Ch.94Field Trip (1)

    The next morning.

    Time for everyone to start a new day.

    This fact was no exception for Gagap, which had just ended a war and was beginning its recovery.

    No, perhaps because Gagap had weathered such a rough storm, everyone seemed to be starting their day with even more enthusiasm.

    “That angle is all wrong!!”

    “What, you fool! You’re the one who’s wrong! What would a weapon-maker like you know about this!!”

    As I walked down the street, I could hear the sounds of buildings being constructed and people arguing over differences of opinion.

    Since dwarves were craftsmen with firm beliefs in their work, such friction seemed inevitable when they worked together.

    “Whew~ Everyone’s working hard from the morning.”

    “To me, it just sounds like they’re fighting.”

    “They might be arguing now, but I bet they’ll find a better approach that suits both their styles soon enough.”

    “Seeing them like that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence…”

    At first, I too worried that their fighting might lead to buildings being constructed incorrectly.

    But after being confined to my room and observing Gagap through the window, I realized such concerns were completely unnecessary.

    “They’re craftsmen after all. After arguing for a while, they’ll see a broader perspective from each other’s opinions.”

    “Really? Hmm… I still don’t trust it.”

    “Pfft, I suppose that’s true.”

    I smiled and agreed with Lilly’s comment that they really did just look like they were fighting.

    Dwarves were stubborn before they were craftsmen, and some, like Arges, wouldn’t change until they got beaten up.

    “Look, they’re about to grab their hammers at each other.”

    “There’s still no need to worry.”

    As the verbal fight intensified, hammers appeared in their hands, ready to be raised.

    While Lilly prepared to intervene if a fight broke out, I noticed a boy running quickly from the distance.

    “Oh come on! You two are fighting again! If you keep this up, I might just bring your lunch late!”

    “Urgh…”

    “Tsk…”

    The boy who delivered food to the workers every day stood between the two dwarves with practiced ease and began mediating.

    In the past, they might have scolded him for not knowing better, but instead, the two dwarves lowered their hammers and watched the boy cautiously.

    “It’s amazing how close they’ve become after fighting together just once, isn’t it?”

    “Yeah, it really is strange.”

    Though I had only observed through a window, I could tell that Gagap’s atmosphere had improved.

    Despite Zone A being half-destroyed and Zone B completely demolished in just one day of battle, Gagap’s spirit hadn’t fallen.

    Rather, everyone seemed to be working together with a “heave-ho” attitude.

    “I wonder if this change is thanks to having common enemies in the Evil God and the Apostle.”

    “More than that… I think they’ve just learned to cooperate better.”

    The direct conflict lasted barely a day.

    Even counting from when people started gathering around Leon, it had only been about two weeks at most.

    Though it seemed too short a time for bonds to form, there was a clear change in Gagap compared to before.

    “Come on now, you’re just angry because you’re hungry. I brought bread and soup for breakfast, so eat up before you continue.”

    “I was getting hungry anyway.”

    “Thanks for the food.”

    The two dwarves took the bread and soup the boy brought and sat down to eat breakfast together.

    After eating about half of their food, both dwarves simultaneously hinted at something missing.

    “Hey… kid.”

    “Do you happen to have any beer…?”

    “Oh please, I told you not to call me ‘kid.’ And what beer? Don’t you remember getting scolded for drinking secretly just two days ago?”

    Of course, the dwarves’ expectations were sunk by the boy who reminded them of what had happened last time.

    At least, that’s how it seemed.

    “I figured as much.”

    “Tsk, I was just asking because my mouth felt empty.”

    “Shh, I secretly brought some, so drink it quietly. Quietly.”

    The boy, seemingly having anticipated the dwarves’ alcohol withdrawal, pulled out two bottles of beer from inside his clothes.

    Considering a dwarf’s alcohol tolerance, it wasn’t enough to get drunk, but at least enough to taste.

    “Not everyone has changed, but even this much shows that we didn’t just lose things in this war.”

    “I don’t really understand, but it’s not a bad sight.”

    After watching them for a moment, Lilly and I continued walking through the streets that were in the midst of reconstruction.

    While many places hadn’t even started repairs, a considerable number of buildings had already been completely restored.

    “Being a nation of craftsmen really makes recovery fast, doesn’t it?”

    “Yeah, it’s hard to imagine this was where two Titans clashed.”

    Zone A half-destroyed and Zone B completely demolished.

    This was the result of just a few hours of battle between two Titans.

    Most buildings on the surface had collapsed, and the ground that was thought to be solid had sunk.

    Because of this, I heard Vulcan lamenting the massive damage to the lower levels as well.

    ‘He was complaining about being an ungrateful son… I wonder what happened to the Titans.’

    I could see for myself that Vulcan and Leon were safe, but I hadn’t heard anything about the Titans.

    With no specific information, I could only guess they were resting.

    As Lilly and I walked through the streets, chatting about various things and organizing my thoughts, we soon arrived at the Succession Grounds.

    Some people tried to block entry saying it was dangerous, but they quickly made way after seeing my face.

    “Looks like my face is already well-known.”

    “Well, once seen, yours is a face that’s hard to forget. Isn’t that why?”

    “That may be true, but I never took the lead in guiding people.”

    In this incident, Leon was more directly exposed to the public than I was.

    It was Leon who gathered people, advanced with countless others, and stood against the Titan, so this was only natural.

    Yet strangely, it seemed my face had become quite well-known, which felt odd.

    [This is what they call being the power behind the throne~]

    ‘That might be true with high charisma stats, but I’m trying to keep a low profile.’

    Originally, no matter how impressive my achievements were, they weren’t the kind that would easily become known to others.

    ‘I didn’t leave any witnesses when destroying the Apostles’ bases, and there was no one who could have witnessed the final battle either.’

    There were some dwarves who came with me at the beginning, but they evacuated quickly.

    “Hmm, I still have a bad feeling about this.”

    “We’re supposed to be resting, so stop with the weird talk and just relax.”

    “Urgh, maybe you’re right. Perhaps I’m overthinking things.”

    No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling, but seeing Lilly’s expression, I couldn’t dwell on it further.

    “Look, they’ve already restored that much over there too.”

    “Oh, you’re right. It must have been completely pulverized by a direct hit from Ragnarok.”

    Or perhaps being completely pulverized made reconstruction easier.

    Lilly and I marveled at a new building that was structurally identical to what we had seen before.

    After that building, our eyes were drawn to the Succession Grounds located in the center of this place.

    “The Succession Grounds seem to be under heavy reconstruction too.”

    “Yeah, and it looks more unique than the others, probably because of its importance.”

    Compared to other places, the Succession Grounds had suffered relatively less damage.

    This was natural considering Vatos had been hammering away while Reisen sat protecting it.

    Of course, there were some attacks that caused partial damage, like my sword strikes or Lilly’s wind blades.

    “Still, I don’t think it warrants covering everything with cloth like that.”

    “It’s probably because it’s an important place. Maybe they’re taking this opportunity to rebuild it completely.”

    “Hmm… that’s possible. They might have covered it while Vulcan builds it himself.”

    Until now, I had no idea what was being built behind that tent.

    If I had known, I would have immediately cut down the tent and demolished whatever was inside.

    “Urgh, we’ve pretty much seen everything now. When is Kitsune going to show up?”

    “She said she was preparing her specialty dish. Cooking takes time, so let’s wait a bit longer.”

    “If I wait all this time and it’s not delicious, I won’t let her off easy.”

    As the promised time passed and Lilly’s patience wore thin, one of her cheeks puffed up more and more.

    Just when I thought her cheek might burst, we saw Kitsune riding Kirara and rushing toward us from the distance.

    “Kitsune, you! What have you been… oh.”

    “I’m sorry, Lady Lilly, Lady Frey. Making the food took longer than I expected.”

    Lilly was about to scold Kitsune but quickly closed her mouth.

    This was because she was overwhelmed by the mountain of lunchboxes Kitsune had prepared.

    [Umm… I think we’ll die from burst stomachs if we eat all that.]


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