Day 48 Daytime, Cavern 46F

A great harvest. A legendary metal. A fantasy material. Today Im going to be busy with work again But it must be kept a secret. Or rather, is it a secret? Im 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 dont 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 isnt happening. Okay, lets 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 Im a fine young man. Or rather, Ill 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 Keys existence? Thats an item for the lowest floors of the great dungeon, right? Its 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 thats 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 arent listening. Looks like they already began discussing clothes? And also racking their brains over rings? What about mithril-san? Its a legendary fantasy metal? I can upgrade your equipment or make you new mithril weapons and armor? Its 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. Im not even a crafter? Im jobless. From dawn until dusk Im a combat jobless, and from dusk till dawn Im 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 wont 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 doesnt 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. Its fine, right? I mean, Im working 0 official hours and 24 hours overtime? That must be the reason why Im 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 Im 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?!

Its alright Im sure another domain will immediately spawn. As long as I keep the lord that hogs my money only half-dead, Im 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? Its 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 wont give him money. Will treat the same as monsters if we wont give him money. Definitely not a fine young man (scribbles while crying)

And she keeps writing that defaming report? Whats thatWill turn the town into a sea of flames if we wont give him money supposed to mean? Am I some kind of evil demon king? Im 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? Thats basically worse than an evil demon king. I think even Demon King-san wont do something as cruel as leaving the lord half-dead every time? Or rather, dont you dare actually do it!

Looks like I cant do that But even so

There is no guarantee they wont do something just because I didnt do anything? Im pretty sure that Meris 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 doesnt have enough population to properly defend itself, just like myself, they dont have the power to protect. If we dont attack then someone will die somewhere. If we wont make the first move then someone will really die. Some town or a village will get obliterated. Just like the poster girls 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 theyd 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 wouldnt have been strange if it turned into an all-out war when they attacked the local lord? And they still didnt have enough. I dont 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? Whats wrong with burning their city to the ground after theyve 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 didnt do anything wrong? Its what their lord is doing on his own, why do the people have to suffer for that? They might be good people? You cant treat them like that. You absolutely shouldnt do that.

Well, this town or its people didnt do anything wrong as well? Hell, even the local lord didnt do anything wrong? There is no need to even make guesses about that, we know its 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, its 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 didnt 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, thats 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 doesnt want to die then they shouldnt do something that will get them killed.

I dont know how she will report on this, but I dont 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 Im going to let that happen? I wont let others do as they please. Even though thats what I love doing myself. But Im always getting scolded if I go too far? So they also cant complain if someone gets angry at them.