Sadness wasn’t the only emotion swirling in my heart—hatred and bitterness were mixed in as well. I almost wanted to cry, to scream, to throw a tantrum.

“Damn it!” I raised a clenched fist above my head, ready to take out my anger on the rock wall.

But I stilled. Even after a few moments passed, I couldn’t swing my arm down. What’s the point of injuring my hand right now? It’s not going to change anything. Even if I stew in hatred the entire time here... Things aren’t going to get better by themselves.

That’s right. If I want to survive, I can’t waste even a second. I should analyze my current situation and start working on whatever I can right away. Unclenching my fists, I took a deep breath to clear my mind.

During my voyage here, I had worked my brain hard to cook up strategies. My first plan was to flag a passing ship for help. I would hide away in a place beneath my family’s attention and live there in secret.

There was, however, a fatal problem with this plan—the part where a ship passes by. There was a very low chance of any kind of vessel coming into the vicinity of this reef. There were no nearby trade routes, and it was too far out from land to be worth fishing from. Even in the unlikely case that a ship did appear on the horizon, I couldn’t rely on a ship from Sanphales. They would know that they mustn’t release me from this “cage.”

That meant I’d have to rely on foreign ships or pirates, but even if I got on board, there was a high chance that I’d be sold as a slave. In other words, I would have to leave my fate in the hands of Lady Luck and wait for a ship that might never come, be fortunate enough that they’d let me board, and finally, I would have to escape once we’d reached port.

My chances were slim, and my hope was faint. But the one thing I could do right now was survive as long as possible until a ship showed up.

“Sounds nice, but...” I fought the urge to sigh.

My fresh water and food would only last me a month. As for replenishing my water, I could collect rain in open barrels. That is if it rains around here at all... When pressed, I could use Water to gather moisture from the air, but with my mana pool, it would be exhausting to manifest a single droplet.

Onto food. Procuring fish and shellfish seemed like a decent plan. I did bring along a rod and a net. The problem was the strong current here. If I wasn’t careful, the waves would drag my tools away in the blink of an eye, and in the nightmare scenario, I would be swept into the sea along with them.

Other than satisfying my basic needs... The only thing I can do is probably clear out this cave. Bones and old tools were scattered about carelessly, so I needed to do some work if I wanted to make it comfortable. That being said, these are remains of the dead. I can’t be too disrespectful when handling them... Hmm, should I dig a hole somewhere and make a grave?

I looked through the tools I had brought along with me and wound my fingers around a pickaxe. “Guess I’ll try digging a pit with this...”

Wait. Think before you act, Heale. I’m completely out of my depth here, and picking at rocks would only be a waste of my energy. Surely there are more important things to do than make a grave. With such thoughts in my mind, I was about to put it down, but that was when...

“You have acquired a mining tool.”

Suddenly, a monotonous voice sounded inside my head.

Startled, I let out a “Huh?” and swished my head around to survey my surroundings. There was no one around. I only had bones for company. No way—it can’t be a ghost, can it? Even though I was in such a confined space, the voice didn’t seem to echo... In fact, it wasn’t even like I was hearing the voice with my ears. It was as if someone had spoken directly into my mind.

I tried striking up a conversation. “Could you say that again?”

“You have acquired mining equipment. Would you like to mine?”

So I did hear a voice in my head! Now that I had confirmation, I tried “sending” my thoughts to the person in question. Who are you?

“An assistant system of the crest <Cave King>. I am not a living being.”

<Cave King>... That was the crest I was born with. Until now, for most of my life, I had lived in the palace, and I’d never had the opportunity to venture out of the capital to explore the wilderness—let alone caves. Who would’ve thought that this crest actually had such a function? Hmm, maybe <Cave King> has a few other uses as well...

Almost as if it had sensed my curiosity, the “assistant” shed some light on my crest.

“Other than the assistant system, it also provides skills such as Hasten Mining. As you earn experience, it will unlock skills you may use in caves and a selection of mining support skills.”

Huh. I guess I’ll simply treat it as a superior version of <Miner> for the time being. I was aware of many types of crests out in the world and the gifts they bore. As a prince, I had been taught these ever since I was a child.

Those with the <Miner> crest could mine efficiently. For example, their pickaxe swings would be faster and more accurate than those without. Hmm, so <Cave King> is <Miner> but with a few bonus abilities, I see.

True to its name, it sounded like it granted me many abilities inside caves, particularly if I were to mine. Using the word “unlock” with skills seemed a little foreign to me, but according to the assistant, it just meant there would be more available as I went. So this means that even someone like me has a redeeming feature... You know, it probably wouldn’t seem like a big deal to other people, but that makes me really happy.

If I told my father and siblings about my discovery, I was willing to bet that they would scowl and say that such a crest wasn’t adequate for royalty. In truth, I had actually made several requests to go on an expedition to a cave somewhere to see whether my crest would do something, but not even once did I receive permission.

I’m getting sidetracked. Anyway, there’s one thing I can be sure of—<Cave King> is a mining crest. I want to test out its abilities, and since this cave’s a little too cramped for me to sleep in at the moment, I guess I’ll try digging around. Coming to a decision, I thought to the crest, Hey, I want to start mining.

“Understood. Optimizing efficiency with Mining skill.”

Optimizing? What does that mean? Wait!

Without any warning, glowing white patches appeared on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the cave. The walls are shining? I blinked my eyes a few times, fearing that they had ceased to function, but the view didn’t change. My eyes seemed to still be healthy and working.

“The shining white areas are optimal for mining. Please strike them with your pickaxe. Calculations show that they will crumble easily without causing cave-ins.”

“Huh,” I muttered. “Okay, here I go.”

I immediately struck the nearest white area with my pickaxe. One swing was enough to pry out a chunk roughly the size of a human head.

This was my first time wielding a pickaxe, and, theoretically speaking, I shouldn’t find such success. I didn’t feel too much recoil in my arm either. The system seems accurate.

“It’s really bright for a cave,” I observed before addressing the assistant. “Is this another <Cave King> skill?”

“Yes. Night Vision.”

“I see. That’s pretty convenient. Okay then, for now, let’s start by preparing a space to sleep.”

Once again, I swung my pickaxe at the rock wall. I knew exactly where to dig, so I could swing at a steady rhythm. The sound of crumbling rocks was music to my ears. “Y’know... This is actually fun.”

The next thing I knew, I was absorbed in mining. I had only planned on expanding the cave to create a space to sleep in, but that had long slipped from my mind as I dug into the wall many times more than I needed to. After a while, my feet were steeped in sand and rocks.

Actually, hold up... Am I starting to mine more with each strike? The boulders I dig out are getting bigger too...

“You have gained mining experience. Mining skill rank has leveled up. Mining capacity and accuracy have increased.”

I don’t really know what that means, but in short, my crest must have gotten stronger. Hmm... Having greater mining capabilities is nice and all, but where am I supposed to walk with all this across the ground?

“Store Stone x168?”

Wait, “store”?

“<Cave King> has a function that can store mined material regardless of weight.”

Interesting. But, uh...is it going to store the stuff inside my body or something? Hopefully not. I would be rather troubled if I couldn’t take it out anymore, so I tried raising the question to the assistant. According to them, there was no drawback and retrieval was possible at any time. Since there was no harm in trying, I chanted “Store” in my mind.

In the blink of an eye, all the boulders I had dug out of the wall shone around me before disappearing.

“Storing Stone x168. Creating inventory.”

Inside my mind, the following information faded into view.

Inventory: Stone x168

My eyes grew wide. “W-Wow.” Though the items it could store were limited to mined materials, my crest had still managed to store an incredible number of rocks in one go. And while I wasn’t clear on its methodology, it had managed to assess the quantity.

“You may also automatically store what you mine. Activate?”

Please do! I answered immediately. The crest was doing all the work for me, and solving every little problem that came up. I could wholeheartedly focus on just mining.

As I hummed a tune to myself, I rapidly brought my pickaxe down over and over. The reef wasn’t that big, however, and at the rate I was digging, I would quickly reach the other side. Thus, now was the best time to start digging at a downward slope.

All the mined material that fell to the ground was instantly engulfed in light before vanishing. Automated storage... This makes things so much easier.

The next time I looked backward, I realized that I’d come a long way down—the light from the outside was dim and distant. The assistant told me that I was apparently ten “meters” below the starting point. I’d never heard of that unit before, but as long as I memorized how long a “meter” was, then that wasn’t a big problem.

Before I knew it, my inventory was full of stuff—iron ore, copper ore, and even gold ore to boot. Not that gold is worth much on a deserted island... There were even a few unfamiliar ones. I frowned in thought as I muttered, “Mana mineral?”

“Activating Mining Passive Skill: Mineral Encyclopedia.”

Mana mineral: Increases maximum mana level when used. Gain is proportional to mineral size.

Another new ability. Hmm, Mineral Encyclopedia? Does that mean it’ll tell me about all the stuff I mine? And hold your horses, did it just say these can increase my mana?! Can it deepen my pitiful mana pool, then?!

Was all my suffering for nothing? If I had this, I would have been capable of casting spells like an ordinary mage! At the very least, my siblings wouldn’t have ridiculed me for my feeble spells... On second thought, I shook my head. I’ve never heard of this mineral before. Maybe it wasn’t available in Sanphales. Well, no use crying over spilled milk.

As I browsed my inventory, something else caught my eye. Hm? What’s this? It was yet another foreign mineral to me. Turtlestone? What’s that? I tossed the question to the assistant.

Turtlestone: Increases life span by one day when used.

L-Life span?! Too much was happening at once, and my mind was struggling to catch up. <Cave King> turned out to be a chest of surprises that made mining as easy as breathing, and I had also dug up some extraordinary minerals here. You know what? Sheol Reef might actually be an incredible domain!

At any rate, I had never experienced so much thrill in my life before. There might be even bigger surprises slumbering away further underground...

“Whoo!” I cheered. “Dig, dig, dig!!!”

My burning curiosity drove me to swing my pickaxe with zeal, my eyes on the prize. All alone in the pitch-black cave, I shouted to myself as I went. Whenever I was rewarded for my efforts, I raised both hands in excitement and joy.

“Seriously, a ruby?! And...is this a sapphire I see?!”

I was so absorbed in mining that somewhere down the line, I even forgot to look for passing ships.

Chapter 2: Mining Helped Me Meet a New Friend!

“Wow, I sure dug a long way...” I muttered to myself.

The assistant told me that I was roughly thirty meters underground. I summoned my inventory in my mind.

Inventory: Stone x1230 / Iron Ore x21 / Copper Ore x19 / Silver Ore x4 / Gold Ore x2 / Coal x15 / Limestone x10 / ... / Ruby x0.3 / Sapphire x0.2 / Mana Mineral x90 / Turtlestone x6

My handy assistant had explained that there were numbers less than “1,” because my mined materials were numbered based on how many one-kilogram ingots they could be smelted into. Meanwhile, for consumables or items with special effects, their number represented how many times I could use them.

Two gold ingots... Only a few hours had passed, but I’d already obtained a small fortune. Sheesh, I’m almost scared to imagine how much I’ll get as I keep mining. Well, they are kinda useless on this deserted island, but still...it’s gold.

What really grabbed my eye were the mana minerals and turtlestones. I had never seen nor heard of these before. I could use turtlestones during an emergency to prolong my life. Then there were the mana minerals, which could apparently increase my total mana pool... Although my abilities as a mage were miserly, the one thing I had going for me was a wealth of arcane knowledge. It’d be nice if these would let me cast mid-tier or even advanced spells...

With that in mind, I asked, Okay, how do I use these?

“Use Mana Mineral x90?”

Almost instantly, the assistant whispered these words in my mind. Huh, looks like I don’t have to take them out of my inventory first. I gave a big nod. Of course!

“Consuming Mana Mineral x90.”

Once I’d heard that announcement, I waited with bated breath. But no matter how long I stood there, I didn’t feel any different.

Uh... Did you do it already? I thought nervously. The answer I got was a mechanical “Yes.”

I didn’t feel any different. Then again, having more mana doesn’t mean my body will change in any way. A talented mage could apparently sense the flow of mana, but of course, I didn’t possess such a remarkable skill.

As a novice in the field, the best way to test my mana levels was probably the classic trial and error. Killing two birds with one stone was ideal, so I decided to use a basic wind element spell, Wind, to sweep out the path I had dug. I had used Wind when I climbed onto the reef, and as always, all I could muster up was a small puff of air. Before my banishment, I had been ridiculed every single time I had cast this spell inside the palace.

It’d be nice if I’d improved even a little bit... I prayed internally.

Thrusting out my right arm, I chanted, “Wind!”

The next moment, my eyes widened as I let out a gasp of shock. All the dust around me had blasted away the moment that word left my lips. The wind grew stronger and stronger, before swirling in the air fiercely like a tornado and eventually gathering in a neat pile in the middle of the path.

“Huh? What just...?” Without thinking, I whipped my head around and took a look, but there wasn’t anyone behind me. In other words, the one who had just cast that Wind was me. “I-I must be dreaming, right?”

Wanting to confirm that it hadn’t been a fluke, I cast the same spell over and over again. Every single time, there was an ear-splitting roar of wind, and I could feel the gale tousling my hair.

Many of my siblings were extraordinary mages, but the power of my Wind spell could already rival theirs. Wow... Looks like I got an incredible boost to my mana pool. The ninety mana minerals I mined over just a few hours were enough to grant me such arcane heights. If I gather more, I might be able to cast advanced spells as well! I’ve got to mine more—so much more!!!

The next thing I knew, I was swinging my pickaxe again. “All right! Keep digging, keep digging!” I yelled aloud to psych myself up. “You know what? I’ll keep going until this path leads to hel— Hm?” I paused, spotting some sort of jiggly blue blob next to my feet. “What’s this thing?”

It was moving, so it wasn’t an ordinary blob. Wait, I think I know... This guy’s a slime monster. I had never seen one before, but back at the palace, I had read about them. They were monsters that liked dark and damp habitats and were generally docile, but a small number of them were aggressive.

I frowned. Is this thing attacking me? I observed it for a while. No, it’s just hopping circles around me and watching. I must’ve scared it out with that wind spell earlier. A noisy newcomer like me digging around in this cave so merrily must’ve annoyed it.

Hmm, what am I supposed to do with this guy? It’s not doing me any harm, so I could just ignore it and continue digging. It’s probably not going to get in my way either... Ah, I know, I’ll just treat it as a pet.

That was the precise moment the assistant spoke up in my head.

“Tameable monster detected. Tame?”

“Tame”? If recalled correctly, that was a contract that turned monsters into allies. Any human could use this skill. However, the majority of monsters were hostile, so unless you came across one of the more eccentric monsters out there, it wouldn’t be a successful taming.

Not to mention that in Sanphales, monsters were prohibited from setting foot in the borders of our lands. The army upheld a “kill on sight” policy when it came to them. The few monsters that were around were treated as a means of entertainment—like the monster my siblings had tormented. Basically, it was out of the question for Sanphales citizens to form such a contract.

I chewed on my lip. But here...nobody’s around to count my sins.

I was a weak human. I was desperate for anything that would relieve this crushing loneliness I felt. Of course, I didn’t expect this slime to suddenly start making small talk, but I wanted a companion. Anyone—or rather, anything was fine at this point. And...I also wanted to learn more about monsters.

In my mind, I muttered, Please do.

“Name the monster to complete the taming.”

A name, huh...? I could take inspiration from Sheol Reef itself and just call it “Sheol.” Hmm, but that’s so dull. How about I change it up a bit? Sheol... Seal... Ciel, how about that?

“Naming complete. You have tamed Ciel.”

The taming was done, but I didn’t feel any different, and neither did the slime—Ciel. The only thing he did was hop up and down.

I extended my greetings to the slime. “Nice to meet you, Ciel.”

No response, no discernible reaction.

I should’ve expected that. A slime can’t understand human speech or speak my language. But the mere companionship of a moving, living being was solace enough. I left Ciel to his own devices as I picked up my pickaxe.

“Okay then, time to get back to mining, I suppose!” I turned to Ciel. “Rocks will come tumbling down, so be careful!”

After my encounter with the slime, I continued mining until I was completely spent. I cheered out loud whenever I reached a milestone—like finding a hundred mana minerals or a new material like emeralds—basking in my joy.

Ciel stood behind me the entire time—a silent watcher.

“Ahhh, this feels sooo good...”

The sun had set, and I laid down near the cave entrance with my head resting on the slime as if he were a pillow. Let’s see, how long has it been since I tamed Ciel? Three days, I think.

Those three days had sped by in a blur of mining, mining, and even more mining. As a result, my mineral inventory had tripled. Except the mana crystals, of course, since I’d been using them whenever I found them. I’d likely already used nearly five hundred.

Naturally, my mana levels had increased proportionally. Now, hunting down a big fish was as simple as aiming and casting an electricity spell on the ocean. Judging by my current power, I was probably also able to conjure up five barrels worth of water with a water spell. In fact, even mid-tier spells were suddenly child’s play to me. It was honestly surreal, considering that I’d once been mocked for the “static electricity” and “palm sweat” I’d manifested with the same spells.

With this, I had a sustainable supply of water and food—I’d solved those problems ridiculously quickly.

That wasn’t the only good news. The slime I’d tamed, Ciel, was a fast learner. He didn’t seem to understand my language, but he would mimic my gestures. He’d transform into a bed for me, let me ride on his back when moving about the cave—a perfect assistant.

I also tamed ten new slimes. It was a shame that, unlike Ciel, trying to communicate with them had been a lost cause. They only did as they pleased, hanging about and doing nothing in particular. Maybe Ciel was just one of a kind.

“Ciel... Could you do my shoulders too?” I pointed out the areas I would like to be massaged, and Ciel coiled his body around my shoulders, giving them a good squeeze. “Ahhh... That’s the spot,” I sighed in bliss.

In any case, I was living a life of comfort on this island. I was no longer hard-pressed for survival, and I had a rewarding activity to live for: mining. Of course, only having fish in my diet’s going to get dull eventually, so I hope I can do something about that with magic.

Before I knew it, I’d become a mining maniac with my only thoughts dedicated to mining. Can you blame me? I’m able to excavate piles upon piles of precious minerals with only a single pickaxe! Mining’s the most exciting thing I’ve ever done. In the back of my mind, I added, Well... To be honest, that’s the only thing I can do here on the island, so...

Ugh, whatever! Can’t wait to wake up in the morning and start another day of digging!

Feeling Ciel’s cool body beneath me, I fell into a pleasant sleep.

Something prodded my cheeks.

Hm...? What was that? I cracked open my eyes. Ciel entered my vision. Oh, he was the one who woke me.

I climbed to my feet and glanced outside the cave. The sun was only just peeking above the horizon—it was still rather early. The waves were mild and tranquil, making for a wonderful start to my day.

I turned to look at Ciel. “Mornin’. Did you wake me up?”

Ciel stretched out his body and formed an arrow-like shape on the tip, pointing towards the sea.

“Did something happen?” I asked, puzzled, casting my eyes in the direction he indicated. “Wait, is that...”

There was a shipwreck upon the rocks. Splintered wood littered the area. That isn’t my boat... There were three people—no, three creatures—lying upon the shore. Their skin wasn’t the usual flesh tones of humans, but green. They’re goblins.

I scanned the sea, but I didn’t spot any large ships. They must have drifted here on the ocean current. The pelts they wore were just as tattered as their boat.

Though this island had rocky terrain, it was still land, which meant it was much safer than wandering aimlessly across the sea. They had likely attempted to alight here, thinking there was shelter, and perhaps even food or water. But it looks like the tides weren’t too kind to them. Considering how their boat was utterly destroyed, they must have crashed into the rocks at a high speed.

From all of my observations thus far, they were likely dead. Just in case, though, I should try calling out to them. There was the risk of them attacking me, but I was now a mage who could cast mid-tier spells. I had nothing to fear.

Putting aside my hesitation, I headed over to the goblins with Ciel at my side.

“Heeey! Are you okay?” I yelled.

There was no response.

Upon closer inspection, they were all bleeding out. Oh. I might be too late. Just to be on the safe side, I approached each of them one by one and checked their breathing. Surprisingly, all three were alive.

“They’re still breathing.” I chewed on my lip. I wanted to do what I could to save them, but these three were goblins—monsters.

Goblins were monsters that formed tribes and lived in communities. It was typical for them to be hostile towards humans, and therefore, humans were taught to kill them on sight. On the other hand, I had heard stories of peaceful tribes that people could get along with. I don’t know how to tell them apart...

But then again, I have the power to fight back with my current mana levels. Not to mention that the cave I live in is a pitch-black maze. I probably don’t have to worry about them sneaking up behind me while I’m mining.

And, more than anything... I could never leave them to die here. I made up my mind and cast a healing spell on the goblins, Recover. A white light enveloped their figures like a blanket. Their bleeding stopped, and their breathing steadied. Hmm, I’m no expert healer, but this has probably improved their condition. I think.

The waves were a concern. When high tide came around, it’d sweep the goblins away if I left them lying here. The heat of the sun was also growing more intense, so resting in the cave was likely to help them recover more quickly.

Okay, which of them first? I looked over the three goblins. Hm, I should have the least trouble carrying this one.

The smallest goblin, who had blackish-green skin, was around the height of a human toddler. Their figure was slightly round like a child as well, which made the trip to the cave easy.

Next, I set my sights on the goblin slightly taller than the first. Unlike the blackish green I’d seen on the first goblin, this one was of a brighter green color that reminded me of spring leaves. However, deep wrinkles creased their skin—a sign of old age. Their scrawniness made the goblin effortless to carry.

The last one, however, stumped me. One of the famous, distinctive traits of goblins were their size, or lack thereof, but this one was even taller than me. This giant even had a muscular physique—more akin to an orc than a goblin. Now, how am I supposed to lift them?

As I frowned, trying to come up with a solution, I spotted Ciel moving over. Hm? He stretched out his body and carried the big goblin into the cave.

“Amazing, Ciel! I was totally stumped there. Thanks for the help!” The slime, it seemed, caught onto things much faster than before.

We’d finally finished moving the three goblins to the cave entrance. All right, what now? Personally, I want to head off and mine right away. If they need someone to attend to them, I’ll definitely stay, but I don’t see any visible wounds anymore. There’s water and food lying around here, so they’ll probably help themselves when they wake up.

Then, I did what felt the most natural—I picked up my pickaxe. “Ciel, if something happens, let me know.”

Of course, my words didn’t mean anything to Ciel, and I didn’t get a nod in return. That was why I used gestures to convey my meaning, and it probably worked out, because he stayed behind even when I went down the shaft. Good! I can mine without worries now!

Today, like any other day, I swung my pickaxe at the rock walls.

In an area deep underground from the cave where the rescued goblins were resting, I was merrily mining away.

I wiped the sweat from my brow and muttered, “Phew! I can dig out such a large area with a single swing now.” My skill with the pickaxe had improved so much that I created a cavity roughly the area of a small bedroom with every strike. Naturally, a larger area meant more resources, and obtaining over a hundred stones in one go was the norm. “Let’s see, did I get anything noteworthy?”

The only new mineral I’d excavated yesterday was marble. It’d be exciting if I discover something I’ve never seen or even heard of before. Thinking that, I decided to ask the assistant about my inventory.

I inspected my bounty. I’m getting steady new supplies of minerals I’ve already discovered, good. And huh, it looks like there are two new types.

I requested the assistant to activate the Mineral Encyclopedia.

Glowstone: Shines forever.

I see, an apt name. These might serve as good substitutes for torches for lighting the cave. Not that I need it since <Cave King> has Night Vision.

Purgestone: Lifts any curse when used.

Curse, huh? Among the branches of dark magic spells, there were some classified as “curses.” A classic example was Corrode, which ate its way through one’s body like a toxin. Typically, holy magic—a priest’s specialty—was required to lift these curses. However, the process wasn’t all that simple. Different types of curses and poisons called for different treatments, so you’d need a wealth of technical knowledge on top of an extensive mana pool.

...Which makes this stone convenient, but I’m on an island in the middle of nowhere. Will I really need it?

“Oh well! Doesn’t matter. The thrill is in the discovery!” That’s right, not everything has to be useful. Finding new things is already rewarding enough. “Okay, back to mining I go!”

Rolling my shoulders with a crack, I was excited to dive right back in, but then the sound of splashing liquid echoed through the cave. “Oh?” That’s the sound of a slime hopping around.

I turned around, and surprise, surprise, a slime was bouncing towards me like a rabbit. “Hey, Ciel. Did something happen?”

Ciel didn’t nod—of course not, he’s a slime—instead, he stretched out his body horizontally, almost as if he were ushering me to get on. Okay. Let’s pause for now and head back. I’m getting a little hungry too.

I returned to the cave entrance on Ciel’s back. Around the point I began to see sunlight, I heard a loud, rough voice echoing out. “Please, Your Highness! Lemme go!”

In response, a frail voice shouted, “Stop at once, General! You mustn’t steal someone else’s provisions!”

Next, there was a deep voice. “Her Highness is right! We should negotiate with them first!”

They seemed to be arguing about something—likely my rations.

I climbed off Ciel and walked out into the open, revealing myself. Unsurprisingly, the voices belonged to the goblins I’d rescued earlier. They quickly turned to look at me.

“Wh-Who goes there?!” The goblin with a rough voice and a large, orc-like stature brandished his dagger at me. So this guy’s the “general” they spoke of.

But for some odd reason, calling his expression “hostile” didn’t seem right. It seemed more likely that he was afraid of me.

The small, baby-faced goblin and the wrinkly goblin seemed to cower in fear as well. However, the former soon admonished the general with a delicate voice. “L-Lower your blade, General! This person is our savior!”

“I can’t, Your Highness!” The burly goblin gritted his teeth, keeping his dagger pointed at me despite his orders. “This guy’s...dangerous!”

They spoke my language. Likely, they were from the Barleon Continent, where Sanphales was located. There were several human-dominated nations inside the Barleon Continent, but untouched wilderness like mountain ranges and deep forests were sometimes home to monsters. On this continent, Barleonese was the common language for both humans and monsters. It was also the official language of Sanphales.

That aside, uh... Why is he calling me dangerous? I didn’t expect that at all... In any case, I should start off by showing that I come in peace. “Please wait. I’m not going to do anything bad to you guys, I swear.”

The goblin general hollered, “I can never trust ya humans!”

I frowned. I guess they’re the kind of goblins that hate humans, then. But at the same time... That royal goblin girl and the wrinkly goblin are making a desperate effort to stop the general. They might be peaceful.

“Ya must be up to no good,” the general hissed. “That’s gotta be it. Why else would ya be grinnin’ at us like that?!”

I blinked my eyes a few times, taken by surprise. “Huh?” I’m not smiling or anything.

I lifted Ciel with my hands and let him stretch vertically. Like a mirror, my reflection appeared on his body.

What I saw there was a man with eyes so wide that they looked like they were bulging out and a smile equally as exaggerated on his lips. His mouth was gaping open, and his back was hunched to an eerie degree.

...Oh. He’s right. Nobody would believe anything from a man who looks like this, even if he insists that he means no harm. I’m pretty sure I didn’t look so freaky back in Sanphales...

I had a theory about this change. Though it’d only been a few short days, I’d been alone the entire time, repeatedly swinging my pickaxe as if I’d been possessed by something. Without other people around, I had been so deep into mining that I’d nearly lost my humanity.

Yikes, gotta stop that! I shook my head fiercely before correcting my expression and posture. “Sorry about that. More importantly, you must be hungry, right? Please help yourself to the food there.”

However, none of the wariness melted away from the general’s face. “Ya must have poisoned them or somethin’.”

Ugh, I knew it. From his perspective, a man who looked like he was out for blood had emerged from the darkness with a glinting pickaxe in hand. Gaining the goblin’s trust wouldn’t be easy. I mean, I would do the same if I were in his shoes!

“Uhhh... How about this, then?” I took some bread out from a food barrel and ate it as a demonstration. With my free hand, I held out another piece to the general, but he wouldn’t accept it. I was trying to show him that these are safe to eat, but even that failed.

Not one to give up easily, I tested out my next plan. I walked out of the cave and cast Thunder, a mid-tier electricity spell, on the ocean. Stunned fish floated to the surface, and I followed up by using Wind to lift them into the air and blow them in my direction. A handful of fish waved their tails frantically in the air right before my eyes.

“As you can see, I haven’t done anything to these!” Grabbing the fish out of the air, I turned around, intending to offer them up, but the general’s scowl grew even fiercer.

“Yer such a powerful mage, why didn’t ya waste us on sight, human?! Put us outta our misery already!”

Well, that backfired spectacularly... He’s even more guarded thanks to my magic. Wow, I’m terrible at persuasion. I chewed on my lip. What should I do? Maybe I should give up for today, return to the mining shafts, and give them some space for the time being?

I just stood there, completely at a loss about what to do. But then, the royal goblin raised her voice in anger. “General! Why do you always leap to conclu—” However, she was unable to finish speaking before collapsing to the ground with a pained groan.

“Your Highness!” With a yelp, the general urgently crouched down and gently shook the girl’s body.

“My princess!” The wrinkly goblin called out to the girl as well. “Your Highness, Your Highness! Please wake up!”

The princess, however, didn’t climb back up from the ground. The two goblins looked dazed, as if they couldn’t believe what had happened.

The wrinkly goblin’s voice trembled, “General, it pains me to say that...the princess has reached her limits. In recent days, she has suffered many fainting spells. It is clear—the life span-shortening curse once cast by our neighboring tribe is the cause... This might be the end of the line.”

“But the princess is the daughter of our chieftain and the only surviving royalty... If we give up here, then—!”

The wrinkly goblin shook his head. “You make a fair point, but I can’t bear to see our princess suffer any longer... Do you not share the same sentiment?”

Tears slid down the general’s cheeks, but after a long stretch of silence, he nodded as if he’d hardened his resolve. “Yer right. We should at least end her pain by our own hands. We’ll face the punishment of our ancestors in the afterlife...”

Um. Wait. Are they all going to kill themselves? I...don’t really know what’s going on, but he mentioned “curse,” right? Latching onto that word, I interrupted their exchange. “Hold on just one moment! If it’s a curse, I might be able to cure her!”

At the abrupt statement of an outsider, the two widened their eyes. The general, however, immediately exploded with rage. “Don’t lie to us! We’ve already tried everythin’ possible, ya know?! We even lowered our heads to beg humans... But even after all that, nothin’...” The general chewed hard on his lip. “Nothin’ happened!”

They had even put aside their pride to beg their enemies, the humans. For the sake of this princess, they must have sought out anyone and everyone who could possibly help. Despite their efforts, reality had given them the cold shoulder.

Curses were a type of dark magic, and their strength depended on a mage’s mana levels. The caster must have infused a tremendous amount of mana into that curse.

I hesitated. “That must have been awful, but...isn’t it a little too early to call quits?”

“Ya dunno anythin’, human! What right do ya have to say that, huh?! Do ya even know how much we suffered at the hands of ya humans?!”

“If punching me right now can soothe your anger, go ahead. But please, before you do that, give me a chance to save her.”

I told the assistant to use the purgestone I’d uncovered earlier. Not a second later, light folded around the girl like a veil.

“Wh-What was that light?!” The general rushed forward and grabbed me by the collar. “What the hell did ya do to the princess?!”

I observed the young goblin and replied in a placating voice, “Calm down. She glowed earlier because I used a purgestone, a stone that lifts curses. It’s my first time using it as well, so I can’t promise you anything, but...”

The general looked dumbfounded. “Stone? I didn’t see any stone.”

“Uh, well... I’ll explain later.”

Trying to describe my inventory would take forever. They probably won’t believe me even if I tried, to be honest. But what came first was the princess’s health. I caught a glimpse of some thin, black mist escaping her body, but she still didn’t wake up. The purgestone was either ineffective or needs more time to work on her. No, hold on...

“Oh, her life span’s already near her limit, right? Give me a second...”

I recalled the turtlestones in my inventory—stones that could increase life span. Even if the curse had nearly chewed through it, I could prolong her life with those. I’ll keep ten just in case and use the remaining seventy-nine.

“Use Turtlestone x79?”

Please do, I replied. Nothing seemed to happen, and I checked my inventory. Okay, looks like I’ve already used them. I concluded that turtlestones didn’t have any flashy effects upon consumption.

Though there was no glow, I heard a delicate voice mutter, “Huh?” The princess opened her eyes. “Wha... How? I thought I died...”

“Your Highness!” The general’s voice was shaking and interrupted by sobs as he fell to his knees in relief. “Oh, praise the heavens, our princess is back!”

Wiping his tears with his hand, the wrinkly goblin whispered, “I’m so glad...”

“Wh-What in the world...?” the princess muttered, dazed, before her eyes widened and her breath hitched. “Huh?”

Hm? What is she so surprised about?

Then, she immediately started rubbing various parts of her body with her hands as she muttered in disbelief, “My...body doesn’t hurt?”

“My word!” The wrinkly goblin looked just as stunned as he asked, “Are you no longer feeling the pain from the curse?”

“Yes... Like I thought, I must already be dead. This is paradise.” A small, brittle smile lifted the corners of her lips. Slowly, tears slid down her cheeks. “So...this is what it’s like to not feel pain.”

For a long while, sobs of joy and relief filled the cave as their tears just kept coming, almost like rain falling on parched land.

“I’m...so sorry!!!” The general smashed his forehead into the ground. “Ya saved us, but I pointed my blade at ya! Ugh, why am I always so stupid?!” He smacked his head repeatedly into the rocky ground as an apology.

“U-Uh, it’s okay. I’m also at fault, sorry for grinning like that,” I stammered.

“Ya have nothin’ to apologize for! Ya lifted our princess’s curse! We are the ones who oughta apologize and express our gratitude, not ya, uh... Honorable One!” He seemed to fumble in his speech, likely because he didn’t know my name.

“I’m Heale. Hey, how about we put names to faces while we eat?” I proposed. “My stomach’s also protesting.”

“Oh, my apologies for my rudeness!” The general lifted his head and introduced himself. “I’m Erivan, general of the Verdan tribe!”

His voice was followed by the princess. “I am Ri, daughter of King Rhodan of the Verdan tribe.”

Last but not least, the wrinkly goblin. “I am Baris, shaman of the Verdan tribe.”

I’d actually heard of the Verdan tribe before. They were a goblin community in the Verdan Forest, which was located in east Sanphales. It was a large tribe with countless goblins to its name, and even the local army would have thought twice before challenging them. How did they end up here? He even said she was the last royal alive...

Oh well, questions later. I should introduce myself properly as well. “I’m... Actually, first, this guy’s Ciel.” I indicated the slime next to me. “There are a whole lot of slimes inside this cave. I hope you will all get along.” I lifted a hand and stroked Ciel as I continued, “And like I said earlier, my name’s Heale. I’m...technically the governor of this island and prince of Sanphales Kingdom. Or, at least, I was.”

I used past tense, because I wasn’t sure whether I was still a prince in the official records. In Sanphales, they might have already filed me as “deceased.”

General Erivan was the first to reply. “A prince! Got it. That’s why ya could cast all them spells.”

Shaking my head, I said, “Not exactly. I did use magic to catch those fish, but healing the princess wasn’t the work of spells, but minerals I dug up.”

Erivan looked puzzled. “Minerals?”

“Well, I didn’t take them out, so I get your reaction. I’ll show you later if you want. More importantly, how did all of you end up here?”

Grief filled Erivan’s face as he recounted their tale. “That’s because... Those bastard orcs burned down our homeland, the home of the Verdan tribe. Other than Lady Ri, our royal family is dead. We’ve been wandering around the Barleon Continent for the past year, seeking a new home. But no tribe would take us in, and humans pursued us... With our remaining eight hundred comrades, we built a few ships and went on an all-or-nothing gamble in search of new land.”

Since they’re here... Their ships must have sunk.

Baris, the goblin shaman, took over. “Now, we know not the fate of our companions. No, perhaps those ramshackle ships doomed us from the start. That is why I voiced my objections from the beginning...”

A dark shadow fell over Erivan’s face. From the looks of it, the general must’ve been a supporter of the operation. He fell silent, likely feeling responsible for the disaster.

That was when the goblin princess, Ri, spoke up. “Baris, stop blaming Erivan. Even if we’d stayed on land, our fate was likely the same.”

“Indeed, Your Highness... My apologies.”

Then, Ri turned to face me and lowered her head. “My lord, Heale, thank you so, so much for saving me...for saving all of us! I could never repay our debt of gratitude in full. We are monsters, but you still went out of your way to help us!”

Monsters, huh...? Without thinking, my hand reached out to the amulet jar dangling in front of my chest. “No, it’s fine. That aside, you...”

If Ri’s life span was supposed to end on this day, that meant she had seventy-nine more days thanks to the turtlestones I’d used. The curse was no more, so her life shouldn’t be shortened any further, but that didn’t change her bleak reality.

She nodded. “I am aware. In any case, I probably don’t have that much time left. Even so, I have never been happier in my life. I am freed from the pain that had been eating away at me for as long as I can remember.” With a gentle smile, she placed a hand over her chest.

Erivan and Baris only wore a faint smile. They probably had mixed feelings about it all. Ri had been released from the curse that had tormented her for the longest time, and she might already be content. But...

“Yeah, you’re right. If we don’t do anything, you won’t have long to live,” I muttered. “But if you stay a while on this island, there’s a chance you could change that.”

She blinked, startled. “Huh?”

“When curing you, I first used a purgestone that lifts curses. Next, I used turtlestones to increase your life span. There should be many more of those turtlestones underground here. As long as we have those, we could lengthen your life span as long as we wish.”

At those words, Erivan leaned forward so fast that he nearly left an afterimage. “R-Really, Lord Heale?! Such an item exists?!”

“Yeah, you saw its effects.” I nodded. “The amount of rock I can dig in each swing has been accelerating at a remarkable pace. I already found this much in three days. If I discover them at the same rate, one week of mining could probably lengthen her life by a year or more.”

Erivan and Baris traded looks. Then, Baris bowed at me. “L-Lord Heale, I...understand this is a selfish request, but will you allow us to mine those turtlestones as well?”

“Sure,” I replied immediately.

Surprise splashed onto the faces of Erivan and Baris. They seemed to have a hard time believing that I’d agreed so easily. A little while later, realization sank in, and they bowed deeply to me again and again.

“Thank you, thank you so much!” they said repeatedly.

Ri was sitting to one side and her eyes widened as she asked nervously, “Wh-Why... Why would you permit us to have something so precious?”

“Don’t sweat it. I mean, when am I supposed to use these stones anyway? I’m mining for the fun of it, not to gather resources. Plus, I was getting a little lonely around here by myself, and—” I noticed Ri was crying. Flustered, I stammered, “Ah, um...”

Yeah... Nobody wants to die. She must be happy now that there’s hope for her to live on.

Ri lowered her head and whispered, “Thank you so much.”

“Well, I was all alone here, so I’m really glad to have people to talk to,” I said. “I should be the one thanking all of you instead. Thank you.”

The three looked flustered at my words, shaking their heads and insisting, “No, we should be!”

I was only telling the truth, though. It’d been a long time since I’d last heard someone else’s voice, and I was over the moon.

“Okay, so we have a plan, but how do we go about it...?” I muttered to myself, frowning.

My mining had only been this efficient because of <Cave King>. I had a few more pickaxes lying around, but even if these three had them, they wouldn’t get far. Not to mention the possibility of them digging the wrong place and causing a cave-in—that would defeat the purpose of the exercise entirely. Hey, assistant, do you have any good ideas?

“At <Cave King>’s current proficiency level, it is possible to grant your tamed monsters some of your crest skills.”

More specifically, the crest would grant them mining skill boosts and a few handy relevant skills. However, it would pale a little in comparison to my skills as the crest owner. The assistant added that at this point in time, they couldn’t be granted access to my inventory, automatic storage, or Night Vision.

I see... So first, I need to tame them. Hmm, but goblins are different from slimes. They might be opposed to being tamed by a human. Oh well, there’s no harm in asking.

Once I sorted the information in my head, I said, “If you want to mine, I have one condition. You have to let me tame you.”

“D-Does that mean turnin’ into yer follower, Lord Heale?” Erivan asked.

“I don’t plan on giving you commands or forcing you to do anything. If the taming process itself is the problem, you can turn me down, no worries here. But in that scenario, there’s no guarantee that you all can mine safely, so I can’t give you permission to do so, but I’ll still share any turtlestones you ask for.”

Erivan shook his head fiercely before saying, “I don’t mind at all! You’ve already done so much for us, and we’re the ones asking something unreasonable! Of course, Baris and I would be willing to serve you! But please, not our princess...”

That was when Ri interrupted. “Lord Heale! If it’s not too much to ask, allow me to serve you as well!”

“Wait!” Erivan cut in hurriedly. “Y-Your Highness, you are a princess!”

Ri shook her head slowly. “Everyone is working so hard for my sake. I can’t just stand here and watch. Not only that, but I also want to repay my debt to Lord Heale!” Her eyes stared right into mine as she continued, “That’s why I want to serve you, my lord. I’m admittedly powerless, and I’m not sure how I can help, but I want to do everything I can.”

She was determined. Erivan and Baris seemed taken aback by her attitude. “Your Highness...” they muttered slowly, almost like a sigh.

Though she was only the height of a human toddler, she gazed at me with fiery resolve. “Lord Heale, please, I beseech you, allow me to be your subject. Please grant me a new name.”

She knew about the naming process, which meant that she fully understood how taming worked. What do I do now? Uh, having followers isn’t really my cup of tea... Oh well, we can just release the taming when she changes her mind.

The taming relationship between lord and retainer could be terminated at any time if the lord willed it so. On the other hand, the retainer couldn’t revoke it without their lord’s permission. That said, if Ri, Erivan, or Baris ever wanted to annul their taming, I was willing to do so immediately.

“All right, then,” I said. “I’ll start the taming now.”

“Tameable monster detected. Tame?”

It seemed that I had their consent. Now, as for names... Naturally, keeping the name they had before the taming was possible, so I did just that.

Erivan declared, “Erivan here! From this moment on, yer my chief, Lord Heale!”

Baris nodded. “Though I am worn with age, I shall serve you to the best of my ability as Baris.”

“I’m counting on you both.” I smiled.

Last but not least was Ri’s taming, but before I began...

“Lord Heale, with your permission, I would like to have a new name. Um, I think my current name is difficult for you to pronounce, so...”

“No, not at all!” I hurriedly replied. “It’d be better for you to keep your previous name, right? It’s more convenient and all.”

“Oh... Would it be a bother?” Ri looked a little dejected as she gazed at me. “Please ignore me, I apologize!”

Weeell... She does have a point. In my dialect, “Ri” is a little short and difficult to pronounce. “If you insist. Hmm, let’s see... How does Riena sound?”

Hearing that, Riena’s face lit up like the sun. “Riena... Riena! I see, that is my new name. I, Riena, swear that I shall dedicate my entire body and soul to serving you, Lord Heale!”

“A-All right,” I stammered, a little taken aback by her vow. “Once again, nice to meet you all!”

With that, I’d finished taming them. They all knelt like vassals before their lord, and I felt a tad awkward because, in my mind, they weren’t my subordinates. Ack, I’ll deal with that later.

“Let’s save the complicated things for another time,” I suggested in an attempt to ease the atmosphere. “How about we eat something first, and then we’ll get some hands-on mining experience?”

“Yes, my lord!” the three said in unison.

I really just wanted to get back to mining as soon as possible. Whenever I wasn’t swinging down a pickaxe, I had this...uncomfortable fluttering in my chest.

As for our meal, we grilled some fish and ate it with the hardtack I’d stored inside a barrel.

“Okay, fresh from the grill, we have fish!” I announced. “Eat your fill!”

Erivan gulped audibly. “Ohhh, grilled fish!”

Next to him, Baris seemed just as moved. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a cooked meal.”

Riena’s eyes lit up like the starry night sky, and she nodded in agreement. “Indeed... It’d be hazardous to light a fire on that cramped ship.”

“Oh, I see. In that case, give me a moment. I’ll toast the bread too.” I busied myself with cooking around the fire. “Ah, careful there, don’t choke on your food. Take your time, there is still plenty to go around.”

The trio were taking bite after bite of their fish and bread, pausing only to reply, “Understood!”

“Ahhh, now that’s what I call a meal!” Erivan heartily gobbled down the food, smiling from ear to ear. “It’s been too long!”

In contrast, Riena was well-mannered and took small bites, perhaps feeling guilty about Erivan’s bottomless stomach. “G-General, please learn some restraint!” However, she couldn’t fight her hunger, and she had already polished off two fish.

When she finished the third, she bowed to me. “Thank you, Lord Heale. That is more than enough for us.”

“As your followers, overindulging ourselves would be impudent,” Baris muttered.

Erivan let out an “Oh!” of realization and, as if he’d been scalded, abruptly put down the fish.

I shook my head with a small smile. “Nah, it’s okay. Eat as much as you want.”

“But...” Riena hesitated, clearly intending to refrain.

Next to her, however, Erivan yelled out, “Thanks, Chief, yer my man!” He then stuffed his cheeks with fish once again.

“G-General!” Riena gasped before frantically trying to persuade him to see the light.

Huh. She certainly takes things very seriously, I observed. Then, I held out a freshly grilled fish to Riena. “Here you go. You don’t have to hold back. Like I said earlier, I’ve got an endless supply of fish.”

Her eyes glistened in the light, moist with tears. “You are too kind, Lord Heale. Thank you.” Once again, she gave me a deep bow before gingerly accepting the fish.

“Wait right there. I’ll toast some more bread too,” I said. Looks like they’re all starving... I’m so glad they’re finally getting to eat a filling meal.

With full bellies and smiling mouths, they turned to face in unison and said in chorus, “Thank you for the meal!”

“You’re very welcome. Okay, shall we get going?”

I handed out the spare pickaxes in my toolbox and led our charge underground. Before we’d managed to make any progress, however, Baris frowned and asked, “L-Lord Heale, wouldn’t it be dangerous if we walked around in the dark?”

“Huh?” I blinked. “Oh, I nearly forgot. I’m the only one with Night Vision.”

Without light sources, mining would be very difficult for them. Time to make torches, I guess. Oh, speaking of lighting!

“Wait here for a little bit!” I instructed before running back to the entrance. I rummaged through the supplies I’d brought here and grabbed three wooden sticks with the purpose of making torches. Then, I took out three of the glowstones I’d obtained earlier today.

Unlike traditional torches, I didn’t have to replace the combustible material, and there was no risk of fire getting out of control. Tying a piece of glowstone to the end of the stick with a cord would transform it into an eternal torch.

I inspected my makeshift torch. The light of the glowstone seemed brighter and had a broader reach than a traditional flame. I should make these in bulk and install them along the mining shafts for these three’s convenience.

When I was done, Baris spoke up nervously. “I-I beg my pardon, but where did that stone appear from?”

“Uh... It’s kind of a long story. I’ll explain on the way.” I handed out the new torches. “Take these. Should make things a little easier.”

I headed underground right away, and gave them a rundown of my inventory and automatic storage systems as we walked. However, I’m not sure my explanations were adequate, because confusion was clear on their faces, and they all tilted their heads quizzically. I should’ve expected this. I mean, the stuff I mine is automatically stowed away inside somewhere invisible. The very sound of that’s ridiculous.

“It’s probably faster if I do a demonstration.” I stopped in front of the rock wall. “Okay, this area looks good. Watch this.” Lifting my pickaxe, I continued, “See the shining white areas? Those are safe places to strike, so you aim for these things... Hrgh!”

A clank of metal against rock.

An area of rock rivaling the size of a small bedroom crumbled at once. Then, like always, the rock pieces glowed and disappeared without a trace.

Shock was evident on the faces of all my observers. They blinked several times, as if they couldn’t believe that such a massive chunk of rock had crumbled with one strike. Then they swished their heads back and forth, looking for the missing debris.

I could empathize. Though it was a normal sight to me by now, it was by no means ordinary.

“Wh-What in the world just happened?!” Riena exclaimed.

“This is the power of <Cave King>, my crest. I can break down a ridiculous amount of rock and store my mined material within an unknown space,” I explained patiently.

She looked dumbfounded. “Your crest? Can crests actually make such feats possible?!”

They seemed to have knowledge of crests. Not surprising, since they weren’t unique to humans. Some monsters were born with them as well. These three probably bore crests too. Hm, I’ll make a mental note to ask them about their crests later.

I nodded. “Yep, it’s my crest doing all the work. Taming everyone was necessary for me to share these powers with you all. You probably won’t dig like this at first, but once you get used to it, I’m sure you’ll be able to carve out this much too.”

Even after all my explanations, they still looked like they were struggling to keep up. I continued, “Guys, just try digging around! Oh right, you guys can’t automatically store stuff. Hmm, if I stick close, I could do that, but...” I trailed off in thought.

I don’t exactly need to store stuff right away, but we might trip and hurt ourselves with all the debris around... Let’s see... I scanned our surroundings, trying to find some inspiration. That was when the slimes hanging about caught my eye. Ciel was among them.

“Hey, Ciel,” I called out. “Can you come over here for a bit?”

Answering my summons, Ciel hopped forward until he was right before me. Once again, I used body language to make a certain request. Silently, he bounced back to where the other slimes were assembled. I didn’t know whether he’d gotten the message, but well, I would know once we started mining.

I took a deep breath. “All right. Everyone, just try it! Practice makes perfect.”

“Right away!” the goblins replied and began swinging down their pickaxes.

As for me, I was watching over them from a small distance away. “Yep, yep, you’re going great! And... Oh?”

Slimes were picking up the fallen rocks near the goblins and carrying them over to my spot. With my automatic storage, I collected them all. Great, looks like Ciel understood me perfectly.

The goblins wielding their pickaxes also seemed impressed with the slimes’ diligence. We don’t have to worry about tripping with this!

“All righty! Dig, dig, dig!” I yelled in excitement. “If you get tired, please sleep or rest as you see fit!”

The goblins gave an energetic reply. “Yes, my lord!”

For a while after that, we busied ourselves with mining. From that day on, the cave became a lot livelier.

Chapter 3: Discovering a Spider Nest!

I tipped the cup of water down my throat before letting out a contented sigh. “Nothing beats the taste of water after a day of hard work!”

Three days had passed since the goblins had joined my party, and we were sharing a wonderful third evening together at the cave entrance. We were just about to have dinner.

Erivan, the stocky goblin, nodded in agreement. “Right! Makes water taste as good as booze! I gotta say, I never expected minin’ to be so fun!”

Finding a kindred soul, I nodded vigorously. “Right, right? I totally agree!”

Baris sat among us in our little circle around the giant pile of glowstones, and he was just as chipper. “I find it hard to believe that even a grizzled goblin like me was able to mine so much. The princess’s life span is increasing steadily as well. It’s all very rewarding.”

“Yeah, having a goal in sight makes the sense of accomplishment even greater.” I paused to check my inventory. “On that note, I wonder how many turtlestones we managed to find today.” As I looked it over, I muttered, “We’re doing well with glowstones. As for turtlestones... Whoa, we got quite the haul!”

For the past two days, we’d assembled here in the evening, and Riena had used the turtlestones we had amassed. If I took today’s haul into account, she should have earned over two years of life span.

A bright voice rang out. “Sorry about the wait, everyone! Apple pie’s on the menu today!” It was Riena, and she was making her way back from the kitchen we’d built on the rocks outside the cave.

We’d created a few facilities during the past three days. The kitchen was our first task, and we built it with piled rocks, even including a small stove.

The second was a toilet. We’d dug out a horizontal tunnel in one part of the cave, and it led to a private stall with a hole in the ground. I regularly combusted the waste with fire magic.

Last but not least was a water reservoir. If I’d been living alone, I could have just used water magic for my daily needs. But since my new companions couldn’t use magic, we decided to make things easy by having water readily available in one place.

I call them facilities, but they’re just simple stuff we built with the minerals we mined. They’re nothing too fancy. In fact, they all share the same dull gray color scheme... On this island, we had a severe shortage of plant-based resources. Other than what we’d brought, our only supply of lumber and firewood was washed-up driftwood. Our shortages extended to food as well.

Erivan pumped both fists in excitement. It seemed he’d been waiting for this moment. “Whoo, the princess’s apple pie! We’re in for a treat!”

My eyes lit up as well. “Awesome! It’s another day of great food!”

“I do hope you’ll like it, Lord Heale,” Riena said shyly before holding out a plate of apple pie to me.

One of the things I’d learned after spending a couple of days with my new comrades was that Riena was an excellent cook. She worked wonders with food. Two days ago, she’d made fish and vegetable soup, and yesterday, she’d made a gratin with shrimp and other shellfish. I could declare with confidence that they were both culinary masterpieces. In contrast, the only thing I could do with ingredients was boil or grill, so I’d been over the moon when she’d revealed her talent.

The corners of my lips quirked up. “Your cooking has been beyond excellent for the past two days. There’s no way I won’t like it!”

I immediately took a big bite of the piping hot apple pie. I knew it, this is amazing. I swear, this makes all the food I had back at the palace pale in comparison. The royal chefs can’t even hold a candle to her cooking! How in the world did she make these apples taste so sweet? She’s a master chef!

This apple pie had actually been made from ingredients I’d brought onto the island. Butter, sugar, flour—they were farewell gifts from my father. Naturally, in the hands of a novice chef, these rations were pearls cast before swine. If I’d remained alone here, I would’ve only eaten them as they were. However, with Riena on the scene, everything had changed.

On that thought, I turned to Riena. “Hey Riena, we’re running low on flour, right?”

“Well...” She paused to think. “If I were to make the same pie again, we’d only have enough for two meals.”

I frowned. “I see...”

I had just gotten my hopes up about experiencing the blissful life of a gourmet, but if we didn’t have the ingredients anymore... I stifled a sigh.

Like I’d mentioned earlier, we also had a severe shortage of food. Not in terms of amount, but variety. If we were only aiming to fill our stomachs, we had a whole ocean of fish for the taking. But fish for every meal would get dull quickly.

If possible, I wanted to find other sustainable sources of food on this island. Unfortunately, the chances of that were pretty low—we were on a deserted island with only rocks in sight. No trees, no wheat... And even if we wanted to cultivate some of our own, there was no soil.

The only choice we have is to obtain these resources from an outside source. But ships don’t pass by at all...

Riena saw that I was stumped, and she tried to cheer me up. “U-Um! I shall do my best to make satisfying food for you, even if we only have seafood!”

“Oh, Riena... Thank you. But don’t be too hard on yourself. And don’t worry, you can leave all the mining to us.”

She shook her head fiercely. “No, I shall do everything I can, whether it be mining or cooking!”

Riena was the baby-faced goblin with dull green skin. Erivan and Baris had vibrant green skin and clear-cut features, so when standing next to them, she seemed to blend into the background. However, she was sweet, cheerful, and hardworking, and I found her adorable.

“In that case, I gotta work harder too.” I stood up and stretched. “All right, I’ll go do some light mining while my food digests!”

Erivan reacted immediately. “Chief, I’ll help!”

Riena was only a step behind. “I shall go as well!”

“Please allow me to offer my aid.” Last but not least, Baris started to stand up as well.

I shook my head. “Oh, come on, guys. I know my crest minimizes fatigue from mining, but it’s less effective for all of you. You must be exhausted. The slimes look pretty worn out too, so rest up.”

The three didn’t seem convinced at all, and they voiced their protests. I responded in a joking tone, “Your lord commands you!”

They looked at the slimes flattened out lethargically around the glowstones and finally gave me begrudging nods.

Looking slightly dejected, Erivan said, “Understood, Chief... I’ll make sure to get plenty of rest.”

“Good,” I nodded, purposefully trying to make myself sound a little pompous. “I’m heading off then.”

Armed with my trusty pickaxe, I burrowed into the depths of our cave once more. On my way there, Ciel offered me a ride, and I gladly took him up on that offer. Once I arrived at the end of the shaft, I began mining with undivided attention—or at least, that was what I wanted to do, but I couldn’t. Though my hand brought down my pick, I found my mind drifting.

Continuing my thought process from earlier, if we wanted to live here as a group, having more resources would, of course, be ideal. The shortage of food and lumber was a pressing concern, but in the long run, my clothes would wear out too. Who would’ve thought? I’ve come full circle. Now I’m tackling the burdens of governance.

In any case, focusing on mining should help expand my options. I might discover new ores and mana minerals. The latter could open new doors as well. Other than that, though, I knew the chances were slim, so perhaps taking turns looking out for ships might be a good plan. We could probably exchange valuable minerals, like the jewels we’d collected, for food and supplies.

Deep in thought, I continued digging, but that was when I came across something unexpected. The rock itself broke easily, like always, but instead of more rock, there was a vast cavern behind it. Hm? What’s this?

I walked through the gap and scanned my surroundings. The first thing that stood out to me was the orange glowing rocks that covered the walls and ceiling like a curtain. As I walked about, I noticed the ground was soft. Is this...soil? My eyes widened. It’s soil!

The priests of Sanphales had claimed that soil was made by the blessing of the sun, and it was only supposed to appear in places where light could reach. So why is there—

A black object suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and entered my vision. Huh? On reflex, my eyes followed the unknown item, and I craned my neck to get a better look.

But what I discovered...was a black spider many times my size. Its numerous crimson eyes followed my every movement.

I’m done for. I’m dead for sure, I thought numbly. I never liked spiders to begin with... Standing still like a fool, however, was not an option. On the spur of the moment, I raised my right arm and pointed it at the spider, ready to channel a spell.

I watched it warily. Is it going to attack me?

What happened next took me completely by surprise. The spider ran away in a panic, escaping to the depths of the cavern. On closer inspection, it had gone over to a few tiny spiders, though they were only tiny in comparison—they were roughly my height. I see, it went back to protect its kids. I can’t believe it was intimidated by a puny human like me...

I waited for a little while longer, but the spiders didn’t seem intent on attacking first.

“U-Um, sorry about that,” I said tentatively. “I didn’t know this was your home.”

The cowering spiders didn’t offer a reply, but I heard the voice of the advisor instead.

“Tameable monster detected. Tame?”

Wait, they are monsters? More importantly, why is it tameable?!

“The monster has lost all will to fight. Taming is possible.”

Uh, I haven’t done anything yet, you know... But instead of hostile, it seems like the big spider is either shy or just unfamiliar with humans. Hmm, what should I do? Should I just pretend this encounter never happened and move on? Still, since it’s possible, maybe...

“Hey, guys. Would you like to join me?”

I placed my pickaxe down onto the ground and walked in front of the spiders. The largest spider was trembling, but it timidly reached out one of its front legs. The leg covered in thick black fur touched me gingerly. The spider’s body was surprisingly soft and fluffy.

At first, partly due to my phobia of spiders, the creature had seemed downright terrifying. Now that I took the time to look at it, however, it had white stripes on its legs and torso, and somehow, I found that cute.

“I...guess that’s a yes? Okay then...” I paused to think. “How does Taran sound?”

“Naming complete. You have tamed Taran.”

I was still struggling to process what had just happened, but it seemed that the spider monster was my new friend. According to the advisor, the little ones were tameable as well. Thus, the other three spiders quickly became my comrades as well. Hmm, coming up with three names is surprisingly hard, huh?

“Unlocked Workshop.”

The advisor’s announcement interrupted my train of thought. Apparently, <Cave King>’s proficiency had reached a new threshold and it had unlocked new abilities. Now, as for Workshop’s effects...

“You may refine or fuse minerals stored in the inventory.”

Wait, really?! Does that mean you can turn iron ore into pure iron, for example? If I can do that, I’d be able to make bigger pickaxes...or maybe experiment with making lighter pickaxes...I could even create stylish pickaxes!

“Iron ore into pure iron... The closest match is smelted iron. More proficiency is required to unlock smelting skills.”

Oh... I thought, my shoulders sagging from disappointment. What can you do, then?

The advisor then indicated the list of fusions and refinements at my current level. The applicable materials floated to the surface of my mind. Rocks, sands, marbles...

Huh? That’s it? I wasn’t very impressed, but after hearing a detailed explanation regarding the rocks, I discovered how incredibly useful this skill was. That’s saying something, considering I haven’t heard what it can do with sand and marble yet!

I could use up raw rocks I mined to refine them into pebbles and smooth stones. During this process, I could freely customize the products’ size and shape.

Normally, one unit of stone in my inventory was equivalent to one “kilogram” unit of smooth stone. With this skill, I could combine more than one unit of rock to make larger blocks. As for their shape, I had a lot of options. Cubes, cuboids, spheres, cylinders, and so on. Not only were these basic shapes available to me, but I could also make more complex ones by picturing the design in my mind. In practice, that meant making statues or stylized pillars.

It’s a very powerful tool indeed, but uh, with my lack of artistic taste, it’s a bit of a waste in my hands... Oh well! At any rate, with this, building won’t be a weird balancing game of random rocks anymore.

It seemed that the same freedom extended to marble. As for sand, I could combine it with stone products or other minerals to change its color or texture. In addition, the pebbles I had refined from rock could be fused with sand to make gravel.

At first, when I saw the short list of rocks and sands, I had thought of it as a letdown. However, if I was smart with this skill, I could even expand the overall land territory of this island. More than anything, the skill’s biggest advantage was the fact that manual labor was unnecessary for refinement and fusion. Cutting a stone into the form of a cube didn’t take that much time, but chiseling away at a gigantic piece of stone to create a pillar would usually take ages.

Next, the advisor introduced another new skill.

“Unlocked Sculpt. You may freely shape the areas you touch while mining.”

At the moment, whenever I mined, I left behind a rugged hollow. However, with this, I could flatten the walls and ground neatly. I could likely add an incline or stairs as well. Wait... On that thought, the rocky terrain of this island makes it really rough to get to shore. Could I smooth that out with this skill?

“Skills provided by <Cave King> are restricted to the interiors of caves at the current proficiency level. You may unlock more range after gaining proficiency. However, both Workshop and inventory retrieval are not limited by location.”

Oh, that’s a shame... Still, this skill is already very powerful at its current stage! As for the rocky area, I could just cover it with a layer of sand and smooth it out. In any case, I’ve gained some very useful tools. Maybe I should start planning some small construction projects.

Aside from these two big new skills, the crest had also unlocked Night Vision for my tamed monsters. They could work with better lighting now, and that was great news.

Aaand I gotta stop getting distracted. I nearly forgot about these guys in front of me. The spider monsters, the new additions to my team, were staring at me.

“Oh, sorry about that.” I gave them a small wave. “Hi, I’m Heale. I’m going to head to the surface now. If you’re up to it, I’ll introduce you to the others, so please follow me.”

Oh, snap. They don’t understand what I’m saying. Oh well, I’m sure they’ll come out on their own when they get curious.

The taming contract prohibited the follower monsters from harming the tamer. Monsters tamed by the same tamer also couldn’t hurt each other. As for whether the monsters would listen to the tamer’s commands, well, it depended on their relationship with their lord, but the first two were rules enforced by the contract. Therefore, these spiders couldn’t attack the goblins or the slimes.

Ciel, in fact, was currently playing around with the spiders and hopping onto their heads. The spiders’ only reaction was prodding Ciel’s squishy body with their long front legs. Hmm, it doesn’t seem like they’re behaving this way because of the contract’s constraints. They’re actually curious about each other.

Okay, all that aside, I should go back and inform the others first. I hadn’t planned on mining for a long time to begin with, and I’ve obtained new skills, so I can call it a day here.

When I reached the opening of the cavern, I turned around and saw the spiders following me with tiny footsteps. They seemed set on going with me. Hmm... I frowned a little. The little ones could fit through the inclined shaft I had dug, but Taran would have trouble squeezing in.

“Oh, um...” I scratched my head. “Give me a minute.”

I decided I’d test out my brand-new skill, Sculpt. I dug into the rock walls and widened the shaft as I made my way up. While I was at it, I turned the center of the shaft into stairs while smoothing out its sides into a gradual incline, almost like a slide. This should be a good size for Taran, and the stairs make it easier for me to walk too.

When I arrived at the opening of the shaft, I saw the goblins still sitting in a circle around the glowstones.

Erivan turned around with a big grin on his face. “Hey there, Chief! I heard the pleasant sound of yer pickaxe gettin’ closer and closer! I was actually just about to change my mind and go diggin’ again. Wait...” That smile, however, froze and turned into a face of horror. “Wh— Gaaah!”

Riena and Baris seemed just as terrified. Wh-What’s wrong? Oh! It must be the guys behind me. I turned around and was met with the sight of countless red, glowing eyes. Of course, they belonged to Taran and the little ones.

“Ch-Chief!” Erivan lifted a shaking finger. “Look behind you!!!”

“Everything’s under control, Erivan,” I reassured him. “These are our new comrades.”

There was a note of hysteria in his voice. “C-Comrades?! Those things?!”

“Yep. I found them in a cavern I happened to come across while digging.”

“O-Oh, I see...” Erivan let out a sigh of relief. “Sorry, spiders just ain’t my thing. I overreacted.”

After hearing my explanation, this relief extended to Riena and Baris as well. On the other hand, the slimes were all hopping towards the spiders, probably intent on copying Ciel—who was currently sitting on Taran’s head.

That was when I heard Baris’s mystified voice. “I’m very surprised. I believe they are cave spiders, but I’ve never heard of specimens this big.”

I was intrigued. “Are the ones in Barleon smaller?”

“Indeed. Usually, they are closer to our size.”

According to Baris, normal cave spiders would usually be as high as my hips. Uh, that’s still pretty big...

“Well, this is my first time coming across cave spiders, so I don’t know too much about them.” I shrugged. “If I remember correctly, they are monsters that lurk in caves and abandoned mines, right?”

“Yes.” Baris nodded. “They are extremely ferocious, and their fangs hold a lethal venom. Their silk is stronger than iron, but it is also said to be very elastic. We goblins often choose caves as our hideout as well, and we frequently saw skeletal remains of humans and monsters killed by cave spiders.”

“Huh...” I assumed they were a docile bunch, but it looks like I was completely wrong. Although, to be honest, if we’re just judging them by their appearance, they’re terrifying...and huge!

“Goblins are taught to be wary if we ever find soil in the depths of a cave. That soil is a cave spider’s, well...”

Baris was a wise and mild-mannered goblin, and he seemed to be struggling for an appropriate word. I think I get it. In short, the soil is actually these spiders’ excrement...

“It’s okay, you don’t have to elaborate. The whole ground was covered with it, so I have an idea.”

But, well, it hadn’t exactly stunk or anything. It had seemed no different from normal soil. Since they were the products of spiders, I wasn’t too bothered by this information.

Baris nodded. “I see... But that’s good news for us.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“Their by-product is much more fertile than normal soil on the surface, or so I hear. They are so effective, in fact, that wheat would grow on them even without sunlight. Plus, spider silk is mixed in, so it doesn’t dry easily. They say that with this soil, even farming in a desert is possible.”

“Interesting. Oh, but why do they make the effort to mix in spider silk?”

“Cave spiders have the habit of cultivating mushrooms, you see. Human and monster meat are in their diet, but their staple food are mushrooms.”

Human meat too? Wow...

I snuck a glance at Taran. Riena was in the middle of greeting our new friend, and she offered her a grilled fish, asking, “By the way, are you hungry?”

Taran didn’t hold back—she grabbed the grilled fish with a front leg right away. Witnessing this scene, the little ones began crowding around Riena as well, hoping for their own portions of fish. Riena seemed a little intimidated, but she hastily went away to grill more.

I see. They can survive on mushrooms, but they like eating meat and fish when they have the opportunity. Well, they used to live in that isolated cavern, so they probably didn’t get the chance to feast on such things.

That answered one of the questions I had. “That makes sense. So that was how they survived despite being secluded from the rest of the world.”

Baris was right that it was good luck; we normally wouldn’t be able to find soil on a barren island like ours. Like I’d mentioned before, we were on a big rock. There was no soil, so there were no plants. But now, though it wasn’t much, we had come across high-grade soil. As long as we had seeds, we could start cultivating crops.

I sighed. But the problem is those crucial seeds. We only have fruit seeds available at the moment. Though I wasn’t an expert, I knew that a lot of fruit grew on trees, and those took several years before they would begin bearing fruit. But I can’t cross off the possibility that we might come across other seeds someday. Who knows? Vegetables and grain might wash ashore. At the very least, we know farming is possible now, and I’m feeling very hopeful!

With that thought, I muttered to myself, “We can’t let this go to waste. Maybe I should start a simple farm or something. I need to expand our cramped island too...”

Now that I had new skills and cave spiders as my comrades, the scope of my options had increased dramatically. Not just farming or construction—I was sure that if we processed spider silk properly, we could make fibers, which could be woven into clothes or fishing nets.

To be honest, the only thing I wanted to dedicate my time and energy to was mining, but now that I had cavemates, I ought to be considerate of the other people living with me. Okay, complicated thoughts aside...

“Looks like a welcome party is due!” I declared. “We’re living on a tiny island, so let’s all get along. Oh. Hey, Riena, I’ll help!”

I caught fresh fish and grilled them with Riena, and thanks to our little party, we slowly got more familiar with our new spider neighbors.

Chapter 4: Making a Farm!

A few days had passed since Taran and the little ones joined our team.

Right now, I was standing on the coast with my arm raised. In my hand was a brand-new pickaxe. “Wow, you did a great job!” I gushed.

Baris gave me a small bow. “I am honored to receive such praise, Lord Heale.”

This pickaxe was the result of the combined efforts of Baris and Erivan. Baris had given directions while Erivan had done the manual labor.

“But... I’m afraid this is all I can muster with my limited knowledge.” Baris hesitated. “I can’t create pickaxes of the same caliber as the ones you gave us.”

“Don’t say that. Being able to craft with iron in this kinda place is already a huge step forward!”

I admired the blast furnace and other facilities Baris had designed. I, personally, was going into things blind as a bat when it came to smelting iron. As far as I knew, goblins weren’t known for advanced technology. Their weapons were crafted for the sole purpose of hunting, and some tribes still used stone tools. Only the more affluent tribes had the bountiful resources to smelt iron.

The Verdan tribe had been a faction so powerful that even a good number of humans would recognize the name. Thus, they had the time and resources to create iron. True to his title as shaman, Baris was very knowledgeable. He was the one who taught me about the facilities required for smelting and the actual smelting process. The only thing I helped out with was putting the facilities together with smooth stones.

If only I studied more... But, well, I never predicted that smelting skills would come in handy in my life, to be honest. This brought one issue into light. We lacked people with specialized knowledge and skills on this island.

“You two did a wonderful job! I wish I had been around to help out with smelting...” I sighed.

“Oh, we could never ask that of ya, Chief!” Erivan slammed his fist into his chest in a “you can count on us” gesture. “We can’t trouble ya with things outside of minin’!”

I was very grateful for that. Though I wanted to offer my help, I was our most efficient miner, and Erivan and Baris were well aware of that. We needed as many turtlestones as we could get to lengthen Riena’s still-too-short life span, and I was key to that.

Riena had already added over five years to her life. However, she was still fifteen years old. The average life expectancy of humans and goblins were apparently the same, so we wanted to make sure she still had many years ahead of her.

And for that, pickaxes were absolutely necessary. The tools I’d handed to the goblins had already reached their limit. On the other hand, though I’d been using mine for longer than them, my pickaxe was still going very strong. Perhaps this was an ability of <Cave King> as well—when I mined, my pickaxe wasn’t subject to any unnecessary recoil.

Basically, we had run out of pickaxes, and we needed to make new ones. While these two worked on pickaxes, our new cave spider comrades were in charge of carrying their soil to a specific area on the island, and Taran led that operation. We would start a small farm there.

That wasn’t their only task—I’d also asked them to spin spider silk. Riena had observed that their spider silk was very robust, and they were the perfect length and thickness for threads. They didn’t need further refinement. At the moment, she was working on her first project of many—making a fishing net.

To be honest, my lightning magic was more than enough for fishing, but the goblins seemed to be in agreement that they should avoid relying on me when possible. They probably wanted me to focus on mining.

“Okay then, I’ll head back to the cave. Those stones seem to be pretty handy, so I’m still working on getting more.”

“Got it, Chief!” Erivan replied. “After we make some progress here, we’ll get back to the shaft as well!”

“I see. I’ll be a step ahead of you all, then.” I smiled.

Leaving behind those words, I headed to the cave and stepped into the inclined shaft. Before I could take a step farther, however, Ciel hopped in front of me and changed the shape of his body. After a moment, he’d formed the shape of a small boat.

The shaft that led underground had stairs in the middle and slopes on the sides. Ciel seemed like he wanted to give me a ride down.

“Hi, Ciel. Thanks for helping me down every day.”

In response, Ciel stretched out one little part of his body like a hand and waved it. He couldn’t speak, but he was likely trying to convey, “Don’t sweat it.” Huh. Did he learn this gesture by watching my interactions with the goblins?

I grinned. “I’m counting on you!”

I climbed onto Ciel and held on tight. He then slid down the lengthy slope with a whoosh, and I kid you not, in an instant, I’d arrived at the cavern where I had found the cave spiders.

“Phew, thanks. You’re so fast! That...was a bit scary though.”

I gave Ciel a couple of light pats before I advanced into the cavern. Okay, last time I was here, I’d finished mining half of the stuff. I surveyed the orange stones left in the area. For the past three days, I’d been taking some time out of my normal mining to collect these stones. They glowed and were warm like sunlight, but they weren’t just decorative.

Sunstone: Accelerates organic growth when used.

The thing is, this “organic growth” apparently includes plants and even animals like humans. The cave spiders living here probably got much bigger than those in Barleon thanks to these stones. I wasn’t sure whether this rapid growth came with negative effects, so I was a little wary about using it on myself or Riena.

However, for growing crops, these would be very useful. I wasn’t clear on how effective they were, but once the small farm on the surface was ready, I planned on sowing some apple seeds and testing them out.

Okay, time to dig! Something caught my eye. Hm?

A giant black spider scuttled into the cave. Taran was holding a grand total of four pickaxes. She had eight legs, and the front four held the handles in a pincer grip with her claws.

“What’re you doing here, Taran?” I asked, curious. “I already have a pick, so I don’t need another at the moment.”

Did Erivan ask Taran to carry those here, perhaps? Hm, but the goblins should know that my pickaxe doesn’t wear down that quickly. Does that mean... My eyes widened. “Are you...challenging me?”

She offered no reply, only staring at me with her six red eyes, and that was answer enough. I was torn between joy and trepidation. A shiver ran down my spine. Despite being my follower monster, this lady, armed with four pickaxes, wanted to throw down the gauntlet.

“Fine, bring it on.” I lifted my pick and stood at the ready.

Then...

“Let the battle begin!” I yelled as I swung my pickaxe hard at the sunstone wall.

Not a second later, there was a flurry of crunching sounds echoing out from behind me—four pickaxes had struck the rock wall in succession.

Taran was mining with four picks, and a human with a pitiful count of one couldn’t ever be her match. Sheesh, she makes it look easy. She must have been observing me closely for the past three days and thought she could do the same... No, maybe she thought she could do even better than me.

But as the owner of <Cave King>, my pride said that I mustn’t lose to a novice.

I let out a loud, drawn-out battle cry as I swung down my pickaxe even faster than before. “I won’t lose to you!!!”

Seeing that I’d sped up, Taran also bumped up her pace.

At the end of the competition, we had managed to excavate all the remaining sunstones within the span of one day. We hadn’t stopped at that, in fact—we even dug into the rock walls behind them.

For the first time since I had arrived at this island, I was totally spent. I barely managed to climb onto Ciel, who carried me to the surface, but my breathing was still erratic even after we arrived.

Between pants, I made sure to praise Taran, who had returned with me. “You’re so quick. Taran, you’re a star.” She had fought bravely, and I had to admire that. “But I’ll be claiming victory in regards to tunnel length.”

That being said, though it was her first time mining, her speed was already extraordinary. In fact, the slime postal service couldn’t keep up with her pace, and sometimes, the debris accumulated so quickly that we had to watch our feet as we went. If she keeps improving at this rate, she might even surpass me one day... Taran was a fearsome rival in the making.

The arrival of a small goblin snapped me out of my thoughts. Riena approached me with a white handkerchief in hand, and she gave me a bow. “Lord Heale, thank you for all your hard work today!”

“Hey, Riena! Thanks.”

I accepted the pristine white handkerchief she offered and wiped my sweat with it. But after a while, I stilled as my mind finally realized something. Huh? I don’t remember seeing such clean and silky cloth around...

It felt really nice against my skin, though, and Riena seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Oh, I’m so glad you like it! I finished making the fishing net, so I experimented with spider silk by weaving a handkerchief.”

“Ah, I see, I see. I almost mistook it for silkworm silk, because it felt that amazing. Wow, you even know how to knit, Riena!”

I tried stretching the handkerchief with my hands, and I could tell that the cloth was both incredibly durable and elastic.

“Yes! I can make all kinds of items.” She paused. “Would you like me to make some bedding as well, perhaps?”

“Bedding!” My eyes lit up at the word. “That sounds great! It’d be unfair for Ciel to be my mattress and blanket forever. Could you do that for me, please?”

“But of course. Leave it to me!”

“I can’t wait! Oh, and before I forget, I need to give you the turtlestones I found today.”

I aimed the palm of my hand at a nearby wooden crate and began summoning the turtlestones—they were tiny, around the size of peas, and they were shaped like turtle shells. They formed a neat pile on top of the crate.

With a conflicted look in her verdant eyes, Riena gazed at the stones.

Once I had finished retrieving them all, I muttered, “That’s around three hundred of them... Yet another day with a good haul.” I nodded to myself in satisfaction.

But then, Riena wore a grave look on her face as she said, “Lord Heale, there’s something I’ve wanted to say for a while...”

“Hm? What is it, Riena?”

“I... You have already given me more than enough of these! These are very precious stones, and it is improper for me to use them.”

“I-Improper?” I repeated dumbly. “Why’s that?”

Riena looked apologetic as she continued, “I can’t contribute in any way... They are wasted on a person like me.”

I frowned. “Riena...”

Can’t contribute in any way, huh? When I was in the palace, I used to think the same way. Born with a useless crest, I myself was just as useless, and everyone had agreed, myself included. Once, I believed I was a waste of space and air.

But things had changed. Now, I was beginning to find meaning in my life. It didn’t have anything to do with other people’s opinion of me—I had a new goal, something to work towards. I wanted to live on this island.

It took me a while to form my reply. “Hey, Riena... Is there anything you want?”

“Something I...want?”

“Yeah. Anything’s fine. It can be an item, or a new ability... A wish, basically.”

“Something I want...” Riena trailed off. After a short moment of silence, she replied resolutely, “I do! I have a wish!” She looked right into my eyes and continued, “I wish that I can be more useful to you in the future, Lord Heale.”

“To me? Uh, you really don’t have to use your wish on someone like me.”

“No.” She was firm. “That is my wish!”

She wants to help...me. But I haven’t done that much for Riena. I don’t deserve that. I chewed on my lip. If that’s what she says, though, I have no right to decide for her.

“I’ll be honest, I think there are better things to wish for, but...” I paused. “You know, Riena, you are actually capable of many things that I can’t do. I think you can have more confidence, don’t you agree?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you’re a brilliant cook, and you can even knit and weave.” I held up the handkerchief she had handed me earlier. “I can’t do any of those. I dunno about Baris, but Erivan probably can’t either, right?”

“Y-Yes, but...”

“We’re on an island in the middle of nowhere.” I smiled wryly. “We need to help each other out. I need you, Riena.” I put the handkerchief down and picked up the turtlestones, holding them out before her.

Riena’s eyes grew moist. “Lord Heale... Thank you so much.” She gave me a deep bow before gingerly accepting the turtlestones with her tiny hands. She wiped her tears with one hand, and a smile bloomed on her face. “I’ll work even harder!”

“Same here.”

As we made that vow to each other, we traded determined nods.

Chapter 5: A Ship Arrived!

A night had passed since my fierce battle with Taran, and the sun was hanging high above our heads at noon.

A voice, pleasant like a chime, rang out in the small farm we’d set up in one corner of the island. “A-Amazing! It’s already sprouting!”

Riena’s awe wasn’t unwarranted. We had only just sowed the apple seed, but within a matter of roughly ten or twenty seconds, a sprout had appeared.

We owed it all to the sunstones, a mineral I’d excavated from the cave spider cavern. These could accelerate the growth of all living things. Still, I didn’t expect the sprout to shoot out so quickly that we’d literally be able to watch it do so!

I nodded encouragingly to Riena. “Yeah, and that only took one sunstone. Let’s use a few more.”

Saying that, I took out a few sunstones from my inventory and in my mind, I willed it to be used on the sprout. The sunstones emitted a warm, gentle glow before growing dull, transforming into plain, gray rocks.

The next moment, the sprout grew rapidly, as if someone had sped up time. Finally, it turned into a tree taller than me.

I craned my neck to get a good look, and an emerald green canopy dotted with ruby red entered my vision—luscious leaves and fruit as enticing as jewels.

Erivan and Baris, who watched on alongside us, looked just as surprised. They blinked their eyes several times.

“Wh-Whoa...” Erivan’s eyes were wide as saucers.

“I-Incredible... I didn’t expect it to be so effective,” Baris muttered as he broke into a cold sweat.

I wasn’t any more composed. I was rendered utterly speechless. Sure, I may have dug up stones that increase one’s life span or mana level, but this is still an incredible sight!

I had already mined all the sunstones in the cavern, and hadn’t yet found them anywhere else. I needed to use them mindfully, because I didn’t know when I’d come across them again.

There were 678 sunstones left in my inventory, and I had spent eleven to cultivate one apple tree. This meant I could grow roughly sixty more apple trees. As for the small mushrooms I had found in Taran’s cavern, one sunstone was enough to develop each one into a bite-size mushroom. It seemed that the species of plant affected the number of sunstones required.

Analysis of a finite resource aside, seeing green after so long without was a sight for sore eyes. Though it was only a simple tree, I was moved beyond explanation. Until now, the only landscape I could admire on this reef were rocks and the sea.

“The apples look delicious!” Riena exclaimed. “May I pick some? I’m thinking about making grilled apples for dinner tonight.”

“Of course, take as many as you want,” I replied. “I can never say no to sweet treats.”

Very soon, the food I’d carried onto this island would be fully depleted. If I hadn’t discovered these sunstones, we would have had to survive on a diet of only seafood. Though I understood it was for survival, I would probably get sick of salty fish if we had them for every meal.

“Understood! I’ll pick roughly twenty apples for now!” Riena chirped cheerfully. Humming a tune, she grabbed a wood stick and began poking the apples to make them fall. She was probably more interested in cooking than mining.

In that case... “Hey, Riena, may I have a moment?”

The little goblin was so happy that she might jump for joy at any moment. With an entire armful of apples held at her chest, she turned around and looked at me. “Of course. What is it?”

“From this moment on, I’ll leave the sunstone management to you.”

I was completely ignorant in the field of cooking. Thus, leaving our farm project to Riena was likely a prudent choice. Furthermore, I’d heard that Riena’s crest was <Farmer>. It was a common crest among, well, the offspring of farmers. One of the crest’s gifts was its ability to hasten the growth of crops.

That being said, the difference was said to be minuscule, and it was barely noticeable. However, having it was definitely better than not. That wasn’t my only reason—I’d heard that Riena had always been cultivating plants, even before the decline of the Verdan tribe.

I continued, “I’ll chuck them into a crate near the cave entrance. Use them as you see fit.”

“M-Me? But these are very precious items!”

“Stuff like this is probably best left in the hands of our master chef. Don’t you think?”

“But I...” Riena took a deep breath. “If that is your will, Lord Heale, I won’t let you down!”

“I’m looking forward to seeing what you can do!”

I didn’t want her to work herself too hard, but I did have a lot of faith in her. In the field of food, I was confident that she would meet my expectations or even go beyond them. The problem was that we only had fruit seeds, which limited the types of crops she could rear. If possible, I wanted to obtain seeds for staple foods from an outside source soon, but that wasn’t something I could control.

Oh well. Let’s start by doing what we can now.

“Okay then, I’ll head back to mining now!” I announced.

“Good luck!” the goblins said in unison, their voices marking the beginning of yet another day of mining for me.

When I arrived at the end of the shaft, Taran and the little ones were already there, and they were all swinging their pickaxes diligently. Ciel and the crew of slimes carried over the chunks the spider team had dug out.

Ciel had settled into the position of slime leader, and he took on the role of communicating requests from me and the goblins to the other slimes. The goblins mentioned that during my breaks, he would stretch his body into all kinds of shapes and do what looked like drills with the other slimes.

I nodded to myself. “Wonderful, you guys are all hard at work,” I said to the monsters, despite knowing they didn’t understand my speech. I then joined them and struck the rock wall. As always, the wall crumbled easily before my eyes.

But this time, there was something different. A white stone was embedded in the gray wall.

“Hm? What’s this?”

Dragon orb: Can resurrect a corpse back to life.

Wha... Wow. This stone is quite something. First I dig up stones that can extend someone’s life span, and now I’ve come across one capable of resurrection. Either way, this is one extra layer of protection. Even if someone died—and I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen, they would have a second chance. Ideally, I hope I will never have to use it.

And...that’s not all. If I wanted to, I could also revive someone who has long since passed away. I clenched the jar hanging from my neck. Inside it...was the ashes of someone I had failed to rescue. With this stone, I could...

I chewed on my lip. Does he even want to come back to the world of the living? I don’t think he wanted to die. But I have no way to know for sure. Would it be his wish, or is that just me selfishly presuming? I...need more time to decide. I should cool my head a little first.

No matter what I ended up doing with the dragon orb, though, keeping it as a last resort was better than not having it. I could consider using it again once I excavated a whole pile of them.

“Okay.” I took a deep breath. “Gotta keep digging!”

Once again, my fingers wrapped around the handle of my pickaxe, and I was ready to get back into action.

However, despite an extended mining session, instead of finding a second dragon orb, I only found myself feeling disappointed. Maybe it’s a rather rare mineral. Well... To be honest, that’s not a bad thing. If I had unlimited power over life and death, I would have nothing to fear in this world. I might even start taking absurd risks, thinking that death is only a temporary state.

I summoned the dragon orb from my inventory. There was the chance that if I died, nobody would be able to retrieve it anymore, making it completely useless. Okay, let’s leave it in a safe place near the entrance, and then it’ll be ready for emergencies.

A distant voice echoed down the shaft, breaking me from my train of thought. “Chief! Chieeef! Ya gotta see this!” It was Erivan, likely yelling from near the cave entrance. He sounded agitated—it must be urgent.

“Coming!” I yelled back at the top of my lungs as I started to sprint up the stairs.

On the way, Ciel offered to be my vehicle, and thanks to him, I reached the entrance in less than a minute. There, I found Erivan, and he looked overwhelmed with joy.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Ch-Chief, big news! I can see my kin’s ship out there! Please follow me!”

I felt my heart race. “Got it!” I exclaimed. I placed the dragon orb on a crate near the entrance. It’d be a nightmare if I lost it while walking around the island.

However, I was a little too hasty, and the stone fell off and rolled out of the cave. It finally stopped in an area at the side of the entrance. Oh, oops! Ugh, oh well, it’s out of the way, and it’s not going anywhere. I can deal with it later.

I took a brief glance to memorize its location before heading out onto the rocky shore. When I arrived, I saw Riena and Baris waving what seemed to be makeshift white flags towards a ship out on the open sea. I squinted my eyes, and I could spot silhouettes on the ship waving back. Their black flags seemed to have axes drawn on them, the symbol of the Verdan clan. Looks like they noticed us.

“That’s great, your comrades are alive!” I breathed a sigh of relief.

Riena turned around at the sound of my voice. “Yes, they are! I really thought everyone was long dead... I’m so happy!” She was moved to the point of tears, and upon seeing her, Baris and Erivan shed tears of joy as well.

Erivan sobbed. “I’ve never been so happy in my life... My child’s on that ship too!” He waved his arm back and forth at the ship and called out, “Heeey!”

There was no doubt that he wanted to reunite with his child as soon as possible. In that case... “Hey, Erivan. It’d be dangerous for a ship in that state to anchor here. It’d be safer if you used my boat to head over instead.”

“Yes, Chief! But...are you sure?” he asked humbly.

“Yeah. It’s not like I have a use for it anymore. Oh, and here...” I paused, summoning all of the sapphires and other precious stones in my inventory into my hand before offering them to Erivan.

“Chief...?” He blinked in a stupor. “What’s this?”

“Take it as a parting gift. With this much wealth available, you’ll be able to revive the Verdan tribe no matter what continent you end up on.”

“Huh? What...are ya saying?”

I inclined my head quizzically. “I mean... Your comrades’ ship is here, right? Wouldn’t it be the obvious choice to get away from here? This is just the middle of nowhere.”

The goblins stared at me with the same expression of shock on their faces.

Erivan was the first to speak, and he sounded a bit upset. “Leave? Never! We’ve already dedicated our loyalty to ya, Chief. I’m only heading over to make sure they swear fealty to ya as well. We ain’t no ungrateful bastards!”

Not a step behind, Riena voiced her agreement. “That’s right! We’re already your subjects, Lord Heale!”

Baris nodded solemnly. “We have chosen you as our lord, and that is final.”

“W-Wait...” I stammered. “I’m glad to hear that, but think about it. If you go back with all these jewels, the world would be your oyster. You can buy land, weapons...anything! You don’t have to settle down on a barren rock.”

Riena’s gaze met mine. “Then...will you please come with us?”

“Huh? I-I...” I couldn’t finish that sentence.

Oh. That’s right. That was my plan when I’d first arrived. This is my opportunity to escape this reef. But now...I can’t imagine a life elsewhere. I found my purpose in life, and that’s mining here.

Plus...my other monster comrades are here on this island too. Ciel, the slimes, Taran, the cave spiders... We can’t all fit on that small ship, so if I go, I’d have to bid them farewell. I clenched my hands into fists. What if the people of Sanphales were to visit this island after I’m gone? Who will protect them then? More than anything, I don’t want to part with them. I want to develop this island together with everyone.

I shook my head slowly. “No, I’m...”

Riena smiled. There was an unyielding look in her eyes. “In that case, I don’t want to leave either.”

Erivan and Baris nodded.

If I were in their shoes, I would choose a comfortable life over the hardships that this deserted island held. However, my three comrades insisted on staying. On staying here with me.

I had never, not even once in my life, expected people to stop in their tracks to wait for me to catch up—to turn around, join me, and walk by my side. Every single member of my family shunned me, and solitude had been my only companion. But these people want to stay behind with me, with “that useless Heale.”

“You guys...” My voice was shaky. “Thank you.”

Erivan shook his head with fervor. “Don’t act like you’re just some stranger! All right, I’ll pop over to the boat and tell them to head ashore!”

“Ah, that’s a good idea.” But the next second, color drained from my face. “Oh!”

Right before my eyes, a huge wave crashed into the ship like a malicious hand flipping the vessel over. Upon seeing my expression, the others turned their attention to the ship as well.

They cried out in shock and grief—perhaps “shrieks of horror” was the more accurate description. I could already spot over a dozen goblins poking their heads above the ocean surface near their upturned ship.

“D-Darn...” Erivan cursed. “Most of them can’t swim!”

He was tense—it was clear that he wanted to save them, but he didn’t know how. All he could do was stare at them despairingly from his spot.

Riena was the only one who reacted instantly. She sprinted ahead. “We’ll rescue them with the boat!” she yelled.

The other two snapped out of their panic and ran as fast as they could to join her.

That small boat can only carry a handful of people. Can we really save all the goblins there? My mind whirred. But I can’t just stand here. Can a <Cave King> skill help me out here...? No, none of them are of any use in a rescue operation. Wait. In that case...

I scrolled through my inventory, sensing a glimmer of hope. There it is—“Mana Mineral x8879.” I’ll use all of these at once. I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve forgotten to use them as I go, so I have a pretty big collection.

“Consuming Mana Mineral x8879.”

Magic was our only way to overcome this crisis. I lifted my right hand and thrust forward, aiming at an area near the ship.

Erivan saw my pose, and with a tense expression, he exclaimed, “Ch-Chief! What’re ya—”

“You said they can’t swim, so our boat won’t make it in time.” I clenched my jaw. “But I have a chance with magic.” Which spell would help us...? Yeah. That’s the one. “Freeze!” I hollered.

The next moment, my breath hitched, and the sudden impact made me flinch. White, chilly smoke blasted out of my hand almost like a broken water pump—it was an ice spell. It shot straight at the ocean and coated it with a patch of ice like a layer of frost upon grass. The patch extended farther and farther, creating a path that led to the capsized ship.

“N-No way!” Baris exclaimed. His voice was followed by two gasps of wonder—the other goblins.

However, I was actually the one who was most surprised. My mind blanked, and I stared at my right hand. Did I really do that? I still had plenty of mana reserves to work with. Though I had stopped the ice from expanding farther, I felt that I could have frozen even more of the ocean’s surface. So that’s the power of all those mana minerals... It’s staggering...and a little terrifying.

But I didn’t have the luxury of time to dawdle. “Let’s go!” I leaped onto the ice bridge and started running. “Taran, Ciel, guys, follow me!” The goblins, slimes, and cave spiders all rushed in with me. “Hurry!”

I let out a yelp as I slipped and fell over. The ice bridge wasn’t an easy path for us two-legged beings, so I climbed onto Taran, whose many feet gave her better balance. She rapidly scuttled over to the capsized ship.

When we arrived, I saw a few goblins climbing onto the ice and getting to safety. However, there were still countless of their comrades struggling to stay afloat. I couldn’t afford to waste any time—I immediately gave out instructions. “Taran, aim your spider silk at the goblins in the sea!”

The cave spiders spun silk from their abdomens and fired them at the ocean surface. The drifting goblins desperately swam towards the threads and made a grab for them, but some didn’t have enough strength to do that much. They must be hurt or sick.

I clenched my jaw. “Ciel, can you do your usual trick?! Ask the other slimes to do the same thing!”

At my command, Ciel warped into the shape of a tiny boat. The other slimes followed his example.

“Riena, Erivan, Baris!” I yelled. “Help me save the people who can’t move!”

“Right away!” they shouted in return.

We pushed the slime boats onto the water and jumped aboard. Our rescue mission was far from over.

After the drawn-out, nerve-racking ordeal...

I breathed a long sigh of relief. “At first, it all seemed so hopeless, but I’m glad it worked out...”

We had returned to shore after hauling out as many goblins as we could. I was busy casting healing spells on the sick and injured while Riena had assembled a group of healthy goblins and was grilling fish together with them. As for Erivan, he was greeting each of the survivors, stopping to have brief conversations. He seemed to be asking after people he knew, but from time to time, his eyes would grow moist—some of his tribe must have passed away during the harsh voyage.

Now, tears were streaming down from his face as he threw his arms around a petite goblin, likely the child he had mentioned earlier. “Fu! Yer alive, yer alive! I knew we would be reunited one day!” he bawled, face scrunched up in emotion.

“U-Uh, dad...” The smaller goblin looked a little restless. “Could you let me go already?”

As the family reunion went on in the background, I finished healing my last patient. At that point, Baris approached me at that moment with a request—it was great timing on his part. I nodded and began doling out commands to the cave spiders, who were currently unoccupied. They began spinning spider silk and started dragging the capsized ship onto shore.

Once they were done, Baris went to check all the supplies we’d managed to salvage from the wreck. While he was at it, he asked around to find out if the shipwreck had resulted in any casualties.

“Lord Heale, thanks to you, none of my kin have become victims of the ocean. All 205 passengers are safe and sound.” There was an elated smile on his lips. “We could never thank you enough.”

“Don’t worry about that! I’m so glad that everyone made it out alive.”

“Indeed. Not only that, but thanks to your healing spells, even the gravely ill have made a full recovery. They couldn’t even muster the strength to stand moments ago. How in the world did you manage such a miracle?”

“Uh, I only used basic spells like Recover and Cure...” I hummed in thought. “It’s probably the work of my boosted mana pool.”

Recover was a healing spell that replenished stamina and healed internal and external wounds. Cure, a spell from the same magic branch, treated poisons and illnesses. Their effectiveness was dependent on the caster’s mana levels.

I had been taken by surprise as well. I hadn’t expected Recover to work such wonders on the gravely ill. It was a basic spell, after all. Most would use mid-tier or more advanced spells on patients in that kind of condition. But my Recover had managed to produce similar results, and I had an inkling about the reason—the over ten thousand mana minerals I had consumed, which had granted me a significant mana pool. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to freeze such a large area of the sea to begin with.

A thought occurred to me. “Hey Baris, did you manage to salvage anything from the ship?”

“Though I’m ashamed to admit it, we were rather impoverished to begin with. We gathered what little assets we had to build that ship, so we only carried the bare minimum of rations and tools on board.”

“Ah, I see... Well, it was pretty battered when it first arrived here.”

When we had pulled the capsized ship onto shore, it had broken cleanly into two. We didn’t have the facilities or tools to fix it, so it was most likely going to lay there in ruins. However, considering the amount of lumber and supplies we had gained, it was a big step forward.

I continued, “All that aside, I’m really happy that this island is so lively now.”

“I shall keep an eye on them and ask that they avoid causing you any unnecessary trouble, my lord. And...if you are willing, please allow them to be your humble followers as well.”

“I mean, I don’t mind, but some people probably wouldn’t like that, so please don’t coerce them into the contract. As for those who want off this island, I’ll try coming up with a few plans.”

Baris shook his head sternly. “I cannot let that happen. I promise that I will persuade them all to serve you.” He hesitated. “That aside, I have been wondering... Who is that person behind you?”

Behind me? Uh, I’m pretty sure that’s just Ciel. I turned around. “Wha—”

There was a middle-aged dude standing right there. A stout, middle-aged dude who was roughly as tall as my waist. He had a magnificent mustache and beard...and he was stark naked.

Huh? Who the heck is he?

I shook my head fiercely. “I have no idea! Wait, he wasn’t aboard your ship?”

“Not as far as I know. He was staring while you healed the others, so I assumed he was a comrade you met inside the cave...”

“O-Oh, I see...” I racked my brain for any memory of this new guy. “Well, Taran and the little ones mine as well, so they might have met him along the way.” No, wait. That’s absurd. How could anyone dig up a dude while they’re mining? “Uhhh... There’s a chance that he hid inside one of the crates on the ship, isn’t there?”

“That’s, well... Yes, that’s possible.”

“That must be it,” I declared. “He was a stowaway.”

Also, dude, don’t just stare at us. Say something. And, once again, why are you naked?!

I tried greeting the silent, staring guy. “H-Hey there, I’m Heale. What’s your name?”

But the moment he heard my voice, the dude abruptly turned around and walked over to the kitchen. Then, without a moment of hesitation, he began wolfing down the grilled fish Riena and her companions had prepared.

Uh, well, we have a whole ocean of fish available, so that’s fine, I guess. If he wants to live on this island, though... He needs some clothes.

On that day, Sheol Reef gained a whole lot of new residents. And...on that night, I realized that the dragon orb had gone missing.

Chapter 6: He Turned Out to Be Pretty Epic!

A day had passed since the big rescue operation, and I was currently sitting down at the cave entrance.

“Phew, I’m finally done,” I muttered.

My day had been a busy one. My first task was to prepare rooms for the newcomers. We had saved over two hundred goblins yesterday, which meant I had welcomed over two hundred people into my domain. Naturally, there wasn’t enough space for everyone to lie down in the cave entrance hall, so I needed to prepare new dwellings.

To achieve this, I dug new branching tunnels from the main shaft and made cuboid chambers at the end of each of them. With smooth stones, I crafted simple desks and beds. In the end, it honestly hadn’t been that different from a normal day of mining.

While I took care of that, I assigned a different job to each of the goblins. With Riena as their instructor, they were cooperating with the cave spiders to make bedding, clothes, fishing nets, and other essentials. Another group of goblins was dismantling the shipwreck and salvaging resources.

Personally in order to trade, I had plans to build a new ship from what we had available. However, according to Baris, we had too few tools to make that possible, so there hadn’t been much progress. Therefore, I had decided we should shift priorities. Instead of building a new ship, those goblins would use the ship’s lumber to make tools first—axes, pickaxes, or anything else that would come in handy.

From what I could see, everyone seemed to be working diligently. I spaced out, deep in thought. I can’t sit back and relax. Once I catch my breath, I should catch some fish and then get back to mining.

That was when Riena came over. “Thanks for your hard work, Lord Heale!” She was half-jogging, and she held a small wooden cup in her hands.

“Thanks for your hard work too.” I smiled. “How’re things going with the farm?”

“Great! I actually wanted your opinion on this drink.” She held out the cup to me.

It was filled with a purple liquid, and a sweet fragrance tickled my nose. “Oh... It’s grape!”

“Yes! I planted a grape seed from the ship in the soil, and as a trial, I used sunstones to help it grow.”

“Ah, I see.” I took a sip. “This tastes great!”

“That’s wonderful! We still have more!”

“That sounds fantastic, but this is enough for me. You guys should have the rest. We don’t have that many grapes available, do we?”

“Thank you. Everyone will be elated to hear that! I’m sure that in a few years, we will have plenty of grapes to go around.”

A few years, huh? When I first came to this island, surviving long enough to see the light of dawn already seemed hopeless, much less having the time to grow seeds, squeeze fresh fruit, and drink their juice.

But that has changed. I have comrades I can trust and a full inventory of marvelous minerals. I have full confidence that I’ll live long enough on this island to witness a year pass by—no, much more than a year. A few years from now, I’ll eat my fill of grapes freshly plucked from the vines... I’m sure that’s possible, and I can’t wait for that day.

I slowly savored the grape juice as I pondered upon the future. Soon, the cup was empty. “I’m looking forward to it.” Suddenly, a single thought jumped to the front of my mind. “A change of topic, but...” Where in the world did that dragon orb go?

After I came to this island, I stopped being attached to specific items, so it had completely slipped my mind. If I remember correctly... I left it on a crate near the entrance, but it rolled onto the ground. It stopped nearby in the area outside the cave.

I surveyed my surroundings, but I still couldn’t find it. Looking a little further out didn’t help either. Hold on, let me think. The area I thought the stone had ended up was my makeshift cemetery where I’d buried all the bones that were scattered inside the cave. I’d used stone pillars in place of gravestones.

Skeletal remains of a variety of creatures had crowded the cave back then, but the entrance was a high-traffic area, so I had cleaned the place out and given them a burial. Because of that there was nothing blocking the entrance, which was why the stone had rolled so far away in the first place.

I headed over to the cemetery. The gravestone that should have been the stone’s final resting point was dedicated to a skull that was exceptionally large, so I still remembered it. Did someone pick the orb up and put it away in a safe place? Or did they wipe it clean and keep it, thinking it was a random but pretty stone?

My frown deepened as I scoured the area. More importantly, why in the world is there a big pit in front of the gravestone? Did something or someone dig the skeleton up? Wait. It can’t be... I peered into the pit. The large skull that was supposed to be there was missing.

Suddenly, I was struck out of my bewilderment by an angry roar. “What’s all the staring for, huh?! Ya got a problem with my work or somethin’?!”

Looking over at the source of the commotion, I spotted a furious, newcomer goblin. He seemed to be in the middle of working metal at the forge Baris had designed, and he was yelling at the short dude that had appeared out of thin air yesterday.

After the guy had shown up, he’d been wandering around and munching on fish without a care in the world. When he had seen me mining, he had looked a little surprised. And of course, he had been naked the entire time.

“Hey, ya naked old chap! Don’t just stand there with yer nose in the air, work!” the goblin hollered. “Who gave ya the right to laze around, huh?!”

I couldn’t fault the goblin for being angry. The naked guy was standing there, watching with his arms folded. In the eyes of a tired worker, that behavior was unacceptable.

The goblin stomped up to the guy and shoved his hammer towards the idling man. “If ya have nothin’ better to do, help out! We need way more pickaxes and axes!” The goblin held out the two types of tools as samples.

Then, with confident and prideful strides, the short guy walked over to the furnace, which was currently snuffed out. Without warning, he began rearranging its stone blocks.

“What the hell are ya doin’?!” the goblin yelled in a panic.

The naked guy, however, didn’t listen. He finished moving the blocks around and, with a hint of satisfaction on his face, lit a fire. He reached out to the nearby lumps of iron and tossed them into the blazing furnace. When the metal reached a scalding heat, he promptly took them back out.

Holding up the hammer, the man looked at the iron and smirked. The next moment, he started hammering away. He was so fast that my eyes couldn’t keep up with his strikes. Along with the other goblins, I looked on in shock. Even more surprising was that in just twenty to thirty seconds, he’d transformed those lumps of hot metal into a pickaxe head.

The corners of his lips were pulled up as he continued to work. He seemed to be making an axe head now. By the time I’d snapped out of my daze, I realized I had walked up to the man.

“Wh-What is this...?” the newcomer goblin muttered in disbelief as he picked up the pickaxe head.

The item was intricate and elegant—even the arcs of its thin blade were works of art.

The goblin shook his head and spat, “Ugh, ya can’t dig into rock with such a thin blade! It’ll snap with one hit! Fix this right now!” He stepped forward, ready to interrupt the dude’s work.

I quickly stopped the goblin. “Wait! Let me test it out first. Leave him to his own devices for now.”

“Huh?” The goblin blinked at me, startled. “Yes, sir!” He swiftly attached the pickaxe head to a pole and handed it to me.

Okay, let’s try this right away. Now, here comes the question... Is speed the only extraordinary thing about that man, or is there more to his skills?

With this new pick in hand, I headed down to the mining shaft. I was accompanied by Baris, Erivan, Riena, and the goblin from earlier. Like I usually did, I tried tapping the rock wall slightly with the pickaxe.

What happened next, however, made me doubt my own eyes. “Wha—”

The rocks crumbled and gave way. That much was normal. But the area of rock I had hollowed out was many times larger than what I could achieve with my usual pickaxe. Just to compare, I also tried out my trusty old pickaxe. However, it seemed it was only half as effective as my new tool.

“They’re both iron picks, but this one’s...” I muttered in disbelief. “Who in the world is that dude?”

I made a swift return to the forge. When I arrived, there was a whole pile of pickaxes and axes ready for action. I turned to stare at the naked dude, and he wore a smug look as he looked at me triumphantly. I could almost hear the unspoken question: Surprised?

Uh, yeah. I’m blown away, to be honest. You’re amazing. But...could you please put on some clothes? I fought the urge to sigh. His nudity aside, it’s clear that he’s a smithing god.

I approached him and retrieved a whole load of minerals from my inventory. Copper, iron, silver, gold, tin, coal, and so on. “Hey, can you make other things with these materials?”

The man’s eyes bore into the ores, and he grinned wide. His gaze was, well, a little perverse. I mean, he’s stark naked, so... But either way, he seems to be harmless.

As I watched him work, I felt my eyes widen. “Wait, hold on...”

The size of his head stood out to me—it was very large, probably around twice the size of mine. And what a coincidence, because that was roughly the size of the giant skull that had mysteriously disappeared along with the dragon orb. Don’t tell me... Did that stone go missing because it revived this dude? That seems like the most logical conclusion.

But...how did he end up dead on this island? I want to ask him that, but I’m unlikely to get anywhere with him not talking at all. That being said, it seems like we can still understand each other somewhat. I might as well try asking a few questions later. He might know something about the other skeletons.

Either way, I probably didn’t have any hope of getting that dragon orb back. A part of me wanted to revive this little guy, but... I clasped the jar I hung around my neck. I’ll keep digging, and I will find another dragon orb one day. For now, I should be happy that I have a trusty new comrade.

Deciding to put those thoughts behind me, I held the pickaxe and returned to the cave.

When the sun began to set, I asked the goblins about the naked blacksmith, and they told me that after I’d left, he’d kept working and had crafted a whole assortment of tools. However, we couldn’t just let him stay in his birthday suit, so a few days later, I half forced him into wearing a loincloth woven from spider silk. Alas, by then, everyone had already grown used to calling him “Starkers.”

Chapter 7: Evolution!

“Ahhh!” I let out a battle cry as I mined with Starkers’s pickaxe.

Alongside me were goblins and cave spiders, also armed with Starkers’s tools, and they were digging away.

During these past few days, I had tamed even more slimes—we now had a total of eighty-eight in our roster. I had found them all while mining, just like how I had met Ciel. It seemed there were many slimes hiding underground in Sheol Reef. All of them, under the guidance of Ciel, had taken up the role of carrying everyone else’s mined materials to me.

Meanwhile, on the surface, we had started modifying the rocky terrain to make anchoring a ship easier. I had steadily covered the shore with sand and stones which I had crafted with <Cave King>, and I had even begun reclaiming land to form a sandy beach.

I would like to say that it had all been smooth sailing, but when I looked at my inventory, I realized something dreadful. As one would expect, nearly all the minerals had increased at a steady rate. However, there was one key item that I was lacking.

I hadn’t excavated any new dragon orbs. But that was fine, actually. I would be spooked if I had an endless supply of them.

No, the real problem was that I had been coming across fewer and fewer turtlestones—and that meant Riena’s life span would eventually stop increasing. According to my calculations, she should have gained an accumulated life span of barely over a decade so far. However, she was only fifteen years old. That was nothing compared to the life span she should have.

I wanted to go back to the area where I had found the most turtlestones, but for some reason, <Cave King> wouldn’t light up much of the areas there in white. It was perhaps because I might cause a cave-in if I dug around.

Of course, I had been upfront about the current situation with Riena, but her only reaction had been to smile and say, “You’ve already given me plenty of time.” Her smile had been so bright, so earnest, that I felt heartbroken.

Anyone would want a long life, I think. Actually... No, I don’t know whether everyone shares that opinion. Wanting to help Riena out because it’s morally right is just an excuse. In truth, I just want to spend more time with her. I want to dig up more strange marvels and share them with her so that we can develop the island together... There are so many things I want to do, and I want Riena to accomplish them with me.

Before I knew it, my mind had become transfixed on that single idea as I dug on. But then...

Instead of gray rock, what I found was a chamber with white walls. According to my crest, this room was about three meters tall, and it was spacious enough to fit five or six people lying down.

Nervously, I walked farther into the chamber. The room was a perfect cube. The walls and the floor were made of white marble. In its center were rocks scattered chaotically across the ground and a small stone that was shimmering with a blue glow.

I scanned the far side of the room, and there was some sort of altar made from the same white marble. Upon it rested a golden stone. This place doesn’t feel like a tomb... I don’t see any coffins, statues, or portraits. Is this a shrine of some sort?

The first thing I did was store the rocks scattered around the center of the room. Most of them were common materials—nothing new about that. But when I stored the small blue stone into my inventory, an unfamiliar term popped up.

“A...heartstone?”

Heartstone: May be used as a core for artificial life.

“Gained Heartstone. Unlocked Automaton Creation.”

Huh? “Automaton”?

“<Cave King> can create automata with heartstones. You can combine materials in your inventory to create or modify automata.”

So... I guess that means I can make new comrades. Considering all the rock debris around, there might have been a rock automaton in this chamber in the past. It must have fallen apart for some reason.

In any case, this meant I could gain yet another priceless worker. I’m not sure what kind of “automata” I can craft, but I’ll think about how I should use it later.

I walked farther into the chamber and collected the golden stone. It’s labeled as “risestone,” huh. Hm, I wonder what it can do. The broken automaton must’ve been stationed here as a guardian, so it’s probably quite important.

As if to answer my unsaid question, the assistant shed some light on the effects of this stone.

Risestone: Evolves monsters when used.

Evolve? Here we go again. Another word that I don’t get.

“Evolution will change the race of the monster. Their age and personality will carry over, but their body will be replaced.”

Okaaay... By the way, would their life span change as well?

“Evolving into a healthy body can further increase the monster’s life span.”

It does? Wait, then Riena wouldn’t have to worry about her life span. I couldn’t celebrate too soon, however. Replacing bodies sounds so unnerving, though. I know nothing about it—is this really the right thing to do?

I shook my head to clear my mind. For now, let’s just leave this room as is. I need to make a trip back to the entrance. It’s already getting late, and I want to report these discoveries to everyone.

When I arrived back at the entrance, I summoned Baris, Erivan, and Riena. We sat in a circle around some glowstones, and we were ready to begin the discussion at any time. Ciel was sitting on my lap, and even Starkers was here—I don’t remember calling him over—with a grilled fish in one hand.

“Hm, ‘automaton’...” Baris mulled over the word. “My apologies, but I have never heard of that word either.”

“I see, not even you know about it...” I frowned.

Erivan and Riena, as expected, didn’t have a clue when asked. Meanwhile, Starkers wasn’t participating in the conversation—he only munched ravenously on his grilled fish.

I shrugged. “That’s okay, I’ll just do a few trials with it and figure things out. There’s something more important I want to talk about.”

I retrieved the golden stone, the risestone, from my inventory and explained that it helped monsters evolve.

At the end of my speech, I summarized, “So basically, replacing your body can increase your life span as well, but... The thing is, I don’t really know what this ‘evolution’ involves.”

However, the word seemed to ring a bell to Baris. “Evolution, you say?!” he exclaimed. “Are you implying that this stone makes that possible?!”

“Hm?” I leaned forward, intrigued. “Have you heard of it, Baris?”

“But of course! The princess and the general should know as well. After all, it appears in our race’s mythologies.”

Riena nodded, but Erivan tilted his head quizzically and said, “Uh, it does?”

“General...” Baris sounded appalled. “I distinctly remember telling you the tale over and over in the past.”

“S-Sorry. Stuff like myths just don’t stay in my head, ha ha...” Erivan muttered sheepishly.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Baris continued, “Well, that aside...” He turned to me. “Lord Heale, do you know of the other goblin races?”

Hm, subspecies of goblins... I’ve only seen them in illustrated encyclopedias, but I remember there was quite a lot of varieties “Hmm, like the hobgoblins or the leafgoblins? Those are the most famous.”

“Yes, precisely. Hobgoblins who have physiques similar to orcs, for instance, began as ordinary goblins like us. However, it was said that once upon a time, a group of goblins faced humans in battle and felt powerless. Determined to change their fate, they sought strength to overwhelm their enemy. That was when they came across such stones, and...”

“And they evolved into muscular hobgoblins.” I finished his sentence for him. “Is that the case for leafgoblins as well?”

“Yes. To adapt to life deep in the forests, goblins sought camouflage in the form of a body covered with leaflike hair, thus evolving into leafgoblins.”

“Interesting. So evolution was what gave birth to new species.” For example, gaining strength or changing to adapt to a harsh environment. Without thinking, I glanced at Erivan’s towering figure. “Hey, Erivan. You’re not a hobgoblin, are you?”

“No way!” he yelped. “I’ve never used one of those things! I was large even as a babe!”

Baris nodded. “He was born with his burly stature, you see. Hobgoblins have robust and muscular bodies as well, but their heads are proportionally bigger.”

“Huuuh...” I muttered.

“I must say, we used to think of this stone as a mere myth...” Baris trailed off with wonder. “I never thought I would get to see one in person.”

On a whim, I asked, “Does...anyone want to test it out?”

The first to shake his head was Baris. “I admit, I’m intrigued, but I could never use such a precious item. I’m also very attached to my current body, you see.”

Erivan echoed Baris’s refusal. “Same here, my body’s so handsome that I’d never want to evolve. I don’t have any complaints about these lads.” He flexed his biceps pridefully. He had an impressive physique for a goblin to begin with, and even in the eyes of a human like me, he was the ideal form of masculinity.

However, deep down inside, Baris and Erivan were likely still a little interested. They were only claiming otherwise because they wanted Riena to use it. After all, it could change her body—her life span.

Luckily, Riena seemed rather intrigued. “I-If I...” She swallowed. “If possible, I want to help you more, Lord Heale. Um, with magic, and um...many things.”

I had heard that goblins lacked innate arcane talent. In other words, her current body wasn’t built for manipulating mana. She seemed invested in magic, and wanted to gain the ability to wield it by evolving.

A moment later, Riena immediately shook her head, as if to wake up from a dream. “B-But I’m not worthy of such a treasure!”

“Well...” I paused. “If you could use magic, we would have a lot more options, which means the stone would be put to good use. If you’re feeling up to it, I think trying it out wouldn’t be a bad plan, don’t you think?”

“B-But...!” She continued to protest.

And I continued to try and convince her. “Plus, if you wish for a longer life span as you use this stone, you should end up with a healthier body.” I gave her a small smile. “I want you to live a long life, Riena.”

Baris and Erivan nodded vigorously.

“Lord Heale... You two...” Riena whispered before she cast her eyes down, deep in thought. After taking a deep breath, she looked me square in the eyes with a determined look. “I... I want to evolve.”

“That settles it.” I nodded, satisfied, before offering the risestone to her. “Here.”

“Thank you.” She gingerly took the stone into her tiny hands, held it in a tight grip, and made a resolute vow. “I swear, I will become more useful to you, my lord!”

The next moment, Riena’s body was engulfed in light. The glow expanded outward, and when it reached a certain size, it exploded in a blinding flash. When the effect finally subsided, I saw...

“A-A human?!” Erivan yelped reflexively.

I could see how he had come to that conclusion. What stood in Riena’s place was a beautiful young woman with skin as fair as snow and waist-length hair the color of night. Her limbs were long and slender, and the feminine curves of her chest and hips belonged to a girl coming into full bloom. She was nothing like the baby-faced Riena from before—she looked delicate and slender.

When she turned to look at me, my heart thumped audibly in my chest. Her big round eyes were of a color that wasn’t part of the nature on this island—a stunning shade of emerald that reminded me of a dense, verdant forest with a few rays of gentle sunlight sneaking in.

I was in awe. I had encountered countless jewels after I came to this cave, but all of them paled in comparison before the brilliance of her eyes.

The young woman standing there didn’t seem anything like Riena— I should rephrase that. To be more accurate, she looked just like a human.

Chapter 8: Reclaiming Land!

“Lord Heale, please have some water!”

“Thanks, Riena.”

I had just polished off a roasted apple at the cave entrance when Riena offered me a cup of water. A snowy white dress was tied around her frame—she had woven it with spider silk. Her ebony hair formed a beautiful contrast against the white cloth. Though it wasn’t adorned with any elaborate decorations, she had added little details like a white ribbon near the collar, making it as fashionable as possible with our limited resources.

I didn’t get embarrassed looking at her anymore, but when she held out her petite, fair hand with a big smile, I couldn’t stop my heart from skipping a beat. Back in the palace, I barely ever came into contact with ladies...

Riena, the young woman beaming at me, was a great cook and a gentle soul. To be honest, I’ve fallen fo— I mean, I respect her a lot. I corrected my thoughts and tried to convince myself that it really was just “respect” as I gulped down the glass of water.

That was when Baris approached me. “Lord Heale, I have an update about the project I proposed yesterday.”

“Ah, I remember. You were thinking about reclaiming land, right?”

“Yes. I would like to ask for your permission to expand the land area of this island.”

I paused. “In other words, you want more farmland, is that right?”

He nodded. “If we had an unlimited supply of sunstones, we could make do with our current farm and orchard. However, since that isn’t the case, I think we need a larger farm to prepare for the next few years.”

To prepare for the future... Yeah, he makes a good point. I haven’t found any new sunstones since my encounter with the cave spiders, so it must be a scarce resource. We should cultivate crops on a large scale so that we can stockpile enough food in case we ever need it.

After Baris, Riena spoke up. “Of course, that small farm can already produce a sufficient amount of food for you, Lord Heale. Having fish is more than enough for us goblins.”

I shook my head. “I think I’ve said this before, but I want everyone to have a fair share. We should start that project as soon as possible.”

Coincidentally, it was going to be planting season very soon. We should finish expanding our farmland before that. And I’m also a little concerned about the goblin kids. The children played tag or ball games to entertain themselves, but I had often witnessed adult goblins scolding them because they were getting in the way of work. Now, they usually huddled in one corner and played board games by turning a rock into a board and little pebbles into tokens.

I was sure that some of them preferred to be more active. But our island was small, and the cave itself was cramped as well, making such activities difficult. While we’re at it, we should make an open area for kids to play in!

I gave Baris a firm nod. “All right, let’s do this.”

“Thank you, Lord Heale! Ah, but please be at ease. If you supply the materials, we can take care of the rest.”

“That’ll take way too long.” I shook my head. “There’s something I want to test out, so leave the construction to me.”

Baris had already detailed out his plans yesterday. First, we would section off the area we wanted to reclaim with slabs of rocks. Then, we’d remove the water and fill it with sand, and pile on the soil.

However, we only had one small boat available, and doing things manually would take a tremendous amount of time. More than anything, it would be impossible to reclaim a large piece of land with this method.

Baris thinned his lips. It looked like he was against the idea of troubling me with the work. “B-But we can’t make you take care of our rations on top of everything you have already done for us.”

“I’m the governor of this island, and as governor, it is my responsibility to take the initiative in tackling all of our problems,” I said. “It’s no trouble at all, and don’t forget that I also want to eat tasty meals.”

After a moment of thought, Baris finally nodded. “In that case, Lord Heale... Please lend us your aid. I promise that we will cultivate crops to your liking!”

“I can’t wait! All right then...” With a grunt, I stood up. “Time to get to work.”

Riena, Baris, and Ciel followed as I headed towards the construction site. On our way, Erivan noticed us. He had been at the forge crafting axes and pickaxes with Starkers from the looks of it.

“Chief! What are ya up to?” Erivan asked.

“I’m going to reclaim some land. I might rock the waters a little in the process, so could you ask the goblins along the coast to come back?”

“Reclaim...land?” Erivan sounded puzzled. “I dunno what ya mean, but understood! Y’all! Assemble!”

Once Erivan had finished calling back the goblins on the coast, I also made all the necessary preparations. I thrust out one hand towards the sea and opened my inventory.

Of course, I didn’t have a clue when it came to land reclamation. This was all Baris’s knowledge at work. Although, to be frank, he didn’t have any hands-on experience either—he had only read about the theory in books.

According to Baris, a project of this scale required immense ships, machinery, and a huge construction team. But I guess there’s no harm in trying. I have plenty of rock in my inventory. I can make this happen.

Using my Workshop skill, I crafted smooth stones and sand in my inventory. I made sure to craft relatively large slabs of stone. Next, I directed the inventory to drop the stones into the ocean. From a bystander’s point of view, I probably looked a little silly as stones poured out of my right hand in an endless stream.

The stones sunk into the sea with loud splashes. I piled up the stones until they’d formed walls roughly three meters above the ocean surface. It was almost as if I’d drawn a line in the sea separating my new land and the rest of the boundless body of water.

Though I was only getting started, the goblins behind me let out shouts of surprise. Actually, now that I think about it from their perspective, I’m also downright mystified about my own abilities. On top of that, my inventory is just as otherworldly—how in the world did it store this much rock? And, uh...where?

By the time I had finished my train of thought, the frame was done. Next, I used Flow, a water spell, to manipulate the water and pump it out of the site. The area was empty in the blink of an eye—it left even me in shock. I knew I had a larger mana pool thanks to all those mana minerals, but I didn’t expect my spells to be this powerful...

If I had to describe the area of the reclaimed land, imagine two people standing on the opposite sides of a lake that was large enough that you could barely make out each other’s silhouette—it was around the size of that. However, I had drained all that water in one go.

At the moment, there wasn’t any leakage—evidence that there weren’t any gaps in my stone wall. Next, I poured sand and gravel in and covered it with a layer of cave spider soil. As I was pouring, I ran out of cave spider soil before I could cover the entire area, something I had suspected. Instead, I covered the rest with stones that formed a plaza-like area for the kids to play in.

“Okay...” I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and exhaled deeply. “I’m done.”

I was immediately surrounded by cheers and shouts of joy. There was land as far as the eye could see—ha ha, okay, not really, but it’s enough for people to run around freely. Hmm, it’d probably take at least five minutes to walk to the far side.

The kids jumped onto the land right away and started sprinting about.

“Hey, wait!” I yelped. “I dunno whether it’s safe enou— Oh well, just running around should be okay.”

There was a risk of the land collapsing. To be on the safe side, we should observe it for a while before starting farm work. However, racing about on it was probably fine.

After a little while, the children called out to me. “Thanks, Lord Heale!”

I waved back. “Sure! You’re welcome!”

Though I hadn’t intended it, I felt as if I was becoming more like a proper governor by the day. A governor respected by his people, huh? You know, that sounds neat. Seeing the kids bouncing around happily was a wonderful sight...though I did do a double take when I saw Starkers among them.

I heard Riena’s voice from behind me. “Lord Heale, please allow me to thank you as well! I promise I’ll make a splendid farm here.”

Turning around, I gave her a smile. “I’m sure you can.”

At that moment, something shattered this moment of peace.

A blurry figure rushed into my vision, and Starkers vanished so quickly that he only left an afterimage. I swung my head around, looking for the mostly naked blacksmith—and spotted him above us, his butt sticking out of the beak of a bird larger than an average human.

“Starkers!!!” I shrieked in horror.

By the time I had yelled out, a swarm of giant black birds had blocked out the sky above us. One of the goblins exclaimed, “Murder birds!”

Murder birds were birdlike monsters with enormous crowns, feathers and fur as dark as night, and magnificent sharp beaks. This was my first encounter with them, and the stories I had heard weren’t exaggerated—they were huge.

I knew of them as well, since they’d also terrorized Sanphales. During planting season, when the temperature rose to a pleasant warmth, murder birds would migrate north across the ocean from the southern continent. They were infamous for their tendency to devour all the livestock in the villages along the coast of Barleon. But their appetite didn’t stop at livestock—they also preyed on human children and small monsters. In other words, goblins were also food to them.

Everyone had frozen in shock, staring up at the sky. I yelled out, “Back to the cave!”

Some of the goblins had already started running before I finished my sentence. The cave was within a stone’s throw from the reclaimed land. However, for the children, that distance was significant.

“Y’all, over here!” Erivan held an axe in each hand as he rushed over to protect the children.

But he wouldn’t make it in time. One after another, the murder birds swooped down towards the kids.

I gritted my teeth. “Fire!”

I burned the attacking birds into a crisp. I didn’t manage to get all of them, and a handful started to open beaks.

The moment those slippery birds approached the ground, however, they were all cut down by axes—Erivan had come to the rescue, killing one murder bird after another. Then, he ran to the middle of the reclaimed land to make himself the biggest target. “Arrrgh! Everyone, hurry!” he roared.

“General, stop! That’s dangerous!” Riena yelled.

Erivan, however, didn’t halt or turn back. Baris tugged on the princess’s hand. “Your Highness, the general is the greatest warrior of our tribe! Murder birds are as helpless as infants before him! We should leave the birds to him and evacuate!”

“No, I can use magic! I can fight!” Riena argued.

Surprise flashed across Baris’s face. He probably thought it out of character for Riena. However, he immediately shook his head to snap out of it, knowing that time was of the essence. “Understood, Your Highness! Both of you, please help the general!”

“We will!” I promised. “Take care of the others, Baris!” I turned to Riena. “Let’s go!”

“Yes, Lord Heale!”

I was on the offense, striking down murder birds with my spells. Riena, meanwhile, made use of Shield, a spell I had only taught her recently, to protect Erivan.

Behind us, Baris herded the children into the cave. It seemed that everyone had made it back safely. There was the risk of murder birds flying right into the cave, however. We needed someone or something to protect the entrance.

I should test out Automaton Creation. Hopefully, that should do the trick. I brought up my inventory and activated the skill. If I consumed some of my nearly endless supply of stone, I could apparently make an automaton called a “golem.” Other minerals and ores—such as iron—could also be used as materials, but for now, I only needed it to be a sturdy shield. On top of that, murder birds only attacked creatures smaller than them. This “golem” should be enough to serve as a scare-murder bird, so to speak.

Wasting no time, I crafted a golem that was around three meters tall. There was an explosion of light, and the stone automaton appeared next to me.

“Golem, protect the cave!” I commanded.

Heeding my order, the golem walked over to the cave entrance and stood there like a menacing statue, blocking the cave from sight. Good, it understands what I say. The cave should be safe now.

With that weight off my mind, I focused on attacking the murder birds. Actually, where did Starkers go— Oh.

One bird started to vomit from up in the sky with a loud groan. Along with half-digested food, a man covered with sticky fluid also fell down—it was Starkers. I can’t let him slam into the stone floor of the reclaimed land like that; he’ll get hurt. Luckily, Ciel came to the rescue—he slid over to Starkers’s landing spot to cushion the blow.

The slimy blacksmith had gotten the contents of the murder bird’s stomach all over Ciel, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch. I washed the two of them down with a water spell, making them squeaky clean. Okay, we’re out of the woods now. With this, I can cast my spells without worrying about hitting Starkers.

“Erivan!” I raised my voice. “I’ll defeat them with magic! Get down!”

“Aye aye, Chief!” The general, who was stained crimson with the blood of the birds, dived to the ground.

I’ll use a fire spell— Wait, these birds might be edible. I’ll freeze them with an ice spell instead.

I lifted both arms into the air, as I chanted, “Blizzard!”

Blizzard was a mid-tier ice spell, and it was the upgraded version of Freeze. Frosty air shot out of my hands and expanded spherically, eventually transforming into a storm of snow. In the blink of an eye, the murder birds had turned into frozen displays. Large chunks of ice encasing murder birds fell down one after another.

To protect myself, Riena, and Erivan from the impact, I used Wind to summon up a gust above our heads. The ice was hard and sturdy—even when the birds slammed onto the ground, it didn’t shatter. The few murder birds that had escaped my spell frantically flew away. Phew, they ran off.

A chorus of delighted cheering rang out from the cave. Erivan stood up and ran over to me. His face was stained red with blood, and as they left crimson trails on his cheeks, he grinned at me with his two axes in hand. Um. I’ve got to be honest, he’s scary.

“Yer amazing, Chief!” He lauded. “Bravo!”

“U-Uh, that’s what I should say to you, Erivan,” I stammered.

He was truly worthy of his title as a general—he was a formidable warrior. He had managed to slay over a dozen murder birds with his tiny axes.

“My crest’s <Great Warrior>, ya know!” He smacked his chest with his fist proudly. “This is a piece of cake!”

<Great Warrior> was a crest that gave a significant boost to the owner’s physical strength, and it also bestowed mastery over a number of weapons. Some of those in the Sanphales royal family and aristocracy had this crest as well—in fact, it was so prestigious that simply owning it could double one’s number of admirers and suitors. It was one of the most envied crests around.

“Lord Heale, are you hurt?!” A familiar voice asked me worriedly.

I turned around and saw Riena. Behind her, I could see all the evacuated goblins heading over from the cave, and Baris was among them.

“Yeah, I’m fine. How about you?”

“I’m unharmed as well! But...” Her shoulders drooped. “I’m so sorry... I wasn’t able to help much.”

“That’s not the case at all! You managed to disperse the birds even further. You did a great job. Not to mention that you mastered a new spell so quickly! I’m impressed.”

“Th-Thank you! I shall work even harder!”

“I’m sure you will. I need to work hard so you don’t leave me in the dust.” I gave her an encouraging nod. “Ah. That reminds me, is Starkers all right?” I turned around and saw the dude in question sneezing, snot trickling down his nostrils. “Uh. Yeah, I guess he’s doing mostly okay.”

He was surrounded by icy murder bird specimens, and he was nearly naked. He must be freezing. That’s why he should’ve put on some proper clothes a long time ago... I sighed.

I turned back to face Riena. “Well, a bunch of very rude birds interrupted us, but— Oh, maybe it would be more accurate to call them ‘very delightful meat.’ Hey Riena, murder birds are edible, right?”

“But of course! Their wings and thighs taste like chicken, their abdomens taste like beef, and their shoulders taste like pork!” she grinned. “They bring together the tastiest cuts of those three livestock!”

“Huuuh...” I muttered in wonder. “So that’s what they taste like!”

In other words, all the major livestock, wrapped in one bundle, flew right onto our plates! Meat... I had to stop myself from drooling at the thought. I’ve only had meat jerky since I came here.

I clapped my hands together. “In that case, let’s have a barbecue tonight!”

The goblins probably hadn’t dined on monster meat for a while either, because their shouts of “All right!” were much more enthusiastic than usual.

That night, we savored a delectable meat feast. We grilled the thighs on the bone, and used the flank and shoulder meat for stew—while also saving some cuts for the barbecue, of course. While our dinner was cooking, Starkers snuck in a few bites, and I saw the goblins telling him off. I could empathize with him—the aroma was mouthwatering.

Once the food was ready, everyone sat in circles around bonfires. Erivan stood up and raised a freshly grilled drumstick into the air. “All right then! Let’s thank our great chief and dig in!”

“Thanks, Chief!” all the goblins echoed.

Erivan took eager big bites of his meal, and the other goblins followed in his example.

“This stuff’s great!” Erivan grinned broadly. He must have missed the taste of monster meat.

The goblins weren’t the only ones enjoying the fest—Starkers and Taran were also taking bite after bite. The way they were wolfing down their food meant that it must have tasted heavenly. I already knew it was going to be good when I smelled the aroma. I swallowed, trying to stop myself from drooling.

From beside me, Riena offered a drumstick. “Here! Please have some, Lord Heale!”

“Ah, thanks. I’ll start eating too.”

Riena watched my reaction nervously. She must be anxious over whether she had cooked it properly. She honestly had nothing to worry about—the aroma and color were downright fantastic. I didn’t even have to taste it to know that she had done a great job.

I took one bite right away. The flavorful meat juices delighted my taste buds, and there was a hint of sweetness hidden within. “Yuuum.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it!” She smiled. “I cooked it with fish stock to add flavor, but I didn’t know whether it would be to your liking!”

“Ah, so that’s why I can taste salt in it...” I took another bite. “Yeah, this is wonderful.”

“I also made some soup with meat, so please help yourself to this as well!” Joy lit up her features as she offered me a bowl of soup.

“I see. This aroma is delightful too.” I sighed, content.

I sipped the soup, and it was indisputably perfect. I expected nothing less from Riena. Though the broth was clear, it was full of rich flavors, and a pleasant warmth spread through my body. More than anything, the chunks of meat floating in the soup left me wanting more.

According to Riena, since murder birds would sometimes fly for extended periods of time, they had a perfect ratio of fat to lean meat. Because of this, they tasted better than normal livestock. I was both very happy and very grateful that we had enough murder bird meat to last us a while. It would be dangerous if they attacked us again, but if I looked at it from another angle, they were also a good source of food.

However, if I spent all my time hunting down murder birds, I wouldn’t have time for mining. Hmm... I couldn’t be on the lookout for days on end. Ah, I should make the automaton stand by on the reclaimed land like a scarecrow. I could use the murder birds’ habit of avoiding larger animals to my advantage.

From what I had observed, it seemed I could make alterations to the large golem, so I should equip it with some projectile weapons to snipe those birds down. On that note, Baris had mentioned he was going to organize a guard system with day and night shifts and had asked goblins to manufacture bows for them to wield.

Furthermore, he was going to start building some fortifications for Sheol Reef. First, he was going to erect several watchtowers. Then he was also going to build defensive walls which would offer us cover. These walls wouldn’t just protect us—they were also necessary for shielding our fields from saltwater damage.

Luckily, we had an abundant supply of stone on this island, and I could form them into regular stone blocks again. A part of me felt that his plans were slightly overkill, but murder birds might not be the only invaders we had to worry about. Though few ships passed by, pirates were still a presence on these waters. It was better to be safe than sorry.

I had expressed my support for his plans, and I asked Baris and Erivan to be the leaders of our guard system and fortification projects. If push came to shove, Riena had also said that she could fight back enemies with her spells, so I could rest easy for now and focus on mining again.

All that thinking aside, the food is great. I had already polished off one bowl of soup and a whole pile of drumsticks. I surveyed our surroundings, and everyone else was munching away with gusto.

Riena held out a plate full of drumsticks to me. “Lord Heale, you can have as many helpings as you want!”

“Th-Thanks, but uh, I don’t think I can stomach that much...”

Ah, that reminds me. We’re going to have a hard time trying to finish all this murder bird meat in the next few days. But if we don’t, it’s going to go bad. The ideal thing to do is to leave them frozen, but it’d be a pain for Riena and me to have to constantly apply ice magic on them...

“Hm? Is something the matter?” Riena asked.

“Huh? Oh, I was just thinking that we need to finish the meat before it spoils.”

“Ah, I see! In that case, how about we make a cold room inside the cave?”

“A cold room? Ah, a room where we store frozen goods. That’s a good idea—the insides of the cave and tunnels are much cooler than on the surface.”

Which meant that we could keep things frozen for longer. We wouldn’t have to constantly cast ice spells—we only had to reapply the ice whenever they started melting a little.

Riena nodded. “When we still lived in Barleon, we found a cave with icy walls, and we preserved our tribe’s food rations in there. The meat was safe to eat for over half a year. If we freeze the walls and ceiling of the cold room, it would be even more effective!”

“Interesting. Let’s try that, then. I’m considering going down tomorrow morning to dig out a chamber for the cold room.”

“Understood. I also have a few other pointers, so please allow me to accompany you.”

“Thanks, Riena. That’d help me a lot. And...” I paused, looking at the small goblin sitting in front of me. They had plopped down while I was conversing with Riena, and they had been staring at me for a while. “Uh... Hi?”

I was thinking hard for a name when Riena provided the answer. “She’s General Erivan’s daughter, Fu. Now, her name is Furay.”

Oh, right, Furay. When I tamed her, I had given her a new name. I wasn’t very good at discerning the gender of the younger goblins, but she was a girl from what I had heard.

“Ah, sorry about that. Can I help you, Furay?”

She sized me up. “Hey. How did you get so strong? You’re even stronger than my dad.”

She must have come to that conclusion after seeing my spells. Before I came to this island, my mana pool had been so pitiful that I could only conjure up a droplet of water or so. That had changed after I’d excavated a ton of mana minerals here. Before my banishment, I saw the power of my siblings’ spells in the palace, and if we only considered pure mana levels, I had long since surpassed them. All of this was possible because...

I hummed. “Well, I owe it all to mining.”

“Mining? You mean, you dug around inside a mine?” She frowned. “I’ve done that all my life, but I didn’t get stronger at all.”

“Yeah, that’s what I did.” I paused. “Wait, that was too vague. When I was mining, I dug up minerals that increase my mana pool, and those made me stronger.”

“You got that kinda stuff here?! Let me mine some too!” Her eyes sparkled.

“Oh, definitely. But the thing is...” I hesitated. “If goblins want to use magic, you need to evolve your body into one with arcane talent first, and you’ll need a risestone. If you do that, though, you would have to bid farewell to your current body.”

Goblins lacked the innate ability to manipulate mana. Even if they learned the incantations, they wouldn’t be able to cast magic, which was why they needed a risestone. Riena was a good example. However, the decision to replace one’s body wasn’t an easy one to ma—

“Then I’ll evolve too!” Furay declared without hesitation.

“Y-You’re raring to go, huh.” I was taken aback. “The thing is, we’re all out of risestones right now...” I trailed off, noticing the man standing behind Furay. “Ah.”

“Hm?” Furay tilted her head in question before letting out a yelp of pain. Erivan had given her a gentle smack on the head.

“Stop right there, Furay! Don’t bother the chief!” Erivan’s voice boomed. “And mind yer manners, will ya? Don’t be rude!” He bowed his head to me and made Furay do the same. “Sorry. My girl really wants to get stronger, and she won’t stop naggin’ me about it. Please excuse her.”

“Nah, that’s a good thing,” I said. “Makes sense that she wants to grow up like her dad, a fearsome warrior.”

With a grin growing on his face, Erivan turned to Furay. “Yeah? You think so?”

His daughter, however, turned away and remained stubbornly silent.

“Hey, Furay,” I started. “If you want a risestone, dig around in the cave. You can try using it if you find one.”

“Y-You sure, my lord?!” she exclaimed, trying to sound as polite as she could.

“Yeah. You have mining experience, right? I’m honestly clueless about mines. The only thing I know is how to dig. It’d help me out a lot if you could teach me.”

“Of course! I’m a great miner, so I’ll definitely be useful!”

It seemed as if she couldn’t wait any longer. She turned her back to me and ran over to Starkers. He was lying down contently after having eaten his fill, but the young goblin girl shook him awake and dragged him to the forge—she likely wanted him to craft a pickaxe for her.

With a hint of unease in his voice, Erivan asked, “I-Is that really okay, Chief? Risestones are very precious!”

“I was thinking about making those who wanted to evolve draw lots for risestones if we came across more, but if she finds one on her own, that should be fine.”

Erivan stared at me, dumbfounded, before he let out a sigh. “Do ya have no worldly desires or somethin’? Ya even gave us all yer jewels last time.”

Huh. He’s right, I stopped being attached to valuable items after I came to this island. Well, to be more accurate, I don’t mine because I want precious stones—I just mine because I love doing it.

I shrugged. “Either way, if Furay becomes a mage, we’d have more options. Ah, speaking of magic...”

I selected eight hundred mana minerals in my inventory and used them on Riena. She inclined her head quizzically at me.

“Yes, Lord Heale?”

“I just increased your mana levels with mana minerals,” I explained.

Surprised and a little anxious, Riena asked, “Y-You used those precious items on me?!”

“Yeah. Like I said earlier, having more mages around would be a great help. And those mages having more powerful magic would be useful if we get attacked again too, don’t you think?”

“My lord... Understood! I will practice even harder to master spells and aid you more in battle!” Riena placed a hand over her chest as she made that declaration.

She had been a very diligent pupil to begin with. Though her spells during the incident earlier hadn’t been too spectacular, she had made use of all the offensive spells I had taught her so far. If she had more mana to work with, I was sure she could shine even brighter.

“Mmhmm, I’m counting on you.”

Alone, I was rather powerless. I couldn’t deal with every problem that came our way. Most of all, I just wanted to focus on mining. Of course, feasting on delectable meat like this was a highlight as well.

Riena should continue to use more mana minerals. My mana reserves were already vast, but I planned to use more down the line as well.

Later on, after an all-hands discussion, we decided to commemorate this wonderful day—the day we reclaimed land and obtained tasty murder bird meat—and celebrate it as our own Thanksgiving Day starting next year.

Chapter 10: Fighting Enemies Together!

“Pheeew... Guess I’ll take a break.” I stopped swinging my pick and called out to Furay. “Do you want to join me?”

She shook her head before bringing her pickaxe down on the rock wall before her. “I think I’ll keep going.”

She seemed intent on finding a risestone and evolving. For the past few days, she had been mining without rest. I was happy to gain a fellow mining enthusiast, but I was also worried about her health.

“Okay, but make sure you come back up for lunch. If you don’t, your dad will be concerned.”

“...I know. I’ll head up in an hour.”

“Don’t forget, okay?”

“I really won’t. I can’t miss the princess’s wonderful cooking.”

“Ah, good point. I’ll head up first, then.”

With those words, I returned to the cave entrance with Ciel. Along the way, I heard the sound of picks against rocks everywhere—Furay wasn’t the only one mining; the other monsters were busy at work too. Everyone was free to decide their own breaks. Even when I wasn’t around, golems with mana sensitivity stood by in the tunnels, so the miners were safe. If there were any incidents, the golems would ring bells as a “stop” signal.

The bells had been crafted by our resident blacksmith, Starkers. Since they were made with orichalcum, they were remarkably loud and could be heard from far away. Thus, I could rest easy and enjoy my break.

When I arrived at the entrance, Baris and the mostly naked Starkers were there. Baris was tipping a giant clam-like thing and pouring some sort of viscous fluid from it into a deep plate. He turned to face me. “Why, hello there, Lord Heale. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Same to you, Baris. What is that you’re making?” I leaned in with intrigue.

He chuckled. “Oh? Curious, are we?” He held up the plate for me to get a better look.

What is this? Baris is a shaman, right? A shaman is someone who’s knowledgeable about medicine, but uh... “W-Wait, is that...” I gulped. “Poison?”

He hummed. “I’m afraid that’s incorrect. Do I look like someone who would make such deadly concoctions?”

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate...” I stammered.

“That’s all right, I can understand. The color does look rather wicked indeed. This is satan clam fluid, or what we usually call mollusca purple. We can only harvest a minuscule amount from normal clams, but since satan clams are monsters, we can squeeze out a lot more.”

Mollusca purple... That’s a type of fabric dye. It’s pretty pricey and was used on royal garments back in Sanphales. “Huh, that’s great. Are you going to add some color to our clothing here?”

Baris gave me a nod. “Everything we wear is a uniform shade of white, and I was finding that rather dull. More importantly, do I seem that unscrupulous?”

“I really didn’t mean it that way!”

“Ha ha, a small jest.” He grinned. “And you aren’t exactly incorrect. I have dabbled in the art of poison-making.”

Surprisingly, Baris had a mischievous streak to him. While we were talking, I watched Starkers dip his finger in the fluid while Baris was distracted, stare at it curiously for a moment, and then lick it.

Baris continued, “In fact, with the proper processing, we can transform the satan clam fluid into poison.” That was when Baris noticed what Starkers was up to. “Oh!”

But it was already too late. Starkers fell to the ground with a thud.

“That’s really interesting...” I marveled. “Ah, don’t worry about him.”

A quick healing spell did the trick.

That aside, I knew Baris was a walking encyclopedia, but hmm... If he knows how to make poison, he must know how to make medicine as well. Ah, while I’m here, I should ask him that question I’ve been wondering about.

I turned to face Baris. “Hey Baris, you’re a shaman, right? Do you have a crest?”

I’d had the opportunity to ask Riena and Erivan about their crests before, but I hadn’t asked Baris.

“Me? My crest...” He paused. “...is <Sorcerer King>.”

“<Sorcerer King>?!” I raised my voice in shock.

<Sorcerer King> was a powerful crest that granted its wielder an immense mana pool. Its wielders would easily gain mastery over advanced spells, which were usually grueling to learn, and they could also combine them to create even more sophisticated spells. From what I had heard, there were only seven people with this crest in Sanphales, and only one of my siblings owned it.

“Oh? You know of it.”

“How can I not know of it? Our crest cleric—oh, that’s our priest who identifies crests—would make a big fuss whenever it was discovered! I even heard that people with this crest can skip straight to mage university despite being a child.”

“That may be the case for humans. But as you can see, I’m a goblin who cannot use magic. To me, it was a meaningless ornament.”

I honestly didn’t know how to respond. Until I arrived at Sheol Reef, my <Cave King> had been deemed meaningless as well. In Baris’s case, however, it was more tragic. He was born with a treasure that his body couldn’t use. He needed to evolve like Riena if he wanted to change that fact.

His tone was almost self-deprecating as he continued, “At first, I felt it was a cruel twist of fate, and I wanted to curse the gods for turning me into their toy. However, when I was young, I thought diligence could overcome any barrier. I invested every effort into magic, thinking that perhaps one day, I would find a way. Looking back...I was quite the clown.”

He let out a small chuckle, but there was a touch of melancholy in it. If... If Riena didn’t have her life span looming over her, Baris might have asked to evolve with that risestone...

Baris shook his head slightly. “But then again, I was only able to fulfill the ‘knowledge’ requirement for a shaman because of all the time I spent researching back then. It wasn’t a waste at all.”

“I see... But you know, if we find another risestone, you could gain a body that can use magic.”

“Thank you for your kind words, but I am content as I am. I would be lying if I said I don’t want to use one, but I have led a long life and have seen more than enough of this world.”

“...What if we find a lot of risestones, then?”

“If that day ever comes to pass...” Baris smiled. “I would be very eager to take you up on your offer.”

He didn’t seem too serious about it. He truly wasn’t hoping for much.

It was then that Baris changed the topic. “That aside, the general and the princess have been making full use of their crests, haven’t they?”

“Yep. Erivan has been hunting murder birds with his <Great Warrior>, and Riena has been taking care of the fields with her <Farmer>.” I glanced at Riena, who was merrily watering plants in the farm. She was humming a small tune, and I found her downright adorable.

“In the past, Princess Riena was also mocked for her crest. The other princesses said that it wasn’t suited for a member of the royal family.” Baris sighed. “Though she is a princess, she was forced to work in the fields all her life.”

So Riena shared that same experience as well? I don’t understand why her siblings did that. First and foremost, mocking someone for something out of their control is unacceptable. Second, a country cannot flourish without agriculture.

Baris continued, this time with a small smile. “But that experience has turned out to be useful now. Maybe her crest was a blessing in disguise.”

“You might be right.”

I didn’t believe in the divine. However, if we only considered the outcome, <Cave King> had saved me. No matter what happened in the past, Riena’s crest was also now a great help. But...that’s way too unfair to Baris.

The shaman resumed his work of extracting fluid from the clam. Unfortunately, he didn’t get too far before there was another interruption.

A small goblin sprinted towards us, and panic was clear on his face. “Lord Baris! I have a report!”

Baris inclined his head. “Hm? Did something happen?”

“Yes! There’s a swarm of satan clams near the coast!”

“What? How many?”

“Th-There’s at least fifty of them, I believe!” the goblin stammered.

For once, Baris lost his composure. “Fifty?!”

I frowned. “Are satan clams that much of a problem?”

“Yes,” Baris answered in a grave voice. “It takes a group of at least ten goblins to defeat just one of them. We were only able to defeat this clam down because the golems and the general were there. That’s most unusual, though. Generally, satan clams don’t form packs...”

“Okay, so they’re dangerous.” I summed it up. “I guess we should exterminate them as soon as possible.”

“That would be best, yes. The flesh of satan clams is a delight, and their fluids can be used for a dye, as you know.”

“In that case, they’re our top priority. I’ll head off and deal with them.”

“Thank you, my lord. But please beware—satan clams are powerful. Weapons can’t pierce their shells, so you have to attack their bodies hidden inside. But if they see you coming, they will make use of the sharp spikes on their shells and slam into you.”

“Got it. Melee range is risky.”

“I would suggest attacking them with magic. And as I have mentioned earlier, their fluid is slightly poisonous. That said, it doesn’t take effect immediately, and you won’t end up like Starkers unless you ingest some, so it’s not that much of a concern.”

“Thanks for the warning. I’ll be careful.”

When I stood up, Riena came over—she probably overheard our conversation. “Lord Heale! I shall help as well! I have participated in satan clam hunts before!”

“Ah, that’s great news! Would you like to accompany me, then?”

“Yes, my lord!”

Together, we headed towards the furthermost point of the reclaimed land. As we got closer, I saw numerous black objects floating upon the ocean ahead of us. Their name was rather fitting—though their shape was the same as ordinary clams, they were many times bigger. Even though she’d seen satan clams before, Riena was also startled by the sight of them.

“Wow, that’s a lot...” My eyes grew wide.

“There are so many of them...” Riena agreed. “And they are much larger than the ones I know.”

“Are the ones in Barleon smaller?”

“Yes. Usually, they’re only the size of my head.”

“Whoa, the ones here are at least five times bigger!”

“Lord Heale, let’s head in with caution. If we get too close, they will fire their fluid at us.”

“Gotta keep our distance, got it. I’ll attack with magic th— Ah!” I exclaimed. Some of the satan clams were doing exactly what Riena had warned about.

They’re fast! But with my current mana levels...this is nothing!

“Wind!” I chanted, reacting instantly and sweeping away all the fluid with a gust. “Riena, I want to keep them mostly intact so that we can harvest their meat and dye. Let’s use ice and lightning spells!”

“Understood!”

Thus began our onslaught of spells. In truth, with my current power, it was possible for me to defeat them in an instant. However, I wanted to see Riena’s growth as a mage for myself.

Riena’s crisp voice rang out. “Spark!”

Spark, a basic lightning spell made up the core of her offensive strategy. It wasn’t as destructive as Thunder, a mid-tier lightning spell I had used before, but even though it wasn’t powerful, it was far better at inflicting paralysis.

Riena had mastered this spell to the point that she could stun several satan clams in one go. Part of it was probably due to the mana minerals she had consumed, but her accuracy wasn’t poor in the least. It seemed I had a trusty comrade in battle.

The extermination of satan clams went smoothly—it only took us a few minutes to hunt them all down. In total, we had defeated fifty satan clams. All of their shells were wide open, exposing their fleshy insides.

“Wow, they’re packed to the brim,” I observed. “This is edible, right?”

“Yes. In fact, satan clams are packed with richer flavor than normal clams!”

“Ah, that’s good to hear. With this many...it’ll take a while before we can polish them off.”

I knelt down near one clam and peered at the shell-end of its meat. They seemed to have plenty of fluid, which meant we had landed ourselves a whole lot of dye.

“Right, what a bountiful harvest!” Riena cheered. However, the next moment, she gasped and pushed me down onto the ground. “Lord Heale! Watch out!”

I fell down on my back, and Riena fell on top of me. I quickly scanned the surroundings—it seemed that one of the satan clams was actually still alive. It’d sprayed its fluid in my direction. It was far enough away for me to be able to dodge it, but Riena had dived in front of the shot anyway.

Still on the ground, I dealt the last blow to the clam with a Spark. Luckily, neither of us were injured, though Riena was covered with the sticky fluid. But. Um. Riena is. Um.

I tried to keep my voice steady. “Riena, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Are you hurt anywhere?!”

“N-No, I’m all right,” I stammered.

No. All was not right with the world. I had never even touched a lady before, but right now, Riena’s soft body was pressing down on mine. Her drenched chest, her legs, and even her toes were against me as if we were engaged in an intimate dance. I wasn’t okay.

I swallowed. “Th-Thanks, Riena... Let me cast a healing spell on you.”

Gently, I helped Riena sit up before casting a Cure to remove the poisonous effects of the fluid.

“Thank you...” Riena muttered in a small voice, her face cherry-red. Maybe she was embarrassed.

I wasn’t doing much better. It felt as if my head was going to explode. We climbed to our feet, both avoiding each other’s gaze.

“A-Anyway...” I started, “let’s ask Ciel and the other slimes to carry these back for us.”

Something caught my eye—deep inside the shell of the satan clam I had just defeated was something that shone under the light. I looked around, but there wasn’t anything remotely similar inside the other clams. Did this creature eat something shiny?

I reached in and clasped what turned out to be a spherical object around the size of a small piece of hard candy. “Hm? What’s this?” I muttered, puzzled.

“Ah... That’s a pearl!”

“A pearl... Oh, so these things come from clams, huh.” Members of the royal family and aristocrats often wore pearl necklaces and accessories inside the palace, so I had seen them before.

“Yes! But satan clam pearls are far and few between. Furthermore, they’re considered to be more beautiful than normal pearls. That being said...most are tiny. I’ve never seen one that large before.”

“Huh...” I inspected it. “Now that you mention it, its color is prettier than normal, and it’s much more dazzling... Hey, Riena, you should take it.”

“Y-You’re giving it to me?!” She almost jumped out of her skin.

“Y-Yeah...” Is it that shocking? I mean, we have piles and piles of precious gems at the forge, and those aren’t exactly all that rare...

Riena’s cheeks flushed a rosy red and she stammered, “I-I’m very happy to hear that. But, um, it’s still too, um... S-Sorry, Lord Heale!” As soon as she finished her sentence, Riena darted towards the cave entrance as fast as her legs could carry her.

Oh... Is she feeling unwell? Ack, I get it. Anyone would be at a loss if they received a plain pearl. I should ask Starkers to make a piece of jewelry out of it later. My gut was telling me that this pearl would look great on Riena.

That marked the end of our satan clam hunt. Though we hadn’t found any other pearls, we gained a tremendous amount of clam meat, fluid, and shells. The meat went into the cold room, the fluid was turned into dye, and we repurposed the shells into shields and helmets. There was more good news—even after their first invasion, the clams would still wash up from time to time, giving us a reliable source of all those precious resources.

Chapter 11: Finding Washed-Up Things on the Shore!

“How does it look, Lord Heale?” Baris said as he held out a purple handkerchief to me. “I tested out the dye.”

He had used the dye we’d extracted from the satan clams yesterday. The elegant purple hue further enhanced the beauty of the cloth woven from fine cave spider silk.

My eyes lit up. “Wow! It’s gorgeous. It looks even more luxurious than the cloth the Sanphales aristocrats use.”

“Oh? I’m honored to hear that. In that case, let’s use the dye to make apparel.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

Sometimes, it was easy to forget the fact that we were on a remote island far away from the mainland. Only wealthy governors of powerful domains had the riches to produce dye, much less the scarce and invaluable mollusca purple. Our food and clothing on this island had slowly but surely grown more bountiful over time. When I first came to this island, I never even dreamed of such a day...

However, a loud shout shattered my sentimental moment. “Chief!!! Chief, ya gotta see this!”

I turned to the source of the voice and found Erivan with a fierce look on his face. He was running over from the far side of the reclaimed land.

“What’s wrong, Erivan?!” I yelled back at the top of my lungs, but he didn’t seem to hear me.

He shouted, “Just c’mere, please!”

With Baris and Ciel by my side, I headed to the reclaimed land. Golems and security squad goblins were crowding around its shoreline. It seemed that something had washed ashore.

I ran over to take a look, and Erivan waved at me.

“Chief!” he yelled. “Look!”

“Did something wash up?” When I got a better look, my breath hitched. “That’s a...!”

That “something,” or rather, someone that had been drifting along the bank was the corpse of a giant with olive green skin. He was even more buff than Erivan, and his eyes were wide open. One arm was missing, and there was a large crack in his leather chest armor.

One of the goblins trembled with fear. “Wh-Why is an orc in a place like this?”

It must be an orc, then. His muscular build, the fangs protruding from his mouth that reminded me of a boar, and his large nose all matched the description. I only knew of them through books, but the orcs were renowned for their fearless and determined nature. Lately, there were even tribes expanding their influence along the national border of Sanphales.

Ah, wait... Wasn’t the Verdan tribe’s homeland burned down by orcs? That explains why they seem so shaken.

Erivan yelled to his kin, “Ya cowards! What’s so scary about a corpse, huh?!”

“Y-Yes, sir...” The goblins seemed to regain some of their composure.

Then, one shouted, “Hah, serves the guy right! Let’s all give him a good kick or two!”

Another goblin immediately stepped forward. “Y-Yeah! We gotta take revenge! They razed our homeland!”

Almost like wildfire, rage spread across the crowd, and the goblins rushed over to the orc. Erivan and Baris looked conflicted, but they didn’t stop the others. The goblins’ hatred for orcs runs deep, and I can sympathize. But...no matter whose corpse it is, I can’t bear to watch other people kicking it like it’s an inconveniently placed bag of trash...

“Wait!” I exclaimed. “Dishonoring the dead is going a little too far!”

To back me up, a dignified, authoritative voice rang out from behind me. “Stop! Who gave you permission to commit such atrocious acts?!”

Everyone present, myself included, turned around.

Riena was there, and I was a little taken aback at her expression. I had never seen her so mad before.

She continued, “Desecrating the body of the passed will not accomplish anything! Do you feel no shame?!”

One of the goblins argued, “B-But my princess! They... They put our king’s body on display like some kind of trophy! Not to mention the rest of our fallen tribesmen!”

For a while, Riena was silent. Then, she finally spoke. “That may be the case, but why must we follow their example? More than anything, Lord Heale is our governor, and he is the one who should decide the fate of those who wash up on this island.”

“S-Still...!”

“We’ve managed to survive on this island to this day, and we owe it all to one person. Have you already forgotten that?! If not for Lord Heale, we would be fish food right around now!”

Hearing Riena’s voice, the goblins slowly unclenched their fists. Though they looked bitter, gradually, they began to nod one by one.

Riena knelt before me. “Lord Heale, I beg your pardon for our unruly behavior.”

“I should be the one thanking you, Riena,” I said. I don’t have a regal, lordlike aura at all... As a princess, Riena is the actual leader of the goblins, and her opinion must be the most influential. “Everyone, I agree with Riena. What do you think?”

At that, all the goblins nodded.

“Thank you, all of you,” I said sincerely before turning to Baris. “Can you offer him some prayers, Baris?”

The shaman nodded firmly. “Your wish is my command. I shall pray to the divine wholeheartedly for peace in his afterlife.”

“Thanks, I’ll join you.” Something caught my eye. “Hm?”

A few—no, many objects were floating on the surface of the ocean. I heard a shout from a different part of the shore. “There’re more corpses ’round here!”

We rushed over to the flustered goblin and saw a whole new creature. Well, to be more accurate, a dead creature. Its canine head reminded me of a dog or a wolf, but its limbs and body were humanlike. There was a deep wound on their chest, which had likely been fatal. White fur coated their entire body, and like the orc we had found, their leather armor was damaged.

Erivan wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “These are kobolds... They’re the sworn enemies of us goblins and fought against them orcs too.”

I frowned. “Was there a sea battle between the two races nearby?” I glanced over at the ocean again. When I squinted, I could see something that resembled smoke in the distance.

For a while after our first discovery, things kept washing up on our bank. Corpses, equipment, and even debris from a ship. As they came in, I was attempting to cast healing spells on the victims.

“This one’s a goner too...” I muttered. I let go of the kobold and shook my head. “Ciel, can you carry them away?”

Hearing my command, Ciel transported the legless kobold corpse away. I glanced over at the area he was headed to and saw the previous corpses there. “That makes a total of twenty-four so far...” I whispered to myself.

All the orcs and kobolds who had washed ashore had external wounds that had rendered them dead as doornails. Baris was stationed near the corpses. He seemed to be chanting something that would soothe the spirits of the dead.

Looking a little conflicted, Riena nodded at me. “There are so many...and they all have wounds. I can’t believe there was a battle so close to this island.”

“That’s probably what happened, though, considering all the wooden debris that washed up. A naval battle between two ships. But why...?”

The monsters couldn’t have fought without good reason. However, ships barely ever came to these waters. Orcs and kobolds were both races that lived on land, and I just didn’t understand how they could have ended up fighting on the ocean in the middle of nowhere. If one of them were alive, it’d be so much easier. I could just ask. What a pity...

I shook my head slowly. “Either way, we know that there are armed groups lingering around. We need to strengthen our security...”

On that thought, I’m glad I made those golems. Even if an armed vessel attacks the island, I can fight back immediately. In addition, Unit One, being a giant golem, is quite a scary sight. It might work as a deterrent.

“I agree!” Riena replied. “The general is actually in the process of selecting capable goblins to form more security squads.”

“I see... I’ll do what I can by patrolling the shore during my breaks. There’s a chance that someone might wash up alive.”

“Please allow me to keep you company when you do.”

“Thanks, Riena. Okay then, let’s go give everyone a hand.”

I scanned the sea, but I didn’t spot any more corpses. Most of the drifting debris had already washed up, it seemed. The goblins and cave spiders were already starting to gather the stuff they had fished out of the ocean into one place. Riena and I helped them out, and, while we were at it, looked for resources we could salvage.

Some pieces of lumber looked like they could be repurposed, but most of the wreckage was small wooden scraps that served little purpose. I suppose they can fuel a fire for a bit along with some coal. Not one to give up too quickly, I continued to scour around, but I only found more lumber and scraps.

Riena, who was walking beside me, looked around with a frown. “There doesn’t seem to be much we can use...”

“Yeah. I mean, the heavy stuff is probably already at the bottom of the ocean, so there wasn’t much hope in the first place. Still...” I sighed.

“I was hoping we would find crop seeds. It’s a pity...”

We were about to give up on our mission when I suddenly heard a soft whine. It sounded cute, but that wasn’t what was important—what was important was that it sounded feeble.

Riena and I looked at each other.

“Did you say something, Riena?” I asked just in case.

“No, I didn’t. I actually wanted to ask you the same thing.”

“It wasn’t me either...”

To be honest, the whine hadn’t sounded like a human or a goblin. The closest animal I could think of was a dog. But there aren’t any dogs around here. I surveyed our surroundings, but I didn’t spot anyone else nearby.

There was another soft whimper.

Okay, so it wasn’t a trick of the wind... I focused on listening and tried to locate the direction which the sound came from. When I found its source, I inclined my head slightly, puzzled. “A...wooden chest?”

In the direction I had pinpointed, there was a wooden treasure chest with intricate gold fittings. It was around the size where I could comfortably wrap both of my arms around it. I was certain that this was the source of the noise, because it was shaking slightly.

“It’s that thing!” I exclaimed before running up to the chest with Riena. I tried to pry it open, but no matter how much I strained, it wouldn’t budge.

Riena asked, “Lord Heale, is it hard to open?”

“Y-Yeah, very.”

“Shall I call the general over? Or maybe Mister Starkers?”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure they’d have much luck either. There might be a special mechanism on this thing.”

“Ah... A spell, perhaps?”

I nodded. “Mmhmm. It’s probably locked with Lock, a non-element spell. Only Pick, another spell, can dissolve it.”

Facing my palm to the chest, I cast Pick. Only moments earlier, the box had stayed stubbornly shut, but it now opened without a fuss. At the same time, something leaped out with a “Woof!”

“Whoa!” I yelped, gathering the little one into my arms on reflex. The creature had white fluffy fur like snow and moist black eyes that stared up at me—it looked like a puppy. It was round, and its fur was soft, almost as if it were a ball of cotton.

Chapter 13: Digging Up a Hot Spring!

A day had passed since Yggdrasil made its sudden but memorable entrance at Sheol Reef. Today, like any other day, I was mining.

“Hm?” Furay, my mining buddy, made a puzzled noise.

I stopped swinging my pick and turned around to face her. She was staring at her new pickaxe. In fact, we both arrived here equipped with new pickaxes, courtesy of Starkers. The pickaxe head was made of orichalcum while the handle was crafted from an Yggdrasil branch.

When we’d returned from our journey to the tree’s summit, we started researching the potential uses of our spoils. From grinding them down, and putting them through a whole bunch of different processes, Riena and Baris discovered that the leaves had similar effects to oral medicine or topical healing salves.

They also found that the leaves could be used to make tea when brewed, and I tried some first thing in the morning. I could confidently declare that it was more delightful than any tea one would find in Sanphales.

They’d also found out more about the sap. When left to simmer for a long time, it would become a concoction with somewhat similar effects to types of dangerous drugs—if consumed, it would make you feel dazed and put you in a temporary state of euphoria. We had probably felt a little more cheerful than usual around the tree yesterday thanks to the scent of that sap. And it might be the reason why Starkers was so reluctant to leave the tree trunk. He looked really comfortable there.

As for the branches, I’d already noticed that they were ridiculously light, but it turned out they wouldn’t snap even when we smacked them on rocks. Things only got even more surreal from there. Iron axes couldn’t make a dent in them—only orichalcum axes and knives were hard and sharp enough. Crafting with them was challenging to say the least.

Yggdrasil still held many, many mysteries, and I had assigned Baris, our most knowledgeable resident, the task of further investigation. On the other hand, Furay and I were testing out the Yggdrasil-orichalcum pickaxes while replenishing my depleted stock of rocks.

“What’s the matter, Furay? Something wrong with your new pickaxe?” I asked.

“Nah, it’s just that...” She paused. “It’s weird that I don’t feel tired at all. We’ve already mined for an hour, but it feels like only minutes have gone by.”

“Huh... Now that you mention it, I think I kind of see what you mean...”

The previous pickaxes we had used had been made entirely from orichalcum, including the handle. It had been light and effective, but the Yggdrasil branch handle was even lighter. It also helped that a wooden handle made for better grip.

However, I didn’t really feel a notable change in fatigue like Furay. It probably wasn’t because the wood was ineffective—I just never felt much exhaustion, even with my previous pick.

I snapped out of my thoughts and addressed my mining buddy. “But you shouldn’t push yourself too hard even if it does feel effortless. Am I clear, Furay?”

“Loud and clear! That aside, you’re practically zooming your way through the rocks today, Lord Heale. Is that because the pickaxe is lighter?”

“Probably, yeah. You seem to be faster as well, Furay. Well, the easiest reference point is Taran.”

We could only use one pickaxe at a time, and it was hard to judge our speed objectively. However, Taran could use four picks simultaneously with her many legs. At the moment, she was using two orichalcum handle pickaxes and two Yggdrasil handle pickaxes. Therefore, we could easily compare the speed between the two types. And it was clear that the new pickaxes were faster by far.

“Oh, you’re right! Okay then, I gotta work hard so that I don’t lag behind!” Furay started swinging her pickaxe once again, inspired by Taran’s godly speed.

I joined them and resumed mining as well.

But not too long into our session, I came across something new. Through a hole I had dug into the wall, there seemed to be a spacious cavern. I peered inside, and spotted a pool of steaming liquid on the ground. Bubbling and splashing sounds echoed from several places around the pool, as if more liquid was bursting out from the ground.

Furay’s voice bounced off the mining shaft walls. “Is that a hot spring?!”

I blinked. “A hot spring? Um... Those are places where naturally heated water gushes out, right?” I asked.

Furay nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! There was a hot spring near our hometown, and everyone used to bathe there!”

According to Furay, the goblins of the Verdan tribe had a habit of bathing in hot springs every day. Huh... I mean, I did notice that they have surprisingly high standards for hygiene. So that’s why.

“I see... If we can make use of this, then we won’t need to heat water with magic anymore.”

However... I stared at the spring. How does it work? Is there an underground pool filled with hot water that’s gushing out from an opening here? In that case, if I dig down, I’d find myself in the sea... No, that can’t be right. I don’t think seawater would be steaming hot like this.

Either way, I should avoid digging too far down and ending up in the ocean. <Cave King> will likely warn me, but I should keep that in mind anyway.

We have a more urgent problem, though. If the water keeps on coming... These tunnels might steadily flood.

While I was thinking about that possibility, I heard Erivan’s voice from behind me. “Whoa! Ya found a big treasure, Chief!”

“Sounds like it, yeah. But we need to do some testing to check whether the water is safe to drink, bathe in, or...” I trailed off. “Ah, hey!”

Once again, a certain man had shown up and volunteered himself as a test subject. Before I could stop him, Starkers scooped up some of the liquid and drank it.

I instantly prepared to cast healing magic just in case. This time, however, Starkers didn’t collapse on the ground. In fact, he was leaning down into the hot water and taking large gulps of it—I guess the water is tasty. Then, likely having confirmed it was safe, he jumped in with a big splash.

Okay. So the water doesn’t have any immediate adverse effects on our bodies. There was still the risk that its effects were delayed, so I cast Examine on the water. The spell didn’t detect any poison.

“Hmm... I suppose it’s harmless, then,” I muttered. Should we develop this cavern into a bathhouse, then? But if we don’t pump out the hot water on a regular basis, it’s going to fill other parts of the cave. If possible, I want to use it as a source of drinking and farm water as well.

Is there any way we can transport the water automatically to the surface like how the capital aqueducts do? Ah, but those passages were constructed in a way that they gradually slope down a mountain. If we want to pump water upward, it’d be very difficult unless we use magic.

I honestly wasn’t getting anywhere by myself. I knew it might be futile, but I tried asking Starkers—who was currently floating on his back drifting in the hot spring—for help. “Hey, Starkers...” Hearing my voice, he turned his face slightly. “Do you think it’s possible for us to transport the hot water here to the surface?”

I pointed at the hot water then pointed upward in the general direction of the cave entrance. After I finished my sentence, Starkers folded his arms and wore a frown, seeming deep in thought. From the looks of it, it wasn’t that he hadn’t understood my sentence. He was just trying to figure out a way to accomplish what I had asked.

After a lengthy period of consideration, Starkers nodded.

“Oh?” My eyes lit up. “You can?”

Starkers climbed out of the hot spring and gestured, Follow me. Everyone present trailed after him. Following his lead, we returned to the surface and ended up at the forge. Starkers patted several different minerals and looked at me. He seemed to be asking me to provide some supplies.

“You want minerals, got it,” I said. “Gimme a second.”

Over time, we had grown familiar with each other enough to understand basic things like requests right away. I retrieved the items he wanted from my inventory. He had also wanted smooth stone, so I refined some with Workshop.

But then he tapped on several other minerals—he seemed to want more. In particular, his gestures had an emphasis on iron ore. Thus, I summoned up even more ore and sand. Uh, looks like he’ll need a lot of metal ore.

I kept going, and the next thing I knew, I’d materialized a giant pile of ore rivaling the size of a small shack. Wow, I didn’t realize that I collected so much of the stuff from the mines. I was honestly a little impressed with myself.

This was when Starkers thrust a hand forward and signaled me to stop. Then, he began to sort the ores into categories before beginning to refine them into pure metal.

No matter how many times I watched him work his craft, I was still in awe at his mastery over metal. When he held a hammer in his hand, he projected the dignified aura of a master craftsman. Correction: he is a craftsman. Furay was watching with me, and she let out “oohs” and “ahhs” of amazement.

Soon, Starkers finished refining the metal. Then, he began to process the material even further with a whole range of tools and molds. He seemed to be making components, the likes I had never seen before. One of the most eye-catching parts was a round metal rod roughly the height of a human. I inspected it, and it was hollow in the center. Ah, a tube of some sort.

Our blacksmith mass-produced these tubes, and when he was finally done, he let out a sigh and wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He then gestured to the golems and slimes to transport the items. Our postal service then faithfully carried the metal tubes one after another into the cave. Starkers lifted a tube effortlessly and gestured for us to follow him once again.

I returned to the underground hot spring to find Starkers placing a metal tube vertically into the water and gesturing instructions to the slimes, the golems, and the goblins. He then communicated something to Taran with another gesture. At once, everyone leaped into action.

With the monsters getting to work, Starkers came up to me and gestured something as well. The golems were attaching one tube to another, and the cave spiders were weaving their silk around the junctions. Starkers pointed at the junctions before pointing at a glowstone.

I blinked. “What do you mean? Ah, are you perhaps telling me to burn the silk between one tube and another?” I manifested a small flame in the palm of my hand, and Starkers nodded at the sight.

I see! He wants me to weld the metal tubes together so that we can connect the spring to the surface with the resulting pillar. This is going to be a big construction project. I should ask Riena to help too.

“Got it.” I gave a nod before turning to Furay. “Hey, Furay, can you go ask Riena to lend a hand? I’ll handle things here, so tell her to help out on the surface.”

“Okay!”

Thus began our new construction project: a device that would pump hot water to the surface. Golems lifted the metal tubes, which the goblins would then nail into the ceiling. From there, the cave spiders would use their silk to temporarily tie the tubes to each other before Riena and I welded the tubes together with our fire magic.

As for Starkers, our lead architect, he stationed himself down at the underground hot spring. With practiced ease, he combined gears, boards, and other components into some sort of mechanism. When he was done with that, he made a trip to the surface. He seemed very busy.

A few hours later, we had finished welding the last tube junction.

Next to me, Riena said, “Great work, Lord Heale!” She had worked from the surface down through the ground, while I had worked the opposite way.

“You did a great job too, Riena!” I looked over our work. “Wow. Pretty grand, if you ask me!”

“I agree! But I do have one question... Will this really work?”

“I’m wondering about that too. That’s the most important thing.”

Crafting tubes to connect two areas was the easy part. The hard part was obviously going to be getting water to flow up through it. Is Starkers’s mechanism really going to accomplish that? How?

A rough voice interrupted my thoughts. “Chief! Starkers wants us all to assemble at the foot of Yggdrasil!” It was Erivan, who had just come down from the surface.

“Oh, okay. I guess the mechanism is ready...” I muttered.

“Yeah. I didn’t see him buildin’ anything, so I think we’re done. Chief, you can go ahead. I’ll go down and call the others.”

“That’d be great.” I gave him a small smile before turning to Riena. “Okay then, Riena. Let’s head up.”

“Yes, my lord!”

With that, we returned to the surface and walked through the tunnel leading to the far side of the island where Yggdrasil was. When we arrived, we were greeted with the sight of a boisterous crowd—most of the island’s citizens had already gathered below the tree.

Next to them, I saw an area that was a few steps below the ground level of the reclaimed land, and it had been padded neatly with smooth stone. Starkers must have instructed people to hollow it out. Ah, so that must be our new baths.

We folded into the crowd and shuffled towards its center. I spotted Baris there as well. And like I’d assumed, we were all here to stare at the mechanism Starkers had created. The tubes stretched from the underground hot spring all the way to here, and it led to a mysterious T-shaped object that poked out of the ground.

Is the hot water going to pour out from that thing? When I’d welded the tubes, I had noticed that some of them branched off, and all of those branches had eventually led to similar T-shaped objects as well. Each seemed to have a wheel and a handle.

Starkers was standing next to one such strange device. After he saw that Erivan had summoned all the other monsters here, he gave us all a dramatic bow before starting to turn the wheel. Next, he placed his hand on the handle, but almost as if he were trying to tease us, he only turned it halfway before twisting it back into its original place.

He seemed to be enjoying everyone’s reactions, but then someone yelled, “Hurry up already!”

He sighed, shaking his head in what seemed to be exasperation. Finally, he pulled on the handle with great force. Almost instantly, hot water gushed out from the tip of the T-shaped object.

Everyone let out shouts of amazement.

This dude...he’s defying nature! I thought with excitement. I had no idea how it worked, but it was clear that he was pumping hot water from the underground cavern. The engineers of Sanphales were said to be the most brilliant minds in Barleon, but I was willing to bet that none of them could match the astounding technology we were witnessing. Through this one device, I had a small taste of how advanced the dwarfs had been once upon a time.

Surrounded by clapping and cheers, Starkers bowed in every direction. However, he suddenly grabbed the opening of the device and turned it upward with a smirk. Then he started turning the wheel again, but this time, much faster.

A pillar of water shot up into the sky. However, it lost its momentum in midair and arced into a semicircle around the source. Hot water rained down on us from above—Starkers had created artificial rain.

We were all taken by surprise, but there was a different commotion this time.

“What the heck was that for?!” Erivan shouted angrily, but Starkers aimed another small tube at him to spray the general with more water.

Starkers continued to aim his tube like a weapon at all the other monsters who tried to get in his way. The goblin children, meanwhile, were splashing hot water at each other from the small pools of water that had formed on the ground. Before long, my hair and clothes were utterly drenched. It must have been a first for Riale as well, and she was staring up curiously at the raining hot water.

Maybe Starkers is trying to entertain everyone in his own way. Though I could manifest as much water as we wanted with magic, our community had the tendency of being frugal with our resources, whether it be water or food. Making hot water rain down like this seemed lavish in comparison to our usual habits.

Meanwhile, the baths next to us were being filled as well. By the time the orange sunset began to encroach upon the blue sky, we already had a respectable hot spring on the surface.

“All right!” Erivan cheered. “Guys, let’s get in!”

At his words, all the people present began stripping down. They washed their bodies with the showering hot water and then entered the baths one by one.

“Huh, so goblins wash before going into the baths, just like we do,” I observed.

Riena was beside me, and she replied, “Yes. We would be rather upset if the baths were sullied.”

“I see. You guys are no different from humans on that...matter...” My voice grew smaller when I turned to face Riena. I immediately looked away. She was drenched from head to toe, and I almost saw through her clothes.

“Yaaay!” Furay cheered, raising her hands in excitement as she jumped in. “Hot spring, here I come!”

Erivan, who’d already made his way into the baths, scolded her at once. “Hey, Furay! Don’t jump in, it’s bad manners!”

“S-Sorry!”

It was quite a heartwarming sight. The slimes and cave spiders copied the goblins and started heading into the baths as well. Riale was catching a ride on Ciel’s head, and the two floated on the surface of the water together.

Even Baris took off his clothes and joined the others. “Hm. In that case, I shall help myself as well,” he muttered. “I never thought I would get to soak in hot springs again. Fate works in the strangest of ways.”

Uh. Wait. Am I the only one who thinks this is a little odd?

Then I heard Riena’s voice. “Um, Lord Heale. We perspired quite a bit during all that construction work, so let’s take a bath as well.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m going to bathe...of course.”

“All right!” Riena clapped her hands together. “Please allow me to help wash your body!”

“U-Um...” I stammered.

Oh, I see now, so the goblins have a custom of mixed bathing. That’s why they didn’t hesitate to go in. But, hm, that’s odd... They usually wear clothes. Wouldn’t that be because they’re shy about being nude in front of others?

I voiced that question out loud. “Uh... Why isn’t anyone embarrassed about being seen naked?”

“Huh?” Riena sounded puzzled. “Isn’t it normal to be naked in a hot spring?”

“A-Ah, good point.”

Seems like they don’t feel any awkwardness about bathing with the opposite gender... Those hesitations probably just aren’t part of their culture. If I keep silent about how humans do things, I can probably go into the baths naked as well. In other words, even if I bathed with Riena, no one would bat an eye...

Riena’s worried voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “L-Lord Heale, are you all right? Your face is bright red!”

“U-Uh, Riena... I think I’m feeling a bit under the weather, so... Go ahead and enjoy,” I stammered.

“Oh, I could never! Please allow me to look after you. I shall do everything I can!”

“N-No, I’m fine, really. I’ll be the picture of health once I get some sleep!”

Leaving those last words, I ran away from the baths as fast as my legs would carry me. I’m a human, not a beast. My guilty conscience won’t let me share a bath with Riena while knowing that I’d be taking advantage of her culture. At the same time, I don’t want to force my cultural values on the goblins—it’s my problem, not theirs. The best solution is for me to take myself out of the equation.

But there’s one problem... I looked down at my clothes. I’m drenched, and it’s really uncomfortable. Should I take a bath alone after everyone else is done? Ah, speaking of which... Half of the underground hot spring should be left untouched. I got it, I can bathe in privacy there!

I walked over to the cave entrance, grabbed a nearby towel and bucket, and walked down into the cave tunnels. Ugh, I can’t resist the allure of a nice hot spring. Alone, I arrived at the underground hot spring and removed my clothes.

“I need to wash first,” I muttered to myself.

I scooped out some hot water with the bucket and threw it over myself. Oh, now the ground is wet. I guess I’ll dry it with a wind spell after I’m done. With my body clean, it was time for my long-awaited bath! I placed my hand into the water. It’s a perfect temperature!

Without a moment of hesitation, I sat down into the natural hot spring, letting my body relax in the water. I let out a content sigh. “Yes, this is the stuff. This is what I’ve been looking forward to.”

I hadn’t had a bath in a long time—we had been rather stingy with water, after all. I was even humming a little tune to myself.

But then, a familiar voice rang out from behind me. “Lord Heale! I knew it, here you are!”

My body seized up on reflex, and I nearly jumped out of my own skin. I slowly turned around and saw Riena, who was still wearing her drenched clothes.

“R-Riena?!” I stammered. “Wh-Why are you here?!”

She blinked. “Why are you so surprised? I can’t leave you alone when you are feeling unwell. Ah, my apologies for disturbing you. You must have wanted to bathe in silence.”

“Th-That’s not why I’m...” I hesitated. “The thing is...” I guess I should be direct and tell her about human bathing culture.

Before I could explain, however, Riena let out a loud sneeze. When I took a closer look at her, she was a little unsteady on her feet. She must have been freezing in her drenched clothes.

“A-Are you okay?” I asked.

“I-I am fine, please don’t worry about me. But, um... May I soak in the baths with you?”

“Oh. Um, I’ll—” I swallowed my next words. “Okay, sure. Let’s bathe together.”

It’ll be so awkward if I head out after what she just said. More importantly, what if she collapses? I need to keep an eye on her so that she doesn’t get hurt.

“Thank you,” Riena said. Then, there was some rustling of cloth. She must be taking off her clothes.

I fixed my eyes on the cave wall the moment I had given her consent, so I didn’t know for sure what she was doing. Next, there was a sloshing sound. Maybe she was filling the bucket with hot water. Then, there was the sound of water splashing on the ground. This time, she was likely rinsing her body.

My heart almost burst out of my chest. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous before...

There was a small clatter—Riena placed the bucket on the ground. A while later, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching my direction.

“Please excuse me, Lord Heale!”

I was as still as a statue as I replied, “Go ahead. You must have been freezing. Take all the time you need.”

“I will.”

I felt a slight rippling of water from my right. Riena had sat down beside me.

She let out a satisfied sigh. “It feels wonderful.”

“I-It really does. The temperature of the water is just right, ma’am!”

Calm down. Calm. Down. I never call Riena “ma’am”! Uh, is there anything we can make small talk about? No, that’s a bad idea. I’m acting all weird because I’m talking to her. I should just fall to a natural silence, yes.

But then, Riena’s gentle voice addressed me. “Lord Heale...”

“Yes, Rien—” I cut off, and my breathing hitched.

Riena suddenly leaned on me. Her slightly cool cheek pressed against my shoulder. “Sorry, my face was a little cold... May I borrow your shoulder for a little longer?” She let out a small sigh. “You know, I think this is the first time I’ve been all alone with you.”

“Y-Yeah!”

“You are too kind...too nice, Lord Heale...”

“I-I don’t think I am...”

My heart was thumping audibly in my chest. Never in my life had my pulse raced so quickly before.

I had respected Riena from the moment I had met her. And...I had likely started having other feelings for her after she had gained her humanlike form. I like Riena, and I want her to return my feelings. It’s still too early to talk about long-term stuff like marriage, but for now...I want to tell her that I like her.

Working up my courage, I said in a small voice, “Um, Riena. There’s something I’d like to...” I paused, realizing something. “Riena?”

I glanced at her—she was fast asleep on my shoulder. She must have felt so relaxed that she dozed right off. She mumbled, “Lorge Heel...”

For a long while after that, I soaked in the hot spring with Riena. Unfortunately, at the end, I nearly fainted because I had been in there for too long.

At noon, two days after our surface hot spring had been completed, I was doing my usual thing: mining. Now that we had Yggdrasil, we had a sustainable supply of lumber, sap, and leaves. We didn’t have to be so stingy with wood when crafting tools, we could now eat sweet desserts without reservation, and we could also enjoy a good cup of tea.

Not only that, but with our new hot spring bath, we could maintain a higher standard of hygiene, and it was also a great way to alleviate our fatigue. That wasn’t the only good news—we also used the hot spring water for our farm and as a source of drinking water.

We’d now practically assembled all the basic necessities for life on this island. In fact, I could confidently declare that we had most of the things we needed to live comfortably. Therefore, one might argue that mining wasn’t necessary anymore.

However, I believed that there was a possibility I might discover something that could enrich our lives even further. That’s not to mention we had a constant need for rocks, and it was my duty to replenish our stock. Rocks came in surprisingly handy for a lot of things, like expanding Sheol’s land area or building fortifications.

I didn’t want to sound arrogant, but I was our most efficient miner. I hoped I could continue to mine day in, day out from now on. Riena was in charge of farming, while Erivan took care of our military affairs. Starkers, naturally, was appointed to crafting tools. His latest hobby seemed to be making equipment and weapons for the golems and the security squads.

At long last, everyone had found their niche and were starting to settle into their unique fields of expertise. Like always, the slimes and golems had a monopoly over our transportation service, and making clothes wouldn’t be possible without the cave spiders.

It felt surreal that I had been worried about not having enough food and water only a short while ago.

“I hope I discover something neat today...” I muttered to myself as I swung my pickaxe. It’d be so much easier if I could scan the area and figure out the locations of minerals beforehand.

Furay, who was bringing down her pick next to me, seemed to share the same sentiment.

I glanced at her. “Hey, Furay, it’s already noon. You sure you don’t need to rest?”

“No, I’m fine... I’ll head back up in a little bit.”

“Okay. But don’t work yourself too hard.”

Furay’s morning routine was very predictable. Every day, she would rapidly polish off her breakfast before heading into the mining shaft. Other goblins around her age spent their time playing and having fun while she alone was constantly swinging her pickaxe.

I could only imagine she was desperate to learn magic. To do that, she needed to evolve with a risestone. However, unlike other minerals, risestones didn’t seem to be naturally occurring on this island. The only one I’d found so far was in a stone chamber, where it’d been carefully placed on an altar. In other words, if we wanted to find another one, we had better chances of discovering them within other ruin sites.

Furay was a smart girl, and she likely knew that she was in for a long haul. But if possible, I want her to get one soon. I kept mining at a rapid pace—not just for the reasons I stated earlier, but for this diligent girl as well.

Risestones seem to be valuable artifacts, so the next one we find might be guarded by some defense mechanism like golems or magic. Huh, in that case, I should try and sense the flow of mana. We’ll be able to follow that.

And that just so happened to be the precise moment when I sensed a slight flow of mana behind me. I turned around and saw Furay.

I reacted instantly. “Furay!” I shouted as I manifested a Shield to protect her. The golem nearby also ran in front of her to act as a physical shield.

“Huh? Ah...!” she exclaimed.

Not a moment later, something exploded with a small bang in front of her. Luckily, the explosion was small enough for my Shield to negate all of its force. Phew, she’s unharmed.

Furay turned to me and the golem. “Th-Thank you...” Her voice was shaking slightly.

Even if I hadn’t cast that spell, I was certain the golem would have protected her well enough. Golems were very reliable in situations like these, so stationing them in the cave had indeed been the right decision.

The question is: was that explosion artificial or something natural?

I shook my head. “That’s okay. I’m glad you’re safe. Hmm... Was it some sort of trap?” I frowned.

However, Furay nodded without hesitation, clearing my doubts. “Seems like it. I think there’s something deeper inside.”

“Oh? Did you discover something?”

Furay cleared away the rubble and fished something out. She tilted her head quizzically. “Is this...a treasure chest?”

The item she held out to me was a humble wooden chest without much in the way of decoration. “It might be. You should open it and take a look inside.”

“Okay!” She tried to pry it open. “Huh? This thing’s stuck.”

I hummed in thought. “In that case, it might be locked. I’ll try opening it with a spell.”

I cast a Pick and the chest flopped open, revealing three golden stones. Golden... These might be risestones.

Furay knew that the color matched the description I had given her, and her eyes lit up.

I looked over the stones and muttered, “Since they’re stones, my inventory should be capable of storing them. I’ll identify them with my encyclopedia.” Nodding to myself, I took out one of the golden stones and tried storing it. Success.

Then, I browsed through my inventory. Like I had suspected, it was indeed a risestone and the other two likely were as well.

Furay looked up at me with unease in her eyes.

I gave her a smile. “Congrats, Furay. That was a risestone.”

“R-Really?!” Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Nope. Here.” I retrieved the risestone from my inventory and handed it to her.

She took it carefully into her hands before cheering loudly. “I did it!” Joyful tears streamed down her face.

Ever since Furay had received permission to mine in the cave, she had practically spent all her time doing just that, but now her hard work had finally paid off.

“I’m so happy for you,” I said, gesturing to the other stones. “Hey, since all three of these are risestones, you can try evolving three times.”

She shook her head, which took me by surprise. “One is enough for me! If not for you, I wouldn’t have survived to this day, nor would I have gotten this stone. You saw what happened earlier...I might have died if you weren’t around. You should have the remaining two, Lord Heale!”

I frowned. “But you found them.”

“I was only able to concentrate on mining alone thanks to you and everyone on this island,” she replied firmly. “I didn’t help much with fishing or any of the other chores... If you aren’t going to use them, please use them for the sake of everyone else here.”

“I see... Thank you, Furay. In that case, I’ll discuss with the others about how we should use the rest.”

“That sounds great to me!” With those words, Furay handed the other two risestones to me.

I stored them in my inventory. “Okay then, we found our big prize, so let’s take a long lunch before testing them out!”

“Okay!”

With that, we decided to make a trip to the surface. On our way, Furay hummed as she walked—she looked elated from the bottom of her heart.

“You know, today might be the happiest day of my life!” she chirped.

“That’s wonderful. Ah, it’s great that you’ll be practicing magic, but I do hope to see you in the mining shaft from time to time.”

“Of course! I’ll work even harder in the mines! I mean, my crest is <Miner>, after all...” She let out a small chuckle. “I’m going to be more greedy! Magic, mining—I’ll have them all!”

“Well, you don’t get to evolve every day, so you should make full use of the opportunity.” In the middle of my speech, I noticed that Riale had disappeared from my shoulder. “Hm?”

I turned around and saw Riale approaching the wall. They were sniffing something.

I crouched down. “Something bothering you, Riale?”

Furay leaned in. “Maybe there’s something in the rock.”

“Oh?” I turned to the kobold. “Is she right, Riale?”

Riale barked enthusiastically.

“I see.” I nodded. “I’ll try digging there, so please keep your distance.” After Riale had backed off, I brought down my pick and saw a metallic glint. “Ohhh! Are these...swords?”

Two shiny silver swords were embedded into the rock. They were rather large. In fact, they were longer than I was tall and broader than my shoulders.

“Even if these are claymores, they definitely weren’t made for humans to wield...” I placed my hand around one of the sword’s grips and tried lifting it. “Huh?”

Unlike the orichalcum swords, I could lift this sword with relative ease. It looked bulky, but it was ridiculously light.

I couldn’t help but voice my doubt. “What is this thing? It looks like a silver sword, but...it isn’t?”

“Maybe it’s because you’re using magic,” Furay suggested.

“No, I’m not... Furay, do you think you can lift it?”

“Lemme have a go.” She took it from my hands. “Whoa, it is light!”

Furay was much shorter than me, but even she could easily carry the sword. It’s probably not silver, then.

“Hmm... I guess I’ll break one and store it in my inventory,” I muttered. “I might be able to identify it with my crest.”

I struck the other sword with my pickaxe and stored the shards in my inventory. Soon, I discovered that the sword was made from a metal that I had never come across in real life before.

“Mithril...” I read its name out loud.

I didn’t even have to ask the assistant to summon up the encyclopedia—I had heard of it before. Though I’ve never seen it or touched it...

In the myths of Sanphales, mithril was fabled as a metal of the gods. Swords forged from it could cut anything in existence, and mithril shields would never shatter. That raised one question: what would happen if you tried to cut a mithril shield with a mithril sword? ...That aside, it was the mightiest metal in the entire world.

Mithril: A metal left behind by the divine. The hardest metal in existence that can even be used to slay gods. May be improved through enchanting.

Left behind by the divine, huh? It must be even more special than orichalcum, then.

“Mithril?” Furay repeated after me. “Is that something good?”

“It’s very good. According to human mythology, heroes slew dragons like the legendary Fafnir with mithril swords.”

“Huuuh... I don’t know much about it, but well done, Riale! You’re our star!”

Hearing that, Riale stood up, placed two paws on their waist and lifted their chin proudly.

I blinked. “Well now, where did you learn that gesture? But yeah, she’s right. You’re amazing.”

Riale is a kobold, so...maybe kobolds have a superior sense of smell? I’ll be honest, Riale gave me a wonderful surprise. They managed to find a legendary metal!

Putting my guesses about Riale aside, I said, “In any case, we had a big haul. Let’s take this back with us and flaunt it to Starkers.”

“Right!”

We resumed our journey to the surface. Soon, we were outside the cave, and yet another clear, sunny day greeted us. We were right on time for lunch, and smoke was rising from the kitchen.

Though we wanted to sit down and dig in right away, it was probably better to deliver the mithril to Starkers as soon as possible. As we walked, Furay, who was only around the height of my knees, carried the massive sword—it was so long that I had to look up to see the tip of its blade. It caused quite the stir.

Starkers seemed to have a sixth sense for precious metals, because he turned around to face us, instead of focusing on his current project. The next moment, he abandoned his current project and began sprinting towards the mithril sword in Furay’s hands.

“Eep!” Furay yelped, startled by Starkers’s ferocious expression. He looked like a lion on the hunt. On instinct, she dropped the sword.

Starkers reacted immediately, sliding below the sword before it could fall onto the ground and held it up with both of his hands. He raised it high into the air before placing it on the nearest empty workbench in the forge. Then, he threw himself down and began prostrating, worshiping the sword like it was sacred.

“Hey!” Furay’s eyes widened. “What’s he doing? Has he actually gone mad this time?”

I hesitated. “I’m not too sure, but considering Starkers’s reverence... The sword must be very valuable.”

While Starkers worshiped the sword like a pious devotee, I placed the dismantled pieces of mithril onto the workbench in front of him. Looks like he’s going to keep going for a while... Oh well, to each their own.

I turned to my mining buddy. “Hey, Furay, let’s have lunch. I just need to stop by and chat to Baris about Riale, and then I’ll join you.”

“Okay! I’ll help myself, then!”

After we parted ways, I scoured the area for Baris. However, he wasn’t on our first reclaimed land at the moment. Hmm, is he in the cave’s residential area? Or maybe at the rear reclaimed land, where Yggdrasil is?

I went over to the kitchen and asked Riena about Baris’s whereabouts.

“Oh, Baris? He should be over at Yggdrasil,” Riena replied. “There are some crops due for harvest soon, so he went over to estimate how much food we’ll get from them.”

“Ah, that was fast! They’re already due for harvest?”

“Yes! Part of the credit must go to Yggdrasil, but the turnips are already ripe for the taking! According to Baris, some of the other crops should be ready soon as well!”

Riena was smiling ear to ear as she talked. The plants’ growth must have been incredibly fast. When Yggdrasil had shot up into the air, the flower seeds she had planted bloomed abnormally quickly. We decided to move our farm to Yggdrasil based on that fact, and now, we knew that our initial theory was correct—the giant tree does accelerate plant growth.

“I’ll be stewing plenty of turnips today! Please look forward to it!” Riena beamed at me.

“I will. Thanks! Okay, so Baris is at Yggdrasil, got it.”

With Riale on my shoulder, I headed to the tree. Just like Riena had said, Baris was at its foot, holding a quill and paper.

“Hey, Baris,” I called out to him. “May I have a moment?”

“Well, if it isn’t you, Lord Heale. I have just finished looking over the fields. How may I help you?”

“I have a question for you. Do you know Riale’s crest or how to identity it?”

“Ah, now that you mention it, Lady Arphemina didn’t mention Riale’s crest in her message, did she? Would you like me to check what it is?”

“That’d be great. You see, Riale found some mithril in the cave earlier, and well... Maybe they have a special crest that helps them locate metal.”

“Interesting...” Baris inclined his head. “That piqued my curiosity even more. Please wait a moment.” He sat down and took out a spare piece of paper. Then, he drew a perfect circle and some unfamiliar characters on it. “Preparation complete. Please put Riale on this paper.”

“Okay.” I did as I was told. “Riale, could you sit tight for a bit?”

Riale was very obedient and sat without a struggle on the circular pattern Baris had drawn. A second later, the circle glowed briefly.

“That will be all.” Baris turned to the kobold. “Riale, you may move now.”

Riale gave the shaman a nod before they started running freely around the farm once again. Baris looked down at the circle and began his diagnosis.

He hummed in thought. “I don’t believe I have seen this crest before. I can only try to decipher what it does based on its description, but since they are a kobold royal, there is a lot to read.” There was glowing script right in the center of the circle, and it apparently described Riale’s crest. “Hmm... <Clairvoyance>. What an intriguing result...”

“<Clairvoyance>?”

“Yes. This crest apparently allows its owner to not just perceive distant information, but even see through matter. Or to put things plainly, its owner can see things far, far into the distance and can detect things even through obstacles...” Baris perused the text as he continued, “The owner of <Clairvoyance> may find unusual items with this crest and may even sense the emotions and thoughts of other people.”

“Whoa, it’s even more powerful than I thought...”

My personal guess had been <Explorer>, a crest which mainly helped its owners discover rare or bizarre items. <Clairvoyance>, however, didn’t just have that gift—it also had many other powerful blessings.

“Indeed.” Baris nodded. “This is my first time coming across such a crest, but it is a particularly formidable one. I can hardly wait to see what things Riale will accomplish when they grow up.”

“Same here. With Riale’s help, we might just be able to locate all the precious items buried inside the cave.”

Riale was still a tiny infant in need of our protection, but once they became an adult, they would no doubt become a treasured worker on this island. Well, with a crest like that, they might start getting curious about the outside world eventually... Oh well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. All I hope is that they choose the path that makes them happiest.

An alarmed voice echoing out from the top of Yggdrasil interrupted my thoughts. The goblin lookouts up there seemed to have found something. “Lord Baris! Lord Baris! I spotted a ship!”

“How many?!” Baris exclaimed.

“Only one! But it’s very big!!!” the goblin shouted back.

“My word!” Baris frowned. “It doesn’t seem to be a Verdan ship... Maybe it’s the kobolds or possibly the orcs?”

“Let’s see for ourselves first,” I suggested.

“That is a good idea. I have the telescope I asked Lord Starkers to make, so we should learn more once we use that.”

Baris and I hurried to the summit of the trunk.

The lookout saw us and pointed out to see. “Ah, you two! Over there! To the north!”

We looked in that direction as well. There was indeed a ship on the horizon. However, I couldn’t make out the flag from this distance.

“Lord Heale, please use this.” Baris handed over the telescope.

“Thanks, Baris.” Accepting the telescope, I observed the distant ship once again. This time, I could see the flag—and there was a skull on it.

I chewed on my lip. “Pirates... But it’s a pirate flag on a Sanphales navy warship. If I remember correctly, a few of those vessels were captured by orcs.”

Baris muttered, “In Lady Arphemina’s message, she mentioned her tribe had fought against orcs. In that case, it is all the more likely that orcs are on that ship.”

“Yeah. They’re hostile towards humans, and that’s the case with goblins too, right?”

“Yes. Orcs were the ones who burned down our homeland and murdered our king. If we were to meet, I am almost certain that there would be conflict.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll fire off a few warning spells and force them away, or... Hm?” The sea seemed to swell dramatically for a moment, but it may have just been a trick of the light. “Hey, Baris? Did you see the surge in the current just now?”

“Now that you mention it, I think I did see something like that... Wait. What is going on?!”

The sea below the pirate ship gradually rose up. It kept climbing into the air until it reached the height of the mountain, and then...

“What the hell is that?!” the goblin lookout yelled in a panic.

A giant creature shot up from below the pirate ship. Its long, black body was elongated like an enormous snake.

Sanphales’s ship of the line was large—extremely large. There would be at least a thousand marines standing by on board at any time, and its maximum capacity was two thousand—it was comparable to a small fortress. But that black snake swallowed it up whole in the blink of an eye.

It had happened all too quickly. Both Baris and I were speechless. The black snake plunged right back into the ocean, making a huge splash on its way down.

“Wh-What...was...” Baris’s eyes were wide, and he struggled to speak. The creature was beyond even the shaman’s comprehension.

I had never seen such a terrifying beast before either. But I knew one word that fit.

“A leviathan...” I muttered in a daze.

The mysterious beast looked surreal—it should only belong in stories to terrorize children. But now, such a legend had appeared right before our eyes.

Chapter 15: Look at All the Comrades by My Side!

We’d defeated the leviathan. In the aftermath, we found the reclaimed land completely battered and filled with holes. But in exchange, we’d won without losing a single person.

The slimes and goblins were currently busy with filling all the holes in the stone. However, the leviathan hadn’t only left us with a list of repairs—its body also bore many gifts.

When we ripped off its black scales, we realized they had the same transparent properties as glass but were roughly as hard as diamond. Before we could stop him, Starkers had eaten its flesh raw and proved that leviathan meat tasted heavenly.

Once we finished taking the beast apart, we set aside its scales and flesh as valuable resources for Sheol. The day we defeated the leviathan would become a very important day in the history of this island.

I tried to offer my aid with dissecting the leviathan and freezing its flesh, but everyone voiced their firm objections. Thus, I ended up resting the entire time at the foot of Yggdrasil. I couldn’t deny that I was aching all over, especially my joints. I decided to accept everyone’s goodwill and just waited for time to pass by peacefully.

During my rest, Erivan came over and suggested that we hold a banquet with the flesh of the leviathan as our main dish. I agreed, and we scheduled a celebratory banquet for that night.

In the evening, the monsters lined up large tables below Yggdrasil, and a scrumptious feast was laid out on them. The plates were piled high with leviathan meat, which had been grilled, stewed, boiled, and so on. As sides, there were also fruits, fish, and even murder bird meat.

Erivan stood up. “All right, everyone! A toast to our victory!” He raised his cup filled with fruit juice.

Everyone toasted in response and finished the juice in one gulp. I sluggishly touched my cup to join in spirit. My body ached so much that I could only lift my arm slightly.

The toast signaled the start to our lively banquet. The faces of each and every citizen of Sheol Reef were lit up with vivid joy—even more so than when we’d defeated the murder birds.

Taking in this sight, I whispered to myself, “We really won...”

If I were to be honest, somewhere in the back of my mind, I had probably braced myself for death during our battle. I was scared of dying, and I was even more terrified of everyone else dying...

Erivan, Starkers, and Taran caught my eye. They had stuffed their cheeks full of meat and were munching away to their heart’s content. From the sounds of all the people around them chatting, they were actually holding an eating contest.

I stared at everyone slightly absentmindedly. But then, I heard a “Woof!” from next to me. I cast my eyes down and saw Riale. Ciel was with them too. They were offering fruits to me. Oh, they might have been concerned because I was spaced out and wasn’t eating anything.

“Thanks, you two.” I gathered them both into my arms and stroked them. Riale’s fur was soft and fluffy, while Ciel was smooth and squishy. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. At the same time, reality finally started sinking in. So this isn’t a dream.