Chapter 22

"You were underestimating me... Demon Realm."

After returning to the base in Lobrion, I sat in a chair and muttered to myself.

I never expected such a large number of monsters to surge at once.

The sight of the monsters we defeated being swarmed by others like locusts is enough to send shivers down my spine just thinking about it.

"It’s not just that there are a lot of monsters, but the problem is that there are monsters wherever I teleport."

There’s no way I can take my time exploring.

...Should I try to take out as many as I can with dark magic?

If I can reduce their numbers, they might eventually start to fear us.

But many monsters don’t fear death... and using too much magic could leave me unable to teleport, surrounded by them.

I’ll consider using force as a last resort.

"Still... it’s probably better to pinpoint the areas I’m going to."

Tialus is a vast, nature-rich region.

From the northern part of the Lobrion earldom’s border to the southernmost tip of the continent, plains and forests stretch out.

In the east, a mountain range runs from north to south, where magic-infused minerals called magic ores are buried.

The west and south face the sea, with the massive Tialus Bay in the south.

In this Tialus Bay, the large island of Ars floats.

This is where the capital of Tialus Province was located during the Lucsia Empire era.

The main reason for placing the capital on Ars Island was probably its defensibility.

"The presence of the sea alone makes it harder for monsters to attack. This is the place to set up a base."

First, I’ll head for this Ars Island.

There might be documents from the imperial era and information about where resources like mines are located.

"Still, I can’t say for sure that Ars Island isn’t overrun with monsters..."

Anyway, I’ll take a bath and get a good night’s rest.

I’m a bit tired from all the battles today.

I head towards the bath on the first floor.

Then, I notice a blue-haired person working in the workshop on the first floor.

"Everyone, don’t you need to rest?"

"Oh, Lord Alex. It’s a bit early to rest yet."

The young blue-haired man said this.

He must have been working even later before.

"Be careful not to overwork yourself... by the way, it seems like you had a busy day today."

"Yes. We repaired the weapons of the soldiers who came to collect the chains, sold scissors, and made a fair amount of money."

I hear they made ten gold coins from Elysia. This is separate from the chains.

The man grins.

"That’s why I was thinking about tomorrow’s products. I thought about making scarves from the Death Snake skins you gave me earlier."

On the road, I hunted many Death Snakes.

I collected the ones I defeated in the Pandora Box, and they didn’t rot.

The meat from the Arrowcrows I defeated before is still frozen...

Does time not pass inside the Pandora Box? I’ll continue experimenting.

Getting back to the point, I entrusted the defeated Death Snakes to the blue-haired people.

There were about ten of them, and they seem to have finished butchering them already.

The skins and meat are already separated.

They plan to make scarves from the skins.

Death Snake skin is smooth, durable, and has some resistance to magic. It’s a high-value material.

"Rich people will buy it. It should sell for one silver coin."

"Yes! I’ll do my best for Lord Alex!"

"That’s great, but don’t overdo it..."

I said this to the blue-haired person, who had started working enthusiastically again.

Anyway, it seems that having the blue-haired people make products for business is a success.

After that, I soak in the bath and return to my room.

When I open the door, Elysia and Yuri are waiting.

"Have you both already taken a bath?"

"Yes. We took the liberty of doing so quite a while ago."

Elysia answered.

I let Yuri take a bath first because she looked very tired.

Yuri bowed deeply in front of me.

"I’m very sorry for causing you trouble today, Lord Alex..."

"Don’t worry about it. I didn’t intend for you to fight; I just wanted you to look at the minerals. If you don’t like it, you can stay here from tomorrow."

For some people, it was a mentally distressing scene.

To be honest, I also get a chill just thinking about that horde of monsters.

But Yuri shakes her head.

"Please, let me accompany you. I won’t make the same mistake again."

"Alright... I’ll also try not to scare you. I’ve decided where we’re going, so you can rest easy."

"Lord Alex..."

Yuri’s face turned red.

"Yuri? Are you running a fever?"

"No! Well... my heart is warm!"

Elysia speaks to Yuri.

"Let’s do our best from tomorrow, Yuri. More importantly, let’s get Lord Alex to bed."

"Right... Lord Alex, this way."

On the bed, a pure white quilt was laid out.

"Hmm? ...It’s not just a regular quilt, is it? It has a bit of a sheen."

"Yes! It’s a quilt and pillow made from Death Snake skin."

Yuri nodded.

"Wow. In just a few hours..."

I touch the quilt on the bed. It’s smooth and feels very good.

"Did you make this, Yuri?"

"Yes! I wanted Lord Alex to have a good night’s sleep."

"Yuri... I’m picky about my sleep and my bedding."

"I’m confident! Please, try lying down."

I lie down in my pajamas to check the comfort. It’s pleasantly cool.

It’s fluffy and there are no rough lumps. It’s really well-made.

Yuri and the blue-haired people are not only skilled in forging but can make various items as well. If I have them make weapons with magic ores, they could create some great pieces.

"I think I’ll sleep soundly... Yuri, you’re amazing."

"I’m glad you like it."

"Thank you. I’ll go to sleep now, then."

Elysia and Yuri smile and look at me as I lie down. A bit too long, actually.

"It really is comfortable... thank you."

I say this, but they just keep smiling.

...Are they planning to watch me until I fall asleep?

"Good night... You two should go to bed early too, since we have an early start tomorrow."

"Good night, Lord Alex!"

They answered in unison.

I kept my eyes half-open for a while to check on them, but they were still sitting on the bed, watching me, saying how cute I was...