The Cursed Forest Where I Was Exiled Had Somehow Been Designated As A Sanctuary. - Awakened to the Purification skill, I, Surrounded By Divine Dragons And Great Spirits, Become The King of A Nation - Episode 23

More than a month has passed since the incident at the elf village.

Since then, at the suggestion of Zess and Flora, the Elves have also begun to move closer to the Great Tree, and the size of the village has further expanded.

The dwarves had completed their migration, and a peaceful daily life was flowing.

“Yawn…”

Early morning. Zess, who woke up in a room of a spacious house, stretches on the bed while looking out the window.

Haku, who had been curled up by the pillow, slowly opened his eyes and fluttered onto Zess’s head.

This bed, the windows, and almost all the furniture placed throughout the house are made by dwarves.

Here and there, there are things that remind me of middle school craft classes, but they are all handmade by Zess.

Right next to the bed, there is a fine mat that the elf tribe has laid out, saying, “Please feel free to use it.”

The texture reminded me of the tatami mats from my previous life, and I liked it as well.

“Grr… Master, how bold…”

“What kind of dream are you having…?”

Sonia is lying on the mat.

Holding its tail like a body pillow, it slept with an innocence akin to that of a baby.

There are other beds in the next room, but it seems Sonia didn’t like them.

She insisted, “I want to live with my husband!” and since she wouldn’t listen, she ended up living in this house as well.

“Well, it’s too spacious for just one person, but it’s fine.”

Haku was casting a sharp gaze at Sonia, but Zess could not discern her condition from above.

As I stepped outside the house while Sonia was still asleep, Flora and Peter just happened to appear.

They live as a family of four.

“Good morning, Zess-san, Haku-san.”

“Good morning!”

“Good morning, you two.”

“Growl!”

While exchanging greetings, Flora and the others enter the house, passing each other.

The two were carrying vegetables and other ingredients.

I don’t know how it happened, but it became a daily routine for the two of them to come to the house in the morning and prepare breakfast.

Since I can have delicious food from the morning, there’s no reason for Zess to refuse.

After telling the two, “Let’s do our best again today,” Zess moves through the village accompanied by Haku.

The sight of the completed houses lined up is quite spectacular.

Even though it’s early morning, I greet the dwarves and elves who are already bustling about, draw water from the well along the way, and finally arrive at the intended field.

The crops and seeds brought by the elves were planted, and the fields had expanded even further.

Water the fields with familiar elves in the fields, then fetch water from the well once more on the way back before arriving home.

When I opened the door, a pleasant aroma wafted in.

To the right, the kitchen is wafting with a delicious aroma.

“Oh, welcome back, Zess-san.”

“Welcome back!”

Flora and the others, who were standing in the kitchen, turned around and smiled at me.

“I’m home. Is Sonia still asleep?”

“Yes. Ah, but it’s about time…”

It was when Flora turned towards Zess’s room.

“Growl… I’m going to eat.”

Sonia appears from the room, her hair unkempt, sniffing around with her nose.

Waking up to the smell of breakfast is just another usual thing.

Everyone gathers around the table and joins their hands.

Today’s menu is vegetable soup, mashed and rolled potatoes, and bread.

“Ah~, it stings…”

When you take a sip of the soup, the sweetness and umami of the vegetables spread throughout your mouth.

Even if you eat it with bread, it’s still delicious.

As Zess was munching away, Flora, sitting across the table, let out a sigh of relief.

“That soup, my sister made it today.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t notice at all.”

Peter, who is a chef, possesses several specialized skills in cooking.

One of them is called “Taste Analysis,” which allows you to view the taste of the finished dish as a parameter.

So, usually, Flora didn’t actually cook and just helped out.

Zess took another spoonful of the soup and smiled at Flora.

“It’s really delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Ah, but since I asked Peter to check the taste and adjust it many times, I’m not sure if I can say I made it…”

“Well, it’s delicious, so it’s fine. If you make it exactly according to the recipe, would you say it’s the recipe creator’s dish? No, right?”

“Y-yes!”

Flora broke into a beaming smile at Zess’s words.

“Growl, darling, I’ll make dinner for you tonight.”

“Huh? Uh… hmm, maybe I’ll ask Peter.”

“Why?!”

To Sonia, who stood with her tail bristling in surprise, Zess said with a troubled expression.

“Because Sonia’s cooking is just a whole roasted meat, right? And it’s not even cooked through on the inside.”

“Ughhhhhh! Hey, Peter! Teach me how to cook!”

“Huh?!”

Peter, who was leisurely having his meal, let out a scream-like voice at the sudden call.

Peter reflexively tried to refuse, but he was completely intimidated by Sonia’s sharp glare.

“I-I understand…”

“Gar! You’re a good guy!”

“Peter, poor thing…”

“If you think so, then please help me!”

Peter’s scream echoes through the large house.

Zess thought to himself that today was going to be another lively day.

◆　◆　◆

After finishing his meal, Zess applies “cleaning” to the used dishes.

It becomes beautiful just with this, so it’s really excellent.

There was a time when I suggested visiting every house after each meal to “cleanse” them, but Rarado and the others stopped me.

It was disappointing, but considering the size of the village, it was inevitable.

Instead, during the day, Zess had things to do as well.

A modestly sized building constructed right next to Zess’s house.

A small structure with just pillars and a roof, like the gazebos often found in parks.

This is Zess’s workplace.

Day and night, laundry is being brought in, and Zess is washing it all without exception.

At first, the elves opposed letting Zess do the laundry.

However, seeing the dwarves actually bringing in their laundry and Zess happily “cleaning” it, they seemed to give up and started bringing in their own.

I don’t know what exactly they gave up on, but as for me, more laundry means more money.

Under such circumstances, the drenched dwarves approached Zess.

“Huh? What’s wrong, everyone? You’re all so wet.”

Ask them while giving them a “cleaning.”

The dwarves answered as if they were tired.

“Lord Zess, it turns out there was a water vein at the site planned for the new workshop, so we dug it up. We thought we could get water to use for cooling in the forge.”

There is already a workshop in this village, but as the relatives of the dwarves scattered across various regions gather one after another, it has become cramped, and the construction of a second workshop is underway.

Recalling that, Zess listens to their conversation.

“Then what spouted out was hot water, and it’s just been one misfortune after another. We can’t use it for cooling the forge, and the ore is getting damaged, so we’re thinking of abandoning the workshop we were building.”

The dwarves began to grumble, saying it was all a complete waste of effort.

In the midst of it all, Zess leaned forward and grabbed their shoulders.

“Where is that cave?”

“Z-Zess-sama…?”

The dwarves were bewildered by Zess, who was sparkling with excitement.