My Subordinates' Growth

I'd become both a Dungeon Master and a village chief.

However, that doesn't mean I'm going to use the dungeon's convenient features for the village's benefit.

Being a Dungeon Master is a secret, and it would be bad if the existence of one were discovered. I'm limiting its use to myself and the inn only.

All I need is enough space to sleep peacefully.

Now, about the dungeon. I actually think it's about time for another renovation.

The cause is the nineteen magic swords that the hero Wataru brought back.

Because word of this spread, the number of C-Rank adventurer customers increased, and the dungeon conquest has been progressing.

Specifically, more people are exploring the labyrinth area, making it harder to move the walls around.

As a result, more adventurers have been challenging the puzzle area.

By the way, even if they fail the puzzles, they just get sent back to the first floor, but if they're careless, they can sprain their ankle, leading to extended stays or being carried out on a stretcher… If they land badly or are heavily armored, they can even die.

Basically, I'm not capturing people and throwing them in jail. What happened before was an exception, yeah.

"Speaking of which, Rei. Whatever happened to those people we captured a while back?"

"They're still alive. After all, my attack power is zero."

The silver-haired vampire Rei answered with a lovely smile. It's good to see employees working with enthusiasm.

I don't understand why them being alive is connected to her having zero attack power, but I decided not to ask any further. It's probably something I'm better off not knowing. I don't want to accidentally have nightmares about it, so I'll just leave it to Rei.

Since it was a good opportunity, I decided to go check on how my subordinates were doing.

Kinue-san and Nerune were chatting in the dining room. It was already past noon and not mealtime, so there were no customers. Since people can now eat light meals at the bar, things here have gotten much easier.

Kinue-san has learned the cooking methods I vaguely described and can now reproduce Japanese dishes to some extent.

For seasonings like soy sauce and miso, we use ones bought with DP. Sugar is made from sugar beets, and we use salt that Pavera merchants left behind.

"Kinue-san, how are things going?"

"Master. Yes, things are going well. I was asking Nerune about magic."

"About magic? Is there some magic skill you want to learn?"

"I was wondering if there's any magic useful for cleaning or cooking… other than [Purify]."

Using [Purify] for cleaning goes against her pride, but apparently using wind magic to blow away dust is acceptable.

"You've learned Japanese cooking, so I'll give you a Low-tier scroll as a reward."

"My, thank you very much. Then I'll consult with Nerune more seriously."

Kinue-san smiled with an "Ufufu." She has the air of a mature woman.

On the other hand, the apprentice mage Nerune has more of a young girl vibe.

"How about you, Nerune? Have you learned any magic skills?"

"Ehh… Um, Master. You said you'd teach me magic once I learned all the skills Niku-senpai knows, but… there's still one I just can't seem to learn!"

"[Storage]?"

"[Storage]!"

Well, all the others are Low-tier magic, but [Storage] is the only Mid-tier one… Wait, you were able to learn all the others? That's amazing.

Although she hasn't learned [Storage] yet, she's properly learned all the other magic skills. Maybe I'll teach her magic sometime when I feel like it… No, actually that's too much trouble. In this world, learning magic without scrolls requires "perfectly memorizing and reciting the incantation's pronunciation," and until you acquire it as a skill, you have to "keep reciting the incantation with perfect pronunciation"… It's an incredibly tedious grind.

A magic teacher has to stick by them, listening and correcting patiently and carefully.

Once you've acquired it as a skill, even if you make a small mistake, it just increases mana consumption. And basically, if you consciously recite it, you won't make mistakes.

"Please give me a scroll too!"

"Alright then, Nerune. I'll give you a different assignment. Complete it and I'll teach you magic."

"What is it?"

"Figure out a way to make golems use magic… If you think you've got something, I'll help you test it."

"Alright, I'll do it! Absolutely! Fufufu, I absolutely will!"

Nerune laughed.

If golems can use magic, Golem Blades could become magic swords too, which would greatly expand the dungeon's possibilities. Hehehe, do your best and show me what you've got.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

Speaking of skills, Ichika and Niku had also learned the offensive sword skill [Slash]. It was the result of their repetitive training using Golem Assist.

Ichika only managed to learn [Slash], but Niku learned [Slash], [Double Slash], [Axel Turn], and even something called [Assassin's Edge]. Incredible. And on top of that, she was teaching Nerune magic…

It's probably due to the high physical abilities of beastkin combined with a child's remarkable learning capacity.

When I went to check on them, they were sparring with wooden swords in the inn's courtyard.

The clack clack of wood striking wood echoed, with [Slash] mixed in partway through.

There were also pseudo-skills mixed in. She was forcing her body to move using the golem's assistance.

I asked Niku about the trick to it.

"Accept the form. Go whoosh, but not just letting the golem move you, um, y-you going bam bam yourself is important too. Ah, [Double Slash] needs to be fast, that's important, and [Assassin's Edge] cuts the throat. Then it goes pow."

She explained with gestures mixed in, but unfortunately, I didn't understand at all.

But Ichika originally used swords. The fact that she only learned [Slash]… is it because she lacks talent or aptitude? Well, whatever. I wasn't trying to verify anything anyway; I just wanted to see if they could learn through training and save me some DP.

I didn't want to do repetitive practice myself, so I used a skill scroll. The [Slash Skill Scroll] was a Low-tier swordsmanship scroll and cost 500 DP.

"Hey, Goshujin-sama? It took me two months to learn that…"

"Got it, I'll reward you with three days of all-you-can-eat curry bread."

"… Make it a whole week!"

I allowed it.

By the way, the bread assortment pack is 5 DP for six pieces, so she'd need to eat 600 to break even.

… That's about 85 a day. Way beyond heartburn territory. Good luck making it worth it.

Ever since I punished her with a month of this-world-standard meals, it feels like food has become way too important to her.

"Does Niku want a reward too? You learned four skills, so I can grant you four times as much as whatever ridiculous thing Ichika asked for."

"… Please pat me."

"Hm? Sure."

I patted Niku's head. The smooth texture of her black hair felt pleasant. Niku's tail was wagging back and forth.

"So, what do you want as a reward? Just patting seems like a waste."

"… Mm, this is fine."

What an adorable thing to say. I ruffled her head with both hands. Her hair got messy, but since her tail wagged happily while I brushed it back into place with my fingers, this is probably fine.

She's become quite dog-like and affectionate ever since I gave her the family name Kuroinu. The naming is really having an effect.

"I-If Goshujin-sama wants, you can pat me… everywhere…?"

… Is the naming effect a bit too strong?