Monday, January 26, 2026

[WN] Emperor's Seventh Son : 5 - 5 Part 2


5-5 Part 2

Starting a Water Heist with a Single Shovel

- Fireflies That Can Dig Underground Waterways -


Translator : PolterGlast


The target is the upstream section of the blocked river. My job is simply to connect to it using sheer brute force. I don't want to make a mistake in the direction, so I marked the compass I borrowed.

From there on, the procedure is similar to when I stole the villain's treasure. Digging an underground passage, compressing the excavated soil, and plastering it onto the walls as I advance.

Dig. Just single-mindedly pierce through the wall. Even without conscious effort, my body moved on its own, and an underground passage was born behind me. Kachua saw that nature of mine yesterday too. For a while, she held the lamp and kept her mouth shut.

"Hey, oi, hey I say, oi! Shinza, can you hear me?!"

"...Sorry, I wasn't listening. Did something happen?"

The expression "for a while" wasn't correct. It seems that time far exceeding "a while" had passed before I knew it. Finally getting tired of being silent, she shook my shoulder violently, bringing me back to my senses.

"That's not it... Hey, are you actually a messenger of God?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Because I can't think otherwise! A normal human can't do this! So, Shinza, you must be a messenger of God!"

"You are unexpectedly pious."

"Eh, really...?"

"Yes, really."

But a messenger of God, she says. Unfortunately, that's incorrect; I'm just an accomplice of an Evil Dragon.

No, in the first place, Evil Dragon Zirant itself might be a supernatural existence akin to a god from the perspective of us humans. Then, I suppose I could call myself a messenger of the Evil Dragon God just in case.

"More importantly, answer me! I won't know if you stay silent!"

"Ah, the answer is no. I came here of my own will. I wasn't asked by God, nor am I an acquaintance."

"Hmm... Or rather, don't tell me Shinza doesn't believe in God?"

"God, huh."

Not replying immediately is concluded to mean I don't believe in God. I knew that, but a good reply didn't come to mind.

While thinking of a reply, I silently dig the tunnel. An underground waterway—that is one of the miracles brought by the Shovel. With just this one tool, the village will be enriched. It was monotonous but had an exciting sense of purpose, just like being a Chivalrous Thief.

"Helloooo, don't fall silent! Shinza, you're always like this when digging holes!"

"Ah, sorry. ...But it's strange; even though you're going through such hardship, do you believe in God?"

Doesn't she ever want to curse the world? Growing up in a village that could be destroyed at any moment, offered up by the village chief as payment, and forced into a life of poverty.

"Because it's not God's fault. The Goblins are the bad ones."

"Kukuku... That's a refreshingly simple and good logic. But the Creator of this world created such a world. God just watches it and doesn't save anyone. I'm fed up with such a God."

But Evil Dragon Zirant is different. She gives me power and goals, ordering me to slaughter evil. She herself is a bystander, but she has the will to save the Empire from corruption. Different from the impostors who just watch.

"So you came to Corin Village to save it yourself...?"

"Who knows. Maybe I just wanted to try being a hero. ...More importantly Kachua, can you hear it? Listen carefully."

"Eh, hear what? Ah..."

The talk about a guy who might not even exist ends here. It seems I hit it. A small sound is echoing from the bedrock that appeared in the upper front. Touching it, it was vibrating slightly.

"But this is stone... right? How are you going to connect it?"

"It seems so. Step back a little; let's steal some water."

No one thinks you can cut stone with a Shovel. But there is no trick or gimmick to this magic. I thrust the tip in with brute force and scraped off the bedrock.

"As I thought, Shinza is God...?"

"Save the sleep-talking for when you're asleep."

"Eh... As I thought, y-you want to sleep with me!?"

"As if there's such a lolicon god."

As expected of steel. It's Shovel LV 3. Although there was a hard sensation like clay, each dig cut off the rock. Before long, the bedrock was hollowed out deeply, and the secret hidden waterway was opened.

"Ah... Water! Yes, it's water! You did it, Shinza! Everyone will be happy with this! Shinza, you really are amazing, you're our God!"

"Save the praise for later. I made a cut in the bedrock. Let's go back before the water rises, run!"

"Eh...?"

"I'm saying run because if we're late escaping, we'll drown!"

Shouldering the Shovel, I pulled Kachua's wrist toward the distant exit. River water and rock sand are mixing, and the footing is already muddy.

"I-If it's going to be that dangerous, tell me beforehaaand?! U-Uwaaaah!!"

"Sorry, anyway run with all your might!"

From behind, I heard the sound of bedrock shattering under water pressure. It seems I did it more flashily than planned. In fact, I’m pretty sure I heard that crack twice. Thus, we ended up fleeing back to the surface from the dangerous underground waterway where the water was rising, completely soaked and covered in mud.


By the time we returned to the village, the water had risen to our knees. It would be trouble if it overflowed as is. Ignoring Kachua, who collapsed out of breath, I swung the Shovel again and connected the underground waterway to the reservoir.

Slowly, the water level of the pond rises. It was still brown due to the inflowing mud, but soon it will settle or be washed downstream.

Eventually, the villagers who hadn't been informed of the situation also noticed the abnormality in the reservoir. People gathered from all over the village, turning their eyes to the slowly increasing reservoir and the underground waterway that suddenly appeared there.

They were happy beyond words. You could call it great joy. No one tried to leave the place, captivated by the blessing of water and the shine of their lifeline.

"Mister, thank you."

"Shinza-sama, amazing. Hey listen, Kachua said Shinza is God. Thank you, Shinza-sama."

Even children thanked me sincerely. Kachua, who helped me, looked proud and didn't seem apologetic at all for putting strange ideas into the children's heads.

I can't talk about others, but even though she looked terrible covered in mud, she had a refreshed and fulfilled face. The earlier proposal might not be bad. I started wanting to bathe too once the mud settles.

However, there was an insolent fellow who ruined the precious moment of happiness. It was me. The completion of the underground waterway meant only one thing: it was time for me to play the role of Mr. Firefly, hovering conspicuously by the waterside.

What would people think of a human glowing pale blue in this situation...

"Shinza-sama is glowing~"

"Ah, it's true~"

Once noticed by the children, people's gazes gathered on the big Firefly with a buzz. Now that it's come to this, it can't be helped... Let's be defiant.

"Why are you glowing?! As I thought, you're a messenger of God!"

"Wrong. I am not a messenger of God. I am just a Firefly. Actually, when I get excited, I have a bad habit of glowing spontaneously."

"As if there's a firefly like you!!"

"Ah, it's painful when you say that..."

Being defiant, I open the Tome of the Evil Dragon. Strangely, even wet with water or covered in mud, the book maintained a beautiful cover as if nothing happened.


— Business —

  • Dig One Underground Tunnel (Completed)
  • Completion Reward: Shovel LV +0.5 / STR +5 / EXP +200 (Received)
  • “That excuse is unreasonable. Why not answer like this: 'I am the messenger of the Dragon God Zirant. Worship Zirant from this day forth.'”

Don't be stupid, Zirant. If I did that, not only Dulin, but even I would be targeted by the State Church.

Certainly, if I felt like it, I could become a prophet right here and now and create a new religion. But I refuse. If I do that, I won't be able to stay the playboy Shinza.


— Table of Contents —

  • Name Ashley
  • Lv 13 → 14
  • Exp 1455 → 1655
  • STR 27 → 29 → 34
  • VIT 103 → 105
  • DEX 93 → 95
  • AGI 78 → 80
  • Skill Shovel LV 3Shovel LV 3.5
  • “You have grown. Soon, you might be able to pierce not just rock, but even other things.”

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