From Lucua village, we crossed the Sherna river and headed further north. Returning to the settlement after approximately one week, we headed to the town square with the Werecat craftsmen in tow. 

“Wafu, guruao!” (AH, IT’S BOSS!!)

“Vo, gaouoaan?” (They brought someone along again?)

There was a previous encounter with the red-haired mage Muriel, so they were not too surprised with the appearance of the Werecats. However, the mothers who just gave birth this spring moved to a corner of the square with their young… It was natural to want to keep the cubs safe, after all.

Still, most of the Kobold inhabitants happily greeted us, while some of our gathered brethren felt unaccustomed to Dagger and Lancer’s appearances.

“Wafu, gaua, voooan.” (Huh? Dagger, you changed again.)

“Gauann!” (She’s right!)

“Uruuh, uan? Kuruann!” (Fufu, how is it? Isn’t it great?)

For some reason, the Kobold Dagger (my sister) once again showed off her fluffy tail by wagging it, but… is there any meaning behind it? Similarly, Lancer, whose fur had turned white on her tail and arms, was also attracting the attention of our brethren.  

As I nonchalantly looked around the crowded square, I noticed a group of unfamiliar Kobolds hanging around from a distance. Buster had also noticed the unfamiliar floppy-eared Kobolds, so he approached them and questioned them with a somewhat threatening tone. 

“…Guruu, gaoua.” (… I haven’t seen you guys before.)

In response to the inquiry, the largest Kobold in their group stepped forward. Even though he was not as large as Buster or Ax, he was still bigger than the average Kobold.

“Guoa wauuoan guruauu?” (Are you the Boss that Ax told us about?)

“Guu, garuooau, guruaooonn.” (No, I’m not. The Chief’s over there.)

Following the direction that the black-armed Kobold pointed to, the unfamiliar group went and knelt in front of me. With his head hanging down, the Kobold from earlier stated his purpose.

“… gauru guoaann, gurua.” (… We would like to join your pack, Boss.)

“Garuuaoh.” (Please let us join you.)

(… So there are seven all-in-all, huh.)

Well, it’s not like the settlement’s inhabitants are at a point where we can’t accommodate them, and this huge guy could also be a valuable fighting asset.

“Wonn, kuruuaon.” (Alright, I’ll take you guys in.)

The large, floppy-eared Kobold looked up and met my gaze after I gave them my consent.

“… Gurua, garuo wauua waoaaan varuowaaan.” (… Boss, I would also like to be bestowed with a name like Ax and Blazer.)

“Gaou, kuruou?” (What is your weapon?)

“Guo, guorugaaah” (My fists. I fight with my fists.)

As he said so, he raised his powerful-looking fists in front of him.

“Gau, guua gaou gauaruh!!” (Very well, henceforth, you shall be known as Knuckle!!)

“Gauaru…” (Knuckle…)

The large, floppy-eared Kobold repeated his name in a whisper as if to make sure.

Name: Knuckle (Male)

Race: Kobold

Rank: Kobold Striker

Skill: Increased Arm Strength (Small/ Constant), Increased Leg Strength(Small/ Constant), Increased Reaction Speed (Small/Constant)

Title: Dog Fighter

Weapon: Right Arm, Right Leg (Main), Left Arm, Left Leg (Auxiliary)

Armament: Straw Skirt

“Waooonn, gauaru.” (I’m counting on you from now on, Knuckle.)

“Wafuh!” (Yes!!)

Just as our conversation came to an end, Ax emerged from the trees with his Battle Axe in one hand and the Shield on his back. His fur was dripping wet, and from behind him, several parent-and-child Kobolds who were in the same state followed… From the looks of it, he probably accompanied them to bathe in the river.

Since various animals and monsters also gather in the shallows in search of water, a suitable guard to keep them company is necessary if they play in the water longer. I lightly waved to my big, blue childhood friend who was fulfilling that role.  

“Au, guruo, waon~” (Ah, welcome back, everyone~)

“Kuruaan, wauu.” (We’re home, Ax.)

“Ruu kuruaaaan♪” (We’re back~♪)

With one hand raised, Ax joined our little circle as he smiled at Lancer and my sister.

“Gurua, garuoa garuoou…” (Boss, about those guys…)

After taking a glance at the floppy-eared Kobolds, the big blue Kobold apologetically hunched over and tried to explain the situation to me while his hands flailed to keep me from talking. 

“Guruoa gauruguoan, guo garuon?” (Well, you already accepted them into the pack, so it’s fine, right?)

“Waonn!!” (Yes!!)

Perhaps thinking that I would reject his decision, Ax’s expression became relieved when I responded favorably. Since I entrusted the pack to you, I’ll respect your judgment and not question your judgments as long as they don’t majorly affect everyone.

Ah, speaking of putting the pack in their hands, I believe it was the same for Blazer, but I couldn’t see him around as usual, so he must be going on patrol around the settlement again…

“Heeey, Archer, can we have a minute?”

Suddenly, the Blacksmith’s son Barrack called out to me from behind.

… I had almost forgotten about the Werecats who were standing around with nothing to do. While feeling apologetic, I sat down facing theｍ and took out my beloved slate pencil from my pouch.

“Forgive me, I got caught up in a lot of things.”

“That’s fine, but… there’s virtually nothing here. Mr. Grimer, can you at least make us some sleeping quarters? I don’t want to sleep inside a burrow.”

“Hmm… making bricks and doing full-scale woodworking would take too much time… Mr. Silver, could I use the wood over there?”

The Werecat Carpenter Grimer pointed to the corner of the plaza where the trees that Ax had cut down were piled up.

“Go ahead and do as you like.”

“Alright. Then, I’ll make the frame out of thin tree trunks and ivy, then I’ll also use tree bark to make a foundation for the leaf-covered roof… and for the walls, let’s use clay soil from the riverbank. That should give the house some shape.” 

Well, just as I imagined how it was going to be at first, Barrack reacted to the word ‘riverbank’.

“Ah, I’ll also go to the river with you, I want to see the iron sand there. I’ll also be using some clay for the furnace, huh… I would need some charcoal too, so I’ll be taking some of the wood. Also, Archer, can you make a leather bag?”

“Are you going to use it to make a leather bellow? We can make some from the processed stomachs of large beasts.”

“The wind from those isn’t that strong enough, but we could make a couple of them to supplement the smaller furnaces.”

“How about using Wind Magic?”

“Hmm, I’ll need more firepower at some point, but I’ll consider that.”

After my conversation with the Blacksmith’s son ended, I turned to the Farmer Joseph.

“…Compared to the two of you, it seems I have it easier. I just need to plow the land and sow some green and yellow bean variants and plant some red potatoes in a field after all. Mr. Archer, can you use blessing-type earth magic?”

“Yes, I could probably do it.”

“Alright, that sounds good.”

I don’t think it would be easy, considering how far we had been living from civilization, but we have no choice but to work at it with patience and trial and error. I secretly motivated myself to work towards living a healthy and cultured life, but my companions gave me strange looks as they watched my interaction with the Werecats.

“Wafuh?”

“Vo, gurua uaouguoruh…” (The Chief is doing something unbelievable again…)

I can’t help but think that the road ahead is going to be difficult……