Arafoo Kenja No Isekai Seikatsu Nikki Chapter 21

Ossan, proceeds to build his house *DISCLAIMER: I DON'T REALLY KNOW j.a.pANESE, THESE ARE MACHINE TRANSLATIONS THAT I TRY TO PUT INTO PROPER ENGLISH. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION. *Fair warning that this is a really slow chapter, not much happens in this one. It still has its moments but you won't miss anything if you skim through it. *also I think I've put a lot more TL notes than usual, but it's just that I picked up on a lot more “references” in this chapter in particular, which is probably why it took me so long to translate.

This morning, Zeros went to the feudal lord's residence to meet with the current Duke, DelSasis. The gazes of the d.u.c.h.esses were piercing deeply into Zeros, but he didn't seem to mind.

Saying anything more than what's necessary will be adding fuel to the fire. Currently, Zeros is taking full advantage of his past life's experience, and is on full salesman mode.

"You, what is your name?"

"Me? My name is Zeros Merlin, just a humble magician."

(*T.N: he uses "watas.h.i.+" here, a formal p.r.o.noun.)

"Hohoho, you seem to know your manners despite those shabby rags you're wearing."

"I'm just fond of them."

For some reason, the two madams seemed to be evaluating him. He asks DelSasis for help with his eyes, but he looked like he was enduring a headache ma.s.saging the spot between his brows with a finger.

"By the way, Your Grace, Duke DelSasis, may I inquire about the reason I have been summoned today?"

"Umu, do you remember the talk about giving you a plot of land?"

"Yes, it's been often in the corner of my mind, specially these last few days. At this point, I was feeling like I've been lodging in an expensive inn."

"You mean 'just borrowing the place', right? Oh well, I've said too much."

"I have no idea how Your Grace knows about that, but anyway, I'm here to receive the t.i.tle deed of the property, am I correct?"

"That's right, let's leave the long talk for another time. I want to wrap this up quickly, I'm planning on going out for a stroll with my wives after this."

Zeros had heard before that they were on bad terms with each other, but it seemed it wasn't like that. They were happily talking about where to go, like old friends.

"How shrewd…" 

"Well, let's leave it at that… this is the t.i.tle deed of the property. The owners.h.i.+p rights will be transferred to you once you sign this doc.u.ment here with your name."

"It's certainly the plot of land behind the orphanage, in the old town…"

"There are, indeed, some security concerns, but you should be able to handle any troublesome individuals, am I correct?"

"It's hard to hold back enough so they don't die… Woah, is the house under construction already?"

There were some plans on the table that Zeros hadn't seen before, from which he saw what the layout of the house was going to be like.

"… Is this part here really alright?"

"What part?"

"It says the house is expected to be finished two weeks from now. Is it really that easy to build a house?"

"Well, these dwarf carpenters are madmen."

"And, who are these dwarves exactly…?"

Apparently, they were a local group of expert craftsmen, who take pride in their work and claimed being able to finish anything they set out to make. 

And that's not the only compromise they make. It seems like, in the past, they committed a small blunder during the planning of a building, overlooking the existence of a giant tree in the property, which, they then proceeded to strike down with their bare fists.(*T.N: kanji reads Iron Fist(Tekken), maybe it's a special technique or smt.)

Incidentally, there was no leniency from the client, and so, the one who made the mistake in the making of the design was mercilessly beaten up in the mounting position. 

"That's how it is. Sometimes, they abruptly decide to change the design of a building when it's already halfway finished, because it didn't suit their fancy."

"Never make a craftsman cry. Such a client will only see h.e.l.l."

"What are you saying, aren't they just making what they want to build? These dwarves…"

"Nevertheless, I'll trust their abilities. I'm sure they will manage to get the job done in time."

"I see… I have faith in their skills as well."

He felt like there was something wrong in the way he said it, but Zeros didn't voice out his doubts. 

"I'll be glad if you could have a look in advance and tell me your opinion about it, as I thought… I'm anxious about leaving everything to those guys."

"I don't see any problems with the house itself. Bath, toilet… I feel like there aren't many rooms, but I don't see any issues."

"Is that so…?"

"It would be nice to have a storage room instead of a bas.e.m.e.nt but, in all honesty, my budget is a bit…"

"Don't worry about money, this is repayment for the Wyverns' magic stones, after all. You don't have to hold back, but… you should tell them about the bas.e.m.e.nt directly yourself."

"… Why, what's wrong?"

"I might get beaten up if I tell them…"

"Eh? Beaten up? Are they really that violent?"

They are a group that look like they're quite difficult to deal with. Rather than being trustworthy artisans, the impression they give as that of those who use their occupation as an excuse to do whatever they please, akin to the individuals who derive pleasure in seeing other people's reactions to their crimes*.

(*T.N: Yukaihan, )

Truth be told, Zeros didn't want to go to such a place.

"Isn't it the house you will be living in? Wouldn't it be strange not to give your own thoughts about it?"

"That might be true, but I don't want to get involved with shady people."

"I understand how you feel, but if you don't go, they'll come to beat you up, y'know? … In a gang."

"Do they like blood that much!? Are they really craftsmen!?"

Heaving a long sigh in exasperation, Zeros stands up to leave the room. It seemed like he would have to go to inspect the place whether he wanted or not.

While thinking of such things, the two madams call out to Zeros.

"Hey, I heard you were single, but are you not planning to get married?"

"Right now, I'm worried about securing a place to live. I will think about marriage once my life is more stable."

"Is that so? Then, why don't you take that good-for-nothing from our family? Frankly, she's not suited to be part of this Duke's household."

"Good-for-nothing? Are you referring to Celestinsama? A commoner like myself?"

"Since she can't use magic, she's useless even for a political marriage. Even so, we can't just have her loiter around here forever, wouldn't you agree?"

DelSasis' wives still believed that Celestina couldn't use magic. But in actuality, she's strong enough to be called a high-ranked magician. 

The two, who didn't have a clue about it, seemed to be focused on how to dispose of such an unwelcome person.

"I appreciate the offer, but I will have to decline. I don't want to get killed by Creston-sama, after all. Well then… I wouldn't want to keep disturbing your leisure time with your wives, so I will excuse myself now. Have a nice day."

Zeros plays it safe with some noncommittal words, bows his head in reverence and quickly leaves the place. 

He left the room walking with a calm gait, though he didn't want to get involved with this n.o.ble family's problems any longer.

"He easily dodged the topic, huh."

"Hmm, well he wanted some land, so I thought he would be more ambitious…" 

"A person without any ambitions, I don't think he's trustworthy."

"What is father-in-law thinking, bringing in such a shady magician?"

The two women were not aware of Zeros' real competence as a magician. And after speculating that much, they decided to ask their husband, DelSasis, about him.

But he had no intentions of answering his wives' questions. After all, he didn't want to make a Great Sage into an enemy.

"He is… an excellent individual. But rather than that, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, let's enjoy ourselves today, my dear husband."

"That's right. Where are you taking us today? I'm looking forward to it."

With just a word from DelSasis, they quickly forgot about Zeros. It seems like this lord is quite loved by his wives. 

He has the mouth of a lawyer, the heart of a swindler, and the quick feet of a scoundrel. He's not your run-of-the-mill philanderer. DelSasis, uselessly overflowing with the spirit of a true dandy, is a master of the art of playing around with women. 

A man among men who doesn't forget about providing the crucial after-sales service*.

(*T.N: this is a bit of a tricky one.アフターケア[after-care], in this context it'd be after-sales service, a management term that basically means 'to make the costumers happy with their purchase, so they spread good word about your product', and well, you see the innuendo here. )

Zeros walks through the city of Santhor. He heads towards the construction site at the back of the orphanage, which is now his own property.

There wasn't any construction work two weeks ago, around the time of the Mandrakes' harvest. However, when he arrived to what should've been an empty lot, there were a lot of dwarves working hard in building his house.

"Boss! Where is this pillar attached to!?"

"Haaa!? There's a number written on it! Can't you f.u.c.king see!?"

"It's gone. Did someone spill water on it or something? How many are like this?"

"Who's the idiot that had lunch on the building materials!? There's tea all over the d.a.m.n place!"

"It was him!"

"Ah! You fool! How dare you betray me!?"

There seemed to be some kind of commotion going on, and Zeros is just standing there with his mouth open as he stares dumbfounded at the scene unfolding before his eyes. 

"Byrle, I hope you're ready…"

"Wait, Daryl is guilty too! If you're gonna beat me, beat his a.s.s as well!"

"Oi! Why are you selling me out!?"

"Ugh, you're coming down with me in this as well!"

"Both of ya, clench your teeth tight!!"

There was a booming sound like that of an explosion, followed by the groans of two dwarves, who drop to the ground while holding their heads.

"How long are you planning to stay on the ground for!? Get back to work!!"

"… Heeee……."

Dwarves were rather st.u.r.dy. Even a heavyweight boxer would likely be knocked out by a punch like that, but they seemed to stand up as if nothing happened, so they were probably awfully tough.

In addition, that was the first time Zeros had seen another race besides humans.

The dwarf boss notices the stunned Zeros.

"Oh, what brings ya here?"

"Eh!? Ahh… my apologies, I'm Zeros. I'm the one who's going to live here."

"You? The feudal lord was supposed to be our client, though?"

"Well, it's complicated… But anyways, are you the one in charge of the construction?"

"Ou, I'm the leader of these dwarves, the name is Naguri Monda."

In all honesty, Zeros couldn't distinguish the dwarves apart. They all had a long beard, beer barrel bellies, stout arms and short legs. A typical fantasy race.

"Then, Naguri-san. I'll be in your care."

"Yeah yeah. So, whatcha think about the house?"

"It's good. I have no complaints about the balance and the arrangement of the rooms, but…"

"What? Is there a problem?"

"Not really a problem. It's just that because I am a magician, I'd like to have more of a storage room-like bas.e.m.e.nt. But I guess it would be impossible now that the foundations had been laid."

At that moment, Naguri's eyes flash with a dangerous and sharp glint. 

"What…? Bas.e.m.e.nt… storage room…?"

"No, well, I don't want to force additional work upon you. The foundation work is already done after all."

"What a blunder! Because our client was the Duke, I thought he was going to live there with one of his mistresses."

"That man… just how many women does he play around with?"

"Well, I always see him with a different woman every time. Mostly widows and women going through hard times."

DelSasis often has relations.h.i.+ps with women that have troublesome circ.u.mstances. One of his most famous anecdotes is about the time when the lover he had at that moment was being targeted by a shady organization, he protected her without making any incessant onslaught, ultimately, thoroughly crus.h.i.+ng the organization, without overlooking anything.

Moreover, he didn't borrow the authority of the Duke's household. He acted on the sidelines only using his connections with different merchants. And, as a result, he's now known as one of the country's most influential merchants.

Incidentally, all the crushed organizations fell under his umbrella, and they're now working on legitimate business.

"He's also known as 'The Silent Lord', he might appear as a frivolous man on the outside, but he's quite the dangerous guy, y'know?"

"I see, but… what makes him such a dangerous person?"

"Well, his whole raison d'être is to please women*. He even wrote a book, y'know? 'Dandyism for men. Living one's life for the sake of pleasing women.'"

(*T.N: I think the kanji read something like "woman's shadow", the kanji for shadow also being an archaism for the female genitals, so that's probably the implication there.)

"What is the Duke doing!? How much money does he even earn from the royalties!? Wait, before that, you've read it before!?"

"Of course. It's a best-seller after all, y'know? It's a man's bible."

"You're kidding!"

He was a feudal lord who goes diagonally above expectations.

"Well, leaving the matter with the feudal lord aside, about the bas.e.m.e.nt… I wonder if【Gaia Control】could handle it."

"It could, but you'd need a very precise control, y'know?"

"Hm? And how do ya know that?"

"Because I'm a magician. So, what should I do? I'm pretty good at this kind of work."

"I'm kinda uneasy leaving this to an amateur, but we ain't very good at magic…"

Dwarves are fundamentally bad at magic. Although, with a lot of effort, it was possible for them to become magicians, they are a race more suited for manual labor. 

The magic【Gaia Control】, which could be used for farm work and civil engineering, was highly prized. It was specially useful for doing foundation work and reclamation of woodlands for agricultural production. In addition, it was very compatible with them, so they were quick to buy it from the Solisthea's Chamber of Commerce.

The issue is that it's not easy to perform operations that require pinpoint precision and control, but by continuously using it, one would eventually learn【Magic Manipulation】.

But, at the moment, there wasn't anyone capable of using it amongst the dwarves.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter if your house breaks down a little, I'm getting paid by the feudal lord after all."

"It's quite an unorthodox plan. The problem is that we have to change the form of the structural foundation, right?"

"Well, let's take a look. Come."

Guided by Naguri, Zeros is taken to the construction site where the foundation work has been done.

There's a small open s.p.a.ce that would eventually be the kitchen and living room. Several squared wooden pillars are affixed to the ground as part of the foundation of the floor, though that stage of the construction is not completely finished, making it easier to work with it.

"From here we'd have to dig through directly next to the pillars, but I'm worried about the structural integrity. It's just soil, so the house would collapse eventually, y'know?"

"Let's dig through with【Gaia Control】and then harden the ground with【Rock Forming】, including the foundations."

"There's a magic like that? First time hearing 'bout it!"

"It just compresses the soil and forcibly hardens it into rocks."

It's a magic created mainly to make flower beds and the like, but depending on how it's used, it's possible to erect a fort in a short amount of time, so it couldn't be carelessly spread around. 

The ability of hastily building a stronghold, could greatly affect the world's military balance. If an enemy fort suddenly appears one day, where there wasn't supposed to be anything, it can send the enemy's chain of command into disarray, just like with Sunomata castle, the 'one night castle'.

(*T.N:famous story of a fortress built overnight. )

Civilians are sent to war as engineers to built military bases. If they win, they get a reward, if they lose, they die. Additionally, they could also end up as slaves.

Not only knights fight in wars. There are also mercenaries and magicians, but the overwhelming majority of the soldiers are conscripts levied from the populace.

Incidentally, criminals are also used as soldiers but mostly just as disposable p.a.w.ns on the front lines.

For that reason, Zeros doesn't want to spread his magic too much.

"I'm going to start digging little by little, but do I start from the stairs first?"

"Yeah, that's right. It's better to start digging from there and then harden the foundations as well, don't cha think?"

"I got it, then… 【Rock Forming】"

The surrounding soil is gathered and compressed, and the foundations are affixed to the bedrock about three meters thick.

Naguri, who witnessed such a scene, exclaimed in admiration.

"What a handy magic. Would ya mind teaching it to me?"

"I'm still in the process of adjusting it. The mana consumption is just too high."

"So it's not for the general public, right? You've sure tried out all sorta things."

"It's dangerous depending on how you use it. It's the kind of thing that needs of a tacit rule for its use, don't you agree?"

"I see…"

No matter how convenient the magic is, it's the human nature to abuse it.

"Is it okay to make the stairs diagonally from around here?"

"Ou, the entrance would look great with a wide feeling to it, right?"

"That's true. Well, it's a storage room anyways. It's okay if the doorway is a little narrow."

"You're the one who's gonna live here, right? I don't mind…"

"Then… 【Gaia Control】"

The part of the ground that's not being hardened is dug in an arched shape, and after reaching approximately five meters underground, it's hardened with 【Rock Forming】, and from there, Zeros starts digging horizontally, as if digging a tunnel.

Like that, the bas.e.m.e.nt was gradually being made. 

"Hey, you…"

"What is it?"

"Don't ya wanna work for me? A person with your set of skills would be really helpful in construction."

"Huh!?"

Zeros was scouted. 

"Well, I'm just a researcher, and I want to live a leisure life working on the fields."

"Ain't that nice? Well, you could work part-time, y'know? Your skills are unbelievable! We'd certainly like to have someone like you working with us."

"Right now, I don't have any leeway to consider your offer. I'm still trying to settle down and get a stable income."

"Naturally, with a job, right? Even if you have a place to spend the night, you can't live without money, isn't that right?"

That was Naguri's honest opinion.

Even if Zeros is a tutor right now, he's not guaranteed a stable income forever. Considering the future, it would be a safer bet to get any temporary job he's being offered. However, to Zeros, who believed one only needs enough money to live a normal life, income wasn't a particularly problematic issue.

There are taxes to pay and other troublesome things here and there, but they're currently locked away in the corner of his mind. 

"Would it be fine if it's only in my spare time? You know, as a day laborer."

"Ahh, I get what ya mean."

"Anyhow, it seems like I'm going to be unemployed in a few weeks, right? I should get some extra income while I still can."

"You… are you planning on retiring already?"

"Even if I look young now, I won't be able to do any physical labor a decade from now. Humans grow old very quickly, after all."

"Dwarves ain't that different, but we still keep our physical strength even as we get older…"

"You guys live longer than humans, don't you? We can't live that long because we're not relatives of the spirits."

The average lifespan of a dwarf is around 200 years, and 500 years at the very least in the case of the elves. High elves and high dwarves, which are high-ranked species, can live twice that much.

Incidentally, Dragons are the living creatures with the longest lifespan, of around 3000 years. At that point, they are closer to spirits and deities rather than living beings, specially in terms of strength.

"Do ya want to live that long?"

"As a human, who can only live a hundred years at most, long-lived species are quite enviable, aren't they?"

"Such a thing… When ya have such a long life, you see your friends die one after the other, y'know? It's lonely."

"I get what you mean. My parents have already pa.s.sed away, I understand the loneliness of getting to an empty house every day. I've gotten used to it."

"Then ya know what it's like, right? The feelings of the ones left behind that have to continue living with that pain."

"Yes, I understand that, too. Still, I would be happy as long as there's someone who remembers me. That's my point of view as a person, before I die."

"I see… that's an interesting opinion."

Even while speaking about such a serious topic, the construction of the bas.e.m.e.nt was progressing quickly.

Like that, the edification of the ma.s.sive bas.e.m.e.nt was soon completed, with 3 rooms arranged in a cross shape.

"The ceilings are vaulted… ya seem to know a little about architecture, eh?"

"It's a good way to distribute the weight from above. It's just the basics, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. It's a technique often used to build castles and bridges."

"Hmm, it would be better to make the vents around here. The house will be on top, so they won't be visible from the outside."

"That sounds 'bout right. Let's work more efficiently."

"Just in case, let's harden the surrounding foundations of the bas.e.m.e.nt."

After making the holes that would serve as vents, the ground around the bas.e.m.e.nt was hardened, transformed into a monolithic rock with the exception of some parts. In addition, the foundation of the house will also be incorporated, and it will be strong enough to not collapse under ordinary circ.u.mstances.

"Do you want to use magic tools to light the place? They use up a lot of magic stones, so it'll cost you a pretty penny, y'know?"

"There's a good place to hunt around here, I can get as many magic stones as I want."

"… How confident. Ya must be quite good if ya can say that calmly with a straight face, right?"

"Who knows. I don't care about comparing myself with other people."

"Haha, that's exactly what a magician would say. You guys have nothing else in your head other than research, ain't that right?"

And thus, the construction of the bas.e.m.e.nt was finished unexpectedly early. 

When the two came out, the dwarves were continuing with their work as if nothing happened. Because the ground around the bas.e.m.e.nt was heavily compressed, the area of the surroundings should've been slightly reduced, but there didn't seem to be much change.

"Do we make sure the whole area is leveled? It wouldn't be funny if the house gets submerged after it rains fufufu…"

"Yeah, and also…  I wanted to ask what's with those clothes? You're looking real shady, y'know?"

"Don't mind it, I just like dressing like this. And well, it's not bad to look suspicious either… kukuku."

"One of these days you're gonna get reported just for the way you look, ya hear?"

"At that time, I can just demand reparations for a mistaken arrest. I'd like to see them try… kukuku."

"So it's on purpose!?"

It's an economical and even profitable style. As expected of a former salaryman, even if he falls down, he'll stubbornly stand up again. 

While talking about such stupid things, he tidies up the surrounding land, leveling the slight uneven slope product of forcibly compressing the ground into rock.

The Dwarves were at a lost for words while witnessing such a scene, and were stunned by the skillful construction work.

(*T.N: The whole convo between Zeros and the dwarf was somewhat confusing to translate, so I took some artistic liberties. That's why, there might be some things that are completely wrong and I didn't pick up on that, but imo it makes enough sense the way it is.)

"Boss… this guy's incredible! Let's have him come home with us!"

"I decided to hire him temporarily. Well, it depends on whether he has time, really."

"As expected of the boss!"

"This will make things easier, the preparation of the land was the most troublesome part."

"It'll help to develop the main road as well. It's quite s.p.a.cious now."

"Stop blabbering and start working! The deadline is approaching!"

"""Oouu!!!"""

(*T.N: the ou! is like a manly yes.)

Zeros was welcomed as a construction worker, to perform civil engineering work.

In this world, where useful magics like 【Gaia Control】 weren't widespread, everything was done by hand. The leveling of the land is measured again and again, and it is made flat by making fine adjustments each time. 

And it was the same for the construction of roads. It was extremely difficult to make roads that didn't become ponds whenever it rained. 

The flooded roads would cause the merchants' wagons to get stuck in the mud, and affecting the economy as a whole. Additionally, in rainy seasons, you could become stranded for many days, which may lead to getting targeted by bandits. 

The dwarves, who were the first to incorporate magic into construction work, were marveled by the convenience of 【Gaia Control】, and were quick to master it. They knew how troublesome it was to perform all these tasks by hand, so when the feudal lord told them about the existence of such a magic, they bought it without second thought.

Nevertheless, such precise work still seems impossible for them.

For example, when it comes to making a road through a highland, there are many asymmetries and different inclines that require a lot of manpower to level and, naturally, along with the lofty labor costs that come with it.

Due to the request being directly from the feudal lord, they had to reduce pointless expenses as much as possible to finish it within the budget, and, without having to cast away their other jobs, it was nigh impossible to finish on time before the deadline.

However, with【Gaia Control】not only they can finish the job on time, but also they can more efficiently use the manpower at their disposition, greatly improving the speed of tasks such as leveling the ground.  

It is as fast as using heavy machinery but without the need of having to transport such ma.s.sive equipment, so the efficiency is high. And, if they can work like that on several more sites, their profits will rise exponentially.

Additionally, if the magic 【Rock Forming】is added to the mix, it would be possible to dig up ditches that would act as storm drains by the highways, where the rainwater overflows, and thus avoiding the damage it makes to the roads.

Moreover, it can be finished expeditiously given that there was no need to dig the ditches by hand.

And, taking into account the recovery effects of the【Mana Potion】, they could get a wide range of different jobs and complete them with an astounding rate of efficiency.

Because the manpower necessary to perform these jobs can be further reduced, Zeros' spell is significant enough to be called the precursor of a revolution in the field of civil engineering. Though the person himself didn't have any intention of recording his name in the annals of history. 

Actually, the sale of the magic in question is being undertaken by the Solisthea's Chamber of Commerce*, so Zeros has an indirect role in its distribution at best.

(*T.N: the word used is 商会[shoukai], which can mean Chamber of Commerce, i.e, a single a.s.sociation of businesses, or it could also mean an individual firm or company, but I'm going with the former because it makes more sense to me, unless it's more evident that it's the other case in future chapters.)

"You will improve immediately if you keep using this magic, isn't that great?"

"Well, in your case, you can use a wider range of magics than we can. And more precisely as well. I envy you."

"Is that how it is? The surrounding area was supposed to be a field from the beginning, I just leveled the ground a bit to have a better drainage."

"It's difficult for us. We hardly ever use magic, we do everything by hand."

Dwarves are good with earth magic, but they only use it in combat. Basically, only warriors focus on magic, whereas, the other dwarves become artisans, so they don't have the chance to use magic either.

At most, they'd use【Body Enhancement】magic to lift heavy objects. 

Though they have more mana than humans, they are an odd race that doesn't use magic very often.

"Naguri! Sorry, but help me out with that pillar over there."

"Ou! Gimme a second!"

A dwarf sitting on a pillar, fixed horizontally on the second floor of the house under construction, calls out to Naguri. 

Zeros noticed that the dwarf was the foreman of the construction site because he was addressing Naguri, the boss, without honorifics.

Naguri picks up the pillar the other dwarf pointed at, with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Dieee!! Yumbo!!!"

"Uuuooo!?"

He throws the pillar like a javelin to the dwarf called Yumbo*, but he twisted his body and catches the pillar like a baseball player.

(*T.N: fun trivia: possibly, the name "yumbo" comes from a French manufacturer of hydraulic excavators, which is, apparently, the generic name for excavators in j.a.pan. I just thought it makes this character slightly funnier. The more y'know.)

However, he couldn't completely stop the pillar's momentum, making him soar in the air alongside the pillar while dangling from it.

"Tch, he avoided it…"

"Naguri-san… are you trying to murder that person…?"

It was an impulsive criminal act that stemmed from a grudge over food.

"It was a limited-time offer… Next time I can eat it is a year from now, y'know? I was the last person in line to get it… my killing intent just suddenly gushed forth, y'know?"

"Well… I don't agree with it, but I do understand your feelings."

Zeros couldn't drink the prized ginjō sake* he was looking forward to, all because of the providence of the G.o.ds*, that brought him into this world.

(*T.N:ginjō sake: high quality sake. Mentioned in the previous chapters.)

He fully understands his anguish.

"What's even worse, he ate it as a mere snack* to go along with his alcohol. Right in front of me!"

(*T.N: Sakana)

"Ugh… he's the worst."

It wouldn't be that bad if he ate it without Naguri watching. But, eating the food in front the person in question that bought it for himself, it's only natural for his anger to come forth, and it wouldn't be strange if he were to lose himself in his killing intent.

While Naguri was trembling in anger, a figure of a dwarf approaching them appeared.

"Naguri!! You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, the h.e.l.l you think you're doing!?"

"Haaaa!? It's your fault, y'know? Why don't you try apologizing first!? I'm surprised I'm even talkin' to ya!"

"It was only an insignificant piece of chicken meat, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

"What's that!? I have to wait a whole f.u.c.king year to have it. What do ya have to say 'bout that?"

"Even so! It's chicken, you can eat something similar elsewhere."

"That's not the point! Eating other people's food without permission, there's a problem with your att.i.tude!!"

"So you wanna kill me for it? Crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d."  

"Shut up, apologize and die."

The Boromoro* bird is a species of migratory birds, and are very cautious, making them hard to hunt. It's not an easy to obtain ingredient. Its rare meat makes many hunters to challenge it, but most of them fail.

(*T.N: ボロモロ, dunno if you guys have other name suggestions.)

Such precious meat was eaten, transforming Naguri into a demon.

"Naguri you crazy b.a.s.t.a.r.d!! Diee!!"

"Come! I'll give ya what you deserve!"

The two dwarves start a fierce fight.

Ignoring those two, the rest of the dwarves continue with their work. Seeing them being unfazed like that, Zeros guessed it was probably a daily occurrence. 

"… Can I go home now?"

Left behind like that, Zeros was at a loss of what to do.

—

After that, it was said that the fight continued until dawn. The dwarves' stamina seemed to be no joke.

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