Chapter 130 - Chapter 116 Never Tolerating Condescension
"Phew, now it's just the floor left, I guess."
I worked for about an hour, listening to Mion describe the monster attacks.
After finishing stripping the four wallboards and wooden windows, only the floor, pillars, and beams remained. The front door had already been removed, and...
It's much tidier now.
"It was surprisingly simply built."
Are you going to remove all the floorboards next?
"Yeah. The joists... those things that support the floorboards, I'd like to replace them."
The ceiling of the stone first floor is the floor of this second floor.
Solid floor beams—the ones visible from outside—were in place, so I don't plan to replace those.
But the joists aren't that thick, and if they broke, replacing the floorboards would be pointless.
"Woof!"
"Oh, [Lupi] and the [Fairies], welcome back!"
Shall we take a short break?
"Yeah, let's."
All the stripped wallboards were tossed into the [Storage].
Just in case, I marked which board was from where, so I should be able to restore it to its original state if needed.
It was a good call to make carving knives for [Woodcraft] and [Crafting Skill].
"~~~♪"
"Oh, you're giving me one. Thanks."
I took a bite of the [Greenberry Fruit] given to me by the haughty [Fairy].
"!! Sour! It's much sourer than the one I ate before!?"
"~~~!"
She's laughing her head off...
Oh, but then, is the sweetness also stronger?
Shou-kun, are you alright?
"I'm fine, I'm fine. It seems the more sour it is, the stronger the sweetness."
As I flopped down onto the grass, [Lupi] lay down with her stomach on my arm like a pillow.
The [Fairies]... have they already gone home?
If [Lupi] accompanies them, can they be self-sufficient in the southwest forest?
Well, if the island residents can get along, that's enough.
Oh, the President and others seem to be departing.
"Oh, what's the team like?"
The President, Seth-chan, and perhaps 3 other parties. About 20 people in total.
"Huh? Isn't [Natto] there?"
[Natto-san] said he's staying behind to prepare for any eventuality. He seems to be supporting the new players.
Ah, that's typical of him.
He has a jock mentality, but he's not overbearing; he values his juniors.
Even at his junior high graduation ceremony, quite a few juniors came to greet him...
The person who was with the bird before seems to be accompanying them. Is it so they can communicate if there's an attack?
"Oh, a messenger pigeon? No, wasn't it a falcon, not a pigeon? A messenger falcon..."
I found it a little enviable, or cool, but then again, there was no one for me to send messages to anyway.
They say they'll be back in about 2 hours even if nothing happens.
"Well, I guess so. Come to think of it, my own deductions were pretty much baseless."
There's definitely something there.
"Really?"
Yes!
Well, [Bell-san] and Seth both seemed to feel "there must be something," so maybe it's a woman's intuition...
... ... ...
"Phew. Now it's just the floorboards..."
But it's gotten much cleaner.
"It really feels good when things become brand new, doesn't it?"
The floor beams were completely fine, so it was a task of removing and replacing the joists one by one.
My [Carpentry] skill reached level 5 while I was removing the floorboards, and all the various tasks sped up.
"How are [Bell-san] and the others?"
It doesn't seem like they've found anything specific yet... Ah!
"Eh, what?"
Little folk are being attacked by Orcs! The President and others just went in to help!
"Oh..."
At least I wasn't completely off base, and I'm glad they didn't have to overlook someone being attacked by monsters.
The President and others easily defeated the Orcs.
"Well, yeah."
I'm solo, so I had to use some tricky methods, but with 20 people, it would be easy.
The little folk they rescued are apparently [Gnomes].
"How tall are they?"
They're a little shorter than waist-height. Small and cute.
I thought earth spirits were [Gnomes], but they're a type of [Fairy]?
So Undine and Salamander are also classified as [Fairies]?
Oh, it seems communication isn't working with them either...
"Same as my [Fairies], huh. Since it's IRO, maybe there's a [Fairy Language] skill or something?"
That's true. But you might need a high level in [Spirit Magic].
Indeed, the connection between spirits and [Fairies] seems significant.
Spirits gather and individualize into [Fairies]? In that case, what kind of spirits are [Fairies]?
Wind spirits would be the most likely... but Sylphs are wind [Fairies], so that's not it.
"So, they're protecting them and bringing them back?"
It seems there are still other companions, and they're being guided. It's just like your situation, Shou-kun.
"So it really is some kind of quest-like thing."
The only other thing I'm curious about is the timing of the "[Guardian of __]" achievement.
Oh, on [Leona-san]'s side too...
"Huh?"
People with wings on their backs have descended.
Huh? Huh?
Wings on their backs, like Icarus?
It seems they can communicate. They're talking to [Leona-san], but the winged people's attitude is very arrogant...
"Whoa, that's not good..."
When provoked in PvP, she's the type to beat her opponent until their spirit breaks.
The [Imperial Guard] members are desperately trying to stop her.
"Yeah, figured..."
In times like these, if [Seth (Miki)] were here, she'd use her quick wit to smooth things over.
Oh, [Jinbee-san]...
"My master?"
It seems like it's turned into a discussion about a 1-on-1 match.
"Thank goodness there's a sensible adult..."
Is it [Leona-sama] and that winged NPC going to have a match?
It feels like it could be a forced loss event... No, if it's 1-on-1, she might win.
It looks like it's starting.
"I'm curious, but it's too late now, isn't it?"
It's over. [Leona-san] won.
"Fast!"
Instant kill... she didn't kill them, did she?
"Is the opponent alright?"
Yes. They were both using practice wooden swords and wooden spears. Even so, the opponent is holding their arm. [Dimaria-san] is casting [Heal Potion].
"Well, that's good then, I guess. Or rather, it's completely different from the story of [Fairies] being there and needing help."
But if it's about contact with other NPC races, it's not like all of them would be friendly.
I wonder if similar things are happening elsewhere...
Those people are apparently [Winged Folk]. It seems they were ordered by someone to help with the defense... Oh, they left.
Oh dear, their attitude was bad, so it can't be helped, but it's a bit of a worrying development...