Third
The ruins of the Golden Mansion in the town of Rebeck.
There, I was building a house with two slaves.
"Menu open. First, the wooden house."
"Abnoi grass and Bushino stone are mine."
"Then I’ll take the wood chips!"
Off they dash, eager—probably because they’re dying to get their collars back.
"Wait, wait!"
I stop them, drawing two more magic circles into the ground.
One is for the 'two-story house,' the other for the 'small manor,' unlocked by the Gold Card.
The 'two-story house' uses the wooden house as its base.
The 'small manor' uses the two-story house as its base.
"Got it—we’ll gather everything together."
"Wait a moment!"
They shout, then bolt off again.
Watching them go, I check the menu.
--------------------------
Akitto
Type: Gold Card
Magic Power: 498,879
Items Created: 4,812
Slaves: 2
Magic power still has plenty left. Even after destroying the Golden Manor, plenty remains.
Enough to make all sorts of things. Everything unlocked by becoming a Gold Card—now I can do it all.
First, since I can now create vehicles, I’ll set up a transport network linking the four towns.
The population’s exploded, so I’ll ramp up food production—Pshinyi, that is. Turns out I can now produce 100 at once, but the magic cost is 150. That’s 1.5 times what it was when making them one by one.
No way that’s just a rounding error. Next rank’ll unlock 1,000 at once, and magic cost will double to 2,000. I won’t even blink.
Then there’s expanding the towns, increasing the population...
“Lord!”
A voice cuts through my thoughts.
A woman in her late twenties—someone from Rebeck—approaches.
"Lord!" A voice cuts through my thoughts. "The men say they’re going hunting, but they don’t have enough weapons. Could you do something about it? About twenty short, they are."
"Got it. I’ll make some after this is done."
The woman bows, thanks me, and leaves.
Another thing added to the list.
Hmm… how many things do I actually *have* to do now?
My head’s starting to spin.
Just as I’m drowning in the mess, Risha and Mira come back.
They drop off the gathered materials into their respective mana arrays, then vanish again.
…Inefficient.
I mutter it out loud, watching the materials for ‘The Small Manor’—all collected now, except for the two-story house—still sitting unused. No wooden house built yet.
Me running around. Them running around. Everyone running.
☆
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Valerya, representative of Malta, head of Kazan."
In the newly built manor, in the reception room meant for guests.
There, a woman stands facing me.
She was a composed, refined beauty—some scholar’s ideal of a lady. Standing before me, she bowed her head.
“Ah, I’m Akito.”
“I’ve heard of you. The most rising lord ruling over four towns. Rumors have reached even Kazan.”
“Is that so.”
Kazan’s a place name. Or maybe a town’s name?
So Malta’s the leader of that place, and this Valerya woman in front of me is her subordinate.
Thought she was just a guest at first… maybe this is some kind of diplomatic meeting?
A messenger from another lord, come to see me—the lord.
…Well, that’s just diplomacy, plain and simple.
All the chaos had me so flustered I hadn’t even noticed.
After sorting through the situation in my head, I asked her again.
“So, Valerya—what do you want from me?”
“First, thank you for graciously receiving me on such short notice.”
She bowed again. Not that there was any reason to refuse—none at all.
"I was allowed to observe the town's condition before arriving. It's a completely different place now—full of energy, almost as if reborn."
"Was it really that bad back then?"
"Yes... everyone seemed to be living like they were hiding their breath, a grim little town."
All due to Marat’s rule, no doubt.
"The buildings are new, people look prosperous. This much wealth in such a ruined world—it's almost unparalleled."
Overdoing it, aren't we? Honestly, I doubt even this counts as "unparalleled."
Still, Valerya kept praising it.
She insisted, over and over, on how rich the town had become.
"This, too, is solely due to Lord Akito’s strength."
There it is. I thought.
"I’ve come to ask a favor of such a great man."
"...What kind of favor?"
"…I suppose this is a rather bold request…"
She plays it cool. I can’t help but swallow hard.
"Could you… possibly spare some food?"
"...Huh?"
Feels like I’ve been sucker-punched.
Thought she’d ask for something impossible. Food?
Well, food’s not so bad.
I’ve got plenty of that tasteless, calorie-heavy psiny—plenty to spare.
"In a world like this, asking for the most valuable resource… I know it’s shameless. Please… please, I beg you…"
Huh?
Valeria looks genuinely desperate.
Is it really that bad?
No… maybe it is.
I remember now—since I got here.
The first town (Akito), Bisc, Magatan… and now this one, Rebeck.
Every town I’ve touched has been starving.
Honestly, the world’s on the brink of collapse. Most of it’s just wasteland.
Food shortages are spreading… normally.
Right.
“Got it.”
“—Then!”
“How many people live there?”
“About five hundred.”
“Got it. I’ll give them enough for the immediate future.”
Five hundred people, three meals a day, a month… that should be about right.
So, forty-five thousand.
At peak efficiency—100 units produced per use—the consumption of mana comes to 67,500.
Still, not a massive amount.
“Truly, thank you! Lord Akito, you are our savior!”
Valeria bowed deeply.
Well, food, though.
Among food, clothing, and shelter, it’s probably the highest priority.
“By the way… I heard a rumor… Lord Akito, you have two Eternal Slaves serving you?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. What about it?”
“If it’s not too much trouble… I brought one along… please accept it.”
“One? An Eternal Slave?”
"Yes. Come in."
She called out toward the door.
The door creaked open. A child stepped in, wrapped head to toe in a cloak.
Golden hair. Pointed ears. Elven features. An Eternal Slave.
"If you don’t mind… I brought one along… please accept it."
Valeria bowed again.
The request pressed against her like a physical weight.
A cute elf—(an Eternal Slave)—and payment for aid.
No reason to refuse.
"Alright, I’ll take it."
"Thank you so much!"
In an instant, DORECA flared to life.
The number of slaves in the menu screen rose to three.