Chapter 21 – 22

Chapter 21 – I found a puppy!

I moved my hand away from the kobold that had washed up on our shore and shook my head.

While I had attempted to use healing magic on it, there was no effect.

"This one's dead too… Shiel, could you carry him?"

Shiel the slime was moving next to me and carrying a kobold without any legs.

"So, that's 24 now…"

I muttered as I looked at the spot where Shiel was taking the bodies.

All of the orcs and kobolds that had washed up here had visible wounds and were dead.

Baris stood near them and was chanting something. It was a modest memorial service.

Rienna looked at me with a conflicted expression.

"There are so many. And they all have wounds on their bodies… Was there a great battle happening not far from here?"

"Considering the fragments of wood, I think that's the case. A battle between ships. But why…"

There must have been a reason for this fighting.

This was an area where ships rarely traveled.

Orcs and kobolds usually lived on land. Why did they come out all of the way here to fight?

If only one of them were alive, I could question them…

"In any case, it means there is an armed group near us. We must keep our guard up…"

It was a good thing that I made the golems.

Even if these armed men attacked the island, we would be able to defend ourselves.

Besides, it was likely that the sheer size and overwhelming power of Golem I would destroy any enthusiasm they may have to fight.

Rienna answered.

"Yes! Erevan is currently selecting the most skilled of his men so he can increase the number of guards."

"I see… I'll try to walk along the shore whenever I'm not busy digging. Perhaps someone who is still alive will wash up next."

"I will go with you."

"Thank you, Rienna. Alright, let's go help the others now."

I looked out at the sea.

There were no more dead bodies. And all of the driftwood seemed to have already landed.

The goblins and Cave Spiders had already started to move all of the wood to a single spot.

And so Rienna and I joined them and searched to see if there was anything we could use.

There were some usable wood materials there, but most of it was shattered pieces that were too small.

I suppose we could combine them with coal and burn them…

I had walked around and searched, but there really was nothing interesting.

Rienna walked next to me and looked around as she said,

"…I don't think there is anything useful here."

"Yes. Well, I suppose all of the heavy material would have sunk…"

"I was hoping to find seeds that we could plant. It's unfortunate."

It was just as we were about to give up.

"…kyuun."

I suddenly heard a weak whimper.

I turned to look at Rienna.

"Rienna, did you saying something?"

"No, I… I thought it was you, Lord Heal?"

"It wasn't me…"

I looked at the surrounding area.

But there was no one here.

"…kuuun."

However, I could definitely hear something.

I pricked up my ear and moved in the direction that the sound was coming from.

And then…

"…A wooden box?"

My eyes landed on the treasure chest that had been washed up. It was extravagantly decorated with gold.

But in size, it was just slightly larger than a person's head.

And then a voice echoed from inside.

Also, it seemed like it was shaking a little.

"That's it!"

Rienna and I ran to the treasure chest.

And then I tried to open it.

However, no matter how hard I pulled, the lid would not budge.

Rienna tilted her head to the side.

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"Lord Heal. You can't open it?"

"Uh, yeah… It won't open at all."

"Should I call the General? Or maybe Mister Mappa…"

"No, I doubt it would make a difference… This must be some kind of special contraption."

"So…like magic?"

I nodded.

"Aye. I think it must be 'Lock,' which is a magic spell with no attribute. In order to unlock this…I'll need to use a spell called 'Pick.'"

I put my hand over the treasure chest and unleashed Pick.

And then, the treasure chest suddenly opened as if it had never been locked.

That's when something sprang out at us.

"Ruff!!"

"…Ahhhh!!"

I quickly grabbed the thing that had jumped out at me.

It had fluffy white fur and large, teary-eyes… The creature that looked like a white puppy was staring up at me.

Its little paws rubbed at my chest and it used its small tongue to lick me.

"…kyun…kyun…"

It whimpered sadly as it looked up with a pleading expression.

I couldn't help but pet the puppy's head.

Rienna was so surprised at what had happened, but she quickly regained her calm and muttered.

"A pu-puppy?"

"It looks like it…but why was it in a treasure chest?"

I looked into the box.

There was a white cloth that the puppy had likely been wrapped up in.

And there was also some uneaten fruit.

However, there was nothing else.

While I was distracted by the treasure chest, the puppy started crying loudly again.

"Ah, sorry! There, there…"

I desperately held the puppy to my chest and tried to calm it down.

After a while, it became quiet again.

But it was still shaking as if very anxious.

Then Rienna said,

"Lord Heal. Do you want me to put it to sleep for you?"

"Can you?"

And so I handed the puppy to Rienna.

She started to lull it to sleep with practiced skill.

"There-there…everything is alright now…"

"…Ruff!"

The puppy's expression became serene and it slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Thank you, Rienna… I've never held a dog or baby before."

"If that's the case, you did a surprisingly good job. However, this one…"

"Ah…"

It was a puppy, but not just any puppy.

Considering how many kobold bodies washed up on our shore, this puppy was likely a kobold baby.

"…I guess we'll have to take care of it for a while. But…"

All of the goblins that were here were of the Berdan tribe. Kobolds were their enemy.

How would they react upon seeing an enemy baby?

"Don't worry. Regardless of what happened in the past, this child is not to blame. I will explain it to the other goblins."

"I see… I'll leave it to you then."

"Yes, you can count on me! Besides, I'm used to taking care of little ones."

Rienna smiled as she gently rubbed the puppy's belly.

Yes, it was wonderful.

She looked some kind of goddess of mercy.

Or a mother.

And like that, the island had a new resident once again.

And eventually, this puppy would be the cause of a new guest arriving on the island.

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Chapter 22 – I also got a seed!!

The white puppy was now sleeping soundly at the entrance of the cave.

Well, maybe saying it was a puppy was misleading.

While it looked like a puppy, it was really a kobold baby.

It had eaten all the food we gave it yesterday, and it had slept ever since.

It seemed very comfortable now, as Shiel had turned into a bed for it to sleep on.

"Kobold babies really do look like puppies."

I said while I was on my break. Rienna sat next to me and nodded.

"This is also my first time seeing one of their babies. According to Baris, they will grow to be about average height for us goblins within a year. By then, they are usually able to walk on two legs."

"Huh. I heard that they have a lifespan similar to humans. But they sure grow up fast."

As we talked about this, the kobold baby opened its eyes.

"Oh, we woke it up…"

The kobold baby looked at its surroundings with sleepy eyes.

Mappa had been making something nearby. He now stood up and showed the finished product to the baby.

There were two of them. It was like a stick with a ball on one end…I think it was a musical instrument called a maracas.

Mappa started to shake them in front of the baby as he danced a most strange dance.

And while the baby had no interest in Mappa's cheerfully steps, it did show an interest in the sounds that came from the shaking maracas.

So, Mappa could make musical instruments too…?

Just then, Erevan and his child, Fule came walking out of the tunnels.

Apparently, they had stopped mining so they could take a break.

"Ah, the little runt's awake! …Nyaaa-nyaa-nyaa!"

Erevan stuck out his tongue and made weird faces in front of the baby.

I was sure that Erevan's intentions had been to entertain it.

However, the baby took one look at him and burst into tears.

Frantically, Erevan changed tactics and opened his eyes wide.

No, Erevan… That was only going to make things worse.

Unsurprisingly, the baby started to howl loudly.

Fule quickly pulled her father away.

"Hey, father! What are you doing!?"

"So-sorry…but when you were little… Uh… No, now that I think of it, I always made you cry."

"Of course, you did! Your face is already scary as it is!!"

"I…I see…" Erevan's shoulders drooped when he heard his daughter's words.

Next, Taran the Cave Spider crawled up so that's its face was right in front of the baby. Then it opened its mouth wide.

Did Taran think that was the kind of face that would make a baby laugh…?

Of course, the baby turned away and howled again.

Taran seemed to be shocked by this and remained frozen in position.

Perhaps this method had never failed to calm her own children…

After witnessing all of this, Rienna moved to pick up the baby.

"It's because you are trying to hard to force it to laugh… Now, there, there. It's alright now."

The baby saw Rienna's face and immediately calmed down.

It seemed to smile as it slowly closed its eyes again.

Erevan watched this and then patted Taran as she watched dejectedly.

"Taran. We should leave the rest to the Princess…"

"…"

Taran nodded.

"Do we really look that scary…"

Erevan and Taran walked towards the reclaimed ground, arm in arm.

I felt a little bad for them, but that was how hard it was to pacify babies.

It made Rienna's skills all the more impressive.

"Rienna… Sorry, but I'm going to return to digging now. Could you take care of everything out here, including the baby?"

"Yes, leave it to me. I will feed it again when it wakes up."

"Thank you. Let me know if something happens."

I grabbed my pickaxe and went back into the tunnels.

Yesterday, kobold and orc corpses that were covered in wounds had washed up on our shores.

It would be normal to assume that a sea battle was being waged nearby.

And so it was hard to go mining and not be worried.

However, it was also necessary in order to support life on this island.

Besides, Rienna was able to use magic now. And we had Golems and guards.

I should leave it all to them and focus on what I do best, which was mining.

After walking for about 10 minutes, I started digging again.

The Mithril pickaxe that Mappa had made for me was shockingly effective.

"…Still, Crystals are becoming rarer and rarer."

I noticed this when I checked my Inventory.

While I had increased my own magic enough, I still wanted to raise Rienna's.

Also, a day might come when Fule or Baris could use magic…

That being said, there was nothing to do if there was no more.

But perhaps I would be able to find something else that was useful…

I continued to silently swing my pickaxe.

After digging for quite a while, I paused to wipe the sweat from my forehead, and then I checked my Inventory again.

And then…

"…Seed of the World Tree?"

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There was something that I had never heard of before.

Apparently, I had dug up something new again.

I had no idea what a World Tree was, but it was clearly a plant since it came from a seed.

I asked the Advisor to explain it to me.

But…

<<Unanswerable. Insufficient data in the Ore Encyclopedia.>>

In other words, it was out of its expertise.

Well, it was a seed, after all. I'm sure something would grow if we planted it on the surface.

And maybe Baris knows something. I'd have to ask him when I got back up.

In any case, I was happy to have found something new. And I felt a renewed vigor as I moved to swing my pickaxe again.

That's when someone called from behind me.

"Hey, Lord Heal."

"Oh, it's you, Fule. Uh…"

I turned around to see Fule standing there.

And she was holding the white puppy in her arms…well, the baby kobold.

The baby looked at me and then jumped onto my chest.

And then it rubbed its head into me.

Fule muttered with relief.

"I knew it. That little guy was searching for you, Lord Heal."

"…Me?"

"Yes. It started looking around after it woke up. It looked so worried. The Princess was able to make it stop crying, but it wouldn't calm down either. And so I thought that maybe it was searching for you."

"I see…"

This level of familiarity… Did it think I was its parent?

After all, hadn't mine been the first face it saw after the box was opened?

According to Baris, this kobold baby was practically newborn.

Then it was possible that it hadn't really seen the faces of its real parents. And so it recognized me as one instead…

Well, as for me. There was something very soothing about how adorable it was.

If I could, I would like to reunite it with its real parents…

But considering that it had been put in a treasure chest, it was likely that its parents were already…

Without thinking, I hugged the baby as it looked up at me.

"There, there. That's a good baby. …Now that I think about, I haven't named it."

Just as I thought this, the Advisor's voice echoed.

<<A tamable monster is there. Will you tame it?>>

Right, kobolds were monsters too.

If I tamed this baby, it would receive the benefits of Cave King as well.

Of course, I couldn't let a baby mine in the tunnels, so there was no point in doing it now.

Besides, there was still a chance that its parents were alive…

So for now, I could just think of a name but postpone the taming.

I petted the baby and said to Fule,

"I'm going to return to the surface then. I need to put this one to bed, and I also just found a mysterious seed and would like to ask Baris about it."

"Okay. Well, I'm going to go back to digging then!"

"Yeah. Good luck…huh?"

I noticed that the Mithril Golem was descending down the tunnels at a maddening speed.

Judging by the fact that it was ringing the alarm bell, something must have happened.

"What is it?"

I asked. And the Mithril Golem pointed straight in the direction of the entrance.

"Outside… Something happened out there?"

The Mithril Golem nodded.

And so I picked up the baby and headed for the surface.

At this time, a certain battle was about to be settled on the reclaimed ground.