Chapter 18

With a grinding sound, I drilled a hole into the rock with the hand auger. This time, the hand auger is 1.4 meters long. When the outer part is processed to a diameter of two meters and shaped into a circle, it will fit perfectly into the well as a rock pipe. I need to make a lot of them, though.

Yesterday, I took out my frustration on the monsters because something was subtly missing, and this morning, I had grilled fish for breakfast. Grilled fish every day is the best. I love grilled fish, so it’s no big deal. I just kept turning the hand auger over and over.

***

"Yuta-kun, are you going to work on the well today?"

Diene came out of the well. As always, she has something wonderful with her.

"Yeah, I'm making the pipes to install in the well. Once I have enough, I'll install them from the bottom using the magic bag."

"Is that so? Oh, did you build a fence around it?"

"To keep zombies and skeletons from getting in at night, I built it following Sylph's advice."

"Hehe, Yuta-kun is amazing."

Diene praised me and patted my head. I tried hard not to look at the wonderful thing she has. I must say, I endure because I'm a gentleman, not because Sylph's glare is scary.

"It's because the tools are high-performance. I plan to gather the pipes and dig the holes by noon. By the way, I have a question. Does the part that will become the spring have to be bowl-shaped? It's hard to install the rocks if it's round."

"As long as the water can be stored sufficiently, you can do it however you like, Yuta-kun. I'm looking forward to it."

"Hehe, I'll do my best to meet your expectations."

Even though I say I'll do my best, it's just a matter of digging a hole in the shape of an inverted pyramid and installing the rocks. I'm just an amateur, so if I try to make something fancy, I'll just fail. Simplicity is the best.

After finishing the conversation, I started turning the hand auger again. Diene was talking to Sylph while playing with Bell and Rain.

***

Alright, I finished making the pipes. Next is digging the holes. It's inevitable that I have a lot of civil engineering work due to my abilities. I wonder what my life in this different world will be like?

I dug a hole by inserting the shovel and storing the soil. I wonder how much soil and rock are in the magic bag now? I thought about the contents of the bag while digging the hole.

With this tool, I could do great in excavation. What kind of job would be good if I go to town? The basic thing in a different world is the adventurer's guild, right? Since I can go to town, it means I can make a contract with Sylph, so I might be able to do well.

I could have a glamorous career, earn a lot of money, and live a luxurious life. In my case, maybe I could be a spirit mage? A spirit mage who can also serve as a front-liner with a hammer... I don't know if it's cool or not.

While daydreaming, I kept digging the hole. By the time I finished digging, I had become the strongest adventurer, rich, and had a harem. It was surprisingly fun.

"Did you finish digging?"

"Ah, Sylph and Diene. Yeah, I finished digging."

"Yuta-kun, you were digging so intently and it was very impressive."

"Really? I think you were grinning at some point, though?"

When I was grinning, I was probably daydreaming about the harem scenario. I need to be careful not to let it show on my face. Lately, I feel like I'm reverting to my middle school days. If I'm not careful, I might start producing more black history at this age.

"Grinning? I was probably just excited imagining the spring being completed?"

"Indeed, the spring will be beautiful when it's done."

"Right. I'm looking forward to it too."

Did I manage to cover it up?

"All that's left is to install the rocks, so it won't take much time."

I lined up the one-meter-sized hexahedrons. Since I aimed for thirty meters, it will be a fairly large spring.

***

"I'm done."

After laying the rocks in the inverted pyramid-shaped hole, I called the spirits who were watching from above.

"Good job."

"You worked hard, Yuta-kun."

"Great job."

"Kyu."

"Hehe, thank you. All that's left is to install the pipes in the well. Do you want to come down too?"

Everyone nodded, so we all went down to the bottom of the well together. Once the spring is completed, we won't have to use these stairs anymore, right? I think the spiral staircase part will remain, but it might shift if there are gaps. I'll place the pipes while filling in the spiral staircase.

"Diene, is it okay to place the pipes on the water?"

"Yes, even if the sediment rises, I'll make it sink, so it's fine. Just place them as they are."

"Got it."

Alright, let's install the pipes. I'm a bit nervous if they'll fit properly. When I took them out of storage, they splashed water and fit perfectly. It feels good.

I poured soil from the bag into the part where the pipes were placed and compacted it. It would be perfect if I hit it with a hammer, but I'm afraid of a collapse. Sometimes the pipes get stuck, and I have to shave and adjust them while installing them.

***

"This is the last one. It's done."

After placing the last pipe and pouring in the soil, it was complete. Bell jumped into my chest and praised me. Rain also rubbed her nose against me. They must be praising me for my hard work.

After coming out of the inverted pyramid-shaped spring and looking at the well from above, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment, even though it was completed in a short time.

"Yuta-kun worked hard. I'll work hard too."

... "Big sister" ... Should I point it out? When I looked at Sylph with a question, she turned her eyes away. Diene might have a bit of a natural side.

"I'm going to do it."

Diene floated up and spread her arms, puffing out her chest. ... Thank you for the meal. I can hear Sylph's voice saying, "That's why men are like this," but it's a man's instinct, so it can't be helped.

"The Great Water Spirit Diene prays to the Water Spirit King. May the blessing of water last for a thousand years in this land..."

Usually, Diene has a relaxed atmosphere, but when she started chanting something like a prayer, she exuded a dignified aura, almost like a goddess.

"Alright."

The next moment, she suddenly returned to her usual self, and with a deflated voice, she thrust her hands into the well. What happened?

"You idiot. You were trying to look cool, but you couldn't think of the words and gave up halfway, didn't you?"

"Huh? Wait, Sylph. What do you mean?"

I heard something I couldn't let go, and just as I was about to question Sylph, a rumbling sound came from the well, and a column of water shot up with a "Boom." What is this? It's supposed to be an important moment, but I can't concentrate with all these distractions.

"Whoa. Jugoo."

"Kyu."

Bell and Rain were having a great time. The water filled the spring I made with a strong surge and stopped just before it overflowed.

The clear, sparkling water filled the red, dry land, despite the strong surge.

"Amazing."

I was unusually moved. I gazed at the spring for a while, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

"... So, Sylph. What do you mean by not being able to think of the continuation? You didn't fail an important prayer, did you?"

"Ah, there's no need to pray to the Spirit King for a small spring. As a Great Spirit, I can make that kind of decision on my own. The thousand-year blessing was just something that sounded cool, so I said it."

Sylph put her hand on her forehead as if it hurt. My heart hurts. I was so moved, thinking she looked like a goddess.

"So, the grand incantation was just for show, and the 'Alright' and the gesture were enough?"

"No, I can do that kind of phenomenon with just a finger. It was all unnecessary. I just tried to look cool because you said, 'Big sister will work hard.' I gave up halfway, though."

When I looked at Diene, she was being praised by Bell and Rain and was sticking out her chest proudly.

"Hey, Sylph. Can you please scold Diene a bit?"

"I don't do unnecessary things."

Is that so? Is it useless to scold her?

"Yuta-kun, you saw it, right? Big sister was amazing, wasn't she?"

She approached me with a proud smile. I felt the urge to lecture her, but I didn't want to tire myself out with something unnecessary. She did do a great job, after all, and I'm grateful for the spring she helped create.

"Yeah, it was amazing. You're great, Diene. The Great Spirit is not just for show."

"Right?"

She's in a good mood. She's flying around and playing, and she's teaching Bell and Rain something that seems to be the spirit's code of conduct. I'm worried about their future, so I want her to stop.

There were problems with the process, but there's a sparkling spring in front of me. Even with the help of the development tools, it's quite impressive. I approached the spring and scooped up some water with my hand. It was cool and sparkling.

"Diene, is this water safe to drink as it is?"

"It's fine. It's very clean and delicious water. It has the approval of the Great Water Spirit."

I'm a bit worried, but I'll try it. I slowly took a sip. It doesn't taste strange. I gulped down the water left in my hand. It tastes good.

"Yuta-kun, it's delicious, right?"

"Y-Yeah, it's good."

Sorry. To be honest, I can't really tell the taste of water. But having so much water in front of me is like heaven compared to when I was afraid of dying of thirst.

"Yuta, can we play in the water?"

"Kyu?"

Oh, both of them are tilting their heads and looking up at me. Where did they learn such advanced techniques?

"Diene, these kids want to play in the spring. Is it okay?"

"Spirits won't dirty the water, so it's fine. Bell and Rain, you can play as much as you like."

I nodded, and the two of them jumped into the spring with joy. Rain is one thing, but Bell is a wind spirit and still likes to play in the water.

Seeing Bell and Rain flying in the sky and diving into the water, having fun, I somehow felt that everything would be okay from now on.

Thank you for reading.