It has been a considerable amount of time since I started cultivating wheat.
Day after day, the monsters are taking care of the fields.
It’s not that there haven’t been complaints from the monsters.
Each time, I managed to persuade them somehow and take care of their feelings.
Just as our food supplies were running low, this day finally arrived!
“Everyone, rejoice! Today is harvest day!”
I conveyed this to everyone. However, they didn’t seem to understand.
“Harvest? Can we eat something like this?”
“I don’t care about that; just hurry up and give me food. Food!”
The goblins and killer beetles began to grumble. However, their complaints would soon die down.
They don’t yet know how delicious the bread made from the wheat they grew themselves is. Once they find out, they will surely change their minds.
“Well, anyway, let’s harvest. Gather the harvested wheat and hand it over to me.”
I want a lot of wheat as materials. That way, I can make quite a number of loaves of bread.
I should be able to make enough bread for everyone. I mustn’t forget to reserve some for storage.
While they grumbled and complained, the goblins and killer beetles seemed to be working diligently since this was the last task.
The harvested wheat was delivered to me. I took the wheat and headed to a specific location.
That place was the management room of the dungeon. I gently touched the crystal there.
“I came to do some crafting today.”
“Understood.”
This game has a crafting function. Using this crystal located in the heart of the dungeon, items can be made with the materials obtained within.
I had already drawn water from the well. Using that and the wheat, I would craft bread.
As I could draw as much water as I needed, all I needed was the wheat to have everything ready for crafting the bread.
Even so, it’s quite convenient that bread can be made with just water and wheat in this world.
In reality, you would need yeast to make the bread rise. But in this world, delicious bread can be made without it.
“Put the proper amount of water and wheat in… Craft bread!”
The result of the crafting… success. The bread was perfectly made.
I immediately took a bite of the finished bread. The surface was crispy, while the inside was chewy, allowing me to enjoy the texture.
As I chewed, a hint of sweetness spread in my mouth. The more I chewed, the more vivid the sweetness felt, making me feel as if I were being caressed by a sweet breeze.
“Delicious. It’s really delicious!”
Despite its simple flavor, it was undoubtedly good. It tasted even better knowing it was made from what we had grown ourselves.
I could eat this bread infinitely. My Evilham’s stomach said so.
However, this bread was made together with everyone. I couldn’t monopolize it.
I scolded my stomach and continued making more bread.
Crafting bread doesn’t consume DP, so I just kept crafting.
And I succeeded in making enough bread for everyone. Holding a large amount of bread, I returned to where everyone was in the fields.
Everyone was still busy with the harvesting task. Given the large area of farmland, the harvesting was quite a chore.
“Everyone, let’s take a break. I crafted bread using the wheat everyone harvested. Let’s eat this.”
“Yay! Break time!”
“Bread!? That’s food the humans are holding!”
Even monsters seem happy to take a break, as the goblins were hopping around.
I distributed bread to each of the delighted monsters.
As soon as they received the bread, the monsters began devouring it hungrily.
“Wow, it’s amazing! What is this bread? It’s so good!”
“I’ve never eaten such delicious bread before!”
The goblins and killer beetles ate the bread, showing me very happy smiles.
Yes, this is the smile I wanted to see.
After distributing the bread, I began to speak to the monsters.
“Now you understand, right? This is what it means to grow your own food.”
“?”
The monsters still didn’t seem to get it. I needed to explain this clearly.
“Indeed, it’s possible to eat food stolen from others deliciously. However, what tastes better is the food you worked hard to obtain yourself.”
There’s a saying: “Those who do not work shall not eat.” Everyone worked hard and contributed to the wheat harvest. Therefore, they have the right to eat from this day onward.
“The deliciousness of this food cannot be gained just by taking it from others. Right? It’s nice to grow your own food, isn’t it?”
At my words, the monsters nodded in agreement.
“That’s true…”
“This bread really helps a tired body. It’s seriously delicious.”
“I didn’t know bread could be this delicious.”
The monsters looked very satisfied. They probably never imagined that the bread they grew themselves could taste this good.
Thinking about it, they were pitiable in a way.
They had no idea how good the bread they made was and had only known how to obtain food through plundering from villagers.
“See? You understand now, right? If you just keep stealing from villagers, you won’t be able to eat such delicious bread. From now on, everyone should change their mindset and focus on growing wheat.”
“As expected of you! Boss! You really say it like it is!”
“Once I know this deliciousness, it feels wasteful to steal.”
The monsters began to realize the deliciousness of the bread and one by one started to change their ways.
“Did you understand what I meant when I said I was taking food from villagers?”
“Oh, so we were taking such delicious food from villagers!”
“This is something to reflect on…”
“I’m embarrassed.”
The chain of reformation spread quickly, and the monsters completely changed their ways, becoming good-natured monsters.
Incredible. Is this the power of bread? An experience that could never have been gained just by taking from others.
I should have made them experience it earlier.
After the break, the monsters resumed their harvesting.
At first, the monsters had been grumbling and complaining while working, but now they were diligently at it.
They were harvesting with sparkling smiles, looking very happy. I also helped with the harvesting.
“Evilham-sama, I’m having fun!”
“Yeah, I agree. I feel completely fulfilled too.”
Monsters thought to have lost their ethical compass can walk the right path if properly educated.
By the time the harvest was finished, I had developed a fondness for these monsters.
I began to feel that I wanted to protect everyone at all costs.
But if I were to be defeated, everyone would die with me. The dungeon boss is like the king in shogi; if defeated, it’s a loss for everyone.
I cannot afford to die. To protect everyone. I will definitely… change the fate of being defeated by the hero.
“…No, that might be impossible.”
After all, Evilham is weak even if I trained. If attacked by the hero, we wouldn’t be able to resist and would likely be killed.
We are merely beings that can be killed in the tutorial dungeon.
We are just defeated to help the player understand the game mechanics.
Here, players learn the exploration and combat controls of the dungeon and move on to dungeons with even stronger foes.
“Damn it… We’re alive too, you know!”
I refuse to be a stepping stone for the hero. I will absolutely survive. And I will protect everyone here in this dungeon.
With renewed determination, I ate another piece of bread.
