All of the villagers welcomed me and Granz, who had returned to Enzo village, with a big round of cheers.

''Welcome home, Master Magnus!
It's so good to see you alive!
Grunts!　You bastard!　You'll be gone before you know it, and you're worrying me!
'You're not going to drag Master Magnus down, are you?
'Well, well. It's good to know that you and Master Magnus have returned safely.
"Mm, that's right!

　We're surrounded by people, rubbing us.
　The girls, especially the young ones, have red cheeks and touch us in an all over the place. The girls were chattering to each other, "Oh no, you've been touched by a wizard," they said.

　How did the villagers know that we had defeated the boss monster in the remote forest?
　The six-meter tall Forest Giant's decapitated screams had apparently reached this Enzo village.
　Furthermore.

'Thank you, Mr Magnus!　My granddaughter....my granddaughter, who had been lying there for a long time, came out of bed feeling better than she had been lying...!

　The village chief was already covered in tears and sniffles, shouting out words of thanks.
　Next to him was Mel, who was also completely blooming.

'Thank you, wizard. I heard you said that you said that my illness might be cured if I defeat the forest boss monster?　That's really what happened!　How can I thank you...!
You can thank him if you want.

　I tugged on Grunt's sleeve.
　As soon as Mel, the man I was in love with, came out, he was hiding behind me in a nice figure, squirming.
　I pulled it out and thrust it in front of Mel.

'Grunts!
He was so eager to help me in my quest to cure you of your illness that he offered to help me. He used me as a shield and went at the scary, scary giant by himself. I'm a real brave man, not some accidental idiot who just happened to be chosen by fate.
Well no I'm not... no I'm not...
"Don't be modest, my hero!

　I smiled and patted Gruntz on the back.
　A man with a stern face and a stern build stumbled squishyly with it, perhaps soaring in front of his intended Mel.

''Grunts, did you really get into a fight with a boss monster like that?

　Mel jokes and laughs unconcernedly.
　Even the villagers say, "Yes! Mel's right! And I hold my stomach.
　A pleasant, non-malicious laugh breaks out.
　Granz also has a troubled laugh, "Oh dear........
　And - and then Mel gently snuggles up to his muscular body

'Thank you so much for the grunts too. I'm glad.

　He thanked his childhood friend with an all-encompassing tone of voice.
　The whirlwind of laughter around me turns into chilling voices and whistles.
　
　In Granz's manner of speaking, he said it as if it was a one-sided love with no pulse, but if you look at Mel's side, surprisingly, the odds were there from the beginning, weren't they?
　Well, you don't know these things for yourself.
　Congratulations!
　I have a soft spot in my heart for a simple guy named Gruntz.
　So I couldn't help but pray that the two of them would work out.

　 Yeah.

　　　　◇◆◆◆◆.

　The day became a celebration for the whole village.
　It became a celebration of drinking and singing.
　I thought I wasn't a fan of this kind of revelry, but it was surprisingly enjoyable.
　I suppose it's because the villagers are all simple and not in any way intrusive, just genuinely celebrating Mel's good health and our victory.
　Grants are being toasted, but when I declared that I'm not that strong on alcohol, they all refrained from doing so.
　The people of Enzo are very modest.
　The head of the village came up beside me and said, "I would like to invite Mr. Magnus to join us.

"I'd really like to thank you, Mr. Magnus, for what you've done for me.

　He seemed horrified to see if there was ever going to be anything to thank me for in this rural area.
　In fact, I don't have anything I want either.
　It's just that it's not a very nice thing to be shaken upside down in a village and asked to pay for what little gold there is. I don't have any money in my pocket.

"Don't worry. You're already getting paid.
Is that so...?
The boss gave me a drop item that I wanted. That's what makes me happy.

　I said and reassured the village chief.
　And although I didn't dare to mention it, there was one more piece of loot.
　It's the Great Shield of Loreal Warfare that Granz used.
　It was shattered during the Forest Giant battle, but the shards were just what I wanted.
　Well, from the village chief's point of view, it's just a shattered piece of steel, and even if I explained it to him, he wouldn't understand it, and I don't have to tell him.
　When I asked Gruntz to give it to me as well, he said, "Of course, I'd be happy to give it to you, but.......this stuff? I've been twitching my neck.

　In order to save Mel, in the quest to fight the forest giants, I of course thoroughly researched the Strategy Guide.
　I found out that there was a 78% chance that the forest giants would drop a rare item called the Heart of the Furious Forest.
　That was the loot I had successfully obtained.

　この〈猛々しき森の心〉――〈攻略本〉では〈合成アイテム〉という聞いたことのない分類わけをされていた。
　少数民族であるドワーフの中でも、さらに稀な〈秘術鍛冶師〉に他の〈合成アイテム〉や〈触媒〉と一緒に渡し、秘伝の業を以って鍛えてもらうと、全く別の〈マジックアイテム〉になるのだという。

　そして〈猛々しき森の心〉と合成できる触媒となるのが、グランツからもらったこの鋼片だった。
〈歴戦〉の名を冠するほどに使い込まれた盾を、さらに砕けるまで使い込んで、残ったその破片。
　ラクスティアにたくさんある鍛冶工房を巡れば、どこかで売ってもらえるだろうと踏んでいたが、おかげで手間が省けた。
　二つを合わせてできる〈マジックアイテム〉は、〈魔法使い〉である俺が魔王攻略の旅を続けるに当たって、重宝すること間違いなしの代物だ。

　あとはドワーフの〈秘術鍛冶師〉を見つけるだけ。
　これもラクスティアほどの王都だったら、一人や二人はいるだろうと踏んで、〈攻略本〉をひもとき、『重要人物一覧』の索引を当たった。
　ビンゴだった。
　鍛冶屋街の奥でひっそりと工房を営んでいるという、偏屈なドワーフ。
　名をバゼルフという。
　俺は王都に戻り次第、早速彼に会いに行くつもりだった。