Chapter 8: Building Homes for the Dwarf Clan

“What’s this, you’re saying you’ll build houses for us?”

When I visited the Dwarf Clan and suggested they settle in this land, promising to build homes with my Production Skill, they were completely taken aback.

“We’re good at crafting things ourselves, but building houses in a hurry is no easy feat. I’m sorry, but I find it hard to believe a child of the human race like you could do such a thing.”

Well, it’s only natural they can’t believe it right away.

Actions speak louder than words. 

I decided to take them to the outskirts of town and show them as I built a house.

“William-san, I’m sure you can do it.” Before I left the house, Erika-sensei cheered me on, so I’ll do my best.

First, I took out the lumber and stone I’d brought with Storage Magic. 

The Dwarf Clan was astonished.

“Whoa, that’s some amazing Storage Magic. You can fit that much inside?”

Yeah, first impressions matter.

I recalled the log house blueprints that Craft had drawn for me and focused my mind.

However, unlike making chairs or bags, this required a longer period of concentration.

When I activated my Production Skill, Mana gathered at my fingertips, glowing as a magic circle appeared above my palm. 

While maintaining my focus in that state, a large, warm light enveloped the materials.

“Oh, what a big light. That means the Mana involved is considerable.”

When the light faded, a single-story log house stood before us.

“What! You built a house in such a short time!”

“And he’s still just a child—what talent!”

The Dwarf Clan buzzed with excitement.

I opened the log house door and led them inside.

There was a bedroom, a toilet, and a washroom. 

The living room and kitchen formed a single, open living-dining area.

At the center of the living room stood a stone fireplace with a chimney.

“It’s such a warm, cozy home. I’m sorry for doubting your words.”

“Forgive us for being suspicious. We would love for you to build our homes.”

The Dwarf Clan began apologizing one after another and requested that I build houses for them. 

For them to bow their heads to a child like me—they must be truly straightforward people.

The Margrave’s territory is vast, so there’s plenty of vacant land.

After getting Father’s approval and letting the Dwarf Clan choose where they wanted to live, they settled on a spot a little distance from the town of Northernford, between a mountain and a river.

They wanted to be near the river because water is essential for blacksmithing. 

And since their homeland was mountainous, being close to the mountains seemed to help them feel at home.

I brought building materials to their chosen spot using magic. 

It seemed they wanted to see how I built houses, so Craft’s nephew, Carpenter, came along as well.

“Now, how should we arrange the houses?”

“If possible, we’d like to have a plaza in the center, with the houses built around it.”

“Understood.”

“Not only are you building us houses, you’re even listening to our wishes. We’re truly grateful.”

“When you’re in trouble, you help each other out. Besides, if the Dwarf Clan settles here and does blacksmithing and craftswork, our domain will prosper as well.”

“Oh, you’re not just kind—you think of the domain too. You’re a clever one.”

“Leave the smithing and crafts to us.”

With the Dwarf Clan watching expectantly, I began to build the houses.

Because maintaining my focus was essential to the process, I would rest after completing one house.

Once I recovered my concentration, I’d build the next, repeating this again and again.

It wasn’t exactly easy, but being able to construct multiple houses in a single day showed just how incredible the Production Skill was.

“What an extraordinary Skill.”

“We always had confidence in our own craftsmanship, but William-sama is on another level entirely.”

The Dwarf Clan was impressed.

“William-sama, you’re amazing. I never imagined someone could build houses like this with a Production Skill.”

Carpenter’s eyes were wide with amazement.

After building the sixth house, I started feeling tired, so I wrapped up for the day without pushing myself too hard.

If I lost my focus, I couldn’t create things properly, and if my Mana ran completely dry, I might even collapse—Erika-sensei warned me never to overdo it.

The next morning, after breakfast, I headed to the site and resumed building houses.

Repeating this for five days, I built a total of thirty houses.

“Phew, this is the last one.”

“Oh!”

The Dwarf Clan erupted in cheers.

“Now everyone can have a home!”

“Yes, at last, a place of peace.”

Some people burst into tears, while others dropped to their knees and prayed to the gods.

Building houses for the Dwarf Clan turned out to be more tiring than I’d expected, so I decided to take it easy for a while.

Since coming to this world, I hadn’t worked so intensely on anything.

My memories are hazy, but I feel like in my previous life I was always struggling to meet quotas and deadlines.

I don’t want to work myself ragged, even in a different world. 

That’s non-negotiable.

Still, I was really happy to see how delighted the Dwarf Clan was.

Father and my older brother both praised me highly, too.

Yes, the Production Skill is truly wonderful.