The first night spent in the dungeon has passed.
「Ugh～…」
I stretched lightly before heading outside.
The room has windows, but there’s no glass yet… I’ll need to buy some. To earn money for that, I’ll start farming in earnest today.
–Oh, but before that,
「Thank you for your guard duty.」
「「「「「Kii!」」」」」
The five Woodmen saluted in unison.
Thanks to the presence of the Woodmen and the evil-repelling plants, I can sleep soundly even inside the dungeon.
Thinking about this, I head for the underground lake.
The lake surface, sparkling in the morning light, is simply “beautiful”. Even I, with my poor artistic sense, can say that for sure.
As I was washing my face with the lake water, I heard a noise.
Hmm?
With the Woodmen and the evil-repelling plants around, no monsters should be able to get in here.
I turned my gaze towards the house and quickly found the source of the noise.
「Ha! Ha!」
A short distance from the house, the apprentice adventurer Martina was practicing her swordsmanship. She’s certainly energetic this early in the morning.
「Good morning, Martina. You’re up early.」
「Bale-dono! Good morning!」
Martina, her long orange hair tied in a ponytail, greets me with a smile.
…But Martina wasn’t one of the main characters, was she?
I tried to remember the main characters of the game before I went to bed yesterday, but none of them were included in the people I’ve interacted with as Bale Orlando so far.
There’s no doubt that this is the world of Fantasy Farm Story. So, maybe I’ll meet some in the future.
「Shall we have breakfast?」
「Yes!」
Martina seems to have settled in completely, but I’m happy to have someone to talk to since it’s lonely eating alone. By the way, the Woodmen get their power by rooting themselves and absorbing nutrients.
It’s economical, but it can also be a bit lonely.
Shaking myself out of it, I decided to have the Woodmen continue guarding the house while I had breakfast with Martina.
However, all we had were some bland rations I had secretly brought from my former house.
Then,
「I have the ingredients, so please sit down, Bale-dono.」
「Eh?」
Martina took out the said ingredients from her large backpack one after another. There were so many… I’m surprised her shoulders didn’t break.
「I have some bread, vegetables, and a little dried meat, so let’s make sandwiches.」
「That would be great.」
Sandwiches, huh?
This time we’ll try using dried meat… Hmm. Maybe I should try raising livestock. After all, animal husbandry was possible in Fantasy Farm Story too.
Also, if I’m going to cook with fire, I’ll need to prepare a fire-attribute magic stone that heats up by pouring magic into it.
What the heck.
There’s so much to do.
I thought I was going to say goodbye to chores and live freely, but it looks like I’ll be busy with various tasks for the time being.
That said, it’s much more motivating than my previous job.
In a way, it’s like a dream come true!
「…My options have expanded.」
「Eh?」
「Ah, no, I was talking about this. But… that looks delicious.」
A sandwich with bread, vegetables like tomatoes, and dried meat.
Nothing’s noteworthy in the cooking process, but it looks and smells very appetizing.
…Speaking of which, the way she cut the vegetables and meat just now, and her cooking skills in general… she seemed very skilled. It’s more than just being good at it. Maybe Martina had cooking training somewhere before.
Anyway, let’s put that aside for now.
「It looks delicious!」
「It’s simple, but that’s why it’s best to eat it this way, making the most of the flavors of the ingredients.」
「I see.」
I grab one of the sandwiches on the plate and take a bite.
「!? Delicious!???」
It was supposed to be a plain sandwich, but it had been transformed into a wonderful dish that could be the main course.
「This is incredible… This dried meat in particular is the best!」
「Thank you. That dried meat is actually a recommended item that I bought myself after going to the royal capital.」
Martina puffs up her chest with a proud and excited expression.
Well, it’s definitely a dish delicious enough to overlook whatever attitude she wants to show.
Now that my stomach is full, it’s time to start working.
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