Chapter 22 – I also got a seed!!

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The white puppy was now sleeping soundly at the entrance of the cave.

 

Well, maybe saying it was a puppy was misleading.

While it looked like a puppy, it was really a kobold baby.

It had eaten all the food we gave it yesterday, and it had slept ever since.

 

It seemed very comfortable now, as Shiel had turned into a bed for it to sleep on.

 

“Kobold babies really do look like puppies.”

 

I said while I was on my break. Rienna sat next to me and nodded.

 

“This is also my first time seeing one of their babies. According to Baris, they will grow to be about average height for us goblins within a year. By then, they are usually able to walk on two legs.”

“Huh. I heard that they have a lifespan similar to humans. But they sure grow up fast.”

 

As we talked about this, the kobold baby opened its eyes.

 

“Oh, we woke it up…”

 

The kobold baby looked at its surroundings with sleepy eyes.

 

Mappa had been making something nearby. He now stood up and showed the finished product to the baby.

 

There were two of them. It was like a stick with a ball on one end…I think it was a musical instrument called a maracas.

Mappa started to shake them in front of the baby as he danced a most strange dance.

 

And while the baby had no interest in Mappa’s cheerfully steps, it did show an interest in the sounds that came from the shaking maracas.

 

So, Mappa could make musical instruments too…?

 

Just then, Erevan and his child, Fule came walking out of the tunnels.

Apparently, they had stopped mining so they could take a break.

 

“Ah, the little runt’s awake! …Nyaaa-nyaa-nyaa!”

 

Erevan stuck out his tongue and made weird faces in front of the baby.

 

I was sure that Erevan’s intentions had been to entertain it.

However, the baby took one look at him and burst into tears.

 

Frantically, Erevan changed tactics and opened his eyes wide.

 

No, Erevan… That was only going to make things worse.

 

Unsurprisingly, the baby started to howl loudly.

 

Fule quickly pulled her father away.

 

“Hey, father! What are you doing!?”

“So-sorry…but when you were little… Uh… No, now that I think of it, I always made you cry.”

“Of course, you did! Your face is already scary as it is!!”

 

“I…I see…” Erevan’s shoulders drooped when he heard his daughter’s words.

 

Next, Taran the Cave Spider crawled up so that’s its face was right in front of the baby. Then it opened its mouth wide.

Did Taran think that was the kind of face that would make a baby laugh…?

 

Of course, the baby turned away and howled again.

 

Taran seemed to be shocked by this and remained frozen in position.

Perhaps this method had never failed to calm her own children…

 

After witnessing all of this, Rienna moved to pick up the baby.

 

“It’s because you are trying to hard to force it to laugh… Now, there, there. It’s alright now.”

 

The baby saw Rienna’s face and immediately calmed down.

It seemed to smile as it slowly closed its eyes again.

 

Erevan watched this and then patted Taran as she watched dejectedly.

 

“Taran. We should leave the rest to the Princess…”

“…”

 

Taran nodded.

 

“Do we really look that scary…”

 

Erevan and Taran walked towards the reclaimed ground, arm in arm.

 

I felt a little bad for them, but that was how hard it was to pacify babies.

It made Rienna’s skills all the more impressive.

 

“Rienna… Sorry, but I’m going to return to digging now. Could you take care of everything out here, including the baby?”

“Yes, leave it to me. I will feed it again when it wakes up.”

“Thank you. Let me know if something happens.”

 

I grabbed my pickaxe and went back into the tunnels.

 

Yesterday, kobold and orc corpses that were covered in wounds had washed up on our shores.

It would be normal to assume that a sea battle was being waged nearby.

 

And so it was hard to go mining and not be worried.

However, it was also necessary in order to support life on this island.

 

Besides, Rienna was able to use magic now. And we had Golems and guards.

I should leave it all to them and focus on what I do best, which was mining.

 

After walking for about 10 minutes, I started digging again.

 

The Mithril pickaxe that Mappa had made for me was shockingly effective.

 

“…Still, Crystals are becoming rarer and rarer.”

 

I noticed this when I checked my Inventory. 

While I had increased my own magic enough, I still wanted to raise Rienna’s.

Also, a day might come when Fule or Baris could use magic…

 

That being said, there was nothing to do if there was no more.

But perhaps I would be able to find something else that was useful…

 

I continued to silently swing my pickaxe.

After digging for quite a while, I paused to wipe the sweat from my forehead, and then I checked my Inventory again.

 

And then…

 

“…Seed of the World Tree?”

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The Cave King will live a Paradise Life -Becoming the strongest with the mining skill?-