Dungeon Reform Plan*3
"I-I see… so this boy is none other than the God of the Dungeon…"
And so, the explanation was finished. Mostly by Mishisia.
Which meant, once again, I’d been promoted to “Dungeon God.”
Now Lisas was looking down at his own hands with a face that basically screamed, “I just held hands with a god and danced with him.”
Aaaahhh…
"Asuma-sama is a wise god, but still a young one, so there’s a lot he doesn’t know yet… but he’s super cute and merciful! That’s the kind of god he is! And your job would be to serve as this god’s knight and protect him! Way better than being some adventurer, right? It’ll be fun! Come on, say yes!"
Mishisia’s high-speed sales pitch had Lisas confused out of his mind.
I was even more confused. Since when was I “cute and merciful”?
I’m pretty sure “cute and merciful gods” don’t go around yelling “Shut up, baldy!”
"N-no, I appreciate the offer, but me, a knight? A serf, sure, but someone like me…"
"There’s nobody else! Please!"
"I mean, am I even allowed to be in the presence of a god…?"
"There aren’t any men left in the village! Please!"
… Yeah, fine. I’ll leave this one to Mishisia.
I just chimed in with an extra “Please!” while watching her steamroll a very bewildered Lisas.
Negotiations aren’t exactly my specialty anyway, so this is way easier.
… And then.
"A-all right… I’m not confident, but since you saved my life, and gave me back my arm and eye, I’ll work myself to the bone for you."
Still looking troubled, Lisas agreed.
Hell yeah! We got ourselves another sword-user!
… And the Panis Village got one more able-bodied man too!
Afterward, we talked it over with him and decided to release a few more of the thugs.
… Not that these guys could be counted on much in battle, but at least as general manpower for the village, they’d be helpful.
Turns out some had been burned out of their hometowns in the last war, or had been baggage-carriers for mercenary bands until mercenaries fell out of demand and they got canned.
No place else to go, they’d ended up drifting into that gang of adventurer dropouts.
Like Lisas, they were more the type who thought, “I’d rather die than sell children to survive,” which made them relatively decent folk after all…
So, new villagers: acquired.
I patched up their injuries with some herb potions, and then introduced them to Edele. She was happy to see the number of men in the village increase.
… Of course, some couldn’t be released.
Like the ones who held knives to my and Mishisia’s throats—guys like, “a noble’s useless son with money but a rotten reputation at the guild,” or “a guy who’s practically a bandit, already has a rap sheet.”
Them, we turned over to the guild. Just as planned.
Naturally, they complained—“Let me out too!”—but I shut it down with another “Shut up, baldy!”
Don’t underestimate insults from a grade-schooler body.
When it comes to those unproductive arguments where it’s just about declaring a winner, the strongest guy is the one who flat-out refuses to listen!
Which means—yep! I’m the strongest!
And so, in front of the cave, we held a welcome party for the new villagers.
Nothing fancy—everyone was eating anyway, so we just folded it in.
Edele cooked up a big pot of veggie-loaded stew, while others baked bread, roasted bird meat, and somehow cracked open some alcohol.
The newly arrived folks looked guilty or awkward at first, but surrounded by the friendly Panis villagers, they slowly warmed up.
Good, good. More people is always better. Here’s hoping they’ll settle in well.
As for me, I popped out some houses and furniture so nobody would be stuck sleeping outside tonight.
Nothing fancy, but at least rainproof roofs and beds for all. We’ll handle the details over time.
After finishing all that, I sat down to rest—when Mishisia came over.
"Asuma-samaaa! Here’s today’s offering!"
She plunked down a tray of food.
"Thanks, Mishisia-saaan! I’ll humbly accept it again today!"
… Yep. Meals for me are officially called “offerings.”
Everyone just casually goes, “Here’s your offering!” so I gave up resisting and rolled with it.
So I tucked into fresh-baked bread, stew, and skewered bird meat. Delicious.
Halfway through, though, sleepiness hit me.
Nonono, I can’t fall asleep mid-bite. I shook it off and kept eating… but the drowsiness kept piling on.
Guess popping out all those houses and beds took more out of me than I thought.
Or maybe it’s just this elementary-school body clock saying “bedtime.” Probably both.
I figured I’d hit the hot spring before turning in, but while I was trying to put my dishes away…
"Asuma-sama, leave that. I’ll take care of it."
When did Edele even get here?
"Asuma-sama, thank you so much for today. You must be exhausted."
"Nah, it’s fine. Seeing everyone happy makes me happy too…"
"… Asuma-sama."
I looked up through my sleepiness, and she smiled—then pulled me into a soft hug.
"Truly, thank you. It’s because of you that I, and this village, were saved. You’ve worked so hard for us… thank you, from the bottom of my heart."
Look, Edele’s… well, generously built.
So when she hugs me like that, my head gets buried right in there.
But… you know what? There’s nothing lewd about it at all!
It’s just… healing.
Warmth, softness, safety… I could hear her heartbeat while she stroked my head.
This. Absolutely. Obliterates. Stress.
"I’ll repay you however I can… ah? Asuma-sama? Getting sleepy?"
What the heck is this!?
Is this normal!? Like, is every guy—elementary schooler or nineteen years old—wired to react like this!?
Or is this universal for all humanity, regardless of gender!?
Forget it, I don’t care anymore! I surrender! I’ll just enjoy it!
And since I’m already nodding off… good night!
… So yeah, I conked out in Edele’s arms, and when I woke up, I was in bed. Someone must’ve carried me and tucked me in. Thanks for that.
Morning light was filtering in. Slept like a log.
When I crawled out of bed, I saw Edele asleep in the one next to mine.
She must’ve been exhausted too. She deserves the rest.
As for me—slimes don’t wait. Time to work! Morning!
"Well, well… you’re lively as ever, huh, little guys."
The slimes came wobbling along, so I started the day’s harvest. Villagers trickled in to help out. Thanks, folks.
"Asuma-samaaa!"
Here comes Mishisia, bright and early.
"Asuma-sama! Good morning!"
"Morning. Nice weather, huh."
"Asuma-sama, are you really okay? Don’t push yourself too hard… I mean, Edele told me you suddenly conked out last night… You made world tree potions, built houses and beds for everyone… aren’t you just worn out?"
"Maybe… but honestly, it was just Edele putting me to sleep."
I had to give her a half-hearted excuse. Still, since she was worried, I handed the harvest work over to everyone else and went around doing my usual fertilizer duty.
After their crops were picked, the slimes lined up in front of me, so I sprinkled fertilizer over them, and off they went wobbling on their little dungeon strolls.
Watching them bounce along so peacefully, I couldn’t help but feel relaxed too.
Ahhh, wobble wobble…
… Later, Edele came running out with a “Kyaa! I overslept!” and I wondered if maybe I should’ve woken her up.
But then I saw the slimes still wobbling around, and thought—nah. Better to take it easy.
Ahhh, wobble wobble…
What do you think about this chapter?
