At last, the 4-1 area was opened to us child elves as well.
So, on the very first day of its opening, I came to the dungeon together with Diana-chan.
「Man, it’s finally happening, Diana-chan」
「Right? Finally. I mean, wasn’t it way too late? How long were they planning to make us wait?」
It had been about a month and a half since the 4-1 area was completed. For that entire time, we child elves had been restricted from entering the new area.
During that period, Diana-chan flailed around in my room shouting “Unfair, unfair”, and kept applying pressure to the beautiful village chief of Lukmine Village.
Not long ago, the beautiful village chief even came all the way to my house and said――
『We’ll be opening it soon, so could you ask her to wait just a little longer, and to calm down just a little more, Alec…?』
――to the point of actually asking me for help.
When the beautiful village chief goes that far, there’s nothing I can do.
I asked Diana-chan to wait just a bit longer and tried to smooth things over for the village chief too, but――
『That old hag! Taking advantage of the fact that Alec will listen to any woman!』
――she blew up, hurling insults at both the beautiful village chief and me.
After that, Diana-chan apparently led an assault on the village chief’s house together with Ralina-chan.
Good grief, I really did the beautiful village chief wrong…
Also, Diana-chan and Ralina-chan actually get along pretty well, don’t they…?
「It’s a huge area, so inspections probably take time. It can’t be helped, Diana-chan」
「No way, they’re totally just messing around. Even if it’s big, there’s no way it takes that long. They’re just way too slow」
「Easy there, Diana-chan」
「Alec is fine. Alec is slow, but you’re trying your best. But adults are different, right? They’re definitely just slacking off」
「…………」
How am I supposed to react to that?
「Uh… thanks, Diana-chan. Anyway, let’s go」
「Yeah…」
「First we’ll go to 1-4, then warp to 3-4 from there」
There’s no reason to make Diana-chan wait any longer after she’s been looking forward to the new area for so long.
…And no reason to make her keep pace with slowpoke me either.
There’s no need to drag her along at the speed of a weak little slug.
Let’s warp.
◇
I did not want to be called slow any more than this, so I thought about carrying a bow today, but Diana-chan said the hammer was fine.
So, Diana-chan and I moved through the dungeon carrying a hammer.
Thankfully, today I was not hit by an Infernal Heavy Rain, and we reached 1-4 safely. From there, we warped straight to 3-4.
「Yeah, it’s true. It’s gone」
「Yeah, it’s gone」
Near the door leading from 3-4 to 4-1, there had always been a sign that said ‘No Entry Under Twenty’.
But today, when even those under twenty were allowed in, the sign had already been removed.
…Not that it matters, but I wonder who was in charge of managing that sign.
「Let’s go, Alec!」
「Yeah」
Unable to contain her excitement, Diana-chan grabbed my hand and dragged me along.
By the way, Diana-chan still had her bow put away. It seemed she planned to charge into 4-1 empty-handed.
Even though this was our first time entering a new area, she was very relaxed about it. Well, it’s fine.
「So this is 4-1! Whoa, amazing!」
「Whoa」
As we passed through the door, a beautiful scene of nature and water spread out before us.
「It’s amazing, Alec!」
「Thank you, Diana-chan」
「Thank you?」
「Ah, sorry. It’s nothing」
Being praised for the new area, I reflexively said thank you.
Even so, it really is a pretty impressive area.
Of course, I already know how this area is laid out and where everything is placed. Still, seeing it with my own eyes, it turned out beautifully.
「So this is the Lake Area」
「Yeah」
The Lake Area. It seems that is what the 4-1 area is being called.
From our point of view, we had created a massive river field, but for the villagers, the lake left the stronger impression.
There are rivers running through Meiyu Village and Lukmine Village, but no large lakes. So I guess it makes sense.
「Let’s start looking around right away, Alec」
「Yeah」
Pulled along by Diana-chan, we began exploring the 4-1 area.
「I’d heard about it, but it really is nothing but rivers and lakes」
「It really is. The Lake Area lives up to its name」
Since we were here, I decided to go along with that name. If everyone calls it that, then it is fine.
「There are quite a few people swimming」
「Yeah. Everyone’s pretty fast」
After walking a bit, we spotted villagers enjoying swimming in the lake.
They were wearing their usual clothes on the bottom and nothing on top, which did not seem very suitable for swimming, but they were cutting through the water with surprising speed.
「That lake over there, everyone’s swimming in the same direction」
「Yeah, the lake is probably flowing」
「Huh」
That should be a flowing lake.
Inside the large lake, the water circulates in a steady current. They are probably swimming along with that flow.
「Looks fun. I want to swim too, but… yeah」
「Yeah, for girls it’s kind of difficult」
Since Diana-chan is a girl at that age, she cannot swim dressed like the adult male elves around us.
If she were younger, she might have splashed around innocently while naked, but…
…Actually, would that really be okay? That might be even worse.
「Maybe I’ll take off my shoes and just soak my feet」
「Yeah, that sounds nice」
「Then over there――」
「That’s fine too, but can I ask you something, Diana-chan」
「Hm?」
This was it. This had to be the moment.
Now was the time to show off the swimsuits.
This had to be the moment to introduce swimsuits to this world.
「I prepared something, just in case」
「Something?」
After saying a line I had always wanted to say, I rummaged through my magic bag.
What I was looking for were my swimsuit and Diana-chan’s swimsuit.
I had prepared a swimsuit for Diana-chan too, as a kind of surprise.
She looked a bit down because she could not swim, so this should bring her smile back.
…Thinking about it carefully, surprising someone with a swimsuit might actually be pretty unsettling.
And if it had been a bikini, it would have gone beyond unsettling. She might have run away on the spot.
With that in mind, I am grateful to Yggdrasil-san.
I am glad I followed Yggdrasil-san’s advice and scrapped the bikini idea.
Thank you, Yggdrasil-san. As expected of Yggdrasil-san.
「What did you bring?」
「Well, I hope you like it, Diana-chan…」
The swimsuits I prepared this time are a T-shirt style rash guard and a pair of surf shorts. With this, I probably will not get a shocked reaction.
Wearing these, the two of us will head out to the lake. And then, we will show swimsuits to the world for the first time.
We will become pioneers of the age. We will become the first penguins.
…Ah, but if Diana-chan appears at the lake before me, does that make Diana-chan the first penguin?
That would be a bit of a problem…. If Diana-chan becomes the first penguin, then I am the second penguin.
A second penguin has no value at all….
After preparing this much, losing the role of the first penguin would sting a little.
Should we hurry? Once we change in the changing room, we will come out right away. Before Diana-chan leaves the changing room, I will leave first from the changing room――
…Changing room?
「Ah, there is none」
「There is none?」
「Well, it is more like… I forgot」
「You forgot it?」
I forgot. I was careless. I have the swimsuits, but there is no changing room….
This is bad. Where are we supposed to change……?
If it were just me, I could quietly change somewhere nearby, but that would not work for Diana-chan.
What should I do? What should I do……?
「Cheer up, Alec. If you forgot it, there is nothing you can do」
「Yeah……」
「You can just prepare it again next time」
「Prepare……?」
She says preparation so casually, but Diana-chan….
「I am fine, so――ah」
「Hm?」
「Look, Alec, there is some strange golem over there!」
「Huh?」
In the direction Diana-chan pointed, a wooden golem with medicinal herbs growing on its head was trudging along.
It is my first time seeing one in person too, but that must be an amphibious rescue golem.
Seeing the newly built wood golem made for this area, Diana-chan became excited and ran toward it with a bright smile.
I am glad Diana-chan got her smile back, but I never expected a golem to steal that role from me….
In the end, I could not play the role of the first penguin, nor the role of making Diana-chan smile. Things really do not go the way I want…….
next chapter: A beautiful architect and beautiful master carpenter, Fleur
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