Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

We wrapped up the Test Excavation and returned to the Big Tree Village.

Originally, the plan was to drop the Test Excavation team off at Howling Village on the way back, but they decided to come all the way to the Big Tree Village instead.

Apparently, they wanted to help with the extraction work, refining the mined ore to pull out the usable materials.

That’s a huge help.

Though it’s not an easy job, and it sounds like it’ll take some time.

There’s also a huge amount of ore to work through.

Luckily, many of the excavation team members had visited the village before, thanks to Gutt, so they were already familiar with the place.

We arranged lodgings for them.

They were originally planning to stay with Gutt, but… yeah, with that many people, and with young ones like Nutt, it’s best not to impose too much.

I get reminded about it all the time, too.

-0-

Now then…

I took my seat at the head of the meeting room table in my mansion.

Without delay, we began the debriefing, evaluating everyone’s performance during the Test Excavation, and noting anything that could’ve gone better.

And finally, the results.

-0-

This test excavation, originally planned for five days and four nights, ended up lasting sixteen days and fifteen nights.

Thankfully, we had no issues with food supplies.

That’s all thanks to the oni maids, who somehow knew we’d be delayed and packed the airship with far more provisions than the plan called for.

And of course, the kuros and spiderlings helped supplement supplies by hunting demon beasts and monsters.

Still, even though we could’ve made do, I’m really grateful to the oni maids for planning ahead and adapting without being told.

They volunteered to help and weren’t even part of the formal crew, so they’re not here at this meeting,

But seriously… thank you.

-0-

Next, the team of five High Elves led by Ria.

Their primary duty was assisting the oni maids, but they also supported the excavation team in various ways.

They were instrumental in setting up our base camps on-site.

The true unsung heroes working quietly behind the scenes.

If they hadn’t been there, I’m sure we wouldn’t have even completed half the excavation.

They’re not at this meeting either, but, thank you.

-0-

To the nine Mountain Elves who operated the airship.

Working in three shifts, they made sure the ship was always ready to fly.

That alone was a huge help.

Their navigation was safe and precise, and honestly, I’ve got nothing but praise for them.

Even when our plans kept changing due to our side, they never once complained and adjusted seamlessly.

They even flew through the night to make up for schedule delays.

If they hadn’t done that, we’d have been three days later getting back.

They’re not here right now either, but, thank you.

-0-

The excavators.

Without them, this entire trial dig would’ve been impossible.

They filled in the knowledge gaps we had, and their support was invaluable.

I’d offered them a portion of the excavation results as a bonus, but they refused, saying the originally promised reward was enough.

So instead, I plan to give them a more generous reward for the ore extraction work they’re currently handling.

They’re not here either, because they’re having too much fun working on the extraction process, but I’ll be sure to thank them properly later.

-0-

To the ten angels assigned as airship escorts.

Their protection was flawless.

I’m truly grateful.

Yet despite that, we ended up making them do extra tasks outside their job description, like relaying messages between the airship and the universal ship.

Hand signals and light signals are no good unless someone’s watching constantly, so in the end, having them physically fly messages back and forth was the fastest.

They’re not at this meeting either, but, thank you.

-0-

The kuros and the spiderlings deserve special praise.

We faced many demon beasts yet suffered almost no harm thanks to them.

Thank you all.

We did have one problem.

One of the kuros got lost along the way.

That frightened us.

We stopped the dig and searched together.

Thankfully we found the pup within half a day.

I am glad the rule to wait in a visible spot helped.

The lost pup felt down for a while, yet cheered up on the journey back after being comforted.

Though it was hiding the plate it was wearing that read 「I got lost」.

Both the kuros and spiderlings are here now.

Thank you again.

Yes, yes, I remember.

I will give the kuros a good head rub later, and the spiderlings will get a grand potato feast.

-0-

Next are the Universal ship and the Airship.

Both were invaluable.

We could carry home the huge haul of ore only because we had two vessels.

The Universal ship is already in its private dock, but the Airship is still moored at the racetrack.

We need a dedicated hangar for it soon and must pick a good site.

-0-

As for Loo and Tier…

Those two ran wild so I expect them to reflect on that.

Though they are not here.

-0-

One last matter.

My guards Gulf, Daga, and Reginleif.

How should I rate their deeds?

When I begged for help they fled.

I do not mean during monster attacks.

I mean on board the ship, especially Gulf and Daga.

Why! Were! You! Not! At! My! Side!

You called it a family matter and stayed out of it.

Reginleif vanished to the second-class cabins early and never returned.

Well…

I will set that aside.

Their protection still meant a lot.

No beast attacked us, yet their presence gave comfort.

The abandoned tunnels had a chilling air after all.

Thank you.

-0-

Now then.

That’s enough evaluation and reflection on the test excavation.

Let’s talk about the results.

From each site we surveyed, we hauled away anywhere from five to twenty large barrels of ore.

In total, we ended up with about a hundred barrels.

That’s a massive amount.

However, once refined, even a glassful of usable material from all that is considered normal.

If you get enough to fill even one small barrel, it’s a major success.

Mining really is a tough job.

But this time…

This time wasn’t normal.

No, not at all.

We found several ores that likely contain oversized Feather Magic Crystals.

So yeah, we’re not talking about just a glassful this time.

And where did we find these?

At the final destination.

At a glance, it looked like there was nothing there.

But the excavation team noticed traces of an old mining site.

Here’s the twist.

We didn’t find the Feather Magic Crystals at the mine itself.

They were in a dump site near it.

That’s right. A dump site.

There was an odd hollow nearby. We dug it out and confirmed it was once used for dumping debris.

We were laughing at the find, until we realized almost all the discarded ore contained Feather Magic Crystals.

I don’t even know how to describe how we felt at that moment.

As for the amount…

It’s too much to bring back.

Judging by the size of the depression, it’s like a whole hill’s worth.

Why was it dumped?

At first, I hoped it wasn’t a dump at all, maybe a makeshift storage area or something.

But the pros think otherwise.

Most likely, they were after a different mineral, and discarded anything with Feather Magic Crystals as waste.

Apparently, that’s not uncommon, miners often toss aside anything unrelated to their main goal.

Maybe people back then didn’t know how useful Feather Magic Crystals were?

Personally, I think floating gas is incredibly handy.

Even if people in the past could fly around with magic, maybe generating or storing the gas was too much trouble?

Still, you don’t just throw it away!

…Not that I’m complaining, since we got our hands on it so easily!

At the old mining site itself, Feather Magic Crystals were everywhere.

So much so that the excavation team said they could be found anywhere you want and a lot at that place.

Some were even left fully exposed, just lying around.

I can confidently say we won’t be running short on the floating gas needed for the airships anytime soon.

The idea of building new airships suddenly feels a lot more realistic.

Looking back on it calmly, going on this test excavation was absolutely the right call.

The results speak for themselves.

It was a massive success.

Which means it’s time to think seriously about future airship routes and how we’ll operate them.

I’ll wait to hear the results from the ore refinement before deciding whether to launch a full excavation next.

Just as I reached that conclusion, there was a knock on the meeting room door.

Who could that be?

「Ann desu. The mountain elves are in an uproar. Things are completely out of hand. I’d really appreciate it if you’d step in soon…」

…Yeah. I knew this was coming.

I already knew what’s behind the mountain elves’ frenzy.

It’s something we found during the excavation.

It was discovered at the dump site where the Feather Magic Crystals had been discarded.

Or maybe it was thrown out along with them?

Even when we first found it, the mountain elf flight crew went wild with excitement.

Loo and Tier didn’t make a fuss, but they were clearly more interested in that item than any of the mined ore.

Since it could be dangerous, I’d assigned Ria and the other high elves to guard it after we brought it back…

But I hadn’t told the mountain elves about that.

「You brought it back in a flashy way, there was no way they wouldn’t come rushing in.」

…Right. I guess they would.

If even Ria and the others can’t hold them back, the mountain elves must be in a complete frenzy.

Just then, a high elf came sprinting in.

「Village Chief, Yoru-san seems to have picked up on something. She’s now fighting with Ria-sama and the mountain elves.」

…What’s Yoru like right now?

「Like a dwarf staring down a barrel of ale. She’s giving off the aura of a battle-hardened veteran.」

I-I see.

If Yoru’s clashing with Ria, and not getting flattened, that’s no joke.

Another high elf dashed in behind the first.

「Ria-sama’s been blasted away. It’s no good, nobody can stop Yoru-san now.」

Ah…

Alright.

I’ll go deal with it myself.

-0-

The scene was the racetrack.

Right beside the airship.

Too large to fit inside the ship, we’d had to sling it underneath and carry it back that way.

That weight was the reason we couldn’t fly at full speed, why our return to the village was delayed by two whole days.

Now, standing right in front of me, was a humanoid golem, about ten meters tall.

Or maybe… robot is the more accurate term, since it has a cockpit.

But this wasn’t some sleek, anime-style mecha.

No, it looked more like an armored vehicle that had sprouted massive limbs, heavy, rugged, and industrial.

I didn’t recognize the robot itself, but the entry hatch was familiar.

It resembled the one on Yoru’s Daedalus.

Same locking mechanism, same structural design.

It’s probably from the same era as Yoru.

Right now, that hatch was tightly sealed shut.

It can be closed manually, sure, but given the risk of being trapped inside, I wouldn’t think someone would shut it unless they were very confident.

And since I didn’t see Yoru anywhere outside…

I turned to one of the high elves who was still standing.

「Yoru’s locked herself inside the cockpit.」

Areh?

She got in, but… it doesn’t even move, right?

「Well, yes…But the mountain elves were tinkering with it nonstop before she got in…」

Right. And those same mountain elves are now lying around in need of medical treatment, taken out by Yoru.

Still, I’m sure it won’t move.

If it could move, it would’ve done so already.

…Because this is Yoru we’re talking about.

-0-

Urged on by Ann, I stepped forward to try and talk Yoru down.

Aah, Yoru.

I get it. I do.

Getting hyped over a robot? Totally understandable.

I’m a guy too, of course I get the appeal.

That childhood dream, the spark in your chest…

When we first found it, even I climbed into the cockpit.

I actually said 「launch」 with a straight face.

It didn’t move a millimeter.

One of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

Loo and Tier were kind enough to pretend they hadn’t seen it.

But still, I get it.

It’s a robot.

Of course you’re excited.

I get it, I really do.

But… could you maybe calm down a little?

The kids are watching, you know.

And they’re starting to complain.

Stuff like 「It’s not fair, why does only Yoru get to ride it!?」

Come on.

Let’s not make this worse than it already is.

Just open up and come out quietly.

-0-

Yoru’s cockpit standoff finally came to an end, when Belle, called in from Village Four, unleashed a ‘serious’ shout that echoed across the racetrack.

-0-

Yoru: 「Y-You didn’t have to yell like that…」

Belle: 「Then don’t make me yell.」

Yoru: 「But I’m the best suited to pilot it!」

Belle: 「Silence.」

-0-

Ria: 「For a moment… I saw the image of a seasoned warrior in Yoru.」

High Elf: 「The way Belle shouted… it was terrifying…」

-0-

Loo: 「Evacuating.」

Tia: 「Evacuating.」

Mountain Elf A: 「Aah! Our strongest forces are fleeing!」

Mountain Elf B: 「Where’s Hakuren-sama or Rasuti-sama!?」

Mountain Elf C: 「Guarding the children.」

Mountain Elf D: 「Ugh… Then we are the last line of defense! Stop her!」

Mountain Elf E: 「Yes! Dismantling that thing is our mission!」

-0-

Excavator A: 「Honestly, it was fun being able to explore places we usually can’t.」

Village Chief: 「Really?」

Excavator B: 「Usually those places are crawling with powerful demon beasts or monsters.」

Village Chief: 「R-Right… Um, what do you think of the robot?」

Excavator A: 「It’s just another mining golem, right?」

Excavator B: 「Old mines sometimes have stuff like that lying around.」

Excavator C: 「Though it is rare to find one with all its limbs intact.」

TN: I guess there will be a mecha tag soon.