Reincarnated as the Final Boss of an Eroge, but I Just Want a Peaceful Life After the Game Ends - Chapter 09: The Forest of Bahamul

Chapter 09: The Forest of Bahamul

Summer had passed, and autumn had arrived.

It was harvest season in Bahamul, and the village was in complete chaos trying to keep up with everything.

While the villagers were busy running around, I left the administrative work to Jorg, the village chief, and spent yet another day diving into the dungeon with Karen.

───

Name: Sidol Meltrix

Gender: Male Age: 13

Class: None Level: 42

HP: 1740 MP: 7580

VIT: 87 STR: 128

DEX: 128 AGI: 169

INT: 379 MND: 379

Skills: Magic (Fire: 7, Earth: 8, Wind: 6, Water: 7, Light: 6, Dark: 5)

Mana Perception: 8, Chant Omission★, Non-Elemental Magic: 5

Lockpicking: 7, Appraisal★, Presence Detection★

Perception Disruption★, Art of Intimacy★, Swordsmanship: 7

Shield Technique: 7, Spear Technique: 7, Axe Technique: 7

Archery: 7, Staff Technique: 7, Martial Arts: 7

───

Name: Karen Dyle

Gender: Female Age: 15

Height: 163 cm Weight: 47 kg

B/W/H: 82 / 57 / 84

Class: Sword Saint★ Level: 31

HP: 5900 MP: 2800

VIT: 305 STR: 305

DEX: 32 AGI: 125

INT: 155 MND: 308

Skills: Magic (Fire: 4, Earth: 4, Wind: 4, Water: 4)

Non-Elemental Magic: 3, Chant Omission: 1, Swordsmanship: 8

Shield Technique: 4, Axe Technique: 8, Spear Technique: 3

Archery: 2, Martial Arts: 6

Affection: 80

Sensitive Spots: Nape, Back

Kinks: Scent

 ︙

───

The dungeon we’d named the Forest of Bahamul still had no end in sight.

Right now, we were working on clearing the forty-third floor.

As we pushed deeper, our levels naturally rose. Up to around the thirtieth floor, there wasn’t a single enemy that gave us trouble anymore.

Karen, in particular, had been leveling up like crazy—probably because her class, [Sword Saint★], was a unique variant with the ★ mark. Her stat growth was absolutely insane.

When we first started exploring the dungeon, both Karen and I were at low levels.

It was tough at first, but since my magic was effective, I focused on raising my level first—then helped Karen grind afterward.

And with each level she gained, Karen’s stats skyrocketed.

At this point, my martial skills didn’t even come close to matching her.

After taking down a group of undead minotaurs on the forty-eighth floor, we finally got a short break.

“That was a tough one. Still, Karen, you’ve really gotten strong.”

“Not at all. I do feel like I’ve grown stronger… but whenever I see your magic in action, Lord Sidol, I realize I still have a long way to go.”

“Even if our levels aren’t that high, our stats are way beyond average—so we’ve made it this far. But now it’s getting harder. These high-level undead are really something else.”

“Yeah. We managed to win by brute force this time, but the undead on this floor regenerate too quickly. My attacks can’t keep up with their healing.”

Karen’s attack power was far beyond mine, but ever since we reached these deeper levels, even she had been struggling to take down a single enemy.

High-level undead had started appearing more frequently, and physical attacks alone just weren’t enough to finish them off anymore.

Against stronger undead, I had to rely on area-based light-element spells—setting traps in advance to weaken them.

But it’s not like those spells made things easy.

I had to recast them multiple times while holding off the enemy’s attacks, just to finally bring one down.

Karen had naturally high HP, so taking a few hits wasn’t fatal for her.

But me? I was the so-called weakest final boss of the series for a reason.

Low HP, no defense—basically, a glass cannon.

Not to brag, but if I took even one hit, it could be fatal.

That’s the sad reality of being me—Sidol Meltrix.

Even though I was over ten levels higher than Karen, my HP was barely a third of hers.

That said, Karen herself still needed to level up more if she wanted to fight comfortably at these depths.

Risking our lives when the odds weren’t in our favor just wasn’t worth it.

For now, we’d go back and grind on the upper floors for a while.

“So, I guess we stop here for now.”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea too.”

We couldn’t afford to die down here.

So no pushing our luck.

Karen agreed with me, and together, we began making our way back up.

“This dungeon has one big flaw—there aren’t many monsters we can eat.”

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been to any other dungeons. Do edible monsters show up in other ones?”

“Yeah, things like horned rabbits or big rats are edible. Also, orcs. They look humanoid, so it’s kinda weird at first… but surprisingly, they taste great.”

“I see. Orcs show up in the forest too, and at pretty low levels. Maybe we should try bringing one back to the village and cooking it sometime.”

“They appear in the forest too, huh? In that case, yeah—might be worth trying.”

“Want to go hunting after we come back up?”

“If we get out of the dungeon at a decent time, I’ll consider it.”

“Okay! I’ll look forward to it!”

We chatted about random stuff the whole way back.

It had taken us seven days to reach that depth, and now we made the return trip in just three.

Lately, I’d been spending nearly every day alone with Karen.

By the way—we always brought ten days’ worth of food when we went in.

Given our supplies, this floor was about the furthest we could manage.

Between the difficulty, the enemies, and the food situation, we were already pushing our limits.

To keep a safe margin, I’d say the 40th floor was our comfortable cap for now.

We thought it’d take three days to get back…

But we managed it in just two, which really made it feel like we’d gotten stronger.

It’s only past the 40th floor where travel time started dragging out.

Even on the way back, Karen kept leveling up just from fighting monsters along the route.

So even returning was solid grinding time.

If we had just one more person… things might be a lot easier.

But honestly, there wasn’t anyone in the village strong enough to take on a dungeon like this.

“We hunted an orc too, so let’s head back.”

Right after exiting the Bahamul dungeon, Karen went off to hunt some orcs.

The one she brought back was drained of blood, butchered, and then thoroughly enjoyed as a meal.

Some time passed after that.

It had now been a few months since I was assigned to Bahamul Territory.

The village restructuring was going smoothly—homes were being relocated according to the new zoning plan.

As for me, I continued diving into the Bahamul dungeon with Karen.

We had finally reached the point where we could push toward the 50th floor.

But due to the limitations on how much food we could carry, this was about as far as we could go.

Even so, we kept grinding.

With all the time spent leveling in the dungeon, Karen had reached level 42, and I was now at level 48.

───

Name: Sidol Meltrix

Gender: Male Age: 13

Class: None Level: 48

HP: 1980 MP: 8660

VIT: 99 STR: 146

DEX: 146 AGI: 193

INT: 433 MND: 433

Skills: Magic (Fire: 8, Earth: 8, Wind: 7, Water: 8, Light: 7, Dark: 5)

Mana Perception: 8, Chant Omission★, Non-Elemental Magic: 5

Lockpicking: 7, Appraisal★, Presence Detection★

Perception Disruption★, Art of Intimacy★, Swordsmanship: 7

Shield Technique: 7, Spear Technique: 8, Axe Technique: 7

Archery: 8, Staff Technique: 7, Martial Arts: 8

───

Name: Karen Dyle

Gender: Female Age: 15

Height: 163 cm Weight: 47 kg

B/W/H: 82 / 57 / 84

Class: Sword Saint★ Level: 42

HP: 8300 MP: 4200

VIT: 415 STR: 415

DEX: 43 AGI: 169

INT: 210 MND: 418

Skills: Magic (Fire: 5, Earth: 5, Wind: 5, Water: 5)
Non-Elemental Magic: 3, Chant Omission: 1, Swordsmanship: 8

Shield Technique: 5, Axe Technique: 8, Spear Technique: 3

Archery: 2, Martial Arts: 7

Affection: 86
Sensitive Spots: Nape, Back
Kink: Scent

 ︙

───

Just glancing through her stats again reminded me how low my HP still was…

But Karen’s numbers were ridiculous across the board.

Still—what caught my attention most was her [Kink: Scent].

So she was into smells?

Where was she even satisfying that kind of kink…?

While I was lost in thought, my eyes locked with Karen, who was prepping food in the kitchen.

“Is something wrong, Lord Sidol?”

Guess she noticed I was staring.

Now she probably thinks I’m being creepy.

I couldn’t exactly blurt out, “Hey, what’s a scent kink?”

That’d be way too awkward.

Better steer the conversation somewhere else—say what I actually needed to say.

“I think I mentioned heading to the capital soon… Actually, I’m planning to have one more person move into this manor. We still have empty rooms, right?”

“Oh, you meant that. Now that you mention it, you did say something like that. Are you bringing someone back from the capital?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“Then I’ll go ahead and prepare a room. Will the existing bed and furnishings be alright?”

“Yeah, whatever we already have is fine. That okay?”

“Of course. I’ll have it ready, so leave it to me.”

“Thanks. I’m counting on you.”

Good. That went smoothly enough.

In a few days, I’d be heading to the royal capital.

Before winter break starts, Ivelia is going to challenge Ars and Hanna to a duel.

I had to make sure she didn’t die. No matter what.

“I’ll go run the bath.”

“Okay. Thanks~”

It had been a few months now since I started living in this small territorial estate.

Back when I first arrived, Karen used to draw water from the well and pour it into the bath by hand.

But now, I just filled it using water magic.

Normally, [Chant Omission] still required at least a short chant, and using it would slightly increase MP cost or weaken the spell’s power.

But once it reached the level of a Unique Skill, none of those drawbacks applied—no chant, no extra MP cost, no power loss.

I hadn’t realized this back when it was just a game, but as you leveled up [Chant Omission], the internal structure of the magic spell itself got simplified.

The simplified parts were filled in with the caster’s own imagination and creativity, which made it easier to fine-tune spells like this—perfect for subtle tasks like heating bathwater.

Once I’d finished filling the tub and returned to the room, Karen walked over to me with a request.

“Lord Sidol, I’m sorry to bother you, but could you light the fire for me?”

At Karen’s request, I used magic to ignite the stove and the oven.

And so, the many talents of Sidol Meltrix were put to use in yet another domestic task.

It was just a small flame—nothing powerful.

But it took precise control to summon the right amount of water to fill the bath, then heat it gently using multiple elements in perfect balance.

“Thank you so much! That was amazing, as always! You saved me.”

Karen went right back to cooking.

She always reacted like that—so cheerful and over-the-top.

But honestly, this kind of exchange had become part of our daily routine by now.

“Being able to light a fire so easily… it’s way too convenient. I really appreciate it.”

“If it means I get to eat your delicious cooking, it’s a small price to pay.”

Karen happily carried the finished dishes over to the dining table, making several cheerful trips back and forth between the kitchen and the table.

“It’s kind of sad that I won’t be able to rely on you for a while.”

“Well, if you’re going to say that, then I’ll say this—I’m going to miss eating your delicious cooking too.”

Tonight’s dinner included steamed barley rice, grilled trout from the lake, and a variety of vegetables and meat.

There were more dishes on the table than usual—it felt like a small feast.

“Still, there’s a lot more food on the table than usual tonight.”

“That’s because the harvest season has settled down. The villagers have started setting up little stalls to put out their vegetables and crops. When I go check the plaza, they end up giving me tons of food. I’m really grateful.”

“Haha, I kind of feel bad hearing that.”

“Everyone loves you, Lord Sidol. Little by little, the village is becoming more comfortable as more buildings go up.”

About a third of the old houses—which had been randomly scattered around—had already been relocated to properly organized zones.

The old village area was slowly being dismantled.

As for water, we had dug new wells, and we also diverted water from the lake and nearby rivers.

We stored it, purified it, and distributed it to large water jars placed in public squares so people could use it for drinking and daily chores.

Since we just let the water flow directly from above, the jars would overflow pretty quickly.

So we’d redirect the excess back into the wells or let it flow back into the rivers.

Someday, I hoped to build a proper water system like the ones I’d seen in my previous life—complete with plumbing that could bring water directly into people’s homes.

But who knew when that would become a reality?

And it wasn’t just the villagers benefiting from this system.

When we added water storage and purification facilities to the farming settlements too, they were thrilled—

Saying it would make their agricultural work much easier.

That said, Bahamul’s winters were supposed to be harsh.

So we still had to see whether the water would freeze or not…

“I haven’t done anything to deserve that much affection. I’m still the arrogant, lazy, and disgraceful Sidol Meltrix. I only built those wells in front of houses because I wanted to avoid the hassle of carrying water.”

“Even so, the people are living better lives and they genuinely respect you—so isn’t that a good thing? Besides, you’re not lazy or disgraceful at all, Lord Sidol. If anything, to me, you’re a kind and cool person who dives into the dungeon with me. I really do like you, Lord Sidol. And I think the villagers feel the same.”

“If that’s how you feel, then I’m glad. Thanks, Karen.”

She’d kind of fired all that off in one breath, but if she meant it in a good way, I was grateful.

After finishing dinner and relaxing on the sofa, Karen came over and sat down next to me—on the same wide couch.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind a little more appreciation. Like here, for example.”

She tapped the top of her head a few times and went on.

“You can pat me, you know? While saying, ‘Thank you, Karen.’ How about it?”

She tilted her head toward me, clearly wanting to be patted.

“You do know I’m younger than you, right?”

“That doesn’t matter! Even older girls want to be spoiled sometimes.”

She leaned in closer, nudging her head toward me again with a playful, “So? How about it?”

“Geez… fine.”

I gave Karen a few light pats on the head.

Just like I used to do with my little sister, Gina.

It brought back memories… so I patted her again, then gave her hair a gentle tousle before pulling my hand away.

“Ooh, pretty smooth with that, huh? Got a lot of practice sweet-talking girls?”

“I have a little sister. It just reminded me of how I used to do that with her.”

“I see… Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up old memories like that.”

For some reason, Karen suddenly looked down, shrinking in on herself with a gloomy expression.

“You don’t have to apologize. It just made me feel a bit nostalgic, that’s all.”

I gave her head one more gentle pat and stood up.

“We’ve got an early day tomorrow, so I’m heading to bed.”

“Ah, okay. Got it. I’ll go to sleep once I’ve finished cleaning up.”

Karen stood up from the sofa and looked at me.

“Well then… good night, Lord Sidol.”

“Yeah. Good night, Karen.”

I slept really well that night, and the next morning, I woke up feeling completely refreshed.

A few days later—

After finishing all my preparations, I left Bahamul Territory behind and began my journey toward the royal capital.

But no one could know I was heading to the capital—

And once I arrived, no one could find out I was there either.

I wore a robe with a deep hood to hide my face, and kept [Perception Disruption★] active at all times.

Unless someone had [Presence Detection★], they wouldn’t be able to see through it.

So no one would realize I was traveling or sneaking into the capital.

Even after slipping in, I should stay completely under the radar.

That said, I still had to replenish food supplies regularly.

So whenever I stopped by a large town market, I planned to temporarily disable the skill to stock up on provisions.

And after nearly two weeks of traveling in secret—

I finally infiltrated the Royal First Academy’s central stadium, the designated site for the duel, and quietly settled on the roof, hidden from view.