Chapter 54
(Kyle Calendar
Year 505: Age 12)
Chrisia ①
Translator : PolterGlast
I was accompanied by
my younger sister, Chrisia, on our return journey to my territory, Teigun.
"Brother, I'd
like to see the grasslands over there in detail," my younger sister
(Chrisia) requested several short breaks along the way.
"The power of the
earth is weak around here. Unfortunately, I don't think many crops can be
grown."
Yes, her unique skill,
Earth Magic, was strongly influenced by Mother.
It was very similar to
Mother's unique skill of appraising minerals hidden in the earth, ground
conditions, and suitability for cultivation, and she could see the potential of
the earth. Her unique skill, as recorded in the history books, was "Soil
Improvement," so it was strange that it was a little different.
"This is your
town, Brother! It's completely different from Est! Brother, could you show me
around?"
As we passed through
the main gate of Teigun, my sister's excitement reached its peak.
"Teigun is a long
rectangular town, built on the gentle slope of the mountainside.
So, the town is
divided into four large tiered sections, getting higher in order from the
entrance."
Along the way, I
explained the town's layout and walked with my sister towards the lord's
mansion branch at the very back.
"The big road
continues on and on!"
Yes, first, after
passing through the main gate, a central street stretched straight to the
lord's mansion branch.
With this central
street as the boundary, the town was divided into the North District and the
South District.
<Fourth Section>
"This is the
entrance to the town of Teigun. You see the main gate guard post and the
reception office in front, right?
And to the left are
the mercenary corps' barracks and garrison, and to the right are the
residential areas and longhouses exclusively for temporary workers.
You absolutely must
not go out alone in this Fourth Section, Chrisia."
Yes, this was not an
area where permanent residents lived, and there was a high possibility of
outsiders sneaking in.
To control this, we
deliberately placed the mercenary corps' barracks and garrison there, asking
them to keep a vigilant eye.
"Understood. But
why is there a large vacant lot after passing through the gate?"
"That's for the
Self-Defense Corps training. If there's a defensive battle, we can deploy many
soldiers in front of the gate, so we leave it open."
<Third Section>
"Beyond this
partition wall is the actual town of Teigun."
Beyond the partition
wall was the Third Section, the main area of the town of Teigun. It was a
gentle uphill slope along the side of Mount Teigun.
From the perspective
of maintaining public order, a partition wall and a step were installed between
the Fourth and Third Sections. One could only enter the Third Section via three
roads: the central street, the North Street, and the South Street. All roads
passed in front of either the guard post or the mercenary corps barracks,
keeping a vigilant eye on suspicious individuals.
"From here to the
central plaza, shops line both sides of the road. Behind them, in the South
District, are inns, restaurants, and rental housing areas. Let's not go too
deep into this area."
"Why?"
"There are still
many vacant lots, and even though there's a partition wall, it's connected to
the Fourth Section. Especially the South District has many inns, so there are
many people who aren't permanent residents..."
Well, that wasn't the
only reason...
"And the North
District is for sale, but it's also still mostly vacant and deserted."
"Brother, there
are so many shops here, it's lively... and it smells delicious!"
As we continued along
the central street and entered the large circular central plaza, 200 m in
diameter, my sister's eyes sparkled.
The central plaza was
where events were held, and usually, it was an area lined with stalls. Even
now, many stalls selling food, luxury items, and ornaments were crowded
together, showing lively activity.
To the left of the
central plaza, in the North District, was the government-run commodity
exchange, behind which spread a vast warehouse that also served as a granary,
and further back was a residential area for sale.
On the opposite side,
in the South District, was the government office, behind which spread a
shooting range, and further back was a rental housing area.
After letting my
sister enjoy a tour of the stalls, we proceeded past the central plaza.
Beyond the central
plaza, high-end commercial facilities lined both sides of the road, and the
North District behind them was planned to become a high-end residential area
for sale.
The South District was
the workshop area, where craftsmen's workshops, warehouses, and shops were
spread out.
Further back was
another rental housing area.
At the very top of the
Third Section, near the border with the Second Section, a church lined the
road, and the North District behind it was planned to become a high-end
residential area.
On the South District
side, across the central street, stood the infirmary, the school and daycare
center, and the orphanage.
"By the way,
Brother, I noticed something strange. Why are all the roads dug down?
It's strange that you
have to go up several steps to enter any shop from the road...
And wherever roads
cross, there's always a dirt patch where the cobblestones are
interrupted..."
As expected of my sister,
she noticed something amazing at first glance.
"What I'm about
to tell you is absolutely top secret."
After emphasizing
that, I confirmed our surroundings and then explained...
"If the town is
attacked and it becomes unavoidable, we can cut the sluice gate of the moat at
the uppermost lord's mansion branch and release a large amount of water onto
the roads.
First,
Torrents will rush
along the roads, and these torrents will sweep away the intruders on the roads
all at once.
Intruders swept to one
spot can then be effectively repelled.
Next,
The dirt sections are
designed with earth mages in mind. We can make the earth in specific places
rise up to form barriers or walls.
This allows us to
control the flow of the torrents with the barriers and send water to targeted
locations.
That's why the roads
are lower, to prevent damage to buildings from the water flow."
"Wow, such a
mechanism is built into the town! I'm amazed!
It's incredible to
protect the town using the power of nature!"
"Well, once we
use it, we probably can't use it again for at least half a year, so it's a
trump card for when we're really in trouble.
Now, if you climb
these stone steps, you'll reach the Second Section."
<Second Section>
The Second Section was
the area for stationed soldiers. Across the central street, the North District
side housed the garrison, with the training grounds behind it. The opposite,
South District side housed the barracks, stables, and armory.
The South District
side also had a vast vacant lot where temporary barracks could be set up if a
large number of soldiers were stationed there.
<First Section>
Climbing further up
the stone steps from the Second Section led to the First Section. To enter the
lord's mansion branch directly ahead, one had to cross a dry moat and a castle
wall.
"This dry moat...
if water is collected here, then the strategy you mentioned earlier, Brother,
can be used, right?"
"Yes, right now
it's still a dry moat until the snowmelt comes next spring."
To the left and right
of the lord's mansion branch, four vast experimental farms spread out.
"Brother, may I
see the experimental farm first?"
"Of course. I'd
be grateful to hear your opinion, Chrisia."
Chrisia immediately
ran around, then touched the ground, closed her eyes, seemingly thinking, and
had a strange look on her face as she touched the crops.
"I wonder why.
The power of the earth here to grow crops is different from the land outside
the town that I've seen so far.
This farmland here has
much better earth power. But it also feels slightly different depending on the
location..."
Yes, that's correct. I
didn't know the proper amount of oyster shell lime to spread, so I varied the
amount for each section.
Seriously, I could
have just asked my sister instead of struggling with trial and error to find
the answer!
I felt a little down
knowing that.
I let her do as she
pleased all day and enjoyed being her escort.
Yeah, she's still so
cute. Among my family, I'm definitely the one who dotes on my sister the most.
For the next two days,
I was swamped with government-related work that had piled up during my absence.
My sister, under Anne's escort, toured the town with Claire, Rosa, Mia, and
others, especially visiting the infirmary, school, daycare, and orphanage.
Little did I know at
the time that this would escalate into a major, long-lasting problem...
