Chapter 21: The Doctor's Dinner (4)

The work to hollow out the hill entirely.

When the 8th class magic Inferno, burning hotter than magma, melts the soil, Rurin covers the ceiling with a barrier imbued with 9th class mana at that very moment.

By repeating this process, the soil ceiling doesn’t collapse and remains intact. It’s a barrier of the 9th class, after all. Even if a giant monster sits on top of the hill, unless its weight or presence exceeds Rurin’s mana, it won’t collapse.

Of course, it would be troublesome if someone tried to build a building on top of the hill. The ground won’t be able to be dug because of the barrier, which might cause some confusion.

But there’s no worry about that since I purchased all the land around this hill. And even if it does happen, I’ll just block it.

Since I’ve decided to make a lair, I plan to take this opportunity to create a luxurious one. Think of it as a grand underground palace. The restaurant will be on top of the hill, and beneath it will be the underground palace.

A so-called underground palace lair.

Not only will it have a massive room where Rurin can stay even in her unpolymorphed form, but also various luxurious facilities, a large food storage, a summoning item storage, and even a liquor storage I’ve always wanted to build.

Why not include a bath near the underground water vein while I’m at it?

Since we can’t just leave the dug ground as is, we can enjoy a hot spring without having to cover it up.

Therefore, this lair isn’t just for Rurin; it’s also for me.

I’ll use the strongest magic on the food and summoning item storage so Rurin can utilize them. By using the 10th class magic, Time Stop, I can make the shelf life eternal. It creates a space where everything is frozen.

Of course, this means Rurin will be necessary to access the storage. That’s the only drawback, but the advantages outweigh it.

Attack magic is overwhelming against Rurin or other dragons because of the Dragonheart’s influence, but that’s the limit for a human.

Typically, attack magic goes up to the 9th class. By the time it’s at the 9th class, one can drop meteors or even destroy cities at will. Even dragons can be crushed with 9th class magic.

On the other hand, 10th class magic generally involves manipulating time and mind. In this world’s magic system, anything above 10th class is considered mental magic.

And 10th class magic is beyond humans. You could say the human brain can’t handle it.

So, no matter how vast my mana is, it only strengthens the 9th class attack magic, not elevating it to the 10th class.

Our dragon, though still young, can somewhat use mental magic, albeit clumsily.

The fact that I plan to use god-level magic for food storage is ridiculous in itself, but what an unnecessary luxury.

But right now, it’s just the basic stage.

Time Stop, storage, or the palace is still a distant story. It’s just a plan for now.

For now, the priority is to quickly melt the soil to create the space.

At this stage, hiring dwarves isn’t an option. Melting the inside of the hill and setting the barrier is something dwarves can’t do.

To create a barrier of this level requires 9th class support magic. So, it’s Rurin’s job. It’s an unavoidable labor due to the unique location of the lair.

Once the space is created, I can hire dwarves to build the palace. So, the hard work ends once the hill is hollowed out.

Sweat drips from my forehead.

I’ve worked hard and am exhausted.

A dirt ceiling just above me. An untouched soil mound ahead. An empty space we’ve created behind.

I looked at Rurin for a break, only to find her in a mess. And it wasn’t just because she was covered in dirt. She stood there looking at me in an even worse state.

“You, why are you so wet?”

“Water came out from over there! Boohoo, master!”

“Don’t come near me! Aagh! Where are you going, all covered in mud?”

Thud.

Ah.

A muddy dragon ran over and knocked me down. This is a disaster. Mud splattered all over my clothes and face. Rurin started rubbing the mud on me with a smile. It was very intentional.

“Hey, you!”

“You and I are one body, remember!”

That was just to get you to help at the restaurant.

“Alright, alright, just get off. Seriously, get off now.”

“Achoo!”

“Hey, why on my face!”

Rurin’s spit splattered all over my face. Dragon spit, no less. I can’t live like this.

Even worse, she showed no signs of getting off, shivering all over.

“Cold….”

“Are you really saying that you’re cold from just being this wet?”

“Since I’m in a human body, my metabolism can’t help it! So, cold means cold! I think I hate the cold!”

“Alright, fine, just stop clinging to me! Aagh! My clothes…!”

I’m not a heater, Dragon lady.

Seeing no other option, I picked Rurin up, cradling her in my arms.

“Oh! You’re holding me! This is nice in its own way!”

She made an odd comment as I carried her princess-style and set her down on the ground.

“Stop fooling around and sit here. We need to clean you up.”

With a sigh, I took out a towel from the backpack on my back.

“How did you get this wet anyway?”

As I wiped her hair, Rurin pointed with her finger again.

“Water suddenly gushed out from over there!”

I looked where she pointed and saw water had pooled there. That must be the underground water vein. The water was calm, with no ripples, indicating the flow had stopped. So, we must have slightly hit the underground water vein.

In that case, this spot can be designated for the bath.

Since water is gushing out, it will become a bath if we work on it. But not now, so let’s skip that.

These days, every time I try to break through the hill, Rurin ruins her clothes.

But what can I do? I stripped her dirty clothes off, cleaned her up, and helped her change.

“By the way, master, I’m hungry. Feed me before making me work!”

Rurin looked at me with a determined expression, ready to use teleportation if necessary. Her eyes were full of hunger. At this moment, I wasn’t sure if I had a cat or a dragon in my arms.

“Huh? Make you work? I’m building your house right now. Shouldn’t you, Dragon lady, be feeding me instead?”

“Is that so? It is. But I have no food to give. I can’t cook.”

“You say that so confidently. Really.”

I ruffled her long black hair.

“Kyah! Stop it!”

Ignoring her screams, I thought about how to feed us both. We still needed to eat.

“Can’t be helped. We need to eat, after all.”

“Really! We are indeed one! Heehee. I want something delicious!”

“Oh, really?”

Leaving the excited dragon alone, I rummaged through my backpack. In it, I had emergency food supplies. Just in case.

And a cooking set called a camp cooker.

I laid out a pot and a packet of instant noodles before me.

Emergency food is for times like this. Although teleporting back is an option, taking a break and having a meal while working has its own charm.

I used Fireball like a campfire on the ground and filled the pot with water.

Gurgle. The pot filled with water.

I placed the pot over the fireball. Flames licked the bottom of the pot. I had to hold it up since I wasn’t prepared to set it on anything, so my arms were going to get tired.

“What’s that?”

“A hot meal. To warm you up, my dragon lady.”

“A hot meal? Sounds good!”

Rurin nodded as the water began to boil. I handed her the pot handle.

Using Fireball directly on the water would boil it quickly but cause more evaporation. Cooking like this is the most stable way for proper cooking.

“Hold this. It’ll only take a moment.”

“Like this? Like this?”

Rurin grabbed the pot handle with both hands, swaying slightly.

“Yes, just like that.”

I put the noodles and the seasoning packet into the pot. The flakes too, of course.

But seeing the noodles made Rurin flinch and almost drop the pot. I caught it just in time, avoiding a big disaster.

An incident that would have surely sent us back to the restaurant.

“Master… Isn’t that the spicy food that hurts the mouth? I don’t want that! It hurts too much! I’d rather face Red’s breath than that!”

Rurin jumped up, ready to run away. It seemed the fear of the spicy stir-fried noodles had left a deep impression on her.

Dragon slayers, listen up.

If you want to catch a dragon, bring those spicy stir-fried noodles. They’ll be highly effective.

I suddenly thought. A dragon running from spicy food is quite a sight, isn’t it?

And Rurin’s eyes were even tearing up from the trauma of that spicy experience.

“I don’t want that!”

“No, no, this is different from that.”

“Different?”

“Yes, this isn’t spicy.”

“You’re lying!”

“Hey, have you ever seen me lie? I warned you not to eat it back then, but you ate it anyway.”

“Is that true? This one doesn’t hurt?”

“It’s not painful at all. In fact, it’s delicious. But don’t ask for more; it’ll make you fat.”

I spoke firmly, and Rurin hesitated before slowly coming closer again. The smell of the noodles started to waft around. The aroma alone could stimulate one’s appetite.

The dragon seemed tempted by the smell, squatting down next to me and hugging her knees.

“The smell is different. The contents look similar, but there was no broth last time!”

“Right. Here, a fork.”

I handed her a fork, and Rurin’s eyes sparkled as she picked up some noodles.

She looked at me for confirmation before slurping up the noodles.

“Master! This really is different! It’s not painful! It’s delicious!”

“Right? Try the broth too.”

“Broth?”

We were eating two packets of noodles from the pot. It’s difficult to eat when both of us try to dip our faces in. So, I coaxed her with a spoon.

Slurp.

I heard the sound of her drinking the broth. Taking advantage of this, I picked up some noodles and ate them.

Rurin drank the broth and looked impressed. A dragon enjoying instant noodles.

Seeing her reaction made the noodles taste even better.

We quickly finished the pot of noodles. Soon, it would be time to head back for the dinner service.

“Burp! Phew.”

But I couldn’t move.

Rurin had fallen asleep on my lap, holding a fork in one hand.

I could hear the dragon’s breathing. Falling asleep right after eating. Truly a creature of instinct. No wonder she doesn’t gain weight.

I shook my head.

I thought about waking her up, but seeing her sleep so contentedly, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I guess we could rest a bit longer.

Seeing her sleeping so peacefully made me sleepy too. Alright, let’s rest. We’ll figure it out later.