The Story So Far

I was reincarnated into a chaotic fantasy world as the son of a marquess. On my twelfth birthday, I received a Gift at my Blessing ceremony called Village-Making, which was completely useless in battle.

To make matters worse, my younger brother Raoul was blessed with the powerful Gift of Sword Mastery, which completely reversed our positions in the family. Before I knew it, my father had exiled me from the capital to the middle of a barren wasteland, where my mysterious Gift suddenly activated and an entire village popped up out of nowhere.

I figured I’d live a quiet life here in this little village.

But the number of villagers kept growing, and my Village-Making Gift kept leveling up and evolving. Before long, we had enormous buildings, delicious food, comfortable living conditions, and great security. Just like that, my humble settlement had transformed into a formidable fortress with unmatched military strength.

“Okay, this is definitely not a village anymore... What happened to my peaceful, slow life?!”

We’d recently driven off a band of ruthless bandits, saved an elven village, and had even taken down an orc king. But now, a new problem lurked on the horizon...

Prologue

A small group of people trudged through the snow.

“Are you sure there’s a village way out here?”

“I dunno, but I doubt those merchants would’ve lied about it.”

“Yeah, but we could freeze to death in all this snow before we even get there.”

After hearing rumors of a settlement out in the wilderness, they’d decided to leave their old hometown behind to find it.

But this region was even farther north than the northernmost part of the March of Arvale, so it was already buried under heavy snow. Walking was an absolute struggle.

“H-Hey, look over there! Is that a road?!”

“Yeah, it is a road! And look past it!”

A path swept through the snow, leading to a massive stone wall that loomed above the white, wintry landscape.

“There it is! We found it!”

“So the rumors were true...”

The exhaustion on their faces gave way to joy as they took off running. The road beneath their feet was completely clear of snow, making them feel so free it was as if they’d been unshackled.

“Wait... Why isn’t there any snow on this road?”

◇◇◇

Winters here in the wasteland were frigid.

Since we were right up against a mountain range, it snowed so hard that it sometimes blanketed the entire region before winter even really began.

Naturally, that made travel such a nightmare that merchants and refugees wouldn’t have been able to reach the village during winter.

I decided to upgrade the roads I’d created with my Gift. I used the Facility Customization skill to enchant them with something called “Snowmelt.” It was basically a heater that melted snow and ice to keep the roads usable, allowing us to handle light snowfall with no trouble.

When I explained that to Brookley, the representative from the merchant guild, he agreed to keep coming to the village until the heavier snows set in.

“That’s going to be such a help!” I said.

“Well, this village is so comfortable I’d make the trip even if I didn’t have any business here!” he said, and the other merchants nodded in agreement.

“There’s amazing food, warm beds, and a giant bathhouse accessible 24-7! It feels more like a resort than a village! Ha ha ha!”

Come to think of it, they had been staying longer and longer lately.

“Maybe we should just move our headquarters here to this village?”

“Hey, that’s a great idea, Vice Chairman!”

“Ha ha. Well, if you’re serious,” I joked, assuming they were kidding, “I can even provide the building for it.”

“Wait, really?” Brookley exclaimed, immediately latching onto the idea.

As it turned out, he was dead serious. His merchant guild was one of the biggest in the North, and he wasn’t just about to create a new branch in town—he wanted to move the headquarters itself.

Isn’t that kind of a bold move?

“I’ll talk to the chairman when we get back!” (“And if he says no, maybe I’ll just quit... Heh heh heh...”)

More and more merchants had been visiting the village lately. Maybe he felt like he couldn’t afford to fall behind as one of the early investors. We’d also been getting more refugees joining us. In fact, we’d just welcomed a new group today. The village was getting livelier every day.

Strange... I could’ve sworn I wanted a slow, peaceful life...

A few impending goodbyes hung over our heads.

“Philia, how’s the reconstruction of your village coming along?” I asked.

“Pretty good. We’re making steady progress thanks to the underground passage you built for us. It should be finished by spring.”

“I see...”

That meant the elves would return home to their village once spring came.

“Thinking about all of you leaving makes me feel kinda lonely,” I said.

“I know, but your village and our forest are not far at all,” Philia said.

“That’s true. You are all welcome anytime.”

◇◇◇

“This place really is a paradise, just like they said.”

“Right? It’s winter, but there’s more than enough food, and we get as much hot water as we want! I mean, just look at the size of this bathhouse!”

“When we got caught in that snowstorm on the way here, I thought we were goners...”

Two men soaked in the spacious bathhouse, chatting as they let the warmth seep into their bones. They’d only just moved in, and each new discovery in the village was one delight after another.

“The apartment’s something else too. I was worried about the cold, but it’s toasty inside! Remember bundling up under all that straw back in our old shack just to get to sleep on autumn nights?”

“And everyone says the mayor made it with a snap of his fingers.”

“This place really is extraordinary, huh?” an unfamiliar voice interjected.

Both men jumped in shock. “Ack!”

The voice belonged to a stunningly beautiful elf. The men glanced down and confirmed that it was definitely a male elf. It was the men’s bath, but the elves were so androgynous it was hard to tell the difference unless you checked.

“You used to live in the forest, right?”

“That’s right,” the elf said. “But then we got attacked by a horde of orcs. We came here looking for help and survived against all odds. But don’t let the village’s cozy atmosphere fool you—its military force and security make it way safer than most cities.”

“That’s reassuring. We were a bit worried since the village is so close to the Forsaken Zones.”

The elf’s sudden appearance had unnerved the two men at first, but he was so amicable that they relaxed in no time.

“Are you all planning on returning to the forest once your village is rebuilt?” one of them asked.

“Nah, no way. Now that I’ve seen how great this town is, there’s no way I’m going back to that dump! It’s really dangerous out there, not to mention inconvenient.”

The two men exchanged uncertain glances.

The elf seemed outspoken, but they’d heard elves were a noble and proud people. Why was he talking about his hometown like that?

“Ah ha ha!” the elf cackled, as if reading their minds. “Don’t fret. The rest of the elves think the same thing, even if they won’t say it aloud. I can’t speak for them, and more power to them if they want to, but I’ll be staying put.”

Chapter One: Elves and Dwarves

The coldest months soon passed, and while patches of snow still lingered across the frontier, the weather was generally mild and comfortable.

Spring had come to the village.

“Is your, um, rear feeling better now?” I asked.

“Y-Yes, thanks for asking,” Leoninus, the chief of the elves, answered with a slightly embarrassed expression. He’d been having trouble walking for a while, so I was glad to see he’d made a full recovery.

“It’s so odd. There have been quite a few people who’ve been complaining about butt pain after moving here. Do you have any idea what might be causing it?”

“N-No, can’t say I do...” Leoninus’s eyes darted away for some reason.

Philia also seemed in pain recently. I hoped there wasn’t some kind of bizarre illness going around the village. But as the mayor, it was my responsibility to get to the bottom of it.

(“I can’t tell him that the bidet felt so good I used it until I got hemorrhoids...and that my daughter did the same thing...”)

“Did you say something, Leoninus?” I asked.

“N-Nope, nothing at all! Anyway, Lord Luke... I must thank you once again for everything you’ve done for us.”

He was clearly trying to change the subject, but I decided not to press him.

“So I hear your village is completely rebuilt now?”

“Yes. Thanks to your help, we can finally return home.”

“I’m very glad to hear that.”

At last, it was time to say goodbye to the elves who’d spent the winter here with us. Since an underground passage connected our settlements, however, we could visit each other whenever we wanted, so it wasn’t goodbye forever.

“Are you okay with us keeping the tunnel open?” I asked.

“Of course! We hope to maintain friendly relations with you moving forward,” Leoninus said. He paused, hesitant. “There is one thing... It seems that some of my people hope to remain in your village.”

“Really?” I wasn’t expecting that. I thought living here would be stressful for elves used to the forest. In fact, I even wondered if the stress was related to all the butt trouble going around. But hearing that some of them genuinely enjoyed living here made me genuinely happy.

“If it’s too much to ask, I can certainly talk to them and bring them back with me,” he said.

“No, not at all! As you can see, the village is full of immigrants. Besides, we’ve got plenty of living spaces and food.”

“D-Do you really mean it? They’re truly welcome to stay?”

“Absolutely,” I said.

The next day, the elves prepared to return to their rebuilt village—except for the few who’d decided to settle here instead. Everyone gathered in the plaza to say goodbye to the elves before they departed through the underground tunnel.

“Lord Luke, my deepest thanks on behalf of all the elves. I pray that this village continues to flourish.”

“Thank you, Leoninus. Please take care of yourself. Come visit anytime. You will always be welcome here.”

As chieftain, Leoninus would naturally return with the others. However, some villagers reported hearing Leoninus shouting in his apartment the previous night. Something like, “I don’t want to go! Don’t make me goooo!”

But it had probably just been their imaginations.

I wondered what Philia was going to do. She was the chief’s daughter after all, so she was probably returning as well.

“All right, my people! Let us return to our home!” Leoninus announced, turning to lead the elves down the tunnel.

Except not a single elf followed him. They stood there, exchanging glances, until Leoninus emerged from the tunnel a few minutes later.

“Hey! Why isn’t anyone following me?!” he asked.

“Well, I mean...” one of the elves said.

“Can you blame us?” another said.

“So no one’s going back, huh?” I wondered.

It didn’t seem like they were trying to prank him or anything. They looked a bit unsure, but it almost seemed like they’d been expecting this to happen.

One elf nervously stepped forward. “Isn’t it kind of obvious, Mayor?”

“What is?” I asked.

“Well, you said anyone who wanted to stay here was welcome to, so of course we’d all choose to stay.”

That opened up the floodgates for the rest of the elves to chime in.

“The food’s way better here than in the forest.”

“Yeah, and it’s safe! We don’t have to worry about monsters invading at night.”

“We can take baths whenever we want, and everything’s clean...”

“Plus, the mayor’s cute...”

“It doesn’t smell bad here.”

“The houses are warm, and the beds are really comfy!”

“Yeah, and the mayor’s adorable...”

“We can use as much hot water as we need.”

“This place is way more comfortable than our village!”

“And the mayor is absolutely precious...”

After every comment, Leoninus groaned and staggered like he’d been punched.

“Y-Yes, that all may be true!” he protested. “But we’ve lived in the forest for generations! Doesn’t that count for something? Don’t you have any attachments to it?”

“Not compared to this place!”

“Yeah, now that we know how comfortable this town is, there’s no way we can go back!”

“Yeah, we’re in too deep now. We’ve been changed forever.”

“Argh...” Leoninus turned toward his daughter with pleading eyes.

“I agree with everyone else,” she said.

“You do, Philia?”

He stared off vacantly into the distance. Now, even his own daughter had turned against him.

“Fine!” he suddenly snapped. “I’ll stay too!”

“But Chieftain, you can’t just leave the forest!”

“Yeah, wouldn’t that be insulting to our ancestors?”

“And we just finished rebuilding the place.”

Poor Leoninus. Everyone’s leaving him out.

“Why?! Are you seriously saying I’m supposed to live in that place alone?!”

Well, that’s not a very nice way to refer to your hometown...

“I want to stay too, damn it! I wanna live in this village too!” Leoninus’s heartfelt cry echoed throughout the plaza.

“Um, I guess I’ll just go ahead and officially welcome you all, then.”

And that was how every last elf, including their chieftain, became a permanent resident of my village.

Leoninus and his group of 238 elves have become villagers.

A while after the elves had officially joined our village, I received a telepathic message from Saten.

“Mayor Luke. A group is approaching from the east.”

“The east? But there’s nothing but mountains that way.”

To the east of our village, a mountain range loomed three thousand meters tall. It was part of the same dangerous, monster-infested no-man’s land as the northern forest, so it was highly unlikely anyone would be coming from that direction.

“Yes, but there’s something else. They don’t seem to be humans.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think they’re dwarves.”

“Dwarves, huh?”

Dwarves were a race closely related to humans, like elves. But they were shorter and had stout, muscular builds. They were known for being incredibly skilled with their hands.

“Dwarves are loud, rough, and incredibly insensitive. They barge into people’s territory without a second thought. Historically, elves and dwarves have not gotten along,” Philia told me.

It sounded like she’d met some before, which made sense considering how long she’d been alive.

Elves were said to be serious, sensitive, and a bit aloof, but I hadn’t gotten that impression from the ones here. Even so, I could see how they might butt heads with dwarves.

At any rate, I decided to go out and meet the dwarves myself.

There were just over a hundred of them, and one nervously stepped forward. He was about the same height as Seren, but his shoulders were twice as broad.

And he wasn’t the only one like that. It turned out that even a full-grown dwarven man was barely taller than a human woman, and dwarven women were around my height.

“S-Sorry to trouble ya. Name’s Dran. I’m a dwarf.”

“Hello there. I’m Luke, the village mayor. It’s nice to meet you.”

Dran had a thick beard and a tough face, but his voice sounded timid and uncertain.

That’s definitely not how Philia described dwarves...

At first, I thought Dran was just an exception, but the rest of the dwarves were just as skittish. They looked jumpy and nervous. I saw no signs of the bold and boisterous personalities Philia had warned me about.

“W-We’ve been livin’ in those mountains over yonder...”

“The Forsaken Mountains? It’s really dangerous over there, right?”

“Aye, lad. We were holed up in a cave there, ya see...” He told me they’d been living in a cave system at the foot of the mountains. There was only one entrance, so it sounded like a pretty secure spot. I asked how they got food, and he explained they grew a special kind of potato deep inside the cave, which made up most of their diet.

“At times, we eat bugs or bats we catch in the caves. Now an’ again, some beastie or monster stumbles in and we use its meat for a stew...”

It didn’t sound like a luxurious life. While dwarves used to interact with humans a long time ago, just like elves, they now had little contact with us. I asked him if humans had persecuted his people, forcing them into the mountain range.

“No. The dwarves brought it upon themselves,” Philia interjected coldly. “They developed powerful weapons and used them to create a massive empire. But they incurred divine wrath for trying to conquer the world, and their empire collapsed. The dwarves scattered across the land, living in small, hidden communities. I wasn’t alive back then, of course. It happened over a thousand years ago, after all. This is just how the story goes.”

A thousand years ago was hard to wrap my head around. I hadn’t even been alive for twenty years.

“What do you mean by ‘divine punishment’? How’d it destroy the whole empire?” I asked.

“The details be lost to time, lad. All we know is our ancestors took to the caves, and we’ve been livin’ there ever since,” Dran said.

“And I suppose your personalities grew drab to match your new environment?” Philia said. “I guess that’s a blessing. Quiet dwarves are much more tolerable than loud ones. I wouldn’t mind if all dwarves stayed in the caves forever.”

Well, Philia clearly isn’t a fan of dwarves...

It turned out the bad blood between elves and dwarves was no joke.

“Anyway, what brought you all the way out here to the middle of the frontier?” I asked.

“Well...”

Dran told me that something terrifying had appeared in their cave a few days ago. They kept the entrance sealed, and there’d been no sign of it being breached, yet somehow a monster appeared inside and went on a rampage.

“’Twas a great, hulkin’ beast that looked kinda like a snake, or maybe a giant caterpillar? We had no hope o’ bestin’ it, not a chance! So we turned heel an’ bolted, we did.”

They’d abandoned their home of many generations and escaped into the wilderness.

“Then we stumbled across this place. We’ve got nowhere else to lay our heads, nor a scrap o’ food to our names. We were hopin’, if it ain’t too much trouble, that maybe you’d spare us a bite to eat...” Dran, still pale and visibly shaken by their monster encounter, had genuine fear in his eyes.

“I see. Of course we can. We can offer you housing too, if you’d like,” I said.

“T-Truly? But we ain’t human. Would ye really be so kind to outsiders like us? Wait, don’t tell me yer plannin’ to work us to death in exchange?!”

Sheesh, talk about pessimism.

The rest of the dwarves started echoing the same worries.

“Did ya turn those elven ladies into sex slaves?”

“Does that mean we’re next?!”

“We’re too ugly for that. Nay, we’ll be worked to the bone till we crumble, all ’cuz we’re forged a bit hardier than most. By my beard, I can feel the pick an’ hammer weighin’ on me back already!”

“No one’s going to turn you into slaves. The elves live among us as equals—we don’t discriminate against anyone because of their race. Please don’t worry,” I said.

“Yeah! And who are you calling a sex slave? Elves are a proud people! No human could ever enslave us. We live here by choice,” Philia said, backing me up.

Hopefully, that assuaged the dwarves’ anxiety a little.

Once they entered the village, they’d realize there was nothing to fear.

“How about I show you around?” I suggested, leading them inside. With everyone in the village watching them, the dwarves were initially nervous and jumpy. Once I started explaining the various buildings, their anxiety gave way to astonishment.

“Wh-Whoa... This place be cleaner’n most...”

“Aye, doesn’t reek a bit. Not a scrap o’ trash to be found.”

“Hrm, odd lookin’ buildings, these. All seem freshly built, to boot!”

“Wait now, hot and cold water, free for the takin’? Do all humans live like this?”

Eyes big as saucers, they swung their heads around, gawking at the village.

“That building over there is the bathhouse,” I said.

“Bathhouse?”

“Yeah, it’s a public bathing area. Open to everyone.”

“Huh?!”

“Y-Ye mean...ye all go in there bare as stone, with the whole lot watchin’ ya?!”

“Bah! Not a chance! I’d never be doin’ somethin’ so shameful!”

That’s odd...

The elves had barely reacted when I explained it, but the dwarves wouldn’t even consider it. I thought they’d be even less shy about nudity than the elves, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

At any rate, I saved the apartment for last.

“This is where you all will be living from now on. Each family has their own unit. And each unit has its own bath and toilet.”

After I showed them the interior and explained how to use the facilities, Dran stepped forward.

“Er, Mr. Mayor?” he said, uneasy.

“What is it, Dran?”

“This place be fine an’ sturdy enough, but...”

“What’s wrong? If you want anything changed, just let me know.” I could adjust things with the Facility Customization skill, so accommodating requests wasn’t a problem.

“Well, uh— It’s the windows, ya see. They’re fair huge, lettin’ in a flood o’ light an’ all that.”

“The windows?” I asked.

He told me that after spending so many generations living in caves, the dwarves had grown sensitive to sunlight.

“We get a mite uneasy when the light’s too strong... Even makes our bellies turn, it does,” he explained.

“Oh, I see...” That sounded pretty inconvenient. It wouldn’t be a hard fix, though; I could shrink or remove the windows. I thought about it for a moment. “Actually, I think I have a better solution...”

When I was done, I turned to the dwarves. “What do you think?”

“B-By me beard! ’Tis near the spittin’ image o’ the caves we hailed from! A place like this... Aye, here we can find our rest!” Dran boomed, his joyful voice echoing through the tunnel.

That’s right—I brought the dwarves to the new underground tunnel I’d recently built. I figured it would suit them better than asking them to adapt to the bright sun of life aboveground, so I built a new subterranean apartment complex attached to the underground tunnel. That way, windows wouldn’t be an issue.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

We threw a welcome party for the dwarves that night. They didn’t mind being outside once the sun went down.

“Don’t be shy. Drink up!”

“Well, since yer twistin’ my arm... Ho ho! This be fine stuff! Tell me, what manner o’ brew be this?”

It was alcohol we’d made in our village’s own brewery.

Brewery

>>A facility that produces alcohol. Boosts production speed and quality. Warning: Always drink responsibly!

We used high-quality ingredients and fresh water, but something about the brewery itself seemed to boost the taste of it. Currently, we produced fruit wines, beers, and milk-based drinks.

I was too young to taste any of them yet, of course.

Still, dwarves were known for their love of alcohol, so I figured this would be a good way to break the ice. I turned out to be right, but I got more than I bargained for...

“Bwa ha ha! This be some damn fine drink!”

“Aye, but ye’ve gotta toss it back proper if ye mean to savor it! Ho there! Do a jig or somethin’, would ye?”

“Right, then! Fix yer eyes on me deadly belly dance!”

The dwarves had been shaking in their boots just hours earlier, but the moment alcohol entered the picture, they’d been completely transformed.

Raucous laughter boomed from every direction as they showed off their bizarre party tricks. Some had even started dancing half naked. Then the female dwarves joined in.

No, don’t just whip out your boobs like that! Time to go home, kids! Look away!

“Uh, what’s happening? How are their personalities this different after drinking?” I asked.

“Who knows? But these are the dwarves I remember,” Philia said with an exasperated sigh.

“Ooh! Ooh! Hah!”

“Aah! Aah! Ook!”

“Ook! Ook! Aah!”

The more they drank, the louder they got. Then one dwarf started grunting, and another joined in. Before I knew it, they were circling me, tankards of beer in hand, howling and grunting like a pack of gorillas.

“Ooh! Ooh! Aah!”

One of them pointed at me, shouting something in—um, gorilla? I had no idea what it meant, but the others seemed to understand just fine.

“Ooooook!”

They all rushed toward me in unison, still in ape mode.

“Wh-What’s going on?”

Before I knew it, they hoisted me high in the air.

“Ook aah eek!” (“Long live Mayor Luke!”)

Then they tossed me up.

“Waaaah!”

They caught me and tossed me again.

What the heck is going on?!

“Ook aah eek!” (“Long live Mayor Luke!”)

“What are you even saying?!”

“Ook aah eek!” (“Long live Mayor Luke!”)

“I can’t understand you!”

Eventually, I managed to escape that nightmare, but the dwarves’ party went late into the night. The village finally quieted down after every last one of them had drunk themselves into an unconscious stupor.

The next morning, their groaning, hungover bodies lay sprawled out across the plaza, squinting up at the sunrise as they slowly woke up.

“Huh? What happened?”

“Why in the nine hells do I be bare as a baby’s bottom?!”

The dwarves had apparently passed out in various states of undress. They quickly scrambled to their feet in a panic.

“I’m ashamed down to me bones!”

“Argh! Curse this blasted sun, burnin’ me eyes out!”

They quickly sobered up. Once they were aware of their situation, they frantically threw their clothes back on and scampered back underground like their lives depended on it.

“All right. From now on, the dwarves are only allowed to drink underground,” I told Dran later on.

“I-If ye say so, b-but I beg yer pardon, Mayor Luke. We didn’t do naught to offend, did we?” Dran asked tentatively. I’d had a slightly firmer conversation with him than usual.

“Don’t tell me you guys don’t remember anything about last night.”

“Aye, ’fraid not. We were, er, a touch overfond of the drink, ye see...”

Yeah, they’d blacked out.

“We were makin’ fools o’ ourselves, ye say? Bah, surely not! Ye must be mistaken, Mayor...”

“Unfortunately not.”

“Come to think of it, there’ve been other nights where we drank deep ’n’ woke up in the morn in some odd place...or worse yet, without a stitch o’ bloomin’ thread on us!”

“That’s exactly what happened.”

It was hard to believe that the red-faced dwarf cowering in front of me was the same one who’d spent the previous night proudly shirtless, dancing with a face drawn on his generous belly.

And here I’d thought belly dancing was only a thing in my previous world.

“Anyway, from now on, you’re only allowed to drink in the tunnels. Got it?”

Despite the commotion, the dwarves officially became residents of the village.

Dran and his group of 124 dwarves have become villagers.

Chapter Two: Dungeon Exploration

I learned that the elves had a priestess who played a similar role to priests among humans. Like Myria’s Oracle, the priestess’s Gift of Invocation allowed her to bless others.

Thanks to that, the elves had begun receiving Gifts too. Of the 238 elves living here, about 20 had received a Gift.

Counting the unblessed children, about one in ten had Gifts, which was roughly the same ratio as us humans. The elves were predisposed to Gifts like Bow Proficiency and White Magic.

White Magic covered light and life-based spells like illumination magic, purification magic, and recovery magic.

Philia was a rare Twice Gifted, like Seren. She had both Bow Proficiency and Green Magic, which was magic involving wind and weather.

Meanwhile, the dwarves didn’t have any sort of priest or priestess, so none of them had Gifts.

“I wonder if Oracle would work on dwarves?” I wondered.

“Well, let’s give it a try.”

Myria attempted to bless the dwarves using Oracle.

“It appears to have succeeded,” she said. “I’ve bestowed Gifts upon ten of them.”

Next, the elven priestess successfully used Invocation on the remaining dwarves, which worked too. It turned out neither type of Blessing was restricted to the Gifted’s own race.

It was admittedly a small sample size, but it seemed that the common Gifts among dwarves were Blacksmithing, Mining, and Yellow Magic, which involved earth and stone-type spells. There was definitely a pattern there.

One of the dwarves in particular stood out.

Dona

Age: 11

Village Affinity: Low

Suggested Job: Artisan

Gift: (Weaponsmith)

That sounded pretty intense for a kid. She’d just turned eleven, so she hadn’t received her Gift yet.

Unlike most of the dwarves, who rarely left the tunnels, Dona often emerged to wander around the village and marvel at the buildings. She seemed like a naturally inquisitive kid.

When I mass-produced weapons with Facility Customization, she’d always turn up and watch. She never said anything. She just quietly sat there and watched me work, totally absorbed. She seemed pretty shy.

“You like weapons?” I asked her one day while working.

Dwarves were quite rugged. The men were stout and broad, and the women were on the rounder side, but the kids didn’t look much different from human children. Well, they might look a bit younger comparatively. Their lifespans weren’t as long as elves, but they still outlived humans, which meant they had longer childhoods.

She nodded silently, then hesitantly revealed something she’d been hiding behind her back.

“Is that a stone tablet? It looks old,” I said, studying the weathered slab. It was covered in some kind of writing. “I can’t read it. Is it some ancient language? Can you read it, Dona?”

She shook her head. “It came from the cave. It’s always been there. It’s probably from the ancient dwarves.”

“Ancient dwarves? Oh, you mean like your ancestors?”

“Look.” She pointed to a drawing in the corner of the tablet. It depicted a humanoid figure with strange proportions. It had a big head, short legs, long arms, and a stout, round torso.

“What is it?” I wondered. “A golem, maybe?”

“Weapon.”

“A weapon?” I repeated.

“Yep. An ancient, dwarven weapon. It’s not a golem. You go inside. Here.”

I looked closer and noticed a porthole in the center of the figure’s head. And sure enough, I saw a little face inside.

“So a person controls the weapon from within?”

I wondered if that had been what Philia was referring to when she mentioned the dwarves using powerful weapons to conquer the world. If the thing were piloted, it probably relied on some ancient tech now lost to time.

There was no way we could build one of those now.

“Hm, but maybe I can build something similar,” I said, an idea hitting me.

I summoned a stone wall. Dona’s eyes widened, but I ignored her and started customizing it.

“All right, first I’ll stretch it out vertically.”

I shaped it, using the image from the tablet as a template, and added arms, legs, and a head.

“Whoa!” Dona gasped, staring in amazement at the stone golem that just appeared. It was a perfect copy of the figure on the tablet.

“It can move too. Watch.”

I used Facility Customization again, this time to make the limbs move.

Okay, getting the balance right is trickier than I expected.

“It moved!”

“Yep, but this is where things get interesting.”

I made the golem crouch and extend an arm toward the ground.

“See? Now you can climb onto it,” I said.

“Wow!”

I grabbed Dona’s hand, and her eyes lit up with excitement. I led her up the simple staircase that I’d built into the golem’s arm. Once we reached the head, I turned toward her. “Take a look. You can actually go inside.”

There was an entrance built in the side of its head where we could climb directly into the cockpit. Right now, it was just a hollow space, so I carved out a front-facing window for visibility and added a basic seat.

“All right, let’s take it for a stroll through the village.”

“Okay!”

I activated the stone golem and started moving it forward.

Whud. Whud. Whud.

The vibrations were way stronger than I expected inside, and controlling it was also much more difficult than it looked. Every time the golem moved, Dona’s tiny body bounced up and down in the seat. Still, she looked totally thrilled.

“Whee! This is amazing! It moves, it really moves! This is awesome!” Her earlier silence vanished as she cheered with bright, shining eyes.

Naturally, a gigantic walking golem had attracted attention. Before long, a crowd of villagers had gathered.

“Whoa, what the hell is that?!”

“A golem? Why is there a golem here?!”

“Wait—is there someone inside it?!”

“Sorry for the commotion, everybody!” I called with a wave.

“Mayor Luke?!”

I could hear one of the older residents muttering, “It’s just the mayor. He does things like this all the time. You’ll get used to it.”

Was I really that weird?

Dona and I ended up doing a full lap of the village, and by the end of it...

“Bleecchhh!”

We both violently threw up the moment we got off. She’d been flush with excitement just a few moments ago, but now she was pale as a ghost. I probably didn’t look much better.

The intense shaking and swaying inside the golem had made us both horribly motion sick. We’d only done one loop, but it was way too much to handle.

“Yeah, this thing is definitely not meant to be ridden,” I said.

“Yeah...” Dona nodded.

“Maybe the ancient weapon on the tablet was different?”

It must’ve been, because if someone was meant to operate the golem from within, the interior had to be way more ergonomic.

“Definitely.”

“That’s incredible, then. It’s hard to believe the dwarves once made something like that...”

“I’ll build it someday,” Dona said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

If she received the Weaponsmith Gift next year, she just might pull it off. But what would happen if she succeeded? Weapons were tools of war. If something like that were created, it would probably be used to kill a lot of people. The ancient dwarves had once tried to conquer the world with such weapons, after all.

“Why do you want to build something like that, Dona?” I asked.

She didn’t answer right away. “My people are weak. That’s why we’ve stayed hidden in the caves. But even then, we lost our home. Maybe we could’ve fought that monster off if we had a strong weapon.”

Her words hit me hard. After all, she had a point. Sometimes, you needed strength to protect what mattered most. If this village had been weak too, bandits or the orc horde would’ve wiped us out long ago.

No matter how much you wished for peace, sometimes things just didn’t work out that way. And someday, someone might come to destroy everything we’d built here.

“I think you’re right, Dona. We do need strength. Not to invade or conquer, but to protect this village and everyone in it,” I said.

“Seren? Now that spring’s here, there’s something I want you to do,” I said.

“What kind of something?” she asked.

“There’s a rocky area west of the village. It’s not big, but something about it seems off.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s the only spot that isn’t counted as part of the village.”

The village’s territory automatically expanded as its level increased. By the time we’d hit level six, it covered most of the surrounding wilderness—except for that rocky area I’d mentioned to Seren.

I’d noticed it during winter but hadn’t wanted to send someone to investigate it with all the snow, so I’d held off until spring. That day, I was in the watchtower and spotted it in the distance. It was barely visible from the top of the tower.

“As a favor, I wanted to ask you to check it out in person,” I said.

“All right, understood.”

“And I’d like to come with—”

“No,” Seren cut me off.

“But why not? I’d be going with the hunting party, so it’s not like it’d be dangerous,” I protested.

“The answer’s still no. This village can’t function without you. What would happen to everyone if you got hurt or even worse?” she argued.

“Sheesh, talk about overprotective...” I muttered.

It was a ten-kilometer round trip, give or take. Compared to everything we’d dealt with so far, like that horde of orcs, that didn’t seem like much of a risk.

I’d even crossed through the Forsaken Forest and returned when I went to the elven village.

“Let us scout it first, at least. There may be dangerous monsters lurking there,” Seren said.

“So I can go after you confirm it’s safe?”

“If it’s safe, then yes.”

◇◇◇

Seren led the hunting party to its destination. Since the party’s last expedition, its numbers had grown to include a few elven warriors—but Seren only took fifteen along for this scouting mission.

Eventually, the party’s destination came into view.

“So that’s the rocky area Luke mentioned...” Seren said.

“It looks like a normal rock formation at a glance, but if Lord Luke says something’s off, there must be more than meets the eye,” Philia said.

Twice Gifted, Philia’s Archery and Green Magic made her one of the core members of the hunting party.

The other usual members had come along too, including Barlatt with his Sword Proficiency, Noel with his Shield Mastery, and Gordy with his Giant’s Strength. So long as nothing outrageous happened, this squad had more than enough power to deal with anything they’d come across.

Eventually, they reached the rock formation. This kind of landform wasn’t exactly unusual out in the frontier.

“Just so you know, I don’t smell any monsters,” said the party member with Beast’s Nose. As its name suggested, the Gift gave him a wild animal’s acute sense of smell, crucial for detecting approaching monsters long before they were visible.

“There’s definitely something off about the big rock in the center,” the party member with Danger Detection said in a tense voice.

“Doesn’t smell like monsters, though.”

“Maybe something else, then.”

“I can’t say for sure, but there’s definitely something there.”

“Then we should proceed carefully,” Seren said with a nod.

And with that, the group moved toward the massive rock formation. Once they were close enough, they all noticed it at the same time.

“Wait, what the heck is that?”

“A cave?”

A gaping hole, three meters high and two meters wide, stared at them from the base of the boulder. It was large enough for a grown man to pass through without ducking. Peering inside, they realized it sloped gently downward, continuing so far into the darkness they couldn’t see the end.

“This place gives me the creeps. It reeks of danger.”

“Now that we’re this close, I’m catching a faint whiff of monsters. It’s coming from deeper inside.”

Seren and Philia exchanged glances. They were thinking the same thing.

“Yep, I’m sure of it now.”

“Same here. It’s a dungeon.”

◇◇◇

Seren and the hunting party returned and gave me their report. Although they’d only peeked inside, they knew its layout was pretty complex. If someone got lost in there, it’d be nearly impossible for them to find their way back out. They’d decided a proper investigation required serious preparations, so they’d returned for now.

“A dungeon? I guess that explains why it’s excluded from the village’s territory,” I mused.

I suddenly recalled something my old tutor had told me when I was still living at home: Every dungeon had a dungeon master. Since the dungeon master was the owner, it made sense that the dungeon hadn’t been automatically absorbed into my village’s territory.

“It looks like this dungeon hasn’t been discovered before. Or it’s been abandoned for a long time, at least. There might be valuable materials or rare items inside!”

“It could be worth exploring. Hunting’s going well these days, so no one will go hungry if we’re occupied elsewhere for a few days.”

Since it was a cave dungeon, sending in a huge group wasn’t a good idea. Seren claimed we should send ten at the absolute max.

“Ten? That’s not very many...” I said.

“We’ll have to keep the reserve members to a bare minimum too.”

“In that case, give me a second...” Remembering that we had a villager with the Gift of Dungeon Exploration, making him perfect for this job, I went to fetch him.

“Huh?” he said after I’d explained everything. Wide-eyed, he pointed at himself. “Y-You want me to go into a dungeon?”

Kamul

Age: 38

Village Affinity: Medium

Recommended Job: Adventurer

Gift: Dungeon Exploration

His eyes darted around like he expected us to ambush him. Kamul was one of the villagers who’d joined with Berlitt and the others. Despite that, I hardly ever saw him talking to anyone. Maybe he was just really shy. Everyone told me that when he wasn’t at work, he was holed up in his apartment. His hair was a total mess, and his beard looked like it hadn’t seen a razor in months.

“That’s right. We found a dungeon not far from the village. We’re getting ready to explore it, and I’d hoped you’d be willing to help out, Kamul.”

“B-But m-me? I-I’m no good at that kinda thing...”

“That’s not true at all. Your Gift is Dungeon Exploration, right? You were practically made for this job.”

“I-I wouldn’t expect too much outta me, even with a Gift. I don’t know if I can even use the thing...” He looked down, clearly lacking confidence.

I was surprised to find Kamul was just as pessimistic as Berlitt had described.

“Well, there’s no point in standing around talking about it,” I said, not wanting to argue with him. “Let’s get going. Once we’re there, we’ll find out pretty soon whether you’ll be useful or not.”

After adding Kamul to the roster, we trimmed the hunting party down to under ten people, and it was finally time to head out.

“Let’s go, everybody,” I said.

“Hold it right there!” Seren said.

“Huh?”

“Don’t ‘huh?’ me! Why are you trying to come along too?”

“I can’t go?”

I’d tried sneaking into the party’s ranks, but Seren wasn’t having it.

“But why not?” I groaned. “I just wanna know what it’s like to explore a dungeon!”

“How about I tell you some stories about people who said those words and never came back?” she asked, trying to scare me.

“Th-That’s just because they weren’t prepared or cautious enough, right?” I argued.

“Listen, Luke. Even veteran adventurers die in dungeons. And we’ve only just discovered this one. We have no idea how dangerous it is down there. You’re staying in the village. End of discussion.”

“You’re really too overprotective...”

I was turning thirteen that spring. Seren had already seen battle at my age, hadn’t she?

“I have a combat Gift. You don’t. You need others to protect you.”

“Well, when you put it like that, I guess I can’t really argue.”

She won the argument, so I guess I have to stay behind.

Or do I?

I’d figured something like this could happen, so I’d kept a card up my sleeve. Even as I pretended to give up, I quietly set my plan in motion.

◇◇◇

Seren was back at the dungeon entrance with the party. This time, they’d come fully equipped with gear suited for dungeon diving, plus a full supply of elven potions and special items, just in case.

“Looks like we’re ready to go. How’re you holding up, Kamul?” she asked.

“I-I-I’m not good at all...” he replied, his voice trembling so much everyone knew he was telling the truth.

Seren released an exasperated sigh. “Don’t worry. We’ll take it really slow and keep our eyes peeled.”

“R-Right...”

Hopefully, he’d get a grip sooner or later.

With that, the group descended the gently sloping path into the dungeon.

“Hey,” Philia said, glancing at Gordy. “That’s quite a load you’re carrying.”

“Uh, yeah. The mayor said we should bring extra food and water, just in case. He packed it for us himself,” Gordy replied. Only someone with Giant’s Strength could handle the overfull bag Gordy was lugging over his shoulder with such ease. It looked like it was about to burst at the seams.

“Hang on a minute.” Seren narrowed her eyes at Gordy’s pack, sensing something off. “Is it just me, or is that pack making noise? I swear I hear...breathing or something.”

“Ha ha! No way, Captain Seren! That’s probably just cargo shifting around!”

“Oh yeah? You won’t mind if I take a look, then?”

“N-No, we’re already inside the dungeon, so let’s not...”

“How about we go back to the village and check it there, then?” Seren threatened.

“Th-There’s no need for that, really! It’s fine! Totally fine!” Sweating bullets, Gordy had become so flustered that you didn’t need Seren’s sharp instincts to know he was acting suspicious. The guy couldn’t lie to save his life.

“Well, no need to make a fuss if it’s just food.”

“E-Exactly! And that’s all it is!”

Seren closed the distance before he could react and grabbed hold of the pack on his back. “Gotcha!”

“What?” Gordy gasped.

Then she started squeezing it.

“Eep! H-Hey, stop that! Ah ha ha! Bwa ha ha ha!”

Suddenly, hysterical laughter burst from the bag, leaving everyone stunned.

“Did... Did that bag just laugh?!”

“What the hell is in there?!”

“Hang on a second. Is it just me, or does that voice sound kinda familiar?”

“That tickles, Seren!” a voice shouted within the pack. “Knock it off! Ah ha ha!”

“That’s weird. Food doesn’t usually complain when you squeeze it!” she said.

“Fine, fine! I give up! Just stop! Ah ha ha! Stop already!”

“Then come out. Now.” Seren released the bag, and the culprit finally wriggled out of the fabric.

“Ugh, I thought I was going to laugh myself to death!”

“Mayor?!”

◇◇◇

My plan had been pretty clever, if I said so myself. To sneak into the dungeon without Seren finding out, all I’d had to do was hide in someone’s pack—and Gordy had been the perfect man for the job.

“Y-You wanna do what now, Mayor?” Gordy had said when I told him about my plan.

“Sneak into your pack. There’s something I really want to test out in the dungeon, so I have to go.”

“But what if Captain Seren finds out?”

“If she does, I’ll take full responsibility. I’ll make sure she doesn’t blame you for anything.”

I’d managed to convince him, which let me slip into the party without raising any alarm bells. And it had all been going wonderfully until we actually were inside the dungeon.

“Is it just me, or is that pack making noise?” Seren said. “I swear I hear...breathing or something.”

Oh no, has she found out already?!

Apparently, something about Gordy’s pack had caught her attention. He tried to play it off, and for a moment, I thought we were in the clear. Then...

“Gotcha,” Seren said.

Out of nowhere, Seren grabbed me through the bag and started digging her fingers into my sides—my one weak point.

“Eep! H-Hey, stop that! Ah ha ha! Bwa ha ha ha!”

I doubled over inside the bag, helpless as Seren relentlessly tickled me into submission.

“That tickles, Seren! Knock it off! Ah ha ha!”

“That’s weird. Food doesn’t usually complain when you squeeze it!” she said.

“Fine, fine! I give up! Just stop! Ah ha ha! Stop already!”

“Then come out. Now.”

With no way out and no breath left in me, I crawled out of the bag.

“Ugh, I thought I was going to laugh myself to death!”

“Mayor?!”

Everyone stared at me, wide-eyed.

“Didn’t I tell you it was too dangerous?!” Seren demanded, glaring at me.

“Ah ha ha...” I laughed nervously.

“You can’t chuckle your way out of this one.”

Yikes, she’s scary...

Still, it was too late to do anything about it now. I’d made it this far, enough to do what I’d come to do.

Then Marco, the villager with Danger Detection, gasped ahead of us.

“Hey, something’s coming from deeper inside!” he shouted.

When we turned to look into the depths of the dungeon, we saw a huge shadow sprinting toward us.

“Graaaawr!”

“It’s a bloodwolf!”

The massive lupine monster barreling toward us was easily three meters long. Foam dripped from its sharp fangs, as if it hadn’t eaten in days and had just found its first meal. A single one of its teeth was as large as my forearm. One bite and I’d be done for.

“Leave it to me!” Philia shouted, springing into action. She lifted her bow as she moved forward to protect me.

“Mayor, get back now!” someone else shouted, and the rest of the party pushed me toward the rear.

Wait—now’s my chance! If I pull this off, Seren will have to reconsider!

Before Philia could shoot her arrow, I created an earthen wall in front of the charging wolf.

“Aroooo?!” The wolf yelped as it slammed face-first into the wall.

All right, it worked! Facility Construction was a success!

Immediately moving on to Facility Customization, I transformed the wall into a five-meter-tall golem and made it throw a punch at the stunned wolf. The wolf lunged in retaliation, but what was it going to do to a golem that had no nerves and felt no pain?

Still controlling the golem, I tackled the monster and pinned it beneath the construct’s massive frame. The golem locked the bloodwolf’s torso into a crushing hold with both arms.

“Rawwrr?!” The wolf thrashed wildly, but it couldn’t shake the weight of the giant golem.

“What in the world is happening right now?”

“Philia, finish it!” I shouted.

“R-Right!”

She shot off a flurry of arrows, each piercing the bloodwolf in the middle of its forehead. The light left its eyes, and the fight was over.

“I knew you wouldn’t miss,” I said.

“That’s not the point! What just happened?!” Philia asked.

“Yeah, did you make that wall?” Seren demanded.

They both rushed over at the same time.

“I used Territory Takeover to claim the dungeon,” I said, unable to stop a bit of boastfulness from creeping into my voice. “That means I can create and modify facilities here, like I just did with the golem.”

Territory Takeover

>>Allows you to forcibly annex land governed by others into your village territory. Effective only within a fifty-meter radius of the village mayor’s location.

The catch was that I had to be physically present to activate it, which was exactly why I’d gone to so much trouble to get to the dungeon.

“How did you control the golem, Lord Luke?”

“I’ve been practicing. Remember the other day when I built a golem out of stone walls and made it move? That gave me the idea.”

Golems operated by pilots inside the suit hadn’t worked out, but remotely controlled ones like this were pretty effective in combat.

“Well, what do you think, Seren? Not bad for someone you thought should stay behind, right?”

I made the golem walk up beside me and strike a victory pose to drive my point home. Moving the golem around didn’t cost any Village Points. Repairs did, but they were cheap.

“I-I admit it’s impressive, but still...”

Seren was usually so overprotective, but even she couldn’t come up with an argument right away.

“Besides, this dungeon’s officially part of the village now. And since I’m the mayor, I should be allowed to explore it freely, right?”

“I agree with Lord Luke. Boys his age tend to be full of curiosity. If you don’t let him explore, you’ll end up pushing him away,” Philia said.

Although her explanation was a bit patronizing, it wasn’t like I could argue. I probably seemed like a kid to her since elves’ lifespans measured in centuries.

“Argh, fine! But I’ll be furious if anything happens to you! You have to stay in the center of our formation! Noel, you’re on guard duty. Protect Luke with everything you’ve got!” Seren said.

“Of course! I’m on it.”

And just like that, I’d officially gotten permission to join the dungeon exploration.

Of course, I’d omitted one tiny little detail: I hadn’t been able to claim the entire dungeon, because Territory Takeover only affected the fifty-meter radius around the village mayor’s current location. That rule applied even in dungeons, which meant I’d only added the entrance of the dungeon to the village’s territory.

I’d have to extend the village’s claim deeper into the dungeon by using Territory Takeover as we explored.

So we resumed our dungeon dive. After making our way down the first gentle slope, the path forked.

“A split path right off the bat, huh?” I said.

“I don’t sense anything dangerous from either direction at the moment,” Marco said, relying on the instincts his Danger Detection Gift gave him.

When I looked at Kamul, I noticed he seemed especially rattled.

“What’s wrong, Kamul?” I asked gently.

“Um, well...” He hesitated. “I-I’m not sure why, but I think we should take the path on the right. It’ll be tough going, and the left feels easy, but it’s the wrong way...”

“Okay. That’s...not very clear,” I said. “Still, if this is your Gift talking, we should listen.”

It was the first fork in the cave, after all. We’d end up exploring both paths eventually.

“All right, let’s try the right path first.”

We only made it a short distance forward before Marco suddenly shouted.

“Something’s wrong! Be careful! I’ve got a bad feeling about this!”

We all froze, suddenly alert. Marco’s “bad feelings” weren’t just hunches—they were warnings.

Is it a monster?

I looked around, but there were no signs of movement around us.

“I-It’s the ground. About five meters ahead...” Kamul said.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think it’ll end well if you step there...” He pointed.

I followed his gaze but saw nothing but an ordinary stone floor.

“It’s best not to take any chances,” Seren said.

“Yeah, we should steer clear of it just in case,” Philia added.

“I’ll send the golem,” I said.

I created a golem by modifying an earthen wall and sent it to walk over to the place Kamul had pointed out. The moment it reached it—

Craaash!

—the floor buckled open underneath it and swallowed the golem up to its head.

“It was a pitfall trap,” I said.

It looked pretty deep too. The golem stood five meters tall, but its head was barely poking over the edge of the hole.

“That was amazing, Kamul. I didn’t sense anything strange about it, but you still nailed it,” Marco said.

“It was just a lucky guess, I think...” he replied, flustered.

Now there was no doubt about it: His Dungeon Exploration Gift was the real deal.

While Marco’s Danger Detection provided him with a more general sense of when we were in jeopardy, Kamul’s Gift allowed him to pinpoint exactly where the traps were lying.

We continued moving, making good progress through the dungeon. Each time we encountered a pitfall trap, Kamul identified it, and I dispatched a golem to trigger or disable it. Thanks to our tag-team effort, we were tearing through the place.

It would’ve been a total nightmare without Kamul. For example, the most recent pitfalls had spikes and pools of poison at the bottom. The golem was fine, but a human wouldn’t have gotten away unscathed.

There were other nasty traps, like stalactites that fell from the ceiling or hidden chambers that opened to release swarms of monsters.

“Dungeons are deadly because of these traps, unlike in the forest. If one goes off in the middle of a fight, it could wipe us out. We need to disable them first or we’re at a disadvantage,” Philia muttered.

“This route’s been tough from the start. Maybe we should’ve gone left after all,” Seren said with a sigh.

“Ugh...” Kamul groaned, flinching at her comment.

“It’s not your fault, Kamul!” I said, jumping to defend him before he got too depressed. He was already on edge, after all. “I’m the one who chose this path!”

We arrived at another fork. This one, however, went in three different directions: left, right, and straight.

“Th-The middle one...I think...”

“Okay, let’s continue going straight.”

Even though Kamul sounded uncertain as usual, we trusted his suggestion.

And then we heard a loud, bellowing roar ahead.

“MWROOOAGHHHHH!”

“Wh-What the hell was that?!”

An enormous creature—even bigger than the orc king we’d fought—stepped into view in front of us. It had the horned head of a bull but stood upright like a man.

I’d heard of monsters like this. They made their homes in dungeons and could gore a man with a single charge. They were an absolute nightmare.

“A minotaur...” I murmured.

“Beef!” everyone else shouted.

Wait, what?!

◇◇◇

“Emergency detected. Emergency detected. Emergency detected.”

Far below the party, an alarm rang out on the deepest floor of the dungeon.

Curled up on a tiny cushion, a creature slept on, unbothered. She looked human at first glance, but she was the size of a little doll—small enough to fit into a human’s palm. Translucent wings fluttered gently on her back.

“Mmmhhh, zzzzzz...”

“Emergency detected. Emergency detected. Intruders detected. The dungeon is being invaded. Immediate response recommended.”

“Heh heh... So many hot guys...” she mumbled in her sleep, clearly in the middle of a very nice dream.

“Emergency detected. Emergency detected. Emergency detected.”

The sirens kept blaring, but she snoozed blissfully through them...

Chapter Three: The Fairy

I hadn’t expected everyone to say that, or any of what followed.

“I heard minotaur meat is a delicacy!” someone said.

“Man, I’ve been getting so sick of orc!”

“Looks like we’re having steak tonight!”

Apparently, every one of them saw dinner instead of a terrifying monster.

“Mroooaaahhhh?” the minotaur rumbled, picking up on the strange energy. It immediately took an uneasy step backward—and then quickly snapped out of it and broke into a charge.

“HNNNNGHHH!”

The rumors about its speed were completely accurate.

“Go, golem!” I shouted, dispatching my construct. The moment they collided, however, the minotaur lowered its head and speared its horn right through the golem. It crumbled like wet sand.

“URRRRHHHH?!”

“Huh?! It destroyed it in one hit?!”

As it turned out, even my earth golems stood no chance against a minotaur.

“I’ll take care of it, Mayor!” Noel stepped forward and raised his giant shield.

“H-Hey, hang on! You can’t take that thing on alone!”

Craaaaaash!

The sound of the impact echoed around us. The minotaur pushed Noel back a few meters, but he not only stayed on his feet—he stopped the charging monster all by himself.

“Bwwaaoarggh?!”

“Damn, Noel. It’ll take a lot more than brute strength to beat you, that’s for sure!” Gordy said, clearly impressed.

The minotaur was stunned from the impact, so Philia shot a flurry of arrows at it while Seren followed up with a barrage of ice blades. Unable to handle the combo, the minotaur staggered, groaned, and collapsed onto the floor.

The experienced hunters didn’t waste a second.

“I wasn’t kidding!” one of them said. “Minotaur meat’s supposed to be delicious.”

“Just thinking about it has me drooling!”

“We just killed it, guys. Can you at least wait a second?”

They immediately began draining the blood from the corpse. As they worked, they explained that bleeding it early removes the meat’s gamy flavor and makes it taste better.

Afterward, they packed up the carcass. Since it was heavier than an orc, carrying it turned into a serious chore.

We ran into a few more minotaurs. At first, everyone cheered about the extra meat, but the more we collected, the harder it became to lug all the carcasses around.

“How do you guys handle this while hunting in the forest?” I asked.

“Usually, we split it up. Some continue hunting, and the others stay behind to dress the kill.”

“Got it.”

But that system didn’t work here. We had too few people to spare and needed to keep moving, so we had to haul everything as we went.

Even with Gordy’s ridiculous strength, carrying multiple minotaurs in a cramped dungeon was pushing it.

Just when I was wondering what to do, someone shouted, “Look over there! Stairs!”

Dungeons were often built in layers, and staircases were the standard way to reach the next level.

“Will we reach the next level if we go down?”

“What do you think, Luke? Should we head back? There’s no way we can carry all this meat down with us.”

“Good point... Oh, wait! I have an idea! We can just leave it here!”

“No way. We can’t just leave it lying around. What if a monster eats it?”

“It’ll be fine. Look.”

I summoned an earthen wall and shaped it into a structure on the spot.

Storehouse

>>A storage facility built from clay. Extends the shelf life of food and other supplies by preventing spoilage and pests.

The facility’s built-in enchantments allowed it to preserve any food we put in it.

“We can stash the minotaurs in here.”

I’d only been able to build the structure because I’d already used Territory Takeover to claim this part of the dungeon, of course.

◇◇◇

“Emergency detected. Emergency detected. Intruders detected. Dungeon is being invaded. Immediate response recommended.”

The alarm blaring through the dungeon’s lowest level finally woke the tiny girl. “Nngh, so loud...” she groaned, stretching groggily atop her plush cushion.

She looked human, save for the delicate wings fluttering from her back. They were transparent, like a dragonfly’s wings.

She scrunched her face, annoyed to have been woken from her nap.

“Hang on, did it say emergency? Huh?! There are intruders in my dungeon right now?! Whaaaat?!”

◇◇◇

“So if you built a house or an apartment here, you could live in the dungeon?” Seren asked irritably, frowning at the storehouse.

“In other words, as long as we have Lord Luke, we can create entire settlements in the dungeon! This could revolutionize the entire dungeon diving industry!” Philia said, overwhelmed.

It was true. By building safe zones within dungeons, we could make exploring them a lot easier.

I explained that there were already other dungeons where something similar had been achieved.

“From what I’ve read, they had to haul in an insane amount of resources,” I said. “Just think about all the traps and monsters, not to mention the total lack of infrastructure. It couldn’t have been easy.”

“But with you here, we just walk in and poof! It’s done!”

“That’s our mayor!”

Everyone stared at me like a myth that had come to life.

All I did was make a storehouse...

Anyway, now that we’d unloaded the minotaur meat, we could head down to the next floor without the extra weight burdening us. The stairs eventually led to the same path we’d crossed at the beginning of the dungeon, so we probably would’ve ended up here sooner or later.

After a while, the staircase brought us to a chamber.

“The atmosphere’s different here,” Seren said quietly as we emerged.

“I agree. This place seems man-made,” Philia said.

They were both right. Unlike the jagged rock of the natural caves we’d passed through earlier, this chamber was smoother, like a stone ruin. The walls and floor looked like they’d been made with care, as if part of some larger, ancient, underground structure.

We didn’t make it very far before it became obvious this floor was way more complex than the last. There were tons of branching paths and twisting passages. It was practically a maze.

“I’m pretty sure it’s this way...” Kamul muttered.

Still, we continued following Kamul’s instincts. To his credit, we barely got turned around at all.

Naturally, we ran into traps and monsters. There were numerous minotaurs like before, but we also started seeing bloodbats—which were huge, vampiric bats—and sabersnakes, with their huge, bladelike fangs.

While none of them was that tough individually, the bloodbats were a nuisance because they swarmed in groups and attacked from above, making our frontliners basically useless.

“Damn it, these things are a nightmare!”

“They’re calling in more of those things! They’re multiplying!”

“Argh! Get off! Let go of me, you little freak!”

Once one latched on, they didn’t let go easily. If too many piled on at once, they could actually drain you dry.

“Everyone, inside, now!” I shouted, creating a small house on the spot.

“Got it!”

Everyone scrambled inside. It was a tight fit with this many people, but it was adequate for a temporary shelter. We could hear the bats gnawing at the outside walls, but at least for now, we were safe.

“Huh. I see... You can use these for emergency shelters too,” Seren said.

“You saved us! Sophia, would you?” Philia asked.

“Of course.”

Sophia, one of the elven warriors and our party’s healer, began healing the injured with magic.

“We can’t strike back from inside, though,” Gordy grumbled.

“I can handle it,” Seren said, moving toward the window. She calmly gathered magic in her hands, and the moment she opened the shutter, a blast of powerful Ice magic roared out. The bats dropped like flies, shredded by the ice blades.

Once she was done casting the spell, she shut the window.

“Not bad. We can strike from cover!” Philia said, clearly impressed. She stepped up and began her own incantation next.

Together, Seren and Philia unleashed wave after wave of ranged attacks until they’d wiped out the rest of the bats.

When we stepped out of the house, the air was quiet once again.

Then I noticed a red dot, indicating an enemy, on my map.

Huh? There’s one left?

Since I’d claimed the area, I could use my map here and see any nearby enemies as red dots.

I turned to look in that direction and saw a small figure flit deeper into the dungeon. When I switched my focus back to the map, I saw the creature had already left its range. I couldn’t track it now.

“Huh?” I muttered.

“What is it, Luke?”

“I thought it was just another bat, but now I’m wondering if it was something else.”

This one was colorful, unlike the dull bloodbats, and looked more like a butterfly than a bat.

◇◇◇

“What the hell?! Who the hell just built a house in my dungeon like they own the place?! Who are these people?! And why the hell are they clearing my floors so fast?! This is not okay!!!”

◇◇◇

After making our way through the second level of the dungeon, we finally came out into a long hallway. A massive set of double doors loomed ominously at the far end of it.

“Huh? A dead end?” I wondered.

“No, there’s a door. But there’s something there...” Marco said.

“Could that be the boss?” Seren asked.

“Wait, what? We already made it all the way to the bottom?” I said.

Every dungeon had a boss monster that was way stronger than any of the other monsters, and even seasoned adventurers who’d had a smooth run so far could find themselves wiped out if they weren’t careful.

I’d always thought dungeons would have more than two floors, but I guess this one was much smaller than I’d expected. I was feeling a little disappointed when Philia spoke up.

“Not exactly. It may only have two floors, but its layout was extremely complex. Normally, it would’ve taken much longer to explore. We only made it through so easily because Kamul found a flawless route on his first try.”

“I-It wasn’t that big of a deal...” Kamul scratched his head, clearly embarrassed.

His Gift of Dungeon Exploration had turned out to be the real deal.

“So now what, Lord Luke? Everyone still seems to have energy to spare, but jumping straight into a boss fight is a little risky,” Philia said.

“Hmm...” I hesitated for a moment. “We may as well see what kind of monster it is, right? If it looks too tough, we can just bail.”

Thankfully, buying time with my Gift wouldn’t be too difficult.

With that plan in mind, we pushed the doors open. Inside, two monsters waited for us in the center of the biggest chamber we’d seen yet.

“Two minotaurs?”

At first glance, they didn’t look any different from the ones we’d already fought.

“Stay alert. They may look like regular minotaurs, but these are bosses. They could be higher-ranked variants with special abilities,” Philia warned.

“Mrraaaaagh!” they bellowed, charging straight toward us.

Noel and Gordy stepped forward, shields raised. But just like Philia had said, we couldn’t assume they were as strong as the ones we’d fought before. Noel could hold his own, but Gordy had been struggling against the regular minotaurs. If one of those things slammed into him, he might not be able to take it.

So I moved ahead of them and summoned a stone wall. Unlike earthen walls, they had much higher durability, so even these enhanced minotaurs probably wouldn’t be able to break through them easily.

Craaaash!

The sound of the impact shook the floor as the minotaurs slammed into the stone and were knocked clean off their feet.

Huh. They’re not as strong as I expected.

While they were still stunned, I customized the wall and turned it into a golem. Its massive arms shot out and grabbed each minotaur by the throat, then slammed them to the ground.

The golem released the minotaurs, but they didn’t move. Their eyes rolled back in their heads, and then they were out cold.

“Wait, were they not that different from the regular ones?”

“It seems that way.” Philia gave me a surprised look and nodded.

“I guess the mayor doesn’t really need me after all...” Noel muttered, looking down sadly.

“Noel, buddy, that’s more of an inside thought.” Gordy patted him on the shoulder with a shake of his head.

“S-So anyway, that means we’ve beat the boss, right?”

“Um,” Seren said, hesitating. “Over there...”

At the same time, Kamul pointed toward the back of the room.

I saw a fancy, ornate box nestled in the far corner.

“A treasure chest. Most likely a reward for clearing the dungeon,” Philia said.

“It doesn’t seem to be booby-trapped,” Marco said. Kamul also confirmed he hadn’t detected any traps.

I decided to open it.

“Huh?”

“It’s just a sword?”

Inside was just a plain steel sword. It wasn’t anything special at all.

“Maybe it has some kind of hidden effect or something?”

“It sure doesn’t seem like it.”

Honestly, it felt like a pretty underwhelming reward for my first dungeon.

I wasn’t expecting some divine weapon or anything, but come on. At least throw in something legendary tier!

“It looks well forged, at least. I guess I’ll take it,” I said.

“No, hold on. That’s clearly not an appropriate prize. In this case, we should try negotiating with the dungeon master,” Philia said.

“We can do that?”

“Yes. As you know, every dungeon is managed by a master. That person left this chest here.”

Philia seemed to know all about this stuff, probably due to her long life as an elf.

“But dungeon explorers do have the option to refuse a reward,” she continued. “And when that happens, the dungeon master must guide the challengers to their lair.”

Apparently, dungeon masters had to follow certain rules when managing their dungeons. If they could design them however they wanted, they could easily make something impossible to clear.

“I’m not totally sure myself, but apparently, the gods created dungeons originally as some sort of game. So they have built-in mechanisms to maintain the game’s balance.”

“Does that mean the dungeon master is watching us right now?” I asked.

“Most likely. If we wait a little, the path to their location should open up,” Philia said.

We waited just like she said, but nothing happened.

Then Kamul turned his head. “L-Look...”

“Huh? What is it? Stairs? But they’re tiny.”

I saw a hole in the floor with what looked like stairs inside, but the aperture was so small I couldn’t even fit a single foot inside. We definitely couldn’t use them to descend.

“Looks like this dungeon’s master really, really doesn’t want to meet with us.”

“Wait, so that is the path to the dungeon master?”

“Most likely, yes.”

“Isn’t that just cheating?”

“Maybe this dungeon master can actually use that staircase. If so, it’s probably barely within the rules,” Philia said.

Seren leaned over the hole, peering into it. “Want me to shoot a spell inside there?”

“H-Hang on!” I rushed over to stop her, knowing she’d actually do it. “You don’t have to go that far. Watch this.”

I used my Gift to create an underground tunnel. This time, a proper staircase appeared that we could actually use.

“Let’s go pay the dungeon master a visit.”

◇◇◇

While Luke and the others stood around wondering what to do about the tiny staircase, the fairy cackled to herself on the lowest floor.

“Bwa ha ha! Oh em gee, that worked, like, waaay too perfectly! No chance they’re getting down here now, L-O-L! Honestly, I might be, like, a total genius or whatever!”

She thought their arrival had been completely random. Her dungeon had been all but abandoned due to its remote location. Hardly anyone had ever shown up, starving her of the Dungeon Points she needed to do any real dungeon building.

But then this mystery party showed up out of nowhere.

They’d breezed past the traps, the monsters, and the labyrinth-like layout, reaching the boss room in no time flat. Worst of all, she’d burned through her limited Dungeon Points so quickly that she couldn’t even prep a decent boss or reward that matched the difficulty.

They’d been considering coming all the way down here after refusing the reward, so she’d skirted the rules with one last-ditch, borderline illegal trick.

“Um? You’re sayin’ it’s gotta be, like, some boring staircase they can actually walk down? Ughhh, so lame. But, like, I can totally use it, so it’s not breakin’ the rules or anything, riiiight?”

She’d exploited her own tiny size to pull it off. It was pretty underhanded.

For a moment, it looked like she’d managed to dodge a bullet.

Then the wall behind her cracked open with a sharp crunch!

“Huh?”

She turned around to see a staircase begin forming out of a new hole in the wall, spiraling upward.

“They, like, made their own staircase?! Lawl, what the actual heck?!”

◇◇◇

No stairs, no problem. Now that I’d absorbed this place into our territory, modifying the dungeon’s interior was a piece of cake.

Seren gave me an exasperated look. “So we could’ve done this at any point to move between floors?”

“To go down, yeah. But it probably wouldn’t work for going up.”

I hadn’t used it earlier because it felt kind of cheap. But now that the dungeon master had blatantly created a staircase we couldn’t even use, I figured the gloves were off.

We headed down and eventually reached a small chamber.

“Is that—” I started to say, spotting a large spherical crystalline object floating in the back of the room. It pulsed faintly, almost as if it were alive.

“That’s the dungeon core,” Philia said as she stepped beside me. “It’s the heart of this place and the dungeon master’s lifeline. If it’s destroyed, the dungeon disappears and its master dies with it.”

Just then, something zipped toward us, leaving a glittering trail of dust in its wake.

“Ughhh, like, I seriously do not wanna die yet, okay?! Pleaaase, pleaaase don’t smash the core! I’m, like, totally begging youuu!”

“A fairy?”

I realized that the tiny something was an adorable, palm-sized girl who looked like a fairy straight out of the fables I’d always heard about. She hovered in the air using her wings, then “dropped” to her knees and bowed her head, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Wait, are you the dungeon master?”

“Yes, that’s me! My name is Ally!”

Apparently, she was the one running this whole dungeon.

“And if you destroy that thing, then I die too! So like, pretty please, have mercy!”

“I mean, I wasn’t planning on destroying it...”

“For real?! Oh em gee, thaaank you! Now that I, like, got a better look...you’re, like, a suuuper cute human boyyy!”

She went from sobbing to sparkly eyed in an instant. I could practically see the hearts in her eyes.

She was certainly a busy little fairy.

“Are you sure about this, Lord Luke? There are rumors that destroying a dungeon core grants special powers,” Philia said.

“What kind of powers?”

“I’m not totally sure, but they’re said to be similar in nature to Gifts. That’s why many adventurers refuse the regular reward and go for the Core instead. It’s that valuable.”

“Can you, like, not?!” Ally groaned. “I meaaaan, okay, like maybe the rewards are kinda lame right now ’cuz this dungeon’s still, like, suuuper empty! But someday I’ll totes have way better stuff, promise! So pleaaase just let me off the hook this one time, ’kayyy?”

She was back to teary-eyed pleading again.

“How does a dungeon even grow in the first place?” I asked.

“W-Well, like, if more peeps come visit, then the dungeon, y’know, earns more Dungeon Points!”

“Dungeon Points?”

She explained once she calmed down a bit. Apparently, dungeon masters created things like traps, monsters, and expansions using Dungeon Points, which gradually accumulated as people explored the dungeon. The more intruders you had at once, the quicker the points piled up.

Of course, more traffic also meant a higher risk of being conquered, so it was a double-edged sword.

“Huh. They sound a lot like my Village Points.”

“Village Points? Never heard of ’em,” Ally said with a shrug.

“I use Village Points to build new facilities and stuff,” I said.

“Facilities?” Ally tipped her head to the side, then suddenly froze like she’d realized something horrifying. “Um, wait! So you’re the one sneakin’ into my dungeon and, like, building all this random stuff everywhere without even asking?! Ugh, seriouslyyy?!”

The scream that followed was loud enough to shake the walls. I definitely hadn’t expected that from a tiny fairy.

“Oh, you knew that was happening?”

“Of course I did!”

“Understood.”

When I claimed someone else’s territory, the original owner didn’t get any sort of big flashing light or warning bell to alert them. It wasn’t like anything visibly changed right away either.

But apparently, dungeons were different.

“Um, hellooo—my dungeon and me are, like, one and the same, okay?! Body and soul vibes! If someone just, y’know, randomly takes control of part of my body, obvi I’d notice! I was soooo freaked!”

Fair point. That does sound pretty scary.

“So does that mean you lose control over those parts?”

“Mmm, don’t think so,” she hummed, thinking. “Looks like they still listen to my commands!”

So she hadn’t lost her dungeon master privileges entirely.

“In that case, we can just leave it like this, right?”

“No way! That is so not okay!”

“Sorry. Once I’ve added something to my territory, I don’t think I can undo it.”

“Hold up, hold up! That’s, like, a huge proble—but wait. Maybe it’s, like, not, though?”

“I promise I won’t build anything without asking you.”

“Wellll, I guess I’m, like, totally fine with it if that’s how it is...”

She was more reasonable than I’d expected.

“Buuut, like, I do have one li’l favor to ask in exchange, though,” Ally said.

“A favor?”

“So, like, I totally need you to help me get some peeps into the dungeon, okay? Ever since this place got made, like, nobody’s ever come! So it never, y’know, develops, and I’m just stuck here, bored outta my mind every single dayyy!”

“Well, this dungeon is in the middle of nowhere.”

“That explains, like, so much!”

Ally clutched her head in despair. It looked like dungeon masters couldn’t see the outside world.

“But if people start coming, wouldn’t that make it more likely someone destroys the core?” I asked.

“That’s true, which is why most dungeons managed by kingdoms or lords have strict access rules. Dungeons are a huge economic asset. If someone destroys the core, it’s a massive loss. So most places require visitors to sign a contract beforehand, which forbids them from touching the core,” Seren said.

“Oh, that would actually be super helpful, y’know?!”

“But even then, you still get the occasional lunatic who breaks the contract and destroys it anyway,” Philia said.

“That’s not very helpful!” Ally said.

If this dungeon started to grow and began producing valuable materials or rare items, it’d be a huge benefit to our village too. If I started spreading the word too early, however, some people might come intending to smash the core and claim the power for themselves. We needed to wait until the dungeon had developed more. Right now, anyone could breeze through in a single day just like we did.

Although, to be fair, the rigged staircase would stop most people.

“Oh, I’ve got an idea! We just need people inside the dungeon, right?”

◇◇◇

I went back to the village and called out to the residents.

“Hey, everybody! I’m going to move the village! Please head inside the facilities and hang onto something! It could be a bumpy ride!”

“Moving the village?! What’s he talking about?” a villager said, confused.

“No clue, but I guarantee it’ll be wild if it’s the mayor suggesting it.”

“We just have to trust him and go along with it.”

People were definitely confused, but thankfully, no one resisted. They all followed instructions and headed indoors.

Okay, let’s check the map... Yep, it looks like everyone is safely inside.

“All right, here we go!”

I activated Edit Layout and slowly began moving every facility in the village closer to the dungeon.

◇◇◇

Elsewhere, a group of merchants on their way to the village suddenly froze, their mouths falling ajar.

“Th-The road is moving?! No wait, maybe I’m just seeing things...”

“That’s funny, ’cuz I’m seeing it move too. Pretty sure you’re not the only one...”

“Forget the road! Look over there! The entire village is moving!”

“Ha ha ha... Am I dreaming right now?”

◇◇◇

“Relocation complete! Thanks for your cooperation, guys!”

Nice! I’d just parked the village right next to the dungeon.

“Next, let’s head underground.” I took the path down into the underground tunnels, where the dwarves lived.

“What exactly are you planning, moving the entire village all the way out here?” Seren asked, looking baffled.

“You really never stop with the crazy Gift tricks, huh?” Philia asked, following behind us.

“I’m going to connect this underground tunnel directly to the dungeon,” I said with a smile.

“Huh?”

“Wait, what?”

I led them all the way to the end of the tunnel and extended it even farther. After I dug about ten meters, we broke through into a cavern.

“We’re in. This is part of the dungeon now. I wonder if Ally’s around?”

Ally suddenly flew over in a total panic.

“Oh em gee, I saw this, like, random tunnel totally invade my dungeon just now!”

“Oh, there she is. Don’t worry. I just connected the tunnel to the village.”

“And I’m supposed to understand what that means how exactly?!” She looked incredibly suspicious, but I ignored her for the moment and turned back toward the dwarves who’d gathered nearby, wondering what was going on.

“I’d like you all to move into the dungeon,” I told them.

“Th-The dungeon? Bah, don’t go tellin’ me we botched somethin’ again?”

“No,” I said, turning to Dran, the representative of the dwarves. “It’s nothing like that.”

“Aye...” he replied after I’d explained the situation. “So us just livin’ here’ll make the dungeon stronger, eh?”

“Exactly. We’ll be moving your apartments over as-is, so I’ll negotiate with the dungeon master to ensure the monsters don’t attack you. Since the tunnel connects directly to the village, you’ll still be able to come and go like normal.”

Yep, my idea was to essentially relocate the dwarves to the dungeon. They already lived underground and preferred darker environments, so it’d be a seamless transition for them.

“That makes sense. They’re used to living belowground anyway. It shouldn’t be much of an adjustment,” Philia said with a nod.

“So that’s why you moved the village all the way here,” Seren added.

“Yep! There’s no way to move the dungeon itself, after all.”

Also, living inside a dungeon didn’t sap your stamina or anything like that. There was no real downside to it. With the dwarves living here, Ally could accumulate Dungeon Points faster.

“Whoaaa! That’s, like, a genius idea, y’know?! My Dungeon Points are gonna, like, totally rack up like craaazy with over a hundred peeps livin’ here full-time!” Ally chimed in gleefully as she whirled through the air in wild loops.

“Well, as long as folk like us get to be o’ some use...” Dran muttered.

“Thanks, Dran. I’ll go ahead and start relocating the apartments now.”

“I’ll make sure no monsters can get inside, okay?” Ally said.

And with that, the dwarves officially started their new life inside the dungeon. Now that we had a direct tunnel connection, it was way easier to go hunting there too.

“Hey, Ally? I’d love it if you could spawn more minotaurs if possible,” I said.

“Like, no prob at allll, okay?! Just go on and, like, beat ’em up and grab that loot, got it?!”

Now we had a reliable source of minotaur meat whenever we wanted.

Incidentally, as its master, Ally couldn’t actually leave the dungeon. She tried heading down the tunnel once, but some kind of invisible wall blocked her from going any farther.

She seemed kinda bummed about not being able to visit the village.

“I’d, like, love it if you came to hang out sometime, okay?! I’ve been totally alone in here and it’s, like, suuuper boring! Literally the only thing I can do is sleep, L-O-L!” she said.

Yeah, she must’ve been dying of boredom.

“Sure, I’ll come by.”

“Yaaay! I’m, like, seriously sooo happy right now, okay?! And oh my god, if you brought a hottie with you, I’d be, like, even more happyyy!”

Apparently, fairies liked handsome men too.

Chapter Four: The Village’s One Year Anniversary

The village’s population started growing even faster once spring arrived. Rumors had spread through the entire March of Arvale. We were starting to see people moving in from farther regions now, not just the North.

Once we passed three thousand people, the village leveled again.

Da-da-daaan! Congratulations! Your village’s population has surpassed 3,000 villagers, and your Village Level has increased to Level 7!

You have received a Level-Up Bonus of 30,000 Village Points.

New facilities are available for construction!

Village boundary has expanded.

You have gained the skill “Villager Appraisal II.”

“The village area just keeps getting bigger and bigger...” I muttered.

The village’s range had expanded past the wasteland and now included parts of the northern forest and eastern mountain range too.

We still referred to the main, central zone where people lived as “the village” for simplicity’s sake, though.

The village had expanded in a circle, centered on where it was first founded. Every time the level increased, its radius doubled, which meant the area technically quadrupled.

Still, territory ruled by someone else didn’t automatically get included unless I specifically used Territory Takeover, so while it was a circle in theory, the actual shape was pretty wonky.

New facilities unlocked:

Restaurant (100)

Inn (150)

Clinic (200)

Orchard (250)

School (400)

Inn

>>A lodging facility for travelers. Increases fatigue recovery speed.

“That’s actually pretty useful.”

We’d been getting more and more people who weren’t actually residents, like merchants stopping in for business or travelers passing through. Until now, we’d been letting them stay in one of the apartment rooms, but we could have them use the inn instead now.

Orchard

>>A farm for growing fruit trees. Speeds up growth and improves quality of fruits.

Fruit, considered a luxury even in Arvale’s capital, was pretty much nonexistent out here in the wasteland. Merchants didn’t bother bringing fruit since the village never had food shortages either.

“Maybe I should ask someone to bring some saplings sometime,” I said.

Once the orchard was up and running, we could enjoy fruit whenever we wanted.

School

>>An educational facility for children. Improves teachers’ instruction ability and the speed at which children learn.

In the past, kids from noble or wealthy merchant families had been sent to school once they reached a certain age. But these days, most kids learned from private tutors. I was no different.

“Come to think of it, we’ve got a few villagers whose recommended job is teaching, and there’s not really any work here for kids anyway, so maybe school is the best thing for them.”

At the very least, they should learn to read, write, and do basic math.

“Let’s see... I also got the Villager Appraisal II skill.”

It seemed to be an upgraded version of the original skill I got back at level two.

Myria happened to walk by, so I decided to test it out to see what had changed.

Myria

Age: 21

Village Affinity: Max

Recommended Job: Priest

Gift: Oracle

Strength: E

Endurance: E

Dexterity: C

Agility: D

Mana: D

Luck: B

Height 166 cm

Weight: 52 kg

Bust: 91 cm

Waist: 58 cm

Hips: 93 cm

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

“Lord Luke?”

I could see way more than before!

Former maid of House Arvale. Born into a low-ranked noble family. Highly competent and was on track to become head maid. However, due to her extreme attachment to a certain young boy, she threw away her career and was kicked out of her home. She now accompanies Luke Arvale, constantly scheming to steal his—

“Stop, stop, stop!”

The moment those words started pouring into my head, I freaked out and shut them out. Apparently, Villager Appraisal II gave me way more detailed info than I ever asked for. Even as the village mayor, snooping on people’s private lives like that didn’t sit right with me. I should probably avoid doing that again unless absolutely necessary.

“Is something the matter, Lord Luke?”

“Nope! Nothing at all!”

I quickly shook my head and tried not to look guilty under Myria’s curious gaze.

Seriously, though, her extreme attachment to a certain young boy?! I’m just gonna pretend like I didn’t read that... Yeah...

“So, uh... What did you want?” I said.

“Right! There’s something I’d like to show you, actually.”

“Show me something?”

“Yes, please come this way!”

She led me to the park we’d built at the village center. It was a wide-open plaza surrounded by kid-friendly stuff like swings, a slide, and so on.

And right in the middle of the plaza was something large hidden under a cloth, surrounded by villagers—including some of the dwarves who were usually in the dungeon.

I guess that’s what she wants me to see?

Myria had called everyone over.

“Now then... Behold!” Myria dramatically signaled to Gordy, who was standing off to the side. He stepped up, flexed his muscles, and yanked the cloth off in one swoop.

“Huh?”

Beneath the cloth stood a massive stone statue over three meters tall. It was a sculpture of a young boy standing with his legs slightly apart and his chest puffed out. He had his left hand on his hip and stretched his right arm dramatically out toward the horizon, striking the pose of some kind of heroic figure out of an old epic.

The only problem was...

It looked just like me.

“Ooooh!”

“Amazing! It looks exactly like Lord Luke!”

“It looks so dignified!”

The villagers cheered and applauded, losing their minds over the statue. I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Wait, hang on. Is this some kind of prank?

“We’ve been working on this in secret for this very day!” Myria said proudly. “The dwarves are particularly skilled, and they’ve done a phenomenal job capturing your noble form!”

I glanced at the dwarves, who beamed like they’d just created the greatest thing since sliced bread. It didn’t really feel like they were messing with me.

“But why would you make something like this in the first place?”

“Congratulations, Lord Luke! Today marks one full year since the founding of our village! It’s our glorious anniversary, and the beginning of the legend of Lord Luke!” Myria declared, her voice ringing out.

Oh, right. It’s already been a year?!

“That’s right! It was just the two of us back then. When I stood before that desolate wasteland, overwhelmed by despair, you looked out at it and said, without a hint of panic or hopelessness, ‘Yes, this land may be barren. But where others see only emptiness, I see opportunity! We shall build a village from this soil with naught but our bare hands and unbreakable will!’”

I did not say that! I definitely didn’t say that!

“Oooooh!” the crowd gasped.

“That’s our Lord Luke! His mind is truly great, on a different level from us ordinary folk!”

“He is a hero among men!”

The villagers freaked out again, practically drooling over Myria’s completely fictional retelling of the past.

Yeah, there’s no way I can correct her now. It’s way too late to be like, “Actually, I never said that...”

Seren was the only one giving me a look that said, Did you really say all that? She’d known me forever, so I could tell she wasn’t buying it.

I stood there with my head hanging in quiet defeat when Myria came in for the coup de grâce.

“We have prepared one more gift in honor of this fine day!” she said.

“There’s more?!” I practically yelped as she set a book down in front of me.

“This is a written chronicle of your glorious rise, Lord Luke!”

“Huh?!”

“It was penned by Totol, who possesses the Literary Talent Gift. Of course, this is only volume 1. There will be many more to come. The first volume even covers your childhood in great detail. It’s a must-read, if I may say so myself,” Myria explained proudly.

Just to clarify, I’m just a mayor. Not a hero, not a king. I’m just some guy! Don’t people publish this kind of stuff after the person’s dead?! And isn’t it usually written by their successor or someone else in the next generation?

“We’re currently preparing it for mass production. Then we can spread the word about you and our village even farther to gain more believe—er, more villagers!”

Was she just about to say “believers”?

◇◇◇

Deep within the Forsaken Forest, something enormous stirred.

Easily over fifty meters tall, this creature had dwelled here, undisturbed, for many years. It was truly the king of the wilderness.

Most of the time, it remained still, drawing nutrients directly from the earth and slumbering quietly, as if it were part of the forest itself.

But then something changed, and its massive body trembled in response.

There was a disturbance within its territory. A vague, creeping discomfort. Yet there were no intruders in sight, and nothing out of place stood nearby.

Still, this ancient being who had ruled the forest for millennia felt something it had never experienced before.

A sense of danger.

This presence was a threat to the creature’s existence, and that could not be tolerated. It needed to be eliminated.

Rrrruuummble...

The giant beast slowly began to stir as it began moving toward the south.

It didn’t know exactly why, but it could sense that the source of this discomfort lay in that direction. It pushed forward, flattening trees in its path, sending beasts and monsters scattering in panic as it made its way through the wilderness like a living avalanche.

◇◇◇

Since it was the anniversary of the village’s founding, we held a big celebration afterward.

I say celebration, but it was mostly a regular feast where we ate, drank, and hollered. The only difference was that the dwarves, who turned into very different people when drunk, were asked to party underground instead of on the surface.

The next morning, while most villagers were still passed out from the night’s festivities, I woke up at my usual time. I hadn’t been drinking obviously, so I went to bed like normal, and there was no reason for me to sleep in.

I went to sit on the bench I’d set up in the garden and quietly pulled out the book I’d borrowed from Myria.

“I’m kind of scared to read it, but I should at least take a look.”

I stared at the ridiculously ornate cover. The book was so heavy that just holding it made it feel intimidating.

The title was stamped across the front in big bold letters.

The Legend of Lord Luke

This was the book Myria had made without my permission as part of the founding day anniversary project.

“This title is so lame! It’s way too on the nose!”

The thought of this being mass-produced and spread worldwide was positively horrifying.

But the villager Totol had apparently poured his heart into writing it, so I couldn’t just toss it aside. So at the very least, I knew I should check the contents. Hopefully, they hadn’t made everything up...right?

Well, as it turned out, I’d been pretty naive. Not only was everything in the book exaggerated, but most of it had been completely made up. The worst part was my dialogue:

“Yes, this land may be barren. But where others see emptiness, I see opportunity! We shall build a village from this soil with naught but our bare hands and unbreakable will!”

“Hear me, foul orc king! Your luck ran out the very instant your shadow dared to fall upon my beloved village! Now tremble before my ultimate super attack! Mayor’s Wrath... Facility Press!”

“Where you hail from, your age, your race...none of that matters here! Every one of you, my dear citizens, is more precious than a gemstone—nay, you are my beloved kin!”

“What the heck is this? It’s complete fiction...”

Not only did I have no memory of ever saying anything like that, but the dialogue was written in a way that made me sound way more theatrical than I actually was. And I mean way more.

Plus, could you not randomly invent “super attack” names for me?!

“There’s no way I can let them mass-produce this. I have to talk to Myria and shut this down...”

Then the map function sounded an alert in my mind, signaling that something with hostile intent—either a monster or a human—had entered the village territory. A red dot showed on the map too, but I didn’t have to pull it up thanks to the alarm.

But honestly, our territory had expanded so much recently that the alerts had become nonstop. I’d gotten used to tuning it out, but this time, I couldn’t ignore it, which meant whoever—or whatever—the intruder was, they must’ve been really strong.

“Please don’t tell me it’s even worse than the orc king...” I muttered, turning to look northward.

As soon as I turned around, I saw an enormous figure looming above the tree line of the Forsaken Zone. It was so large that you couldn’t have missed it even this far away.

“Is that...a dragon?” I said.

“Mr. Mayor! There’s trouble! A huge monster just appeared in the forest!” Saten’s voice rang out in my mind via Telepathy.

“Warn everyone immediately!” I replied.

“Right away!”

Luckily, most villagers had already woken up while I’d been reading the book. I was sure many had already noticed the monster due to its massive size.

“It’s heading this way!”

I raced up the stairs and reached the top of the watchtower just in time to see it lumber out from the forest.

“Its huge body reminds me of an overgrown lizard. Yep, that’s definitely a dragon...”

“No, it’s not a dragon,” Philia said, approaching.

“Huh? It sure looks like one to me.”

“It’s something called a tree dragon. Don’t let the name fool you. It’s actually a plant-type monster, like a treant. You could say it mimics dragons.”

“Ah, it’s a mimic...”

Now that she’d brought it up, I looked at it more closely. Although it seemed just like a dragon at first glance, I noticed its body appeared to be entirely made of wood. Instead of scales, bark covered its outer surface, with leafy branches sprouting all over. And its eyes weren’t eyes at all, but gnarled hollows. Dragon or not, it was still dangerous.

“Judging by its size, I’d guess it’s ancient. It’s probably been rooted in the Forsaken Zone for centuries. I don’t think it’d be inappropriate to call it the boss of the whole forest. But why would it leave its home and come all the way out to the wasteland?”

According to Philia, tree dragons usually stayed rooted in place, absorbing nutrients from the ground—just like treants. They didn’t roam around hunting and eating prey like dragons did. However, they’d still attack anything that entered their territory without hesitation. Tree dragons were known to be incredibly territorial.

“It’s definitely coming straight toward us, right?”

“This isn’t good... We should evacuate all villagers without combat Gifts right away. Depending on how this goes, we may need to evacuate ourselves.”

I leaned over the railing of the watchtower. “Everyone get underground!” I shouted. “That thing could breach the village any second, so hurry up!”

Seren came running up a few moments later. “Hey, what should we do about that monster? I think even we’ll have a tough time dealing with it. That thing would launch Noel into the sun if he tried to stop its charge!”

Meanwhile, the tree dragon was already halfway to the village. It was surprisingly fast for something so big.

“Leave it to me.” I created a huge stone wall to guard the village, then used Facility Customization to turn it into a towering golem tall enough to stand head-to-head with the tree dragon.

“Go, golem!”

The golem charged forward to intercept the approaching monster, but the moment it got close, roots shot up from the ground. They coiled around the golem’s legs and stopped it in its tracks.

Then, the tree dragon moved past it like it was nothing more than an inconvenient boulder in its path.

“What the... All right, fine! I’ll make another one!”

When I started creating another golem, the tree dragon turned its hollow, knotty eyes in my direction.

Then it released a roar so fierce that it echoed throughout the village.

Hang on... It’s not just looking in this direction—it’s looking straight at me?! Don’t tell me it’s targeting me?!

The tree dragon reached the outer stone wall that separated the crops from the wasteland. Before I could react, it crushed the wall like it was nothing and stepped onto the fields. Thankfully, we’d just harvested everything, so there were no crops left for it to destroy.

There are more important things to worry about right now, though!

I was still desperately thinking of how to drive it off when the tree dragon abruptly stopped in the center of the fields.

“Rooo—ooooar?” it bellowed.

“Huh? What the heck is it doing?”

“It stopped moving?”

“Why isn’t it coming closer?”

We waited and watched it for a while, but it didn’t move an inch. It stood there like a giant tree rooted in place.

“What in the world is going on?”

◇◇◇

“♪”

The monster was happy. Who knew soil this rich could exist outside its forest? It was so chock-full of nutrients that its body was practically overflowing with new energy. But more importantly, the monster felt good and comfortable. All its earlier anger had evaporated, as if it had never been there at all.

It sank its roots firmly into the earth and let its branches happily sway in the breeze.

“♪”

It definitely wasn’t going back after it’d found such a paradise, and so the tree dragon decided it would stay here for good.

◇◇◇

The tree dragon still hadn’t moved from the middle of the fields. From the watchtower, it looked like a normal, but massive, tree. We descended and approached it, but it still didn’t move to attack us.

“Um, can we get closer?”

“Be very careful. It could be a trap.”

“I don’t think tree dragons are supposed to be that intelligent, but better safe than sorry...”

“♪”

Every now and then, its branches and leaves rustled. It almost looked like it was relaxing.

“Wh-Whoa! What’s this huge tree doing here? It wasn’t there before, right?!” a girl said as she ran up to us.

“Hi, Nerulu. Sorry to call you out here while you were evacuating underground.”

Nerulu had the Gift of Wildheart, so she usually helped take care of our livestock.

“It’s not a problem. So what did you need me for? What happened to the tree dragon that was spotted?” she asked.

“That is the tree dragon.”

“Huh? Seriously?!” She quickly took a few steps back, looking shocked.

“Yep. For some reason, it stopped moving the moment it got inside the walls. I thought maybe you could figure out why,” I said.

“I can understand animals, not trees.” Still, she narrowed her eyes and studied the tree dragon. After a while, she said, “This is just a guess, but I think it really likes the soil here!”

“You can tell?”

“I’m not positive. Like I said, it’s just a hunch. I didn’t get a clear idea of its feelings like I do with animals.”

I hadn’t expected much, but my bet had paid off after all. Since the tree dragon wasn’t just a plant and was technically a monster, it reacted more like an animal.

“♪”

The tree dragon’s branches swayed happily in the breeze as if to validate Nerulu’s hunch.

I checked my map and noticed its red marker had turned black, meaning it was no longer hostile.

“Well, I guess you can stay here if you want. Just don’t attack anyone, okay?” I said.

“♪”

“It sounds like it said, ‘Got it!’” Nerulu said cheerfully.

It was surprisingly cooperative.

Just then, an object the size of my head dropped from above.

“Was that a piece of fruit?” I said, inspecting it.

“They say fruit from a tree dragon is incredibly nutritious! It’s supposed to boost vitality and can even slow down aging if you eat it regularly,” Nerulu said.

“There’s a story about a king who bankrupted his kingdom trying to get his hands on one.”

Apparently, the fruit was really rare and valuable.

“Wait, are you giving this to us?” I asked the tree.

“♪”

I guessed it was an olive branch of sorts.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“♪”

“It said, ‘I’ll grow more, so come pick them up anytime!’” Nerulu translated with a smile.

And just like that, a new friend(?) had joined the village.

I made a mental note to warn everyone not to get too close to it, just in case.

Now that the crisis had been averted, I headed back home. I hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet.

“I’ll start cooking right away!”

“Thanks, Myria.”

Wait, what was I doing before all this commotion started, again? I feel like there was something really important I needed to tell Myria... Oh, well. I’m sure I’ll think of it eventually.

Chapter Five: The Adventurers

My name’s Alec, and I am a pretty well-known adventurer, if I say so myself. Adventurers are folks who make their living by hunting monsters, exploring the Forsaken Zones, and stuff like that.

Some take on exclusive commissions for nobles, while others work as freelancers and take whatever jobs they please. Great adventurers sometimes even get hired as mercenaries during war.

I’ve been in a party with three other adventurers for a while now. Some kingdoms have proper adventurers’ guilds to support people like us, but unfortunately, this one hadn’t established a guild yet. We drifted from region to region, earning our keep by hunting monsters and selling their parts.

After hearing some rumors, we decided to make our way into the northern part of Arvale.

“We should be getting close to the wasteland,” I told my party.

“You sure about this?” Hazena, our party’s youngest member, asked skeptically. She was the only female in our group and a mage, so she wielded a staff.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Heard it from some merchants I trust.”

A barren wasteland sat at the far north of the March of Arvale, which bordered two areas overrun by monsters that were too dangerous for regular folks to set foot in. These places were known as Forsaken Zones. The northernmost zone was a dense forest, while the eastern one was mountainous.

For people like us, who made a living harvesting monster parts, places crawling with monsters were treasure troves. They were almost as good as dungeons. The downside was that most Forsaken Zones were out in the boonies. Lengthy expeditions were normally out of the question because there weren’t any safe places to rest or resupply.

“According to the merchants, someone just built a village out in the wasteland, and now people are going there in droves.”

The merchants’ information networks never ceased to amaze me. You never knew for sure until you’d checked it yourself, of course, but this one was worth rolling the dice.

Before long, we spotted the wasteland, and it became clear that this land was infertile. Even grass could barely grow here. It was all jagged rock formations and dry, cracked ground.

I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

Why would there be a village in a place like this?

“Hey, am I imagining things, or is that a road ahead?” Hazena said, pointing.

I followed her gaze. Sure enough, I saw a road stretching across the wasteland. And it wasn’t just some dirt path; it was a proper road—way too nice for this kind of terrain.

I’d traveled along the famous Alpira Highway before, which was reportedly the most beautiful road in the kingdom, but I had to admit this stonework might’ve actually been better.

Baffled, we followed the road.

“Hang on... Is that the village? It even has walls!”

“Yeah, it makes sense, since it’s so close to the Forsaken Zones. They gotta have something to keep the monsters out.”

Still, the closer we got, the more something began to feel off.

“Those walls are really high, though...” someone muttered.

Although they’d seemed normal from far away, now that we were closer, it was clear they were on par with a small city’s outer defenses. The scary part was that we still had a way to go before we reached the place.

“This is just a village, right?”

“That’s what the merchants said.”

After passing under two huge gates, we began walking through a strange settlement filled with large buildings. Market stalls selling food and goods lined the streets. This “village,” as the merchants had called it, was busier than some trade cities I’d been to.

“There’s no way this used to be a barren wasteland.”

“It’s definitely hard to believe.”

The rumors were true, at least. And honestly, this place was more than good enough to serve as our outpost near the Forsaken Zones. They had an inn for us to stay at and shops to sell off our loot.

“Well, should we go introduce ourselves to the mayor?”

Neglecting to greet the leader of a place that still called itself a village could get us in real trouble. It was just something you had to do. It wouldn’t have been expected if the place was classified as a town or city. If you tried to do it in those situations, you’d have probably been turned away.

“We should probably go, seeing as they’re calling this place a village still. According to the rumors, the guy who built the place is Marquess Arvale’s son.”

“Hang on, the one with the Sword Mastery Gift? The one they call the Battle Lord or Warlord or whatever?”

I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d built this village just to plunder the Forsaken Zones himself.

Guess he’s as bloodthirsty as his dad.

“He must look like a total wild man if he loves to hunt monsters.”

We were still chatting when a kid who couldn’t have been more than thirteen walked up to us with a smile. His gentle demeanor suggested he wouldn’t hurt a fly.

What’s this kid want?

“Greetings, adventurers. I’m Luke Arvale, the mayor here.”

Huh?!

◇◇◇

One day, a group of four adventurers arrived in the village—the first group of adventurers to visit, actually. I guessed they’d heard the rumors and had planned to use the village as a forward base to explore the Forsaken Zones.

“Hey Ally, how’s the dungeon development going?”

Ally, the dungeon fairy and current dungeon master, puffed her chest out proudly. “Super great, thanks to youuu!”

Incidentally, I’d recently put in a direct underground tunnel that led from my house to her place on the bottom floor.

“Oh em gee, babes! I totally pumped the dungeon up five levels! I made the difficulty ramp up nice and smooth, and I even dropped some suuuper tough bosses in there. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!”

Originally, the dungeon had consisted of only two levels. She told me she’d also fixed the issue with the first floor having way too many traps and monsters. That’d been a bit much for a starter level.

“Yeah, it’s better this way. People will stay longer.”

The longer people stayed in the dungeon, the more Dungeon Points she racked up. If it were too hard right from the start, they’d give up early and she wouldn’t get many points.

“Do you think it’s okay if we start letting people in, then? There are adventurers in the village now.”

“It’s totally ready!”

“All right. I’ll ask them if they’d like to give it a try.”

Now that I had Ally’s permission, I headed out to meet the adventurers. They’d probably just finished their walk through the fields and had reached the front gate.

“That must be them.”

Adventurers usually wore lighter gear, unlike soldiers, allowing them to pass for travelers from a distance. Based on the description Saten had given me—a group of three men and one woman—I knew this had to be them. I didn’t see anyone else matching that description.

“We should probably go, seeing as they’re calling this place a village still. According to the rumors, the guy who built the place is Marquess Arvale’s son.”

“Hang on, the one with the Sword Mastery Gift? The one they call the Battle Lord or Warlord or whatever?”

“He must look like a total wild man if he loves to hunt monsters.”

Yeah, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear any of that.

“Greetings, adventurers. I’m Luke Arvale, the mayor here.”

◇◇◇

After the adorable young boy greeted us with a bright smile, we all froze.

Hang on, he’s the village mayor?! And the son of Marquess Arvale?!

He wasn’t what we expected at all. The fact that he was a kid was shocking enough, but he seemed so soft and gentle that we couldn’t believe he was that bloodthirsty warlord’s son.

Surely he hadn’t come all the way out here just to meet us. He must’ve just happened to be nearby. Still, how had he known we were adventurers? We’d had to show identification at the gate, so we mentioned we were adventurers then, but there was no way that information could’ve reached him already.

We instinctively dropped to one knee, baffled. Even ruffian adventurers like us knew to show proper respect in front of the son of the domain, regardless of whether he was a kid. One wrong move and you could’ve lost your head.

But the boy raised a hand to stop us. “Oh, there’s no need for those kinds of formalities! Anyway, I’m guessing you came here because of the Forsaken Zones?”

Apparently, he wasn’t big on ceremony.

Honestly, that was a relief. We weren’t the most savvy group when it came to etiquette, and it seemed like he was straightforward too. The other odd thing about him was that he didn’t even have a hint of that arrogance most nobles had.

I liked him already.

“Yeah, we’re hoping to use the village as our base while we explore the Forsaken Zones.”

“All right. Well, we just got an inn up and running recently, so please feel free to use it.”

A village this developed only recently got an inn? That’s kind of surprising. Where were all those merchants staying until now?

“Oh, and I have a suggestion if you’re interested.”

“What’s that?”

And then the boy surprised us even more.

“How would you like to try exploring a dungeon?”

◇◇◇

The four new adventurers were Alec, the warrior and party leader; Hazena, the mage; Dill, the hunter; and Guy, the warrior monk.

“There’s a dungeon near this village?!” Alec said, totally shocked.

“Yep. It was discovered just recently,” I replied.

“The Forsaken Zones and a dungeon?! This place is an adventurer’s paradise!”

I told them I’d already spoken with the dungeon master, and they had permission to explore it if they agreed to a single condition: They couldn’t destroy the dungeon’s core.

“We can’t let you in unless you agree to that.”

“Of course, we agree! For an adventurer, smashing a dungeon core would be like cutting off our own supply line,” Alec said.

I showed them to the dungeon entrance.

“The entrance is inside the village?” Alec asked.

“That’s right. I thought it’d be easier to manage that way,” I explained.

(“Wait a minute, didn’t he say they just discovered it? Why does it sound like he moved the dungeon into the village or something? There’s no way that’s possible, right?”)

I took them to a spot near the village’s southwest corner.

“It’s in this building. Well, just outside of it, to be more precise,” I said.

“What is this place?”

The entrance to the dungeon was surrounded by four inns, which I’d naturally built using my Gift.

“They’re inns specifically for adventurers like you.”

“Inns just for adventurers?!”

I’d thought having blood-soaked adventurers at our regular inn wouldn’t be very hygienic, so I’d made dedicated areas for dismantling materials, proper shower rooms, and even a clinic, where they could get their wounds treated. The inns had everything they’d need after a dungeon dive. Plus, adventurers could stay for no cost. After all, our goal was to encourage dungeon diving.

“You’ve gotta be kidding...”

“We can stay here for free?!”

We had a regular inn that was privately run, of course, and I planned to get some villagers to run these new inns too. Until now, I’d taken care of everything and provided for the villagers directly—but I couldn’t keep doing that forever. I would hit my limit eventually, considering how much the village had grown, so I’d begun gradually delegating what I could.

Thanks to the influx of trade, serious money had started flowing into the village. Ideally, I wanted to start shifting away from our barter economy and make our own currency.

“Oh, by the way, we have a new restaurant. You should definitely check it out. They have amazing dishes featuring orc and minotaur meat,” I said.

“Orc and minotaur meat?!”

“Yep. We get the orc meat from the northern forest and the minotaur meat from the dungeon. We’ll even buy any meat you bring back.”

I was also planning to open a shop specializing in purchasing and appraising materials. Now that the dungeon was up and running, I wanted merchants to spread the word to lure in more adventurers.

Alec gulped loudly. “Man, orc meat’s delicious—not that I’ve had much of it, mind you. It’s way too expensive. But I’d love to try it again if I can muster the money. I’ve never had the chance to eat minotaur meat before, though.”

Both were considered grade A, so that made sense.

“They’re both pretty affordable here,” I said.

“Really?!”

After showing the adventurers around the inn, I led them to the courtyard between the four buildings.

“Here’s the entrance to the dungeon,” I said, gesturing to the massive boulder with a wide opening at its base.

“Huh. It really is just right in the middle of town...”

“You sure monsters won’t come crawling out of there?”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” I replied. “The dungeon master made sure monsters can’t get out.”

Technically, she can’t leave the dungeon either.

“This dungeon is a tiered structure. The deeper you go, the stronger the monsters and the more dangerous the traps. I’d recommend you get a feel for things on the higher floors first,” I said.

“That makes sense.”

“Stairs connect each floor, and there are designated safe zones where monsters can’t enter. They’re small, but we’ve set up sleeping quarters in those. Feel free to use them when you need a rest.”

“This place has everything, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, and there’s one more thing,” I said.

“There’s more?!”

They all looked overwhelmed by the information overload.

“None of you have Gifts, right?” I asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Of course not,” Alec replied. “Even among adventurers, only the lucky ones get a Blessing. Either you stumble across a treasure, or you have crazy connections. And even if you do get Blessed, there’s no guarantee you’ll receive a Gift. It’s kind of a crapshoot. Only nobles can afford to throw money at—” Alec suddenly cut himself off, probably remembering I was nobility.

“It’s fine,” I assured him. “I’m just a mayor these days.”

Since I knew that anyone with the Oracle Gift could do the ceremony in under a minute, I saw asking people to donate a fortune to receive a Blessing as basically a scam.

“You can get Blessed for a gold coin at our church.”

“What was that?”

“We have a priest here with the Oracle Gift.”

“What? Seriously?! And you charge only one gold coin?!”

Making it free had felt wrong, so I’d settled on one gold coin per person as a donation. That only applied to visitors, though. Permanent residents of the village could receive Blessings for free.

“Hang on, I’ve heard Blessings cost several platinum coins! That’d be a fortune! No way any commoner could afford that—not in their lifetime, at least!”

A single platinum coin was worth a hundred gold coins. Even I’d only seen a couple of them in my life. My father had handled the donation when I got my Blessing, and we know how that had gone.

“But in return, please don’t spread the word about it too much, okay?” I said.

“R-Right...” Alec gave a stiff, awkward nod. He must’ve realized it wasn’t an official church.

It wasn’t like we’d Bless anyone who’d walked through the door. After all, if someone dangerous received their Gift, that could turn into a huge problem.

I also secretly registered them as villagers. It was no harm, no foul, as I saw it. The status would expire automatically after they’d left.

Then I used Villager Appraisal II. After a lot of trial and error, I’d figured out how to filter the results to view only the information I needed.

Alec

Age: 38

Village Affinity: Low

Recommended Job: Warrior

Gifts: (Greatsword Proficiency)

Skills: Greatsword Lv 2

Crimes: None

Hazena

Age: 18

Village Affinity: Low

Recommended Job: Mage

Gifts: (Red Magic)

Skills: Fire Magic Lv 2

Crimes: None

Dill

Age: 31

Village Affinity: Low

Recommended Job: Scout

Gifts: (Detection)

Skills: Detection Lv 3, Stealth Lv 1, Dagger Lv 1

Crimes: None

Guy

Age: 27

Village Affinity: Low

Recommended Job: Warrior Monk

Gifts: (White Magic)

Skills: Light Magic Lv 2, Rod Lv 1

Crimes: None

The biggest surprise was that all four had latent Gifts. Whether by coincidence or fate, each of their Gifts aligned almost perfectly with their profession. Maybe Gifts subconsciously affected a person’s life choices, even if they hadn’t received their Blessings.

Skills were different from Gifts, though. People earned those through personal effort and experience.

Village skills were the exception, of course, since they were linked to my Gift. It seemed like it was easier for people who had latent Gifts to develop skills of the same type, even without a Blessing.

“Well, I doubt commoners like us stand much of a chance of actually receiving a Gift,” Alec said.

“I’m definitely going to get one!” Hazena exclaimed, radiating confidence.

“Where’s all that bravado coming from, Hazena?”

“It’s just a feeling! I know I’m one of the chosen ones.”

“Ha. Well, I sure hope so,” Alec said, skeptical.

“Don’t worry. You’re all chosen ones,” I said.

“Huh? How do you know that?”

“Just a feeling,” I said, then led them toward the church.

◇◇◇

Although we’d known Mayor Luke was Marquess Arvale’s son, he defied all our expectations. He wasn’t haughty and didn’t bat an eye when we used coarser language around him. Honestly, he felt out of place in this rough-and-tumble wilderness. He was just a calm, kind boy. How had this kid ended up like this?

He was already more mature than Hazena, our youngest party member, though that could’ve been a result of his noble upbringing and early education.

“There’s a dungeon near this village?!” I exclaimed after Luke told us the news.

“Yep. It was discovered just recently.”

“The Forsaken Zones and a dungeon?! This place is an adventurer’s paradise!”

We’d come chasing rumors about the Forsaken Zones, but this was an even bigger find. It was shocking enough that the dungeon entrance was inside the village itself, but then we learned that the entire thing sat within the settlement limits. After he showed it to us, he was kind enough to give us a tour of the rest of the town.

As we walked, we started seeing some unexpected sights.

“Is that an elf?” I asked.

“Yes, we have some elves living here with us,” Luke said.

“You’re kidding! I thought elves cut off all contact with humans and disappeared to some secret settlement!” I replied, but there was an elf right there, chatting with a human as if it’d been the most natural thing in the world. She’d blended in so well that I’d first assumed she was just an especially beautiful human.

“There are dwarves living here too. They mostly stay underground, so you probably won’t see too much of them.”

“Dwarves too?!”

“Underground”? Wait, what’s that supposed to mean? Does this village have some sort of subterranean hold?

Then there was how ridiculously clean both the village and its residents were. I’d seen my share of towns as an adventurer, but nothing had ever come close to this. Usually, trash and human waste littered the streets. Here, however, every house had a private bath and toilet, and they even had public bathhouses.

Finding a town where everyone had a roof over their head was rare, so we were shocked to learn that not a single villager in Luke’s town was homeless.

“Most of our residents are refugees, but I’ve made sure everyone has a place to stay.”

He said that like it’s no big deal...

Eventually, we arrived at a strange set of buildings.

“These inns are specifically for adventurers.”

“Inns just for adventurers?!”

A single building was so big that I couldn’t fathom how many people it could accommodate. We usually stayed at cramped, privately run inns. This thing was on a completely different level. And every room had its own bath and toilet.

“Wow, this is amazing! Honestly, I kinda wanna live here,” Hazena said, her eyes sparkling.

Usually, the inns near dungeons or Forsaken Zones were pretty run-down. People couldn’t sensibly invest in good infrastructure when monsters could show up any given day to wreck the place, after all. Only the well-managed dungeons under direct noble control received proper lodging, and those were few and far between in our kingdom.

Yet according to Luke, adventurers stayed here for free.

How the hell is that sustainable?

The dungeon entrance was in the courtyard in the middle of the four inns—or, more accurately, the inns surrounded the entrance like the walls of a fortress. I thought that’d mean monsters could come pouring out at any second and attack the village, but Luke insisted it wasn’t an issue.

“You’ve got one surprise after the other for us...”

But the biggest shock came when he told us we could receive Blessings here for a single gold coin.

We didn’t quite believe him, so we followed him to a building that looked like a church.

A drop-dead gorgeous woman waited inside.

“I’m Myria, the priest,” she said.

This beauty’s a priest?! Hang on a second... If she’s a priest, why’s she wearing a maid’s outfit?!

Chapter Six: Bazlata

My name is Dant. I serve as the governor of the northern district of the March of Arvale. I’d carried out my duties faithfully until recently, when I committed a serious act of betrayal by hiding the existence of a village that sprang up in the northern wasteland from Lord Raoul. I even submitted a report claiming no settlements existed out there. I could very well lose my head, literally, if anyone discovered I’d knowingly filed a false report.

But I had no regrets, because I believed in Lord Luke, the mayor there. I just knew he’d become someone important someday. I was confident he’d surpass his father, Marquess Arvale. He could even change the entire kingdom if things went well—or wrong. I suppose it was a matter of perspective.

So the risks I took were nothing compared to the future ahead.

“Lord Dant, surely we can’t keep this hidden much longer,” said Bazara, my captain. “The rumors about the village have spread far beyond the northern district. People from all over the domain have heard about it now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lord Raoul himself decides to come investigate!”

I nodded. “I know that. That’s exactly why I’m heading there now.”

I was again on my way to the village in the wastelands, this time with Bazara and a contingent of guards escorting my carriage.

Thanks to Lord Luke, we were no longer on the verge of a famine in the North. I was traveling there to express my gratitude and deliver an important report.

“I can’t believe it’s been six months already. I wonder how much the village has grown... I’m both excited and terrified to see,” I said.

“Well, it’s been a long, harsh winter since the last time we were there. I doubt it’s changed too much,” Bazara said confidently, but I had a different feeling inside. Somehow, I knew I needed to brace myself.

We were approaching the edge of the wilderness when we noticed something strange.

“I’ve been spotting people here and there for a while now,” I said.

“Y-Yes, I see them too. But there’s nothing out here except for that village...” Bazara said uncertainly.

“That means they’re all heading to the same place, then.”

“Surely not... I mean, there are so many of them!”

I thought perhaps spring’s arrival had attracted a new wave of refugees, but some of these travelers looked like merchants and even adventurers.

Before long, the wastelands came into view. The perfect road Lord Luke had built in an instant stretched before us. And in the distance, I saw the village’s walls.

“Is it just me, or does the village seem to sit more to the west now?” I said, cocking my head to the side. As we drew closer, I noticed that even the road seemed to curve in a different direction than before.

“You don’t mean to say the village has moved?” Bazara said warily.

“Good point. It must be my imagination,” I said with a sheepish chuckle.

Finally, we reached the village. And just as I’d suspected, it had grown far beyond what it had been before. Dozens of shops lined the streets, and the whole place was bustling with people. Liesen, the largest city in the North, had nearly ten thousand residents, but this village might’ve had more than that already. Only six months ago, there couldn’t have been more than a thousand—yet now it looked like that number had multiplied several times over, maybe even tenfold.

Under normal circumstances, housing and lodging became serious issues when a place had experienced rapid population growth. But thanks to Lord Luke’s Gift, I didn’t see a single person who looked homeless. In fact, towering residential buildings lined the streets, far more than I remembered from last time.

It didn’t even feel like the same village anymore. Well, to be honest, I didn’t know who could call this a village!

“B-But how can this be the same place? Why, it’s only been six months, with a harsh winter in between!”

I’d mentally prepared myself, but Bazara looked like he was about to faint from the shock. Then his eyes went even wider when he spotted something else.

“L-Look at that sword!” He pointed at a display in a weapons shop we passed by. “No, not just the sword. The helmet too, and the armor... All of it’s unbelievably high quality!”

“Is it really that good?” I asked.

“You rarely see items of this quality, even in the royal capital—and that includes custom orders nobles pay a fortune for! But dozens are just sitting here, almost like they’ve been mass-produced!”

Hearing the commotion, the shopkeeper came out.

“Hello, there! I happened to overhear, and you’re absolutely right! These are all mass-produced, and I think you’ll find the prices reflect that,” he said with a genial smile.

“Mass-produced? Are you sure?!”

“We’ve got some top-class blacksmiths in our village,” he said.

Top-class? Could they be Gifted? Well, I suppose that wouldn’t be a surprise, knowing this village.

Once Bazara heard the price, he nearly passed out all over again. He was practically ready to pull out his coin purse on the spot.

Just then, a short, stocky man with a thick beard walked over.

“Oh! Welcome, Dran,” the shopkeeper said. “Dropping off another order? Thanks as always!”

“A d-dwarf?!” Bazara asked.

“That’s right. All the weapons in this shop are made by the dwarves,” the shopkeeper replied.

“There are dwarves in this village now?” I asked.

“Elves too.”

“Elves?!”

I couldn’t believe both elves and dwarves had settled here. I had no idea how this had happened in just six months. If it were true, it would be simply unprecedented. Dwarves and elves supposedly despised each other.

“Oh, if you’re interested, we have elven-made potions at the general store.”

“Potions? Potions are for sale in this village?” I was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded from the sheer volume of outrageous information.

We both shook our heads and moved on. As we continued walking, the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat began to waft through the air. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten sidetracked, but the smell was so incredibly tantalizing it was like my feet had a mind of their own.

“Get your minotaur skewers! Fresh minotaur skewers, right off the grill!” the vendor called.

“Minotaur?!”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Minotaurs only dwelled in dungeons.

“That’s right, fresh from the village’s dungeon! We get a fresh supply every day. You won’t find meat like this at these prices anywhere else!”

“You mean to tell me this village has a dungeon?!”

“What, you don’t know? Our mayor befriended a dungeon master, so now we have an endless supply of minotaurs.”

He befriended...a dungeon master?!

As far as I knew, it was exceedingly rare to befriend a dungeon master.

Boooooooom!

Suddenly, a deafening roar shook through the air. Startled, I looked around and saw a massive pillar of flame shooting out the top of a huge, oval-shaped building I didn’t remember seeing the last time.

“What’s that building?” I asked the vendor.

“That’s the training grounds, where our warriors, guards, and adventurers hone their skills. That explosion was probably Fire magic. I’m guessing it was Hazena, the young mage girl. She’s a regular customer of mine. Can’t get enough minotaur skewers.”

If she was capable of that kind of magic, she must’ve been seriously powerful. Apparently, top-tier adventurers had come to this village.

“Ha ha... Lord Luke’s surpassed my wildest expectations...” I muttered to myself.

◇◇◇

Not long after Alec and his crew had shown up, more adventurers began pouring into the village. Naturally, the biggest draw was the dungeon, and they all seemed thrilled that it sat directly across from the inns. The dungeon had grown so popular that no one even bothered with the Forsaken Zones anymore.

That wasn’t a problem for us, though. The hunting party still brought back plenty of orc meat from the forest, just like they’d used to.

Ally, the dungeon master, was also pretty thrilled. She’d already expanded the dungeon to ten full floors.

“Dungeon Points are pouring in like crazy!” she’d said once. “I’m, like, swimming in rewards over here!” I used Villager Appraisal II to screen every new adventurer before granting them a Blessing. Not all of them turned out like Alec and his party, but many had Gifts that were useful for adventuring.

The dwarves’ Blacksmith Gifts allowed the village to mass-produce high-quality weapons and armor, which had turned out to be a huge hit. We could keep supply high and prices low because we got the raw materials straight from Ally.

Dungeon materials were perfect for crafting powerful gear. For better or worse, it’d completely removed the need for me to custom-make weapons via Facility Customization.

To that end, I’d used my Gift to create a proper workshop, where all the smithing took place.

Workshop

>>A workplace tailored for arts, crafts, smithing, tailoring, and more. Boosts creativity and dexterity.

The dwarves loved it. They’d told me their work went faster now, and their hands always moved exactly how they wanted them to. Some had even said they couldn’t stop brainstorming designs for new pieces of gear.

Aside from the adventurers, we’d been constantly getting new residents. At one point, it felt like only yesterday that we’d hit three thousand residents, but now we had surpassed six thousand. At this point, the village was the size of a small city.

Naturally, that meant word had spread, and the more people heard about us, the more they wanted to move here. It was a positive feedback loop.

Around that time, Dant, the governor of the North, visited us six months after his previous visit. His captain Bazara accompanied him.

Hm? Isn’t that sword Bazara’s wearing one of ours?

“It’s good to see you again, Lord Luke.”

“Nice to see you too, Dant.”

“I can’t believe how much the place has grown since last time. You never cease to amaze me. It’s been one shock after the other since we arrived!” Dant said, buzzing with excitement. He started talking my ear off about all the changes he’d seen in the village on his way over.

It sounded like he was already up to speed on most of the major developments, including our expanded commerce, the elves and the dwarves, and of course, the dungeon.

“I couldn’t believe the quality of your village’s weapons!” Bazara said, even more excited than Dant. “I never dreamed of buying gear this incredible at such low prices! I borrowed money from Lord Dant just to buy more!”

So it is one of our swords!

But even with our pricing, I guess he didn’t quite have enough money on hand.

Dant gave me an awkward smile. “Anyway, Lord Luke, the reason I came here today was to deliver an important report,” he said, his expression turning serious. “House Arvale has defeated House Schneiger.”

Seriously? Already? I thought.

“But didn’t the battle just start?”

“Mm-hmm. The entire conflict lasted barely a month. Arvale’s forces stormed right through Schneiger’s major cities one after the other, charging right to the capital. That’s where the final battle was held, and Arvale won a decisive victory. House Schneiger surrendered unconditionally right before the castle fell,” he said.

A month was absurdly fast for a campaign of that scale.

With Schneiger’s defeat, Arvale had become the most powerful house in the kingdom, both in name and in might.

“Your younger brother Raoul played a major role in the battle and performed impressively for his first campaign. Because of his actions, he will be entrusted with managing the March of Arvale’s original boundaries.”

He went on to tell me my father planned to stay in the former Schneiger to stabilize his newly conquered territory. Since the March’s lands were more secure, Raoul could manage it despite his youth.

“I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before Lord Raoul catches wind of this village. I came here today to advise you that it would be wise to begin preparing for that.”

“Hmm...” I tipped my head. “I doubt he’d do anything even if he did find out about this village.”

After all, he was set to be the next marquess of Arvale and had just made his major debut in an important battle. Why would he care about some remote village in the middle of nowhere?

“You’re being naive, Lord Luke.”

“Myria?”

“If Raoul suspects his position may be threatened, he’ll do everything in his power to eliminate that threat—especially if that threat is his own brother.”

“She’s right. He acts all high and mighty, but deep down he’s a total coward!” Seren said.

“You too, Seren?”

Wow, these two really hate Raoul’s guts.

“I’m not doing anything to threaten him, though.”

Both Dant and Bazara blinked in disbelief.

“How can you even say that?!”

“Are you serious?!”

“The marquess would completely change his tune if he knew you’d built all this in such a short time, and Lord Raoul would be terrified!” Dant insisted.

“You really think so?”

“I know so. I’ve already received an order to investigate you. I managed to sweep it under the rug once, but with the way rumors are spreading now, it’s only a matter of time before Lord Raoul hears about it,” Dant said.

“Hang on... Isn’t that kind of...bad?”

That meant Dant had filed a false report. If anyone found out, he could lose his position, or even worse...his head.

“Don’t worry! I’m fully prepared to go down with you, Lord Luke!” he said cheerfully.

“Huh?!”

Seriously, don’t throw your life away on my account!

“Regardless, this can’t be ignored. You need to continue bolstering your forces, just in case. And we should do what we can to delay this village becoming too widely known.” Dant’s seriousness suddenly gave way to a quiet chuckle. “Not that I really need to tell you. I can see you’ve already been reinforcing your strength, drawing in adventurers via the dungeon, mass-producing high-quality weapons, distributing potions, and even building a training facility to muster a proper military force.”

Well, yeah, but I didn’t do any of that because I was planning on going up against Raoul.

The dungeon, weapons, and potions had all been a natural progression of things. I’d intended to build a standing army. As for the training grounds, the adventurers had been asking me for one for a while now. The mages had especially wanted a safe place to practice their spells.

But in the back of my mind, I had to admit that I’d always figured it was a good idea to be ready to defend the village, considering the way the world worked.

◇◇◇

Earl Sedes Bazlata, lord of House Bazlata, clutched his head in despair. “Argh... Where has Seren gone?!” he said as he sat alone in his office.

His daughter had run off before her marriage to House Arvale, and he hadn’t heard a word from her since.

He’d dispatched his vassals to investigate, but they hadn’t found a single clue. At this rate, the Bazlatas’ relationship with House Arvale would almost certainly be ruined.

“Pardon the intrusion, Lord Sedes,” one of his vassals said as he entered, “but we’ve just obtained crucial information regarding Lady Seren’s disappearance!”

“What? Is this true?” Sedes leaped from his seat, unable to contain himself.

“Word has been spreading throughout the territory about a new village in the northern wastelands of Arvale. The rumors have even reached Bazlata!”

“You’re saying there’s a settlement way out there?” Sedes paused, remembering something. “Wait, you mean the wastelands Lord Luke was ordered to develop?”

“Yes, my lord. And apparently, his village has grown at an astounding pace. They say the population is nearing ten thousand already.”

“Ten thousand? Why, that can’t be! Lord Luke was exiled barely a year ago!”

“I-I know, my lord. That’s why we believe...Lady Seren might have taken up residence there.”

“Well, I can see that. But if Lord Luke truly built a town of that scale in such a short time...”

A whole new set of worries began swirling in Sedes’s mind.

“What if his position as heir is restored? N-No, surely not. Lord Raoul just achieved major success in Arvale’s recent war. Surely, he’s secured his position as heir. And that means Seren must wed him.” Earl Sedes nodded firmly to himself. “Go investigate that village immediately. And if you find Seren, bring her back no matter what. Do whatever it takes.”

After investigating, his vassal confirmed that Seren was living in the frontier town. But despite multiple attempts, she refused to return home. The earl refused to give up and sent envoy after envoy.

“I apologize, Lord Sedes. I met with Lady Seren, but once again, she said she has no intention to return.”

“I see...”

Sedes let out a weary sigh. This must’ve been the fifth dead end—no, the sixth. It seemed his daughter’s resolve was stronger than he had imagined.

“There’s one more thing, my lord.”

“What is it?”

“H-Here.” His vassal held out a piece of parchment. It was a letter of resignation.

Sedes looked up at him in disbelief. “You’re moving to that city too?!”

“F-Forgive me, my lord, but it is truly incredible! The food is delicious, the beds are comfortable, and you can soak in spacious, luxurious baths anytime you want!” he replied, voice trembling with excitement.

Sedes couldn’t even muster the energy to sigh anymore. Everyone he’d sent to that village had done the same thing. They’d all immediately submitted their resignation and moved there permanently. It was like they’d become possessed or something.

“Every last one of them!” Sedes yelled after his vassal had left. “They leave without a second thought after all I’ve done for them! Is the village really that wonderful?!” He couldn’t risk sending anyone else at this point. “Just what kind of place is it, anyway?”

He wanted to see it for himself, but his duties as lord kept him far too busy for such a trip.

“Father, you seem to be having quite a bit of trouble convincing my sister to return,” his son said.

“Oh, Sirius! You’re back!”

“Yes, I just returned.”

Sirius had fought alongside House Arvale as its ally in the recent war, along with a brigade of soldiers from House Bazlata.

Sedes had received word that Sirius had distinguished himself in battle despite it being his first campaign. Like his sister Seren, he was also Twice Gifted. He looked so much like her that people often mistook him for a girl.

But on the battlefield, his overwhelming strength terrified enemy soldiers.

“She’s really selfish sometimes, isn’t she?”

“So you’ve heard? Still, I never imagined Lord Luke was capable of something like this. Depending on how things develop, who knows whether Lord Raoul or Lord Luke will end up more powerful—”

“No, that’s not a concern,” Sirius said, interrupting him confidently. “Ultimately, Lord Luke’s Gift is just for building villages. There’s no way he could ever rival Lord Raoul, who possesses the Sword Mastery Gift. I saw it with my own eyes. His power is on an entirely different level, and he can use his Gift flawlessly. He could wipe out an entire city in no time if he really wanted to.”

“I see.” Sedes couldn’t help but believe his son. “But you know how stubborn Seren is. She won’t listen to a word I say.”

“Then I’ll bring her back myself.”

“Are you sure? But you just got home.”

“It’s fine. I’m still riding my post-battle high. I’d go stir-crazy sitting around here,” Sirius insisted.

“You’re so dependable, my son.” Tears welled up in Sedes’s eyes as he gazed at Sirius. But suddenly, a dark thought crossed his mind.

What if Sirius decides to move to that village too?

No, he had to trust his son.

“I’m counting on you, Sirius,” he said.

“Yes, father. Leave it to me.”

And so, Sedes confidently sent his son off to the village.

◇◇◇

“Lady Seren, another envoy sent by your family has arrived.”

“Ugh, again? Doesn’t father know when to quit?”

Lately, a revolving door of envoys from Seren’s family had been coming by to bring her back home. The first one had come three weeks ago. Word of the village had apparently made it to Bazlata’s domain, and they’d come to see if Seren was here.

She didn’t feel the need to hide, so she greeted the envoy properly and then promptly turned him away. He’d hung around for a few days trying to persuade her, but when it became clear she wouldn’t change her mind, he gave up and returned home...only to come back soon after.

“Please let me move here!” he’d said. “I’ve already submitted my resignation!”

Apparently, his few days here had been so ridiculously comfortable that he’d decided to stay—permanently. And he hadn’t been the only one. The next envoy, the one after that, and even the next had all moved into the village.

It’d happened so many times now that Seren figured her father would’ve given up, but he didn’t.

“He’s gonna run out of vassals at this point. Maybe we should just start turning them away at the gate,” Seren muttered.

“Well... This envoy claims to be your younger brother.”

“What?! Sirius is here?!”

She couldn’t believe even her brother had come all this way.

◇◇◇

“What... What is this place?” Sirius stammered, looking overwhelmed. The town that rose up out of the wilderness was far larger than anything he’d imagined. He stared up at walls so massive they rivaled those in the capital of Bazlata itself.

Even while helping the Arvale army conquer multiple cities during its campaign, he hadn’t seen a single settlement with fortifications this impressive. Not to mention, the roads leading up to this town were immaculate. He’d never seen anything like it.

How many years did it take to build all this?

He couldn’t reconcile what he saw with the fact that none of it had existed a year ago.

Eventually, he arrived at the front gate, an imposing structure as grand as the surrounding walls. As he came closer, a group of armed guards approached. Their gear was convincing enough, but at first glance, their faces looked so rough he almost mistook them for bandits.

“I am Sirius of House Bazlata. I’ve come to see my sister, Lady Seren,” he declared.

The guards looked slightly surprised. After a brief delay, they allowed him to enter.

Sirius passed through the gate and found himself surrounded by farmland. “What in the world...” he muttered.

He hadn’t expected anything to grow in a place like this, much less massive, thriving crops.

“Hm? What’s that?” He studied the tree standing in the center of the farmlands. It was enormous, unlike anything he’d ever seen.

“Oh, I’d steer clear of that thing if I were you,” said one of the guards escorting him. “It’s not very fond of outsiders. And trust me, it’s dangerous.”

“Not very fond of them?” Sirius repeated, utterly baffled.

Hang on... Is it me, or is that a dragon’s face on its trunk? No, surely not...

After crossing the fields, they came to another set of walls and a second gate. He couldn’t believe this town had two layers of fortifications. It would’ve been practically impenetrable if they had the manpower to defend it.

“This place is certainly impressive. But if the population is ten thousand and mostly made up of random refugees, then it’s unlikely they’ve got a proper army...”

As the guards escorted him through town, he detected an incredible smell. “Hang on, is that grilled minotaur?! I’ve gotta— No! I’m not here to sample street food!”

He fought his urge to ask for a detour and continued to the mayor’s house, where his sister was reportedly staying.

“Hm, I thought she’d be living in a castle or something. This place isn’t much to look— Huh? What’s that steaming pool of water? An outdoor bath?! That huge thing? And it’s open all the time?! That’s... No, I’m not jealous! You only need a bath now and then anyway!” he muttered to himself.

A young boy suddenly approached him.

“It’s nice to see you again, Sirius.”

“Lord Luke...” Sirius had last seen Luke years ago, in Arvale’s capital. Honestly, he didn’t look much different, which secretly filled him with relief. He’d been half worried that Luke had turned into a man, whereas Sirius was still often mistaken for a girl.

Seren stepped out of the house.

“Seren!”

“I’m not going back home, Sirius,” she said without hesitation.

“But you have to. Father’s been eagerly awaiting your return.”

“Father doesn’t care if I come back. All he wants is to strengthen his ties with House Arvale.”

“That’s for the good of the family. And as a noble’s daughter, it’s your duty to follow the lord’s wishes.”

“Then he can disown me. If I’m not his daughter anymore, I can do whatever I want, right?”

“You mean you really won’t come back?”

“It’s not happening.”

She shook her head calmly and firmly without a shadow of doubt in her eyes.

“Then I’ll take you back by force,” Sirius said.

His entourage drew their weapons at once. They weren’t ordinary guards either. They were Bazlata’s elite unit, comprising the house’s best warriors, and they’d racked up a litany of achievements fighting at Sirius’s side on the battlefield.

But the village was prepared too. Armed villagers who must’ve been lying in wait suddenly appeared, surrounding them.

I’m sure they’re just militia. They’re no match for seasoned soldiers fresh off a campaign. And three of us are Gifted. My sister’s the only real threat here, Sirius thought, certain of their advantage.

She hasn’t seen real combat in ages. I can handle her on my own. The war made me stronger. Strong enough to beat her.

But he had no way of knowing every single one of his opponents had a combat-type Gift.

“Move in!”

“Raaah!”

Sirius and his guards charged straight toward Seren. While both siblings used dual blades, Seren used Blue Magic while Sirius wielded Green Magic, which meant their fighting styles were completely different.

Her usual strategy involved mixing ranged attacks like Ice spells with close-quarters swordsmanship; she froze her blades and slowed enemies with a chilling aura.

Sirius, on the other hand, used Wind magic to boost his speed, so he relied on lightning-fast hit-and-run attacks. Seren knew that, of course, but she didn’t know how much faster he’d gotten. He was so quick now that normal people couldn’t even follow his movements anymore.

Let’s see if you can keep up with me, Seren.

He rushed past a volley of ice shards and then vanished from her field of vision. Before she knew it, he was behind her, both blades raised for his finishing blow.

“Too slow.”

But she blocked them—effortlessly.

Claaaaang!

“What?!”

And in that instant, she destroyed his momentum.

How could she have anticipated that?! Surely it was a fluke...

He jumped back to reset the distance, then launched another fast assault, but nothing got through. Even worse, his sister’s freezing aura began to slow him down, gradually neutralizing his biggest advantage.

Damn it... At this rate— No, don’t panic! If I can just keep her occupied, the others will handle the rest.

But when he glanced at the rest of the battle, his blood ran cold.

“Argh... Lord...Sirius...”

“Huh?!”

His trusted comrades, whom he’d assumed would be winning, were scattered across the courtyard like corpses. One after another, they groaned.

“Too...strong...”

“We...lost...”

“I failed...”

They weren’t dead, but that only indicated his opponents had held back. They’d been merciful. And their restraint could’ve only meant they were much stronger than he and his crew.

“There’s no way!”

This can’t be happening! My elite unit, the pride of House Bazlata, all crushed by the militia of some no-name town in the sticks?! And worse, it happened in the two minutes I was busy dueling with my sister?!

He’d been so focused on the battle in front of him that he’d missed everything.

How’d they lose?!

“What happened, Barrett?!” Sirius shouted, turning toward the squad leader, a grizzled, battle-hardened veteran. “How did this happen?! How has this happened?!”

“I-I can hardly believe it myself, but I think...they are all...Gifted.”

“What?! That’s ridiculous! Nobody could receive a Blessing out here!” he replied, his brain instinctively rejecting that possibility. “One Gifted person would be enough. A whole group of them...” He trailed off in confusion, realizing Barrett would’ve never lied to him.

“Anyway,” Seren said nonchalantly, “wanna keep going? It’s been a while since we last sparred. I don’t mind continuing.”

Most of all, he couldn’t understand why he hadn’t beaten his sister. He’d finally gone to war, fought, and grown. He knew he’d gotten stronger, yet he hadn’t closed the gap between them at all.

“How are you this strong?!” he blurted.

“It’s not like I’ve just been lounging around, you know. I hunt in the Forsaken Zones and go dungeon diving. Between them, I basically train every day.”

“This city has a dungeon?” Sirius asked in disbelief.

“Oh, technically, it’s still a village, not a city.”

“WHAT THE HELL KINDA VILLAGE IS THIS?!” he roared, forgetting his manners completely in his shock.

Could you have blamed him? Even if he had somehow bested his sister, he’d still be hopelessly outnumbered with his team wiped out. There was zero chance he could’ve dragged his sister back now.

“We lost,” he muttered, head dropping. His swords slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground.

“Great work, everybody!” Luke called out. “Anyone who’s injured, please come over here and we’ll get ya patched up!”

He wasn’t only treating his own people either; he extended the offer to Sirius’s crew too, who were technically his enemies.

“You’re injured too, aren’t you?” a woman asked him.

Sirius looked at the cut on his arm, where Seren’s Ice magic had grazed him. It stung mildly, so he began shaking his head—and then he looked up at the person who’d asked the question, and his jaw dropped.

She was unbelievably beautiful, with pointed ears.

“It’s no trouble at all,” she said. “Many in my clan can use White Magic. It’ll only take a moment.”

“You’re an el-el-el...” he stammered.

“Hm? What is it? Is this your first time seeing an elf? We’re not all that different from humans, you know. We all live equally here in this village. Oh, forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Philia. I work very closely with your sister.” She gave him a gentle smile. She was graceful and refined, but unlike the stiff, rehearsed way of nobles, her movements were natural and effortless. Her aura felt positively divine.

Sirius’s heart pounded. His face was flushed. His mouth was still open, but the only sounds he could manage were nonsensical babbling.

“Ah...uh...baa...”

“Hm? You’re looking awfully flushed. Are you all right?”

“Ack?!”

The elf suddenly leaned in, peering at his face, and that was all it took to knock him down for the count.

Thud!

“H-Hey! Wake up!”

That was the day Sirius Bazlata fell in love with an elf.

◇◇◇

The letter contained just two sentences:

Dear father, please forgive me. I won’t be coming home for a while.

—Sirius

In response, a single voice rang out: “Siriuuuuuuuus?!”

◇◇◇

“He still hasn’t responded?” Raoul asked, fuming.

“N-No, my lord. We’ve sent multiple summons, but there’s been no reply at all.”

Rumors had spread that his older brother Luke, whom he’d assumed was rotting away in exile, had apparently been building a city out in the wilderness. Raoul had ordered the governor of the North, Dant, to investigate and report back.

The first report had come back negative, saying no such settlement existed.

But the rumors had continued to spread until they seemed to multiply by the day.

Suspicious, Raoul had sent another demand for a formal report and summoned Dant to the capital. Raoul had waited, but Dant had never shown up.

“Perhaps Governor Dant betrayed you and sided with Lord Luke...”

“Ha! That lowly worm dares to defy me?!”

What really infuriated Raoul was his inability to confirm any of the rumors. Most people he’d sent to investigate never returned; in fact, they’d stayed and settled in the very town they were sent to look into. As a result, no one had returned with actual information.

Even the independent team he’d dispatched separately from Dant had vanished.

“Delicious food, cozy homes...” his vassal mused. “Rumors say that after you visit, you’ll never want to leave. Maybe they’re true?”

“Don’t be stupid! It’s a barren wasteland! Nobody can grow crops out there! And there are two bloody Forsaken Zones nearby!” Raoul slammed his fist down angrily. “You expect me to believe someone built a city in a year out there?!”

Just then, another vassal entered with an unfamiliar man.

“Who the hell are you? I’m busy! I’ll have your head if you waste my time!”

“L-Lord Raoul, this man claims to be a subordinate of Governor Dant’s.”

“What?”

The man had come to expose Dant’s betrayal. “I risked my life to get here...” he said. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if they caught me. But I did it for your sake, Lord Raoul...”

“Enough with the speeches! Get on with it! Do you have any proof?”

“Y-Yes, right here!” The man pulled out a document containing a record of Dant’s survey of the wastelands.

“Give it here!” Raoul snatched it away.

But when he read it, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Double-layered defense walls, a population approaching ten thousand, and a dungeon beneath the city? Nonsense! You think you can feed me garbage and get away with it?!”

“I-I swear it’s real! I found it stored in Dant’s personal study!”

Raoul wanted to write it off as impossible, but anxiety fluttered in his chest.

What if it’s true? he thought.

For the first time, a genuine shiver of panic ran up his spine.

“Send out an investigation team disguised as refugees. Consider it a covert mission.”

“Y-Yes, my lord!”

“Tell one to stay behind. If it comes to it, he will eliminate Luke.”

◇◇◇

As the investigation team walked down the paved highway cutting through the wilderness, they couldn’t contain their surprise.

“It’s real...” one murmured.

“How the hell was that wall built in just a year?” asked another.

“And the road, look at the road! It would’ve taken decades to make something like this!”

They had been skeptical until now, but what they saw was beyond their wildest imagination.

“Lord Luke did all this?”

“So Dant was lying...”

“He hid this whole city from us. We have to tell Lord Raoul immediately!”

The most senior operative stepped forward. “I’ll stay behind to gather intel on the city’s layout and military strength. The rest of you, report back to Lord Raoul at the capital.”

He was an experienced spy who had infiltrated enemy territory more times than anyone could count. He’d also provided critical intel that helped House Arvale rise to dominance.

And he’d even carried out the occasional assassination.

Looks like I’ll need to dirty my hands again.

The rest of the team didn’t know it, but he’d received those orders from Raoul himself.

“Be careful out there.”

“Ha. Who do you think I am? I’ve been in far more dangerous situations than this.”

The rest of the group split off to start their journey back, leaving the other to investigate the town. But then, the ground suddenly yawned open beneath their feet.

“Huh?!”

The entire group plummeted into darkness before they even knew what happened.

“Arghhh!”

“Owww!”

“Oof!”

They hit the hard ground with a loud thud. Luckily, they hadn’t fallen far. A few were banged up, but it wasn’t anything serious.

Still, the shock of it left them rattled. It took them a few moments to gather their wits.

“Where...are we?”

“A-A jail cell?”

Although they couldn’t explain how they’d gotten there, they’d somehow ended up in a cell. Thick stone walls surrounded them on three sides, with an iron gate closing them in from the front. A long underground corridor stretched into the distance beyond it. It didn’t look like anything they’d ever seen before.

One moment, they’d been walking across open terrain; the next, they were falling into a pit. Now, they were trapped inside some mysterious underground jail cell...

Needless to say, they were completely baffled.

Then things took a turn for the worse as the jail cell started to quake.

Rrrrummble...

“I-It’s moving!”

“What the hell’s going on?!”

“Mommyyyy!”

It was beyond belief. Speechless, all they could do was tremble in fear. When the cell came to a slow stop, they let out a sigh, but their relief didn’t last long.

An ominous cackling echoed somewhere beyond the bars, and then a little old lady stepped into view.

“Heh heh heh! Welcome, boys.”

“Huh?!”

She was small and frail, yet her sheer presence sent a chill down their spines. One man even shivered.

“Wh-Who the hell are you?! What are you planning on doing to us?!”

“Heh heh... Now, now, boys. Before I answer, I’d like you to tell me something. What did you come here for, hm?”

“Eep!”

A cruel smile crawled across her wrinkly face, oozing with sadistic glee. Even the most seasoned spy couldn’t stop his face from twitching. He knew in his gut that the old hag was seriously dangerous.

◇◇◇

A group of refugees approached the village, but my map function immediately let me know that they were just wolves in sheep’s clothing. They showed up as a cluster of red dots.

Enemies.

I used the map’s customization function to create a tunnel directly beneath them and dropped them straight into a jail cell with an open ceiling. As soon as they fell, I sealed the opening, then relocated the cell closer to the village.

It didn’t take long for Granny to drag the truth out of them.

“So they really were Lord Raoul’s agents,” Myria said coldly afterward.

“Are you sure it’s okay to do this?” I asked hesitantly.

“‘Okay’?! According to the intel Granny wrung out of them, one was given orders to assassinate you, Lord Luke!”

“Exactly! They didn’t come here to play nice!” Seren snapped.

Well, I couldn’t argue with that.

It’s not like I’d been trying to pick a fight with Raoul, but I couldn’t turn a blind eye after this.

Chapter Seven: Five Thousand Soldiers

A merchant caravan in search of new opportunities stared in disbelief at the imposing walls stretching out across the barren wasteland.

“Th-That’s the place everyone’s been talking about?”

“I can’t believe there’s actually a town out here in the middle of nowhere...”

“I hear there’s barely any regulations here, and they don’t have those greedy merchant guild monopolies either.”

“They even rent out storefronts for free! It’s practically heaven for guys like us trying to make a living!”

“You lucked out, newbie. You have no idea how many times we’ve taken losses because the old guard wanted to hoard all the profits.”

“R-Really?” he replied. He was a young man named Rane, about seventeen or eighteen years old. He’d joined the merchant caravan a few days ago, hence his nickname “newbie,” and the more experienced members of the caravan were training him.

Before long, they arrived at a grand gatehouse. Most towns charged a toll to enter, but not this one. That policy encouraged free movement in and out of the city, boosting the economy.

Just seeing the place firsthand was enough to tell you it was a magnificent city, and that its mayor wasn’t some fool. The merchants all chatted excitedly, but Rane couldn’t join in. His face was full of tension.

“State your business in the village,” a guard said.

They’d come to a checkpoint. While they didn’t charge for entry, they still screened newcomers to ensure no one suspicious slipped through. Of course, this caravan had come for honest trade. The merchants had nothing to hide—except for Rane.

I-It’s fine... I’ll be fine. I’m just a regular rookie merchant now. There’s no way they’ll suspect anything.

But the truth was that he served House Arvale.

Lord Raoul had dispatched countless parties to investigate the city in the wasteland, and each one had vanished without a trace the moment it entered the area. None had returned to the capital.

So Rane’s father had crafted a plan to send Rane, disguised as a novice merchant, with a caravan bound for the wasteland city. He’d work incognito and investigate the situation from the inside.

The only problem was that he’d had zero experience as a spy.

Naturally, he’d protested, saying, “But I’ve never done anything like this before. There’s no way.”

But his father hadn’t backed down. “That’s exactly why no one will suspect you,” he’d said. “You’re going to do this.”

As the third son, Rane was unlikely to inherit anything. He’d figured his father didn’t care if something happened to him. Since they were the lowest of the low among the vassals, this whole thing was clearly a desperate gamble to gain favor with House Arvale.

Despite knowing all that, he’d had no choice but to obey.

Luckily, the plan had worked so far. He’d blended in perfectly, and no one doubted his cover as a novice merchant.

B-But the other spies posed as immigrants, didn’t they? Yet they still got caught... N-No, they must’ve made a mistake and blown their cover. Yeah, that’s it... I’ll just do my job, like a real merchant. I’ll focus on that first and take the investigation slow. Really slow...

“Hey, kid. You all right? You look a little pale,” the guard said suddenly.

“O-Oh! I’m fine! I’m just tired from the long journey, that’s all!” Rane blurted, caught so off guard that he threw out the first excuse that’d come to mind.

Oops, did that sound suspicious?

“I see... Well, we’ve got a public bathhouse here in town. One soak in there, and you’ll feel like a new man,” the guard said.

“Thank you very much.”

Looks like I’m safe.

The merchant caravan was allowed through the checkpoint, much to Rane’s relief.

I should be in the clear once we’re in the city. Still, what kind of place is this? Two layers of massive walls in a town way out in the middle of nowhere?

After passing through farmland, they arrived at the second gate. Beyond that was a bustling city. It was truly hard to believe a place like this was in the barren wastelands.

As the party was taking it all in, a young boy approached them with a friendly smile. He went over to Rane and said, “It’s nice to meet you. Are you a merchant?”

“Um, can I help you with something? I’m the youngest member of the caravan, so you should probably talk to one of the older merchants...” Rane replied, suspicious. Why was the boy talking to him, of all people?

Then the boy smiled. “I’m Luke Arvale, the mayor here.”

The merchants all gasped. But no one was more shocked than Rane, given the top secret nature of his mission.

This is Lord Luke?!

Although Rane was a vassal of House Arvale, he’d only seen Luke a handful of times, and always at a distance. So, he didn’t think there was any way Luke could’ve recognized him.

“Sorry, but I need to talk to you about something,” Luke said.

What could it possibly be?!

Cold sweat trickled down Rane’s back as he thought about the other scouting parties that had never returned. Rumor had it that they’d been captured and taken somewhere to endure a punishment worse than death.

Nooo, I don’t wanna die!

“Is there something wrong, sir?” Santo stepped in anxiously. He had been quite kind to the newbie since he joined. “I’m Santo, the leader of this caravan. This kid’s one of my recruits.”

Please vouch for me. Please say I’m not suspicious, Rane silently prayed.

“If you need compensation for losing a man, I’d be happy to offer.” Lord Luke held out a bag of money. “Will this work?”

“Go ahead and take him with you!” Santo said eagerly.

He sold me out?!

And just like that, several rough-looking men took Rane from the rest of the merchants. They boxed him in from all sides, so escape wasn’t an option.

It’s all over...

The group brought him to a house, where Luke gestured for him to sit in a chair while the guards surrounded him.

“You’re Rane, aren’t you?”

How does he know my name?!

He didn’t understand how anyone could remember the third son of a lowly vassal house, let alone the son of the marquess. The fact that Luke had not only recognized him but also remembered his name filled Rane with dread.

“Do you have anything you’d like to tell me?” Luke asked gently.

All sorts of emotions swirled inside Rane’s chest.

Would telling the truth be the smarter move here? he wondered, but ultimately shook his head. He couldn’t just spill everything at the first sign of trouble. After all, his father and the entire family’s future were riding on his shoulders.

Just then, an old woman stepped forward.

“Heh heh... It’s fine if you don’t want to talk. I prefer it that way, because it’s a lot more fun for me...”

“Eeeep! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”

Knowing some gut feelings shouldn’t be ignored, Rane crumbled immediately and told them everything. Nothing he said was new information, of course, because they’d already captured several other spies.

“I see,” Luke said, his tone surprisingly casual. “Well, that answers all our questions.”

“What’s going to happen to me now?” Rane asked anxiously.

“Well, we can’t just let you go.”

Yep, this is it. He’s going to force me into hard labor, work me until I’m sick or injured, and then I’m gonna drop dead. Or maybe that old hag will use me for some kind of human experiment? She definitely had a look in her eye like she does that kind of thing for fun!

Three huge, mean-looking guards escorted Rane to a strange, boxy building. There was no way he could escape, and honestly, the suspense of what they were about to do to him filled Rane with a dread worse than anything that had happened so far.

“Here’s where you’ll be living from now on,” a guard said. “Ask the others inside any questions you have.”

“Y-Yes, sir...”

Apparently, the previous scouting parties had also been brought here.

“And don’t try to run. The guards will catch you before you take two steps. Besides, you won’t even be thinking about escaping before too long.”

Is it that bad? They’ll break my spirit until even the idea of escape seems pointless?

Rane trembled as he stepped through the door. Inside, however, he was surprised to see a clean and well-kept foyer.

A cheerful, rotund man greeted him with a huge grin. “Oh, are you the new guy? It’s a bit unusual to see someone show up alone.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Hans. I came here to scout the city just like you, and got caught.”

“What?!” Rane was so shocked he thought he’d misheard.

“That’s right. They got me under soft detention now.”

“Are you stuck doing hard labor every day?”

“Ha ha! Sure, I work, but I wouldn’t call it hard labor. We do eight-hour shifts with two days off a week, and they give us three meals a day,” Hans said with a chuckle.

“But what about the old lady’s human experiments?”

“Human what? I don’t know about any of that. Sure, that creepy old bat’s into torture, but she doesn’t go that far as long as you give her the info she wants. Anyway, they even gave me a room with a soft bed and a bathroom. I’m living better here than I ever did back at the capital!” Hans said.

It didn’t seem like he was lying. Plus, he obviously wouldn’t have looked this healthy if he’d been tortured, starved, or worked to death. His complexion looked normal, and he was clearly well-fed.

“Lord Luke’s a good guy. Normally, people like us would be treated like garbage, but he let us live here instead. Hell, he even asked about our families and the people we left behind in the capital. Can you believe that? I mean, I came prepared to assassinate the guy if I got the chance, but he’s leagues better than Lord Raoul!”

“Wait, what?”

“Face it, the marquess and Lord Raoul see us as nothing more than pawns. That’s how most nobles are, but Lord Luke’s special. Even if I were ordered to return to the capital now, I’d refuse. There’s no way. Sheesh, I wish Lord Luke would defeat Lord Raoul already.”

The string of treasonous statements left Rane speechless, yet a part of him felt oddly relieved. Had he been holding in the same kind of dissatisfaction without even realizing it?

Is this place...actually paradise?

Rane began enjoying life in the village in a matter of days.

◇◇◇

About three months had passed since Raoul returned to the capital, fresh off an overwhelming victory over House Schneiger. In that time, he’d sent several teams to investigate the supposed city in the wastelands—but none of them had returned.

The governor of the North had refused to answer Raoul’s summons, so eventually he ordered his men to resort to more forceful methods. They tracked down merchants who’d been to the city and forced them to cough up whatever intel they had. Gradually, they started piecing together a picture of the situation.

The report from the governor’s subordinate had been true after all.

They told him that after Luke’s exile, he had built a functioning city from the ground up in the wasteland. Not only that, but in less than two years, it had grown to a population of nearly ten thousand.

“How the hell are you still alive, Luke?! And you just keep getting in my way!” Raoul roared, glaring at the northern horizon. “Mobilize the army.”

“Wh-What?! Wait, my lord! This is your own brother you’re talking about! This is an important time for House Arvale right now, and internal conflict could—” one of his vassals said, trying to settle him down.

“Silence!” Raoul snarled. “That bastard has been secretly mustering troops in the wasteland, planning to rise against our house! We can’t allow that to happen!”

With that hasty assumption, Raoul ordered his vassals to prepare for war.

“Assemble five thousand troops!” he went on. “I’ll lead them myself!”

“F-Five thousand?!” several of his vassals cried out.

Currently, more than half of the Arvale military was stationed in the newly conquered Schneiger territory. The war had only just ended, so it was a terrible time to mobilize soldiers.

“B-But my lord, the city’s entire population is barely ten thousand. A thousand troops should be more than enough to—”

“Silence. Muster the troops now or I’ll kill you myself!”

“Y-Yes, my lord!”

Two weeks later, Raoul managed to scrape together five thousand troops, thanks to his vassals working themselves to the bone. He personally led the army out of the capital.

Their first destination was Liesen, the city where the governor of the North was installed. It was on the way to the wasteland, which made it a perfect location to resupply and rest.

“By filing a fraudulent report, Governor Dant has sided with the traitor Luke! He is a criminal and must be brought to me for punishment immediately!” Raoul declared. He then ordered his troops to storm the city.

Raoul was fully prepared to encounter resistance, but the sheer size of his army must’ve terrified the citizens, who’d left the gates wide open.

But as soon as the troops burst into the governor’s estate, they realized something was off.

“This place is totally empty.”

“Yeah, there’s nobody here...”

The governor had apparently caught wind of the approaching army and fled the city with his entire family.

“I bet he’s taken refuge in the wasteland city.”

“Hmph. He should’ve surrendered. His punishment would’ve been lighter.”

Sure, he wouldn’t have avoided execution, but at least the method would’ve been relatively painless, and only the governor would’ve had to pay the price. But now that he’d fled with his whole family, any semblance of mercy was off the table.

“I will make sure entire generations of his family regret him siding with that bastard,” Raoul said.

◇◇◇

One day, Governor Dant arrived in the village with a large group of people at his back.

“What happened?” I asked.

“It’s terrible, Lord Luke. The thing we feared has finally come to pass,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“Lord Raoul has left the capital with a host of five thousand soldiers. He intends to destroy the village—to destroy you.”

“Raoul’s coming all the way out here with five thousand troops?”

I knew he hated me, but why would muster that many to deal with a single village? I wondered if he had an ulterior motive, but it didn’t seem so, according to the reports. His soldiers were heading straight for us.

“How did he even manage to gather that much manpower?” I wondered. “The war just ended, and I’m sure his people weren’t thrilled about it, especially if he didn’t have a justification for war.”

“He’s been spreading a lie that you’re raising a military force in secret to rebel against House Arvale,” Dant said.

“I see.”

If the reports were accurate, the troops would reach us in about five days.

“That’s why my clan and I left Liesen and came here,” Dant said.

“But isn’t that more dangerous for you if Raoul’s on his way here?” I asked.

“Maybe, but he planned to arrest me while passing Liesen. I’ll face whatever comes as long as I can be of help to you, Lord Luke.”

Dant informed me that he’d brought his private troops with him too.

“We might not be much compared to the warriors of this village, but we’ll fight bravely alongside you!” Bazara declared, thumping his chest proudly.

He sounds kind of desperate, if I’m being honest...

“Raoul’s coming with five thousand soldiers?!” shouted Sirius, Seren’s younger brother. “W-We have to surrender! There’s no way we can win!”

He’d inexplicably decided to move to the village after showing up recently.

What’ll happen to his family?

“With only a few hundred troops under his command, Lord Raoul took down one of House Schneiger’s largest cities. If he has five thousand soldiers, this village won’t last half a day!” Sirius said.

“You should go home, Sirius,” Seren said.

“What?!” he gasped, shocked at her bluntness.

“Raoul will never let Luke go, even if we did surrender. Since we have no intention of letting anything happen to him, we’re going to fight, whether we like it or not,” she said.

Sirius blinked at her.

“There’s no reason for you to get caught up in this too. Pack your things and leave now.”

“I can’t just run off and leave you behind! And besides...” His gaze shifted toward Philia.

Philia tipped her head to the side. “Is there something on my face?”

“N-No, nothing at all!” Sirius flushed as he shook his head.

Hm, I had a feeling about those two. Is that why he’s so determined to stay here?

Da-da-daaan! Congratulations! Your village’s population has surpassed 10,000 villagers, and your Village Level has increased to Level 8!

You have received a Level-Up Bonus of 100,000 Village Points.

New facilities are available for construction!

Village boundary has expanded.

You have gained the skill “Villager Boost.”

Dant’s group had officially pushed us over the ten thousand mark. With a full-blown battle with Raoul looming over us, hitting a big level-up couldn’t have come at a better time.

◇◇◇

After leaving Liesen, Raoul and his army made camp just outside the wasteland. The sun had already begun to set. Campfires crackled as the troops settled in for the night. They planned to launch their attack the next day.

“I have a report, my lord! Scouts have confirmed the presence of a walled city. The fortifications are over five meters tall, and considerably thick as well!”

“The bastard’s Gift was Village-Making, wasn’t it? That doesn’t sound like a village!” Raoul snapped, the irritation clear in his voice. “Tch, no matter. Five thousand troops are more than enough to crush it. We launched a successful siege just the other day, after all.”

Raoul had successfully taken down a fortified city in Schneiger during his last campaign. Even if Luke’s city had comparable walls, Raoul had a hard time believing its defenders could be nearly as trained or disciplined as House Schneiger’s. It wouldn’t even be a struggle.

“They’re just a bunch of refugees and migrants. I highly doubt they’ve got any real soldiers. Heh. I bet they’re shaking in their boots right now, just hearing the number of our troops!”

But not even one of his vassals dared to respond. Everyone still questioned if five thousand troops had been necessary, but none had the guts to say it out loud.

Naturally, Raoul had no plans to ask for surrender or to get stuck in a drawn-out siege. His goal was simple: He’d storm the city and drag his traitorous brother out by his neck.

Out of nowhere, a familiar voice rang out of the darkness: “Hey! Long time no see, Raoul.”

For a moment, Raoul wondered if he was imagining things. He was in the middle of his army’s camp, after all, and the very last place that voice could ever be.

And yet...

“It’s been a year and a half since we last saw each other, huh? You’ve gotten taller again. I’m jealous!”

From the darkness emerged none other than Luke, his half brother and sworn enemy.

“L-Luke! What the hell are you doing here?!”

Raoul was surrounded by thousands of soldiers who should’ve caught any intruder long before they’d gotten this close. Yet Luke stood alone, perfectly calm, as if he’d just strolled in through the front gate. The nearby vassals were so shocked they couldn’t even move.

“I came to talk,” he said.

“Talk?!”

“That’s right. You’re planning to attack my village with your five thousand soldiers, right?”

“Oh, I get it. You came to surrender, hoping to spare your village—or should I say, your city?” Raoul tried to ignore the elephant in the room, which was how Luke had gotten here undetected, and chose to assume what he thought was his most logical motive.

“Nope.”

“What?”

“I came to ask you to stop wasting everyone’s time. You’re spreading rumors that I’m building an army and planning to rebel against you, and that’s why you raised those troops. But I’m not interested in any of that.”

“Huh?!”

“I don’t want to inherit House Arvale. I like my life out here in the village.”

Luke’s flat-out denial made a few soldiers let out a noise that sounded a lot like exasperation. They were starting to understand that this war was completely unjustified.

“Be quiet!” Raoul shouted. “Do you really think I’m gonna fall for that? You’re just trying to lull me into a false sense of security so you can avoid a fight! Every man craves power!”

“I’m telling the truth, though.” Luke scratched his head, looking genuinely troubled. He certainly didn’t behave like a guy who’d walked straight into enemy territory.

“So you don’t want to talk it out, then? Well, I didn’t have high hopes anyway. I guess I should get out of here before things get ugly.”

Finally, the soldiers realized there was an intruder in their midst. They hesitated, unsure what to do while their commander was still in mid-conversation, but then they began to surround him.

Luke turned to leave, but the soldiers had blocked every path by then.

And then, right before everyone’s eyes, Luke vanished.

“What the?!”

The soldiers rushed forward, shouting and looking for him, but Luke hadn’t even left a footprint behind.

“H-He’s gone?”

“But how the hell did he do that?!”

“Find him! He couldn’t have gone far!” Raoul ordered.

But no matter how long his men scoured the camp, they found no trace of Luke’s presence.

◇◇◇

I ran down the stairs to the underground tunnel and immediately deleted the entire staircase behind me, preventing anyone from following.

Seren, waiting for me in the tunnel, looked angry.

“You idiot!” she yelled with her arms crossed. “What kind of moron strolls into enemy territory alone?!”

“I’m sorry! I thought that if I went alone, they’d be more willing to talk. You’re a noble from the Bazlata house, so it would’ve only caused more trouble if you’d come along.”

I’d built the underground tunnel to get close enough to talk to Raoul. I’d planned to do it alone, but Seren had caught up to me halfway there and insisted on coming.

Having been able to create the tunnel meant this entire area had already been absorbed into the village’s territory. Worst-case scenario, I’d figured I could fight with golems or escape easily. But Seren came along anyway, because she knew it was still dangerous.

“Well? How’d it go?”

“I blew it. I talked to him, but he didn’t listen to a word I said.”

“Figured.”

At this point, there was no choice but to face Raoul’s army head-on.

“They’ve got five thousand soldiers. That’s way more of a threat than the orc horde that attacked us before.”

“I know. But I think we can manage,” I said.

“Do you have a plan?”

“I wouldn’t call it a plan, but I do have a few aces up my sleeve.”

Chapter Eight: The Maze Walls

The villagers were already starting to panic.

“Did you hear? They say there’s an army preparing to attack us!”

“Yeah. Five thousand troops.”

“There’s no way we can survive an attack by five thousand troops! Should we flee?”

“That’s not even the worst of it. Raoul is their commander. You know, the one with the Sword Mastery Gift? I heard he’s just as powerful as the marquess now.”

“Are you serious? This is the end, isn’t it? I really liked this village too...”

“Where would we even go? There’s no way we can return to our old homes and still make a living there.”

“And we’ve got a newborn baby at home...”

Even though there were ten thousand residents now, the prospect of fending off five thousand soldiers seemed grim—especially since most residents had zero combat experience.

Just then, a deafening roar echoed across the land.

Rrrruuummmbbblleeeee...

“What was that?! An earthquake?!”

“Don’t tell me the enemy’s already here!”

“N-No, look over there!”

“What the—?!”

Dant and his people, who had fled from Liesen, were also growing anxious.

“Are you sure this was the right decision, my lord? If the village falls, you and your entire family could be...” Bazara trailed off nervously.

“We’re prepared. But most importantly, I believe in Lord Luke and this village.”

“Lord Dant...”

“I don’t believe for a second that Lord Luke would succumb to something like this. He’s always surpassed our expectations. That’s just who he is. I truly believe he’ll overcome this.”

Rrrruuummmbbblleeeee...

“What was that?!”

The quaking had nearly knocked them off their feet.

“What’s going on?!”

“Look over there, Lord Dant!”

◇◇◇

Raoul’s army had resumed its advance into the wasteland.

“I still can’t believe there’s really a city worth bringing five thousand troops out here for. The farther we go, the more desolate it looks.”

“Ugh, seriously. We just got back from a war, and now we have to go through it all over again? Let’s crush ’em quickly and get home already.”

Suffice it to say, morale among the soldiers wasn’t exactly sky-high. The abruptness of the original call to arms and the realization that this was some internal power struggle left most feeling uninvested in the fight. It was hard to blame them for their lack of motivation. After all, their lives wouldn’t change much, no matter who won.

However, a rumor had begun spreading that was stirring the troops.

“Hey, did you hear that Lord Luke walked right into the middle of camp last night?”

“Are you serious? Did he come to surrender or something? Why are we still marching?”

“Nah, I heard he just came to talk to Lord Raoul, and then he vanished into thin air!”

“Yeah, right. I’m sure somebody was just seeing things.”

Allowing your enemy to walk right up to the general’s camp undetected—and then letting him leave—right before the climactic battle would’ve been a major embarrassment, which was exactly why the incident had been covered up.

Nevertheless, gossip spread like wildfire through the army.

“Maybe he used some kind of advanced magic?”

“If that’s true, maybe this fight’s gonna be a lot more of a pain than we thought.”

“Didn’t Lord Luke build this town from scratch in just a year? What if he’s an actual threat?”

The unease rippled through the troops, while the officers barked orders to keep them focused, to no avail.

“Ugh, what a bunch of useless cowards,” Raoul said, clicking his tongue in irritation.

He hadn’t really thought it would take this many soldiers to win, but he wanted to show his brother the sheer difference in their power now. He looked forward to grinding that smug face of his into the dirt and scaring the daylights out of him.

What was that stunt last night, though? He just showed up out of nowhere and then disappeared without a trace. I thought he’d be begging me for mercy, but it looked like he couldn’t care less about five thousand soldiers knocking on his door.

Raoul clenched his fists so hard his nails drew blood.

“Luke, I’m gonna make you forget the meaning of the word ‘hope.’ First, I’ll crush the idiots who sided with you, one by one. I can already see them sobbing and groveling at my feet...” he muttered.

While he savored that image, he heard a commotion toward the front lines.

“L-Lord Raoul! We’ve got trouble!” one of his men shouted breathlessly as he sprinted over.

“What is it now?”

“Something’s in the wasteland, my lord!”

Whatever it was, it had startled the man. Raoul gave up trying to get a straight answer and urged his horse forward.

Then he saw it.

“Huh?!”

◇◇◇

“Phew, all done. Not bad, if I do say so myself,” I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead. As I looked out over the wasteland from the top of a watchtower, I released a satisfied sigh.

I’d gained access to a bunch of new construction options with that last level-up.

New facilities are available for construction!

Bridge (30)

Fortress Wall (100)

Library (300)

Hotel (400)

Palace (500)

Fortress Wall was basically a high-tier upgrade of the old stone walls.

Fortress Wall

>>A powerful defensive structure designed to protect castles and cities. Boosts defenders’ morale and weakens attackers’ morale. Custom shapes are available.

It was still made of stone, but it was much sturdier and larger. One unit was ten meters tall and five meters thick, with a walkway on top surrounded by jagged battlements that shielded defenders from ranged attacks. There was zero risk of falling off unless someone wanted to. All that for one hundred points was a huge deal, so I knew I had to put it to good use. So I used them to build a massive maze to protect the village.

Honestly, it turned out to be kind of a pain.

“Sheesh, building a maze is harder than I thought,” I said after I was done. “But we should be more than ready to handle five thousand troops now, though, right?”

When I turned around, I saw everyone standing there, speechless.

“Huh?” I wondered.

Seren looked completely exasperated. “‘More than ready’? This is straight up cheating.”

“You think so?”

“You’re not just trying to hold them off, you’re trying to break their will completely. If I were their commander, there’s no way I’d want to attack a city like this. I mean, couldn’t we just prevent them from reaching the village altogether?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Nah, that’d be a bit too unfair. I mean, it’s a maze—they can still reach their destination.”

She stared at me in disbelief. “Why are you trying to fight fair at a time like this?”

“Ha ha ha... Am I dreaming right now? Someone pinch me,” Sirius said with a nervous laugh. He looked like he was having an existential crisis.

Just a bit ago, he’d been ranting nonstop about having seen Raoul’s strength firsthand, and how Raoul had already mastered his Gift and could turn the tide of a battle with a swing of his sword.

“I don’t care how many Gifted fighters this village has; nobody can stand against him!” Sirius had insisted.

Yet here he was, looking at my maze in utter shock.

“This isn’t a dream, Sirius. I can pinch you, if you’d like,” Philia said.

“Y-Yes, please... Pinch me.”

“There. How’s that? It hurts, right?”

“Mmm, I want to stay in this dream forever... It’s wonderful...”

Well, at least Sirius was happy now. Good for him.

“I’d expect nothing less from Lord Luke! Incredibly, he built something like this in such a short time!” Myria said, absolutely ecstatic.

When Raoul’s army finally arrived at the edge of the wasteland, the soldiers looked visibly shaken when they saw the towering walls ahead. I wouldn’t have minded if they just turned around and went home right then, but I knew Raoul wouldn’t allow that to happen.

And sure enough, he proved me right. A moment later, the army entered the maze.

◇◇◇

There were neither guards nor gates at the wall. In fact, there was nothing except for a small gap that served as an entrance of sorts, practically beckoning them to enter.

A veteran commander would’ve taken one look and gotten suspicious, but Raoul was young and riding high off his previous victory.

“Charge! We’ve got five thousand men! Smash through them head-on, no matter what tricks they try!” Raoul commanded, ordering the entire army through the passage.

But they ran into a problem almost immediately. At the end of the passage, they found a set of walls that blocked their path forward. There were small gaps that led into narrow passages, so they had no choice but to keep going.

“Tch! A wall or two won’t stop me!” Raoul said, urging the army forward.

They took the first right and hit a dead end. They tried another path and came to yet another dead end. Then, they went back to the first turn, took a left, and then another left, and finally arrived at a long corridor with new paths in both directions.

“What the hell is going on?!” Raoul shouted. He was starting to lose his composure. He’d anticipated a few barricades meant to slow them down, but this was something else entirely.

And finally, they hit another dead end, and it clicked.

“It’s a maze...” Raoul muttered.

And it wasn’t just any ordinary maze—it was a massive labyrinth. No one could’ve built something like this overnight, so surely it must’ve been an illusion.

Raoul ordered his mages to check, but they found no trace of trickery. They also told him that the spell would’ve needed an impossible amount of power to deceive five thousand people simultaneously.

Don’t tell me the bastard did this with his Gift? If he can pull all this off, it’s going to change warfare altogether... No, there’s no way. His Gift is Village-Making. And a labyrinth isn’t a village!

It was the truth, but Raoul shook his head, refusing to accept it. He remembered hearing about a legendary Earth mage who had summoned an entire fortress overnight.

Yeah, he must have a high-level mage working for him! Still, it would’ve taken a ton of mana. According to the story, that Earth mage couldn’t cast another spell for days afterward...

That meant this might be his best chance to strike.

It would’ve been tough to fight a mage that powerful head-on, but now all he had to do was make it through the maze.

“Marching all five thousand at once is too slow! Split into teams and find the correct path out!” Raoul barked.

They’d waste time if they stuck together, but breaking up into smaller squads could help them find the exit quicker. Then, they could regroup, and Raoul would lead the army to victory. It was a solid plan, but it’d soon end in disaster.

A seasoned vassal of House Arvale led a five-hundred-man squad down one of the paths. He’d been part of dozens of military campaigns, but this one had completely stumped him. They were supposed to be attacking a city in the wasteland, but they hadn’t even seen their target yet.

“Seriously, what is this? A maze made from stone walls? Who are we even fighting here?” he groaned.

After hitting a dead end, he started leading his squad back the way they’d come—and that’s when the earth began to shake.

Rrrruuummmbbblleeeee...

“What now?! Was that an earthquake?!”

“S-Sir! The wall!”

When the leader looked where the soldier was pointing, he went pale. One of the massive stone walls forming the maze was moving.

If it continued, it’d seal off their only route back!

“Run! Run for your lives!” he shouted, but it was too late.

After a moment, the wall slid shut, cutting off their escape route completely.

“We’re trapped...”

◇◇◇

“Everything is going according to the plan,” I said with a smile, looking out at the maze from the watchtower.

Raoul’s army had done exactly what I expected: They’d split into units to try solving the maze quicker, and each time a squad took a wrong turn, I locked them in by shifting the walls. They’d started with five thousand troops, but now only about a thousand could move freely.

Even if they had stayed together, they would’ve gotten lost so many times that they’d be exhausted before reaching the village anyway. They’d had no good option, really.

“I’m almost starting to feel bad for them,” Seren said with a sympathetic look on her face.

“A maze that you change in real time... That’s cheating...” Sirius muttered in disbelief.

“It’s solvable, though. In fact, the more people I trap, the more paths I eliminate. Over time, it’ll get easier and easier for them to figure out the way out,” I said.

“Seriously, why do you insist on being so fair about this?” Seren said.

“I thought about using underground tunnels to give the maze multiple floors,” I confessed.

“That’s not a maze, though. It’s a dungeon.”

“Yeah, I figured I didn’t have enough time to pull it off.”

“So you would’ve if you’d had more time?”

◇◇◇

“Lord Raoul, we’ve lost contact with another squad!”

“Damn it! What the hell is going on?!” Raoul’s frustration was reaching its limit. Reports continued pouring in, each saying that another unit he’d sent to look for different routes had vanished without a trace.

They’d split into squads of several hundred to stay safe even in the event of an ambush. Those numbers should’ve given the squads enough manpower to fight back, or at the very least to survive long enough to call for backup.

But they’d just disappeared.

“I know this is a ridiculous thing to say, b-b-but...”

“Spit it out already!” Raoul shouted.

“W-Well, some of the soldiers are reporting...that the walls are moving, my lord.”

“What?!”

Rrrruuummmbbblleeeee...

As if on cue, the earth quaked beneath them. Raoul’s warhorse snorted beneath him and stamped its hooves nervously.

Come to think of it, he’d heard this same rumbling multiple times now. They just hadn’t figured out what was causing it.

“Is that the sound they were talking about?” Raoul asked.

“Possibly...”

A chill ran down Raoul’s spine. If the maze’s walls could move, they might never reach the goal.

“N-No, don’t be stupid!” Raoul snarled. “There’s no way something that big could move!”

Suddenly, he lashed out and kicked the messenger in the stomach.

“Argh!”

They were down to about a thousand men. Everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally. They’d just come off a multicity siege campaign and now had to navigate this seemingly endless maze.

But they couldn’t rest. Not here. And Raoul would never give the order to retreat.

Even if their morale was in shambles, they had no choice but to push forward.

Only after their army dwindled to five hundred did someone finally shout, “A gate! There’s the gate!”

“Look! I can see buildings over there!”

“That’s the city, then, right?”

For some reason, the gate was wide open. About three hundred armed defenders were waiting in the open space beyond it.

Raoul immediately recognized the face of the person standing in front.

“Luke!” he called out. “We meet at last!”

Of course, this whole setup seemed odd.

Instead of holing up behind their proper fortress, with real walls and a gatehouse, they’d sallied out to meet Raoul’s army with this tiny force? Even though Raoul’s army now numbered fewer than five hundred, it was nothing less than suicide. But at this point, he was too angry to think clearly. He didn’t care if it was a trap or not. He was going to crush them all.

“Charge!”

He snapped his riding crop and charged ahead of his men, leading the assault himself.

And then, once they were a mere two hundred meters away from the enemy, the ground disappeared.

Raoul had no idea what had happened. One minute, he was galloping full speed across flat terrain; the next, both he and his horse were submerged in water.

“Bwuh! A moat?!”

It must’ve been camouflaged to look like normal ground.

He whirled around with wide eyes and realized the moat was over a hundred meters wide and encompassed the patch of ground they’d just been running across. That could only mean one thing: The moat definitely hadn’t been there before.

The rest of Raoul’s five hundred soldiers were now splashing into the moat one after the other, as if to confirm his theory.

Thankfully, the water wasn’t that deep. Raoul abandoned his floundering horse and began to swim forward. The rest of the soldiers followed suit, kicking through the water after him.

“Luke, you bastard! How dare you!”

Right after Raoul shouted that, the water vanished.

“What the—?!”

With nothing below them, the soldiers fell and slammed hard into the bare ground. Raoul instinctively broke his fall, but most of the others landed so hard that they couldn’t stand up afterward.

“What the hell is happening?”

“I’m done. I can’t take any more.”

“What kind of monster are we fighting?!”

The next attack came immediately, giving the groaning soldiers no time to despair. Forty archers lined up at the edge of the moat above them and drew their bows. They were elegant and graceful, arranged in a perfect row like something out of a painting.

“Elves?!”

“Why are there elves here?!”

“Forget that! They’re firing! Get down!”

The arrows whizzed toward them. The soldiers were too exhausted and battered to react properly, and the first volley took out over thirty of them.

The second came before anyone could recover.

“Move! Break through! Just force your way out!!!” Raoul shouted from the vanguard, deflecting arrows with his sword as he charged ahead.

Roughly four hundred troops had made it this far, but by the time they scrambled out of the dry moat, that number had dropped below three hundred.

That made them even with the enemy forces.

But the survivors were Raoul’s elite, battle-hardened men who’d fought alongside him in the last war.

“Tch! We’ve still got enough to wipe them out and kill every last one of—”

Roooooooooooaaaaaaar!!!

An earth-shattering roar interrupted Raoul, and then a massive, scaly creature barreled into their ranks like a battering ram from behind.

“A dragon?!”

◇◇◇

Raoul’s army had finally made it through the maze and reached the village, but we’d whittled down his force to a tenth of its original size. Even though they still outnumbered us, a clash now would’ve left both sides wrecked, so I figured I should lay a few more traps.

First, I lured them into the village and dropped a hidden moat beneath their feet, just like I had with the bandits.

“That sudden drop is terrifying, you know...” one ex-bandit said as he watched.

“I still have dreams about it to this day. And every time I wake up in a puddle of sweat...” another replied.

Both went pale just remembering it.

Raoul’s troops fell straight into the moat. I’d given them no chance to evade or see it coming.

Last time, Seren had frozen the water, but that wasn’t practical for this many people and this much water. So instead, I let them swim a bit and then, at the right moment, deleted all of the water. They all slammed into the bottom of the empty moat.

The bandits continued muttering back and forth.

“They’re going to be traumatized...”

“They’ll have flashbacks every time they try to cross a river after this...”

I was starting to feel a little guilty, like I was bullying them or something.

They had attacked us! I thought, trying to justify it.

“Philia!” I called out. “Now, while they’re stunned!”

“Got it!”

The elven archers stepped forward and loosed a volley in perfect unison.

“Move! Break through! Just force your way out!!!” Raoul shouted, swatting down the arrows with his sword. He even deflected Philia’s, which just went to show how powerful Raoul’s Sword Mastery Gift was.

There were three hundred enemy troops left. They looked exhausted, but Raoul still had enough people behind him to believe they could win.

“Tch! We’ve still got enough to wipe them out and kill every last one of—”

Rooooooooooaaaaaaaar!!!

Unfortunately for him, he’d have to deal with the tree dragon first.

Chapter Nine: Clash

The farmland surrounding the village was now filled with armed villagers gathering in preparation for the battle. There were about three hundred in total: the village’s main fighting force, the elite hunting party; the guards, which consisted of reformed bandits; a handful of villagers with military experience; a few adventurers who’d made the village their base of operations; and a few ordinary villagers. Well, they would’ve been “ordinary” if you didn’t consider their recently acquired combat-type Gifts.

Still, most of them hadn’t ever experienced real combat and could probably count on one hand the number of times they’d even held a weapon. They trembled near the rear, desperately hoping this would pass without a battle as they murmured among themselves.

“Are we really gonna make it? I mean, we’re up against actual trained soldiers!”

“I-I doubt they’ll make it past the maze of walls, but still...”

“But what if we do have to fight? Ugh, my stomach’s acting up again...”

Unfortunately, their hopes were soon shattered.

“They’re here?!”

“Wait, they actually made it through the maze?!”

There were reportedly five thousand soldiers among the enemy forces, and although that number had been whittled to fewer than five hundred, they still outnumbered the villagers. Worse, the majority were cavalry.

“Chaaaarge!” the enemy commander shouted.

“What?!”

The boy leading the attack sent a wave of fear through our ranks.

Even the least experienced one in the group could tell he was on another level. He was a monster, plain and simple, and they could feel the intensity of his fighting spirit, rage, and bloodlust emanating from him. It was so intimidating that their legs started trembling.

“Th-That’s gotta be him! Lord Raoul, the one with the Sword Mastery Gift!”

“N-No way! There’s no way we can beat him! How the hell are we supposed to fight that thing?!”

The enemy soldiers charged forward, spurred on by their leader’s war cry, and regained their momentum with terrifying speed.

A few villagers finally broke and started running in the other direction, but then the enemy suddenly vanished.

“Huh?!”

The villagers realized the enemies had fallen into a giant moat. Baffled, the villagers wondered if the moat had always been there. They stood there dumbfounded as the elven archers opened fire.

The enemy soldiers were forced to abandon their horses and started struggling to get out of the water, but their numbers had dropped significantly.

But it was still an even match. Relieved, the villagers scrambled to ready their weapons.

“H-Here they come! For real this time!”

“Guess we’ve got no choice but to fight!”

Roooooooooar!!!

“Now what?!”

“Wait, is that a dragon?!”

A massive dragon let out an earthshaking roar as it plowed through the enemy soldiers so forcefully that it sent even the most heavily armored men flying through the air.

The villagers stared in disbelief and started murmuring among themselves.

“Do we even need to fight at this point?”

Meanwhile, Raoul’s eyes widened as the enormous creature barreled through his troops.

“A-A dragon?!” he said.

But when he looked closer, he realized no scales were covering the dragon’s body. Its hide looked more like bark, with leaves and branches sprouting all over. It was a plant-type monster mimicking a dragon.

A tree dragon.

Still, it was huge. Its trunk alone had to have been over ten meters wide, and it was easily over fifty meters in length. It was every bit as imposing as the real, fire-breathing thing, and it had just slammed right into the flank of Raoul’s army.

“Arrghhhh!”

His soldiers flew through the air like scraps of paper. Not even the seasoned veterans knew what to do against a rampaging tree dragon.

Raoul skidded to a halt, his eyes locked on the chaos unfolding behind him. “What the hell is happening?!”

They were surrounded by towering walls. How in the world had a tree dragon gotten here? It should’ve been impossible!

“Don’t tell me they have a Gifted monster tamer among them?! Tch! Fine, that makes it easier on us, then! Troops, ignore the dragon and charge their base!”

He figured it would be faster to take down whoever was controlling the monster than to deal with the dragon itself.

The tree dragon was still rampaging through the rear line, but Raoul and about a hundred of his vanguard soldiers made it through untouched. And those weren’t just any soldiers—they were his elite force. They hadn’t lost their nerve even after everything that’d happened.

“Raaaaaah!”

They slammed into the villagers like a crashing wave. A single villager stepped in front of Raoul, raising a massive shield. Although tall and well-built, he was clearly still a kid, around the same age as Raoul.

“Get out of my way! I’ll cut you down and that oversized shield too, with one swing of my sword!”

Sick of being humiliated, Raoul was desperate to turn the tide in their favor. He trembled with rage as he prepared to launch his most powerful strike.

But then, at the same time, the boy rushed forward with his shield raised.

Raoul gasped, not expecting his sudden move. He reacted faster than most would have, but not fast enough. The boy’s shield surged forward before Raoul could initiate his swing.

“Shield Bash!” the villager cried out, sending Raoul flying.

“Arghh!” Raoul shouted.

“Lord Raoul?!” his entourage cried out, coming to a dead stop. They were stunned that their commander had been launched clean off his feet and flung back into their lines.

He was no ordinary leader. Raoul had the Sword Mastery Gift, and his strength on the battlefield was legendary. He alone had buoyed his elite troops’ morale through this unprecedented conflict. If it hadn’t been for him, their resolve would’ve broken long ago.

And now a single enemy soldier had just walloped their commander off his feet. They began to panic.

Raoul slowly picked himself up off the ground, struggling to understand what had just happened. “N-No way! How could that’ve happened to me?!” he groaned.

Then, as if waiting for that exact moment, Luke, the enemy commander, gave his order.

“Everyone ready? Chaaaarge!”

“Raaaaah!”

The villagers surged forward with a thunderous battle cry, slamming into their stunned enemies.

“F-Fight back! Push them back!” Raoul shouted desperately, but it was too late. The two forces had already clashed. The enemy had three hundred, and his forces were down to barely a hundred. Still, his ranks consisted solely of veterans and warriors with real combat experience, most of whom had combat-type Gifts. Even if they’d been caught off guard, surely they’d never fall to a hastily put-together militia of immigrants and misfits.

Or so he thought.

“Argh...” one soldier yelled.

“Nooo!” another one bellowed.

“Wh-What the hell?! They’re too strong! Nngh!”

Raoul’s army was getting crushed, and it wasn’t just because of the villagers’ numerical superiority. Raoul’s soldiers were getting overwhelmed even in one-on-one duels.

“You’re fighting me on equal footing, and I have a Gift! Who the hell are you people?! Are you master warriors who have been hiding in the wilderness this whole time or something?!”

“Nah, we’re just regular villagers.”

“But there’s no way some backwater hicks can be this strong!”

Even Raoul’s Gifted soldiers were struggling to hold their ground, which shocked the villagers.

“Wait a second... These guys are pretty weak!”

It wasn’t just the ones with combat experience who held their own; everyone did, even the villagers who’d never fought before. Some even managed to take down seasoned, combat-Gifted enemy soldiers.

“Maybe we are stronger!”

“Yeah! We can totally do this!”

“Hell yeah! We got this, guys!”

Even the villagers who’d been seconds away from a full-on rout had completely shaken off their fear. Was it because of their Gifts?

Whatever the case, the villagers practically buzzed with excitement as they cut down enemy after enemy. The dwarven weapons and gear had given them a huge advantage, but that wasn’t all.

Their mayor, Luke, had activated a new skill called Villager Boost.

◇◇◇

I unlocked Villager Boost after the level-up I gained when we surpassed ten thousand people. To put it simply, it temporarily boosted the stats of all villagers, and the duration changed depending on the multiplier used.

For example, at 2x strength, the effect only lasted five minutes. But I could stretch it to about ten minutes if I reduced the multiplier to 1.5x.

The drawback was that there was a one-hour cooldown before someone could receive the enhancement after the effects wore off. However, there was no limit on how many villagers I could boost at once, so I could power up all three hundred villagers at once if I needed to.

“Get out of my way! I’ll cut down both you and that ridiculous shield with one swing of my sword!” Raoul shouted, charging.

“No, I will protect our mayor!” Noel roared back.

Villager Boost Noel!

I figured 1.2x would be enough, seeing as Noel already had Shield Mastery.

“Shield Bash!”

“Arghh!”

Noel sent Raoul flying with a tremendous swing of his shield.

The enemy troops froze in shock at the sight of their commander, whom they’d considered invincible given his Sword Mastery Gift, thrown back like a rag doll.

I didn’t waste one moment.

“Everyone ready? Chaaaarge!”

Villager Boost all villagers!

“Raaaaah!” the defenders shouted, bolstered by a 1.5x multiplier, as they charged.

Sure, the enemy soldiers were veterans, but they must’ve been running on fumes by now. Meanwhile, the villagers had a full tank of stamina, were outfitted in powerful dwarven gear, and were now nearly twice as powerful as usual.

Naturally, we steamrolled them.

“There’s no way!” Raoul yelled in disbelief. “What the hell is going on?! A town in the middle of nowhere couldn’t possibly have warriors like this!”

“Raoul, you’ve already lost. Any further fighting would be pointless. Surrender now,” Seren said.

“You! Seren! I knew it! You’re on Luke’s side after all!” Raoul shouted. “Shut up! I haven’t lost yet!”

“You seriously believe that? Look around, Raoul.”

Even as they argued, Raoul’s elite force was falling one by one. It was obvious to anyone watching that Raoul had lost the battle.

“S-So strong...”

“They’re not just ordinary villagers... Argh...”

“Forgive us, Lord Raoul...”

While Raoul’s troops were groaning in pain, barely any of our villagers had even gotten injured. Each time someone had gotten hurt, the elves treated them promptly with healing magic. In the end, Raoul’s army was the only one with casualties.

“Thanks, Treety!” Nerulu called out. She’d gotten the tree dragon to charge through the enemy’s rear lines. “We’re good now! I really appreciate everything you did!”

“♪”

The tree dragon calmly rumbled back toward the fields, satisfied. It had successfully taken out more than half of the soldiers who’d made it past the moat.

Raoul’s army was approaching the verge of total collapse.

“Do you realize how many of your five thousand troops you have left? Anyone with eyes can see the writing on the wall,” Seren said.

“Sh-Shut up! I can’t lose! Not to him!”

Suddenly, Raoul’s body began to glow with a strange light.

“Luke! This fight isn’t over yet! I can still win...as long as I kill you!”

His bloodshot eyes locked onto me, and he charged at incredible speed, his body still glowing.

“His bloodlust is dangerous, Lord Luke! Get out of there!” Philia shouted, firing her bow—but the arrow shattered on impact.

What the hell?! Did his aura destroy the arrow?!

“Mr. Mayor!” Noel stepped in front of me just like before, using his shield in an attempt to knock back Raoul.

“Shield Bash!”

“Like I’d fall for that twice!”

They collided with a loud crash, but this time Raoul didn’t budge. Were they evenly matched this time? No—Raoul was winning?!

I panicked and tried to raise Noel’s multiplier, but it was too late.

“Noel!”

This time, it was Noel who got thrown back.

Raoul was moving a little slower now, but still had enough momentum to keep charging straight toward me. There was no one left to stop him, and I was completely vulnerable.

But that didn’t mean I was done for.

Rrrruuummbbbllleee!

A massive wall appeared out of nowhere in front of me. An instant later, it shook violently with impact. Raoul must’ve slammed into it at full speed from the other side.

Holy crap, that sound was insane!

If I’d taken that hit head-on, I’d be a smear. But not even Raoul could punch through a wall that thick.

I checked the map. He’d stopped halfway through the wall, so he was literally embedded in it.

“D-Damn it... I haven’t lost...yet...”

Uh-oh, he’s moving again.

Unfortunately, Raoul still hadn’t given up. How the hell was he able to keep going? I didn’t know, but I wasn’t planning on letting him win either.

Rrrruuummbbbllleee!

I activated Facility Customization on the wall I’d just built and transformed it into a giant golem.

“Huh?!”

The massive humanoid golem materialized right in front of him, and Raoul just stood there, stunned. The glowing light surrounding him already started to fade, and his movements became sluggish.

“Sorry, Raoul, but you’ve lost.”

The golem raised its fist and swung. Raoul blocked it with his sword, but it didn’t matter—the force of the blow threw him at least ten meters backward. He tumbled across the ground until he came to a stop. He was battered, several bones seemed broken, and he was barely breathing.

“N-No, I can’t lose... Not to you...”

He tried desperately to get back up on his feet, reaching a trembling hand toward me, but that was the end of it.

He fell unconscious before he could say another word.

Chapter Ten: After the Battle

This village had become something special to us adventurers. It had good food and clean beds, along with a dungeon right in the center where we could earn a living every day.

But more importantly, they’d given us a Blessing and we received Gifts. Thanks to that, we were way stronger than when we arrived.

That’s why we’d decided to fight.

At this point, we could probably take on a hundred regular soldiers solo without even breaking a sweat. But in no time at all, the enemy had been captured, and the battle was now over.

“Huh. That was actually kind of anticlimactic. When I heard there were five thousand enemy troops, I seriously thought we were screwed.”

I nodded along.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Hazena said with a sigh.

By the way, we didn’t just win; we crushed them. Not a single member of our party had so much as a scratch on them.

“Less than five hundred of ’em even made it this far! But what was with that maze of walls? It was just there when I woke up this morning...”

“I knew Mayor Luke was talented, but...”

We’d seriously underestimated him. He was a damn monster.

◇◇◇

“Ha ha ha... I can’t believe I was even a little worried.”

I’d watched the entire battle unfold from atop the watchtower in the center of the village. My guards, including Bazara, had been sent to the battlefield, leaving only a few to keep watch, including myself and Lord Luke’s maid, Myria.

Lord Luke hadn’t even flinched when he saw Lord Raoul and his five thousand troops.

I’ll admit that I’d panicked a bit when they somehow made it through the labyrinth of walls despite losing most of their army, but in the end, those worries had been for naught.

“That giant tree in the fields was actually a tree dragon?!”

It had suddenly charged at the enemy army like a predator lying in wait. I couldn’t believe Lord Luke had been keeping that monster in his back pocket. The two armies had eventually clashed, but even then, our side had completely overwhelmed them.

We barely had any injuries. Bazara had gone into the battle prepared to die if he must, but he’d managed to knock an enemy soldier unconscious.

I needed to thank him properly later.

But the most important thing was that my family and everyone who’d come with me from Liesen were saved. Even my wife, who’d protested my decision, would have to forgive me. If I hadn’t done this, I think she might’ve killed me herself before Lord Raoul got his hands on me.

I’d lose my title as governor of the North, but I didn’t care about that anymore. I was going to live here with my family from now on.

I couldn’t wait to see how this village would evolve. And if I could, I wanted to use my experience as governor to help it thrive.

◇◇◇

“This is just crazy,” Sirius muttered under his breath. He was relieved the battle was over, of course, but he was mostly overcome with sheer disbelief. Seren had told him to go home, but he’d chosen to stay.

He’d been ready to step in and fight Raoul himself if it had come to it, but it didn’t. He’d stayed up in the watchtower the whole time. There was something strange about it, though. Even though they were so high up, he could make out the tiniest details—like the grooves in the rocks scattered across the ground—of the distant terrain. It was like his eyesight had been boosted several times over.

Thanks to that, he could clearly see Philia’s face, stoic and fierce, as she stood with her bow in hand on the battlefield. He’d had to force his gaze away, reminding himself that it wasn’t the time to stare at her.

Just then, his enhanced vision caught something moving across the wilderness in the distance. “Hm? What’s that?” he wondered.

Then he realized it was a group of people, all of them armed.

Are they reinforcements?

Sirius suddenly froze when he recognized the man leading the newcomers.

“F-Father?!”

◇◇◇

“Hurry! Move faster!” Sedes Bazlata bellowed as he urged his men forward.

About five hundred soldiers—most infantry—followed behind, struggling to keep pace with their frantic lord. They were headed to the wilderness to the north of Arvale.

“Damn it! The battle’s already begun by now! We have to get there before the city falls!”

Bazlata had urgently mobilized his troops after receiving word that Lord Raoul, heir to the March of Arvale, was leading five thousand soldiers toward the frontier city where both of his children resided.

One of his vassals silently readied himself as he galloped alongside Bazlata.

I’ve never seen Lord Sedes this panicked, but who could blame him? the vassal thought. If things go badly, he could lose both his children. There’s no doubt we’re undermanned. And there are five thousand of them... Still, we’ll put our lives on the line and fight until the end!

“If Raoul discovers my children have sided with Lord Luke, House Bazlata will be finished!” Sedes shouted, unaware of the thoughts running through his vassal’s head. “We must reinforce Raoul’s army before the city falls! If we make it in time, we might just scrape by and avoid total disgrace!”

Wait, what?!

The vassal had assumed Sedes intended to side with his children, even if it meant defying Arvale, but it seemed like he’d gotten it backward.

He’s abandoning his kids to save his reputation? N-No, wait, maybe this is just part of his plan. Maybe he’ll side with Raoul so he can beg for his children’s lives later? Yes, that must be it. Surely Lord Sedes has thought this through. It’s a brilliant move to protect both his family and his domain. Yes, that must be it!

They pushed themselves to their limits and finally arrived at the wilderness, but what they saw nearly left them speechless.

“What the hell is that?!”

A massive wall stretched across the horizon, carving through the forest. Even the capital city didn’t have walls that big. How could fortifications like this exist in a place like this?

“Lord Luke’s city is inside those walls?”

There was no sign of Raoul’s army, and Sedes wondered if they had already broken through.

One of his men pointed. “Lord Sedes! Over there!”

There was an opening in one of the walls, but no gatehouse or guards. Anyone could’ve seemingly walked in and out freely.

“So what’s the point of all these walls, then?” Sedes muttered in confusion.

Just then, a rider approached them at a gallop.

“Father!” they called.

“Sirius?!” Sedes wondered what the hell his son was doing right in the middle of a battlefield. “No... The battle’s already over? Damn it, we were too late. But why are you out here, Sirius? Ah, I see. You must’ve seen how the battle was going and switched to Lord Raoul’s side!”

“No, father. Lord Luke won the battle. Seren’s safe too.”

Sedes’s eyes widened. “Wh-What?!” he said, utterly shocked.

Lord Luke won?! But how?!

“Did you come all this way to help us, father?”

“Huh?”

“You came for me and Seren, even though it would put your own territory at risk, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yes, of course! I decided to help you! That’s why I’m here!”

“Father!” Tears filled Sirius’s eyes. “You came for us, even after we left without your permission!”

Sedes, on the other hand, was sweating bullets.

I can’t admit that I planned to sacrifice my children and side with Lord Raoul. But this is all their fault! They betrayed me first! Wait, hang on. If Lord Luke has won, they were right, which makes me the fool. Well...I’ll just pretend I believed in them from the start! Yeah, that’s it!

◇◇◇

“Berlitt, I’ll let you take care of the rest,” Luke said.

“Got it!” I called back, watching him return to the village, dragging the unconscious enemy commander behind him. I was surprised to hear that he was Luke’s brother. This whole battle had basically been part of a war of succession.

I hadn’t known the details, but my heart had nearly stopped when we first heard that five thousand troops were marching toward the village. Then, that crazy wall maze had popped up overnight, so I thought maybe we’d be fine after all.

Seriously, our mayor was something else.

The battle was already over. The enemy soldiers had thrown down their weapons and surrendered some time ago now. It wasn’t surprising considering how battered they were, and now their commander was unconscious.

“All right! Let’s begin treating the wounded! Let me know if anyone’s seriously wounded and we’ll move you to the front of the queue!” I called out to the enemy soldiers.

“W-Wait, you’re treating us too?” one soldier stammered.

“Of course! That’s what the mayor wants!”

Honestly, the enemy soldiers were the only ones who got injured. The elves had tended to our wounded during the battle, so nobody on our side was actually hurt.

“Whoa, an elf... I’ve never seen one before...”

“We’ll make introductions later,” one of the elven healers replied. “First, allow me to take care of your wounds!”

The medical team, mostly composed of elves, moved efficiently from one soldier to the next, treating them with ease. Their healing magic was so effective that you barely had the time to admire their grace before they were off to the next patient.

Meanwhile, the enemy soldiers started whispering among themselves.

“They beat five thousand soldiers like it was nothing, and now they’re showing us mercy?”

“That guy built a whole city out in the wilderness with a snap of his fingers...”

“I’m starting to think Lord Luke should be the heir instead...”

Hah! So now you finally understand how incredible our mayor is!

Unfortunately for them, he had no interest in becoming a lord, although he was a hundred times more qualified than that other sword-swinging brute. I knew he’d make an incredible marquess.

Even if he’s not planning on it, maybe one day it’ll happen?

“All right, looks like the treatment’s done! Follow me, everyone!” I called out.

“Huh?”

The soldiers tipped their heads in confusion but followed me away from the battlefield and toward the village.

Eventually, we stopped in a residential part of the village with several brand-new apartment complexes. They were still vacant, as Mayor Luke had built them earlier that day specifically to house the exhausted enemy soldiers.

They weren’t temporary shelters either; there was enough space to comfortably house all five thousand troops.

“Wh-What are these buildings? They’re huge...”

Each structure stood five stories tall, higher than the outer walls, and more than thirty were lined up in perfect rows. Just the sight of them left the soldiers dumbstruck.

“It looks like a castle wall... No, even bigger!”

Luke had probably built them with the village’s long-term growth in mind, but no one could believe he went so far for the enemy. The man’s generosity knew no limits.

“I’m sure you’re all exhausted. You can rest here tonight,” I explained as calmly as I could, but deep down I was giddy.

They’ll never want to leave once they see how comfortable these apartments are! Heh heh heh...

◇◇◇

The soldiers entered the mysterious building, completely dumbfounded.

“Look at this! Running water! Whoa, you can get hot water anytime you want!”

“Wait, so it was true? You can take baths whenever you want?”

“There are even kitchens and toilets in every unit!”

“This bed is so soft and warm... Mmm, so comfy... Zzz...”

“Hey, don’t fall asleep yet! They’ve got food ready for us! You’ll miss it if you go to sleep now!”

It didn’t even take one night. They were already hooked.

◇◇◇

“When are we finally gonna get out of here?” the knight groaned, still stuck inside a section of the walled maze with his men.

He was one of House Arvale’s vassals and had taken part in a war against the Schneiger family not long ago.

He’d seen Raoul’s power firsthand and assumed this battle would be a breeze, so he couldn’t believe how things had turned out.

A while ago, they’d heard a monstrous roar in the distance and froze, thinking they were about to be attacked by something from the Forsaken Zones. But since then, there’d been nothing but silence.

Eventually, boredom had gotten the better of them, and they sat on the ground with nothing to do.

“Can you hear me?” a voice said, echoing from—well, nowhere at all.

The knight looked around.

“Huh?”

“I’m not actually nearby. I’m speaking directly to you telepathically.”

Telepathically?

He wondered if it was magic or a Gift. He had to be on high alert if the enemy had someone capable of this.

“The battle is over, and your commander has been captured. The main force has already surrendered.”

“Wh-What did you say? You’re lying! There’s no way Lord Raoul could have lost!” the knight shouted, shocked.

The other soldiers around him began murmuring in confusion.

Thinking it was a trap, he snapped back, “I see what this is! You’re trying to shake our resolve! Well, it won’t work!”

“Shake your resolve? You’re trapped behind a wall with no way out. Why would we go out of our way to play mind games?”

“Ugh...” he groaned. It made too much sense; he had no comeback.

“If you want to get out, follow my orders.”

“What orders?”

“First, everyone must remove their weapons and gather them in a pile. It’s ultimately your choice, but if you don’t, you’ll starve sooner or later.”

“Tch...”

The soldiers had begun speaking more openly after the knight shouted Raoul’s name, but now they sounded hopeless.

“Wait, so Lord Raoul has really lost?”

“Is the battle over?”

“Will they let us out now?”

Morale was at rock bottom at this point. There was nothing the knight could say to rally them. He had no other option.

“Fine. We surrender.”

As soon as he said that, the soldiers dropped their weapons without hesitation. Honestly, they’d never had their hearts in this conflict, and now they’d been cut off from the main force and sealed inside this bizarre structure. No one was foolish enough to resist under those circumstances.

Rrrrruuuummmbbbllleee...

“The w-walls!”

“We can finally get out of here!”

The massive wall that had trapped them began to move, and at last, the enclosed space opened up. That mysterious voice led them through the winding maze and, eventually, a town came into view.

“What... What is that? What are those buildings? You’re telling me someone built an entire city in the middle of nowhere in under a year?!” the knight said. It was so far beyond anything he’d imagined. He felt dizzy just looking at it.

“Wait, where is the main force? And the other units?” he wondered.

“Don’t worry. Head straight down this path and you’ll meet up with them.”

“A-All right.”

He warily followed the directions until he came across his fellow soldiers sitting around grills, happily stuffing their faces. It was a full-on barbecue.

“This meat’s freakin’ amazing!”

“Try the pork! It’s incredible!”

“It’s not just the meat! The vegetables are unbelievable!”

“What the hell is all this?!” he asked.

He realized his mouth was watering and then finally smelled the rich, smoky smell wafting through the air.

“It’s exactly what it looks like: a barbecue. And yes, there’s plenty for you and your men. Help yourselves.”

“What...” he murmured.

Just then, a few familiar faces called out to him.

“Hey, Sir Pell! You made it!”

“Better eat fast or all the good stuff will be gone!”

“S-Sir Shell? Sir Biden?!” he shouted. He couldn’t believe his eyes. His old comrades who’d been commanding the other units had already surrendered!

“Wh-What’s going on here?”

“What do you mean? This is all thanks to Lord Luke! Nom, nom... Once he heard we’d marched all this way without a decent meal, he treated us to this feast! Nom, nom...”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full! Pick one or the other! Gulp...”

“You’re one to talk, Sir Pell! You’re literally drooling!”

There hadn’t been time to prepare proper rations during their forced march, so every last soldier was starving.

“You’d better give your men permission to eat, Sir Pell. The longer you wait, the more they’ll resent you!”

He turned around and froze.

His subordinates glared at him intensely. But no matter how hungry they were, none dared to touch the grilled meat without orders from their commander.

If he waited any longer, he might have a mutiny on his hands.

“A-All right! Permission to eat granted!” he shouted in a panic.

“Yeeaaaaah!”

Chapter Eleven: Brothers

Even though they were both sons of Marquess Arvale, Raoul, the son of his father’s mistress, was always treated completely differently from Luke, the legitimate heir.

Luke’s birthday parties were extravagant, with lavish feasts and expensive gifts. All of the territory’s most powerful people attended to toast his brilliant future.

Raoul’s, on the other hand, were always quiet and low-key. At best, they might’ve thrown in a small cake to accompany the usual meal. He didn’t receive even a tenth of the presents Luke did.

“Oh, my poor Raoul. You should’ve been the next head of the family...” his mother always told him.

When the marquess’s wife had trouble conceiving a child, Raoul’s mother—only a maid—was chosen to become Marquess Arvale’s mistress and bear his child. A year later, Raoul was born.

She came from a minor noble family, so she didn’t have a Gift. But once her pregnancy was confirmed, the entire castle celebrated the new heir.

But the joy didn’t last long. Just a few days later, the marquess’s wife discovered she was pregnant, and Luke was born several months later, ending Raoul’s chances of ever succeeding the marquess. To make matters even worse, Luke was declared the older brother, even though Raoul had been born first.

“I’m sorry, Raoul...” his mother often said. “If only I’d been born into a better family or with a Gift... Maybe then, no one would’ve stolen your birthright...”

Raoul always fell silent when his mother said something like that. He didn’t know what to say.

But that was why he worked so hard. Each morning, he got up with the servants at the crack of dawn to practice his swordsmanship alone. He wasn’t given a teacher like Luke, so he just swung his sword, day in and day out, with determination.

He truly believed that if he became strong enough, his father or the other adults in the castle would recognize him, and then he could reclaim his place as the rightful heir.

Even as a young boy, he stubbornly clung to that conviction.

And eventually, all his effort paid off. Even with Luke receiving guidance from a personal instructor, one day, Raoul beat him easily in a sparring match. Thrilled, he ran off to tell his father.

But his father didn’t even look at him. To make matters worse, he completely dismissed Raoul’s efforts as pointless.

“It doesn’t matter how strong you become if you do not receive the Sword Mastery Gift,” he said. “And once Luke receives the Blessing, the difference in strength between you two will reverse immediately.”

Raoul’s young heart filled with fury and jealousy toward Luke. “Why?!” he yelled. “Why is it always him? Everything’s all his fault!”

Maybe his resentment even reached the gods, because everything changed when they turned twelve, the day of the Blessing ceremony.

The day the priest said, “Lord Luke Arvale, your Gift is... Village-Making.”

Instead of inheriting the Sword Mastery Gift, Luke got something that sounded like a total dud.

Then the unthinkable happened.

“Lord Raoul Arvale, your Gift is... O-Oh, my! Sword Mastery!”

No one had ever expected Raoul to receive the Sword Mastery Gift instead of Luke.

Marquess Arvale had always favored Luke, but at that moment, he ran over to Raoul and smiled in a way Luke had never seen before. Raoul’s mother sobbed with joy.

After that day, everyone’s attitude toward Raoul changed completely.

His mother had been kept in the shadows, but she suddenly rose to prominence as the mother of the next heir. Eventually, Raoul succeeded in driving Luke out and began rapidly mastering his new Gift. He took part in a crucial battle that decided the fate of Arvale on his very first campaign and won an overwhelming victory.

That performance earned the full trust of the marquess, and he was handed over control of the territory.

And people stopped questioning whether Raoul was the next head of House Arvale.

Then Raoul heard the rumors that Luke, who had been banished to the wasteland, had built an unbelievable city in a matter of months.

“Double walls stronger than those in the royal capital? A population nearing ten thousand, and a dungeon too? Ridiculous!”

Raoul refused to believe it. But bit by bit, reports started piling up until it seemed like it could actually be real.

“Luke, how dare you try to get in my way again!”

He’d finally reclaimed the title that had been ripped away from him at birth, but now it was in danger of slipping through his fingers again. That fear drove Raoul to make a decision. He gathered five thousand troops and marched out to destroy Luke.

But what awaited him was a string of nightmares. First, they ran into a labyrinth of massive walls that claimed one soldier after another. Then a moat appeared out of nowhere. After that, a tree dragon attacked them.

And once they made it through all that, a band of refugee soldiers awaited them—yet a single boy managed to knock Raoul off his feet.

Desperate, he unleashed his hidden power to try to take Luke down, only to be blocked by a wall that appeared out of thin air. Then, unbelievably, the wall transformed into a massive golem before his eyes.

He built those walls in an instant! It’s not Earth magic... Don’t tell me this is all from that damn Village-Making Gift?!

If Luke’s father ever discovered that the supposedly useless Village-Making came with such power, and that Raoul had challenged him and lost, Luke might reclaim his place as heir.

“N-No, I can’t lose...not to you...”

Even getting smashed under the golem’s fist, Raoul didn’t lose the will to fight. But he was quickly losing consciousness, and soon everything grew dark.

“I won’t lose to youuu!” he screamed as he jolted awake.

“Huh? It was a dream?” He let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it had just been a long, terrible nightmare. As if he’d really get crushed despite leading five thousand troops. There was no way that could’ve been anything but a dream. The first indication should’ve been the ridiculous labyrinth that popped up in the middle of the wilderness.

He was probably still camped out there, waiting to begin the march. But as Raoul looked around, he realized he wasn’t in his tent at all.

Instead, he saw stone walls, iron bars, and a lone bed in the corner, where he was lying.

“A jail cell?”

He was startled by a sudden familiar, cheerful voice.

“Morning, Raoul. How are you feeling?”

Raoul looked over at the bars. “Luke!” he said through gritted teeth. He glared at his brother, who only smiled in response.

“Are you hungry?” Luke asked.

“Are you mocking me?”

“Not at all. The food here in the village is really amazing.” Luke slid a tray through a slot in the bars. It had a meal on it.

“What the hell are you playing at?!”

“Go ahead and eat. Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.”

“You bastard!”

Raoul was about to kick the tray over in a rage when a rich, savory aroma wafted past his nostrils. He instinctively looked down at the tray and saw a thick cut of steak, its quality so obvious that Raoul knew it would be delicious even at a glance. It sizzled on a hot iron plate.

Gulp...

Growl...

His throat and stomach made noises simultaneously, his pride and hunger battling internally.

Then Luke twisted the knife even deeper.

“It’s minotaur meat we got from our dungeon.”

“Minotaur?! A dungeon, out here in this wilderness?!”

“Yep. I can explain all that later. But you should really eat.”

Raoul had only ever tasted minotaur meat once, at the banquet after the Blessing ceremony. He’d never forgotten the flavor. Just thinking about it made his mouth water uncontrollably.

It wasn’t like he had much choice in the matter. They’d taken all his gear and locked him up in jail. He’d only get weaker if he didn’t eat. He tried to rationalize his decision by thinking it would be smarter to take advantage of his enemy’s foolish generosity, but his body had already betrayed him.

He reached for the meat.

The second he bit into it, flavor exploded in his mouth, the juices of the meat overflowing. “What the hell?! This is amazing!”

He’d had minotaur meat before, but this was on an entirely different level. After the first bite, he couldn’t contain himself. Hunger took over, and before he knew it, he’d eaten the whole steak without leaving a single morsel. All that was left now were the side vegetables.

He’d never been the biggest fan of vegetables, but he took a bite anyway, hoping to distract himself from the fact that the meat was gone...and then he froze.

“Huh? It’s actually good!”

Even the carrots were as sweet as fruit, and he usually hated carrots. He devoured them at once. And before he knew it, the plate was clean.

“Want seconds?” Luke asked.

“Yes! More!” he blurted, forgetting who he was talking to—and that he was begging for another plate from the guy he hated the most.

He finally started to calm down after stuffing himself silly, but by then, he could no longer deny reality.

“I lost...didn’t I...” he muttered.

It hadn’t been a dream. That whole crazy battle had actually happened. He must’ve passed out and ended up in this cell.

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Luke tipped his head to the side like he didn’t understand.

“What?” Raoul blinked in confusion.

“You really saved us back there! If it weren’t for you, we never would’ve taken down that tree dragon. You passed out after one hit, but I guess it took you off guard!”

“Wh-What the hell are you talking about?” Raoul asked, baffled.

“Didn’t a tree dragon show up from the Forsaken Zone? You led your troops to help us fend it off, right? Did you hit your head or something?”

“Huh?”

That’s when it hit Raoul. Luke was trying to spin the whole incident. Did he seriously intend to pin everything on a monster attack and let it slide?

“You bastard! How far are you gonna go to make me look like a joke?!”

“I’m not trying to make fun of you. We both got something out of this, didn’t we?”

“What?”

“I told you already. I have no interest in inheriting House Arvale. I just want to live quietly here in this village. That’s enough for me.”

Luke said it firmly, his gaze clear and unshakable, and Raoul realized he was serious.

“Just go back to the capital and act like nothing happened. And don’t tell father a thing. You can remain the heir of House Arvale, and I’ll continue being mayor of this little wilderness village. It’s a win-win, don’t you think?”

It was an incredibly merciful deal, considering Luke had just crushed Raoul’s army of five thousand.

But his pride wouldn’t let him agree.

“You built all this out of nowhere in just one damn year! Forget House Arvale—you could conquer the entire kingdom if you wanted to! Even the world! And you’re seriously telling me you’re fine staying out here?!”

“Pretty much.”

“Tch... What the hell is wrong with you?” Raoul clicked his tongue and sighed in disbelief.

They were brothers, but their values were so different. Raoul couldn’t understand Luke at all. And honestly, all the years he had spent resenting him were starting to feel like a complete waste.

While Raoul stood there, running out of steam, Luke must have picked up on his resignation. He suddenly slid the doors to his cell open.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Raoul asked.

“Huh? Didn’t we just make a deal?”

“Tch.”

Raoul scowled as he stepped out of his cell. He didn’t have his sword, but he could probably kill Luke with his bare hands if he wanted to. But for some reason, the will to do it just wasn’t there anymore.

Luke stood there, totally unguarded, like he knew exactly how he felt.

“You’re looking better than I thought you’d be. I’m glad.”

“I just passed out for a little bit.”

“You were unconscious for three days, Raoul,” Luke said.

“Three days?! I was out that long?!”

“Yep. We patched you up pretty quickly, but you wouldn’t wake up.”

Well, that explained the hunger. And if it really had been three days, his army had probably disbanded by now. Most of the soldiers were heading home now, with only the top brass choosing to stay behind.

“And your whole army is here. All five thousand of them.”

“What?”

The city bustled with energy as people walked between the dozens of shops lining the streets, chatting among themselves.

Raoul couldn’t believe his eyes. “He built all this in a year?” he murmured.

When Luke was banished to the wastelands, this place had been nothing but a barren desert. But now there was a city of over ten thousand people. He couldn’t have imagined it in his wildest dreams.

Delicious smells and the sound of vendors hawking truly unbelievable menus filled the air.

“Get your minotaur skewers here. Fresh from the dungeon!”

“Steaming hot pork buns made from Forsaken Zone orc meat!”

“Wait, what? You sell minotaur and orc meat here as street food?” Raoul asked, dumbfounded.

“Yep. It’s totally normal.”

The memory of the flavor from earlier came rushing back, and Raoul instinctively took a step toward the food stalls before forcing himself to stop.

Luke led him toward a cluster of buildings so large they nearly took his breath away.

“What the hell is that?”

“They’re called apartments. They’re like big housing complexes. I’m keeping your army in them for now.”

“What do you mean, you’re keeping them? My army’s made up of five thousand soldiers. They’re not some lost kittens you found or something!”

◇◇◇

“Are you sure you don’t want to stick around a little longer?” one of Raoul’s soldiers asked.

Only one day had passed since Raoul regained consciousness. He was already preparing to march back to the capital with all five thousand of his men, fully assembled and ready to go.

“Shut up,” Raoul snapped. “If we stay here any longer, the troops will go soft.”

That was unnecessarily harsh.

“I mean, I thought we treated you guys pretty well,” I said.

Honestly, we’d gone out of our way to welcome them. The soldiers had lived in comfort...maybe too much comfort.

(“Man, I wish we could’ve stayed longer...”)

(“Yeah, I don’t wanna leave either. It’s like vacation’s over.”)

(“I’m gonna miss the booze here...”)

Hmm, come to think of it, the soldiers looked pretty depressed. Just yesterday, they’d been bursting with energy.

“That’s not what I meant, damn it. Tch! Now I get why people are flocking to this city,” Raoul muttered bitterly, then turned to his men. “We’re heading back to the capital. Move out!”

The army began to march slowly.

“Wait, where did the labyrinth of walls go?!”

“Oh, that? It was in the way, so I deleted it,” I said.

“D-Deleted it?” Raoul looked like he wanted to say something else, but I just waved and watched him go.

“Come visit again anytime!” I called.

“Yeah, right! Like hell I’m ever coming back to this place again!” Raoul shouted angrily.

His yelling that he’d never come back hopefully meant he wouldn’t attack us again, so I took that as a win.

“They’re gone,” I said.

Myria appeared beside me as I watched Raoul’s army recede into the distance.

“Wonderful work, Lord Luke.”

“Thanks, Myria.”

“To think you managed to appease Lord Raoul! I’d expect nothing less from you, my lord!”

“I didn’t really, though...”

If someone were capable of that, we’d have world peace by now.

“Our interests just happened to align, that’s all.”

Still, that meant our village was finally safe.

“Lord Luke!” A man I vaguely remembered came running over.

“Huh? Wait, aren’t you...” I couldn’t place him until I saw Seren and Sirius trailing behind him. “Earl Bazlata?”

It was the head of House Bazlata, and Seren and Sirius’s father. I instinctively tensed up.

“Thank you so much for taking care of my daughter and son!”

Wait, what?

“But most importantly, I’m amazed! To think you built a city like this in such a short time! It’s truly remarkable, Lord Luke! I was shocked when I heard you had gone off to reclaim the wilderness, but clearly the marquess must’ve believed in your potential all along!”

Hm, I thought he just came to get his kids back, but that doesn’t seem to be the vibe here...

“You’re switching sides after Luke won? I know you came here itching to support Raoul!” Seren snorted with exasperation.

“That’s not true, Seren! Father brought troops to support us!”

“Y-Yes, of course! It’s just as Sirius says!”

Riiight...

“Anyway, Lord Luke, please continue looking after my children! I’ll be taking my leave now!”

Apparently, he was in a rush to get back. He said he’d left his territory in a hurry, so he couldn’t stay long.

“Why don’t you rest in the village for a bit before you leave?” I suggested.

“Don’t you dare let him do that!” Seren and Sirius said in unison.

“Well, the least he can do is have a meal...” I began.

“Nope, not that either!”

I didn’t understand why they were being so adamant about it. Maybe they didn’t have a good relationship in that family.

“We’re all doomed if he says he doesn’t want to go home...” Seren muttered.

“We can’t have our lord abandoning our territory, after all!” Sirius said.

“Huh?”

I didn’t totally understand why they were so worked up, but at the very least, I guessed it meant that Earl Bazlata approved of their move to the village.

Awesome!

After their father left, I headed to the now vacant apartments where Raoul’s army had been staying. The place was eerily silent now that all five thousand soldiers were gone.

Well, not all five thousand.

“I know someone’s hiding in there,” I said.

“Ack!”

“It’s okay, I’m not mad. Come on out.”

A nervous young man peeked his head out of a closet. He was one of Raoul’s soldiers.

“Everyone else left, you know,” I said.

“Y-Yes, I know, but...”

“But?”

“This village is way too amazing! I don’t wanna leeeaaaavee!”

Wait, that’s why?

I thought the tough military life had just worn him down, but it turned out that he wasn’t the only one who’d deserted. There were about thirty total hiding across the buildings.

Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been tough to find thirty people spread throughout such a massive structure, but I tracked them down in no time thanks to the map function.

Still, how did they forget thirty of their men? Maybe nobody had done a head count in their rush to go home.

“Please let us stay here!”

“We’re begging you!”

They bowed deeply to me, practically sobbing.

I asked them for details, and they told me they were all part-time conscripts, which meant they were just civilians who only got called up in emergencies. If that was the case, I doubted this would turn into some diplomatic mess. They would’ve just been dismissed when they got back anyway.

“It’s fine with me. But make sure you talk to your families and your local authorities first, okay? You can bring them here too, if you want,” I offered.

“Thank you so much!”

I sent the men off for now, but they weren’t the only ones who wanted to stay.

“Huh? You aren’t going back to Liesen, Dant?”

“No, I’d like to remain here, if you’ll allow it, Lord Luke,” he said.

Apparently, Dant and his people wanted to settle here too.

“Of course it’s fine with me. But are you sure?”

“A new governor will be dispatched soon anyway. It’s unlikely my family will be allowed to continue managing the North after everything that’s happened.”

He had a point. He’d openly defied Raoul. It wouldn’t be an easy road even if he were allowed to remain in charge.

“All right, then. I look forward to working with you.”

“Th-Thank you!” (“Thank goodness! My wife enjoys life in this village, so if I told her we had to go back to the city after this, she’d have my head!”)

For some reason, Dant got teary-eyed, but I just assumed he really felt sad about leaving his post as governor.

Epilogue

“Lord Edel! We have news! The city of Menere has fallen, and the rebel leader Lynel Schneiger has reportedly taken his own life!”

Edel Arvale, father of both Luke and Raoul, nodded almost imperceptibly to his subordinate. “I see. So Schneiger is ours at last.”

Even after defeat, the surviving forces had resisted until the bitter end.

But now that their stronghold had fallen, no one dared stand against Arvale. Originally, the kingdom had five major powers locked in constant struggle: the rising forces in the northeast and southeast, Houses Arvale and Schneiger; the old guard of House Cayon in the northwest and House Talistar in the southwest; and the royal family in the center.

Now with Schneiger under his control, Arvale had crushed one of the five. Cayon and Talistar no longer posed a threat. Even the royal family couldn’t touch him.

A few days later, a royal envoy arrived with a decree from the king.

“Lord Edel Arvale. By His Majesty’s orders, you are to be granted the title of duke. You are hereby summoned to the royal palace to receive your title,” the envoy said with all the haughtiness one would’ve expected from a royal envoy.

“No,” Edel replied, dismissing him with no further explanation.

“Pardon me?” The envoy blinked, looking stunned. He’d clearly been expecting Edel to be overjoyed. “B-But this is the highest honor in the kingdom! Are you truly rejecting it?!”

Only the old noble houses of Cayon and Talistar held ducal titles. If the upstart Arvale family were added to that list, it would’ve been a historic moment.

“What use is a title?” Edel said coldly. “The royal family’s already lost all authority and has been taken over by corrupt court nobles. What power could a crown like that possibly hold?”

“Wha—”

Accepting the title would’ve officially placed House Arvale under royal authority and sent a clear message to the world, but Edel refused to bend the knee.

“How dare you! Have you no fear of the king?!”

“Why would I fear him? Don’t be ridiculous. How long do you plan to entertain the delusion that the royal family rules this kingdom?”

“Th-This is treason! I will not allow you to insult His Majesty any further!” the envoy shouted, his face flushed with anger.

Edel rose to his feet and strode toward him.

The envoy trembled in Edel’s intimidating presence. “Eep!” he squeaked, collapsing to the floor.

“Go back to your useless king and tell him and his sniveling pig nobles that I don’t want his titles!”

The envoy stared at him, wide-eyed.

“I want his throne!”

Edel grabbed the envoy by his hair and officially declared war.

“And if he won’t give it to me, I’ll take it by force and send the whole damn royal court straight to hell!”

Extra Story: The Dungeon Master’s Loneliness

One day, I went into the underground tunnels to visit Ally, the dungeon master who lived on the lowest floor of our dungeon.

“Luke! Oh em gee, did you really come here to hang out with me today?!” Her face lit up, and she twirled through the air in circles, looking excited.

Ally was a fairy who looked like a human girl, but was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. She had sparkly wings that fluttered on her back.

“That’s right. So how are you doing with Dungeon Points?”

“I’m, like, rollin’ in ’em! Raking ’em in, honestly!”

It had been a few days since the dwarves started living inside the dungeon, and apparently Ally’s Dungeon Points, which she used to build and expand the dungeon, were piling up.

It seemed like moving the whole village over the dungeon entrance had been worth the hassle after all.

“I’m thinking of using the points to remodel the dungeon!”

“What kind of stuff can you do, exactly?” I asked.

Ally told me she could create monsters, install traps, and even increase the number of floors.

Naturally, the stronger the monsters or the more complex the traps, the more Dungeon Points they cost.

“You can even grow plants and trees inside the cave or make rivers and stuff!” she said.

“Ohh, so if you design the terrain right and place the right kind of monsters, you could make weak enemies a huge pain for adventurers.”

“Whoa, I never even thought of that! Luke, you might be, like, an actual genius!”

“I mean, it’s not that brilliant of an idea...”

She also said she could modify the biome of an entire floor, turning it into grasslands or desert, instead of just placing a few trees or streams. Unfortunately, that cost a ton of points—way more than we had right now.

“Okay, let’s just save that for later. For now, let’s keep the standard cave layout, but try to expand it to five floors.”

We were currently at two floors, so that would add three more.

“Sounds good to me!”

“Oh, and make sure to gradually scale the monster strength and sprinkle in traps along the way, like I said before,” I reminded her.

“You got it, sensei!”

“Did you just call me ‘sensei’?”

After that, I gave Ally a few more tips about dungeon design, but it wasn’t like I was an expert or anything.

“By the way, how long have you been the dungeon master down here?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve never really kept track, but maybe like fifty years or something?”

“Fifty years? Why’d you become a dungeon master in the first place?”

“Beats me! I just kinda woke up one day, and there I was!” She told me that when she’d opened her eyes, she was in this room, the dungeon core right next to her.

“I’ve never even met another fairy! Well, not just fairies. You and the others are the first living things I’ve met—y’know, besides the monsters I made in the dungeon!” she said.

“Seriously? So you don’t remember anything before waking up here?”

She could hold a normal conversation, so it didn’t seem like she’d just been spontaneously generated or anything.

“I mean, I remember a little! But it’s just, like, bits and pieces!”

“That sounds like memories of a past life.”

“Yeah, maybe!” she said.

That sounded like what’d happened to me. Maybe Ally had been reincarnated too, though probably not from another world like me. Still, maybe if I kept asking her questions, I could find something out.

“Come to think of it, there is one thing I remember really well!” she said.

“Oh yeah? What is it?”

“I was in this super sparkly world, constantly surrounded by all these major hotties who totally fawned over me! Like, every day a different dreamboat would come to see me!”

“Are you sure that wasn’t just a dream?” I asked skeptically. That sounded way too convenient to have been real.

“It wasn’t a dream! That totally happened to me, okay?!”

Well, if she believes it, who am I to argue?

Sadly, it didn’t seem like this would be the clue to her past life I’d hoped for.

“Anyway, Ally. Are you free tonight?”

“Yeah, I’ve got nothing but free time!”

“Right. Well, come up to where the dwarves live tonight, okay?”

“Hm? If you say so!”

That night, Ally flew up to the dwarven section of the tunnels.

“Luke! I’m heeeere!”

And what awaited her was over two hundred villagers, all gathered in her honor.

“Welcome to Luke’s Village!”

“H-Huh?!”

Long tables crowded with food and drinks spanned the entire room.

“What’s all this?!” Ally asked.

“It’s a welcome party,” I said.

“For who?”

“For you, silly!”

“This is my...welcome party?”

“Yeah, every time someone new joins the village, we hold a welcome party. But since you can’t leave the dungeon, we figured we’d throw you one down here instead.”

We’d already held one a while back for the new arrivals, but I’d totally forgotten about Ally at the time. Once I remembered, we quickly threw this one together just for her. We couldn’t bring everyone, of course, because of the limited space, so I’d handpicked the guest list. Everyone I asked had agreed without hesitation.

“B-But I can’t even enter the village...”

“This is in the village now, and you’re part of it too.”

“You mean...somebody like me is allowed to be part of the village?” Ally asked.

“Why would we throw you a party if we didn’t want you here?”

She sniffled.

“Ally?”

“I’m so insanely happy right nowwwwww!”

“Whoa!”

She zoomed around the room at full speed, tears streaming down her face.

“I’ve been sooooo lonely!”

Even though she was tiny, her tears were as big as raindrops.

She’d spent fifty long years alone in the dark depths of the dungeon. She always acted cheerful and bubbly, but I’m sure the loneliness had been tough.

“You’re not alone anymore. We’re here with you now.”

“Waaaaah! You’re too nice!”

“Oh, and just like you requested, I tried to gather the best-looking guys in the village. Are you impressed?” I asked with a grin.

“They’re perfect! I’m in heaveeeennn!”

Just then, a message popped up in my field of vision.

Register Ally as a villager? ▼ Yes / No

Oh, right. I hadn’t officially added her yet. Of course, I picked “Yes.”

And just like that, Ally the fairy and dungeon master became the newest resident of Luke’s Village.

To be continued in volume 3

Afterword

Hi again, everyone! This is Shichio Kuzu.

I was honestly really anxious leading up to this, since this is the very first title from the brand-new SQEX Novels label. But we safely made it to volume 2 thanks to your support. I can’t thank you all enough!

I hope to keep this series going for as long as possible, so please continue supporting me.

Now, just as I mentioned in the afterword of the previous volume, the manga adaptation is finally happening! It’s launching this June on Manga UP!

At the time of this afterword, I’ve already received some incredible draft pages from the artist, J1 Kaido, and the quality is so good I’ve literally been squealing over them, ha ha! I really hope you’re looking forward to it as much as I am!

And now for some more thank-yous.

First, thank you so much to Yasutaka Isegawa-sama, who once again handled the illustrations. The artwork is just beautiful. I especially love how cute Ally turned out this time. She might be my favorite one yet. Please keep drawing for the series going forward! (And let’s hope the books continue selling well...)

And to my editor I-san, and everyone else involved in the production of this novel, thank you so much for your hard work. I’m deeply grateful, and I hope we can continue working together.

Finally, to everyone who picked up this book, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hope we’ll meet again in the next volume. Until then, thank you again!

Shichio Kuzu