Thus ended the Demon King’s report to Hades and his conquest of the earth.

“This is where the hard part begins.”

However, the Demon King refuses to let his guard down.

Are commendable words the only thing he knows what to say?

“This conquest is only the beginning. The true value of a ruler is tested depending on how he brings happiness to the people he conquered. This is where the real work of a Demon King begins.”

A formidable Demon King is the best kind of cheat, in a way.

Even a first-class hero wouldn’t dare look down on him.

“The real challenge starts from here,” says Mrs. Astres as she stands to the right of the Demon King.

“After all, we’re going to be ruling over humans. I expect that we’ll encounter all sorts of problems just by governing a race different from our own.”

“The Human Kingdom’s regime hasn’t completely collapsed yet. There are still several small but smoldering problems that mustn’t be left unattended,” says Mrs. Glasya to the left of the Demon King.

“Hey… Don’t bring up political problems in front of Lord Saint!” says the Demon King to rebuke them.

“But now that their king has surrendered doesn’t that mean their nation is no more?”

I can’t help but ask to satiate my curiosity.

“That’s not how it works, unfortunately. In addition to the royal family, there is one other organization that supports the Human Kingdom’s structure as a nation.”

“The Religious Order.”

The Religious Order is considered the first sect of the human race and worships Zeus, one of the three deities of this world, as its primary deity.

Each race strongly worships the god that created them, so their respective Orders also have a naturally strong influence.

In fact, the human race’s church is its own independent body, so it can be called their Order as a whole.

I’ve heard that they built their headquarters far away from the royal capital, where they prospered enough to become the second capital. They were also heavily involved in national politics, having things done their way and reaping huge profits.

“The members of the Religious Order control each and every thaumaturgical magic granted to them by Zeus. It seems they monopolized this blessing, so their existence is tremendously significant. In a way, they’re no less than the royal family.”

“If we don’t destroy them, gaining total control over the human race will never be fully realized,” says Mrs. Astres.

“We advised both the royal family and the Religious Order to surrender to us. And though the king agreed, the head of the church and the rest of the cardinals…” 

Don’t tell me…

“All fled at once.”

And it seems that no one has caught sight of them since then.

“We are giving it our all, but doing our search in an unfamiliar territory is still a hard task.”

“We threatened to massacre their entire race if they didn’t obey, but they still didn’t hesitate for a second. They saw through our bluff.”

At least they were kind enough to not kill anyone in reality.

“Hence, the occupation system of the former Human Kingdom still has elements of uncertainty. We can’t let our guard down just yet, so paying you a casual visit is still far from happening…”

“Please, don’t worry about it.”

Please prioritize your work first when it’s needed the most.

That’s the most important thing.

“That isn’t the only problem that remains unsolved…”

“Huh?”

The conversation started to shift in a strange direction.

And for some reason, I feel dubious about it.

“It’s about the royal family that we captured. It wasn’t just the king, naturally,” says Mrs. Astres as she takes over for the hesitant Demon King.

“The King’s siblings and children are also part of the royal family. There’s no reason why we should just let them roam freely.”

“That’s true, but…”

A prince is a king’s rightful heir to the throne, after all.

If they kill the king and let the prince escape, their efforts will be naught the moment the prince declares he has succeeded his father.

“Fortunately, we were able to detain all of the king’s relatives promptly. However, the question arises when it comes to handling them…”

“What do you mean?”

“Among the upper echelons of my army, many are of the opinion that we should execute every single royal member.”

“Oh…

Well… It’s only natural. 

It really isn’t, though.

“However, the decision ultimately lies with you, Demon King…”

“I’d like to avoid bloodshed as much as possible. I can’t force the human race any more than this, especially after the king’s heroic act.”

“Nevertheless, they still pressed me at the meeting. In the end, the king’s father and predecessor, who was still hale and hearty at the age of 90, the king’s younger siblings, his wife and children were all exiled to the Demon Kingdom’s territory.”

“It’s better to keep them away from their people.”

“However, there was one person we were uneasy about…”

It’s finally starting to become more and more dubious.

I know it can only mean more trouble, but I can’t help but urge them to continue!

“…And who’s this person?”

“A princess.”

A princess.

Mrs. Astres monotonously continues.

“As of now, we have confirmed that the only child of the king is a 17-year-old princess named Letasreit. The Human Kingdom has a patriarchal society, and as such, women have no right to the throne. It has been planned that her future husband will become the next king.”

“That plan has great significance to our current state of affairs…” says the Demon King in a faint voice.

“The princess is the perfect hostage against the treacherous humans who plan to overtake our country.”

“If they kidnap her and marry her to someone, anyone can become the next king!” Mrs. Glasya grumbles.

“Many were of the opinion that the princess’ life mustn’t be spared as she poses the greatest threat among the royal family,” Mrs. Astres admits.

Both Demon Queens agreed to spare the royal family’s lives, but no sympathy was spared for the princess.

“The human race’s princess is a threat to us demons, after all.”

“I understand that His Majesty is kind, but we must always prioritize the safety of our people above all else.”

They both proposed straightforward arguments, which is probably making the Demon King this faint right now.

“But… I made a promise with their king!” says the Demon King bitterly.

“I promised him that I would guarantee the safety of his people in exchange for his life. Is there anything more painful for a parent than to have their own daughter killed?!”

“No, but…”

I suppose such is the fate of being born into a royal family.

“Astres…”

“Yes?”

“…Is already carrying my child. She’s expecting this summer or fall.”

Oh, I see!

Congratulations to you!

“Now that I’m also going to become a father, I can relate to the pain of a parent seeing their child hurt! I can’t just turn my back on the king who has shown his admirable resolve, nor do I want to. I’ve been trying to find a way to solve this…”

…

It can’t be helped.

I get what the Demon King wants to say. Or rather, what he wants to ask for. He’s too modest to say it himself, so I’m going to take the initiative here.

“I understand. We’ll look after her here on my farm.”

This chapter marks the end of Volume 3!

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“All right! Here I go!!!” says Sensei as he readies himself.

Isn’t he a little too vigorous for a dead king?

I mean, he’s practically a living corpse…

I hope he hasn’t forgotten his raison d’etre. 

“Our corpse sure is full of life whenever it comes to God-summoning,” says Platy, also somewhat perplexed by Sensei’s contradicting existence.

“It seems Sensei has had this hobby of summoning gods for several hundreds of years now. The moment he remembers how fun it is, he becomes pretty energetic…”

Except that he also has to put himself in the shoes of the god he is summoning.

But even Sensei, one of this world’s most atrocious beings, understands the grave consequences of his actions, so he doesn’t just summon a god for his pleasure.

That’s why he’s delighted to be able to use an event like today as an excuse to actually do it.

“You can be just as casual with him as us, all right, Demon King?”

“I understand, but… this is The Lifeless King that we are talking about. I can’t possibly bother him for every little thing!”

Our earnest Demon King feels grateful but at the same time embarrassed.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“Sensei is here… Are we going to have a festival?” 

Asks some of our farm residents, as they start gathering around as onlookers. 

“You weren’t here before to witness it the first time, so feel free to watch. Something amazing is about to happen.”

Puffer is trying to act like some big shot, but…

“Aw, come on, Miss Puffer. Don’t scare us like that.”

“Having a casual conversation with the Lifeless King is already impossible. What other bizarre event could there be?

“Yeah. I’m still afraid of Sensei, so I’m not yet used to being around him…”

The elves and the satyrs are looking cynical and acting carefree.

However, they will soon realize that there are things that can exceed one’s imagination in this world.

“Thee hath called?”

After Sensei succeeded in his ritual, Hades showed up.

He looks as dignified as ever with his thick beard.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Most of the people got spooked and ran away.

But please don’t think of this as a disrespectful act towards a god. 

This is how most people would react under a holy being’s intimidating presence.

“It has been a while, Your Mightiness.”

There goes our courageous veteran, Demon King, greeting a god normally without a stutter in his words.

Mrs. Astres and Mrs. Glasya also knelt down before Hades.

“Ah, if it is not the Demon King of this generation. How rare to seeth thee so oft.”

“As a demon, it is an honor to be graced with your presence more than once. I am both delighted and humbled. However, there is something I must report to you on this occasion…”

“About thee overthrowing Zeus’ children?”

“Were you informed?”

“I am a god yond the rules of this earth. There nay be a way I am oblivious to the happenings of the surface, especially so when it is something as significant as alteration of territorial boundaries. ”

“Pardon me.”

The Demon King bows even lower.

“If so, I would like to add something. The human king has put an end to his dynasty by acting in a way befitting of a true ruler.”

“It doth matter not.”

“Ultimately, bloodshed was no longer necessary. The human race also wants to rule together as the inhabitants of the demon kingdom and, by extension, the earth. I have come to seek an audience with you today to reiterate my vows.”

“How conscientious of thee. However, thou art the very first demon king yond hast defeated Zeus’ pesky children and claimed the mantle of full dominion o’re all the lands in the age of mortals,” says Hades with satisfaction.

“Thee may even name thyself ‘The Strongest Demon King in all of History’ now and evermore.”

“Such a title is too great of an honor,” responds the Demon King politely.

“Um… How about we stop the serious discussions here?” I intervene.

It won’t do us any good if the brusque atmosphere around them spreads throughout our farm.

“We have prepared an offering in celebration of today’s news.”

“Oh?”

It’s our very first offering despite having summoned him thrice already.

There is still significance in doing it now because we needed the necessary experience to come up with ideas.

“Hm, how admirable. What be thine plans of offering?”

“It is rice cooked with bamboo shoots.”

I offer the tray with a bowl of steaming rice to Hades, the God of the Underworld.

The bowl has bamboo shoots mixed with the rice, the same bamboo I’ve been cultivating in the mountain dungeon’s Spring Area. 

After mulling over which dish embodies spring the most, I figured that rice cooked with fresh bamboo shoots would be the best shot.

I offered the first batch that I made to Hades.

Not a bad idea, I suppose.

“Hm, an offering to the god of these lands? Tis yon oblation a befitting offering?”

…

On second thought, maybe it is a bad idea.

I should’ve prepared a more sumptuous meal.

“Am I to suppose thou art meant to consume it with this pairing of diminutive sticks?”

Hades was surprisingly good with using the chopsticks.

Wait, before that!

Allow me to prepare a lavish full-course meal for you!

But by the time I tried to stop him, I was too late.

Hades had already finished the entire bowl of bamboo shoot rice.

“…”

Hades put down his chopsticks and bowl and said:

“Bamboo shoot rice shalt be the food of the gods from this day forward.”

“Huh?!”

Why do I feel like it was suddenly authorized?!

“Um… With all due respect, having our precious spring specialty limited to gods is a little troublesome for us…”

“Worry not, for it shall not be limited to being only the food of the gods. Only someone as bigoted as Zeus wouldst display such petty avarice.”

W-What?!

“The reason wherein I authorize bamboo shoot rice to be the food of the gods is to simply praise it.  From henceforth, every being on earth shall shareth the bliss of eating bamboo shoot rice with the gods. It is a reminder to be grateful for the earth that nurtures and blesses thee with these bamboo shoots.”

I got the biggest praises I could ever get.

But is it all right? Making bamboo shoot rice is actually very easy…

“I wouldst like mine own wife, Demetersephone, to have some taste of this, so prithee do prepare a portion for herself as well.”

Oh, of course.

As Your Mightiness wishes.

“I’m sure your throat’s gone dry after your meal, so please have this to quench your thirst,” says Garra Rufa as she offers Hades some beer.

“Ah, wait…”

I didn’t have that planned.

Nonetheless, Hades took the large stein the elves prepared and guzzled down the beer.

“…I hereby declare beer as the wine of the gods.”

“HUH?!”

And so, the food of the gods kept increasing.

Incidentally, the bamboo shoot rice will restore your physical strength and magic once consumed.

The beer, now declared as the wine of the gods, can remove poison, paralysis, petrification, and other status ailments just by drinking it.

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Demon King Zedan has come to visit us again after a long time, along with Demon Queens Mrs. Astres and Mrs. Glasya.

“Miss Astres!!!”

Our farm has deep relations with the demon royals, notably the demon duo Batemy and Belena, who once served Mrs. Astres as her aides during her time as a Heavenly King. They’re like family to us now.

“Miss Astres! Miss Astres!!!”

Belena has been crying her eyes out in Mrs. Astres’ arms for a while now.

“Miss Astresssss! I’m so happy to see you againnn!!!”

“I’m happy to see you too, Belena…”

“WAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

“B-Belena?”

“MISH ASHTREEEEEEEEEEESH!!!”

“…Aren’t you crying a little too much?”

Lately, Belena’s emotional instability has been a matter of concern.

We need to have a serious discussion about this at some point.

“Long time no see.”

“Indeed, Batemy.”

Meanwhile, Batemy is totally chill!

Are you really fine addressing your former superior, now Demon Queen, casually like that, Batemy?!

“I apologize that I haven’t been keeping in touch as of late.”

The Demon King is as polite as usual.

They even brought a lot of souvenirs with them.

“Where should I start… First…”

The Demon King surveyed the farm around him.

“There are even more people now.”

He gave his honest opinion.

I did plan on informing him about it, but…

It’s the elves.

“I heard they’re a famous band of thieves. However, they’re working for us at our farm, so I would like to ask for your consideration…”

“Don’t worry. I have faith in you, Lord Saint. No matter what kind of heinous crimes they may have committed, as long as they’re under your command, I believe everything will be all right.”

Thank goodness he has complete trust in me.

“Moreover, as stated in the report, the demon nobles and merchants who fell victim to the “Thunderstorm Stonecutters’” thievery have long since been purged during the previous reform. We can’t accuse them now even if we want to.”

Oh, I see.

It’s a good thing that Aileron and the others are chivalrous thieves who only target the greedy.

Selfish people like them deserve to be ruined by the Demon King’s reform.

“They stole not only from the Demon Kingdom but from the Human Kingdom as well. However, that very same kingdom has now been destroyed by my army. Therefore, there is no one left to press charges against them.”

O-Oh…

“The purpose of our visit today is to report to you about the downfall of the Human Kingdom. I was able to fulfill my promise with Hades. I am forever grateful for your help as always, Lord Saint.”

He casually blurted out something serious like it was nothing.

The Human Kingdom has finally collapsed, huh…

That sounds like a rather important event.

If I were to apply typical fantasy elements to it…

“Humanity has fallen.”

“It’s the end of the world.”

“Game Over.”

“Continue?”

“Start over?”

It makes it sound like it’s something to be deeply concerned about. But for some reason, I don’t feel anything at all. I wonder why?

“Our spy told me that the Human Kingdom’s ruler is a fool, but he willingly surrendered himself when his defeat was inevitable. He said that he wants us to secure the safety of his people in exchange for his life.”

“Witnessing his act made me realize that one’s true value is determined during their final moments. He was a king who deserved to be criticized for his inactivity, which led to his defeat. Still, he managed to fulfill his responsibility at the very last moment.”

“A lanky imbecile like him was never fit to be king to begin with!!!” said Mrs. Glasya, who has now become the second Demon Queen.

It may be because she is now officially betrothed to the Demon King, but she looks prettier now than when she first came here.

“A true king must have wisdom and courage just like Lord Zedan! Humans don’t possess those things!”

“I wish that was true, Glasya. I believe that the right qualifications to be king are much simpler than that. Isn’t that what he showed during his final moments?”

…

“His actions made me deeply realize all sorts of things as a Demon King. I will continue to govern his people, not as his successor, but as his aggressor. That is why I must heed caution all the more.”

To become superior to the human race, I see.

With that belief in mind, the Demon King brought his speech to an end.

…

Maybe it’s precisely because he’s the Demon King that I don’t feel bad at all, even with the Human Kingdom collapsing.

“Worry not!” exclaimed Mrs. Glasya gallantly.

“After investigating the Human Kingdom, we found out that the injustice caused by the nobilities and the church is widespread. Not only were the populace angry, but so were the feudal lords!”

So, this is what Mrs. Glasya suggested:

“Lord Zedan should get rid of their past misdeeds as their new ruler, arrest the king’s relatives who committed fraud as well as the members of the church and execute them all! The people will become more accepting of Lord Zedan as a reformer after that!”

“Of course, I will correct any and every injustice there is. However, the reputation I get from the people has not been directed at the true me. I would like to gain their trust and rule over them in the demon-way while my ‘blessings’ are still in effect.”

I’m not worried one bit about leaving this up to him.

Maybe the human race will become happier being ruled by the Demon King?

“…I apologize, Lord Saint. We’ve only been talking about our circumstances this whole time.”

Not at all! It was handy information!

Gosh, this king is incorrigibly courteous!

We can just leave the world to the Demon King! If he takes over the world, we’ll all be at ease!!!

“After gaining control over the Human Kingdom’s capital, the circumstances have made it difficult for me to find the time to come here with all the governance work that I had to do. In the end, we could only pay a visit after winter.”

“Please don’t worry about that!’

Then again, Prince Arowana has been wanting to play sumo with the Demon King for some time now.

Conquering the Human Kingdom on one hand and then forming a good relationship with the Mermaid Kingdom’s future king on the other.

What a busy bee!

“I know this is sudden of me, but I would like to ask you something, Lord Saint,” said the modest Demon King hesitantly.

“I would like to report our victory to our god.”

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Thanks to the satyrs, our farm now has its own milk supply.

Not cow milk, mind you. 

And with the production of milk, we were able to obtain other dairy products, opening another door of possibility in front of me—confectionary. 

That’s right, confectionary.

It’s essential, so I have to mention it twice.

Cakes, cookies, cream puffs, pies, tarts, chocolate, and ice cream.

Just listing them like this is enough to make my mouth water.

I’m thinking of making one from that list today.

Most western confectionaries use flour, eggs, and butter, and I think that’s not biased.

If we don’t have those three main ingredients, we won’t be able to make sweets.

We had access to flour and eggs relatively early, but butter and other dairy products weren’t available during the first year.

But now that we have the satyrs making them for us, there’s no reason why we should keep postponing our plan.

I had the elves make the necessary tools such as the whisk, bowl, and sieve! The main house is also furnished with an oven!

We now have everything with us! Nothing else is missing!

Time to dominate the world! Just kidding. 

Time to bake a cake!

I decided to bake a cake first since it’s the standard.

I have a vague recollection of its recipe back in my world, but what’s most important is to keep the proper measurements. You can’t eyeball it.

We must be accurate by the gram at all times.

However, measuring devices don’t exist in this world. 

I almost thought of putting off my plan for some other time until I remembered that I have “The Hand of Supremacy” with me.

As long as I leave it to my power, it can provide me with the correct measurements and make up for the detailed parts of the recipe I don’t know about. The moment I let “The Hand of Supremacy” take over my hand, it will choose the best way to make the tastiest cake!

Isn’t it super convenient?

I began making the cake on this lighthearted note.

First, the batter.

I tossed the eggs and sugar into the bowl and started mixing them.

…

Isn’t the sugar a little too much?

I know I’m leaving everything to “The Hand of Supremacy” right now, but isn’t this too much sugar?

It’s the right amount?

The response I felt from my hands convinced me so.

I continued mixing the batter with my hands.

Well, I am using a whisk, but it’s not like we have an electric one.

This is a different world.

Electric-powered items are the unorthodox of unorthodoxies in a different world!

Time to make use of my wrists after all that farming!

So, I continued mixing the eggs and sugar (I reduced its amount a little) in the bowl.

…

…I want an electric mixer already.

Sorry. I give up.

Stirring is so tiring. My wrists already hurt.

Speaking of which, I’ve entrusted most of the labor to Gobukichi and his team.

…Wow, I’m kind of useless.

Have I been neglecting even the most basic tasks now that the farm is getting back on track?

I didn’t know baking a cake was so much noble work!

…Trying to escape from reality is pointless.

All right. I’ll shut up and continue stirring.

I’ll ask Belena and the elves to create a mixer with their magic.

That’s right, even if electricity doesn’t exist in this world, there’s still magic!

Magic can solve all of our problems! Viva magical civilization!!!

I had to entertain myself with such baloney. Otherwise, I don’t think I can keep doing something so monotonous as stirring the batter.

Depending on the thickness of the batter, I add milk, flour, and butter.

“Butter! Butter!”

“Are you going to give us butter? Yay!”

“Masterrrr!!!”

The earth spirits were able to smell the butter?!

“Wait! Wait, you guys! I need this butter to make something new!”

“No food is superior to butter.”

“Listen! I’ll make something far more delicious than butter, so be good and wait still!”

“Far more delicious than butter?!”

“Such a thing exists?!”

Oops, I slipped my tongue.

In the end, I still had to give them some butter.

Thank goodness I prepared excess butter in anticipation of this event happening.

All right, now that the batter is ready (with its intricacies entrusted to “The Hand of Supremacy”) let’s put it in the mold and bake it in the oven!

Burn, firewood, burn!

Just like Honnoji did that day!

…

It’s done!

It puffed up nicely.

This is my first try, but it turned out better than expected, thanks to “The Hand of Supremacy.”

After it cooled down, I spread whipped cream all over it. Of course, this is also another blessing given by the satyrs.

Then, once I gave it some shape, I decorated the top with strawberries.

And… Done!

One classic strawberry cake, ready to serve!

Mm-hmm, this was a success.

Now, what about its taste…

Where should I eat it, I wonder? Maybe my room? 

But as soon as I left the kitchen with cake in both hands…

I met an army of zombies.

“AHHH!”

Zombies?!

Wait, no.

An army of women!

There are dozens of them, from mermaids to demons, to elves and satyrs, all stretching out their arms in front of me!

Their pose looks so similar to that of zombies from the movies I saw back in my world that I ended up mistaking them for one.

Hold on, their eyes are bloodshot like the zombies!

But why?!

“Dear! Dear!!!” says Platy on behalf of the female zombie army.

“You made something sweet, didn’t you?! Don’t play dumb with us! We could smell the sweetness from miles away!!!”

All of you gathered here because of the sweet smell?!

It can’t be… The ladies’ minds have been taken over by the sweet aroma, making them act like zombies!

“Lord Saint! Just one bite! Please, please, please let us have just one bite of that tasty thing!!!”

“You used our milk to make that, didn’t you?! We have the right to get our share!”

“Is that the thing that’s even tastier than butter?!”

“Let us have it!!!”

How does a simple cake have power over these ladies’ sanities?!

I guess no matter what world I’m in, the fact that girls fawn over sweets will never change!

“That crazy sweet smell! My gut tells me that it will cause an even bigger fever than the zenzai with mochi last time! Give it to us!!!”

“Let me have some too!!!”

The chaos at the scene reached its maximum when Veil came rushing in her dragon form.

Ultimately, I had to spend the rest of my day baking because the first cake that I made wasn’t enough for everyone.

I kept stirring the batter with the whisk…

Stirring… And stirring…

…

…My wrists!

Tendonitis awaits my poor wrists!!!

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“Zoth Syra came?” asks Puffer, Witch of the Bitter Cold, a fellow worker on our farm.

It seems she wasn’t aware of Zoth Syra’s visit.

“…Well, I was so absorbed in fermenting food that I’ve been holed up at the brewery.”

“You’re trying to make all sorts of cheese with the help of the satyrs, right?” says Garra Rufa, Witch of the Plague.

She’s interested in the lactic-acid bacilli present in yogurt, so she’s been researching it while working at the liquor brewery.

This bacteria nerd, I swear.

“She’s the rumored ‘Witch of the Abyss,’ correct? I’ve never had the chance to meet her until today.”

“Even Lampeye just came back from hunting in the mountain dungeon.”

Lampeye, the Witch of Hellfire, and Platy the Crowned Witch, my wife, are here…

“We sure have a lot of mermaids belonging to the Mad Six here with us.”

“DON’T CALL US BY THAT NAME!!!”

All of them gave me a menacing look.

Do they really hate the name that much?

“I detest it! It makes it sound like we’re a bunch of kids trying too hard to be adults! It’s a load of bull, I tell you! Load of bull!!!”

“Even I don’t want to be seen as a pretentious child… It’s just too embarrassing for me to bear!”

“What’s so hard about calling us something simple as ‘The Six Witches?’ There are six of us, after all.”

“I want to beat the living daylights out of whoever added the ‘mad’ part.”

Everyone is voicing out their disapproval. 

It seems that there is an equivalent of “chuunibyou” in this world, but the majority of society shuns them.

“…Anyway, had I known about Zoth Syra’s arrival, I would’ve come out to greet her. If she thought I was pretending to be away or something, I’m going to face the consequences later!”

“Are you acquainted with Miss Zoth Syra, Puffer?”

“She’s my instructor who taught me all about pharmaceutical magic!”

“I see. You were a disciple of the Witch of the Abyss.”

“No wonder you’re both tsunderes.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

She doesn’t know what their words meant, but she at least suspects that they weren’t complimenting her from the sound of it.

Well, she is a tsundere.

That’s when I suddenly remembered something, so I casually asked them a question. 

“So, even though you’re members of The Six Great Mad Witches, you’re not acquainted with each other?”

“THE SIX WITCHES.”

They were dead set on correcting me.

“Well, of course. Besides, ‘The Six Witches’ is just a group name that arose spontaneously from the word on the streets.”

“It was simply a matter of knowing who the top-class mermaids are, and it just so happens that there were six of us.”

So, that means they weren’t aware of it themselves until the rumor became widespread enough, along with the embarrassing nickname.

“They selected an elite person from various fields. I never knew about the others, so this is the first time we’ve met,” says Garra Rufa.

“The only person among us I already knew was Lampeye, who used to serve us as an Imperial Guard. If she weren’t a royal guard, we wouldn’t have been this close…”

“I feel supreme bliss just by being able to protect Princess Platy here on the farm directly!”

“Make sure to also do your part at the brewery, okay?”

So, the pipe dream of the six witches gathering was realized here.

It’s actually kind of extravagant and awe-inspiring.

“Hmm, in that case…”

“The Six Witches” means that there are six members, right?

We have Platy, Puffer, Lampeye, and Garra Rufa here at the farm.

Add Zoth Syra, who will now come to visit us every once in a while. That makes it five.

That means there’s one more person.

“What kind of person is the sixth witch?”

I was dying to know, but my question made everyone quiet.

“The last member of The Six Witches… ‘The Witch of Darkness!’”

“She does exist, right? We’ve got eyewitness testimonies, right?”

“I heard that the credibility of that testimony has become less reliable recently! They say they mistook a dugong for the witch. The controversy of ‘The Witch of Darkness’ remains vague.”

“I support the theory of light refraction!”

Why would you make someone with an ambiguous existence a member of the Six Witches?!

Since it’s still the mermaids’ spotlight, I have one more thing to add that happened recently.

I gave Garra Rufa a certain present.

She’s called “The Witch of the Plague” and is a progressive oddball who managed to discover the existence of bacteria.

We started producing glass ever since the elves came on our farm, so using that same glass, I asked them to make a particular something—a microscope.

With it, anyone can observe microscopic organisms that are usually not seen by the naked eye.

Other than the lens, the rest of the microscope’s parts were made with wood, so its performance is generations inferior to my world’s cutting-edge technology.

Even then, when I gave it to Garra Rufa, she was on cloud nine.

“ASDFGHJKLSQWETPOXBFDLAKMBNWOAHWOWOWWOWCMVBCN?!”

She reacted like that.

I can’t even tell whether she’s happy or amazed. At least speak in an intelligible human language, Garra Rufa.

I put a drop of water from the rice field on the glass slide and made her peek into the microscope.

Garra Rufa was once again delighted.

“They’re wriggling around, Lord Saint! These are the bacteria, right?!”

“Try magnifying them even more with the lens.”

Also, I think those are Paramecium. 

“How astounding! This will help with my research greatly! I love you, Lord Saint! I love you, love you, love you!!!”

“…”

Garra Rufa says some irrevocable words rather lightly.

“…Dear?”

Platy was in the background this whole time, but I didn’t notice her at all.

“Do you want to make Garra Rufa your concubine? Oh well, I’m more comfortable with having people from my own race in our bedroom.”

No, you’re mistaken…

I gifted her a microscope just because my desire happened to align with our circumstances… 

It’s not like I have any ulterior motives…

Seeing her happy does make me happy as well, though.

“You’re free to have as many mistresses as you want. Just make sure you love all of them equally. You can’t just do anyone as you please. I won’t allow that as your legal wife.”

You don’t have to warn me about that!

And why are you nonchalantly giving me consent to commit adultery?!

One final thing about the mermaids.

Something was being plotted deep within the sea, a territory utterly unknown to me.

“Well then…What about Princess Platy, the ‘Crowned Witch?’”

“Yes, Ma’am. According to the rumors at the royal palace, she is unlikely to return. She’s been exiled for the rest of her life on land.”

“Great! Because the Witch of the Bitter Cold, Witch of Hellfire, and the Witch of the Plague are all imprisoned while the remaining two are fugitives, never to show themselves.”

“In short, The Six Mad Witches are no more.”

“Then, our time has finally come. The best witches who really should be worshipped in the Mermaid Kingdom. Noble, elegant, and elite…”

“THE FIVE LEGITIMATE WITCHES!!!”

“Hah! Ha! Ha! Just you watch, Sis Platy! My comrades and I will rule the magic realm of the Mermaid Kingdom in your place!

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Hi. It’s me, Kidan.

Orkubo and the others have finally returned!

Their supposed day trip turned into four days of not hearing from them. I was already crying from extreme worry! 

Geez, I can’t believe they made me worry like that.

 They were able to bring home a big catch after being out in the sea for days. 

The fish they caught were well-preserved as they had been wrung out and frozen according to the instructions I gave them beforehand. 

We stored them in the massive fridge in the meantime. Afterward, we can prepare it in any way we want; steamed, grilled, or even dried.

But what caught my attention, so much that the fish doesn’t bother me, is the mermaid in Orkubo’s arms.

Naturally, I don’t know her.

“…Is that your prized catch?”

“No, My Lord, actually…”

Orkubo starts breaking out in a cold sweat.

The mermaid is no exception to the beauty her race possesses. Although Orkubo is carrying her with the lower half of her body having a fish’s tail, she has her arms wrapped around his neck, so it doesn’t look like she’s some princess kidnapped by him.

It actually looks more like a hero who rescued a damsel in distress while he was out adventuring.

“…Huh? Are you perhaps the “Witch of the Abyss?” asks Platy.

Do you know her, Platy?

“She’s one of the other mermaids belonging to The Six Mad Witches.”

“Don’t utter that name; it’s embarrassing!” objects the mermaid in Orkubo’s arms.

“I don’t like it, either. It’s like some kid was trying too hard to come up with a cool name…”

“You’re the ‘Crowned Witch,’ right? The identification potion engraved on this ship confirms it.”

“You sensed it and helped Orkubo figure out their way home? Thank goodness.”

I see. So that’s how it is.

Mermaids are known for their ability to make potions and use them in various ways, but this holds even truer for the mermaids called “witches.”

“Allow me to thank you for bringing home Orkubo and the others safely.”

“There’s no need for thanks. They were the ones who saved me…”

“Huh?”

She said something after that, but it was hard to hear or even understand her mumbling.

“A-Anyway, what is this place?! It’s so magical!”

She immediately changes the subject as she looks around our farm in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

“From the goblins weeding in the fields to the hyelycaons running around in the garden, everyone’s mutated here! You can’t fool my eyes, especially after meeting these orcs!”

“Calm down, Lady Zoth Syra…”

“There are even materialized earth spirits?!”

I can see Orkubo being stumped.

The mermaid, who seems to be called Zoth Syra, is still in her mermaid form, so she can’t go around on land on her own.

Her flailing made Orkubo hold her more tightly, closing the distance between them…

“…What is up with this rom-com?”

I started feeling nauseous from the overly sweet atmosphere.

“Okay. This place is teeming with good material for my research. Let me use everything here! I won’t take no for an answer!”

“…Huh?”

What research?

“You’re not getting anywhere on land in that form. Drink this, and know your manners.”

“A quality product of the ‘Crowned Witch, the latest humanizing potion. Are you fine with letting me have something so valuable?”

“It’s not that hard to get materials on land. Well, at least within Dear’s farm. So, don’t worry about it.”

“Hm, if you say so.”

Zoth Syra takes the small bottle from Platy and drinks its contents in one go.

That’s the extent of what I saw because Platy covered my eyes soon after.

“Aw…”

“You do know what happens next, right? It’s not for your eyes, Dear.”

Of course, I know.

Why make her drink the potion in front of me, then?

“Lady Zoth Syra…Huh, a butt?!”

“Ahh!!!”

“Eek!”

I heard a maiden’s shriek as well as a cry from Orkubo that sounded like a pig that was about to be butchered.

“What a kick. As expected of the ‘Witch of the Abyss’ and the eldest of the Mad Six, she was able to master land-dweller legs right away!”

She’s the eldest?!

After all that sappy stuff?!

You’ve got to be kidding me…

 Thus, Zoth Syra, Witch of the Abyss, began inspecting everything on our farm.

 As the usual pattern goes, she was also surprised by Sensei and dragon Veil.

“Guess it’s time for me to leave.”

She seems satisfied.

“Huh? You’re leaving?!”

“Why would you think I’d stay?”

Well, everyone who came here lately eventually settles on our farm, so I thought the same thing would happen this time.

“The Witch of the Abyss has a secret laboratory somewhere deep within the ocean floor,” says Platy.

“I’ve heard rumors about it being far larger than a school or a hospital and that only she can control the uncountable lab specimens there. If even one of them escapes the premises, they say it will end up in a catastrophe.”

“That’s right. If I don’t go back soon, one of the more clever ones is going to escape.”

For real?!

Okay, go back right this instant!!!

“Then again, this farm has piqued my interest. I’ll drop by now and then to do some research.”

“She’s a witch, all right. She didn’t even ask for our opinion.” 

“Of course, I’ll give you something in return. How about the medicines I cultivate at my lab and the XXX, XXX?”

“That would be helpful!”

I have no idea what they just talked about, but it seems Platy is delighted. 

“We can’t cultivate those on land, so I’ve been wondering how to ask my brother about it. I can’t make the merprince violate the laws, can I?”

Just what exactly are you asking from your brother, Platy?!

“That settles it. Make sure to prepare my lodging, research area, and equipment by the time I come again.”

“Tsk, okay. I guess it’s a fair trade for the medicines.”

These two started and ended their negotiations all without me, the farm owner, knowing about it.

“All right, I’m leaving now…” says Zoth Syra as she drinks the potion to revert to her mermaid form.

“Orkubo!”

“Yes!”

Orkubo had been accompanying Zoth Syra the entire time she was inspecting our farm.

“Don’t you ever forget about me until I come back, you hear?! Never!”

“Y-Yes! I promise!”

“I’m holding you accountable for that!”

I’m starting to think that she didn’t just come here with Orkubo and the others by chance. 

After all the mermaids I’ve met thus far, I’m convinced that they’re not the delicate kind of people who would settle for an unrequited love that would just fizzle out.

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Orc Leader, Orkubo, reporting once again.

“Witch?”

“Did she just say ‘Witch’?”

“Um, does that mean…”

We were baffled by the words that came out of the mermaid’s mouth, who I just fished out of the water.

Her lower half is a fish with pitch-black scales, while her upper half is a beautiful lady’s torso. 

She has long and voluminous purple hair that’s more than enough to cover her entire back.

However, the mermaid in front of us has slits as eyes and doesn’t look as friendly as the mermaids I’m acquainted with on our farm—Madame Platy, Madame Garra Rufa, Madame Lampeye, and Madame Puffer.

“Huh? Are you pipsqueaks orcs?”

The mermaid who introduces herself to us as a witch notices our appearance.

Obviously, she would. 

After all, we are monsters.

“If there are monsters here, does this mean that this ship belongs to the demon race? But then, why would they be out here of all places?!”

We get that misconception a lot.

However, our master isn’t a demon. He is Lord Saint Kidan!

“Oh well. Lady Luck certainly wouldn’t be on your side today if you fished me up in the middle of this vast ocean. Maybe with a shark, things would’ve ended much simpler with a few bitten off limbs here and there.”

I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart for fishing you. Won’t you please let this pass?

“What? Strange for an orc to talk like a human. Do not fret, however, for I am no longer angry.”

Is that so?

Ah… What a relief.

If things got tense between us, we would be in big trouble with Madame Platy.

“You hooked at the right time, though. Why don’t all of you become my guinea pigs for my new concoction?”

Huh?!

“I was just looking for land-dwelling test subjects to see how I can slaughter them. It shouldn’t hurt killing one pseudo-living being or two.”

The mermaid takes out a test tube filled with colored liquid from her breast pocket and opens the lid to spill its contents. 

Hey! Don’t dirty the deck!

“Let me tell you why I’m called ‘The Witch of the Abyss’ before you die. I’m researching how to turn mana into life, you see.”

The liquid she just spilled on the deck formed bubbles and soon took on a semi-solid form. 

“It’s research to artificially create monsters just like you. It was considered heretical by the Mermaid Kingdom, so they tried to capture me. That’s why I’m currently on the run.”

The foam kept expanding until it stopped just above the height of a typical goblin like Gobukichi. 

To us orcs, it looked tiny.

Nonetheless, all of us couldn’t help but tremble in fear.

The foam took on a more tangible form, resulting in a slimy mess that looked like a combination of an octopus and a human. 

It had sharp fangs in what appears to be its mouth, sharp enough that getting bit by it looks like it would hurt. 

There were 30 of its kind in total.

Won’t the ship sink with this many people (or monsters) onboard?

“Go forth, my little Deep Ones! Don’t bother living if you can’t kill these lowly orcs!”

The monsters that emerged were now well defined and faithfully listened to the mermaid’s orders as they charged to attack us.

No one anticipated a bloody tragedy to unfold on the deck.

“Hah!”

“Hmph!”

“Take that!”

Our younger men are on a roll.

Not all of us are needed to lift even one finger.

Three of them wield mana metal axes made by Lord Saint, flinging all the monsters off the ship, making a big splash far off in the distance.

“Keep it up, guys. Dropping them too close to the ship would scare away all the fish, after all,” says Orkuma as he commends our men.

I agree with what he said.

“Impossible! They may be still in development, but they have shown the best performance and have outdone the rest of my models! Yet, they lost to mere orcs!”

“We’re not your typical orcs,” says one of our younger men in response to the astonished mermaid.

Hey, what’s with that cocky attitude?

“We are orcs who mutated into Warrior Orcs thanks to our Lord.”

“That’s not all. We also have two Legatus Orcs with us, a further mutated version of a Warrior Orc.”

That’s not something to brag about, good grief. 

Even our Lord knows how to be modest. Can’t they learn a thing or two from him?

“Not so fast,” says one other orc who stops the mermaid from trying to jump back into the water and escape.

Why do such a thing? Let her go if that’s what she wants.

“You think we’ll let you escape that easily after attacking us like that?”

“He’s right. You could at least give us an apology.”

They’re so bothered by trivial things.

If you try to press her like that, you’re going to face some conseque-

“Gah!”

See? I told you so!

The witch took out a flask much larger than the test tube. Even the color of the liquid inside it is much more ominous!

“You leave me no choice but to use this! I’m not sure about its stability, but whatever! I’m bringing this ship down with me!”

The flask shatters onto the deck, and the monster that gushed from it are…

Twofold bigger than last time.

“Ahhh!!!”

“Big! Too big! The ship is sinking!!!”

“Secure the mast! That huge thing could snap it in half!”

It’s not as massive as Lady Veil in her dragon form, but it’s big enough to make us look up.

Its size is more than enough to overturn the ship!

“Hahahaha! That’s right! Panic more! Do you regret thoughtlessly retaliating against the Witch of the Abyss now?!”

You’re the one who made the first move, though…

“Go, Forbidden Deep One! Let every last orc fall into the sea!!!”

The witch orders boldly, but the giant beast doesn’t respond.

“Huh?”

It grabs its master with its octopus-like tentacles.

“Wha- Hey! I knew it was still out of control! It’s just a reject!”

This isn’t the time to be carefree.

The giant monster opens its mouth wide and brings the mermaid towards it. 

It’s going to swallow her alive.

“Nooooooo! Someone, save me!!!”

And just before she was about to be swallowed… the giant monster disintegrated into a hundred pieces from the swing of my ax.

…Orkuma!

“Got it!”

Orkuma sends the pieces of flesh far away from the deck and into the water.

“Kyaaaaaa!”

The mermaid’s relatively tiny body was blown away with it, but I took a giant leap and caught her.

I gently land on the deck with her in my arms.

“You…”

It still would have hurt falling into the water if she had fallen from that height.

The rest of the orcs let out a cheer after seeing me princess-carry the mermaid.

“You… Who the hell are you?  Didn’t someone just say that you’re a Stage Two mutated orc?!”

Oh, no. I’m just your regular orc.

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I am Orkubo, a humble servant of Saint Kidan belonging to the orc team.

For some reason, I’ve become their representative even though there are other senior orcs like me. 

It is not something I desired, but now that I’m in charge, I do my best every day.

Everyone on the farm is my friend.

Lord Saint’s enemies are also my enemies.

As I spent my days working earnestly, my friends started calling me “Orkubo the Reserved” or something like that. 

But why?

It’s not like I’m silent on purpose…

Gobukichi, a.k.a “Gobukichi the Rowdy,” has been a long-time friend of mine since our arrival on the farm. Our team is often compared to the goblin team led by Gobukichi since we’re both monsters, but we get along well.

I take pride in the fact that I’ve been able to support Lord Saint without any severe mistakes thanks to my meticulous teamwork with him.

Enough about me. Let us go back to the time when we tried constructing something during winter—the ship.

Lord Saint’s farm is close to the sea, so it has become a custom for those who are free to go to the beach to collect seaweed and shellfish.

Until the freshwater canal was completed, our water supply solely relied on Lord Saint’s sacred power to remove the saltiness from the sea. The sea indeed is a source of abundant blessings.

We plan to receive even more incredible blessings from the sea this time.

By fishing in a boat, we can catch all types of fish we couldn’t before, and in large quantities, too.

Wanting to increase our supplies accordingly to the steady increase in residents shouldn’t be a futile act.

“Huh? But we can just revert to our mermaid forms and catch fish in the sea…” said Madam Platy, but…

We’re still going to do it! It’s worth the challenge!

And so, we carried on with our plan.

The more options we have, the better!

We orcs are big and robust; hence, constructing and putting together large objects became our main job.

Under Lord Saint’s orders, we made the mansion that lies at the center of the farm and the waterway I just mentioned. 

Thanks to this, we were able to accumulate experience and skills to make our longhouse.

However, this knowledge doesn’t apply to ships.

Building a ship requires skills that you don’t get from building houses or excavating a waterway, so you can only acquire them by hands-on experience. 

The only ship I’ve ever seen was the one Madam Astres, now Demon Queen, came on.

However, when I heard from Madam Batemy that the ship was powered by magic, I realized that we wouldn’t be able to use it for our reference.

In the end, we had to ask for advice from Lord Saint.

It never occurred to me to use dragon bone in place of lumber for the hull to increase its strength or suspend a piece of cloth so that it moves by catching the wind.

Lord Saint’s intellect truly has no bounds.

Thanks to this newfound knowledge, we were able to complete the ship.

Our plan has finally bore fruit.

After multiple attempts during the winter, we managed to finish it in spring, the perfect time of the year when fishes are plentiful. 

Well then, let’s take this ship for a sail and catch fish offshore!

“Don’t catch the fries. It will ruin the ecosystem. All right?” gently warns Madam Platy.

After conducting several tests to confirm its safety, we finally set sail!

Those who were at the beach went out of their way to see us off.

“Don’t sail too far out, okay? Always look out for land, okay? Do you have a compass with you? Eat the lemons you brought on board every day, all right? Otherwise, you’ll get scurvy!” 

Lord Saint is tremendously worried for us.

He can be quite the worrywart. 

It’s not like we’ll be out in the sea fishing for days, My Lord. We plan to return by sunset. 

“If you ever get lost at sea, ask a passing mermaid to help you. I’ve sprinkled an identification potion around the ship, so they’ll immediately know that you’re related to me.”

We are grateful for your concern, Madam Platy.

But this ship isn’t the only thing we prepared during winter!

We made fishing rods out of the bamboo that Lord Saint grew in the mountain dungeon, as well as nets made of straw!

Ten of us from the orc team went on board.

We will definitely come back with a huge haul!

It’s been three days since we set sail.

We’re lost in the middle of the sea.

We’re still lucky to see some land, but its terrain is entirely different from our farm.

We don’t know which way to get us back to the farm, so we’ve been stranded here.

Lord Saint told us that we should go along the direction that the compass points, but I committed the greatest mistake of my life by forgetting how to read it. 

The wind hasn’t been blowing since yesterday, and the ship isn’t moving an inch.

We have nothing else to do now but to devote ourselves to fishing.

“Leader, we caught another one!”

Call me “Captain” when we’re on the ship, not “Leader.”

As for me, I haven’t caught a single fish ever since we set sail.

“…I would never have expected that we’d end up adrift,” says Orkuma, a fellow senior orc who boarded the ship.

He’s also a team leader and a friend who’s been with me through thick and thin. 

“I’m sure Lord Saint must be worried about all of us… Oh well, we’ll manage.”

That’s right, we’ll manage.

…Still no bite.

“Why did you suddenly come up with this, Orkubo?”

Come up with what?

“Building a ship to set sail and catch fish is what I mean. I’ve always thought you were the steadfast type who’s loyal to Lord Saint’s every word and prioritizes it more than anything…”

So, you weren’t expecting me to come up with ideas on my own?

…Our main task involves construction. 

We managed to finish building the waterway after a long time. And now that the farm also has more than enough buildings, I thought that the orc team would fall out of work at this rate.

“That’s why you made up a new job?”

As the leader of the orc team, I cannot afford to keep my allies unengaged. There’s no point in being a leader if I’m just waiting for Lord Saint’s instructions.

Me and Orkuma’s teams are here drifting at sea while our fellow seniors, Orkura, Orkuninushi, and Orktober’s teams remain at the farm.

There is enough personnel to do the labor.

“I see. Well, in that case, we’ll be sure to bring home a big catch and grace our leader’s idea!”

Considering the situation that we’re currently in, I feel like my plan has become a total disaster, though. 

…Forget about that. I’m going to land a big one this time! I’ll live up to my title as a leader by catching a big…

There it is!

I pull it out of the water with my fishing rod, and is now flopping around the deck.

It’s as big as a person!

Actually, it is a person.

A mermaid, to be exact.

“Leader! Did you catch one?!”

“Amazing! Only Lord Saint could fish a mermaid!”

“As expected from our leader! You rival even Lord Saint!!!”

The other orcs are rejoicing, but… that’s not quite it.

This wasn’t the fish I was hoping to catch.

I only have a terrible feeling about fishing a mermaid.

“Blasted land-dwellers! Why did you fish me?!”

I knew it, she’s angry!

“You’re going to pay for this! The revenge of Zoth Syra, Witch of the Abyss, is upon you!!!”

Give it up for Ghost Ape y’all, they volunteered to help me proofread this series! They also proofread The 5000-year-old Herbivorous Dragon if you people are familiar with it.

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Oh yeah, the earth spirits cherish their satyr sisters the most. 

Satyrs are a mix of man and goat, and…

Um…

They produce milk.

They provide us milk and other dairy products around the clock and have become an indispensable asset on our farm. 

It’s during the nighttime when they would usually start working. 

Nighttime is the time when most people wrap up their work. 

The earth spirits who have been cleaning and tidying the house have finished and taken off their maid uniforms to put them away. 

“Great work today, everyone!”

“YEAH!”

Once they finish giving each other a pat at the back, they rush towards a particular place.

…Just to make things crystal clear, the spirits wear a simple one-piece dress after they’ve taken off their maid outfits.

They finally arrived at their destination: the satyr’s workplace.

“Great work today, big sisters!” calls out one spirit energetically.

“Oh my. You too, little ones,” says Panu, who comes out after hearing their voices.

As usual, she has an alluring air about her.

“I’ll prepare them in a bit, so wait here, okay?”

“OKAY!” says the spirits as they form a neat line.

“Here you go. Enjoy,” says Panu as she serves each of them a piece of butter on a small plate.

“YAY!!!”

Their beloved butter.

I don’t understand how butter is a justified reward for the daily cleaning of the house.

Ever since the satyrs started processing dairy products on our farm, it became their routine to distribute the butter they made to the spirits after they were done with their work.

The spirits licked the butter for a while. Once they were full, they hugged Panu as a thank you. 

“Thank you for your delicious butter!”

“And thank you for enjoying them.”

Even their hug has also become part of their routine. Seeing the petite spirits hug the maternal satyrs fills me with heartwarming emotions. The elves, mermaids, orcs, goblins, and the rest of our personnel also gather here to soothe their souls. 

Panu, who took notice of the audience around her…

“Oh, great work today, everyone. I’ll be with you in a moment. Please wait.”

Panu went inside the workshop with the serenity of a holy mother, earth spirits in arms.

When she came back, she was carrying trays on both hands.

Numerous glass cups (made by the glasswork elf team) were filled to the brim with white liquid.

“Please help yourselves to a glass of milk after a hard day at work.”

It was the satyr race’s special milk.

Everyone took a glass and drank it. It was delicious.

“Delish!”

“Thank you for the tasty milk as always!”

With the satyr’s milk, our farm is healthy every day!

No one is calcium deficient, nor is having qualms with the others.

Would you look at that…

I worried for nothing. Our farm is as peaceful as it can be!

After all, everyone drinks milk every day!

A side note.

I knew Sensei had come to visit because of the chill that I felt running down my spine.

When I went outside to greet him, as expected, he was there.

He was with Pochi, the hypercaon.

“Aww, good boy. Good boy, good boy!”

He’s stroking Pochi a whole lot. From the head to chin to his back as if licking him all over.

“Are you a good boy? Yes, you are!”

I could tell Pochi was perplexed even when I was looking at them from afar.

But he instinctively knew that he shouldn’t go against Sensei, so he let him do as he pleases.

“Good boy. Good! Good? Good, good, good, good, good, good boyyy!”

Pochi’s tail has been hanging low for a while now, not a single wag seen from it.

I feel sorry that he’s starting to lose his fur from the stress of being petted too much. I should probably step in and help him.

“Good boy! Good, good, good, good, good, good boy! Goodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboy!”

“Sensei?”

“Goodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboygoodboy!!!”

“Sensei! Sensei!!!”

He didn’t even notice me the first time I called out to him…

Sensei noticed my presence only after I shouted his name multiple times. The moment he realized I was there, he immediately straightened his posture.

“…I am a being who has transcended both life and death. An undead king…”

“Yessir, I’m aware.”

I didn’t know Sensei was such a dog lover.

You don’t have to start acting like how you did when we first met just to hide your embarrassment.

Pochi, who was finally free from the unintended torment, scratched his chin with his hind leg as if to get rid of the itch.

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I decided to observe the residents on my farm to keep our peaceful state in balance, but…

I was already hit with an intense issue right from the very start.

As I thought, there would always be a relationship between an orc and an elf.

I’ll find a less intense combination next.

The earth spirits are tiny and adorable dwarves materialized by “The Earth’s Divine Protection.”

As earth spirits, they stay underground at night and work in the morning, crawling out like zombies.

According to them, they don’t bury themselves underground but instead become one with the earth.

These little girls’ work is to look after the mansion, which has helped us concentrate on our work. They’re pretty much working as maids, so maybe that’s why.

The adorable spirits wear handmade maid uniforms when they’re working.

Naturally, the person who tailored them was none other than Batemy, whose presence has now become relatively significant as the farm’s seamstress.

“Aww!!! Cute, cute, cute!!! Sooooooooooo cute!!! ♡♡♡”

And today, she’s squealing for dear life as she dresses the spirits with the maid uniforms she made herself.

“Hey, fashion nerd, get to work!”

Last time, I observed from the shadows, but I decided to make my presence known this time!

“But Lord Saint, I am working! Can’t you see I’m dressing these girls in adorable maid outfits?!”

Yeah, you made them in excess too.

Five kinds of maid outfits, with more to come in the future.

“There are other clothes I want you to make. Gobukichi and the others are having trouble without spares to change in.”

It’s easy to dirty your clothes when you work outside, after all.

“I understand, but… Aren’t maids and little girls cute in their own right?! When you combine them, it’s even cuter!!!”

“I don’t get you at all.”

Well, it’s not that I don’t understand how she feels, but if I told her that, I don’t think I can stop Batemy for the rest of my life.

Actually, has she always been like this?

My first impression of her was that she’s an earnest kid, being an elite aide for the Demon King’s army and all.

“You don’t understand, Lord Saint…” says Garra Rufa as if she knows what’s going on.

Why is she even here?

“Creative work expresses one’s personality. Batemy, who was once a soldier, is now soaring the skies of freedom by making clothes!”

“I knew you’d understand me, Garra Rufa!”

“Long live creativity!”

“Long live creativity!!!”

They shook each other’s hands firmly, with some sort of fellowship forming between them.

“Well then, I still have brewery work to do!”

“O-Okay…”

Once Garra Rufa said her part, she left right away.

“We are happy!”

“Happy to receive these clothes!”

The spirits, on the other hand, are delighted with the maid outfits they’re wearing.

It seems for them, receiving a piece of butter as thanks for their hard work is their joy, but what makes them even more joyful is having clothes tailored for them.

It may be a rule in the spirit realm, but it doesn’t mean that you can tailor clothes for them non-stop…

“Well then, feast your eyes on the types of maid outfits I made for the spirits, Lord Saint!”

Like I said, don’t make too many.

One type is more than enough.

“Starting with the classic: the long skirt!”

Ohh.

Nothing beats the classics, I guess.

“Next is the counterculture miniskirt!”

Ohh!

“I also made one that imitates the Demon Kingdom’s school uniforms, one with cat ears attached, and another that resembles a nun’s uniform!!!”

The maid uniforms are causing a gestalt collapse.

Maybe Batemy fancies cosplay, that’s why she incorporated all sorts of genres in the outfits?

I tried asking her a leading question.

“About these cat-ear maid outfits…”

“Yes?”

“They look like they would suit the elves well, don’t you think?”

“?!”

Batemy reacts instantaneously.

“I was thinking of the same thing, Lord Saint! In fact, I already prepared the patterns for Miss Aileron and the others! Just say the word, Lord Saint, and I’ll make them right away!

“…”

“Ah-”

Batemy finally realizes her slip of the tongue.

“Batemy. I’m going to confiscate those patterns.”

“No, Lord Saint, wait!!!”

“You’re also banned from making anything other than the clothes we ordered.”

Having a hobby is all right, but only do it once you’ve finished what needs to be done.

“Please wait, Lord Saint! My libido! My soul cries to make cute clothes, and it’s beyond control!  You sympathize with me on this, don’t you, Lord Saint?! Okay, at least let me finish the avant-garde nightgown I have prepared for Miss Platyyyyy!!!”

…!

I was shaken by the phrase “nightgown for Platy,” but I held my ground.

We also have a few elves on the clothing team to increase our production rate, so if you do your job right, you can have all the time to indulge yourself in your hobby afterward.

In the end, I was only able to talk about the intensity of Batemy’s evolved character and nothing else.

The earth spirits are hard at work while in their maid uniforms. They are both reliable and adorable.

That’s all.

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Well, well, well.

It’s me again.

Lately, I’ve realized that we’re getting more and more people on our farm.

Not all of them are “human”-people, though.

First, the twenty elven bandits joined us, followed by a short intermission of winter, then the earth spirit volunteers, and the alluring satyrs. Even Pochi and the other hylyecaons who joined way before them have gotten completely attached to us and became our watchdogs.

…Say what?

They mutated into hyperycaons?

…

…Oh, well.

Let’s leave that for later.

Our stable family of one hundred suddenly increased twofold, so now we’re met with all sorts of complications.

Race may divide the mermaids, orcs, and elves, but everyone uses the same language, uses their pair of arms and legs to work, so there’s no problem there.

Race is a part of one’s individuality, after all.

…Though that’s probably just my preconceived notion as an otherworlder.

They, who were born and raised in this world, have their own sense of values, therefore there are times when they will be at odds with others.

If you were to watch from the sidelines, it could be hard to understand the meaning behind such complexities.

I want to respect each and every person’s quirks as much as possible, provided that they don’t bring chaos to the farm.

That’s where I decided to step in and check the psychologies of my people.

Are they on bad terms with anyone in particular?

If so, would it be a grave problem or not?

As the leader of this farm, I must keep a close eye on them.

We’ll start with the elves who have gotten accustomed to our farm over the winter.

Orcs are in charge of construction work while they make small and handy tools, making them collaborate often. Hence, elves have the most opportunities to interact with the orcs, a race outside their own.

…Why I decided to start with their pair first is probably because of the stereotypes I have from my previous world. I just can’t get rid of my uneasiness when it comes to orcs and elves paired together.

Orkubo and Aileron’s subordinates are inside the workshop, so I hid myself to observe their interactions.

“Ohhh!!! Amazingggggg!!!”

“Right?! Amazing, right?! RIGHT?!”

…It seems the orc is astounded while the elf is being proud about something.

“This is the new weapon that I developed—an ax fused with the bow and arrow! I bent the ax’s handle into a bow so it can also shoot arrows!”

“This is amazing! We can use either an ax or a bow whenever necessary, making it useful in both long and short distance attacks!!!”

The elves have also started making weaponry lately so that the orcs can use them in dungeons.

“Okuyami! You’ll gain the most credit with this equipped! You can mow down any enemy, whether near or far!!!”

“Thank you so much, Sis Elio! Because of you, everyone will respect me!”

It seems the orc is named Okuyami while the elf is named Elio.

“Go on! Try it on this firewood I prepared using that bowax!”

That’s quite a straightforward name.

It’s easier to understand that way, though.

“Consent acknowledged!”

Okuyami holds the bowax and faces the firewood.

“Hyaaaah!!!”

Then, he swung it downward.

However, as soon as its tip hit the firewood, it bent and absorbed the impact.

“…”

“…”

I’m not surprised.

If you make the ax’s handle flexible to use it as a bow, then it’s only natural that it would bend and absorb whatever force you put into it.

“…A structural defect!”

Elio fell down to her knees there and then.

“D-Don’t worry, Sis Elio! I’ll make sure to master this bowax! You put your heart and soul into making this, no way I won’t treasure it!”

The orc is desperately comforting the devastated elf.

“I sneakily took this mana metal from Lord Saint’s storehouse just to make this ax…”

“Ngh! I-I’ll apologize with you, Sis! Cheer up!!!”

“You’re so kind, Okuyami!”

Elio is so overcome with emotion that she hugs Okuyami.

“Wah!!! You really are such a kind person! I love you!!!”

“I love you too!!!”

…

The results of my hidden observations on the orc and elves’ relationship are…

All right.

No problems at all.

They’re getting along very well.

Now that I’m finished here, I’ll go and observe the rest…

“Geez, Okuyami. You’re so kind to this old hag, I won’t even care about what the others will think of us anymore. ♡♡♡”

“Huh? But Sis Elio, you look pretty young to me!”

Okay…Maybe I should be worried about something else!

By the way, Okuyami the Warrior Orc developed a strategy to double the power of his slashes by using a special ax with a bent handle and became a famous fighter of the orc team later on.

Just kidding.

I’m secretly hoping for that to happen, though.

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*This chapter is told in third-person perspective, set in a place different from our protagonist.

Geyser Dragon’s den is called Dragon Emperor’s Fortress, a humongous fortress-type dungeon.

Normally, a dungeon arises due to stagnated mana that once flowed around the world. The highly compressed mana distorts time and space to create a mysterious labyrinth.

However, Geyser Dragon’s fortress is made up of his own mana, a fortress dominated by him and him alone. Moreover, its scale is so big, it’s enough to emerge as the world’s number one.

Such an extraordinary place is created not by nature, but by a single life form. This is one of the myriads of things a dragon, the most feared creature in the world, can do.

And he who ascends the throne is considered the strongest dragon. The most exceptional of the most exceptional, he has the right to command and punish any dragon.

The Geyser Dragon, also known as the Dragon Emperor.

And no living being can ever slay him.

Glintz Dragon Dalper is Geyser Dragon’s 34th son.

Every living dragon on this earth is Geyser Dragon’s child, with Geyser Dragon himself being the only exception.

Currently, the Dragon Emperor’s illegitimate children are in the middle of a succession struggle to determine who will become the next generation’s emperor.

Every dragon must do their best to accomplish the trial given to them, otherwise, those who fail to do so will be mercilessly stripped of their legitimacy as candidates for succession, never to return to the fortress.

Glintz Dragon Dalper was trembling with fear as he went to see his father, Geyser Dragon, the only being these seemingly fearless dragons fear, for an audience with him.

And the reason why Dalper is afraid to have an audience with him is that he still came back despite failing the trial he was given.

Different trials are given to different candidates.

This trial for this dragon and that trial for that dragon…each is given entirely different trials, and their mission is to surpass the rest of their rivals.

Dalper wasn’t able to accomplish his.

In other words, he’s in a dilemma, so it’s only understandable that he would cower in fear.

There’s a great variation in the difficulty of each trial, from being so easy it could make you yawn to being so impossible not even the best dragons could do it.

The only explanation for this disparity is because of the fickle behavior of Geyser Dragon, the organizer of these trials. However, it’s safe to say that the trial given to Dalper was exceptionally easy.

All he had to do was to steal treasure from a lowly, insignificant race.

When Dalper first heard the details of the trial presented to him, he jumped for joy.

It was as if he had already succeeded before he even began. What trial would be given to a dragon entirely depends on their luck, so Dalper was grateful for his good fortune.

There were candidates who were given absurd trials such as challenging The Lifeless King, the only other threat that could rival the dragons, or find something that no longer existed in the world.

Without looking back at the less fortunate candidates, Dalper proceeded to pass each trial with ease. He was even proud that he was one step ahead in the race.

Alas, his luck finally ran out.

He had failed.

“I rested on my laurels for too long!” were the words of regret that echoed within Dalper’s mind.

His opponents were satyrs, a therianthropic race. But to Dalper, humanoids on earth were the same as trash that perishes the moment you breathe fire on them.

He could’ve attacked their settlement and killed them all in one fell swoop before taking their treasure, but no. Instead, he decided to be playful and take his time since he was given a simple trial.

He had this plan of confronting them with his demand first, then sealing their way out to cut their supplies so that they would gradually starve if they refused.

He enjoyed seeing his weak prey suffer bit by bit.

In order to make sure that they would refuse, he made additional demands such as asking for the lives of all their children.

He wondered when they would throw in the towel.

He slowly tortured the satyrs as if to suffocate them, hoping they would give in, toss away their dignity and pride and come crying to him.

Surprisingly enough, it took a lot of time, considering a dragon’s prowess.

Little did he know, that was the biggest mistake he committed.

The next thing he knew, he had already failed the trial.

He shamelessly flew back to his father, Geyser Dragon.

“There’s still hope!”

He strongly believed that if he explained the circumstances that led to him failing the trial, maybe Geyser Dragon would reconsider and give him another chance. Hence, he fled back home.

He desperately blabbered, knowing that his future depended on his justification.

“…Thus, I am certain that my failure was not due to my own carelessness or inadequacy!” he says in desperation.

“Everything was caused by my sister, Grinzel Dragon Veil’s interference!!!”

The direct cause of Dalper’s failure was indeed due to Veil, a fellow dragon, who sided with the satyrs and retaliated against him.

Although they are from the same race, there is an obvious difference in their individual powers.

Veil, who had always emerged as the strongest candidate to succeed Geyser Dragon, threw her own brother, Dalper, out of the village with a single kick.

“Sis Veil is unfair! If her interfering actions are pardoned, this entire selection process would be thrown into chaos! It could lead to a heated rivalry or a great war that could involve all dragons! Please punish Sis Veil accordingly!”

Dalper gambles on this one chance that could turn things around for him.

However, it also ended in failure.

“Who said no interference is allowed?”

“Pardon?”

“Who said anything about candidates not permitted to sabotage others?”

A hefty voice that seemed to shake the entire Dragon Emperor’s Fortress echoed throughout the audience room.

“Interference is fine by me. Such an element of surprise is what makes things more enjoyable for me. Besides, as the trials progress, the last two dragons will fight to the death. An internecine feud is bound to happen sooner or later.”

“Um, Father? …Father?!”

“My…nth son? I don’t remember, oh well. You weren’t able to accomplish the trial I gave you. You’re off the candidate list. Thanks for everything, kid.”

“Father, please wait! It wasn’t me who did wrong, it was my sister Veil! Please give me another cha-”

Other than Geyser Dragon, no dragon was in sight.

The only other creature there with him was a monitor lizard as huge as a mountain.

The giant lizard is none other than Dalper. Except now, he has been reduced to a mere beast after having been stripped off of his magic and intellect characteristic of a dragon.

The Dragon Emperor, Geyser Dragon, holds the life of every dragon and has the right to kill them as he sees fit.

And just like now, he can take away their power and intellect and turn it into his own.

This way, the Dragon Emperor can maintain his power for eternity.

The monitor lizard, once known as Dalper, is examining his surroundings whilst restlessly flicking the tongue from his snout, an action indicating not a shred of intelligence left in him.

“How long are you going to stay in my sight?”

Although he was his son, Geyser Dragon didn’t show any remorse.

“Get lost!!!”

After Geyser Dragon bellowed, Dalper the monitor lizard ran away at full speed.

Former dragons who have lost their intellect are called Lesser Dragons and act solely on their instincts to wreak havoc. Eventually, they pay the ultimate price by getting exterminated by the human or demon race, which is why every living dragon today are all sons and daughters of Geyser Dragon only.

Geyser Dragon’s siblings all lost in the last succession struggle, and after losing their intellect and magic, they perished as inferior species.

And because dragons are the strongest race, it was providence that a second one wasn’t needed.

“But…”

Dalper’s excuses weren’t worth noticing, but there was one thing that was concerning.

“If it isn’t Grinzel Dragon Veil. Speak what’s on your mind.”

I have mentioned this in the About section of my blog before, but if you find any mistake in the chapters, I highly encourage you to bring it to my notice in the comments, be it crucial or not. I do fix them ASAP. Readers who have been around for some time now know this and that I’m the sole person behind this casual project, but still commit enough time and effort to update regularly and at least give readers something “decent” translation-wise. We’re only human and we’re bound to make mistakes.

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Our farm welcomed even more residents.

It hasn’t been that long since the earth spirits joined us, so it’s been hectic.

Still, this bustle is a good thing.

Anyway, back to our satyr friends. They are a therianthropic race and are half-human, half-goat. Proof of it are the curved horns on their heads and the snow-white bushy tails on their behinds.

Their legs are also replaced with goat-like hooves that are said to help them climb steep cliffs with ease.

The concept of therianthropes befuddle me, so I went to Sensei for a little lecture.

“Long, long ago, the human race had a thaumaturgic spell that allowed them to fuse a human with a non-human being. All the ancestors of the therianthropes that you see today are chimeras created by their magic,” he says.

Why would they do such a thing? I tilt my head in confusion.

“It was originally supposed to be a war tactic against the demons. Fusion with a bigger and stronger creature greatly improves their overall performance. However, there were others who held ill intentions.”

“Ill intentions?”

“People fused them with weaker creatures to turn them into laughing stock. In some cases, it was used as punishment for sinners, but slaves or prisoners of war were most of its sufferers.”

“…”

“Hence, many therianthropes are derived from the human race, and satyrs are one of them. Therianthropes are said to inherit the strong points of the creature they are fused with. Aside from satyrs possessing the goat’s ability to traverse rough lands, they can also produce milk whenever.”

Apparently, chimera magic was abolished and lost long before Sensei was alive as a human.

The satyrs who just migrated to our farm are lively and hard-working as if these stories of old have nothing to do with them.

The alluring lady who represents the rest of them is named Panu. She gives instructions and conducts negotiations to immediately establish their place on the farm.

“We’ll provide you with the milk you desire, Lord Saint, so please be patient with us!”

The next day, I was speechless at the earthenware pot filled to the brim with milk that was handed to me.

It’s the milk I’ve always wanted, and yet…

There’s an unexplainable feeling in my chest. I could even tell that my face was blushing.

But the others…

“Yay! We can finally drink milk!”

“The cornerstone of a healthy morning!”

“It’s fresh satyr milk, to boot! A super high-class item!!!”

“The grade of this farm has increased even further! We’re living far luxurious than royalty and titled nobilities!!!”

Everyone was delighted by the milk as they start guzzling it.

…

Am I literally the only one who is bothered by this?!

Is this what they call a culture gap?!

Fine! I’ll daringly drink some myself!

“Glug! Glug! Glug!”

It was crazy delicious that the milk I used to drink in my world can’t be called milk anymore.

I wonder what makes them so different?

The quality? Or maybe its freshness?

Panu’s milk was delicious, but that wasn’t the only thing they provided us.

There were cheese, butter, cream, and every other dairy product made from milk.

It seems they can also process these on their own.

“Dairy products are a satyr’s specialty. In order to barter with other races, we thought up ways to process them ourselves!”

What a diligent race. They didn’t stop with selling just their milk!

The ladies asked me to make a cauldron and other cookware. The room I provided for them has also become their work area where they process cheese and butter around the clock.

They brought the starter culture that helps in processing cheese and are skilled artisans who even know the trick behind making it taste great.

Cheese is another so-called fermented food, so they collaborated research with Platy and the rest of the mermaids.

…The thought of them producing fantasy cheese that will increase your strength and speed just by consuming it scares me, though.

The earth spirits also gave a warm welcome to the satyrs who will be making their favorite food, butter.

“Butter!”

“We LOVE butter!”

They love butter so much that they clung to the satyrs even before it was made.

The earth spirits look like adorable little children, and them paired up with the satyrs make them look like…

A wholesome mother and her children, all warm and snuggly.

“This truly is a great place.”

It only took mere days for Panu and the others to get used to life here at our farm.

“The food is great and everyone is so kind and caring. We’re glad we took the opportunity to move here.”

“I may sound repetitive, but are you really all right not going back home?”

I asked the same question I’ve been asking them countless times.

Migrating is a crucial decision to make since you’re essentially throwing away everything you have in the land where you have always lived to start a new life somewhere else, after all.

“We had circumstances that made it inevitable for us to do so.”

As Panu stated, her hometown had been devastated by Dalper.

They barely had any food reserves and had to reduce the mouths to feed.

“That’s why Lady Veil’s proposal was a godsend to us. Thanks to her, we didn’t have to leave our settlement on a whim.”

When I heard about their situation, we sent some of our farm’s reserves to their settlement.

They gratefully accepted it.

“We can never thank you enough, Lord Saint and Lady Veil. We intend to repay you by doing our best.”

“You already are, take it easy.”

“But it worries me. Will I really be able to repay this huge of a favor you’ve given us only through hard work?”

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

“I’m thinking of repaying you not only by working but by using my body as well!”

“You don’t have to worry about it!!!”

The tone of my voice changed drastically.

“I will not accept no for an answer! I don’t think I’ll be able to repay you for the rest of my life! Satyrs are famous for fertility, so please make me one of your night escorts!”

“Don’t make it sound like I have loads of them!!!”

As Panu’s seductive appearance suggests, she is a very assertive woman.

She’s surprisingly a carnivorous woman even though she’s supposed to be a goat-mix.

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This is a recount of the events that happened during Veil’s six-day absence.

Veil set her mind on retaliating for the humiliation she received from the dragon milk incident.

She thought that if she could resolve the root of the problem with her own efforts, she can prove herself superior to Platy.

First, she barged in at Sensei’s cave dungeon.

“Why him?”

“That pseudo-corpse has lived long enough to know most of everything.”

That’s true.

Veil replied brazenly.

However, there were points worthy of questioning, such as why she was so eager to solve the problem on her own that she had to rely on others, or the connection with Sensei’s immortality as Lifeless King.

“Anyway, I heard from that pseudo-corpse about the satyrs, a kind of therianthropic race. They are famous for the delicious milk that they produce.”

After receiving that information, Veil immediately rushed to the satyr’s settlement.

With her dragon wings, she can travel from one end of the world to the other in no time flat.

“Their settlement was right where that corpse told me—on an alpine surrounded by steep, rocky mountains.”

A place so steep not even typical humans or demons could reach.

Such is the survival strategy of the therianthropic satyrs.

Settling in a place where only they can traverse precipitous cliffs with ease has blocked off any kind of invasion from other races.

If there was one other race that could casually visit such a place, it would be a dragon.

Then, that very same dragon came.

“…Um, wasn’t it chaotic?” I ask the alluring satyr.

Surely, they must have been scared seeing a dragon suddenly appeared at their settlement.

Even if I were to try and put myself in their shoes, I would still panic just thinking about the most terrifying creature flying in the sky one peaceful day.

“We had no such worries…”

“Really?”

“Because even before Lady Veil came, we were already in a panic.”

?

“Truth is, another dragon was already there before me,” says Veil.

Huh?

Why?

Aren’t you the dragon? What’s this about another dragon present before your arrival?

“Another dragon was trying to attack the satyrs…or should I say, about to attack to be more precise.”

The conversation began to shift in an ambiguous direction.

There was a different dragon before Veil came who was about to attack the satyrs?

The satyr leader took over and spoke:

“That dragon introduced himself as Glintz Dragon Dalper. He also showed up one year ago, and demanded that we give him our treasured “Golden Goat Fur.”

“Golden Goat Fur?”

“It is the satyr race’s most treasured article. The Golden Goat Fur is said to have been brought by one of our ancestors from a foreign country during their adventures. We have cherished that very treasure and passed it down from one generation to another.”

And this Glintz Dragon Dalper was compelling them to hand it over.

“But why?”

“It’s the same reason as to when I wanted Dreischwartz,” says Veil.

“Do you remember the story of my father, Geyser Dragon, giving us various trials in order to determine who will be his successor?”

“Ah, yeah…”

“It seems that was the trial that was imposed on Dalper. If he comes back with the “Golden Goat Fur” from the satyr race, he passes the first stage of the selection process.”

I wonder if dragons have a habit of collecting treasure…

Naturally, the satyrs denied his request.

The treasure is very important to them, and besides, Dalper’s request was too irrational.

Nonetheless, they’re up against a dragon.

If he felt like it, he could’ve eradicated them in a flash.

But Dalper didn’t resort to such a straightforward method.

While the satyr’s settlement being surrounded by steep precipitous is a good thing, he cornered them bit by bit by sealing the few openings that they have, got rid of any water source, and burnt down their meadows.

Tormented by Dalper’s actions, they were almost forced to give him want he wanted…until Veil showed up.

“My name is Grinzel Dragon Veil! I came here on my master, Saint Kidan’s orders, to get your milk!” was apparently the first thing she said after opening her mouth.

Her request was far easier than Darpel’s, but the satyrs were having none of it.

At the same time, they cannot allow themselves to be burnt to ashes by Glintz Dragon Dalper.

In fact, their settlement was running out of reserves, so it was a matter of life or death for them.

They have no extra milk to share with others when they themselves are about to starve to death.

They begged for Veil’s mercy after explaining the situation to her, but then, they were flabbergasted by her reply:

“In that case, I’ll get rid of Dalper. If your settlement’s situation reverts to its original state with him gone, you’ll be able to produce lots of milk too.”

And then Veil proceeded to battle Dalper and defeated him.

It was a battle between two fellow dragons, but it seems Veil won unilaterally.

“Dalper is just an idiotic younger brother! A weak dragon who is given a task so easy as to bully therianthropes isn’t worth considering my enemy!”

Are you really sure about that?

Aren’t you two family?

Anyway, after Veil got rid of Dalper, she became the satyrs’ hero. They sang their praises as they expressed their gratitude.

“We as a race are greatly indebted to you, Lady Veil. In order to repay your kindness, we would like to grant your meager request no matter what!”

At first, Veil said that she’d be more than happy to receive just a portion of their milk, but after the satyrs listened to her story in further detail, they guessed that our farm was in need of a stable milk production system.

“That’s why we volunteered to move where Lady Veil lives. Hence our reason for being here!”

About ten other satyrs shouted in unison with the seductive leader.

All of them were young, and…

Uh…

A certain part of their body was remarkably striking.

“We heard that it was you, Lord Saint, who sent Lady Veil to us! We will do our best to provide you with our milk to repay for saving our race from peril!!!”

Oh!

You yourselves are going to provide us the milk that we will be using as food and beverage!

As much as I’d like to rejoice because I finally secured a stable production for the milk I’ve always wanted…

Does any of this sound all right from an imaginative standpoint?!

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“What?! You seriously confronted Veil?” asks Aileron, dumbstruck by what we just told her.

Apparently, she was Platy’s information broker.

“It’s a legendary drink among us elves. One of our ancestors who drank it gained supreme power and defeated the Demon King of their time.”

“I knew it just had to be that kind of drink!”

“When we first encountered Veil, we made small talk among ourselves about the possibility of her producing dragon milk, but I never would’ve thought you’d take it seriously…”

Well, you see, Platy is exactly that kind of person.

As for Veil, she flew away crying after the humiliating disaster.

“If you want milk that much, I’ll provide you with the finest one there issssssss!!!” shouts Veil from the distance.

Six days have passed since then, and she still hasn’t come back.

She isn’t in her own dungeon, either. We have no idea about her whereabouts.

“We’re not really sure whether this legendary dragon milk is real or not, anyway. But when you meet an actual dragon, of course, you’d feel like asking them out of curiosity.”

All you had to do was try.

Although, if you take a minute to pause and think, making Veil produce milk for one or two people is still fine, but supplying for our family of over one hundred is ridiculous.

Wait, what if she does it in her dragon form…?

It’s no use.

Whichever form she’s in, the mental images I have of her are too distorted.

“I can’t take this, either. They say dragon milk is like soma or nectar—once you start consuming it on a daily basis, you’d be so hooked on it that you can’t drink normal milk anymore!”

Such comments were made.

Let’s just abandon this dragon milk idea.

We have no other leads, though. What to do…

Maybe we really should broaden our mindset and consider other monster types that can produce milk even if it isn’t a cow…

“Don’t you have connections with the Demon Kingdom? Why don’t you ask them for a dairy cow?”

“Aileron, I’ve already thought up of that.”

“Was it rejected? Did something go wrong?”

“Not really.”

…And while we were having a fruitless conversation, Veil came back.

Dragon Veil was carrying a basket with her.

I say “basket,” but it was as big as her dragon body, so we can easily mistake it for a ship.

“Master, I brought them back!”

“What did you bring back?”

Veil’s dragon voice is boisterous as usual.

“Creatures that can produce milk, what else?!” says Veil as she drops the basket with a loud thud.

For someone like her, it’s still a relatively polite gesture.

Is a milk-making creature really inside that basket?

“We’re here. This is your habitat from now on, so come out!”

As if to respond to Veil’s voice, the basket made a rustling noise from the inside.

The basket is woven with reeds or straw, but its humungous size is still a little unsettling.

Whatever that’s moving inside it must be climbing its way up…

And then, a normal-looking human pokes out from the basket’s rim.

“A human?!”

Wait, she’s not totally normal-looking at all.

A pair of curved and rugged horns are attached to the beauty’s head.

We’re far from calling her normal now.

More of her kind came climbing out of the basket, all youthful and beautiful-looking.

Who are they and what are they?!

“Are they perhaps… Satyrs?!”

Looks like Aileron knows something.

“They are a kind of therianthrope that is said to be a mixed breed of goat and have the leg strength to overcome steep, rocky mountains without difficulty. And that…”

“And what?”

Aileron takes a pause and chokes on her words.

She’s blushing.

“Female satyrs…are known for producing delicious milk in ample amounts.”

W-Wha…?

“This settles your problem with milk, Master! Now, praise me and feed me something delicious made from this milk!”

“You! Idiot!!!”

I unconsciously jumped really high to meet dragon Veil’s line of sight and gave her a kick.

“You can’t just kidnap random strangers no matter how much we ask for milk! These people have their own lives to live, and their own rights!”

I quickly rushed over to the confused satyrs.

“I apologize on behalf of our stupid dragon for doing something so selfish! I’ll make her take responsibility and escort you back to your home!!!”

Of course, anyone would feel anxious if they’re brought to an unknown land.

And a stupid dragon’s behavior is also the responsibility of its owner (?), me.

I must make it up to them somehow!!!

“T-That’s not it!” says the oldest-looking satyr among the group.

This alluring lady must be their leader.

“We accompanied Lady Veil on our own will! She saved our race from peril, so we wanted to repay her somehow!”

“What?!”

“That’s why it is we who should be asking you a favor. Please let us live here and allow us to provide everyone with our breast milk!!!”

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