The Chronicles of a Lost Man in His Forties Founding a Nation ~Commonsense is Hindering Me From Becoming TUEE~ Chapter 71

The next day.

The negotiations with Gald-s.h.i.+, the Chief of Zamuslon [Clan of Rulers], de-facto ruler of Senpu Village went so smoothly that it was almost anti-climatic.

But then again, since Irudo had already done all the preliminary work, I suppose it was only natural.

Both opening a trade route with Jiiteias Castle and entering the anti-Shadow Demon alliance were apparently fully in line with the interests of Senpu Village, so Gald-s.h.i.+ was more than hapy to sign on.

Especially, as they are apparently in short supply of fuel such as wood, he was absolutely delighted when I offered to export the ma.s.sive stock that we were gathering at Jiiteias Castle due to the large scale reclamation.

As for the alliance, Shadow Demons are equally a problem for the dwarves, so he agreed to join almost immediately.

Apparently, the reports of my previous achievements had had a large effect on this outcome.

Furthermore, when I brought to the table my idea of the trade route extending all the way to Filsand, they gave me a condition but otherwise promised to consider it favorably.

♥♦♣♠

“Without further ado, Magician-dono, please.”

“I’m a Wizard, though. Anyways, here I go.”

Right now, I am outside of Senpu Village, along with several dwarven authority figures.

In this rock-strewn wilderness that looks completely unsuitable for agriculture, there are numerous curiously-shaped constructions here and there. Of course, the gigantic dwarven statue is also visible in the distance.

As for what we are doing in this wilderness.

“Take a good look with your own eyes and a.s.sess how useful my servant would be.”

Their condition for extending the trade route to Filsand is to dig an extremely long tunnel through the mountain east of Senpu Village.

In the meeting just now, the dwarves said that they wanted to confirm how useful my wizardry would be in regards to digging tunnels.

“Unlike logging and construction, tunnel digging is not something that can be done just from having giants” is what they said.

Of course, I’ve already given this thought beforehand.

My imagined self in the Inner World pa.s.ses through the Door of Wizardry, then descends the spiral staircase until I reach the 8th floor.

While laying my hand on the charged spell resting on the bookrest in the Archive, I think of that gigantic, repulsive yet useful monster, then project it into the chaos.

“By means of this spell, may a Dig Dug Worm be created before my eyes and be under my control for 1 hour. [Create Special Monster]”

“OOOOHHHH?!”

“WHAT IS THAT?!?!”

“MONSTER!”

“I, I don’t feel so well……”

“Upu…… will you stop calling up strange things all of a sudden!”

The dwarves’ astonishment and Claura’s protest is all too understandable.

After all, what I had just created with my spell is a 30m long, 3m diameter gigantic worm.

“...... Muu.”

I had used it relatively frequently in D&B, but this is my first time actually seeing it.

The sight of its long, wetly glistening, purplish body is indeed repulsive.

“So, so thi

s is your magi-...... pardon me, your wizardry. But exactly what does this do……?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll understand soon enough.”

Gald-s.h.i.+’s face color looks a bit bad, but I reply composedly (while suppressing my desire to vomit).

“Well then, Dig Dug Worm. Show us what you are best at.”

Receiving my intention rather than my words, the Worm gets down to work.

It stretches itself upwards, bringing its head high up. The circular mouth at the front end of its long body opens wide. Uu, that is disgusting.

Then the Worm slams its head into the ground.

Zuudon!

After the shock of what sounded like a loud gunshot, the sound of things being grinded to dust starts to reverberate around.

With its head buried in the ground, the Worm wriggles the rest of its body…… and steadily begins to burrow deeper into the ground.

“Oi, don’t tell me this thing……”

“Exactly. This Worm can eat rocks and dirt and whatever else. Digging tunnels is what it does best.”

Even while we are talking, the 30m Worm almost seems to be getting sucked into the ground.

It took about 5 minutes before the poisonous needle at its back disappeared from sight.

“I can’t believe how fast it can dig……”

“How far can it go?”

Filled with curiosity, the dwarves quickly make their way to the edge of the hole dug by the Worm and peer inside.

“Nn? What is this? It seems that the walls of the tunnel has been coated with something that has hardened?”

So asked a dwarf of the Daroun [Clan of Architects]. Quick on the update, it is exactly as he pointed out. The walls of the 3m wide hole running straight down is paved with a grey, concrete-like substance.

“...... A word with you guys, in private…... This is something that the Worm secreted. After consuming the dirt and rock, it converts all that inside its body into a reinforcement liquid, which then gets excreted through its skin surface.”

“Ohh…… this is simply perfect!”

“After all, for tunnels bored through mountains, the strength is always an important issue.”

I gave my explanation in a soft voice so that the ladies wouldn’t have to hear it, but it turned out to be highly favorable with the dwarves.

♥♦♣♠

In the end, I got enthusiastic approval from the dwarves of Senpu Village in regards to the construction of the trade route to Filsand. They wanted the unique raw materials that could only be imported through Filsand from somewhere else even farther away.

But however, this matter needs approval from the Filsand side as well, so construction will not begin until negotiations are finished with that end too.

I had planned on sending Irudo to visit Filsand, but then Gald told me something completely unexpected.

“Your timing could not have been more perfect. At the moment, the daughter of the Duke of Filsand is here in Senpu Village to discuss a trade with us. How about you meet with her, perhaps even tomorrow, and discuss this matter with her directly?”

♥♦♣♠

Nighttime.

“...... So that young girl was the daughter of the Duke of Filsand. That was a spot of negligence on our part.” (Claura)

“Unfortunately, her first impression of us might not have been the best……” (Gio)

We are all gathered in my guest room having dinner, and Claura is looking decidedly awkward.

The girl she’s talking about is the one that we met at the elevator.

But if Claura’s feeling awkward, so am I, because I bet that it’s her impression of me that was the worst.

“Elizabel Roni Filsandia is her name. According to the rumors that I’ve heard, she’s a highly talented a.s.set who frequently goes to other countries to conduct business and diplomatic deals.”

Though I am thankful for Irudo’s new information, it is only making my headache worse…… wait, no.

“If she is as wise as it sounds, then she would not allow personal feelings to affect the negotiations she conducts.”

Leid follows up for me at an unexpected moment. Furthermore, it was something that I was going to say myself.

I seriously feel like he and I are getting more and more in sync.

“That’s a good point. Well, there’s no point moping about it all night. Let’s head for the baths and get some rest in preparation for tomorrow.”

“Umu.”

When I’d told Valbo before that I liked bathing, it was true. Last night, we were introduced to the public bathhouse (it’s even a hotspring!), where I fully enjoyed myself for over an hour.

Leid didn’t like it at first, but once he submerged himself in the large bath that smelled of sulfur, he became meek as a lamb.

Anyways.

As Leid, Irudo, and I got up to leave the guest room, my door was knocked violently.

“Who is it? This is the room of the Great Wizard Margils-sama. State your name and your business.”

Leiha replies as if it’s the most natural thing to do, directing her voice sharply towards the other side of the door. A man’s voice, drawn tight with anger and tension, comes flying back.

“Apologies for the late hour. We are members of the Filsand Knight Order. Our protection target, the daughter of the Duke of Filsand, Elizabel-sama has gone missing. We request permission to inspect your room.”