To Mayor Guy Fallow, the City Council of Geltheas, and Other Interested Parties,

The City of Geltheas shall have the honor of hosting His Majesty The First Prince Cain, for the Dungeon Festival to take place in the City of Geltheas on this 2971st year of the Empire Calendar. His Majesty The King understands that this festival in past years did not have the scope or refinement appropriate for the dignity of the Royal Family, and as such shall provide financial assistance and resources for the expansion of said event. The following facilities must be completed and made available before the date of the festival: Temporary housing suitable for the Crown Prince and His retinue. Specially designed fortification to be constructed near the dungeon's primary entrance (blueprints enclosed). One combat arena of at least 4000 square units, with seating for at least 40000 spectators. Make sure to clean the streets and move any paupers away from areas His Majesty The First Prince might visit during His stay.

Enclosed are relevant documents for the expansion of the festival and details regarding the proper reception of His Majesty. If you have any questions or require assistance, do not hesitate to contact the office of Royal Secretarius Bubalus.

-Official document delivered to the office of Mayor Fallow of Geltheas

That night, Mud decided to remain home to reflect on recent events and, more importantly, deal with some unresolved issues that had been bothering it for some time. Piles of rotting refuse littered the back yard of the Cithlar estate. While Mud was never specifically ordered to prioritize cleaning, The Master having died before giving the order, the golem still felt an instinctual need to keep things tidy and organized. Perhaps an echo of subconsciously engraved intent on the mana used to craft Mud's body by The Master, or merely a quirk of the golem's personality. Regardless, the massive pile of vermin-infested garbage behind its home was extremely irritating to Mud.

But before it could get to work cleaning the yard, there was one other matter the golem had been ignoring which needed correction sooner rather than later; the corpse of The Master himself. Until now, Mud had merely left him where he fell in the dissection room.

While the corpse had mysteriously not rotted despite being left unattended for many days, whatever force was at play would likely not last forever. Another concern was the body being discovered by a third party. The Master's body would need to be hidden.

A certain item located in the very same dissection room came to Mud's mind which would assist with the situation. Alchemically formulated Preservation Salts, used by The Master to preserve valuable monster parts. Mud climbed a shelf to grab the large jar of salts, and proceeded over to The Master's corpse. Simple instructions on the usage of the preservatives were helpfully written on the label, and so Mud had no trouble applying a copious amount of the granular white substance to The Master's body. After Mud was satisfied that he was preserved, the golem dragged him down into the basement, and instructed Jabrax to hide the corpse someplace in the room it was unlikely to be discovered.

With the problem resolved, Mud made its way to the back yard and spent the entire night cleaning the garbage and the mansion itself.

[Housework Skill increased to level 9]

[Housework Skill increased to level Max]

Mayor Fallow wheezed as he climbed the steep forest trail to the home of Cithlar. Entering the clearing in which sat his destination, the sweat soaked man was momentarily taken aback by the transformation that had taken place. The yard was trimmed to an even height and cleared of weeds. The walls and windows of the mansion, which had been covered in a decade of grime and moss, were spotless. The roof was free of the leaves and branches that usually covered it entirely. If Guy didn't know better, he would think the building had just been constructed, so immaculate was the appearance.

Refocuses on his destination, the middle-aged man dabbed a light cloth his forehead and headed for the door. As he reached up to knock, the door opened unexpectedly, revealing the form of Jabrax, Cithlar's niece.

Hand hovering in place for a moment, Guy cleared his throat and readjusted his tie. "Oh, yes, hello there. Good morning, miss Jabrax."

Form partly hidden behind the half-opened door, the pale young woman smiled sweetly in reply. "Hello Mr. Fallow. I take it you're here for that thing from uncle Cithlar? Just a moment." At that, she closed the door in the man's face.

How rude! thought Fallow. Moments later, the door reopened and a dainty arm handed him a small piece of cloth tied closed with a thin cord. After taking the small bag and handing her a money pouch in return, Fallow checked the contents. Inside, Guy found it to be filled with a purplish-red powder.

"This should help you sleep. Just eat a pinch before bed. Don't take too much at once, or you might never wake up." At that disconcerting comment, the teenage girl gave a toothy smile.

Mayor Fallow began to reevaluate this younger woman. Before, he had simply treated her as any normal kid, but perhaps that was a mistake. This was a relative of the famous Great Enchanter, and her appearance implied she knew magic. She likely was not ordinary. Guy made a mental note to keep his eye on this high-potential youth.

"If that's all..." As the girl began to close the door, Guy held up a hand to stop her.

"Just a moment, there are some other matters I need to discuss with you. Last night, there was a report of an unknown Named Monster with strong magic in the nearby woods to the east of here. It wasn't hostile but you should be careful and not leave the house alone for the time being. At least not until the Association completes an investigation."

"Understood, thank you for your concern." As she moved to close the door, Guy once again held up his hand.

"Wait, wait! There's more. I wanted to remind Cithlar that his presence is required at the opening ceremony of the festival in five days."

"Alright, I'll pass the message on to him. Anything else?"

"Just one more thing... the mansion looks wonderful! It's like it transformed completely overnight. What happened?"

After sticking her head out of the door and taking a quick look around, Jabrax replied. "Oh, about that?" The teenage girl made another wide smile. "It's none of your business," and slammed the door in his face.

What a headstrong youth, thought Mayor Fallow, not that that's a bad thing. Smiling to himself about the interesting new addition to his town, Mayor Fallow headed back towards his town. He still had a lot of work to do in the next few days, and things wouldn't get any easier once the festival started. Still, he could see the goal in sight. And, it will be nice to get a good night's sleep for once, he thought, tapping his coat pocket.