Chapter 170 – The Bard Named Natsuki?

Returning from the realm of the goddesses…

Upon returning, I saw Natsuki sitting at the table, resting her chin on her hand and looking bored. She seemed completely unaware of my return, even though I was in her line of sight.

“I’m back, Natsuki. Were you waiting for me all this time?”

Upon hearing my voice, she finally seemed to snap out of it and responded with a startled expression.

“Oh, I missed it! I was waiting to see you return…”

“My apologies… I got carried away with the conversation.”

“Aww… in the end, I couldn’t go there either, and I missed your return moment. But anyway, welcome back, Village!”

“Hmm… I apologize for that. But I’ll make it up to you by summarizing what I learned there now. I’ll give you some exclusive information, so forgive me for that.”

“That’s just for me? That sounds pleasant!”

“Well, I’ll tell everyone else later… but that’s okay.”

She had waited for me after all, so it seemed fair to give her some special treatment. With that thought in mind, I began summarizing the information I had learned while answering Natsuki’s questions. I was jotting them down on paper as I went along.

[Offerings to the Goddess], [The History of This World], [Past Heroes], [The Blessing of the Snake beastmen]. I wrote down the details, adding Natsuki’s questions and doubts, trying to be concise yet detailed.

After finishing summarizing everything, it was time for lunch.

Natsuki and I headed to the cafeteria, planning to gather everyone there through telepathy. However, there weren’t many villagers in the cafeteria yet, as if we were a bit early. The usual crowd hadn’t arrived yet.

“I wish everyone would hurry up!”

Natsuki, seemingly thrilled by the advance information, was waiting eagerly beside me.

“It looks like they’re starting to gather. We’ll wait until everyone is here to make the announcement. Feel free to chat, but keep it down, okay?”

“I got it!”

As we waited for the villagers to arrive, we began our meal. Both the first and second floors were already full, with lively conversations filling the entire cafeteria…

Then, as expected, Natsuki, with a triumphant look on her face, began to spoil the surprise. Despite the noisy atmosphere, her voice stood out, immediately attracting everyone’s attention, and soon, everyone was listening intently.

“Hey, Natsuki, why don’t we take the stage? Give them a proper explanation from the start. I’ll provide some additional details by your side.”

“Huh, me? Talk to them?”

“You’ve already grabbed everyone’s attention, so why not? Besides, your voice carries well, so I think everyone can hear you clearly. Let’s go.”

I and Natsuki took the stage. In the midst of everyone’s gaze, she showed no sign of nervousness. She confidently narrated the explanation… or rather, the story. While there were embellishments here and there, and some exaggerations, it was undeniable that she was captivating. The scenes she described were vivid, and the story flowed smoothly, immersing everyone listening.

(I didn’t expect Natsuki to have such talent…)

In the noisy cafeteria, only Natsuki’s voice could be heard. Everyone present was captivated by her story.

Although she may have exaggerated the story a bit, she didn’t tell any lies. In the end, what everyone gained was even greater faith in Lady Nanasia and a much deeper understanding of the snake beastmen.

Since the conversation is mainly dialogue, I’ll translate it for you:

Her storytelling was so good, I almost thought she had the skills of a bard… but upon appraisal, it wasn’t anything special.

“I’m quite satisfied. How was it, Village Chief? It turned out quite well, didn’t it?”

“It was truly splendid. If there’s anything else in the future, I’d like to ask you again, Natsuki.”

“I tried to aim for a special feeling for Nanasia-sama, and to garner favor with the snake beastmen… Hehe, it went quite well, didn’t it?”

With such a scene, the presentation to everyone came to a close.

—

400 days in the otherworld – 77,466pt

Four days after reuniting with the goddesses, today I plan to visit the ruins dungeon and discuss with the snake beastmen’s chief, Snapenir. We’ve already arranged to meet at the teleportation circle on the 25th floor, and I’ve informed them of most of the circumstances.

According to the information I received from Lady Nanasia, becoming a villager would lift the curse, and there’s a possibility they might come to the village. In fact, many of them still long for the surface. They didn’t even have the option to choose due to the curse, but the interest in where their ancestors lived still remains.

The problem is… whether they’ll believe my story and how to prove my interaction with the goddesses. When I met them directly before, they asked, “Are you an apostle?” Now that I think about it, I should have said “yes.” Well, in that case, there’s a high chance they would have seen through the lie and kept their distance…

The key seems to be the “Goddess Statue” Lady Nanasia mentioned when we parted ways. Actually, there are three types of them.

===

Goddess Statue: 100pt

– A small goddess statue for each household.

Crystal Goddess Statue: 300pt

– A goddess statue that allows for ability appraisal by touching it.

Goddess Statue: 100pt

– A goddess statue that looks good in the center of the village.

Of course, I could just go and ask her again… but thinking about that meaningful departure, it felt awkward to immediately meet again.

In the end, it was decided to just take everything. We exchanged all three items and had them transported by Melinard’s spatial storage.

“Village chief of Nanashi Village, it’s been a while since we met face to face like this. I appreciate you giving us these valuable scales. On behalf of our clan, I express our gratitude.”

Upon arriving at the scene, Snapenir politely bowed. He was accompanied by six warriors.

“The gratitude is mutual. Not only the large amount of magic stones, but you’ve also assisted us several times, haven’t you? Having a reliable ally nearby is reassuring.”

On our side were participants who frequently interacted with the snake beastmen, including Touya and Sakura.

“I’ve heard from Sakura-dono. You’ve received an oracle from the Earth Goddess Nanasia-sama… so you are indeed an apostle, I suppose. Hm, should I show more respect?”

“No, please refrain from that. It’s helpful if you treat me as an equal.”

“I see, then I shall do so.”

Once again, I explained the situation from my perspective. I talked about the history of the snake beastmen, the details of the curse they received, and how to lift it… but Snapenir and his group didn’t seem to doubt me. While I couldn’t know what they truly thought, I felt a certain level of trust and expectation from them.

After finishing the explanation, I took out the three types of goddess statues. Their reaction was most notable for the “Crystal Goddess Statue.” It was the appraisal tool placed at the entrance of the settlement.

“…This is undoubtedly a goddess statue. It’s no different from the ones we have in our village. We’ve heard about it, but to think we could obtain so many…”

“According to Nanasia-sama’s story, the snake beastmen ancestors received it from the ‘Dragons of the Great Mountains.'”

“Yes, that’s what has been passed down from our ancestors as well. Without this, the snake beastmen would have been extinct long ago.”

They seemed to be familiar with the appraisal function as well. The seven who touched the goddess statue were convinced that it was authentic. Deciding that further explanation would be futile, I moved on to the main topic and asked for their intentions.

“…Well, since the purpose of today is clear, I’ll get straight to the point. Would the snake beastmen like to come to the surface? We want you to live together with us as villagers.”

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