Hey, Noor. You're early today. Thanks.
Yeah, I still have a lot of work to do.

　Every morning for the past few days, I've been visiting the rebuilding site of King's Landing at a certain time.

　The reconstruction of King's Landing is still in progress.

　Hundreds of houses had been destroyed in the last imperial raid, and the ground had been gouged to the ground.
　The royal castle in the center of the capital was also destroyed without a trace.
　Many people have lost their homes and jobs and are now on the street.
　It will not be easy to regain the peace and quiet of the past.

　In spite of this situation, I have been living my life as before.
　I'm still doing my job as a ditch duster.
　After the disaster, I had a hard time clearing the debris, but now it is much cleaner.
　After waking up in the morning, I would go to the construction site to clean up the ditches when no one was around, and after finishing the work, I would do my usual training and go to bed.

You're early as usual, master.
No wonder. Of course. What's the point of coming later than the people above you? You're always so early, master.

　The master laughed.

I'm sorry about that. Would you like me to come a little later?
"...... idiot, what are you saying? I'm complimenting you. You're right, there's a lot of work to do right now. You're right, there's a lot of work to be done right now. At a time like this, who wouldn't appreciate a guy who comes to the site every morning before everyone else - don't make me say it, it's embarrassing.

　Yes, there's still a lot of work to be done.

　That said...
　I think we're making pretty good progress on the rebuilding.

　It's because that "Black Sword" has done a tremendous job.

　In order to rebuild a damaged house, the ground must first be solidified so that the house won't tip over a few years after it is built.
　It is necessary to drive piles deep into the ground at key points.

　Usually, it takes five people to drive dozens of stakes a day, but for a large house, it takes about a hundred.
　In other words, it would be better if they could drive enough stakes for one or two houses a day. 　
　Even to drive a single pile, several people have to take turns using a hammer to drive in the pile many times.
　That's a lot of hard work.

　And yet...
　But if you use this "black sword", you will get amazing results.

　If you raise the sword and drop it straight down, the head of the wooden stake will sink into the ground in just one shot.
　It takes three people to drive the stakes, but it only takes a few seconds for each stake.
　It sinks so beautifully that it's almost fun.

　So, two other people hold up the stakes, and I drive them in with the black sword, and we finish driving in ten stakes before the lunch break.


　By the end of a day's work, I could drive stakes for thirty houses.

　But that was in the beginning.
　After that, I've been getting more and more creative, and recently, I've been able to finish driving enough piles for fifty houses in a day by arranging a group of two people to support the piles vertically at each house, and driving them in one after another.
　Thanks to this, the speed of construction has increased considerably.

　As a result, I have been thanked for taking the initiative in doing the hardest work.
　In reality, it's a little different.

　But in reality, it's a little different.

　To be honest, the work of driving the towering stakes into the ground at the construction site is very enjoyable.
　I'd do it all the time even if I wasn't asked to.
　However, I didn't want to monopolize the fun, and I thought about having someone else do it. ...... It seems that no one else on the construction site can handle that heavy sword.
　...... Lean's father carried it quite easily.

　That's why I took the initiative to work as a pile driver.
　That's why I got the nickname "Stake Driver".
　This is the first nickname that others have given me while I was working as an adventurer, so I guess you could call it a "second name.

　In other words, I'm "Stake Driver".

　Not bad.

　Maybe I'll call myself that next time.

I'll call myself that next time. ...... What's that black, flat sword thing made of?　It's unbelievably hard, it won't bend even with that many stakes, and it's too heavy for anyone but you to lift. I've never seen anything like it, it's insane.

　I've never seen such an insane thing," said the foreman, looking at the black sword beside me.
　When he asked me about it, I realized that I didn't know anything about it either.

I'm sorry, I don't know much about it either. It was a gift.

"Well, ......, maybe it's a 'labyrinthine relic'.
　I haven't seen many of them, but I've heard that things made of unfamiliar materials are sometimes unearthed.
　I've heard that if you put them up for auction, you can get a good price for them.
　Isn't that surprisingly valuable?

"Maybe so. Even if so, I'm not selling it.
Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I think you should keep it.
I'm getting attached to it the more I use it. That's the idea.

　Before I knew it, I was carrying this "black sword" around with me, and now it's like my buddy.
　It may not look good, but it's very useful.
　The more I use it, the more I think it is good.

　I don't have a lot of time for daily training these days because of the construction work I've been doing, but I don't feel like I'm lacking much thanks to this sword.
　Because it is heavy, even just swinging it is a good exercise.
　In fact, although my training time is getting shorter, I think I am getting as much practice as I did when I was in the mountains.

　Not only that, this sword has saved my life many times, and it is also useful in the construction field now.


　It's still working well for me to scrape off the stubborn dirt stuck in the gutters when I'm asked to clean out the ditches - I can't believe I'm selling it.

　I think I've been given something really good.
　As we were chatting, I saw the other workers coming around the corner.

"Well, we'd better get started.
"Already?　Isn't it a little early?
But we're all here. They've been influenced by you to come early. So we'll start early and finish early. It's better that way.
Okay, okay.

　The work began immediately, and I took my place, following the master's instructions as usual.
　Now that the pile-driving work is over, my main job today is to carry materials to prepare for construction.

　The people working around us are the same as usual, but they are not only from the kingdom.
　There are also soldiers from the Imperial Kingdom that invaded the other day, who were captured as prisoners of war and are now engaged in reconstruction work.
　It seems that the imperial government has given them a huge amount of compensation, and they are working on it while receiving a salary.

　At first, I was surprised to hear that the people working next to me were soldiers of the Imperial State, but when I talked to them, I found out that they were not bad people.
　It seems that most of them were originally farmers and fishermen from poor villages. Most of them were poor farmers and fishermen who volunteered to join the imperial army and were forced to carry swords in order to secure their wages and status.

　Hearing such a story, it made sense why I didn't feel much of a threat when I ran into them.
　They were really people who hadn't been trained very well.
　I think they are doing much better now than they would have been if I had given them unfamiliar swords.

　In fact, they seem to be more alive now.
　Many of the people from the Imperial Kingdom had heard twisted things about the Kingdom, but when they came here, they found it to be a good place, and they say that they were treated much better when they were working as prisoners in the Kingdom.
　Some of them say they want to make money and return home, while others say they want to leave their homeland and live here permanently, hopefully bringing their families to the Kingdom in the future. Some of them want to leave their homeland and live there permanently, hopefully to bring their families to the kingdom in the future. I heard that they need another qualification to do so, and that applying for it would be difficult, but it is not impossible.

　There are many people at the construction site where I work.
　I can say that the reconstruction work is going well thanks to the sufficient number of people.

　After all, the commotion is called "One Day War".
　This is because the incident was quickly settled.
　The Kingdom and the Imperial Kingdom signed a peace treaty, and the walls and fortresses that separated the borders suddenly collapsed, so exchanges began to occur.

　What a depressing story.
　It seems that the two countries had been at loggerheads for a long time, but if they could get along as well as they do now, they should have done so from the beginning.
　It would have been much better.

　As I was thinking about this, I was approached by another worker.

"Noor, tell us about it again during the break.
"The goblin story?　Yeah, that's good. But I can only tell you the usual stories.
Yeah, I know. I mean, it's always the same. Well, I'll tell everybody else.



　And with that, he went back to work.

　He's the guy I usually hang out with during my lunch breaks.
　It's always fun for me to take a break to talk about something trivial, but lately we've been talking not only about small talk, but also about the demons I know as an adventurer.

　It's not that I'm an experienced adventurer, but...

　There are plenty of breaks.
　Most of the time, there's nothing else to do but eat, and everyone seems to be bored.

　Mostly I talk about goblins.
　I have also talked about poisonous frogs, but for some reason, when I talk about delicious foodstuffs, people ask me to stop, so I naturally talk more about that.
　That's because I don't have that many stories to tell.

　When I talk about goblins, people look at me a little strangely, but I suppose it can't be helped.
　It is rare in this kingdom to see goblins except for professional adventurers and those who have actually been affected by them, and the majority of people have never seen a real one.

　This is why they want to hear your story.

　I'm not sure.

The first time the goblin and I met, he suddenly appeared out of thin air. The next thing you know, there's a giant green body taller than a giant tree in a deep forest looking down on us. I thought I was going to die at that moment. I've never seen a creature that big before.

　During the break, after lunch, I started to talk, and as usual, there was laughter.

"Don't be silly, goblins can't be that big!

　And then there was the usual chuckle.
　It's understandable... if you've never seen one before, you'd think so.
　That's what I thought, too.
　However, people around here have heard the same story many times before, and know what's going to happen next.
　It seems that they are just having fun with it.
　Everyone knows this, so I just keep talking.

"Yeah. That's what I thought, too... and then he pulls out this huge tree with one hand and holds it up. One in each hand. And he swings it around like it's a twig.
Goblins?
Yeah, the goblin.

　That's where the laughs come.
　The laughs are usually at the same point every time.

　They enjoy listening to me, but many of them don't believe me.
　Apparently, they think that I made up the story to entertain them.
　I think it's because I'm exaggerating a bit to make it more interesting.
　Nevertheless, everyone seemed to enjoy listening to me, and I couldn't help but smile.

　I continue my story.

"And he's terribly fast. I've heard that goblins are fast creatures, but they can slip through a giant tree in the blink of an eye and be upon you in a flash. They would then pick up the trees in the forest and throw all the fallen wood they could find at you.


"Holy crap, a goblin could do that?
"Yeah, that's the one. I could barely hit it with the sword in my hand. If it weren't for my fellow silver-grade sorcerer, I would have died long ago. But he dodged through the huge storm of icicles that my companion was shooting out, and still came at me. It was a terrifying experience, even now. I don't know how I made it out alive.

　Again, laughter ensued.

"Did you use your sword to hit the tree that was thrown at you?　That's amazing.
"Well, Noor would have done it.

　And so the laughter began again among my colleagues.

　As for me, I'm just telling the truth, but they can't believe it, I guess.
　Well, I don't expect them to believe me.
　But I do understand the feeling of incredulity.
　I wouldn't have believed it either, until I saw a real goblin.

"Well, leaving aside the question of why such a great guy is working on a construction site with us... 'Silver Class'. That's awesome. Silver class adventurers have a hard time with goblins.
"Yeah, she had trouble with them, too. She had a lot of talent and knowledge, but not much experience. When she first met the goblin, she was surprised.

So, when I pulled out the huge magic stone that was buried in the goblin's head, it stopped moving?
Yeah, I didn't think it had a weakness like that. In the event that you have any kind of questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. I don't even want to see him for a while.

That's right. If that's the weakest demon in the world, I'd be too scared to go outside the city.
Yeah, you're right. Whenever you go out, you should be prepared to run away from the demons.

　When I said that, everyone laughed.

It's funny how you can take a story about a goblin and turn it into something more.
No, it's true.　It's a little exaggerated, sure, but it's mostly true.
"Yeah, I know, I know. ...... That's what I'm asking, don't worry. It has a really strange rawness to it, and you have a talent for listening to it every day and never getting tired of it, don't you think?

I'm a little embarrassed to hear you say that.

　I know I'm not a very good talker, but I like talking.
　In this area, I think I have inherited my father's love of talking.
　Of course, I can't speak as skillfully as my father, but I do know how to focus on a certain point and make it interesting.
　I have always enjoyed listening to stories, so I think I understand the feelings of listeners.



　It wasn't long after I joined the project that I started talking to people in this way.

　And before I knew it, the other nicknames I got were "whiner" and "poet".
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

　I'm not sure what to say.

　The day's work was over, and it was time for everyone to leave.

"See you tomorrow, pile-driver. Tell me another funny story.
Yeah. But I don't have a lot of stories.
I know. Well, the same story is a good way to pass the time. Your stories are ridiculous, but they're interesting to listen to.
If I heard the same story every day, I'd remember it too. ...... By the way, I told your goblin story to my kids yesterday and they loved it.
I'm glad to hear it.

　I'm glad to hear that." This man, whom I see every day, learned my story and told it to my children.

He liked the part about the big goblin. After the story, they immediately started playing giant goblin, tearing up the house and making my wife very angry. She said she'd like to come and listen to your story next time.
"Oh, by all means do. I'd love to. Should I prepare a different story for you?

Oh, that would be great. ...... Oh, but I'm sorry, no more stories about poisonous frogs, snakes or mushrooms, okay?　If the kids try to copy them, we'll be in big trouble.
That's also true. ...... Then I'll think of another story. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.　It's a story about how I almost died because I had to fight him alone.

　The man I knew laughed in amusement when I told him this story.

Haha!　That's good. That sounds like the kind of thing you'd enjoy the most. Go that route.
"No, ......, I'm telling you, that really happened, too.　Make sure you tell the kids that, too.
Yeah, I know. Think of something interesting to say. I'm looking forward to it.
All right, I'll make sure I remember it.
I'll see you later.
Yeah, see you tomorrow.

　And with that, I waved goodbye to the smiling faces, and my day's work was done.

　I think I've worked hard today.


　Let's stop by the bathhouse, then stop by some food stall to eat and go home.

　Then, while training as usual, I was going to try to remember what happened when I faced the dragon so that I could talk about it....

"Dr. Noor!

　When I turned around at the sound of a familiar voice, I saw someone running toward me with a familiar appearance.

　It was...

"So you're here?
"Lean. It's been a while.

I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to talk to you.
A question?

Yes. I'd like you to come with me to Mithra again... if it's all right with you, sir.