‘What is my identity?’
The Great Spirit of Earth, Dirt-Dirt.
A guardian of the land who has lived for a thousand years.
Dirt-Dirt pondered.
Who exactly am I?
It wasn’t about asking what adjectives describe ‘me.’
It was about asking what my true identity is.
This was the first time I had ever asked such a question.
And the answer, at least for now…
“I want to ride on top of Dirt-Dirt! I bet I could see really far up there!”
“That might be dangerous…”
“Mister, mister! Can we play on Dirt-Dirt?”
“It’s dangerous. Don’t.”
“Please! We’ll play safely! Yes? Please?”
“…Sylvia. Make sure you watch them so they don’t fall.”
“Yay!”
A playground for kids.
Nothing more, nothing less.
[Dirt-Dirt! Become even cuter!]
[Gyaaah! Do something about that spell… Ugh!]
I’m not cute at all, so what does it even mean to become cuter?
But just as not all spells are based on reason and logic…
Swoosh, Dirt-Dirt’s body suddenly grew larger, reaching the height of the mansion.
“Phew!”
Julia wiped the sweat from her forehead with a satisfied smile.
When she first used a spell, she didn’t know how much mana to use.
But now, she was skilled enough to cast efficient spells without wasting mana.
The technique she honed, known as the flower of a Spirit Master!
Her job through spells was to make Dirt-Dirt grow!
‘Huh? Why am I doing this with my spell…?’
Something felt off.
This is completely lame!
As Julia faced reality, her fantasies shattered, and a wave of exhaustion hit her.
Is this what a Spirit Master’s job is supposed to be like…?
Meanwhile…
“Wow…! It’s so high! So high! Really high!”
[Get down! You cursed little brat…]
Charlotte, who had already climbed to the top of Dirt-Dirt’s head, exclaimed in awe.
So this is how Dirt-Dirt sees the world!
Everything looks small! Tiny!
All the people of the world are at my feet!
Is that why Dirt-Dirt has become so arrogant?
Charlotte understood the origin of Dirt-Dirt’s grumpy tone.
“Julia, come up too! You can see the market from far away!”
“Julia, come up here! You can see all the way to the market!”
“But how did you even get up there…?”
“Just step on it! Dirt-Dirt is soft, so you can climb up like stairs!”
[Don’t step on me! I warned you not to step on me!]
“Hup!”
[Gyaaaaah! These brats don’t even pretend to listen to me anymore!]
After some hesitation, Julia stepped on Dirt-Dirt’s body.
Her feet indeed sank in, allowing her to climb up like a ladder.
Finally reaching the top, Charlotte pulled Julia up, and the two girls sat side by side on Dirt-Dirt’s head, marveling at the vast view of the city.
“It’s so pretty…!”
“It’s completely different from looking out of a window!”
The sun slowly rising over the mountain.
The view of the sunrise from this height was truly breathtaking.
Dirt-Dirt, who seemed unlikely to calm down, chose to stop fuming rather than spoil the mood on top of his head.
“So this is how Dirt-Dirt sees the world. It’s kind of amazing.”
[Now that you understand, get down! You’re heavy!]
“But if you’re alone up here, it must be lonely and scary.”
[…]
Lonely and scary?
What nonsense is that?
Dirt-Dirt was speechless at Julia’s ridiculous comment.
I’ve absorbed energy in the mountains for a thousand years without moving, eventually becoming the strongest of all spirits, a Great Spirit.
How could I possibly be lonely? Foolish children.
“What do you want to do when you go back to the mountains?”
[Why do you want to leave this place so badly?]
“I have a close friend I left behind. Did you leave any friends back in the mountains?”
[In the mountains… there is no one but me…]
What do I want to do when I return to the mountains…?
Dirt-Dirt pondered the question for a long time.
A quiet place without these noisy brats.
I will dig into the earth in the mountains and continue to absorb energy.
To become even stronger.
To become even greater. So that humans, who mockingly call me cute, will no longer be able to ignore me.
[I will grow into a being that is not bound by a Spirit Master’s spells.]
“And then what?”
[And then what…?]
“There’s got to be a reason you want to become such a being. We’re getting stronger so we can make lots of money and bring our friends along. What about you, Dirt-Dirt?”
[I…]
Once again, Dirt-Dirt was left speechless.
Why do I want to become stronger?
Does the reason even matter?
Isn’t it natural for all beings to want to grow stronger?
Dirt-Dirt felt his mind become confused by this profound question, one he had never even considered asking himself.
[I don’t really know…]
“Then shall we decide together? What we’ll do once we’re stronger!”
“If Dirt-Dirt grows even bigger, you could help build tunnels. Every time I see the mountains cut down by the Super Super Strong Sword, it feels so ugly. It’d be nice if there was just a hole cleanly drilled through the middle.” “It’s not ugly at all! It’s super cool…!”
[….]
If you don’t know what you’ll do when you’re stronger, is there even a reason to get stronger?
Yeah, sometimes it’s not so bad to take things easy like this.
After all, spending time with short-lived humans won’t take up much of my life, right?
I suppose I could take a break to find my purpose and identity.
As Dirt-Dirt thought this, he smiled at the constant chatter of the children on his head.
Somehow, it didn’t feel as noisy anymore…
“Dirt-Dirt! Let’s head to the front yard! Giddy up!”
[Don’t treat me like a horse!!!]
These insolent little brats!!!
***
Vermont Security was officially launched.
The manager, instructor, and general manager: Sylvia.
In reality, it was a company run entirely by Sylvia herself.
On the monumental day of Vermont Security’s opening, as she watched all the employees lined up in the training grounds, her heart began to race with excitement.
“You do realize that if one of your employees screws up, it’s Vermont’s reputation on the line, right? Make sure you manage them well.”
“…Yes, understood.”
It was another burden placed on Sylvia, but she was motivated, so that was good.
After all, she had been promised that if this business succeeded, all her pay cuts would be canceled, and her salary would be raised.
‘This business also serves as a promotional platform for Jacob.’
It wasn’t just a simple security company.
It was a security company that used weapons crafted by Jacob.
Every time the employees were in action, people would naturally wonder what weapons they were using.
That would naturally bring attention to the blacksmith who used mana forging.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Sylvia soon stepped up to the platform in front of the employees.
In an instant, all eyes were on her.
“Nice to meet you all. I’m Sylvia, the CEO of Vermont Security. From now on, your responses will be unified with a single word: ‘Evil!’ Understood?”
“…Evil?”
“Is that all you’ve got? Once more!”
“Evil!!!”
Uh-oh.
Something feels off here.
“Looking at your faces, I can tell. You’re all thinking you’ve got a fancy business card now, so you can just show up in the mornings, pretend to work, and leech off the company. Just because you got hired doesn’t mean it’s over! There’s still a process to see if you have the strong body and mind that fits Vermont Security or if you’re just a flashy maggot!”
What is that?
I wasn’t informed of this.
“The training ahead will be more grueling than any hardship you’ve ever faced. You might even wish you were dead. But quitting is only allowed if you’re carried out on a stretcher. If you want to give up, now is the time. If you think you can’t handle it, then walk out that door right now. Dismiss anyone who wants to quit!”
“…”
This is a disaster.
I smacked my forehead, realizing that Vermont Security was doomed.
Sure, I did tell Sylvia she could train the employees as she saw fit, just like in her military days.
But that was a poor judgment considering Sylvia’s background.
Sylvia was once a warrior candidate.
And she wasn’t in just any ordinary unit—she was part of a special forces unit.
Applying special forces training to people who were just regular civilians yesterday would obviously scare them off.
Oh no! I’m going to have to hire new employees all over again!
“No one’s leaving? This isn’t a bluff. Anyone who stays will be assumed to participate in hellish training. If you endure the training, you’ll be the first to dive into danger and the last to leave it. You’ll be molded into someone who will risk their life without hesitation to protect the lives of clients and comrades. The reward for sacrifice and dedication will be a little money, and honor and glory! Still, no one wants to leave?”
“Evil!!!”
“Good! I like the spirit! We’ll begin training in exactly 10 minutes! Go to the dorms and change into your uniforms immediately!”
“Evil!!!!!!”
As I watched the employees rush noisily toward the dormitory, I felt dizzy.
Wait.
Seriously, no one’s leaving?
They actually want to work for this kind of company?
Even after I warned them so strongly that it would be tough, exhausting, and dangerous…?
‘Did I only hire crazy people?’
Sylvia gave me a thumbs-up with a smirk.
No matter how I think about it, something’s seriously wrong with this company.
All the employees are starting to look like hundreds of Sylvias to me.
Hundreds of hot-blooded muscleheads.
This is hell. A nightmare.
‘Time to head back to the mansion.’
I quietly slipped away from the training grounds.
I need some healing.
This is the moment when I start to miss the smell of Julia’s hair.
“…”
“…”
As I exited the training grounds, I came face to face with a familiar figure.
While everyone else rushed to the dorms, there was one employee who stood still, glaring at me.
It was Yuri.
