I'm really sorry.

　It was a guild executive who bowed to me.
　Apparently it was an apology for not stopping the Campbell's group's antics.

'We were the ones who called them in, but we lacked control. I can't believe they were doing such a selfish thing out of our sight...!

　He apologizes to me for that.
　To me, a mere adventurer in a small, poor Lax village.

'I'm going to have the guild branch of Campbell Street, not to mention the adventurers involved, take the blame, and they will be dealt with severely. And with that, let's just leave it at that, shall we?
No, no, no...!

　The guild executive's attitude was so ostentatious that it made me fearful on the contrary.

''It's not that you don't need to be concerned about us. You're the higher ups, so just handle it according to your rules...!
It doesn't work that way.

　The guild executive was still in awe.

''Lax Village's cooperation is essential to our future projects. We can't afford to lose their trust over something trivial.''

　For a big man, he seems to care a lot about attention.

Especially with your trust.
What?
I've only been here a short time, but I've learned enough. You are the heart of this business. You've reclaimed the Mithril mine, you've earned the trust of the subspecies, you've solved the skirmishes with the demons.

　I bow to me again.

"You will hold the village of Lux in the highest regard for your preciousness. So why don't you join us?　A future where we can prosper together...!

　What a surprising lift.........
　........that much?

Dariel, you've really come to represent your village.

　The village chief, who is truly a representative of the village, calls out from the side.

''S-sorry!　I'm a lowly guy, and I'm going to do what I've been doing for too long...!
All right. You're gonna have to do it anyway. I can't do it myself. Dariel, you could be the new head of the village.

　No, I don't need to be lifted up like that.

'It was my brother who beat the cocky bastards in town!　Big brother is the guardian of the village, man!

　It was Gacita who said, "You're the protector of the village!
　This guy is going to make sure that he obeys me and his prefect!

Dariel!　Keep up the good work!
"Dariel-kun, for the sake of the village, please!
'My brother!　I respect you, man!

　We all came together to lift me up.

　The feeling of discomfort and itching is not half bad.

Why me of all people? And.

　I was by nature the one who was looked down upon.
　In the Demon King's army, as a demon race that couldn't use magic, I was always at the bottom of the list and everyone looked down on me.
　Eventually, I was exiled.

　I arrived at the end of it all, in the village of Lax, and I was treated as the complete opposite.
　Everyone needs me.

　That's what makes me happy, but at the same time it's unexpected and confusing.

◆

Hahhh...!

　Anyway, that night when the matter was settled.

　I took a bath that night.
　After a long day of work, I took a bath to wash away my fatigue.

　The baths in the LUX village are steamy.
　After sweating out in the steam-filled room, I scrub off the grime and take a dip in the water.

　Then you will feel refreshed and refreshed.

　The steam bath is a great way to get a good night's sleep and wake up in the morning with plenty of energy.

　The sauna was one of the first things that struck me when I first arrived in LUX village.

　But now that I'm in the sauna, I'm having an even more shocking experience.

　I am in the same room with someone else.

　The sauna is a communal facility, sometimes with a few other people in attendance, but today it's just me and one other person.

　That one person was a problem.
　A big problem.

　Because it was Marika who was alone in the sauna with me.

"Ha, it's hot...!

　The daughter of the village chief.
　The girl who first met me in the forest and brought me to the village.

I don't like saunas..." "I don't like saunas.... "I can't stand it and I can't stand it and I get out of it right away. I think that people who spend a lot of time in this kind of thing must be pretty skinny, right?　You think the first one out loses or something, don't you?
Ha, ha, I don't know.

　I'm in great perplexity.
　That I'm in a sauna bath with the opposite s*x.

　Let me assure you again that this is important.

　I'm a man.
　Maleeka is a woman.

　Two people of the opposite s*x are alone in one bathroom.
　Naturally, we have no clothes on.
　We only cover each other with towels, unreliably.

　It's never been like this before.
　Only the same s*x always takes a bath together. The men and women always take turns using the baths separately, at set times.

　So why today?

"I really wanted to thank you for your help today...
"Thank you?
'Dariel-san has worked and worked and fought a lot for the village.... So I wanted to give her a little bit of a workout, to wash her back...
Is that so...?

　Wha...?
　In a steam bath?

Are you bothering them?
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?　No way!

　I can't reject someone showing me that much goodwill.

........in truth, I was worried.
What?
'Dariel, you are truly an amazing person. I've felt that way since the moment I met him, though. It's not just a matter of time before you're ready to go. That's why I was so worried...

　Speaking of which, the village chief once told me.

''If he's as good as you, he'll be able to grow up in a guild in a bigger city,'' he said.

　Marika was in the same place at that time and must have heard the same line.
　Had she been anxious ever since then?
　I'm going to be evaluated and flown somewhere else.

'I'm sorry. It's just me being selfish, right?　Dariel-san says you can climb to a place that is worthy of your abilities. It's selfish of me to want you to stay here....
No, it's not.

　I said emphatically.

'I'm not going anywhere. I don't care about my career, and above all, I love this village. I love this village that accepted me when I had nowhere else to go.

　I think how nice it would be if I could stay in this village for the rest of my life.
　I don't feel like testing myself elsewhere now.

'I'm glad.... But Dariel-san is kind, so maybe he's saying something kind to keep me from hurting myself. I'm insecure. I know it's my own beliefs, but I'm anxious.......!

　My head is dizzy.
　It wasn't just the high temperature of the sauna that made her feel hot all over.

　Maleeka stood up.

　She was dressed unreliably, bare-chested and with a towel wrapped around her.

'So I need a testimonial.'
"Proof?
Not just words, but hard evidence that Dariel is not going anywhere...

　With a crunch, something fell to the floor.

　It was a towel.
　A towel wrapped around Maleeka's body.

　The fact that it fell to the floor means........
　Now Marika is........?

'Dariel-san. Can you give me a testimony?　I'm in my body.

　A stark naked body of Marika was standing in front of me.

◆

　It would be wild to go into details about what happened after that.

　Let's just say that I've got another reason to stay in Lax Village.

　And by spending more and more time in the village.
　And as I spent more and more time there, I became more and more of a resident of Lax Village.