Let's leave Aeon's story for now.
　Let's start with what's coming up.

'So, um, ...... Mr. Shamash. Are you sure you're OK with the monster spring now?

　Shamash-san has been in one fell swoop and has sealed off all living tunnels (or rather, placed summoned monster beasts as walls), and, for the most part, this should make it impossible ...... for the monsters to come out, no matter how many there are of them.

　Shamash-san nodded vigorously in response to my question.

　I'm told that the amount of monsters springing up this time is comparable to that of a human crane.
　It's a far cry from the Hitotsutsuutsuki catastrophe I've heard so much about.
　So, in spite of this unexpectedness, the situation was brought to a close in just over an hour. This is unusual, since Rebecca had told me that it normally takes dozens of warriors to hire a Hitotsutsuki or Awasezuki and a few days to deal with a situation like this.
　Well, maybe it's a strategy with Shamash-san, who has cheat abilities.

''Was it like this in Luclaera during Hitotsutsuzuki?''

'No, this time it was a spur of the moment, so I closed all the tunnels. Normally, I prepare well and try to kill as many monsters as possible, because it's time to earn money. It's a good time to make some money.

　I see. We know when and where they appear, right?
　Defeating it would produce magical crystals, so it would be a shame to leave it alone.
　We were told that a strong one would appear at the end, but if you weigh the risks and rewards, the rewards are probably greater.

　When I defeated a bear before, a huge magical crystal appeared. It was as big as a human head.
　Shero said it was as big as the last monster of the Hitotsutsuzuki. He said that one crystal was worth about 30 million yen. Of course, the Last Monster of the Hitotsutsuzuki was quite powerful, and it was customary for a number of warriors to attack it.

　The strength of the monsters themselves also has a range of swings, and even near Shero's house, when a powerful one called "Guardian Knight's Armor" was released, 16 warriors (hunters) were killed or something like that. ......

　Well, ....... If so, it's $30 million.
　That means it's worth risking your life.

I see. ...... doesn't sound like a disaster.

'Yeah. Yes, that's true for Luklaera. There are old mines here, and they've matured a lot in their response to the sandhill crane.

　A disaster that can be controlled is not a catastrophe. You can prepare for it as much as you want.　
　And if that's the case, Shamash is the reason for Luklaera.
　The weight of Shamash-san's work in the case of Hitotsutsuki is too big.
　I'm not sure if it's a good idea to leave this place, though.

...... umm.

Hmm?　No, indeed, I'll close all the tunnels by the end of the Hitozuki.

　Oh, really?
　I mean, I was making a difficult face, so you - I mean, I guess you misunderstood me as being concerned about the fact that there would be a pretty powerful monster at the end of Hitotsutsuzuki.
　I can't tell you that I was thinking that the idea of Shamash-san coming to our house as a slave might be unreasonable ...... or something like that, rather than the monster.

'As expected, the last monster of Hitotsutsuzuki is too risky to fight for the purpose of earning money. Well, it can be said that Luclaera is quite fortunate in this world. Maybe that's why it developed in this way, though.

'So this is really the end of this one too? What happened to the fact that something strong has sprung up?　Are you still wandering around that area?

'Yeah. It seems to be chasing my magic. It's getting closer to me. It's not fast, but it's a pretty powerful monster. Well, it won't be a problem--

　So Mr. Shamash cut off his words once.
　Then he looked up, embarrassed.

"...... Or have you been thinking ...... about whether or not you'd be okay with me leaving Lucraela?　I'd be happy if it was, but as expected, this must be smug.

　What a thing to say.
　It hurts to look at Deanna, Marina, Rebecca, and the rest of the guys who stab me in the back!　I feel like it!
　Shamash-san's own pace, or maybe it's his nature to not care quite so much, or maybe he's a giggler.

''Master, that's right. As a matter of fact, wouldn't Luklaera be destroyed if that person was gone?　I just think it's going to be difficult to talk about this time.

　Deanna interrupts me with a straight face.
　It certainly sounds like that, but it's also a bit of an exaggeration.
　How long has Shamash-san been living in Luclaera in the first place?
　As for Luclaela's side, I feel like she's been treated sloppily for relying so much on Shamash-san. Normally, I think he'd be doing well enough to live in a mansion in a prime location: ....... Why are you living in that cave .......

　The demons and elves turn towards Deanna and confront her.
　Oh, I see. So this is the real black one, the white one.

Do you disagree?　Ancient Elf. Or perhaps I should say High Elf.

'I don't want you to call me weird. I am Deanna Luna Arbella. I'm an elf princess.

　You know you're a princess, don't you, Deanna?
　I'm even a little suspicious these days if she's really a princess: ....... No, that's exactly what you can't tell him.
　She's more like a knight-sir princess than a princess, as it stands .......

　Shamash-san showed a smile at Deanna's announcement of her name. It's called adult roominess. Even though she is an elf, it is unlikely that she will be able to compete with Deanna, whose real age is still 21 years old.

''I'm sorry about this, Princess Diana. I'm going to be your slave and your junior. I hope you won't abuse me too much and get along with me.

　Mr. Shamash is totally on board. This world has too low a hurdle for slaves. Shouldn't we say that it's easy to become a slave? Is it a problem of low educational standards? Or is it a lack of moral education?

'Nah ......!　Are you serious?　What about Lucraella?

'Do this or do that. I'll just have to fly over for a bit during the Hitotsutsuzuki season. It's not like they want me to live here permanently.

　It's such a simple .......
　No, well, it's certainly not that far away in terms of distance. Shamash-san would have enough time to see what the moon is doing before he goes out.

...... "...... And, for what it's worth, I'm a hater. I don't have that much righteousness in me.

　I laugh to myself for saying that.

''Oh, do they hate you so much, Mr. Shamash ----?''

　Oops. I almost accidentally said, "You're so beautiful". I thought brown wasn't really accepted in this world.
　It's a paradise for brown lovers, this world!

Otherwise, it's not so easy to hide in these mines.

　Then he shrugged his shoulders in relief.
　It wasn't like he was particularly fond of living a retreat like that, apparently.

That's right, Deanna. Well, Deanna said she couldn't live with us, so I'm thinking we could build a house for her to live in nearby, or we could build a detached house, so it wouldn't be a problem. Either way, we don't have any more rooms in the mansion.

　As you can imagine, I can't have you living in the attic.

'Did Princess Deanna say you couldn't live with me?

　Oops, I shouldn't have said anything.
　I shouldn't have said anything that might cause problems when we're trying to get together. You should reflect on that.

The reason for this is because I have heard from my grandmother that the demon race and the elven race cannot live together in the same space. That mansion is an easy place for me to spend time in, filled with spirit power, but for the demon race, how is ...... it?

''Ah, I see. It's true that a place with a high concentration of spirit elements might not be a good environment for me to live in. It's just that it's better to be in a place that's close to a monster spot--

Is the monster spot where the monsters come from?

　Mr. Shamash nodded that he did.
　Everyone's eyes turned to Rebecca-san.
　Rebecca-san's house is just a stone's throw away from the monster spot.

''Eh, eh. We can't do that at our house, indeed!　Not both of you!　And even the rooms are ...... rooms, though there are rooms ....... You mean Princess Lucreon will be living with you, right?　I'm not so sure about that: ......

　The house where Rebecca and Shero live has several small spare rooms, perhaps because it is used as a base camp during Hitotsutsuki season.
　At first glance the house looks small, but it's on top of a large hill, so maybe it just looks small.
　But ...... well, we can't afford to bother Rebecca's house.

It's just that it's ...... nearby. As expected, it's not good to live with them. I've been thinking about building a house in the woods near our house. The only problem is that we don't have any money.

　In fact, I don't have any money: .......
　I have some, but I'm planning to spend 5 spirit stones, or 100 gold coins, on Aeon-san's prison crests, and I'm also ordering weapons and armor from my master, so my savings will be close to zero.
　So, staying at Rebecca's place is actually not a bad idea.
　After all, Aeon-san and Shero-san are known to each other.
　I'm not sure what Shero-san thinks of Aeon-san, but .......
　...... No, from Ms. Shero's point of view, is Ms. Aeon the source of her daughter's don't know how to get to the bottom?　Then it might not be very welcome.
　It's not very popular, indeed, "I'll kill you! I don't think that's going to be the case, but it's possible that this is just me making assumptions. Mr. Shero has always been kind. But I guess that's not all there is to it.
　After all, it's dangerous to think on a live-in basis.
　I'm not sure I'd like it if Shamash lived with Shero-san, as it would be a bit of an eroge case.
　Ummm .......

'Hey, Jiro.'

　As I was thinking about it, Rebecca shrugged her shoulders and said.

'You don't have to be so caring, you know?　Aside from Princess Lucreon, a demon human would be a slave, right?　It's insane that you would go to the trouble of building a place to live.

'No, well, it's certainly true: ......'

　Because he said it's not so good if the spirit power is too strong: .......
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for in a new home.
　Even if not, there simply isn't enough room for them to live together.
　Maybe I should put Orica in the attic or a small room (there's a small room available like a storage space), but that's too bad for her now.
　There's still plenty of room for Deanna and Marina, so you could just shove them all in there, but it would definitely be a crunch. ......
　In order to get along, private space is surprisingly important.
　The reason Deanna and Marina get along so well is because they are both a little bit different .......
　Deanna is a princess and not particularly conscious of her retainer (Marina), and Marina doesn't seem to think it's a hassle to be with her superiors, either because she's a model slave or because she's just being nimble.
　That said, it's probably not a good idea to get into the real princess or demon tribe thing there.

　Hmmm. When I think about it like this, it looks like the day I finally get to sleep in the mansion is a long way off: ....... It's not a problem for me to go home every day, but it's fine .......

...... Hey, Ayase. Do you perhaps ...... or perhaps not, but do you care about the place we live?

　Shamash asks, taking a step or two forward.
　We're close!

''Yes. It's not impossible to live in our mansion, but there are some ...... problems related to the spirit power, the number of rooms, and so on. As expected, the budget is not enough to build one house for Shamash and the others.

I'm glad to hear that, but there's no need to worry about it, Ayase. I can get a place to live by myself, at least.

"Seriously?

　I remember that the house in the mine was built by himself.
　But you have to stock up on materials, and it doesn't sound like it would be that easy: ....... It's not like you can just chop up a piece of wood and use it as is without drying it.

　But, well, if you can make it yourself, then maybe you can.
　Even if it's not enough to exorcise Aeon's prison crests, you still have a little bit of money saved up.

　Anyway, let's put this matter aside for later and think about the future.
　Aeon's prison crests. The weapons and armor I asked Master Dwarf for. The undoing of the rusty sword. Shamash-san and Aeon-san's move. There are many other things as well.

We have a lot of things to talk about, but since we're not going to stand around and talk about it, would you like to settle down?

　If we're done dealing with the monsters, there's no need for us to stay here forever.
　However, we can't go back to the inn with Shamash-san and Aeon-san, the demon tribe, so for now, Shamash-san's house is a safe bet.

Yes, you're right: ....... No, wait a minute: ...... something is wrong.

　Shamash turns his head earnestly toward the tunnel.
　The entrance to the mine has been restored to a tranquil atmosphere that makes it hard to believe that it had been turned into a goblin festival just a short time ago.
　There doesn't seem to be anything special about it: .......

　But Shamash is staring at the entrance of the tunnel with a grim expression on his face, as if he were about to leap out of it.
　An unusual atmosphere.

　The next moment.
　The next thing you know, you hear a crushing sound as if something is about to explode at the bottom of the tunnel.

It's not good. The mimic has been breached.
'What?　That is.

　Without answering my question, Shamash-san starts running.
　Does this mean that the summoned monster beast that served as a wall earlier was defeated? He said it was okay, but it's like an unexpected situation.
　Huh?　Does that mean the wall is gone?
　Doesn't that mean you can get all the monsters you want ......?

　Mr. Shamash runs into the mines.
　He stopped at the entrance of the tunnel and gave some instructions to the warrior who was resting in front of the entrance, who had been hit by an arrow in the knee.

It's not good. I guess I'll have to fight again--

　At that moment, he muttered without letting anyone hear him.
　From inside the tunnels, the voice of someone who could only be described as a vindictive cry from hell echoed directly to your instincts.
　Words that could not be described as either wailing or rage hit his soul like an undulating wave.
　The hairs on your entire body stand upside down, and you don't need to look to understand.
　A bad guy (・・・・・) has been unleashed.

　The residents at the entrance to the mine shaft don't even scream, but crawl away in their bodies.
　Mr. Shamash, too, was not able to enter the tunnels, and was bracing himself at the entrance.

　And then he slunk out of sight.

　A physique that looks like it is two more orcs in size.
　Insanely protruding red-black muscle armor.
　A dull-colored, shining steel hammer as tall as a man.
　And the characteristic one eye (...).

''Ooohhhhhh!　I don't want to live in a hole anymore!　We're going to kill all those on the ground and live under the sun!

　The giant exclaimed as a large tear spilled out of one large eye in the center of his face.