Chapter 190: The Perverted Old Man Negotiates, and the Great Sinner Becomes Lively

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"......And that's the gist of it! I bravely cut down the hordes of monsters rushing at me in large numbers! After a fierce battle, I managed to reach this place!"

Earthcell's long, long self-introduction that had started immediately after the shocking encounter finally ended.

It was already close to noon.

......Earthcell's story was really long.

Like, seriously long.

The mysterious perverted old geezer wearing panties on his head, Earthcell, who had suddenly arrived at Giovanno and the others' base.

Giovanno patiently listened to the lengthy old man saga starting from Earthcell's secret birth story, hugging his knees under the scorching sun with a dead look in his eyes.

Most of it was the old man's bragging, but there were occasionally some interesting episodes mixed in, so he ended up listening to the end without knowing when to stop.

In his days spent with the relatively quiet Emi, Giovanno may have unknowingly grown hungry for spoken words.

By the way, Emi got bored of the old man's story partway through, so she is now roasting Forest Topopolocks nearby and munching on them.

"Ah......Earthcell-dono, may I?"

Now then, Giovanno, who was concerned that if left alone, this old man would start talking about even more unnecessary things, began to summarize the story.

"In other words, you have come to this land on the orders of the Adventurer's Guild headquarters to establish a branch office, is that correct?"

"Foooh~~~! That's precisely it!"

Earthcell nodded vigorously.

"And Giovanno-dono! I would very much like you to allow me to set up a branch office at this base of yours! Thanks to your efforts, this place is well-cleared, and there is a watering hole nearby, right? There couldn't possibly be a more ideal location than this!"

"Hmm............"

Giovanno folded his arms and groaned.

"Of course, we intend to provide you with ample compensation as well! For example......Giovanno-dono! How do you handle lodging?"

"Lodging? That's......over there......"

Where Giovanno's gaze led to were logs and leaves laid out over a depression.

It was Giovanno's bed, handmade by Emi.

"What!? That's your bed!? It's worse than a doghouse!"

"Hey, keep it down! She can hear you! She'll get hurt if the creator hears that!"

Giovanno hurriedly suppressed the old man's mouth and glanced over at Emi, who was roasting meat.

Emi......turned her usual beautiful face with unreadable emotions towards them......and stared intently at Giovanno and the old man......

(Oh no......she definitely heard that......)

A cold sweat ran down Giovanno's back.

"I am the former special-rank adventurer who was granted the nickname 'Earth Sage'! With my earth magic, I can easily improve your living environment! I can build a house in no time! You can say goodbye to that beastly bed!"

On the other hand, Earthcell continued talking in high spirits, paying no heed to Giovanno's rapidly freezing liver.

But the next instant!

"Hey."

"Foh!!?"

An extraordinary pressure and killing intent suddenly assaulted Earthcell! And a beautiful girl's voice whispered in his ear!!

When Earthcell fearfully looked back, the girl who should have been roasting meat over there had somehow closed the distance in an instant and was staring at him with black eyes devoid of emotion......!

"You, can make a house?"

"O-Of course I can! It's my specialty!"

"Then, make it."

"T-That's, if you let me set up a branch office here......"

"Make it now."

"N-No, like I said......"

"MAKE IT!!!"

(Foooh~~~! A life-threatening crisis here!? Here of all places!?)

Yelled at by Emi and hit with a quite serious [Intimidation], Earthcell unconsciously gripped the panties on his head tightly!

(More importantly, what is with this girl!? I thought she was just Giovanno-dono's daughter, but she's an unbelievable monster!? Is she the same as the Commander!?)

Earthcell was a former special-rank adventurer.

Even if he had declined, being hit with this level of [Intimidation] allowed him to naturally gauge the other party's ability.

And Earthcell finally recognized this black-haired, black-eyed girl as a fearsome threat.

"Hey!"

But then, something surprised Earthcell.

Giovanno, who didn't seem to have any combat ability no matter how you looked at him, lightly tapped the head of the girl who was like a monster that Earthcell couldn't match even if he multiplied himself.

And he ruffled her hair roughly.

The intimidating aura quickly dissipated.

"Don't be unreasonable, Emi. I understand how you feel, but hold back. We can't talk like this."

(......Hm? A black-haired, black-eyed girl named Emi......?)

At this point, Earthcell felt like he remembered something.

He felt like he remembered something, but......he couldn't remember.

Because he's a grandpa.

So for now, he decided to put aside that strange catch and continue the negotiation.

"Sorry about that, Earthcell-dono. Basically, this child is frustrated that the bed she made was mocked."

"I-I see...... Emi-chan, was it? Sorry about that? Grandpa was in the wrong!"

"............"

Emi turned away with a 'hmph'.

Seeing that, Giovanno smiled wryly.

And for the first time in a while......he flipped a switch.

He thought he would make the old man in front of him pay a little for ruining the mood of this small partner of his who could be hurt easily at times despite her age.

"Hahaha, this one is sulking. It's a problem. When Emi is in a bad mood, she runs wild and becomes uncontrollable."

"Foh......!?"

"But this child is smart. If she actually sees a house made with Earthcell-dono's earth magic and understands its greatness, I think she will be convinced."

Giovanno narrowed his eyes and sent a glance at Earthcell.

(F-Foooh~~~...... This Giovanno-dono is also kind of a pain~ ! His way of speaking is roundabout and feels like dealing with some nasty noble! I'm not good with this type......)

Now then, while Earthcell was thinking that and breaking out in a cold sweat, Emi was staring intently at Giovanno's face.

And she seemed to have understood something.

"............"

She began shadow boxing without a word.

Byuu! Byuu!

Each time Emi's fist cut through the air, an incredible sound rang out.

The wind pressure alone made Earthcell's mustache flutter.

And Emi's face kept staring at Earthcell the whole time.

......Honestly, it's quite scary.

"Aah~~! Fine, I get it! Then, as a special service! I'll let you experience the essence of my superb earth magic technique! Please take a look at this and consider the matter of establishing a branch office positively!"

In the end, Earthcell gave in.

He decided to create a residence for Giovanno and Emi unconditionally.

"Now then! Behold my magic that does not shame the nickname 'Earth Sage'! ...... 'Earth, become a wall and protect me! [Wall]!'"

A few seconds after Earthcell chanted, the ground in front of them began to rise with a cracking sound.

At first, it was just a large cube floating up from the ground, but gradually the cube was shaved away, holes were made, and an entrance and windows were formed.

""Ooh......!""

Seeing that, even Giovanno and Emi let out exclamations of admiration!

In less than a few dozen seconds, a structure that could undoubtedly be called a "house" was completed in front of them, albeit a bit square and lacking in aesthetic!

"......How's that! For now, this is the basic form! I can make detailed modifications to both the interior and exterior, and I can even create simple furniture!"

"Wow...... That's amazing."

"Yeah...... Magic is amazing."

"Emi-chan, a slight correction! I am the one who is amazing!"

It seemed that even Emi, who had become unhappy earlier when her bed was mocked, recognized Earthcell's skills and gained some respect for him.

"But you know......"

However!

Even after seeing such a wonderful performance, Giovanno still folded his arms and sighed.

"What is it! Do you still have some complaints!?"

"Earthcell-dono, this is a demon realm. Certainly, this house is wonderful, but having just a house is meaningless. We need walls to protect the house. If you were the king of a desert country and were gifted a boat on the sand, would you be happy?"

"Aah~~! Geez! You're a troublesome man! I get it! I'll make defensive walls too! But that will take time! I can't do it right away!"

"Also, if I'm driven out of here, I have nowhere to go. The rights to this land belong to Emi and me. After all, we're the ones who started cutting down the trees and using them as a dwelling. The Adventurer's Guild is merely being lent the land. Is that okay?"

"That's fine! The Adventurer's Guild 'recognizes that this land is owned by you'! Is that good enough!?"

"Did you hear that, Emi?"

"I heard."

"Very well, then the negotiation is settled. Given this environment, we can't exchange written documents, but don't break your promise, okay? If that's the case, we welcome you, Earthcell-dono!"

Giovanno offered his right hand to Earthcell with a big smile on his villain face.

Earthcell, looking utterly exhausted, responded and shook his hand.

"......The Adventurer's Guild isn't that nefarious of an organization...... You don't need to be so cautious. I would have cooperated with what you just said even without being told."

Earthcell smiled wryly, and Giovanno returned a wry smile.

"It's my nature!"