Chapter 94: Maria’s Work

Day 194 of Life in Another World

The day after accepting the Fish-men into the village, I had a meeting with Maria in the morning.

The Fish-men didn’t have any particular preferences for their housing; they said regular houses would be sufficient. Currently, there were about nine vacant houses, so they prioritized housing for married couples. For single individuals, they planned to have them live in a dormitory and find suitable partners while living together.

In the past, there were several couples who got along well while living in the dormitory and eventually moved to their own houses. Though there were a few who didn’t get along and broke up, there was no awkwardness afterward. They returned to the dormitory and looked for new partners positively.

The Beastmen put more emphasis on leaving offspring than on romantic relationships. Rather than worrying about complicated love affairs, they considered it more important to choose their next partner quickly.

As for the new residents, there were ten adult males, fifteen adult females, and five children among the thirty Fish-men.

Among them, eight were couples or families, and three of those families had children. Maria thought, “The birth rate might be a bit low,” but she mentioned that there were five young adults who reached adulthood last year. Since there was a relatively high number of young people, Maria seemed pleased, saying, “We can expect the tribe’s future prosperity.”

Regarding work assignments, nine of the Fish-men received the fisherman occupation and started working as fishermen. Nine others were selected to work as assistants in fisherman roles, assisting with salt production using magic tools. Additionally, six individuals, including four who gained the cook occupation, started working at the dining hall.

As for the children, they would follow Melissa-sensei’s guidance, help with agriculture, and receive a general education like other races.

“So, Maria, what are your plans?”

“Well… I thought about being the water overseer for the village. Even though there’s a waterway nearby, having a water mage stationed in the village is crucial, don’t you think?”

“That makes sense. Having someone as proficient in water magic as you would certainly make life in the village more comfortable.”

That’s right. Among the Fish-men, only Maria, the clan chief, possessed valuable magic skills and even gained the profession of a mage at the church. By the way, this morning, the appraisal by Haruka looked something like this:

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Marine Arclear (Maria) Lv. 35

Villager Loyalty: 83

Occupation: Mage

Skill: Water Magic Lv. 4

Can consume MP to launch powerful attacks. Can be used for drinking, shape manipulation, and temperature adjustment.

=======================

Maria’s level was high, and her water magic had already reached Lv. 4.

Her high level and skills were due to being invited by the Drago family to the dungeon. However, Maria had no interest in fighting or strength. Also, Maria’s real name, like the Dragos, was something called a “True Name.” Unlike the Dragon-kin, it seemed that only the clan chief inherited this tradition.

“Eh, hey, are you listening?”

“Oh, sorry, what were you saying?”

“Ugh, really! I’m talking about my work! It wouldn’t look good if I were just the water overseer. Don’t you have any other ideas?”

“Hmmm – can’t think of any at the moment. …… Oh, it’s not a job, though. I need Sakura and Kyoko to teach you some magic.”

“Huh, does that mean… I’ll become a fire-man too, like Sakura-chan…?”

“No, no! I don’t want you doing anything dangerous like that. Just have them teach you carefully and safely.”

“I see, well, then I’m totally fine with it. I was interested in their magic abilities, so I’d be grateful for the opportunity.”

That Sakura incident was dangerous… Sure, it yielded results, but I hope she never does it again, and I won’t recommend it to others either.

“As a goal, I’d like you to be able to create ice. Fishing will become more active from now on. Although we have the Warehouse of All Things, we still want to maintain freshness during transportation and transfer.”

“I understand, that’s reasonable. Well then, I’ll talk to Tsubaki-chan about the water overseer’s responsibilities. I’ll go do that right away.”

“Alright, I’m counting on you.”

With that, all the tasks for the Fish-men were settled, and life in the village returned to its usual routine.

◇◇◇

Around noon, Merrimus and Merinard were preparing to return to the town.

Originally, Merrimus was supposed to return alone, but they needed a carriage to go to the sea, so they decided to leave four out of the six carriages in the village.

Merinard and the two guards weren’t giving up on dungeon adventures; they just left their belongings in the spatial storage and were planning to return to the village immediately.

By the way, the care of the sixteen horses was entrusted to two members of the trading company. These two were originally responsible for the company’s horsekeeping. There was also a young female shop clerk who, along with Melissa, was entrusted with the role of teacher.

“Then, Village Chief, we’ll be off.”

“Everyone, take care on the journey. We’re looking forward to your safe return.”

“Yes. We’ll bring back as much alcohol as we can carry, so please tell everyone in the village.”

“They’ll be delighted. Well, let’s keep it a secret from Rudorg.”

“No, no, that’s impossible. After all, it was Rudorg-san who made the suggestion.”

“Heh, that old man… He doesn’t miss a thing.”

“We’ll be back soon.”

As part of this exchange, Merrimus was given the “Necklace of the Barrier.” I believe it will protect him if anything happens suddenly. When they arrive in the town, they plan to hire reliable adventurers as escorts, so as long as nothing major happens, they should be fine.

After seeing everyone off, I spent my time leisurely, visiting various places in the village.

Next to the blacksmith’s workshop, Rudorg and his companions were building a furniture workshop. With no need to construct housing for the Fish-men anymore, the idle craftsmen gathered here to create an impressive workshop. Once the construction of the workshop was complete, they planned to expand the public bathhouse, and it seemed like that would be finished soon as well.

Near the construction site, Natsumi was working on a huge signboard with the words “NATUKI Workshop” carved into it. Looking closely, she had made several other signboards reminiscent of a blacksmith, a tavern, and a tailor, all of which were splendidly made.

“We plan to decorate the public bathhouse and the warehouse with these signs, so look forward to it!”

“As expected of a master craftsman. The village’s landscape will surely improve, and I’m excited about it.”

◇◇◇

The sun had already set, and amidst the lively atmosphere of the dining hall, there was a report from the dungeon team. Apparently, they finally discovered the boss room on the 15th floor.

The door in the boss room looked completely different from the usual ones, and everyone said they felt an eerie atmosphere.

“Anyway, the door is huge, and the decorations are extravagant. Something’s definitely up.”

“That much, huh… So, are you planning to challenge it tomorrow?”

“No, it’s better to hold off for now. Somehow, I feel like this time, we should challenge it with a full-scale effort.”

“I agree with Touya-kun. It’s better to wait until everyone, including the soldiers from the Rado Company, Kyoko-san, and the Dragos, have leveled up.”

Touya and Sakura were more cautious than usual. Though I haven’t seen the place myself, there must be something that’s making them be on guard.

“In that case, should I participate too?”

“Yeah… I guess so. To be honest, it would be reassuring to have the Village Chief with us. However, I can’t guarantee what might happen.”

“I have no intention of doing anything reckless. I can support as a healer as well.”

“I feel more at ease knowing that the Village Chief will be there too. In any case, let’s level up as much as we can before we go.”

“True. Please prepare thoroughly, including the battle plan. Everyone, follow Touya and Sakura’s instructions.”

The members of the dungeon team who gathered around nodded earnestly, showing their determination. No one was negative about the boss battle, and they all had faces befitting adventurers.

Currently, the highest level that can be reached on the 15th floor is about 60. It was decided that they wouldn’t challenge the boss until all the members’ levels exceeded 55 and they had equipped themselves with Magic Iron equipment.

“By the way, what kind of strength does level 60 represent?”

“It’s hard to say exactly, but if it’s a melee class, you could defeat an Orc General in a one-on-one battle. For fighters and mages, it’s instant-kill level.”

“Really? So, everyone here will reach that level… Well, our village is starting to look quite terrifying.”

“At level 60, you’re in the A-rank, and you might even reach S-rank territory. It’s not just impressive; it’s the birth of a remarkable village. I haven’t reported this to the Council. If they found out, I might get scolded.”

“It’s too late now. It doesn’t matter anymore; the villagers are getting stronger, so there’s no problem.”

“True. Well then, everyone, let’s train ourselves to our limits!”

“””Uoooh!”””

The decisive battle is near.

Saying that might raise a strange flag, but… honestly, I’m excited too. I don’t intend to become complacent, but I can’t help but get caught up in the atmosphere and join in the excitement.

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