Chapter 80

I returned to the House of the Spring from the Labyrinth City. After quickly taking care of my business in the Labyrinth City, Dine asked me to make a fountain for the contract. I feel like there's some silly reason hidden behind this.

"If I can't make a good fountain, I'll buy one from the Labyrinth City, is that okay?"

"Hmm, if that's the case, Nomos and Dori will end up contracting before me."

Even though the order of the contracts doesn't seem to change anything, Dine is still particular about it. I don't really understand what she wants.

"Hmm. Is the fountain really necessary?"

"It's absolutely necessary. This spring is the center of the House of the Spring, so it needs to be grand!"

If it's not... it won't stand out. I can hear Dine muttering something about not wanting to stand out.

"Anyway, Yuta. It's a favor from me. Make the fountain!"

It sounds like she's asking me to take her to the Koshien Stadium. I guess I have no choice but to make it.

Dine's eyes look desperate... Since Dine said she can make the water spout, maybe I can just make the shape...? I've never even thought about making a fountain, so I can't even judge if I can do it.

"Alright. But I can only make a simple one."

"Thank you, Yuta. I'm so happy."

Dine is overjoyed. It's strange how her enthusiasm makes me feel like I have to try my best.

"Then, I'll contract with Dine after the selection of beneficial insects is done. I'll contract before Nomos, is that okay?"

"Hmph. It's fine. Dine is the only one who cares about the order. Do as you please."

Dori and Nomos are confirming the order, but it's decided easily on my side. They are both mature.

"By the way, hey, Nomos. Tulu found a mithril vein in the Labyrinth, and I've mined it. Can you extract the mithril?"

"Mithril, huh? It's easy. I'll do it after the contract, so look forward to it."

He took it on easily, as if it's not a big deal. I wonder how much mithril I'll get. I'm really looking forward to it.

"Nomos, thank you. Dori, how's the field?"

"The plants in the field still need time. But if we can bring soil, Tamamo can make them grow quickly."

...Grow quickly, huh? I would definitely ask if we didn't have vegetables, but we bought a lot from the Labyrinth City. There's no need to rush. We have plenty of time to enjoy the growth of the vegetables.

"I brought a lot of soil, but we also bought a lot of vegetables, so I'll let the vegetables in the field grow slowly."

"Understood. I'll keep an eye on them."

"Thank you. I've asked all the questions I wanted, so I'll take a rest. Oh, I bought some alcohol. Do you want to drink? I'll put out a few."

"Drink!"

The voices of the Great Spirits were perfectly in unison.

"Alright. Let's start with ale and wine. Do you want both red and white?"

They nodded, so I put out cups, ale, red wine, and white wine barrels. I also put out some smoked meat from the Labyrinth City as a snack.

"Sylph. I'll sleep in the kitchen, so please put up a wind barrier at the base. And don't drink too much."

"Alright. Good night, Yuta."

Her eyes are fixed on the alcohol. I wonder if she'll be okay? I have a slight worry, but it's too late to take it away now. Well, they are spirits, so they should be fine.

I entered the base, put away the rock table and chairs in the kitchen, and replaced them with a bed. It's quite impressive, considering how particular I was.

"Whoa. It bounces!" "Quack." "Not bad." "Koo."

Bel and the others took the first dive onto the bed. They are cute, so it's fine. But using magic to interfere and bounce...? I lay down on the bed. It's quite comfortable... Why are Bel and the others on top of me...?

"Are we all sleeping together tonight?"

"Sleep!" "Quack quack." "Together." "Koo."

We decided to sleep together, and I petted Bel and the others to calm them down and get them to sleep. I lay down on the bed and relaxed.

But there are quite a few things to do. Let me organize them.

- Create a base for Sara and the others

- Make a fountain

- Contract with Dine

- Select beneficial insects

- Contract with Dori

- Develop the land (currently 6/25 completed)

- Contract with Nomos

- Create a place to dry wood

- Level up Sara and the others

- Extract mithril (after contracting with Nomos)

- Create glass products (after contracting with Nomos)

Is that it? I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I'll add it if I remember. I plan to go to the Labyrinth City in about ten days, so I wonder how much I can accomplish? Well, I need to do what I can, step by step.

Let's start with the selection of beneficial insects. It's a bit dangerous, but I need to dispose of them. If I release them here carelessly, they'll reproduce without any natural predators... It could be disastrous. I fall asleep while thinking about my plans. There's quite a bit to do even after I return.

***

I woke up feeling refreshed. I must have slept well. I gently put Bel and the others, who were on top of me, back on the bed...

"Yuta, good morning."

As soon as I gently lifted her, Bel's eyes opened, and she smiled and greeted me. Rain, Tulu, and Tamamo also woke up and greeted me. They all wake up so well.

I put away the bed and set up the table and chairs I bought, then went to check on Sara and the others. ...They are still sound asleep. I can have breakfast after they wake up.

Sara said she wants to learn cooking, but it doesn't seem like there will be time for a while, so I'll use ready-made food. I think about taking shortcuts and go outside.

"...Ah. Did you drink all night?"

When I went outside, I saw the four Great Spirits chatting with cups in hand. The ale barrel is frozen on the outside, and they seem to be enjoying it.

"Oh, Yuta. You're up, good morning." "Yuta, good morning." "Oh, it's already that time?" "Good morning, Yuta."

They seem to be in a good mood. They look a bit tipsy.

"Everyone, good morning. I don't know if alcohol is toxic to spirits, but please don't stay up all night drinking from now on. We have children now, and it's not good for their education."

I need to clean up before Sara and the others wake up. It's hard to explain a drinking party with Great Spirits. Ah, Bel and the others are flying around and peeking into the barrels. I shouldn't show this kind of scene to the children on the spirit side.

"Hmm. Indeed. It's not right for adults to have a bad influence on children."

Saying that, Nomos drained his cup and stood up. Nomos, who is like a dwarf, seemed to be attached to alcohol, but he is surprisingly reasonable.

Sylph, Dine, and Dori also nodded, drained their cups, and stood up.

"Yuta, thank you for the meal."

"Yuta, the alcohol was delicious. Please do it again."

"Indeed. I'll ask you again."

"Yuta, thank you for the meal."

"Sure. Let's wait a bit before the next time."

It feels different to see them drink in front of me, even though I don't mind giving them alcohol, like offering sake to a god.

I cleaned and put away the cups. When I picked up the barrels to put them away, the ale and red wine barrels were empty. The white wine... only about one-fifth is left. Four people drank almost three barrels... That's a lot. I feel a bit scared as I put away the barrels.

"Master, good morning. I'm sorry for oversleeping."

Sara ran over in a hurry. Marco followed quickly, carrying a sleepy Kikka on his back... Why are they in such a hurry? Fuk and Uri are also flying over, but in a relaxed manner. Nothing seems to have happened.

Ah, maybe they are thinking, "How can we sleep later than the master!" Is this a situation where I should scold them?

...No, no, that's not it. It's important to scold them if they did something wrong, but I can't keep scolding them for this.

"Everyone, good morning. I didn't say you had to wake up at a certain time, so it's fine. Get a good night's sleep and work hard after you wake up."

Basically, these kids will have to fight zombies at night, so they will probably wake up late in the morning. I might even let them take naps. Ah, Kikka, who heard my voice, jumped and woke up completely. It's a bit sad.

"Y-Yes. I'll work hard."

Sara answered with a relieved expression. Am I that scary? ...Well, they were brought to the Land of Death by someone they barely knew. It's normal to be scared. I need to try my best to ease their tension as soon as possible.

"Alright, let's have breakfast. It's going to be busy for a while, so I'll use ready-made food."

Even though I'm a beginner at cooking, ready-made food might be better... I'm curious about the dragon steak. Assult Dragon, Wyvern, Fire Dragon, and even Marie said they were incredibly delicious, so I have a lot to look forward to.

I returned to the base and set the food on the table. The menu includes stall soup, orc meat skewers, and bread. The soup has increased, making the meal more colorful.

...I feel like I might cry a little. We ate this normally in the Labyrinth City, but in the Land of Death, this menu... I don't need to feel the difference between grilled fish, steamed fish, and boiled fish to add variety to my meals.

"Master, are you going to eat all of this?"

Sara asked, looking surprised.

"It's for the spirits too. Fuk and Uri have trouble with the skewers, so Sara and Marco, please take them off."

I also took off the skewers for Rain and Tamamo and put them on a plate. Sara and Marco did the same, half-believing.

"Let's eat."

At my words, Bel and the others rushed to the breakfast. Sara, Marco, and Kikka were stunned. It's understandable since they can't see them.

"Here, Sara, Marco, Kikka, you can eat. Give permission for Fuk and Uri to eat too."

When Sara and Marco gave permission, Fuk and Uri started eating happily. After going to the Labyrinth City, with Sara, Marco, Kikka, Fuk, and Uri joining, the menu has expanded. Even though there were some conflicts, the more lively dining table seems to be a good result.

Thank you for reading.