Waterworks Construction

The next day, with the ban on magic finally lifted, I dove headfirst into constructing the waterworks. I could finally use my power to my heart’s content.

"Honestly. You were using it yesterday anyway, and here you are again today."

Fee’s expression was one of pure exasperation as she trailed behind me to keep watch. For some reason, Sasha had tagged along as well. For me, however, this was a stroke of luck. Sasha possessed a specific skill that I desperately needed right now.

Name: Sasha Lousouth Gender: Female Age: 8 Race: Human Occupation: Second Daughter of a Duke Level: 3 HP: 16/16 (D) MP: 32/32 (B) Attack: 4 (D) Defense: 3 (D) Agility: 8 (B) Magic Power: 12 (A)

【Skills】 Leveling: 1 (B) | Stealth: 1 (D) | Command: 1 (C)

【Magic】 Water: 1 (C) | Earth: 1 (C) | Dark: 2 (B)

Leveling was a skill that allowed the user to measure slopes to ensure water flowed correctly. It was, quite literally, an essential requirement for laying Sewerage and water lines in a town. I hadn't expected it to actually exist as a formal skill. I’d been prepared to just eyeball the gradients and hope for the best, but if the skill was available, I absolutely wanted to utilize it.

"Big brother, why are you digging all these holes?"

"I'm planning to pull a water supply into the town. From your perspective, Sasha, does this trench look like it has the right gradient for the water to flow?"

"Hmm, I wonder? It’s not very deep yet, so it’s hard to tell."

"I see. I’ll have to put a bit more effort into it, then."

Invoking Earth Magic, I repeatedly opened pitfalls in the ground, shaping them into a continuous channel. Naturally, I didn’t intend to let the water run through an open trench; I planned to bury Water Pipes and have the water flow through those. If the water ran along the surface, there was a constant risk of Monsters fouling the supply or impurities contaminating it. This was the only way to ensure the water remained safe for consumption.

The source was a lake situated further upstream. The Village Head and the others had apparently never ventured that far, but if you followed the river, you eventually hit a massive body of water. There had been Monsters lurking in the area previously, but they had all gone into hiding following the recent stampede. Drawing the line from there to our territory was the most logical move.

"Big brother, do you really have to dig all of this with magic?"

"If I have your help, Sasha, we could probably manage the digging manually. But for now, I’m the only one who can produce the actual Water Pipes, and I want to monitor the progress myself while we're starting out."

"I understand. If there's anything I can do, just say the word."

"Fee wants to help too!"

Both of them were eager to cooperate, which was heartening. However, there really wasn't that much for them to do yet.

"In that case, Sasha, I want you to focus on special training for your Leveling skill. Fee, can you keep a lookout for any threats in the area?"

"Understood!"

"Leave it to me!"

With my two motivated assistants by my side, I threw myself into the construction work.

---

Nearly a month had passed since we broke ground.

Halfway through the project, Rick and the Village Head finished the temporary housing and joined the effort. With their help, the waterworks were completed much faster than I had anticipated. Seeing the clean water finally flowing through the territory filled me with a profound sense of accomplishment.

I was so moved by the sight of readily available water that I impulsively built a fountain in the center of the settlement. Fee looked at me like I’d lost my mind, but I considered it a justified indulgence.

"Still, I’m amazed at how much of a difference those Anti-Earth Shovels made. Even the Village Head and his men became a significant labor force."

One of the biggest reasons we finished so quickly was that I no longer had to do all the digging myself. Rick had taken the lead, but the rest of the villagers had carved through the earth at a staggering pace. Because of them, I spent the latter half of the month doing nothing but manifesting Water Pipes.

Dozul had watched the pipes I made with intense interest, but since his forge wasn't fully set up yet, he’d resigned himself to manual excavation for the time being.

Sasha, meanwhile, had improved at a terrifying rate. She was now laying pipes across the territory on her own without any instructions from me. It was her idea to install Settling Tanks to filter out debris and to place Water Storage Tanks at strategic intervals. When it came to hydraulic engineering, she had already surpassed me. Apparently, she was already moving on to the installation of Sewer Pipes. If we could get the Sewerage system fully operational, the risk of infectious diseases would plummet. I was more than happy to let her take the lead on that.

"But now I’ve run out of things to do..."

As long as I supplied the pipes, Sasha handled the rest of the construction herself.

"Don't just stand there with your hands idle. Everyone wants you to take a rest, Yuri-sama."

"Everyone worked hard to get this water running. It’s my job to make sure we can use it to its full potential."

As I spoke, I began working on a Public Bathhouse. A soak is the only way to truly recover after a long day of labor, but in this world, water was a luxury usually reserved for wealthy nobles. Now that we had a stable supply, we could bathe without fear of a shortage. I kept my Magic Power moving, shaping the structure even as I chatted with Fee.

I designed it with separate sections for men and women, including large communal baths, saunas, and even outdoor baths. To create the right atmosphere, I’d harvested some large trees for timber. I intended to use Magic Stones as the primary fuel, but I also included wood-burning heaters just in case we ran out of people capable of manipulating Magic Power.

"Yuri-sama, what is this place...?"

"It’s a Public Bathhouse. Everyone has been working so hard; I wanted a place where they could wash away the exhaustion."

That was the official reason, anyway. The truth was that I just really wanted to take a bath myself.

"I see! As your attendant, Fee will wash your back, Yuri-sama!"

I looked at the enthusiastic girl and sighed. "Men and women bathe separately, Fee."

"That’s wrong!" she shouted, her face twisting into a pout.

"It’s common sense. It’s not just me in there; everyone else will be using it too."

"Fine! I understand!"

For a moment, I thought she was being surprisingly reasonable. I was wrong.

"Fee will just have to defeat any other intruders who try to enter the bath!"

"You absolutely will not! No 'defeating' people!"

I made sure to give her a firm warning, knowing she might actually follow through. She slumped, looking thoroughly depressed.

"Look, I'm going to test the water now. Why don't you try it out? It’ll feel great."

"Okay..."

---

Once the tubs were filled, I eased myself into the large communal bath.

"Phew... the temperature is perfect."

I could feel the fatigue of weeks of non-stop labor melting away into the hot water.

"It really does feel wonderful."

Fee’s voice drifted over from the women’s side. I was glad she liked it.

"It really is. I feel like I could stay soaked in here forever."

"Right? ...Wait, what?"

The voice had come from right next to me. A woman's voice. I snapped my head around. Sitting right there in the water beside me was the Saint, Emilina. I thought I’d never see her again after she took that Dragon back to the Royal Capital. Why the hell was she here?

"W-Why are you here!?"

"I've come to grant your wish, Yuri-sama."

"My wish?"

My wish is to live a peaceful, independent life without ever interacting with the characters from the original story. As long as Emilina—the Saint and a core member of the protagonist’s party—was sitting in my bathtub, that wish was effectively dead.

Wait. Maybe she was here to say a final goodbye?

"I see. So this is it. Well, take care of yourself. I doubt we’ll meet again."

"Why are you making this sound like an eternal farewell?! That’s not it! Didn't you ask me to find people who wanted to move to this territory?"

"Now that you mention it, I did. But how does that lead to you being in the men's bath, Emilina?"

"I went around asking after I left, but I couldn't find a single person willing to come here. It was as if they had all been ordered in advance to refuse..."

I tightened my jaw. It sounded like something my father would do. He was likely trying to isolate me. It made the people I did have all the more precious.

"And so, I thought to myself: if I need to bring someone who wants to go... couldn't that person just be me?"

"...What are you talking about?"

"D-Don't look at me like that..."

Emilina covered her eyes and started to sob. Ugh. A wave of guilt washed over me for making a girl cry. My voice caught in my throat. But I couldn't let her stay. If a main character settled here, it was only a matter of time before some 'ruin flag' triggered and destroyed everything.

As I sat there agonizing over how to kick her out, Emilina suddenly giggled.

"I’m joking. I have my duties at the Church, so I can't actually stay here forever."

"...Don't scare me like that. So, what is your actual business here?"

"There is a child I need you to look after. It’s becoming a bit dangerous for them in the Royal Capital, so I’ve brought them here for safety..."

"I see. If that's the case, I don't mind."

I felt a wave of relief. If it was someone the Saint trusted, I didn't have to worry about them being a pawn for the Mastermind. I gave my consent immediately. That was my first mistake.

"Thank you so much!"

"So, what kind of child is it?"

"Yes! It’s the Hero!"

"...What?"

The person the Saint had brought to my doorstep was the Hero—the one individual in this world I needed to avoid at all costs.