Marius continues his story.
"You may have heard some of the stories, but the outbreak happened before we were sent here to kill it, and the damage was already done. Of course, it's an elven village.
　I glanced at Liddy as I was being treated for my injuries, but there was no change in his expression.
I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's had to deal with this.
　So that's when you used the sword. There are people who sacrificed their lives because they needed them.

The number of people in the village has been reduced so much that it's impossible to rebuild it at this rate. So the elven village was abandoned and the people moved to other villages.
What about those caves?
The state will take care of it. The caves and the square where we are now stationed will be used mainly as a training ground for new recruits.
...... Oh, you mean the training ground where endless numbers of actual combatants are born?
Exactly.
　I'm not sure how often they come up, but I'm sure the elves have their own lives and can't go to the caves as often as they'd like. If that were the case, there would have been a lot of them.
　On the other hand, if it was a military training, they could go into the cave once every two days or so, and if they did so and swept the inside of the cave, it would be unlikely that powerful demons would spring up.
　I'm curious as to why they haven't done so before, but I guess they were just looking out for their village or something.

So, what is it that Liddy wants me to do for him?
To be frank, I'd like you to let Liddy stay in your house.
"What?
　I made a dumb sound. No, I thought the elves were going to move to another village.
The people of this village will move elsewhere. Then it will take more time when we want to borrow the knowledge of the elven people.
This was the closest village to the capital?
Yes. So I want to keep one of them close by. If that's the case, it would be best for him to live in the city, but I heard that's not the case with the elves.
"Yes.
　Liddy nodded. The elves need to replenish their magic power. In a place like the capital, where magic is scarce, it would be difficult to stay for a few days, but to continue living. Strictly speaking, they should come to the Kuro Forest once every few days to replenish their magic, but that's not very efficient.
　Marius continued to talk.
If you could do that, you would be living in the capital in the first place. ...... And I heard that the closest place to the capital is the Kuro Forest, which means your house would be the most convenient. This is what she asked me to do.
　Liddy nodded his head again. The best place to meet the requirements would certainly be my house.
"Are you sure about this, Liddy-san?
"As long as it doesn't bother Mr. Eizo.
No, it's not a problem. It's just that you'll be away from your village.
Yes, I know. I understand.
　I'm not sure if you're okay with that, since you have a family. But I'm afraid to ask if there are any complications in that area. I don't know how old he is because he is an elf, but he is probably not a child, so if he says it's okay, then it's okay.

"All right. I'll take it.
Thank you very much.
I'll say thank you.
　Liddy and Marius will thank you.
You don't have to do that.
　I responded with a wave of my hand. I waved my hand in response. Maybe the "elven knowledge I want to borrow" is around magic, which we don't have right now. I've spent my whole life ignorant of magical phenomena.
　It's a win-win situation for Rike, who can also forge using magic.

　Thus ended the discussion of the "additional request". Marius offered to pay for the preparations in some form or other, but I refused.
　As long as you live in my house, we want to be a family. I've only ever known one family to have a reserve fund. I don't intend to do that, so I can't take it.
I did tell them that I'd get paid for my blacksmithing work.

　When we finished talking with Marius and the others and left the tent together, the rest of the party had also come out of the cave.
Regardless of whether this was an "expedition until we get home" or not, the main mission was now complete.

　Seeing us coming out of the tent.
"Gather around!
　Leroy called out. All of us except for the injured soldiers and those who were treating them lined up. Mr. Liddy and I hurried away from the line.

"Gentlemen, thank you very much for your hard work this time. Thanks to your efforts, we were able to safely wipe out the demons that lurked here.
　Marius is addressing the soldiers in the crowd, and Miss Frederica is writing it down. She may have been a patron of the country.
　It is highly doubtful that she is aware of this.
As I told you before we left, I can't reward you as much as I would like, but I believe you will gain a lot from this experience.
　In the previous world, this would have been called "rewarding exploitation," but in this one, I think we'll both have to agree with that. I think it's important to know if you've actually been in a real battle before.
Fortunately, no one lost their lives this time. "Fortunately, no one lost their lives this time, but there are those who gave themselves and were seriously injured. Please applaud their dedication and courage!


　There was a round of applause. Mr. Liddy and I clapped too.
"Well, then, let's go home. Triumphant return!
　The clapping and cheering started again, and it seemed to go on forever.