For about a week, I was flooded with assignments from Ir-san.
Regardless of wind and rain, undeterred by rain of black steel arrows and magic bolts from the monsters.
There was a plague outbreak caused by monsters on the east. I brought in a large amount of supplies for them, annihilated the monsters, and treated the sick and injured locals. A grandma ended up worshipping me as a result of my deeds, going as far as offering her granddaughter to me.
A horde of monsters cut off the road to the west. I immediately flew to the site, decimated the horde, and repaired the road. The local lord and wealthy merchants praised me for my deeds, and I was offered their daughters to sleep with. Again.
An emergency report came in, stating that the army posted on the south had been routed by monsters. I went there and promptly destroyed the opposing monster army, then proceeded to treat the wounded. The widows of the fallen knights, a female knight I saved along the way, and the all female soldiers sought me out for comfort.
There was an intel mentioning an attempt of rebellion at the north by a nobleman whose territory was close to Geppel kingdom. Flying there at a moment's notice, I used the attacking monster horde as a show of power to deter any further attempts from the rebels. In the meantime, the mastermind, that bastard nobleman went missing without leaving any trace. Leaving behind his slaves collection which consisted of elves, dwarves, and even lamias for me to comfort.
That was how I spent this past week.
[I don't wanna work anymore! I insist that I don't wanna work anymore! It's Marl who forced me, I'm innocent!]
[One more set. Fight, Taichi-kun. Once you're done, you can fuck Marl all you want when you returnー]
[But I'm the one getting fucked here tho!?]
=====
Another week passed by.
That 'one more set' turned out to be another full week of work! My mother in law is too cruel… I'd rather move out to the countryside instead of staying here.
[That's how it went. Horrible, isn't it?]
[The outside world is crazier than I thought. But well, there is that thing called karmic retribution. Just give it up already.]
[What did I do to deserve all this…]
[Not only do you already have three beautiful wives, you got to sleep with those many women, right? I believe the envy and jealousy of every man in this world have gathered together to punish you.]
Torn replied in a casual tone as he carved a small piece of wood with his knife.
It was a warm afternoon. After being freed from the transcendentally evil two weeks of penance, I visited the Beastkin village and poured out all the complaints that have been compounding inside my mind to Torn.
Perhaps it was the timing of my arrival, but there were many other villagers talking to each other over a cup of tea around us. The tables, the chairs, and even the cup were all made of wood. The scent woods floating around was more than enough to relax one's mind.
Well, the tables and chairs were made of cut down logs. So it's more in the direction of simple rather than comfortable.
[So, what do you come here for today? Don't tell me you're here just to let me hear your complaints about your mother in law?]
[There's that. I also want to pet Sitan and Sherry, check the barrier, look at the inventory and remaining supplies, basically checking the village's situation.]
[A busybody as always… take it easy, or else you might die young]
Torn said so as he finally put the piece of wood he had been carving on the table. Before I knew it, the piece of wood had become a palm-sized plate full of flower and grass carvings. The surface was made slightly curved. I wonder what he's making?
[You're pretty good at that. What are you crafting by the way?]
[Ah? Wood carving is just a hobby of mine. Sherry asked me. She wants a hairclip.]
[Fuーhn, let me take a look at it.]
Torn handed the wooden carving to me to observe. Appraisal eye showed its name as『Unfinished Carved Wooden Hairclip（Good Quality）』. It might fetch for a decent amount of money when completed.
[I think it can be sold for a decent price at the capital once finished. That's quite amazing.]
[Is that so?]
Seeing that Torn grinned, I guess he appreciated my comment. Torn was a bipedal wolf, or in other word, a humanoid wolf. So when he grinned, the others will be able to see his sharp teeths, which is kinda intimidating. He himself may not notice this, but his grin could probably make a kid cry.
When we moved to the storage warehouse, a bearkin and a horsekin were already there.
That familiar big rugged body, it must be Deborah. She has a cute girly side in her despite the appearance. Well, she's pretty much a kind, mature woman in my mind.
The horsekin should be Yamato, I guess? A horsekin that exudes the aura of an intellectual man. But to be honest, I haven't really interacted with him that often.
[Yo, how are you guys doing?]
[Oh, it's been a while. You came right in time.]
[Oh, Taichi-dono.]
Every time I saw him, Yamato seemed to never part with that notebook in his hand. But on a serious note, that's probably the record of the supplies they have in stock.
[Nnー, how long has it been, a month? Are you running out of supply?]
[It's not going to happen today or anytime shortly, but it's dwindling alright.]
[I see. Then I guess I should prepare more soon? I've made some arrangements with the commerce guild at the capital.]
[Then please do. And there are stuff I'd like you to take this time.]
Yamato said as he guided me into the warehouse.
The fresh supplies had indeed dwindled by a lot. But on the other hand, the dried meat and nuts had seemingly increased; probably because the villagers kept adding to it on their own initiative. There were also small jars of pottery and a collection of dry plants. There were also materials dismantled from monsters.
[These are the dried herbs from the forest, and those jars are filled with nectars collected by giant hornets. Those are the materials such as leather, fangs, nail, and bones we dismantled from monsters we killed.]
[I get that you want me to take all that, but didn't I tell you that I don't need any compensation for what I did?]
[You certainly said so. However, having a one-sided relationship is unhealthy and will cause dependency. I have heard of your intention from both Torn and Deborah. You provide us with more supplies and safety, so it'll be fair if we pay you with these items. Only then our relationship will be healthier and bilateral.]
Yamato said while occasionally snorting like a horse he is.
Certainly, it may turn into an unhealthy relationship if they continued to piggyback on me. The village's productivity might've declined due to the great flooding that they needed my aid to stay afloat, but this village was originally self-sufficient.
Since this will also help me reduce my expenditures, I guess the idea of running the village jointly is pretty good.
[Got it. You already have the list of supplies you need with you, right?]
[It's right here.]
Yamato handed me the list of supplies the beastkin village would need. The format seemed to follow the list that the commercial guild gave me on my previous purchase. What a horse!
[Then next time I go to buy more supplies from the commercial guild, I'll need you to prepare a similar list. And I'll leave managing the supplies to you. Will that be fine?]
Yamato nodded in earnest. He seemed to be motivated enough. Once we can start to manage my territory later, if Marl agrees to it, we can entrust much administrative work on him.
[Is there any change in the village lately?]
[It's been peaceful. After the houses and the fields have been completely repaired, the village has pretty much regained its liveliness. The few changes I can think of is that we no longer need to be wary of monsters attacking us now, which in turn allows our hunters and foragers to gradually expand their activity range. That's why the number of hunted animal, herbs, and nuts see an increase.]
[That's a good trend alright. Ah, I saw it earlier, Torn seems to have good hands on sculpting. If it's possible to produce a fairly large number, it can become a good commodity to sell. I can prepare the necessary tools or any materials that are lacking. So please discuss this with the others.]
Deborah and Yamato nodded in concert. Seeing this, I cut to the next topic.
[So, I actually succeeded in gaining the approval from both Karendil and Miscronia. As of now, I'm a viscount of Miscronia kingdom. A noble. Isn't that amazing?]
[Normally, if other people said that, I would just laugh him off.]
[But it's Taichi we are talking about though.]
[It's good to hear that you have a solid authority now.]
The wolf, horse, and bear showed a varying degree of reaction. But at least they seemed to accept the news favorably. Although Torn's and Deborah's half amazed reaction kinda worries me. But I guess I just don't get them enough.
[Should we move out soon?]
[No way. There is no way I will force you guys to move into an underdeveloped forest where monsters are still jumping around. After officially getting the land, I will have to first contact the Arachneans to find a suitable place, then clear the forest to some extent with my magic little by little. The entire process should probably take half a year for complete transition, I think?]
[Then I guess it's better to pick the people that will pioneer the migration. First of all, we need people who could build houses and open up farming fields I think?]
[That's right. They'll need some security measures too. We need to discuss this with the hunters later.]
Deborah nodded at Torn's assessment. These three seem to be this village's organizers. I guess it'll be better to leave the personnel selection to them.
Leave the right work for the right person. I don't really want to work too hard anyway.
[Then it's set. I'll head to the capital to procure the supplies. But before that… I need some fluff]
[I wish you can heal that sickness of yours already…]
Torn looked at me with pitiful eyes. But it's not even a sickness. It's just a normal reaction. Anyone seeing this much fluffiness here would act just like me.
=====
[It's been a while. You look awfully chipper today.]
Having had my share of fluff, I immediately headed to Alfen Commercial district.
Even today, the commerce guild was full of various people, be it young men and girls studying as apprentice merchants, or adventurers and even nobles doing transactions.
[Because I've just seen heaven on earth.]
In response to Huey's question, I unconsciously smiled.
Today, not only Sitan the half dog girl and Sherry the half fox girl, but there was also the half sheep girl Karen providing me with fluffiness. It was heavenly. I felt like I'm in a state of enlightenment now.
The elf Melchina looked at me with disgusted eyes, while the rabbitkin Pamela looked on with a warm gaze. But I didn't care. Well, I actually wanna try touching Pamela's long rabbit ears and her bushy tail, so I'm considering the possibility. Will she allow me to do that if I bring her some gifts?
[Somehow, I don't think I want to know the details.]
[So, have you prepared my order?]
[Yeah. Honestly, it's taking up a lot of space in the loading bay and we kinda need that space for other transactions. So please collect it immediately.]
Following Huey who got up from his chair and walked away, we moved to the loading bay behind the guild office. Is he wary of theft? There were too many security guards posted around the loading bay.
Are they dedicated hired security instead of regular adventurers? All of the guards wore matching uniforms and batons. Their movements were sharp and highly disciplined. Any normal adventurer wouldn't have that kind of movement and appearance.
[Ah, they're military personnel. They belong to the townguards, but are dedicated to guard the security of the commerce guild.]
[Guards, so they're like the security guards (of my previous world)…]
[Wow.]
It's still a long way, but once I build a city and start trading, there will be outsiders getting in and out. I will need this kind of organization on that point. And I'm gonna need to improve the law as well. In addition to that, the security guards need to be educated in this law to be able to properly apply it. There's a lot of things to do.
[Here we are. The supplies you ordered are from there to over there.]
A pile of goods occupied a large part of the guild's loading bay. Just how many they've prepared?
[Twenty times greater than your previous order. Are you going to wage a war or something?]
[Of course not. Do you really think I need this many supplies if I want to wage a war?]
[Is that so? Then I really have no idea for what else.]
Ignoring Huey's quizzical look, I started storing the stuff into my inventory. My previous order had enough to feed 50 soldiers for a month. This time it's 20 times that, enough to feed 1000 for a month.
[It's an investment for the future. I'm telling this only to you, I have a connection with a small village on Miscronia kingdom's territory that happens to not have access to any decent trading route at the moment. I managed to get the approval from the lord of the land, and gained that land for a lease.]
[Hee, so you are studying for the future now? Your wife is the first princess of a kingdom afterall, you'll eventually have to rule your own territory, won't you?]
[Guess so. That's why, if I invest from now on, it'll be more profitable in the future.]
[Imagining you working in a peaceful time is a bit weird.]
Shouldn't that be the moment where you pledged your service to me? Don't worry about keeping up a face. You should've been more ambitious like a merchant should be! Whatever. I still have a lot more things to do in the schedule.
[Oh, there are things that I'd like to sell to you. The village gathered up a good number of herbs and monster materials. Can you please prepare a list of products that can be traded with all that? I'll leave the picking to you, but please focus on things that may please a remote village with little to no entertainment. That'll be my next order.]
[Understood, I'll prepare it… These herbs are fairly good in quality. Actually, any number will help. Because our supplies are unable to meet the demand, making it always out of stock.]
[Okay, give me the details later. Right now I need to go to the adventurers guild, then to the weapon shop next. I'll leave this matter to you.]
Having said that, I left the commerce guild, letting Huey to appraise the herbs and monster materials. Next stop is the adventurers guild which is just around the corner.
=====
[Welcome to the adventurers guild, may I… hiiiii]
As usual, the receptionist screamed as soon as she saw me. There is also the fact that I just crushed an iron mace to bits with my bare hand when another adventurer butted in.
[Ossu. Are you not going to let me report the result of the request I took?]
[Fuee!? A, about that, hiyaaaaa!? Watatata!?]
She was such a nervewreck that she accidentally knocked into a stack of documents and caused an inkwell to pour its content upon the scattered papers. Is this kid alright?
Perhaps finally finding the document she needs, she picked it up and handed it over to me. Whatisit whatisit?]
[The people of Vyette are currently living in the apartment building in the new village. Oldman Bison and the few people of advanced age decided to remain in the old village. What happened to them afterward is not known.]
I took out the bloodstained broken crossbow along with two silver coins and a jar of giant hornet's nectar from my inventory.
[I have another request to make. I want this broken crossbow and this honey jar to be delivered to the people of Vyette. I would do it myself, but I'm a bit busy at the moment.]
Once they look at the broken crossbow and the honey jar, they should be able to put the two on two. I wonder if they'll return to the old village one day… ah, Torn and his band are plundering that place subtly though.
Uーn, well, they've abandoned it anyway. Let's just consider this crossbow and honey jar as a form of gratitude.
[Ye, yes, will do. Ah, regarding the monster carcass you brought in the other day, turns out they were demons.]
[Demons?]
Like those of the 72 pillars of Goetia or something like that? Anyways, I'm not really familiar with that topic.
[Yes, they are known as powerful monsters that can sometimes be summoned through summoning magic. It is also said that many of them are capable of using magic, cunning, yet powerful. Other than through summoning magic, they sometimes spring out somewhere during great flooding. And, albeit rarely, they're also seen in the depth of ancient ruins.]
[So in other words, you guys are still uncertain about what they are?]
[Hiii, fo, forgive us! Please forgive us!]
[I'm not mad or anything, so don't be so scared. Since the number of people capable of using Summoning magic is low, the amount of sightings becomes very small, is that what you mean?]
In response to my question, the teary eyed receptionist nodded her head.
Would you please stop doing that? Outwardly, it seems like I was threatening the receptionist and making her cry.
[Haaー, nnー, got it. So stop crying already. Then how about the materials dismantled from them?]
[Uhhh, ah, that, pardon me to say this, but the guild is willing to buy them since those are valuable samples…]
[Alright then… how much will it be?]
[Wo, would twenty gold coins for the three carcasses be enough…?]
Ha? That dragon demon's hide is only worth less that 20 gold coins? I get that it's slightly smaller than a troll, but the hide's toughness is way beyond that of a troll's, so it should make for pretty good material.
Even a troll is worth 30 gold coins. But that dragon demon isn't even worth 20 gold coins if not for the two black small fries that also came with it.
[Enough talking, call your superior! I have a lot to talk to them about, but, I'm too busy at the moment. Just give me the money already.]
[Ye, yesssssssssssssir!]
The receptionist dashed into the back room while crying her eyes out. I could feel the blaming gaze from all around me, but I could care less about it.
Certainly, I'm rich now. But that doesn't mean I won't bother with the details when it came to money transactions. Because otherwise, that means I have already lost the sense of importance in money.
The feeling was reinvigorated recently, as I'm about to rule my own territory and have to make sure that my people can eat without much inconvenience. From now on, I can't afford to be loose with my wallet.
I know I've been lax on it lately, but I need to have a good grasp on my assets from now on… for starters, I have 16.209 gold in my inventory.
Well, it's equal to about 1.620.900 yen. That's a lot for personal wealth. But will it be enough to cover the operation of a territory?
Maybe I should consult Jack-san or Huey later.
It's probably better to hire a professional when it comes to managing funds. Whether it's a good merchant or a finance officer… perhaps at first it'll be just fund management, but later on I might need them to handle material trading as well. Which makes me think that a merchant might be more suitable for the job since they should be more familiar with this kind of transactions.
Let's consult Huey then.
I received the 20 gold coins from the blue faced receptionist who was trembling like a chihuahua, then headed to Peron-san's shop.
[I'm coming inー, is Peron-san in… ha?]
[P, please don't, Peron! That money is the savings for our wedding anniversary!]
[Eeei! Shuttup! As if it's not crazy enough that that fellow can actually produce godsilver ore while I can't! I can also create a divine material too! Don't get in the way!]
I was greeted with such a scene upon my arrival. The half crying Ritz-san was guarding a leather bag that seemed to contain some gold
What is this situation?
[No, you can't! How many more mithril and orichalcon ingots you will ruin in the attempt this time!?]
[Just a little bit more! I feel like I can do it after a bit more attempts! There's no way that I will let the greatest wish of all dwarves be taken away right in front of our nose! For that reason, is not having a wedding anniversary too steep of a price!?]
Listening this far, I came to understand the problem. Perhaps Peron-san was inspired by the godsilver ore I brought the other day, and then attempted to create one herself. But from the looks of it, she's been failing repeatedly and is nearing his limit.
All that resolve for a mere ore, I guess it's to be expected from a dwarf… although I would rather that she cherish their wedding anniversary more. Un.
[Don't say that! Ah!? Just in time! Please help me stop Peron!]
[You're here!? Your order is completed! Come, let's talk about the price! Tell me how to make the divine ore… no, I must arrive at that level by myself. I can't do this without making a sacrifice…. Kuh! Just please tell me how! I'll do anything if you'll tell me. I'll even go through fire and boiling water if you wish!]
Hearing Peron-san's plea, the blackness inside me emerged. And naturally, a crooked smile bloomed in my face. Even Ritz-san cowered a bit after seeing my expression.
[Nn? Did you just say that you'll do anything?]
[Ahh! Don't stir it too much…!]
Peron-san complained about my movement with a sad voice. But I ignored him and proceeded to move even more intense instead.
The room was filled with heat and the scent of Peron-san's sweat. It can't be helped. The level. The level is too different.
[That's no good, you need to stir it strongly like this. Look!]
[Wha, if, if you do it so intensely it'll break…]
Peron-san was on the verge of crying. That's right, I've been using her most precious place as I like. Since Peron-san asked for it, I've been ignoring all the whinings and complaints.
[It won't break if it's just to this extent. See, I'll let it out.]
[Eh? Ah, it's hot! Ah, haaa… A, amazing, this is amazing!]
Peron-san let out an ecstatic voice, seemingly deeply moved. Tears spilled from the edge of her eyes, her face flushed crimson. But I'm not going to end there. It's important to hammer it repeatedly into both body and soul until she can't forget it.
[Here, I'm going to do it again. As many times as possible, until I'm satisfied.]
[N, no way. Until you're satisfied… That means we'll be awake until morning. And my most precious place will most definitely broken in the process.]
[I'll take responsibility if that really happens. Okay, here I go again.]
[A, again already? After letting out that much… you are truly bottomless. Ritz cannot compare at all to you.]
[It's a grave mistake to compare me, a hero, to a normal man. I'll do it as many times until I'm satisfied. Until it breaks.]
Thus I used Peron-san's most precious place again――
[Uorraaaaaaaa!? What the hey are you two doiiiiiiiiiiiing!?]
Then for some reason, Ritz-san barged into the smithy with a knife in hand. What is he doing?
[ [ Eh? Refining Godsilver ore?] ]
What I was stirring was the mithril and orichalcon ores that had been melted in the refinery. Peron-san was worried that my intense stirring would break her refinery. It's one of the most important things for a blacksmith after all.
At first, I thought giving an example once would be enough. But producing godsilver ore requires finely tuning the temperature, so it'll be near impossible to remember it in one go. Thus I had to repeat the process over and over again.
Of course, in order to do so, the refinery had to be operated repeatedly as well. Surprisingly it ran on magic power, so normal people could only at most power it once or twice in a day. But on my part, my magic power reserve is near bottomless. I could do this as many times as I want.
[What's wrong? Have you finished making lunch?]
[Uh, Tsk, Daaaaaaammmmmiiiiiiiiit!]
Ritz-san ran away while crying. Afterward, I couldn't help but muttered on the side.
[It's not my place to comment about other people's relationship, but… will it be alright?]
[Ahahah, that guy can be sweet and innocent like a kid sometimes. Alright, let's continue on.]
[That's quite high leveled… a nevermind]
I had my fun as well. Peron-san was a legal loli, a married woman, and has shown a streak of S. Ritz-san was a total opposite to her. This couple is really deep.
[Don't forget about our agreement.]
[I get it already. There seems to be no shortage of interesting materials coming from you. Well, Ritz might need some convincing. But he'll come around in no time.]
Peron-san licked her upper lip as she said so, then smiled a meaningful smile. Is this the sex appeal of a married woman…? It surprised me since she literally looked like a little girl.
And thus, I succeeded in attracting a talented craftsman for my future territory.
[Senior, the order is completed. A large amount of building materials, crop seeds and other plants seedlings, livestocks and farming tools… Is this for restoration work outside of the one done by the gov't?]
[Yeah. My bad, but I have to ask your help again. Make a listing with haste.]
[Ee… it seems like a list from a rural area. In this case, the data should be easily diverted, right? Senpai, what are you doing?]
[I'm making an approximation for the future cost of a round trip journey from Crossroad to Miscronia.]
[Eh? And what's with that route, you're going to go through the border forest?]
[It's implausible now. But it's still a huge business opportunity.]
[But it's been decided that it's not profitable, isn't it…?]
[Now, now. Merchants like us should be able to plan one or two steps ahead, shouldn't we?]