Thanks to Rei's work, that day's wall construction—or more accurately, the preparatory work for building the wall—progressed unexpectedly well.
That was an extremely good thing for Gilm, but it wasn't necessarily the same for everyone.
"Damn it! What do they mean the schedule's been moved up?!"
"Shut up! Just focus on the work for now!"
"Easy for you to say, but the sun's about to set!"
One of the Carpenters who had shouted turned his gaze toward the sky, where a deep red sun hovered on the verge of sinking below the horizon.
But even under those circumstances, the men present couldn't look forward to enjoying a drink after work. They had to finish their tasks as quickly as possible while making sure that rushing didn't lead to defects in what they delivered.
If they completed their work flawlessly here, there was a good chance they would be entrusted with major projects in Gilm going forward. But if they missed the deadline—or met it but turned in shoddy work—the reputation of every Carpenter on site would be ruined. They were known as some of the most skilled Carpenters in Gilm, which was exactly why they couldn't afford to let that happen.
"Damn it all, why did it have to come to this? Today was supposed to be the first day of work. We should've been drinking and eating our fill at a tavern!"
"Enough, I said shut up and work! Once this job's done, I'll let you eat and drink as much as you want!"
The Head Foreman leading the Carpenters barked at the others. In truth, they had been handed sudden work, but the pay offered was proportionally higher than usual. An additional bonus substantial enough to treat everyone present—and to keep doing so for several days running—had been promised.
The Carpenters weren't the only ones busy in Gilm, either. Craftsmen of all trades were crying out—cries of joy included—at the sudden influx of work. The fact that none of them seriously complained was partly due to professional pride, and partly because additional compensation matching the effort had been prepared.
While the craftsmen worked furiously, many adventurers had also gathered around the destroyed section of wall.
"Hey, what is this... they got this far in just one day?"
An Adventurer Man who had come to Gilm to earn some coin from the expansion stepped out through the breach in the wall and raised his voice in astonishment at the scene bathed in the light of the dying sun. Having worked on expansion projects in other villages and towns before, he had never expected the work to progress this far in a single day.
Part of the reason was the existence of someone like Rei who could use Terrain Manipulation. Another factor was that Gilm, as a frontier town, had more skilled mages than other villages, towns, or even cities. And then there was Gilm's abundant wealth, which allowed it to hire mages at premium wages. Whatever the cause, the man could see that the construction was proceeding at an unbelievable pace.
The adventurers who had been operating in Gilm from the start, however, smiled as they watched his reaction. It was a resigned smile that said it couldn't be helped, a proud smile declaring that Gilm's adventurers were simply this good, and a wry smile that seemed to say, "Well, it's Rei, after all."
Seeing the adventurers sporting all these different smiles, the man decided not to say anything more. Rather than chiming in, it occurred to him that doing his job properly took priority.
"Tch. Sun's not even fully down yet, and we've already got visitors. Let's give 'em a proper welcome!"
A Bandit who had detected through sound and presence that something—some kind of monster, or perhaps an animal—was approaching let out a shout. Hearing him, the adventurers abandoned any thought of further conversation and made their combat preparations. They split into their preassigned groups and braced for the approaching threat.
As they waited, what finally emerged from the shadows was...
"Goblins! Damn it! If something was gonna show up, it should've been something that pays!"
The Adventurer Man swung his longsword with a frustrated shout and sent a Goblin's head flying. That was the signal. Several more Goblins charged toward the breach in the wall, apparently intent on forcing their way into Gilm by any means. Fortunately, their numbers were far from overwhelming.
"Still, how did these Goblins sniff this place out so fast?"
Perhaps because the enemy was only Goblins, one of the adventurers had recovered enough composure to mutter the question.
"Think about it," a Female Adventurer carrying a bow replied. "Wouldn't it make more sense to assume they've been coming around here at this time every day?"
"Even this close to Gilm?"
The man who had questioned her spoke in disbelief, but the woman simply nodded as if to say it wasn't anything surprising.
"That's right. Gilm's wall just sits there—nobody walks along the top patrolling outside. And even if they did patrol, if it was just a handful of Goblins near the wall, most people would figure attacking them isn't worth the effort and leave them alone. This is Gilm, after all."
In the area around Gilm, Goblins were among the monsters at the very bottom of the hierarchy. If another monster found them, they'd be killed without a second thought. They probably couldn't even win against a moderately aggressive wild animal.
Because of that, if they were gathered in packs of dozens or hundreds, that would be one thing. But with a group of fewer than ten like the one that had just appeared, it wasn't unusual for Gilm's adventurers to simply ignore them. Of course, if the Goblins attacked first, that was a different story.
For rookie adventurers raised in Gilm, or those who had reached the town through sheer luck, these situations could even serve as a hidden opportunity—get lucky, and they could obtain Subjugation Proof Parts and Magic Stones without ever having to fight.
"Anyway, let's just count ourselves lucky that Goblins showed up first. If a High-Rank Monster had suddenly appeared, things would've gotten ugly fast."
"...Can't argue with that."
If a C-Rank Monster had appeared, someone might have died on the very first day. Thinking of it that way, the adventurer forced himself to accept that Goblins really were the better option.
Even so, the Goblins that had appeared ended up suffering heavy casualties at the hands of a mage skilled in Earth Magic who was still on-site.
"Then here's to finishing the first day in one piece... and to pushing the construction far past what we expected. Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
At a tavern, the craftsmen raised their mugs and shouted with glee. The sound of mugs clinking rang out, and a moment later they were all drinking deep.
"Pwah! Nothing beats a drink after work! I'd say I live for this!"
"That's going too far. ...Well, I can't deny I look forward to this time every day, though."
After downing half a mug of Ale, the men reached for the food on the table. Boiled sausages, skewers, stew, stir-fried dishes, simmered dishes—a whole spread was spread across the plates, and it vanished one plate after another. They'd had a light meal during the day, but it had been just that: light.
With the sense of liberation that came after finishing work—especially after completing the first day's tasks—the craftsmen ate and drank to their hearts' content. They knew others were still on the job, but the men in this tavern had finished their share of the work for the day. To soothe their aches and build up energy for tomorrow, they drank thoroughly, ate thoroughly, and made noise thoroughly.
"Listen up, all of you. Drinking's fine, but don't drink so much that it ruins tomorrow! We've got work again tomorrow!"
Working with a hangover under the midsummer sun was pure hell. And that hell wasn't just for whoever showed up drunk—it was also forced on the poor souls who had to pick up the slack for the work that person should have done. If anyone pulled something like that, there would be hell to pay—the man made that much clear.
"We know, Foreman! We've calculated all that, so don't worry about us!"
"You idiot! Did you forget what happened two months ago? You said the exact same thing with absolute confidence, and then you were completely wasted the next day!"
"Th-That was... um..."
The man who had boldly insisted he'd be fine was reminded by another that he'd made the exact same mistake before and therefore couldn't be trusted. The crowd around them watched the exchange with amusement, happily using it as entertainment to go with their drinks.
"Miss! Another plate of this dried meat!"
"Oh, and another Ale over here!"
All around the tavern, other patrons called out their own additional orders. Now that Gilm's expansion construction had finally kicked off, it was only natural that everyone was in high spirits. Taverns, restaurants, brothels, and every other kind of establishment were pulling out all the stops to seize this business opportunity. Since today was the first day, many shopkeepers were calling out to passersby at the tops of their lungs.
Naturally, brawls broke out frequently in such an atmosphere, and Guards were running all over Gilm. The rowdy night had only just begun, and they would be rushing around until dawn without a moment's rest.
"...I see. This was lucky for us. I never expected Rei to be that capable with Earth Attribute magic as well."
"Yes. Thanks to Rei, the wall construction will undoubtedly finish faster than anticipated. Though I can't say exactly how much faster yet."
In the Office at the Lord's Manor, Daskar read through the documents reporting on the day's construction with evident satisfaction. And why wouldn't he be? When it came to expansion work, the sooner it was finished, the better.
Of course, no matter how fast the construction moved, if the finished quality was shoddy, it would do more harm than good. But every craftsman Daskar had gathered for this project was both trustworthy and proud of their skills. These were people he could rely on to get the job done right—people capable of covering for any mistakes their subordinates or day laborers might make. Though gathering so many strong-willed craftsmen had meant their opinions clashed, and it had taken a fair amount of time before construction could actually begin.
"That won't be a problem. It's true that the pace has picked up, but that's strictly limited to the groundwork for the wall. Once Rei finishes what he needs to do, the construction will proceed at our planned speed from there."
"...I hope so."
Daskar's subordinate was noncommittal. Having watched from Daskar's side and seen just how many unexpected things Rei had done up to now, he couldn't bring himself to completely believe Daskar's assurances. When it came to how much Rei had actually accomplished, Daskar surely knew more than he did. Yet from what the subordinate could see, there wasn't the slightest sign that Daskar was worried about any of it.
Why does Lord Daskar trust Rei this much? I know Rei has done a great deal for Gilm, but at the end of the day he's just an adventurer. Isn't trusting him this deeply dangerous?
It wasn't that he had any particular grudge against Rei. It was simply that the trust Daskar placed in him seemed excessive. But judging that saying so would only put Daskar in a bad mood, he raised a different matter instead.
"A monster has already appeared at the site where the wall was demolished."
"...What kind?"
"The report says Goblins."
"I see. If it's only Goblins, there's no problem."
For a fleeting moment, Daskar had worried that something far more powerful might have appeared. But if it was just Goblins, there was nothing to be concerned about. Feeling relieved, he turned to look out the window.
A large moon hung in the cloudless night sky. Moonlight poured down onto the ground as if offering its blessing to Gilm on the day it had begun its expansion, and Daskar found himself wanting to take a moonlit stroll.
...Of course, there was no chance of that kind of leisure on the very day Gilm's expansion had started. Once he finished hearing all the reports from his subordinate, he went straight back to his paperwork.