Development Power

Outside the city of Rebeck.

That’s where the construction of a battleship had begun.

Risha and Rirya, each holding slave cards, along with commoners hired with coin.

All working together, building the battleship.

Magic circles were laid out in scattered spots, and with each addition of material, the structure slowly took shape.

It looked less like construction and more like assembling a massive model kit.

We watched it from afar, Mira and I.

“Once that’s done, Mira, you’ll be using it.”

“Us? Really?”

“It’s just an extension of your current style. You’ve got the ability to move around, scatter across the map, and if needed, fight hand-to-hand.”

“I see.”

“And by the way, there’s even a basic living module inside. You can use that—no more sleeping rough. No more tents.”

“That’s a relief.”

"Your body’s worn thin. You’re carrying my child, aren’t you?"

"...Y-yeah, that’s right."

Mia’s face flushed, eyes downcast.

After a pause, she peeked up at me sideways, voice cautious.

"Hey... what happened, anyway?"

"What do you mean, what?"

"You’re not the same person as before."

"Same person?"

"I mean, you were dodging it all along, avoiding us like that, and now you just—out of nowhere—you’re the one bringing it up. I’m happy, sure... but it’s like you’re a different person."

"I see."

A different person, huh.

Funny—Goddess said something similar.

"I don’t feel like I’ve changed at all."

"Sure you have—no, wait..."

Suddenly, Mia smiled.

"Then that’s fine."

"Really?"

"Yeah. To us, it’s only about whether you can carry children. That’s all that matters."

"Is that so. So if that’s possible, then it’s okay?"

"Yeah, I’ll tell everyone about it."

Smiling, I make a promise with Mayya.

The completion of the battleship is starting to feel twice as exciting.

☆

The palace's reception room.

The mayor of Magatan, Gerasim, came to see me.

"Long time no see. How’ve you been?"

"Thanks to Akito-san, everyone’s living fine. Me too—got a stable life now."

"Good to hear. That’s the best thing."

"Stable, and richer than before. But..."

"But?"

"Recently, some folks have been drinking too much, getting drunk, and causing trouble. There’s been a mess because of it."

"Alcohol, huh?"

"Yeah. Magatan’s always been famous for making booze. You know the kind—'Bride’s Trunk'?"

"What’s that?"

Sounds kinda off for a drink, the name.

"Back in the old days, they’d start brewing酒 when a girl was born. They’d keep it stored until she grew up and married into another household—then pull it out as part of her dowry. Since it was aged for the same number of years it took her to reach marriageable age, it was supposed to be really good, and quite rare."

"Wow. So if you age it for the same length of time it takes a girl to grow up, it makes sense it’d be delicious."

"Right. But then it changed a little. Instead of just being a family tradition, they started making it as a product—aged anywhere from one to several years, just for the sake of it. It’s sold like regular liquor now."

"I see."

"And recently they’ve started making it again. It’s slowly starting to show up on the market… but there are two problems. One is, as I said before, people started getting rowdy after drinking it."

"That’s actually great. Means they’ve got enough slack in their lives to let loose."

"Akito, you really shouldn’t say something like that."

I get it. Keep the crackdown tight.

I’m personally glad about it. But that’s separate from running the state.

Enforce the rules—but build a foundation where people can get properly drunk if they want.

Got to do both.

“What’s the other issue?”

“The alcohol’s made from a plant called reis. It only grows in certain places. Cultivation’s incredibly hard. You can only harvest what’s already growing wild.”

“Ah, I see. Yeah, stuff like that exists.”

Like eels, in the old world.

“The place it grows has been seized.”

“Seized?”

“Yeah. People under Malart and Maxim’s command took it over. The ones who kept opposing Akito until the end.”

“So the remnants joined up.”

“Yeah. They’re offering to sell it… but…”

“Even if they’re asking for an impossible price.”

Gerasim nods.

Ah, I see. That’s how it is.

Got the general idea.

☆

“Found out what I could.”

A few days later, Meya arrived at the office.

“Good work. Let’s get straight to it—what’d you find?”

“Bad news. They’ve got the whole area locked down tight. Armed to the teeth.”

“Huh.”

“Rise, you mean? Yeah, it’s all been sealed off. Patrols are insane—trying to sneak anything out would be a nightmare.”

“So we’re stuck buying at their price, then.”

Meya nods.

“Talked to them. Total arrogance. ‘If you think it’s too expensive, just don’t buy it,’ they said.”

“Yeah, predictable.”

“If we actually paid that, beer would be a disaster. At their price, one drink’d cost between three hundred and three thousand en.”

“That’s a problem.”

The currency "en" minted by Doreca comes in denominations matching Japanese yen—paper bills of ten thousand, five thousand, and one thousand, and coins of five hundred, one hundred, fifty, ten, five, and one. Prices are roughly equivalent to those in Japan.

If a single drink costs three thousand en, that’s a problem.

Alcohol’s a luxury, a pleasure, so I don’t make it myself—but we can’t just ignore this situation.

“If Akito stepped in, it’d be solved in a flash. But leave it to us. We’ve already scouted their forces. Taking them out? No issue.”

“Wait a sec.”

“Hm?”

“We’re not taking it by force. If we do, we’re just the same as Malart and Maxim.”

“But if we do nothing, they’ll keep setting the price.”

“Price control’s a privilege of monopoly. That’s just how it is.”

“So you’re just gonna leave it?”

“No, I didn’t say that. The point is, break the monopoly.”

"Yeah, that’s why we’re taking it back."

"Your Majesty!"

Mira, all forceful about brute solutions, is interrupted by Nina bursting in.

Nosebleed still dripping—kind of a horror scene, really.

But right now, that nosebleed is a relief.

"Looks like you actually did it."

"Yeah! I found how to make the thing—the one the King said, the 'Reis'!"

Mira, who’d been sent to assist from behind Nina, nods firmly.

I pull out my DORECA and open the menu.

There it is—the name of the Reis, developed by Nina.