CH 43

Here’s the chapter, enjoy~

“This is terrible.”

Whether it was in memory of the ancient mage who created the guardian golem or in pity for the golem that was dismantled by my pickaxe without being able to perform its duties, Isla closed her eyes and sighed as if offering a silent prayer.

The countermeasure I took against the golem was very simple. First, I buried the golem’s head with stone wall blocks from the ceiling to kill the sensor. , I blocked its arms and legs with stone wall blocks and solid concrete blocks to make it immobile and then dismantled its legs and arms with a pickaxe. Once the limbs were removed, the rest was my turn. In less than thirty minutes, the two marble golems were converted into materials.

The core of the golem was embedded in the center of its chest, near its heart. According to Isla, it is made of a material called magic crystal stone, which is made by refining several magic stones, and then further processing it into a material called a magic kinetic stone, which is a powerful source of magic power. I’m going to keep it because I might be able to use it for something.

“Somehow, the way you do things, you don’t have any kind of irritating problems.”

“It’s my way of fighting as a craftsman and survivor to balance out the peaks and valleys.”

A true survivor is one who uses all means to do so safely and securely. Last-minute thrills and such things are nothing but risks.

“Well, the way Kosuke fights is… it’s kind of not like a head-on fight or anything.”

“I think it’s good, though. If you can kill someone without getting hurt, there’s nothing better than that.”

“It’s a lot of work, but the results are worth it. Kosuke’s fighting style is closer to that of a mage or assassin than a warrior.”

Indeed, my fighting style is not that of a warrior. I think Isla’s right; I’m more like a magician. I have to create a situation where I have an overwhelming advantage and hit the enemy one way or another. Being dirty is a compliment to me.

In any case, after controlling our objective, the warding device, we also took control of the entire underground facility and obtained a variety of loot. It seems that this underground facility was the underground structure of the royal castle of the Omit Kingdom, and we found some materials that looked like it among the loot. We also found a few decaying bodies, but judging from what they were wearing, they didn’t look like royalty.

“There’s something like gold in the basement of the royal palace.”

“The problem is that our possession of gold is of no use whatsoever.”

“Indeed. Expensive art is of no use whatsoever. Jeweled ornaments are still good for the elves to use.”

“The majority of the weapons are also decayed. Well, I’m sure Kosuke can repair them or cast them down, though.”

“As for the books, we’ll have to read them to find out. But I doubt that there is anything useful when it’s over 300 years old. I think it’s valuable as a reference.”

When we returned to the surface, Pirna, who had been left alone, greeted us with a big smile. Well, now we have a safe zone and a place to set up a base point.

What do you think is going to happen once the location is secured? The construction of the main base, which is as plain as hell, will begin…

Now, to set up the main base… it’s just a simple repetition of work. I woke up in the morning, retrieved the building blocks I had made while I slept from the improved workbench. Then, I silently build a path. What I’m doing is, in essence, dividing the city.

I had to build a town, a city, from scratch. It should be functional, efficient, and easy to expand. The detailed division of the city will be done with the input of Melty, people with knowledge of urban design, carpenters, plasterers, craftsmen, and former merchants. What I’m doing is just the general, rough part. But that’s all.

“This town is huge. Isn’t it too big?”

“Yeah, it’s big. According to Melty’s plan, the primary plan is to have a capacity of three thousand people, right?”

“Three thousand people?”

I couldn’t help but blink my eyes. Three thousand people are ten times the number of people living in the Elf Village. The first base can accommodate about three hundred people, so this city is ten times larger than the first base…

“By the way, regarding the housing, the plan is to build one building, or rather, a large number of buildings that can accommodate four to five people per family per unit. In other words, instead of the kind of dormitory that can accommodate sixteen people in one room, it will be a house for an ordinary family.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes. I’ve got the blueprints.”

“Oh…”

Looking at the blueprints, each unit is not very large. With two bedrooms, a storage room… no, a food storage room, huh? And each of living room and dining room. It’s a simple house. It seems that they want me to use this structure as a basis.

“The idea was to create a housing complex with several units connected to each other, like the dormitory that Kosuke built at the first base.”

“In other words, apartments.”

This is going to be a pain in the ass. If I use the symmetrical mode, I can make two rooms at a time, but how many of these will I have to make? It’s a bit depressing.

However, I can’t keep complaining. Isla is holed up in the basement, working hard to maintain the warding device, and Qubi, Shumer, and Pirna are doing their best to explore the area. I’ll have to work hard too.

That’s why I worked so hard. I worked very hard. Day after day, I dug the ground, made a path, built a house, dug the ground again, and built a wall. In the midst of all this, the one person who helped me heal was Sylphy. From morning to night, I worked hard crafting building blocks, placing them, and digging in the ground, and every night she would give me a boost.

Sometimes she was kind; sometimes, she was strict.

“Sylphie mama…”

“I’m not your mama.”

I don’t think it’s any wonder that I regressed into a toddler. It’s just digging holes and doing simple tasks day in and day out. Aside from me, Isla, who has finished the maintenance of the warding device, has been helping me with the construction with earth magic and crafting something on the wall that I built. It seemed to be something that would increase resistance to magic. I didn’t understand the theory, but she talked about the magic of the earth’s veins and warding devices.

Qubi, Shumer, and Pirna left the three of us and returned to the rear. They were there as messengers to report progress and to bring men to the front. They said that thanks to the warding against monsters, Gizma would not appear in this area and that they had nothing to do.

“Don’t bring Melty with you, okay? Don’t ever do that, do you hear me?”

“Hahaha… See ya!”

“Hey, answer me!”

The three of them dashed off. I can’t believe it; they’re definitely coming back with Melty. It is definitely clear that there will be additional work.

“Sylphy.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Let’s get out of here, with just you and me.”

“What are you talking about…?”

I was slapped in the head. However, her face was red, and she looked pretty happy. It was cute.

Now that the three of us were left alone, we needed to figure out how to spend the night. I wondered if it would be a good idea to leave Isla alone and have a lovey-dovey time with Sylphy. That’s why I consulted with Sylphy about the matter.

“Kosuke.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you unhappy with me alone…?”

“What are you talking about?”

Sylphy misunderstood me completely. No, that’s not what I meant. Anyway, there will be more people in a week or so, so why don’t Sylphy and Isla sleep together until then? That’s what I meant. It’s scary for a girl to sleep alone in this huge ghost town, isn’t it?

I desperately tried to explain to her. Isla is definitely cute, but that’s not the point. Sylphy is enough for me. Not just that enough, but it’s an honor that’s too much for me, or something like that anyway. Please convey my thoughts to her!

“I-I see…”

My desperate persuasion seemed to have worked, and the misunderstanding seemed to have been cleared up, thank goodness. I’m not sure if it’s because of this persuasion or not, but I feel like Sylphy’s service to me, or rather her level of delicacy, has increased.

“…Mmm.”

On the other hand, for some reason, Isla’s mood became worse. I’m not sure why.

Still, Isla was scared to sleep alone, and she nodded in agreement to the suggestion that she sleeps with Sylphy. As long as there is the warding device, I know that neither Gizma nor undead can appear, but even so, the darkness, loneliness, and silence of the night can strike fear into people’s hearts.

Me? Sure, I’m sleeping in another room, but we’re in the same building. I’m fine. I’ve even got a torch to kill the insects. I don’t know if it’ll work, though.

Another five days pass. There’s no end in sight to my work. In the middle of the day, many people arrived at the planned construction site of the main base. Melty, Danan, Sir Leonard, Lady Zamir, and other major members of the group, as well as about 100 Merinard citizens. There was no presence of Qubi or Shumer.

“Oh, well, this is a big place indeed! It seems that the dividing of the land is almost finished. By the way, here’s a more detailed plan… Kosuke-san? Where are you going? Don’t let him escape! Catch him!”

“Stop! Stooooppp!”

I tried to escape in a dash, but Sir Leonard and Lady Zamir caught me. You guys, aarrgghh!

“I’m sorry, Kosuke-dono.”

“It is the duty of the strong ones.”

“No! I don’t want any trouble!”

“Please don’t say anything rude. I won’t do that.”

Melty smiles and laughed. I thought those horns were sheep, but now I see that you’re a devil-type sub-human, aren’t you? That must be it. I won’t be fooled!

“Kosuke-san, it seems that you are tired from your daily work. Don’t worry; there’s nothing to rush. I promise to work exactly eight hours a day, finish on time, and take two days off a week. See, it doesn’t scare you, does it?”

“Really?”

“It’s true! Have I ever lied to you before?”

Melty stares me in the eyes with a serious face. That’s right if you put it that way. Indeed, Melty has never lied to me. I’m not saying that I haven’t been subjected to some very unreasonable conditions… but it must not have been on a laughable level.

“…Okay. Is there some kind of reward for me?”

“Of course. Does Her Highness look like the kind of person who would let Kosuke-san work for free?”

Sylphy was asked to speak, and she nodded with a very serious expression to Melty’s words. Why did Sylphy listen to Melty’s request? I thought that too, but in the end, Melty’s request was originally to achieve Sylphy’s ambition.

With that in mind, I guess it’s Melty who assigns the work, but it’s Sylphi who will reward me. I see. It’s certainly not a job that will line Melty’s pockets. This one.

“For now, I’m still relying on Kosuke… Of course, I’ll do whatever I can and give you whatever I can. I’ve already gotten more than that from Kosuke.”

“Hmm? Did you just say you’ll do anything?”

“Eh?”

“You did, didn’t you?”

“Yes, she did. Her attitude of appreciating and rewarding those who work hard is indeed that of our princess.”

“I see. You’ll do anything for me. What should I ask you to do?”

I can’t wait to see what she can do for me. Fiihihi…!

“Fufu… well. That’s fine. Melty, are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“Of course I am. I am a loyal retainer of Her Highness.”

Melty didn’t seem to be phased at all by the fact that Sylphy noticed that she was being set up. This Onee-san is actually the most dangerous of all the people in this group.

“Hey, is it okay? I mean to do that. As a retainer?”

When I asked Danan in a whisper, he smiled bitterly.

“As a retainer, I’d give her less than a pass. But Melty and Her Highness the Princess are childhood friends. Melty’s mother was the Princess’s wet nurse. They are milk siblings or rather a milk sisters… Sometimes they play together like that.”

“Heh, I don’t know if they had a relationship like that. Sylphy doesn’t talk much about her past, after all.”

“…Her Highness is going through a lot too. Please support her.”

“Of course.”

I will continue to stand next to her no matter what. I don’t need to be told again.