The Village

Winter had arrived.

Just when I thought it was summer, it suddenly became autumn, and now it was already fully winter.

And a village had formed.

Yes, a village had formed.

I don't really understand what happened, but I think it started when I tacitly let some adventurers who were too cheap to stay at the inn pitch tents, then said, "It's too cold for tents now, might as well build a hut."

And then they went and settled down permanently. "Hey, good morning Kehma-san!" My foot. You said you'd build huts, but you went and built perfectly decent houses!

What's more, other adventurers got in on it too: "Oh, nice. I'll build one too… wait, how do you do this?" "Can't watch this, leave it to me!" And just like that, houses kept popping up one after another. What's this guy's deal? Kuusaan, the carpenter's son? Alright, I've memorized your name now!

Alongside all that, a bar opened up near the inn, and the guild branch office got a junior colleague for Receptionist-san, making it a two-person operation.

On top of that, a general store was built, the owner apparently smelling an opportunity for business. Thanks to that, the potions and such we were selling became harder to move, but it's not really a problem. We weren't counting on that revenue much to begin with. More importantly, since the merchant being here permanently means they're contributing DP and paying a protection fee, there's no reason to refuse.

And so, just like that, a village formed on its own.

It went so smoothly that it felt like someone was pulling strings behind the scenes. The Adventurer Guild is suspicious. Kuusaan is probably a spy planted by the Guild Head, right? Right?

With houses being built, I thought the inn might lose customers, but that didn't happen. Rather, the number of merchants increased.

Thanks to the carpenters felling trees for lumber in the previously roadless forest, a decent path had been made, making it easier to travel through. As a result, distribution between Tsuia and Pavera increased, and combined with the tunnel usage fees, our DP income went up too. Though it did make it harder to use the golem carriage.

(By the way, since lumber harvesting quests were put out through the guild, I had Niku and Ichika take care of them to increase their completed quest count.)

"Having a bar is great after all! Right, Wataru!"

"Nooo, I'm abstaining until I pay off my debt! I'm happy there's a bar now, but I'm abstaining!"

"It's fine, this is just apple juice."

"Eh, if it's that then it's fine… wait, this is alcohol!"

"Huh? What are you saying, Wataru. This is juice. It tastes a bit like alcohol, but it's nothing but juice. Right?"

"Ohhh, it's juice, huh. If Gozoh-san says so, it must be juice, ahahaha."

There were even farces like that.

Well, I don't really mind if he drinks. He's been paying back his debt properly after all.

That said, Haku-san hasn't come around lately. Not since I gave that ring to Rokuko.

According to the hero, Haku-san is busy and doesn't have time to come here, but… I feel like a death row inmate waiting for execution.

By the way, I sold cards and dice to the bar, and also rented out a slot machine.

After all, simple gambling like this is best done at a bar, betting drinking money. We profit from the slot rental fees, and the settings are generous. Generous enough that the bar barely turns a profit including the rental fee.

So with cards, dice, and even the slot machine now out there, did the game room become deserted? Not at all.

"Uoooooh! Go, go! Number three! Yumenokuni! Aah, don't stop there!"

Currently, the game room was hosting rat races.

The new residents and inn guests were all participating enthusiastically.

"Number one, Aonotenteki! Go! Go! Come on, please!"

"This is your chance, number four! Go, Nazunazu! I bet on you, so stop looking around for stuff and just run already!"

"Ohhh, Onsoku just pulled ahead! First place, number five, Onsoku! As expected of the favorite, maintaining that dignity! Payouts are over here!"

A chorus of joy and despair rose from the surrounding spectators, and losing tickets fluttered through the game room.

The betting was on which rat would finish the set course first. Since calculations were a pain, second place and beyond weren't considered at all.

"The next race is in one hour! This is today's final race! The roster is posted over there!"

"Ooh, Deppa's running. That one can sometimes win in a single burst, can't let your guard down."

"Elekimouse is the favorite though. That lightning speed is truly like thunder!"

"Wait, wait, Faito's tenacity is amazing too. This is going to be an interesting race."

"Oraniwasanpo is steady and clever, but lacks power. It's a long shot. Alright, I'll buy ten tickets! One silver coin!"

While the customers were betting on the next race, the rats that had competed in the previous race were happily gnawing on their reward cheese.

These guys were subordinates living in the forest, the rats that had been active during the Dungeon Battle with Haku-san.

By the way, when I gave them names for the races, they accidentally became Named Monsters and got considerably smarter.

They faithfully follow my instructions, intentionally determining placements and performing dramatic buildups to make the races more exciting. Hehehe, and with these guys, infiltration investigations are a piece of cake too… Though that was a miscalculation. It was a miscalculation.

And so, a village had formed centered around the inn, or rather, the dungeon.

On a certain winter day, I was called to the bar by Gozoh. I thought it might be for a drinking party and brought some food as a gift, but that wasn't the atmosphere at all. Present were Gozoh representing the adventurers, the blacksmith Kantara, Kuusaan who had been building houses all over the place, the bar master, the general store owner, and the guild receptionist… the person in charge of the branch office.

In other words, everyone with power in this area was gathered. Including me.

"So, the reason I asked Kehma to come here today is none other than this. We have an important matter to discuss about the village in front of [Cave of Desires]."

"Oh, so we're really becoming a village, huh… Ah, here's a gift. So, what's the matter?"

"Ooh! Looks delicious! Alright, Kehma will be the village chief! Any objections?!"

Huh?

"If it's Kehma-dono, I have no objections," said Kantara.

"Yeah, I trust Kehma-san!" said Kuusaan.

"None here. Oh, this is karaage. It's my favorite," said the bar master.

"Sounds good to me! You'll make us money after all," said the store owner.

"… I have none either," said Receptionist-san… Is no one going to object? What's with this flow?

"Wait, hold on. Hey Gozoh, why did it turn into me becoming village chief?"

"Because you seem the most free! Everyone else has work… Don't worry, a village chief is just a mediator. It's not that different from what you've been doing anyway, Kehma."

"Rokuko would work too, wouldn't she…? She's pretty free too."

"… Kehma. You really think you could entrust the village to Rokuko-chan?"

No, sorry. That was a weird thing to say.

"But if you're asking me, doesn't that mean I'd just be a figurehead?"

"Well, yeah. Basically same as usual. Just decide things as village chief if something comes up. Everyone will support you too."

"Hmm? I see… well, if that's the case…"

If that's all it is, I suppose it's fine. I accepted becoming the village chief.

I feel like I was led into this, but if I carelessly left it to someone else, it would just become more troublesome.

"Well then, right off the bat, I have something to consult the village chief about."

I knew it.