19 — First Presentation

“D—Don’t move!”

A man raised a long wooden pole with both hands, shouting in a gruff, deep voice. Beside him, another man let out a roar, readying a club in the same manner.

“Idiot, words won’t work on monsters! H-here we go! Revenge for the Teachers!”

Huh?

Recognizing those voices from somewhere, I waved my hands frantically.

“Wait a second—”

“Get out of the way! I’ll smash any monster to bits with my iron hammer! Uoooooh!”

But my attempt to stop them was drowned out by an even louder roar. A small shadow charged forward with a spirited war cry, swinging a massive hammer without a moment’s hesitation.

“Pardon me, my Lord.”

The moment she whispered into my ear, something soft covered my eyes. Immediately after, a quiet but clearly angry command echoed through the air.

“Yo, do it. .”

“Ki-hi-hi-hi!”

A high-pitched giggle rang out, followed by an instantaneous, blinding flash of light. Screams erupted from all around us.

“Wh—what was that!”

“My eyes! My eyes!”

“Tch, what did you do!”

“Mee, seize those insolent fools.”

With a sound like stones grinding together, a vibration traveled through the ground at my feet. Then came the sounds of someone struggling and pained groans.

“H-hey! Let me go, you monster!”

“Imo-tchi, restrain the rest.”

There was no verbal reply, but a sticky, squelching sound filled the air, followed immediately by more screams. Without a pause, the sharp crack of a whip sliced through the air. Finally, a voice as cold as ice rang out.

“If you value your lives, stay still. Anything that moves will be considered an enemy.”

The commotion stopped dead in an instant. It was then I realized the sensation covering my eyes had vanished. I hurriedly opened my eyelids and looked around, only to be left speechless.

Surrounding the dungeon entrance were the familiar villagers. What I had mistaken for weapons were actually farm tools like hoes. Every single one of them was pinned to the ground by the Great Caterpillar’s , unable to move. Furthermore, the blacksmith Heimo was dangling upside down, his leg clamped in the Giant Worm’s mouth.

“My Lord, what shall we do with these people?”

Paula asked in a nonchalant tone, and I let out a deep, long sigh.

“We won’t do anything. Please, release them immediately.”

“Ugh, my eyes are still flickering… Wait, what is going on here!?”

Mia, who seemed to have been caught in the , asked the exact same question that was on everyone’s mind.

“What on earth is the meaning of this!?”

I looked toward the voice and saw Chief Dirk standing on the riverbank holding a torch. Behind him stood a long line of villagers, each armed with farm tools. Looking at a situation where no amount of words would easily clear the misunderstanding, I could only shrug my shoulders and tilt my head.

By the time the sun had completely set, we had tidied things up and moved to The Morrow’s Cask. The interior, which was supposed to be quite spacious, was so packed with people you could barely move. Unlike last night’s drinking party, the wives were participating today as well. Or more accurately, every villager above a certain age had gathered.

To summarize what happened while we were inside the dungeon:

First, as evening approached and her daughter hadn’t returned, Ute-san—the mother—got angry. She assumed Mia was slacking off on her chores and enjoying herself somewhere. Then, a villager who had stopped by the tavern after finishing work on the well mentioned that we had headed toward the river.

A while later, a villager returning from drawing water mentioned there were no other signs of people by the riverbank. Furthermore, another villager reported that the Chief had been looking for us. The strength of a small community really shines when it comes to gathering information like that.

Concluding that we had gone missing while checking the river, Ute-san immediately consulted Chief Dirk. A search party was formed in an instant, and the villagers began investigating the riverbank area. Eventually, they found a horizontal hole that was suspicious by any definition.

However, they didn’t want to charge in immediately, so they decided to gather more people first. While the Chief went to round up the men, those confident in their strength stayed behind to watch the hole… and that was when we came waddling out of the darkness, trailing monsters behind us.

In the end, thanks to Paula’s rampage—I mean, “heroics”—direct conflict between humans was avoided. Since trying to figure out who was “at fault” would only complicate things, I simply bowed my head deeply and apologized for failing to communicate, which settled the room.

And that was why everyone had gathered: so I could explain that suspicious hole.

“Well, the village leaders are all here. Sir Nino, may we ask for a detailed explanation now?”

“Understood.”

Prompted by the Chief, I stepped forward in front of the counter. Paula and Mia stood beside me. Since the familiars would only cause more confusion, all but one were waiting outside the dungeon. Yoru and Kuu hadn’t even woken up during the commotion, so we left them sleeping on top of the slimes. With Sue and Rah watching them, they’d be safe.

I cleared my throat and scanned the faces of the villagers surrounding me in a semicircle. There were so many that not everyone could sit; the front row sat directly on the floor while those in the back remained standing. The news of Paula’s familiars had already spread, and the gazes fixed on us were a mix of intense fear and tension.

Right.

There was no way a guy like me, who had lived a “safe” life until now, could give an explanation that would persuade and reassure this many people. So, I decided to be blunt.

“Regarding that hole by the river… it’s a subterranean labyrinth.”

While most of the crowd looked confused, the color drained from the Chief’s face, turning him pale. However, he didn’t lead this frontier village for five years for nothing. He set his jaw and immediately made a request to Hans, who was standing next to him.

“We must consult the Lord immediately. Master Hans, can you have a carriage ready first thing in the morning?”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll have it prepared.”

However, the other villagers still hadn’t grasped the gravity of the situation. They looked at each other amidst the murmurs until one of them asked the Chief in a panicked tone.

“I don’t get it at all! Does it mean it’s dangerous? Chief!”

“Why are we going to the Lord? Is it that big of a deal?”

“No, tell us! What’s going to happen to us?”

The Chief glanced at me, nodded, and broke it down into simple terms.

“Well, to put it simply… if Sir Nino is correct, it means a dangerous ‘mana pool’ has formed near our village.”

“WHAAAT?!”

“No way…”

“Hey, hey, this is a disaster!”

Ah, so “mana pool” was a term they understood. The Chief nodded to me again and asked a question to calm everyone down.

“Please, everyone, stay calm. Sir Nino, am I correct in assuming there is no immediate, pressing danger?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

I said it, but as a newcomer, my words didn’t carry much weight. Especially among the women—many of whom were meeting me for the first time—the looks I received were filled with distrust, unlike the men I’d bonded with over drinks the night before.

“Can we really trust him?”

“I can’t say for certain without a more detailed investigation.”

“So you’ll know if you investigate?”

“That’s a bit vague, isn’t it?”

“Tell us clearly!”

The Chief, who had tried to throw me a lifeline, was immediately flooded with questions and demands from the village matrons. Most were parents with children, so it was only natural for them to be worried. Raising his hands to quiet the room, the Chief continued the explanation on my behalf.

“Indeed. First, the Lord must investigate. If it is found to be too dangerous, then this village… we will have no choice but to abandon it.”

After the collective sound of a thousand bated breaths, the tavern erupted in shouts of anger and grief. People hugged each other’s shoulders or slammed their fists onto the floor; a storm of raw emotion swept through the room for several minutes.

“No… not that…”

“Five years! Five years of gritting our teeth and building this place!”

“Is it all over?!”

“Husband, what are we going to do?!”

“What do we do…”

“Hey! Nothing’s been decided yet, has it?! It’s too early to give up!”

The voice that shouted loudest belonged to the beastman Heimo. He shook his small, bear-like frame and barked at the villagers.

“Save the lamenting for after we hear if the danger is small! So, what happens then, Chief?”

“If that happens, there is a possibility the Lord’s soldiers will use the labyrinth as a training ground. In that case, the houses and fields would likely be requisitioned.”

“Hey! That’s the same thing! I got my hopes up for nothing!”

The little bear huffed in anger. He was actually kind of cute.

“Dammit! Teacher, what kind of thing did you go and find…?”

“The Teacher isn’t to blame! If anything, he found a dangerous spot for us. We can’t thank him enough.”

“B-but…”

“Is everything really over…?”

“No, it isn’t over. If anything, this is where it begins.”

At my contradictory words, the man who had been pounding his fist on the floor looked up in surprise. The Chief and the others also turned their gazes toward me in unison.

Alright, this is the moment of truth.

“In fact, isn’t this perfect?”

“What is?”

“The subterranean labyrinth. Isn’t it exactly what’s needed for the reason I was called here?”

Developing local specialties, securing labor to solve problems, and a treasure trove of materials for precious medicines. It’s no exaggeration to say that a dungeon is a gift from heaven for revitalizing a village.

“I’m afraid I don’t follow your meaning, Sir Nino.”

“Do you know what we were doing all day today?”

“Eh?”

“We were actually investigating that labyrinth. We made it down to the fifth basement floor, and we found many valuable harvests.”

As I spoke with a confident air, the villagers immediately began to stir. It was a natural reaction. Internally, I smirked at having successfully caught their interest.

“Teacher. I appreciate the comfort, but if you’re gonna tell a tall tale, try to make it a bit more believable.”

“No, no, it’s not a lie.”

“But a subterranean labyrinth… a mana pool is a incredibly dangerous place, right? Not to be rude, but Teacher, you’re…”

He trailed off, but I knew exactly what he meant. I have decent height, but compared to the farmers here, my muscle mass is significantly lower. My physique didn’t exactly scream “monster slayer.” In fact, I hadn’t even participated in the fighting.

Having expected this development, I smiled inwardly again.

“That’s because I have reliable companions.”

At my reply, the blacksmith Heimo, who had his arms crossed, nodded solemnly.

“That’s true. The monsters that lady controls were tough. I almost got taken down myself.”

“Mhm, mhm. She beat me in a drinking contest, too. She’s no ordinary person.”

“Yeah, and she’s a total beauty! Her chest is huge, too!”

Heimo had been upside down, so his defeat was a given, and drinking prowess had nothing to do with a dungeon. I was about to think the retorts couldn’t keep up when the last man got an elbow to the ribs from the woman standing next to him.

“It wasn’t just Paula who was reliable. We also had a magnificent mage with us.”

As I said this, I signaled Mia with a look. Suddenly, all eyes in the room shifted to the girl. Mia, who had been leaning against the counter nonchalantly picking at her nails, realized she was the center of attention and hurriedly pointed at herself.

“Huh? Me?”

“Hahahaha! The Teacher sure says some funny things!”

“Hahaha, that’s right, Mia has mana. Yeah, now that you mention it, maybe she is a mage!”

“Ku-ha-ha! A mage who can only light a kitchen fire, maybe!”

“Hehehe. Then I guess I’m a Great Mage starting today!”

As the villagers burst into laughter, I gave an exaggerated shrug. Then, staring at a corner of the room, I raised my voice so everyone could hear.

“It’s getting quite dark in here. Yeah, I think it’s about time for some light, Mia.”

“Oh, the lantern thing? Leave it to me, Sensei!”

“No, not that. Look, over there!”

I jerked my chin repeatedly toward the fireplace, and Mia finally seemed to understand the intent. She clapped her hands together and broke into a beaming smile.

“Hey, Mom. It’s getting pretty dark. Don’t you think you might want some light soon?”

“Hey, I already did the lead-in!”

“What are you two up to…? Are you planning something? Well, it is getting chilly, so go ahead.”

“Leave it to me! Hey, move aside, move aside!”

Mia cleared the villagers from in front of the fireplace and shifted her body and arms multiple times, searching for the perfect pose. Her endearing actions drew more laughter and heckling from the crowd.

“Hey now, look at her acting like a real mage!”

“Aren’t you trying a bit too hard, Mia-chan?”

“Hey, you guys wanna bet on how many tries it takes her to light it?”

“Oh, in that case, I’ll bet a drink that she fails every single time!”

The gloom from earlier had almost entirely dissipated. In a place with so little entertainment, I suppose this was inevitable. Eventually, after finalizing her pose, the girl raised her arms playfully and declared loudly:

“Alright, here I go!”

“Hey? You’re too far away!”

“Whoa, you gotta get closer or it won’t reach!”

“What are you do—!?”

Ignoring the villagers’ voices, Mia spun around on the spot and snapped her fingers. In the next instant, a fireball the size of a baby’s head erupted from her fingertip. She spun again and snapped her fingers on both hands—snap, snap! And for a finishing touch—snap-snap-snap!

Six fireballs appeared in rapid succession, illuminating the villagers, whose eyes and mouths were now wide open. Not a single one missed; they streaked toward the fireplace in the corner of the room one after another.

Naturally, the firewood inside stood no chance. It ignited completely in an instant, but the pressure of the flames blew it up into the chimney, making it vanish just as quickly. The colliding flames inside the fireplace became a massive vortex, scattering intense heat. In the process, ash and sparks danced wildly through the air.

“You overdid it, you idiot…”

A breath after my words, a roar of sheer shock erupted through the village.