The Loner Who Conquers the Other World

Day 48 – Daytime, Cavern 46F

「A great harvest. A legendary metal. A fantasy material. Today I’m going to be busy with work again… But it must be kept a secret. Or rather, is it a secret? I’m not getting enough sleep, for real.」

And I now have a souvenir for Armored Pres-san. Mithril, it will make equipment even stronger, but when do I get to rest from those side jobs of mine? I don’t get to sleep at all. Such an extremely ruthless world! No, the word impossible is a lie! What people need to live is not food but motivation! Nah, no way people can sustain themselves on that alone.

Now, the dungeon is dead, and the sun should be setting soon, Perfect timing to go home.

Ah, but there was something like a hidden room. It might have a treasure chest. It might be fine to get my hopes up for the dungeon loot of these floors.

「Aaaah, what a coincidence~ there is 「「「Enough of that already!!」」」…a hidden room.」

I got scolded. At this rate, a fine young man report capable of boosting my Affection Rating isn’t happening. Okay, let’s give sweets to Stalker Girl later. She seems to be a bit feeble-minded, so getting sweets might be enough for her to write that I’m a fine young man. Or rather, I’ll have her write that. One candy for each time she writes 『A fine young man』, a perfect plan. Affection Rating is about to skyrocket.

Finally! There is finally a locked treasure chest! At long last, a lock! And Vice President B immediately destroyed it? Yeeah, that makes sense. There is no need to waste time with every single lock when one can simply break them… Just what is the point of Magic Key’s existence? That’s an item for the lowest floors of the great dungeon, right? It’s supposed to be rare? Is it so rare that there is no use for it? Is it possible?

And inside… Eeh!『Ring of Golem Maker – Create, Control, Command Golems』, having this, I might be able to pull that off. It might be critical for that terrain? Probably?

「Please! Let me have it? If you yield it to me I will accept your custom orders for mithril items free of charge? No? Then how about custom-made clothes? If you like, I can also add custom-made rings? If that’s not enough……」

「「「「Have it! Take it!! Custom-made clothes!! And handmade rings?!」」」」

「T-thank you? I guess? Are you sure? You can make golems with this?」

They aren’t listening. Looks like they already began discussing clothes? And also racking their brains over rings? What about mithril-san? It’s a legendary fantasy metal? I can upgrade your equipment or make you new mithril weapons and armor? It’s mithril, you know? Valuable, rare, and precious? Yeah, not listening at all.

「To report. Tempts girls with clothes, and entices them with handmade rings. Not a fine young man. (scribble, scribble)」

And behind me, Stalker Girl is writing the slander she calls a report. Looks like to get her on my side I will need a lot of sweets, which means even more work. I’m not even a crafter? I’m jobless. From dawn until dusk I’m a combat jobless, and from dusk till dawn I’m secretly a crafter, working completely illegal hours. Such a regime would put even exploitative companies to shame?

We climbed out of the dungeon.

As we make our way out of there, I from time to time destroy golems that respawned before the boss died. Everyone else is too preoccupied with discussing clothes and won’t fight at all. All by myself, I steadily break them, all by myself, I pick up magic stones one by one, and then I have to work even after we get back to the inn? And no money despite all that! There is not enough currency in the town, so it doesn’t reach me as a result. Should I just destroy the neighboring domain already? If I climb a nearby mountain, make a house there, and rain meteors at it for about a week, it should vanish, right? The neighboring domain I mean. After all, they are holding back my money, and as a result, I remain broke. It’s fine, right? I mean, I’m working 0 official hours and 24 hours overtime? That must be the reason why I’m a NEET. Overtime takes up so much time that there is no room for work.

「Heeeeeeey, Haruka-kun, your muttering is getting disturbingly dangerous? The Stalker Girl, whose house is located in the neighboring territory, is scared to the point of tears. Your affection rating will disappear long before the neighboring domain. Also, with the way you keep spending money left and right I’m pretty sure you will remain just as broke even if the neighbors were to disappear. No doubt here!」

Huh? I was saying that aloud? Affection Rating-san is vanishing?!

「It’s alright… I’m sure another domain will immediately spawn. As long as I keep the lord that hogs my money only half-dead, I’m positive it will keep respawning? Surely? I guess?」

「「「Respawning is something that happens to monsters in dungeons! Why would a domain respawn? And keeping their lord half-dead? It’s even crueler than just killing him on the spot! Stalker Girl-chan is crying already!」」」

Sounds like a no? It seems Neighboring Domain is not a monster.

「To report (crying). Will turn the town into a sea of flames if we won’t give him money. Will treat the same as monsters if we won’t give him money. Definitely not a fine young man (scribbles while crying)」

And she keeps writing that defaming report? What’s that『Will turn the town into a sea of flames if we won’t give him money』 supposed to mean? Am I some kind of evil demon king? I’m going to get angry?

「Usually, anyone would be treated the same as a demon king if they throw meteors at a city for seven days straight? That’s basically worse than an evil demon king. I think even Demon King-san won’t do something as cruel as leaving the lord half-dead every time? Or rather, don’t you dare actually do it!」

Looks like I can’t do that… But even so…

「There is no guarantee they won’t do something just because I didn’t do anything? I’m pretty sure that Meri’s father would stick to protecting his domain even if he were to get branded as a demon king for that? I think that to do that, to protect his subjects, he will turn into anything, be it a devil or a demon king, and will keep fighting. And if there is no way to defend, then offense is the only option. And this fief doesn’t have enough population to properly defend itself, just like myself, they don’t have the power to protect. If we don’t attack then someone will die somewhere. If we won’t make the first move then someone will really die. Some town or a village will get obliterated. Just like the poster girl’s family, who lost their home and their whole town and had to wander the land. And even that was only because White Weirdo sacrificed himself to protect everyone, allowing them to escape. Normally they’d be dead right then and there. Attackers not being monsters changes nothing. If monsters attack in a pack the effect would be the same. So after stopping a horde of monsters from attacking we should just leave human troops to do as they please? Villagers, townsfolk, they all would be dead. Just think about it, the other party already began an investigation, and gathering information is the first step in the war. That report that is being written right now is the first step in the war. And to begin with, the lord of this region and his family already were attacked before. By troops, you know? And there is only one domain that shares a border with this region. The neighbors already began the war, okay? I have no idea if they understand this, but it wouldn’t have been strange if it turned into an all-out war when they attacked the local lord? And they still didn’t have enough. I don’t think they will get it until their own lives will be in danger? I mean, what they are doing is too stupid. A dangerous man appeared, they say, and yet the local lord who gets along with that man refrained from going to war even after an attempt on his own life, and they go and send a subordinate to do an investigation or whatever? What’s wrong with burning their city to the ground after they’ve done all that?」

Everyone went silent. But please write that down in your report, okay? That is an ultimatum. The other side is free to choose to either amend their ways or come in force.

「But… The people living in the neighboring region didn’t do anything wrong? It’s what their lord is doing on his own, why do the people have to suffer for that? They might be good people? You can’t treat them like that. You absolutely shouldn’t do that. 」

「Well, this town or its people didn’t do anything wrong as well? Hell, even the local lord didn’t do anything wrong? There is no need to even make guesses about that, we know it’s nothing but nice people. Is it fine for them to have their homes burnt and their lives taken? Since people from the neighboring region are nice, it’s okay for the good people of this town to be killed, is that what you mean?」

While crying, Stalker Girl remained silent, only biting her lips, not knowing how to retort. The people of that domain are most likely aware of the disastrous situation of this region, as well as the fact that their domain is one of the reasons for that. They are neighbors after all.

「Even if the real fault is on the nobles since they live in that domain there are consequences to be had. They settled there because they didn’t want to go to the dangerous and poor frontier. They settled there and paid taxes, taxes from which nobles raise their troops. And regardless of whether there is awareness of the town that grew and developed by sucking wealth from the frontier, that’s enough of a reason for them to be killed, no? There is nothing surprising if one day they were to wake up to the storm of fireballs raining upon their town? If one doesn’t want to die then they shouldn’t do something that will get them killed.」

I don’t know how she will report on this, but I don’t care what the neighboring fool of a lord will think upon reading that, so she can write whatever she wants. But since we met like this, I at least want them to understand the meaning of what is about to happen. Since we already met, we are not just strangers. Even if we are oblivious to that, we are not just strangers anymore.

Everyone is climbing the stairs in complete silence.

Because they now understood that there was nothing strange even if the war already broke out on the surface.

Well, not like I’m going to let that happen? I won’t let others do as they please. Even though that’s what I love doing myself. But I’m always getting scolded if I go too far? So they also can’t complain if someone gets angry at them.