落とし穴８９堀：何がそんなに忙しいの？ (Part1)
Pitfall 89: Why Are You So Busy?
Why are you so busy?
Side: Kagura Kamishiro
Personally, I had intended for this to be a casual conversation during our long journey. After all, since this trip began, the opportunities I’ve had to speak with Yuki-sama have dwindled to almost nothing.
No, let me be honest. My biggest concern was whether he was still displeased with me due to the blunder at the time of our departure. It wasn’t my personal failure, per se, but I had been unable to stop the Princess from making such bizarre preparations for the journey. Catherine-dono had apologized alongside me, but she is now affiliated with Weed; for her to bow her head for the sake of Haiden was, fundamentally, out of place.
Personally, as the highest-ranking official of Haiden excluding the Princess, the responsibility should have been mine to bear. In the current situation where that Princess cannot function as a leader, it was blindingly obvious that the fault lay with me. It was my failure to leave the Princess’s preparations entirely to the maids while I was busy trying to properly instruct the student corps remaining in Haiden. Because of that, the early morning scheduled for our departure turned into just a regular morning, throwing the schedule Yuki-sama had devised into complete disarray.
Perhaps that is the reason why, throughout the journey, I have been primarily handled by the new guards introduced on the day of our departure: Amanda and Eoid. Even Hero Taiki-sama, who was introduced the day before, does not attempt to speak to me, perhaps feeling just as resentful as Yuki-sama. Both of them only occasionally ask about Haiden or the Kamishiro Duchy. Even when I try to casually steer the conversation toward the two new guards, their reactions are not very favorable.
On the surface, they seem to be pretending to worry about whether we are being pursued, but even I understand that with Weed’s capabilities, pursuers would be insignificant opponents. In other words, I am currently becoming estranged from the people of Weed—the very people I must rely on, the people whose hands I absolutely cannot let go of. That would mean the end of Haiden.
However, I must avoid that at all costs. I would lose sight of why I am heading to the Kamishiro Duchy in the first place. This is to save Haiden and my family, so I had to curry favor with Yuki-sama and Taiki-sama no matter what. I had even witnessed them engaging in a pathetic dispute over which of the sweets served along the way was more delicious, and feeling like I truly had no options left, I steeled myself and decided to try speaking to them.
And this was the current situation.
"U-um..."
Despite steeling my resolve, my voice was terribly faint... Naturally, the two of them didn't notice, and they continued talking about something.
"...right? So..."
"...indeed. ...and then, ...how about it?"
I mean, why on earth are these two talking about something during this journey? There is magic that allows for immediate contact from Baide or Weed if anything happens... Then, it clicked. Oh, could it be that there was some sort of problem?
"Excuse me!!"
"Hm?"
"Oh?"
Perhaps because I had raised my voice that much, the two of them finally noticed me. I couldn't afford to be intimidated, because if something happened at Baide or Weed, it would be synonymous with a delay for Haiden. At the very least, I had to be the one to settle things with my father.
"Was there some sort of problem at Baide or Weed?!"
"No, nothing in particular? Did something happen at Ranks?"
"No. Nothing here either. Ruth, did anything happen?"
"There are mountains of things I would like you to work on, but nothing that requires immediate attention."
"Eh? B-but, you two have been discussing something for a while now. Was there a problem?"
"Ah, well, you don't have to use honorifics, you know. I told you to fix that."
"Y-yes. No, I mean, I know. So, what's wrong?"
It’s not like I can just talk casually to someone of higher status than me so easily! I’ve been trying to get used to it lately, but I have to worry about Yuki and the others' moods, so it can't be helped. If I mess up, I might be abandoned.
Whether they knew I was feeling this way or not, they answered as they always do.
"Discussing work."
"That's right. It's work."
"Then, it must be about Haiden, right? Why aren't you including me in the conversation?"
If I were being ignored regarding Haiden, then it would be hopeless. It would mean they don't think I'm useful. Giving up on negotiations means the end of Haiden. I have to prevent that at all costs.
"No, no. We won't know about Haiden or the Kamishiro Duchy until we actually get there."
"We were talking about future urban planning."
"Excuse me?"
What does that mean? I couldn't understand it at all.
"Weed still has a lot of room for development, so we were discussing future urban planning. Taiki-kun's Ranks is a model case for other countries connected by gates. Since we're both Japanese, we can have a certain level of discussion."
"That's right. It's hard to get understanding from other countries, after all."
"Well, it's quite difficult to even ask for understanding. In the first place, countries here don't really think about increasing their population."
"It's standard practice here to expand only after the population has increased, and there are various reasons like crops, monsters, and bandits, I suppose."
"It's a hassle. We have to start from those basics."
"..."
I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.
"As expected, you can't keep up, huh? Well, while we're at it, hasn't the Duchy done any development of note?"
"Development? What do you mean?"
"Err, if people gather, tax revenue increases, so it's development within the territory aimed at that. For example, expanding fields to increase specialty products, exempting taxes for a few years to attract people from elsewhere, or improving roads so merchants can visit easily."
"Eh? Isn't that something new nobles do? The Kamishiro Duchy has already firmly established its foundation, so is it necessary? I don't think it's very commendable to blatantly gather people like that. If you pull people from elsewhere, you'll earn the resentment of that lord."
"Well, that aspect exists, but in the end, it's about whether you're making the effort or not. The territory was granted to you by the King with the hope of development, right? It's wrong to not develop it out of consideration for those around you, isn't it? That just means you've neglected to develop your territory in a way that keeps people from leaving."
Hm. Yuki certainly has a point.
"Like that, a lot of people will be visiting my territory and Taiki-kun's from now on, so we're working out expansion plans for that. If you do it haphazardly on a whim, it could end up becoming a slum."
"A slum?"
"Err, that's a poverty-stricken area. If you don't properly balance supply and demand, the impoverished class will expand and become a problem. Though, it's impossible to get rid of them completely."
"Ah, my father is also troubled by the poverty-stricken class. There are quite a lot of them, you know."
"Development is also about using those people without waste. It's public works to feed them. Especially since Weed is in the middle of development, there are many people coming from other countries, towns, and villages looking for work because of that poverty."
"Ah, I understand perfectly now."