Chapter 115: The Last Ability?

Day 271 of Life in Another World

The day after the selected team headed to the dungeon, the group of people I had previously turned into villagers at Merry Company moved to the village. 

The five female clerks remained at the company, and sixteen of their family members moved to the village ahead of them.

With the possibility of deteriorating relations with the Empire and the Kingdom in the future, there was an intention to “have at least the family members move as soon as possible.” In case something happened, it would be easier for a smaller group to escape.

The group that arrived in the village this time included five spouses and eleven children, and the number of small children had increased significantly. It was a wise decision to have prepared something like a school-cum-daycare center over the past month, anticipating this.

(Well, it was Tsubaki who came up with the idea, not me…)

I guided the spouses and children of the sheep beastmen to the school and spoke to the principal, Melissa-sensei.

“Melissa-san, how is everything here?”

“Oh, Village Chief, welcome. Thanks to you, everything is going smoothly.”

Looking around, I could see children of various races having a good time. The children of the beastmen were also looking around with great interest.

“If you ever find that you’re short-staffed, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“It’s alright. We have one person from each race stationed here, and the older children help take care of the little ones.”

“That’s good to hear. Well then, please continue to take care of everything, Melissa-sensei.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

It seemed that the size of the classroom was more than sufficient, and it also seemed suitable as a playground for rainy days. While thinking about such things, I took the five people to their workplace.

“Village Chief, we appreciate you providing us with a workspace. We’d like to start preparations right away. Is that acceptable?”

“Of course, go ahead. But from noon onwards, it’s basically free time. You can work if you want to, but… keep it within reason.”

Actually, these five had been working in a somewhat unusual job in the city. Since they had become villagers, I decided to have them make it their profession in the village as well, and I had a dedicated facility built for them.

“With such excellent facilities, it’ll be the same as when we were in the city… no, even better! The dyes and purification equipment are top-notch, and we’re looking forward to it too!”

Yes, what we built this time was a dyeing and textile factory. In the city, they dealt with clothing and leather products, I heard. We also provided magic tools for purifying water, so there was no need to worry about the impact on downstream rivers and the sea. The dyes and tools were all top quality, and Merinard had gone all out to procure them.

According to them, it wasn’t just dyeing threads and fabrics, but depending on the item, it was possible to dye or color finished products as well. Among the artisans, there were also “painters” responsible for houses and furniture. It was a versatile profession.

“I’ll have Tsubaki come by later. Please coordinate with the other craftsmen when the time comes. We’re looking forward to the finished products.”

“Yes, we’ll do our best for the village!”

All five of them were full of enthusiasm. They could leave their children here with peace of mind, and they could see them anytime if anything happened. They might be worried about their wives who remained in the city, but I believed that the barrier would protect them.

◇◇◇

In the afternoon, I was wandering around the village as usual. This moment was truly pleasant.

Just hearing those words might make people think, “You’re not doing anything!”… well, that was true. I wasn’t doing anything. However, the fact that the Village Chief wasn’t doing anything was proof that the village was stable. I wasn’t deliberately sabotaging anything.

Reminding myself of such things, I was walking near my home when suddenly, an announcement could be heard.

<Village residents’ faith has exceeded the specified value. The unique skill ‘Village Guardian’ has been achieved.>

『The ability ‘Blessing of the Goddess’ has been unlocked. Due to the unlocking of specific abilities, ‘Faith Points’ will be displayed. 』

<The unique skill has reached its maximum level. Congratulations!>

<In the future, various benefits can be obtained by spending Faith Points. Details can be confirmed on the monitor. Please collect plenty of them… and come visit someday.>

Something felt different from usual. The explanation was very clear and easy to understand.

Moreover, the last words weren’t in electronic tones. It was a voice of a transparent woman, very gentle in tone. She didn’t introduce herself, but I was convinced, “This has to be the Goddess.”

(“Someday come visit”… are there such benefits, I wonder?)

First, let’s calm down and head to the living room in my house. It seemed that I could see the details on the monitor, and I wanted to be in a quiet place alone.

(Leaving aside the ability… reaching the maximum level of the skill means I won’t learn any more abilities, huh. Well…)

I knew it was being a bit extravagant, but not having any room for improvement was a bit tough. Having no goals or expectations… it was quite unfortunate.

With such a discouraged feeling, I touched the monitor to check the new ability.

Keisuke – Level 91

Occupation: Village Chief, Nanashi Village ★★☆

Current Faith Points: 24pt ＜NEW＞

Unique Skill Village Level – (150/5000)

‘Village Chief Authority,’ ‘Rnge Designation +,’ ‘Exile Designation,’ ‘Ability Imitation,’ ‘View,’ ‘Collection,’ ‘Material Transfer,’ ‘Telepathy,’ ‘Inheritance,’ ‘Blessing of the Goddess’ ＜NEW＞

Receive the goddess’s blessings by consuming Faith Points. Faith Points can be obtained through factors such as the village’s population, level, development, prayers to the church, and defeating monsters.

Village Bonuses

★ Abundant Land

★★ Universal Storage

☆☆☆ Goddess Faith

Changes in status representation include the display of ‘Current level of Faith Points’ and the village skill becoming ‘Lv-‘.

(As I thought, the skill level has reached its limit… No, the crucial thing is the content of the blessings! It’s too early to give up!)

With renewed determination, when I displayed the details of ‘Blessing of the Goddess,’ a tremendous variety of benefits were revealed.

(Wow, seriously! But there are some really crazy ones mixed in… Is this okay?)

From somewhat subtle benefits to terrifying ones that approached the core of the world, they were lined up alongside the Faith Points to be consumed. Moreover, this feature could be sorted by type. It offered quite a bit of flexibility, whether by consumption point order, type, and so on. Could this functionality also be part of ‘Blessing of the Goddess’…

The more I looked, the higher my excitement rose.

There were so many enticing blessings that it felt like my hands were about to reach out.

The man, who had been disheartened just a moment ago, now stared at each and every word with rapt attention.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter