Ch.243To the 7th Western City

The Dungeon Overflow incident that had terrorized the Wellord Mine area was officially concluded at 9 PM on June 17th, when the demolition of the dungeon was reported.

Tombstones for the deceased were erected at the site where the dungeon gate had been, following adventurer tradition, and it was decided that the greatest spoil—the mana core—would be transported in our camping wagon.

Of course, this came with the condition that Setty and Iris would walk alongside rather than ride in the wagon, and that the wagon would match the walking pace of the others to prevent us from absconding with the mana core.

The Adventure Guild staff waiting at Wellord Mine fainted on the spot upon seeing the mana core we brought.

After regaining consciousness, they explained that this mana core was of unprecedented quality in the 100-year history of the settlement.

While the exact range of its barrier would need professional appraisal, it was estimated to be at least 1.5 times that of Moon Lake.

Such a valuable item needed to be moved to a major city for safekeeping as soon as possible, so it was only natural that we, the only ones with a wagon, would be asked to transport it.

“Please! Transport this mana core to Moon Lake with your wagon! I’ll accompany you!”

“Um… that’s difficult. We were on our way from Moon Lake to the 7th Western City.”

“Couldn’t you make an exception? I’ll issue an official transport quest with generous compensation.”

“Couldn’t we just move it without the wagon? With all the people here, neither outlaws nor monsters would dare approach.”

“That’s true, but… when escorting such an important item, arriving at the destination without anyone knowing is better than having ample guards. Your wagon makes that possible.”

“Without anyone knowing… ah, I see.”

Rumors of the mana core’s discovery would soon spread throughout Grantis, but neither Wellord Mine nor Leatherwork had emergency magical communication devices.

This meant that rumors could only spread through the movement of adventurers, and among those adventurers, we were the only party with a wagon.

In other words, if our wagon transported the mana core to Moon Lake, there would be no “outlaws coming to steal the mana core after hearing rumors.”

The mana core would arrive at Moon Lake before the rumors even reached Leatherwork.

“…Given those circumstances, we have no choice but to cooperate.”

“Well, I’d feel uneasy if we refused and later read newspaper articles about it being stolen by outlaws.”

For that reason, we accepted the Adventure Guild staff’s request to transport the mana core.

We departed from Wellord Mine at 8 AM, traveling through Leatherwork to Moon Lake—a distance of 130 kilometers.

A journey that would take at least four days on foot, we completed in just 9 hours.

We could have traveled much faster, but the Adventure Guild staff suffered from severe motion sickness, which caused some delay.

Coincidentally, we arrived on June 18th, the Day of Darkness.

Most government offices would normally be closed, but on this day, an emergency summons was issued for civil servants throughout Moon Lake.

After completing the mana core transport, we left the rest to the officials, booked rooms at a suitable hotel, and indulged in the desires that had built up during our stay at Wellord Mine.

The order was Jessica and Setty together, Mina one-on-one, and Phyllis one-on-one, but—

“Master! Please lay me down alongside Phil and tease us both until we faint…”

“Denied.”

“Ah, how cruel you are.”

Iris, who had been watching my intimate moment with Phyllis, couldn’t contain her excitement and barged in. I gave her a light chop on the forehead and sent her back to the adjacent room.

Learning from my experience with Mina, it was just a gentle tap on the forehead.

“Honestly, I can never tell how serious Iris is.”

“Considering my sister’s preferences, I’d say she’s about 80-90% serious…”

“That’s troubling in its own way…”

To me, Iris is Phyllis’s sister and my sister-in-law, someone who needs to be returned to her elven form and escorted back to the Willow Sanctuary someday.

Even if I entertained the fantasy of having both beautiful elf sisters, I couldn’t keep someone responsible for the future of the Willow Sanctuary on adventures indefinitely.

Especially considering the elven trait that they can only bear children with the first man they have physical relations with.

“I don’t think she’s lost her awareness as the Elder’s successor. The matter of choosing a partner is naturally difficult… but my sister must have her own thoughts on it.”

“We should have a serious conversation about it someday.”

“Please do. If it’s a conclusion you both reach after careful consideration, and if Jessica accepts it, I wouldn’t have any objections.”

“I understand. I’ll think about it a bit more.”

“…Such a cautious person. No one would blame you if you acted more like a playboy.”

With those words, Phyllis burrowed under the blanket and began planting kisses all over my body, gradually moving downward.

Well then… let’s resume our interrupted match.

The next morning.

After finishing breakfast early, we finally departed for the 7th Western City.

Although the settlement for resolving the Dungeon Overflow incident hadn’t been processed yet, the Moon Lake Pioneer Project branch would be too busy dealing with the mana core issue for the foreseeable future, so we decided to handle it at the 7th Western City.

Between the Great Sage’s memoirs and now this mana core… I just hope the Moon Lake civil servants don’t collapse from overwork.

*Clop-clop, clop-clop…*

“There are many wagons passing by despite the early hour.”

“That’s because the Dungeon Overflow has officially ended and the Wellord Mine reconstruction project has begun. Transport wagons heading to Wellord Mine via Leatherwork will be constant for a while.”

“Then if we stop by Leatherwork this time…”

“We probably won’t find lodging, not even a homestay. Let’s head straight to the 7th Western City.”

“Might as well. We’re in no hurry this time, so let’s take it slow.”

The distance from Moon Lake to the 7th Western City is about 150 kilometers.

For those traveling on foot, bypassing Leatherwork would be unthinkable, but we could cover the distance in a single day if we wanted to.

Of course, we had no reason to push the wagon that hard or to hurry, so we moved leisurely, enjoying the beautiful weather and surrounding scenery.

Along the way, we caught and grilled fish by a small lake, repaired a transport wagon with a broken axle, and defeated a large snake attacking a small bird’s nest, obtaining high-quality leather.

Despite our leisurely sightseeing journey, we reached the western gate of the 7th Western City in just two days.

It was another testament to the miraculous transportation capability of Ancestor and our camping wagon.

“Let’s see, the name of the 7th Western City is… West-End 7th?”

“What does that mean?”

“The name ‘West-End’ is a temporary designation given to the westernmost city that currently exists. When the 8th Western City under construction is completed, the name ‘West-End’ will be passed to it, and this city will receive its official name.”

“So this is currently the westernmost city. It’s a bit cumbersome but a naming system with some romance to it.”

“Oh! Come to think of it, Jessica, didn’t you say your parents are at the western frontier? Is this the place?”

“Urk!?”

Wait, Jessica’s parents live here?

If I’d known, I would have bought some gifts in Moon Lake!

More importantly, since Jessica’s parents are both human…

“The moment has finally come to face [the double-barrel shotgun for fathers with daughters]…!”

“Hehe… I can guess what you’re thinking, but don’t worry, my father isn’t like that. Besides, they’re both at the planned site for the 8th Western City, so we won’t be meeting them until later.”

“Tch, so I won’t get to see Will getting beaten up by his girlfriend’s father this time either.”

“This time either? Don’t tell me you were expecting that when we visited Setty’s parents?”

“Oops, my mouth runs away with me again… But don’t worry! When you get beaten up by my father, I’ll cheer for you from the sidelines!”

“That’s not a funny joke…”

…When we eventually visit the Blackforge Mine, I should bring a box of premium whiskey.