The Carpenter Warden and the Great Vulture
Warden Tramson’s expression hardened in an instant. “What do you hope to gain by winning my favor?”
“Who knows? Is there something I need to gain? I just thought we could get along and share a few laughs.”
“You aren’t plotting something sinister, are you?”
Just then, High Priestess Miranda, who I hadn’t even realized was nearby, suddenly interjected. “Deputy Warden, you should take this opportunity to ask the Warden to fix the shelf in your office. It broke weeks ago, and you’re still living with your things piled up on the floor.”
Three weeks ago, the three-tier shelf hanging on the wall of the Deputy Warden’s office had snapped and fallen. Being trapped on the island, she couldn’t go out to buy a replacement, so she had been forced to leave it as it was. Hearing this, the other officers chimed in one by one.
“That’s right! Ask him to fix it now! The Warden is practically a carpenter. He even fixed the leg of my chair earlier!”
“It takes forever to go out to the mainland to buy one. You have to go to place the order, come back, and then go back again a few days later to pick it up. It’s such a hassle.”
“This is your chance!”
Zenita frowned, clearly displeased by the others’ meddling. “It’s not necessary. Everyone, stop it.”
“Hey, Deputy. I’ll make you a nice one. What kind of design do you want?”
As I spoke, she glared at me sharply.
“Mind your own business.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. We have all the materials right here, let’s just whip one up.”
Honestly, the wall shelf was an irresistible temptation. I wanted to keep things neatly organized or display some decorations, but I hadn’t been able to, which was frustrating. The desire to stop piling my belongings in a corner and instead build a shelf to display them nicely began to bubble up.
“Promise me you won’t ask for anything in return for making the shelf.”
“Oh, of course. What could I possibly ask for? Hahaha.”
In the end, she requested a five-tier shelf from Warden Tramson. She had used a three-tier one before, but it felt a bit lacking, so she wanted a more spacious five-tier version.
“Leave it to me!”
I immediately set to work, and by the next day, I brought it to her, sanded smooth and finished with a clean coat of varnish.
“Come in.”
“Ho-ho, it’s an honor to be allowed into the Deputy Warden’s office. This will go down in my family’s history.”
“Stop with the useless chatter.”
“Then, shall we begin?”
I immediately began hammering away, skillfully securing the five-tier shelf to the wall. Watching me work with such fluidity, it was clear this wasn’t my first time doing this.
‘Amazing.’
The question of what I used to do for a living rose to her throat, but every time my shirt rode up, revealing an unsightly belly and rolls of fat, Zenita would frown and turn her head away.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Hehehe, enjoy using it.”
My face was drenched in sweat from the hammering. My smile. It looked very sinister.
Bang.
As soon as I left, she slammed the door shut.
Bang!
After hearing a cold, formal “thank you for your hard work,” I was practically kicked out. Zenita remained icy to the end. She didn’t even bring me a glass of water while I was installing the shelf. But I smiled with satisfaction.
‘I’ve harvested a lot.’
I had acquired enough information to seduce Zenita in the future. An office is bound to reflect a person’s tastes. The types of flowers in the pots by the window. The ornaments on the desk. The overall color scheme of the office. In Zenita’s case, there were many blue-toned items. The wallpaper was blue, too. And there was that portrait of the famous bard Loreina hanging on the wall. She seemed to be a fan. Even a lute of the same type Loreina used was displayed in the office.
‘And she seems to enjoy the milk produced by the cows we raise in our prison.’
I could tell because empty leather milk cartons were neatly stacked in one corner. I also saw an expensive bottle of wine displayed on the bookshelf, unopened.
‘I should quickly get a bottle of something like “Andor 107.” I’ll have to instruct Elenore to buy it.’
I looked down at my palms. They were covered in wounds from two days of sawing and hard labor. Scraped, blistered—not a single spot was unscathed.
“Hmph.”
Suddenly, I remembered when I first arrived in this world. The past where I worked in a carpentry shop for over a year because I fell into a dwarf village… Thanks to the skills I learned back then, I was the one who made and used most things in the hero party, and I even took care of my companions’ needs.
‘Those were fun days, drinking with the dwarf old-timers every day.’
I chuckled and started walking. Recently, the hot topic at Barantraz Prison was “Where is the new Octacle habitat?” It wasn’t a time to just block their constant attacks. The prevailing opinion was that we needed to engage in active suppression.
“We have divided the search area into six directions. I believe it is most efficient to search one of these six fan-shaped regions drawn around our island every day.”
A strategy meeting was held in the morning. The Commander of the Sea Breeze Knights was explaining while pointing at a map. He showed a map where a regular hexagon was drawn with our island at the center, divided into six equilateral triangles by connecting the center to the six vertices.
“Five of the healthiest and most robust hippogriffs will be mobilized for this search.”
“I’ll take one,” Deputy Warden Zenita, who had been listening silently, said with her arms crossed.
I didn’t want to be left out. “I’ll take one, too.”
“The Warden?”
“The Warden is going too?”
“The Warden?”
“You’re going too, Warden…?”
Everyone looked surprised, as if it were unexpected.
“Are you participating in the search?”
“Of course. I have to. If I, the Warden who leads the operation, don’t go, who will?”
Zenita frowned and interjected. “You’ll just be a burden. Please stay behind.”
“Deputy. My body is like this now, but I was a high-flyer once. I’m good at finding things.”
“You always use a pilot, so you can’t even fly a hippogriff yourself.”
“Why can’t I? Is there anything I can’t do! I purposely didn’t do it so you all would learn to pilot them yourselves!”
Even though I spoke with confidence, everyone in the meeting looked doubtful. I could see from their expressions that many of them wanted to object, but what could they do if the Warden, the highest authority in the prison, insisted? They had no choice but to swallow their words and watch.
Thus, I ended up going on the search with the Deputy Warden, the Sea Breeze Knight Commander, and three knights, all riding hippogriffs.
“Aren’t you overdoing it lately? Please don’t cause any trouble.”
Zenita, who had mounted her hippogriff next to me, was giving me a disapproving look. I waddled onto my own hippogriff and retorted.
“You’re the one who shouldn’t get in the way of the search. Hahaha.”
“Kreeeee!”
The hippogriff was making a fuss because a fat guy had mounted it. I gave its rump a kick with my foot.
“I’ll pluck all your feathers and fry you, you brat!”
It understood me like a ghost and calmed down. I turned to the Deputy Warden.
“Let’s all have a fun trip. Hehehehe.”
Zenita let out a long sigh through her nose instead of answering. She must really hate going with me. Her face was full of dissatisfaction. Regardless, we took off on our hippogriffs.
I naturally followed closely behind Zenita. It would have been correct for me to lead, but instinctively, I found myself following her. She was wearing a blue full-body tights embroidered with fish scales again today, which left her figure completely exposed. I flew along, stealing glances at her luscious, apple-like buttocks from behind. Zenita was too busy carefully scanning the sea to notice me watching her.
Thirty minutes passed. The six of us hadn’t discovered anything in the sea. It was time to land on a small island and rest for a while before the hippogriffs got exhausted.
“A Great Vulture has appeared!”
One of the knights pointed into the distance. A bird of prey larger than a hippogriff was flying toward us at high speed. Everyone’s faces stiffened seriously. The Deputy Warden drew her sword and shouted.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
A Great Vulture. It was a monster that inhabited the seaside. It looked like an eagle. A man-eating bird that even preyed on humans.
“Warden, please stay back!”
“No! You all keep flying! I’ll lure it away and drive it off!”
“What are you talking about!”
“If you follow, all our efforts will be in vain, so don’t follow me!”
I immediately changed my flight path and flew toward the Great Vulture. Everyone was flustered. The Great Vulture flew at high speed, trying to hunt the hippogriff I was riding with its sharp talons.
“Not a chance!”
I dodged the beast with a daring acrobatic flight. I had been riding hippogriffs often since I traveled with the hero party, so I was skilled at maneuvering. But what of it? I was a pig now. The hippogriff struggled, and its flight speed gradually decreased. The Great Vulture caught up in no time. It raised its talons again. They looked big and sharp enough to crush limbs if I were caught. It was easy to snatch me because I was fat. Looking back, I was far enough away from the Deputy Warden’s party.
I immediately dispelled my disguise.
“Help! Save me! I’m here!”
“Wardeennnn~!”
“He, he’s over there! He fell into the sea!”
“The hippogriff is safe too! That thing is flying around alone!”
“My god! Look there! The Great Vulture is dead! Right next to the Warden!”
A moment ago, after dispelling my disguise, I had mounted the Great Vulture with my nimble body, stabbed it repeatedly, and fallen into the sea. Since I always carried Warden Tramson’s blood with me, re-disguising myself was a piece of cake. I just had to open the small glass vial and dip my finger in to taste the blood. The beast died, and I was rescued by the Warden’s party.
“…Warden. Thank you for… defeating the Great Vulture.”
When we returned safely after finishing the search, Deputy Warden Zenita approached me and expressed her gratitude with a shy face. I smiled. Everything was going according to plan.