"Ugh, don't move!

　A man raises a long club with both hands, shouting wildly.
　The other man next to him holds up a club as well, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"You idiot, demons can't understand a word you say!　Let's go, let's avenge the Sensei and the others!

　What?
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but it's a good idea.

Wait a minute...
"Don't move, I'll smash that demon to pieces with my hammer!　Whoa, whoa, whoa!

　I tried to stop him, but my words were drowned out by more shouting.
　With a mighty yell, the small shadow rushed forward, brandishing a large hammer without question.

"Excuse me, my lord.

　At the same time as he whispered in my ear, something soft came over my eyes.
　Without pause, a quiet but clearly angry command sounded.

"Yo, do it. 　
"Kihihihihi!

　There was a high-pitched chuckle, and then a brief, strong flash of blinding light.
　Immediately, screams erupted from all around.

"What the hell?
"My eyes! My eyes!
What the hell did you do?
"Get that rude bastard, Mee.

　With a reply that sounded like a stone being scraped together, a vibration came from the ground beneath my feet.
　Then came the sound of someone struggling, followed by a strangled voice.

"Hey, hey, get off me, you monster!
Imochi, restrain the rest.

　There was no reply, but instead a sticky sound was heard, followed immediately by multiple screams.
　In no time at all, there was a sharp crack of the whip that cut through the air.
　Finally, an ice-cold voice rang out.

"If you do not wish to die, stay put. Anything that moves is considered an enemy.

　In an instant, the clamor stopped.
　Finally, I realized that the feeling covering my eyes had disappeared.

　I hastily opened my eyelids and looked around, dumbfounded and speechless.
　Surrounding the entrance and exit of the dungeon were people from a familiar village.
　What they mistook for weapons were farming tools such as plows.

　All of them were sewn to the ground by the caterpillar's sticky thread, making them immobile.
　In addition, Heimo, the blacksmith, was hung upside down with his legs sucked into his mouth by a giant worm.

What do you want to do with these people?



　I let out a deep breath as Paula asked in a calm voice.

I don't care. Just let her go.
My eyes are still flickering. What's going on here?

　
"What the hell is going on here?

　When she turned her eyes in the direction of the voice, she saw the figure of Chief Dirk standing on the riverbank with a torch in his hand.
　Behind him, there was a line of villagers, each holding a farming tool.
　No matter what I said, the misunderstanding was not going to be cleared up soon, and I could only lift my shoulders and tilt my head at an angle.


　　　§§§


　The sun was almost down.
　Having taken care of everything for the time being, we moved to the sake barrel pavilion of tomorrow.

　The restaurant, which was supposed to be quite spacious, was packed to the brim with people.
　Unlike last night's drinking party, today's party was also attended by wives.
　Or, more accurately, all the villagers above a certain age were there.

　By the way, the events that took place while we were in the dungeon went like this.

　First of all, the mother, Ute, got angry when her daughter didn't come home even though it was almost evening.
　She thought that she must have been skipping work at the store, and that she must have been relaxing somewhere.

　Then a villager stopped by the store after digging a well, and told him that we had gone to the river.
　After a while, a villager who had returned from fetching water told us that he did not see anyone else at the riverbank.
　Another villager told us that the village chief was looking for us. 　

　It's the strength of a small community that more and more information is gathered like this.
　When Ute came to the conclusion that we had gone to the river and were still missing, he immediately consulted with Chief Dirk.
　In no time, a search party was formed and the villagers set out to investigate the area around the river.

　They found a side hole that looked suspicious.
　However, it was not possible to go in right away, so they decided to gather the numbers.

　While the village chief called out to the men to gather them, a group of skilled men stayed behind to guard the hole. .......
　Then we came out of the hole with a demon in tow.
　After that, thanks to Paula's outbursts and activities, we were able to avoid a war between humans.
　Well, it would be too complicated to talk about who was at fault, so I, who had neglected to contact him, bowed deeply and put the situation to rest.

　Then, I asked everyone to gather together to explain about the suspicious hole in the ground.

"Well, all the main people in the village are here. Now, Master Nino, may I ask you to tell me more about it?
"Yes, sir.

　The village headman urged me to walk up to the counter.
　Next to me were Paula and Mia.
　The demons are waiting in front of the dungeon, except for one, as it will only cause confusion.

　Yoru and Kuu hadn't woken up even after the commotion, so they were still lying on the slime.
　I guess it's safe to leave them to Su and Ra.

　I give a small cough and look around at the faces of the villagers surrounding me in a semicircle.


　There were too many people for everyone to be seated, so the front of the room sat directly on the floor, while the back of the room remained standing.
　It seemed that the story of Paula's demon had already spread, and the way she looked at us was a mixture of fear and nervousness.

　Yeah.
　I've been living a safe life, and there's absolutely no way I can convince this many people while putting them at ease.
　So I decided to be frank with them.

"The cave in the river, it was an underground labyrinth.

　While most of the people in the village tilted their heads in incomprehension, the blood drained from the chief's face and it turned white.
　But he was the one who had been organizing this village for five years.
　He pulled his chin back and immediately called out to Hans, who was standing next to him.

I'll have to consult my lord quickly. Hans, can you send a carriage first thing in the morning?
"Yes, I understand. Yes, I'll have it ready.

　The other villagers, however, did not seem to understand the situation yet.
　One of them asked the village chief in an impatient tone.

One of them asked the village chief in an impatient tone, "I have no idea what's going on. Are you saying there's some kind of danger?　The village chief.
"Why do you want to go with the lord?　Is it such a big deal?
No, you. What's going on?

　The chief glanced at me, nodded, and broke it down for me in plain English.

"Well, let's see. If Nino-sama's words are correct, a dangerous reservoir of magical elements has been created near the village.
What the hell?
Oh, no. ......
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

　Oh, you got through to me with the magical element pool?
　The village chief nodded to me once more and asked me a question to reassure everyone.

"Calm down, everyone. I'm sure you're not in any imminent danger, are you?　Master Nino.
Yes, we're fine.

　I said, but the words of a newcomer didn't seem to be convincing.
　In particular, aside from the men I'd made friends with over drinks last night, the women, many of whom I'd never met before, were staring at me in disbelief.

"Are you sure you can trust me?
I can't say for sure until I've done more research.
So you can find out?
That's a little vague.
You've got to be more specific.



　The village head who offered his help was immediately inundated with questions and requests from the village wives.
　Many of them were married couples with children, so it was understandable that they were concerned.

　The village head, who had calmed everyone by raising his arms, continued to give a concrete explanation on my behalf.

"Well. First, the lord will investigate, and if it is too dangerous, we will have to abandon this village .............

　There was a collective gasp, followed by shouts of anger and grief throughout the tavern.
　Then there was a storm of emotions, hugging each other's shoulders and punching the floor.

"Oh no. That's not true. ......
"Five years, five years. Five years, five years.
It's all over!
What are you gonna do?
I don't know. ......
Hey, it's not a done deal yet!　It's too early to give up!

　The one who shouted the loudest was the beastman Heimo.
　The loudest voice was that of the beastman Heimo, shaking his small bear-like body and shouting at the villagers.

It's not too late to lament after you've heard about the lesser dangers!　So, what's going to happen, chief?
It is possible that the lord's soldiers will use the underground labyrinth as a training ground. If that's the case, they'll probably levy the houses and fields.
Hey, there's no change!　I got my hopes up!

　The little bear gets angry.
　It's kind of cute.

d*mn it!　Sensei, what have you found? ......
"It's not your fault, sir. In fact, you found a dangerous place. I can't thank you enough.
But, you know, ......
Is everything over? ......
No, it's not over. It's just the beginning.

　The man who had been pounding his fist on the floor looked up in surprise at my opposite words.
　The village chiefs, who had been looking down, turned their gazes in unison.
　Okay, this is the critical point of the day.

It's a perfect fit, isn't it?
What do you mean?
The underground labyrinth. It's just perfect for the reason I'm here.



　The development of specialties, the availability of labor to solve problems.
　They are also a treasure trove of valuable medicines and other materials.

　It's no exaggeration to say that dungeons are a way to revitalize a village.

I don't understand what you're saying, Master Nino.
"Do you know what we've been doing all day?
What?
We've been exploring the labyrinth. We made it to the fifth basement floor, and we gained a lot of valuable experience.

　As soon as I said that, the villagers started to get excited.
　Well, it was a natural reaction.
　I smiled inwardly, knowing that I had successfully drawn their attention.

"Sir. I'm glad you're comforting me, but if you're going to tell a lie, you'd better do it better.
"No, no, I'm not lying.
But the underground labyrinth ......, the demon pool, is a very dangerous place, right? I'm sorry to tell you this, but the doctor is a ......

　I'm sorry to say, but I know exactly what you mean.
　I'm taller than most farmers, but I'm much less muscular than most farmers, so it's impossible for me to imagine myself slaying demons.
　In fact, I haven't done anything in terms of fighting.
　I smiled once more in my mind at the fact that things had turned out the way I had imagined.

I've got good friends there.

　The blacksmith Heimo, who had his arms folded, nodded gravely in response to my reply.

It's true that the girl's demon was very tough. I almost got hit myself.
"Well, she's no stranger to beating me in a drinking contest.
Yeah, and she's really pretty too!　And her breasts are huge!

　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　When I thought I couldn't keep up with the tweets, only the last man was getting elbowed by the woman next to him.

Paula wasn't the only one I could count on. Paula wasn't the only one I could count on. I had a great mage, too.

　As I said this, I gave Mia a look.
　All eyes around me immediately turned to the girl.

　Mia, who had been leaning against the counter idly playing with her nails, noticed the attention and hurriedly pointed at herself.

"Huh, me?
"Hahaha, you're funny too.
Mia has magic powers, right? Yeah, she's a magician, I guess.
"But she's a mage who can only burn.
Hmmm. Then I guess I'll be a mage from now on.



　I shrug deliberately at the villagers, who burst out laughing at one point.
　Then, staring at a corner of the room, I raised my voice so that everyone could hear.

It's getting dark, and yes, we could use some light, Mia.
"Oh, you mean like a lantern?　Give me a break, Sensei!
No, you don't. Come on, come on.

　I wagged my chin repeatedly to indicate the fireplace, and Mia seemed to finally understand my intentions.
　She claps her hands and smiles broadly.

"Hey, Mom. It's getting pretty dark, don't you think you might need some light?
No, we've already done that!
What's up, you guys? ....... What are you guys up to?　Well, it's getting cold, so I'll ask.
Hold it!　Move over! Move over!

　Mia moves the villagers out of the way from in front of the fireplace, and turns her body and arms around several times to find a pose.
　The smiling gesture drew another round of laughter and jeers.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're acting like a mage, aren't you?
You're getting a little overzealous, Mia.
Hey, you guys want to bet on how many times the light comes on?
Oh, I'll bet on all of them failing.

　The gloom of the past seemed to have faded away.
　There's not much to do in this place.
　In the meantime, the girl who lifted her arms happily, as if she had decided on a pose, declared in high spirits.

"Okay, let's go!
"Yeah?　Hmm? You're too far away.
"Hey, you've got to get closer to reach me.
What's wrong, what's wrong?

　After overhearing the villagers, Mia spun around and flicked her finger.
　In the next instant, a fireball the size of a baby's head emerged from the girl's fingertips.

　She spun around again and snapped, snapped, snapped with the fingers of both hands.
　And then, with a snap, snap, snap.

　Six fireballs appeared one after another, illuminating the villagers who opened their eyes and mouths to the fullest.
　And without missing a single one, they jumped into the fireplace in the corner of the room.

　Of course, the firewood in the fireplace was not safe.
　In an instant, it was fully alight, but the pressure of the flames blew it into the chimney, where it disappeared again in an instant.
　The flames collided in the fireplace, creating a tremendous whirlpool of intense heat.
　In addition, ashes and sparks were scattered all over the place.



You've gone too far, you idiot. ......

　There was a pause from my words, and then a huge scream that roared through the village.