Today was another one of those hectic days.
Early in the morning, Nana-san and I were about to head into the forest to build a dungeon, when we ran into Ralina-chan.
…Honestly, that incident alone probably qualifies as 『a hectic day』.
Anyway, after surviving our little encounter with Ralina-chan, we managed to build the dungeon in the forest.
No sooner had we finished than we returned to the village to introduce Nana-san to everyone.
And after that came the appraisals for both of us at the church….
Each of those things was more troublesome, confusing, or surprising than the last.
Once all those outside activities were finally done, Nana-san and I went back home.
Apparently, she planned to help Mother with dinner to win back the favor she might’ve lost after her 『grandmother』 comment earlier.
Meanwhile, I decided to study a bit about dungeon creation in my room, not actually build one, but at least learn.
It didn’t feel right to just laze around while Nana-san was working so hard.
So there I was, lying on my bed and idly tapping through the dungeon menu when Nana-san came to call me for dinner,
『While I’m desperately working to redeem myself and avoid getting kicked out, Master is lying in bed playing mobile games, I see』
, she threw that jab at me. Why though…?
Anyway, after enjoying the delicious dinner Mother and Nana-san had prepared, I took a shower and started getting ready for bed.
At long last, this busy day was coming to an end.
Just as I was about to relax, Nana-san came to my room again.
「Good evening, Master」
「Good evening, Nana-san」
「Do you have a moment? I’d like to go over what happened today」
「Sure」
Even though a woman of her apparent age was visiting my room late at night, for some reason, I didn’t feel the slightest bit nervous.
Maybe it’s because of Nana-san’s personality. Or maybe it’s the constant 『Master’s wife is the Dungeon Core, and I’m the daughter』 theory she keeps bringing up.
Could it be that, without realizing it, I’ve started to think of her as my daughter…?
「Now then, Master, before we begin, congratulations on completing the dungeon」
「Thanks, Nana-san」
「Let’s continue to do our best from here on out」
「Yeah. Oh, right, there’s something that caught my attention earlier. Before dinner, when I was looking at the menu, 」
「You mean while I was desperately cooking dinner to get on Grandmother’s good side, correct?」
「I said I was sorry already. …Anyway, what I noticed was about the dungeon points. They’re increasing a little bit」
It’s only a small amount, but little by little, the dungeon points keep accumulating. What’s causing that?
It doesn’t seem like any explorers have entered the dungeon yet.
And if this slow rate were from explorers, then there’s no way we’d ever gather enough points to upgrade the dungeon.
「Do you remember what I said earlier, that dungeon points are the experience the dungeon accumulates?」
「Yeah, I remember」
「That’s exactly what’s happening」
「Could you explain that a bit more clearly for me?」
Please, in a way I can actually understand.
「The dungeon has already been placed and is now active. The core is alive, and the monsters you’ve assigned are moving around, alert for explorers. That alone allows it to gain experience, dungeon points」
「I see」
So that’s how it works… I think Mikoto-san, one of the goddesses, once mentioned something like that, that even walking or eating can grant experience points.
So, just like that, the dungeon slowly gains experience even when it’s not fighting explorers.
「In other words, even now, the dungeon is doing its best to gather as many points as possible. And I, too, am working hard to earn Grandmother’s approval points. The wife and daughter are doing their best yet Master, on the other hand…」
「I said I was sorry already. …And I don’t have a wife or a daughter」
Or rather, let’s stop referring to Mother as part of a 『point-earning』 scheme in the first place.
「Anyway, jokes aside, congratulations again on completing the dungeon. And thank you for showing me around the village today」
「No problem. …Though, we didn’t get to meet that many people, huh」
「It couldn’t be helped」
「Then how about we take another walk around the village together when you have some free time, Nana-san?」
「Would that be all right?」
「Of course. I’d like you to get along with the villagers too」
「Thank you very much, Master」
Nana-san smiled warmly and reached out her hand for a handshake.
I took it, though I couldn’t help but wonder, was she switching into politician mode or something?
Well, I guess I’ll just do my part next time to help raise her approval rating.
「So, the last stop on our tour was the church…」
「That’s right. You went to a cabaret club with your daughter」
「…Yeah, wait, no, the ‘church’, Nana-san」
「After the appraisal was over, it was basically treated like a cabaret, wasn’t it?」
「No, it wasn’t…」
All I did was chat a bit with Laudette-san before heading home, but apparently Nana-san thought I was ‘enjoying’ the atmosphere way too much.
I’d started with harmless small talk, 『It’s getting warmer lately, isn’t it?』, and somehow, while talking about some good food I’d had recently, she elbowed me sharply in the ribs.
Apparently, she’d wanted to get back early to help Mother with dinner. And seeing me chatting so casually in that situation must’ve gotten on her nerves.
Still, with her Strength stat being more than double mine, I really wish she wouldn’t drive her elbow into my flimsy ribs like that. I was just making small talk, for crying out loud…
…That said, I can’t completely deny that I might’ve been ‘a little’ tempted to enjoy the 『cabaret』 atmosphere.
Especially since I ended up overpaying for the appraisal, so maybe, just maybe, I was subconsciously trying to get my money’s worth.
Sadly, I can’t deny that either…
Next chapter: As a Father
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