I have something that might be a good place to start.

    And Prati.

    ''Leaf of the World Tree!

    Well, she already has some leaves in her possession that she has ripped off from the Original World Tree somewhere in the distant world.

    It was bought through the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce to be used as an ingredient for green juice.

    ''''I can''t cultivate from the leaves of this World Tree, and eventually the World Tree itself...''''

    You can''t do that, indeed.

    If it''s a seed, or a trunk, or at least a twig, it can be grafted onto another tree and grown...but it''s possible to expect it.

    A leaf is like a hair if you were to compare it to a human being, and once it grows, it will just fall off.

    It''s impossible to grow something from a leaf, isn''t it?

    What do you think?¡¡Don''t you remember, Master, Zos Saira?

    Hmm?

    Zos Saira is one of the Six Witches and a particularly vicious potions user.

    Her major is the creation of homunculi, and she uses potions to create artificial life forms that are far removed from the laws of nature.

    As expected, it''s impossible to forget such a strong character, but why her name at this time?

    ''''Attah was able to steal some of her skills through our joint research. It''s bad enough that I''m always relying on the master, so this time I''ve decided to go as far as I can with my own hands.

    What do you mean?

    ''I''ve applied Zos Saira''s research to extract the World Tree''s genes from the World Tree''s leaves as a prime example!¡¡From this, we can create the Homunculus World Tree!

    "Homunculus World Tree?

    Another one of your morally reprehensible words.

    Is that a legal requirement?¡¡Isn''t that against regulations?

    You gave birth to a homomunculus horse a long time ago, so why should it be any different now?¡¡The problem is how to crossbreed the genes from the World Tree with those of the other trees. It''s not going to grow well with just the genes, so we need a host, a synthetic partner.

    So our next action was to find out what it was like to synthesize the tree.

    We decided that trees are the best choice for cross-pollination, so we went into the dungeon orchard to look for a tree that was compatible with it.

    With the help of the tree spirits, the selection process went smoothly, and the tree that was easiest to combine with the World Tree was determined.

    It was the cherry tree.

 491-489 Birth of world cherry tree

    We''ve created something extraordinary again...?

    I injected the genes of the World Tree into a cherry tree sapling.

    My ''supreme bearer'', while establishing two different genes, I will plant it in an empty lot on my farm and watch it grow.

    I was thinking of growing it in a dungeon orchard because it was originally a tree, but the tree spirits that live there told me, ''The World Tree will grow beyond your imagination, so grow it in a large plot of land! I was advised.

    ''Or else we will die out, caught up in the growth of the World Tree! Also.

    I thought that the world tree is not a standard tree, but I tried to grow it in the open space.

    I gave it hyper-fish fertilizer, which is Prati''s specialty, and its growth was accelerated.

    It grew to the same size as an ordinary cherry tree in a few days.

    We really have everything...?

    The technology to create a world tree, which is supposed to be unique in the world, is something like that.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to accelerate its growth.

    And that''s mostly because Prati prepared most of these things on her own.

    I''ve been asked to grow a world tree, but all I could do was sit next to it and watch.

    I''m sure you''re aware of the fact that the synthetic world tree was completed because of your master''s ability to help me. My skills are not as good as the original Zos Saira, so I couldn''t have made it this far on my own.

    Prathi says.

    ''And it was your husband who prepared the space for me to grow the synthetic world tree. I can''t go ahead with that part of the farm without the owner''s permission, so I''m grateful that he allowed me to do so. That''s what my master is all about.

    "No, no, no, no, no...?

    I''m embarrassed when you are so abruptly honest.

    The cherry tree, which has acquired the World Tree Factor, is allowed to bloom once in full bloom, then it blooms brightly, then it lets it all fall away, and then it grows lush leaves.

    ''It''s too hard to clean the petals!

    However, while the flowers were in full bloom, they attracted the attention of the farm residents, and they held a cherry blossom viewing party.

    It was delightful, even if I thought it didn''t feel like the season.

    However, the ultimate goal was not the flowers.

    It is the leaves that grow thicker after the flowers have fallen.

    The cherry tree was created by synthesizing it with the world tree. If the leaves that grew from it had the same effect as the leaves of the World Tree, it would be an excellent recovery item.

    This meant that Prati could prepare all the ingredients for her own original green juice.

    Now, let''s get some leaves from the World Tree Cherry Blossom and experiment with them.

    There was no shortage of people to experiment with.

    In one corner of the farm, young people were still learning and training and engaging in friendly competition today.

    They are foreign students of the human, demon and mermaid races.

    Since the training is in the form of a real battle, naturally, some people are injured.

    It''s hard to treat them, so please hold them down as much as possible, although Gala Rufa, who is in charge of medical affairs, was screaming for them to be held down.

    ''''I''ll treat you today instead!

    ""No, no, no,"

    The foreign students who were injured during the training rejected Prathi''s proposal without a word.

    Well, don''t worry, the injuries are only minor, such as scrapes, cuts and sprains.

    However, he resolutely refused to receive any treatment from Prati.

    ''''Prati-sama doesn''t usually do that, but what kind of a blow job is that?

    Absolutely suspicious!¡¡I''ve already learned that the word ''kind'' is not a word for witches, so I''m already learning!

    The youngsters are getting to grips with the farm life.

    ''You''re so clever!¡¡Shut up and be a test subject!

    Did you say lab rat?

    A group of kids running away.

    Prathi chases them.

    Their trained movements are also quick, but Prati still can''t shake them. He is seized and forced to apply the grated leaves of the World Tree (synthetic).

    Then..........?

    ''''Oooh!¡¡The wound was closed up in an instant!¡¡Clean without a trace!

    We''ve already done animal experiments on monsters and such, so there''s no need to be scared!¡¡.... human body, and the quality is excellent. The quality is as good as the original.

    Prati gave me a big seal of approval.

    Now, if I used the leaves of the synthetic World Tree, I could make Prati''s original green juice without relying on an external source.

    Good for you, Prati.

    Now, to tell you the truth, I''ve been thinking about it for a while now, and I''d really like to put it into practice.

    I''d really like to put it into action.

    "Prati, can I have a few leaves?

    The Synthetic World Tree?¡¡Of course. What''s on the farm is your husband''s, so you don''t need a permit.

    Thanks for the kind words.

    I said no to Prati and got a few leaves.

    These leaves are the leaves of the World Tree, but at the same time they are also cherry blossom leaves.

    Because it''s a homunculus world tree based on the cherry tree and synthesized with the genes of the world tree.

    It''s a bit complicated, but the leaves are first washed in water and then exposed to boiling water. After draining the water, I sprinkled some salt on the leaves and put them between my hands to activate the "supreme bearer" technique.

    Then it''s done.

    ''Salted cherry blossom leaves!''

    It was done in an instant.

    If it were true, I''d have to wait a year or so to marinate it in salt, but with the "supreme bearer" it was super short.

    It''s a really useful ability.

    The cherry blossom leaves are finished, but they are not yet truly finished.

    For that, we first need to get away from the cherry blossom leaf....

    Take out the glutinous rice.

    Steam the glutinous rice colored with food coloring. Wrap the sweet bean paste in the steamed rice and wrap it in the cherry leaf.

    And what do you think is the result?

    "The cherry blossom cake!

    A pink, glistening jewel of glutinous rice!¡¡It is wrapped in cherry blossom leaves, an elegant snack!

    It''s been on my mind since Prathi was collecting leaves.

    And I wanted to make it.

    Of all things, the genes for the World Tree have synthesized with the cherry blossoms.

    And speaking of cherry blossom leaves, isn''t that a cherry blossom cake!

    ''Oh, sir?¡¡I was wondering what you used the leaves for, did you turn them into candy?

    Prathi came by quickly.

    While holding Junior in his arms.

    ''What are these dumplings?¡¡...wrapped in leaves, doesn''t that sound good?¡¡I''ll take it. Am. Delicious!

    I had a delicious one for now.

    ''The anko in it is so sweet and delicious!¡¡The saltiness of the leaves accentuates the salty taste of the leaves and makes them seem sweeter. The crunchiness of the leaves and the chewy texture of the rice cakes is a good target, and it''s very good, sir!

    I''m glad it was a big hit.

    Well, if you''re dealing with girls, the sweetness of the anko is ironclad, but I''m glad to see that there was a mention of the cherry blossom leaves as well.

    Some people don''t even eat the leaves of cherry blossom cake, you know.

    ''Oh, but these are the leaves of the world tree, right?¡¡What an extravagant use of luxury materials...!

    Huh?¡¡Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?

    That was the next moment.

    Prati suddenly started to shine!

    A golden light emanated from his entire body, and it felt like he was blatantly powered up!

    It was like hearing a shuinshing sound!

    ''''What is this?¡¡A power rises up from the depths of my body....oooooohhhh?

    Junior, who was taking a nap in his mother''s arms, was startled by the sudden change and woke up, saying, "What?¡¡What?¡¡Your mother is glowing. He woke up with a look of "What?

    "This could be.¡¡It''s the effect of the leaves surrounding the rice cake.¡¡The leaves of the world tree mix with the rice cake and the red bean paste to create an effect that''s more than I expected.

    That''s right.

    The cherry blossom leaves used for the cherry blossom cake are also the leaves of the world tree.

    The super herb that heals any wound or incurable disease, the leaf of the world tree is also the leaf of the world tree, and its effects appear in this way?

    And then Veerle appeared at the scene of the chaos.

    Ooh, my taste buds are all over the place!¡¡The master has made a new dish again, hasn''t he?¡¡Let me eat!

    As usual, Veerle instantly notices when I make a new dish, but with a glance at the glowing prati in front of him.......

    ''I was wrong. You must leave!

    He left immediately.

    He''s also honed his crisis avoidance instincts for a dragon...?

    ''Hmmmmmmmmm!¡¡Sir!¡¡I can''t believe they''ve created such a potent medicinal and yet delicious World Tree candy!¡¡You''re trying to compete with my green juice!¡¡It''s not just that it works great and tastes great!

    This was a completely unexpected result!

    I''m sure you''ll find that the otherworldly cherry blossom cake I created works beyond your imagination, and it seems to remove all sorts of unhealthy effects from those who eat it, making them more powerful.

    That''s the leaf of the world tree.

    ........I thought, but the same thing has happened with natto (fermented soy beans) and ramen noodles.

    Oh well, it''s the usual.

 492-490 Elf Kingdom Security

    The names of the straw are Elf Elf Elf, Elfriede, Elle Dupont, Elthoelus, Elkator, Elsa, Else, Elvira, Elmantos, Elkator, Else, Elf Elf, Mikael, Uriel, Gabriel, Ariel, Ariel, Arienai, Raphael, and Elfant.

    He is the supreme Elf, who is permitted to carve twenty-two of the sacred symbols of our Elf race into his name.

    He is a High Elf, of course.

    He is revered as the chief of the forest, and is also known as the Elf King.

    The Elf village governed by the Wawa is of a size and culture level that makes it worthy of being called a kingdom.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

    The elven settlements in the so-called demon country side are showing unprecedented prosperity.

    Among them, the village governed by the Warawa in particular has never waned in its prosperity.

    Because in the village ruled by Warawa, there is only one tree standing tall in the world.

    The World Tree.

    It is the largest, most powerful, and most precious tree in all of existence.

    It is said to have existed since the beginning of the world, and is said to be thousands or even tens of thousands of years old.

    It is a sacred tree, and simply standing there spreads clean air around it, wiping out dirt and giving life vitality.

    Thanks to this, the forest around the World Tree is always healthy and free from disease. No part of the forest has ever died for at least the past few hundred years.

    It''s a far cry from the forests of humanity.

    This is all because of the World Tree that stands at the center of the forest.

    As long as the World Tree exists, the Elven Kingdom, a village of strawmen, will be safe.

    And there are other benefits that the World Tree provides.

    The leaves of the World Tree.

    A certain number of leaves are harvested several times a year after a festival to give thanks to the World Tree, and these leaves have a special effect on the body.

    Grind them up and apply them to the affected area and they will heal any wounds, while ingesting them in your body will eliminate incurable diseases and cure all sorts of ailments, leading to a healthy body for the inoculated person.

    The "panacea" is a name for the leaves of the World Tree.

    The leaves of the World Tree are used exclusively for the health of our elves, and some of them are carried off to other parts of the forest.

    But some of the leaves drift out of the forest, for they are coveted by those who have heard of their benefits.

    In the old days, wild thieves would invade the forest, hoping to rob it by force, but the elite of our elves, known as the Manhunters, never let any of them leave alive.

    But the elite elves, known as manhunters, would not let a single one of them leave alive, and so we decided to give them a few leaves in exchange for a large sum of money.

    And they made an unexpectedly large profit.

    We elves have never had wealth in our lives, but thanks to this, we have been able to buy all sorts of useful things from outside the forest, and we have become richer and richer.

    So the World Tree has benefited Strawberry in many ways.

    Long live the World Tree!

    The World Tree is the greatest protector of our elves!

    It is the elves on the human side who could not have such a guardian that are the most pitiable.

    But I am not concerned about the hardships of others. We, the Elven Kingdom, will receive the blessing of the World Tree and continue to be safe forever.

    Hohohohohohohoho!

    And that''s what I was thinking........

    It seems like a long time ago now....

    * * * *

    What is this?

    What really got on my nerves was when I was shown a quote on a deal.

    You''re doing what you always do, selling the leaves of the World Tree what''s that saying?

    Well, the good demon tribe merchant was quite licking his chops that day.

    ''''As you can see, here''s an estimate for the leaves of the World Tree you''re selling.

    That''s pretty cheap. It''s about half the price of the last one, though.

    I''m sure the amount of leaves on the World Tree you''re selling off will be the same.

    So why is the price only less than the price?

    Didn''t you know? Right now, there''s a collapse in the price of the World Tree in the Devil''s Land.

    Price collapse?

    You didn''t tell me what was important in the first place!

    We''ve been living in the woods far too long to know much about the world!

    And why?¡¡Why are we experiencing a price collapse?

    Price collapse is what it is.¡¡It means the price of things will suddenly drop and become cheaper, right?

    How come the leaves of the Sacred World Tree are so cheap?

    Do you want to rob me of something precious and valuable?¡¡Godd*mn it!

    Please calm down, sir. The prices are not dropping for no reason.

    ''Do you think it''s for a good cause?¡¡That the leaves of the World Tree are going to be cheap!¡¡Impossible!

    The World Tree is a treasure revered by our elves!

    Even the leaves that are part of it are nice enough!

    Cheaper foliage on the World Tree could mean less value!

    That can''t be allowed to happen!

    The reason why the leaves of the World Tree have been so expensive is because the absolute number of leaves was so tiny. The supply was too small to keep up with the demand. It''s inevitable that those things will be pricey.

    It''s true, isn''t it?¡¡The leaves of the World Tree are precious to me!¡¡It''s not something to be sold off to the xenophobes just because of that!

    And I should be grateful that we''re selling even a fraction of that out there!

    I''m not gonna let you try to lower the price by flirting with me!

    However, we have recently opened up a new sales channel...

    Huh?

    Supply is catching up with demand. So it''s only natural that prices should reflect that.

    What''s going on here?

    New distribution channels?

    There''s no such thing as a new sales channel!

    There''s only one World Tree in the world!¡¡There''s only one World Tree in the world! How can there be leaves of the World Tree in another place?

    Well, I can''t tell you why, because we have a confidentiality agreement. But in order to make it easier for our consumers to get the best deal, we would like to make good use of multiple suppliers. We look forward to working with you in the future.

    "Alright, can you do it?¡¡Not a leaf of the World Tree can be sold to a man who would mock the straws!¡¡I will not be doing any more business with you guys unless you lift the unfair price reduction!

    Well, then, apart from the World Tree leaf deal, I also brought this pottery for you to purchase. Do I also have to bring home the new "Elf Belly", a new piece of pottery that the farm brand''s artisans have put their hearts and souls into, the famous "Elf Belly"...

    ''Wait a minute!¡¡I want that!¡¡Let''s take a closer look!

    Huh...!

    Thank God.

    How profound the color and shape of this clay-fired pottery is...!

    I''ll buy this one.

    I''ll buy it, but I''m not happy with the deal price of the leaves, so hold off on that one!

    * * *

    ''So that''s why you couldn''t sell the leaves of the World Tree?¡¡On the contrary, you think they only bought that piece of pottery for that obscure amount of money?

    What is this, the Assistant Elf?¡¡Isn''t it good?¡¡This is a very wonderful thing!

    The plates and bowls that have been circulating in the land of demons lately have scared the shit out of the elven king, the Warawa!

    That''s a bit much, isn''t it?¡¡How many of these are there?¡¡I spent most of my earnings from selling the leaves of the World Tree on these. If we can''t sell any more leaves at this point, won''t the whole Elf kingdom be lost?

    Yes, that''s the problem.

    I''ve been able to sell the leaves of the world tree at asking price without any effort, and it''s brought in a great deal of profit.

    That winning pattern will be broken.

    The demon merchants said that they have developed new buyers, but is that possible?

    No, it''s the only one in the world, so that''s why it''s a world tree, isn''t it?¡¡I don''t see how it can be anything else.

    I agree. I think so too.

    It''s possible that someone has created an elaborate imitation.

    "Insolence!¡¡Imitating the sacred world tree and creating a sham, that''s outrageous!¡¡As an elf serving the World Tree, I will not let this misdeed go unnoticed!

    ''''If we crush our rivals, we can sell the leaves of the World Tree for a high price again!

    Why don''t you get that snobbish thing out of the way, auxiliary elf?

    Anyway, we must investigate as soon as possible and find out who the offenders are who produce the leaves of the fake world tree!

    And give him the forest sanction he deserves!

    You will be reminded of the might of the elven settlement that bears the name of your kingdom!

    ''As you wish!¡¡But... but...?

    What are you, the junior elf?

    Even though it is a matter of investigation, the people of the Elven Kingdom can''t really extend their power outside of their own territory. Of course, the enemy will be outside of our territory, so what can we do...?

    Hmm, is that what you''re saying?

    ''Do not overlook the straw. Arrienai, Rafael El Helfant, will you be?

    Don''t bother telling me your name.

    I see.

    "As the King of the Elves, he has many skills that you lowly Elves do not have.

    It''s easy to roast the transgressors by using them.

    You''ll see, we''ll swiftly smash the fake World Tree and restore the World Tree''s leaves to their original "decent price".

    And use the money you make to buy more interesting pottery from the farm!

 493-491 Invasion Elf Kingdom

    It''s me.

    The synthetic world tree I created the other day had an unexpectedly large effect on me.

    The one who showed the biggest reaction was the demon trader Shax-san.

    ''''By all means, the leaves of the World Tree over here!¡¡Would you sell it to me?

    No, Prathi has been selling the product made into a green juice for a long time now, haven''t you?

    You want the material intact?

    Well, if you want it, I''ll share it with you, but it''s just an overflow from our needs, right?

    The money?

    It''s okay, it''s okay, it''s okay, it just grew by itself.

    This synthetic world tree was created based on cherry blossoms, so it will surely fall off in the winter.

    Then it''s better to be generous and not stingy with it....

    It sounds like a lot of work to clean up the fallen leaves.

    Do the leaves of the world tree have any residual effects?

    It''s a subject for future research.

    Still, cherry blossom trees with the power of the World Tree are more difficult to handle than I expected, and since the other day I''ve been too afraid to make cherry blossom cakes again.

    Well, the reason why Platy is in such a state is probably not only because of the effect of the World Tree''s leaves, but also because of the strengthening by my ''supreme bearer'' who worked on it....

    Nevertheless, I''ve collected some leaves, and this time I''ve taken the time to salt them properly.

    Next year, I''m sure I''ll be able to eat more normal and safe cherry blossom cakes.

    While I was thinking about this, I was looking at the leafy cherry blossoms of the World Tree....

    ''Kukku kukku kukku...!¡¡So this is the lair of the transgressors?

    What''s that voice?

    It came out of nowhere.

    It''s no longer a surprise to hear an unfamiliar voice, as it''s an everyday occurrence on the farm, but even so, I can''t help but be wary.

    Who are you!

    ''''The Warriors.......no, the Warriors are messengers of heavenly punishment. We have descended to bring sanctions against those who have created a fake World Tree and insulted the True World Tree!

    In front of my eyes, where there had been nothing before, I suddenly felt a haze, and when that haze cleared, a group of people appeared behind me.

    Moreover, they were dangerous.

    All of them, which seemed to be about a hundred in all, were armed and bowing against me.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re in the marketplace.

    ''''Elves?''''

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to see at a glance that we''re elves, but of course, you know what elves are, since we create the fake World Tree. But you''ve touched something you''re not supposed to touch, haven''t you?

    "What?¡¡I''m not allowed to touch anything!

    What the hell does that mean?

    You''re the No-Life King, right?¡¡A dragon viel?¡¡The gods of heaven, earth and sea, or the angels Folkosfon & Songokfon?

    Other than that, the previous mermaid queen Sheila, who used the chanting magic method...?

    I''m sorry, I don''t know of too many...!

    ''''I have too many guesses!

    Anyway, these barging elves, what is it that they are so angry about?

    ...it''s a tick-tock, right?

    Do you mean to tell me that you are armed to the teeth?

    Well well, then, let me tell you your sins!¡¡That''s what you did to our elven kingdom!

    "What?¡¡That''s exactly what I don''t remember at all...?

    The warriors of the Elven Kingdom are the strongest and most elite in the world, having defied the invasion of the Demon King''s army in the past. You''re going to be able to get the most out of it.¡¡That''s what you deserve for opposing us!

    The leader of the group, a jerky-tongued elf, called out to him, and the other elves shot arrows at him as he ordered.

    ''''Ugh!

    About ten seconds later........

    * * * *.

    Subdued and complete.

    Yes!

    The time it took to subdue it, a breakdown of ten seconds....

    It took eight seconds for the inhabitants, who had sensed the change, to rush to the scene.

    It took two seconds for the first goblin to arrive at the scene, wielding his scythe and destroying all of the opponent''s weapons.

    ...a total of ten seconds.

    From there, the new orc goblins that came rushing in were surrounded by orc goblins and potties, and the raiding elves lost their will to fight.

    "Gona na na na na........?¡¡What is it?¡¡What is this?

    "What is it? You may ask.

    These are my fellow farmhands, my fellow countrymen.

    What, sir?¡¡Another weird one?

    Prathi comes in late, too. He comes in with Junior in his arms.

    It''s nothing important, so you could just go home and let Junior sleep in.

    "Something about an elf. Did they say we were picking a fight with the...?

    Well, that''s rather typical of the way you pick a fight...!

    Platy.

    Don''t let your eyes glaze over?

    ''You attack them one-sidedly, as if we were at fault. This isn''t our farm where such sophistry is acceptable!¡¡Orcs and goblins!¡¡Hang them up!¡¡Let them know what will happen to those who defy the farm!

    ""Yes!"

    I ain''t!

    Of course we need to defend ourselves, but not over-defense!

    ''Why don''t we listen to him some more!¡¡Yes!¡¡They said something about a World Tree!¡¡I knew there was something wrong with us...

    Absolutely!

    The same leader-like elf from among the suppressed elves says

    ''''Accusations are accusations!¡¡You were obviously the one who did the harm first!¡¡A plot to distribute fake World Tree leaves and weed out the leaves of our real World Tree!¡¡It''s all clear!

    "What?

    A fake World Tree?

    I have no idea!

    "How could I be so careless today!¡¡I didn''t know they had this kind of defensive force ready to go!¡¡Let us honestly admit that it was a mistake to set up a small force of a hundred horsemen!

    "Brash Elf," he says.

    ''''Then next time we will attack with the full force of our elven kingdom to ensure our victory!

    What are you talking about?¡¡Do you understand the situation we''re in?

    I know what Prathi wants to say.

    The raiding elves are now all disarmed and surrounded by our orcs and goblins all around them.

    It would be extremely difficult for them to slip through the cracks and escape, and thus, return home.

    I''m not so peace-loving that I can''t just let them go with the situation in a hazy state....

    "*Hmmmm........!¡¡Remember?¡¡How did I come to be here?

    Oh, speaking of which.

    First time they came out of nowhere, didn''t they?

    It''s like transference magic.

    Don''t tell me they use transference magic too?

    "Ho ho ho ho ho!¡¡Did you think that shapeshifting magic was the sole province of demons?¡¡This Elf King, the Strawberry, can do so many things you can''t even imagine!

    The Elf King?

    What an ostentatious name!

    A haze arises around her, and it covers not only her, but all her fellow elves!

    ''''This is the transference magic of the elves?¡¡That mist distorts dimensions and connects them to distant places?

    ''Only the High Elves use natural magic!¡¡No matter what force is used, it cannot be pursued to the farthest reaches of the dimension!¡¡Farewell!¡¡We''ll meet again, until we''re ready for our vengeance war!

    Elf-san leaves, leaving behind a discarded line.

    He hides his figure in the haze... and when the haze clears...!

    ...still there.

    ''Huh?''

    The haze was gone, but it hadn''t shifted at all.

    ''''What do you mean?¡¡It''s true that Walla Walla''s ''Flying Fairy Haze'' has been activated, so why hasn''t it jumped across dimensions?

    I don''t know how great the magic of the elves is, but...

    Prathi says.

    ''You shouldn''t have used it right in front of Atashi. ''It''s a piece of cake to block the activation with Attah''s potions.''

    That''s a mermaid''s best potions user!

    I didn''t know you could do that!

    That''s not all. I can dispel the Ninjens'' magic with a single glance. Whatever it is.

    Vire?

    "I didn''t need to do anything about it. "I had to activate a magical spell to suppress the distortion of space just in case, but...

    Even the No-Life King''s teacher?

    "Wow, I''ve taken care of that too...?

    And Verena?

    We have too many people to deal with this on our farm!

    I''m more worried that we''re going to have so much to deal with that we''re going to have to deal with a lot of overlap and another unexpected event!

 494-492 Meeting with King Elf

    That''s why I decided to ask the situation from the elves who had been taken prisoner in earnest.

    Why did they attack the farm?

    What is the relevance of the World Tree?

    I''ll try to unravel it through future conversations.

    Then let''s start with your name, shall we?

    Very well!¡¡I am the chief of the elven kingdom!¡¡In other words, the Elf King!¡¡Their names are Elf-elf Elfriede Eldupon Eltoelus Elkatl Elza Else Elvira Elmantos Elkatl Else Else Elf-elf Michael Michael Uriel Gabriel Ariel Ariel Ariel Arienai Raphael El Elfant!

    .........

    Eh?

    Excuse me?

    "Couldn''t you understand, you fool!¡¡Well, I''ll say my name again, Elf-elf Elfriede Eldupont Eltoelus Elkator Elza Else Elvira Elmantos Elkator Else Else Elf-elf Michael Michael Uriel Gabriel Ariel. It''s Arienai Raphael L''Helfant!

    Where do you want me to break that off?

    No boundaries!¡¡The sacred name of the Elven King of the Straw!¡¡Always chant every single letter in your full name!

    I don''t like it.

    It''s too cluttered.

    Every time I call you from now on, every time I call you Elf-elf Elfriede Eldupont Eltoelus Elkatl Elza Else Elvira Elmantos Elkatl Else Elf-elf Michael Michael Uriel Gabriel Ariel. Do I have to say Alienai Rafael Helfant?

    There''s too many words, no matter how many margins there are!

    Um ... call him the Elf King.

    Then one of the elves who had attacked with her said, unable to look at her.

    ''That''s the only reason I''m content not to call him by his name. In the first place, the title of Elf King itself is an emergency evacuation name that the bothered person who didn''t want to call that person''s full name came up with.

    Really?

    So, Mr. Elf King, I have to ask again, what brings you here?

    Don''t make me repeat myself!¡¡We are here to punish you for your misdeeds!

    That bad behavior would be called ''what about the fake world tree''.

    However, from there on, I can''t get to the point. Is it because the parties involved insist on it? I wonder if anyone else can explain the situation from a bird''s eye view.

    ''Then let me explain it to you.

    And then he proceeded to come out, aileron!

    She may be an elf too, but she''s our fellow farm elf!

    Born and bred on a farm!¡¡...or were you not born on a farm?

    Surely a kindred spirit knows their ways!¡¡And since you''re in our camp, I''m sure you''ll be able to break it down for us in a way we can understand.

    "First of all, regarding the Elven Kingdom, it''s a large Elven settlement on the demon side. I''ve heard it''s the largest collective of elves living in packs in the world.

    Mr. Elon, you explain.

    It''s easy to understand, with no footnotes and only third-party comments.

    The primary reason for the scale is that we have the World Tree.

    "Law.

    The World Tree is not only huge, it also sprinkles purified natural mana around it to revitalize the forest. That''s why for the forest people, the area around the World Tree is the best environment for the elves.

    What''s with the hearsay?

    That''s right. I''m from the Forest of Mankind and I''ve never even seen the World Tree.

    And so it was.

    When the forest dried up and she lost her home due to the problems of the human nation, she and her friends became a band of elven thieves who wandered the world.

    Eventually, she found her way to our farm and became a live-in worker.

    She''s had a checkered life too.

    I''ve heard that the elves who live at the foot of the World Tree make a lot of money by selling their leaves to the demons. Didn''t the saint build a cherry tree with the power of the World Tree the other day?

    ''''Oh, ah...?

    ''''Perhaps the scarcity of the World Tree''s leaves has diminished since those leaves were released on the market. That''s why the price that was at a premium became more moderate, and the Elf Kingdom, with its dwindling profits, was pissed off...?

    I see.

    Elon''s explanation is really easy to understand.

    As expected of the same elf, not only does he have a good understanding of the situation, but he can even talk about the market from his career as a former bandit!

    But then again, if that''s the case, isn''t it completely their fault?

    And then Prati re-enters the scene.

    It''s the principle of the market that determines the price of things. The buyer and seller must both agree on a fair price. If the buyer and seller are not convinced, they can''t sell, and if the seller is not convinced, they won''t buy.

    Well, it''s true that...

    If they were scarce, they would have been able to be bullish, but it''s not surprising that the price drops when there are more of them on the market. Attacking that with a grudge against an extra supplier is a complete recrimination!

    Prathi continues to hit me with a good argument.

    The point is that the leaves of the world tree (cherry blossom) that flowed from our home went around and caused damage to the Elf Kingdom.

    You never know what will affect where in the world.

    But even so, if Prati is right and the Elf Kingdom is in trouble as a result of market forces, there is nothing we can do for them.

    It''s not like we''re going to release any of the World Tree''s leaves (cherry blossoms) into the world for their sake.

    The price of the leaves of the World Tree, a panacea, has fallen, and I''m sure there are people who have been saved.

    ''No!¡¡It''s not your fault!¡¡I made a fake one!

    "I made a fake...?

    You keep saying that, but it''s really judgmental, isn''t it?

    That''s obvious!¡¡There is only one World Tree in the world and that''s why it''s the World Tree!¡¡In other words, we in the Elven Kingdom are the only true World Tree!¡¡There is no other way!¡¡If there is one, it''s a fake, isn''t it!

    Well.....

    Maybe so, but...?

    "If that''s the case, then you people who put out the fake ones are nothing but evil people!¡¡Even the leaves of the fake world tree look similar, but they don''t actually work at all!¡¡If that''s the case, then bad behavior!¡¡We can''t afford to overlook this as a righteous elven kingdom!

    When did you start taking on justice?

    Are they pretending to be the establishment when they call themselves the Elven Kingdom or something?

    Of course it was a misunderstanding on the part of the Elf King, but it was too difficult to explain to him.

    The one we have is indeed a genuine world tree, but it is a synthetic world tree created by the homunculus technology of mermaids.

    Is it possible to explain that it is a world cherry blossom tree that was genetically engineered to mix with another species of strain and has the characteristics of a cherry tree?

    It would be as difficult as explaining a smartphone to someone in the Heian period, for example.

    I don''t think I could accomplish that for a minute!

    Elon!

    In times like these, we still need to rely on our own people!

    I''m sure that Elon, who is also an elf, would be able to convince the other person with a heart-to-heart!

    ''No, I can''t.''

    He said no on the spot?

    Why would he turn you down, Elon?¡¡You''re the only one he''s counting on!

    "The term ''elves'' is a complicated one, with different backgrounds and factions...?¡¡It''s just that elves are exclusive, and just because they belong to a different settlement is enough to exclude them as much as any other race. That''s why when our home forest dried up, we couldn''t move to another forest!

    Such a worldly thing.

    Can''t elves help each other?

    ''Not only that, but that Elf King is a High Elf, isn''t he?¡¡The higher elves who are more assimilated to the forest. They look down on ordinary elves, so they can''t be persuaded. Instead, they are the ones who think that their pride won''t allow them to be admonished by lower elves!

    ''''What a pain in the ass...?

    If that''s the case, wouldn''t it be impossible to convince not only Elon, but all the elves living on the farm?

    And I don''t think any race other than elves can talk them down...?

    ''''Can''t we just eradicate them already, master?''''

    No, Veerle!

    That''s not the way the dragon thinks!

    Go play with Junior over there and work on your philanthropic skills!

    "......................or is there one?¡¡Who could convince that elven king?

    Elon showed us something!

    That''s what I''m talking about.¡¡Family affairs!¡¡Give me a brilliant idea!

    Elves are a race that thinks they''re the best. "I''m sure you''ve heard of this. "It''s a good thing that they''re not the most powerful race in the world, because they live in the forest.

    "So bothersome...?

    A high elf is more troublesome than that high elf. The only person who can speak to such a high elf is the same high elf.

    ''Oh!¡¡Right!

    An eye for an eye, a high elf for a high elf!¡¡So that''s it?

    But wait?

    Did we know any high elves?

    There you are. I know him from the human planting project, Mr. L.L.C.

    Oh, yes!

    Come to think of it, there was someone like that!

    Miss Ellewelsey?

    You''re LLL-L-L-See, right?

    No, wasn''t it L.L.C.?

    Which one is it?

    Really, the names of the higher elves are a pain in the ass.

 495-493 High elf confrontation

    Here''s a bit of a look back at the past.

    Ellelsi is a high elf she met in human country.

    In the past, the nature in the human country was in a state of disrepair and the forest where the elves lived was on the verge of extinction, but in order to improve the situation, he embarked on a tree-planting project.

    Along the way, they encountered a high elf, Ellelsi, who was a high elf.

    We clashed with him at first, but in the end he understood our intentions and is now helping us to plant trees.

    I''m abbreviating his name as L4C-san because his name is long.

    The Elven Kingdom is on the Demon Kingdom side and the forest where L4C-san lives is on the Human Kingdom side.

    Although they are in different settlements, I decided to ask for help, thinking that if they are the same high elves, they would be able to communicate with each other.

    On behalf of him, Elon flew in with transition magic, and after about an hour........

    ''''I''m here. It is arrogant of you to summon the High Elves.

    You''re here!¡¡High Elf L4C!

    Moreover, I thought there was some kind of sudden fog, and then I appeared out of it. I went to call for him, and he and Aileron were in tow!

    You could use that magic!

    ''''The Flying Sage is a rudimentary skill that any High Elf can use. The demons'' transference magic only allows them to fly to pre-determined coordinates. Our transference can be used to fly to most places where there is a large amount of natural mana in play.

    Heh.

    I''ve noticed that there''s a big natural mana reaction around here. And it''s a very recent development. I''m not sure what happened, but it was your doing. He''s still going through the motions.

    I''ve only met her once, but what kind of perception do you think she has?

    Well, I guess I got the impression that you''re still doing whatever you want.

    What are the new reactions that have emerged?

    That''s the one, isn''t it?

    Following L4C-san''s gaze, I came to the World Cherry Tree in question.

    That''s it.

    I''m sure it''s a good idea for you to be able to get the attention of the high elves," he said, "if it''s emitting a power of the world tree level. I''m sure that''s how that idiot got here too.

    Exactly!

    Mr. Elf King, who was still in captivity at one point, roared.

    ''''You''ve created a great reaction where there was none until recently!¡¡Even an idiot would find it suspicious!¡¡I tried to transition on that and I hit the jackpot!¡¡You dug the grave, you scoundrel!¡¡Ho ho ho ho!

    The High Elves'' Flying Fairy Haze needs a natural mana as special as the World Tree to be able to target and fly. It''s a convenient but completely useless magic.

    There''s practically only one target that can be transferred, isn''t that Lula from DocuKue 1?

    But how ironic that the creation of the second world tree on this farm has given us a new transferable goal...?

    ''Well, it''s been a while. Elf elves Elfriede, Elfriede, El Dupont, Elthoelus, Elkator, Elsa, Else, Elvira, Elmantos, Elkator, Else, Elf elves Mikael, Uriel, Gabriel, Ariel, Arienai, Raphael, and Ellephant. I never thought that I would see you again in this life.

    "You are the one, El-L-L-See!¡¡I thought that the forest in which it is based would decay, but you''re still alive, you stubborn bastard!

    Why do all the top elves have such nasty names?

    But more importantly, do you two know each other?

    There aren''t many High Elves on earth. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. This is a particularly famous settlement that owns the World Tree.

    We both have a ''noja'' tone of voice, so maybe we''re on the same page.

    Aeron has already told me of his errand. It would be the height of arrogance to send a straw man to persuade a fool like this. I wouldn''t have agreed to it if I hadn''t gotten something in return.

    He''s not going to be happy about it.

    "You''re not looking down on him, Ellelsey!¡¡You have sided with the enemies of the elves!¡¡Has your retreat into the decaying woods rotted you out, even your pride!

    ''How can one of your settlements become the enemy of the entire Elves just because it''s against you?¡¡You''ve been like that for hundreds of years. You just happen to be the leader of a village that happens to have the World Tree and call yourself the King of the Elves, so the other chiefs hate you.

    I began to blurt out something righteous.

    It seems that the two of them have that kind of relationship.

    It''s a good thing that these people have the fake world tree!¡¡If the World Tree is sacred to the entire elven race, you must join in the punishment!

    That''s the way it is.¡¡It is true that Warauwa, as an Elf, respects the World Tree. If anyone insults this tree, I will surely kill them.

    I''m afraid.

    ''Yes, it would be, it would be!¡¡Then the villains who created the fake World Tree together...!

    But is it really a fake?

    What?

    L4C''s frank question caused the Elf King to choke on his words.

    ''Think about it. How did Walla and you get to this point?¡¡As I''ve said before, the Flying Fairy Haze can only fly towards World Tree Grade Natural Mana. Only to huge and pure mana.

    Oh, that''s...?

    Isn''t the fact that you found this place and came here proof that there is a legitimate World Tree in here?

    That''s right.

    Mr. Elf King, while calling us phony, using magic that only corresponds to the real world tree, isn''t this a fallacy to talk about?

    I will tell you more. You know, as I''m sure you do, that the High Elves can only live in the forest, because they are with the forest and have become too much of a part of it. Because they are too much a part of the forest, they can only take in the clean mana filtered by the trees.

    What do you mean again?¡¡I don''t need to be told that now!

    Didn''t you forget?¡¡Then why didn''t you notice?¡¡Do you know how dangerous we are right now?

    ''What?¡¡........ah!

    Right now, me and the two high elves (and many others) are in an open, flat area in a corner of the farm.

    Since it was originally a land that was to be cultivated, not only the trees in the forest, but even the grasses have been cut down and are not growing.

    If what the two of them just said is true, then they''re out of the forest as much as they can right now, and they''re probably in a state of anoxia, so to speak.

    "If you ask me, I''ll say it!¡¡Ugh, I''m going to die!¡¡Why did it spread to this place?

    Because it can''t be dangerous, right?¡¡The reason why the Flying Fairy Haze senses the powerful clean mana and flies in the first place is to protect the high elves, the magicians, from danger. There is enough clean mana in this place to protect the warriors.

    How?¡¡Not a single tree grows here!

    There''s a tree growing there. Right there.

    L4C pointed to a single towering cherry blossom tree that stood alone in the open ground.

    It was the World Cherry Blossom Tree in question.

    The World Cherry Tree is a very special tree. The World Cherry Blossom Tree is a special tree that releases a forest''s worth of clean mana from a single tree. That''s why both you and your fellow high elves are safe and sound.

    What...?¡¡What a...?

    Indeed, the World Tree is unique. Except for the first one, they could all be fake. But if it emits this much pure mana, is it as good as the real thing?

    ''''If you say so...?''''

    The Elf King, who couldn''t come up with an argument, had to admit that the World Tree on this farm was also real.

    In the end, they agreed to supply each other with the leaves of the World Tree and contribute to society.

    * * * *

    "I didn''t know the World Tree really existed outside of my kingdom...!¡¡The unique status of my kingdom is unique...!

    The Elf King was kind of shocked.

    She served dumplings to the ordinary elves who came with her.

    ''''Since you''ve come all this way, I want you to take home some good memories as well.

    Then the same goes for the warriors. It''s so undeserved, having to persuade a group of idiots and then going home. I don''t have a single good memory of it.

    And L4C.

    Totally. I''m really sorry that you have only listened to me today.

    So, let''s leave with our reward intact. So, go ahead and give us the aileron and the first thing you promised.

    Huh?

    L4C, did you promise to get something from Elon?

    It''s true that it was Elon who went to call her, but did he negotiate with her in that case?

    In contrast, Elon, as if he had learned his lesson....

    ''''Then, as a reward for successfully persuading the Elf King. Please accept my new work.

    Yes!

    L4C exclaimed.

    Are you that happy?

    The farm pottery maker, Elon, was too elaborate in his path and only pursued artistry in this vessel.

    There''s something distorted and avant-garde about the shapes, and I''m already finding it difficult to understand.

    In this latest work of mine, I have inscribed it as ''Elven Three-Step Belly''. I''m rather honored to have it received by L4C, who understands its value.

    That''s right. I would be delighted to receive such a beautiful reward for your kindness. You can always count on me!

    L4C says that he''s been doped up since he was presented with an aileron''s work the other day.

    Then, will you willingly do what I ask of you?

    ''''Aaaaaaaaahhhh?

    Then the Elf King breaks in with a scream.

    It''s not a good idea.¡¡Farm-branded high-fashion pottery, isn''t it!¡¡Why do you have it?

    Why, because she''s the one who made it?

    What is the matter with you?

    Elf King," he says to Aeron.

    "This is the artist who creates such wonderful vessels?¡¡What a wonderful meeting!¡¡I''m a fan of your work!¡¡I was the first to buy the new one the other day!

    "What?¡¡Really?¡¡I''m so happy!?

    Unexpectedly, there were also fans of Aeron.

    Her work seems to be particularly popular with the High Elves.

    I don''t know if that''s what you were hoping to get for your money?¡¡Selling the leaves of the World Tree?¡¡But the fastest and most recent one was given to me by a strawman, and it''s free!

    That''s not fair!¡¡Sensei, you''ve made more new ones for the strawberries!¡¡We won''t be paying you a dime for it!

    It''s a breach of honor to order directly from a craftsman!¡¡And Professor Elon is from the forest on the human side!¡¡I will not listen to your requests from another village!

    The High Elves are fighting with each other, calling Elon a teacher...?

    Thus, the problem surrounding the World Tree is uniformly resolved....

    The number of customers for the pottery made by Elon has increased.

 496-494 Salvation Stall Ryu

    It''s Chave the Adventurer.

    It''s an emergency!

    We''re losing the whole party!

    Because I wasn''t expecting to run into such a vicious monster!

    With this tier of Alexander-sama''s dungeon, the monsters that came out were still low grade.

    That kind of carelessness was our downfall.

    The diabolical evil we encountered was more and more careless because it was shaped much like the plant-type monsters that roamed around.

    It was actually a mutated vicious species!

    That plant type has acquired a poisonous taste through mutation, and it''s been spraying us with it!

    Thanks to this, the first to jump on him was exposed to the poisonous fluid.

    I managed to carry my friends out, but the situation is still bad.

    My friends are getting weaker and weaker from the poison!

    Oh, shit!¡¡You''re crazy!¡¡The antidote doesn''t work at all!

    I don''t know if it''s because I was so wary or because I was too slow to jump on them, but I didn''t eat the poison.

    It''s a good idea to make sure that the other three members are well-injured and that they are treated, but it''s not enough.

    I always keep poisoning remedies handy for adventurers, but they don''t help at all, even though they''re meant for times like these!

    No.....!¡¡This is very poisonous. Ordinary poisonous erasers won''t work........!

    No!

    The fellow who was poisoned says in a snatched voice.

    ''''It seems there are poisonous people like that sometimes. ........Originally, they should be in a higher level, higher difficulty area, even higher than this place. There''s no way they have a high-grade poisonous eraser for extreme poisoning...!

    What should we do then?

    If we hurry out of the dungeon and get to the city, maybe we can find a toolmaker that sells high-grade poisonous erasers or a priest who can use antidote magic...?

    It''s absurd, it would take a long time to go back the way we came here and leave the dungeon.

    I knew just by looking at them that my friends'' lives wouldn''t last that long.

    I''m not going to be able to get out of this, I''m going to lose all the friends I''ve shared my life with!

    There''s no such thing!¡¡The party members I''ve met and worked with and fought for!

    Ramen. We don''t want ramen.

    Then a prolonged voice comes in.

    This voice isn''t real...?

    "The rumored noodle shop?

    A mysterious entity that prowls around the dungeon, handing out mysterious food like ramen?

    I was once a customer of theirs and was severely injured, but one bite of their ramen and I recovered completely.

    ........What?

    So that means.........?

    "Noodle Shop!¡¡I want to feed them ramen noodles, but you don''t mind?

    asks a little girl pulling a food truck.

    The fact that such a cute girl is wandering around in a dangerous dungeon is a big mystery, but this is not the time to argue about it.

    The fact that I recovered from a near-death experience with Ramen noodles when I was on the verge of death means that my friends who are now suffering from this poisonous disease will be able to recover by eating Ramen noodles too!

    The god of salvation has appeared here!

    ''Huh?¡¡Hmmm.......no.

    What?

    I can''t counteract the toxicity in their bodies with my ramen.¡¡In the first place, the dragon extract used in Gongkotsu Ramen is a poison in the broadest sense of the word. It might strengthen your body and counteract the poison, but if you''re this weak, you won''t be able to withstand the strengthening and you''ll die of shock.

    ''Oh no!''

    I despair at the girl''s calm analysis.

    Isn''t there a God in this world?

    Hmm, you need to get ready to eat my ramen. Then we''ll use that thing.

    Huh?

    The girl takes something out of the cart.

    What''s that green powder?

    A cup of that green powder?

    What''s that move?

    I did it. That''s the special green juice that Prathi gave me. Drink it.

    "Whaaaaaat?

    Can we drink this?

    In the glass is a really thick green liquid mixed with the green powder, or maybe it''s just a mixture of the green powder.

    It''s rather poisonous too.

    Are you sure it''s safe for them to drink this?¡¡Isn''t it safe to die now?

    ''Don''t mess around, chug it up! You can''t eat ramen if you don''t get your act together!

    "Whoopee!

    There''s a girl!¡¡The poison forced his dying companions to drink it!

    To pour that noxious green liquid into their mouths!

    My friends?¡¡My friends!

    The poison is gone like a joke.

    "Oh, no!

    A short while ago, our friends who were dying from a poisoning spell have made a full recovery!

    Was it that toxic liquid that did this to them?

    Conqueror of poison with poison?

    As expected of a green juice made mainly from the leaves of the world tree, the detoxification effect is superb. Platy''s stuff is pretty decent too, isn''t it?

    "World Tree Leaves?

    Isn''t that a very high-grade recovery item that can be traded for how many gold coins?

    It''s supposed to cleanse all toxicity and, in one theory, even bring the dead back to life?

    That''s right, this is the special green juice made from the leaves of the World Tree, the farm brand.¡¡Right now it''s an amazing price with a special shaker!

    "Shaker?

    You mean the glass with the lid that you just mixed with water and powder?

    Is that really necessary?

    "Mmm, let''s show them how good the Shaker is!¡¡It''s a green juice stirred without a shaker, not shaken, but steered.

    There were others who had been poisoned by the deadly poison.

    To such friends, the new green juice that was given to them........

    Drink it.....!¡¡It takes away the poison, it''s been proven...!

    What the hell?¡¡Lumps!¡¡All those lumps that aren''t dissolved in the water?¡¡It gets stuck in your throat.

    This is the trap that lurks in the green juice you mixed without a shaker?

    If you stir it with a muddler, it won''t dissolve completely, but it will leave lumps!

    ''Swallow it and swallow it!¡¡Otherwise, the deadly poison might not go away!

    "Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

    It''s terrifying.

    I knew the shaker was necessary to perfectly melt them together without creating lumps!

    But thanks to the green juice she gave me, more and more of my friends'' deadly poison is disappearing!

    That''s great, ramen shop girl!¡¡I knew she was the goddess of salvation that prowls the dungeon!

    No!¡¡The poison won''t go away!¡¡I didn''t make it in time!

    But there was one companion that not even the green juice could save!

    He was the first one to be poisoned, and because of that, he couldn''t detoxify himself in time.

    He''s not breathing!¡¡It''s too late!¡¡She''s dead...?

    How did we lose someone from our party?

    d*mn it, if only I had made a quicker assessment of the situation!

    "As expected, if you stop breathing, that green juice of Platy won''t do you any good. Then this is what I need to do!

    Huh?

    Girl, do you have another option?

    "Sakura cake!

    What?¡¡What is that........mysterious squishy thing wrapped in a leaf?

    I''m gonna take this guy who just died and stick him in the throat....

    ""He shoved it in!"

    That cherry blossom cake?

    He''s dead, so he shouldn''t even be able to chew it, but the whole thing that was put inside him....

    "The cherry cake is delicious!

    He''s been revived!

    I''ve just witnessed a miracle!

    A comrade who should have died from poisoning has completely detoxified and risen from the dead!

    The cherry blossom leaves wrapped in rice cakes are not only as effective as the leaves of the World Tree, they are also strengthened by Master''s power!¡¡You succeeded in reviving him since he hadn''t been dead for a long time. It''s called the three-second rule!

    What an awesome item, the cherry blossom cake!

    Even the dead can be brought back to life, just like the legendary efficacy of the leaves of the World Tree!

    I was going to serve it to you as dessert after eating ramen, but I''m going to let you guys eat it too. I''ll give you one piece each so you can devour it without fighting.

    This would save you from a near-fatal injury in a dungeon!

    ''Thank you!¡¡I''ll keep it safe for when the time comes!

    No, eat it now. Fresh pastries have a short shelf life. If you don''t eat the food the master made for you and taste it properly, you will be killed.

    What...?

    Poisoned or not, you have to eat it to die?

    I had no choice but to eat the cherry blossom cake with my health intact, it was delicious and thanks to that, we all made it back from the dungeon safely.

    The goddess of salvation we met in the hell called dungeon....

    I can''t thank that little girl enough.

 497-495 Visit to the strongest Shitenno

    It''s me....

    It''s an emergency.

    Belfegamilia-san has visited me at the farm.

    One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, and the man who is called the strongest among them.

    His strength is said to surpass even the King of the Demon Kingdom, the Demon King, and in fact, he''s not just the strongest of the four heavenly kings, he might even call himself the strongest of all of mankind.

    He is also the illegitimate son of the previous Demon King, and can usurp the Demon King''s throne by himself if he wants to.

    I''ve never been compelled to get involved with the farm, and I''ve never visited the farm before, but now I''m happy to welcome her.

    For some reason, he came to us unexpectedly.

    We had always thought that we might be able to have a visit like that at some point in the future, but the fact that he came to us without any kind of warning caught us off guard.

    I don''t feel like it''s typical of him........

    ''''Belfegamilia-sama........?

    The first demon army commander appointed in hundreds of years...?

    A visit from such a big shot... this farm is really amazing...?

    The youngsters of the demon tribe who are studying at the farm are the ones who are surprised to hear that.

    They are also originally affiliated with the Demon King''s Army, so they seem to know him well.

    On the other hand, the foreign students of the human race and mermaid race....

    ''''That''s the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army?¡¡It looks weak, doesn''t it?

    You''re so mild-mannered, you know?

    ''''Isn''t it a bit of a letdown that a guy like that is the strongest of the Demon King''s Army?

    And a lick of rot.

    It''s true that Belfegamilia-san is always trying to be lazy at every opportunity, and she doesn''t have a shred of supremacy.

    As a layman, he cannot find even a glimpse of strength that has been pushed aside.

    That''s the kind of strength he has.

    Only the same strong people would notice and fear his strength.

    The proof of this is that, in contrast to the carefree students, there were those whose tensions went up in a huff as soon as Mr. Belfegamilia visited.

    All the orcs and goblins working on the farm.

    ''''What is this eerie killing atmosphere...?

    "Understandable but elusive...?¡¡I''ve never felt such a strange presence in my life!

    And yet its strength and enormity are clearly visible. You can''t hide it even when you try to hide it. It''s massive...!¡¡Is that what being a true strong man is all about...?

    It seems that those who understand will understand.

    Not only the orc goblins, but Porgy and the others also lowered their posture and roared when they saw him.

    ''''Grrrrrr........?¡¡Koonkwoon!''''

    Can the wild beasts also be able to see into the depths of the strong?

    Can that man do it?

    If it wasn''t for us, we''d be missed.

    And the spirits of the earth seem to have noticed.

    Why?

    And, well, let''s not let such reactions of the people around us be a good thing.......

    It''s Belfegamilia-san herself.

    ''''Well, this is a nice place. It''s quiet, long and peaceful, and I wish I could be lazy in a place like this all year round.

    Thank you for the compliment.

    But there''s no one here who''s lazy, except for Veerle, though!

    So, what can I do for you today?

    ZZZZZZZZ....

    Don''t sleep.

    I looked away for a second and she just pulled a hammock over there and started sleeping.

    What a brilliant move.

    You people are so used to being idle!

    But as long as I''m on this farm, there will be no sloth!¡¡Wake up!¡¡And you''ll be welcomed with open arms!

    "Wha-ha?

    He flips the hammock over and drops Bellefegamilia-san to the ground.

    ''Zzzz........''

    But he''s still in bed.

    To the man who has achieved true laziness, is the ground no better than the bed?

    ''But wake up!¡¡What did you have to come to our house for?

    Ha-ha-ha, I''m sorry, but this is a very comfortable place to sleep.

    Bellefegamilia finally woke up by shaking his shoulder.

    It''s bad, this guy.

    It''s obviously the same type of person as some of the people you''ve met, the one who doesn''t make any progress in the conversation!

    ''Oh yes, you have an errand. Of course that''s why I came to visit you, or else I wouldn''t have gone out voluntarily. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have gone out on my own, would I?

    I''m not proud of that.

    ''I''m not proud of it, but I''m a man who puts his life on the line to be lazy. I can''t let any number of people get in the way of my laziness. Some people will kill you if you interfere with my laziness, okay?

    It''s not a joking eye.

    ''But the question is, is it someone I can''t kill even if I wanted to?¡¡I''m very vulnerable when people like that make a fuss. I couldn''t get the basic measures in place.

    What are the basic measures...?

    Killing?

    ''That''s the kind of problem I''m interrupting today. I wanted to kill you guys, but I couldn''t, and I wanted you guys to do something about the people who are disturbing my laziness...

    Yes?

    With a lack of explanation, I''m suddenly handed something.

    I looked at the object transferred to my hand and wondered what in the world it was.

    I looked at the object in my hand and saw that it was a skull.

    Or a skull.

    Or a human skull.

    I guess that''s what you usually call it.

    "............................?

    Why am I being handed a skull all of a sudden?

    What''s going on here?

    This isn''t even a horror movie.

    We try to scare you, but it''s so sudden and unexpected that it''s hard to understand.

    It''s only when you understand the extraordinary nature of the situation that you get scared.

    What am I doing wrong?

    As expected of a farmer, the Demon King has a lot to answer for. You can''t even scream when they suddenly hold your skull in their hands. He''s got a lot of guts.

    ''Because you''ve been given something more shocking before?

    Like Songgok Phone''s raw head (or something like that)...?

    Compared to the impact of that, a skull with all the raw stuff shaved off is just a little bit too much, now, isn''t it?

    So what''s this skull all about?

    You want me to reconstruct it and identify him in his prime?

    We don''t do anything like Forensic Science, though, do we?

    "Oooooh!¡¡You rude bastard!

    "Ugh?

    She just started talking?

    What''s that?¡¡The skull in my hand.

    This is indeed a bit of a surprise?

    "Call me what I am, the great one!¡¡You can''t treat me like I''m property!¡¡This great emperor!¡¡''''The Emperor of the No-Life King!''''

    ''''Whaaaaahhh...?¡¡Belfegamilia?¡¡What is this more and more?

    No, I feel like he already introduced himself to me.

    "The Emperor of No Life King. The end of that career.

    The No Life King?

    Speaking of which?

    We''re all familiar with it on our farm!

    The other side of the world''s two biggest disasters. The monsters that have transcended their humanity by absorbing the dungeon''s stagnant mana to gain a false sense of eternity. This is one of them.

    And then he plucks up the skull with a hitch.

    It''s a mystery where the part of the skull to pick up is located.

    ''''But this skull is quite different from the No Life King I know, but...?

    No, when I thought about it, I was already acquainted with the No-Life King, who was too odd.

    Like cats.

    ''''The biggest difference is........just the head?¡¡Wouldn''t they normally have all the other parts in place?

    Limb or torso?

    It''s like buying a plastic model with only the head, like a plastic model that''s been bought part by part and not at all complete, isn''t it?

    There''s a deeper reason for this........ This guy has already been defeated and has lost his power.

    According to Belfegamilia-san........

    It seems that this emperor had ambitions and was planning to attack the entire world. It was right after the end of the Human-Devil War. It is said that just as they were about to raise an army, he struck first and annihilated them.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find it.¡¡That''s amazing!

    No, it seems the person who defeated the emperor was a traveler passing by. I''ve heard that he saved the world from a crisis and then left without giving his name.

    How cool is that...?

    Does the world have such a hero living in the world, hiding his name?¡¡Who the hell is that?

    I was just ordered to clean up afterwards. That''s when I retrieved the skull...?

    The story comes back to this again.

    The Emperor is defeated by a nameless hero.

    But even if he is defeated, he cannot be killed, which is the terrible thing about the No-Life King.

    Five crushed heads can persistently survive, and this monster is about to cause a new kind of mayhem.

    "...cccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc!

 498-496 Emperor Retro

    It''s been over a hundred and fifty years since we recovered his skull from the ruins of his castle.

    It shouldn''t have been more than two years ago.

    Oh, yeah?

    "Why would you make an immortal joke about me, the real No-Life King, instead of me?

    It''s a common occurrence for immortals to lose track of time.

    Why do you let them exchange wisecracks so lightly?

    Bellefegamilia and the Emperor of the No Life King.

    ''But it seems that two years is enough.

    What?

    It''s back.

    ''''Eeeeeeee?''''

    According to Bellefegamilia-san, she had thrown the emperor''s skull she had retrieved into the storage room at home.

    Why did she do it so haphazardly?

    Because it looks like a mess to clean up. I just put it away for now and thought I''d figure out how to deal with it later and then I forgot.

    That sounds like the kind of thing a pain in the ass would do!

    And so the emperor was forgotten in existence.

    He spent a good two years in the storeroom, unnoticed by anyone, absorbing the mana around him and gradually restoring his body, taking a good two years to fully restore it.

    ''''I was so surprised when this guy, who had completely restored five bodies, came out of the storage room!¡¡I was so startled I almost fell asleep twice!

    ''''Isn''t that what you would do if you were shocked?

    If this is Belfegamilia''s home, then of course it''s in the Demon City, right?

    The No Life King rampaging through the largest city on earth is normally on the brink of exile, but it''s fortunate that the first person to discover it was Belfegamilia-san.

    He killed her instantly with one punch and was able to get out of trouble.

    And here we are again with only the skull.

    ''d*mn!¡¡How could you defeat me so easily?¡¡I am going to be the Emperor of the No-Life King!

    In this case, how can the No-Life King''s emperor be the weakest?¡¡Or is Mr. Belfegamilia stupidly strong?

    Your perception of the threat of the world''s two major disasters is becoming distorted.

    No, no, don''t get me wrong.¡¡The No Life King is usually a disaster-grade bucket. You can never underestimate them.

    Doesn''t sound very convincing when you say it...?

    To tell the truth, even I can''t handle this skull. You can kill it instantly, but you can''t kill it completely. It comes back again and again. If I had to take care of it every time it came back, wouldn''t it be too much of a hassle?

    Does it sum up your true feelings at the end?

    And the main point of the story finally comes out.

    ''''I talked to the Demon King about it and he introduced me to this place. He said that the saint would surely think of a good plan. A way to bury this skull forever.

    So Belphegamilia-san came all the way to our farm.

    It''s just a short trip if you have transference magic.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about them.¡¡You are bound to your lives, and no matter how hard you try to think, you cannot destroy this emperor!

    The Emperor speaks gruffly.

    He speaks in a cocky, head-only manner.

    "I am the emperor, the ultimate invader. I have escaped from the yoke of life by the forbidden secret law and become the king of the lifeless, and I am forever!¡¡They who are in the finite time of life can never reach the infinite me!

    What am I saying?¡¡What''s going on?

    Belphegamilia-san looks troubled, but she doesn''t look troubled at heart.

    I''m sure this guy would accomplish anything if he got serious. But this guy is a troublesome person who never gets serious until he dies.

    I''m not going to be able to leave her alone, because I''m in the position of the Demon King''s Army. Even if we dumped him in a mountain far away, it wouldn''t look good if he were to revive and do bad things. According to the king''s story, there''s nothing the saint of the farm can''t do.¡¡With that versatility, how about one thing here...?

    No, I''m not that versatile myself when it comes to that, am I?

    He is a man who is only good at tinkering with the soil and nothing else.

    It''s only the people who live on the farm with him - Prathi, Veerle, the orc goblins, the elves, satyrs, Gala Rufa and others - who work together to do many things.

    There''s nothing we can''t do when we all work together...!

    I see - cooperation is what''s important, isn''t it?

    Me and Bellefegamilia, who is dusty.

    When I''m with this person, I feel relaxed. As if to mock it........

    ''''Nonsense!¡¡People try to flock together because they''re weak!¡¡I, who has transcended being a human being, is the perfect ultimate I, and all is enough!

    A nagging skull.

    ''If you have any complaints, bring one of your reliable companions who can do something about it!¡¡I don''t think so!¡¡Whoever controls the eternal No-Life King, etc.!

    Then let''s call you upon request, shall we?

    What I didn''t even dare to include in the names I just enumerated was a hiki for you to appear here.

    This gentleman is the best collaborator who has been with us since the establishment of the farm. He is the person who has been most indebted to us.

    Let the fullness of the time be with you!

    * * *

    The No-Life King!

    It''s a pleasure to be here, sir.

    This is Mr. No Life King, who is most associated with our farm.

    Commonly known as The Teacher.

    We thought it would be a good idea to have him come out to the meeting if No-Life King was involved.

    Not a cake maker, No Life King is No Life King''s teacher!

    "Whoa!

    "Huh?¡¡This is why you called the eagle today, isn''t it? Well, I''m in shape for a no-life king,''

    Sir, you arrogantly look down on the Emperor, who is supposed to be your equal as the No Life King.

    In contrast to the emperor, who is a skull-only but completely white bone, the same no-life king, the teacher, but his appearance is covered not only with bones but also with extremely thin skin.

    A mummy, if you will?¡¡Or rather, instantaneous Buddha?

    The No-Life King seems to have many forms, too.

    ''''Baba-baba, stupid, stupid........?¡¡!" "And here''s my kind...?

    "I don''t want to be seen as your kind.

    He talks tough for a teacher.

    The No Life King is a monster whose very existence is substandard. The No-Life King is a substandard monster, one that has overcome its lifespan and is unaffected by material degradation as its body becomes half astral. A being that has attained a near-perfect eternity. .........But.......''''

    But?

    ''How can it be world domination to try to accomplish that much by using something so grandiose....... You are so diminutive.

    "What?¡¡Are you hurting my grandiose ambitions?

    "The desire you wanted to achieve by turning into the undead has already been achieved by the Demon King Zedan in this world, even though he is still alive. The world of the living is beautiful only when it''s governed by the living. You''re just a fool for not understanding that and taking a detour.

    "What do you mean, ''Oh, no!''

    Or is it revenge for not getting what they deserve? "People are so ugly and distorted by their unworthy aspirations.

    The teacher''s tone is harsher than usual.

    Is that a sign of resentment towards the emperor who becomes the No Life King and causes trouble for the people of this world?

    Truths that cannot be revealed in a man''s limited lifetime. It wastes an infinite amount of time to get there. That''s the true nature of the No Life King!

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa!¡¡What?!?

    A small shadow jumps out from the side and hits the emperor''s skull.

    I''m not going to be the only one who can do this.

    ''''Unyaah!¡¡Meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡¡Minmie!

    "What''s with the cat?¡¡What''s that cat?¡¡Do not cat-punch me!

    A cat attacked the emperor skull.

    The skull has a peculiar rolling motion because of its halfway roundness. The cat is chased by the trajectory of the skull.

    It''s a cat''s saga. A hunter''s instincts are stimulated when they see something that rolls around.

    "You blew it up to begin with!¡¡It didn''t roll over at first!''

    Now, a cat appeared seemingly for no reason at all.

    But this appearance is also inevitable.

    This cat is also one of the no-life kings who have recently begun to live on the farm.

    His name is Doctor.

    Although he is an immortal king, he is said to be nothing more than a cat in appearance.

    This is also the ultimate oddity.

    It''s no wonder that the doctor is annoyed with such an unsightly failure. The yurtai-tekies who pretend to be gachigeki-tekies are just unpleasant to the true gachigeki-tekies.

    ''Although I haven''t become the No-Life King so seriously, I still can''t tolerate this kind of people, especially when it comes to annoying people with lives. Especially to the point of causing trouble for those who have lives. I don''t need to ask the saint to help me, but let''s make arrangements to destroy this kind of evil and prevent it from ever coming back.

    Your teacher is getting hotter than expected...?

    I don''t even need to ask you to do it.

    "You people are licking our lips...

    Is there a change in the Emperor''s response?

    It was only the skull... and then suddenly something like a tail grew out of the bottom of the skull?

    With the Nuzzles?

    What seems like such a tail is not, it''s the spine.

    From the skull, the cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, which should be connected to it, grew out, and all of them together were the spine.

    And from the spine, the ribs, the pelvis, and the bones of the hands and feet grew out of the spine, and in no time at all, all the bones of the body grew out of the spine.

    I mean, I don''t know what bones are supposed to grow back!

    It''s not something full of calcium or anything like that!

    "The emperor has returned!¡¡You lickspittle mouths of your own kind!¡¡You are about to experience the terror of the Emperor, the ruler of the whole world!¡¡And then we will resume our supremacy from here!

 499-497 No Life King vs No Life King

    The Emperor of the No Life King is back........?

    Just a few minutes ago, he was only wearing a skull, but now he''s got all of his bones together, making him a perfect grade.......?

    He even wore a pitch-black cloak from where it came from, and that''s exactly what he looks like as an ''emperor''!

    ''''Hahahahaha, how could you let your guard down!¡¡This No-Life King emperor won''t remain a clodhopper forever!

    "He''s regenerated!

    ''''I knew the No-Life King was immortal, but I didn''t expect him to make such a rapid comeback...''''

    "The No-Life King''s body also possesses half spirituality. If there''s mana in the surrounding area, it''s a piece of cake to absorb it and use it to reconstitute itself.

    You''d need mana as dense as the dungeon for it to regenerate instantly.

    The doctor and the doctor explaining to me.

    That''s why it took two years to regenerate when he was thrown into this storage room with this emperor, Mr. Belfegamilia.......

    But here at the farm, it was instantly regenerated?

    ''''Hahahahaha!¡¡I don''t know, but this land is filled with mana as fine as a dungeon!¡¡That made the regeneration a breeze!¡¡You brought me here with the intention of shutting me up completely, and now you''ve wasted your time.¡¡Fuhahahahahaha!''''

    The emperor let out a triumphant laugh.

    The evil Immortal King who brings disaster to the world has resurrected here.

    ''''Is it the farm''s fault?

    It''s the farmer''s responsibility here not to let this disaster get out!

    It''s the evil sacred sword Dryschwartz!¡¡The time to rely on your power as a holy sword has come suddenly!

    "Wait for me, my saint.

    The no-life king''s teacher stopped me.

    ''''Please leave this ruffian to this eagle. As I said before, it is the duty of the No-Life King to correct the misbehavior of immortals. Maybe it''s because I''ve been teaching young people, that I''ve also become aware of the responsibility. I should not neglect the shame of my own kind. I can''t just stand here and face my students with impunity.

    You''re a teacher, and you''re equipped to be an educator!

    I see. I''ll leave it to you.

    Evil Sacred Sword Dryschwartz, you have no business being here!¡¡Sorry!

    "Guhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu....! "I''m not going to challenge the Emperor to battle...!

    The teacher and the emperor.

    The two no-life kings glare at each other.

    A cat is grooming its fur in the corner.

    ''Even though they are both No-Life Kings, their powers are very different. The difference in power between a freshly minted youth and an old man who has lived for thousands of years cannot be bridged. This No-Life King''s emperor had been a demon king for five hundred years before he became an immortal. His power is flourishing, isn''t it?''''

    Meow.

    ''And you, on the other hand, have been immortal for a hundred years?¡¡Two hundred years?¡¡Foolishness to think you understand eternity at that level of age and challenge a higher rank. You''ll soon regret it........''''

    Meow.

    The cat has been bothering me for a while now.

    No, not on purpose?¡¡Harassment to ruin the atmosphere of the emperor''s threat-laden mouthpiece?

    "Yes, you persistent cat!¡¡"You want to pick a fight with the Emperor?

    To be an immortal, you need knowledge and wisdom. It''s a shameful thing to expose your ignorance by becoming immortal. It''s not your words, but as the same kind of person, it makes my balls ache.

    "What do you mean, the cat?

    I wondered about the cat talking, and then I wondered about the emperor.

    The cat is an unseen form of the world.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get the most out of it.

    The main body is sealed deep in the dungeon and possessed by a cat, so it''s far from being able to use its full strength via the cat. But nyah.....

    The air around you changes in a zap.

    ''What?¡¡What...?

    It''s worth it for a cat''s worth of magic to crush a youngster like you. It''s like buying a piece of candy with gold coins.

    A cat with the face of a predator.

    Normally, he is very cat-like and impudent, but when he gets serious, is he still frightening?

    ''''Gugnu........?

    The emperor is helplessly drunk.

    "Doctor, please refrain from doing so. It''s my job to crush him.

    I''m sorry. I''m sorry.

    The doctor drops back to me in a straightforward manner and comes over to me.

    He rubs his cheek against my leg and I hold him as he rubs his cheek against my leg.

    The doctor is being more belligerent than ever. The other guy is completely consumed by it.

    "You are all of you........you''re making me think.......?

    The moment you see the doctor, you can''t even bare your fears. You are not a sorcerer, you are a monster who has become immortalized by virtue of your wealth and power and can only rely on the characteristics of the No Life King.

    "Cheeky!¡¡Well, let me show you!¡¡Proof that you are using the power of this my No Life King!''''

    ''''Emperor, a blue glow emanates from your outstretched hand.

    What is that ominous blue light?

    This is the No-Life King''s special magical power that condenses the power of the trapped death and horrible demons, the Deadly Qi!¡¡Using this power at your disposal is what makes you the ultimate No Life King!''''

    "Master it?¡¡"Deadly Light"?

    The teacher said as if he was truly disgusted.

    ''''What you call the used ''death light qi'' you''re referring to is that thing that you purposely condensed and arranged into a sword-like shape?''''

    As Sensei pointed out, the emperor arranged the blue light and stretched it out into a stick shape, making it look like a sword.

    Are you saying that you will slash down the enemies that line up in a row with that thing?

    ''''How shallow........ You prepare the almighty Deadly Light Qi in a small way and wave it around like a toy. Is that what you mean by ''mastering'' it?''''

    "Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.¡¡The sword of death created with my Deadly Qi will not only slice through the bodies of those it touches, but also their souls, completely annihilating them!¡¡It''s the ultimate in destruction!¡¡There is no one who can resist this power!

    "It''s true, I am a novice, but it''s been a thousand years since I became an immortal. "I still have much to learn, much to learn about myself...

    Huh?

    I found a phrase that stuck in my teacher''s words, the Emperor, five hundred years after his death.

    ''What do you say now...?¡¡A thousand years?¡¡You''ve been a No-Life King for a thousand years!

    "Continuing to be with you, saint, I find my own failings every day. It''s a new day in death. But I can still say I''m wiser than you. That''s more than a young man who doesn''t know what to do with deadly energy.

    By the time he realized it, it was over.

    The Emperor''s body suddenly began to disappear.

    Along with the blue light that was focused on his minions.

    ''''What?¡¡What the hell?¡¡My body disappeared?¡¡It doesn''t work?

    "Essentially, there is no need to make the deadly luminous air glow blue or condense it. All you have to do is mix it into space and spread it out. That way, anyone who enters my Deadly Light Energy''s domain will be erased with a simple reminder.

    "This whole area has already been swallowed up by your deadly chi...

    Cat explains.

    It''s possible to cover an entire country in deadly force with your magical powers. Compared to that, wielding a toy-like sword and showing off is just ridiculous.

    The teacher who showed the difference in rank.

    It was as if the emperor had been in the teacher''s belly from the beginning. And it was only swiftly digested by the proper intentions of the teacher.

    * * * *

    And so, the teacher won a complete victory.

    However, the emperor still hasn''t disappeared completely.

    ''''Guru-oh!¡¡This emperor!¡¡"Don''t let the ruler of the world fall!

    "That really bothers me.

    The Emperor is once again only a skull and is outraged.

    The fact that he didn''t completely disappear even if he did that much is really frightening.

    ''Even that thing is an edge of the Immortal King. If even a single piece remains, it can resurrect by sucking in the mana of the surroundings while maintaining its existence.''''

    "The Deadly Qi is a deadly force that emanates from the No-Life King, so the No-Life King can''t be completely destroyed. It can do some damage, but...

    Just like that, the conversation about what to do with this emperor was back to square one.

    ''''This time the order is about how to deal with this immortal nuisance, right?

    No matter how carefully it''s crushed, as long as it has mana, it will absorb it and restore it. And since there''s no place in the world that doesn''t have mana, it''s practically impossible to prevent it from being restored.

    No?¡¡What''s a place without manna?

    "Even in places that are said to be basically nonexistent, they''re super rare. If you put this skull in such a place, it will take hundreds of years to absorb the mana and revive.

    The more I listen to the explanation, the more I feel the bullshit of the No-Life King''s existence.

    ''''Still, it''s not like there''s no way to contain the No-Life King. We''ve done it before.''''

    Oh, doctor...?

    I''m going to take responsibility for this toxic no-life king. I have an idea. If it works as planned, he''ll never bother a living soul again.

    How dependable of the teacher to assure us so.

 500-498 Making dead canes

    By the way, is there anyone who has been completely absent from the process?

    Four Heavenly King Belfegamilia-san.

    He hasn''t completely interfered with a single word since the teacher appeared.

    He didn''t speak, and it was as if his existence had disappeared in the first place.

    Or rather, she really had disappeared.

    I looked around, but he was nowhere to be found.

    After searching relentlessly, I finally found him in his hammock spread out and asleep.

    ''''Must kill!¡¡Hammock back!

    What?

    Bellefegamilia was dropped from the hammock and crashed to the ground.

    ''''Why are you sleeping?¡¡Why are you sitting in the middle of an extraordinary situation that threatens to destroy the world, why are you sitting in the middle of it and dozing off?

    No, I wouldn''t call it dozing anymore!¡¡Sleep tight.

    ''You can''t really sleep in the daytime!¡¡You won''t be able to sleep at night!

    I''m a guy who can sleep through the day and sleep through the night.

    Are you sure a guy like him is a big shot in charge?

    That''s what I''m worried about!

    "Master''s disciple has the same impudence as our master.

    The doctor, the doctor, and the No Life King duo also looked dumbfounded.

    Did they notice their gaze...?

    ''Well, well, well, doctor, it''s been a while. Also, Doctor, did you place a cat over here too?¡¡Even though you won''t turn one of them in to me?

    Belfegamilia-san is friendly and unafraid of even the Immortal King.

    He really is a big guy at heart.

    I can see all the troublesome things being forced on you if I''m around you. I know how troublesome you are.

    Oh, man, if you were here, you wouldn''t have to come all the way down here.

    "I''ve always wanted to be useful!

    A terrifying man who is ready to use the No-Life King on his chin.

    The reason why he has such a shattered relationship with the Immortal King is because he has an extraordinary relationship with a certain No-Life King.

    ''''Belfegamilia-san, did you have a No-Life King''s mentor?

    That''s right. It''s called Master No Life King.

    Belfegamilia replies shortly.

    That that old master or no-life king is the same rank as the teacher, the doctor, so he''s allowed to associate with his student as well.......

    Once again, it''s scary to think about........

    "But I was thinking...

    Yes?

    Yes, sir?

    ''''If you have a great master, an old master, shouldn''t you have consulted him first?¡¡More than us...?

    ...........

    If you ask me, it is so.

    What was Belphegamilia-san''s answer to the natural question that came to mind?

    ''''Because the dungeon where Master lives is far away. The Taiyama is at the northern end of the demon country and there''s no fancy transition point, so isn''t this one, which can be flown in by magic, a lot less complicated?

    "What a pain in the ass!

    Besides, he''s my teacher. He would never be bothered by any of this.

    ''''This disciple and that master!

    That''s why he was too skillful in choosing a good teacher to bring in a good person.

    As you can see, the teacher is quite motivated and is planning to do something while playing with the skull of the Emperor in his hands.

    I have an idea. I have a plan. Can I take care of this fool?

    Please do, but with a man of your stature, I won''t have to worry about it anymore.

    Then we''ll have to move quickly. ...doctor.

    The indescribable composition of the Immortal King talking to a cat.

    ''''What''s that?''''

    "Take care of him, please. "I''ll need to resort to a multitude of measures to contain his violent power.

    "I''ll just have to psych myself up, won''t I?¡¡I understand!''''

    The two strongest class immortal kings are too terrifying to be afraid of.

    For now, the emperor''s skull, the doctor leaves it to the doctor to go to stasis.

    ''''Huh?¡¡Where are you going, doctor?

    ''Will the saint follow me, please?¡¡I''m afraid I''ll have to ask your permission.

    Me?¡¡Permission?

    I would say yes to anything the teacher asks me to do.

    ''What do you think he''s going to do...?''

    * * *

    The doctor arrived in front of a cherry blossom tree.

    In a corner of the farm, a cherry blossom tree that exhales an unusually clean air.

    This is the World Tree Cherry Blossom...?

    I''ve been wondering about it for a while now, but it absorbs the mana in the air, filters out the dirt, and then releases the clean mana. The movement itself is done by ordinary plants as well, but this tree is the only one that has a tremendous amount of cleansing power. The saintly lord has done a pleasant job again.

    No, no...?

    "Can I ask you to give me a piece of this tree?¡¡What a small part. A swing of a branch is all that''s necessary.''

    Huh...?

    "You don''t have to worry about damaging this tree. Only with my magic.

    Well, I trust you unconditionally to do what you do...?

    Puzzled, the teacher makes sure I nodded, and then he reaches out his hand towards the World Cherry Tree.

    I felt something magical activate.

    Then the World Cherry Tree surreptitiously protruded something from the trunk and extended it towards the teacher.

    It was as if a branch was growing at a sharp speed from an empty spot on the trunk.

    Sensei grabbed the branch, pulled it, and the branch separated from the trunk as easily as if it had been sliced through a syrup.

    There was not a single scar on the World Cherry Tree itself.

    The only thing left in Sensei''s hand was the branch of the World Cherry Blossom Tree that grew straight up.

    Hmm, it''s a good branch. It''s a very good branch. It''s also very comfortable to touch.

    You can grow and share as much as you want without damaging the body.

    I was once again astonished at the teacher who could do such a trick, but.......

    .........What is Sensei planning to do with a branch of the World Cherry Blossom Tree?

    * * *

    When I came back after taking a branch of the World Cherry Tree, I found that the Emperor was in a bad way again.

    He''s only a skull again after being hit by the teacher earlier, but it''s even worse than that.

    ''''Cat, kawaii...!¡¡Cat, friend...!

    He''s brainwashed?

    I left it up to the doctor to decide when to leave, but he did it?

    The doctor''s attention was diverted to the rest of the room, and he was eating grass in the area, with a cat-like lack of concentration.

    The best way to prevent it from doing anything bad is to cut it out of your ambition. This is the secret of the No Life King, cat brainwashing!

    I will take the branches of the World Tree that I found in the skull of the world and fuse them into this skull!

    What the hell?

    If I had to describe what the teacher did in a nutshell.........

    Ihavea skull.

    Ihavea, the branch of the World Tree.

    Together.

    A branch of the World Tree with a skull?

    It had the appearance of a staff.

    With a skull ornament on the top of its head it looks like a staff that a television villain might carry.

    I''ve finished it. It''s called ''The Immortal King''s Wand'', right?

    Is that a wand after all?

    The staff with a skull mounted on the top of its head was very eerie in appearance.

    It seems to overwhelm those who see it.

    And since the person holding it is the teacher, the sense of intimidation increases three times over.

    ''''No matter how you deal with it, this guy, who is an Immortal King in spite of his bent, will suck in mana to feed on it. Then you can create a mechanism to release that absorbed mana in a different form.''''

    What do you mean?

    I''m not going to be able to tell you what to do with it. I won''t let him get away with it.

    So you''re saying that this wand will release the mana that the emperor collects for regeneration from the side where it was collected?

    "Using this as a spellcasting tool, the emperor would be able to use the mana that the World Tree has collected and purified to create all kinds of magic.

    Does that mean you can use magic without using your own magical powers?

    With this wand?

    That looks like a hell of a piece of equipment, doesn''t it!

    "What a wonderful stick!

    Isn''t that already in the realm of Legendary Weaponry?

    At least that''s true in terms of the materials used.

    [Required materials]

    Head of the No-Life King x 1

    Branches of the World Tree x 1

    .........and so on.

    "Then, Belfegamilia. I leave the wand to you.

    Yes?

    It is held in a tight grip.

    "Since you brought this skull in the first place, it is only fair that you have it. I''m sure you''ll see to it that it is well taken care of.

    ''But wait, sir?¡¡A magic staff with such a powerful mechanism, and even though it was made harmless, incorporating the No-Life King as a biological part is the source of a major accident if you make a mistake....... What do you mean by that, it''s a pain in the ass...?

    "You can trust your skills to me. I have faith in you.

    Belfegamilia, who has avoided the troublesome things as much as possible, ends up being pushed to the most troublesome part at the end.

    In the end, people could not escape the troublesome things in life.

 501-499 A hot spring in the devil

    Thus, the emperor''s turmoil has ended, but Bellefegamilia-san is still not leaving.

    She''s a troublesome person by nature. It takes a lot of time for him to come, but when he arrives, he settles down and doesn''t want to leave.

    In short, he must be a person who is troublesome to move.

    It''s a hassle.

    The one thing that Belphegemilia liked the most was the hot spring.

    It is one of the most spirited facilities on our farm.

    Since the facility was originally designed to relax, it was a match for the lazy man. ''''Aren''t you in trouble if you don''t go home for good? Although we stayed in the water for such a long time, there was no sign of getting tired of it.

    No, it''s a nice bath.

    ''Mr. Belfegamilia!¡¡Please don''t go outside naked!

    ''When the Texan cools off, he''s going to get into hot water again, okay?¡¡Isn''t it a pain in the ass to take your clothes off every time?

    I almost agree for a moment, but I can''t affirm it, however.

    If I did, the farm''s morals would collapse!

    ''But there''s a lot of good stuff here! I can understand why the Demon King and his wives go there.

    No, no, no.

    ''Especially this spa!¡¡I''d love to build one in Demon City!

    It was said in a powerful tone for Bellefegamilia.

    It''s a great pleasure to hear you think so.

    The hot spring facility itself has been installed on the farm for a long time now, and it has been a great hit with the residents. The residents are still delighted.

    As a producer, it''s a blessing to have people happy.

    While I was thinking that everyone was washing away their daily fatigue with the hot springs, I was also soaking in them, and it was as if the exhaustion that had built up in my body was being drained out of my pores.

    "...Oh, speaking of which...

    As Bellefegamilia-san reminded me of something...?

    Maybe they do it in Devil''s Land too. Hot spring mining.

    ''What?¡¡Are you serious?

    And why such an unreliable tone?

    You''re one of the Four Heavenly Kings, aren''t you?¡¡Doesn''t he have a reasonable grasp of domestic affairs?

    ........or not.

    Because of this laziness.

    ''''You may think it''s rude, but I don''t know everything about the Demon Kingdom either, do I?¡¡To begin with, the Four Heavenly Kings are in charge of military affairs in the Demon Kingdom. The only thing I can grasp and interfere in is military affairs to the maximum extent.

    I see...?

    I''ve heard only rumors that he ordered his water vein master to dig out hot water from the ground. I think it was the Demon King who gave the order.¡¡So, I guess, if that''s the case, it''s still triggered by your experience here, right?

    It''s true that the Demon King also uses the hot springs whenever he comes to visit us.

    You can''t be sure.

    It''s a natural action for a politician to plan to introduce this to his own country.

    ''But it''s pretty tricky, isn''t it?¡¡It seems like it was a long time ago when the rumors came out, but I haven''t heard of any successes yet, you know?

    Because digging a hot spring is not something that can be carried out so easily.

    If you don''t have the know-how to do it, you must be in a lot of trouble.

    The Demon King could have asked us for some advice.

    Just then, the actual Demon King came in.

    Sage, I need to talk to you about something, but I think it would be better if you mix honey with mayonnaise.

    Doesn''t that smell of water, Mr. Demon King?

    Oh?¡¡What?

    I was closing in on the Demon King who came to visit.

    ******

    "Belfegamilias...!¡¡He can be strangely light-tongued from time to time...?

    The person who touched the subject left quickly as soon as the demon king came.

    The act of going back up until now was a bother in itself, but he may have decided that if he stayed here, he would be involved in a more troublesome situation.

    He was a man with a keen sense of smell.

    Well, he''s telling the truth. The hot spring I experienced here was so wonderful. I''ve planned to have something like that in my country as well.

    After saying that much, Demon King, take a moment to mend your ways........

    ''''But don''t misunderstand me. I don''t do this project for myself, I want as many people as possible to experience this pleasure. When the hot springs are found in the Devil''s Land, I hope to open them up to the public on a large scale.

    Isn''t it wonderful?

    A place where lots of people can come and go as they please!

    I bet if something like that could be built, the earth would be a better place to live and have fun!

    However, the ideal and reality are different. We haven''t been able to dig up the springs with our own technology. Things are stagnant, and we are moving too slowly.

    When he said that, I found myself thinking, ''That''s probably true...''

    Mining hot springs must have been a very difficult business, even in the world I was in before.

    You had to do a geological survey and carefully check to see if there were hot springs deep underground, and then you had to do the digging itself, which required a lot of effort and skill.

    On top of that, we had to build a facility to enjoy the hot spring.

    In the previous world, the legal issues that would have to be added to that would have been extremely troublesome.

    If it is this world, only legal complications can be cleared, but technical problems, labor problems should become a barrier to more than that and rise.

    In order to clear it and dig up the hot spring, it would be a considerable burden for the Demon King.

    ''''To tell the truth, I''m thinking that it''s time to give up on this business.

    No!

    ''''There has been no improvement in the results and the cost has been increasing. There are plenty of other places to spend money for the demon kingdom that has to establish a new system with the human kingdom. ...and the dissatisfaction is beginning to build up.

    So the hot spring digging has to be suspended.

    The Demon King''s decision as a ruler is going to head there.

    ''''Then leave it to us!

    Since we were the ones who presented the hot spring to the Demon King in the first place, the technical and labor problems could be easily solved by us.

    ''''No, no, no........?¡¡We can''t go that easy on the Sage. We are always in his debt........

    Since the demon king is a modest character, he would feel guilty about relying on me too much on one side or the other.

    The reason why he proceeded with his business without me hearing is because he was confident that I would help him once I found out.

    I was fond of the Demon King''s self-control, but now that I knew, I had no choice but to act.

    When there is something we want to do, we have a troubled disposition that we can''t help but do it!¡¡It''s us who are rather always in the care of the Demon King!¡¡You''re giving us permission to do what we do every time, and you''re getting behind us!

    Mm....?

    Please let me indulge your generosity this time, too!

    "You''re no match for a saint...?

    Once I was able to convince the Demon Lord, I summoned a certain person.

    Speaking of hot springs, she is the one who has the necessary abilities for that........

    * * * *.

    Holkosfone, I am at your service.

    Angel Holkosfon.

    She is one of the strongest in our farm, along with Veerle and others in terms of her abilities.

    She is one of the strongest in the world, along with Veerle and others.

    But now, thousands of years later, she has forgotten her former mission and lives peacefully on her farm.

    "It''s Holkosfone. The reason I called you here is because of what I wanted you to do.

    "I am the master''s sword and shield. I will destroy any enemy if the master so commands. And who would you have me destroy this time?

    I''m not gonna kill you.

    You just said, "It''s a peaceful life," so why is everything you say and do is so disturbing?

    I was hoping that this Holkosfone was the one I was going to trust with my hot spring digging!

    The reason for this is that she is the one who dug up the hot springs here on the farm.

    She has abilities far beyond humanity''s, and if she could penetrate the earth, she would have no trouble punching through the bedrock and digging out the hot springs.

    We''re digging for hot springs again, this time outside the farm. "We''re going to dig another hot spring, this time outside the farm. I need you to use your skills again, if you don''t mind.

    The Master''s orders are absolute to me. There is no way I would refuse. "If the master wishes, I will submerge the entire continent in a sea of hot springs for him to enjoy.

    "You don''t have to go that far!

    Why can''t our race of angels know how to handle themselves?

    It''s a horrible thing to say.

    I''m sure they''re planning to dig a hot spring and punch out the star''s core.

    Those worries were an afterthought.

    Holkosfone was able to dig out a new hot spring.

 502-500 young drillers worries

    My name is Kinmarie.

    I''m a demon.

    I have an ancient and venerable profession.

    I''m a well digger.

    The well is important. In fact, it is indispensable.

    We can''t live without water, so a well is essential to our survival.

    We go around the country to villages and towns, using special methods to dig into the ground and uncover veins of water, and then reinforce the holes we dig to create wells that can last for decades.

    These methods are the property of artisans who are not allowed to leave the premises.

    For this reason, a well digger''s guild was formed, and the secret methods required for well digging are kept in strict confidence by the guild.

    In order to learn the art of digging a well, you have to join a well digger''s guild and take an oath to ''never tell a soul''," he said.

    I also joined the well digger''s guild at the age of 15, and after completing a rigorous apprenticeship and learning a vast amount of the guild''s knowledge and skills, I was finally able to make it on my own.

    I''m proud of my work, and I''m relieved to know that as long as I have this job, I won''t be deprived of it for the rest of my life.

    After all, it''s a job that''s close to people''s lives.

    As I said before, people cannot live without wells, so the work of building new wells and managing and renovating existing wells will never cease.

    Just when I was thinking that it was time for me to get a wife after planning my life in peace, a strange job came my way.

    And it was directly from the Demon King.

    The ruler of the Demon Kingdom...not to mention, the current Demon King Zedan, who destroyed his arch-enemy, the Human Kingdom, and became the actual ruler of the earth, has already been chosen to become the Ming Dynasty''s king who will be remembered in history.

    Of course, not a stigma, but a heroic name.

    Since this was a request from such a hero, the Well Diggers Guild, as expected of the well digger guild, was both appalled and elated.

    What kind of well does the Demon King want them to dig?

    But the request was different from what we had imagined.

    They said something like ''dig out hot water from the ground''.

    I don''t need to say that I was baffled by the fact that this was the Demon King''s command, but it was so strange.

    Hot water from the ground?

    There''s no way they''re going to release that, is there?

    What comes out from underneath the ground is ordinary water, and there is no such thing as hot water coming out.

    Hot water is water that has been heated.

    Hot water coming out of the ground means that the ground is getting hotter and hotter.

    If that happens, the ground will get hot and we won''t be able to stand.

    Our feet would feel itching.

    But our client is our lord and master. We couldn''t refuse him without a fight, so we decided to accept the request for a mere formality.

    I was chosen to be in charge of the project.

    To be honest, I didn''t know if I should be happy about it. It''s an honor to be involved in a direct request from the king of demons, but the content of the request is too outlandish.

    If you are going to be involved in a poor job and fail, you will attract the displeasure of the highest authority at the time.

    If he failed to do so, he could lose the stable job he had just found.

    Perhaps this is why they came to me, after getting dragged through the ranks.

    Even if everyone was discouraged, they couldn''t refuse the request itself.

    Rejecting the wishes of the highest authority could lead to the well digger''s existence being in jeopardy.

    After much deliberation, I decided to accept the request.

    You''ve gone to pick up chestnuts from the fire.

    No matter how high up you get, your guild is what makes you who you are, and if someone else has to take on the job, there''s no choice but to do it.

    I''m just returning the favor to the guild that gave me the status and skills to get this far.

    I took on the challenge of digging a ridiculous underground hot spring, but of course it was extremely difficult.

    There was no way hot water could come out of the ground.

    I investigated many times and dug out a vein of water, but what I found was all underground water.

    It was not hot water.

    By the way, it''s cold because it flows deep underground, far from the sun.

    It''s impossible for the water underground to be hot enough to be hot water.

    A year passed, then two years passed, and so on, as we continued our laborious work.

    Two years passed.........and I couldn''t produce any results during that time.

    All I could do was waste money, which only increased the burden on my heart.

    I couldn''t even submit a satisfactory report to the Demon Lord, and the realization that I was being hunted down was growing by the day.

    There were times when the guild leaders advised me to ''give up'', but I couldn''t stop.

    If we had come this far, we had our own determination.

    In this case, we''re willing to give our lives to dig up hot water from underground to meet the Demon King''s expectations!

    I''m a well digger with pride!

    The people around me seem to have commented that I was ''desperate'', and they may be right.

    But then came the moment.

    A person like a goddess of salvation who could break through the blockage....

    * * * *

    Do you believe that you are the messengers brought here by the Demon King''s will?

    On your left. My name is Holkosfone.

    The one in front of me was a young woman not much older than me.

    And she is beautiful.

    So beautiful that even a ball lady could not complain about it.

    Such a beautiful woman comes to a well drilling site that smells of sweat.

    What in the world do you want?

    ''I have come to this place under orders from my master. To dig a hot spring.

    Onsen...?

    I have been informed that you are here on a similar mission. We have also been instructed by our master to work together, to help each other accomplish our objectives.

    That master is........the Demon King?

    No, my master is my master.

    ?

    We all had no idea what this young woman was talking about.

    Perhaps, but I am sure that she is a person sent to assist us in our work.

    But that fact in itself is also uncomfortable.

    The fact that the supporters were sent to us meant that they thought we couldn''t accomplish our goals by ourselves, which in turn meant that they didn''t trust our abilities.

    However, not only have we not been able to complete the request over the past few years, but we haven''t even taken the first step.

    I reminded myself that it was only natural for people to doubt our abilities, but if I did, I would be pissed off at my inadequacy.

    So perhaps it can''t be helped if you feel a stinging sensation similar to taking it out on this beautiful woman who showed up with a big smile on her face as a helper.

    This isn''t a playground, okay?¡¡It''s a serious place to work, getting covered in dirt and mud to secure water. There''s always the danger of a well being drilled that could collapse, so it''s not a place I''d be comfortable working in.

    Such a pretty lady, she''s about to cry just from getting mud on her.

    I don''t want such a weakling to ruin our workplace.

    Even if you''re sent here by the king himself, you can still leave the profession first.

    ''''Let me make a correction. What you guys are drilling is not a well, it''s supposed to be a hot spring.''''

    So what''s this oncen thing you call it?

    A hot spring is a hot spring. "Hot springs are hot springs, but your digging methods are not sufficient to make them gush out. There is a natural limit to the depth at which you can dig, if you rely on human labor. If you want to find the hot springs, you''ll have to dig deeper.

    What is she talking about?

    I must say that not only is her appearance beautiful, but her tone of voice is also bizarre.

    I''ve been digging wells for more than ten years, and she has the power of persuasion to overwhelm me, who can already be called a veteran.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on. It''s true that I can feel the flow of liquid at this bottom, far below the ground. As expected of a professional, I should call her a professional.

    What?

    Indeed, this time, I was looking for underground water veins, assuming a far greater depth than usual.

    Digging for normal underground water is always cold, so I thought I''d aim for something out of the ordinary.

    But how could this maiden notice that!

    ''But the digging point is somewhat off. At this rate, no matter how much you dig, you won''t get any hot springs out. I advise you to move the digging location.

    What are you talking about?¡¡This is a decision we professional well drillers have made after a very thorough study!¡¡I can''t have an amateur tell me every single thing I need to fix!

    But inwardly, I found myself admitting that she was right.

    This time, I was so obsessed with ''drilling differently'' that I looked for water veins deep underground, but the deeper they were, the more difficult it would be to investigate and the more likely I would miss my aim.

    ''Let me do a more precise survey,'' he said, ''so that we can get a more accurate drilling point. That way, we can calculate more accurate drilling points, and we should be able to dig out the hot springs with certainty.

    What do you mean?¡¡How are you going to investigate this in laymen''s terms, while we''re the experts?

    I''ll use this.

    After saying that, she took out.....

    Natto.

    "NUTW!

 503-501 natto dowsing

    It''s still Kinmarie from the demon tribe.

    A beautiful woman who just happened to show up at my workplace.

    Did you say her name was Horcosfon?

    What she brought up was.....

    "What is this?!

    It was hard to tell just by looking at it.

    It seems to be a bean.

    A few dozen or so lumps of beans on a small plate.

    However, there was a white sticky substance adhering to the surface of those beans, which was quite uncanny.

    Not only that, they also emitted an odd smell.

    Could these beans be.........?

    "They''re rotten, aren''t they!¡¡They are rotten, aren''t they!

    Excuse me. Excuse me, sir. I didn''t go bad.

    I don''t know, what''s the difference?

    And I have no idea what the intention is to bring out the rotten beans at the drilling site.

    She''s a mystery to me.

    Now, I''d like to show you the greatness of fermented soybeans. First, I''m going to give it a good shake.

    Holkosfone, or something like that, now took out two short, thin sticks and started scraping the rotten beans on the plate with them.

    The more he stirred, the more watery the beans became, and they began to pull a sticky thread between the beans.

    ''What are you really trying to do?

    ''This much gooeyness would be nice. I raise my chopsticks...''

    Hee!

    The longer the two sticks are raised, the longer the string pulls, and the beans float as if they are hanging from it!

    ''We are now ready to go, sir.

    What?

    The string hanging from the chopsticks, and the beans hanging from it.

    The beans are wobbling, and Holkosfone is staring at them....

    ''''It''s over there.''''

    ''''What?!''''

    I walked briskly and carefully observed the movement of the dangling beans again....

    Next, over there...

    Is that what I think it is?

    Beans hanging on a piece of string?¡¡The pendulum swing of the beans?

    Dowsing?

    That''s dowsing?

    It''s one of the secrets of the Well Diggers'' Guild, the art of finding a vein of water underground, without digging in the ground.

    How can this be done by a woman who doesn''t belong to the guild?

    "Our Natto Dowsing team has found a hot spring below.

    When she pointed to a point, I was struck with a shock.

    Because....!

    ''If we continue digging here, we should be able to find the hot springs. I strongly recommend drilling at this point.

    That''s a no-no.

    Why?¡¡Please provide a reason.

    You were right. This is the most suspicious spot we have found in our investigation.

    That''s why I was shocked.

    A stranger had guessed the best drilling point I''d ever found with the secret art of the Well Drilling Guild, and she hadn''t missed a beat.

    ''But this point is no good,'' she said. But this point is no good," he said, "because there''s a bedrock a little further down, and it''s very solid. We had to give up, because the equipment we had in hand didn''t help at all.

    So, we''ve been digging through the second choice spot.

    "I commend you for finding the best spot to drill. But we''re going to have to dig through this hole. If there''s nothing else you can do, just sit back and watch.

    Yes, sir. Then we''ll take care of the bedrock.

    Hmm?

    Is she not listening to you?

    You know how we, the drilling professionals, couldn''t get through, even if we pulled out all the stops?¡¡What can you do with a woman''s fine arm?

    Please, for the love of God, just be quiet already!

    ''Then, for now, let''s dig down to the depths where the bedrock is. We''ll blow the soil away with the manacanon.

    ''What?¡¡Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

    A holcosphone, or something like that, pulls out a tube like object out of nowhere, and a tremendous beam of light comes out of the hole at the tip of it!

    Is it some kind of offensive magic?

    The soil we reburied was blown away in the blink of an eye...!

    A hard bedrock was exposed!

    ''''........Indeed, even though we saved it, it''s still a solid bedrock to withstand a direct hit from Manakanon. We should take new measures here. .........lettuce rate.

    Yes, sir.

    Another new woman has appeared!

    She''s still beautiful, but this one is of the human race and looks rather royal.

    "Since you went along with me, do you want to try your hand at destroying this bedrock?

    ''Good!¡¡Me and Holkos are now a great duo, so where there''s Holkos, there''s me!¡¡And there should always be a place for me to show off!

    A second woman called Lettuce Rate or something like that.

    Standing on a rock exposed from the earth, she breathed quietly....

    However.

    ''What are you doing!¡¡This isn''t a bedrock that can be managed by a woman''s fine arms!¡¡"Get out of my way before you get hurt!

    "Hokuto Shinken Profound Fist!¡¡Nutcracker Punch!

    The Royal Maiden thrusts her fist straight down.

    The moment it touched, the bedrock shattered with a roar. It turned into a thousand pieces.

    ''''What the heck?

    ''''Lettuce rate, nice punch as always.

    How is that possible?

    No matter what kind of tooling and drilling techniques were used, not a single crack was needed in the bedrock!¡¡How does a girl get smashed up with a single punch?

    It''s the power of the bean!¡¡People can be stronger than the devil, as long as they keep eating their beans.¡¡My megaton punch is just the practice of it!

    ''''I don''t understand even if you explain it to me!

    But..........

    The bedrock that was blocking the best drilling point has been shattered, and there are no more obstacles in the way.

    It''s also true that we can proceed on the most promising path.

    What to do?¡¡Do you want to keep digging through this point?

    However, that was only possible with the help of these women, who were outsiders, and as a professional well driller, it wasn''t awkward.

    Hmmm, what should we do...?

    ''Then let''s move on to the real drilling process. Deploy both mana blades and activate drill mode.

    Hmm, yeah?

    The next thing you know, the first beautiful woman called Holkosfone spun around at high speed and plunged into the ground at a terrific speed!

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa!

    A hole is being dug in the ground at a tremendous rate.

    Holkosu is digging a hole in the ground at great speed.

    And the other woman, who was not in any difficulty, was calm.

    They say you have to dive to great depths to find the hot springs, so you''ll have to wait a bit. ...Oh, do you want some peanuts while you''re waiting?

    Hi....?

    And there''s a short wait.

    * * *

    Water gushed out of the hole she was digging down with great force!

    "Whoa!¡¡Ooh, ooh, ooh!¡¡It''s not water!¡¡It''s hot!¡¡It''s hot water!

    Horkos, you really found the hot springs!

    Really hot!¡¡Wasn''t it the Demon Lord''s nightmare that hot water gushes out of the ground?

    We''re back! Mission accomplished, sir.

    Mr. Holkosfone returned with a stream of hot water.

    "The hot springs are located in a geological formation below the normal water vein, which makes them very difficult to dig out. Your equipment will never be able to reach it, so it''s understandable that it''s hard to believe.

    She tells me in a comforting tone of voice.

    But my mind has shifted to other things and I don''t care about anything else.

    ''........make me your apprentice.

    Yes?

    I took the hand of Mr. Holkosfone or rather, of Mr. Holkosfone.

    "Please share your fabulous digging skills with me!¡¡I mean, why don''t you join the Well Digging Guild!¡¡With you, I''m sure that our company will be one of the most prosperous ever!

    Are you going to take you as my student?

    Master Horcosfon showed a pretense of thinking for a moment........

    ''Agreed. I will teach you how to make natto (fermented soybeans). I''m sure I''ll make you a master at making natto (fermented soybeans).

    Thank you!

    I feel like there was a little bit of friction, but this makes me a better job well digger than I am now!

    Life gets easier!

 504-502 Lets make a hot spring inn

    How do you do? It''s me.

    In fact, I''ve been watching the whole thing unfold.

    Mr. Well Digger has been assigned the unprofessional task of digging hot springs.

    An angel named Horcosfon appeared to him.

    The well digger who is overwhelmed by Folkosfon and volunteers to be his apprentice.

    We watched over everything, didn''t we?

    He stood by and didn''t utter a single word.

    But the well-digger asked for an apprenticeship, and Holkosfon seemed to respond to him....

    ''Stir with more force. If you don''t put your mind to it, the natto won''t give off any stickiness.

    Yes sir!

    ........Only I, watching from a step back, could notice the difference in perception between the two sides.

    ''It''s no use. Horkos-chan demands all the best from natto.

    Lettuce rate.

    You''re in there, too, come to think of it.

    "Oh, and Cezar!¡¡Now that the hot springs are coming out, they''re going to build a bathhouse here too!¡¡Let''s hurry up and build a bean park!

    I''m not building that thing.

    Don''t try to build a bean theme park in the middle of a mess.

    "Nuh-uh?¡¡Come to think of it, what is the use of this gushing hot water?

    Kimmarie, who had come to her senses just a little bit, still didn''t stop stirring the natto.

    ''Are you still going to use it as a beverage?¡¡Sounds like it would come in handy for cooking if it were heated from the start!

    ........no, no.

    It''s a novel opinion because I don''t know, but can we use this hot spring for cooking?¡¡I can''t say for sure until I do a water quality study?

    But first we have to establish the most straightforward use for it.

    ''As Lettuce Rate says, we''ll build a bathing facility as soon as we can!¡¡Come on, men, come out! ""Haha!"

    Orcobo and the other orc armies, including Orcobo, arrived there one after another with transition magic.

    It seems that the transfer point was set by Holkosfone and the coordinates were transmitted through communication magic.

    As expected of an angel, he can do anything.

    I''m sure that these orcs, who love construction, will be happy to participate in any attempt to build a new building.

    They have experience in building bathing facilities in the past, so it is expected that the project will go smoothly.

    ''However!¡¡This build is different than the last bathhouse you built!¡¡I''m going to change things up a bit!

    What is the meaning of this, my Lord!

    Hmm.

    The public bathhouse we built on the farm before had a public bathhouse-like atmosphere.

    I thought of the interior and exterior to create a casual atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.

    This time, I wanted to create a more upscale atmosphere while retaining the casualness of the bathhouse.

    It would be like a hot spring resort inn, so to speak.

    We wanted to make sure that everyone could enjoy the hot springs without discrimination. In order to fulfill that wish, we want to build a huge hot spring facility that people from all over the demon kingdom... or even the world can come to enjoy!

    Oh!

    In other words... a hot spring inn!

    In the world where I used to live, there used to be various tourist facilities with hot springs as their main attraction.

    You can enjoy the hot springs as often as you like while staying there.

    The extravagant local cuisine that comes out in the morning and evening.

    A very old game cabinet in a corner.

    It''s a great leisure space that brings all of these things together.

    A hot spring inn!

    ''We''ll make it here!¡¡To get as many people to come to the hot springs as possible!

    ""Oh!"

    The orcs are very motivated.

    ''It''s going to be another big construction job!¡¡My arms are snapping!

    The construction of an open-air bath is so unique that I''ve been wanting to do it again!

    Let''s go find just the right stones!

    The Orcs built various houses in the process of expanding their farm, and perhaps because of this, building has become a hobby for them.

    Whenever they build something, they come alive.

    We need to build not only a bathhouse, but also an inn for our guests who come from far away to enjoy the hot springs. ............Mr. Kinmarie.

    The snap of the wrist makes the Natto stir more sharply!¡¡.........what is it?

    I ask Kimmarie, who is about to change her job from well digger to natto stirrer.

    ''What''s the geography of this area like?¡¡Do a lot of people live here?

    ........It''s a frontier. There''s no big city nearby, and it''s not a place people like to go to. This is the kind of place where large scale well drilling is originally done. The wells that gush out attract people.

    I see.¡¡So the first step in the development of a new village is to dig a well.

    Drinking water is the first requirement for people to survive, so it''s only natural...

    In this case, the hot springs will be the source of people''s attraction to the area.

    ''''To tell the truth, this land has a river flowing just beyond, so we don''t have any problems with water for daily life. Rather, the problem would be that this land is in a deep mountainous area. There isn''t much flat land available.

    I see.

    You can only grow fields and rice paddies on the level ground.

    That''s why this area was abandoned. Even if you dig a well, there''s no point in cultivating it if there''s no land suitable for farming and you can''t grow any crops. In that sense, it was an abandoned area, even for our well digging guild.

    The reason why the shovel entered such a place is because of the recklessness of the Demon King''s request to ''dig out the hot water''.

    The very land was selected for the emergency request.

    This is essentially a forgotten land.

    That''s why it''s so good for us, isn''t it?

    You can build a town as you see fit, without thinking about neighbors or anything else.

    You know, the first hot spring inn in another world that''s never been built before!

    Leave the construction to the orcs, and there will be no problem at all.

    In fact, they should be able to build an inn that exceeds my expectations without my having to touch it again.

    If I don''t have to worry about the hardware, I should be focusing on the software.

    I''ll be developing and preparing this and that for the hot spring lodges.

    It''s a good way to make natto. I see that you have mastered the basics. Now let''s start the application.

    What?¡¡You want to put an egg in natto...?

    Let''s let Holkosfone and Kimmarie continue on the path they want to take...?

    What you need for the hot springs........

    First of all, a yukata.

    That is the formal attire to wear when using the hot springs.

    The yukata has been in use since the Heian period, and it''s perfect for easy access to the hot springs.

    It is easy to put on and take off and get in and out of the hot spring.

    The yukata has an elegant design, and the cotton fabric is breathable and perfect for cooling off the body after a long day of boiling.

    When you open a hot spring inn in another world, you need a yukata.

    It would be even better if they had original patterns dyed on them.

    So when it comes to clothing, she is the right person for the job, so I asked her to help.

    The person in charge of clothing on my farm, Bati, is now a world-renowned fashion designer who can''t be pushed around.

    * * * *

    But..........

    ''''I definitely don''t want to!''''

    I was rejected like crazy.

    As soon as I returned to the farm and showed him the rough idea of a yukata, he refused like a ton of bricks.

    Why does Batty refuse to wear a yukata to such an extent?

    Because it''s disgraceful!

    Yikes!

    You know, just opening up the front like this, I can see everything!¡¡Only one thin strip to close!¡¡You''re too reliable!¡¡If the belt is unraveled in any way, it will immediately turn into an oppiloge!

    It''s true that if they had told me, I might have been.

    ''And you''re functionally not wearing anything underneath it!¡¡You''re in full view more and more!¡¡I can''t make this kinky costume!

    How rude to a traditional dress!

    But is that kind of openness a nice touch?

    It''s true that if a woman wears it, the tyranny and coloration can be wonderful...?

    Anyway, I can''t find anything to persuade Batty to wear it now, so let''s put the yukata making on the back burner.

    There are many other things that come with a hot spring inn.

    It''s not too late to find those first.

 507-505 Onsen inn completed

    Thus, after much trial and error....

    The hot spring inn is complete!

    What a wonderful onsen ryokan!

    The exterior of the inn is a rustic Japanese style ryokan.

    If you''re going to stay at a hot spring resort, Japanese style is the way to go.

    However, the scale is as large as a hotel, and it was designed to accommodate a large number of guests.

    It was a six-story building.

    It was made of wood.

    They put a lot of effort into building it again.

    ''Japanese style architecture is something I have accumulated expertise in when I built your home, and I have experience in building huge buildings at Oakvo Castle. We built it with the intention of giving it everything we''ve accumulated so far!

    Oakbo is getting excited, too.

    The Orcs really love building.

    I''ll show you around inside. We would also like you to see the main bathing area.

    Oh!

    The bathing area inside the inn was also gorgeous.

    ''''There''s an open-air and inner bath!

    The baths were modeled after the farmhouse baths we built. We Orcs have pooled our resources and created many different kinds of baths.

    With the open-air bath as the mainstay, there is a large bath that many people can enter, a bubble bath with bubbles, and a medicinal bath in which a variety of medicinal herbs prepared by Prati are soaked. There is also a sitting bath.

    There are many different kinds of baths.

    Isn''t this even better than the farmhouse baths...?

    We''ve done everything we can to satisfy you, my dear. We have done everything we can do to make you happy, sir!

    The Orcobos always give it their all, don''t they?

    Thanks to them, the inn is even better than I imagined it would be.

    There''s a ping-pong set I made up in the playroom, and hot spring eggs and hot spring buns in the gift shop.

    And..., oh?

    What are the clothes on top of this...?

    "Lord Batty delivered it. It''s called a yukata, isn''t it?

    Batty, did you end up making me a yukata?

    "Breach! You''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy, you''re a twinkling boy.

    Don''t get me wrong!

    Then Batty himself appeared.

    ''As a tailor, I only try to do what I''m asked to do!¡¡But it would be a nuisance for me to have a reputation for violating public morals with my clothes!¡¡That''s where I found a solution!

    The solution?

    Look at this strip!

    This obi that comes with the yukata?

    What the hell?

    I had Verena study it, and this sash, which is imbued with near-cursed power, can be undone by the wearer''s hands, but it can never be undone otherwise!¡¡No matter how rampant or violent they are, the knot stays tight!

    ''That''s not all!¡¡The yukata itself.......the collar and hem are similarly cursed!

    Did he finally say the curse in person?

    Thanks to this curse, the yukata itself will never fall off!¡¡No more thighs showing through the flap hem, or breasts showing through the messy collar!¡¡This is a safe and absolutely defensive yukata!

    Batty.¡¡You''ve invented another unbelievable thing, haven''t you?

    Now, let''s see how good this yukata really is!

    I changed into a yukata.....

    After tightening the obi and making sure the collar is in place....

    ''Okubo!¡¡Let''s have a fight!

    Gyoi!

    I played ping-pong with Okubo.

    We played about three games of ping-pong...!

    ''Great!¡¡I didn''t lose my clothes at all!

    The obi didn''t loosen and the collar didn''t come off even after long periods of exercise.

    It''s as tight as if you just put it on.

    By the way, out of the three games in the table tennis match, we lost by 2:1.

    Okubo was strong.

    ''''Now there is no need to disturb public morals!¡¡This inn will be filled with a clean and bright atmosphere!

    That''s kind of lonely, isn''t it?

    I''m not going to miss it, you know?

    ''We have 200 yukatas ready for you at the moment!¡¡And there is a curse on all of them that keeps them from falling apart!¡¡Verena did a great job!

    ''Isn''t that a one-sided burden on Verena?''

    The inn''s employees were humanized automatons.

    The customer service experience was made at the farm expo, so you can rest assured that they are in good hands.

    Now that we have everything we need, all we have to do is open for business in earnest and we''re here!

    ''''We''re all going to work hard and get as many people to enjoy the hot springs as we can!

    "''Relax!¡¡Relax!

    The slogan is ''All-out relaxation''!

    On the contrary, it''s almost exhausting.

    ''But we can''t just open a business.

    After all, this inn is located deep in the mountains, far from the center of the city.

    If you''re looking for a place with hot springs and a quiet atmosphere, though, you can''t blame them for being in the middle of nowhere.

    If you just keep operating as it is, people won''t even recognize your existence. You''ll be bypassed all the time...?

    The first thing we have to do before we open our doors is.......advertise!

    "All right, let''s show the world what this hot spring resort is all about!

    Yes, that''s right.

    I''ve done a lot of publicity work on the Farm Fair.¡¡We can try all sorts of ways!

    I''m sure the Pandemonium Chamber of Commerce would be brave enough to help you out if you asked them, and would you like Mr. Elon to draw another poster for you?

    I don''t need to tell them what to do, but they just naturally come up with the best solution and try to get there.

    That''s very encouraging.

    I''ve seen the farm and the people who live there grow through all of these experiences.

    I''d like to shed a tear or two, but I''m not ready for that.

    Your ideas are great, but wait a minute.

    "Yes?

    Batty and Okubo nodded their heads.

    I think there''s a need for publicity and all the options you''re offering are valid. But we have to deal with this on a case-by-case basis.

    What do you mean?

    This hot spring inn was built to allow guests to relax and soak in the hot springs.

    Then, first and foremost, the people who want to come here are the ones who are tired of their daily life.

    Shouldn''t they be the very tired people who need this hot spring more than anything else?

    Isn''t the advertising campaign also aimed at reaching more people who want to come, not just anyone?

    Oh!¡¡That''s why I''m a saint!¡¡That''s a good point!

    We want this hot spring hotel to be a temporary escape, an oasis for people who are tired from their daily lives.

    So, who is the person who is always the most tired?

    ''Isn''t it the Demon King after all?¡¡You seem to be busy with political duties every day.

    He''s the first one that comes to mind, right?

    I thought so too, and in fact, I had already approached him about it.

    But he was adamant.

    ''It''s the people who need to take the initiative and be at ease, so I can put myself on the back burner.''

    That''s the devil king!

    It was just a mischievous display of Ming-kun-ness.

    That''s why the Demon King was excluded, and if there was anyone else who had other exhaustion to heal...?

    Where is Lady Belfegamilia?

    He''s not the only one.

    Yes.

    I''d rather he works harder.

    Besides, I''ve had a thought of my own at this point.

    It''s an idea I''ve been trying to implement.

    ''Orcbo, will you lead the orcs away?

    To a place, for publicity.

 508-506 Business trip advertisement

    My name is Akelos.

    I am a soldier in the glorious Demon King''s army.

    My rank is lieutenant.

    I''m past the prime of my life, and since I''m at this rank, I''ll be a late riser. And he will probably retire from the military without ever moving up.

    I''m old enough to see my talent for what it is, and even if I didn''t, the end of the Human-Magic War would have ended the fight...and thus the seeds of my career.

    The rest of the time, if I continue to work hard and receive a pension suitable for a lieutenant and live a life of retirement, I can say my life is a success.

    There is nothing brilliant about it, but it will be recognized as a life of stability and security.

    With such a promising future, I didn''t feel like scrambling, and as long as I could get through this, I would be safe and sound.

    And then it happened just at that moment....

    * * * *

    On that day, I was in charge of exploring dungeons.

    The dungeons scattered throughout the country, I entered one of them to ensure the safety of the monsters.

    The Demon King''s Army also has such a job.

    Not only do they fight enemy countries, but they also have an important responsibility to maintain the security of the country, and except for the criminals of their own kind, the different monsters are the threats that roam in the country.

    Since the monsters are generated in dungeons, the most efficient way to exterminate them is to exterminate them in their burrows before they overflow.

    That''s why the monster extermination mission, known as dungeon exploration, was often given to the platoon class of the Demon King''s Army, and it was the most familiar task for us.

    In his distant land, the former human country, there are adventurers who are said to be responsible for all dungeon related tasks, but here in the Demon Kingdom, they are all under the jurisdiction of the Demon King''s Army, the official army.

    That''s why I entered the dungeon today with more than a dozen subordinate soldiers in tow.

    However, I was unaware of the extraordinary danger that awaited me in today''s dungeon.

    Until we were actually in danger.

    ''''What the hell...?

    The surroundings were already surrounded by a gaping hole.

    A massive swarm of monsters, so massive that one could only wonder where they were hiding.

    They were pouring in from all directions, and even in numbers they were no longer beyond the limits of what our team could resist.

    But we could not run away.

    It''s a good thing that we''re not the only ones who can do this, because the surrounding enemy formation is so seamless that it''s impossible to make a breakthrough.

    The only thing we could do was to form a dense formation and hold the monsters at bay with an all-around alert.

    The only thing we could do was to form a dense formation and hold the monsters at bay in all directions," he said, "I didn''t expect this much of a monster outbreak. I didn''t expect it...!

    Nope.

    As a matter of fact, it wasn''t that unexpected.

    The Demon King''s Army has been shrinking in size for the past few years.

    With the end of the war with the human nation, there is no need to keep a large force, so they have been reducing the size of the Demon King''s Army, partly because they want to focus on domestic affairs.

    The number of personnel has been greatly reduced, and many of their superiors and colleagues have left the profession.

    This means that the work that used to be done by a sufficient number of people will now have to be done by a smaller number of people, and it will not be as perfect as it used to be.

    It''s been a long time since we swept this dungeon since the last time we swept it.

    The number of dungeons to be treated by our squadron has increased since the last time we swept it.

    ''''We''ve lost twice as much time as we should have...!¡¡That''s why the number of monsters is increasing...?

    It was also my mistake to enter the dungeon with my usual formation, not being able to anticipate such danger.

    I should have taken care of it and submitted it to my superiors and asked them to send additional men, but they failed to do so.

    The result is the siege.

    I don''t mind if I''m the only one who dies because of my mistake, but I can''t bear to bring my men along with me.

    I''m going to bring them back to earth no matter what it takes...!

    I''ll check with my lieutenant.

    "The personnel are all here, right?¡¡No one has dropped out of the program, right?

    Yes. But if we don''t stop this, sooner or later...?

    Every last one of them will be the prey of the monsters.

    It is a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you are in a position to do something about it.

    In that case, the only hope for survival is to charge in and attempt to escape the dungeon.

    .........of course, there are dangers involved, but.......

    Listen up everyone, we''re going to try to make a breakthrough. I''ll lead the way and you all follow.

    Captain?¡¡Then...........

    I''m the strongest in this squad by far. You can use more powerful magic. I''ve been entrusted with the role of captain, which is why I''m higher in rank than all of you.

    You''ll need a strong penetrating power to break through the monster siege.

    My strongest magic is worthy of the contradiction.

    But Captain!¡¡Standing at the front of the line means standing in the line of fire of the enemy''s attacks!¡¡And the mortality rate for that is...?

    Don''t tell me what you think is so obvious. Your responsibility is to get as many of your men back alive as possible.

    It''s only natural to risk your life for it.

    ''Good. We''ll just find the thinnest part of the siege and charge at it. Don''t think about a general counterattack. Just think about getting out!

    Captain!

    ''What, the war is already over and the world isn''t as glamorous as it used to be. Maybe I should consider it a good place to die.

    I had dreamed of living on a pension from retirement, but I''m more of a military man than I thought.

    I''m more of a soldier than I ever thought I would be, because I''m willing to accept a spectacular death in battle as a good thing.

    But my men may not be so lucky.

    I''m going to be able to return the men who wanted to return alive to their families.

    Akelos, the demon soldier, challenges the final battle!

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

    Just before I was about to launch a suicide attack on the monsters....

    The monsters were blown away and scattered.

    "Haaaaaaaaah!

    A sudden surge of fighting air that could be mistaken for a torrent engulfed the monsters and swept them all away.

    It was so massive that dozens of monsters were destroyed at once.

    ''''What do you mean?¡¡What do you mean?

    To me, the monsters, which were life-threatening themselves, had vanished and saved my life........

    ........but why?

    Why did the monster disappear in an instant?

    ''Captain!¡¡That one!

    What do you want now?

    Orcs!

    Orcs?

    A new monster?

    Orcs are famous anthropomorphic monsters, so I thought it wouldn''t be surprising if they sprang up in this dungeon...?

    ''We''re fighting other monsters!

    Why?

    Although there were several new Orcs that appeared, they were fighting with other types of monsters... or rather, destroying them unilaterally!

    The first fighting gun alone blew away nearly half of them, but as soon as they saw the remaining forces, they crushed them as easily as if they were mowing the grass?

    Orcs were so powerful!

    While we were stunned, all the monsters except for the orcs were finally exterminated and wiped out.

    Only we and our squad and the orcs were left in this place.

    ''''Captain...?

    Don''t be alarmed. They are not necessarily on our side.

    Rather, if it''s a monster, it''s basically an enemy.

    Those orcs might just be trying to get rid of anyone who gets in their way and then slowly try to get to their prey.......

    One of the orcs comes forward and walks towards us.

    ........what?¡¡What is this madness?

    ...you look tired, don''t you?

    Yes?

    The orc has spoken!

    "You have fought through repeated bouts of hard work and are feeling physically and mentally exhausted. I have something to show you!

    An orc handed me a piece of paper.

    The piece of paper was extremely colorful and... a picture?¡¡Is the text written too?¡¡How do you read that?¡¡Onsen!

    "A hot spring will surely soothe your fatigue and refresh your mind. I hope you will come on your day off. ........all of you!

    The most respectable looking orc calls out to the other orcs.

    ''I''m done promoting here!¡¡We''re heading to the next site!¡¡We''re going to notify the soldiers who are tired of their daily work about the hot springs inn!

    "''Yes, sir!¡¡Orcobo Leader!

    Thus, the orcs left like the wind.

    All the monsters in the dungeon were wiped out.

    What were those Orcs that swiftly dispersed the horde with the Demon King''s troops, who had no choice but to flee?

    And because of them I could have saved my life too...!

    .........

    I can''t feel it!

    .........

 509-507 The most tired person

    I am the Prime Minister of Demonland, Lugiv Fokare.

    I''m from the demon tribe.

    I''ve been serving the Demon Kingdom for fifty years as the Home Secretary.

    Because of the length of time I''ve been in this service, I''ve served my master, the Demon King, not just once, but many times over the generations.

    Our current Demon King Zedan is the third master in my lifetime.

    I will never have a fourth master in my life.

    I''m too old to think that my days are numbered before my old age burns out, and I don''t want to see the end of Lord Zedan''s reign.

    Thanks to him, I was able to be appointed to the position of Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom despite my lack of talent.

    Personally, I''ve become a vassal, and I''m not worried about the rest of my life.

    All I have left is to serve the Demon Kingdom for as long as I live, and hope to serve the Demon Kingdom for as long as I can.

    * * * *

    On this day, I was very busy with my duties as the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom, but a visit from a certain person seemed to derail my plans.

    ''''Yo,''''

    I''m going to have to ask you to leave.

    It was Lord Baal, the Great Demon King.

    He''s also called the previous Demon King.

    When he was the active Demon King, I wasn''t the Prime Minister yet, but I still served him as an official, so I knew him well.

    We were friendly to each other to the extent that we could talk openly.

    ''You''re in my way, please leave.

    Aren''t you a little too friendly?

    Unlike the retired Anata, I''m still busy.

    As the Prime Minister, I am the cornerstone of the Demon Kingdom''s internal affairs, so to speak.

    I have to assist the Demon Lord by handling all of the Demon Kingdom''s finances, legal affairs, rituals, and personnel matters.

    Frankly speaking, I''m extremely busy.

    I don''t have time to deal with the retired former Demon King.

    ''''Don''t be so cold. Didn''t you and I served in power together, and fought together for many years? When I was the Demon King, you were still Finance Minister, not Prime Minister, but you still served us well...!

    That''s right.

    How hard I, who was the Minister of Finance at the time, had to work to secure financial resources for Baal-sama, who was so focused on the arts that he couldn''t stop spending money...!

    ''''The reputation of the time even said, ''If it wasn''t for Lukif Fokale, the Demon Kingdom would have been in financial ruin. You''re so much more than just a hero for saving the country. Isn''t it in recognition of those achievements that Zedan took you as his prime minister in his generation?

    Don''t you understand why we were on the verge of financial ruin in the first place?

    Because you''ve been spending a lot of money like a hot potato!

    I''ll put an exorbitant price on some obscure painting!

    We''ll have expositions and art competitions every day of the week!

    And yet, I will continue the war against the Human Nation!

    How could the treasury survive with that thing?

    ........And the reason I was selected as Prime Minister after the regime change was not only because the new King Zedan-sama appreciated the way I handled the situation at that time.

    ''''If we continue to install that idiot from Baal as the Demon King, the Demon Kingdom will end! and with a serious sense of urgency, because I supported Master Zedan''s retention with all my might.

    This me.

    By virtue of that time, Master Zedan made me his prime minister.

    Thanks to this, though, the burden has increased.

    When he was Minister of Finance, he only had to look after the finances, but after becoming Prime Minister, he became responsible for the overall internal affairs of the demon kingdom.

    Naturally, the amount of burden would increase.

    To begin with, if the Four Heavenly Kings are in charge of foreign military affairs, then in contrast, the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom is the counterpart to the Four Heavenly Kings, who are in charge of domestic affairs.

    As the two wheels of support for the Demon Kingdom, the responsibility is significant, and the workload is no less than extraordinary.

    During Master Zedan''s reign, he was able to destroy his nemesis, the Human Kingdom, and remove the war expenses that had been a burden for hundreds of years.

    Does this make things a little easier?¡¡It was not long before the burden was placed on him to rule the human nation that had been acquired as a dominant land.

    They had simply ruled one country until now, but one day, they were asked to rule two countries.

    The burden was also doubled by simple calculation.

    Before the fall, the royalty of the human nation had been running the state quite licentiously, and their finances were on fire.

    The political officers of the occupation government could not handle it all by themselves, and they asked for assistance from the home country, so I ended up having to rebuild the finances myself.

    I had to reconstruct our finances on my own.

    So, it''s safe to say that I''m busier than I''ve ever been in my fifty years as a government official!

    ''So I don''t have time to keep you company. If you want someone to play with, call your patron, be it a painter or a sculptor. I would appreciate it if you would keep me out of it.

    I''m worried about you. You''ve been working hard since the days of my reign.¡¡If you''re getting busier and busier with each passing hour, you''re going to burn out someday, okay?

    ''I''m pretty sure that my busyness when you were on active duty was caused by you!

    But oh well.

    The busyness after the replacement and the reign of Zedan-sama is indeed not his fault, but....

    If you compare the current generation with its predecessors, the current one is definitely busier.

    However, that is because of the massive reformation by the hero Zedan-sama, and at least there is a sense of fulfillment that is commensurate with the dizzying busyness.

    If the reconciliation between the demon kingdom and the old human kingdom is made complete here, and a new system that is not divided is established, world peace will continue for hundreds of years to come.

    As a politician, I can think of no more rewarding work than this.

    That is why my days are more fulfilling than they were when I served Master Baal. I want to pour all of this passion into building the foundation of the new demon kingdom that will hold the human kingdom together!

    You''ve always been a serious guy, but you''ve stood out in this room.

    It''s kind of annoying when the Great Demon Lord gives me a dumbfounded look.

    ''''It''s fine to be passionate about it, but if you break your body by putting too much effort into it, you might as well abandon your big project in the middle of it.¡¡Then you won''t be able to die, will you?¡¡In your regret, will you escape the sickle of the god Thanatos and turn into a dead spirit clinging to this world?

    ''''Is that........?''''

    I was annoyed that the Great Demon Lord told me the right thing to do.

    It''s also important to take care of yourself. It''s important to take care of yourself and your body, so why not get some rest and get away from government duties for a while?¡¡And for the long haul.

    I''m older than you, aren''t I?

    I don''t want to work too long anyway, but I have to take care of my health in order to do my job to my satisfaction.

    Is it necessary to stop and adjust my body from time to time...?

    It''s not like the Great Demon Lord pointed it out to me and put it into action.

    ''''Exactly!¡¡Then I''ll show you the best places to go when I do!¡¡They say you can get rid of any fatigue in no time at all there!

    ''''No, why do we have to go to the place the Great Demon Lord introduced us to if we want to rest?''''

    I''m not a child either.

    I''d rather spend my day off on my own.

    You''re right. I would like to go to this new and exciting place, but they won''t let me use it unless I''m really tired, so they won''t let me go in there alone. So they won''t let me go in there by myself.

    "Huh?

    So I figured if you came with me, I could get in.

    You are...!

    So that''s the reason for your rare visit!

    You dare to speak to the evil Prime Minister?

    "I have permission from Zedan.

    The Demon King?

    He''s also worried about you in his own way. You''re the only one supporting the internal affairs of the Demon Kingdom at the moment, and it''s because of your support that he was able to become the Demon King. He feels a debt of gratitude to you. He said he considers you more of a father than his own father.

    Would you say that?

    Doesn''t it make you sad to hear yourself say that, real father?

    ........But I didn''t know that Zedan-sama cared about me that much.

    I have no doubt now that he is a rare and brilliant monarch.

    My greatest happiness as Privy Seal is that I was able to serve such a philosopher in his final days.

    There is no longer any doubt about it.

    "How fortunate was I to be able to serve the man I was when I was in office?

    ...hmmm...

    If Master Zedan is so kind to me, I would be remiss not to respond to him.

    I''ll take Master Zedan''s advice and rest my weary bones.

    "Hooray!¡¡Now I can go to the hot springs with you!¡¡What you should have is a well-serving subject!

    Why did they decide to take you with them?

    I mean, where are you going?

    This is a new facility built by the Holy Father!¡¡It''s called a spa inn or something, well, it''s definitely a fun place!¡¡Let''s enjoy this together!

    Why do I have to spend my very occasional vacation with you?

    But there''s a word I''m curious about.

    A saint''s spa inn?

    What the hell was that?

 510-508 Arrival Hot Spring Inn

    Continuing with the Demon Prime Minister, Lukif Fokale.

    I''ve decided to take a leave of absence to rest my bones.

    I''ve decided to take a leave of absence to rest my bones, and I''ve decided to take care of everything I can ahead of time so that there will be no delays in my governmental affairs.

    I instructed my subordinates to take care of things in my absence....

    After drawing up several manuals on what to do in case of emergency, I finally left for work.

    "I''m extra tired to rest...?

    What is it?

    For some reason, Lord Baal, the Great Demon King, came with me to the resting place.

    He''s the person I''ve thought of most times in my life that I want to kill.

    As long as he''s by my side, I don''t think I''ll ever feel comfortable.

    It''s just that this resting place is where he''s been introduced.

    Where in the world is he being taken to?

    We''re here.

    You''re early.

    It''s just that I used transference magic.

    This magic is still useful. I''m limiting it for security reasons, but for the sake of a smoother office, it might be better to increase the number of users.

    You''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of them.

    Isn''t that where you wanted to be?

    I can''t help but suppress the thorns in my words to the Great Demon King-sama partner........

    The scenery spread out before me was enough to clear my mood.

    ''''What the hell is that building...?

    I knew that we were deep in the mountains somewhere.

    It''s quiet and green, and the terrain is full of ups and downs, so just looking at the scenery is pleasing to the eye.

    However, what is more eye-catching is the architecture that rises in the midst of the nature.

    What is that thing?

    Is it a tower?

    The eaves are so high that it seems so.

    I wonder how many floors it is?

    Counting from the outside, one, two, three, four...?

    That''s six floors.

    Okay, okay.

    How is such a tall building possible?

    And that, even from the outside, it''s easy to tell that there are no bricks or stones used.

    It''s made of wood!

    You can''t build a house that big out of wood!

    "Huh-huh-huh....¡¡Then it will have been worth it to bring you here.

    Great Demon Lord-sama is so good at this........?

    I''m unconditionally annoyed just because he''s feeling good about himself.

    ''''The people who built that building are just that good. You''ll be amazed at what you find inside. So don''t get your head in the sand here, let''s get going!

    "Sure thing!

    The Great Demon Lord hurries me forward.

    We approached that bizarre building.

    The first thing I came across was a gate.

    Beside the gate, there was also a sign made of wood with the inscription, "Whoever passes through this gate, cast off all fatigue.

    This gate is enchanted so that if anyone who is not particularly tired tries to pass through it, it will be rebuffed.

    Then you''ll get played back, won''t you?

    That''s why I brought you here!¡¡They made a big deal out of it, and then they agreed to let him in as a companion!¡¡I can finally get in with you!

    Again, bothering an unspecified number of people.

    If that kind of magic is going on, then I''ll just have to ask you to play back this time, ''Can''t you just play this guy back? But in vain, both the Great Demon Lord and I were able to slip through the gate.

    ''''Yay!¡¡Now we can enjoy a hot spring inn!

    Tsk.

    Didn''t I just click my tongue?

    But in the end, that onsenryokan?¡¡What is the

    There is no doubt that the Great Demon Lord has the ability to discern the beauty of things. I''ve had to go through a lot of hardships at the mercy of this, so I understand this more than anyone else.

    The fact that this Daimyou-sama is so obsessed with this kind of thing, there''s no doubt that there''s something aesthetically pleasing in store for you...?

    * * *

    Welcome back.

    That said, we were greeted by a group of women in some strange attire.

    They bowed their heads reverently and paid the utmost courtesy.

    ''I am the matchmaker of our inn. You must be Lukif Fokare-sama and his attendant, right?¡¡I would like to make a reservation. The rooms are already ready for you, so let me show you.

    Mm, it doesn''t bother me.

    You called the Great Satanic King of Heaven an escort?

    Even though he has already retired, Grand Demon King Baal-sama is the former ruler of the Demon Kingdom and the current Demon King''s real father.

    He''s still one of the most respected people in the Demon Kingdom, but he''s even more polite than him.

    Is it not by no means that he respects me because I am the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom?

    If that''s the case, then you should be able to put the Daimaima''s guy ahead of me, right?

    My guess is becoming more and more certain as I enter the building, and I pass many customers inside, but Nakai and the other employees are polite to everyone without discrimination.

    The social status of the customers doesn''t matter to the workers here.

    Everything is to be treated with the utmost respect...?

    ''''This is the ''Peony Room'' that we have prepared for Lukif Fokale and the others.

    We were shown to a suite, which was also very fancy!

    Whoa...?

    Please remove your shoes to your rooms.

    It''s too comfortable to step on!

    Tatami mats.

    "Whoa!¡¡The view from the window is fantastic!

    He''s on the fifth floor.

    Don''t huff and puff, Grand Demon King.

    However, even I, a Park Nenin, could see how cozy this room was.

    Even before I reached the room, I was overwhelmed.

    This building was not only a stunning piece of work, not only on the exterior, but also on the interior. There was a pond in the lobby even though it was a room, and the lobby was decorated with flowers and furniture in a classy manner, just like a great demon king would like.

    However, the room was surprising not only from a cultural point of view, but also from a civilized point of view.

    This room is said to be located on the fifth floor, but I''m old enough to know better. If I took the stairs up to such a floor, I would be out of breath and my legs and feet would be wobbly.

    But that wasn''t the case.

    I made it to the fifth floor without having to climb a single step with my feet.

    I''m not sure if I''m right or wrong.¡¡I used it to get up here...?

    Is that an elevator?

    That''s it.

    That was a strange facility indeed.

    Just when we thought we were inside a small room, the room itself rose and took us upstairs!

    The owner of the inn invented this device, which allows guests to get to and from each floor with ease. It''s powered by magic.

    Oh, really...?

    Well, I''m sure you''ll stay up all night for dinner.

    With that, Nakai walks out of the room.

    His gesture was admirably fluid and he didn''t make a single sound.

    ''All right, Lukif!¡¡Let''s get into the hot springs!¡¡Hot springs!

    There''s no time to settle down, Great Demon Lord.

    But what in the world is it that you''ve been saying on-scene on-scene many times before?

    ''It''s faster to soak than to explain!¡¡I''ve already done my homework!¡¡Let''s go to the sky bath first!¡¡Apparently it''s on the top floor!

    ''''Huh........?''''

    I''m taken out of the room by the Great Demon Lord-sama.

    At any rate, I think I''ve surprised myself enough by coming here.

    What more surprises do you want to know...?

    * * *

    "What is this?

    I was amazed.

    The feeling of an onsen!

    I didn''t know soaking in hot water was such a pleasant thing to do!

    And what''s more!¡¡Where is this water tank that stores hot water?

    Isn''t it the top floor?

    What is this huge amount of hot water at the top of the six-story building that was so impressive even from the outside?

    It seems to be pumped up to the top floor with a magic-powered pump. This hot water is also gushing from deep underground, which means that every single one of the facilities built by the saint is a monstrous thing.

    Mmmmmmmm...?

    From the building itself to the devices associated with it, every single one of them is stunning without exception.

    What kind of genius or monster could have created this?

    As the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom, my interest and vigilance is heightened.

    But now.........

    The hot springs are too pleasant to think straight........!

    I''m melting into hot water.

    I''m melting into hot water...?

 511-509 Sage in the bathtub

    The hot spring was so pleasant that it took me a while to realize how creepy the situation was that I was standing naked alongside that great demon king.

    When I noticed, it was already quite gross.

    However, I don''t want to get out of the bathtub just because it''s creepy.

    That''s how nice the hot spring feels!

    And not only is the experience good, the view is great.

    Did you call it a sky bath?

    Not only does it live up to its name, but it looks like it''s floating in the sky!

    It was built on top of a six-story building, a tall structure that is not easily found even in the Magic City.

    As the inn was originally built in the mountains, it is wonderful to be able to see the distant view of the mountains in a row.

    I felt as if my body was going to melt away in the warm water while enjoying the view.

    I never knew there was such a luxurious time in the world!

    The tiredness that had built up from daily political duties seemed to seep out into the hot water!

    "Hohoho!¡¡It''s certainly a nice place!

    And the person who didn''t look too tired was just going about his business.

    If it weren''t for this guy, I could relax more quietly.

    It''s still better to come here only by those who have accumulated a lot of fatigue...

    ''You''ve come to appreciate this place as much as I have?¡¡It''s true, it''s true!¡¡So let''s go for it and get to the next spot!

    Huh?¡¡Moving?

    Can I just take a little more time to soak in here and relax?

    I heard there are many other kinds of baths in this inn, including a free-flowing hot spring, a bubble bath and a potbelly bath on other floors.¡¡You''d be wasting your time if you didn''t complete it!¡¡Let''s go for the cancer!

    Don''t get excited.

    The old man, who has a lot of energy, is moving fast.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it.

    I want to soak in the water a little more slowly and let the tiredness soak out of me.

    It can''t be helped.

    Daimajou-sama''s energy and enthusiasm hasn''t started for the first time.

    Even when I was in the service, I was carried along by this kind of momentum and pushed through with a ridiculous budget plan.

    It''s a good memory now, but it''s a bad memory.

    We''ve got plenty of time, so you want to come along for the first part?

    That''s my loyal subject!

    Will you stop calling me a loyal vassal?

    So I made a regrettable sound of hot water and left the sky bath for a while.

    * * * *

    And then we came right back.

    We went around the other bathing facilities on the other floor, and after beating Daimaou-sama to a pulp with a game of ping-pong or something like that to finish it off, we went our separate ways.

    Although Daimajosama said that he wanted to go to the facility called "The Hall of Treasures" outside of the inn, I couldn''t go with him anymore.

    So I returned to the first sky bath and soaked in the hot water.

    This hot water is good after all.

    My tired body melts away in the hot water.

    And I feel it more and more that it is a terrible facility.

    To the roof of this celestial bath and a high-rise building, it will be considerable labor to carry hot water into the roof. The place carrying out it without sparing it is also wonderful.

    This bathtub is on a scale that can easily accommodate 20 men even if they take a bath with enough time to spare and keep a distance from each other to the extent that they do not feel sick.

    A certain amount of hot water to fill such a large bathtub.

    How powerful a pumping spell would be needed to bring it to the roof of the sixth floor?

    And to do that on a regular basis...?

    ''We may need to be vigilant.

    As I relax in the bathtub, I can''t forget that my heart is the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom.

    A person with such a high level of skill. I don''t know who he is, but even if he is unbeatable, if he were to go around with the enemy of the demon kingdom, it is inevitable that he will be in trouble.

    You should take some kind of action, but if you don''t even know what you''re dealing with, won''t you make a lot of noise before you know what you''re dealing with?

    I wish I could get more information about that from the Great Demon Lord, but I don''t think I''d be able to get a straight answer from her....

    "You don''t look well, sir.

    "Whoa!

    I was surprised when he spoke to me out of the blue.

    I shook the hot water with a bang.

    Who''s there?

    Excuse me, sir. That''s my bad, I didn''t mean to scare you.

    Before I knew it, there was another one in the same tub.

    Who was it?¡¡I''ve never seen you before.

    However, I''ve heard that this bath is a communal facility, and it wouldn''t be surprising if someone other than me came to bathe in it.

    I''m not the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom here, I''m just an ordinary hot-spring guest. I must not spread my authority.

    ''''Excuse me........I was thinking about something.

    ''That''s why your brow is wrinkled. Contemplation is fun, but this is a place to soothe your fatigue and nurture your energy for tomorrow. Thinking about difficult things won''t help you get rid of the fatigue.

    That''s true.

    Maybe I should forget all the work for once here.

    However, this bathing guest who talked to me all of a sudden. He has a very relaxed demeanor.

    He looks youthful.......maybe in his 20s or 30s?

    He looks like a human from the color of his skin, but even so, he has a dignity that is unbecoming of his youth.

    You can tell at a glance that he''s no ordinary man.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one. "But this bath is magnificent........such a large amount of hot water at such a high location. How in the world did they get it in here...?

    Is that what you''re thinking about?

    I was easily detected.

    I thought I was fooling myself with my small talk style, but what is this man?

    It was the builder''s idea to build a bathhouse at the top of the building. To begin with, the source of the water is deep in the ground and is as deep as 60 buildings in a row.

    That much?

    That''s where the hot water comes from, pumped up by a new type of pump magic that Verena invented. Since the water comes from that deep, it''s within the range of error to move it higher up on the ground.

    The more I hear about it, the more amazing it is.

    If such pumping magic exists, then even wells can be dug from even deeper depths, and the water source situation in the demon country would be even better.

    As I thought, this hot spring inn....

    It''s a horrible piece of technology disguised as a mere entertainment facility!

    Well, excuse me, but...?

    I ask, choosing my words carefully.

    To this young person.

    What is your connection to this hot spring hotel?¡¡What if you are the one...?

    No, it''s just a neighborhood. They''ve been good to me just because I live nearby.

    You don''t say that casually, but this is a very serious party?

    We need to establish a more intimate atmosphere to get information out of him!

    Don''t do it, Prime Minister. Your brows are wrinkled again.

    !

    Seeing that I''m the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom...?

    I have served in my position in the past, so I am well aware of the difficulty of responsibility as you are. That''s why I want you to come here, to forget all about it and relax.

    Unnu...?

    What''s really important will come back to you naturally, even after you''re unloaded. If you want to regain your strength to lift it, you''ll have to come up empty-handed here for once.

    What a connotation...?

    I can''t believe that a young priest in his 20s can say that!

    If you look closely, isn''t this man wrapped in a strange, inhuman magic?

    Is he great or evil...?

    This person who wears this kind of magic is not an ordinary person in itself...?

    Excuse me for being late, but may I know your name?

    He was a man of dignity in the hot water.

    The powerful magic of the human race. The appearance of a wise man. I''m sure you are quite a man. If you don''t mind, could you tell us more about his wisdom?¡¡I believe it will contribute to the development of the Demon Kingdom.

    You can''t, you can''t...

    Ohito laughed and let the hot water surge.

    ''Both you and I are just hot water guests here. Even though we''re naked and soaking in the hot tub together. Do you have a title and a mission?

    Mm....?

    Don''t worry. As long as Mr. Zedan is around, the demon kingdom will be safe. This is not the place for this old man. Let''s just wash away all our worries and troubles with hot water.

    With that, Gohin stands up and gets out of the hot water.

    ''''Um!¡¡Where are you going to...?

    You will get tired if you stay in the water too long. Get out of the hot water, let the cold wind cool you down, and then soak in the water again to get warm. If you repeat this, the fatigue in your body will be gone in no time at all.

    The person who is going away after saying that.

    Hmmm.........?

    This hot spring inn might be a more amazing place than I imagined.

    I''ve never expected to meet such a wise man as myself.

    I want to welcome him to the heart of the demon kingdom and let him join the national government.

    Can''t we somehow persuade him to join us during this rest period?

 512-510 Murder of the Dragon Museum

    It is me.

    The completed ryokan is now safely open for business.

    The former automaton women are working really briskly, with the work of the matchmaker on the board.

    My experience at the exposition is alive and well.

    The kimono they made for this purpose looks great on them, and the completed hot spring resort is just as good as you''d expect.

    As the originator of the idea, I''m in the process of making the rounds of the inn to help with sales.

    If there are any problems, I want to take the initiative in solving them.

    "Oh, well, sir,

    Saints, you had a nice hot bath.

    So I was walking down the corridor of the inn when I bumped into the No Life King teacher.

    It was on the fourth floor.

    ''How was the sky bath?''

    The hot water is good, and the view is spectacular, to say the least. The hot springs are always available on the farm, and they are well worth the trip.

    That was good.

    This hot spring inn was built with the hope that it would be a healing experience for tired people around the world.

    It would be my greatest pleasure if you could actually heal the weary.

    Come to think of it, I was in the bathhouse with a benevolent gentleman. He looked like the demon prime minister of the land of rumors.

    ''Oh...''

    I''ve heard that story.

    I want to enjoy the hot spring inn even though Great Demon Baal-san isn''t even tired!'''' So I had no choice but to make a condition: ''Well, bring someone who is tired with you,'' he said.

    Seriously, he fulfilled the condition.

    ''''The Demon King also asked me to take care of the Prime Minister, so I must welcome him with all my might!

    He''s the one who is tired to the core. I''m sure the hot water here will do wonders for him. I hope he''s as moist as an eagle.

    Sensei, you are physically moist.

    The king of the undead, the No-Life King, usually has dry skin and a mummified or immortalized Buddha-like appearance.

    By soaking in the hot spring, his skin absorbs water and returns to its original form.

    And he''s beautiful!

    It was just like that now that I had just come out of the hot springs.

    Well, once I got up, I''d be back to my normal state shortly afterwards.

    ''''Speaking of which, Saint-sama.''''

    See, I''m back.

    He''s the No-Life King.

    "Have you heard anything from the Viel?¡¡I''m getting a call from him...?

    Yeah, that''s me too.

    Veerle the Dragon.

    I heard that he''s trying to do something with the opening of this hot spring inn.

    He''s prepared an event to make it more fun for visitors.

    We''ve been told to gather at a specified time for this event.

    He''s become an event lover.

    Recently, he''s been pulling a food truck to make ramen noodles to serve to strangers and adventurers.

    I''ve heard that Alexander-san and I held a monthly event in this dungeon some time ago and it was very popular.

    I guess he got a taste for it, but he wants to do something here at the hot spring inn as well.

    It''s a good thing to get excited about, so I''m going to go along with them without ignoring them.

    Now, are you with me?

    It was funny to see that the doctor was surprisingly enthusiastic about it.

    He is said to be waiting for me in one of the rooms of the inn here.

    The place is on the........fifth floor?

    On the way, I met up with Prathi and Junior, who were also enjoying the hot springs at the Sky Baths, and we arrived in front of our assigned room.

    ''''This place........?''''

    One of the nondescript rooms.

    They say that Veerle is going to do something here.

    ''What the hell is that...?¡¡I have a problem with one of the guest rooms going down because of his idea?

    Oh my god...?

    Let''s just see what he''s up to, shall we?

    Veerleux?¡¡Are you in there or are you going in?

    Ga-ha-ha-ha, I''m here!

    What?

    Ville was here?

    Outside the room.

    Why, I thought you''d be waiting in the room for me?

    Master, this door is locked.

    What?

    So the only way to get in there is to forcefully pry it open.

    Hahhhhhh? !

    What are you saying, this stupid dragon?

    We just built a hot spring resort, don''t just break it down!

    ...this is the setting to open the door.

    What...?

    It opens normally.

    What''s with the settings?

    ''Thus the inhabitants who stepped into the room!¡¡What I saw there was the most unimaginable tragedy I have ever seen!

    What''s the narration?

    Thus, when we all walked into the guest room, there was the Great Demon King Baal inside.

    He was lying face down on the tatami mat.

    ''''........What are you doing, Great Demon King?''''

    "They killed me.

    Seriously, what are you talking about?

    Where are the bodies that declare themselves ''murdered''?¡¡It''s alive and well, isn''t it?

    What''s this relentless theatrics from earlier?

    ''My God, what a mess!¡¡The great demon king''s old man has been killed!

    And Veerle continues with his little play.

    "Don''t call me an old man, Grand Demon King.

    "But this is strange!¡¡The door is locked in here, and you can''t even get in and out of the window!¡¡The guy who killed the old man shouldn''t be able to get in or out of here!¡¡I mean, this is...........!

    A big pile up.........

    "It''s a locked room murderer!

    He said with a stern face.

    .........

    Umm.....

    Can you elaborate on that a bit more?

    Don''t you see, master!¡¡Even though his source of information was your master!

    What?¡¡Me?

    "The master told me. You said the hot springs are always accompanied by murder!

    I didn''t say that!

    Oh.

    Did I say that?

    At a planning meeting to promote an onsen inn, we asked ourselves, "What is onsen? It seems to me that one of the things that came out of the brainstorming session that was going on was a murder.

    Because there is a murder.

    A murder occurs in a scenic hot spring resort.

    A famous detective goes into the investigation and solves the case with great deduction while in the hot spring.

    The last one is usually on the edge of a precipice.

    I remember telling such a story to Veerle in a tone that reminded me of an old story.

    You don''t mean to tell me that you adopted it, Veerle?

    ''''Gufufufufufufufufu!¡¡This is my challenge to the customers of this hot spring inn!

    With that, he points to the Daimajou-san (playing the role of a corpse) lying face down on the tatami.

    "How in the world was this old man killed?¡¡Solve the mystery and find out who did it!¡¡The killer is in here!¡¡There is always one truth!¡¡The proof is complete in the old man''s name!

    Don''t tat me.

    I see.

    So, this is an attraction to experience solving a mystery set up by Viel.

    He made up a fictional murder case and set up an intellectual game to solve the murderer.

    Because of the extraordinary space of a hot spring hotel, the extraordinary nature of the murder case is realized many times over, a very well-designed attraction.

    ''Veerle.........?¡¡I didn''t expect you to create such a box with your own ideas...!

    Because of what my master told me. Come on, you lowly humans!¡¡Beat the guessing game set up by this Grinzel Dragon Veerle and ged the prize with flying colors!

    You''ll get a prize if you solve it at least once.

    I''ve already put out everything you need to solve the puzzle!¡¡Put them together, solve the mystery, and stand up to my challenge with flying colors!

    * * *

    Well, but this is a trial run with just the people involved. I''d like to hear your thoughts on the game as you play it to make sure it''s going well.

    Hey.

    I wonder if Viel has learned to be more careful in his planning....

 513-511 Dragon hot spring murder case reasoning started

    Now, let''s get to the game Veerle has prepared for us, shall we?

    It''s a guessing game.

    A dead body (role) is found in a locked room of a hot spring hotel.

    The goal of the game is to solve the mystery of how the victim was killed and identify the culprit.

    The scene is, as usual, a locked room.

    Why would anyone want to lock up a murder scene?

    It''s like "if it''s not in a locked room, it''s not a trick murder".

    I used to read a lot of mysteries when I was in my old world, but maybe that''s why I don''t like the idea of a locked room murder.

    For all the work that goes into the secret room trick, isn''t it questionable how useful it is when it''s done with so much effort and ingenuity?

    Killers usually use tricks to avoid getting caught, don''t they?

    If that''s the goal, the fact that there was a murder should be covered up, but leaving the murder scene itself, which is apparently very likely to be a crime, in plain sight, to cover up the fact that people came and went?

    You create a riddle, but the riddle is the worst thing you can do!

    "Come on, solve it! That''s what I said!

    That''s not good enough, is it?

    Aren''t you prepared to commit the crime of murder and risk your life to get away with it?

    And you''re trying to pinpoint the culprit by presenting your case and leaving a half-baked mystery in its midst!

    Why commit a crime in a closed circle?

    In a dozen or so people, ''the killer is in here'' is too narrow a choice!

    They say it''s definitely more difficult to squeeze out of hundreds of thousands of people in a city by making it look like a street crime!

    .........

    Sorry, I got too heated.

    Well, it''s a game this time. Let''s try to solve the mystery without worrying about the details.

    A murder has been committed in a room at this hot spring hotel just after it opens...!

    It''s just a case of closure!

    A hot spring resort inn that you worked so hard to open is on the verge of bankruptcy!

    Inns have a reputation, and a murder case is a mortal wound!¡¡New customers won''t come around!

    ''I have a feeling this isn''t a very good plan!¡¡Why don''t we rethink this from the ground up?

    We''ll worry about that later. For now, we''re trying to solve a locked room problem!

    Yeah, yeah.

    It''s a trick that Veerle worked very hard to come up with.

    In order to respond to her hard work, let''s just take this game seriously and think again about what to do with the rest.

    ''Then I''ll give you a rundown of the case.

    Veerle says with great skill.

    ''''The victim is the Great Demon King Baal. He was once the king of the demon kingdom, but was ostracized by his subjects for his wanton management of the state and kicked off his throne. The son who took his place on the throne is much more capable than the one who is determined to be remembered as a dark lord by natural comparison.

    Is that what you say now?

    The dead protest.

    Why did you take on the role of a dead man in the first place?¡¡This guy?

    The Great Demon Lord has always loved these kinds of games.

    It was an old man in a yukata that I had never seen before who was going to give an explanation in a disgusted tone.

    Don''t tell me........is this Lukif Fokale, the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom?

    Oh, nice to meet you. I''m the builder of this inn.

    "Oh, you are...?¡¡By the way, Daimyon-sama has a habit of calling himself a patron of culture and taking the initiative in his own endeavors. He has a habit of taking the initiative in all sorts of things, even appearing in plays.

    Like this one?

    "You''re going to neglect important government business.¡¡How hard did we have to work to reschedule...?

    The thoughtful lament was impressive.

    The hardships of this talented bureaucrat were evident.

    ''''........So the ones who pried open the locked door and entered the secret room were the master, Prathi, Junior, the corpse-modderer, and our guest, the old man. Let''s be clear here.

    Veal, who doesn''t seem to be in the head count as a moderator, says.

    "The killer is in this room!

    What did you say?

    Is that how it works?

    It''s true that if you''re playing a guessing game, it''s easier to proceed if you have a good idea of who the culprit is.

    Does that mean the killer is already in agreement with Veerle?

    And pretending to be a bareheaded person and playing one of the guessing roles?

    That kind of meta-directional reasoning is out! You have to find out the trick from the clues given to you!

    ..........

    Even if the culprit is here, it''s not me, who was not informed beforehand.

    Then I''ll play the role of detective and try to solve this mystery.

    I''ll do it in my grandfather''s name!

    Then let''s check out the crime scene. The slain Daimyo-san, but...?

    The Great Demon Lord Baal is still playing the role of a corpse and lying face down on the tatami mat.

    Although he is a corpse, he is only a "pretend", so of course he doesn''t have any fatal wounds, and there is no workmanship to imitate it.

    It''s not like there are any glues of blood or a knife toy that looks like it''s being pierced.

    ''''.......What was the cause of death?''''

    What?

    I asked Veerle, and he gave me a very honest response.

    ''No, so how he was killed is a serious clue to your theory, isn''t it?

    Stabbing, beating, strangling, crushing, burning, and poisoning.

    Since ancient times, mysteries have been invented in a variety of ways to kill the victims, as if to say that the way the victims are killed is the highlight of the mystery.

    Moreover, the methods of killing the victims not only catch the reader''s attention with their flamboyance, but also serve as the first clue to unravel the trick and identify the killer.

    For example, if a man is beaten to death with a heavy blunt instrument or something, the presumption is that it was a man of great skill. That would naturally rule out a female prathi, wouldn''t it?

    What do you think about that?

    Prathi spends a lot of time in contact with Veer and it wouldn''t be surprising if he was secretly asked to play the killer.

    I was going to try to find out........

    ''''That''s sweet, Master, I''m not the killer.

    It was instantly denied.

    When I gave birth to Junior, I made a vow to him that I would be a great mother who would not be ashamed of him. When I gave birth to Junior, I promised myself that I would be a great mother who would never be ashamed of her. So I will never do anything sneaky like sneaking around in secret.

    Prati.

    I can''t believe you''re being so serious about this....

    I was struck by your desire to be a serious parent to Junior, but to say that now?

    So, in order to be a parent that Junior can be proud of, I''m going to smash him to death head-on and proudly if he wants to kill me!

    Huh?

    We''re not gonna let you hide in plain sight and get away with it!¡¡I''d rather justify it and make sure no one complains about it before I carry out a righteous murder!

    "You''re going in the right direction with ''proud''!

    Prathi was s*xually incapable of playing a mystery crime role.

    She''s the type of person who says ''revenge is mine'' and comes to beat you to death head on!

    This is another way Prathi is off the list of suspects.

    ''Well, I suppose, from an angle, the character of the perpetrator might be important too.

    Some personalities, like Prathi''s, are not suited for trick killing by any stretch of the imagination, and she has no motive to kill Mr. Baal in the first place.

    Motive.

    The reason for wanting to kill the other person.

    Sometimes this is the deciding factor in uncovering the killer, and it''s very important.

    However, there are very few people in the room right now who have a close relationship with Mr. Baal, and none of them would want to kill him even more.

    If there is only one person........

    ''''.........what?''''

    Everyone''s gaze was drawn to one person.

    The Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom, Lukif Fokale, the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom.

    He was closely related to the Great Demon King Baal, and the fact that Baal-san was the active Demon King was a tripod that kept the Demon Kingdom in check?

    I''m sure that''s a lot of emotions swirling around........

    "I did it!

    "I confessed as soon as I could!

    Singing (a cloak for confessing) so fast?

    I can''t tell you how many times I''ve wanted to kill him since he was the active Demon King. Maybe that desire to kill him grew so strong that he ended up getting his hands dirty without even knowing it...?

    ''''Wait, Lukif-san!¡¡You can''t call it ''done'' if you don''t remember it!

    The game won''t work!

    You can''t let them see the darkness in your heart before that!

    ''Every time that guy comes up with something, he loses sleep, the hardships bleed through as he loses contact with his children and grandchildren...!¡¡Why would I do that for that guy...!¡¡If only he wasn''t there, if only he wasn''t there...!

    ''''So retract the darkness in your mind, eh?

    He was so busy calming Lukif Fokale-san who was having some kind of seizure that he was no longer able to play the guessing game.

    The great demon king Baal-san, who was watching those things while acting as a corpse........

    ''''Something sorry........?''''

    He muttered briefly, "I''m sorry.......

 514-512 Dragon Hot Spring Murder Case Investigation

    We went to the hot springs again to get Lukif Fokale to calm down.

    And the guessing game goes on and on, everywhere.

    For now, let''s not start with the suspects to solve the mystery.

    Each person''s personality abilities are too blown away to fit into the framework of a mystery.

    For example, there''s a no-life king teacher in the list of suspects, and if he was the killer, Knox would smash the stone tablet with the Ten Commandments carved on it.

    He''s too versatile for every trick to work.

    Instead, let''s look for clues from the situation at the scene.

    The room in this hot spring inn where the great demon king Baal-san was killed is a completely secluded room.......

    Let''s start by checking it out.

    "Gubwe, ouch...?

    Oops.

    I stepped on Baal-san who was lying down playing the role of a corpse.

    I''m sorry.

    Sir, Junior is bored, so I''m going to go look around, okay?

    Ew.

    They all get bored and leave in turn.

    ''Well, it''s not good!¡¡Master!¡¡We have to figure out the case before everyone gets bored!

    Veerle, the instigator, is the most impatient and urges his colleagues to solve the case like an incompetent police inspector.

    ''''Hee hee........!

    The first thing I was concerned about was whether this room was really secluded.

    There were two places of access in this room.

    There are two places to enter and exit this room: the door, which is the usual way in and out, and the window, which leads to the outside.

    One of the doors has been confirmed by us to be locked (or so we''ve been told).

    We''ll probably have to re-lock the door to see if it''s really impassable, but that''s a hassle, so we''ll pass.

    The other is the window.

    But since we''re on the fifth floor, the only thing you can do is open the window and see a magnificent view of the city.

    ''''It''s so high, so high...?

    Who could climb or jump up from this height from the ground....

    ...there are quite a few of them.

    The search I ran in my mind yielded more hits than I expected.

    If it were Gobukichi, he would easily jump up to this height, not to mention Holkosfon with his wings.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re in the market.

    It''s a good idea to use the skills of former thieves to get in from anywhere.

    The doctor might say something like, ''Cats can appear anywhere.

    "After all, a fantasy other world and a mystery don''t mix well...?

    Knox''s Ten Commandments are going to be about the 100th commandment.

    The first time I saw it, I thought it was a good idea.¡¡What is the matter with you, master?¡¡Don''t you understand?

    Veerle, the trickster, slips in with a wry smile.

    ''''Was this level of reasoning difficult for the master?¡¡Oh, yeah?¡¡Huh?

    ...or just give up and go home.

    ''Wait and wait and wait!¡¡Let''s try to think a little harder!¡¡Giving up too soon is not good for junior''s education!

    Veerle is clinging to me.

    I know, I know, I was just being mean.

    Why don''t you go out and ask around?¡¡It could bring out things you can''t even see in the room!

    Huh?

    Is the field even outside the room in this game?

    Do you want to stay with Veerle until he''s satisfied?

    What about you, doctor?

    I also ask the teacher who has remained in the rite of passage.

    ''''Well........my body is cooling down nicely, so I guess I''ll go to the hot spring again......''''

    After saying that much, the teacher suddenly goes into a state of shock.

    I can''t stay in a room with a murderer like this!¡¡I''m going back to my room, sir!

    Thank you.

    Sensei was on board beautifully, and I was headed to solve the case with great enthusiasm, feeling like Holmes.

    And the Great Demon King Baal.

    I''m getting bored with it, but shouldn''t I move?

    You can''t move the body, right?¡¡You''re going to lie there until the case is solved.

    "But my back is starting to itch like crazy...?

    Preservation of the crime scene is an ironclad rule of investigation.

    Let''s just leave the body there and go outside to investigate!

    * * *

    But it''s nice to be out of the room like this....

    ''''How am I supposed to find out?''''

    I don''t know if he''s related to the game or not, asking every passerby, "Are you the killer? Are you a criminal?" to every passerby who passes by.

    That would take too much guts.

    However, if I went to investigate another room at the inn, a knife might fly or a pitfall might open.

    I''m afraid.

    It''s not a problem, master!¡¡This is where I, the game facilitator, will give you a lecture on proper research!

    Veerle, who followed with me, says bravely.

    Well, let''s follow the instructions of this guy who is also a walking game book here.

    So what should we do?

    ''Speaking of questioning, that''s the basis of the investigation!¡¡Investigations are done on your feet!¡¡If we ask a lot of people and gather information, some of them may come up with important testimony that could help us solve the case!

    Oh, yeah...?

    So, I''m going to have to ask someone who may or may not be involved.

    That''s why we''re going to a tourist attraction!

    ''What?¡¡Why?

    Why do they bring up the sights?

    ''Don''t you see, master!¡¡A murder in a hot spring resort is always accompanied by an introduction to the sights!¡¡Walk around the area and casually show off the hot spring resort''s landmarks and historic sites to lure tourists!

    That''s more of a suspense technique than a mystery....

    Well, the hot spring murder case is more of a suspenseful category.

    However, it''s an effective way to introduce tourism to the public while the case is going on. You never know, the visitors who see it might be interested in coming to visit you!

    Okay, I''m in.¡¡We can''t wait to go and talk to the people at the selected sights!

    This is just a questionnaire!

    But what kind of tourist spots are conveniently located in a newly built hot spring inn?

    There it is.

    It is a treasure house.

    It was built with the momentum because it was expected to be a hot spring resort, but the so-called treasure house in the so-called hot spring resort is a secret word, and the contents are a parade of obscene things.

    If I built such a thing with my wife and children, I didn''t know how they would look at me.

    Giving in to fear, I changed my course and decided to place the real treasures in the treasure house.

    The Mirror of the Spirit, the Wings of Angels, the Eye of Truth, the Shield of Aegis, the Statue of the Goddess....

    The treasures collected by Okubo and his friends from all over the world are crammed into the Hall of Treasures.

    All of them will be returned at the end of the exhibition period.

    The exhibition period is limited, so come quickly to see them!

    I''m waiting for you!

    There was a burst of publicity for the investigation, but there was no progress in terms of investigation.

    What should we do?

    Then we''re going to take a bath next!

    Don''t you get it?

    Don''t you get it, master!¡¡There''s something about relaxing in a hot spring that brings up unexpected good ideas!

    Well....!

    Even in a suspense drama set in a hot spring resort, there is always a scene where the characters take a bath in a hot spring.

    If it were a beautiful actress, it would be an instant service scene.

    It''s the same as the concept of a tourist guide in the form of an interview, with the goal of selling the hot spring resort in which the story takes place, which is why it tends to be an important scene in the film.

    A casual comment murmured while bathing in a hot spring can lead to a hint of progress in the investigation!

    "I''ll get in the hot tub, too, and I''ll probably say something important!¡¡That a single, completely unrelated word could be the crux of the matter?

    That''s what it is!¡¡Master!¡¡We''re going to the hot springs as soon as possible!

    At Veerle''s urging, I immediately returned to the inn and rushed into the bathhouse to soak in the hot tub.

    ........up!

    And when I came out of the bathhouse, Veerle was waiting for me.

    ''How did you do, master!¡¡Did you have any good ideas?

    I didn''t come up with anything!

    I knew it wouldn''t work out so soon!

 515-513 Dragon Hot Spring Murder Case Solution

    I don''t know!

    Giveaway.

    I can''t unravel this secret room trick in any way!

    ''That''s fine!¡¡In the first place, mysteries should be left to the detective to solve the mystery!¡¡The reader doesn''t have to solve it!

    I''m not even going to be able to say anything about myself.

    And I''m not sure Veerle even has a proper answer for you in the first place.

    It''s the dragon.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with it.

    The trick that Veerle prepared is to say, "I used the strength of a dragon to throw a corpse into a secret room. The proof is in! And it''s entirely possible that it could be!

    A reasoning game with a guy like that is useless!¡¡I''m getting a boiling feeling of "What?

    ''Hmm?¡¡Hmm?¡¡Don''t you understand your master?¡¡Hmmm?

    Holy shit! What''s with that Veerle guy''s face?

    Yeah!¡¡Then let''s get the answers out of your book!

    If it''s a trick that requires the super power of a dragon to work, or if it''s a trick that involves Knox jumping out of the way with an aid, I''ll protest vehemently!

    All right, let''s get everyone involved back to the crime scene!¡¡The mystery is all solved!

    * * *

    Thus, we were gathered again in a room at the hot spring inn that had been set up as a murder scene.

    One of them was Baal, the great demon king, who played the role of the victim.

    ........does this guy look like he took a bath?

    He skipped out on his role as a corpse to take a bath.

    Gather round, ladies and gentlemen, and let me tell you that the famous detective, Veerle, is going to show you a brain cell the color of a dragon.

    What color is the color of a dragon?

    ''To begin with, there are many oddities in this case. A locked room murder scene, a murdered victim, a mysterious killer, all shrouded in mystery.

    You''re pretending to be a detective and you''re starting from the beginning of the case, but you''re not very smart about it.

    Are you okay?¡¡Do you use a watch with a popping anesthetic needle?

    ''But!¡¡In the hands of this master detective, Master Veerle, all mysteries will be solved and gone!¡¡Now I''m going to show you a reenactment of what happened in this secret room!

    With that said, Veerle, spinning on his heel, and then walking off to Stasta somewhere.

    ''Where are you going?'' But it was a normal corner of the room.

    What is it?¡¡Don''t tell me you''ve got a secret loophole in there?¡¡And then.....

    It was hard to tell in the shadows, but there was a lever there.

    ''''Why is there a lever there?'''' And without giving you time to wonder, Veerle, move that lever from top to bottom.

    And then immediately.....

    The room shook.

    The room shook?¡¡The entire room shook?

    "Oh?¡¡Huh?¡¡Oh, yeah?

    And what''s this floating feeling?

    When the shaking stopped, Veerle had a satisfied look on his face.

    "This is the truth about the secret room trick!

    No, I don''t know!

    He just pulled down a lever and the room shook.

    What does this mean?

    Oh, my God, sir!

    ''What?¡¡What''s up, Platy?

    It''s on the fourth floor!

    Huh?¡¡What are you saying?

    The incident happened on the fifth floor, right?¡¡Now we''re on the fifth floor, where the murders took place...?

    No, we''re really on the fourth floor!

    The view out the window is a notch lower, and when you go out into the corridor and look around, it''s definitely got a ''4th floor'' sign on it!

    What in the world is this?

    Couldn''t it be..., the shaking in the room just now...?

    Master was right!

    Veerle, the lever that went down, now goes up.

    Then the room shakes again....

    "The fifth floor!

    You don''t mean to tell me this is.....

    The room itself is an elevator?

    So he can go back and forth to the fourth and fifth floors with the flick of a switch?

    The murderer took advantage of this to create a secret room.

    What''s this about first?

    The killer summons the victim to the fourth floor and kills him. First, he calls the victim up to the fourth floor and kills him, then he brings the rooms up to the fifth floor, and the murder scene is moved. After that, the murderer can simply walk out of the fourth floor.

    In doing so, a locked room murder is established...?

    ''I got the idea from an elevator my master built!¡¡It''s not surprising that they got the idea, since most of the customers who use this place use the elevator!

    No, no, no...!

    Why does this have to be such a big deal?¡¡You mean they turned a whole room into an elevator?¡¡How did it come about?

    When the inn was built, I had orcs build it for me.

    "Are they the culprits?

    The Orcs, who have become building maniacs on our farm, built this inn like an extension of their hobby.

    It''s a complicated structure, and they were happy to help. They said it was worth it!

    Their construction technology is improving all the time, isn''t it?

    I didn''t know they could even make this stuff!

    But this smells a bit foul, doesn''t it?¡¡As for the mystery?

    Was a loophole or a trick set up in the building itself or a trick that was fair as a trick?

    I don''t want to get too close to it, because if we get too close, we might end up pissing off some people.

    "If you use this trick, it should narrow down the list of possible culprits to a certain extent.

    Lukif Fokale, who was gathered as a concerned party, said.

    ''The Great Satan was working with me until just before he was killed. If he was killed, it would have been right after that.

    Something is seriously on my mind...?

    After we were separated, I went to the sky bath on the top floor. However, if I used this trick, the killer was on the floor below the fifth floor. If this room travels between the fifth and fourth floors...!

    The murderer was on the floor below the fourth floor at the time of the murder?

    I was in the sky bath at the time of the murder, weren''t I?

    ''I''ve been in the women''s bath with Junior, you know?¡¡There were other bathers there, so you could back that up, right?

    The doctor and Prathi had strong alibis too!

    And then there''s.....

    Me?

    ''That''s right!¡¡Master was the murderer!

    What did you say?

    I was the only one who was patrolling the inn at the presumed time of the crime, and my alibi is unclear!

    And I killed Baal when I made my move!

    I don''t have a choice!¡¡Mr. Baal would try to pull out ailerons and other skilled craftsmen at every turn, and he was annoying!

    ''It really is so easy to see the motive for the murder.

    The victim himself was whistling when he took a step back.

    That''s how the first, Veerle''s hot water guessing game ended with the shocking conclusion that the culprit = me.

    ''''It was a sad case...''''

    Hey, do you have a minute?

    Prathi says as he tries to get it together beautifully.

    ''This elevator trick........if the room itself is moved by raising and lowering a lever. You''d also have to operate the lever to move it up from the fourth to the fifth floor after killing the victim, right?

    Is that right?

    ''If this place is going to be locked up after we get it up to the fifth floor, who''s going to have the levers up?

    Huh?

    The trick that Veerle came up with was full of holes.

    The theory that I was the culprit was just an alibi, and I was the only suspect, regardless of the trick.

    There''s a lot of things you need to rethink.

    This time I''m going to come up with a perfect trick that doesn''t have a single hole in it!

    Veerle was enthusiastic, but well, it was certainly a fun event, wasn''t it?

    I can use my wits and the extraordinary feeling of being a detective gives me just the right amount of excitement.

    So, should we adopt this as an official attraction for the hot spring inns?

    No, no, no.

    This onsen ryokan was built to relieve the fatigue of its guests.

    Even if it''s for fun, if they get extra tired by overusing their bodies and brains, it would be at odds with the concept of the event in the first place.

    If Veerle wants to do something like this, it would be better to shift to another event and keep it here.

    ''Let''s try to implement it at this year''s Oakbo Castle?

    You mean the keeper''s cabinet serial killer?

    Oh, no.

    I can''t help but think that next year''s Castle Okubo is going to be full of murderous charades.

 516-514 Onsen and Bungou

    My name is Agail.

    I''m a demon.

    I had a well-established position until recently, but I lost it too.

    I''m a "war secretary".

    It''s my job to write down the details of the demon king''s army''s operations, what decisions the commanders made, what they said, and what happened as a result.

    Military service is a responsible job where the slightest difference in judgment can result in the death of a man, so detailed records are necessary to avoid a matter of "saying or not saying" later on.

    We servant secretaries had been following the Four Heavenly Kings and other important people in the Demon King''s Army and recording their words and deeds in detail, but I''ve decided to resign from that position.

    The reason is that the organization itself is being cut back.

    After the long war with the tribal army, the Demon King''s Army had completed one of its most important roles.

    Therefore, it no longer needed to maintain its previous large scale, and now it was heading towards the trend of disarmament.

    Many of the soldiers who had supported the Demon King''s army have been discharged from the army. Many of the soldiers who have supported the Demon King''s Army have been discharged from the military, and many of them are either entering the pension system a little early or using their retirement funds to start a new business.

    I am one of them.

    Since military secretaries are technically in the in-house group, there was a high chance that I could still remain in the army.

    Even so, I willingly resigned from the Demon King''s Army.

    I had found my professional attraction to the warrant officer in touring various lands, surprising my mind with new scenery and recording the quotes of the Four Heavenly Kings and other sturdy heroic soldiers.

    Seeking stability, he would rather stay in his barracks and stare at uninteresting paperwork than run around and find something else to do for fun.

    However, there is no way I can conveniently find my next purpose in life, and for now, I make good use of my free time while I''m unemployed to rest my bones.

    Just as well, ''It''s a great way to relieve my fatigue! I went to the hot spring inn that was rumored to be a hot spring.

    The hot spring facility was so comfortable that it seemed to wash away all the fatigue of my more than ten years as a clerk, but that didn''t make my outlook for the future any brighter.

    What should I do...?

    The only thing I can take credit for is my literary talent, which is what made me run around the battlefield and run my pen.

    The Demon King and the Four Heavenly Kings are always trying to say good things, so I''m sure I have some great quotes to say, but what good would they do in a different profession?

    Since I left the Demon King''s Army after all these years, I don''t want to do a boring job.

    But when it comes to food, you can''t afford to be extravagant.

    Now........what to do.......

    And I was pacing the corridor, wearing a yukata after the bath....

    I heard a disturbing voice from somewhere.

    ''''My God!¡¡The Grand Demon Lord''s old man has been killed!

    What did you say?

    Daimaima?

    By "Daimajin," do you mean Master Baal?

    The previous king of demons, the great demon king, Baal-sama, who was known as a rare spendthrift?

    I hurriedly rushed over to the direction of the voice, and found several people chattering in the room.

    The door had just been left open, so I quietly peeked inside.

    It turned out that Daima-sama was indeed lying on the tatami mat, but he looked quite healthy.

    What was it?¡¡You don''t look well at all, do you?

    When I was a little disappointed with my shoulder, I inspected the group in the room.

    The presence of Lucif Fokare-sama, the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom, is also great, but....

    Other than that, I don''t really recognize any other faces.

    I mean, what is that thing that looks like a dried up corpse with a hint of evil?

    The others seemed to be a couple with children, but another girl, younger than the rest, was the noisiest of them all, and said in a loud voice that was clearly audible even to me, who was peering out of the room.

    ''But it''s strange!¡¡The door is locked in here, and you can''t even get in and out of the window!¡¡The guy who killed the old man shouldn''t be able to get in or out of here!¡¡I mean, this is...........!

    A big pile up.........

    It''s a locked room murder!

    A locked room murder?

    What a word that probably stimulates my senses in this language-using profession.

    You''ve captured my interest!

    I took a closer look and made my own guesses about the situation, but it seems this is a game of sorts.

    You play the role of a fictional murder case, and Daimajou-sama plays the role of the victim.

    The idea is to find the culprit based on various hints.

    ..........

    Sounds interesting!

    It might be something that will help me find my next job. I''ll continue to secretly follow him and observe him.

    * * * *

    This concept of ''locked room murder'' is probably attractive because of the ''mystery'' and ''contradiction'' contained in the structure itself.

    Since you are being killed, there is someone who has killed you.

    Because the murderer leaves the scene, traces of human comings and goings should be left behind.

    Yet in the case of the locked room murders, not only is there no sign of anyone going in and out of the room, but it is impossible for anyone to go in and out.

    This abnormality attracts people''s attention, which in turn attracts them.

    Indeed, as the man pointed out, a locked room murder by itself is a dumb existence.

    The traces of comings and goings in and out of the room do not give the murderer any advantage, as long as the most important fact of the murder is not hidden.

    But I suggest you try a little more creative.

    For example, because no traces of a human being could be identified, it could be blown out of proportion that the culprit was not an ordinary human being, but a god or a demon of some kind.

    Can we sublimate this into a story in which the protagonist takes on the challenge with intelligence and composure in the midst of the fear of superstition?

    After that, the man started going around with a girl who seemed to be the organizer.

    I followed them as well.

    Whenever there''s a murder at a hot spring resort, an introduction to the places of interest is a must!¡¡Walk around the area and casually show off the hot spring resort''s landmarks and historic sites to lure tourists!

    I see!¡¡A local tie-in!

    By doing so, we can form a friendly relationship with the land in which the film is set, and aim for a mutually beneficial relationship.

    That''s a good thing, isn''t it!

    That''s one way to get the reader''s attention!

    On top of that, the mystery must be solved in the end.

    An unsolved mystery is not a mystery!

    The secret that turned out to be based on that promise was an unimaginably large one.

    I didn''t know the whole room was moving up and down!

    The people around me were poking at the logical inconsistencies in the story, but I was impressed.

    I knew I had to prepare a trick that would have this much impact on the core of the story!

    There are still some shoddy points in the trick prepared by that girl that need to be corrected....

    The original idea wasn''t bad.

    If it were me.....

    I could make something more interesting!

    I''m starting to feel like I can''t stand still!

    Immediately go back to your room...!

    I''m fortunate that I carry paper and brushes ... and writing materials with me wherever I go because of my previous habits.

    I''m overflowing with inspiration given to me by these girls.

    I''m going to write them down all at once before this torrent dies down!

    A tragedy suddenly occurs at this scenic hot spring inn!¡¡The victim was a great man who ruled the previous era!

    I don''t feel comfortable drawing my real name as it is, so I''ll just change it up a bit!

    I''m in!

    I can''t stop moving my brush!

    I never had such lively brushwork, not even when I was a military secretary!

    What if I, at this moment.

    Have I not found a new job, a new calling?

    * * * *

    A few weeks after staying at an inn in a hot spring resort, he published a book titled "The Hidden Hot Spring Legend Murder Case".

    He wrote a novel titled "The Hidden Hot Spring Legendary Murder Case" and published it with all his might.

    While staying at the inn, she was picked up by the Daimajou-sama, who became a close friend of her, and the work was sold in the demon capital, where it became a huge hit.

    In the beginning of the work, he did not forget to thank the girl who inspired him to write the idea.

    This work triggered a mystery boom that was not confined to the Magic City, but spread throughout the world....

    Many people will remember me as the founder of the mystery boom.

    But that is still a long way off.

 517-515 check out

    Morning......

    Breakfast at a ryokan must be Japanese food.

    Shiny white rice and hot miso soup.

    Grilled fish and farm-direct pickles. And......

    Natto!

    ........right.

    With the fermented soybeans that Holkosfone was handing out with his hands, the guests using the hot spring inn were greeted in the morning.

    This inn has a system where everyone gathers for breakfast in the dining room on the first floor.

    Other guests came downstairs one after another to replenish their first energy for the day.

    Oh, isn''t this the saintly lord? You''re always early.

    ''Good morning, Mr. Lukif!

    Do you mind if I sit with you?

    Yeah!

    Through my stay at the hot spring resort, I have become a good friend of Lukif Fokale, the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom.

    We even sat down for breakfast together.

    Prathi is also sitting at the same table, feeding Junior some porridge and other foods.

    He''s a big boy now, and he''s done with boobs.

    It was just the right time. I think it''s time for me to go back to the Demon City.

    Do you feel better now?

    Yeah, it''s been a relaxing experience. The saint''s house has been a real treat for me.

    The hot spring inn, which was built with the hope that tired people would visit it for healing, seems to have served its purpose.

    In addition to Lukif, many other people have come here to soak in the hot springs and relax, taking their time to unwind.

    ''Oh Lucif!¡¡There you are!¡¡I haven''t had a leisurely breakfast and I''m going to play table tennis again today!

    Except for a few noisy people.

    ''''Great Demon Lord, you will be leaving with us.

    What?¡¡I haven''t had my fill of the hot spring inn yet!

    You make too much noise, and the other guests could get in trouble. If you''re the Great Demon King, you mustn''t do anything that could cause trouble for your people.

    ''''Nugu!''''

    The Demon Prime Minister''s righteous argument turned into a fireball straight through the Great Demon King.

    ''''Right about now, the matters waiting to be processed are piling up in my office, so I''m sure it will be exhausting again.

    Then you''ll be back here to relieve yourself...

    Not only Mr. Lukif, but also many other people have visited this hot spring inn to relax and heal from their fatigue.

    Akelos-san, a soldier in the Demon King''s Army.

    Agail-san, a former secretary of the Demon King''s Army.

    Kinmarie, a well digger, was also staying at our hot spring resort to rest her bones.

    I''m glad to see that everyone is enjoying the hot springs.

    I''m sure that this place will soon become a regular tourist attraction in the Devil''s Land.

    ''''What was meaningful about coming here was not just being able to rest,''''

    Mr. Lukif said.

    ''''It''s that I''ve been able to interact with those who use this place as well. Many of them were practitioners working in the field of the Demon King''s Army, but their true sentiments dwelled in the words they exchanged in hot water and naked company...!

    Did we have a good story to tell?

    Lukif-san''s expression was extremely satisfied.

    ''''Their opinions will be very helpful and will be useful in the future management of the Demon Kingdom. I''m itching to do my job now. With my energy up to this point, retirement is still a long way off...!

    Did the rest motivate you to take a break?

    Anyway, the boiling Lukif Fokare went home, dragging the great demon king who still seemed to want to go home.

    Lukif Fokare, who healed his fatigue in this hot spring inn and started again with energy.

    I''m very happy to see that I''ve accomplished my goal, and I''m very happy to contribute to the world.

    It''s time for us to get out of here.

    We were originally staying to check out the operation of a completed hot spring inn, but we''d become one of the regular customers.

    And it was a family.

    The farm has been left in the hands of Gobukichi and the others, and it''s time to get back to it, or else the owner of the farm will lose face.

    It was quite fun to sleep in a different place! Let''s come back, Junior, shall we?

    Prathi was also satisfied with the fact that it felt like a vacation after a long time after all.

    I''ll have to meet with her and make an arrangement........

    * * *

    After breakfast, I went to meet a woman in kimono.

    ''Landlady,''

    Saints, is breakfast to your liking?

    It was good. Thanks for the food.

    Dressed in a shallow purple kimono and clad in a serene atmosphere is one of the automatons that once slept deep in the mountains of the Demon Country.

    A woman who we retrieved for business and then changed into a human by the whims of the Dark God Hades.

    She was one of them.

    At first we were going to have her work on the farm, but through the companionship of the exposition and so on, she started working on the front lines at the hot spring inns as well.

    She worked especially hard, and as her leadership role became more established, she became known as the ''landlady''.

    An innkeeper is an indispensable part of an inn.

    In addition to the landlady, dozens of women former automatons are currently employed at this ryokan, and they are running the ryokan.

    All of them are reliable professionals.

    ''Landlady, we''re thinking of going back to the farm.

    Well, I''m not much of a hostess, so...

    Her response to the guests who told her to leave was great.

    I was just staying to see how things went, but thanks to the landlady''s presence, I''ve almost become just a bathing guest.

    I wasn''t sure what I would do if I had to keep running this onsen inn, but thanks to you, it''s going to be OK.

    As for me, I was thinking of handing over the official management of this hot spring inn to her.

    I hope that she and the other humanized automatons won''t return to the farm, and that they will devote themselves to protecting and running this hot spring inn.

    The farm will be short-handed for that, though....

    It would be enough if we could retrieve the automatons from the former site of Marriage''s laboratory again.

    Fearful words, Your Majesty. To be entrusted with such an important task by your saint...!

    Is it that much of a change?

    We automatons are born for nothing. It was the saint who picked us up and gave us a meaning to live when we were originally lifeless, abandoned and rotting away...!

    The landlady kneels on the spot.

    "I am determined to protect this inn entrusted to me by that saint with all my might. I will definitely meet your expectations........!

    Well, just relax your shoulders...?

    I''m not saying that the negotiations are going to stop after I get back to the farm, but we''ll always be in touch.

    If you have any problems, just let me know.

    I''ll send the Orcobos over in a heartbeat if we have any unwanted guests!

    * * *

    Thus, we left the hot spring inn we had built deep in the mountains of Devil''s Land in the hands of the former automaton proprietresses and returned to the farm.

    That hot spring inn would continue to exist, and it would continue to heal the weary people of the Devil''s Country... or rather the entire world.

    Already its reputation was spreading, and the number of people wanting to stay at the inn was steadily increasing, with reservations being booked up for months in advance.

    ........Huh?

    Should we build a new hot spring inn right away?

    Well, let''s discuss this with the Demon King and take it easy.

    It''s too risky to do everything by ourselves, so we''ll have to cooperate with the Demon Kingdom''s engineers.

    Holkosfone also said that he''s teaching the well-digging guild the secrets of digging hot springs.

    It would be great if hot springs spread around the world like this, so everyone could soak in them and get rid of their fatigue.

    Then the world would become more and more peaceful.

    It would make me happy, and I would welcome the wonderful world that Junior would grow up in.

 518-516 Considering Hyakka Ryoran Onigiri

    I''m back at the farm.

    The weather is already autumn.

    It''s already autumn, the season for harvesting.

    We can reap many times a year thanks to Prati''s hyper fish manure.

    Still, the fall season is a special time of year when we feel like we''ve done something.

    In the fall, the golden ears of rice are harvested, threshed, husked, and polished.

    The finished white rice is always a beautiful sight.

    Now, what is the first thing to do with this new rice?

    It''s fixed on the farm.

    The first person to eat the new rice is set.

    He is a god.

    Hephaistos, the god of modeling, who gave me strength when I came to this other world.

    The reason I''m able to get along in another world is because of the gift that God gave me.

    To show my gratitude, we have a rule on our farm that when new rice is harvested, the first thing we do is offer it to the gods.

    ...no, really.

    That''s how we did it last year and the year before.

    It just wasn''t talked about.

    So it''s not like I just happened to come up with it this year or anything, it''s already a tradition on our farm!

    So.....

    I''m going to offer onigiri to the god Hephaistos.

    Because that god loves onigiri.

    The timing of the new rice harvest is also significant, and I want the God to taste the best onigiri this year.

    So, here''s what we''re going to do.

    The new onigiri trial meeting!

    I''d like to start a group to make a prototype of an onigiri that hasn''t existed before.

    I''ve already finished devoting most of my standard onigiri to it.

    Mentaiko (spicy cod roe), kombu (kelp), salmon, tuna mayo, and plums.

    In order to make God happy, we''ll have to make a new type of onigiri that breaks away from the standard ones.

    No problem.

    The formula for victory has already been built in our minds.

    Knowledge is also a weapon.

    When I was in the previous world, I was a convenience store Onigiri fanatic and I always checked out the new Onigiri whenever they came out!

    For me, I have a lot of stock in my brain for oddball onigiri that catch the eye of buyers!

    Even so, it''s been a long time since we moved to another world...!¡¡My memories are fading, aren''t they...?

    That''s why I have to actually make it here and now to bring back memories!

    So let''s get going with the first one.

    First, fry the freshly made rice with ketchup.

    Then I grabbed a handful of ketchup rice and wrapped it in a thin omelet I''d prepared separately.

    It''s an omelet!

    Omelette rice balls can be found in almost every convenience store.

    Is the material consistent and easy to make? But the fluffiness of the egg rolls gives them a lot of personality.

    Inheriting that spirit, we have created an omelette rice ball here in the other world as well.

    Now, God bless you!

    I offer rice omelette balls to the altar of the god Hephaistos that I have built in my house.

    Now, can God accept rice omelette rice balls?¡¡Impossible?

    God has a history of saying ''no'' to me when I offered him nigiri sushi before.

    That''s a tough obsession.

    Did God approve of an irregular rice ball mixed with ketchup and wrapped in egg instead of seaweed?

    ''?¡¡?¡¡!!!?!''''

    A hint of confusion can be felt from the altar.

    ''''I........YES?''''

    Yoo-hoo-hoo!

    It went through!

    God approves of rice omelets!

    Keep up the good work!

    Of course, we won''t just be prototyping one piece this time!

    It''s the New Rice Festival!

    We''ve got to make a lot of these things to satisfy God!

    The next one I''ll make is...!

    Butter rice balls!

    "Butter!

    Speak of butter and they come at you like a gale.

    The spirits of the earth.

    They are little butter-loving children, and their ability to sniff out butter is beyond that of a police dog.

    "Butter!¡¡Butter!

    "Butter for you, sir!

    There are several earth spirits, but they all share the same greed for butter.

    It''s already cooked, and all that''s left to do is make a rice ball with butter.

    What should I do?

    He glances down at the altar.

    ''''.........?''''

    "..............

    It''s a sparkling moment, a silent exchange of ideas.

    "Yes..........

    ''Wow!¡¡We did it!

    Dear God, you''re so sweet!

    Even the gods could not resist the cuteness.

    Thus, the butter rice that was an offering to the gods was robbed by the lovely earth spirits.

    The Earth Spirits, lined up in a row facing the altar.

    ''Ichido, Rei, sir!

    Thank you, Kamisama, we are!

    Hmm.

    They are very polite and good kids. I want my junior to learn from them in the future.

    Come on, eat up.

    "Butter!¡¡Butter!¡¡Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...!

    ABE-BEE-BEE-BEE-BEE-BEE-BEE-BEE!

    Dirty eating.

    I wouldn''t want my Junior to learn that.

    Well.

    The spirits of the earth have stolen the butter-rice onigiri, so I''ll make cheese onigiri instead.

    You could bake them in the oven, and the cheese would stick to the surface of the onigiri.

    It''s just like a cheese toast onigiri.

    The texture of the melted cheese will inevitably increase your appetite.

    Cheese is good!

    I''d rather have butter.

    These guys.........?

    Well, that''s why I can offer them to the gods without fear of being robbed.......cheese rice balls.

    Now, God, watch over us!

    "YES

    God, that was an immediate response.

    He must have been scorched by the buttered rice balls.

    Now, let''s keep going.

    Sausage onigiri, half-boiled egg onigiri, meat-rolled onigiri, fried rice onigiri, and many other ideas.

    What should we have for him this time...?

    Wait a minute, sir!

    Then, with a spur of the moment, my wife Prathi appeared at the door.

    "Prathi!¡¡What''s the matter?

    They have a gift for the gods from... me... no, they have a gift for the gods from our son!

    What?

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more than you expected.

    Could this be Junior''s rice ball?

    That''s right, he''s thanking God for his blessing on us. In return, he made a small rice ball to show his gratitude. With his little hands!

    Really?

    .... no, it''s possible.

    Because he''s our son!

    ''Really great...!¡¡Behold, God!¡¡Watch and learn without a shield!¡¡My son is showing his gratitude to God for being so small!

    ''''Please deliver the first onigiri this child has ever made!

    ''''God!''''

    ''God!''

    The couple reverently prostrated themselves, and after a moment of blankness........

    "...........................Yes.

    Yes!¡¡Junior''s onigiri are being looked at by God!

    How is it possible for God to approve my junior to be a doctor or a minister at his age?

    Kamisama, did you catch the air?

    For a wife, he''s almost a good guy.

    The spirits of the earth watching beside me are saying something, but I don''t care.

    My son is the best in Japan!

    It''s the best in the world!

 519-517 Junior Training Diary

    A year has long passed since our Junior was born.

    His official name is Saint Kidan Junior.

    Since the birth of our beautiful son, life has been very different and noisy from what it was before.

    I''d be woken up in the middle of the night with crying and panicked if something happened to Junior''s health.

    The kids would wake me up in the middle of the night, and I would panic if he was feeling a little out of sorts.

    But there are some joys and emotions that are hard to change.

    ''Sir!¡¡Sir!

    What''s the matter, Platy?

    My boy is a genius!

    Calm down.

    I stopped by to see what was going on, and Junior was talking to me.

    ''Mum, mummer,''

    ''Junior just chatted!¡¡At my age!¡¡This is genius!¡¡It''s no exaggeration to say you''re a genius!

    Prathi is revealing his parental idiocy.

    But Junior is already a year old ... and a half?

    When he gets to that level, it''s natural for him to start speaking colloquially.

    We shouldn''t be worried about his development because he''s behind the average, but for the time being, our child seems to be growing up on the average, so we shouldn''t get upset and make a fuss about it.

    "Papa.

    My boy is a genius!

    Master, calm down.

    I got a lucky break from Viel.

    ''VeeVee,''

    "Is that supposed to mean me?¡¡That''s great, Junior is a genius!¡¡I can''t stay like this!¡¡We''re going to have a celebration party!

    Thus, there was no one to tweak.

    Our farm has been roughly like this since Junior was born.

    * * * *.

    Junior is making remarkable progress every day like this, but it''s not just his intellect that has risen.

    His mobility has also improved.

    He has learned to stand and walk by himself and go wherever he wants to go at will.

    The house became his adventure field.

    Some of the hardest people in the world because of it.

    ''''Ooohhhh, it''s dangerous!''''

    Hey, little girl, you are in danger!

    "TsUKUE''s curse is dangerous!

    The steps are dangerous!

    Don''t go up the stairs!

    It''s in the kitchen!

    The spirits of the earth are the ones who keep an eye on Junior''s carelessness, and are in charge of indoor cleaning.

    You will be able to get a good idea of what to expect when you go to the beach.

    It''s a relief to have them keep an eye on you for now, but the spirits of the earth are so tense that they can''t concentrate on their main duties anymore.

    ''''It''s hard-........!

    They''ll notice you.

    I can''t help but feel like a Kincho...!

    I felt I had to butter up my rewards because the workload is getting bigger than normal.

    As you can see, the rate at which my child is being pushed around is not limited to us as parents.

    There''s a case in point.

    Our house is a Japanese style building, so we have a veranda under the eaves.

    It''s great to bask in the sun on a sunny day, but when Junior, who is now a bundle of adventurous spirit, comes here, he goes on high alert.

    His reaction is to see Porgy sleeping in the yard and the Doctor sleeping on the porch.

    A dog and a cat.

    "That little brat''s here again!

    Bawp!

    Porgy comes from the garden and the doctor comes from inside.

    We take maximum care not to let Junior fall off the edge by accident.

    Meow will pull from the inside. If the doggy goes over the edge, push it back!

    Baw-Baw-Baw!

    The joint efforts of the dog and cat allow Junior to avoid the risk of falling headfirst off the edge.

    I''m worried about him too, and I''m following him, but I''m relieved to have my smart animals around.

    Nyaaahhhhhh!¡¡This kid is just sitting there!¡¡I don''t feel comfortable.

    I can''t relax.

    I''ve been bothered by all this for a while now...

    Surprisingly, these animals are very helpful allies in raising children.

    * * * *

    Then Junior started eating normally as well.

    This kid graduated from Prathi''s tits a long time ago, and that''s why it''s my job to provide him with nutrition!

    I''m going to cook even better for my kid!

    He is over a year old and it''s not the time to be weaned anymore, but the range of things we can make for him will expand.

    Mr. and Mrs. Maou and her husband, who are senior parents, told me that babies can eat most things when they''re over a year and a half old.

    So let''s make full use of all the ingredients available at this farm and give Junior a richer diet!

    When I declared, ''''I got a worried look from the Demon King and the others.''''

    -- ''''Since you were a baby, are you okay with getting used to the farm''s best ingredients?''''

    And...

    Do you think it''s that dangerous?¡¡Our ingredients?

    It''s true that you shouldn''t give your child a lot of favorite foods to eat from a young age and make him or her have a lot of likes and dislikes.

    As a father, I''ll be the one to try to help my child become an adult who can enjoy all kinds of food!

    First of all, carrots and peppers!

    A representative of the children''s hate!

    Let''s get creative and try to get people to eat these two types of food.

    The first thing that comes to mind is to chop it up and mix it with something else.

    The first thing I thought of was to chop them up and mix them up with something else that the kids would like to eat, so that they would be able to infiltrate the body.

    So I made this as an experiment.

    Carrot cake.

    I mixed the carrots into the cake batter and baked it.

    Now, I''m not sure I''ll let Junior eat this out of the blue, so let''s experiment with someone else.

    Hey, it''s Viel. Do you want some cake?

    Cake!¡¡Eat, eat, eat!¡¡We have to eat it!¡¡What''s the matter with you, master?¡¡I didn''t do anything to deserve this cake!¡¡What''s the day?!

    I offer a carrot cake to a dragon, Veerle, who is just passing by.

    Well, try it without a doubt.

    ''Here you go!¡¡Yummmm!¡¡I knew the cake was good!¡¡But the cake is red, isn''t it?¡¡Oh, well!¡¡Hooray for cake!

    Veerle''s guy, although concerned about some discomfort, paid more attention to the sweetness of the cake and eventually gobbled it up to the end.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do that.

    To tell you the truth, there was a carrot in that cake!

    ''''What, what?!

    Veerle reverts to dragon form in shock.

    ''''You tricked me, master!¡¡For me!¡¡It''s the devil''s work to make me eat a carrot!

    You don''t like carrots either?

    He had a child''s tongue, just as he looked.

    At any rate, while politely apologizing for the deception, I made another carrot cake, having gained confidence from being able to completely trick Veerle.

    ''Junior, today''s snack is a special!¡¡Cake?

    And when I ran downstairs to Junior, Prathi was already there giving him a snack.

    What do you think he''s feeding them?¡¡But then I thought it was a carrot.

    It was the carrot itself, cooked softly and without any kind of contrivance.

    See, it''s Junior''s favorite carrot!

    Junior took a bite of the carrot without hesitation as his mother offered it to him.

    He''s great that he doesn''t have any picky eaters. That''s my son!

    It was.

    Junior was a rare gem, even though he was a toddler, he didn''t dislike food or anything at all.

    Even now, as he''s taking a bite of that carrot, he''s looking at me like, ''This is the food I hated when I was a kid.

    I''m still a child, though.

    ''.................

    Oh, what''s wrong, sir?

    Do you want some cake, Platy?

    ''Kyah cake!¡¡What is it, mister, some kind of anniversary?¡¡Eat it. Eat it!¡¡Happiness is spreading in my mouth!

    It''s a cake with carrots, though.

    What do you eat, sir?

    Prathi didn''t like carrots either.

    Could it be that Junior is the most mature one in this group...?

 520-518 Mermaid Country Now

    Zos Saira.

    Do you remember me?

    One of the six witches feared by mermaids.

    One of the six witches feared by the mermaids, the most evil, the most horrible, the most forbidden of all.

    The Abyss Witch is the title of the Abyss.

    Abyss means the abyss.

    Don''t look into the abyss, for the abyss is also looking into you.

    As you can see, the straw is forbidden for mermaids. They must never be touched. It is a symbol of the fear of the mermaid race that tries to ignore its existence.

    But today.....

    * * * *

    "Lord Zos Saira!¡¡Congratulations on your appointment as Prime Minister of the Mermaid Nation!

    Congratulations!

    Congratulations.

    Why then?

    The mermaid''s forbidden straw, I''ll be the Prime Minister.

    What kind of success story is this?

    What kind of a success story is this, where one who is chased as the scourge of the land rises to become a pillar of state at once?

    Isn''t that just what life is all about?

    You''ve gone around in circles three or four times and now your life is in reverse!

    "Don''t talk like that, help me, Master!

    Saying this, the one who comes to embrace you is the present Mermaid Queen Puffa.

    I taught her how to make potions.

    It''s not only that I taught her, she became known as the ''Frozen Witch'', but she has now married into the mermaid kingdom and become the mermaid queen.

    The world is an interesting place.

    Huh?

    You don''t think I can say that?

    I still understand Puffa''s situation.

    For a woman, it''s a dream that everyone dreams of being a princess. In other words, the possibility of its realization is so high that everyone dreams about it.

    However, it is very unlikely that a wanted felon would become a vassal.

    That''s why the idea itself doesn''t come out.

    How could such a thing happen in the real world?

    I''m sure Prime Minister Zos Saira is aware of this, but...?

    You''re full of it, Your Excellency!

    The person who calls me his highness is Arowana, the new ruler of the mermaid kingdom.

    The other day she married my apprentice Puffa.

    So he''s now the Mermaid Queen too....

    I thought a well-mannered young man was her least favorite type, don''t you think?

    After all, you don''t understand the love affair, do you?

    No, that''s not the point.

    I''m talking about the fact that you''re calling me a lord.

    I''ve heard enough explanations to make octopus tentacles grow out of my ears...?

    With me as Handmaid King, this new administration is still very fragile. The chief ministers who were at the core of your father''s reign also retired almost simultaneously with your father, saying that they must not continue the tradition.

    I''ve heard that too.

    Therefore, the new regime of the new King Arowana is experiencing an unprecedented shortage of talent.

    They are desperate for talented, trustworthy, and useful people who are both capable and trustworthy.

    But that doesn''t mean I''m out of strawmen, does it?

    You''re an out-leaning out, right!

    ''''Earning the title of witch means that you are that much more adept at handling potions. That''s what makes him a national treasure. It was a loss to have someone of that much ability in the field until now.

    But you are wanted.

    "I''m offering you a pardon for your service to your country. I''ve already told you that.

    I don''t think so!

    No, I''m confident that I can get away with it without a pardon from a straw man.

    Don''t lick the oldest of the Six Witches, okay?

    Though I''m not exactly the oldest.

    ''Please, Master!

    And even now, you''re the stupid apprentice and queen who clings to your waist.

    It''s a good thing that you''ve been calling me master only when it''s convenient for you.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to find a solution to this problem.

    I can''t stand it when people say that my husband is ruined because of marrying me!¡¡Help me, Master!¡¡Master, you can easily serve as the Prime Minister!

    Well, it can be done, right?

    But this is a rebel company.¡¡You''d be out of luck with any anti-corporate connection, wouldn''t you?

    ''Then you''re anti-corporate, too, Atai!¡¡He''s a burly outlaw!¡¡But I''m a queen!

    You are asking me to behave myself.

    How did you end up being the queen, you delinquent?

    But what''s done is done.

    Or do you think I''m gonna say, "Dabo!"?

    "Zos Saira, sir. I can''t speak for your conduct, but your abilities and knowledge are among the best in mermaid country. If we could only have your caliber in our midst, I''m sure the reputation of the King of Arowana would rise.

    The one who says, "I''m a persuader of the straw that is still here.

    I think it was Hendler or something like that.

    It is said that he was a man of the field, just like Warawa, but like Warawa, he seems to have been added to the vassals'' ranks without choice.

    It seems he was given a special, newly created position, called sidekick. As the Mermaid King''s deputy, he travels around the country, dispensing the king''s will all over the place.

    It''s an extraordinary position.....

    It''s not your job.

    If you, who have disregarded the laws of the land, were to give in to them, everyone would be in awe of the new King Arowana''s dignity, and would follow you more closely. It is a double benefit to His Majesty''s new regime.

    So the straw is for show, huh?

    Surely the youngster''s fame would be enhanced if it were known that he had a huge badass as big as a strawberry on his side, wouldn''t it?

    What is that?¡¡And they''re much worse than these little girls.

    ''Can''t you ever get it together?¡¡My husband is determined to turn away from the path of the orator and serve the nation under heaven.

    There''s still another member trying to persuade Warawa.

    So it''s Lampwicke, isn''t it?

    I thought she was Hendler''s wife and that she was the newlywed. But they all had their jollies.

    I don''t mind.¡¡It''s not your first time in the palace service anyway, is it?

    Hee?

    And here''s the other one.

    Won''t you do anything for my lovely son and daughter-in-law, Zos Saira?

    "Sister!

    Isn''t it unfair that Sheila, the former mermaid queen and sister to the bratwurst, is here?

    An old one!¡¡The trauma etched into me so long ago is draining the rebelliousness out of me.

    When I first became queen, Zos Saira supported me by helping me with my duties in the shadows, didn''t she?¡¡With your experience at that time, you could easily serve as prime minister, right?

    You forced me to do that back then, didn''t you?

    How cramped I had to feel before I was freed over the next few years!

    I don''t like the idea of a servant of the court!¡¡I learned that lesson the hard way in those years.

    So I''m never serving in public office again!¡¡And a Prime Minister is a job with maximum responsibility!

    No, sister!¡¡Don''t tangle your arms and legs!

    You won''t be able to escape!¡¡You won''t be able to escape!

    * * * *

    ...this is a green light. I''ve stamped it, so pass it on to the field office.

    There''s not enough specifics in the proposal. You need to refine it and then submit it again.

    Something about the numbers don''t add up in the whole scheme of things.¡¡You''re sure this is just a cover-up, right?¡¡Have a covert investigation. If they''ve been caught cheating, let''s round them up!

    Wawa, he is a prime minister in his own right.

    But he was a wanted criminal until recently, and now he''s at the helm of the country and no one complains about it.

    You okay?

    How tough is this country?

    The Prime Minister''s straw must be firmly steered so that he can be okay!

    I can''t help but feel like I''m playing into the hands of a surgeon when I think, "I''m not sure.

    "Prime Minister!¡¡You are truly a wonderful person!¡¡I''m so happy to be working for you as soon as I graduate from Mermaid Witch Academia!

    Shut up!¡¡An elite little secretary who grew up in a greenhouse!

    Don''t take advantage of Walla''s badass image and bring me another case!

    Every minute of my time has a bearing on the mermaid kingdom''s bottom line!

    ''Yes!¡¡This is a case that has come over from another country.

    Another country?

    The only other country that comes to mind at this time of year is Devil''s Land.

    What business does the High King of Earth have for you?

 521-519 Shitenno gathering

    My name is Mamoru.

    I am Mamoru, the Devourer, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army.

    He is the heir to the Holy Sword of Devouring Zweibrau.

    Well, he''s my son-in-law.

    The former Four Heavenly Kings of Devouring tried to kick out a competitor in a political battle, and as a result, he was punished for it and lost his position.

    I, his trusted confidant, took over the position of the Four Heavenly Kings.

    Originally, I was a commoner with no qualifications to be the Four Heavenly Kings, but I became a son-in-law by marrying Lady Lavilian''s daughter, and joined the family lineage of the Devouring Sacred Sword.

    As a vassal of Lady Lavilian, she has respected her son as a princess and has protected him behind her back.

    Her loyalty has earned her the nickname "Mamoru from the Shadow".

    Due to Lady Lavilian''s mistake, the family line was in danger of being destroyed for a time, but I managed to avoid the rupture of the family line by succeeding her.

    However, even if it was for this reason, I had no idea that I was going to take the princess whom I had served for so many years as my wife.

    The Princess seems satisfied with that, but even now I still speak to her in honorific language.

    I''m my own wife.

    The Princess is angry with me every day for that.

    I''m my own husband.

    This is how the work of the Four Heavenly Kings goes on today.

    Partly because of my predecessor''s mistake, I''m fourth in the pecking order among the Four Heavenly Kings.

    The lowest.

    It''s hard for me.

    Nevertheless, I can''t abandon my mission for the sake of my former teacher, Lavilian-sama, who has taken care of me, and for the sake of Hime, who has served and protected me for so long and is now my beloved wife, and I can''t abandon my mission.

    I will carry out the duties of the Four Heavenly Kings with all my might!

    * * * *.

    And today, we had a meeting of the Four Heavenly Kings for the first time in a while.

    The current Four Heavenly Kings discuss together, but they don''t do it very often now that the war with the Human Kingdom is over.

    "The Four Heavenly Kings, Mamoru the Devourer, has just arrived!

    "Hm.

    You''re late.

    And the ones who greeted me unconcernedly were Aeshma, also of the Four Heavenly Kings ''Delusion'' and Leviasa, also of ''Grudge''.

    .............

    In terms of the order in which they became the Four Heavenly Kings, they must have become the Four Heavenly Kings after me, right?

    What about respect for your seniors or something!

    ........but there''s no point in squabbling with the Four Heavenly Kings here, so I''ll keep my mouth shut.

    It''s not because I''m afraid of being told to do something by the two demon queens, Astares and Grashara, who are also their predecessors and supporters!

    The three of us, the three of us, are all newcomer Four Heavenly Kings who were recently replaced, but two of our predecessors became Demon Queens after marrying into the Demon King, and the other one was disqualified.

    There is too much of a difference in the power behind them.

    And the last remaining one of the Four Heavenly Kings........?

    * * * *.

    Hey, hey, I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry...!

    The one who entered the room saying, "I am Belphegamilia-sama, the leader of the Four Heavenly Kings, ''Fallen''.

    He was the only one left over from the previous Four Heavenly Kings, hence the implication that he was the leader of the current Four Heavenly Kings.

    No, rather than a connotation, he''s now been given the rank of Demon Army Commander by the Demon King, and is officially the highest ranking member of the Demon King''s Army.

    Right now, this person is the one who can do whatever he wants in the Demon King''s Army.

    The only person who can give this person an opinion is the Demon King as the Lord of the Demon Kingdom.

    That''s how powerful Belfegamilia-sama is now, but the way he uses his power...!

    ''''Belfegamilia-sama, could you stop being late every time?¡¡I have plans for this one as well.

    No, I''m trying to be quick, though, right?¡¡What do you call it?¡¡I can''t get out of the warmth of the futon, I mean...!

    ''You''re sleeping until the last minute before the meeting starts!

    He only tries to use his power to be lazy like this.

    No, I think he''s been like this since the last generation....

    That''s why he survived the political change without anyone paying attention to him.

    The reason why the Demon Army Commander''s was entrusted to this kind of foolishness was because the Demon King''s Army became useless at the end of the war, and will be shrinking from now on.

    There are those who say that it''s just a decoration to symbolize the period of decline.

    But that''s a mistake.

    It is a colossal and foolish mistake.

    Happy are those who can insult Master Belfegamilia without knowing his true identity.

    On the other hand, if you''re like me, you''ll have to see through that person''s hidden strongest and have to deal with them while taking that into account....

    My stomach hurts.........?

    ''You discussed the case while I was late, didn''t you?¡¡Tell me how much you''ve put together?

    This guy.

    I can''t help but think that he was late on purpose for this to happen.

    In the first place, everything is decided just by what you, the commander of the Demon Army, have to say.

    He doesn''t do that, he lets us young people argue to our heart''s content.

    By doing so, we''ll be able to scrutinize matters more precisely, and at the same time, train the juniors in their thinking and judgment.

    ........Isn''t that what the late comers are aiming for?

    Just tell me what you''ve done. It''s too much work to think about.

    ...Am I thinking too much?

    ...So the biggest topic of discussion today is still related to the disarmament project.

    Well, that''s true. That''s the biggest problem that the Demon King''s Army needs to address at the moment.

    As expected, Belphegamilia-sama understands that.

    Until now, the Demon King''s Army has always strived to expand itself to be strong and large.

    This is so that they can win the war against their long-time nemesis, the human nation.

    However, that nemesis was destroyed by the living Devil King Zedan, ending the long war between humans and demons.

    The Demon King''s Army no longer had a clear enemy.

    That''s why the Demon King''s Army has to whittle away its own overgrown body.

    We need to rebuild it into a smart organization that is commensurate with peace.

    But now we are beginning to see the negative effects of disarmament.

    The evils of disarmament, you know...

    Even if the war with the Human Nation is over, the Demon King''s Army will not be completely irrelevant.

    This is because there are still countless enemies that threaten the human race in this world.

    The representative of these enemies are monsters.

    The miasma that arises from the congealed miasma in dungeons attacks living creatures with a ferocious nature.

    If the miasma is left unchecked, the damage to the good demon people will never stop. That''s why it must be exterminated.

    That''s why we, the Demon King''s Army, have been in charge of this mission so far. ''''This is one of the most important missions the Demon King''s Army has been tasked with, along with pushing the tribal army back from the border.

    Let''s review that part, shall we?

    Shit!

    No, calm down, calm down.

    With the ongoing disarmament since the end of the war, the number of men in the Demon King''s Army has been greatly reduced. Although the burden on the treasury has been lightened, it''s still extremely difficult to capture dungeons with a limited number of soldiers.

    Monsters are born out of dungeons.

    It would be most efficient to get inside and exterminate them all together before they overflowed from the dungeon.

    That''s why the Demon King''s guards regularly entered the dungeon to defeat the monsters, but due to the recent downsizing of the army, the number of soldiers has been decreasing and there are not enough of them to go around.

    There have been some reports of small groups of people being surrounded by monsters and nearly getting wiped out. If the Demon King''s army''s ability to clear dungeons continues to decline and the monsters that were shot out of the sky damage the settlements, it will be the end of the world...!

    Yeah, I''ve been getting in touch with Lukif Fokale about it.

    Lukif Fokale?

    The Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom who is in charge of the internal affairs of the Demon Kingdom?

    Earlier I said that the only person who can interfere with the Demon Lord who has become the commander of the Demon Army is the Demon King, but strictly speaking, that''s a mistake.

    There''s another one. Belphegamilia-sama, the commander of the Demon Army, who supports both the army and the government, and Lucif Fokale, the Prime Minister of the Demon Kingdom.

    Only these two titans, with the exception of the Demon King, can keep each other in check.

    ''''According to Mr. Fokare, the hardships in the field that have been removed from the manpower have reached their limits. He says that the military should take immediate action. But I wonder how the Heavenly Prime Minister can listen to the voices on the ground?

    Before that, isn''t it a side note tearing, such as being interrupted by the internal affairs officer to talk about what the military is doing?

    The reason why we allow such a monopoly is because disarmament is not proceeding efficiently.

    It must be improved immediately.

    In this situation, we have no choice but to take that measure that we have been considering for some time.

    That''s what it''s all about, isn''t it?

    Belphegamilia-sama, you look unwilling.

    But under the circumstances, there''s only one thing we can do.

    If we don''t have enough people to exterminate the monsters, we''ll replenish the staff from the civilian population.

    Civilian monster exterminators and dungeon searchers....

    Let''s bring adventurers into the Demon Kingdom as well!

 522-520 Privatization

    Alexander-san came to our farm.

    He is the most powerful dragon in the world and probably the most powerful being in all dimensions, the Glaugrinz Dragon, Alexander.

    As soon as he arrived, I got down on my knees.

    ''''I''m sorry!''''

    What''s going on here?

    I''ve been thinking about the purpose of Alexander''s visit.

    I heard that my Viel has been peeping in there a lot lately.

    He must have done something wrong, didn''t he?

    As a parent or guardian, I need to apologize ahead of time!

    As I lay flat like that, Junior waddled over and lay flat next to me, too.

    I know he''s simply trying to imitate me, his father, Junior.

    Take a good look at your father," he said.

    Because as an adult, you must learn how to get down on your knees!

    Don''t be so quick. Veerle has been doing a delightful job in my dungeon. His ramen noodles are very popular with the adventurers.

    Is that so...?

    I thought it was Veerle''s mistake again, and that Mr. Alexander''s dungeon had collapsed or something...?

    That''s not why I''m here today. I''d like you to look me in the eye. We need to see eye to eye.

    ''''Huh...?

    Alexander-san, you are a dragon, but you are still a personality as usual.

    What kind of miracle would produce the ideal strongest person like that?

    For now, I pick up Junior, who is still on his knees, and go into the house with Alexander-san.

    After the discourse is in shape.

    ''Well, is the Lord Saint intelligent in the situation?

    The situation...?

    Mr. Alexander said.

    Just in case you''re wondering, this person is in human form now.

    The dignified old man''s appearance is truly akin to Mr. Alexander''s character.

    So, what''s the situation?

    I''ve been trying to gather information on the situation, but...?

    We live in a world without the internet, and it''s hard to say with confidence that we hear everything.

    I wonder what kind of changes in the world brought Alexander here?

    "A demon kingdom is trying to bring in adventurers.

    I''ve heard that story too, haven''t I?

    Prathi interrupts from the side.

    While patting Junior.

    ''''It''s getting to the point where the Demon King''s army isn''t enough to manage the dungeons in the Demon Kingdom, right?¡¡I hear disarmament is on the way, so...

    "To fill the void, we are going to import a system of adventurers from the land of the humans.

    My wife is sensitive to world affairs...?

    She used to be a princess and that''s just as well, right?

    Junior, you need to take a lesson from that part of your mother.

    Wisdom from my mother, and down to earth from my father.

    ''''The demons have been using the army to exterminate the monsters that manage the dungeons. It would have been more convenient for the country to have complete control over them in some respects, but that was only possible under the special circumstances of wartime.

    It''s impossible to control every dungeon in the world without a wartime mobilization force. After the war is over, if we try to reduce the size of the dungeons to a peacetime scale, it''s logical that we won''t be able to support them all...

    Hmmm, I see.........

    I see..... It''s tough. That''s a lot of work!

    It''s Junior. It''s not like your father doesn''t know what''s going on or that he can''t keep up with the conversation.

    It''s just that I don''t have to add to it because Prati tells me everything I need to know first.

    "...why do you think we''re going to outsource the shortfall to the private sector?

    ''''That''s right. Originally, the demon kingdom and the human kingdom have handled the same problem of dungeons very differently from the people and the country. Let''s change that and let one side learn from the other.

    And the demon kingdoms that won are the losers of the human kingdoms that lost.

    Yes, it''s quite a wise decision considering his pride. The ruler of the demon kingdom is a decisive politician with a clear focus on practicality, I would say.

    Juniors?

    You can walk all over again.

    Great, great, great?

    ''This has been going on for a long time at the rumor stage, hasn''t it?¡¡And we knew that there would be strains of disarmament. I''m sure a lot of people saw that it was only a matter of time.

    It''s finally being put into action. I''m sure the reason it took so long to get here is because of the anguish of pride on the part of the demon king''s army. I''m sure it''s a painful thing for them to admit their lack of strength, despite being the strongest army on earth.

    Well.

    I''m going to have to learn to talk to you soon, or my pride will be shattered.

    What do you have in mind?

    The other day, the adventurer''s guild in the former human country has been informed. The other day, the adventurer''s guild of the old human country was informed and instructed to first set up test guild branches in several places within the demon world.

    Is that for... dungeon management?

    It''s a good idea to register the retired soldiers of the Demon King''s army as adventurers and also to solve the problem of employment at the same time. You can bring in active adventurers from the human country, but that would mean that the human country would be short of labor this time.

    Isn''t this a good idea?¡¡At the very least, I don''t think the adventurer system that worked so well in the politically useless human country is going to be unacceptable in the demon country. It seems like the best choice in terms of safety, economy, and many other things?

    Only if it''s only logical.

    Mr. Alexander''s meaningful manner.

    What is it?¡¡And the air changes.

    People have pride. Sometimes that pride doesn''t allow them to follow the path that they know is right in their heads.

    Well it happens, doesn''t it?

    ''The Demon King''s Army has been managing the dungeon for hundreds of years now and has been suppressed to the point of, well, perfection. At the same time, it has won the war and earned the title of the strongest army on earth.

    The pride that has grown in this way has become an obstacle to admitting that you are powerless, and you cannot admit that you are unable to manage the dungeon on your own under the current circumstances, nor can you gracefully ask for help from the private sector.

    That''s why the Demon King''s Army is apparently divided into two groups: those who accept this reform and those who don''t. I''ve heard that this is the reason why it has been delayed to this point, even though it was necessary.

    Everywhere else, they get bogged down in shit.

    Don''t say that, Prati.

    Pride gets in the way of doing the right thing.

    I know the feeling. I''m a boy, too.

    But the Demon King''s Army, which is supporting the scene, is reaching its limits. And so the Demon King''s Army has made a proposal to the Adventurer''s Guild.

    --''If you adventurers are the true elite of the elite, then you''ll have a go.

    Competition?

    ''''If you''ve won that, then I can recognize your abilities and leave you in charge of the dungeon in the Demon Kingdom...''''

    What''s that?¡¡So you''re telling me that you made a proposal, unraveled it, and set terms for me?¡¡Isn''t that a little unsightly?

    Prati, who is not afraid of being clipped in the teeth.

    ''''This is probably the only way to convince the entire Demon King''s Army. The method of victory is to conquer certain dungeons at the same time, and the winner is the one who achieves the most success. Get to the deepest part of the dungeon faster, defeat more nesting monsters. There are many criteria for victory and defeat.

    As long as the demon race side expects the adventurer''s skills as a dungeon administrator, is that kind of thing more in order than a simple fistfight to win the game?

    ''''I understand that something troublesome is about to happen again between the human and demon kingdoms. But why did Alexander-san talk to us about it?

    Mr. Alexander is a super dragon that surpasses even the Dragon King Geyser Dragon.

    It''s not a matter of concern to Alexander, who is such a transcendent being, that a fight between humans is nothing to worry about.

    Also, talking about it to us.

    "Hmm, here''s what''s relevant to us...

    I said in a revised manner.

    It has been decided that the Demon King''s army and the adventurer''s choice will compete against each other. The method of victory has also been decided through a dungeon strategy competition. Then the next thing we need to decide is the stage for the game.

    Stage..........

    ''You mean, which dungeon do you want to play in?

    I don''t know when it happened, but I''m naturally part of the conversation.

    Yay.

    ''Yes, it was initially considered to be my dungeon. It''s the best dungeon in the Adventurer''s Guild''s jurisdiction, so it''s an honor to be chosen.

    Alexander''s amazing ability to talk to humans like this.

    But as we were going along, the Demon King''s army came in with a complaint. He said, ''The human race has an overwhelming advantage in the dungeons that they usually conquer.

    I suppose that makes sense, doesn''t it?

    If you''re going to win, the least you can do is to be fair.

    But if you say that, if it''s a dungeon on the Demon Kingdom''s side, wouldn''t it still be a bad idea for the Demon King''s army to have an advantage?

    ''''Yes, then the appropriate place to play is a dungeon that no human adventurer or soldier of the Demon King''s army has ever entered before.

    Is that even a dungeon?

    ...Is there one?

    ''''Yes, if it''s a dungeon in the Saint''s Temple''s farm, it doesn''t belong to the Human Country Demon Country, neither of which I have experience in capturing either of them. The dungeon of Viel and the dungeon ruled by the Immortal King Teacher. Will you help me to use one of them as a playing field?

 523-521 Innocent dungeon

    Our dungeon as a playing field?

    Was that the purpose of Alexander-san''s visit to the farm?

    A dungeon match between the demon race and the human race.

    If it''s an attack competition, an imbalance of disadvantageous advantage would be created depending on which dungeon is in the territory.

    It''s unavoidable.

    If that''s the case, the fairest thing to do is to compete in an unexplored dungeon that neither of the two races has ever entered, but there was no way that such a dungeon was convenient.

    ''''But there is. It''s here in this dungeon.

    There are dungeons near our farm.

    There are two dungeons dominated by the No Life King''s teacher and the dragon Veerle, each of which is controlled by a different teacher.

    Each one is a dungeon that is only used by the residents of the farm due to its location.

    They are neither governed by the Adventurer''s Guild nor the Demon King''s Army, and can be called dungeons that are unknown to the public.

    This is the perfect dungeon for a fair playing field. Isn''t that so?¡¡For the sake of the future of all of humanity, I want the Saints Degree to allow the use of either of these dungeons.

    It''s rare to find a dragon that is willing to work for the sake of the future of all mankind.

    Alexander-san, I''m sure he''s taking the initiative without needing someone to tell him.

    "If I can be of any help, I''ll be happy to help you, but...

    Sometimes you have to contribute to society.

    There are dungeons around our farm, mostly in the form of teachers or villes.

    The only thing I can do is to ask them for permission to go to the dungeons.

    Even so, Sensei is a good person, and Veerle is an event-loving guy, so I''m sure he''ll agree.

    However, I had a completely different fear in my mind.

    ''''Our dungeon is used by demons and adventurers too, right?

    What?

    Alexander-san, you look so unexpected.

    ''Really?''

    It''s true.

    For example, there was a time when the Four Heavenly Kings Aeshma and Leviatha lived and trained on this farm for a while, and we would dive into the dungeons at that time.

    There was also a time when an S-class adventurer, Silver Wolf, was invited as a special instructor to teach foreign students from the farm.

    I used to dive into dungeons to teach, and I also used to dive for my own pleasure.

    I know...!¡¡Wasn''t I the one who introduced that guy to you.......!

    It was Alexander-san who held his head up as if to blame himself for his own negligence.

    ''''Don''t think so hard.

    ''''I don''t know if those people will participate in the game, but if only one of them added an experienced person to the game, would it still be a big advantage?

    "Well, we''re in trouble...!¡¡Then we can''t have a dungeon here either...?

    Maybe there really aren''t any dungeons on earth that no one has ever entered before.

    The only way to do that is to find an undiscovered dungeon where no one has ever gone before.

    Now, while Alexander-san and I were pondering over what to do....

    ''''Fufufufufu!¡¡I''ve been listened to!

    Oh, Veerle.

    Then our dragon, Veerle (in human form), came in.

    He was out selling ramen noodles again, and now he''s back.

    He said, "Today, too, we fed a lot of lowlife with gonzo ramen!¡¡But that''s funny?¡¡It won''t go down at all?

    What would you have done if it had been diluted in parts per hundred?

    The soup of extracts squeezed from dragons is a deadly drug, and if ingested by humans, it would be hard to explode or become immortal.

    That''s why it''s Viel, who makes it so unaffected and distributes it around to many people.

    There were times when I thought ''it''s no use, so let''s just throw it away,'' but I couldn''t casually throw it away because I didn''t know what the effects of the dragon extract would do if it were to be spread out around the place.

    Is it industrial waste? But I''ll just have to let Veerle pace himself and consume it little by little.

    This is a digression.

    ''''Anyway, brother!¡¡What kind of a concept is it that you come to my house and don''t even consult me about it?¡¡You can count on me for plenty of help!

    ..........

    Alexander-san awkwardly averts his gaze.

    ''''No, it doesn''t look like I''m going to get anything out of talking to you...'''' a hint of ''''No, I don''t think I''m going to get anything out of talking to you...'''' can be felt silently.

    But the strongest dragon who wraps up his true feelings with a bland excuse, gentle.

    ''''Well - I''m sorry that we were about to rub each other the wrong way!¡¡But don''t worry, because this Grinzel dragon, Veerle, has rushed in!¡¡All the riddles have been solved!

    "Mystery!

    Veerle is still reeling from the mystery project from the other day.

    But the way you''re talking...

    Does Veerle have any idea what a dungeon is?

    Hey!¡¡You deserve a dungeon that no one has used before, don''t you!¡¡Well, I have a boon for you!

    Really?

    That''s some convenient dungeon that conveniently exists?

    Are you okay?

    ''You won''t get beaten up for being ''opportunistic''!

    ''It''s for real!¡¡So let''s get to that dungeon right away!¡¡Tsumo over Ron!

    Is it more proof than argument!

    Anyway, Veerle rushed me to that dungeon or whatever it was.

    Veerle and Alexander-san have returned to their dragon form, and I''m riding along on my dragon horse, Sakamoto.

    ''''Be back by dinner, okay?

    And a platty send-off.

    By the way, wait?

    Why am I going along for the ride?

    Do you need me beyond this point?

    "There''s nothing in this world that we don''t need!

    I was flying through the sky with Veerle, who was trying to tuck in the tatami mats, mingling with a gust of wind as we flew through the sky.

    And then I arrived at the destination...!

    * * *

    Where is it?

    It was a place I didn''t understand either.

    I think the ocean went over on the way.

    "So what is this place, a new continent or something?

    If it''s an unexplored area of land across the ocean, there may be dungeons that no one has ever entered before, well, maybe.

    But wouldn''t the discovery of a new continent be the beginning of a new era that goes beyond that?

    Isn''t that a bit over the top?

    ''What are you saying, Master?¡¡This isn''t a new continent, it''s just a small island.

    What?

    If you look closely, you can see the coastline and the land itself is not that big.

    An isolated island.

    Moreover, there is no sign of life, and it looks like a completely uninhabited island where people have washed up in distress.

    This is where the story of survival begins!

    ...this is where the story of survival begins.

    Is there a dungeon somewhere on this island?

    It''s true that if there was a dungeon on a deserted island like this, no one would be able to find it and it would be untouched.

    ''Well?¡¡Do you have one?

    "What? !

    What the hell is this dragon talking about?

    Didn''t you bring us here because there''s an unexplored dungeon to play in?

    If there isn''t a dungeon, we''re wasting our time!

    And you sacrificed not only me, but also Mr. Alexander.

    "This island........is.......if......?

    That Mr. Alexander, still in his human form, was looking around busily.

    It was as if he recognized this place.

    ''''We''re going to ask him directly to see if there are any more dungeons here. Depart Oshinco!

    ''What?¡¡Where are you going?¡¡I''m waiting!

    I hurriedly follow Veerle, who walks away unhindered, saying that he''s no match for me if I leave him behind.

    Where is he going?

    It looks like we''re headed for the center of the island...?

    ''Hey, stupid brother!¡¡Your clever sister has come to visit you!

    ''This is Sister Veerle!¡¡Welcome to my castle!

    And after walking for a while, we met...!

    A dragon, after all.

    Isn''t he the new emperor dragon, Mr. Ardhegg...?

 524-522 New Dragon Emperor City

    Mr. Ardhaeg of the Geyser Dragon.

    I have known him for a few times before.

    He used to be friends with Arowana, the Mermaid King, but since she started coming to the farm with him, we''ve become good friends.

    ''Oh!¡¡I didn''t expect a visit from the saint today!¡¡It''s a real pleasure to have visitors!

    Why is this Mr. Ardhaeg here?

    So this is the site of the Dragon King''s Castle after all.

    Alexander, who came with us, says with a satisfied look on his face.

    ''''Dragon Emperor Castle?''''

    ''''It''s the dungeon where the Geyser Dragons live. It''s a dungeon that should be called the very royal castle of the Emperor Dragon, the pinnacle of all dragons.

    I see, so, Mr. Alexander, you''ve been moping around in the depths of your memory for a while now?

    ''''No, I couldn''t be sure. After all, the last time I saw the Dragon Emperor''s Castle was when your father ruled over it.

    Isn''t that right?

    As I recall, the dragon emperor, Gaiser Dragon, was replaced just a few days ago.

    From a dragon''s point of view, it was only a year or two ago...?

    ''''With Ardheg''s defeat of his father, Gaiser Dragon also passed from loser to winner. With the defeat of the previous Geyser Dragon, its residence also disappeared.

    Is that why it''s so bleak?

    The Dragon Emperor''s Castle does not belong to any of the dungeon types in the world. It''s a very special dungeon that is materialized by the mana released by the Geyser Dragon himself, rather than the mana deposits that flow back around the world. So as the Lord disappears, so does the dungeon itself.

    ''Only a dragon could do that, though!¡¡One life can create a dungeon that is supposed to be a natural phenomenon!¡¡It''s one of the proofs of how awesome dragons are!

    Veerle says proudly.

    It''s not like you can make it...?

    "Is this Brother Alexander''s as well?¡¡What is the matter with you?¡¡This is how the world''s most important beings goose the goose..., what''s the emergency?

    Mr. Ardhegg is wary of the fact that me and Mr. Alexander have come together for a visit.

    Aside from me, if Mr. Alexander, the most powerful man in the world, can''t make an appointment, well, you''d think it was something, right?

    Doesn''t Mr. Alexander come here occasionally to visit you?

    No.¡¡Originally, I''ve been staying away from the Dragon Emperor''s Castle since my father handed me a disinheritance.

    That''s why you had a frustrated look on your face earlier when you tried to remember, but couldn''t.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve been here, and the scenery has changed completely.

    ''''When your father ruled, the Dragon Emperor''s Castle was a fortress that covered the entire island, but well, it''s become a bleak landscape...''''

    I went to visit him when I needed to, so your brother never came over here, did he?

    It''s true that sometimes friends are fixed on which one of them comes to visit each other, isn''t it?

    I wouldn''t be inviting your brother here in the middle of nowhere, either!¡¡Hahahahaha...!

    Is that supposed to be funny?

    I felt something dry in Mr. Ardhaeg''s laugh.

    There......

    Veerle!¡¡And your brother?¡¡How did you end up here?

    A new figure is coming.

    A beautiful woman wrapped in a pitch-black dress?

    Bloody Mary.

    She''s a dragon too, and I''ve only had one before.

    Why are you here?

    "Marie, are you still attached to Ardhaeg?¡¡You''re not going back to your own dungeon?

    Shut up!¡¡I went home once before!

    And you came back to haunt Ardhegg?

    Don''t tease him too much, Mr. Alexander.

    He must be some kind of maiden in love.

    ''Are your father and Seedle there too?¡¡You were in that group when you came to me, weren''t you?

    They''re playing over there, right?

    There were indeed two small figures messing about at the end of Marie''s point.

    Mr. Al Ghul and Syedul.

    "Let''s go, Father...

    Hello.

    Receiving.

    Toss!

    "Spike.

    Attack!

    "Corkscrew.

    Aren''t we all getting along so well?

    The new Geyser Dragon''s cronies seem to have their faces completely locked in.

    "I don''t want you to compare me with those people!¡¡And by the way, I can''t believe you''re coming all the way from your brother!¡¡What the hell do you want!

    He pulled me back from being completely lost in the direction of the conversation in the right direction.

    As expected of Marie.

    You are the assistant to the Geyser Dragon.

    I''ve got a main point. But, Veerle, you have a main point. I''m beginning to understand what you''re up to, aren''t I?

    As expected of big brother Alexander, he has an amazing ability to perceive without being told.

    Huh?

    What do you mean?

    I don''t know if I''m a perceptive person, I don''t know if I''m going to be able to tell everyone else.

    ''What we''re looking for is an uncharted dungeon that no one has ever stepped into before. It''s the first time anyone has tried it, and that''s what keeps the conquest competition fair.

    ''''And here is the Dragon Emperor''s Castle that the newly-formed Gaither Dragon Ardhaeg is building a new one!

    Okay.

    If it was a freshly made dungeon, no one had entered it yet.

    In the sense that this would be everyone''s first time in the dungeon, the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle built by the new Geyser Dragon, Ardheg, was indeed a perfect fit!

    ''''So that''s why Ardheg!¡¡Let me use your dungeon!¡¡For the future of humanity!

    Wow!¡¡What is it?

    Ardhegg is having a hard time accepting a request from a dragon more powerful than the Emperor''s dragon!

    I don''t know, but if you''re asking for help from brother Alexander, I can''t refuse you, can I? From both humanity and ability...

    Yes!

    Mr. Ardhegg''s manner of speaking was sad.

    ''And I''m more than willing to do what''s best for humanity. Recent experience has led me to believe that future dragons should be more merciful to mankind!

    ''Oh!¡¡Good point!¡¡You will become the new Geyser Dragon and the world of dragons will be better for it!¡¡Isn''t that right, Dad?

    Huh?¡¡What are you talking about!

    The eldest son Dragon and Father Dragon are still potentially on bad terms.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    ''''Wait a minute, we still have a problem!

    Veal says.

    What is it?¡¡You brought me here, didn''t you?

    "I''ve found a problem I didn''t anticipate, and now I''ve found it in this place. "Look at the Sala land as far as the eye can see!

    Yeah?

    Come to think of it, there was supposed to be a dragon king''s castle here, right?

    But there is nothing but plain, no grass.

    ''Hey Ardheg?¡¡You hadn''t even started the creation of the Dragon Emperor City yet?

    ..........

    Mr. Ardhaeg doesn''t answer.

    He just sweats sloppily all over his face.

    ''You were going around the dungeons all over the place, saying you were going to reference it or something.¡¡I''ve got a lot of ideas, and I thought I''d be able to give it enough substance.¡¡I thought that when we arrived today, we would be able to see the entirety of the completed New Dragon Emperor City!

    ''''Wait!¡¡This can''t be helped!

    Marie, speaking for herself, said, "Sometimes you have too many ideas to go forward.

    There are times when you have too many ideas to proceed!¡¡That''s how it works!¡¡You can''t have too many ideas!

    ''''What was the point of that field trip!

    At any rate, the fact that a new Dragon Emperor''s Castle hadn''t been built here meant that there were no dungeons for the contestants to rush into.

    There was no way to compete then.

    Just when you think you''ve solved the problem, the story is back to square one!

    ''''It can''t be helped...!¡¡When this happens, my sister is going to have to take off her skin for her scruffy brother!

    Veerle, mysterious arms around him.

    ''Ardheg should just release the mana that the dungeon is based on. Leave the specific structure of this dungeon design to Mr. Veerle, the iron man of iron, who is responsible for this dungeon design!

    Sister!

    In that case, I will help you!¡¡I''m the one who brought you the story. I''d be doing you an injustice if I didn''t sweat it out.

    "Brother Alexander?

    Viel and Mr. Alexander.

    Without the landlord''s permission, he has taken the liberty of building the emperor''s castle!

    Both of them are a few people who put their heart and soul into creating their own dungeons. Even the Hito family doesn''t cut corners.

    What are you two doing here!

    It was Bloody Mary who flew a reprimand to the dragons who were starting to wreak havoc.

    ''''The Lord of the Dragon Emperor''s Castle is Ardheg!¡¡How impious of you to tamper with the castle without his permission!

    Sister Marie!

    We''ve been putting up with this for years, and you''re the only ones who are going to let us run away!¡¡I''m the one who designed the beautiful Dragon Emperor''s Castle!

    "Sister, yeah!

    Thus, the construction of the Dragon Emperor''s Castle, which the owner of the castle couldn''t see it coming, had been delayed....

    The building of the Dragon Emperor''s Castle, which the owner of the castle had been unwilling to do, was accomplished in the blink of an eye by someone else''s hands.

 525-523 S-level risk takers gather

    My name is Silver Wolf.

    I am one of the adventurers recognized by the guild as an S-class adventurer.

    A Class S adventurer is one who is recognized as the best adventurer among adventurers based on his or her achievements and abilities.

    The selection process is very strict, and there are only five people in the world, including me, Silver Wolf, who are recognized as S-class adventurers.

    To be chosen as an S-class adventurer, it is not enough to have a half-hearted achievement, but it is the highest honor.

    That''s why I am proud to be an S-class adventurer, and I always try to do my best to live up to that title.

    The people around me sometimes ridicule me for being too serious for an S-class adventurer.

    I hope you''ll remember that before reading what I''m about to say.

    * * * *

    It was an unexpected call to arms.

    A call for all S-class adventurers to come together?

    The S-class adventurers, who are usually allowed to act on their own accord, rarely meet each other.

    They are, by their very nature, an uninhibited group.

    They are not bound by the rules of the game, but rather by their own desires to conquer dungeons, and that is why they have risen to the S class.

    That''s the kind of people we are.

    That''s why they are the best fighters in the Adventurer''s Guild, but they are basically left to their own devices and the guild doesn''t complain.

    This is because they know that this is the best way to reduce friction between them.

    Gathering all of these S-class adventurers, who could be called "problem children", in one go is something that has never happened before.

    The fact that it is done today also means that something big has happened.

    A class that had never been seen before.

    It would be great if they could sense such an important sign and gather together properly, but....

    ''''I was foolish to have such naive expectations.

    It''s not a miracle that a lazy kid who''s always been a lazy kid suddenly becomes a serious person.

    The meeting room was set up in the guild headquarters.

    There were only two people sitting there, including me.

    The one sitting across from me was Brown Katou, an S-class adventurer like myself.

    Although he is a relative newcomer to the S class, his honest nature makes him a welcome visitor if you call him.

    You''re a great help to me...?¡¡I almost had to read out a message by myself...?

    That''s too sad to look at, so let''s not do that, okay?

    Katou-kun is from a particularly unusual background among adventurers.

    He''s an otherworldly person summoned by the royalty of the human nation, apparently.

    During the war, the royal family brought in an endless supply of helpers like that, and Katou-kun was one of them.

    However, he was banished because his abilities were not suitable for the war.

    It''s quite selfish of me, but Katou-kun still managed to survive.

    It''s a good thing that he was able to earn his living in this world as an adventurer and finally make it to the S class.

    "On top of that, it doesn''t grow even after becoming an S-class, and in this way it responds immediately to the demands of the guild.

    He''s Japanese, so he must be serious, right?¡¡In that sense, Silverwolf, you''re the one who''s awesome.

    The height of virility to return the compliment.

    ''''I didn''t expect you to be born and raised in this world and have such a serious personality. That''s why the guild relies on you the most out of all the S-class adventurers, right?

    People tease me because I was born a dog, thanks to the fact that I was born a dog.

    I am a descendant of the beastmen who were once produced in many human countries.

    That is why my head is exactly the same as that of a wolf.

    This is because my distant ancestors were synthesized with wild beasts through the lost forbidden magic, and because of this, I got the keen sense of smell of a wolf, which helped me in my adventuring business, and I was discriminated against for being a half-beast and so on, well, good or bad.

    ''''The guild master trusts you a lot, and you can tell him all of today''s business from you, right?¡¡Aren''t you the leading candidate for future guild master?

    I''m just in a bind.

    Guildmasters are also remarkably mentally draining when they''re face to face with other S-classes.

    They''re all such freaks.

    ''''If no one else is coming, we should start. I feel like we''re wasting our time waiting.

    Do you think a meeting between the two of you could be called a meeting?

    Just as we were about to start with just me and Katou-kun, something strange happened.

    The building where we were meeting suddenly started to shake!

    ''What is it?¡¡Is that an earthquake?

    The floor was shaking regularly, with a thud, thud, thud, thud.

    The shaking becomes more and more violent........or rather, the source of the earthquake becomes closer.

    Sorry!¡¡I''m late!

    The person who opened the door with a bang and came in was a large woman with a large body.

    "Oh, Mr. Pinkton. You''re here?

    Here it comes.¡¡But I didn''t make it to the appointment!¡¡Gomengo!

    Pinktonton.

    He''s one of the S-class adventurers.

    He''s a newcomer to the scene, but his skills are real.

    He''s also the most powerful adventurer in the world, and in the event of a head-to-head battle, he''s the strongest adventurer.

    When it comes to a head-to-head battle, he''s considered the strongest adventurer, and even though he''s a newcomer, he''s respected.

    "Oh no!¡¡I smell like taters and I always get sick of it!¡¡And the footsteps are so loud!

    The thumping sound that shook the whole building earlier........

    The sound of her footsteps.......?

    As expected of a martial artist of the S-class adventurers, right?¡¡Come to think of it, is it true that that thing has beaten Cyclops to death with its bare hands in the past?

    Uh-huh, Silverwolf!

    Her hand was placed on his shoulder.

    ''A maiden has a secret...?

    ''''I''m sorry........?''''

    Her grip on my shoulder is tremendous.

    I thought my shoulder bone was going to shatter!¡¡I''m scared!

    ''''No, Mr. Silver Wolf, if you piss off Mr. Pinkington, you''ll die?

    I still don''t even know what part of her anger is the point of her anger!

    That''s how little connection there is between S-class adventurers!

    But in any case, if three out of five people are here, that''s good. Let''s hurry up and explain and get this over with.

    That''s not going to happen!

    What''s the matter with you?

    I heard a voice.¡¡And it''s coming from above!

    I looked up and saw someone was stuck on the ceiling.

    Who said it wasn''t here?¡¡I''ve been on this ceiling from the start!

    Why are you still here?

    There''s no mistaking that particular ending.

    The owner of this voice is Black Cat, another S-class adventurer!

    They are descended from beastmen with a feline factor.

    She moved away from the heavens where she had been stuck and landed on the desk with a stutter.

    A woman with a lean, slender body is seductive.

    ''''Hey!¡¡Get off the desk!¡¡Get down!

    ''I don''t want to. It''s a cat''s legitimate right to climb on top of the desk.

    You have no right to do that!

    Some beastmen try to act more beastly than necessary because of their excessive identity with the beastliness mixed in with their own, and that''s exactly what this guy is.

    It''s true that she has acquired a supple body, agility, good eyesight in the dark, and a sense of balance through the acquisition of the feline factor, all of which are useful in dungeon attack, and are probably the factors that helped her reach S-class status.

    However, it''s more of an afterthought.

    You don''t have to trace it to the cat''s fickle personality.

    ''''........You''ve been sticking to the ceiling the whole time?''''

    ''Yeah!¡¡In fact, I''m the first to go!

    Then why have you been hiding?

    What do you mean by that?

    I was just trying to see when Silver Wolf, who is so proud of his nose, would notice. The results were not so good, though.

    What?

    Can''t you see that you''re totally oblivious to the fact that you''re a class S cat crying?¡¡But it''s no use.¡¡I can get rid of my own smell by grooming my hair!

    The black cat guy licks his arm as he says this.

    Indeed, that''s how that guy excels at eliminating his own smell.

    For me, who entered the S class with pride in my sense of smell, a natural enemy...!

    ''I''m so soft I can lick it clean anywhere!¡¡Like this, between the legs too...!

    Okay!¡¡Okay, so you don''t have to do it in public!

    d*mn.

    Every time the order in which they come out, the weirder they get, the more difficult it is to handle...?

    How much weirder is the last one going to be at this rate when up to 4 out of 5 people come out?

    No, I know.

    But I know this because I met him before the fifth and final person who has yet to arrive.

    You''re right, he''s a freak!

    Let''s just do what we have to do and get out of here before someone troublesome comes along.

    I agree, let''s just get this over with! I''ll go next time.

    Everyone agreed with me, so today''s agenda!

    The match that the Demon Lord''s army has offered us.

    My window''s broken!

    An avalanche of debris is pouring into the room!

    A storm is brewing!

    And the man in the cloak breaking in through the broken window!

    "I jumped in at the call...¡¡I am the best adventurer...!

    Speak of the devil and he came.

    The fifth and final S-class adventurer...!

    "S-Grade Adventurer Golden Bat Here Comes the Golden Bat.

    ''''Don''t come in while breaking things!

    In the end, all of the S-class adventurers, who didn''t know how many would respond to the call on a whim, were present.

    If you''re going to come, come at the appointed time!

 526-524 Challenged S-class adventurer

    It continues to be Silver Wolf, the S-class adventurer.

    The meeting resumed after the Golden Bad bastard cleaned up the broken window door.

    ''''Can''t we just get on with the messy stuff........?

    "You''ve got more work to do!

    That''s why I didn''t want to come face to face with this Golden Bat!

    Golden Bat, an S-class adventurer.

    Although he is unpleasant, he has been called the best adventurer of all the S-class adventurers.

    He has the same trait that all S-class adventurers have, which is "not to seek cooperation with others, but only the fruits of their adventures," and no one has that in him.

    The achievements he has made are immeasurable.

    The greatest of all is discovering new dungeons.

    An adventurer''s job is not only to explore dungeons, but also to find dungeons that have not yet been discovered to exist.

    After all, dungeons are their own source of wealth, so even discovering a new one is important.

    Of course, this is a difficult task that no ordinary adventurer can accomplish.

    Nowadays, if you discover one new dungeon, you can get an S-class status, but this golden bat bastard has discovered a total of 18 unregistered dungeons so far, which is more than any other adventurer in history.

    This was a record that couldn''t be broken even if one looked around at the past generations.

    That made the Golden Bat the best adventurer in the world, and it irritated good S-class adventurers like me.

    ''''Personality is not what is required of an S-class adventurer. What is needed is competence and achievement. I''m the most qualified to be the best adventurer!

    "This guy is so annoying...?

    This is why we are always on the lookout for undiscovered dungeons all year round, and we rarely see each other.

    I thought he wouldn''t even respond to this call, so I was bragging about it, so what''s the fun in showing his unpleasant side?

    Doggie...?¡¡I''m not in the middle of nowhere for most of the year, but I still listen to the gossip. After all, bats are very proud of their ears, right?

    Tsk.

    Did you hear that tongue-twister?

    It is true that the Golden Bat, a bat beastman, has the best hearing of all adventurers.

    Its ears are said to be able to hear every event that happens in the dungeon.

    As you can see, the beastmen can take over the abilities of the synthesized beasts and use them effectively, and they can do things that normal humans cannot do.

    It''s no coincidence that most of the current S-class adventurers are made up of beastmen.

    So what is it that you have such great ears to hear?

    Is that your old man''s fart?

    The fact that the people around them were talking badly was also proof that they hated the Golden Bat.

    ''''From what I''ve heard, there''s going to be adventurers operating in the demon kingdom soon or something...''''

    You''re still fast, aren''t you?

    I didn''t think you''d already heard that story...?

    "What?¡¡Really?¡¡Then we can explore the dungeons in the Demon Kingdom!

    ''There are a million dungeons I''ve never been in!¡¡It''s exciting!

    If you''re an adventurer, you can''t help but get excited about this news.

    For the most part, adventurers are creatures who are always dreaming of dungeons they haven''t seen yet and envisioning strategies in their imagination.

    For those of us who were born in the human country, the demon kingdom is a foreign land that we cannot enter.

    It''s a frontier with countless dungeons that we''ve never seen before, and for those of us who are tired of existing dungeons, this is good news.

    This is good news for those of us who have had enough of existing dungeons. "We are adventurers who are tired of challenging the unknown, and that''s good news for those of us who are bored of existing dungeons. Dungeons that have been explored are junk!

    Don''t say that in front of Alexander.

    He''s such a guy, so it''s really helpful that he''s mostly hiding out in the mountains and fields.

    ''Once the dungeons in the Demon Kingdom are released, it''s truly a new era of adventurers!¡¡It was a human nation that didn''t even deserve to exist, but you finally made it useful by destroying it!

    Why do you go around making enemies for these people?

    You sound like a comedian on a roll.

    Katou-kun''s incomprehensible but oddly satisfying comment.

    ''More importantly, when will you actually be released?¡¡I can''t wait to dive into the dungeons of the Demon Kingdom, too!

    If you''re an adventurer, it would be impossible to not be excited.

    If I''m one of the adventurers, I can''t stop being excited after hearing this information.

    But.

    "There are some things we need to deal with before our hopes come true.

    What the hell?

    I told them in turn what the guild master had told me.

    The Dungeon of the Demon Kingdom is controlled by the Demon King''s Army. Of course, opening up the Demon King''s dungeons to adventurers is also done by the Demon King''s Army.

    However, some of them have an antipathy towards it, ''''What kind of adventurers are they going to do! I''m in the mood for this.

    In order to push it aside and open up the Demon Kingdom Dungeon to the public, I want to verify the adventurers'' abilities.

    ........and the top brass of the Demon King''s Army said.

    ''''The Adventurer''s Guild has accepted the game as the other side''s wish.

    Competition?

    It''s a dungeon conquest competition. They compete to see who can enter the same dungeon and achieve the most success in their quest. If we win, we''ll be allowed to explore the dungeon.

    I know that even as the Demon King''s Army, face and pride are in the way.

    They are the winners of the war.

    I''m not going to be the only one who has been defeated by a civilian group.

    The truth is, you probably don''t want to admit that you are inadequate, but your decision to do so, even after the battle, is one that you should admire.

    I''m sure the incompetent demons want to add to their shame. They want a decisive defeat when they can just hand it over to us adventurers.

    You really don''t talk in the field, do you?

    The Adventurer''s Guild has decided to accept our offer and bring the best forces we have to the table.

    That means we are the S-class adventurers.

    We will team up with the representatives of the Demon King''s Army to conquer the dungeon. Of course we''ll win. To get the right to explore the dungeons in the Demon Kingdom!

    Of course. Every dungeon in this world is meant to be conquered by us adventurers. Let the incompetents in the Demon King''s army know that you are no more. You are no longer of use to us!

    Golden Bat, shut up!

    Does the Demon King''s army know that as the victors of the war, they can also treat us as slaves?

    "Dungeon of the Devil''s Land is fun!¡¡I want to go too!

    ''I never thought I''d have to fight with the Demon King''s army after being an adventurer!¡¡I''ll be happy to do the same!

    I''ll be fine.

    The other S-classes also announced their participation.

    It''s extraordinary to have the bait called "utility" hanging in the air.

    I understand. Normally, we play a lot of games, but on the day of the event, we will unite to win. For the future of our race and our adventurers.

    ''Hai Hai Hai!¡¡Question meow!

    We wanted to get together here and say ''Aye aye aye'', but

    I''m sure these guys only go for their own personal desires.

    ........what is it, Black Cat?

    Where do you want to play?¡¡What dungeon do you want to use?

    It''s still a top-notch adventurer who heads there first to question it.

    Well, you should do what you can now if you want to win. If you know which dungeons you''re going to dive into beforehand, you can check the tendencies and take countermeasures.

    You guys are really quick to go at each other.

    It''s a dungeon exploration competition.

    It''s true that researching dungeons beforehand is the basic requirement for adventurers.

    Those who fail to do so are considered to be failures of the adventurer.

    But isn''t this difficult when you think about it?

    Pinkton''s opinion.

    ''You''re right, you''re right, prior information about a dungeon can make or break an attack. If it''s a game of attack, it''s also a winner. But doesn''t this always give you a disadvantageous advantage depending on which country''s dungeon you play in?

    ''''Well, if we do it in the dungeons of the Demon Kingdom, it will be to the advantage of the Demon King''s army. If we do it in the dungeons of human country, it will be to the advantage of us adventurers.

    It''s a home for each of us.

    In the interest of fairness, this is a very difficult issue, but they have already seen a resolution to that point.

    Just before I came here, I received word from an extraordinary person.

    ''''You should do it in the dungeon in the Devil''s Land. ''''You should do it in a dungeon in the Devil''s Land,'''' he said. Let''s show the amateurs in the Demon King''s army just how great professionals are.

    I''ll let the Golden Bat''s nonsense sink in........

    ''''No problem, for the dungeons used for the game. An unexplored dungeon that no one has ever entered before will be used.

    What? What? What is it? What?

    All at once.

    That''s the adventurer.

    What did you say, Silver Wolf?¡¡An unexplored dungeon?¡¡Is there such a thing on this earth?

    He has. It''s hard for me to believe it either, but the man who brought the information to me is the one who transcends all common sense.

    So I''m not going to stop believing.

    ''Where are you!¡¡Where''s the dungeon?!¡¡unexplored!¡¡Unknown!¡¡A dungeon that no one has ever entered before!¡¡I want to know!

    What else is out there but dungeons that I can find?¡¡Don''t be so silly!¡¡All the dungeons in this world yet to be discovered!¡¡You shall not be found until I find you!

    Truly undiscovered dungeons are an adventurer''s best friend.

    It really does upset the adventurous spirit, doesn''t it?

    However, in order to make the game fairer, it is forbidden to investigate in advance.

    You''ll have to be patient until the day of the competition.

    As for me...

    When I heard that I could conquer a dungeon I''d never seen before....

    I can''t contain my rising heart!

    I don''t think I''ll be able to sleep until competition day!

 527-525 Hosted dungeon competition

    This day has finally come!

    ...and I''m in a state of excitement.

    It''s me.

    This is an isolated island where the dragon emperor, Gaiser Dragon, lives.

    Until just a few days ago, this island was nothing but dry land. It was a bare, earthy flatland without a single blade of grass that looked like it had been leveled, but oh my God...!

    This is a great house...?

    A house is a castle.

    It''s a huge towering castle!

    This is the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle where the new Geyser Dragon, Mr. Ardhegg, lives and works!

    The Great Temple of the Emperor!

    ''''The Dragon Emperor''s Castle that I........was supposed to have worked so hard to build!

    The would-be master, Mr. Ardheg, the Geyser Dragon, stood dumbfounded in front of the giant gate.

    Currently, a human version.

    ''''The Dragon Emperor''s Castle, which was supposed to be built as a sign of the cultivation, image training, and growth to build this...?

    It has been built by others.

    Sorry about that?

    So it just happened...?

    No, you did a great job this time!

    It''s been a long time since we''ve built from the ground up.

    ''''It''s only natural that the emperor''s dragon castle should have the taste of a queen!

    Veerle, Alexander-san, and Bloody Mary-san''s people who were rattling around with satisfied expressions on their faces.

    These guys were the ruffians who pushed for the building of the castle without the castle owner.

    ''''It''s all Ardheg''s fault for goofing around!¡¡Dragons are always quick to decide!¡¡It is not right for the mightiest creature on earth to be dwelling on anything!

    Yes!¡¡Especially since you are the reigning supreme ruler of the dragon, you shouldn''t be disobedient!

    Mr. Ardhegg eats a mysterious sermon.

    He''s a dragon.

    Well, now that I think about it, I guess that''s true. This time, I''ll take it as a sign of retribution for my indecision. Well, I guess I''m the Dragon King, and I must always make snap decisions!

    That''s the spirit!¡¡That''s my husband!

    .........Isn''t Bloody Mary, she''s more aggressive than the last time we met?

    She''s the one who makes quick decisions, or perhaps her quick decisions are remarkable.

    ''''It seems that the human beings that we saved at Marie''s parents'' house the other day were able to tell us a lot of things.

    Mr. Seidl said.

    ''What?

    Ningens are only good at breeding and reproducing. You should take that advantage and make your dragons more and more like the ultimate creatures.

    and Al Gaul, the previous Geyser Dragon.

    What?

    ''We''re ready to go anyway!¡¡All we have to do now is to lure the niggers to this place and beat them to a pulp!¡¡That''s when the ningen will remember that they are the creatures who are in control!

    A dungeon-competition game that is set in motion in earnest with the enthusiasm of the unfamiliar Veerle.

    Yeah, that''s how it started out.

    The demon race and the human race would each send a representative to compete with each other in dungeon conquest.

    The winner would be in charge of managing the dungeons of the entire world.

    This is a critical battle that will determine the color of the new era.

    The winner will be the Demon King''s Army.

    Or are they human adventurers?

    There is nothing bigger and more magnificent than Mr. Ardheg''s castle, the new Geyser Dragon, as the stage for the game.

    ''''Well ... use it as you wish.

    I felt sorry for Ardheg''s deflated reply.

    Thus, all the intentions were gathered and the day of the battle that came.......?

    * * * *

    The New Long Emperor''s Castle, the venue for the event, was filled with more crowds than expected.

    ''''It''s a festival ah!

    Crowded people, people, people!

    How many hundreds of people are there?¡¡Thousands of people?

    Why are there so many people here?¡¡Everyone?¡¡Isn''t it obvious?

    "Oh, Mister Saint!¡¡Well done!

    Alexander spots me perceptibly in the crowd.

    He comes over to me.

    "Mr. Alexi?¡¡What''s all this fuss about?

    It''s a game, but it''s a lonely one. It''s a very important decision, and I thought it would be best to have a lot of witnesses to the outcome, so I''ve brought in some spectators.

    A spectator?

    Isn''t that really just an entertainment?

    We asked for volunteers from both human and demon kingdoms, and now we have thousands. We had to rush to get seats for the show.

    I knew there were a thousand of them!

    Well, she''s a piece of trash!

    It''s a wonder they got together on such an isolated island. How did you get here?

    With transference magic, of course.

    How convenient is that magic?

    You''re very fortunate to have the residents of the saint''s home cooperating fully. After all, the saint''s office is the only place that has that many transferable magic users in one place.

    And our children have been playing an important role without knowing it!

    It''s true that our farm is the only one that uses transference magic, which is strictly regulated for the reason that ''it would be a disaster if it were to be abused,'' as if it were a replacement for a bicycle...?

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. I am truly grateful for the cooperation of the Saint''s Hall.

    "I knew they were in on it!

    They are always coming to big events and building things, like the farm Orcs, the building maniacs!

    I''ve been to Castle Oakborough and the Farm Fair, and I''m living it up!

    If you look closely, you''ll see that the stalls are all over the place, contributing to the festivities, but aren''t they run by goblins from our farm?

    Natto - Natto, natto, don''t you want natto?

    "Event production is almost a monopoly at my house...?

    We passed Holkosfone, who was peddling Natto (fermented soybeans) in a box that looked like a standing station lunch box.......?

    As a dungeon owner myself, I''m sure you''ll find that the event is a success. As a dungeon operator myself, I admire the quality of the Saint''s Hall.

    This is almost half of what''s going on without my knowledge, right?

    I have to admire that.

    I admire my fellow revelers.

    "Come, come with me, Mister Saint. Here''s the grandstand!

    Mr. Alexander brought me to this place, which has been made to be another opulent...........?

    What kind of place?

    Originally it was in front of the main gate of the new Dragon Emperor''s City, but they set up a grandstand there as the main venue for the games. The crowd is full, it''s filled with excitement...!

    This is Mr. Alexander''s exuberant tone.

    It''s just like my own event.

    It''s true that the spectator seats surrounding the three sides of the gigantic gate were large enough to hold thousands of people, as they were surrounded by the gigantic city walls and faced the gigantic gates to look up.

    The human race and the demon race crowded there.

    Perhaps they had packed in to support each other''s representatives?

    ''''Silver Wolf-sama!¡¡Good luck!

    "Lady Aeshma, Lady Leviatha!¡¡Victory to the demon race again!

    It''s already a big party.

    ''''Hm?¡¡What about that seat over there...?

    One section of the room is inadequately filled with excitement.

    The people sitting side by side there do not speak a single word with an unconcerned expression.

    They are not the demon race or the human race as they look and feel, but that feeling...?

    ...a dragon that has been transformed into a human?

    That''s right. That''s how good you are, Your Holiness.

    Really.

    Do you think it''s because of the viel and the familiarity of seeing it that you can notice the difference?

    Those are the Grinz and Grinzel dragons that live all over the place. They''ve come to celebrate the completion of the new imperial dragon residence.

    ''''Ho........?

    Although his presence here is a gesture of surrender to the new imperial dragon''s new ruling system, it''s really a visit to see Ardheg''s skills. I can''t help but notice that your face is filled with the scent of disobedience.

    Hmph, Alexander-san let out a bad laugh.

    It''s true that Mr. Ardheg is now the greatest dragon (aside from his ability), and it''s the duty of the pampies to come over just to ask for your good mood when such a dragon builds a new house.......

    Hmm?

    What are they whispering about?

    ''''........This is the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle......?''''

    Did you know that the new Geyser Dragon, Ardheg, didn''t build this by himself, but had other dragons build it for him?

    Instead of doing it yourself, you rely on others to do it for you, how pathetic is that?

    But it''s for this that I put your sister Bloody Mary, your sister Veerle and your brother Alexander to work for you?

    ''''What''s that about?¡¡Aren''t they all the top contenders for the Geyser Dragon in the past?

    And you put these men to work?¡¡Are they beholden to Ardhegg and his ilk?

    Are they that powerful?¡¡This is an instantaneous rebellion to the Lesser Dragon...?

    If that happens, the unveiling of Mr. Ardhaeg''s new home will be a great success, I guess.

    The event is moving forward into the main event, creating a variety of effects.

 528-526 Admission to fighters

    In front of the main gate of the New Longjian City.

    With so many spectators in attendance, this place really can only be considered an event venue now.

    What fun things are coming up?

    Fun?

    All of you!¡¡You have come to my castle!

    A theatrical voice came from the upper rim of the castle gate.

    There is a man behaving majestically and a beautiful woman standing close to him.

    ''I am Ardheg!¡¡This new Lord of the Dragon Emperor''s Castle and King of All Dragons!

    As he speaks, he transforms himself into a dragon, changing his own form into that of a real dragon.

    The effect was powerful and overwhelmed the audience.

    It was another great effect.

    You should be proud!¡¡I''ll have the honor of being present for the housewarming of my castle!¡¡Good luck witnessing the splendor of my castle!¡¡And today is a great day, er...?!''

    Mr. Ardhegg''s vocabularies of intimidating sentences are already nearly depleted.

    The rags are out.

    ''''I knew that guy wasn''t very good at using a high-handed tone, huh?

    You shouldn''t have made me do it.

    Who the hell tried to get me to say hello to Mr. Ardhegg in a direction I''m not comfortable with?

    That would be Veerle!

    I look up at poor Mr. Ardhaeg, who is no longer moping around alongside Mr. Alexander.

    ''What are you doing already!¡¡You''re pathetic!''

    The one who helped out was another giant dragon with jet-black wings spread out.

    It was the beautiful woman who had cuddled up next to Ardhegg a moment ago and had been transformed.

    ''''Good thing!¡¡You are too afraid to listen to the words of the great Geyser Dragon, you lowlife!¡¡It''s me instead!¡¡The most loyal dragon that accompanies Ardhaeg, the most loyal dragon of all, Queen Dragon Gwyndragon, this Bloody Mary declares!

    The jet-black dragon says it with even more pressure than Mr. Ardhegg.

    ''''First of all, I will kill all those who oppose my husband Ardh?gg-sama!

    He threw it out of the blue.

    "My husband is the ruler of the world!¡¡The pinnacle of the most powerful race!¡¡Not a single person should be allowed to stand against us!¡¡And we don''t need a champion''s hand to kill a rebel!¡¡"Be mindful that the enemy of my husband is my wife''s enemy!

    "Um... Marie, could you be a little more friendly...?

    "Therefore, I have prepared this playground to show my husband''s power!¡¡See firsthand the size and horror of the New Dragon Emperor''s Castle, ruled by my husband, and realize the horror of its Lord Ardhaeg!¡¡That''s the whole point of today''s entertainment!

    You can''t be more welcoming!

    Seeing Mr. Ardhegg frowning at Bloody Mary, who was running wild with cancer, everyone in the audience thought, ''That''s the kind of relationship they have.

    ''His wife''s love is out of control...''

    I know, I know. It''s easy to get carried away when you''re newlyweds, isn''t it?

    "On the matter of the Dragon Queen''s love for the Dragon Queen.

    The Dragon King must be having a hard time...

    The liking for the emperor dragon from all races increased a bit.

    ''''So.........so that''s why!¡¡Let''s all have a great time today!¡¡And now, let''s meet today''s stars!

    Mr. Ardhegg was out of breath.

    In line with his declaration, several people entered the stage-like area on the ground one after another.

    ''''They are the fierce men of each race who have come forward to capture my Dragon Emperor''s Castle!¡¡Greet me with a round of applause!''

    "You don''t know your place!¡¡You will all fall prey to our love nest!

    Then the players (?) appeared. We found out that we were divided into two main camps, the human race and the demon race.

    One was the human race and one was the demon race.

    Each of them had a familiar face that I recognized.

    In the camp of the human race, there was one face that matched my memory.

    It was Silver Wolf.

    As an S-class adventurer, he is also a beastman, which is why his face is that of a wolf, and once you see him, you''ll never forget it.

    Moreover, there was also a wide variety of faces around him.

    A woman with cat ears, a fat woman with a smashed nose that looks like a pig, a cloaked man who stretches out his ears in a scary way, and an ordinary person.

    In contrast, the demon side is full of familiar faces like Aeshma and Leviasa, and even Belfegamilia-san.

    There''s one face I''ve never seen before, but........

    ''''I mean........those participants on the demon side.......?

    "You are my pride and joy, the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army.

    He spoke to me from behind and I was like, ''Whoa! ''

    It was the Demon King.

    "The Demon King was here to watch the game too?

    Since this is such a big event, I should be there to liven it up. It''s a good thing that you''re a part of this event, because you owe a debt of gratitude to Saints and Ardhaegh for their efforts in organizing it.

    I didn''t even know it was happening, but the story was so much bigger than I knew?

    More importantly, I can''t believe that the four Heavenly Kings are directly among the participants in the game.

    They''re the ones at the top of the Demon King''s army, right?

    The fact that people like that are coming out of the woodwork means they''re giving it their all, right?

    ''''This match is a necessary measure to reform the Demon King''s army. We have to find out if they are worthy of being entrusted with our work in place of us. We must have the adventurers demonstrate their abilities. That''s why we have to do our best, or else it would be unreasonable for us to do what we proposed.

    He was still a serious demon king.

    In contrast, the human race side........

    ''''The participants are all S-class adventurers.

    It was Mr. Alexander who explained it to me.

    And for some reason, he was proud of it.

    ''''These are the best handlers the Adventurer''s Guild has to offer. Golden Bat, Silver Wolf, Black Cat, Brown Katou, and Pinktonton. All of them are first-class adventurers with their specialties. Even if they are the Four Heavenly Kings, the strongest of the Demon Race, they are not easy opponents to beat, are they?

    I''ve heard. I''ve heard that their fame is even greater than that of this demon king in his own country. In fact, I''d like to acknowledge their respect for giving us their best effort.

    But why is Alecki-san pretending to represent the human side?

    I''m sure there are more out there.

    Guildmaster of the Adventurer''s Guild?¡¡Like?

    "Greetings, brave men!¡¡You are the first guests and intruders of my New Dragon Emperor City!''''

    "I''ll crush you all!

    Ardhegg in his dragon form again proceeds to put on a theatrical performance.

    It''s a festival.

    Let''s have fun together.

    You''re not going to be able to get away with it.¡¡Into the deepest part of the castle where I, the lord of the castle, am waiting!

    Of course I''m waiting for you!

    The castle is a labyrinth of many paths. You may take the path of your choice and follow it to my side!¡¡There''s a right way and a wrong way!¡¡Whoever has the ability to determine which is right and move forward is going to be the winner!

    In the end, I will destroy them all!

    .....

    Bloody Mary''s love is noise...?

    If you want to play for supremacy, whoever gets to the bottom of the deepest chamber first will win?¡¡........but the castle is full of traps we''ve prepared to welcome you. Will you be able to reach it?''

    Mr. Ardhegg has a challenging way of speaking.

    No, the net result is that that dungeon, thanks to the modifications made by Veerle, Alexander and Bloody Mary, has turned into a rather vicious dungeon.

    It''s supposed to be dotted with nefarious traps.

    "We had to help you from the middle.

    "I gave you a hand with the cat!

    The No-Life King''s teacher and the doctor?

    Even you two took part in this?

    Isn''t it obvious that they''re getting worse and worse?

    Thanks to that, we''ll be able to observe the festival today. I''ve grown to love this festival since I started my relationship with the saint.

    "Festivals and Cats Are the Flowers of Another World!

    I don''t mind that you''re enjoying yourself, professor, but...?

    "What?¡¡Even the No-Life King?

    The new Geyser Dragon not only controls his own kind, but also the Immortal King?

    ''''Such power?¡¡Maybe it''s reckless to resist the new emperor after all...?

    The dragons at the guest table are freaking out on their own.

    It''s a good thing that this festival will help Ardhegg gain control over them.

    ''''Well, now the explanation and declaration is over!¡¡Now all that''s left to do is start the fight!¡¡Now open the gates!¡¡You may ride into my dungeon!

    With Ardheg''s declaration, the game begins.

    A fierce competition between the Demon King''s army and the top adventurers is about to begin...!

    I thought...?

    "Wait a minute!

    And then someone barged in.

    You can''t overlook the fact that the demon race and the human race are the only ones who can enjoy such a fun event. They won''t let us be left out!

    That voice is ..., Platy.

    It''s time for the mermaids to join the festivities. I''ll prove to you that we are the best of humanity by kicking out the Six Witches, the Four Heavenly Kings and the S-class adventurers!

 529-527 Rapid Attack, Third Force

    Platy?

    My wife just burst into the hall!

    And she''s not the only one. From behind her, Puffa, Lamprey, Gala Rufa, Zos Saira...

    Who are those men...?

    ''''Crazy Six Demonesses!

    The greatest potion user in the mermaid race.

    It''s the best way to go about it.

    I''m not sure I''ve ever seen such a thing before, but I''m sure I''ve seen it before.

    My wife, Prati, is one of them.

    They are the Four Heavenly Kings of the demon race, the S-Class adventurers of the human race, and among the mermaids, we are the Six Witches.

    Prathi says fearlessly.

    The spectators watching them are puzzled.

    In short, we''re going to participate in this competition to determine the best team of humanity in an emergency. People on land who don''t know much about mermaids can learn how great we are!

    Hey, hey!

    As expected of my wife, I can''t be adventurous, so I run down from the guest''s seat and head for the venue.

    I run down to Prathi''s room.

    "What are you doing, Prathi?¡¡No, you don''t want to jostle your schedule, do you?

    ''It''s fine!¡¡I''ve already submitted an application to the organizers for us to break in!

    It was trouble that was factored into the schedule!

    What a sense of professionalism.

    ''I thought to myself as I witnessed this event!¡¡The world is going to open up more and more, and the mermaids need to get on board with that trend!¡¡The mermaid race has been holed up in the ocean, but now they must take the initiative to get on land and socialize with other species!¡¡This time it''s part of it!

    Assuming what you say is correct.........

    .........isn''t it too abrupt?

    ''''So I hastily gathered my comrades, the Six Witches, and joined the battle!¡¡Let''s show them that with the combined strength of these kids, we can crush those land people with a touch of armor sleeve!

    You''re here to show your friendship...?

    "So I''m going to be one of the witches, and I''m going to do my best to give her the victory, so please take care of Junior, sir.

    Oh, oh.........?

    I''m in charge of Junior, who was being held up to this point.

    It''s a good idea to get in on the game between the Demon King''s army and the adventurers.

    Won''t this just turn into a celebration?

    Uh, do you have a minute?

    The person who interrupted me there was from the camp that was brought to me by Prati.

    It was Zos Saira, the ''Witch of the Abyss''.

    ''''It''s been a long time, it''s been a while since Puffa''s wedding, hasn''t it?

    ''I''m just wondering what you''re up to now that you''ve come up with this policy...?¡¡Festivities are fine, but this is just a rift between humans and demons, isn''t it?¡¡Don''t the mermaids go out of their way to stick their necks in and just complicate the story?

    What, you''re a witch, spouting your common sense opinions?¡¡Did you become a vizier and protect your life?

    "Who''s gonna protect me?¡¡I''ll be on offense for life!¡¡You all have to take a common sense shot at this, thanks to you all putting a strawberry on the chancellor''s throne!

    They''re having a good fight...?

    I mean, what do you say now?¡¡Prime Minister?¡¡Who?

    You know, I''m busy enough to be forced to be the prime minister.¡¡I have a schedule that''s split second by second every day. If I was forced to participate in this kind of fun event, I''d be seriously crushed to death by my schedule.

    ''Idiot!¡¡This isn''t a game!¡¡It''s a war for the mens rea of the race!

    Plati''s rhetoric knows no bounds.

    ''''When the times change and the three major races will be able to come and go, we mermaids can''t be licked by the other races, can we? "Your tail stinks like dog shit! What if they say, "I don''t know!

    I don''t think so, a**h*le!

    ''To make sure that doesn''t happen, here''s where Attah and the rest of the mermaid race will show their strength and not get licked!¡¡When the mermaids are fighting for supremacy in the battlefield, if we mermaids kick everything to the curb, everyone will stare at us for fear of mermaids!

    "Isn''t that a bad thing, rather!

    Prathi and Zos Saira are in a heated argument.

    The crowd around them are like, ''What the hell? I was just dumbfounded and confused....

    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you, as the mermaid prime minister, are not going to be so weak-minded.¡¡Mermaids, as a noble and robust race, will be the first to venture onto land. We are the six witches, the best potion users of our race, and we will be the first to do so!

    Couldn''t we find a more peaceful solution?

    No!¡¡History is a constant battle!¡¡I''m sure the other witches would like to see their path colored with the blood of another race, wouldn''t they?¡¡Hey!?

    How do the other witch members respond to the horrible confirmation from Prathi?

    In case you''re wondering, the members of the Six Witches who have appeared up to this point with her........

    ''Frozen Cold Witch'' Puffa.

    Lamprey the Fiery Witch.

    The ''Plague Witch'' Gala Rufa, the ''Plague Witch''.

    All of them had profound expressions that were unreadable.

    If you think about it, it''s been a long time since we''ve had this many people here.

    Puffa and Lamp-Eye, because they used to live on a farm but went back to the mermaid country when they got married.

    Seeing their cheerful faces was a blessing for now, but........

    ''....Sorry Prathi, Atay, I''m not going to be there this time.

    Then, first of all, Pfafa withdraws from the tournament.

    What''s the matter with you, sister-in-law?¡¡Don''t tell me you''re the one who stuck by the queen to protect your life?¡¡I thought you wouldn''t stop at the end, and now I''m disappointed in you!

    What''s wrong with protecting your life?¡¡Besides, it''s not your body alone that needs protecting now. That''s why I can''t take part in the rough stuff.

    What?

    Because I''m pregnant and I''m...

    "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    Mermaid Queen Puffa was unexpectedly pregnant.

    Puffa, who was married to Arowana the other day and was given the throne by her predecessor, became the mermaid queen.

    Her pregnancy means that her husband is Arowana, and her child is the successor.

    Congratulations!

    Good job, Pfa.¡¡You did your first duty as queen!

    Congratulations!¡¡Congratulations!

    I''ll take the initiative in applauding.

    ''Oh, congratulations!¡¡I bless you, Lord Arowana!

    I can''t abide.

    Before I knew it, even Mr. Arowana, the Mermaid King, was seated at the table of honor and congratulated by everyone!

    ''''Congratulations!''''

    Congratulations.

    Long live the Prince!

    Then we''ll drink to the beautiful princess.

    Not only his relatives, but also the audience who were there applauded his congratulations, regardless of who was present.

    That would be so because it would be a celebration for anyone to see at any time, the birth of a new life!

    ''Congratulations on your pregnancy!¡¡Say it quickly, oh!

    Prathi, being a mother herself, also praised Puffa''s pregnancy.

    We can''t let them compete with each other then!¡¡I don''t know what kind of negative effects overexertion at this time of year can have on a baby!¡¡What are you trying to fight at such an important time, a**h*le?

    You brought me here without even telling me what you wanted!

    It was still a forced progression for Prathi.

    Since I couldn''t let her fight during the unstable early stages of her pregnancy, Puffa naturally declined to participate in the tournament and moved to the guest of honor''s table where her husband, Arowana, was waiting for her.

    She said, "Puffa didn''t participate in the fight because of the unexpected congratulations, but we are still in good shape. After all, we are the Six Witches. We have more than the Four Heavenly Kings in absolute numbers!

    Even so, former Queen Sheila, the "dark witch" who wants to hide her identity, didn''t participate from the beginning, so there are only four of us left after all.

    Um, Prati-sama........

    What?¡¡Lamp eye?

    As Prathi is trying to regain her composure, Lamprey, the Hellfire Witch, says, "I''m pregnant too.

    "I''m pregnant too.

    Come to think of it, Lamp-Eye also got married at the same time and went back to the mermaid country.

    There''s no problem at all if you''re pregnant at the same time!

    ''''Therefore, may I have a look around this time?¡¡I wouldn''t be able to face my husband, Mr. Hendler, if anything happened to the child in my belly.

    "...Congratulations!¡¡Take care of yourself!

    Another ''Congratulations!'' from all directions in the hall. "Congratulations! "Take care of your health! and thunderous applause.

    It''s a kind world, isn''t it?

    That''s okay!¡¡We''re still down to three and we''re witches.¡¡We can win and show the world that there are mermaids!

    Shall we give up and go home?¡¡Even if there are three of us left, this isn''t really designed for battle, is it?¡¡It''s really just you and Wallach, isn''t it?

    Zos Saira is getting more and more trapped and heavy.

    They are trapped in a corner and are struggling to keep things under control without a fight.

    And then the third witch, Gala Rufa, the "plague witch" is caught between the two....

    ''It''s okay!¡¡I may be powerless, but I will do my best not to drag you all down!

    ''''What are you going to do with your positive attitude?

    Thus, in spite of Zos Saira''s resistance, it was decided that the Mermaid Race''s representative, the Crazy Six Demonesses (three of whom actually participated) would join the tournament.

    In other words, this is.....

    The Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army of the Demon Race.

    An S-class adventurer of the human race.

    The Crazy Six Demonesses of the Mermaid Race.

    A three-way battle between big names from each of the three major races!

    There''s no doubt that the excitement of the festival had increased.

 530-528 Human bullet collision

    I''m Silver Wolf, an S-class adventurer.

    I''m in front of an undiscovered dungeon that will be the stage for the battle against the Demon King''s Army.

    Now, you''re going to compete with the representatives of the demon tribe in a face-to-face competition.

    I would say....

    But everyone is more interested in getting into a new dungeon.

    "New dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon, new dungeon...!

    "Let them capture it, let them capture it, let them capture it...!¡¡Don''t you care about the front door or anything else...?

    My other S-class adventurers were also frustrated, wanting to get into the dungeon as soon as possible.

    It''s inevitable, this is the habit of those who have become genuine adventurers.

    They prioritize advancing to the dungeon above all else.

    They are fascinated and possessed by dungeons.

    So the opening speeches are over and we''re finally in the dungeon!¡¡But just when I thought it was going to happen, it was interrupted by the contrast of the mermaids, and I became more and more frustrated.

    Congratulations on your pregnancy, as usual........

    Congratulations, so let me get into the dungeon sooner rather than later!¡¡It''s like.

    This is a castle-type dungeon........a dungeon that doesn''t fit into any existing dungeon type, a dungeon that resembles a castle......?

    It''s said to be a relative of the ruins dungeon, but it doesn''t look rundown at all, and it''s beautiful. I can''t wait to see what''s inside.

    This is what happens when you become an adventurer among adventurers, an S-class adventurer.

    It''s a kind of occupational disease.

    ''Hmm, you have to deal with not only the demon race but also the mermaid race?¡¡What should we do?

    "You''re cool, Katou-kun...?

    Even though he''s also an adventurer, the otherworldly Brown Katou-kun is calm.

    It''s not a problem when there''s more competition. I can see that the other side, just like the Demon King''s Army, isn''t really interested in exploring dungeons.

    When it comes to the real work of exploring dungeons, we adventurers are the only ones!

    You can fight on your own.

    We just need to do what we always do. That''s how you can''t be defeated.

    ''That''s what I''m talking about, Silverwolf. You have the air of a veteran.

    It''s nice to have a Katou-kun in my group who can say flattery like that.

    After all, when it comes to S-class adventurers, they''re all basically freaks.

    If the cause of our defeat is to be born from within us, it''s because these overpowered selves will disrupt our coordination.

    ''''Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick...?

    Start, start, start, start, start, start, start...!

    Especially Black Cat and Golden Bat.

    These two are even more unaware of ''holding on'' and ''taking a step back''.

    It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for.

    "I''m sorry, Katou-kun........!

    ''''I''m not comfortable with you apologizing first...?

    Another one.

    The S-class adventurer Pinktonton is also recognized as a relatively well-spoken person in this group.

    Since she is the newest member of the group and also puts up her seniors, she is an S-class who is easy to get along with as long as she can identify a few areas that should not be touched.

    If you manage to draw her in and take the reins of the problematic children in a three-person team, your chances of victory will increase dramatically.

    ''''.........so I''m counting on you, Pinktonton.

    I approached a junior colleague who was supposed to be reliable....

    ''''I don''t want to.''''

    "What the hell?

    She refused to let you in!

    I thought you were my reliable companion!

    Excuse me, Silverwolf.... I don''t think I''ll be able to participate in the main tournament. I''ve found my opponent that I have to settle for.

    ''What?¡¡What do you mean?¡¡What!

    Serious of my peers, who didn''t understand at all.

    Then Pinktonton quickly moved out of our camp....

    "Huh?¡¡Hey, where do you think you''re going?

    You know what''s going on, don''t you?¡¡How about you come out of hiding?¡¡.........Four Heavenly Kings Grashara!

    Pinktonton calls out his name loudly!

    She.........The Four Heavenly Kings on the Demon Race side had an acquaintance?

    But there was no response from the Four Heavenly Kings camp at all?

    Mr. Silverwolf, not that way.

    What?

    Grashara is, as I recall, the retired Four Heavenly Kings, now one of the Demon Queen''s consorts...?

    You''re so knowledgeable, Katou-kun!

    It''s true that at the guest''s table, next to the majestic person who seems to be the Demon King, there''s a woman with an even bigger physique than that!

    That''s the former Four Heavenly Kings, Grashara...?

    The Four Heavenly Kings who lived through the war...!¡¡As the Queen of Demons, you came to inspect with the Demon King, right?

    It''s true that she''s wearing a calm military-style outfit, and she''s holding a child in her arms.

    But the supremacy that emanates from his entire body is not even comparable to the next demon king?

    It''s a long time ago, Thong Thong.......I never thought I''d see the day when I''d see you alive again......

    The words came from Grashara''s side as well.

    What''s more, it''s a fatalistic tone!

    The war between humans and demons is over, and I thought we weren''t going to end up together. I have a new responsibility as the Queen of Demons, and I have no idea where you are. I don''t even know where you are.

    ''But the heavens have brought us around again. Apparently, they want us to settle our game at any cost...!

    Two deadly streams of fire rising up from the sky!

    What the hell is going on?¡¡What''s happening!

    How is this going to play out?

    Now that you mention it, have you ever heard of it?

    Did you know that, Mr. Katou?

    Pinktonton-san is the newest member of the S-class adventurers, but his last job was as a mercenary!¡¡They say he was in a war with the demon race and rampaging on the battlefield!¡¡But the war ended with the destruction of the human kingdom''s royalty, and she lost her job and moved on to become an adventurer...!

    You''re a mercenary before?

    So you''re saying...?

    You fought against the Four Heavenly Kings on the battlefield...?

    They look like they would be in the front lines of battle...?

    It''s true that Grashara''s demon queen has arms and legs as thick as a large tree and is very powerful.

    I''m sure you''ll be mistaken for a man at a distance.

    Even I, an S-class adventurer, was overwhelmed by her power.

    ........I''m amazed that the Demon King got such a powerful woman as his wife.

    As expected of the Demon King...?

    By the way, I heard she''s his second wife.

    That''s the devil king!

    I can honestly respect him as a man!

    Your Majesty, the Demon King, the marinade is in order.

    Oh, wow...?

    The Muscular Demon Queen leaves her childlike infant in the care of the Demon King and jumps down from the dignitary''s seat.

    When she lands, it shakes with a thud.

    The ground?

    I thought my days as a soldier were over when I became the Queen of Demons and retired from the front lines. But my only regret is that I didn''t end up with you.

    We have fought many times... On various battlefields. Even after the war ended and I changed my profession to adventurer because I couldn''t make a living as a mercenary, I never forgot to settle things with you.......!

    No, come to think of it, Pinktonton too has a huge frame that is no less than that Mr. Grashara.

    Big and thick.

    If a woman with a body that big came head to head with such a huge body.......?

    Right here...!

    The one thing we couldn''t do on the battlefield was...

    I''ll fix it!

    Whoa!

    They collided?

    The mere collision of the unladylike thickness and weight of the massive body sends a kind of shock wave spreading far and wide around it!

    ''''Now it''s beginning!¡¡The battle of the century between Pinktonton and Demon Queen Grashara!¡¡Both sides, rivals who have lived and fought on the battlefield many times in the past!¡¡A dream card that looked like it would be retired and no longer active!¡¡Dream fight!¡¡I have to pay attention!

    Katto-kun?

    What''s with the special tone of voice?

    What the hell?¡¡The Grashara''s coming at you out of nowhere!¡¡There''s a tackle!¡¡Tackle''s here!¡¡But Pinktonton, hold on!¡¡That''s a lot of tenacity, ahhhhhhhh!¡¡Lift it up!¡¡Lift it up!¡¡Knock it off!¡¡Powerbomb, aaaaahhhh!

    Hey, Katou-kun?

    What''s wrong with your tone of voice?¡¡What''s the way you speak, as if you''ve practiced it somewhere else, as if you''re trying to both communicate the situation and make it more exciting?

    ''But Grashala!¡¡Even though she''s become a demon queen, her movements are so sharp you can''t even feel her blanks!¡¡It doesn''t even do powerbomb damage!¡¡Ooh and a dropkick!¡¡He took a dropkick!¡¡That''s a real hit and Pinktonton is pinned down!¡¡He goes at Pinktonton with a diving body attack!¡¡This is dangerous!¡¡As expected of the former Four Heavenly Kings, they are relentless in what they do!

    .........

    Well, as long as they are enjoying themselves, it''s fine.

    The crowd is starting to get excited in a different way.

    Our game began to run in a somewhat unpredictable direction.

 531-529 live coverage

    Now it gets interesting!

    Queen Grashara the Meat Monster vs. Pinkton the runaway boar disguised as a pig farmer.

    It was the match of the century.

    I''ll be reporting live from the show.

    And we have welcomed Demon King Zedan to play-by-play. What do you think?

    How do you like it?¡¡Well, yeah.

    The demon king is not fazed by the sudden appointment to the commentary role, as expected of him.

    Grashara''s beloved daughter, Marine, who was entrusted by Grashara, has been flattening her face.

    ''I think I''ve mentioned somewhere before that Grashara was one of the best martial artists as one of the Four Heavenly Kings before she was welcomed as my queen.

    Yes, sir.

    It was a long time ago.

    He''s a former soldier, so he was even more conscious of taking the lead in the front line. During a battle, he was almost always in the front line. If he goes out, the enemy front line will immediately collapse, but he himself will always come back alive. She''s a woman who has made everyone around her recognize her as the Four Heavenly Kings with her unrivaled destructive power.

    I see.

    "My God!¡¡Hey, marinade, you can''t put your hand in my dad''s mouth!¡¡I''m talking in the middle of a sentence, you might bite me or something!

    And even during the commentary, the demon king is still struggling with his daughter.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of good reasons to go for it.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do that.

    I remembered a memorable story from Grashara''s time in the service. I heard that there was only one fierce man in the enemy''s human army who could stand against her.

    More?

    ''The other party was neither a brave man nor a general, but a nameless mercenary,'' he said. And he was also a beastman. I heard that in some countries beastmen are discriminated against, hence their inability to attain high positions.

    So you had to settle for being a mercenary?

    ''I suppose it is one of the foci of disease in some countries that they are able to fight with Grashara on an equal footing, but they are not given a position worthy of their abilities. It is said that when the two clashed on the battlefield, the earth shook and the heavens cried, and no other soldier could touch them.

    The fight is now unfolding before our eyes.

    The ground is shaking with the impact of the body slamming his opponent.

    A bullhorn rises in the excitement of the battle, and it echoes in the heavens.

    In other words, the Demon King''s commentary is not exaggeration.

    ''''I didn''t know that such an elite had become an adventurer.... Perhaps they ate up as mercenaries at the end of the war and changed professions........ He''s a gem I''d rather recruit into the Demon King''s army.

    A sigh of admiration escaped from the surrounding audience at the demon king''s comment.

    ''''Appointing a soldier from the human side who was an enemy...? ''''That''s right.

    That''s right, our live commentary could be heard by the spectators of both human and demon tribes who had gathered for the dungeon race.

    Ah, well, the fierce battle of the century that had begun in a hurry had completely faded away....

    This battle was a collective battle for the pride of the Four Heavenly Kings and S-class adventurers!

    What was it called, "The human...?¡¡Pink Tonkatsu-san is not going to be able to explore the dungeon at that rate, is he?

    "Do not fry him, saint.

    An accurate tweak from the Demon King.

    Meanwhile, Grashara-san and Pinktonton-san were still blowing each other away with lariats at each other.

    ''''But in terms of numbers, it''s just fine, isn''t it?¡¡And the number of participants was quite uneven to begin with.

    There are four Four Heavenly Kings.

    There were five S-class adventurers.

    And the Six Witches had six, so the Four Heavenly Kings, who had the fewest number of people, were at a disadvantage at this rate.

    However, with Pinktonton''s departure, the number of S-class adventurers became four, and they were evenly matched with the Four Heavenly Kings. The six witches are now three and there are fewer of them, but...!

    ''''I''m going to push away your numerical disadvantage! Prati said bravely.

    If you don''t get started, it won''t be finished by the end of the day, so let''s proceed with Maki.

    The owner of the castle, Ardhegg, is probably already in the back of the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle, so we mustn''t make him wait too long.

    ''''Then I''ll ask the remaining members to rush in. We''re running out of time, so please proceed crisply!''''

    "What the hell are you doing messing around in there?

    Yes, I don''t accept protests.

    There it is, the front gate is open.

    Hurry up and get in there.¡¡Get inside the castle!

    The participants in the competition had an unconcerned look on their faces, but it was still a battle they wanted to fight, so they passed through the gates one by one....

    The gates closed by themselves as if they had confirmed that everyone had entered.

    ''''Now, with a sense of goofiness, the human-devil rivalry, the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle battle - there''s also a polo match - how do you expect it to unfold, Demon King?

    Is this craze still going strong?

    No, you don''t have to continue.

    The flow of events from before drags on, doesn''t it?

    ''''Well, from the standpoint of being the Demon King, I have to support my men. ........But isn''t it the same as winning when Belfegamilia is in my camp?

    Yes.

    Belphegamilia, the slothful demon at the top of the current Four Heavenly Kings, is the strongest human being on earth, and has been dubbed the strongest of all.

    His battle prowess rivals that of the world''s two biggest disasters, and his three thousand heads are unparalleled even among the contestants this time.

    He''s as tyrannical as a Formula 1 car in a Choro Q competition.

    It would be impossible to ask them to lose with this.

    ''''But Belfegamilia has a very serious bottleneck of laziness.

    ''''So that person''s fluctuating motivation completely determines the winner...?

    It''s going to be a boring fight if you put it that way.

    "Oh, by the way, Saints?

    What is it?

    ''The participants have entered the dungeon, what are we supposed to do here?¡¡Do we just wait for the participants to come out?

    Demon King found a good point.

    A large spectator stand was set up in front of the main gate of the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle, and thankfully, it was packed to capacity.

    However, there was no way to peek inside the dungeon from the outside.

    At this rate, the outside spectators would only be able to wait idly for the game inside the dungeon to end.

    Well, even so, there is still a slingshot deathmatch between Grashara-san and Pinktonton-san in front of the main gate, so as long as you are enthusiastic about it, there is absolutely no way you can delay it.

    ''''But don''t worry!¡¡We''ve already devised a way for the audience to enjoy the game with us!

    ''Oh,''

    Once the main gate is closed to welcome intruders, it doesn''t need to be opened again.

    In front of it, a large white board-like object appears.

    It''s not so big.

    It''s a square board with an area so large that you could say it''s like a tennis court.

    "What is that white wall?

    The wall was so huge that even the demon king was surprised.

    But the surprise is yet to come!

    On my signal, the white board immediately changed color....

    It became colorful.

    Or rather, it projected an image!

    What is this?

    A magical device we worked on in a hurry to prepare for this event.¡¡The images transmitted from the castle''s magical cameras will be shown in real time!

    By using this, you can observe how the participants go left and right in the castle!

    What do you think?¡¡What is the most revolutionary thing in this alternate fantasy world?

    During the construction of the New Dragon Emperor''s Castle, I combined my ideas with the magic of Sensei and Veerle to create an over-technology!

    Were you surprised to see me?

    The audience cheered as expected, "Oh, oh, oh, oh! '' they cheered as expected........

    ''''Now, on display are the Four Heavenly Kings, the S-class adventurers, and the platies running through the castle!

    It''s still a bit of a mixed bag just after the start, isn''t it?

    It''s exactly the same as at the start of a marathon.

    You don''t know what the difference will be from here on out, depending on your ability and judgment.

    And the timing of the difference came earlier than expected.

    A fork in the road!

    They are advancing in the dungeon.

    The first time the passage was a straight and straight path, but soon the path was split and they had to rely on their intuition to decide which way to go.

    ''''A crossroads...?''''

    So there were three directions to choose from, excluding the one we had come from.

    Go straight ahead or go left or right.

    Right or left.

    And the three options coincided with the three forces that were challenging the dungeon.

    First, the S-class adventurer team took the right path.

    Next, the Four Heavenly Kings team took the left path as if they were going to confront each other.

    Finally, the Six Witches team led by Prathi entered the middle pathway, just as if they were going their own way.

    This was how the three teams were neatly divided in the dungeon.

    Who will make it to the goal safely?

 532-530 Battle of the New Dragon Castle, Shitenno Hen

    Mamoru, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, is in the middle of his match!

    We''re in the middle of a battle!

    Well, I am the one who asked you to play!

    I figured this was the only way to keep the discontent within the Demon King''s army in check while still letting the good human race adventurers do their job!

    But!

    But, sir!

    I didn''t expect the game to take place in such an outrageous place!

    Since this is all about outsourcing dungeon management, let''s make it a game of dungeon capture.

    I understand.

    To make the odds fair, we''ll play in a dungeon that neither of us has ever entered before.

    I know.

    So we''ll compete in a dungeon ruled by the Dragon Emperor.

    I don''t understand this!

    Dragon emperor?

    Where did you get these contacts from?

    A mere dragon is a mere mortal, a mere mortal who can''t even communicate with humans!

    How is it possible to talk to the top of the dragon and let him use your castle?

    "You worry too much, Mamoru. There are people in this world who can take care of all the troublesome things in a heartbeat.

    Lady Belfegamilia, you''re the one who did this?

    I didn''t do it.

    Bullshit!

    How could anyone else have gone to such lengths to negotiate with a dragon?

    In fact, our team is as good as won just by having him on board!

    That''s how great he is.

    But it''s a pain in the ass. Did you really have to compete?

    Where it began?

    You are a pain in the ass, Belfegamilia!

    As soon as it started, he started to make a mess of the game!

    ''No!¡¡The need for this game was argued a lot at the last meeting!

    "It was mainly Mamoru-kun who insisted on it, wasn''t it?

    Currently, the Demon King''s Army can''t manage all the dungeons in the country on its own.

    In order to improve the situation, they would have to rely on the help of adventurers, the private sector.

    However, for the Demon King''s Army, it would hurt their pride if they had to hand over to others what they had been responsible for.

    Therefore, if they can play a game and win, they will be able to say "We can still do it," and "We''re the ones who are superior.

    And then we can get adventurers to join in.

    Only as an assistant!

    ''''By doing so, the Demon King''s army will be able to keep up its facade as the earthly champion!¡¡It''s the only way!

    It''s a messy process, isn''t it?

    Belfegamilia-sama, stop with your usual habit of saying ''troublesome'' because it''s critical here!

    ''You mustn''t be bothered, Lady Belfe Gamilia!¡¡We must show the human race the might of our demon race!

    That''s what Aeshma, one of the Four Heavenly Kings just like me, insists.

    It''s a serious, but flexible woman.

    ''''The human race, you just need to make them understand their position once again! ''You are the losers and the submissives. That''s what today''s game is all about!¡¡Let''s taste the same humiliation again as when we lost the war to them!

    ..........

    There are several children in the Demon King''s Army who make claims like hers, and it''s a game to comfort them in such a mood.

    ''''But that''s not the only thing Mamoru-san is expecting, is it?

    Finally, the other one, Leviasa-kun, the Fourth Heavenly King, says.

    She''s a quiet woman, but she has an accurate eye for things and is quite hard to underestimate.

    On the one hand, we want to show them what we''re capable of, and on the other hand, we want to show them what they''re capable of. On the other hand, I want to see what they''re capable of.

    Yeah, well, I guess so...?

    It''s a very accurate way of seeing through our intentions...?

    I''ve been told that the adventurers are professionals at managing dungeons for the human race.

    However, as a responsible member of the Demon King''s army, I haven''t had the opportunity to see firsthand how they do their job.

    In order to make a decision, I want to see it firsthand.

    And if I''m going to watch them anyway, I think it would be better to have not just me, but many of the Demon King''s soldiers witness it as well, so that they will have a better understanding of the situation, and will be less resistant to entrusting the job to me...?

    I''ve planned the game after thinking that far into it, right?

    The fact that you''re so preoccupied is really creepy, just like you, Mamoru.

    "Too much is ruined by that last thought!

    But that''s how Leviatha sees through it, and that''s what''s "typical" of her.

    I''m not sure I''ve ever seen such a thing before.

    It''s not a good idea to be a bother, Belphegamilia-sama.

    Aeshma, who is too earnest to cause friction.

    Leviatha-kun, who is capable but unwilling to contribute.

    I''m Mamoru, the Four Heavenly Kings, who works around these three!

    As we talked about these things as we advanced through the dungeon''s corridors...

    "Oh, something came out.

    A door.

    The tightly closed gate doorway is exactly the kind of assertion that says, ''From here on out, it''s a different realm.

    '' "Apparently, it seems that it becomes a full-fledged dungeon from here on out. Intruders are relentlessly exclusionary...?''''

    ''''You know very well, young boy with a lot of sights to see.''''

    "Aaaaahhhhh!

    !

    I noticed there was someone next to you!

    A dead body?

    That''s what I thought, a dried-up person, but he''s moving!

    Long time no-life-king, long time no see.

    Hello, doctor!

    Hello.

    What?

    Except for me, who are the Four Heavenly Kings and why do you say hello to them?

    You all know this immortal?

    I''m the only one who feels alienated?

    "It''s unexpected to see you here. What in the world are you doing here?

    "The area beyond this point was designed by me.

    What?

    What does that mean? This dungeon is the residence of the Dragon Emperor!

    How could the Immortal King design it?

    ''''This dungeon was built so fast that many people helped us. Initially we had to work on it alone, but they wanted to add variety and that''s why they asked us to do it.

    And that''s why you gladly accepted, isn''t it?

    I''m going to stand in front of my section and explain my enthusiasm. And so they waited.

    Seriously, isn''t this dungeon an attraction?

    The dungeon you designed, huh? It must have been really cumbersome to build, right?

    ''''This time I tried to focus on a theme. I''ve tried to solve what I believe to be the biggest problem in this game.

    What a pretty decent thing to say, this No Life King!

    What is the theme of his dungeon?

    I''ll tell you what, it''s a countermeasure against belfegamiliars.

    ''What?¡¡Me?

    As long as your name is on the list of competitors, you will win no matter what. It''s no fun to play if the outcome is already decided. And I''ve taken care of that problem.

    You''re a serious immortal........?

    But it''s hard to get Bellefegamilia-sama to confirm victory for our own camp.

    "Fortunately, I know you well enough to know you. "I''m sorry, but this is a design that thoroughly exploits your weaknesses.

    What? I have a weakness?¡¡Is there such a thing?

    This is the kind of thing Belfe Gamilia-sama who says these things in a stubborn way.

    You have the dignity of a strong man.

    Now that we''ve said that, let''s have a taste of this No-Life King''s exclusive dungeon for Belphegamilia.

    The No-Life King''s teacher brushes aside the door that looms in front of us.

    So from here on out, the teacher has prepared a whole bunch of traps for us!

    As one of his students, I''ll have to accept it...!

    Aeshma and Leviatha-kun are also full of motivation.

    What kind of thing is it?

    Then I tried to open the door and found these words scrawled on it.

    ''Don''t say ''bother'' in this room.''

    * * *

    Belphegamilia-sama, ah, ah!

    Belfegamilia-sama was taken away in the blink of an eye and magically bound ah!

    If you say a taboo word in the area, will they do that to you?

    It''s a good idea to have a good time. It''s not a good idea to say it.¡¡So why do you say it?

    "Oh no, ''I''m sorry.'' ''Well? I didn''t think that saying ''grass is nice'' in succession would be perceived as ''troublesome''.

    Why did you say those three words in a row?

    Under what circumstances do those words appear in succession?

    Especially "the grass is nice, isn''t it?" What do you mean by that?¡¡What does it say about you?

    I''ve fallen for the teacher''s plan and I''m dropping out. I''ll take care of the rest.

    ''''Ahhhhhh!''''

    Thus, Belfegamilia-sama, I was put under a penalty curse for saying a taboo and dared to be knocked out of the room.

    I was the first one to be eliminated from our team.

 533-531 Battle of the New Ryu Teijo? Part 1 of the Six Witches

    Zos Saira, Witch of the Abyss.

    A dungeon conquest competition reluctantly planned by the landed men?¡¡I''m participating in something called the "Mere Old Man".

    At first, when I found this proposal hidden among the proposals submitted to the Prime Minister, I thought about punching him in the face, but in the end he pushed me away and I decided to participate.

    The mermaid prime minister is not so powerful as I thought.

    Is there really any point in participating in this?¡¡Why don''t we just let the land people do their own thing?

    What are you talking about?¡¡The future is going to be global!¡¡We mermaids, like us, need to save the important events, or we''ll be left behind!

    You think it''s such a trendy thing to be driven by...?

    Do you think that was significant enough to bring out the straw that is currently busy f*cking with the Prime Minister?

    ''What are you talking about?¡¡I''m also giving you the benefit of the doubt.¡¡If it were true, I would have asked you for your opinion on how to make the thing.

    ''''That thing...?''''

    When I turned around, there was a creature that looked like it had only one big eye and nothing else in particular.

    A creature with such a ridiculous shape could not be born in nature.

    In other words.....

    "It''s a homunculus, isn''t it?

    That''s right. That''s right. It''s a mechanism that sends what she sees as a telekinetic wave and visualizes the image from a different location. I called it Camera Eye!¡¡What she sees is projected on the screen outside in real time, so the audience can enjoy watching it too!

    Wow, that''s a pretty good system.

    I mean, did you make that?

    Since it''s a homunculus, there should be someone to create it, and since I don''t remember Warawa making it, the only other person I can think of who can do that is the princess in front of me.

    Yes, I really wanted to ask you, the expert, for your opinion as I made it, but I refrained from doing so because I thought you were busy with your vizier''s work. I hope you can understand this thoughtfulness!

    No, before that, the homunculus production magic that I risked my life to master was imitated so easily, and the pride of the strawman, right?

    We tend to forget this guy because of his usual eccentricities, but he was the genius of the mermaids.

    And he wasn''t just a genius in one field like the bracken, he was a genius in all fields.

    I am disgusted with him.

    By the way, the images she''s watching are not only broadcasted to the audience, but also to the mermaid kingdom. The mermaids are also watching our exploits, so we can''t be ashamed to fight.

    "Why would you do that?

    ''''The mermaids are cheering for us in the stands outside, and we can''t just leave the mermaids as the hub!¡¡This event is for all three races!

    I don''t mind enjoying it, but this Prime Minister''s job is...?

    Oh, this is not good.

    I''m worried about my job first and foremost, I''m not the worst outlaw in the world.

    And I''ve got a few things I want to try out myself in this competition. ...Actually, this camera eye homunculus is still incomplete and doesn''t have the ability to transmit audio.

    You mean the video?

    ''That''s why I''m sure your husband is in front of the screen right now, desperately trying to get things going with his play-by-play. It''s also convenient for me. For one reason or another.

    ?

    He''s a creepy guy, laughing like a witch.

    He''s up to something.

    While thinking about this, as I was going along, I arrived at a different area.

    "What is this glittering space?

    The floor is full of black growths.

    What is this?

    A crystal?

    "Black crystal?

    ''Ohohohohohohoh!¡¡How dare you come to the area I''m assigned to?

    There was a guy in a high place with a high-pitched stupid laugh.

    It was an ostentatious woman in a black dress.

    This is the area of the New Dragon Emperor''s Castle where this imperial dragon consort, Bloody Mary, was in charge of setting up. You can fight the Black Crystal Guardians that are infinitely spewed by my dragon magic!

    As soon as the black woman said that, countless black crystals on the ground stood up with a bang.

    And it has transformed into a human form!

    It seems to be a magical life form created by Marie''s dragon magic. Is it halfway between a mineral and a living being?¡¡Like?

    Like a homunculus of straw?

    ''It''s more of an automaton, isn''t it?¡¡But does that one seem far more high-dimensional?

    d*mn it.

    That''s why the dragons and the No-Life Kings are breaking through our limits so easily!

    Do you think they own all the truth in the world?

    Do you think I''m going to be the No-Life King in the future?

    Anyway, they''re just guards to keep out the intruders, and if we don''t do anything, they''ll carry us out of the building.

    ''Huh!¡¡I''ll send a homunculus out to return fire...?

    Don''t do that. Don''t do that. They''re more powerful than us as a unit. It''s not gonna be a fight.

    Aaaaaaahhhh...?

    You''re going to go around saying hurtful things, aren''t you?

    What are you going to do then?¡¡Your magic potions don''t work so well against a dragon!

    Like I said, I have something to try.

    The Plathian a**h*le sneered.

    ''The dragons have created a strong army of magic. They''re good enough for me to experiment with. Just a test of my newly acquired skills!

    So how can you be so sure?

    I don''t know what kind of new magic you''ve mastered, but at any rate, you won''t be able to pull a fast one on a dragon.

    Just watch and learn.

    After saying that, the praty a**h*le slurred........

    .........song?

    How can you be so carefree and sing in this mess...?

    No wait, a song?

    You''re not going to sing that!

    "Hier sitz'' ich, forme Menschen Nach meinem Bilde,....

    Just as I didn''t expect, the surface of the Demonic Guard, made of black crystal, cracked and shattered as I imagined it would!

    Is it the effect of Prati''s "Song"?

    But this one........I have an overwhelmingly clear idea of what it is!

    "Isn''t this the chanting spell?¡¡Isn''t that Sheila''s casting spell?¡¡How do you know how to use it?

    Because I''ve been practicing!

    Just because I practice doesn''t mean I''ll never get it right!

    Think about it!¡¡I''m my mother''s daughter, and I''m the oldest!¡¡That a**h*le would have no problem at all if he had inherited his mom''s talent!

    Isn''t that the problem with your legacy, in this case?

    If I can do it, Mom, I can do it!¡¡That''s why I asked my mom to teach me how to chant!¡¡I had to work really hard!¡¡I used the best spoiler I''ve had since I was six years old!

    Did you have more trouble learning than learning?

    Yes....but it''s likely...?

    Sheila, you basically have a soft spot for your children, don''t you?

    But that doesn''t mean you''re going to teach your daughter the world''s highest taboo of chanting magic?

    Do you think your daughter has it in her?

    !

    That''s right, she doesn''t know it as well as I do, but she''s not too far behind with her make-up.¡¡Bite me, chanting magic ''triumphant song''!

    Waaaaaah........?

    The Black Crystal Demon Guards are breaking into pieces like a wine glass shouted by a soprano.

    Well, it''s only natural for the magicians to be able to do that.

    The chanting magic is the kind of thing that can instantly kill dragons and no-life kings if you use it properly.

    .........

    This is the work of a genius?

    "La-la-la-la!¡¡I don''t feel like losing at all!¡¡I''m starting to feel like I could reign as the world''s greatest!¡¡.........huh?¡¡Gupo!

    What''s the matter with you?

    Platy''s cowering in the middle of the night?

    Isn''t that a side effect of the chanting spell?

    I don''t want to tell you, but there''s a reason why I''m under a curse!

    Pull yourself together.¡¡Hey, anybody want a doctor?¡¡Don''t we have a doctor?

    No, wait...?¡¡I know that feeling.¡¡Is this if........?

    Prathi, with a grim expression on her face as if she was enduring nausea, says.

    ''''........morning sickness?''''

    What?

    You didn''t think that there was going to be a second baby...?

    You too?

    Puffa, Lamphiye and now you too?¡¡And this is your second?

    And this is your second?

    Are you expecting a baby?

    "She''s pregnant!

    Hi!

    The dragon guarding this area has returned to its dragon form and bashed up to me.

    ''''Isn''t it hard for the ningen to get pregnant!¡¡''''I heard from the girls in the village I rescued the other day!

    Oh, I''m probably two or three months pregnant, so it''s time to be cautious.

    This is your second time, you''re very calm right after you find out.

    "No, you can''t go exploring a dungeon at that time of year!¡¡Abort!¡¡You''re out for a doctor''s stop!¡¡I''ll use my judgment to protect this area, okay?

    Well it''s my decision. You have to give priority to your baby...?

    Platy looks like that dragon is going to carry him out of the field.

    It''s a good idea to be careful with your hands, it''s as if you''re handling something fragile.

    I''m sorry, I didn''t want to be the first one to call it quits...

    If it were up to me, I''d like to leave with him.

    The only thing left to do is for the two of you to hang in there and not let the demons and humans get to you!

    And with a huff and a puff, Prati''s idiot left.

    .........

    Two?

    Come to think of it, was there another person besides Warawa?

    Who''s that?

 535-533 Battle of New Dragon Castle S-class adventurer

    I''m Silver Wolf, an S-class adventurer.

    This is the Dragon Emperor''s Castle!

    An extremely rare dungeon ruled by the Dragon Emperor!

    Getting into these rare dungeons is an adventurer''s ultimate pleasure!

    As soon as you get in here, you''ll be happy and you won''t care about the game or anything else!

    ...no?

    That''s right.

    The outcome of this game will determine whether or not the adventurers advance to the Devil''s Land.

    Whether we can get into more unseen dungeons from here or not is up to us.

    We''re usually touted as S-class adventurers. Let''s try to live up to that title!

    ........and just as I was getting excited about it.

    * * * *

    "Whoa!¡¡Katou-kun has been eliminated!

    I immediately fell prey to the trap in the one-man dungeon.

    It''s a special kind of trap that I''ve never seen before.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this.

    However, this time''s trap was different.

    The first thing I heard was a sound.

    This was noticed first by the Golden Bat, who had the most acute hearing among the S-class adventurers.

    Black Cat and I also have keen hearing, so we immediately noticed that the sound was strange.

    The sound was sustained and continuous, yet it was inflected and bouncy.......music?

    Is this music?

    But the moment we thought it was too late, it was too late.

    We were already in the middle of an operation. The first person to fall was the otherworldly Katou-kun.

    "Kah, Katou-kun!

    He began to dance to the lively rhythm of the music.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find it.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal of information on this.

    What''s going on, Katou-kun?¡¡What''s that move?

    We are in a panic, but Katou-kun doesn''t answer with his mouth, he just holds up his thumb and gestures.

    Why are you gesturing?¡¡Is there a rule against talking?

    d*mn, but the music is so light and Katou-kun''s dancing is so fun, I can''t help but want to imitate it!

    "Nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka nyaka...

    The Black Cat is already on the music!

    Because he''s always on the up-and-up!

    Huh?¡¡Look out!¡¡This is probably a trap that the music itself is setting us up for!

    It engages us in the rhythm of the music and disrupts our concentration.

    I''ve never encountered a trap like this before!¡¡As expected of the Dragon King''s dungeon, I should say!

    While I was upset, the next strange thing happened.

    There was a sword on the ground.

    A slender saber in the middle of the dungeon?¡¡I know it''s blatantly suspicious...?

    But Katou-kun is riding the rhythm of the game. Without warning, he picks up the sword in a haphazard manner.

    "Foolishly, you don''t have to be so alert........!

    Picking things up unguarded in a dungeon is synonymous with death...?

    But surprisingly, there was nothing.

    Katou-kun, even after picking up the sword, he kept up a rhythm with his unique choreography of moving his shoulders up and down.

    Finally, a full-blown trap!

    Something flew at you, Katou-kun!¡¡What is that?¡¡A lethal throwing weapon?

    But, Katou-kun, you dexterously catch them with a saber you just picked up! And with a saber that you just picked up!

    The thing that flew at me was actually a loop made of wood or something. I put the saber through the hole in the middle of that loop and caught it beautifully.

    This is awesome!

    ''Great cat!¡¡Geisha-nyan!

    Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle!

    I couldn''t help but applaud!

    In response to that applause, Katou-kun bows and passes another flying loop through his saber.

    This time it''s consecutive.

    Can you do it well?

    ...and how long will this go on?

    Light music is still playing in the dungeon.

    It''s rhythmic and fun, but it can''t stay like this forever.

    We have to move deeper into the dungeon!

    Katou-kun!¡¡Let''s stop playing and move on!¡¡We''re falling behind the other teams!

    But no!

    Mr. Katou was completely captivated by that lilting music, and our calls never reached him!

    In rhythm with the rhythm, this time he used a blowgun to break the balloon.

    "Phew, it''s no use. You won''t be able to escape from Meow''s trap.

    "Shut up, Black Cat!¡¡I''m having a hard time right now, so shut up!

    No!

    What?

    If you listen carefully, you''ll find that the tone of voice is similar, but it''s not a black cat!

    If you look closely, you''ll find a cat at a higher level in the dungeon.

    It''s not a cat beast like Black Cat. It''s a cat itself!

    Why is there a cat in the dungeon?

    "Meow, that''s Dr. Meow, one of the three wise men, one of the strongest No-Life Kings in the world!¡¡I was in charge of the design and construction of this S-class anti-adventure dungeon!

    Cats are no-life-kings?

    What''s that supposed to mean?

    And it''s our dungeon?

    They''re bombarding us with too much information at once!

    That''s it!¡¡It''s a character stealer!¡¡Cat characters are my position!¡¡Let''s eradicate the pacifier!

    And Black Cat, the cat-beast man, is outraged by the sudden intrusion of the cat itself.

    It''s an identity crisis.

    ''Ugh, you half-cat!¡¡These guys have been doing it for thousands of years before you were born!¡¡We''re in the wrong career!''

    A cat and a cat are fighting...?

    "Fushers! And breathlessly. Cats in a fight are really scary.

    ''''So, um........what''s this countermeasure dungeon for us S-class adventurers only......?

    "I''m so glad you listened to me!

    Dr. Cat?¡¡Black Cat jumping on top of my head.

    A cat on top of a cat...?

    "I knew you S-class adventurers would be able to conquer dungeons with the super-sensitivity of a beastman!¡¡So Meow took advantage of this and prepared many traps to ''mislead the opponent with her senses''!

    "To backhandedly...?¡¡To deceive your senses...?

    Just like that Katou-kun dancing to that peppy music...?

    "Sight, sound, smell........the senses that are too powerful sometimes pick up unnecessary noise and bring about serious discrepancies. It is used as a trap. Isn''t this a revolutionary idea worthy of a no-life king living for thousands of years?

    ''''Nyaan!

    You can''t be proud of yourself too, Black Cat.

    The cats are building solidarity with each other!

    I''ve already used my hearing to trap one of them!¡¡But there are plenty of other traps in this area to trap intruders with your senses!¡¡You''re my next target!

    Me?

    "I heard that Silver Wolf has an excellent sense of smell as a doggy beastman.¡¡It''s just for you that I''ve got this for you.

    What''s that?

    I think I know that jagged fruit.

    Is that a durian?

    Long time no see, Mr. Silverwolf.

    When was the last time you were forced to eat that foul-smelling fruit?

    I thought I was going to die just putting that thing near me!¡¡And then my nose died for about ten days and I had to suspend my adventuring activities!

    ''It''s not a joke!¡¡If they smell that thing properly again, this time the life of an adventurer is over!

    "It''s not that kind of a deal. We''ve traverse the walls of Okubo Castle together.

    ohhhhh?¡¡Isn''t it drawing near?

    This is the worst trap ever prepared for me.

    The effect was immediate. I knew that meow is a genius.

    ''What does it smell like to be scared like that, Silver Wolf?¡¡I''m interested!

    "Oh, you fool, you''re going to sniff it out?¡¡The meow is on your head, so that means you''ll have to go sniff it too.

    Curiosity kills the cat.

    The next thing you know, you''re sniffing your own nose in Dorian''s prickly fruit with Black Cat and the doctor.

    The two cats'' mouths are half open.

    ''''Now''s your chance!''''

    They dashed through the gap in the Freemen''s reaction!

    We ran through this area at once.

    I managed to get past this floor by sacrificing Katou-kun and Black Cat.

    The fearsome Dragon King''s Dungeon.

    It''s different from other dungeons in a big way!

 536-534 three of three

    Yes, I''m Mamoru, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army.

    I''m Mamoru, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army.

    Also known as "Mamoru from the Shadow.

    Our team''s best fighter, Belphegamilia-sama, retired early and we''re in big trouble.

    Without her supernatural abilities, can we complete this dungeon inhabited by the most powerful dragon in the world?

    "You''re pathetic, Mamoru-dono!

    This is Aeshma, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, ''Delusion''.

    ''''Relying on Belfegamilia-sama alone, that''s the name of the Four Heavenly Kings!¡¡Let''s take this as an opportunity to let it be known that even without that person, the Four Heavenly Kings are the strongest and unmatched!

    She''s so pure!

    And this purity can get you into trouble!

    We''ll just have to fight our way through the pack.¡¡Hellfire Spirit Breaking!

    Don''t you think that''s a little too fast?

    Can you make a series of big moves and keep it up to the end?¡¡Do you think you''ll get sick in the middle of it?

    He''s dead.

    ''''You''ve seen that!''''

    I instantly ran out of magic and ran out of stamina.

    Because I was using too much magic haphazardly!

    ''''It can''t be helped........This is only the Emperor''s Dragon Dungeon and the monsters that appear are vicious. The difficulty level would definitely be five stars........

    Leviathans!

    We can''t move forward unless we do our best. Aeschma''s good judgment...

    It''s true that we were able to go on without any wear and tear because Aeshma gave it her all.

    Thanks to that, we were able to successfully cross the area where the No Life King teacher was in charge.

    If you don''t say ''it''s too much trouble'', it''s really just a nondescript dungeon with strong, f*cking monsters.

    ''''It was all thanks to Aeshma that we were able to get through that area. But because of that, she had to use all her magic power. She won''t be able to go on any longer...''''

    Yeah.

    "But I can''t leave her here without her merit. I''m going to take her and escape with me. Let me take care of her.

    Okay.

    ''''I''ll ask Mamoru-san to take care of the rest. Please be sure to step over the pride of the Demon King''s Army.

    Okay.

    .....

    Leviatha-kun, come on.........

    You took a quick draw on the back of Aeshma''s nurse!

    d*mn it!

    I had noticed your soulfulness along the way, but I couldn''t even go into it when you shielded me from the theoretical armament of treating the fatigued people!

    You showed your competence in that way!

    If I''m going to show competence, I want it to be in a way that contributes to the organization!

    .........But ah, now.......

    I''m the only one on the Four Heavenly Kings team!

    All alone?¡¡Can you really go it alone?

    I''m very worried, but the future of the Demon King''s army depends on my work, and in order to make up for the previous Lavilian-sama''s mistake, I have to traverse the Dragon King''s Dungeon no matter what, even if I''m the only one!

    * * * *

    I''m Silver Wolf, an S-class adventurer.

    I lost two of my friends in the area overseen by the Dr. No Life King.

    No, I''m not dead, though.

    They''re probably still dancing to a light rhythm or playing around with their flamen reactions to the fierce smell.

    And there were two of us who survived.

    The two survivors were myself and the S-class adventurer, the Golden Bat.

    ''They''re a pathetic bunch, aren''t they?''

    The Golden Bat is said to be the best of the S-class adventurers at the moment.

    This is because not only does he have the keen hearing of a bat beastman, but all of his abilities are unparalleled.

    His fighting ability, his ability to traverse, his intelligence, and his stubbornness are all unrivaled.

    I can''t tell you how many times I''ve felt inferior to this guy, even though I had the same title as an S-class adventurer as him.

    ''''I didn''t think we''d be reduced from five to two by the time we got here. Aren''t the standards of the guild loosened, with guys like that being S-class and all?¡¡Right, Silver Wolf?

    Why are you asking me?

    ''You''re so close to the guild. They want your opinion when they elect a new S-class anyway, don''t they?

    On the other hand, you''re a total subterfuge with the guild, aren''t you!

    As an S-class person, you must contribute to the entire industry because you stand at the top of the adventurers'' game.

    We have to nurture the next generation and work with the guilds to protect the adventurer''s profession as a whole.

    This is the meaning of the S-class adventurer, but because of your total abandonment of the S-class adventurer profession, all of the wrinkles will be passed on to us.

    I''ve become an adventurer for me. "I became an adventurer for me, and I don''t care about others. "I became an adventurer for me, and I don''t care about others. Isn''t this a detriment to the adventurer''s industry as a whole?¡¡What do you think?

    Don''t you think I should...?

    It''s because of you that I''m telling you this. There are countless adventurers out there, but Silver Wolf is the only adventurer who comes close to me. You''re the only one.

    Huh?

    The other S-classes are just names. The fact that you and I are the only ones eliminated from this dungeon is proof enough. It''s a good thing that you''re a good adventurer, and that''s what a good adventurer should be. That''s what a really good adventurer should do.

    Coming from an opponent who has never won, it doesn''t really move me.

    It''s true that the reason I made it to the S-Kyu level is not only because of my talent, but also because of the support of many people.

    That''s why, in order to repay the debt of gratitude, I want to be on the side that helps as much as I can.

    ........I won''t say that, because if I say that, I''ll be ridiculed again for having the guts of a herding dog or something.

    Anyway, for me, who became strong by relying on others like I did, I''m not super good at guys like the Golden Bat who can do everything by themselves.

    I''m going forward alone with such a guy...!

    I''m sick to my stomach...?

    !

    This is Zos Saira, the Witch of the Abyss.

    It''s beginning to feel a bit empty.

    I thought I was leaning in my own way, being called a witch.

    But I''ve been called a ''violator of taboo'' and ''heretical potion user''.

    I myself don''t feel bad about being called that.

    I may have acted out my badass self to fit the impression of those around me.

    This is what I realized when I saw Gala Rufa.

    A real bad guy is like that, you know.

    What happened to Gala Ruffa?

    It''s not a bad idea to have the same thing happen to you.

    --I''m not going to be able to get rid of them.¡¡That''s a disqualification!¡¡It''s against the rules!''

    And then he boshed away.

    As they were taken away, Gala Rufa.........

    -- ''No, sir!¡¡There was a way to stop it!¡¡That''s why I was so calm.

    That''s why I was calm!

    --I''m not Mud!¡¡Yes, even if he was Mud, he''s a lady named Mud!" he said.

    He also said, "I don''t understand.

    I don''t understand.

    But I also thought that if I saw the real thing in front of me, all the fake things would disappear in a flash.

    Come to think of it, I spent my youth being pushed around by Lady Sheila, then after I met the guys from the farm, I was pushed around by this Prati guy, then after my apprentice Puffa became the Mermaid Queen, he pushed me around to become the Prime Minister....

    Isn''t he jerked around all the time?

    How can a man like him have the nerve to think he''s a forbidden heretic?

    Huh..........

    She''s just a good looking woman who doesn''t know it herself.

    Rather than researching how to turn the world upside down, you would be better suited to contribute to the world by becoming a prime minister.

    So, what shall we do?

    When I noticed, I was the only mermaid in the dungeon.

    It''s impossible to capture any more of these dungeons alone.

    I''m an ordinary person after all, Warau.

    Ah, but still, I can''t just end things unceremoniously since I have the title of Mermaid Prime Minister....

    There''s no way to give up or anything like that, so what should I do...?

    Well, let''s just go on with it.

    Stop sitting in the gym, get up and move on.

    Because of Gala Rufa''s confusion, we were able to break through the area that the black dragon was defending without a hitch.

    Well, let''s go as far as we can.

    * * * *

    Oh.

    Oh.

    Oh.

    And gathered, the chosen ones.

 537-535 Three people feel distressed

    Well, on behalf of all of us....

    I''m Silver Wolf, an S-class adventurer.

    I''m in the middle of capturing a dungeon ruled by the Dragon Emperor Gaiser Dragon.

    Moreover, while we''re in a de facto race to capture another camp, it looks like we''ve clashed with that competitor in the dungeon.

    A team of demons and.......mermaids?

    I never thought they would all meet at once!

    But when it comes to anomalies....

    There was only one person from each of the other teams they encountered.

    "What happened to our friends?

    As I recall, there were three or four of each of us when we entered the dungeon at the same time, right?

    If that''s the only one of them left, then...!

    She''s out.

    Shut up!¡¡You''ve lost a lot of weight, too!

    It seems that I''ve taken my chance.

    It seems that no matter which route you take, the dragon dungeon is terribly difficult.

    ''''Hmph, after all, this is what happens when amateurs take it easy. You underestimated the dungeon.

    And it''s my team''s golden bat that speaks to me from above in full force.

    Hey, stop it.

    The dungeon is a sanctuary full of danger and romance. Only adventurers are allowed to devote all of their energies to the sanctuary. After all, adventurers are professionals. Amateurs should be playing their cards right, but they''ll get hurt if they''re playing around!

    "What?

    That''s why you''re being so provocative, why do they have to fight back?

    You think we Demon Lord troops are just amateurs?¡¡The Demon King''s Army is the strongest army on earth, defending the Demon Kingdom and defeating the humans, and now they are the strongest army on earth, and you think you can''t take advantage of that?

    Dungeons have their own style. It''s not a good idea to bring in the same concepts from the ground, which is why the Demon King''s Army is no good. We''ll leave all the dungeons in the Demon Kingdom to our adventurers, instead of wasting time and effort.

    What the hell is wrong with you?

    Stop it!

    Don''t argue with me here!

    There was no one but me who could stop them in this situation that was about to go bad.

    ''''This will be the game to decide which side of the argument is right!¡¡Then shouldn''t we stop arguing in the middle of the game and concentrate on the game?

    I guess so.

    Huh?

    The Demon King''s Army, did you pull it off surprisingly honestly?

    What''s on your mind?

    I had to bite for the sake of the menace of the group I belonged to, but I didn''t want to be important, so I was waiting to be stopped, I guess?

    If that''s the case, I can sense that this demon tribe has a lot of trouble...!

    ''''The strength of our Demon King''s Army will be firmly demonstrated in the game. This Demon King Army''s Four Heavenly Kings, ''Devouring'' Mamoru is one of them!

    ''''His bluster is like that of an F-class halfling. His confidence and strength are not balanced.

    Hey!

    Golden Bat, don''t provoke me every time!

    Excuse me!¡¡He''s just like that!¡¡Just pretend it''s a barking dog!

    "You''re the dog, aren''t you?

    "What? !

    What the hell did you mean, you shouldn''t say that to this Silver Wolf?

    I''ll kill you, you bastard!

    I''m sorry, I was just trying to be funny.¡¡No, of all the adventurers, you speak far more than the cloaked man over there, that''s for sure. I beg your pardon.

    And by cape man, you mean golden bat, right?

    And this demon tribe, after all, can be seen as the type of person who understands what''s going on.

    They don''t want to fight each other needlessly, but I can see that they are in a mood to take a confrontation pose, even if only ostensibly for the sake of their own mood.

    He seems to be the type of person who gets caught up in too many things and causes unnecessary trouble.

    I feel a great deal of affinity for you!

    Anyway, we''ve been sitting here going at each other''s throats, and I don''t think we''re going to get anywhere.

    Scary looking mermaids say.

    But isn''t it only the appearance that''s scary, and isn''t it actually the type of thing you can tell by talking to them?

    The only way out of this situation is to complete this dungeon or to retire. Then it''s more beneficial for all of us to focus on that. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.

    ''''Well........?''''

    Apparently, they are the only ones who have survived to this point, and they are the ones who have a lot of sense and can be talked to.

    Then I came up with an odd idea.

    ''''What do you think?¡¡Can''t we all here work together to move forward from here?

    What?

    What?

    He''s surprised.

    By nature, dungeon exploration is a party of several people. It''s usually a group of four people. You can''t go solo in a dungeon. It''s too dangerous for you to be the last man standing and keep going.

    If that''s the case, wouldn''t it be more beneficial to work together, even if it''s the enemy, and form a temporary party to proceed?

    But...!¡¡Doesn''t that fit with the purpose of the event, which is to compete against each other in a contest of superiority?¡¡If we work together to clear the game, there''s no such thing as winning or losing!

    One of the demon tribe members earnestly discusses the Suji theory.

    It''s a good idea to have a good time.

    "I don''t care about the strawberry. I''ve been thinking that it''s impossible for you to move forward by yourself anyway.

    What?

    To begin with, the odds were none of my business, but my pride wouldn''t allow me to give up. So I''d love to see a way to increase the odds.

    It''s a good idea to show them how they can cooperate with other species to overcome the problem, which will send a message of harmony and make it easier for adventurers to accept them?¡¡He acknowledges the abilities of the adventurers while maintaining the menace of the Demon King''s army, and in addition, he accepts the existence of the mermaid race with favor...?

    The demon tribe people are proceeding with the calculation of the cancer.

    ''''Alright, although reluctantly, I''ll take you up on that idea.

    Or is it?

    That''s what I mean.

    The more we talked briefly about something, the more our thoughts started to come through.

    The army always has to be concerned about facing each other, you know.

    ''''I''m Silver Wolf, an S-class adventurer.

    "Mamoru the Devourer, the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Army.

    The Witch of the Abyss, Zos Saira.

    They identified themselves to each other and a temporary party was formed that crossed the species.

    I wonder why?

    Even the first S-class adventurer''s party was a dream-combination enough, but the party we just formed is much more reassuring.

    We''re all in sync with each other.

    You''ll have the peace of mind to know that you''ll be able to fight to the end with this party!

    No, I don''t think so.

    Then a foreign element intervenes!

    Golden Bat.

    I can capture the dungeons on my own, so why should I rely on a different species?¡¡You''re wrong. A dungeon is only worthwhile if you can conquer it alone. Parties are evil.

    Annoying solo devotee.

    You can''t party because you just don''t have the popularity.

    ''Even Silverwolf goes solo when he enters a dungeon. Solo attack is the style of the most advanced players.

    ''I go in with a basic party. Sometimes I do it solo, but that''s just for a break.

    But in the end, it''s when you''re attacking solo that you set a new record for the number of floors you reach and get unexpected treasures.

    It can''t be helped.

    The instincts of a lone wolf are rooted in them. At the same time, wolves are pack-building animals, so it''s inevitable that they will form a party.

    I''m carrying a lot of contradictory animal nature on my back, even if I am!

    I want a few of the best, so that I can enjoy this dungeon to the fullest. The only person who can keep up with me is you, Silver Wolf!¡¡Don''t play along with this nonsense!

    Shut up!¡¡If that''s the case, why don''t you just go ahead on your own!

    In fact, you see the harmonious significance of the three races working together to move forward, so it''s a good thing to think about the times ahead!

    If you''re an S-level adventurer, you need to pay attention to those things too!

    Oh my god...!

    Don''t worry, you''re the one who believes in the relative will of the human race...?

    Look!

    Instead, you''ve got people of other species taking the initiative to follow through!

    Maybe I''ve misunderstood you all this time!¡¡The demon race and mermaid race are much more considerate of others.

    ''''No, in fact, no demon race other than me cares for you...?

    ''''After meeting you, I''m starting to think the human race isn''t so bad either!¡¡I''m half doggie, though, right?

    Anyway, this gets us further ahead!

    The final party is complete!

 538-536 Continuation ?Three people struggle

    Now, the temporary party of the three races of man, demon, and mermaid has been formed....

    Me, Silver Wolf.

    and Mamoru-dono of the demon race.

    The three of us are Mermaid Zosu Saira.

    The Golden Bat guy is following behind me like he''s bored, but I''ll try to keep him out of my sight.

    The theme is cooperation and friendship.

    If we can keep going and reach the goal without any problems, that''s fine.

    But we quickly ran into a challenge.

    An old man with a white beard stands in front of us.

    And that figure is...?

    Mr. Alexander!

    You have done well. That''s the S-class adventurer in you, Silver Wolf.

    Alexander-sama''s appearance here means....

    Does that mean that this is the area that that person is protecting!

    Considering the fact that there were dragons and No Life King''s guardians in the area so far, there was a great possibility of that.

    ''''Who is that old man?¡¡You''re being rather imposing, but...?

    Mamoru-dono let out such a question.

    It''s a very good idea to be able to have a look at the dungeons of the human country, or else you wouldn''t be able to recognize him at a glance.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what you''re looking at. He is the dragon who rules the largest and best dungeon in the Human Nation, the Holy White Maiden Mountain.

    The most powerful race of dragons, but with a deep commitment to humanity, and the only dragons that the Adventurer''s Guild has negotiated with.

    How grateful he is to our human race!

    ''He is said to be the most powerful himself, for he rules the best dungeon in the world. He''s a very awesome dragon!

    It must not be allowed to slip through the cracks, Master Alexander!

    He''s so great and smart!

    ''Hmm, but the Lord''s dragons here are stronger, aren''t they?''

    As the dragon emperor, he should be stronger than any other dragon. So, this dragon has done more than that one, hasn''t it?

    How dare you!

    Don''t say that often!

    It''s all right, Silver Wolf. Don''t blink. Ardhegg is undoubtedly in the most dignified position in dragons.

    Haha, how generous of you, Alexander!

    I also helped build the New Dragon Emperor''s Castle in honor of him. I''m in charge of the area from here on out. Everyone proceed with an open mind.

    The area that Master Alexander has set up...?

    I knew it was going to be like that...?

    The dungeon construction techniques I learned from my home base in the Holy White Maiden''s Mountain have been put to good use here as well. Moreover, I''ve experimented with a new trap that I was planning to introduce to my home base this time around.

    A new trap?

    Let''s see if you can do it for us. Those of you who have survived this long, I hope you will be able to assist me in my experiments.

    After the forward speech is over, we will proceed in earnest to the area that Alexander-sama is in charge of.

    No matter what, Alexander-sama rules the largest and best dungeon in the human country.

    The traps he has in mind are also expected to be quite effective.

    ''''Proceed with caution. Don''t think you''re the same as the opponent you''ve been dealing with...!

    If you''re a professional dungeon explorer...!

    That''s not what I''m talking about.

    That''s what I''m talking about, these two.

    Even if they''re clamming up without decreasing, they''ll follow immediately if we urge them to pay attention.

    Why don''t the S-class adventurers other than myself share this honesty?

    First of all, there is a door in front of you.

    If you open this and enter, you will finally enter the Shura area full of Alexander-sama''s special traps.......?

    ''''Alright!¡¡Let''s get fired up and move on!

    Turn the doorknob, open the door vigorously and enter!

    At that moment, a resounding voice!

    "I''m so proud of you for opening the door.

    What?

    What was that voice?

    Although he turns around and confirms it, Mamoru-dono and Zos Saira-dono just shake their heads, ''''It''s not me.

    ''''........''''

    Let''s get back on track and go inside.

    Carefully and gently walk in....

    ''You can walk without running down the aisle, great!

    .....

    It''s still your voice!

    What''s that voice?

    It seems to be coming from a response to something we did.

    "Bravely fighting a monster, great!

    "Open the treasure chest and close it properly, great!

    ''We''re all working together and working hard, great!

    ''So what''s this all about!''

    I exclaimed.

    Every time I acted, I would say ''Great! '' ''Great!'' I can''t handle this kind of compliment, can I?

    "Is this the trap Alexander has set for us?¡¡This is what you call a ''great'' compliment, isn''t it?

    That''s it.

    Even in the area, Master Alexander comes out and says

    ''I''ve been wanting to do this for a long time!¡¡I wanted to give a word of encouragement to the adventurers who run around the dungeons day and night, desperately trying to conquer them!

    What?

    It''s not what you do, what you take for granted!¡¡It''s a culmination of tireless effort and honed skills!¡¡But there are too few to praise that!¡¡So I thought about it!¡¡Then we could make a trap to praise them!

    ..........

    How are you?

    What do you mean....?

    That''s not a trap anymore, isn''t it?

    It''s simply a voice generator that says ''great''.

    That''s all it is. But that''s not all...!

    I can''t stop crying...?

    I can''t stop crying from welling up behind my eyelids.

    When was the last time I was praised by someone?

    You''ll be able to see that you''re going to be able to do everything that you''ve done up until now, and you''ll take it for granted.

    Well, I''ve been doing great.

    You''ve been recognized for all the hard work you''ve done!

    ''Don''t!¡¡Stop hitting the crevices in my heart!

    "It''s hard to hear kind words at this point in time...?

    Oh!

    And not only me, but also Lord Mamoru and Zos-Saira have been affected by those kind words!

    Have their hearts been starving too?

    He who cares for them will never be cared for as much as he who cares for them.

    The kindness that was unexpectedly shown to them would hit so critically!

    "Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?¡¡No, the armor of my heart is being ripped away!

    "A gentle world!¡¡I can''t keep my tension up in a nice world!

    "We live in a world where it''s okay to say thank you!

    No!

    They are all melting away like vampires in the sunshine, into tender hearts!

    What a horrible trap you have come up with, Master Alexander!

    That''s the master of the world''s largest dungeon!

    What''s so terrifying about it?

    Pish.

    The air, which had been as warm as the spring sunshine, suddenly became cold and tense.

    That extra word was released from the S-class adventurer Golden Bat who entered with me.

    ''''You guys are strange guys too, what''s the big deal about just being able to speak?¡¡Is there not the least bit of danger?

    This guy....?

    Alexander, you are Master Alexander. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of good reasons to go for it. I''m looking for more challenging and devastating dungeons, but they need to be better.

    At that moment, the three of us were united in our hearts.

    ''''Shut up you a**h*le!''''

    ''''Gehuheh?!''''

    Three kicks that flew out like arrows, hitting perfectly at the same time.

    The kicked golden bat is blown away.

    ''''I''ll take care of that guy!¡¡Lord Silverwolf, Lord Zos Saira!¡¡You two, follow up on Mr. Alexander!

    I see it!

    It''s all yours!

    ''Ochaaah!¡¡You!¡¡Because of people like you!¡¡The world won''t get any kinder any time soon ah!

    It seems that Mamoru-dono was a typical example of someone who usually puts up with it and is untouchable when he stops putting up with it.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to find a way to get the best out of it.

    He''s drenched in the mindless words of the bastard!

    We have to do everything we can to encourage them here!

    ''It''s okay!¡¡Master Alexander''s attempt to do this has sunk into our hearts!

    ''Yes!¡¡A lot of painful things that happened today just disappeared!¡¡It''s all thanks to Master Alexander!

    Lord Zos Saira joined in and cheered him up in return for his kind words.

    In the end, I was tired of saying something in this area as well.

    However, I would like to see the traps in this area implemented in Alexander-sama''s dungeon as well.

 539-537 One after another, three people are suffering

    Thank you, Mr. Alexander!

    ''Master Alexander has cheered me up!

    "Thanks to Mr. Alexander, I''m sure I''ll be able to continue as Prime Minister!

    We managed to regain Master Alexander''s energy and we headed to the next area.

    I left the golden bat guy in the area after I beat him to a pulp.

    We were finally left with just the three of us.

    "I guess this is going to be the last member of the team, huh?

    ''These three will probably go all the way to the end, and if they don''t go, we''ll be wiped out like this.

    That''s right.

    After breaking through Alexander-sama''s area, our unity seems to be more solidified.

    Even though we''re all new to this group of people, we don''t feel like strangers!

    ''''It''s good that we''re together until the end.......but how far will this dungeon go?¡¡That is the important point. As expected, I can''t keep up with you any longer either.

    Indeed.

    The most painful part of a dungeon attack is not having a goal in sight.

    If you know how far you have to go to get to the end, and you''re able to pace yourself well enough to get there, then you''re very fortunate to have an easy time of it.

    However, those easy situations are rare.

    We have to crawl through the darkness, grinding our spirits to get there.

    Don''t worry!¡¡This is the endgame!

    He''s interrupted our conversation.... who now?

    It''s a girl!

    Why is there a girl in this dungeon?¡¡I was getting tired of being surprised, but the girl looked familiar, so it soon became clear.

    ''''That''s...!¡¡The dragon that was in the saint''s office?

    That''s right!¡¡You guys, you''ve made it this far!¡¡The new Dragon Emperor''s City is in full swing!¡¡This is the final trial!

    Does that mean...?

    Yes, this area made by Master Veerle of Grinzel Dragon is the final trial!¡¡If we can get past this area, the only thing left is the throne room where Ardheg is waiting for us!

    That''s good news.

    With the end in sight, without a figure, the power comes back to your body!

    ''Come on, everybody, we''re almost there!¡¡The end, the end is in sight!

    It''s one thing to know, but it''s another to hold on.

    My friends are roused and their fatigue is temporarily forgotten.

    Now is the time to summon the last of your strength!

    I can go!¡¡If we stick together, no matter how steep the dungeon!

    ''Guffaw!¡¡It''s a bluster, but this area full of traps that Master Veerle has come up with is a tough one!¡¡They don''t know if you''re crying or not!

    No!¡¡We have been bound together through our trials and tribulations!¡¡There are no more barriers between the races of humans, demons and mermaids!¡¡That''s going to be the basic style for the whole world from now on!

    ''Well said!¡¡Then step into the area I designed!¡¡I set the trap...!

    Let''s go, boys!

    If we work together, there is no obstacle that we can''t break through.

    It''s a trap to be trapped by hundreds of muscle-bound men.

    Oh, I guess it''s impossible.

    * * *

    And so we proceeded, frantically.

    Parting through the countless number of machos crammed into the room.

    A large number of muscle machos that I wondered where they had been brought from.

    They pushed and hacked each other inside the sealed space.

    The temperature is increased, the humidity is increased, the pressure is increased.

    We move through such mass hell.

    A pectoral muscle is pressed against my face.

    Is that someone''s macho ass that my hand just touched?

    Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo?

    It''s painful!

    Why do we have to go through this painful process?

    I''ve reached the stage of questioning the motive.

    Lord Mamoru!¡¡Lord Zos Saira!

    Are you okay?

    No, I''m not!¡¡Drifting with the waves of macho meat!

    Is that the Macho Wayfarer Wave?

    If you ride that current, you''ll be swept out of the castle!

    Pull yourself together!

    We can''t lose!

    I can''t let this macho pressure get the better of me!

    * * * *

    I finally broke through...

    "I didn''t think you could break through...?

    I''m glad I didn''t make it through.¡¡I''m going to throw up...!

    After a hell of a lot of pain, we finally made it through all the hurdles and made it this far!

    The Throne Room of the Emperor Dragon Geyser Dragon!

    There is a huge dragon sitting there, so big you could look up!

    "How dare you.........come this far...!

    He is the master of this dungeon, the Dragon Emperor Geyser Dragon who stands at the top of all dragons!

    I know because I saw him once at the entrance!

    ''I''m Ardheg of the Geyser Dragon. I have witnessed your struggle. I''ve seen you lose friends, work together as survivors, help each other out, and get ravaged by macho to get here.

    Stop!¡¡Don''t mention it!

    I want to forget about it as soon as possible.

    ''''........This game was a competition to see who could reach my bottom. From that point of view, the point of the game is no longer valid as long as we work together and form a single party.

    Ugh...!

    Yes, I know...!

    ''But maybe even that doesn''t matter now. The great thing is that the three of you, regardless of race, trusted each other to get this far!¡¡That trust and cooperation is what makes it great!

    Oh, yes...?

    Could it be that this dragon is just like Mr. Alexander?

    "There is no longer a battle to be won or lost!¡¡We''re all winners!¡¡For getting this far, I salute you as an imperial dragon!¡¡You guys did it!¡¡Congratulations!''''

    When I was praised by the people who let go of me like that, I started to feel it more and more real.

    Did we do it?

    You''ve successfully overcome this difficult, dragon emperor-ruled dungeon!

    And beyond the small concerns of winning and losing, we''ve earned a more important one: working together.

    ''Thanks guys!¡¡Thanks to you guys, I have something important to hold on to!

    ''It''s the same for me!¡¡What a meaningful fight it was!

    "There''s someone else who''s been through the wringer!¡¡Walla was not alone!

    Each one of us was rejoicing.

    They are pushed around by their stubborn co-workers on a daily basis, and all of the wrinkles fall on us, and we get poked at even more every day, but...!

    Guess I wasn''t the only one going through the same struggles!

    There were others who were struggling just like him!

    Just thinking that makes us work harder. Just thinking that we have friends who have taken on the same hardships!

    You are the starting point for a world that will be revolutionized. You will be the starting point for innovation in this world. And to celebrate you, I would like to present you with a title. And to celebrate you, I present to you my title.

    A title?

    It is a title that only you three are allowed to call yourselves, to honor you forever. It was given to you by me, the Geyser Dragon. You will have every reason to be proud of it to all of existence on earth.

    Oh my...!

    Aren''t you prouder than any lord or king to receive a title from a dragon?

    And from the Dragon King, the Dragon King!

    My life has been a lot of hardship, but I never thought I would be rewarded like this!

    I''m glad I''ve been struggling!

    "Keep at it, and maybe someday it will pay off!

    Lord Mamoru and Zos Saira look happy!

    "Well then.........yeah. From this day forward, the three of you will be known as the three of you together.

    We have a title to give us.

    In "Cronin''s

    Can''t you do that?

    And so we three.........

    The world has come to know that we are people who are struggling wherever we go.

 540-538 Final Match

    Platy''s second child, pregnant!

    Yay!

    Whoo-hoo!

    I''m elated by the good news that came out of nowhere!

    I got a blessing from the Demon King and Arowana, who happened to be there, too, and they were happy and dreamy!

    As such, in order to make the big event of mixing man, demon and man-fish a success, we have to do our best to cheer them up outside the castle where we are!

    As it turned out, the crowd outside the castle was always in full swing.

    The enthusiasm was so great that it never subsided for a moment.

    By Mr. Grashara and Mr. Pinktonton.

    So just now, the battle of the century was being held in front of the main gate of the New Dragon Emperor Castle.

    The Second Demon Queen, one of the former Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army, and the tyrannical General Grashara, who kicked out the enemy army on the battlefield with her unparalleled physique and power.

    He was the only beastman mercenary who was able to fight against Grashara on the battlefield. Pinktonton, the wild beastman who is now known as an S-class adventurer.

    They have clashed many times in the past, and each time they have caused chaos on the battlefield, but in this peaceful time, they have unexpectedly met again, and without needing to plan for it, they have clashed again.

    It is as if this is their fate.

    In order to settle the score that they were unable to reach on the battlefield, they must return to the past in the present.

    The other you, the one you left behind that day... you are now a wild, wild animal, biting and clashing with each other!

    The audience was excited to witness the clash.

    Originally, they had come to watch the dungeon battle between the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King''s Army and the S-class adventurers, but their eyes were glued to this one.

    After all, Grashara, who used to be one of the most powerful types in the Demon King''s Army, and Pinktonton, the Boar Beastman, were the only ones who could go head to head with Grashara.

    As they both boast of their power, they both have strong physiques, and the sight of their huge, thick, feminine bodies clashing against each other is a thrilling experience.

    The impact of the collision of muscle against muscle was so great that it scattered around.

    It''s impossible to ignore it when it''s within your field of vision.

    Regardless of the human demon, the audience was drawn to it, and finally, it was monopolized.

    Eventually, the audience went into a frenzy.

    The spectators of the demon race wanted to see Grashara.

    The human race audience cheered for Glashara and the human race audience cheered for Pinktonton respectively.

    It was a natural color-coding for their race, but the two of them, with their backs to each other, were like representatives of both races.

    It was beginning to look like a major battle for the prestige of the two races.

    The management couldn''t abandon the game if it got that exciting.

    We asked the Orcs who were waiting for such a thing to happen to set up the ring for us to improvise.

    And a wire mesh, too.

    I also surrounded it with flames.

    And introduce electric current blasting?

    The environment is set up just like that, and the two of them try to decide who''s best for the battle in a full-blown field.

    I decided to be the referee to witness the battle between the two girls.

    A referee is a position that is often in danger of getting involved in a match.

    I''ve fallen out of the ring with fighters.

    I''ve been hit with jointed moves by mistake.

    I''ve been wrapped up in bandages and then stabbed with a straw, and my body fluids were sucked out and I became a mummy.

    I''m expecting my second child, and I don''t want to put my family in danger, but I''m one of the organizers of this event, and I have a responsibility to make this event as exciting as possible.

    So let''s get in the ring and watch these two fight at the closest distance.

    Let''s go!

    Guffaw!

    I thought I was going to die when I was suddenly hit by the cross bomber of Grashara and Pinkton.

    After that, the two of them teamed up tightly and continued the pure contest of strength!

    Both sides were pure power types who didn''t rely on small moves, so the matches were always full of power and had the crowd in a frenzy.

    If Mr. Grashara hit him, Mr. Pinkton would hit him back....

    When Mr. Pinktonton threw him off, Mr. Grashara landed with a spectacular passive move and hit Pinkton as he recoiled.

    He spins around in the air and hits Mr. Grashara, who is down in the ring, with a full body hit!

    I didn''t know he could even handle a brilliant aerial move with his huge body!

    If you think about it, Pinkton was originally a beastman mercenary who ran around the battlefield, but after the end of the Man-Monster War, he turned to adventuring and quickly became an S-class adventurer.

    He must have gone through many hardships after becoming an adventurer.

    On the other hand, her rival, Grashara, after the war ended, married the Demon King, became the Demon Queen, got pregnant, and gave birth to a child.

    She must have been so busy with political duties and raising children that she was far away from actual combat.

    Naturally, a body that has lost the opportunity to train will deteriorate, while a body that has been subjected to constant hardship will become stronger and stronger.

    The longer the match dragged on, the more obvious the difference became, and it was Demon Queen Grashara who was being blatantly cornered.

    When Grashara''s movements became sluggish due to an obvious lack of stamina, Pinktonton blows her away with a special technique, a Hurricane Mixer, using his fangs as a wild boar beastman, to blow her away!

    As a beastman, Pinktonton, who had the beast factor mixed in with half of his body, carried the animal nature of a boar.

    The thing that was most important when utilizing it in battle was his ramming power.

    Grashara was exposed to that ramming power.

    His physical strength was exhausted, and he took heavy damage and sank into the ring.

    Everyone thought that the winner was already decided.

    His opponent, Pinkington, was also convinced of victory, and before he could finish the fight, he climbed into the corner post and made a ring performance for the crowd.

    Mr. Grashara, who was down and showed no signs of getting up, was an afterthought.

    Has she, once feared as the tyrannical general of the Four Heavenly Kings, forgotten her fighting spirit in peace?

    Is that what you lost?

    Just when it seemed that Grashara would not be able to get up, there was a single voice that roused her.

    It was the voice of Grashara''s own daughter, Marine, who was the only one to cheer her up.

    "Ha-ha-ue, hang in there!

    And.

    It was the first words spoken by Marinette, who was only a toddler, she would later say.

    What mother wouldn''t be inspired by the support from her own child?

    She stood up with a fury and rushed at Pinktonton''s back, who was caught off guard by the ring performance.

    He locks his hips in a gash from behind and throws him up into a shrimping stance as he is!

    This is a German Suplex!

    And it''s a German Suplex hold as he slams his opponent head first into the ring in a bridge position, and then locks him in a gushy fall position!

    As I crawled to the ground as a referee, I saw that Pinkton''s shoulders were indeed touching the ring, and I tapped the ground and made it count!

    One!

    Two!

    THRILLER!

    The game is over...oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!

    The winner, Mr. Grashara!

    A stunning come-from-behind victory from a big pinch!

    The entire crowd went wild at this picture-perfectly dramatic ending.

    Her husband, Maou, was so moved that he rushed into the ring with his daughter, Marine, in his arms and lifted Grashara, the second queen, in celebration of her victory.

    It was the cheers of her beloved daughter, who she loved more than anything else, that gave Grashara the strength to come back to life.

    It was her beloved daughter, who loved her more than anything else, who gave her a boost of support.

    She is still getting stronger than ever.

    She has risen to the rank of the strongest "mother" of all.

    Peace will never let humanity relax or diminish.

    It is a battle that proves that peace does not destroy, but rather builds, and leads each of us to greater heights.

    After recovering from the damage, Pinkton honestly praises the winner, and Grashara also praises his rival for his efforts.

    A firm handshake is exchanged.

    There are differences between winners and losers, but it''s not a battle for the sake of winning.

    They showed the whole audience that it was a game to enhance each other''s abilities, and the human-demon race took a step toward understanding each other.

    It was truly a meaningful match that promoted the reconciliation of the human and demon races.

    ''''........It really was a meaningful event that we planned this event for.......''''

    Hey....

    What is it?

    When I turned around as I was called out, I saw three faces there.

    Mermaid Zos Saira, S-class adventurer Silver Wolf, and.......one more, who?

    I''m guessing you''re one of the Four Heavenly Kings, based on your face.

    What''s all this fuss about while all these warriors are trying their best to capture the dungeon?

    ''No, it''s great, Mr. Grashara and Mr. Pinkton!¡¡It''s a great match, with both fighters giving it their all, and the crowd goes wild!¡¡The reconciliation of the human and demonic races at an accelerated rate!

    Wasn''t that what the dungeon race was all about?¡¡Why are you guys so focused on these surprise matches instead of on this one?

    Oh, I''m sorry...¡¡The game between the two of us got so heated that I overlooked it as much as I could...!

    ''''What was all our hard work!

    Apparently, the three of us who had successfully completed the capture of the Dragon Emperor''s Castle at the same time had returned.

    It''s a good thing that Grashara and Pinkton accomplished our original goal of allowing the human race and demon race to recognize each other, isn''t it?

    All''s well that ends well!

    Huh?¡¡Not good!

 541-539 Summary of the Battle of New Dragon Castle

    And so the dungeon conquest competition that ended with great success.

    ........eh?

    Mr. Grashara and Mr. Pinktonton, I thought the main event was an unrestricted singles match with a single match of fate?

    Now, now, who said that?

    Today''s story was mainly about the unveiling of the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle and the competition to capture it from start to finish!

    Along the way, there wasn''t any big, spontaneous event that obliterated the main plot.

    That''s just the way it''s supposed to be for the mental stability of those three people who had the most trouble this time.

    Okay?

    Anyway, after the announcement of the closing ceremony, the audience was sent back with transference magic and afterwards, a small launch party was held with only the people concerned.

    At the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle, where the competition took place.

    In addition to the Four Heavenly Kings, S-class adventurers and Six Witches who participated as competitors, the Dragon & No-Life King''s members, the creators of the dungeon, were on the side to defeat them.

    Demon King and Arowana, who had come as guests of honor, also participated in the party, which was held in a harmonious manner with a standing buffet.

    It''s a party for those who have fought through the war! I''m going to eat my homemade Gongkotsu Ramen noodles (undiluted) to show my appreciation for all those who fought through the war.

    At this point in time, Veerle was devoted to consuming gongkotsu ramen.

    Once the game was over, they forgot about their positions and interacted with each other, praising each other.

    It would be nice if this would become the standard for the three major races in the future.

    Mr. Ardhegg.

    Unu?

    For now, I greeted Ardhaegg-san, the master of the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle, again.

    ''''Thank you so much for providing me with a place to stay this time.

    No, no, no, no. I''m happy to be part of the reconciliation process.

    This man himself just became a new emperor dragon and I''m sure he''s going through a lot of hardships, but to think that he would put his compassion on humanity in the midst of all that.

    I''m really glad that Ardheg-san has become the new Geyser Dragon.

    I shudder to think if this was another........majority of irresponsible and uncivilized dragons that had become the emperor.

    ''Hey Seadr!¡¡You should take this opportunity to eat 40 to 50 bowls of Gongkotsu Ramen!

    ''No!¡¡That''s what you''ve been extracting from me to begin with!¡¡Why are you so sad that you have to ingest your own food?

    Really..........?

    I decided not to listen to the dragons'' horrible argument, and I decided to mix in with the rest of the circle of conversation.

    The Demon King was chatting about something with Silver Wolf, an S-class adventurer.

    ''''What an unusual combination, isn''t it?¡¡What deviousness?

    ''''No, it''s not like I''m being devious...?

    Because that was clearly the mood of the secret talks.

    I''m sure it''s not a bad thing, but you can tell it''s a difficult political story.

    ''''Since this event fell into place as intended. We''ve decided to use that momentum to get on with our original business.

    The original business?

    What was it?

    Saint...?

    ''No, no, no, no, I know exactly what I''m doing!¡¡I haven''t forgotten you!

    Well, there it is.

    You''re talking about opening up a dungeon in Devil''s Land to adventurers, right?

    The Adventurer''s Guild, a system in which civilians manage dungeons, is only on the side of the former human kingdom.

    In the Demon Kingdom, the Demon King''s Army had been managing the dungeons until now, but with the shrinking of the military, they couldn''t keep up.

    That''s when we came up with the idea to outsource the work to human adventurers to fill in for the lack of help!

    This event has made the human demon race coiled up more and more, and I believe there will be little opposition to welcoming adventurers to the demon kingdom. From now on, we are going to start outsourcing the business.

    I was just having a meeting with the Demon King to discuss that.

    Silver Wolf said.

    As a matter of fact, the Adventurer''s Guild is also having problems with the end of the war. The mercenaries and knights who lost their livelihoods are changing their jobs to adventurers all at once in search of new jobs.

    I can use my experience from my last job.

    ''''However, the population of professions had risen so rapidly that the existing dungeons had begun to overflow. We thought the only thing we could do at this point was to release them all at once into the field in search of undiscovered dungeons, and that''s why we''re so grateful for the request from the Demon Kingdom.

    So supply and demand are in sync.

    I''ve been hesitant to send them to the mainland as adventurers when it comes to the people who once fought a fierce battle with the Demon King''s army. But after this event, we can see the light...

    The warriors who have fought the fiercest fierce battles in that seat over there are now celebrating reconciliation.

    "There is only one thing in this world that is perfect, and that is our friendship! I''m just saying.

    That''s right, it was today''s main eventers, Grashara and Pinkton.

    You''ve become an adventurer and your forward momentum has improved even more, haven''t you?¡¡I can''t compete with you anymore, I''ve been skipping battle training all the time!

    "What are you talking about, today''s winner!¡¡The counterattack at the end really got to me. Is that what a mother''s strength is all about~?

    Yoo-hoo!¡¡Isn''t my little girl cute?¡¡Isn''t she really cute?¡¡Why don''t you just get married and have a kid, ''cause he''s really cute and life-changing.

    There it is, the married man sharing his happiness with you.

    They look so congenial.

    It''s a good thing that you''re able to get to know each other that well, then I''m sure it will spread to other Demon King''s Army soldiers and former mercenaries who are now adventurers. ........I''m really glad we did this event.

    Ah!¡¡Silver Wolf-san has a distant look in his eyes.

    In the end, he was one of the three people who had worked so hard to capture the dungeon to the end and reach Ardheg''s side.

    The shock of having all the results of his struggle to be named "Cronin''s" is still smoldering in his mind?

    ''''It''s all right!¡¡I''m sure Silverwolf and his team''s hard work is also contributing to world peace!

    I hope you''re right...?

    ''''It''s okay.

    Because "Cronins" is Silver Wolf, Zos Saira, and the Four Heavenly Kings, Mamoru?¡¡Wasn''t it, like, a threesome?

    It''s not just the humanoid demon race, but even the mermaid race has joined in, leading to the reconciliation of the three major races!

    Grashara and Pinkton''s game is only within the range of effect of the human and demon races.

    It''s no match for "Cronin''s", which even covers the mermaid race!

    And to prove it look at that thing!

    Two of the "Cronins" except for Mr. Silverwolf.

    Mr. Zos Saira and Mr. Mamoru surrounded one of them with a pleading sermon.

    ''Why do you feel like you''re living all alone?¡¡Truly no one can live alone in the full sense of the word, can they?

    You''re an adventurer because of your guild.¡¡We get paid by the guild and use the money to eat and rent a place to sleep. And a guild is made up of the mutual support of all of us.

    Helping each other is a spirit of compassion. If you don''t have that in mind, it''s useless.

    When one person in an organization ignores compassion like you do, all the compassion is wasted and the organization collapses. How can that be a good thing?¡¡What do you think?¡¡Say it right?

    The one who is getting the brunt of the merciless sermon is, as I recall, an S-class adventurer named Golden Bat.

    He seems to have done something in the dungeon and has been preaching to me ever since he came out.

    Top-notch adventurer, looking down and refusing to look the other person in the eye.

    ''''That was his own fault, so I don''t feel any sympathy for him, but...''''

    "If you were to lecture your colleague that hard, you''d definitely have a lump in your throat, wouldn''t you?¡¡I''m going to take over there and give you my honest opinion from my position as an outsider!¡¡This is the power of the bond between you guys!

    This is the "Cronin''s" must-have substitute preaching technique!

    By admonishing the troublemakers in each other''s camps, they diminish the hardships of their friends!

    Well, then, I''ll do the same on behalf of my friends and their hard work...

    Mr. Silverwolf, I was wondering where you were going with your tsk tsk tsk.

    ''''........Lord Belphegamilia. It''s not that there''s anything wrong with you being troublesome. However, it''s not the same as imposing troublesome things on others, is it?

    He began to lecture the Four Heavenly Kings, Belphegamilia-san, the Four Heavenly Kings!

    Belphegamilia-san, who is a troublemaker even though he is in the first seat of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is giving Mamoru-san, the same Four Heavenly Kings, a lot of trouble for that!

    The substitute preaching technique is working well!

    Oh, and while I was doing that, one of the two people who were preaching to Golden Bad-san, the Four Heavenly Kings Mamoru-san, left him....

    ''''You know, an idea needs a lot of rooting to execute, right?¡¡If you start off abruptly, you''re definitely going to get wrinkled somewhere, right?¡¡If you''re royalty, too, you should carefully consider that your words and actions can have a huge impact on the people below you...

    He started preaching to Plati, ahhh!

    S-class adventurer Golden Bat.

    The Four Heavenly Kings Belfe Gamilia.

    The Six Witch Prati.

    The troublemakers from each camp are now preaching to the troubled children in their respective camps!

    ''My wife was categorized as a problem child...?

    Well, it can''t be helped, but could you please forgive me now?

    Preaching to the newly conceived second embryo is somehow inconvenient?

    Well, it was nice to see the three main tribes united in this way, and it made me feel that peace was becoming more certain.

    I knew this event was a great success.

    And then there are the troublemakers on the side being preached at.

    They all turned their heads and stubbornly refused to look the person they were preaching to in the eye.

    The fact that they were doing the same movements in a surprisingly identical manner gave the impression of unity in a different way.

 542-540 Talk between witch and goddess

    I''ll come back to the farm and say it again.

    Prathi, I''m pregnant for the second time!

    Great!

    Ta-da!

    So not only will we be adding to our family, but Junior will finally be a big brother!

    That alone is a great blessing, but the good news doesn''t stop there.

    The good news doesn''t stop there, however, as Pfafa and Lamprey were conceived at the same time.

    Although they got married at the same time, it seems a little too good to be true that they were expecting a child at the same time.

    Especially since Puffa is the new Queen of Mermaids, her pregnancy was a celebration with the whole country to mark the birth of her successor.

    I''m so happy for them!

    This sudden baby boom brought the farm back to life and we decided to do something to celebrate.

    "Let''s call on God!

    Prathi said something.

    The reason we are having this baby is because God is watching over us!¡¡Why don''t we call on that God and say thank you in person with an offering or something!

    You want me to call out to thank you?

    Oh, well.

    Since what Prathi says is reasonable and since we have the means to call on God, we decided to do it in a quiet way.

    The Mermaid King and his wife, Arowana Puffa, who are busy working in the land of mermaids, as well as Mr. Hendler''s entourage and his wife, Lamprey, also made plans to visit the farm for the first time in a while.

    It''s a celebration.

    And when it comes to invoking God, this person who is absolutely indispensable.

    The teacher of the No Life King.

    ''''Sensei, please have a good day.

    I know the drill.

    The only person who can casually summon a god is the teacher, so I ask him to do it honestly.

    This guy, too, is happy to accept my request, since summoning a god is like a half-hobby, if I ask him.

    Then Sensei waves his wand and summons the god....

    ''Bankoran (spell)''

    ........Goddesses.

    One of the two goddesses had blonde hair that shone like the ocean field reflecting the morning sun, and the other was a goddess with black hair that fluttered like the ocean at night.

    The blonde one was Amphitrite, the goddess of the sea.

    The dark-haired one was the sea goddess Medusa.

    They were both consorts of the sea god Poseidos, the nurturers of life from the sea.

    No other gods are worthy of the report of new life.

    At sea.

    "And no god Poseidon, of course, is here?

    "Of course, it''s going to be devastating for you if she follows you around on your fun-filled day out.

    Apparently, even in God, husbands are despised by their wives.

    ''Great goddesses of the sea!¡¡Thanks to your blessings, we have been given a new life!

    Prathi speaks to God on behalf of God. Like a priest in the service of God.

    Something like that reminds me of the genius and royalty of Prati.

    I just wanted to express my gratitude to you all for coming here. We thank you for all three of us!

    Puffa on either side of Prathi, and both of them kneel side by side in the lamp eye.

    ''Don''t do that kind of thing, for God''s sake!¡¡Pleasers of the Gratitude Offering!

    d*mn, you didn''t see that one coming.

    There was no lack of hospitality to invoke God, and it was well prepared.

    The cake one hole I had prepared in advance.

    ''''Kyaaaaaah!¡¡I was summoned because of this!¡¡It''s a delicious cake made by a saint!

    ''''Thank you for always treating us to such delicious food. .........a little Amphitrite? Don''t take a bite without saying ''Itadakimasu''. I haven''t even carved it up yet, you know?''

    "What if someone eats you before you do that?¡¡The world is always a fast-paced world!¡¡Bite from what you like!''

    "Is that how God behaves? I mean, you''ve already eaten more than half of it!¡¡You should know how to share a little!

    The behavior of the gods is still nasty.

    Even Goddess Amphitrite and Goddess Medusa, who are a little better than most of the gods, ended up like this.

    It''s not a good idea to have a newborn baby. It''s not possible to have a child from another world, but with my blessing, you are able to carry a second child. It''s really brilliant.''''

    "All by the grace of Amphitrite.

    You can''t justify your godlike dignity now....

    You''re creamy and gooey all over your face, Goddess.

    I don''t think you''re the only one who has been blessed with this blessing. You have married the king''s wife and now you are expecting an heir! I''m sure I wasn''t crazy about that.

    It''s a pleasure, sir!

    Puffa also bowed deeply.

    She used to be like the rightful ruler of Tupperware, but now she has become the mermaid queen and has come to be civil?

    ''Mr. Puffa, Mr. Prati, you have been given the ''Blessing of the Sea Goddess Queen'' and the ''Blessing of the Sea Mother God'' respectively. That is a sign of recognition by our Sea God''s wife. May you continue to be proud of it and remember that you are a good wife and mother.

    If so, Prathi-chan is more promising. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about it.

    "Huh?¡¡What the hell?

    Goddess Medusa seems to change her tone of voice when she is angry.

    Anyway, she proceeded to say her words to the gods solemnly, and I thought it would end without a hitch, but........

    "...Speaking of which...

    I noticed that among the three main people facing God, only one of them hadn''t spoken yet.

    It was Lamp-Eye, the ''Hellfire Witch''.

    ''''I''m sorry I made Lamp Eye the only hub. I can''t help but have a conversation between the person who received the blessing and the gods...!

    "Why don''t you call the god who gave Lamprey his blessing, too? You''re probably getting it from someone else too, aren''t you?

    Because of something that happened earlier, most of the people on our farm have received some kind of blessing from God.

    Lamp Eye was also on the scene at that time, so there must be a god who gave him a blessing........

    ''''No, I haven''t been given anything in particular.

    "''What?''

    Not only Pratipafa, but also the gods are surprised.

    Indeed, I had an opportunity to receive God''s blessings with you all in the past, but I declined.

    ''What?¡¡Why?¡¡Isn''t God''s blessing a super good thing that every human child wants?''

    Goddess Amphitrite was slightly upset, as if they felt that their charity was rejected.

    ''''No, I am good at fire magic potions, so if possible, I wanted to receive the blessing of the God who controls fire and flame. However, since I couldn''t find such a person in the face of that god...

    You turned it down?

    "You''re that kind of guy...¡¡If you don''t want it, you won''t take it even if you''re told to ''do it''...?

    In a way, Lamp Eye might be the boldest of the six witches.

    ''''I like your firmness of will!¡¡You''re right!¡¡''A child of man should only obey a God he truly respects!

    "I would like to ask for the blessing of Goddess Wester, the goddess of fire in the hearth, for my blessing. I have heard that she also protects the family from being overwhelmed by the fire, and as a bride to Lord Hendler, I am an ideal worshipper.

    "Oh, that''s him!¡¡I can give you a run for your money if you like.¡¡I don''t know, we''re not friends!''''

    I don''t know what it is, but the Amphitrite Goddess is being overly kind to me.

    Did the fact that she didn''t receive the blessing cause her to be so upset?

    ''Thank you. You are indeed the Mother God of the Sea, and we thank you for your mercy.

    I mean it!¡¡All female mermaids are my protection, of course!''''

    The Amphitrite Goddess, who is slumped over.

    Beside her.........

    ''''But isn''t Wester-san a virgin goddess, as I recall?

    Huh?

    Goddess Medusa pointed out.

    ''You must have forced a woman who worships you in that relationship to be pure for the rest of her life, right?¡¡Your child is married and even pregnant, so I''m not sure I''d be able to meet his expectations...''''

    ''''I didn''t expect to be avenged for getting married...?''''

    Lamprey slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

    It''s a good thing that I didn''t know that and didn''t receive a blessing before I got married. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have been able to marry Hendler-sama.

    ''Well, let''s see if we can find another god who''s good with fire.

    God''s blessing is also a troublesome thing.

    There are some things that are forbidden in exchange for the blessing, and it''s complicated in many ways.

    Then I noticed something.

    The fourth person among the former farm-dwelling mermaids was another one.

    Gala Rufa, the Plague Witch.

    ...and what god gave you that blessing?

    She happened to be watching over the divine meeting with me, and I was curious to ask her about it.

    No, what can I say, I felt like Gala Rufa has been the most dangerous punching bag lately, so I was just being cautious.

    ''''Yes, I received a blessing from a goddess named Nyx-san!

    Heh.

    Who?

    I don''t have much knowledge of the gods in this world.

    ''''Huh?''''

    "Nyx?¡¡Why him?''

    But Medusa and Amphitrite both reacted in unison.

    ''Wasn''t it that time you got your blessing?¡¡"The day the gods of the earth and sea all came to eat together!

    "Nyx shouldn''t have attended the banquet!¡¡She''s an older deity than the Three Realms God, so she doesn''t belong to the same world!

    "I mean, isn''t that goddess always like that?¡¡She appears and disappears before you know it!

    "As expected of the ancient god and goddess of the night...?

    I''m confused, but I don''t know what you''re talking about, because I don''t know what''s going on.

    I don''t understand unless you explain it to me properly.

    It''s not necessary for me to explain it to you, it''s too complicated.

    The first time I saw it, I thought to myself, "What kind of blessing did Nyx''s aunt give you?

    To the goddesses who asked fearfully, Gala Rufa answered pleasantly.

    ''''Yes, I received the ''Decision to End the World''!

    "What kind of a crazy goddess do you give a human child?

    That''s why I don''t understand what the ancient hermits do!

    Anyway, here''s what we learned from this meeting...

    I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but it''s not.

    Or rather, was it because of Gala Rufa''s badassery that this mysterious god arrived unnoticed?

    I had no choice but to meet the person in question and ask him or her what the intentions were.

 543-541 Octopus visit

    An octopus came to our farm.

    It might be too sudden for you to know what I''m talking about, but anyway, we had an octopus come to our farm.

    And it wasn''t just any octopus.

    It was a huge octopus.

    We were so scared that even a big sailing boat might sink if it got tangled up in this thing.

    Everyone was in an uproar because a giant octopus like that was crawling up the coast.

    Okubo, Gobukichi, and the rest of the warriors have gathered on the beach and are ready to intercept the octopus...!

    "Hi, Platy!

    ''Wow!¡¡It''s not Kula-chan, I miss it!

    He seemed to have a rapport with my wife.

    Huh?¡¡You know him?

    ''I''ll introduce you, sir!¡¡It''s my little Mabudachi Kraken!

    "Nice to meet you!¡¡Well, I''m surprised you''re getting married, Prathi!¡¡I thought I was too strong-minded and that no man would be put off by me!''

    Hey, just because you''re my friend doesn''t mean you can''t talk to me.

    "Oh, I''m sorry, morning siesta!

    My wife is really good friends with an octopus.

    I wonder if being a mermaid means that she can get along with all marine life?

    One of these days, though, it''s going to be dancing with ties and flounder.

    But in spite of that, you''re eating a lot of fish dishes that are served on the table, aren''t you, Platy?

    Where are the boundaries of her mind?

    ''Kra-chan may look like an octopus, but she''s essentially a spirit!¡¡That''s what you call a senior spirit!

    ''''But I don''t have any particular role as a spirit, I''m just floating freely in the sea. I was doing the same thing with Prati-chan when I met her.

    My wife who makes friends with a big octopus.

    It''s nostalgic.......I had just dropped out of Mermaid Witch Academy back then and was enjoying my freedom. I was swimming around on the ocean when I met Kula and...!

    "Three days and nights of beating.

    They formed a bond...!

    The wife''s friendship episode is too much of a banter.

    ''We hit it off and we started hanging out everywhere.... We raided the seven seas together....

    "In pursuit of the last of the treasures...

    It was a fun time to be a teenager, anyway. But what happened to you all of a sudden, Kula?¡¡Did I call you to tell you that I live on land?

    ''No, I didn''t... Oh, Platy!¡¡Last time I saw you making such a fuss over the Emperor Dragon.¡¡I can hear it at my place, too...''

    Oh, yeah.

    There was a dungeon conquest competition held at Ardhegg''s place between representatives of the three major races.

    That was quite a big event, and rumors of it circulated throughout the sea.

    I heard that he found an old acquaintance among the contestants, and that he''d come here to rely on his fate.

    You know, Kura-chan, it''s amazing how much you wanted to meet me and how much you care about your friends!

    "When you''re so close to me, Platy, it''s only natural.

    and the octopus wiggling each of its eight legs.

    But is it safe for an octopus to stay on the beach for so long?

    Well, it seems you''re essentially a spirit, and you''re OK with breathing on land.

    But to tell you the truth, I''d like to ask a favor of you while I''m meeting Prati-chan after a long time.

    What''s going on?

    "I was in the middle of looking for this place, and I heard that your husband is a great cook, Platy?

    Something about me came up.

    ''Yeah?¡¡Good at what?¡¡The food you make, Master, is ultimately delicious!

    I thought he was going to be modest, but he affirmed it with all his might.

    Is it just my imagination that there is a slightly boastful tone to his words?

    Well, I''d be happy if I could make Prathi proud myself.

    ''I''m glad. To tell the truth, I wanted to talk to Prati-chan about introducing someone who is a good cook!

    Cooking?¡¡Why?

    Prati tilts her head.

    ''Kula-chan is an octopus after all, so you''ll eat a lot of shellfish and fish as it is, right?¡¡You don''t need to cook, do you?

    You eat what you eat.

    I''m a spirit, though.

    But the spirit of the earth that lives in my home also ate cake and ice cream with gusto.

    But this time, I have a little problem, and I''d really like you to make it for me.

    The giant octopus says, with a profound gleam in his dull eyes.

    ''The best octopus in the world.''

    Can you give me a minute?

    The octopus requested an octopus dish.

    What do you mean?

    Cannibalism?

    Or is it a sacrificial offering of yours?

    ''Wait, wait, wait, listen to me carefully?¡¡In fact, I have an eternal rival who has been fighting with me for a long time.''

    The eternal rival?

    You don''t think that''s what it is....

    If there is one thing that stalks the octopus, it''s the squid.

    Squid, after all!

    "The Crab.

    You''re a crab.

    Basically, octopus is the natural enemy of crabs, but I hear that larger crabs can prey on octopus.

    Is it a win-win situation?

    I''ve been working with the crab''s senior spirit, the giant crab Desmas, who lives in Manigol cave, since before I met Prati. I''m going to be fighting with that crab bastard for a subject like this.

    -- "Which is better, octopus or crab? .

    I heard that from the side, and it made me weak.

    Hearing that from the side, I was deflated.

    Does that mean that the game has boiled down to the point where I put myself on the side of being eaten?

    How many times have you been in a fight?

    ''''This is a contest for the pride of the octopus tribe. This is a game of pride for the octopus, and even if we are eaten, we cannot be defeated by the crabs!

    Isn''t the moment we are eaten, we are defeated in nature?

    But isn''t Mr. Crab by far the best when it comes to taste?

    ''Platy!¡¡Such a difficult thing to say, clearly!

    Well......

    It may be hard for an octopus to admit, but crabs are certainly a luxury item.

    Depending on the type and size of crab, it can cost over 10,000 yen. It''s a great soup stock and can be eaten raw.

    It''s no exaggeration to say it''s the king of seafood.

    Compared to that, octopus....well, I think it''s delicious.

    In some areas, it is called "Devil Fish" and treated as a ghetto.

    It''s obvious that the octopus is no match for the competition in terms of quality as an ingredient, let alone survival.

    Isn''t crab good?

    It''s so delicious!

    That''s why I came to consult with you!¡¡It may be hard to beat, but with a little ingenuity, even us octopuses could surpass the taste of a crab!¡¡I''m sure the humans have those skills!¡¡It''s called cooking!

    They said the food was like some kind of secret assassination technique.

    ''''Prathi-chan has always been smart, she must know something about it!¡¡And you''ve got a husband who''s good at cooking that stuff!¡¡Please!¡¡Help me with the friendship of an old friend!

    Okay.

    Two words?

    "This is your chance to show how great my husband is!¡¡I''ll remind you again and again that nothing is impossible for your husband!

    Duh.

    Junior, who had been embraced by Prathi from the beginning, clapped his hands in approval.

    I can''t do anything when my lovely wife and son trust me that much.

    Then let''s make it!

    Octopus from another world.

    You''ll be back in a minute. I''ll get the food.

    That''s my boyfriend!

    I''ve already got it all together in my head what to make.

    I''m going to make sausages.

    I always keep some leftover horned boar meat on hand to preserve.

    Bake in a frying pan!

    Press down on the incised area so that it blossoms and bakes, done!

    Octopus sausage!

    It''s the sausage we''re using, but you''re missing out on that!

    "You don''t use me as an ingredient in any of those things.

    Indeed.

    So how about this kind of thing?

    A dish made of thin bread made of corn and topped with a variety of ingredients!

    Tacos!

    By the way, the octopus sausage was all over junior''s eyes from the moment it was ready.

    By the way, the moment the octopus sausage was made, Junior had his eyes all to himself.

    Junior''s eyes sparkled as he stared at the octopus sausage.

    As expected, Tako-san sausage''s unifying force to children is the best in the world.

 544-542 Octopus Grill Party

    Continuing from last time, I''m going to try taco cooking.

    I''ve gagged too much on taco sausage and tacos, and that''s why I''m frowned upon.

    I''ve got to complete the octopus dish to keep my husband''s dignity, and this time I''ve got to fill the order.

    So, octopus dishes.

    I searched my memory to see what kind of dishes were available.

    Vinegared food, fried food, salad, stewed food....

    What is good is good, but it is a little doubtful whether the originality of the octopus can be used.

    More ''If it''s an octopus, it''s this! Is there a dish of zubari that would be

    Octopus meat.

    It''s delicious, isn''t it?

    However, I''ve been under the impression that it''s a good snack to accompany alcoholic beverages, and we can''t make it because our farm doesn''t produce horseradish yet.

    Maybe we should really start making horseradish.

    And on top of that, what else is there to do........

    ...that''s right.

    It''s one of the best.

    A typical octopus dish.....

    Takoyaki!

    This is the octopus of octopus.

    The flour mixed with dashi broth and other ingredients is put into a special iron instrument and baked.

    You can turn it over and bake it into a spherical shape.

    The chewy texture of the octopus in it is very addictive.

    I''m sure that the octopus will be satisfied with the octopus roast, but I''m sure that the octopus will be happy with it. Let''s see.

    There''s nothing that isn''t in short supply, food-wise.

    We should be able to get everything we need from the food we have stockpiled on the farm.

    If you''re daring to say there''s something missing.

    ...an octopus?

    The essential ingredient is missing.

    Well, what to do?

    If you want to get octopus as food, you have to go fishing.

    However, the octopus itself is already in front of me.

    The kraken of the big octopus.

    What should we do?

    "Hmmm... aren''t you in trouble, Master Prati?

    Oh, I''m in trouble.

    I''m in trouble.

    "If you need octopus meat, feel free to use me!

    Wow, that''s impressive.

    One of the Kraken''s octopus legs comes off by itself and rolls in front of me.

    And the main body of the body grew back a new leg from the cross section.

    The time it took to get there was three seconds at best.

    ''''I''m a spirit myself, so my regeneration ability is high!¡¡Use those legs to make a delicious octopus dish to your heart''s content.

    If I had this octopus, I wouldn''t have to worry about food shortages for the rest of my life.

    Anyway, since it''s time to make a delicious octopus roast, let''s make a delicious octopus roast with these octopus legs.

    .........oh no, it''s not ready yet.

    We don''t have the taco pan that we need to make a taco roast.

    That thing with the many circular indentations in it.

    I''ve never made one for anything else but making octopus roasts, so I''ve never had a chance to make one before....

    I''ll just have to build a new one.

    The raw material ... manna metal again?

    * * *

    The structure is simple, and I didn''t need to bother the dwarves this time, so I made my own.

    I made a rather large one and made it capable of baking fifty pieces at a time.

    I''m sure they''ll be second to none for commercial use!

    Boil the octopus legs you got, chop them up into small pieces, make the dough and you''re ready to go.

    Let''s bake it!

    This is some kind of weird cooking method, isn''t it?

    ''As you roll the guy in this round depression, it gets rounder and rounder. It''s like a ball, it''s funny!

    As usual, Prati and Veerle were the first to sniff it out, followed by the orc goblin elves and mermaids.

    In addition, even the students came by and were very busy.

    ........I feel like a street vendor selling taco roasts.

    Even so, my cooking skills, which I''ve trained over the years, didn''t flinch, and the well-cooked octopus roast was finished with a sloppy sauce, mayonnaise, and finally some aonori!

    Takoyaki!¡¡Eat it up!

    ""Wow!"

    The farm''s inhabitants are trying their hand at one octopus roast after another.

    ''Delicious!''

    High praise.

    ''Crunchy on the outside but fluffy on the inside!¡¡And something definitely resilient and chewy in the center!¡¡Oh, so this is an octopus?

    It''s so chewy and rich in harmony!¡¡This dough must have been made of flour!¡¡That''s what wheat is all about!

    Besides Veerle and Prati, many others are huffing and puffing and chewing on their octopus roasts.

    And the all-important Kraken...!

    Excellent!¡¡That''s great!¡¡It tastes so good!

    He was sobbing with emotion as he ate the octopus roast.

    .........

    It was quite a surreal sight.

    Can we describe it as an octopus eating its own leg?

    "Win!¡¡This is going to win no matter what that crabber comes up with!¡¡Thank you, Prathi-chan''s master aaaah!''''

    I''m glad you like it....

    Well, I''ll just make more jangling taco roasts, shall I?

    We''ve prepared a lot of dough, and if we don''t make three times as much as we are now, we''ll never run out.

    We''ve got a lot of octopus left over, and there''s plenty of people to eat, so there''s no need to save it.

    I''m going to grill them!

    This is a taco party!

    ...then there''s no need to limit the ingredients to octopus?

    If you''re going to cook a lot, it''s good to be adventurous with some of them.

    The unusual ingredients are the best part of a taco-yaki party.

    You could even get in the mood for a dark pot and create an outrageous tacoyaki!

    So how about natto?

    The Holkosphone came out of nowhere.

    This time, Ochi came first.

    However, we know that natto is a versatile ingredient that is delicious in any situation.

    Natto octopus in place of natto, Natto Taco Grill!

    Let''s do it!

    Delicious.

    Of course it doesn''t have the same chewy texture as the octopus, but the unique flavor of natto (fermented soybeans) adds even more flavor to the octopus balls.

    Natto is horrible after all.

    Natto goes with everything.

    How about adding cheese and other ingredients this time?

    Mmm, the basics.

    If it''s butter, the spirits of the earth will start screaming again, and it''ll probably melt and spill out in the heat anyway, so cheese is fine here.

    Cheese Takoyaki.

    It was also good.

    How about some chopped up sausages with the same meat?

    We''ll put shrimp in it.

    Wouldn''t it give a different feel to a shiitake mushroom?

    Mochi!¡¡Mochi!

    ''You can put ramen in it~!

    A lot of discussion ensued and the place became more and more lively.

    The strength of the octopus dumpling is that it can envelop any kind of ingredient and turn it into something delicious.

    It''s really fun to grill and eat with a lot of merriment like this, and it''s a great taco grill party!

    It would be a shame to never use the taco maker I''ve made, or party regularly.

    The only problem is.....

    "Hey, it wouldn''t be an octopus dish if you didn''t put octopus in it, would it?

    The Kraken was staring at me with a resentful stare.

    ''If this doesn''t turn into an octopus dish, I can''t use it to compete with crabs, though?¡¡Hey, are you sure?¡¡Is this a taco pan?''

    It wouldn''t even be an octopus roast if there wasn''t an octopus inside to begin with.

    Under Kraken''s cold stare, I was sorry that I had gone too far.

 545-543 S level visit

    It''s been a busy winter.

    We''ve been through a few winters here on the farm, and we''re getting used to it.

    The spirits of the earth say goodbye for a while to rest for the winter.

    The orcs make the most of this time of year when they stop working in the fields and head out to sea to fish.

    In this way, the winter farm becomes a little larger. But there is no time to feel lonely.

    There are many things to do in winter.

    For one thing, we have a guest today.

    Just a few days ago we also met at Ardheg''s new Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    They are S-class adventurers.

    * * * *.

    ''Wow, wow!

    "All the S-class adventurers are here!

    What is an S-class adventurer?

    They are the most experienced and skilled adventurers in the Adventurer''s Guild.

    There are currently only five adventurers who have been given the "S" grade. Among the tens of thousands of adventurers, there are only five.

    That''s why their existence was so admirable, and the people who were most excited by their visit were, of course, the young people of their own race.

    ''''Silver Wolf Instructor!¡¡It''s been a while!

    "Golden Bat-sama, you''re so beautiful!

    That''s the Black Cat!¡¡The most colorful adventurer!

    Our farm is home to young people who are studying hard to become the future of society, and there are also a certain number of children of the human race.

    For these promising youngsters, an S-class adventurer with the best achievements would be a dream come true.

    Just as young demons aspire to become the Four Heavenly Kings, young mermaids will eventually become the Four Heavenly Kings.

    Just as young mermaids aspire to become witches in the future.

    The S-class adventurer must be their dream self for the young mermaids.

    ''''No, not really.''''

    I have a master to serve. I''m not going to be a windbag adventurer.

    Oh, really?

    Well, I heard that the human race students who were sent to the farm were the lord''s children or favorite vassals.

    Why bother trying to become a freelance adventurer when you have a stable job?

    ''''Saint-sama, thank you for inviting me here today.

    That''s what you say, Silver Wolf.

    He''s the S-class adventurer we''re most familiar with.

    This isn''t the only person who''s come to the farm, this is the second time he''s been here, and it seems like the smoothest way to get everything done is through him.

    ''''I''m sorry to call you out of the blue. I''m sure you''re busy, Silver Wolf-san...?

    ''''If I could come to this farm, I''d throw out all the trouble and fly over. For us adventurers, this farm is a kind of utopia...!

    Huh?¡¡Really?

    Why?

    Be that as it may, it''s more and more difficult today because besides Silver Wolf-san, we''re accompanied by a number of unique S-class adventurers.

    A commotion is occurring right away over there.

    "Nggoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    "Gyaaaaaaahhhh!

    What is this, roaring like a beast?

    Are we moving in? But then, there were two people who teamed up to compare their strength.

    One of them was Pinktonton.

    She was the wild boar beast woman who had attracted a lot of attention when she performed a big event at the New Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    Turning her around and pushing each other without taking a step back was our farm representative, Lettuce Rate.

    ''''Guga gaga!¡¡That''s a lot of power for a little body!¡¡This would be the perfect way to flower the new organization I''m launching!

    You''ve got a great body and a great guts!¡¡Would you like to grow beans with me?

    Why are they comparing forces as soon as they visit?

    Mr. Silverwolf, who couldn''t see it, explains.

    ''Pinkton got a taste for it at the last event and said, ''I''m going to enter the business.''

    Business?

    ''''It seems that the plan is to make it a business to have a match in front of a lot of people, like the one I had with the Demon Queen at the Dragon Emperor''s Castle. And yet, they''re trying to rehire the mercenaries who have lost their jobs...

    Like you did with Mr. Grashara at the Dragon Emperor''s Castle?

    Is that...?

    Proles.........?

    ''''Originally, she focused on rescuing mercenaries and knights who were lost at the end of the war, so the reason she became an S-class adventurer was for the purpose of uniting former mercenaries who had changed jobs... ...

    That''s pretty impressive stuff...?

    For an S-class adventurer, I''m a fairly decent guy.

    And so while they were talking, Pinkton-san and Lettuce Rate changed their positions........

    He scored a brainbuster!

    The people gathered around to watch the fight unintentionally get excited at the usual reversal of a small army conquering a large army.

    Both Lettuce Rate and him are good-looking and flowery, and I''m sure they''ll be idle wrestlers when they debut...?

    More than anything else, he''s becoming more and more of a power character these days, thanks to his bean power.

    No, I''m not talking about that.

    Pinktonton also said that he''s not quitting adventuring, and that if he can go on tour while crossing over each dungeon, his income will be stable and he''ll be accepted by the people. It could be a new business development for adventurers.

    ''''Isn''t she too firm...?

    The vision of setting up an organization of the human race and demon race, respectively, and making a rough profit from the confrontation between them came to mind.

    Well, let''s leave Pinktonton-san alone for now.

    Because she''s not the only visitor today.

    ''''It''s been a long time, Saint-san!

    Hey, long time no see!

    The person who speaks to me in a friendly manner is another S-class adventurer named Brown Katou.

    He and I hit it off completely at the last event.

    ''Fight!''

    One!

    They shout to each other.

    ''The heart of Shit!''

    Fatherhood!

    If you push, the Fountain of Youth will spring to life!

    Behold!

    "''Tis a hot and blazing soul!

    These obscure phrases are exchanged as if they were strikes.

    It''s as if we both know what the other is going to say next.

    It''s no wonder that this Brown Katou-san is a former hero who was summoned from another world just like me.

    And he has risen to the level of an S-class adventurer in this world.

    Since we''re of the same generation, we''re all the same in terms of hits.

    So, at the last event, we hit it off completely.

    I''m so proud of you, Saints. You can even recite the theme of Shittodan!

    I used to buy that magazine every month!¡¡Let''s do that next!¡¡Pretend you''re a steel-framed girl!

    And so we were playing with the memories of the world we were in before!

    I knew it would be fun to hang out with people from my hometown!

    ''We''ve prepared a lot of treats for you today, Katou-san!¡¡Please eat a lot of food!

    ''Whoa!¡¡Hamburger steak, katsudon, and even udon tempura.¡¡All the things I thought I''d never be able to eat again!

    The dishes from the previous world were more and more popular with those who already knew the taste of the food than those who were tasting it for the first time.

    The reaction of Katou-san is very clear, and her skill is more and more worthwhile.

    I''ll make a cake for dessert, too.

    There''s a high probability that the girls will take over the sweet stuff.

    ...................

    As I was floating around and so on, I was suddenly approached by a voice from the side.

    It was a cold, gruff voice.

    ''I wish you wouldn''t be floating around forever and get down to business.

    This was Golden Bat, another S-class adventurer with the most pompous attitude.

    He was the one who had been lectured after the event at the Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    He said, "You mustn''t forget the reason why we, the S-class adventurers, took the time to visit you in your busy schedule.

    ''Yeah yeah yeah!¡¡Our time isn''t cheap, nyah!

    And another one, Black Cat, the cat beastman.

    In total, the S-class adventurers are organized by these five people.

    You guys, the way you talk to the saint who invited you here...?

    Silverwolf-san, who is still in the difficult position of being a hard worker, has a hard time of it.

    And the other party is still the same as usual to prod.

    It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one who has called for it. Then why don''t you show us the bait you need to lure us out?

    ''Yeah!¡¡We''ve got that thing, so I took the time to do it for you!¡¡S-class adventurers'' schedules are ticking away!

    And grumpy adventurers.

    What do they want so badly........

    ''If you accept the invitation and come here...!

    ''I was told they were going to put me in a whole new dungeon that no one knew about!¡¡Don''t say four or five, just get it in!

 546-544 The unknown is delighted

    Saints, I am so sorry. They are selfish people who only care about their own interests...!

    Mr. Silverwolf is scratching and flatulent in a cold sweat.

    No I don''t even know if he''s a wolf beastie and hairy all over his face, but I don''t know if he''s scratching in a cold sweat.

    ''Never mind. They''re right, I called them over here.

    It would be reasonable for the one who wished first to pay the price.

    Of the five S-class adventurers, Pinktonton-san and Katou-san seem to have their own primary interests, so I decided to leave them alone and show them around.

    ''''Humph, what''s an adventurer going to do if he or she is distracted by something other than adventure?¡¡This is why those people who have suddenly become S-grade.......

    ''Yeah!¡¡All an adventurer can think about is dungeons, and that''s enough!

    Perhaps they are more standard for the profession of adventurer.

    The profession of adventurer was born to explore dungeons.

    If it was the S-class that reached that extreme, then it was also reasonable to put the dungeon as the top priority.

    And I''ve successfully used that to bring them out here.

    That''s just what I had in mind.

    And then.....

    * * * *

    We''ve arrived. This way, sir.

    An elated cat and a bat.

    Is it possible to get this excited just by looking at the entrance?

    ''It really happened!¡¡Dungeon!

    Woo-woo!¡¡I didn''t know there really was an undiscovered dungeon that I didn''t know existed.¡¡Humiliating but mind-blowing ughhhh!

    I''m writhing in some unusual way.

    I have a dungeon fetish. Is that what it takes to be an S-class adventurer?

    "Oh, dear, we have a very busy guest.

    Out of the depths of the dungeon came a dried up human corpse like a mummy.

    Although it is a corpse, it moves and speaks on its own.

    It was the strongest and worst undead in the world, the teacher of the No-Life King.

    The No-Life King!

    The Dungeon of the Lord!¡¡Super rare nyahhhh!

    Calm down.

    The level of surprise is so excessive that I, watching from the side, am drawn to it.

    "Smithsonian!¡¡The a**h*les don''t ridicule themselves and smirk...!

    Mr. Silverwolf is so horrified by the shame of his people, but it''s okay.

    Besides, even Mr. Silver Wolf was this noisy on his first visit.

    ''''The condition for them to come is that they have permission to explore the dungeon on the farm. Rather, we need to make them this happy in order to achieve our goal.

    And to move on to the next phase of your plan.

    ''Hmph........''

    Exploring dungeons is the adventurer''s job and reason for existence.

    When it comes to the S class, which is the highest level of it, it''s not surprising that it has become extreme to the point of habit.

    As you might have guessed, if the two standard adventurers, Golden Bat and Black Cat, were informed that there was an undiscovered dungeon that had not yet been made public, they couldn''t help but check it out in person.

    And even more so if it was an ultra-rare dungeon where the Lord lived.

    A dungeon with a Lord is a superlative dungeon that is sure to receive a 5-star rating on its own.¡¡It''s not fair!¡¡You cheat, Silver Wolf!¡¡It''s not fair that you knew of the existence of this awesome dungeon and hid it from me!

    That''s right!¡¡Adventurers have an obligation to report any unknown dungeons they discover!¡¡It''s a betrayal of the S-class adventurer''s windfall!

    Mr. Silverwolf, who was loudly denounced.

    ''''Those rules would be inside the guild after all. This dungeon is already managed by a power that far exceeds the Adventurer''s Guild, so it''s only logical to follow them.

    However, he was a dignified S-class dignitary, as expected of him, as he rejected the criticism head-on.

    "You''re still an adventurer?

    It''s a good thing that you are an S-Class adventurer, because you have to consider the interests and safety of all adventurers. I''m sure you''re the one who needs to think about it.

    No!¡¡I will be thinking of nothing but myself until I die!

    ''''These guys........?

    This self-centered person is what is called an orthodox S-class adventurer, so the hardships of Silver Wolf-san, who is also an S-class adventurer but is concerned about his surroundings, are immeasurable.

    As is to be expected of one of the ''Cronins'', he can be counted as one of them.

    ''''Now that I think about it, Alexander-san''s choice of him as a lecturer was also based on evidence.

    The reason why Silver Wolf-san was invited to the farm ahead of me was to have him lecture our students on how to explore the dungeon, though.

    I can be sure that the golden bats and black cats in front of me right now wouldn''t have been able to do that.

    ''''This is no time for messing around!¡¡If there''s a discovery dungeon in front of you, then you''ll just have to explore it, no matter what!

    "If there''s a hole in the ground, you''ll want to enter it, adventurer!

    These lousy standards of humanity only care about satisfying their own desires while ignoring their surroundings.

    I''m sorry to disturb you, sir!

    "No, it''s no problem. Our students were indebted to you, Silver Wolf-dono.

    Mr. Silverwolf''s accumulated virtue is being digested by a bunch of strangers!

    "But are you sure?

    What? Yes?

    "This is not the only dungeon in the land where I live. There''s another dungeon just a few miles away.

    "Eeeeeeeeeeeeee?

    "That''s a mountain-type dungeon. And it''s a wide area dungeon ruled by the dragon Veerle.

    "What did she say?

    Sensei, you have a way of shaking things up.

    The first-rate adventurers get more and more excited by this bombshell.

    A dragon rules?¡¡Doesn''t that mean that this is a dungeon with a master?

    I''ll give it a five star just from the summary alone!¡¡How is it possible for a dungeon with a master to be so close together?¡¡And they''re color-coded by cave type and mountain type!

    If we can build a proper dungeon city around here, it''ll be even more crowded than the King''s City!¡¡Super Dungeon City!¡¡A new era of dungeons is upon us!

    The top adventurers erupted just by standing in front of the gate.

    The momentum of these adventurers has reached a stage where the rest of us can no longer keep up with them.

    The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that they have to be in the middle of a new era.¡¡What''s important in a dungeon is what''s inside, right?

    Mr. Silverwolf, who has a very versatile way of saying, "You''re right!

    ''You''re right!¡¡A dungeon is only as good as its interior!

    ''d*mn dungeons with no materials to collect!¡¡We''re going to take a look at this dungeon and see what you''ve got in store for us.

    The two of them are excited like children who have been bought a new game.

    It''s not just a matter of time before you get your hands on a new game, it''s also a matter of time before you turn on your game console and enter the dungeon.

    But wait a minute!

    What?

    Mr. Silverwolf, who detains you.

    You have to think about it. This is a dungeon ruled by the No-Life King''s teacher.

    I know.

    The dungeon master himself agreed with me.

    Normally, dungeons with a Lord are the most dangerous dungeons of all, because you only need to encounter a Lord No-Life King or a dragon to die. Because the mere sight of the Lord, the No-Life King or the dragon, is enough to confirm your death.

    ''Hmm, look what you''re going to say. Who the hell do you think you are by telling me what even such a novice knows?

    I can''t be an S-class adventurer because I''m afraid of the Lord.

    The dungeon master is essentially the adventurer''s greatest fear.

    A jack-of-all-trades with a direct link between encounter and death. And for adventurers who make their living by diving into dungeons, the Dungeon Lord is an unavoidable obstacle as long as they aspire to the top.

    ''Only those who overcome that obstacle can become an S-class adventurer!

    ''Yeah!¡¡The dungeon master has to die if he encounters one, though. So as long as you don''t run into them, you''ll be fine.¡¡In short, just run away!

    They were the ones who had risen to the rank of S-class adventurer by doing so.

    I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to get it right.

    .........

    ''''We, the S-class adventurers!¡¡I''ve even been hounded by a dungeon lord once or twice!

    "We got away from them all!¡¡If we used our ears and noses, it would be no problem for us to detect their presence and keep our distance before we encounter them!

    Oddly enough, almost all of the members of the S-class adventurers were beastmen.

    It wasn''t just a coincidence, it was that they had saved their lives many times with their keen senses because of the beast factor mixed in with them.

    As long as he didn''t encounter the horrible dungeon lord, it wouldn''t be a problem.

    They had approached the dungeon with that kind of awareness.

    ''''But that''s not going to be the case this time, though.

    ''What?¡¡Why?

    ''We''ve already encountered the Dungeon Master.

    At Silverwolf''s point, everyone''s gaze is drawn to a point.

    The dried up face, but cheerful, went to the teacher of the No Life King.

    ''Welcome.''

    "We''re gonna be right in front of you. ''''We''re already dead!

    If encountering the dungeon master meant death, then they were long dead.

    This is a dungeon where the last boss will greet you at the entrance.

    That may sound like an exhaustive experience, but if you look at it another way, you could say it''s game over the moment you start.

    It''s a very unique dungeon.

 547-545 Dungeon Zanmai

    ''Sad meow!¡¡It''s so sad that the moment it starts, it''s over!

    It''s not fair!¡¡Isn''t the Lord supposed to be waiting for you at the bottom of the dungeon?¡¡What''s it doing at the entrance?

    S-class adventurer Black Cat and Golden Bat.

    The exploration of the first dungeon has been successfully completed.

    The reason, because the last boss is at the entrance.

    The setting is so diabolical that first-time killers and frame-up techniques seem cute.

    Everyone who takes on Sensei''s dungeon without permission dies like this.

    ''''But!¡¡There''s always a strategy for every dungeon!

    "''What did you say? Nyan!

    Mr. Silver Wolf says with a smug look on his face.

    I''ll give you a hint. That the No-Life King in this dungeon is not just any No-Life King!¡¡In terms of strength, as well as strength, if we encountered an ordinary, vicious and cruel Immortal King in the first place, would we be able to linger on for so long?

    ''''If you put it that way, is it true...?

    From what we''ve seen so far, it wouldn''t be strange if they didn''t kill all of us long ago...

    But they are alive.

    What does that mean.....

    ''That means the teacher is a no-life king who can talk the talk out of the ordinary!¡¡If you ask politely, they will allow you to enter the dungeon!

    Silverwolf-san........?

    You talk about hints, but you give away all the answers.

    "The idea of ''being polite'' and ''asking'' comes from these guys?¡¡I got anxious in the middle of talking about it...!

    Looking at the attitudes of these two and other things, Silver Wolf-san''s fears were very much in agreement with me.

    ''''There''s nothing I can do if I''m rude to an otherwise friendly teacher, so I''ll take the initiative to set an example here...!

    Mr. Silverwolf, bowing to the teacher, says.

    ''Let me explore the dungeon!¡¡Please!¡¡.... so why don''t you guys follow suit!

    ''''Oh, please, nyah-nyan!''''

    The two S-classes were overwhelmed by Silver Wolf-san''s power and bowed their heads.

    They are not the only ones who can do that.

    ''''Mm, okay.''''

    ""Yay!"

    He was generous, as always.

    The same teacher as always.

    I''m sure you''ve all heard of him. It''s important to be polite, and if you have the title of first class, you should behave accordingly and be a good example for your juniors.

    Yes, I understand!

    The only one with a good response was Mr. Silverwolf.

    ''Alright!¡¡We''ve been given permission to go on a search!

    I''ll be the first one to reach the lowest level!¡¡If you can''t find it, at least I''ll be the first to conquer it!

    The other two are now focused on the dungeon and don''t give a d*mn about anything else, so they rush in.

    It''s a good thing that they are not the only ones.

    Silver Wolf-san breaks down in tears.

    "You are having a hard time.

    The doctor put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

    * * * *

    And two top-notch adventurers plunge into a dungeon in earnest.

    But when it comes to being top-notch as humans, the two are not necessarily the same.

    ''''Whoa!¡¡The interior of the dungeon is in order!

    "A basic characteristic of a dungeon with a master!

    "The monsters are in order!

    "It''s easy to aim for when there''s material you want!

    "There''s a dead end!

    ''There''s a staircase over here!

    "Down the stairs.

    ''I''ll be up when I get down!

    ..........

    I''m so moved by this that each of my daily life''s uneventful things is like an important thing.

    Golden Bat and Black Cat, who were happily exploring the dungeon, were as excited as children in a theme park.

    I''m sure that''s what happens when a genuine adventurer enters a dungeon for the first time. It can''t be helped.

    Silver Wolf-san said as he grew dimmer.

    The teacher''s dungeon is organized pretty well for us to collect materials easily.

    That''s why we can easily get to the bottom level if we want to.

    Golden Bat and Black Cat are both top-notch adventurers to begin with, and they easily conquered the dungeons.

    Even so, they seemed to be overwhelmed by the preciousness of the monsters that appeared.

    ''Alright!¡¡Next, the dragon dungeon is nearby!¡¡Let''s go, Black Cat!

    Let''s go!¡¡I''m so moved that my side hurts. I''m going to take a break...!

    ''Oh my God!¡¡This is why third-rate adventurers...?

    And an insatiable appetite to seek out new dungeons.

    Did their insatiable hunger push them to the S grade........?

    ''''But it''s only humbling to be impressed........ Why wasn''t I the first one to discover this dungeon.......!

    An S-class adventurer who complains about something I don''t understand.

    ''''The Golden Bat has the record for the most newfound dungeons, you know.

    Mr. Silverwolf explains.

    ''Finding an undiscovered dungeon that no one else has seen is one of the greatest achievements of an adventurer. For a guy who''s racked up that achievement so many times, it must be frustrating for someone else to make a new discovery.

    This dungeon has been seen by many people, including me...?

    "Yes, meow!¡¡This guy''s inquisitiveness is annoying in some cases!''''

    ''What?¡¡Doctor?

    I thought it was Black Cat''s statement, but it wasn''t.

    The cat suddenly jumped on my shoulder.

    Don''t think it''s just a cat, but its true identity is one of the No Life King of the Immortals, commonly known as the Doctor, who lives the longest among them.

    "Wow, Dr. Nyan!¡¡Long time no see!

    "Are you also working diligently to perfect the art of the cat?

    Mr. Black Cat and the Doctor.

    They are both cat characters, and they both get annoying when they are together.

    Since we ran into each other at the dungeon attack race the other day, we seem to have become good friends.

    I''d like to know what you''re talking about.¡¡It''s almost as if you knew this person?

    ''Huh, what are you talking about?¡¡Black Cat is enough for you to know a talking cat or something, right?

    The golden bat doesn''t seem to know the doctor either.

    Well, it''s understandable that you don''t know him. I''ve wiped your memory.

    What?

    "This guy''s habit of finding dungeons is a nuisance. I don''t want to expose my dungeon to the public''s eye, but he finds it without any consideration.

    Speaking of which, I''ve mentioned it before.

    The Doctor has been in existence for far too long and is hiding his main body, which has been decaying, sealed and hidden in his dungeon.

    It is the Doctor who emits a psychic wave type of thing from it and sees the world through the cat he receives.

    In other words, the main body hidden in the headquarters is the doctor''s kryptonite, and it''s a bad idea to let him know where you are.

    I don''t know the exact location of the doctor''s dungeon, either.

    A completely unknown doctor''s dungeon that even the doctor has not been able to grasp.

    ''If there is such a dungeon, I''ll find it!¡¡My next target is set!

    The Golden Bat was delighted to hear the story, but....

    I''m in trouble because I''m going to find him.

    What?

    I''m not sure how many times I''ve seen it. It''s a good way to get rid of your memory and get back to your hometown, but even so, they still find you again. I''ve erased my memory more than ten times now.

    ''What?¡¡Huh?¡¡What?

    Mr. Golden Bat''s eyes fluttered, not understanding what he was doing.

    Silver Wolf and Black Cat who were there were also overwhelmed and lost for words.

    I''m not sure what to make of it, but it''s a very compassionate thing to do. If it was any other no-life king, he would have killed it the moment it invaded his domain.

    It''s tricky because if you kill them, the next ones will follow. It''s best to just forget all about it.

    So you''re saying that this S-class adventurer who is so good at discovering new dungeons has discovered these same dungeons anew, without even realizing that he''s forgotten about them?

    You''re forgetting that fact as well.

    I''m going to tell you not to find my dungeon anymore. You can''t keep sending them back and forth.

    "I''ve actually discovered more dungeons than I know...?

    Same thing over and over again.

    Maybe he''s got a terrible talent and mind of his own.

    ''And by the way, so is this dungeon. The saint doesn''t want his dwelling place to be open to the public.

    ''''Well, if the dungeons of Eagles and Veerle are registered with the Adventurer''s Guild, the saint''s farm will be noisy. We mustn''t bother the saint.

    Even the teacher joins in and says, "I''m going to erase these guys'' memories again today.

    "I''m going to erase their memories again today, so we won''t have to worry about it.

    ''''Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?!''''

    Hearing that, the two dungeon junkies, Golden Bat and Black Cat, all screamed like the end of the world.

    ''''Oh no, wait!¡¡Such a great dungeon and you forget about it!

    ''That''s not true!¡¡That''s not a good idea!¡¡Me and the doctor?

    I cling to him, but he''s the absolute one.

    We must not forget that.

    You will be able to find out the best way to get a good deal more about it.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. If you take a couple of conditions, you can leave your memories untouched.

    Really?¡¡That''s what I''m talking about.

    It''s annoying.

    The first thing is, of course, not to tell anyone about this place. But I''d like to ask you to do something else, too.

    ''Tell me what you want!¡¡If I can dive into this wonderful dungeon again, I''ll make any promise I can to you!

    Why did you just say that?

    In fact, this far has been the plan so far.

    In the first place, why did we invite all the S-class adventurers to join us?

    The purpose of the project has been kept under wraps until now, but it''s time to find out.

    We really needed their help for the new event we were about to start.

    I tried to negotiate with them.

 548-546 Sandou, Fengyun Oakbo Castle

    "Wind Cloud Okubo Castle!¡¡It''s happening again this year!

    A round of applause erupts with the declaration.

    This has become a winter tradition on our farm.

    Well, it''s held outside the farm.

    It was two years ago...?¡¡What began as a wishful thinking on the part of the orcs to build a castle has now become an event that involves the community.

    Basically, the goal of the competition is to break through the athletic structure set up and reach the castle tower.

    Athletes who try to cross the average platform are shot down with cushion catapults. There are also a number of fun tricks, such as rolling a large, round rock from the top of a hill and crushing it.

    Last year, for example, we were in danger of losing the event due to an accident, but this year''s event looks like it will be held without much trouble, so we''ll start preparing for it as soon as we get into winter.

    This is the third time we''ve held Okubo Castle and it''s getting better and better. "This is the third time we''ve held Okubo Castle and it''s getting more and more popular, so we''re looking forward to introducing more new projects to make it even better.

    So, as a highlight, I''ve enlisted the help of these people.

    ''''They''re S-class adventurers.

    Mr. Silverwolf.

    Mr. Golden Bat.

    Mr. Black Cat.

    Mr. Pinktonton.

    Mr. Brown Katou.

    Distinguished guests are lined up at the planning meeting.

    Last year''s Wind Cloud Okubo Castle, the venue was greatly enlivened by the participation of the S-class adventurer, Silver Wolf, in the Blitz.

    Using his experience at that time, he said, ''''If one person can get that excited, wouldn''t it be a hell of a lot of fun to invite five people? The idea was to try to get all the S-class adventurers to participate in the project.

    Fortunately, the negotiations went well, and I was able to obtain a favorable agreement.

    ''''Negotiation...?¡¡Is that...?

    Mr. Silverwolf, don''t wonder.

    It''s true that I wondered what was going on when the doctor even came out, but thanks to him, I was able to convince him more smoothly.

    Golden Bat and Black Cat, who love to explore dungeons, have obtained the right to enter the dungeon at the doctor''s and Veerle''s place on the condition that they cooperate with Okubo Castle this year and withhold information about the farm.

    Pinktonton-san and Katou-san also expressed their willingness to agree in turn.

    ''''Um........What about my consent?''''

    ''What?¡¡Mr. Silverwolf will cooperate, won''t he?

    I will, but...!

    Then it''s not a problem.

    So this year''s Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle is gorgeous.

    It''s going to be fully supported by S-class adventurers!

    "Awwwwww...!¡¡S-class, S-class adventurer.......?

    The one who is shaking like this is Dalkish-san, who is attending the planning meeting as the lord of the Okubo Castle host area.

    ''''Are you all right........?¡¡Is he okay!¡¡The S-class adventurer is a hero who represents the human nation. It is said that the admiration of the people far surpasses that of royalty...!

    ''''When those S-class adventurers get together, I''m sure the response will be great.

    ''I thought it would be so big it wouldn''t even fly!

    Mr. Darquish, exclaimed.

    Is it that great?

    ''''It''s not very often that all S-class adventurers get together for an adventurer''s guild ceremony!

    ''''Some jerk will thoroughly run away from the event.

    Silver Wolf blurted out.

    ''''How much is this participation fee per person?¡¡Did you get permission from the guild?

    What if the demon side misunderstands it as a rally or something?¡¡That''s how strong their ranks are!

    Calm down, calm down...?

    But since Darquish is this upset, I''m sure the audience will be surprised.

    I was more confident of our success.

    "My lord, you mustn''t buy the whole thing.

    Mr. Silverwolf, who now steadfastly holds the position of a sensible group of S-class adventurers.

    ''''No matter how proud we are of our class, we are, after all, adventurers. We are nothing more than lodgers living for a day. It''s not a profession that will win the respect of the world.

    What do you mean?¡¡It''s only because you adventurers get rid of the monsters in the dungeon every day and bring back the materials that we can live in peace and prosperity!¡¡I, as a lord, will always be grateful for what you guys are doing!

    I''m sorry, sir.

    But to think that the one who stands at the top of all adventurers is this humble... my respect for the S-class adventurer is growing. On behalf of my territory, I ask for your continued support.

    ''''My pleasure. Without my lord''s patronage, the activities of the adventurers would not be possible.

    Mr. Silverwolf and Mr. Dalkish bowed to each other.

    Everyone who was looking at it thought.

    --I''m not sure if this is what it means to be an adult. And.

    When you carry your territory or guild on your shoulders, you can''t help but choose your words with the utmost consideration and not speak selfishly.

    Aside from Dalkish-san, the lord, that considerate Silver Wolf, even among the adventurers with supremacy in their abilities, was no ordinary person.

    ''''Humph, you''ve been wasting your wits.......!

    Everyone ignored the grumpy Golden Bat''s mutterings and proceeded to speak.

    ''''The reward has been given by the saint-sama, so the lord doesn''t need to worry about it at all. Let''s let the guilds talk through it from me as well.''''

    But...?

    Don''t worry about it. Think of it this way. We''re the ones who are going to come out, and we''re rather light.

    What...?

    It''s no wonder. There are many people related to the saint that are much more extraordinary than us. For example....

    Mr. Silverwolf, pause to collect.........

    What if the No Life King teacher were to appear on the show?

    "..........?

    As soon as it was said, the place fell silent....

    The only sound that could be heard was a gurgling sound of saliva.

    .........Indeed, it''s going to be a terrible thing.

    ''Don''t you think we S-class adventurers can still get away with it more mildly than that?

    Okay, I''ll accept that.

    They agreed to find the drop-off point.

    But should I say it here?

    This time, the teacher has already decided to make a guest appearance.

    Because if only Sensei can''t attend the event, he''ll be left out of the group.

    So....okay, let''s not tell them about it now.

    Because surprises aren''t important.

    This is how many things are decided, and then....

    ''''Then, assuming that you''re going to join the S-class adventurers at Okubo Castle this time.......how exactly will you be involved?

    Can''t you just go to a normal competition?

    ''That''s no fun!¡¡If we did it normally, we could easily win the championship!

    So that''s how it is.

    Well, I''m the most advanced adventurer at the top of all adventurers.

    Just overwhelming him is not enough to make the game exciting.

    "What should we do then?¡¡Do you want to handicap it like Mr. Silverwolf did last year?

    That''s why I''m not gonna call it a handicap.

    "Ah, I have an idea!

    As we were brainstorming, Black Cat, one of the S-class adventurers, came up with the idea.

    I''m going to do a liquid-visition macho!

    ''An exhibition match?''

    It''s as if the mistake was aimed at, but I''m not sure how I got it right from there either.

    An exhibition is a model performance.

    It was supposed to be shown before an official match, as a sample or a sideshow.

    If we were to compete with amateurs, it would be very immature, but if we could separate the benefits from the harm, and show how serious we are about our play, it would be a lot of fun!¡¡I''m going to show you some professional skills!

    Okay, that sounds good.

    Since we''re going to have top-notch adventurers, the audience will be happy to see them show their seriousness rather than a limited performance with a handicap.

    The S-class adventurers don''t have to do it just for the prizes (prizes will be awarded to participants who conquer all the gates at Okubo Castle and make it to the keep).

    In that case, it''s better to focus on the exhibition.

    Okay!¡¡Let''s adopt that!¡¡An exhibition competition by S-class adventurers will be held!

    Wait a minute. I''ll listen to the end of your story.

    Yes, Mr. Black Cat?

    Anything else you''d like to add?

    Since we''re here, let''s narrow down the cards.

    What do you mean?

    "Golden Bat vs. Silver Wolf!¡¡The battle to determine the number one S-class adventurer is sure to be exciting!

 549-547 Judgment, Silver Wolf vs Golden Bat

    Thus, it was the day of the event.

    Tiki tiki!¡¡The third annual Wind Cloud Okubo Castle!

    Last year''s event was very popular, and this time, the number of applicants broke the record for the highest number of participants!

    How far are you going, Castle Oakovo?

    So I''d like to send you a lively report as before.

    Okubo Castle is located in the territory of the Human Kingdom, which is ruled by Dalkish-san.

    Normally this land is a quiet place, but today it''s as crowded as a city.

    It seems that even the spectators alone fill the land, and there are stalls that target them, such as a bean shop in Lettuce Slate and a noodle shop in Viel.

    And this time, there was a special event to make it even more popular.

    That''s exactly what S-class Adventurers.

    Silver Wolf & Golden Bat, a serious battle.

    Prior to the main game, the two of them, who stand at the top of the human race, will be challenging the attractions that line Okubo Castle!

    As soon as he announced this in his opening remarks, the audience erupted in excitement.

    ''''It''s a golden bat?

    ''''Silver Wolf-sama aaaaah!

    ''''It''s an extraordinary thing that two of our prosperous S-class adventurers will be competing in this tournament!

    "How great is this Okubo Castle going to be?

    Elated and confused cries of joy and bewilderment can be heard from everywhere.

    This is also because of the big name of S-class adventurers.

    Someone once said that "an S-class adventurer has more prestige than a demon king in the land of humans".

    Now, as a ceremony, the two best people will be asked to challenge the Oakbo Castle attraction before everything else.

    And it''s not just a matter of clearing the attraction.

    That''s two of the best people in the world. They will have to compete with each other in a higher level of competition on the premise that they must clear the attraction.

    In other words, it was a matter of who could clear the entire barrier first. The two of them compete in a race to be the fastest.

    Just the two of you will start at the same time, and you will pass through all the gates of Okubo Castle to reach the keep.

    Whoever finishes first wins.

    This is the battle of the century, in which two adventurers at the top of their game will decide who is the better adventurer, in black and white.

    The audience would be in a state of excitement.

    It''s all going to plan!

    Another S-class adventurer reared up from the officials'' seats.

    Black Cat, the cat beastman.

    The other S-class adventurers are also helping to liven up Okubo Castle, but....

    Pinktonton-san has a special ring that he runs himself and wrestles with fans.

    Mr. Katou performed a trampoline trick.

    Only he didn''t do anything...?

    "What are you talking about?¡¡I''m the one who''s most active in setting up this historical battle!

    Does this guy think he''s a promoter?

    "Know my deepest thoughts!¡¡If you just want to make it exciting, the main thing to do is to let all the S-class adventurers compete. It''s going to feel all-star and exciting!¡¡And yet, I dare you to narrow it down to just two players!¡¡What was the intention!

    The answer is after the commercials!

    But it''s not worth it.

    ''S-class adventurers are special!¡¡However, one of the most special among them is those two nyan!

    Unlike the Four Heavenly Kings and the like, the S-class adventurers are not a clear-cut team.

    It''s just a class.

    There are always only a handful of people who are too strict in their judging criteria, so they tend to be lumped together.

    And even the current S-class adventurers, who are known as the strongest generation, are said to have a clear hierarchy.

    After all, the Golden Bat was the highest rank, the first in the pecking order.

    Followed by the second in the pecking order, Mr. Silver Wolf.

    The third in the pecking order, Black Cat.

    ''''Well, that''s an irresponsible assessment from the public.

    Are Mr. Pinktonton and Mr. Katou fourth and fifth?

    The two of them don''t rank high in terms of overall strength, but they have personalities that can break through a single point. They''re like jokers who don''t know what they''re capable of.

    I see.

    Then the Golden Bat and Silver Wolf who are standing on the playing field right now are truly the two tops of all adventurers!

    When it comes to a battle between number one and number two, it''s bound to be a lot of fun.

    ''''If Silverwolf-chan wins.......it could be a change of the number one spot on the pecking order!¡¡The place is boiling with anticipation!

    Huh?¡¡Why?

    Do you want us all to be?

    So, Mr. Silverwolf is the pinnacle of all adventurers?

    ''Of course it is,''¡¡Look at that thing!

    Black Cat pointed to the destination.

    The two top-notch adventurers were already standing at the starting point, waiting for the call of ''Yoi-Don'' to come too late.

    I''m sure you''ll find it interesting that it''s just a matter of course. Don''t you think so, Silver Wolf?

    The first one to release his voice is the current first-ranked Golden Bat.

    As a bat beastman, he was the owner of an indescribable bat head, and in that respect, he was a wolf beastman, and had a common flavor with the dog-faced Silver Wolf-san.

    But a bat face........

    I haven''t seen it in detail either, so I don''t even know what the correct bat face is.

    It''s just that he''s proud of his hearing, and his ears are very distinctive.

    I''ve been wanting to beat you to a pulp for quite some time now. It''s just that your presence is a distraction.

    "Well you''re better than me, aren''t you?

    The magic loudspeaker has been in place for a long time, so that even a small conversation between two people can be heard by the entire audience of tens of thousands.

    How well prepared are our guys?

    "The microphone performance before the main game is the main reason for the excitement!

    Is this guy telling you to do this?

    Aside from that, the mood at the start of the showdown heats up, whether you like it or not.

    It''s natural that I''m number one. There''s no reason for them to be proud or irritated. But Silverwolf, I''ve always been frustrated with the fact that you''re the number two adventurer after me.

    Why?

    It''s an understandable story that the second makes the first go up in smoke.

    It''s a common obstacle to trying to get to the top, and it''s a tantrum above the eyes.

    But what does it mean for the top to think the bottom is an eyesore?

    All the spectators who were present at this absurdity twisted their heads.

    ''You are the only man among all adventurers who has the potential to reach my level. And yet you treat your talent in vain. You are so focused on cooperation and organization that you forget what adventurers are really about.

    It''s for the survival of the Adventurers'' Guild. The guild is what the adventurers'' guild is all about.

    Mr. Silver Wolf steadfastly retorted.

    ''Many adventurers would not be able to continue their activities without the mutual support of the guild. It is right that each and every one of us who has been taken care of by the organization should give back to the organization.

    That doesn''t apply to top-notch people like us. You have to rely on the organization to make it as an adventurer, and you, a top-notch person, are bothered by that. That''s what I''m saying is a waste of talent.

    ''''I''ve also been under the care of the guild when I was just starting out. I learned a lot from the senior adventurers who were introduced to me by the guild. I will repay that debt, and in turn, I will lead my juniors. That''s all there is to it.

    It means that if I had spent all that time wasting on my own adventures, I would have achieved a great deal more!

    The results are meaningless without someone to take over.

    It''s turning out to be more heated than I thought it would be.

    Did those two have a feud even before they were able to set the stage for this showdown today?

    ''They''re going head-to-head in their stance as adventurers...''

    The black cat watching from the sidelines just said, ''Kukkuk this is getting interesting nyah.

    ''Exploration, discovery, and a fortune. ........If the Golden Bat''s creed is to purely pursue those romantic pursuits, then Silver Wolf''s stance is to support the adventurers as a whole by serving the guild. The two of us with different ideas have clashed on every occasion!

    They are going to fight these two one-on-one.

    That''s the aim!

    ''''I''ve been meaning to enlighten you for some time now, and today is the perfect opportunity!¡¡I''m going to beat you to a pulp and tell you how much time you''ve wasted!

    You''re going to say whatever you want to say.¡¡If that''s the case, then I''m going to beat you up head on and break your pride!

    The people around him also went ''Woo-hoo-hoo! and the crowd goes wild.

    Golden Bat and Silver Wolf.

    The Golden Bat and the Silver Wolf, two top adventurers with different ideas. The two top adventurers with different ideas. The battle for their claims and pride is sure to excite them.

    It''s getting good.¡¡If you let those two fight it out alone, their pride will inevitably be on the line like that. The mood of playfulness is gone, and the tension of a serious battle is palpable.

    Black Cat is satisfied with the resulting tingling in the air.

    If you''ve thought this through, you''ll do anything to make the event more exciting.

    "Now let''s fight!¡¡It''s not an exaggeration to say that this battle will decide the future of the Adventurer''s Guild!

    Umm...?

    This was supposed to be a ceremonial project for Okubo Castle to begin with....

    Before I knew it, it became a battle for the adventurers'' future and pride?

 550-548 makeover

    Thus, the fire was lit.

    The S-class adventurer Golden Bat.

    Also Silver Wolf.

    A great battle for the pride and determination of these two professionals.

    No, it would have been fine if they had lightly competed against each other to liven up the place...?

    There''s so much going on that there''s even a sense of tension.

    The cheers have stopped and everyone is quietly drinking hard!

    Is this all right, Black Cat?¡¡Are you sure this is okay?¡¡You''re going to make sure that you''re going to make the right amount of noise, right?

    Daijob-nyan. Today''s match will go down in legend in the world of adventurers.

    That''s not good!

    It''s going to eat up the whole ceremony!

    Well, let the games begin.¡¡Ready-go!

    Even the call to start is self-explanatory?

    Thus began the serious battle of Golden Bat vs. Silver Wolf.

    Their willpower and pride and their way of being adventurers.

    This is the first time I''ve seen it.

    ''''Hey, stop it!¡¡Everyone will be completely burned out by the time we get to the main battle of Oakvo Castle!

    We''ll burn to ashes!

    I told you to stop doing that!

    In the meantime, the players stepped over the starting line and blasted off down the course.

    It''s a battle for the will of the adventurers, but it''s still a competition for the Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle.

    Their mission is to get past the usual Okubo Castle attractions and get to the keep.

    Let''s review the attractions of Okubo Castle again.

    First of all, they walked across the average platform on the moat....

    You''ll have to dodge large rocks as you climb up the hill....

    The more you hit them, the more homunculus will be waiting for you in this room, made by Zos Saira, the famous first-time killer.

    It''s an impregnable castle with many intruders to intercept them.

    In this game, the first to overcome these obstacles was the winner of the game, Golden Bat and Silver Wolf.

    First of all, Silver Wolf-san got on the average platform and proceeded nimbly.

    ''Same trick as last time!¡¡Then there''s nothing to attack!

    That''s right.

    Silver Wolf-san had participated in the last Oakbo Castle.

    Although he and Dorian were at a deadly disadvantage as a two-man trio, he still managed to clear all the gates and reach the keep to show his true worth as an S-class adventurer.

    That''s why I''ve experienced all the attractions prepared for this year as well.

    This was a great advantage for the veteran adventurers who had gone through so many trials and tribulations.

    ''The trap I saw once for an S-class adventurer won''t work!¡¡This match, once I''ve experienced this barrier, I have an overwhelming advantage!

    Mr. Silverwolf is proud to win while crossing the average table.

    Below is an empty moat. The empty moat is quite deep because it was dug reasonably well.

    If you think of falling down, it should be no ordinary fear, but this is a first-class adventurer. I''m a top-notch adventurer, and I''m advancing without knowing what to be afraid of.

    But you wouldn''t call me a coward!¡¡As a professional adventurer, researching the target in advance is the most basic thing you can do!¡¡So the difference in experience is just as much a difference in ability as it is a difference in experience!

    Silver Wolf has already crossed the barrier almost twice as fast as the general participants.

    This time he has no Dorian handicap, so his speed is also very smooth.

    He has already crossed the first barrier.

    "Is this as fast as a normal run on the flat ground?

    There''s nothing more adventurous than being able to do that.

    For some reason, Black Cat is proud of himself.

    If you want to show off so much, you should have participated in it yourself.

    However, this exhibition is a competitive body.

    Even if only Silver Wolf-san rushes forward, it can''t be helped if he doesn''t play a dead heat between him and the other one.......

    ........How is that other competitor doing?

    ...there he is!

    The Golden Bat is still at the start........

    We haven''t even started running!

    "What the hell is he doing?¡¡What''s his motivation?

    As the organizer of this event, I also wanted to promote Okubo Castle, so I resent this attitude of abandonment.

    If you don''t do it, you''ll be shot to death!

    "...you are a fool, Silver Wolf. That''s why they say you can''t surpass the best.

    "What?!

    A golden bat with a lot of composure.

    How can you hear each other despite the distance between them, those two?

    You are still stuck in the common sense of a third-rate adventurer, which is why you can be so good at this level of advantage. I''ll tell you why I became an S-class adventurer and the best of them all. I''ll tell you why I''m an S-level adventurer and why I''m the best of them all.

    What the...?

    ''''It''s no coincidence that most of the people who make up the S-class adventurers are beastmen. ........The beast factor was instilled in us by the misdeeds of the human race in the past, and we have inherited it until the present day.......We are endowed with beast abilities that surpass those of ordinary humans.

    Silver Wolf would have a sense of smell that is superior to others due to the beastliness of a wolf.

    Golden Bat has an excellent sense of hearing due to his bat beastliness....

    Black Cat, as a cat beastman, has useful eyes that can also see in the dark.

    They are said to have mastered the highest level of adventurers thanks to that........

    ''''A beastman''s power doesn''t stop there. There is a realm of beastmen that blossoms even further when they train and go through the cultivation process. Silver Wolf, you don''t know that, though. Let me show you.

    This is.........?

    "It''s called ''animal liberation'' for those who have mastered the power of animals!

    The Golden Bat has been transformed!

    Powerful and more beastly...?

    What!¡¡That''s called bestiality liberation, ain''t it?

    Do you know that, Black Cat?

    We''ve become the play-by-play and commentator.

    We beastmen can intentionally bring out the animal inside of us through training!¡¡When that happens, you''ll be bigger, you''ll regain your wildness, and you''ll be a few steps stronger than normal, I hear!

    Black Cat, she''s a beastman, but she explains it in a hearsay tone.

    "...can''t you do it?¡¡That?

    I can''t do it!¡¡There shouldn''t have been a single beastman present who could ''release beastliness''!

    Huh?¡¡Really?

    But that bat bastard is using it, okay?

    ''''I''ve heard that there used to be many people who could use it, but the blood is so thin now that it''s harder to return to the wild, even S-class adventurers shouldn''t be able to use it!

    But I can use it.

    The golden bat, whose appearance has become more like a beast and the quality of his voice has become more frightening, says, "This is the result of my many adventures.

    This is the result of my many adventures. This is the result of the countless pure trials and tribulations that have led me to areas that are beyond the reach of common sense. This is what it looks like!

    The beastliness that Golden Bat was born with was a bat.

    The most distinctive feature of that beast factor to the maximum is........

    That''s right, the bat is the only mammal that can fly on its own.

    ''''Hahahahahahaha!''''

    The golden bat flapped its wings, which were spread wide open with ''Beastly Liberation'', and flew up into the sky.

    Everyone looks up at it from the ground.

    I, the audience and my opponent, Silver Wolf, are all looking up at it from the ground.

    Do you understand?¡¡This is the reason why I am the number one adventurer!¡¡I, who can make the most of the bat''s bestial nature, can fly freely in the sky!''''

    He had discovered the highest number of new dungeons of all time in total, and it made sense after seeing that thing.

    If you have wings and you search from the sky, you can easily discover things you can''t see from the ground.

    And in doing so, they''ve set a record that no one can break!

    "Aaaaaaahhhh!

    Yes!

    The average platform, the rock-tumbling slope, the infinitely multiplying homunculus, all would be helpless if you could fly over them in the sky!

    Do you intend to cross all the gates and reach the keep in a straight line?

    Some kind of old NES trick?

    That''s not fair!¡¡I''ll play fair and square!

    The protesting voices were nowhere to be seen by the flying bat bastard.

    "Fair and square"?¡¡It is fair for an adventurer to conquer a dungeon with all the means they have. If you can release your Beast Factor to the maximum extent, it''s only natural to use it to help you conquer the dungeon.''''

    ''Quite rightly so!

    Black Cat was debunked as a competitor.

    ''''It''s rather Silver Wolf''s fault for not being able to use the ''Beastly Release''. I had bought that he was the only one other than myself who could enter this realm. It didn''t happen.''''

    That was partly due to Silver Wolf''s own adventurer activities being neglected by his apprenticeship to the guild and his focus on mentoring the younger generation.

    The difference is clearly visible now.

    You can crawl like a dog on the ground. I''ll be flying far ahead of you in the meantime.

    Silverwolf-san, who can''t argue with the voice coming down from the sky.

    No, before that, it can''t be good, such a foul technique!

    No!¡¡You are not allowed to fly!

    Come on, everybody out!¡¡Bring down that bat!

    For the sound operation of the competition!

 551-549 Revived Silver Wolf

    If the castle tower was reached with such a foul technique, it would be a disaster for Okubo Castle.

    A desperate anti-aircraft interception was attempted by the guard staff.

    They set up a barrage of bullets with the cushion catapult that was prepared for this kind of situation.

    "Hahahahahahahaha!¡¡You can''t shoot me down with those crippling bullets!

    The golden bat has transformed into a full-fledged giant bat and is dodging the cushioned bullets that attack it one after another, with no sign of bruising.

    I''ve heard that bats can use their own ultrasonic detection to dodge stones and fly....

    The fact is that it is not easy to get close to the castle tower because of the barrage of bullets.

    Ima-nya!¡¡While the bat bastard is struggling to attack, Silverwolf-chan!¡¡I''m going to break through the barrier and finish!

    Yeah!

    "Hang in there, Silver Wolf!

    "Don''t let the bad guys defeat you!

    The crowd united to support Silver Wolf.

    The crowd started to cheer for Silver Wolf in unison, as if they were annoyed by his disregard for the rules. It''s a good thing that the daily conduct is also involved.

    So, the batman took over the hate of the whole crowd at once, and it was decided which one of the fight cards was the heel and which one was the belly face.

    Since he did so, the good guy, Silver Wolf, would really like to see him win an upset and accomplish good and evil, but the game is too tough for that.

    Mr. Silver Wolf immediately understood the situation and desperately ran up.

    However, the second hurdle, the slope on which a large rock rolls down, is not an easy obstacle (otherwise, the organizer would not be worthy of respect), and hitting a large rock would disqualify you immediately, so you have to proceed with caution.

    So Silverwolf is in a tough spot.

    ''''I too........if I can ''release my beastly nature'', I could fall behind the Golden Bat.......?''''

    Moreover, Silver Wolf-san was undergoing a considerable mental shaking.

    ''That Golden Bat guy who spent all his time training himself without regard for others is now standing on a new stage.... So I was still wrong, then?

    With his mind in such a state of disarray, he didn''t know when he would hit a large rock with a careless mistake.

    In the meantime, the bat was about to scratch through the cushion barrage and reach the castle tower.

    At this rate, justice would succumb to evil.

    ''''Hang in there!''''

    Come on, wolf!

    See, even the children''s audience is cheering for Mr. Silverwolf!

    It''s time to go for it!

    I understand the situation.

    "Ooh, what a surprise!

    And next thing I know, I see Veerle in the background.

    Why are you blabbing about this?

    Past experiences have taught me the true meaning of entertainment. I''ve learned in the past what entertainment is all about, haven''t you?

    Well, yeah, but...?

    Well, I''m the one who gets to be the star of the show. Everything I do is to keep people happy!

    Saying that, Veerle took out from his pocket what...?

    Ramen noodles?

    A ramen from a pocket?

    ''It''s one of the ramen prototypes we tried to make for this stall sale. I worked with the guy at Platy to make it healthier.

    What are you two doing?

    I remember that Veerle, who has been obsessed with ramen for some time, has been developing new ramen products one after another.

    This year, he''s set up a stall at Okubo Castle and is serving a lot of ramen.

    And what is this new ramen?

    It''s a medicinal noodle with five times the usual concentration of dragon extracts, and Prathi added a lot of drugs to reduce the side effects.¡¡But they ended up discontinuing it because of the side effects it caused!

    ''A failure!

    ''On the contrary, the drugs that Prathi put in my body worked well and I felt clear-headed and regained my strength. The ramen noodles with various benefits for heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and energy. Here.........!

    Veerle, you took a swing and you threw a bowl of noodles?

    He threw a bowl of ramen noodles?

    With his underthrow form, the bowl spins like a frisbee, and the ramen bowl flies through the air without spilling its contents.

    He flies through the air without spilling the ramen inside.

    And the destination of the flying ramen is....

    It was Silver Wolf!

    "Gobuuuhhh?

    The bowl of noodles hits Silver Wolf''s mouth, forcing him to open his mouth and pouring the contents deep into his throat.

    I''m not sure what inertia is causing this.

    Is he using some kind of magic?

    I''m sure of it!

    Ugh?¡¡.........oooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    Every single drop is poured into the soup, and then Silverwolf has an amazing change!

    What is that?

    "The dragon extracts are working instantly. It''s a spoonful of dragon extract that is indispensable as a secret ingredient in ramen.

    "There''s not much to hide, though!

    Mr. Silverwolf, you''ve been given some bad medicine and you''re gonna suffer and grow all muscular like a man!

    Isn''t that a metaphor or something?

    ''The thin gonkotsu ramen quintuple concentration brings an enhancement that an ordinary person can''t stand. Even Platy''s drugs can''t neutralize it, so it''s in storage, but that guy''s called Eskew, right?¡¡A great guy might be able to endure that -?

    "There are limits to what you can do with it!

    Ohhhh...?

    You take in forbidden substances that must not be ingested by humans...?

    Mr. Silverwolf''s body is transforming rapidly...?

    His original wolf''s bestial nature grew to the extreme.............................and his appearance was just like a real wolf!

    No, that was a figure that was far more deviant than even an ordinary wolf anymore!

    Fenrir?

    Isn''t that his name, Fenrir?

    I don''t know much about it either!

    "The power of the fivefold concentrated medicinal herbal ramen forcibly released your animal nature. Not only that, they also gained their dragon nature through the effects of the dragon extract. Now he is both a dragon and a wolf. He''s a dragon and wolf with two karmas in one!

    The dragon and the wolf?

    Isn''t that something bad!

    Anyway, I don''t know about you, but Silver Wolf, you''ve also ''released your beastly nature'' and lined up with the bat bastard!

    No, he was clearly more than that with the power of a dragon as well!

    As soon as Fenrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirrirr.

    It took less than a moment to avoid all the rolling rocks at the second barrier, all of them with a lightning-like trajectory.

    "Fast!

    You really are moving like lightning!

    In no time at all, I made it through the second barrier, and the third barrier was cleared much faster.

    Ignoring the homunculus that would increase if he struck it, he scrambled aside and passed through.

    Mr. Fenrir Silverwolf looked as if his body and mind were steeped in beastliness, but they weren''t.

    He has properly remembered the rules of this competition and is trying to attack according to them.

    How such a gentlemanly behavior is just like that, Mr. Silverwolf on a regular basis!

    ''What?¡¡Huh?¡¡Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?''''

    The bat, on the other hand, still hadn''t attached to the keep, even though he had peeled his eyes away from the rapid advance on the ground.

    I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it to the top of the list, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it to the top of the list.

    Incidentally, if the goblins gave it their all, the bats would be shredded to the bone in a matter of seconds, but that was also a sign of respect for the rules of the game.

    In the meantime, the giant wolf that cleared all the gates, reached the keep.

    ''''Ahhhh........?

    ''''Goal confirmed!¡¡The winner is Mr. Silverwolf!

    Cheers erupted.

    With the declaration of Okubo, who was waiting for him in the keep, Silver Wolf''s upset victory was decided.

    An upset victory by something that blew away the concept of doping.

    But I don''t care.

    The audience is completely on the side of Mr. Silverwolf, and if that''s the case, they can be forgiven for being a little reckless.

    That''s the difference between the bad guys and the good guys.

    No way........that I would lose.......?

    Golden Bat. I never thought you''d get as far as Animal Liberation. Your studies are astonishing, but you couldn''t defeat me.

    After the game, the two promptly return to human form.

    Aside from the bat, I''m really glad to see Silverwolf back in one piece!

    "I couldn''t ''liberate my animal nature'' by training alone, but with the support and help of many people, I was able to step into the extreme realm. After all, the most important thing for human beings is for everyone to help each other. Unless you learn that, know that you will never be able to go further.

    No, Silver Wolf-san ended up being something beyond the beast, but...!

    ........Well, all''s well that ends well.

    The Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle Ceremony, the fatal exhibition match between the S-class adventurer rivals, ended with a result that everyone could agree was a victory for our Silver Wolf.

 552-550 and become a master

    Now, thus, the Oakbo Castle Exhibition.

    The Golden Bat vs. Silver Wolf competition ended with a huge upset victory for Silver Wolf.

    ''Silverwolf!¡¡Silver Wolf!¡¡Silver Wolf!¡¡Silver Wolf!¡¡Silver Wolf!

    The crowd also congratulated the winner with a generous call to the winner.

    The reason for this was because the winner was Silver Wolf.

    Everyone congratulated when a man of virtue won the crown. If this had been a golden bat, the tongue would have leaked out.

    Yes, it''s not just the achievements that are important.

    It''s also about harmony, bringing everyone together!

    Forgetting that was the reason for the bat bastard''s defeat!

    Maybe I just didn''t know about it all along, instead of forgetting about it!

    No, no, no, that was a great game.

    And another S-class adventurer, Black Cat, who appears.

    The sister of the cat beastman.

    What did she end up doing?

    It was just as I expected. I was sure that Silver Wolf-chan would be able to beat that selfish bat-boy to a pulp.

    ''What?¡¡Were you rooting for me?

    Mr. Silverwolf, who sounds unexpected.

    That''s true too.

    That cat girl, I don''t see any reason to support either of them.

    .............

    You can''t get away from the fact that you''re not going to be able to get away with it.

    On the other hand, my respect for Silverwolf-san is growing.

    I thought you were just buzzing around and came up with a strange matchup.... Ah, I see. Are you saying that you supported me simply because you don''t like the Golden Bat?

    ''''That''s part of it, but I genuinely wanted you to win, Silver Wolf. Something important was actually at stake in this match.

    Does it matter?

    The Black Cat, says in a high-pitched voice as the crowd at Oakbo Castle still pays attention.

    ''''Whoever wins this match will be appointed the next guild master.

    Silver Wolf is surprised by that.

    Why?

    I didn''t hear that?¡¡I didn''t ask you a single question!

    I was gonna tell you after I won.

    "Isn''t that the sort of thing you are supposed to announce before you compete?¡¡This isn''t a level of ex post facto approval!

    Silverwolf, you''re right.

    Is that what a guildmaster is?¡¡You mean the greatest person in the Adventurer''s Guild?

    Isn''t it great that you were appointed as the successor to such a position, Silver Wolf-chan?

    I was planning to flush out the Golden Bat jerk if he won, so it was practically like a test for Silver Wolf-chan to become the next Guild Master. You defeated him brilliantly.

    I didn''t have any such intentions at all.

    In fact, I''d expect the leader of the organization to have the courage and strength to hold back the most troublesome person in the guild. You''ve shown that today. You''ve defeated that bother.

    So that nasty guy is that bat bastard.

    I mean, who wouldn''t be in awe?

    You''ve proven yourself, you''ve earned the right to be a guild master. You''re the only one who can lead the Adventurer''s Guild from now on.

    ''You can''t just say that!¡¡No, I don''t want to be!¡¡When you become a Guildmaster, your responsibilities will be doubled even more!

    Poor Silver Wolf.

    Even now, he''s taking the lead in carrying the responsibility as an S-class adventurer.

    I''m going to be able to leave it to you precisely because of that, Silver Wolf-chan. The person who carries the most baggage will carry it even more.

    What a brutal law.

    I''m going to be a guild master. Silver Wolf, this is fate.

    ''We''re not doomed!¡¡I know what I''m talking about!¡¡The world is going to be changing fast and the Adventurer''s Guild will have to deal with it!¡¡It''s a hassle, of course, to be the head of such a reform period!

    That''s why I''d like to retire early," said the current master, "and Silver Wolf is the only one I can trust with the rest. Silver Wolf is the only one I can entrust with the rest. I think fate resides in the heart, don''t you?¡¡And your heart is willing to take the trouble.

    ''''No way!

    But how could he proceed to this point without the all-important current guild master?

    I mean, I''ve never met him yet.

    ''''It''s always like that, that old man!¡¡The S-class adventurer''s meeting, the race against the demons, everything, you just throw it all on me, and you don''t even show up!¡¡That''s why I''m going to be in charge of everything!

    Then why don''t you just make Silverwolf-chan the best in name and in reality?

    ''''So that''s why I don''t like it ah!

    Silver Wolf-san tries to run away from his fate at all costs.

    ''''It''s okay!¡¡I''m sure Lord Silverwolf can handle it!

    The warriors are rooting for you!

    And the two people who came out of nowhere were Mamoru-san of the demon race and Zos Saira-san, the mermaid.

    Including Silver Wolf, they are the three people who were named alongside the ''Cronins''.

    ''''Mamoru-dono and Zos Saira-dono?¡¡Why are you here!

    I''ve come to participate in the event. I heard that the Demon King will also be participating.

    I''m the host of the event.

    The three of us have a connection in a strange way.

    ''''Let''s become a guild master. For our part, it would be easier and more helpful if the responsibility is concentrated on you!

    You''re the Prime Minister, you''ll be dead together.

    A comrade who sticks around.

    Hard-working people seek companionship, but that''s why they try to fall deeper together.

    If you try to crawl up, they pull you down, and if you don''t, they pull you down, too!

    "Mr. Silverwolf!¡¡"I want to be a guild master!

    "You''ll be safe on top!

    Protect the weak and the adventurous.

    The hope for a good leader erupts from the audience and surrounds the man in question.

    This is an atmosphere of no more running away.

    ''''Wha........''''

    Wha?

    All right!¡¡Just do it, right?

    Yay!¡¡We did it!

    This is how the Adventurer''s Guild was born to bear a new era.

    The new guild master, Silver Wolf.

    He also served as an S-class adventurer.

    "Won''t you quit being an adventurer?

    ''''My appetite for exploration isn''t over yet. I''m going to be semi-active for a while.

    It''s just more work to bear!

    I''m sure he''s taking the initiative to go to all the trouble!

    That''s good. Now everything is going according to plan.

    What''s your plan?

    Come to think of it, what kind of purpose has this cat lady been standing around here?

    This guy is also the one who set up the competition as if it was Silver Wolf''s test to become a guild master.

    Even though it is the highest level, what cause and effect would a mere adventurer have on such a device?

    Because I''m the daughter of the current guild master.

    Hmm, eh?

    The Guildmaster''s daughter.

    The one who was most surprised was Silver Wolf.

    Why are you surprised?

    "Because I didn''t know.¡¡You''re the Guildmaster''s daughter?¡¡I''ve never heard of you in my life!

    I didn''t tell you. You''re not going to be able to find out what happened to you. I didn''t tell you about it because I didn''t want to be treated like a princess.

    Your father, the current Guildmaster, was a normal human race?

    She looks like her mother.

    A shocking revelation.

    But it''s possible that the relatives of the current head of the company would be scrambling to choose a successor.

    Have the events of the past been connected by a single line?

    So if you''re going to be a guild master, you''ll have to take me as your wife.

    Why?

    The upper echelons of the guild are family-run. Even my parents bothered to tell me to get a suitable son-in-law for the guild master, or else you will become the guild master. It''s a relief that Silver Wolf has been sacrificed to me.

    Did you just say sacrifice?

    Don''t worry!¡¡I''m the type of girl who will do anything for you if you get married.¡¡I will support my husband well!

    "You say that, but you''re going to force all the troublesome things on me, ahhhhhhh?¡¡No!

    Here I witnessed another man''s entire life being tangled up by one woman.

    As an eyewitness, what I thought more than anything else was what kind of a child would be born between the wolf husband and the cat wife.

    Congratulations!

    Congratulations to the new guild master and his wife on their marriage!

    ''You and your wife are both S-level adventurers!¡¡I''m sure you''ll feel safer with people who know the scene and are in charge at the top!

    ''''I see you''re on good terms with the demon race, and I''m sure you''ll be a great master!

    The audience at Oakborough Castle was not shy in their congratulatory applause as they witnessed the unexpected celebration.

    One last person.

    The one who was the loser of this battle, the S-class adventurer Golden Bat....

    If I had won, I would have married him and been made a guild master? That was a close call...

    No, it''s not.

    You should know what you''re doing.

    * * * *.

    Well, we''re off to a rocky start, but this year''s Okubo Castle has just begun.

    We''re going to see what happens in the main game now.

    The fun at Okubo Castle is only just beginning!

 553-551 Goblin Fly in the sky

    Now it''s time for Castle Oakbo to come to life!

    Many participants make their way to the keep, across the bridge, up the hill and into the castle!

    The spectators cheering for it!¡¡The cheers aren''t as taut as they should be because Mr. Silverwolf and his crew are getting a big kick out of their demonstration!

    Stall food served to such an audience!

    The already familiar Wir''s Ramen Shop and Lettuce Rate & Horcosfon''s Bean Shop (Natto is also available here).

    This year we also have an oden shop in Bacchus, which has been very popular.

    We have informed them in advance that they are not allowed to serve alcohol here.

    Speaking of newer stalls, there was a shop serving octopus balls.

    It was run by Prati.

    "What are you doing, Prati?

    You don''t want to be fussed over with the second person in your tummy, do you?

    Put Junior on your back, too. Scary in front of a hot taco machine!

    ''The guy from Viel is getting so popular with his ramen that I was hoping to compete with him on something eventually!

    Mysterious rivalry?

    Fortunately, Kraken''s friend Kula shared a lot of octopus legs with me, so I''m going to make a skillet with them!¡¡Oh, no, thank you!¡¡It''s a delicious octopus dish made by a beautiful wife!

    At any rate, Junior looked bored, so I left him in my care.

    The stall side was also very crowded like this.

    The number of participants in the main Okubo Castle tournament also increased from last year, and it was a record high.

    It''s been very well received.

    If there is a problem, it''s that there are too many participants and we can''t handle them all.

    ''If we turn this thing around properly, we''ll be lost to the sun before we all try it! If we were doing it properly, all the guests wouldn''t be able to enjoy the attraction.

    I thought it would be a pity if it wasn''t so, so I tried various ways to make it better.

    We divided the course into several sections.

    We divided the castle into several different courses so that the participants could choose their own route to attack the castle from various directions.

    This would allow us to spread out and allow more people to enjoy the experience in a shorter amount of time.

    It would be inconvenient to have a multi-day event as some of the guests would be coming from far away and there would be no place to stay even if we were to hold a multi-day event.

    So we''ll have to make it a multi-day event for next year and beyond.

    This year, we''re holding a new standard so that people can enjoy the event in one day or less.

    It''s called the "Aerial Conquest of Okubo Castle"!

    It was developed last year, with a large catapult ejecting an entire human being into the air. A parachute was attached to the vehicle to mitigate its fall and allow it to enjoy aerial swimming.

    Last year, the mechanism was also used to suppress rebellion.

    After a year of refinements and thorough testing, it was finally adopted as an official Okubo Castle attraction.

    A large catapult for human ejection was prepared first, and then the attraction participants and instructors were launched together.

    Once they have risen to a sufficient height, they deploy their gliders to catch the wind and fly.

    Once the glider has successfully landed in the landing area set up in the castle tower, the glider is cleared.

    One of the improvements is that the glider has been developed so that it can fly relatively freely.

    Last year, there was an event to experience human injection as a sideshow, but it was just a simple matter of flying and falling.

    However, with the introduction of the glider this time, the scope of what you can do in the air has expanded and the gameplay has increased.

    The glider grabs the wind and can turn to the right or left and change altitude as the user desires.

    Of course, in consideration of safety, an instructor will always be present during all glider flights.

    After all, it''s only amateurs who fly.

    In the event of a sudden crosswind, or a mistake due to fear of heights... the instructor will immediately take over the controls to stabilize the glider.

    The instructors are goblins, who are small and light.

    They are small and light in stature and weight, so their weight is not so heavy, but this flying project was the Goblins'' idea to begin with.

    It was the goblins who, after a year of research, thorough investigation, and trial and error, have completed the project in its current form.

    In a sense, this attraction was the result of their efforts.

    It was a spirited effort.

    The goblins'' project is, of course, not only extremely safe, but also excellent in terms of gameplay.

    The basic flow of the game is to shoot the goblins from the catapult and fly them straight to the castle tower, but there are a number of checkpoints along the way, and points are awarded for passing through them.

    Specifically, the rule is that if a balloon floats in the air and touches the landmarks underneath it, the player scores points.

    A goblin riding with you judges whether or not you''ve touched the landmark.

    The goblins are also responsible for calculating the score, which means that in addition to safety measures, they also serve as judges and scorers.

    Even in the unlikely event of a crash, our goblins would be able to easily save the passengers and escape unscathed.

    It was a perfect lineup.

    And whoever was able to land safely at the designated point of the castle tower with a certain number of points was awarded a prize.

    It was only held as a sub-event to alleviate some of the congestion of the main game, but the number of people who wanted to participate was much greater than we had imagined, and it was a hectic affair.

    At the end of the day, the goblins couldn''t do it all by themselves, so some relatively experienced foreign students came in to help, and we managed to get around.

    I suppose it is one of the biggest dreams of people to want to fly freely.

    Although the structure was still simple and the flight time was still short, people rushed to the attraction that made their dreams come true.

    Even after landing without getting used to the controls and not being able to score any points, people were still happy to see them go home, saying, "Oh, that was fun! and they went home happily, even though they hadn''t gotten used to the controls and couldn''t score any points.

    Fortunately, there were no accidents, and at this point the project was a great success.

    The only thing that has changed is.....

    * * * *

    I was looking around Okubo Castle, and I came across a scene of some sort of struggle.

    It''s not like they were fighting or arguing or anything like that.

    They were in trouble because they had been asked to do something relentlessly.

    The ones who are in trouble are our farm goblins.

    Thanks to them, the aerial adventure they''re running is stagnant, isn''t it?

    What?¡¡What''s wrong?

    "Ah, my lord...?

    I, as the chief executive, join in the conversation to see what happened.

    It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

    The middle-aged man is elegantly dressed and looks like a nobleman of some sort.

    ''''Our guest here would like to give his son a ride in a glider...''''

    "?¡¡Why don''t we just give him a ride?

    That''s the problem...

    I heard that the son of the nobleman had injured his foot last year and was unable to walk by himself.

    The doctor told me that the injury was so severe that he didn''t know if he would ever be able to walk again, even if he fully recovered.

    I brought him here because I wanted to cheer up my son, who has been discouraged ever since...!¡¡If I can do something I''ve never experienced before, like flying in the sky, I''m sure they''ll be pleased. Please, please...!

    The father of the injured boy, modified by a middle-aged man, who asks me to do the same.

    Wow, I know how this feels. As a father, I also sympathize with the father''s concern for his child, and my heart hurts.

    But at the same time, I can understand how troubled the goblins are.

    From the time I first conceived of this project, I''ve always been most concerned about safety.

    After all, we were going to be flying.

    We have sought to make sure that we would never fall, and even if we did, we would not be injured, and we have made sure that we would not fall into the shape we are in today.

    We have been able to take pride in our "absolute safety", but this is based on the assumption that the participants themselves have no health problems.

    Before taking part in the event, participants are interviewed to determine if they have any concerns about their health, and if they have been drinking, they are turned away from the event.

    The goblins in charge of reception, knowing this, could not give permission easily, but they also could not refuse to participate in the event, and they are probably at a loss.

    If that''s the case, then this is where I, as the person in charge of the whole thing, will make the decision.

    ''Call Gov. Yoshi,''

    ''''My lord!''''

    He''s the strongest goblin in charge of the goblin team, he''s got the strength and skills, and I''m sure he''ll do well.

    ''''The truth is, we have a rule that we don''t allow people with health concerns to fly with us, but we''ll let you fly without telling anyone, hoping that your child will be fine. Please don''t tell the father, either.

    ''Oh!¡¡Thank you!

    I was a no-good guy, where compassion won out over the rules.

    Gobukichi, who had been called up, glided in his glider while riding with the boy who had been injured in a feat that was as good as it gets.

    Rather than scoring points, he enjoyed the pure aerial action and even made a big turn at the end to get back to the ground safely.

    The boy who had been in a stupor seemed to have enjoyed flying so much that his eyes were shining and his spirits were high after landing.

    Once he regained that much energy, his injuries would heal faster and he would be able to run around again.

    Your father thanked me so many times that I almost cried.

    Even if it was in a fantasy other world.

    The sky is supposed to give people courage, after all.

 554-552 EX course

    Now, let''s turn our attention to the main battle of Okubo Castle.

    Once again, the best of the best will challenge the impregnable Okubo Castle.

    There are no special qualifications for participants, and anyone can participate as long as they are in good health.

    Among them, there were some famous participants, including the famous Demon King............ ........and others.......

    Mamoru from the Demon King''s Army Four Heavenly Kings participated for the first time this year.

    She participated in this one since she skipped out on the exhibition, and congratulations to the S-class adventurer Black Cat who got married.

    Malvastos, a major leader of the Demon King''s Army, who is the ruler of the former human state, also participated for the first time.

    He''s retired, so he has a lot of free time on his hands. Former Mermaid King Nargus has also joined the tournament, using a humanizing potion to change his tail fin to two legs.

    And me.

    But the people who have enjoyed Okubo Castle up to now will think that it''s not enough.

    --But those who have enjoyed Okubo Castle so far will think, ''''It''s not enough, is it? And.

    Until last year, even more distinguished faces would have participated in the event and made the competition more exciting.

    Mr. Darquish, a local lord, reached the keep the year before and the year before that.

    Arowana, the current King of Mermaids, who was a prince at the time and represented the mermaid tribe in the tournament.

    Are you still bored?¡¡Great Demon Lord Baal, who was also the previous Demon King who retired.

    In addition, the lords of the Human Nation and the leading figures of the Demon King''s army must have been present in large numbers in the previous year, but the faces of those who had fought in the past were completely absent this time around.

    Why?

    They''re not going to join us anymore?

    And the spectators were watching the competition forlornly....

    I''ve got my thoughts together.

    The real competition will begin after the general participants'' competition is over!

    This is the third year for Okubo Castle.

    This is the third year for Okubo Castle, and those who have participated since the first time are already familiar with the various events.

    It''s easier to deal with any tough challenge if you can predict it in advance. They would be able to plan their countermeasures in advance, and that would create a disparity of advantage and disadvantage between the consecutive participants and the first-time participants.

    We want Oakvo Castle to be an equally enjoyable event for everyone.

    So how do we prevent gaps in participation experience?

    Will the attraction be revamped?

    In the past, however, there have been people who have been eliminated at the halfway point of the race, and they have been practicing and vowing to get revenge next year.

    They have studied the barriers at which they were beaten, and they have probably prepared countermeasures.

    It is unsympathetic for such people to say, ''I''m different from last year!

    There is a natural difference in athleticism between people, and I don''t want to waste the efforts of those who challenged themselves over the past year, even though they were not very good at sports.

    So, I left the traditional hurdles untouched.

    So how do we make sure that there is no difference between past participants...especially those who are experts at conquering all the barriers and the rest of the beginner crowd?

    That''s what we came up with!

    "EX course!¡¡Advanced Difficulty MAX Oakbo Castle!

    No pressure!

    It''s Castle Oakovo, where you will intercept and eliminate the intruders with all your might!

    The traps that have been set are full of a kill mindset that is unparalleled.

    It''s truly a competition for advanced players!

    "This course has been built without care and with malice at its best!¡¡I''m going to say it!¡¡We''re not going to let a single person reach the castle tower!

    ""Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!"

    My microphone performance was returned with a huge cheer.

    The crowd is starting to get used to the training...?

    ''And the top scorers of the past competitions you''ve been wondering about will be participating in this advanced course!¡¡Watch it!¡¡These eminent faces!

    Led by the local lord Dalkish, Prince Arowana, the great demon king Baal, and other fierce players who had once reached the Okubo Castle keep, entered one after another.

    The eligibility for the advanced course was basically those who had cleared the tournament before last year.

    In order to prevent people from participating multiple times and raiding the prizes, it has been decided that those who have cleared the course before will only be allowed to participate in the advanced course and will not be allowed to try the regular course.

    Instead, more valuable prizes will be given to those who complete the advanced course, so everyone, please do your best!

    Now, before we start the competition, let''s hear from the person who led this EX course.

    After receiving my introduction, the one who appears in the hall........

    .........Okubo.......

    Another bewitching woman who appears to accompany me.

    ''''Warawa is the Lady of the Castle, Zos Saira.

    She was Zos Saira of the mermaid race.

    She has the look of a wife from the Warring States period to the extent that she took medicine and turned into a human form and also dressed up to become one.

    ........I wonder if she had Batty make that glittering kimono?

    It''s a role. It''s the role.

    Oakbo, leaning close, says in a cold sweat.

    Okubo stands with Zos Saira, the wife of the owner of the castle, who says, "It''s not a spur of the moment idea to attack my husband''s castle.

    It''s not a noble idea to attack my husband''s castle. ...With a body like that, I''m the best brains in the mermaid world, and I''ve reinforced EX Okubo Castle with all my strength, so if you can take it down, you can take it down!

    Zos Saira, who has managed and operated part of the attraction in the past, supervised and created the entire event.

    An emergency event, so to speak.

    EX High Class, Call of the Abyss.

    It''s like.

    "Warawa and Okubo will be waiting for you at the keep, so come on up. It''s something that no one will ever reach anyway!

    He leaves the stage while spouting a line that smacks of a villain.

    He would be put on standby for the finish line, the keep.

    Okubo follows him.

    Today, I stayed with Zos Saira as the host for the day. Although the event was named after Okubo, he didn''t show up much this time because he was too busy with Zos Saira''s hospitality!

    If you''re counting on Okubo, she''ll be in a good mood most of the time.

    Yeah...!

    Before I knew it, I was sighing alongside Prathi, who was next to me.

    * * * *

    So I''m holding this event!

    This is an experienced players only game, with a nightmare specs that will release the limiter for the Okubo Castle.

    I''ll be broadcasting the event.

    The challengers will be the ones who have cleared the normal course.

    The local lord, Dalkish, leads the way, and those who have sufficient quantity and quality are advancing bravely.

    ''No matter what difficulty is prepared for us, we cannot retreat as lords!

    Mr. Dalkish is advancing because of his determination.

    Following that, Arowana-san, Great Demon King Baal, and other fierce people from all over the place lined up to win various matches as pure strength.

    ''''First of all.......is this still the one?

    The first obstacle in the path of the fierce fighters is the empty moat that separates a large portion of the ground from the narrow bridge that has been passed over it.

    No, that thinness can no longer be called a bridge.

    It''s an average platform.

    This is the first obstacle that represents Okubo Castle, and it''s called the "Frustrated Average Platform"!

    It''s a competition where you have to balance your way across the moat on that narrow average platform.

    ''Humph, it''s exactly the same as it was before!¡¡How dare you shrug it off when you claim to be an advanced player!

    Mr. Darquish, boldly tackling a seemingly innocuous average table.

    ''Wait!¡¡We don''t know what kind of trick they''re playing!¡¡Deal with it calmly, Lord Dalkish!

    Mr. Dalkish, the other representative of the advanced course challenger, Arowana, stops him, but he doesn''t stop.

    ''Don''t worry!¡¡I will definitely clear all the gates again this year and get my son''s present!

    Like me, Dalkish just had his first child last year.

    I admire his heart for his child, but the EX course comes at such a kind father without mercy!

    "ohhhhhhh!

    ?¡¡Darquish is down!¡¡He was supposed to be on average!¡¡Why did you fall out!

    Darquish, who had won all the barriers two years in a row, was the first to be eliminated.

    The crowd was upset with this unexpected development.

    "Look closely!¡¡This balance beam it gets thinner and thinner by the minute, and then it''s gone!

    Before we reach the other side?¡¡It''s a clever bit of perspective, so that it''s not immediately apparent from a glance!

    So Mr. Darquish couldn''t see it and missed it!

    The following participants, making the most of Mr. Darquish''s sacrifice to analyze the situation.

    ''''Preparing such a vicious trap, the advanced course is still not a simple matter...?

    ''''Just devilish...!

    ''''But we too are fierce people who have reached the keep at least once!¡¡Even if the difficulty level increases a bit, I will definitely step over it and show you how to reach the keep again!

    This is a stiff fight, so to speak, between Zos Saira, the witch who supervised all the attractions, and the fierce people who challenge her.

    What will the winner be?

 555-553 The abyss of the abyss

    Wind Cloud Oakbo Castle - Advanced EX Mode.

    Immediately after the start of the game, there were already casualties.

    ''''Darquish-dono...?

    ''''Lord Dalkish, who holds the record for clearing the tower for two years in a row, is...?

    Then Zos Saira appeared as if emerging from the void.

    I''m not going to be able to get to the bottom of it.

    ''''Ho ho ho ho......Quickly eliminated by one person?

    Zoscyra came out and looked happy.

    I haven''t seen her smile like that in a long time.

    She''s been yawning a lot lately.

    ''O you witch!¡¡Such a mother-in-law trap!

    Falling into a false sense of sight is a very common occurrence, don''t you think?¡¡You''d be foolish to fall for this classic approach.

    What the heck?

    And this strawberry is a witch by nature. The Witch of the Abyss, Zos Saira. Are you nuts?

    It was Okubo who was too busy answering ''yes'' as his arms were folded tighter and tighter.

    ''But don''t deviate. I have come to explain the gate to you.

    Commentary?¡¡Of this cunning illusion of a trap?

    Participants in the advanced course stand on their feet.

    They point to the fake mean table, which becomes thin and looks like a perspective.

    That''s just a greeting. "That''s just a greeting," he says, "but that''s not going to stop us from getting to the other side of the river, is it?

    That''s right!

    Even though the purpose of the first obstacle to cross the shore, "Frustrating Mean Table", was to cross over to the other side of the shore, the mean table was tapered.

    If that average table is tapered off and doesn''t reach the other side, how do I cross it?

    Here''s the thing. Take a good look.

    Zos Saira snapped her fingers and something appeared on the empty moat.

    It''s a block.

    There are several blocks floating in the air, just enough for each person to manage to get on top of.

    What is that?

    There are a lot of blocks floating in the air that go all the way to the other shore?¡¡........is that so?

    The idea was to jump over those blocks one by one and cross over to the other shore.

    It looks like some kind of action game, doesn''t it?

    ''Haha, that''s easy to do!¡¡Let''s just jump over to that level of higgledy-piggledy and clear it out immediately.

    I don''t think we''re done here.

    One of the participants immediately leaped and tried to jump onto the block in front of us from our shore.

    But just before he did, the block slipped off to the side, and the participant lost his footing and fell to the bottom of the empty moat.

    ''''Gyaaaaaaah!

    By the way, if you fall to the bottom, you are safe because it has been magically treated.

    You''ll only be disqualified.

    ''The panicky ones will lose. This block, you see, floats by the magic of the straw, but it also moves around, not just in one place.

    Yeah?

    Don''t worry. It''s just a regular up-and-down or left-and-right motion, at best. Don''t worry. If you watch its movement, you should be able to catch it.

    I''m starting to feel more and more like an action game.

    Okay, let''s watch the blocks and proceed carefully!

    Two people disappeared before we could get started...!

    This is the course for advanced riders. It''s different from the usual course.

    However, my opponent is also an experienced expert, so if he understands the purpose of the game, he will jump from one block to the next steadily.

    I reached the middle of the course in the blink of an eye.

    "All right, only half way to go!¡¡It''s a piece of cake once you get used to it!

    Hey, just so you know, from the second half, Brock''s behavior changed.

    The first participant to step out before Zos Saira''s explanation is finished.

    ''The blocks are going to disappear and appear,''

    ''''Gyahhhh!

    The block I was about to step on disappeared just before I did. I''m not going to be able to get a foothold and fall headlong.

    "Woahhhhhh?¡¡More severe and devilish specifications!

    Wait a minute!¡¡The next block appears at about the same time as the one before it disappears!

    You''ll have to anticipate the timing and jump to the next one.¡¡Too severe!

    Now it''s starting to look like an old action game with a demon difficulty level.

    Even so, the people who managed to cross the moat with a lot of dropouts.

    ''''I''m tired...!

    It''s hard. It''s a hundred times harder than your average table...!

    Chasing the tricky moving blocks is more nerve-wracking than you can imagine.

    And the next hurdle, the slope attraction with the big rocks rolling down....

    ''''This one too, with a bit of straw maneuvering. "I made this one too, with some modifications, so that you can change the slope of the slope by yourself.

    What?¡¡What do you mean?

    Zos Saira, who is also accompanying us, explains the various attractions.

    All the while, she and Okubo are locked in arm.

    "For now, the angle of the slope is about 5 degrees. I''m going to change it to 10 degrees.

    ''''Geez!''''

    The ground moves and the slope becomes steep.

    It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what kind of magic is being used to create this effect?¡¡I''m sure you''ll find that Zos Saira is an even more capable witch than you thought.

    The next time you do this, make it 10 to 20 degrees.

    "Whoa, whoa, whoa!

    It''s 90 degrees at once.

    Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    Another 180 degrees.

    ''''Angyaahhhhhh?!''''

    The participants were confused by the inexplicable natural disasters.

    It''s no longer a matter of rolling rocks.

    "The third barrier is the area that Warawa is in charge of to begin with!¡¡I''ve got it all amped up for the advanced level!¡¡On the regular course, I''ve placed a playful deep one that will only increase as you hit it, but wow!¡¡For this advanced course...!

    What was waiting for me was a battle homunculus called the Deep One.

    ........or something that looks like an orkbo?

    My masterpiece, the Okvo Clone Deep One, which I have taken the Okvo''s genes and improved upon. Due to my inexperience, I am unable to produce a strength equal to that of the original.

    Even if it was less than a tenth of that, if the original was an orkbo, its power was immense.

    It would be easy to destroy an entire country in one piece.

    Of course, the challengers who had reached that point were kicked to the ground without a trace.

    ''''Gwaaahhhhhh!''''

    Mr. Arowana also fell down with the rocks at the second barrier, so he was wiped out.

    The advanced course ended without anyone being able to complete it.

    * * * *

    ........Now, some of you may have noticed this.

    This advanced course, the supervisor, Mr. Zos Saira, insists on being too strong.

    Thanks to her, it''s become a devilishly difficult level that no one can clear, but that was actually the goal.

    Her stress was becoming too much.

    Upgrading from fugitive to Prime Minister (?) She was sought out for her skills from various quarters, and she had played the most important role in the recent competition between the three races and the new Dragon Emperor''s Castle.

    Thanks to that, a lot of the burden was concentrated on her.

    If she didn''t vent at this point, she might explode at some point.

    At that time, Oakbo Castle was conveniently waiting to be held.

    It was the perfect opportunity to let her flail around as she pleased, to clear up and relieve her stress.

    He had Oakbo accompany him throughout the entire time, soaking him in the entertainment, and trapping him with all his might to make him a warrior.

    That''s right, it wasn''t the participants who were enjoying the challenging and high level of difficulty on the advanced course, but the ones who were actually setting the trap!

    All you want to do is say no in advance to high difficulty and all you''re allowed to do is say no in advance!

    So, even though it was game over for all of us, we were all convinced, and Zos Saira was relieved of her stress and able to get on with her job as Prime Minister tomorrow.

    In this way, while solving various problems, this year''s Okubo Castle came to an end in a very successful way.

    The main events that happened this time.

    Silverwolf became the Adventurer''s Guild Master.

    And he got married. The other is a cat.

    The goblin team''s flying attraction is a big hit.

    Zos Saira relieved her stress by becoming a warrior in the advanced course.

    Prathi sold a lot of octopus balls.

    Ramen and natto sold well too.

    I failed the second barrier again (general course).

    The demon king made it through to the third gate.

    The first person to reach the castle tower in the general course was the mermaid king Nagas and many others.

    So, it was a very fruitful festival.

    We hope to return to Okubo Castle next year.

 556-554 Oak Castle Castle Addendum

    My name is Saabenho.

    I''m one of the coolest guys in human country, an adventurer.

    And I''m an A-Level!

    Class A is awesome!¡¡Out of all the tens of thousands of adventurers, there are less than a hundred A-level adventurers.

    Without courage, wisdom, experience, and ability, they wouldn''t even be allowed to take the guild promotion test.

    And even if they did, only a few of them could pass the exam.

    In other words, they are the chosen ones!

    Above such A-class adventurers, there are only five S-class adventurers who can be called transcendents of all kinds.

    Well, they''re not human in many ways, or rather, they''re out of the ordinary....

    Although not as good as S-class, A-class adventurers are also guaranteed various support and preferential treatment by the guild as higher-level adventurers.

    If you go to the guild-owned dungeon administration town, you''ll be assigned the best accommodations, and you''ll have all the best food and drink you can eat and see.

    All on the guild''s dime!

    Above all, it''s nice to feel the respect and welcome that surrounds me everywhere I go.

    Nobles, big merchants, and other high-ranking people would come over to me just to see that I was a class-A adventurer, rubbing their hands, and I was irresistible to the ladies.

    What a perk!

    A-list adventurers at their best!

    Just as I was thinking, the guys who were cronies started to say this.

    ''Do you know Master Sir Ben-Ho?¡¡Talk about an impregnable castle?

    A castle?

    What does it matter?

    "It is a small castle in a local sub-region. It is a natural hindrance in a very calculated terrain that is extremely difficult to penetrate due to the many traps it contains.

    ''The owner of the castle is so proud of it that he opens it up only once a year and recruits challengers. ''If you can break in, do it.''

    Hmm, that''s a load of crap.

    That sounds like something some curious aristocrat would think.

    ''''And the one who successfully breaks in will receive a reward. That''s pretty lavish!

    ''''As a Class A adventurer, I''m sure Master Sir Ben-Ho would be free to enter or leave any castle he chooses!¡¡What do you think?¡¡How dare you, Master Sir Ben-Ho, come riding in here by yourself and show those boorish country folk how it''s done?

    His cronies whispered, but they were bored with the city''s drinking anyway.

    The country lord''s pride and joy: we can go into his little castle and drink as much wine and jewelry as we want.

    After all, I am a Grade A adventurer!

    Compared to the horrible dungeons, man-made castles are truly like toys!

    Let''s show them what the best of the pros are capable of!

    * * *

    ........and then I rode in with great enthusiasm.

    The destination seems to be the name of the Okubo Castle, which is said to be located in the Valkyria frontier territory.

    I wondered what kind of covetous aristocrat owned it, welcoming intruders on their own.......

    The area was crowded with many waves of people.

    ''''It''s not quite what I imagined...?

    It was like a festival.

    Or rather, it was a festival itself.

    Stalls lined up all around, kids running around looking like they were having fun.

    I don''t like this kind of atmosphere.

    Everyone gets so excited that they don''t even notice that I''m special.

    "Sir Ben-Ho!¡¡I just went to the receptionist...!

    I told them I was a Class A adventurer, but they didn''t take it up and treated me the same as the other participants...!

    Here''s the thing.

    You''re treating me, a Grade A adventurer, like a commoner.

    I''m not happy with the news that my cronies are giving me.

    "Well, we''ll just have to impress the fools with our abilities. We''ll capture the castle we''re so proud of in the blink of an eye and show the Class-A adventurer that amateurish ingenuity is meaningless.

    Lord Saabenho!

    That''s a class-A adventurer!

    I was about to march in there myself, with my cronies in tow.

    This is an announcement. This is an announcement to all visitors to Oakovo Castle.

    What''s that voice?

    It''s loud enough for the whole audience to hear, but it''s not the color of your voice screaming?

    "Before the real battle begins, Oakovo Castle will be hosting a small event. I hope you all enjoy it.

    Can''t this be some kind of extension of the human voice?

    Is it magic?

    I''ve heard that the demon race living in distant lands has such abilities...''''

    ''''I''m sure this event planned by a country noble must be a trivial one!

    ''Yes, sir!¡¡It will all be blown away when the Class A adventurer, Lord Servenho, comes out!

    The cronies are screaming....

    Well, it''s not a bad idea to show up early and get the word out!

    The competition between the S-class adventurer Silver Wolf and the Golden Bat. It''s an exhibition match to capture Okubo Castle.

    What did you say?

    What did you say?

    S?

    You said you were an S-list adventurer.

    No, you can''t be!

    An S-class adventurer is coming to this countryside!

    S-class adventurers are even rarer than A-class adventurers. There were only five of them in the world, so how could they possibly show up at a festival in the middle of nowhere!

    ''''No, they were here after all!

    Lining up in the exhibition hall was a familiar dog face and bat face!

    I''ll never forget that distinctive face!

    Most of the S-class adventurers are made up of the beast race!

    Why is there an S-grade...!

    They''re going to take out all my A''s if they show up!

    You''re a pain in the ass!

    What do you think?

    No, how about if you want to play this one?

    If I perform well and get noticed, people will think I''m better than them.

    And I will be the new S-Class adventurer?

    I''m fired up!

    Apply to join now!

    ...What?¡¡They''re offering an advanced course!

    I''m the only A-Level adventurer in the world who''s willing to take it.

    Don''t be stingy, what qualifications do you have to participate?¡¡You can''t join the advanced level unless you''ve cleared it once!

    I''m a class-A adventurer.

    Enroll him in an advanced course instead of the other way around!

    * * *

    And...

    I was eliminated at the first gate...!

    And it was not an advanced course, but a general course.

    In the end, no matter how much you argue, your insistence won''t stand, and you have to participate in the general course, and even then, when you tried to show your existence by dashing through, you ended up with a totally unwanted result!

    You miss a step while trying to cross a bridge as narrow as that one...?

    What''s going on?

    Have you become upset in front of a bunch of S-class adventurers?¡¡Or was there some alcohol left over from yesterday?

    "It''s a haphazard thing, isn''t it, A-list adventurer Servenho?

    Who''s calling me?

    ...who is calling me?¡¡An S-class adventurer, Silver Wolf?¡¡And he was declared to be the next guild master...?

    ''''It looks like the long years of blanks have surfaced, my body is soaked in the special treatment of the A class that my body has become so dulled by being entertained in various places that I''ve never entered a dungeon. You won''t even be able to get past the first gate of Oakbo Castle with that.

    How did you know about...?

    You think I don''t know that?¡¡With great expediency comes responsibility for adventurers of A level and above. Didn''t you notice that they''re always under strict surveillance?

    He glares at me with his sharp, beast-like eyes.

    No, in fact, this guy''s face is more like a beast or a wolf...?

    ''''This Okubo Castle might be a good event for the Adventurer''s Guild. It''s just the right attraction for the adventurer''s guild to unmask an advanced adventurer like yourself.

    Gogogogog...?

    ''''Sir Ben-Ho, I''m downgrading you from A class to C class. You can retire as is, or you can crawl back up again if you still have the passion to be an adventurer.

    "What do you mean?¡¡You think you have the right to raise or lower other adventurers'' ranks just because they''re S-class?

    Didn''t you see what was going on today?¡¡I''m the next Guildmaster, remember?

    The moment he said that, my body froze.

    Indeed, it was.

    ''''You can count on me to work hard as a guild master right away!

    ''''How could my first job be decapitating such an incompetent adventurer...?¡¡But with the large influx of ex-mercs already in place, maybe it''s a good time for the Adventurer''s Guild to be reshuffled.

    ''''When our foray into the Devil''s Land is in full swing, there may even be demon adventurers!¡¡It''s up to you, Silver Wolf-chan, to welcome the change without disruption!

    Don''t put pressure on me!

    Thus, I was stripped of my privileges and forced to start over as an ordinary adventurer.

    If I was going to end up like this, I should have just explored the dungeons diligently and steadily...?