Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Best Defense is Offense - 3
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I entered Watermill Village. For my safety, the Hundred Swords Society and the holy knights had scouted ahead first. But the village inside was completely empty.
Probably...
As Emil had said.
All the villagers had fallen under the curse and turned into spectral cursed monsters—snake people. So there was no chance of the residents ever returning to this village.
All that remained was a desolate wasteland.
Subjugation Force Captain Luciana asked me,
"What should we do, my Lord?"
"The location here is prime, so let's fortify it with walls and use it as an advance base."
"Yes, sir! Understood!"
Lady Luciana conveyed my orders to Aslan and the Sword Empress.
"Got it. While you're casting the fortification magic, we'll handle clearing the surroundings."
The advance base construction wrapped up quickly.
All it took was my fortification magic to raise the walls. Before long, a circular wall had sprung up around the village, and sturdy stone buildings rose inside.
An hour later.
The Lord's forces and the climbers began unpacking in the residential areas and headquarters, settling in to rest.
'I set it up like a base camp, so they'll decorate it themselves.'
In the meantime, I wandered near the still-standing watermill.
Screech...
Screech...
A small stream flowed amid the eerie silence of the deserted village. And beside it stood a ramshackle hut that looked like it had been built by village kids.
"..."
I stepped inside.
Graffiti was scrawled right there on the wooden walls.
Derrick and Daisy siblings' secret hut
Moonlit dinner spot
"Derrick and Daisy? Moonlit dinner spot...?"
What a weird name for a hut.
And below that,
were handwritten signatures from those who had inherited the hut.
→ Derrick's friend Leon takes over
→ Leon's little brother Thomas uses it too!
→ Thomas became a priest, so Susan will use it
→ Susan sis told me after she got married, so Emil will use it too
And whoever sees this, build a fence! Gotta keep the goblins from knocking it down
I'm hungry... wish there was something to eat
In a dinner spot,
there was talk of hunger.
How ironic.
"...Emil."
Until returning to that boy.
This secret base built by those siblings must have served as the village kids' playground for ages. Now... it was just an ownerless ruin.
The history they had lived had vanished into dust like this.
"..."
'In the end, the fate of NPCs is to vanish easily at the tower's whim, huh.'
I wrote next to Emil's name.
→ Lucius built the fence
After leaving the hut, I used fortification magic to erect a small fence around it. Finally, I placed some grain sacks and jerky I'd brought inside the hut.
"..."
Emil, of course—and whoever else among those names—would never eat this food.
But I just wanted to do it.
From that day on, Watermill Village became mine. With no remaining owners, there were no disputes over the residential areas.
A few days later.
The advance base buzzed with climbers coming and going. As soon as infrastructure and facilities went up, scouting of the surroundings began.
And one experiment succeeded.
An experiment related to the 'Blessing of the Earth.' It tested whether sprouts could grow in this village, desolate until recently.
The earth-element specialist mage climber assigned to the task reported to me.
"Since enclosing Watermill Village with walls, the poison in the soil has rapidly dissipated. Even testing with wood-element magic confirms it. The soil quality here is changing dramatically too."
"!"
"Compared to the roads without walls, this is a huge difference."
Encouraging results.
I could guess the conditions for expanding the Blessing of the Earth.
'It's not just expanding territory—it's like the walled city... fully enclosing with walls and developing it like a village to extend the effect?'
This would be a big reference for the main quest going forward.
Next,
I met the priest climber who had brought Emil.
"How's Emil doing?"
"He took one look around his empty home and broke down hard. He hopped on the wagon crying and headed straight back to Baran."
"..."
"And right before leaving, he said thanks for building that nice fence around the secret hut."
"I see."
I nodded.
'When people around you die, familiar places hit harder.'
I understood that feeling to some extent.
'If Emil plans to keep living in the city, handing him to Lucia would be best.'
While working in the temporary office in Watermill Village, the mana receiver I'd linked up with recently lit up. It was a call from the Lord's manor.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ -My Lord, this is Milla from Baran Lord's Manor. Calling for the regular check-in. "!"
I picked up the mana receiver. No matter how I looked at it, this fantasy phone was easy to use.
"Yeah, got it. Everything okay?"
-Yes, all quiet here.
"How's the dock?"
-Same as yesterday—swarming with climbers heading to Watermill Village. Baran market merchants are selling supplies to climbers with lights on till late night.
With a properly paved road connecting it,
climbers' attention was fully focused on this new zone. They poured their mana stones and cash into boarding ships to the lake.
-A straight path opened up—!?
-What? New zone already?
-Let's head to Watermill Village now!
And on the roads where monsters occasionally appeared, they were thrilled and pushed forward. Random encounters you couldn't see around Baran were prime farming spots, they said.
-Kyaaahoo!
-Farming time!
-What's the weakness of spectral monsters again?
No need to make a safe return path, it seemed.
"..."
'I half-assed the road maintenance due to mana shortage from dropping stones, but it turned into a climber farming spot instead.'
I told Milla,
"Got it, Milla. Not heading back to the manor tonight, so everyone clock out freely."
-Understood. Please stay safe, my Lord. Everyone in the walled city is always worrying about you.
"Got it, thanks."
After wrapping up afternoon work.
I lay down on the bed in the temporary office for a bit. Then I got up and decided to tour Watermill Village with Niva, who was staying in the next room.
Niva asked,
"Forget something?"
"No, just want to check if everything's running smoothly overall."
"Hm, diligent."
"Thanks."
The village turned advance base.
Watermill Village had come alive again with climbers. Unlike Baran, the monster difficulty and spawn rate around here were higher, and newbie climbers resupplied from the city had joined in.
Warnings from veteran climbers echoed everywhere.
-Everything nearby is spectral curse monsters. Stay sharp or you'll get wrecked—don't relax!
-Training grounds are in the back, warm up over here!
-Hey, shared space! No shirtless training or skill spam—!
I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
'It's really turned into a full-on adventurer village. Probably because the monster levels and frequency are different.'
We passed through the bustling streets and entered one large building—the 'Climber Guild Watermill Village Branch.' A soldier handling work inside stood up.
"!"
The young male soldier,
Max saluted sharply.
"Hail, my Lord!"
"Mm, Max."
I walked to his counter and said,
"How's the guild work treating you?"
"Yes, sir! All good!"
Max had always been skilled with supplies and paperwork. That's why he was pulled from the guard and assigned here.
His duties were three-fold.
One: Posting quests from the Lord's manor.
Two: Reporting spectral monster outbreaks.
Three: Managing the lighthouse beacon against the glowing mist from HQ above.
He had handled all three flawlessly for days now.
'Simple at a glance, but mistakes are easy without a thorough personality.'
I was impressed.
"As expected, Max, you were made for administration."
"Honestly... I didn't know these tasks suited me so well. I like the vibe here too."
"Good, keep it up. While you're here, you're the top man—don't get discouraged."
"Thank you, my Lord!"
As I turned to leave,
climber quest statuses flashed before my eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Climber party has accepted the designated quest.] [Quest Objective: Routine Patrol of Mist Road] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Climber party has accepted the designated quest.] [Quest Objective: Clear Dungeon (1) in Mist Forest] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Climber party has accepted the designated quest.] [Quest Objective: Cargo Transport Escort] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Climber has accepted the designated quest.] [Quest Objective: Scout Patrol Escort] ...
...'Quest difficulties have ramped up subtly.'
That's when I thought that.
Niva muttered softly beside me.
"Feels familiar."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Starting Village."
"Starting Village?"
"When you enter the tower, there's a village where climbers first gather to prep for climbs. Vibe here's just like it. Frenzied trading of monster and floor intel."
"!"
Oh...
That place the gallery always mentions?
'Everyone talks like it's obvious, so I have no clue on the exact atmosphere or scale.'
I casually asked,
"Compared to Baran?"
"Baran's... honestly too peaceful, like a healing spot. A cradle. You handle all the minor stuff anyway. This rougher edge feels more like home for climbers."
"Hm."
I felt a peculiar pride.
Baran really is more comfortable, after all.
'Makes sense—climbers ditching climbs for NPC romances or settling down are popping up.'
Two months into climber settlement.
Already, quite a few were inquiring about quitting climbs to settle here. Some had even formed personal ties with other races or city folk.
'Never thought climbers would move straight into Dogkin Tribe villages.'
I chuckled, recalling him. But my thoughts didn't linger. A woman's voice called from behind.
"My Lord!"
"!"
I turned.
There stood a twin-tailed female climber, likely from the Hundred Swords Society. Young-looking, with a boldly customized black uniform—quite the character.
'The shy mage next to her a friend?'
She greeted me with a playful grin.
"Hehe, hi! Fancy meeting you again."
"Ah, have we?"
Thinking back, I vaguely remembered her waving while passing during wall-building days. Her unique weapon stuck out too.
"..."
I glanced at her back.
Jagged blade.
Built not for slicing, but hacking apart.
'That blade looks vicious.'
The woman carrying the scary blade introduced herself.
"Name's Lina! Hundred Swords Society swordswoman. And this shy one's Iola, Blue Tower mage who just came up! My friend!"
"H-Hello! G-Gal—My Lord! F-First time meeting! This humble girl is beyond honored, a multi-generational glory...!"
"..."
'Gallery says climbers don't greet NPCs like this.'
Lina's friend,
the timid Iola suddenly showered overly formal praise.
'And she almost said "gal lord" just now.'
Somehow,
I got why they were so polite.
'Just starstruck seeing a named NPC.'
I gave a wry smile and said,
"Greetings, you two. Any inconveniences in the new setup?"
Lina stepped right up. Niva, beside me, silently watched through her sunglasses. Still, Lina flashed sharp fangs in a grin.
"Nope, none! You built such sturdy walls, my Lord. Hehe."
"Glad to hear it."
"Um... my Lord? Got a favor to ask—mind hearing me out?"
Lina stepped closer again. Her twin tails and hem now brushed my hand. I clasped hands behind my back to avoid accidental contact.
'What bold personal space.'
Just in case,
Niva's hand rose to my back.
'Solid backup.'
In that state, I asked,
"Yes? What favor?"
"If it's not too rude..."
Lina naturally took my hand. Niva's hand on my back twitched. At the same time, Lina narrowed her eyes and stepped even closer.
The sudden proximity threw me off.
'An attack?'
She said,
"How about joining us for a meal? Tons of climbers dying to chat with you after hearing the rumors!"
"..."
Ah, that's what it was.