After a restful night's sleep, my headache from the excessive use of Divine Sight finally subsided. I awoke early, within the confines of the underground dome I had constructed beneath the stronghold I conjured earlier. Rising from my makeshift abode, I attended to my morning necessities before venturing outside.
As I stepped out, my gaze fell upon the knight slumbering beneath a tree, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. "Passed out" would be a more accurate term for his condition. This sight reminded me of the promise I had made the previous day - to build stone houses for him. It seemed prudent to do so in the early morning, before a crowd of villagers flocked to follow me, as they had done the day before.
Approaching the dozing knight, I hurled water balls at his face, attempting to rouse him from his slumber. However, the quality of the alcohol he had consumed appeared to be of merit, as even the cold water failed to awaken him. Determined, I conjured another water ball, infusing it with an excess of mana to heighten its impact. With a resounding thud, the water ball struck the knight's face, jolting him awake.
"Who is it?" the startled knight bellowed, awoken from his rest by my unexpected attack.
"Cease the noise!" I commanded, displeased with his lackadaisical attitude. "What kind of guardian knight slumbers while the rest of the village is shrouded in darkness? What if a mana beast were to venture out of its stronghold?"
"I wasn't sleeping, boy," the knight retorted, his eyes slightly ajar. "Just a short nap."
Another thud resonated as I conjured yet another water ball, striking the knight once again. "Don't slack off!" I admonished. "Didn't you request me to construct stone houses? Now wake up and lead me to where and what kind of structure you desire."
The knight questioned me with surprise in his tone, "Who performs labor this early?"
"We shall attend to it later," he replied, evidently preparing to return to his slumber.
Another water ball collided with his face, this time deliberately drained of warmth to create an icy sensation. "Stop it, boy!" he shouted, now shivering from the cold.
"It's now or never," I persisted, giving him an ultimatum.
I presented the knight with an ultimatum, stating that my offer to construct a stone house to store the village's harvest had a strict time limit. The knight, clearly disinterested in being disturbed, retorted, "Aren't you high maintenance?"
Despite his alcohol dependency, it was evident that he possessed a genuine concern for the welfare of the village, and he guided me towards the dilapidated storage hall. He expressed the need for a sturdy structure that would safeguard the harvest from rain and storms.
The requirement was for a hall robust enough to withstand even the harshest of tempests. Though I had no intention of going out of my way to build a grand hall, I recognized that his request was not for personal gain. I made the decision to construct a hall using cement and iron, materials that would grant the desired durability.
I visualized the manipulation of the earth and began casting an advanced incantation, channeling my mana. With every ounce of incantation and mana leaving my body, the ground obediently bent to my will. Due to my attention to detail, the process was a bit slower, as I had to conjure various sands to form the concrete and establish a sturdy foundation.
After utilizing approximately 1,000 mp from my mana pool, the storage hall was finally complete. It was by no means a structure worthy of architectural awards, but it would serve its purpose well for the impoverished farmers.
As I finished the spell and turned around, I was met with the presence of the drunken elder son. It turned out that while I was occupied constructing the storage hall, the lazy rascals had once again succumbed to sleep.
"What a lazy bastard," I grumbled inwardly. In a swift motion, I summoned a hefty brick of cement and hurled it at his feet. The weight of the brick nearly broke his leg, jolting him awake. This time, however, he was fully alert, his eyes burning with anger at my repeated assault.
"Boy, now you've crossed the line..." he began, but as he opened his eyes and beheld the completed hall, his words halted, his jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Now we are even," I warned him sharply. "If you dare to come knocking on my door again, I shall burn this hall to the ground, with you inside it.