"How was it, Shion?"
The exploration itself finished without any particular issues.
They returned after defeating all enemies except for the boss, and as they walked back, Ren asked.
The girl, held in Ren's arms, let out a slightly tired voice, saying, "…Well."
"To be honest, it is terrifying. That space is too saturated with 'death'."
"…Yeah. It's truly a place we'd rather not go if we didn't have to."
"However, I also feel a little relieved. The fact that the corpses disappear as light instead of remaining… that alone is a considerable comfort."
The bodies and blood eventually vanish. While they didn't know the actual mechanism, the visual impression could be called "purification."
Thinking of the enemies as mere obstacles, like those in a game, somewhat lessened the guilt of killing living things.
Ren nodded in response to Shion's thoughts and said,
"Let's go home and rest. I apologize for making you exert yourself."
"No. I was only watching."
For their first time today, Ren and the others didn't require Shion to "fight."
They simply wanted her to be there and experience the atmosphere of battle. That judgment was likely correct.
The battle itself ended without incident. With Ren's magic, Iris's arrows, and May's mace, there was practically no possibility of defeat.
Nevertheless, she must have accumulated mental fatigue from her first experience.
They wanted Shion, who had just arrived in this different world, to rest slowly.
"Shion-chan, how was the bedding last night?"
"Yes. Though my body is still getting used to things, the bed was very comfortable."
"I see, I'm glad. If there's anything inconvenient, let me know. I'll try to adjust things."
"If you wish, you may use me as a hot water bottle."
"Ah. May's body is warm, after all."
The air softened when the silver-haired beautiful girl, without changing her expression, puffed out her chest and declared, "It's the result of sunbathing."
"Even just the first floor can bring in a decent income if you clear it quickly. …Oh, speaking of which, what should we do about Shion's share of the reward? It's probably hard for you to use it yourself, right?"
"Judging by the shape of her hands, she's not suited for delicate work. Wouldn't it be better for Ren-san or Fuuri-san to hold onto it?"
"Let's do that. Shion-chan, I'll keep a record of the amount, so just say if you want to use it, okay?"
"Um, providing me with food, clothing, and shelter is already enough for me—"
"No way. We're companions, so no holding back on things like that."
When they returned home, Mariabelle was already back.
"Welcome back, everyone. How was the dungeon?"
"The first-floor goblins are honestly just small fry now. Has Aisha-san left?"
"Yes. We parted ways after leaving the Sage's house. She said she'd be visiting the students' houses again. …I worry about her, but she probably can't just ignore them."
She smiled helplessly, as if to say, it can't be helped.
"Ah, I received permission—or rather, agreement—from the Sage. In addition, she offered, 'If you lack the funds, I can lend them to you.'"
"Is that true? That old man is surprisingly generous."
"It seems it's not just out of goodwill but also part of urban planning. More houses are beneficial for the city's development."
In fact, his stance seems to be, 'I'll even provide the funds, so ensure there are enough houses.'
In any case, the offer was appreciated.
They decided to rely on him without reservation if the need arose.
"Well, maybe we should visit Iris's house tomorrow. If we get the OK there, then we'll go to the carpenter, ask for a rough cost estimate, decide on the design and the rent amount…"
"It would be better to start serious discussions after deciding the rent, but Aisha has also offered to subtly conduct a survey of hopes and desires. That should also be helpful."
"That's wonderful. …Ahaha. You know, we really aren't acting like high school students."
Making a lake, creating a path to the mountain, and now a residential area.
It was perhaps understandable that the Sage treated them as representatives of their generation. Well, a percentage of the cause was that very Sage constantly throwing work their way.
"Alright, Shion. Like I said earlier, feel free to relax however you like now. We only go dungeon exploring twice a week, so there won't be a 'let's go again tomorrow,' and you don't necessarily have to fight goblins right away next time."
"If you need a book read to you or anything, please let me know."
"Thank you for everything. Then, I will gratefully accept your offer."
Following that, Shion moved to the bedding prepared at the edge of the living room and just sat vaguely, doing nothing.
Ren thought about calling out to her, wondering if she was holding back, but after a while, a faint, regular breathing sound could be heard.
"…She was tired after all."
"Of course, she was. So many things happened to her."
"I wonder if it was harder than when it happened to us."
"Hmm… it's hard to compare. In our case, there was a noisy person nearby, but we could take care of ourselves."
Whether one viewed being able to take care of themselves as 'could' or 'had to' depends on the individual.
For the responsible Shion, being in a situation where she had to rely on others might cause stress. Ren and the others were hoping she would become a fighting force in the future, so they weren't exactly providing charity for nothing.
They resolved to continue to be careful not to push her too hard.
Staring at the little fox curled up asleep, bathed in the afternoon sunlight as evening approached, Ren and the others quietly exchanged nods.
-----------------
"I will have to impose a few conditions, but as long as you agree to them, building a residential area is fine."
The next day, Ren took Iris and Shion to the forest.
When he introduced the newly met Shion, Iris's younger sisters' eyes sparkled.
"So cute!"
Foxes were not currently living in this forest.
The two couldn't contain their curiosity about the fluffy, soft little fox they had never seen before, and immediately after the greetings, they took Shion away, saying, "Let's play together."
'Taking her away' meant within the confines of the cabin, not outside. Since they were playing quietly within sight of their parents, there was no danger.
Shion looked at Ren, as if to say, 'What should I do about this?' and he returned a wry smile, saying, "If you don't mind, keep them company."
He decided to keep quiet for now about the fact that the sisters were older than their impression suggested, as it would complicate the story.
While the sisters and Shion were playing, Ren explained the situation and consulted them. Iris's parents—her father, a woodcutter, and her mother, an Elf—spoke quietly for a few moments and then gave a favorable reply.
"Dad, what are the conditions?"
"Not to damage the forest. To build the houses a little distance away from the forest. To agree to the possibility of the area being surrounded by forest in the future. To be prepared for the possibility of being attacked by wild animals. …That's about it. If we move forward seriously, we'll put the details in a written document."
"I think all of those are natural if we build near the forest. Of course, I'll make sure the residents are convinced, too."
"Thank you. …Ah, right. I should add this, too."
After nodding deeply to Ren's reply, Iris's father added one condition.
"I want Ren-san and Iris to serve as the representatives. We'd have a problem if someone else became the representative and our requests weren't met."
Ren and Iris exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously.
"Understood. Iris and I will be the representatives."
"Good. …Then, let's discuss the details a bit more."
Saying that, Iris's father took out a map.
It was a much more elaborate map of the city than Ren had expected. It seemed relatively new, as even the river flowing from the forest was clearly depicted.
"How was this drawn?"
"Someone who can fly like Ren-san observes the city from the air and prints that memory, similar to making a book. Then, you just ask someone good at drafting to create the map."
If the center of the city had been surveyed, the size of the other parts could be roughly estimated by comparison.
Having a map made it easier to visualize things concretely.
"What size is the project planned to be?"
"We need enough houses for our party, this year's transfer students, and the ladies at the brothel for now—at most, we'll need houses for about fifty people, maybe ten houses maximum."
"The Sage has expectations for this, right? There might be people who want to move in the following years, and people from the city might want to relocate. You should plan for double the scale."
"One hundred people… that's close to ten percent of the city's population."
"Yes, it's quite an ambitious plan."
However, the population of about a thousand was last year's figure.
Since then, new children have been born, and the new transfer students have added nearly thirty people. Considering that the population will continue to grow at this rate, the number wasn't unreasonable.
"The number of houses will be at most twenty. Once we decide on the size of each house and the distance between them, we can determine the approximate scale. We might need to consult with the carpenter about this."
"Yes. I'll consult with him since the rough cost will be known once the number is decided. …We might need to gather more fragments if necessary."
"Shouldn't you have enough? You have quite a lot of fragments, don't you?"
"We have over a hundred fragments just from clearing the 20th floor, so you're right."
Ren was relieved that the conversation went smoothly.
The truly difficult part would likely be from now on—consulting and confirming things here and there and slowly moving the plan forward—but not running into a dead end right at the start was a good outcome.
Iris's sisters were also happy, asking, "Are Ren-san and everyone going to live nearby!?"
"We don't know yet, but if it works out, it might be easier to come and visit than before."
"Hehe. …To be honest, the fact that we'd be able to see Iris and Ren-san's faces more often was one of the reasons we agreed."
Iris's mother told him gently.
"Girls inevitably leave home, don't they? As a parent, I want to see her face, but I feel hesitant about going to visit her… but if she lives nearby, it puts my mind at ease."
"I don't think you need to say things like that."
"Oh, really?"
The wife cheerfully ignored her husband's gentle complaint.
Honestly, Ren felt a bit sorry for the father, thinking that it was much harder for the father to visit his married daughter.
I should add that when I told Fuuri about this later, she said, "For your dad, Ren is the 'hateful guy who took his daughter away,' though," and I was stunned.
-----------------
"…Foxfire!"
A line of flame created in mid-air struck the goblin, causing it to let out a small shriek.
Since the power was insufficient, the enemy was only stunned for a moment. It immediately recovered and tried to attack, but May's blow instantly landed.
The goblin quickly met its end and dissipated into particles of light.
"Good. Well done, Shion. Keep up the pace."
"Thank you. But, um. Am I being useful?"
Several days had passed with all the consultations, and it was quickly time for Shion's second dungeon exploration.
At her own request, Shion also participated in the attack this time, and so far, she had handled several battles smoothly.
Her attacks were landing, and she was gaining experience points every time she used magic, so she was doing very well, but the girl herself seemed a little anxious.
It was true that, frankly, the Foxfire damage was negligible, as May could one-shot the goblin with her mace regardless.
"Shion-chan is a promising newcomer. We're having her gradually gain experience so she can be a big help in the future, you know?"
"So, I'm not useful right now."
"If a beginner was a huge help, what would that say about us? All the effort we put in over the past year would have been for nothing."
After persuading her with that, Shion nodded and said, "That's true."
"Um, by the way, I heard a fanfare after the battle just now. Does this mean I leveled up?"
"Wow, congratulations!"
"You're Level 2 now. You can increase the number of your tails."
The skill "Two Tails" looked like nothing more than an eye-catcher when the list was viewed from corner to corner.
Shion, receiving excited looks from everyone in the party, said, "Then…" and, with fumbling movements, operated the window and acquired the skill in question.
Then, her fluffy tail was enveloped in light—and returned with its number increased by one.
Since the volume also visibly increased, they involuntarily let out a sound of admiration.
"My tail has increased. …But I feel like this might be a little bothersome."
"It's probably just a matter of getting used to it. More importantly, show us the results of your power-up in the next battle."
"Y-Yes."
So they tried it out, and she successfully fired two Foxfire attacks simultaneously.
It was, of course, possible to target the same object with both shots. Although the lack of decisive power remained the same, unlike the double-cast of dual magic, it was a passive skill and only consumed the MP equivalent of two Foxfire shots, so the cost-effectiveness was good.
She could, of course, fire just one shot, too.
"Nice. I want to become a Fox Spirit, too."
It would be incredibly powerful if he could carry over a skill that increased his maximum MP, but unfortunately, a convenient item like a "Fox Spirit item" was not only not in circulation but its very existence was unknown.
============
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