Get Them Out! The Village of Schemes*2
And so, early in the morning, we packed up our camp and headed back to Panis Village, arriving around noon. We’re home!
“Alright! Looks like the stagecoach hasn’t arrived yet!”
“Well, yeah—we left at the crack of dawn just for that.”
Since we were traveling in our own wagon, our departure time was totally flexible. The other group, though, had to adjust for other passengers’ schedules, so from what we heard, they’d probably reach Panis Village around snack time.
So we came charging in with the spirit of “Let’s get back first and prepare everything!” but…
“Okay! Asuma-sama, Lisas-san, you two handle the library! I’m going to talk to Edele-san!”
“Eh—”
“Edele-saaan! Edele-saaan! We’ve got a problem!”
… And there she goes—Mishisia-san takes off running at top speed. That left me, Lisas-san, the wagon, and all the books behind.
“...Alright then, uh... let’s start on the library.”
“Yeah… let’s.”
Well, Mishisia-san’s got her own ideas, I guess. Yeah. And if Edele-san’s with her, it probably won’t turn into something too crazy. Probably.
“Okay, first, we’ll set up the library building. Done.”
“No matter how many times I see this, it’s still surreal…”
First step—reconstruct the building itself. Made it out of quartz-based white stone, so it came out super beautiful.
“While we’re at it, let’s coat it with titanium dioxide paint.”
“Huh? Like plaster?”
“Uh, kinda. It’s titanium oxide—y’know, that metal oxide the craftsmen are using for the ornaments lately—ah, this is one of those things that’s annoying to explain.”
If I tried to explain titanium dioxide paint, I’d probably end up starting from “So, a molecule is…” and that’s a can of worms I don’t feel like opening right now. The process doesn’t matter—what matters is the result!
“When walls painted with this stuff get sunlight and then rain, the dirt just washes right off.”
“There’s paint that does that!? Incredible! What sort of magic makes that possible?”
“Chemistry!”
… In my world, photocatalytic titanium dioxide is pretty common, though. Well, yeah, chemistry—close enough to magic.
So, with that, the white marble-looking library—well, just the shell of it—was done. Time to move on to the interior.
Reception counter, check. Then desks and chairs for reading or writing. I went with the partitioned desk style—hey, don’t judge me. I like small, enclosed spaces. I love being surrounded on three sides.
… And of course, the bookshelves. You can’t have a library without bookshelves.
“Let’s just start with broad categories for now. Once the collection grows, we’ll organize it better.”
I started putting the books we brought back onto the freshly built shelves. Not that there was any heavy lifting involved—since I just absorbed and reconstituted everything from the wagon! Makes transport a breeze!
“OOOOOOH! So much mana! So much mana—aaah!”
“O-oh… right, you do love books, huh?”
“Love’s got nothing to do with it—this is amazing! Amazing, Lisas-san! OOOOH!”
Naturally, absorbing all those books gave me a huge burst of mana. Usually I’d only absorb one or two books at a time, but this time I did about a hundred! The mana inflow was insane! Amazing! Absolutely amazing! And I can’t even explain it properly! Aaaah!
… Anyway, for now, it looked like a decent “small village library.” Eventually I want to expand the collection.
Alright then.
“The library’s ready enough—let’s go check on Mishisia-san.”
“Y-yeah… I can’t help but feel anxious about this.”
Even though he’d steeled himself, Lisas-san still couldn’t quite keep up with Mishisia-san’s energy. Not that I can either, honestly.
So, with some trepidation, we headed to Edele-san’s place—
“Asuma-sama! Quick, take out a ring and a necklace for Edele-san! Or maybe a hair ornament! Something elegant—not too flashy, but fancy-looking, refined, and expensive! Oh, and clothes too!”
“Wh—wait, what!? That’s way too many demands all at once!”
I was immediately lost. What did she just say? I stopped understanding halfway through!
“Okay, so, Edele-san’s going to wear ‘jewelry gifted to her by Lisas-san.’”
“Why…?”
Both Lisas-san and I could only blink dumbly as Mishisia-san explained—but then she followed up with—
“Because! We’re gonna make Lisas-san’s ex-wife jealous!”
“Ah, yeah, that actually makes perfect sense now.”
And just like that, her proud declaration made it all click.
Yeah, I get it. Totally.
If I were the ex-wife, and my ex-husband’s new partner was wearing better jewelry than I ever had, I’d be ticked too.
And for the cheating lover? If the guy’s ex is standing next to him now—radiant, smiling, clearly doing better than before—he’d hate that even more. It’s poetic justice!
“B-but… wouldn’t that cause Edele-san trouble? Making her lie for my sake…?”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all.”
While Lisas-san looked uneasy, Edele-san was completely on board.
“Lisas-san’s done a lot for me. Pretending to be fond of ‘a capable newcomer helping out around the village’ is easy enough.”
She smiled serenely.
“Don’t worry, Lisas-san. No need to lie and say we’re married or anything!”
“Exactly! Exactly, Lisas-san! We’re not saying you’re remarried—just that you’re living a nice life here, content, with a beautiful village leader nearby who might—maybe—be something more someday!”
… Yeah, that’s subtle enough to sell it without going overboard.
“So Lisas-san’s the guy who’s clearly moved on, happy in his new life, and maybe has a thing going with the lovely village chief. Perfect! I’ll play the random village kid walking by!”
“I’ll be the passing half-elf!”
Mishisia-san and I high-fived in perfect nonsense rhythm while poor Lisas-san just stood there.
“Uh, Lisas-san, you okay with that plan…?”
While Mishisia-san was finally realizing she might’ve gone a bit too far, Lisas-san scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“... Well, if that’s how it is, then let me be the one to give her the jewelry. I’ll go get something.”
“Eh?”
“I don’t want Asuma-sama’s power faking my finances. I’ve got savings from when I left the knighthood, and I owe Edele-san thanks anyway. It’ll be a proper gift.”
Man, he really is a good guy. So damn earnest.
… Seriously, why did his ex cheat on him? I don’t get it! Maybe women have some kind of mysterious logic I’ll never understand.
Anyway, Lisas-san disappeared for about three hours. We were starting to worry—“The coach will be here any minute now!”—when he finally returned.
“Sorry to keep you waiting… here.”
He handed Edele-san a bracelet.
The base metal was titanium, treated for a soft, warm-colored gradient sheen. Delicate floral engraving, understated gems that still caught the light—definitely one of the craftsmen’s works.
Compared to the Saintess’s jewelry, it was more modest, practical, even modern in a way.
“Oh my, it’s so light.”
“Right!? That’s titanium! It’s light, strong, and amazing!”
“Asuma-sama really likes that metal, huh.”
Well, yeah! Titanium rules—light and tough, perfect for daily wear. Great pick, Lisas!
“... Does it look good on me?”
“It looks wonderful on you, Edele-san!”
The warm tones and delicate craftsmanship suited her perfectly. She looked stunning.
“And this too.”
“Oh? What’s this…”
Next, he offered her a crystal flower hair ornament.
“Oh! That’s from a Jewel Tree!”
“Yeah. I rushed through the dungeon, straight to the core, picked it myself, and had it crafted by the artisans.”
Wow. The man’s serious. Even if he’s familiar with the route, clearing a maze-like dungeon that quickly is no joke. Total high-spec knight behavior.
So now, Edele-san’s chestnut hair was adorned with a shimmering JewelTree blossom. Beautiful.
“Anyone wearing that either paid a fortune for it, is a skilled adventurer, or got it as a gift from one. Perfect! It’ll drive them nuts!”
“Absolutely perfect! Perfect plan!”
Mishisia-san and I started doing our weird little victory dance again while Edele-san laughed softly.
“And for you too, Mishisia-san.”
“Eh?—For me!? Really!?”
“You help a lot around here too.”
He handed her a hair ornament shaped like Jewel Tree leaves—simple, but elegant. It suited her perfectly.
“And for you, Asuma-sama… I wasn’t sure what to give someone who can make anything…”
“Waaah! Awesome!”
… He handed me a knife. A titanium knife!
“So cool!”
It came with a sheath you could hang from your belt. Light enough for a kid-sized body—thanks, titanium! Man, this hit me right in my inner boy’s heart.
“When I left the village, I realized—even if you can’t use dungeon powers, it’s good to have a way to defend yourself. Think of it as a charm.”
Aaaaah! He gets it! He totally gets it! Damn, Lisas-san, you’re the best!
… Again, why on earth did his ex dump this guy!? It’s the mystery of the century!
With our spirits sky-high, we got to work.
“Alright! Lisas-san, get changed! You’ve gotta look sharp! Oh, but first—bath! You’re covered in dungeon dust!”
“S-sorry…”
“Asuma-sama! The outfit! Make it just like I said!”
“Draw it for me, that’s easier!”
“Got it! Like this!”
As Lisas-san hurried off to the hot spring, Mishisia-san started sketching his outfit. She’s a great artist, honestly.
I absorbed the drawing and recreated the clothes accordingly—with many, many corrections from Mishisia-san. Then more for Edele-san’s outfit. I don’t understand women’s fashion, okay!?
Finally, Lisas-san came back, cleaned up, dressed properly, and—
“Well then, Lisas-san. It might be a bit annoying, but from today through tomorrow—until your ex-wife and her man leave—I’ll be sticking close to you. Alright?”
“Ah, uh… yeah. I mean, sure… sorry for the trouble…”
Edele-san, as the village’s stand-in leader, looked perfectly dignified yet radiant—and Lisas-san, once polished up, was… wow. Seriously handsome.
Well, this whole village soaks in hot springs constantly, so everyone’s skin glows, from the young to the grandmas. Probably way above national average in cleanliness and health.
“Ah! Then let’s make it look natural for Edele-san and Lisas-san to be together! Like—village inspection rounds! Facility checks! Planning upcoming construction projects! We’ll do it all today and tomorrow!”
“Asuma-sama’s even serious about setups like this, huh. But that’s a great idea—I wanna see the new library too!”
So we finalized our plan and got ready.
Alright, ex-wife and homewrecker—come on down!
Panis Village will give you the warmest welcome ever! Hyah-ha!
What do you think about this chapter?
