"Hup!"
I dodged the gaping maw of an oncoming Mad Salamander by a hair’s breadth and slammed a blow into its head. I didn't even have time to confirm the kill before two or three more swarmed me simultaneously. I cleared them with a single horizontal sweep of my staff and dove through the opening.
Forward, forward—I had to get to the front immediately!
With my staff in hand and a Dark Slime perched on my head, I barreled through the Mad Salamanders until I finally reached the vanguard of the defense line. This way, I wouldn't catch the Metal and Iron Slimes in the blast.
"I'm counting on you!"
The Dark Slime responded to my wish.
The morning sun was already high, bathing the world in light, but suddenly everything seemed to go dark. It was the sign that the Dark Slime had unleashed its area-of-effect spell.
Wide-range Attack Magic: Dark Mist.
A magical gloom spread like a thick fog, swallowing everything in its path. This dark haze sapped the physical strength of living creatures; any enemy caught within it would rapidly wither away until their life was extinguished.
True to its reputation, the Mad Salamanders crawling onto the beach began to falter. Whether or not salamanders actually had knees, their legs buckled as if all strength had been drained from their bodies. Even those still in the water succumbed; a mass of corpses soon floated to the surface.
By the time I’d counted to ten, the swarm advancing on the processing plant had been completely cut off.
"Everyone, it's your turn!"
"YEAH!"
The fishermen and adventurers surged past the slime defense line to begin hauling away the carcasses.
The slime-based defense was highly effective, but it had one flaw. Unlike humans, slimes couldn't haul their kills away. We had to pause periodically to clear the field. Unlike yesterday, the bodies from the initial wave had piled up, and the subsequent salamanders had begun to detour around the mounds of flesh as if they were terrain obstacles. We had coordinated with the Shikumu's Pier party to clear the blockage before any real damage occurred, but it was a relief that we’d prepared for the bottleneck.
"Hurry with the recovery! There aren't many left, just a little more!"
"OHHH!!!"
Answering the leader’s shout, I grabbed a nearby corpse and started running again.
An hour later, the day's fishing and subjugation finally wound down.
"Good work today!"
"You too!"
"Good work."
Once the cleanup was finished, it was time for lunch. I headed toward the processing plant, chatting with the members of Shikumu's Pier along the way.
"Hey, look! It's Niki-boy!"
"So it's true! You really were put to work as punishment!"
"Make sure you work hard, kid!"
"I know, I know!"
I heard the voices of the men who had arrived before us teasing Niki.
"Good work today," I said as I entered.
"Ah! Slime Big Bro! Here for lunch? Find a seat, I'll bring it right over."
"Thanks. You’re doing a great job."
"Heh. You’re the only one who says that, Big Bro."
Niki gave a weary look at the teasing adults, but he couldn't hide his grin. It seemed this was just how the villagers communicated. Relieved, I took a seat and waited.
"Here you go!"
"Thank—wait, what!?"
I stared at the tray in shock. The grains were a bit rounder than what I remembered, but the color and aroma were unmistakably white rice. The spicy soup served with every meal contained cubes of—no doubt about it—tofu. With the grilled fish and a small bowl of pickles, it looked exactly like a traditional Japanese breakfast.
"Is something wrong?"
"This is rice, right? I heard it was an expensive import."
Niki looked confused. "Is it? We get it every so often here. Is it expensive, Big Bro?"
Shin answered in his place. "Imported rice is pricey, but the Lord of Fatma Territory recruited specialists to grow it locally. It's not that expensive here."
"Though we’ve only been able to afford it for the last few years," Sein added. "It's still a bit of a luxury. I guess for Niki’s generation, it’ll just be normal food."
"Sein, you sound like an old man," Kei teased.
"What!?" Sein looked crushed. He was still young, so maybe he was sensitive about his age.
Regardless, that explained the rice. I’d heard good things about the Lord of Fatma Territory, but I hadn't realized he was revitalizing the local agriculture to this extent.
"I didn't realize rice was such a recent addition to the diet," Niki said. "Anyway, I've still got work to do!"
"Right, good luck. Well then... let's eat."
I took a bite of the rice. It was slightly sticky, almost like glutinous rice—perhaps a trait of this specific variety. It was delicious. The soup was indeed tofu, a nostalgic flavor that warmed my heart.
"You look like you're in heaven," Shin remarked.
"It's been a long time since I've eaten this... By the way, is there somewhere I can buy some?"
"Why don't you have Niki show you around later?" Kai suggested. "The person who makes the tofu in this village is his grandmother."
That was excellent news.
"I promised to talk with him later anyway, so I'll ask him then."
"Good idea. Oh, that reminds me." Kai’s face suddenly turned serious. "Speaking of Niki... when we went looking for him yesterday, we killed five goblins in the forest, right?"
"Yes. Five. Is that right?"
The others nodded in agreement.
"While we were cleaning up today, I heard that a cage was found in the woods near the neighboring village yesterday."
I felt an immediate sense of alarm. However, the five adventurers looked more annoyed than threatened.
"Um, everyone? Isn't that a big deal?"
If there was a cage, it meant the goblins were being transported. It meant someone had intentionally released them near the village.
"Normally, your reaction would be the right one, Ryoma-kun," Shin explained. "But this happens several times a year around here. Honestly, it’s more of a 'not this again' situation."
Apparently, it was highly likely that a noble from the neighboring territory was harassing the Lord of Fatma Territory. It was an obvious human crime, but they never left evidence. A skilled Space Mage could easily drop a cage and vanish.
"Do the two lords hate each other?"
"It's more like the other guy has a one-sided grudge," Kai said. "I don't know the specifics, but our Lord is a great guy. He’s always trying to improve our lives, like with the rice."
"This land isn't great for farming," Sein added. "We used to rely entirely on the lake and the forest. In years with bad harvests, kids used to starve. We've been lucky, but we only have the current and previous lords to thank for that."
"I hear the neighboring lord is a real piece of work," someone else piped up. "But our Lord is different. He walks through the town on his own, eats at local shops, and mingles with the citizens. He's not very 'noble-like' in the traditional sense."
It sounded like the Lord was truly beloved by his people.
"Anyway, this happens all the time," Shin concluded. "The Lord will hear about it eventually and send investigators. Until then, we just keep our guard up like usual. Actually, I’m more concerned about tomorrow’s schedule."
"The plan to reassign some of the adventurers?"
"Yeah. It's still being discussed, but it's basically a done deal. You heard us talking about it during the fight, didn't you?"
"We had plenty of breathing room today," Kei said. "As long as we manage the corpse recovery, we could handle this with even fewer people. What do you think, Ryoma-kun?"
"I agree. With the slimes here, we can definitely protect the processing plant. It would be good training for me, too."
Since the slimes were doing most of the heavy lifting, I could focus on my own development. Hauling carcasses would be good for my strength and stamina, and I could even practice my Space Magic while doing it. It was the perfect blend of work and my personal hobbies.
For some reason, the five of them burst out laughing. When I asked why, they just said it was because I was "so serious." Their expressions were... complicated. I didn't quite get it, but it didn't seem malicious.
I finished my lunch while we chatted, then bid them farewell.
"See you all later."
I stayed in the dining hall to wait for Niki to finish his shift. I had promised to tell him about slimes. How should I approach it? I wanted him to enjoy it since he’d finally shown interest. I didn't want to be too pushy, though. Proselytizing was hard work...
"Oh, right. Ryoma. Don't go overboard, okay? ...Wait, can you hear me?"
"I wonder. Well, he'll be back by dinner anyway. His sister is at the plant too."
I thought I heard Kai and Kei calling me, but when I looked around, they were gone. In fact, the dining hall was nearly empty.