And it's me again.........

　I had a strange experience in the mine, but that didn't mean there was anything more to it, and we continued the rescue mission in the mine.

　By the time we had secured most of the victims, the following team led by Gashita arrived.
　They moved from rescue work to recovery work in earnest.

　They cleaned up the charred debris and built temporary quarters with wood salvaged from the surrounding area.

But if we're going to rebuild, we'll have to call in the carpenters from our day job, won't we?
'I've made the calculations, of course. I'm going to ask the Center Guild for assistance and ask them to send me some building materials and manpower.

　Best Fred, the responsible person, said.

　That's good to hear.
　The Mithril Mine is an important facility, so I'm sure the greats will be generous with their support.

We've been using the same facilities we've been using since we stole them from the demons. Let's take this opportunity to build a new and more convenient facility!　You guys can make any request you want, and we'll be happy to oblige!
What?　You're gonna take requests from us too?
Of course! You knockers who work hardest in this mine deserve to be rewarded!
I want a bathroom!
I want a roast pig!
"I want a wife!

　Mr. Best Fred and the knockers are getting too friendly...?
　Never mind.

"Aniki Aniki

　Gashita, the leader of the recovery team, came to report to us.
　This guy's all grown up........!

The recovery work is progressing faster than expected. It's a good thing that most of the residents were able to get out of the building quickly and no one was injured.
The only thing we can do is clean up the rubble and set up a temporary shelter from the night dew. We'll leave the rest to the real carpenters that the Center Guild will send us.
Very well. So you want us to leave the bare minimum number of men behind when we're done?
....
"My brother?

　I didn't have an immediate answer to Gacita's confirmation.
　His proposal is a perfectly legitimate one. The personnel dispatched so far for rescue and reconstruction are adventurers belonging to Lax Village.

　They essentially need to complete the quests in Lax Village, so if they are glued to the mine forever, life in Lax Village will be slowed down.

　Like Gacita said, we should return to normal business once the state of emergency has passed.
　That's the natural decision.

　But.........
''Is that right?'' A vague anxiety of "I don't know what to do" surrounded me.


Yes, sir.
Do you think a burglar would rob the same house twice?
Yes?

　It would be a question that Gacita didn't know what he was talking about or what he was talking about.
　But I didn't need to wait for his answer.
　The correct answer itself was floating in the sky in the distance.

'Hmm?　What is it?
A bird?

　At first, everyone could only wonder at the tiny sunspots in the blue sky.
　However, the sunspot in the sky grew larger and larger in perspective, and its shape clearly flaunted to the viewer.

''That couldn't be........''
"Dragon, dragon!
"The dragon that attacked the mine is back!

　He's here again.
　He is the one who turned the Mithril Mine into a burnt-out area.

　Salamandre, the Flame Monster Beast.

Do you think he'll attack again? I was vaguely sure that I was worried about this.
　We don't even know why the demonic beast was targeting the Mithril Mine, and Granbaza-sama's attitude about it also aroused my anxiety.

''Gashta.
Hey!
Get the non-combatants out of the tunnels again. Adventurers will fall back to the tunnel. Never take on that monster head-on.

　It has already been demonstrated what happens to those who challenge the Flame Demon Beast.
　They would just turn into a blackened corpse.
　That is surely an opponent that humanity should not collide with properly, just like natural disasters and the like.

''But Aniki!　If we don't protect ourselves, we'll be overrun again!
That won't be a problem. We'll just pick the best ones we can find and throw them at you.

　I pull out my Hermes blade and say, "You can't mean...

You can't mean... you're the one who...?
And send for Radie and Alanziel. I'm sure that if the old and new brave men and women were to join forces, they would be able to defeat the monster.

　The Flame Demon Beast Salamandra still only floats about the size of a small bird above the blue sky.
　Even if it completely targeted us, it would still take some time to arrive.
　It was easy enough to complete the re-evacuation before then.

◆

　The guild staff and knockers have been brought into the tunnels and are ready to intercept.

　I can't rely on Radey and Mr. Arantzill, the new and old heroes on either side of me.
　The place is a clearing that had just been cleared of debris, so we didn't have to worry about damage.

　Just..........

''You guys need to evacuate as well.......!

　I called out to the adventurers camped behind me.
　Aside from Sesha-san and Satome, it's extremely dangerous to stay with the young adventurers of Laxx Village under Gasita, though?

What are you talking about?　You can't serve as a prefect if we're nuking around in a safe zone while he's trying to tickle you!

　Who's the prefect?

　However, there are surprisingly many reckless bastards who are like-minded with Gacita, and they all let out a vigorous battle cry.

''It can't be helped.......Don't get carelessly close to the dragon, right?
It's a good idea. Those who are brave are naturally drawn to others. ...I was like that when I was young.

　Mr. Alanziel was kind of convinced by himself.

　Oh well.
　Anyway, that dragon. If he comes close enough, I'll smash him down again, and we'll hit the ground running.
　We'll share the plan and tell them to come to me whenever they want, but........

"...?

　That bastard of a Flame Monster Beast, it stopped from a certain distance and didn't move.
　It didn't come any closer to us.

What's the matter with you?

　In that interval, the flaming breaths spitting from your mouth wouldn't even be able to reach you.
　Did you learn to fear from the last fight?
　It's a very un-beastly boil. If you're going to come, you should just go ahead and come. If not, go home.

"It's good to see you, Dariel.
''!''

　It was still hard to tell since it was still a long distance away, but if you looked closely, you could see what looked like a person on top of the Flame Demon Beast.
　One person.

　That figure stepped on the head of the Flame Demon Beast and stepped forward, then stepped on the tip of its nose as well and stepped further forward.

''Ugh!''

　There was nothing beyond the tip of his nose, so everyone thought that whoever stepped into the air would just fall away.

　But that was not the case.

　The flames that appeared in the air firmly caught the feet and led the riders to the ground like a staircase.

''Flames........no way.......?

　Someone who was riding on top of the flame demon beast Salamandra did so and came down to the ground safely.
　Right in front of us.

''You are...?
'What's the matter, Dariel?　Your Lord came to you, remember?　Shouldn't we bend our knees and lie flat, rubbing our foreheads against the ground to show our submission?

　At first I didn't really know who this person was.
　He started to speak and I finally figured it out with his voice and arrogant mouth.

''Bashbaza-sama........is it.......?''

　Even though I said it out loud, it was still suddenly hard to believe.
　I'm not going to be able to say that I was acquainted with the form of the ghost standing in front of me.

''What's the matter...?　That face.........?

　The change in appearance is too much.
　The last time I saw Bashbursa-sama was when he was dismissed from the Demon King's Army, but even though we hadn't seen each other in a year, he had changed too much.

　His cheeks were hollowed out, his eye sockets were depressed, and his bare eyeballs were shining with a glittering and suspicious light.

　The former Bashbursa-sama was reasonably handsome among the demon race, even though he was called a nobleman and so on.
　There was no trace of the past in the shape of a corpse dug up from the grave.

''What happened........?　What could have happened to make him look like this mangled mess...?
"Kukku........!　Dariel, kukukukukukuk...!

　When I spoke to him, Lord Bashbursa only let out an inchoate laugh.
　Really creepy.

　What on earth is this person's purpose........?