Chapter 204
Chapter 204
Early morning.
As usual, the moment I opened my eyes, I changed into my work clothes.
I filled a bucket to the brim with water, stored it in my subspace, and headed straight toward the upgraded livestock shed.
Moo……!
Neigh!
The moment I opened the door, the livestock reacted first. They wagged their tails and stamped their hooves, each greeting me in their own way.
“Yeah. Winter’s almost over, so let’s stay here just one more month.”
It seemed they quite liked the warm upgraded shed.
But it would still be better for them to grow freely in the grazing fields of the green plains.
After finishing my work in the shed, I stepped into the storage room, quenched my thirst with some blueberry juice, and looked around.
“Khoo…….”
Lapin was fast asleep inside a sleeping bag, with only her face sticking out.
Since I had made the sleeping bag myself, I could guarantee its insulation. As proof, Lapin wore an extremely peaceful expression as she slept.
I opened the <Animal Farm> screen.
A green meadow beneath a cloudless sky. And in the middle of the field stood a single large tree.
Except for Huayo, who was curled up asleep, all the spirit creatures seemed to be awake.
Ppyaak~ Ppyak ppyak~
The parakeet perched on a branch, singing.
And beneath it were the spirit creatures, listening to the song while gazing up at it.
Ramji flapped her wings, and Shurk—perhaps excited—was spinning around the tree at the speed of light.
They seemed to quite enjoy the singing.
‘Looks like they’re having fun.’
I had wondered whether the newly recruited parakeet would get along with the spirit creatures.
At first, it had constantly tried to leave the farm, restless to get outside.
Compared to the others, its temperament had been more delicate, and it had seemed to struggle adapting, which worried me……
‘Seems I was worrying for nothing.’
Fortunately, it now appeared to have grown quite close with the others.
As I quietly watched them play, one by one their gazes turned toward me.
Ppik?
Kkik! Kkik!
The spirit creatures approached me.
“Yeah, you’ve all been well?”
I took several boiled eggs from my pocket and sent them into the farm.
They grabbed the eggs I sent and ate them happily.
“I’m counting on you again today.”
Woof!
Pofong……!
Perhaps it had caught the scent—Huayo, who had been curled up asleep, suddenly opened its eyes wide and joined the meal.
I watched them eat with faint smiles tugging at their mouths.
‘……Someday, instead of living inside a system like this, I’ll let you roam freely outside.’
Yes.
After defeating the Witch—their one and only enemy—I’d be able to set them free.
Next week, school would start, and I would become a second-year.
The predetermined episodes would unfold one after another, and formidable villains would surely continue to appear.
But I wasn’t worried.
A few days ago, when I saw Ren again, I felt somewhat reassured.
……Ren had received guidance from the Empire’s honorary grand captain, Ruga.
And it wasn’t just Ren. Keirin, Elined, Princess Arlhart…….
None of them had simply rested and played during the break.
They, too, had not neglected their training.
And also.
I was no longer weak either.
Of course, my magical power still ranked among the lowest.
‘But aside from magical power, I’ve grown quite a bit.’
I had secured materials to craft good equipment and honed my skills.
I had learned swordsmanship from the Empire’s current greatest swordsman, and I was borrowing the strength of my spirit creatures.
Moreover, this year as well, there was plenty of room to encounter new spirit creatures.
‘Right. Even if I can’t raise my magical power, I can grow in other areas.’
If I steadily advanced like that, someday I’d grow strong enough to help this world.
……It was just as I drained the last of my juice while thinking that.
Clunk, clunk.
The drum barrel suddenly began to shake.
“……Nngh, ngh.”
As if it had grown a mouth, I could even hear a voice now……
Peek.
Short silver hair bobbed into view from inside the drum barrel.
It was Sia, a scarf wrapped around her neck.
She stuck only her head out of the barrel, locked eyes with me, then suddenly opened her mouth with a deeply dissatisfied expression.
“……What are you looking at.”
“You’re early again today?”
“I just…… ngh…… happened to wake up early.”
Gripping the rim of the barrel with both hands, Sia struggled as she pulled herself up and climbed all the way out.
“They say when coincidences pile up, it becomes fate.”
“Tch, shut up. I’m changing, so get out.”
“As you wish.”
I closed the storage door behind me and walked toward the construction site.
From afar, the house already looked complete.
‘Yeah, it’s almost finished. Just a few more days.’
I paused briefly in front of the entrance.
When I pulled the handle, it swung open without a creak.
From inside drifted the scent of dry wood, dust, and not-quite-dried grass.
As I stepped inside, I examined the interior.
The first thing that caught my eye was the first-floor living room.
It felt roughly about 130 square meters.
The ceiling extended up to the second floor, making it feel even more spacious than expected.
On one side of the living room was a staircase. The shape was complete, but the railing had only been temporarily fixed in place, so it felt unsafe to rest a hand on it.
The space beneath the stairs was empty. I was considering using it as storage for now, but its specific purpose hadn’t been decided yet.
Along one wall stood several doors not yet installed, and stacks of planks whose purpose remained undecided.
Here and there, unfinished details stood out. The walls were only roughly shaped, nail marks still visible, and the surfaces were rough enough that splinters might catch your hand if you brushed them.
From a distance, it felt nearly complete, but upon closer inspection, there were still quite a few shortcomings.
‘Yeah, there’s still plenty to fix…….’
Tools I had used yesterday were scattered across the center of the living room.
A hammer, a saw, and a box of nails I hadn’t finished using.
Just as I was tidying the tools, I heard voices from outside.
“Sia, the clothes are too big. You’ll have to fasten them tightly with a belt.”
“I-I said I’ll handle it myself.”
Then a brief silence.
Bang—!
Before I knew it, Lapin and Sia appeared through the door, dressed in work clothes.
‘Looks like Lapin’s awake too.’
I slipped on a pair of leather gloves from the floor and said,
“Let’s begin.”
We were in the middle of working inside the house.
“Wow~!”
“Amazing!”
Exclamations burst from outside the door.
I wondered if more onlookers had come by…….
‘They said they’d come, but I didn’t think they actually would.’
When I stepped outside, Ren, Keirin, and Princess Arlhart were standing there.
Keirin and Ren shouted toward me with sparkling eyes.
“This is incredible! How did you build a house like this, Mr. Villed?!”
“Young Master! This is amazing! Lapin was here too…… huh? She’s here too?”
Their gazes shifted inside the house, and they blinked at the same time.
It seemed they had spotted Sia helping with my work.
Sia, who had been inside, sensed their gaze and flinched, shrinking her shoulders.
“Miss Sia is here as well? Were you helping Mr. Villed?”
“……!”
She pressed her lips together tightly and hurried behind my back.
“What’s wrong?”
“…….”
But Sia said nothing.
After watching her for a moment, I quietly spoke in a voice only she could hear.
“Don’t tell me…… you’re shy?”
“……!”
Her face instantly flushed bright red.
And then……
Thud—!
A heavy blow slammed into my abdomen.
Sharp pain surged through me, forcing my body to bend forward. I couldn’t endure it and collapsed to the ground.
“Mr. Villed. Are you taking a break?”
“……Yeah.”
“Then perhaps you should sit on that chair…….”
“I’m fine here. Right here is fine…….”
Not that I could move anyway.
‘Still, I barely survived. Looks like she held back her strength…….’
I sighed, recalling the monsters that had been split in two by Sia’s fists.
“It really must be hard building a house. You’re sweating so much.”
Ren wiped my sweat with concern.
It’s not because of the house, you idiot.
Meanwhile, Keirin, who had been walking around the house, tilted her head.
“But when will it be finished? I want to have the party already. It’s basically done, isn’t it?”
“Keirin, it’s not that simple. There’s always a process to everything. ……Hm?”
Mid-sentence, Ren blinked as if something had occurred to him, then smiled brightly.
“What if we help you? Wouldn’t that let you finish sooner?”
“What……?”
I barely muttered through the lingering abdominal pain when Keirin’s eyes lit up and she jumped excitedly.
“Oh, that sounds fun!”
Ren was just as enthusiastic.
“Mr. Villed, I’d love to help! I really want to try! It’s not often you get to experience building a house!”
“…….”
I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
I had never imagined Ren and his group would offer to help.
……Well, there was no downside.
More manpower was always welcome.
I staggered to my feet and approached them. Every task required proper handover, after all.
“Ohhh, so that’s how you do it!”
“Understood!”
Ren and Keirin continued the work according to my instructions.
Keirin used magic to smooth out the rough surfaces inside the rooms, while Ren handled tasks requiring manual work, such as attaching hinges to doors and windows.
“……Huh? Oh?”
The princess alternated her gaze between the excited Keirin and Ren, looking slightly flustered.
She seemed unsure what she should do.
Perhaps noticing that, Keirin smiled brightly and said,
“Oops, Your Highness can just sit and rest~ You’re the princess, after all!”
“……!”
Was that remark the trigger?
The fidgeting princess suddenly widened her eyes and glared at me.
Then she strode straight toward me.
“I’ll help too! What should I do?”
Arlhart’s eyes bore into me fiercely. Looking at her forehead, I could even see veins bulging.
Why does it feel like she’s taking her frustration out on me…….
Of course, I understood to some extent.
She hated being treated like a greenhouse flower simply because she was the princess.
Perhaps that personality was the secret to her maintaining top-tier rankings at the academy purely through her own ability, without any special treatment.
Still, among high-grade manpower, she was the highest grade—the main heroine of this world—offering to help with construction.
In the game, it wasn’t just something I hadn’t tried; it was something I hadn’t even imagined.
If I told her she didn’t need to help, she would be furious.
Whether her opinion of me dropped or not wasn’t something I particularly cared about.
But I’d rather avoid the hassle of making her angry…….
‘The princess has abundant magical power and can use a wide variety of spells. She’d definitely be helpful.’
Thinking about it, there was no real downside.
Even Sia—who would later appear as an episode boss—was helping with construction.
Right. No reason not to.
After organizing my thoughts, I curved my lips into a smile and bowed slightly.
“It would be a great honor if Your Highness were to assist.”
“Spare me the flattery and just show me what I should do.”
“At once.”
I lowered my head and held out the blueprint, explaining everything step by step.