Chapter 15 – 16

Chapter 15 – I filled it in with dirt!

"Lord Heal. Here's some water!"

"Thank you, Rienna."

After eating a baked apple near the shore, Rienna passed me a cup of water.

She was now wearing completely normal clothes.

My own white shirt and brown trousers were used as a base to make them out of Spider Cave webs.

And so I no longer felt embarrassed when looking at her…

Still, my heart seemed to race when I saw her beautiful face and the pale outstretched hand.

Yes. I had had very little contact with women when I was in the royal palace…

Rienna looked at me and smiled.

She was good at cooking and was kind…

In fact, I was becoming very fon…no, I respected her greatly.

I thought as I shook my head and drained the last of the water. Then Baris said,

"Lord Heal. About the plan that we talked about yesterday."

"Ah, about reclaiming the land around the island?"

"Yes. I sincerely hope that you will agree to the expansion."

"In other words…you want more farmland?"

"Yes. If we had unlimited Sun Stones, we could make do with the farmlands we have now. However, they are not an unlimited resource. And so I think it would be best to create more farmlands for next year and the year after that."

Well, it had been something that I kept delaying, thinking that we'd manage somehow.

However, I would not be able to eat apples like the one I was currently eating if we ran out of Sun Stones.

Rienna continued after Baris.

"Of course, the small farm would be enough to secure food for you, Lord Heal. Perhaps the rest of us could subsist on fish…"

"No. As I said before, we must share everything. Still, next year, huh…"

We were apparently nearing the season for planting seeds.

If we were going to do it, it should be done soon.

Also, there were the goblin children to consider.

They liked to run around and play with balls. But I had often seen them being scolded after getting in the way of the adults' work.

They currently had a little corner of the island where they could play with stone tops that were spun on top of a flat rock.

However, many of them preferred more athletic sport.

But it was true that the island was too small for that. And the caves were narrow.

"…Alright. Let's do it."

"Thank you, Lord Heal! But if you just gave us the materials, we could do the rest…"

"That would take too much time. Leave the construction work to me."

Baris had created the plans yesterday.

First, I had to draw out the rocky area that would be filled in, remove the water, pour the sand…

This would all take an incredible amount of time with just a single boat.

They would barely be able to do anything.

However, Baris's face darkened. He clearly didn't want me to be bothered.

"B-but…this is work that we should be doing…"

"I am the lord of this island. I have to be the one actively working to solve the problems here. It's not like it's much trouble for me anyway. I want to eat good food just as much as the rest of you."

Baris thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Lord Heal… In that case, I promise to grow crops that will satisfy you!"

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. …Alright, let's do it then."

I lifted myself heavily from the ground.

And then Rienna, Baris, and Shiel the slime followed after me.

Then Erevan noticed me from the smithy that was near the rocks.

He and Mappa were apparently making axes and pickaxes.

"Chief? What are you going to do?"

"Fill-in the land. There will probably be some big waves, so you should have the goblins move away from the shore."

"Hey! All of you! Gather over here!!"

Erevan called them over to him. And everything was ready.

I raised my hand towards the sea and opened my Inventory.

First, I would stack rocks up to fill-out the area we wanted to use, and then remove the water…

And then I would pour in some sand and Cave Spider…material.

As I've said before, I had no real knowledge of reclaiming.

This was all Baris's idea.

Of course, Baris didn't have any experience either. It was all from a book he had once read.

Normally, this was work that would involve large ships, heavy machinery, and many people.

But uh…this was just a test…

And we had no shortage of rocks.

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And so I used the support feature that was Workshop, and started to create Stone Blocks and Sand.

I made the Stone Blocks on the larger side.

Once I was done, I dropped them into the sea from my Inventory.

To the spectators, it would look like giant rocks were suddenly popping out of my right hand. I probably looked ridiculous.

The rocks fell into the sea with a loud splash.

I kept doing this until they were stacked to about 3 meters above the water, creating a frame for the land I wanted to fill up.

This alone was enough to make the goblins raise their voices in surprise.

No, now that I thought about it, even I could hardly believe that I was able to do such things.

It was crazy that I had an Inventory that could store so many rocks.

'Cave King'…was not to be underestimated.

It was with such thoughts in my mind that I finished creating the frame.

Next, I would use Flow, which was a type of water magic that allowed me to control water. And I would blow all of the water out of the frame and into the sea.

Surprisingly, this was completed in the blink of an eye.

I had been continually increasing my power with the Crystals, but I hadn't expected it to be this effective…

According to the Advisor, I had emptied out an area of water that was around 10,000m².

As of now, no seawater was spilling into it. That meant the rocks were stacked tightly together.

And so I continued by pouring in some sand and rocks…and on the surface, I added the Cave Spider…material.

However, it turned out that we didn't have enough of the Cave Spider material to cover everything…

And so I used Stone Blocks to turn the extra space into a small field for the children to play in.

"Good…now it's all finished."

I sighed and wiped the sweat from my forehead. The goblins all raised their voices and cheered.

The goblin children immediately started to run around on the new field.

"Uh, it might still be a little dangerous… Well, I guess if they are just running."

There could be a landslide.

It would probably be best to wait for a while without planting anything…

However, just running around on it should be fine.

After they had played, the goblin children came to me and said,

"Lord Heal! Thank you!"

"Ah! You're welcome."

I said as I waved at them.

Yes. Without really planning to, I was starting to become more lord-like.

A landlord who is loved by his people… There was something very appealing about that.

"Lord Heal. I must thank you as well! We promise to make a great field here."

I turned around to face Rienna.

"Aye, I look forward to it."

I said with a laugh. Just then…

With a speed that my eyes could not follow, Mappa seemed to vanish from my sight.

I quickly scanned the area and tried to find out where he had gone.

Mappa was in the sky.

In fact, he was being carried buttocks first by a giant bird.

"Maaaappppaaaaaaa!!"

As I shouted into the air, the giant black bird covered the sky over our heads.

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Chapter 16 – We had a barbecue!

"Maaapppaaa!!!"

As I shouted, the group of goblins all raised their voices at once.

"It's Killer Birds!!"

The giant birds that flew over our heads… The Killer Bird. They were bird monsters.

They had black wings and feathers and large, very sharp-looking beaks. And they were as tall as a human.

I had never seen one in person, but the rumors had not been exaggerating.

These monsters were feared in Sanfaris, and were well-known.

The Killer Birds would cross the sea and come to the Barleon Continent from the south during the warmer, planting seasons.

And they targeted more than just livestock. Human children and smaller monsters would often be carried away.

In other words, goblins were also food to them…

"Everyone!! Return to the cave!!"

I shouted as they looked up at the sky.

Some had already started to run to the caves before I gave the order.

The entrance to the cave was right in front of our noses… But even that could seem far for the very small goblin children.

"You guys, over here!!"

Erevan had an axe in his hands as he ran towards the children.

However, the Killer Birds started to dive down one after another.

"Fire!!!"

I used fire magic to burn the Killer Birds.

However, a few of them escaped and continued to head towards the children.

But as soon as they came close to land, they were caught in the deadly swing of an axe.

It was Erevan.

He was cutting down and killing every Killer Bird that came near.

And then he ran towards the center of the reclaimed ground, all the while shouting so that he drew their attention.

"AAARRRGHHH!!! The rest of you, hurry!!"

"But General! It's dangerous!!"

Rienna shouted, but Erevan would not turn back.

Baris led the Princess away by the hand.

"Princess. The General is a proud warrior of the Berdan tribe! Mere Killer Birds are nothing to him! You must trust him!"

I nodded and turned to Rienna.

"I'll stay here and help Erevan. You must help all the children get to the caves!"

"Ye-yes!"

And so Rienna and Baris guided the children back to the cave.

And like that, all of the goblins made it there safely.

However, unless we did something, the Killer Birds would go inside as well.

I had to protect the entrance somehow.

Well, there was a new feature that I wanted to try…

I opened my Inventory and ordered it to create a doll.

Apparently, you could use Rocks to create a doll known as a Golem.

It was also possible to use Iron, but I just needed a shield right now.

Besides, Killer Birds usually avoided fighting anything that was larger than them.

So by just standing here, it would be able to protect the entrance.

And so I quickly created the 3-meter Golem.

There was a bright blast of light, and then a Golem that was made of boulders appeared right next to me.

"Golem. Protect the cave!"

I ordered. And then the Golem stood with its feet apart in front of the cave, as if to block the entrance.

So, it could understand me.

Now the cave would be safe.

But now that I think about it, what happened to Mappa…? Oh.

I saw that a Killer Bird had just spit him out with disgust.

The very sticky Mappa was…

He was about to fall onto the reclaimed ground.

However, Shiel slid under him and acted as a cushion while he plummeted.

Alright. Everything was fine now.

"Erevan!! I'm going to use magic! I need you to duck down!!"

"Understood!!"

Erevan was covered in Killer Bird blood as he dove to the ground.

Once I was sure of it, I chanted the name of the ice magic.

"Blizzard!!!!"

Just then, rays of icy coldness shot out of my hand and spread out.

After a moment, it became like a blizzard and the Killer Birds were frozen in an instant.

The now rock-hard Killer Birds began to fall from the sky.

In order to protect myself and Erevan, I cast Wind over our heads.

Perhaps it was because the ice was so hard, but they didn't shatter when they hit the ground.

The few Killer Birds who had managed to avoid being hit saw what was happening and wasted no time in escaping far away.

It's finally over…

All at once, cheers could be heard from the cave.

Erevan stood up and ran up to me.

His face was red and he was laughing while holding his axe…

Yes. It was kind of scary.

"I knew you could do it, Chief! It was glorious!!"

"Thanks, Erevan. I have a new respect for you as well."

As someone who was called General, he did not disappoint in terms of having high combat ability.

His axe was quite small, and yet he had defeated over a dozen Killer Birds.

'Oh, it's nothing.' Erevan said a little shyly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Lord Heal. General. Are you alright!?"

When I turned around, I saw that Rienna was standing there.

Baris and the other goblins were following her.

"Aye. I'm fine."

"Thank goodness… If anything happened to you, Lord Heal, I…"

Rienna's eyes filled with tears.

Huh? She was that worried about me?

I was honestly very happy, but it was a little awkward as well.

I turned to look at Erevan.

"Erevan…and Mappa also seem fine."

The now sticky Mappa was trying to wipe off the Killer Bird saliva from his body.

Apparently, he had been licked all over…

The thought made me a little nauseous, and so I turned back to Rienna.

"Well, that was quite a distraction… No, perhaps this means we have new food supplies… Rienna. Killer Birds are edible, right?"

"Of course! Their wings and feet are like those of a chicken. Their bellies are like cows and the shoulders are like a pig. They have the best parts of all three beasts!"

"Huh. I didn't know that!"

In other words, it's like some livestock just flew over here and dropped into our laps!

I was salivating already.

"…Alright, then I guess we better have a barbecue today!"

As it had been a while since any of us had meat, the goblins all shouted excitedly.

And like that, we all smacked our lips over some meat that night.

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I had brought some dried meat with me, but there was so little that it was gone very early on.

And so I had believed that I might never eat meat again… But now we had more meat than we could eat.

80 Killer Birds had been killed in all.

We plucked them and cut up the meat, but it would rot if we just left it out.

And so I created a room in the cave and used ice magic to create a freezer.

This way, the meat would last longer.

If we stored all of the frozen meat inside of it, we could have fresh meat whenever we wanted.

After Rienna and the others finished cooking the meat, Erevan held a bone with meat on it in his hand and said,

"Now, with great gratitude towards our Chief, let's eat!!"

"Let's eat!!"

All at once, the goblins bit into their meat.

It had been so long since they last tasted it, and everyone couldn't help but smile.

Mappa and Taran the Cave Spider were also enjoying their meat.

Apparently, it tasted really amazing.

The smell alone was incredible.

Then Rienna stood next to me and said,

"Here. You have some too, Lord Heal!"

"Thanks."

She looked at me a little worriedly.

She was probably concerned over whether she had cooked it right.

But it looked and smelled incredible…there was no way it wouldn't be delicious.

And so I quickly tore into the meat and ate it.

The fat and sweetness spread throughout the corners of my mouth…

"…It's delicious."

"Thank you, Lord Heal!"

Rienna said excitedly.

But I was almost as excited as she was. I could dance for joy.

…Meat really was amazing.

As Killer Birds had to fly for long periods of time, they stored a lot of fat in their bodies.

And that's what gave them their sweetness.

The thought of being able to eat this for a long time filled me with gratitude.

However, at the same time, there was also the possibility of the Killer Birds attacking us once again.

Well, they could be a great food source…

But every moment I spent dealing with them was a moment I had to spend away from mining.

And I couldn't just stay on guard the whole time. Perhaps I could make that doll stand watch on the reclaimed ground as a guard.

Killer Birds didn't attack things that were bigger than them.

And so just standing there would keep them away.

Apparently, you could also alter the Golems. So maybe I could give it a ranged weapon later on.

As for Baris, he suggested we should give some of the goblins bows and let them take turns patrolling the area during the day and night.

After all, there could be other enemies, aside from Killer Birds.

It was necessary to be cautious.

I thought of such things while eating the meat.

And then, I saw that a small goblin was staring at me.

"Um…"

As I tried to remember who it was, Rienna reminded me.

"This Fu. General Erevan's child. …Now we call her Fule."

Right, Fule.

I had changed her name when taming her.

"Right. I'm sorry for forgetting your name. Do you need something, Fule?"

"…Hey. Why are you so strong, Lord Heal? No one's supposed to be stronger than my father."

It must have been my magic that she saw.

Originally, I had struggled to even make a drop of water.

But after using so many Crystals on this island, I had gained immense magical energy.

For many years I had watched my brothers in the palace. But if I was being honest, I had far surpassed them now.

All of them…

"Well…it's thanks to the mining."

"Mining? That's how you became strong?"

"Yeah… No, well… If goblins want to use magic, they'll have to use an Ascending Stone and evolve."

"Then I want to evolve! …Oww!"

Erevan gently knocked her on the head while she was talking.

"Hey, Fule! Stop bothering the Chief. Also, you must speak with more respect! You're being rude!"

Erevan bowed and made Fule do that same.

"Please forgive her, Chief. She can't shut up about becoming stronger."

"Oh, it's fine. Besides, it just shows how much she looks up to you."

'Really?' Erevan asked happily. Fule snorted and turned her nose away.

"Fule. If you really want an Ascending Stone, I can help you. We can mine together. And if you find one, you can do whatever you want with it."

"Do-do you mean it?"

"Yeah."

Fule turned away and looked at the cave as if she couldn't wait to get started.

Then she forced the bloated Mappa to get up and dragged him to the smithy.

She was probably going to have him make a pickaxe.

Erevan seemed a little frantic as he asked me,

"Ar-are you sure? Aren't Ascending Stones really valuable?"

"If I found one, I was thinking about having the people who want it draw lots. But if she finds it herself, there shouldn't be a problem."

"…Do you have no greed towards material things, Chief? It was just recently that you wanted us to take those jewels."

It was true. Ever since I arrived on this island, I had no fixation for things…

I just liked to dig. It wasn't because I wanted that material.

"Well, Fule will be able to do a lot more if she can use magic. …Speaking of magic…"

I selected Crystal x 800 from my Inventory.

And I used them on Rienna as she looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Lord Heal? What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I just used some Crystals on you. Now you should be able to use more magic."

Rienna looked pale as she asked me.

"Y-you used something so valuable on me!?"

"Didn't I tell you? It helps me when there are others that can use magic. If something like that attack happens again, and I'm not around, I want you to deal with it instead."

"Lord Heal… I understand. I will work harder at learning new magic. You will not be disappointed!"

Rienna answered firmly with a hand on her chest.

She had been passionate about learning magic from the beginning.

And so I knew she would do well if I increased her power.

"Yes. I'm counting on you."

I couldn't deal with every problem on my own.

And more than anything, I wanted time to go digging.

Of course, I also enjoyed being out here and eating delicious food…

And so I would continue to use the Crystals to increase Rienna's power.

I probably had enough now, but I would continue to use them anyway.

This was the day that the new farmland was completed and we acquired some meat. And so from the following year, it was to be celebrated as the Sheorl Festival where we prayed for a good harvest.