The Loner Who Conquers the Other World-Novel

Day 42 – Evening, White Weirdo Inn

Apparently, tonight we are having hot pot.

He seems to be enjoying himself.

Until a short while ago he was working on an earthenware pot.

Hmm, just what Haruka-kun is trying to become?

It seems he received a lot of vegetables from the village near the dungeon. Initially, we thought it was because villagers were overjoyed over the death of the dungeon, but turns out, this is their gratitude for turning the village into a fortress.

At first, he received a lot of vegetables for destroying the dungeon, and to return the favor, he seems to have made a wall around the village?

While the creator thinks it to be a mere wall, it doesn’t sound like anything other than fortress-level fortifications. A sturdy 2-meter wall that even a goblin king wouldn’t be able to break that easily, surrounded by a slope, making jumping over them a difficult task. Furthermore, it seems he also added spikes on top of the walls? Hmm, just what does Haruka-kun want the villagers to battle?

The villagers were overjoyed after seeing that fine wall and gave him even more vegetables, which made him feel awkward to receive so much, so he, in turn, distributed clubs to the villagers. No monsters or bandits would dare to attack such a place.

If unsuspecting monsters were to attack it, they’d probably be annihilated before troops from the town reach the place. No matter how I think about it, this is not a village anymore!

But the person that created fortress village seems to be happy with all the vegetables he received, saying that he made a huge profit. Well, if everyone is happy, then I guess it’s alright?

He was saying that they were overreacting with how happy they were, but it’s only natural they would be overjoyed. After all, despite being so close to the demon forest, they didn’t even have a proper fence, much less a defensive wall. The villagers must’ve spent their every day in anxiety, I think it’s only reasonable they would be overjoyed if their village suddenly gained a rampart for protection? And then, they also received weapons as a bonus, I don’t think there is anything strange about their reaction?

「A hot pot~, with mystery meat~, mystery vegetables~, and the usual shrooms~, a hot pot~, sort of♪」

Well, he seems to be in a good mood, so it doesn’t really matter, but he completely forgot about the dungeon, didn’t he? Doesn’t he remember why he went there in the first place?

He briefly mentioned it, saying at the very beginning『When I told them that we killed the dungeon, they were overjoyed, and gave us a lot of vegetables and fruits.』… So I guess it’s safe to say that the dungeon is dead. He kept going on and on about vegetables and a hot pot, but for an instant, there was a piece of actual information, after which he returned to his usual cryptic antics, talking about lawnmowers and whatnot, but right now I’m too curious about the hot pot to care about that!

A nice smell. Some of the mysterious vegetables seem to be comrades of Chinese cabbage? And some resemble both garlic and onion, can’t tell what they are like until I try them. Is it ready yet? Is it? The person in charge of cooking is so strict!

・・・

It was delicious. Haruka-kun complained that he wants kombu, but it was delicious. Just how high are his demands despite being in a different world? By now, Haruka-kun’s excessive demands turned that small general store into a huge shop. It’s on the verge of turning into a department store. [1]

And after everyone took turns, speaking of the dungeons each of them visited today, we asked the last remaining person, who by now forgot about everything besides the hot pot.

「And? How was the dungeon inside? You did go all the way to the lowest floor, right?」

His testimony was a load of nonsense… With no countermeasures against high humidity, the dungeon also had no drainage and no ventilation. Poor safety and environmental standards pointed to little regard for the well-being of adventurers, or so he says.

Apparently, the dungeon didn’t satisfy his safety standards, but can you call a dungeon that meets safety standards a dungeon? Maybe he accidentally went to subjugate a mansion instead of a dungeon? I think the residents would be very angry if he captured a mansion? No, from what we’ve heard there were monsters, so it should be a dungeon. Though by now I seriously doubt if he can really tell the difference, but apparently he went to subjugate a dungeon, after all.

Since it had only 17 floors, it seems that it was a new dungeon that appeared only recently. The monsters were weak and few in numbers, so the whole thing ended with Angelica-san going on a bit of a solo rampage.

He was complaining that he had nothing to do, but I think it’s his own fault for bringing the dungeon emperor from the 100th floor of the scariest dungeon in the land to a weak dungeon of only 17 floors? That’s horrible overkill!

But I’m glad that Haruka-kun wasn’t in danger.

We keep forgetting, but he didn’t even reach Lv 20 yet…

But even a full party of Lv20 wouldn’t be permitted to enter a dungeon. Even apprentices to veteran parties barely get permission.

At this point, no one is certain whether they should be worried for Haruka-kun or for a dungeon, but this duo, who didn’t reach Lv 20 yet, is doing something that usually would be considered far too dangerous for their levels.

So I’m glad that they were fine.

And it seems the dungeon master was something wearing armor.

Apparently, an armor and a magic stone were just lying on the floor of the lowest floor?

In other words, the dungeon master died without getting to face anyone in combat even once. Drowned, without doing anything bad yet. Perhaps without even seeing a single human being.

Without meeting any one, without the world learning of their species, without a single fight.

Just why do I get this feeling that it’s dungeons that we should be worried about? Defeating a dungeon master should be an admirable and praiseworthy deed, but why, imagining that scene do I feel nothing but pity?

And it seems he wants to go to the cave with a lawnmower tomorrow, and create a garden. So the cave is about to get even more palatial… Just what does he seek from caves and dungeons?

After that began another auction. All participants scrambled in a huge uproar for the sword, the spear, and the dungeon master’s armor, but no one raised a hand for 『Spike Mail』.

Weapons with skills or high spec armor can’t be found in the town, and having 30 people here it’s hard to get good items for everyone. Furthermore, since everyone carries several weapons, changing them, it becomes necessary to have swords, spears, shields, and armor for every single person. So with this constant shortage of good gear, the auction found huge success. And yet, 『Spike Mail』was ignored anyway.

The price on it kept going down as in some kind of discount sale, eventually reaching the point when he just tried to push it onto someone to get it off his hands, but everyone ran away. Well, that’s to be expected?

After all, girls wouldn’t want such sinister-looking spiky armor? Even boys were taken aback by it? Only a true villain can wear something like that. On top of that, you have to be something of post apocalyptic overlord class to make it work.

In this world, only Haruka-kun can wear such villainous and sinister armor. After all, it is something that only a person worse than a demon lord can wear… Is there anyone else who would qualify?

By the way, someone even more amazing than Overlord or Demon Lord, which is ex-Dungeon Emperor, was desperately shaking her head in refusal. Yes! Don’t offer such evil items to girls!

It seems it won’t get equipped by anyone, but I think it would suit Haruka-kun just fine… Just what is he trying to become?

[TL Notes:

[1] Kombu – is edible kelp mostly from the family Laminariaceae and is widely eaten in East Asia.

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