Book 4: Volume 7 Chapter 3, Lifespan

Translator: Kazumi

Editor: Silavin

 

After touring the village, Kousuke and the others entered the building where Sol usually lived. The building was constructed using the Tower’s functions, and most of the buildings in the village were built to this standard.

 

Settling into a room in the building, Sol looked at Kousuke and Floria with a somewhat nervous air. She wanted to know what Kousuke and Floria thought after touring the village.

 

Kousuke, understanding what Sol wanted, turned his gaze to Floria. Floria understood his intention and nodded before beginning to speak.

 

“Hmm. I understand your concerns, Sol. Things are going pretty well, don’t you think?”

 

Sol sighed in relief at Floria’s words. In fact, Sol had previously visited the fifth Floor with Kousuke to see the town there. Sol would fit in seamlessly, so if she hid her horns and other features, she would simply be mistaken for some kind of Demi-human.

 

Sol was apparently quite shocked by what she’d experienced there, and had been trying her best to develop the village ever since. While she felt relieved to hear Floria’s words, she shook her head and tightened her expression.

 

“Thank you. But there’s still room for improvement.”

 

Floria chuckled at Sol’s words. “Hahaha. I suppose that’s true.”

 

“Eh?”

 

“Look, our culture has been cultivated over hundreds, even thousands of years. Do you think Goblins who’ve only been learning agriculture for about ten years can catch up with it all at once?”

 

Sol blushed in embarrassment at Floria’s words and looked down. “Y-yes.”

 

“Hmm. What are you so anxious about, Sol?”

 

“Eh?!” Sol instinctively looked up, and flinched slightly as Floria stared at her intently.

 

“Are you anxious?” Sol’s confused expression shifted as she spoke. Kousuke, who had been watching their exchange, nodded in agreement.

 

“Yeah, that’s true. As Floria said, you seem a little anxious, don’t you think?”

 

“I don’t mean it like that, but…” Sol muttered, tilting her head.

 

Sol didn’t seem to realize it, but to Kousuke and Floria, she clearly looked anxious about something beneath the surface.

 

“Hmm. Perhaps you’re worried about your lifespan as a Goblin?”

 

“Oh, I see,” Floria nodded at Kousuke’s sudden insight, and Sol, startled, turned her gaze to Kousuke.

 

Convinced by Sol’s reaction, Kousuke smiled and reassured her. “There’s no need to worry. Sol’s lifespan should be much longer than that of other Goblins.”

 

“Eh? Really?” Sol looked surprised, hearing this information for the first time.

 

Normally, the average Goblin in this world has a lifespan of about ten years. Of course, there was the caveat that this applied to wild Goblins, so Kousuke assumed that the Goblins on this Floor, who had already achieved a stable life, would live even longer.

 

However, that was merely an average, and unfortunately, some Goblins still died within about ten years. Considering this reality, Sol must have felt some anxiety somewhere in her heart. Floria, sensing her subtle feelings, asked Kousuke on her behalf.

 

“Hmm. Is it just Sol?”

 

“No. I think evolved species grow, albeit in different ways. I don’t know exactly how much, though.”

 

“Sol must have evolved about four stages, right? Considering that, wouldn’t that mean a significant increase?”

 

“Yeah, yeah. There’s no doubt that her lifespan is at least longer than that of an average Human.”

 

Sol looked stunned when Kousuke asserted this. Kousuke wasn’t saying this with any certainty based on concrete knowledge, but he had become a living god. That much was obvious to him by instinct.

 

If he wanted more specifics, he could ask the Goddesses, who knew the lifespans of each species from past experience, but that wasn’t necessary right now. For now, all he had to do was make Sol understand that her concerns were unfounded, even though Sol was mistaken about the source of Kousuke’s confidence.

 

“You didn’t notice? Maybe I should have told you sooner?”

 

“That’s a bit tricky. But Sol is Sol after all. You realize that you’re far stronger than your original species, both physically and mentally, right?” Floria interjected.

 

Sol nodded at Floria’s words.

 

“In that case, you should have assumed your lifespan had also increased.”

 

Floria was right, but Sol herself hadn’t been consciously concerned about her lifespan to begin with. It was just that she had these underlying feelings unconsciously. So, one of the reasons she did not realize the connection was because she hadn’t had time to think about it calmly. Nevertheless, having confirmation from them was still far more relieving

 

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“Well, at least now we understand there’s no need to rush, right?” Sol nodded again at Kousuke’s words.

 

Kousuke was satisfied, seeing Sol’s face brighter than it had been at the beginning. “I’m glad if that’s the case. I know from knowledge, not experience, that rushing these things doesn’t lead to good results.”

 

“That’s true. History makes that clear,” Floria agreed.

 

Sol’s expression became serious as Kousuke and Floria emphasized the point. “I’ll be careful.”

 

Floria smiled after dispelling Sol’s concerns. “But when development is this rapid, it happens in the blink of an eye. It’s precisely at times like these that rulers’ attempts to regulate things can be counterproductive, which is unbearable at times.”

 

If rulers intervened too heavily when civilizations were undergoing rapid change, it could even destroy the entire country. This was true in any world.

 

As the atmosphere returned to the same comfortable feeling as when they had entered the room, Floria suddenly looked like she had a thought. “By the way, Sol. I’ve been thinking about this since I was touring the village. Could I borrow some of the Greater Demons or Demon Leaders?”

 

Sol tilted her head at Floria’s sudden request. “Yes, but what would you do with them?”

 

“Well, I was wondering if you could use their help to manage the Goblin settlement living in the Southwest Tower.”

 

“Oh, I see. That sounds interesting,” Kousuke showed interest in Floria’s proposal.

 

Goblin kin had also established a settlement in the Southwest Tower. It was interesting to wonder if Goblins summoned from other Towers would be able to develop in the same way as the Goblins here. After all, kin sometimes evolved independently in each Tower. Given that, it wouldn’t be surprising if Goblins evolved into completely different species depending on their environment.

 

Kousuke’s interest made Sol’s expression turn serious. “That’s fine if that’s the case, but the ones you just mentioned play an important role here too. If they were gone for an extended period of time…”

 

Sol was about to say that it would be troubling, but Floria raised her right hand, cutting her off. “Don’t worry. Initially, I plan to connect this village and the settlement with a portal.”

 

If the Tower Floors were connected by portals, it would be possible to travel freely between them. All they needed to do was install a portal specifically for the Goblins.

 

“If that’s the case, I don’t think there’s any problem,” Sol agreed after hearing Floria’s explanation.

 

This meant that the pseudo-Goblin culture that had developed on the fourteenth Floor would spread to the Southwest Tower as well, creating an opportunity to observe how the same cultural foundation might develop differently in a new environment.