Come to the Dungeon Farm*1
“Let’s see… Panis Village is the one I’m staying at. It’s far from the royal capital, and not even on a main road, so not many people come through. But it’s a peaceful and nice village.”
We sat side by side on the stone bench I’d made just this morning, drinking water from crystal cups, and talking. Alright, hit me with the info.
“But… apparently last year was a bad harvest. You know there was a war not long ago? A lot of the men got conscripted, and they had to shrink the fields. That made things even worse…”
… So there was a war. And people were drafted. I see. That explains a lot. Sounds tough. Maybe that’s even why Mishisia was taken in by the village—they were short on hands.
“And then, this year they couldn’t really afford the donation money for the Church. So they weren’t given a ‘blessing,’ and now, another poor harvest is pretty much guaranteed…”
And there it was—that word I’d been curious about since before. Church. Donations. Blessings. Definitely something shady going on there.
“Uh, what’s this ‘blessing’ exactly?”
“Huh? Ah, right, of course. Asuma-sama’s a newborn god, so you wouldn’t know… Um, the people from the Church do a ritual prayer for good harvests. That makes the land’s impurities disappear, improves the flow of mana, and crops grow better.”
Ohhh, I see. So in this world, it’s not fertilizer—it’s prayer. And it actually works.
Gotta love fantasy logic. Doesn’t make sense, but hey, it’s fantasy.
“But it’s considered a return gift for donations… so if the donation’s too small, they won’t do it.”
“Stingy much!?”
“Right? I think so too… haaah.”
… So even in a fantasy world, religion gets commercialized. What a depressing kind of fantasy.
“Okay, so, what’s this ‘Church’ exactly?”
“The Church? Umm, it’s basically the national religion’s organization. I don’t know much, but… there’s a grand cathedral in the capital, that’s the headquarters. They’ve got branches all across the country. They preach their teachings and help people in need… or so they say.”
“Or so they say, huh.”
“Yeah. I’ve seen their people traveling around before, and apparently they’re the only ones who can grant blessings. That’s why everyone donates. But honestly, no one’s really devoutly worshiping the national god or anything. At least not in Panis Village—it’s not that close to us.”
Ahh, I get it. I think I understand now.
So the country officially has a state religion, a monotheistic “national god.” But in practice, local folk beliefs are stronger. Still, since blessings are tied to harvests, on the surface at least, belief in the state religion is… kind of mandatory.
… Ugh. What a rotten kind of fantasy.
“Well anyway, Panis Village is struggling with food right now… so the tomatoes and bread you gave us were a huge help. Really, thank you. Everyone’s so happy.”
… Setting aside the whole grim story of religion and power politics, at least Mishisia and the villagers are grateful. Helping them was worth it.
“Everyone’s saying, ‘The new god of the dungeon must be so merciful.’”
… So I am being treated like a dungeon god after all? I mean, come on. Right after hearing about a monotheistic state religion where worship is basically compulsory, being called a “god” feels incredibly awkward.
“Uh, are you sure that’s okay? I mean, I might be a god, but wouldn’t giving me thanks make the Church people dislike you?”
“Hm? Well… maybe. But the one actually helping us is you, Asuma-sama. If the Church gets mad… well, that can’t be helped.”
She just smiled cheerfully as she said that… Yeah. I think I’ve got a handle on the religious setup here.
Basically… me and that “Church” aren’t gonna get along. Better stay out of sight. Even just knowing that much is a huge win.
“By the way, Mishisia-san, what do you do?”
“Eh? Me?”
Okay. Now that I’ve got some world info, it’s time to learn a little about my closest link to the outside—Mishisia herself.
“I’m, uh… traveling after leaving the Elven village. Let’s see…”
She fidgeted with her chest for a moment—whoa, hey, what’s she doing!?—before pulling out a pendant from inside her collar.
It was a simple piece: a rough red gemstone bound with thread. Since she kept it tucked away under her clothes, it was probably important.
… Or so I thought. Until she said:
“I’m searching for a place to plant this.”
… Plant? That pendant? Wait, plant it? Like into a slime?
“Uh… plant it? You mean, like, into a slime?”
“Ahaha, nono. That’d just crush the slime.”
She laughed, then lowered her voice a little.
“… This is a seed of the World Tree.”
“World Tree…?”
“Yeah. The tree that’s said to connect worlds. To elves, it’s more precious than life itself… I’m traveling to find a place to plant it.”
She smiled a little awkwardly as she explained.
“… But it’s been hard. I’m not actually an elf, and I’m bad at magic, so even when I find a land rich in mana, they won’t let me borrow it…”
“Wait—you’re not an elf?”
That sounded way too weird! I couldn’t help blurting it out. Mishisia gave me a slightly troubled look. …Sorry.
“Mm. I’m a half-elf. A mixed-blood. Maybe that’s why the forests reject me even more.”
… Yeah. That felt awkward. Probably rude of me. I should’ve been more careful.
“… Well, I’m sure I’ll find a good spot eventually. It’s fine. I’ve got plenty of time, after all.”
She said it brightly, with a smile. Ah… she was probably sparing my feelings.
As I sat there reflecting on my blunder, Mishisia once again flashed an even sunnier grin, and continued speaking.
“And besides, right now, I’m not focusing on the World Tree! I want to help Panis Village for now! So, just for a little while… well, I plan to stay here for about five years!”
… Yeah.
I see… that makes sense.
“… Five years, huh… that’s a bit…”
“Huh? Yeah… Eh!? Am I saying something weird!? Ah, I don’t understand the flow of time either! It’s different from elves, and different from humans too!”
I don’t really understand this world either, but it seems like Mishisia herself also doesn’t fully grasp it—mainly, her sense of time…
… Well, she said she’s 101 years old. Yeah, so maybe she’s really not as worried as I think. She’s probably thinking, “there’s plenty of time”…
“So, um, Asuma-sama! Can I have a little of this water too?”
With that, Mishisia carefully tucked the World Tree seed back into her collar.
“There’s a sick child in the village. I want to brew some medicine, but with this poor harvest, the medicinal herbs aren’t growing well… so I thought, if I brew it with water full of mana, it might help!”
Ah, medicinal herbs. That’s interesting. Fantasy plants, huh? Very intriguing. Super intriguing.
“In that case, go ahead. Wait a moment—I’ll fill a bottle for you.”
I reconstructed a crystal bottle, filled it with water, and tightly sealed it with a stopper made of compressed plant fibers. Done. A little gift.
“… You don’t need to pay me back for this—just give me the seeds or seedlings of your medicinal herbs!”
“Yeah! Got it! I’ll bring them!”
Ah, that’s helpful. Medicinal herbs, huh… This opens up possibilities. Nice, nice.
Well, if the slimes come again tomorrow, we can plant them there. Perfect. Looking forward to it.
So, the next day. Morning.
“I knew this would happen!”
The slime horde marched forward, plump and squishy, morning dew sparkling in the sunlight.
And on their heads, fluffy and growing… vegetables! Ten varieties in total!
Tomatoes, green beans, lentils, climbing beans… plus wheat, carrots, cabbage, kale, radishes, and garlic!
Amazing. They all ripened at once. It’s a bit overwhelming. What do I even do with this? I’m kind of dumbfounded.
“F-for now… I guess I just have to harvest… harvest them!”
But standing there won’t change anything. I steeled myself, grabbed a basket and a small knife, and started the harvest!
Though, well… I don’t have enough hands.
“Ah! They’re flowering already! Grow slower, damn it!”
As the morning sun rose, the crops continued growing on top of the slimes. Look! The carrots, cabbage, and kale are already flowering!
“Ah, whatever, I’ll leave the flowering ones for seed collection. Wheat comes first, and the beans can wait…”
I had to give up on some things and keep working. If the seeds are already forming, that’s not bad—it’ll work as it is…
“Oh. So the climbing beans… are soybeans!? Tiny, though!”
The mysterious “climbing beans” turned out to be some kind of soybean. Tiny, like little edamame pods. Nice, nice. Plant-based protein secured.
“Still, the beans and wheat… I want to improve the breeds a bit… harvesting is a pain.”
Breeding isn’t just about taste. How the crops grow, their size and arrangement, all affect harvest ease.
Considering the future, improving the varieties might be a good idea. Yeah. Especially for wheat, since there’s threshing and other work later…
… So, after working hard on the harvest, slimes that hadn’t finished gathering congregated around me, plump and squishy. But the work didn’t end. It wasn’t ending anytime soon.
Of course! Even with just seven tomato plants, I was a little overwhelmed, and now the varieties are eight times more, and the quantity about five times more! No way I’m finishing this!
“Not ending… it’s not ending…”
Flowers kept blooming and seeds forming, and I kept harvesting desperately… but it wouldn’t stop… Especially the beans and wheat—harvesting them is ridiculously tedious… What do I do!?
“Finally… done.”
By the time the sun climbed high, I finally finished the harvest.
I wondered how to handle sowing seeds for the slimes. Because, well, the tomatoes and beans… once a plant grows, it keeps producing indefinitely without replanting…
That means tomorrow, the same exhausting harvest will await…
While thinking about that, I absentmindedly petted the restless slimes, and suddenly remembered.
“Hmm, speaking of which, Mishisia, she’s late…”
She came yesterday morning, so… I hope she’s okay.
“Asuma-sama!”
A little worried, I immediately heard her voice. Oh, here she comes.
“Sorry, I’m late…”
“No, it’s fine. How’s the medicine?”
“Yeah. I think it’s more effective than before. Thank you, Asuma-sama.”
Good. I thought there might have been trouble with the water she brought back, but it seems everything’s fine. Phew.
“… So, did something happen?”
But her expression was gloomy.
… and then.
“The village’s fields… they were destroyed.”
That was shocking.
“Edere… uh, she’s the head of Panis Village. Right now, she’s being harassed by someone a bit wealthy and really rough…”
“Someone a bit wealthy and really rough…!? And… personal grudge!? The fields were destroyed out of spite!?”
“Probably. Edere’s beautiful… her husband died in the war, and they’re using that to pressure her into remarriage…”
“This is way messier than I thought!”
Hearing the story, I was stunned. A real nasty situation.
They wanted protection money in the form of the beautiful village chief! What the hell!
“… There’s a sick child in the village who needs medicine… and now the fields are ruined, so she’s forced to consider remarriage…”
“Wow… people like that exist.”
Even in a fantasy world… but actually, maybe this happens a lot precisely because it is a fantasy world. Yeah…
“So… basically, the food situation for Edere-san and the rest of the villagers is now… critical.”
“Yeah…”
And the sick child is concerning too… hmm…
“Hey, Mishisia-san.”
So I made a proposal. Risky, but… I don’t like seeing such messy, nasty things happening nearby.
If there are people I can help, I want to help them… and if they can help me, I’d gladly let them!
“Then… how about letting the villagers help take care of my field?”
“… Huh?”
“Well… as you can see, I don’t have enough hands… if they help out, it’d be really useful…”
Look at these slimes. Their plump, squishy presence is practically shouting, ‘Hurry up and give us fertilizer!’
What do you think about this chapter?
