Ah, ......, it's another shitty day.

The scorching sun is shining and scorching the earth. The men working outside, their skin protected by white cloaks, tilt their tanned faces and stare up at the cloudless sky.

Most of the land of Toaizant, the Land of Sand, is a barren desert. It was once a land of constant strife. The mass influx of treasure hunters has united the people, but the fact remains that the majority of the land is inaccessible.

Rain falls only a few times a year, and the temperature varies greatly between day and night. Sandstorms bewilder travelers, and most of the land is infested with powerful demons so adapted to the climate that it is impossible to even build a road through it.
The only place that is reasonably prosperous is the capital city, which is centered around one of the few large oases in Toaizant, while the rest of the city still lacks daily food.

There are many treasure halls in Toaizant, but the average level is high, and there is no such treasure hall for commoners as in the great empire of Zebrudia. This was one of the reasons why Toaizant had not been developed for a long time, and even now, with some improvement, most of the people remained poor.

'd*mn, it's no good, it won't grow either.

The men were a group dedicated to saving the country.
A small village built a few dozen kilometers away from the capital. In that village, which was built so that it ran right over the top of the earth's veins, activities were being carried out.

Planting trees.
Endless sand and gravel. Long, spindly trees were planted at even intervals. Emaciated villagers were frantically sprinkling water on the trees, but the leaves were brown and dying, and the branches were as thin as a person's pinky finger, and they did not look like they were growing properly.
The villagers' faces were gloomy, even though they had known this all along.

Plants cannot grow in the Toaizant climate. Water is precious, the soil contains little nutrition, and the only plant-like creature that can survive in such a harsh environment is the demon, the man-eating cactus.
It is difficult even for a powerful mage to bring rain to this land. It is because of the existence of the Mana Material that the country of Toaizant is planting trees as part of its national policy in such a desperate land.

The Mana Material strengthens life. It is not limited to humans and demons.

By planting trees on the veins of the earth, which are the pathways of the mana material, and by strengthening the life force of plants, we are attempting to efficiently green the desert. This has been Toaizant's long-cherished desire since its establishment as a nation.

It was a foolish move on the part of those who were doing it. We have planted seedlings of all kinds of trees imported from other countries many times, but all of them have died. The reasons are many. Sometimes it was lack of water, sometimes it was heat, sometimes it was demons, sometimes it was sandstorms.
In the first place, Toaizant lacked all conditions. We lacked water, resources, and even technology. There were times when we tried inviting excellent mages, but even if they succeeded temporarily, they could not last long. This is not the kind of business that can succeed on that level.

However, we continued our activities. Planting trees is hard work, but it is also an activity that is respected in Toaizant.
The people of the Sand Country longed for greenery, even if it was all in vain and even if the people involved did not believe that they would one day succeed.

Dozens of kilometers away, the capital was abuzz with talk of a meeting, but that was of no concern to the men.
Today, they would fight against the scorching heat of nature.

--It was then that the man arrived.

He wore a flashy shirt that showed his arms. His skin was white, a sign that he was not a desert man. He was not carrying any particular weapon, and it was hard to believe that he was equipped to walk in the harsh desert.
His presence was much less than that of the hunters and the villagers who were breathing in the mana material day and night, and he looked very out of place.

The village was originally built for planting trees, and it was a boring place with few visitors.

However, the man who had come with a child and a beautiful woman in tow was ushered in front of the leader, who introduced himself as a level 8 hunter and said with an optimistic smile, as if he had given up on everything.



'Prepare a small 'shrine'. I'll lend you a god.



'What are you talking about, you ......'.

'I'm sure he'll make this place rich. Maybe it won't work, but better late than never, right? Just give it a try.'

It was a silly thing to say. Normally, I would have laughed it off.
But the treasure hunter certificate that the man presented was genuine. The title of Level 8 carried weight. The strongest hunter in Toaizant was certified at level 8. The man in front of him did not look that strong, but the title was too great to ignore.

To the stunned villagers, the hunter, Krei Andrich, said.

'Once a day, give them a piece of fried food. Then they will work for you.

'...... three'.

A fox-masked child beside him poked at the hem of his dress. Krai quickly rephrased.

'Give ............ three. Oh, and ...... while you're at it, I want you to bury this. Deep in the ground, tight. Okay?

'Oh, Crye, ...... that's such a waste.'

The pink-blonde woman opens her eyes and lets out a small scream. It was a tense exchange, but the leader's eyes were glued to the divine white tail that the level 8 hunter-hero had offered.














I looked up at the sky, feeling like I had done all I could. The blue sky, the brilliant sunshine--it was comfortable.

'Everything's been resolved: ......'

My sister fox was able to dispose of her tail, along with her fried tofu duties, to someone who needed the power. I had her buried deep in the ground, so I'm sure she'll disappear in time. On top of that, I even got a smart phone.

Today I'm more alert than ever.

Sitri, who was walking next to me, glanced behind me and said, "I'm worried about the village. He seems to be more interested in the village.
It wasn't a very big village, to say the least. According to the information I knew beforehand, it had been built for a plantation project, but it didn't seem to be doing well.
The surrounding land was barren, and demons native to the Land of Sand, such as the Great Sand Scorpion, were said to be walking around. I don't want to work in such a world, even if it's comfortable to do so, by building a village on the vein where demons tend to gather (even if it's not enough to build a treasure house).

'I sometimes have a hard time following your thoughts, Mr. Cry.

'I'm not very good at it, you know.

'Tail, what a waste ......'.

The sister fox may be a mere lackey, but to a small person like us, she still possesses god-like powers.
I don't know much about her power, but I'm sure she can make it rain. Even if she can't, she will surely be a reliable guard in this harsh environment. She is very perceptive for an apparition.

I told her that if she failed, it might not work out, so I'm not at fault.

Oh, it feels good to do something good.

'Not to apologize or anything, but the cargo you unloaded from the airship. I'll send that too.'

I hear the tree-planting business is pretty tough. The villagers there were all very thin. Most of the cargo is preserved food, but it's better than nothing. There may be a few fried tofu left.


I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm so excited.

'As you wish.

'That tail is too dangerous to experiment with.

'...... Did you give something like that to the villagers?'

Sitri frowns. I excused myself.

'...... That's not what I'm talking about.

I didn't give it away. I threw it away. I buried the thing, the responsibility, in a hole and abandoned it.
You can pretend you didn't see anything dangerous. If there's nothing you can do about it, just throw it deep into the ground. If you have a complaint, tell it to the haunted fox in that [lost inn].

'All you have to do is think of an excuse and you're all set.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to get rid of it.

'...... Do you want to bury them in the hole too?

'Well, well, well, Citri. Don't be sulky.'

'I'm not sulking, but ............ that tail, I wanted it too. ......'

Citri says something disturbing. Apparently, he wanted to grow a tail too.
I'd like to see it, but ...... my stomach can't handle two tails in a party.


'That's ...... something we don't need anymore.


Freedom is best, peace is best.
I patted Sitri on the back, who was giving off an unusually old-fashioned vibe, and squinted up at the sky.








I parted from Cicely in high spirits, and went back to my room to get my phone, feeling pleasantly tired.
It seems that the lack of magic power has been resolved, and his complexion is much better than yesterday. He looked at me with a scowl and a sour look in his eyes, and the first thing he said was.

'Yoaningen, where have you been? I am. Franz wants to talk to you, sir.

'I thought you said the escort plan was going to be done without us. ...... What do you want? I'm sure you'll be glad you did. ......

You're the only one who's been called. I don't know any more of these secretive Yowaningmen. Go alone, sir. Hey, you nincompoop, don't grab me! sir! Don't touch me, don't touch me, don't touch me, I haven't forgiven you that much yet, sir!

I'm sure they haven't found out about the sister fox yet. Is this about Telm and the others? One after another, everyone is relying on me too much.

I've made up my mind. I'll definitely retire when I get back to the capital. That's right, why don't I just quit and take responsibility for my screw-up with the guards?

I was going to play with my phone,......, but I was discouraged and pushed the back of the weak Crus to go to Franz's room.