Chapter 56
(Kyle Calendar
Year 506: Age 13)
Year of
Conflict
Translator : PolterGlast
The new year dawned.
This year, the
Gryphonia Empire would likely launch a full-scale invasion. And in the
[previous history], this was the year my elder brother lost his life on the
battlefield.
Currently, my brother
was attending the academy in the royal capital, so he was on a different path
than in the previous history, and there was a good chance he could avoid it.
However, history had
already changed significantly, and given past examples, history often sought
repetition or an equivalent price. I couldn't let my guard down.
Rather, if the scale
of the invading army increased, various risks would also increase. There was no
end to what I could worry about.
All I could do now was
focus all my efforts on strengthening our forces, improving our military power,
and bolstering our defenses.
※
"Phew, somehow we
made it through another year."
It was after the new
year, some time had passed, and I sighed in relief at the government office.
"Seriously, the
development budget was on a tightrope, wasn't it?"
"Yes, 20,000 gold
coins disappear in the blink of an eye."
Miseri-san replied
with a laugh, but I knew.
Because I had pushed
for reckless large-scale development, I had greatly disrupted the government's
(Miseri-san's) plans.
To compensate for
that, the government had desperately tried to adjust expenditures.
"Well, we had
laborers than the population, so it couldn't be helped. On the other hand, the
construction progressed even more than planned."
Yes, we had up to 600
temporary laborers, and wages for them alone amounted to about 10,000 gold coins.
Furthermore, another 10,000 gold coins were invested in development materials,
construction of directly managed facilities, construction of rental housing,
and large-scale purchase of livestock.
"I feel like we
carried out three years' worth of development in one year."
Claire, alongside
Miseri-san, was one of those who struggled with adjustments, staring at the
gold coin balance.
"Now that the
year has changed and head tax, trade tax, and other tax revenues have come in,
we can finally return the gold coins we borrowed from Takuhir-sama."
In fact, I had
temporarily entrusted almost all of my gold coins to them as a development
budget.
Literally, I had
invested everything I had, right up to the point of being stripped naked. That
showed how anxious I was in my race against time.
"That's right.
But the town walls, moats, and even the official checkpoint on the Demon Realm
side are complete, and the minimum defensive system is in place. All that's
left is to fine-tune the details, and we can finally begin preparing the
settlement for full habitation."
"It's also a big
deal that the moats outside the town and the lord's mansion branch, and the
waterways, were completed before the snowmelt. This means all the snowmelt can
be utilized this year!"
Sasha, who had been
most troubled by the water problem, looked happy.
"Furthermore, as
of now, including the land sales in the North District and commercial area, the
gold coins for investment have recovered to 9,000.
And this year, we
expect the revenues from the Teigun mine, rental fees, commodity exchange, and
publicly operated pastures to stabilize and exceed last year's fixed
income."
"Miseri-san, does
that mean we can expect to invest over 10,000 gold coins in development this
year as well?"
"It depends on
the sales profits from unsold land, but we won't need as many temporary
laborers this year... probably."
Yes, understood. I'll
aim for within 10,000 coins.
What I realized anew
was that my reckless actions had been a tightrope walk that should have led to
bankruptcy.
It only held together
because there were so many helping hands.
◯ Construction Acceleration by Earth Mages
Sara, Elan, Mary, and
the two from the Cornell Barony played a vital role in completing the
groundwork, waterways, and city walls very quickly and affordably.
◯ Mass Transportation Ignoring Transportation Costs
Bart's utilization of
his spatial storage magic played a significant role in the massive transport of
construction materials and earth (like a human dump truck), and the mass
transport of goods and supplies (like a human truck).
Furthermore, the
large-scale transport of iron ore to Fran, and the procurement of goods cheaply
through bulk purchases in Est and Fran, along with their transport, were also
supported by him.
◯ Publicly Operated Commodity Exchange
Bart's ability to
procure goods at bulk purchase prices, ignoring transportation costs, and then
sell them at fixed prices, generated sales revenue. The publicly operated sales
office also allowed us to maintain stable prices in the frontier, which was
quite an achievement.
◯ Land Sale Revenue
The sale of land in
the North District for private development brought in a substantial amount of
sales profit, and the fact that the commercial district's land sold relatively
well from the first year was also a great help.
◯ Administrative Processing Capability
Thanks to Miseri-san's
government, which accurately managed income and expenditures, we were able to
make bold investments (a tightrope walk). This allowed us to advance all
priority construction and preparations ahead of schedule.
If even one of these
five elements had been missing, Teigun would have either gone bankrupt
financially or failed to reach its current level of completion.
It is believed that
development costs will decrease steadily from now on, and the number of
temporary workers should also gradually decrease.
If development costs
decrease, we should see a surplus in revenue next year and the year after.
New development was
this tough...
Enlarging the town,
accelerating construction, increasing stationed troops, and fortifying the
town.
Well... it was all my
own fault, though.
※
After the new year,
once the development was on track, all the mages, including those newly
recruited when my younger sister (Chrisia) came to town, were diligently
engaged in magic combat training every day.
The current magic
corps had become much stronger than before.
Wind Mages: 2 new (6
total)
Holy Mages: 2 new (4
total + younger sister)
Earth Mages: 1 new (3
total + Sara)
Fire Mages: 1 new (4
total)
Water Mages: 1 new (3
total)
Dark Mages: 1 new (1
total)
Ice Mages: 1 new (1
total)
Space-Time Mages: 1
new (2 total)
※ Staying in the Royal Capital:
Light Mages: 0 new (1
total)
The total number of
personnel in the Magic Corps was 25! (Excluding Sara and my younger sister)
That's a decent
number.
After the attack by
Errol, the second son of Viscount Hiyorimi, I consulted with Father, and the
five mages who were previously stationed in the town of Est were transferred to
Teigun as regular soldiers and are participating in training.
Therefore, all 24
mages I discovered, excluding Kran who is in the royal capital, are gathered in
Teigun.
All 24 mages, old and
new, have joined forces and are currently undergoing intensive training with
Commander Weiss and the mercenary corps in the flatlands of Teigun and in
relatively safe areas near the Demon Realm.
More than half of them
will accompany me on the next expedition, but the defense of Teigun is also
important, so a considerable number of mages will be needed for the reserve
unit.
With four holy mages,
most injuries can be healed on the spot. Therefore, the commander's (oni's)
training is becoming even more rigorous and harsh...
"Defense team,
the range of your wind wall is too narrow, and its deployment is too slow!
Do you think such a
breeze can block arrows?!"
"Attack team,
your timing for making arrows ride the wind is bad!
Focus only on
accurately guiding your arrows to the target!"
"Earth mages and
wind mages, both of you, think carefully about coordination!
Combine dust and wind
effectively to obstruct the cavalry!"
"There! Build a
strong dam before the water reaches you!
If you're slow, the
muddy torrent will flood the town!"
"The water's
force is weak! Can you really wash away the enemy with that?!
Water and earth,
coordinate properly! Don't let it become a quagmire!"
"Fire Wall,
deployment is slow and weak! That won't work!
Your fireballs are
off-target! Predict the enemy's movements and fire!"
"Prioritize your healing!
They won't make it if you don't!
Where are you
healing?! Do you intend to get injured yourself?!"
"The darkness is
unnatural! Do you intend to hide with that?!
Remember that if a
scout is found, it's over!"
"Ice wall
deployment is slow! Construct your positions immediately!
Repeat it to deploy
thicker and faster!"
"Don't forget
that if you fall, your supplies will be wasted!
First, protect
yourselves! Think carefully about your movements!"
Today, too, Commander
Weiss's (oni's) angry shouts flew across the training ground...
The mages desperately
responded, honing their magic skills for practical combat.
"With mages
gathered, tactics expand manifold. I had never even thought of such tactics
before."
Commander Weiss spoke
with an excited tone.
"However, this
time we also have to leave mages behind to defend Teigun. That idiot who caused
trouble last year might cause something again..."
I showed him the
planned allocation chart.
＜Expedition＞ 11 people
Wind Mages: Gale,
Gold, Aral, Lilia
Earth Mage: Astor
Fire Mages: Mars,
Danke
Water Mage: Wals
Holy Mage: Marianne
Dark Mage: Raphael
Space-Time Mage: Bart
＜Remaining＞ 13 people
Wind Mages: Christoph,
Carleen
Earth Mages: Elan,
Mary
Fire Mages: Claire,
Krolla
Water Mages: Sasha,
Aira
Holy Mages: Rosa, Mia,
Lanatoria
Ice Mage: Kinia
Space-Time Mage: Caul
"I think it's
reasonable. Teigun's defenses are strong. Are Christoph and Claire staying
behind?"
"Christoph is the
only member currently learning tactics from the commander. He has been here since
the early development of Teigun and is well-versed in the structure of the
checkpoints and narrow passes."
"Furthermore, as
the most senior mage, he also has a good understanding of the characteristics
of the other mages."
"Claire is also
outstanding in terms of internal affairs and loyalty to the Solis baronial
family. I would like her to support Miseri-san during my absence."
"I see..."
Commander Weiss said nothing further.
-----
(Additional Notes)
＜Kyle Calendar
Year 506: Beginning of the Year＞
- Personal
Funds Remaining: 1,700 gold coins
- Development
Funds Remaining: 9,000 gold coins (after tax revenue)
- Loans
Remaining: ▲19,000
gold coins
＜Kyle Calendar
Year 506: Beginning of the Year Personal Gold Coins＞
- Initial
Balance: 1,500 gold coins
- Shooting Range
Prize Money: ▲150
gold coins/year
- Regular
Tournament Prize Money, etc.: ▲240 gold coins/year
- Summoning
Ritual Costs: ▲260
gold coins
- Bart's
Deposit: ▲ 0 gold
coins (150 gold coins already accounted for)
- Bart's Trade
Profit: 100 gold coins
- Voting Ticket
Revenue: 1,200 gold coins
- Voting
Ticket Preparation Costs: ▲ 30 gold coins
- Champion
Tournament Prize Money: ▲115 gold coins
- Champion
Tournament Preparation: ▲ 50 gold coins
- Outsourcing
Production Costs, etc.: ▲240 gold coins
- Other: ▲ 15 gold coins
Bart's
Temporary Reward: ▲
0 gold coins
- Classroom
Establishment Costs: Borne by Government Office
- Teacher/Material
Costs: Borne by Government Office
Classroom
Lunch Costs: Borne by Government Office
- Net Balance:
1,700 gold coins
-----
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