Chapter 65

"Those of you who are here for food, form three lines and wait your turn!"

Arisa's vigorous shouting pierced through the air as the sunlight bounced off her blonde wig, concealing her foreboding lilac hair.

Located in Labyrinth City Celivera, the bustling plaza near the West Explorers' Guild was the site of our soup kitchen. To our surprise, the turnout was much larger than expected. While our initial focus was on providing meals for the starving children and elderly struggling to find employment, we were also met with young novice explorers struggling to make ends meet.

"Line uuup?"

With her short white hair, cat ears, and tail, Tama deftly navigated through the throng of people, corralling them into orderly lines.

"No cutting, sirs! Newcomers to the back of the line, sirs!"

Pochi, with her canine features of ears and a tail, along with a stylish short brown bob, appeared to have caught someone attempting to sneak to the front of the line.

"Young larvae, if you wish to fill your bellies, the back of the line is here, I declare,"

As if at a comic convention, Nana, the homunculus, held up a sign that read 'BACK OF THE LINE', her long blonde ponytail swaying. Instead of her usual armour, she was dressed in a breezy summer dress, leaving me worried about her uncovered skin.

"Master, the prep team is ready to distribute food at your command,"

Liza, a member of the orangescale tribe, was always known for her serious demeanour. Adorning her neck, wrists, and other areas were small, delicate scales. Despite her recent impressive performance on the front lines, she still managed to exude the charm of a new bride while donning an apron over her everyday attire. Surprisingly, this role suited her perfectly. As a matter of fact, it was Liza who had taught Satou, Lulu and myself the fundamental skills of cooking.

"My part of the cooking is finished, so I'll help with the distribution, too,"

Lulu's stunning smile would have made even the most famous idols flee in awe. As she spun around, her lustrous black locks cascaded behind her. It's truly baffling that the inhabitants of this world fail to appreciate her unparalleled beauty. Who in their right mind could dare deem such a breathtaking creature as anything less than flawless?

"Can you hand;e things from here?"

"I'll be fine. Most of the work is already done, so please don't worry about me,"

Sara, Rin's younger sister and a daughter of Duke Ougoch, was the one to answer Lulu's question. She was just as beautiful as Lulu and also a priestess of Tenion Temple. With her bright green eyes and kind smile, she brushed some strands of her platinum blonde hair out of her face. As soon as Satou and I mentioned our plans for the soap kitchen, Sara eagerly volunteered to help, as expected.

"Ready,"

Mia, the elf, was dressed in the traditional attire of a Japanese elementary school child on lunch duty: a white coverall apron, mask, and kerchief. Her excitement was evident as she stood ready for her task. Her long pale blue-green hair was styled in her usual two pigtails, revealing her slightly pointed elf ears. Standing beside her were the young maids we had hired to work at the mansion, dressed in similar outfits. The head maid, Miss Miteruna, oversaw the younger maids and tended to the soup cooking over the fire.

"Master, I have turned the troublemakers over to the guards,"

Following our confrontation with a group of street thugs attempting to steal from us, Pearl swiftly returns to her post in the kitchen. Being a rabbitfolk, she has a charming pair of rabbit ears atop her head, which sway delicately with the breeze.

"Let's get started, then,"

Satou opted to forego delivering a lengthy speech and instead utilised his 'Amplification' skill to broadcast the commencement of the food distribution across the entire plaza.

The assembled spectators erupted into cheers as they eagerly awaited their meal. The day's meal comprised delectable sweet dumplings, cleverly presented in a leafy wrap, and a soup served in bowls ingeniously fashioned from halves of palm fruit. These convenient containers were readily available in Labyrinth City at a bargain price, often discarded after use. It also piqued my interest, as the area lacked palm trees, leaving me wondering where their supply originated.

"Whoa, looks good..."

"The soup smells great, too!"

"What're these black things?"

"Ooh, dumplings!"

As the children lined up, they chattered eagerly amongst themselves. However, the food that we were distributing was fairly simple. The dumplings were a blend of beans and potatoes, while the soup consisted of dried bits of octopus and edible brown seaweed.

Satou had initially wanted to prepare a more extravagant meal, but both Arisa and Miss Miteruna advised against it. They feared that if the food was too extravagant, it would attract individuals who were capable of providing for themselves, causing inconvenience for those who made a living by running food carts. Therefore, we had carefully planned the distribution time to avoid overlapping with the morning shift hours.

"You there! If you've already received your share, step to the side before you start eating, please!"

After receiving their food, the children immediately began eating, prompting Arisa to raise her voice.

"It's yummy,"

"Yeah, the potatoes aren't even bitter,"

"And the beans don't make my mouth tingle!"

The children ecstatically praised their meal as they hungrily devoured it. However, the seemingly insignificant beans and potatoes, which were typically associated with poverty in Labyrinth City, were, in fact, the remains of monstrous creatures known as 'hopping potatoes' and 'walking beans.'

Improperly prepared, these staples had a repulsive and bitter flavour, and their dark red fibres even had a mildly paralysing effect. After meticulously eliminating the elements responsible for our numbness, the beans and potatoes were cut, mashed into circular dumplings, and then cooked by frying them in animal fat.

"Ow-ow, that's hot!"

"The soup is tasty, too,"

"Mm-hmm! The blackish-green stuff's hard to scoop up, but it's yummy,"

"The white stuff is nice and chewy, too,"

The crowd seemed to enjoy the octopus and seaweed soup we served. We had obtained the octopus from our exploration of the labyrinth. Usually, we would rely on the dried meat cubes we collected from the numerous octopus monsters along the sugar route. Still, we refrained from using it this time to avoid raising suspicion. The brown seaweed we also acquired on the sugar route was a less suspicious ingredient for our soup.

As I felt a gaze directed towards me, I turned and gazed around the area. There, on the opposite end of the plaza, stood Counselor Poputema - someone I had labelled as the 'green-clad noble' as he often donned all green attire. He was observing the happenings of the soup kitchen with an expression of dissatisfaction instead of his typical gentle smile.

"Young miss,"

While I deliberated over whether to talk to the green-clad noble, Miss Miteruna, the head maid, softly approached me and discreetly murmured in my ear. She directed my attention towards an opulent carriage that had stopped on the opposing side of the road, to where the green-clad noble was positioned.

As the carriage window slid open, the viceroy's wife's cheery presence greeted us with a plump, smiling face. Her generosity not only granted us permission to operate the soup kitchen, but she also provided financial aid. Seeing her, I bestowed upon her a gracious bow to express my appreciation in a noble manner.

Despite having developed a good relationship with the esteemed woman in charge of Labyrinth City, I had previously encountered some discord with her. This was largely because of Sokell, a young nobleman who viewed me as his primary adversary. However, Sokell's downfall had already transpired when his involvement in the creation and circulation of an illicit substance referred to as 'demonic potion' was uncovered.

After resolving all the dramatic issues, I was granted permission to launch the soup kitchen and construct a personal orphanage, which meant I was making good progress towards resolving the issue of hunger among the orphans in Labyrinth City. This meant I could finally take some time to enjoy myself.

As I reflected on our time in Labyrinth City and glanced back up, the carriage carrying the viceroy's wife had already departed. It seemed she had only made a brief stop to see how things were going before continuing on to her next engagement. Shifting my gaze away from the road, I noticed that the green-robed noble had also vanished.

"Mfull,"

"That was tasty,"

"Ahhh, so haaappy..."

The children let out satisfied sighs as they polished off their meals. Although I didn't think the portions would be enough to satisfy their growing appetites, it seemed that most of them were used to not having enough food and were easily satisfied. However, a few of them had resorted to turning their soup bowls upside down in hopes of getting every last drop. Others were even licking the empty leaves that had wrapped their dumplings, trying to capture any remaining crumbs.

"I still think that instead of just one meal a day, we should…"

"You mustn't, master," As Satou opened his mouth to propose three daily meals, Arisa abruptly cut him off with a reprimanding voice. "If you give them excessive aid, they won't be able to support themselves."

Arisa argued that although individuals may initially be grateful for the complimentary food, they may begin to view it as an entitlement, leading to unrealistic expectations. While I didn't see it as a significant issue, once the orphanage was established, there would be a decrease in starving children on the streets. As for the elderly and financially struggling new explorers, I would have to find alternative methods to assist them.

"Please dispose of your trash in the trash cans, I insist,"

Nana reprimanded the children, who had begun carelessly tossing their bowls and leaves onto the ground. Despite a few disregarding her words, a stern glance from Liza and Pearl was enough to prompt them to swiftly clean up their litter.

"Oh, looks like most of them are done eating now," Arisa used an old-fashioned 'upsy-daisy' to hoist herself up onto the empty box she had been sitting on. She shouted at the children from her elevated position, using a magic tool to amplify her voice. "Those of you who are done eating, there's volunteer work to be done if you have the time! Those who participate will be rewarded with a little treat!"

She came up with the concept of having the children assist and gain experience by working rather than simply providing them with food.

"Volunteer?"

"What's that?"

"A job?"

Curiosity piqued the children circled around.

"It's not a job. It's voluntary, sort of a goodwill... ah, I guess you don't really have those terms here," Arisa furrowed her brow. "Let's see... Basically, I'm asking you to help clean up the plaza and the roads and stuff as thanks for the food."

Although some of the children appeared perplexed, they still showed eagerness to join in. However, a few of the older individuals remained at a distance. Approximately half of the group stayed behind to offer assistance. Meanwhile, the majority of young explorers headed towards the entrance of the labyrinth.

"Looks like they're only interested in cash,"

"That's fine,"

We didn't really need many people anyway.

<0>

"...Mew?"

Tama's ears suddenly flattened as I sat nearby, and she anxiously scanned her surroundings. Next to her, Pochi's eyes snapped open, and she curiously sniffed the air. In the distance, the sound of people screaming could be heard.

"So noisyyyy?"

"I smell something burning, sir,"

Tama and Pochi hurriedly made their way to a section of the plaza that was bordered by a fence, providing a view of a slightly steep incline. My gaze followed theirs, and I spotted thick black smoke billowing up from the centre of the lower downtown region.

"Uh-oh, is that a fire?"

"Mia, can you put it out with magic?"

"Mrrr, too far,"

At a distance of approximately six hundred feet, it was unlikely that her magic would be able to reach the fire.

"I'll head over and check it out,"

"Allow me to accompany you, master,"

Liza lifted her lengthy skirt, exposing her unshod feet in preparation for a sprint. The children appeared enthusiastic to assist us as well. They were not dressed in their usual protective gear. Still, we should be adequately protected with Arisa's 'Enchant: Resist Fire' and my 'Enchant: Physical Protection'. As a precaution, Satou and I distributed damp cloths to everyone to cover their mouths.

"All right, let's go!"

We left Miss Miteruna to handle the plaza as we hurriedly departed. Within a brief amount of time, the dark fumes from the downtown area had already engulfed a vast expanse. Its swift movement suggested the possibility of deliberate ignition.

"We're taking a shortcut!"

Grabbing hold of Mia and lifting her into my arms, as Satou did the same with Arisa, we made a quick decision to head straight down the steep incline instead of opting for the longer, safer route.

"Tallyhooo..."

"Lallyhooo, sir!"

"Easy, you two. You'll bite your tongues if you try to talk,"

The vanguard squad, well-versed in the art of acrobatic combat, effortlessly conversed as they slid down the terrain. However, Arisa and Mia appeared far more apprehensive. Lulu, skipping nimbly beside Sara and Nana, let out occasional high-pitched yelps of 'eek!' with a hint of delight in her voice. It seemed her self-defence lessons in the elf village, and her increased physical abilities from levelling up played a role in her enjoyment.

"Hero Kura, the black cloud is moving, I report,"

"Master! The fires are being caused by burning slimes,"

Upon examining Nana's report, Arisa utilised a chant-free spell from the Space Magic realm known as Clairvoyance, which uncovered the root of the issue. However, Satou had observed that the slimes were perishing rapidly. Despite this, there was still one oil slime left up ahead. In preparation, I used 'Enchant: Physical Protection' on all of us. At the same time, Arisa simultaneously applied 'Enchant: Resist Fire' on the entire group.

Rushing through the scattering crowd, we burst onto the street coated in a thick layer of ash. Suddenly, my attention was captured by a powerful blaze in my line of sight. For being a merely low-ranking slime, it was surprisingly colossal, resembling a fully-grown cow. As I was about to command Pearl to annihilate it, a shadowy figure abruptly materialised and intervened between us and the oily monstrosity.

"Dozon... Buster!"

A rugged adventurer with a thick beard leapt from a run-down building nearby. He brandished a massive war hammer and swung it down with full force onto the smouldering mass of oil slime. The slime was no match for the mighty hammer, as it collapsed under the weight and violently burst into pieces, scattering in every direction.

"Ah, stupid!"

"Aaaaagh! Water, water!"

The oil slime, a sickly yellow-brown colour, was strewn across the area, clinging to the adjacent houses and igniting into flames. With the structures adorned with thatched rooftops, the fire quickly consumed the buildings. The very mortar that bound the brick walls seemed to be combustible as the flames travelled downwards. The explorer responsible for this catastrophe was now writhing in pain on the ground, but his companions would likely attend to him.

"Mia, start the chant for a firefighting water spell,"

"Mm… Water Ring Sansui,"

Mia opted for a Spirit Magic spell, knowing it required the shortest chants, as she dispersed water droplets around the vicinity. I was aware that attempting to extinguish an oil blaze with water was ill-advised, but the slime-based oil appeared to be affected by the slime's makeup. This implied that it should not continue to spread.

To aid Mia, I utilised a blend of the 'Clairvoyance' and 'Water Shot' spells to detect and douse the flames consuming the insides of the structures. Simultaneously, I teleported individuals out of the burning buildings through the use of my 'Magic Hands' and 'Return' spells.