"Foxfire!"
Two shots of Foxfire accurately struck the nearest goblin, and then,
"Dual Magic: Double Cast, Magic Boost, Magic Arrow."
A total of 140 light arrows—7 base arrows $\times$ 10 times $\times$ 2 shots—boosted, rained down and annihilated the entire boss party on the first floor.
All that remained were the dropped items, the stone monument, and the descending staircase.
"Wow. I've become strong in my own way, haven't I?"
"No, um, isn't that strength more akin to a disaster or a demon…?"
"No, no. This is nowhere near enough. The boss on the 20th floor had more arrows than that."
"…Is that some kind of Night Parade of a Hundred Demons?"
Ren patted the dumbfounded little fox's back and said, "You did well, Shion."
"You worked hard. You feel tired when your MP runs out, right?"
"Yes, I do… But I felt I had to do at least this much."
That last Foxfire was the final spell Shion could cast with her remaining MP.
It meant the boss was defeated after she had contributed the maximum possible attack. Since Shion was not from the native generation, it shouldn't affect the number of fragments, but this was incidentally the first time they had cleared it again with the addition of one transfer student.
What would the dropped items be?
They waited for Fuuri and Iris, who were collecting the drops.
"Hmm, the type and number haven't changed in particular."
"I can't tell if this dungeon is merciful or strict…"
A cheat like collecting a lot of rare boss drops seemed possible if they put in the effort.
While thinking that Shion was likely the last person they'd guide as a beginner, Ren nodded and said,
"Well then. Let's head back for today."
-----------------
"Ah, welcome back. Are you… unharmed? Good."
When they returned home, an adult woman with a broom greeted them with a gentle smile.
"We're back, Teacher."
"Oh, you can stop calling me 'Teacher' now. I haven't done much 'teacher-like' work here."
The woman—Aisha—to whom Shion had greeted, replied with a wry smile.
Having finished the initial support for the students, she was currently living in the same room as Mariabelle. It was a temporary arrangement until the housing issue progressed, but in return for being allowed to stay, she had taken over household chores in their absence, which was a great help in their daily lives.
(Their private rooms had previously been one per person, but since they were originally designed for two, there were two beds in each.)
Since it felt strange that she spoke normally to Shion but used polite speech with Ren and the others, they asked her to speak more casually.
The problem was,
"Aisha-san, you really should rest more, you know?"
"It's alright. Being a teacher is a job where overtime is normal. It's actually easier than when I was in Japan."
She was just as hardworking as Mariabelle, if not more so.
No, she might be worse than Mariabelle, who at least knew how to slack off occasionally. Even today, she had visited the students, done cleaning and laundry, and must have had little time to relax or take a nap.
Since she wouldn't listen, the least Ren could do was restore her HP with "Heal."
Being with her lover seemed to be having a good mental effect, but she appeared to be struggling with the difference in sleep cycles, as Mariabelle was a night owl.
"How were the students?"
After setting down their gear and changing clothes, Ren asked Aisha for an update.
She nodded, then put on a troubled expression.
"They seem to be gradually adjusting to the life. They've started dividing up the chores, and they've accepted the fact of coming to another world. However, the reaction to the residential area might not be very good."
"Is that so?"
This was a bit surprising. Ren thought they would be happy to have a calm, women-only area established in a quiet place.
"Yes. …Well, there's no point in hiding it, so I'll be direct: there are a few voices saying they don't trust Ren-san."
"Me?"
"A Succubus is essentially like a demon, right? And she's being wary because you were originally male."
"Ah…"
While there were women like Shion and Aisha who didn't mind, it was natural that some people would.
"In this day and age, hardly anyone has rigid religious beliefs. Still, the idea that 'demons can't be trusted' seems deeply rooted."
"Well, conversely, even in manga and games, they're often portrayed as tricking people."
Suspecting those who seem dubious is a basic form of self-defense.
It was difficult to say that they were entirely wrong.
"Then, how about the prospects for earning money?"
"The initial money they received is starting to run low, so many of them are becoming motivated to find work. However, the desired professions are heavily skewed, and it seems difficult to allocate them."
The most popular choices were in the clothing and cooking fields.
These were taught as basic skills in school, and many students enjoyed them as hobbies. They were popular because they were familiar areas and didn't involve bloodshed.
However, in this world, many artisans possess specialized classes and can produce things quickly and in large quantities using skills, so they don't need many apprentices or subordinates.
The remaining students would have to be assigned to cultivating cotton, which is necessary for clothing, or raising animals for food and leather, or choose a different job. If that happens, there will be dissatisfaction if the popular positions aren't allocated fairly.
"So, interviews?"
"That would be ideal, but what's really needed are practical skills tests, right? Since that would take too long for formal hiring, we decided to provisionally hire a small number, have them work in practice, and then decide on the permanent hires from that group."
The number of provisional slots would be greater than the number of permanent slots.
They would also pay the students a small daily allowance during the provisional period to help them with their living expenses.
"On top of that, the priority for which job to apply for will be decided by lottery."
"Then, it would be better to do everything all at once, right? So, perhaps…"
"Yes. We plan to decide that at tomorrow's meeting as well."
Tomorrow, Ren and the others were scheduled to meet with this year's transfer students.
It was a gathering that also served as an informational session for the residential area construction. The girls apparently hadn't shown their faces in the city much; Ren had only seen a handful of them, and since those girls hadn't spoken to him, Shion was still the only one he had actually talked to.
They had a rough, very rough, plan, and now they intended to present it to the stakeholders, hold a discussion, and survey the desired number of residents.
Shion would also share her impressions of the dungeon exploration.
If they explained the estimated rent along with this, some students might think, "Maybe I should go to the dungeon."
"But, if not many kids want to move, we don't need to push ourselves so hard, do we?"
Once the policy was roughly decided, Fuuri said, sounding somewhat bored.
"Are you against the informational meeting?"
"I'm not against it, but I'm against being nice to the kids who are mean to Ren. If they don't like it, they can just scrape by on the money they earn from part-time jobs, is what I feel."
Iris nodded to this, saying, "I agree."
"If anyone wanted to become a Hunter apprentice, my family would welcome them… but it seems there are none right now. It's a very good profession where you can eat both meat and mushrooms."
As someone who had naturally endured hardships, they seemed to think, "What are they complaining about?"
Ren turned his gaze to May, wondering what she thought.
"If there is no bread, should they not eat stones?"
"Yeah, you're as consistent as ever."
Only May and other Golems could live by eating stones.
-----------------
The venue for the meeting was an assembly hall near the center of the city.
They had specified a rough time, but there were no clocks in this other world. Ren and the others arrived early to find the groups who were already there exclaiming in surprise.
"A demon."
"It's a demon."
"…No, I'm a Succubus, not a demon."
The groups who arrived later had pretty much the same reaction.
It was a bit bothersome to make the same correction repeatedly, and Ren slightly regretted not coming later.
Aside from that.
The assembled girls all had an air of being well-bred. Although they showed confusion, their behavior was not crude, and they properly took their seats. A few had even bothered to wear their school uniforms.
With everyone's eyes on him, Ren stood at the front and said,
"Thank you for gathering today. I'm Ren. I was summoned here about a year ago."
After introducing himself and his companions, he cut to the main subject.
"Hearing that you're having trouble, we decided to build a new residential area near the forest. It will be a quiet town, separate from the current city, where only women can live."
He also talked about the general plan, including the number of houses and the rent. The rent was set as low as possible to make it easy to move.
After finishing the explanation, he asked, "What do you think?" The place fell silent for a moment, and then,
"I still cannot agree."
One person voiced her opinion with a stern expression.
"A Succubus is a demon that performs lewd acts, is it not? Furthermore, this person was originally male, correct? Allowing such a person to build a 'women-only town'…"
"I understand your anxiety. But I have no intention of doing anything inappropriate. As you can see, I'm a woman now, and even though I'm a Succubus—"
"That's right."
"We cannot trust you."
The voice trying to explain was drowned out by the voices of the young ladies.
The fact that they were all gathered together after a long time might have brought back the feeling of being in Japan and made it easier for them to speak their minds by uniting.
"In the first place, I never wanted to come to a world like this."
"I want to go home."
One person spoke, then another, and the commotion gradually grew louder.
"Just because you built houses doesn't mean anything."
"It would have been fine if we could have just lived normally."
Ren was at a loss for what to do and considered forcefully bringing the discussion back when,
"Hey, could you please keep quiet for a moment?"
Fuuri, standing beside him, addressed the group in a low, cold voice.
The young ladies immediately fell silent.
The girl who had first spoken stammered, "W-What do you mean…?" but Fuuri did not back down.
"Could you save your complaints for later? Right now is the time to survey whether you want to move or not if Ren builds a town, and to hear your opinions and requests."
"B-But, I said we can't trust this person."
"Yes. So, what exactly do you want Ren to do?"
Her tone was incredibly confrontational. Ren hurriedly whispered, "H-Hey, Fuuri," but got no reaction.
"Then, change the person in charge."
"I see. The permission to build near the forest was granted because Ren is the person in charge. If it changes to someone else, we'll have to choose the location again. It might be swallowed up by the city's future development, but I guess that can't be helped. Also, since we won't be able to provide the funds we were going to cover initially, you'll have to negotiate with the new person in charge."
"W-Why would that be the case? I just said to replace that person, didn't I?"
"Huh? If you don't like our leader, we have no obligation to help, do we?"
"…No way."
The girl froze, speechless.
Ren placed a hand on Fuuri's shoulder and prompted her to step back.
"Sorry. Forcing you to play the bad guy."
"…What are you saying? I was just getting impatient."
He turned his gaze back, and the girl in question glared back sharply.
"What is it?"
"No. I just think Fuuri is right."
"Eh…?"
"If you don't want to live there, you don't have to. If that's the case, we'll just build the necessary amount—two or three houses—for ourselves."
Originally, Ren wanted a house away from the city because of his appearance.
With more companions, it was also a good time to move. A location near the forest was even better because it would be easy to visit Iris's house.
This was all for the sake of Ren and his companions.
"Of course, anyone who wants to live there is welcome, and if you have 'a better idea,' please tell us. But I don't care about anyone who just complains without doing anything. We're not struggling with our livelihood right now. In fact, we have the means to afford a little luxury."
"…What is that? Do you mean you only care about yourselves?"
"Yes. I'm content as long as I, my companions, and the people we're close to are happy. I don't have the capacity to help everyone. Moreover, I care least about my enemies."
"!"
The girl's lips trembled.
"What do you mean, enemies? We're the same humans, aren't we?"
"Didn't you think of me as a demon? Even after seeing Shion turn into a fox, you can't believe I was once human, can you? Are you only going to treat me as human when it's convenient for you?"
"…That's horrible."
The girl stood up abruptly and left the assembly hall. Two others from the same group followed her.
Only silence remained.
Ren might have scared them and made them dislike him. Well, if so, it couldn't be helped. Shaking off the thought, Ren composed himself and continued.
"I have one more thing to talk about. I went to the dungeon twice recently, once a while ago and once yesterday, with Shion. I'd like you to hear her impressions."
In addition, he provided a comparison between the initial wage for a typical job in the city and the income from two separate explorations of the first floor of the dungeon.
Ultimately, they were hardly able to have a Q&A session, but they likely at least listened.
Ren felt this was the right approach.
There was no need to force anything. If he could simply provide options, he would have fulfilled his role sufficiently.
And did the meeting have some effect?
The next day, several girls came to Ren's house, asking for "advice on dungeon exploration."
============
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