CH 126

The Lawn – i novels

()x10-13 minutes

It’s been a while since I strolled around my base. With the help of spirits and cheat-like tools, my base has been steadily taking shape. Just looking around fills me with excitement.

Next up… the garden, perhaps. I head towards the garden managed by Tamamo, who guides me while wagging her tail. This is the field where I first planted the plants. Tamamo is diligently pawing the ground at a certain spot.

“Hmm? Is there something there?”

Curious, I ask, and she energetically responds with a “Kukuu.” There seems to be something there. As I approach, I see small fruits growing after the withered flowers… The flowers have already bloomed. It’s a bit of a shock, although it may seem trivial.

The flowers bloomed while I was in the labyrinth city. If I had been here when they bloomed, I would have been overjoyed without a doubt.

But for now, I should concentrate on what Tamamo is eagerly teaching me. I observe carefully while gently stroking Tamamo. The small green round fruits have faint stripes floating on their surface.

Could it be a pumpkin? If it’s a pumpkin, how should I eat it? It’s delicious just roasted, but stewing it is a bit challenging. Pumpkin soup is also irresistible.

As it reaches this point, I suddenly feel an intense desire for it to grow rapidly so I can eat it right away. But I must be patient. I should enjoy the process of growth as well. I missed the moment when the flowers bloomed…

“Tamamo, this is my favorite vegetable. Thank you.”

When I praise Tamamo, she wags her tail and playfully jumps around. I return the favor by stroking her back, and Bell and the others join in, frolicking happily as usual.

After enjoying their company for a while, I resume my exploration. I check the tomato seedlings planted next to it and see that they have taken root and the leaves are thriving. Truly the work of Tamamo and Dolly.

As for the other vegetable I planted at the beginning, its true identity is still unknown, but it is growing steadily. The only thing left is to check the large fountain at the final point of the waterway, and then I will have completed my rounds.

At the last fountain, the water sparkles and glistens as if Dyne’s water management is impeccable. When I ask Dyne about it, she says there is no impact from the released organisms or planted plants.

I praise Dyne’s dedication with pride, along with Bell and the others.

——————–

“Silphy has returned!”

Following Bell’s direction, I look and see a dot-like figure rapidly approaching. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems so far but in just a few seconds, she’s already right in front of me.

“Welcome back. Sara, Marco, Kika, and Silphy, thank you for taking care of the children.”

Silphy waves her hand as if saying she doesn’t mind.

“Master, we have returned. Here are the magic stones I acquired.”

Sara hands me a bag filled with numerous jingling magic stones.

“That’s an impressive number of magic stones. Everyone worked really hard. And, I’m sorry. I forgot to give you the lunch boxes.”

I bow my head to Sara and the others. I made a promise to make sure they eat properly, but I ended up skipping their meal. I need to apologize. Sara and the others look bewildered, but it’s important to follow through.

“Master, please don’t worry. Skipping lunch is normal for us, so it’s not a problem at all.”

Marco and Kika also nod in agreement.

“I’m glad you say that. I’ll make sure not to forget next time. Well, you must be hungry, so let’s have an early dinner.”

A smile fills Sara and the others’ faces at my words. Even if they say they’re fine, they’ve been having three proper meals recently, so they must be getting hungry.

Speaking of which, now that it’s known that I cleared the 50th floor, I can give the materials to Torque-san and have him cook a large amount of food. I’ll also consider him teaching Sara to cook. Since I already taught him how to fry food, it’ll be exciting when we go to the labyrinth city next time. There are so many possibilities and dreams. While I’m having fun, the guildmaster must be struggling. I’m having a great time.

Well, for now, since we don’t have those dishes yet, we’ll focus on the food stalls. I start serving the dishes while listening to Sara and the others’ requests, and dinner begins. Seeing Sara and the others, who were hungry, eating the food so enthusiastically, Bell and the others also get absorbed in their meals more than usual.

“By the way, Silphy, is it possible to make a contract with the Spirit of Life given the current circumstances?”

I spoke to Silphy, who was watching the children’s mealtime with me.

“Well, it seems a little difficult.”

After thinking for a moment, Silphy shakes her head. I had a feeling it would be impossible. Unless it’s in a place with abundant nature, it’s difficult to live comfortably here since it’s a land of death.

“Is it because there aren’t enough creatures?”

“Yes, even though fish and insects have increased, they’re still quite scarce.”

In that case, I’ll have to expand the forest and capture creatures from other forests. For now, let’s make a lawn and a forest tomorrow.

If nature becomes abundant and animals come on their own, it would be easier. But it’s highly unlikely due to the distance. Birds might come, but none have flown here so far, and it seems they are avoiding this area.

“Understood. When the preparations are ready, I’ll go capture small animals. I’ll count on you then.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I want to say that I’m relieved that Silphy will take care of it, but it seems like it will be quite challenging to catch and transport small animals. I’ll have to go a few times to capture enough of them until we have a sufficient number.

“Thank you, Silphy. By the way, how were Sara and the others today? They brought back quite a large number of magic stones, but did they push themselves too hard?”

“Oh, those kids are more reliable than Yuta thinks. You don’t have to worry.”

When I listen to the details, it turns out that Sara and the others destroyed two nests. They were the nests of Skeleton Knights and Zombie Mages. They chose locations without monsters surrounding them and carefully reduced the number of monsters from a distance, successfully destroying the nests without any danger.

When luring the zombies into narrow passages, they even performed a three-shift attack in order of Fukuchan, Uri, and Mame-chan. I almost made a joke like, “Are they Nobunaga?!”

Listening to their battle strategy, where they take ample safety precautions and only engage opponents where Fukuchan and the others’ attacks are effective, it seems Sara and the others are doing fine unless they encounter enemies that their attacks don’t work against.

While feeling relieved by their battle approach that is completely different from recklessness, I also have a thought that it wouldn’t hurt if they acted a little more childishly. It’s a somewhat complex feeling. If I had this much power when I was a child, I would have definitely caused some trouble in my reckless excitement.

Well, it’s not surprising that my way of thinking is different from the children who have grown up in the slums, where life is precious, compared to me, who lived a peaceful life in Japan. With that in mind, as I watch Sara and the others happily laughing and eating at the dining table, I feel a sense of pride. It means that I am also contributing to the well-being of others, even if only a little.

Well, more than that, I’m causing trouble for the Adventurers’ Guild. In terms of contribution to society, it’s a bit on the negative side, taking everything into account.

———

“Now, today we’re going to create a lawn and a forest together.”

“We’ll do it!” “Kyuu!” “We’ll do our best!” “Kukuuu!”

After finishing breakfast, I inform everyone about today’s plan. Bell and the others respond energetically, but Sara and the others are completely bewildered. I need to explain it properly.

“Sara, Marco, Kika, do you remember when we planted the tomato seedlings? We’re going to do something similar to that.”

“Ah, I understand. We’re going to plant a lawn and grow a forest, right, Master?”

“That’s right. I want Sara and the others to help with planting seeds and other tasks. Please assist me.”

“Yes.” “Got it.” “Okay.”

Now that Sara and the others understand what they need to do, let’s get started. First, let’s work on the lawn. Everyone moves to the block of the Spirit Tree together.

“Nomos, please.”

“Yes, step back.”

As instructed by Nomos, everyone steps back, and the soil around the Spirit Tree starts moving on its own, transforming into fluffy soil. The Great Earth Spirit is amazing.

“Done.”

“Thank you, Nomos. Next, Dolly, please.”

“Understood.”

When Dolly extends both hands, heaps of small seeds appear on the soil. It seems Dolly made them, but compared to the seeds of the Spirit Tree, they are surprisingly plain. It shows the incredible power of the Spirit Tree’s seeds.

“Dolly, thank you. Now, I’ll announce everyone’s roles. Bell, Sara, Kika, Fukuchan, Mame-chan, you’ll sow the seeds. Turu, Marco, and Uri will gently cover the seeds with soil after they’re sown. Rain will sprinkle water afterward, and finally, Tamamo will make the lawn grow. Let’s work in this order. Does everyone understand?”

Since it’s a simple task, everyone understands it at once, and we start the work. The sowing team grabs handfuls of seeds and scatters them on the fluffy soil. It’s heartwarming to see them giggling while sowing the seeds.

Trul and Uri follow behind, covering the seeds with soil. Sometimes it seems like Turu is teaching something to Uri. Then Rain moistens the soil with mist-like water.

Finally, the main event of the day: Tamamo’s appearance. She wags her tail and lets out a “Kuuu” sound, and green grass shoots out from the soil, completing a green carpet. It looks quite good.

“Hey, Dyne, Dolly. Rain and Tamamo are doing their tasks alone, so it might be tough for them. Please keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t overexert themselves.”

Rain and Tamamo get carried away when I’m around. Before coming here, Rain and Tamamo were already helping with the management of the garden and forest, so I don’t want to push them too hard, even though they’re still young. We need to be careful about overworking them.

“I’m not generating water by myself. I’m using the water from the fountain, so Rain-chan will be fine.”

“Tamamo will be fine too. Nomos is helping with the soil, and it’s a small lawn. Although there are many, it doesn’t require much energy.”

I don’t fully understand, but it seems they’ll be fine. The Great Spirits are watching over us with smiles. Everything should be okay no matter what happens.

“If you say it’s fine, then it’s good. Understood. Well, I’ll sow the seeds too.”

I join Bell and the others and start scattering the lawn seeds. It’s surprisingly difficult to sow them densely. But the streamlined process is efficient, and it takes less than two hours to cover the Spirit Tree’s block with a green carpet.

After finishing the lawn, we should start working on the forest… but before that, wouldn’t it be nice to relax a bit on the lawn?