I discussed Dos’s gifts with the villagers, but apparently, everything was rightfully mine.
Later, I would hand them out to the villagers as needed. It was a bit of a chore, but Lu, Tia, Frau, and even Rusty insisted that was how things had to be done.
I was grateful for the paper, but I wanted the village to eventually be able to produce its own. Next year, I’ll plant some crops suitable for papermaking. I also received some rare trees, plants, and seeds that I’m eager to cultivate. Some of the trees had Lu, Tia, and Flora practically dancing with joy.
However, among Dos’s gifts were items that were a bit difficult for the village to use.
"What’s this?"
"A Labyrinth Shining Stone. It’s an item for managing dungeons," Rusty answered.
"For managing dungeons?"
"Yes. When we dragons make a dungeon our nest, we can’t live in it comfortably unless we remodel it."
"Well, considering your size, I suppose that makes sense..."
...
Do they live in their dragon forms?
Well, I guess so. It stood to reason. Since I usually saw them in human form, I’d assumed they lived like that too.
...
Wait, they do live in human form, don’t they? I’d heard that when Frau and Michael stayed at Draim’s nest, there were proper rooms for them.
"We can’t transform until we’re adults..."
Looking at Rusty's horns and tail, I understood. Aside from Rusty and Helze, everyone else looked completely human.
I see. Let's move on from that topic.
Changing the subject, what exactly is a dungeon?
"A dungeon is a naturally occurring Magic Power Pool. I’ve heard that when magic power gathers, monsters flock to it. Then, they build the dungeon to make it easier for their kind to live there."
"I see."
"In the case of larger dungeons, the gathered magic power actually expands the space on its own. The Labyrinth Shining Stone is essentially a tool used to harness and direct that expansion."
"Is it rare?"
"It is. But Grandfather has quite a few of them."
"I figured."
If it wasn't valuable, it wouldn't have been included as a gift. Still, I was at a loss for what to do with a dungeon management tool. I didn’t exactly have any plans to start a dungeon.
"Can anyone use this?"
"As long as they can use a decent level of magic, it should be fine."
I couldn't use magic at all. This made the item even more useless to me.
"If it’s for a dungeon, the Lamias are the experts. Could they use it?"
"The Lamia race specializes in magic, so I imagine they could handle it."
"Right. Then I’ll lend it to them."
The Lamia race.
They were the ones who ruled the dungeon to the south of the village. Currently, about fifty of them lived in its depths, keeping various monsters under their thumb. That dungeon was massive—part of it even stretched all the way to the South Mountain where Draim’s nest was located. It made sense why it had taken Kuro’s offspring over a year to conquer it.
Right now, I was planning to negotiate with the Lamia race to handle transportation to Draim’s territory. When I’d handed them some luggage before, they’d been surprisingly efficient, which is what gave me the idea.
I could have continued to rely on Draim, Rusty, or Hakuren... but apparently, using dragons as pack mules wasn't considered appropriate. Beezel and Michael never said it outright, but I could sense that was the general sentiment.
Besides, regardless of Draim and Rusty, Hakuren was incredibly reluctant to take her dragon form. I’d worried that the wound I’d given her wing hadn't healed, but it seemed she simply wanted to stay in her human form whenever she was around me.
She was a cute one.
Anyway, I’d gotten sidetracked. If we used the Labyrinth Shining Stone to organize the dungeon, we might be able to create a direct route to Draim’s nest.
"Oh, but even if you use the Labyrinth Shining Stone, the dungeon won’t change overnight."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. It’s a very slow process... If you’re looking for a major transformation, it might take about a hundred years."
...
That was dragon-scale patience for you.
In the end, we decided to ask the Lamia race to transport goods via the normal forest route to Draim’s nest. The Lamias used the monsters under their control for the actual hauling. Apparently, that was faster than carrying the loads themselves.
Currently, they could move goods from the village to Draim’s nest in about five to seven days. The timeframe varied depending on the weather, but I was still plenty grateful. I paid the Lamias in village crops and made sure to tell them to share the reward with the monsters who helped.
I might need to expand the fields again.
With the establishment of the Lamia Delivery, trading with Michael had become much easier. From Draim’s nest to Shashato City where Michael lived, it took less than half a day for Draim and the others to fly, but it was a twenty-day journey on foot.
The biggest bottleneck was the Iron Forest. While not as deadly as the Forest of Death, it was teeming with dangerous monsters. Supposedly, only top-tier adventurers could make it through to Draim’s nest, and even then, it took twenty days. Ordinary merchants couldn't even get close.
If that place was considered that dangerous, what on earth did people think of the Forest of Death? I felt like its reputation was becoming a bit exaggerated.
In any case, the Iron Forest—the biggest cause of delays—could be crossed in five days instead of twenty by having Draim’s subordinates carry the goods. Between the Lamia Delivery and Draim’s Subordinate Delivery, a one-way trip now took about ten to twelve days.
Considering it was a two-day flight for a dragon, that was incredibly fast. Thanks to this, seafood from Shashato City was regularly delivered to the village, while our crops were sent back to the city. Life had become much more convenient.
Flora completed the miso and soy sauce.
"Ooooh!"
I was probably the one who celebrated the most. To be precise, the flavor was still a bit lacking, but it was unmistakably miso and soy sauce. To express my joy, I went on a cooking spree using both ingredients.
Miso-pickled meat, miso-grilled meat. Meat glazed with soy sauce. Grilled corn with soy sauce. Miso soup. Cucumbers with miso. And finally, miso and soy sauce based pot dishes.
By the unanimous consent of the villagers, we decided to begin stable production of both. Next year, I would definitely have to expand the soybean fields.
My name is Flora. Flora Sakt.
I can’t quite compete with my older sister, but I’m a reasonably famous vampire. I say "reasonably" because I’m basically a shut-in. I rarely go outside, and I can get by just fine without doing so.
Of course, I don’t just spend my days eating and sleeping. Boredom is my greatest foe. That’s why I have a hobby: pharmacy. Medicine research is fascinating. It feels like I’m peering into the mysteries of the world. Some people even travel from great distances specifically to seek out the medicines I’ve created. I don’t have anything that can bring back the dead, obviously, but I can handle most common illnesses.
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with making miso and soy sauce. Since the processes are similar, the Village Head told me they were basically the same thing.
The Village Head is incredible. He possesses so much knowledge that I’ve never heard of before. He even taught me the concept of "bacteria." This is something I can apply to my medicine research as well.
The process of making miso and soy sauce is, simply put, about how to cultivate the source bacteria—the Village Head calls it "koji." I didn’t know it at the time, but the intuition behind it is apparently similar to cheese making.
Anyway, I took over the production from the Village Head and gave it my all. I even had a dedicated building constructed for the work.
Unfortunately, results didn't come easily. Because koji takes time to grow, I had to run multiple batches simultaneously while checking the results. I don’t even want to think about the amount of soybeans and wheat I let rot along the way.
But thanks to all that effort, finally... yes, finally, the miso and soy sauce were finished!
The Village Head was delighted. The other villagers were also overjoyed with the dishes made from them. They were delicious. They were so delicious I was moved to tears. So this was the feeling of hard work finally bearing fruit.
However, the Village Head looked at me and said, "Next, we work on improving the flavor."
...
For a moment, I didn't understand what he was talking about.
Pardon? The flavor? I thought it was already plenty delicious.
I timidly asked him, "What score would you give this miso and soy sauce?"
"You've worked hard, Flora."
"Yes, I know I worked hard, but what’s the score? I’d appreciate it if you were frank with me."
"Eh? Um... out of ten? Maybe a five?"
"Be honest."
"...Two out of ten. I'd say we've only just reached the entrance of the world of miso and soy sauce."
...
That feeling when a job you lightheartedly accepted turns out to be a mountain climb with no summit in sight? That was exactly how I felt.
Fine then. Since the Village Head expects so much of me, I will show him I can deliver. Just you watch. I will make miso and soy sauce that will leave him completely satisfied!
And on a side note, I reflected on my behavior. I should be a little kinder to the High Ogre maids. I'm sorry if I've been making unreasonable demands lately.
This was Flora, who in the distant future would come to be known as the Queen of Fermented Foods.