CH 47

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As instructed, the Iwaos moved a massive cornerstone across the space and placed it in a corner that the soldiers had cleared with earth magic.

The square outside of the dungeon was in the process of being converted into a waiting area for the soldiers.

I didn’t like the fighting, it’s far too dangerous, but I don’t mind helping out by using the golem at the construction site. I’ve been helping them every day recently, as I could receive rewards in the form of magic stones this way.

Twenty-five days had already passed since the survey team arrived on the island; the survey was scheduled to last 30 days, so it was almost time for Gram to return to her home country.

Unfortunately, however, the dungeon investigation wasn’t going well; there were so many monsters in the dungeon that it was very difficult to advance, and the narrow passageways made it harder to effectively deploy troops.

As the sun was setting over the western ocean, the entrance to the dungeon opened and the soldiers came out in droves; the survey team had returned after completing their mission for the day.

As I was waiting there, wondering if Gram would come out soon, her figure appeared at the back of the team.

“Gram-sama!”

I called out to her with a big wave and she waved back, albeit reservedly. I think we’ve come a long way since we first met.

“A job well done today, Gram-sama, you must be tired.”

“Thank you. Shiro, you did a good job today too.”

“Today we’re almost finished with the foundation work. All that’s left to do is to dig a drainage ditch toward the coast.”

“I see.”

She still doesn’t talk much, but there’s no longer the nervousness that she felt when it was just the two of us. However, that’s also the reason why I’ll miss her so much. In less than a week, Gram and the others will return to the Imperial Capital, Lulu Sanjion.

I wanted to talk more with her, so we’re walking instead of riding Silver back to the cave.

“How was the progress with the dungeon?”

“Not much. Monsters were coming out in large numbers one after another, so we couldn’t investigate the dungeon as much as we wanted. At least we managed to secure a safe zone today.”

Being able to set up a safe zone within the dungeon was a significant achievement. After all, having a place where you could have a meal and take a rest without having to worry about monsters is invaluable.

“What kind of place is the safe zone?”

“It’s a rather large room at the back of the first basement. We’ve set up the wards there, so the monsters are unable to get in” [1]

I’d seen the warding mechanisms before they were brought inside the dungeon, they were really big magic tools; each had the appearance of a cylinder about 4 m high and 50 cm in diameters. By placing them in the four corners of a room it would generate a special magic barrier that wards off monsters.

“It’s a good thing that we managed to set up the safe zone before we return home.”

“Yes. Only five days left, huh…”

“Yeah…”

The main problem of keeping the soldiers here was not only the fatigue; it was the food. Although there were types of monsters in the dungeon that were edible, their numbers were far from enough to feed the whole hundred plus soldiers of the survey team. Not to mention ingredients consumed in large quantities, like flour, couldn’t be produced from the island’s fields. Even for locally sourced items like vegetables, the volume produced was a drop in the bucket compared to the daily consumption of the soldiers.

“So, what will happen with the dungeon after the soldiers return?”

“I’m intending to petition my superiors to open the dungeon to the public.”

“Open the dungeon to the public?”

“Yeah. I think it’s better if the dungeon is being managed by the Adventurer’s Guild instead of the empire, and let the adventurers explore it instead.”

So since the amount of monsters is much higher than expected, the empire will use adventurers instead of soldiers to thin out the monster population?  But I could understand that; rather than using soldiers, who are more accustomed in fighting in wars, it was more efficient to use adventurers, whose specialty was clearing dungeons.  Moreover, the empire would still have access to magic stones, which would come from monsters that the adventurers had defeated, which would then be used as a source of energy for magic tools.

“So, Gram-sama, you think it’ll be more beneficial to have a steady supply of magic stones than to have a monopoly on the treasures from the dungeon?”

“Whoa, Shirou is really smart.”

I’m not happy being praised like that. It’s because ever since I was a kid, my grades in school were always average, and college grades were almost second rate. In other words, I’m aware of my own capability, which is not much.

But then again, it seemed that men in this world were not even allowed to go to school, so since the literacy level on this world was already low, men in general were often illiterate. I also heard that men here usually weren’t allowed to keep money since they’re really bad at counting; either because most of them are unfamiliar with it, or because they just aren’t being taught about arithmetic.

It was the typical opinion that men couldn’t do anything as good as women. Within such a society, compared to men in general, no wonder I was considered so smart.

Honestly though, this is such a sad state of affairs.

…

Maybe Gram thought that I was irritated with her because I suddenly went silent, because she then hurriedly tried to make an explanation.

“I didn’t say it to make a fool out of you. I say it because I genuinely think that Shirou is really smart.”

I know very well that Gram didn’t lie when she said that I’m smart, she merely views me through the standards of the world she was born in. However, can the same thing be said about me?

Being a woman in this world is very much different then being a woman on my past world, and yet, I still hold Gram based on the same standard that I used back on Earth, and I sometime see her as an object of lust…

But I think Gram sometime see me like that too, so we’re not so different, I think?

No, I think I’m actually worse, because I kept up the pretence like I’m a pure person untainted by lust.

“Gram-sama, honestly, I’m not smart.” I replied with a self-deprecating smile.

“I’m stupid, I never think things through…” My voice became heavy with guilt, “…also, I’m actually very lewd.”

“Wha!?”

Maybe I just wanted to be honest with Gram, who had always been kind and sincere to me, to wipe off my guilt of deceiving her before she left the island.

“You know, Gram-sama, I think the image you have of me is different from what I really am.”

I’m not sure how different, though, since I’ve yet to meet another man since I’ve come to this world, so I can’t draw a comparison on how the men generally behave here.

“I… I think that might be so, but…”

“The truth is, I was transferred here from another world.”

“Huh?”

Gram looked at me in disbelief; her expression was one of incredulity.

Now that I think about it, she’s the second person that I’ve disclosed my past to after Chris. Chris never believed me until the end, she just treated me as if I was some special child.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth.”

“I see…” Gram nodded vaguely. She didn’t seem like she believed me, but it didn’t matter. Honestly, it just felt good to speak the truth.

“Compared to the men of this world, I’m very lecherous. That’s why I often look at Gram-sama with perverted eyes.”

“…”

If anyone wondered why I was coming out with the confession, it’s because whenever I see Gram’s sincere and respectful attitude, I’m always reminded of my dirty side. They say that if you mix something with black, the color would turn darker, but I think the opposite is also true. I felt guilty for deceiving Gram; holding all those massage session under the pretext of medical therapy while in essence it only served to satisfy my sexual desires.

“That’s why, I won’t be doing the massage session anymore… I was looking at both of you perversely, and I was actually touching you to with such lewd intention. Please forgive me.”

Tears of blood were running from my heart…  Good bye, fluffy body, never again would I feast my eyes or lay my fingers on you. But this was fine, this was my atonement for leading them to believe that it’s all for their sake.

I can’t keep indulging in my own desires, as a proper human I should follow Gram’s lead in being sincere.

“Shirou…”

Ah, this is the part where she hates me, I guess…

“Yes?”

“Shirou, do you find me attractive?”

Huh? She’s not going to start scolding me?

“Y-yes, of course…”

“When you saw my body, did you feel… excited?”

“Yes, very much so…”

Wait, what’s this all about?

“Do you think… it would be okay for me to hold you?”

“Yes.”

“I see…”

Uuuhh… weren’t you going to be angry with me? Rather, why are you blushing? Maybe that’s like one of the situation, where she usually having such a low esteem that instead of being angered by someone lusting over you, you’d actually get flattered by it? [2]

So it’s an actually convenient development? Technically, I guess?

No, I should’ve anticipated such possibility to happen. This is a different world after all, so of course the way man and woman behave would be different.

This is what you called ‘all’s well that ends well’.

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1 I’m wondering if they can use the tactics of having a runner to lure the monsters towards near the safe zone, and then attacking them from inside of the room by using magics and arrows.

2 As a guy, if some of my female colleagues would say that they find me desirables and would be fine with me embracing them, I would take it as a compliment instead of insult and would be overjoyed too, so I understand Lotte’s response.