I left the temporary guild once Mayor Badis finally managed to pull himself together enough to explain the details of his request. My business there was finished, so it was time to head back to our base. Calling it a "base" might have been an exaggeration—it was just a room in one of the row houses I’d conjured with a Pandora Gift. It wasn’t exactly spacious, but since I only used it as a place to deploy the Magic House, it served its purpose perfectly.
The row houses were buildings similar to the apartments from my previous life. While they were a bit of an anomaly in this world, the residents had accepted them without a second thought. In fact, they were quite a hit.
The main draw was that every room came fully furnished. Not only that, but by the standards of this world, the furniture was considered luxury-grade. After all, you couldn't exactly call the average bed in this world "fluffy." And if a bed wasn't fluffy, what was even the point?
"I'm home!"
"Ah, welcome back, Tort! You too, Shiroru."
"I'm home... and I'm absolutely starving..." Shiroru groaned.
Halfa greeted us as we stepped into the Magic House. It looked like everyone else had already returned as well. Since Shiroru was at her breaking point, we headed straight to the dining room to share our updates over a meal. Per Shiroru’s request, lunch was curry. The spice blend was nearly identical to the one served at Beere’s shop, but eating at home meant total freedom with the toppings.
"A hamburger patty! I’m definitely adding a hamburger patty!" Shiroru declared.
"You always pick that, Shiroru-chan," Spira noted.
"And you always eat grass, Spira!"
"Could you please stop calling it grass?"
While Halfa, Lowell, and I liked to experiment with different combinations, Shiroru and Spira were creatures of habit. Shiroru always went for a hamburger patty, occasionally adding extra meat or an egg depending on her whim. Spira, on the other hand, stuck to vegetables like spinach.
Allen, Pino, and the Petit Golems didn't seem to have any particular preferences; they ate whatever was put in front of them with gusto. They weren't with us at the moment, however, as they were currently stationed outside acting as lookouts and messengers.
I kept a variety of pre-prepared toppings in my Storage Ring. It made things incredibly convenient when we wanted to eat immediately—a necessity when you lived with so many gluttons.
"So, what did Badis want?"
I had intended to talk while we ate, but the actual conversation didn't start until we’d finished and were finally catching our breath. If Lowell hadn't brought it up, we might have spent the next hour just lounging around.
"He wants me to build more housing. Apparently, the population is about to spike again."
"Again? Well, I suppose it’s only natural now that the Molybdenum Group is starting to regroup. But are you sure about this, Tort? You’ve been popping off Pandora Gifts like they’re nothing."
"It's fine! I managed to stock up on plenty."
For the past week or so, I had been clearing that particular dungeon repeatedly. By optimizing my movements and taking the shortest routes, I could reach the deepest floor treasure room in just over two hours. So far, every single "Lose" chest I’d opened had contained a Pandora Gift. Thanks to that, I’d amassed over thirty of them. I had used a fair few for the new buildings, so my stock was running a bit low, but I knew I could get more whenever I wanted just by diving back in.
"Pandora Gifts really are incredible, aren't they?" Halfa said with a grin, her eyes sparkling. "I still can't believe a whole house can just pop out of a little box like that."
She wasn't wrong. The dungeon was a bit of a trek from the original village, so I had used the gifts hoping for something to make life more convenient. I just hadn't expected the "convenience" to be an entire residential district.
That said, the buildings created by the Pandora Gifts came with solid foundations. While that was great for safety, it meant they couldn't be stored in a Storage Ring or moved once placed. If you were careless about where you set them up, it could lead to disaster—like the time a curry shop suddenly appeared right next to the Mayor's house. I certainly wasn't going to make that mistake again.
"And how long do you intend to stay here? Were we not supposed to be investigating the cult?" Garna asked, hopping onto the table to look me in the eye. It made sense that he would be anxious about the Eld Caldia Order’s movements. I was, too.
"About that... I actually think we’ll get a reaction if we just stay put."
"What?"
"The person who set up the foundations for this dungeon was likely a member of the Order, but they died right after it was finished. That means they never reported back. The cult executives who ordered the dungeon’s creation are bound to be curious about why their contact went silent."
On top of that, rumors of this town were likely spreading through Albiroda by now. Even if the new residents were mostly affiliated with the Molybdenum Group, you couldn't move that many people without someone noticing.
A town full of people hostile to the Bandelt Group was growing at an exponential rate. As the group's allies, the Order wouldn't be able to just stand by and watch forever.
"I see. Yes, that is a high probability. It is far less dangerous to lure the enemy to our own territory than to go poking around their stronghold. You are quite the tactician!"
Garna seemed satisfied with my explanation. He nodded several times, a smirk playing across his face.
...I decided not to mention that I only built the houses because I didn't know what the Pandora Gifts would do. It wasn't a master plan—it was just a lucky accident. But I figured I could keep that part to myself.