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128 The Pursuer
1
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Translator : PolterGlast
▽▽▽ Side: Count Parton ▽▽▽
After returning from
the royal capital, I immediately ordered the arrest of the wheat guild leader.
His refusal to burn my letter and his defiance of my orders was a clear act of hostility.
The charges could be anything. He deserves the death penalty just for letting
that letter get out. I will make him take responsibility for the humiliation
that the detestable Princess inflicted on me.
"You. You didn't
dispose of that letter, did you!"
"What are you
talking about?"
He's playing dumb.
I'll break that arrogant nose of his.
"Imprison this
man and interrogate him severely!"
"That's so
unreasonable!"
"Quiet!"
I kicked him as he
tried to cling to me. That look of despair in his eyes. Hehehe, that's what you
get for defying me. I'll have him tortured, tormented, and then killed.
But that Footscythel
fool, how dare he humiliate me? I will show him no mercy.
Should I hire the
assassin Kouga? That person is expensive, but they do a good job. I've used
them a few times before, and they've never failed.
I immediately
commissioned him to kill Footscythel. He charged me 300 million Grill. As
always, the commission fee is exorbitant.
This is the end for
Footscythel. Once that fool is dead, I will take over Triange.
▽▽▽ Side: Toi ▽▽▽
A letter came from the
royal capital. It was from a former classmate who was summoned, Takehiko Oba.
Oba's letter was
simple, saying he wanted to work for me, just like Yamato and Itsukushima-san.
I never expected to receive a letter like this. In my previous life, he was a
member of Akaba's group (the errand boy) and a classmate who hit me several
times. I remember his face clearly. I haven't forgotten what he did to me. I
won't accept him.
Another letter came.
These things happen at the same time, I guess. This one was also from a
summoned hero. It was a letter from Itsuki Mizusawa, the Hero of the Blue Sea.
Apparently, they had
conquered the 7th floor and started exploring the 8th, but they were having a
lot of trouble. He wanted to ask me for tips since I had already conquered it.
The 8th floor of the
royal capital dungeon is full of Merfolk. I can just imagine Mizusawa and the
others having a hard time with the Merfolk attacking in large numbers.
Mizusawa gives off a
serious impression, but he was the kind of person who turned a blind eye to
Akaba's tyranny. I don't hate him, but I don't like him either.
As a mature person, I
sent him a magnanimous reply.
To Mizusawa, I wrote
that he should go back to the 7th floor and level up. To Oba, I simply wrote
"No."
If there had been some
benefit for me, my response would have been different. I think it's too much to
ask for something without offering anything in return.
"Toi-kun. I've
finished the loom for cotton weaving. Do you want to see it?"
While walking down the
hallway, thinking about the summoned heroes, Yamato suddenly called out to me.
"Oh, yeah, sure.
Where is it?"
"This way."
When I entered
Yamato's workshop (a former warehouse), various things were carelessly placed
inside. The loom was among them. It was quite large.
"I made a lot of
prototypes, but with this one, you can weave 10 meters in an hour."
"Huh? 10 meters
in an hour? Isn't that a little slow?"
"What are you
talking about! You can't even weave 30 centimeters in an hour by hand!"
"I-is that
so...?"
Hey, you're too close.
I pushed Yamato's face away with my hand and used my Detailed Appraisal on the
loom.
Oh, it's a
state-of-the-art automatic loom. Not bad, Yamato. (By this world's standards,
of course).
"So if we
mass-produce these, we can produce a lot of cotton fabric."
"Exactly! I can
build one of these mass-production models in five days."
"That's amazing,
but we haven't even grown the cotton yet."
"That's what I
was thinking. I'm going to make farming equipment."
"Oh. Farming
equipment, huh? What kind of stuff are you going to make?"
"First, a tractor
to plow the fields. After that, something to make the ridges, and for wheat, a
combine harvester would be good. We're about to start harvesting, so I might
make the combine harvester first. What do you think?"
A combine harvester,
just like that? Normally, you'd start by improving a hoe. Well, since it's
Yamato, he can probably make one.
"Are you planning
to bring modern science into this world?"
"You saw the farm
work, Toi-kun. It's all done by hand. And even if you call it science, it's
basically just magic items in this world."
That's true, there are
no machines. And while you can use magic for weeding and slash-and-burn
farming, wizards are rare. It's basically all manual labor. Farm work is hard,
whether it's rice, wheat, or any other vegetable.
Even if we can't mechanize
it, we can probably use golems as a substitute. In a fantasy world, anything is
possible. I'll just have to hope Yamato exercises some self-control.
"Don't worry
about the funding."
"Really!?"
"I'd like to say
that, but you should consult with Laura."
"Ugh. If you had
just given me permission, I could have withdrawn an unlimited amount..."
"That's why you
need a stopper like Laura."
Laura is mainly in
charge of finances. And Yamato always listens to what Laura says.
"By the
way..."
"Hm, what is
it?"
"How are things
with you and Patricia?"
Clang! Yamato knocked
over something nearby. He's way too flustered.
"I said, I'm
not-!?"
"I'm a supporter
of free love, so I'm rooting for you."
Yamato's face turned
beet red, and his actions became suspicious. When he walked, his arms and legs
moved in unison.
At this rate, things
probably haven't progressed between him and Patricia. It's not my place to say,
but someone else might snatch her up. I left Yamato like that and went to ask
Laura about his budget.
"Laura. If Yamato
asks for a budget for farming equipment, give him as much as you can."
"Understood."
Compared to before,
Laura's complexion is much better. That's probably because she has fully
recovered from her illness, isn't overworking herself, and is eating nutritious
food.
Now, I'll go inspect
the territory. I got a letter and was called by Yamato, but I was scheduled to
inspect the territory today.
I saw Anneliese, her
mother Marhaleta, and Lilith, who is in charge of the children's education,
teaching the children. An open-air classroom, huh? It looks fun.
"Anneliese. I'm
leaving now."
"Yes. Please be
careful."
Anneliese surrounded
by the children's smiles is beautiful.
"Sorry, did I
keep you waiting?"
My guards are Jojok
and ten of his subordinates. I said I didn't need any guards, but Gandarvan and
Banarji teamed up to force me to take them. I've accepted this as a consequence
of becoming a noble.
We left the mansion
and headed for the mountains. The mountains north of Triange are called the
Suzuka Mountains. The highest peak seems to be about 2,000 meters high, but no
one knows for sure. We don't have the technology to measure the altitude. But I
would know if I climbed it, thanks to the Mapping skill of my Explorer job.
"Your
Excellency."
"I know."
I've sensed people
following us since we left the mansion.
"There are three
of them, right?"
"Yeah,
three."
Jojok used his eyes to
tell the guards to be on alert. They must have been doing some kind of
coordinated training, as they seem to be able to communicate with their eyes.
The assault team
commanded by Jojok has a total of 40 people. Rosalina is the vice-captain. I'm
a little confused about whether Rosalina can do that, but I'll trust the team
members.
"Lady Rosalina
moves based on her senses rather than eye signals."
She's an intuitive
person, I guess.
"Just ignore them
for now."
"Are you
sure?"
"They might just
be monitoring us, but they might also be targeting me. I need to see what
they're after."
"Understood."
They seem to have
undergone some highly advanced stealth training. I can't see them, and they are
out of the range of my Detailed Appraisal. If it weren't for us, no one would
have noticed them.
In the Suzuka
Mountains we're heading to, there is a waterfall called the Yoro Waterfall. The
water seems to gush out from a rock on the northern slope. It's probably
rainwater that became groundwater and is now flowing out.
In other words, there
is a water source on the opposite side of Triange. The Yoro Waterfall becomes a
river called the Nagare River, which flows into Count Lafon's territory on the
northern side of the Suzuka Mountains. I wish that river was on the Triange
side so we could produce more grain, but there's no point in complaining about
it.
The mountains are
covered in trees, but there are no small streams on the Triange side. So there
really isn't a water source, huh?
There are many
different kinds of trees. Should I make timber a local industry? It's not
something an amateur like me should talk about so casually. For now, I'll just
check what kind of trees there are.
"Hee. There's a
tree like this, too."
I was walking along,
using Detailed Appraisal on the trees, when I stopped at a particular tree.
"Your Excellency.
Is something the matter?"
"Jojok, do you
know this tree?"
"My apologies. I
don't know much about trees."
Just because he's from
this world doesn't mean he knows everything. It's not your fault, so don't make
a face like you're about to commit seppuku.
"Does anyone else
know about this tree?"
I asked the guards as
well. One of them raised her hand. She was a 23-year-old woman from the first
group of recruits, and she became a knight after being freed from slavery. I
think her name was Kliamis.
Kliamis has deep green
hair and bright blue eyes. Her tanned skin tells of her active nature, and she
has the job of Sword King Level 53. She's one of the top recruits among the
first-generations.
"I think that's a
Nireminu tree."
Correct.
"Kliamis, can you
tell me what you know about this tree?"
"The Nireminu
tree is a common tree in the mountains, but lumberjacks don't like it very
much."
"Why don't they
like it?"
"My father was a
lumberjack, and he mainly cut trees for firewood. Nireminu trees aren't
suitable for firewood because they produce a lot of smoke even after they've
been dried."
That makes sense.
The Nireminu tree
contains a lot of ingredients that insects hate. Those ingredients are the
source of the smoke, which has an effect similar to the mosquito coils from my
previous life.
In this country, where
windows don't have screens, mosquitoes can freely enter the house. People hang
mosquito nets to protect themselves from mosquitoes during the summer.
"Jojok. Can you
cut this down?"
"Understood."
Jojok cut down the
Nireminu tree with an iai draw. He cut a thick tree with a diameter of one
meter as if he were cutting tofu. He's amazing.
Just in case, I cut
down three of them and put them in my item box to take home. I'll have Yamato
or Itsukushima-san make mosquito coils out of them.
There are currently 15
types of trees growing naturally in the Suzuka Mountains. Since the entire
Suzuka Mountains are not within my territory, there might be other types of
trees.
There are also a lot
of wild plants. Many of them are edible, and some have medicinal properties.
That's a nice bonus. I'll also collect those wild plants and take them home.
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