第８１５堀：田舎発展物語 挨拶 (Part1)
**Chapter 815: Rural Development Story – Greetings**
**Side: Yuki**
*Shiver.*
A truly wretched chill raced through my entire body.
Perhaps having noticed my reaction, Taiki-kun spoke up.
"You suddenly started shivering—what’s wrong? Are you cold?"
"No, I’m not particularly cold, but I just felt a sudden chill."
"Is it a cold?"
"I shouldn't be able to catch a cold, you know."
"That’s regarding your original body, isn't it? This is a Doppelganger."
"Ah, that’s a possibility. Well, better safe than sorry."
"Colds are scary, after all."
Even if it’s a borrowed body, I’m sharing the sensations, so I suppose I’d share the physical malaise as well. Or perhaps I’ve just been overworking the Doppelganger. Since I haven’t researched every single pathogen in this world, it wouldn’t be strange if there were diseases that could bypass my status resistances. I should have Riel take a look at me once this is over.
Still, that will have to wait until this task is finished.
"Once we finish today’s greetings to the residents of the Baron Jarna territory and the tour of the Weed facilities, I think I’ll take a break."
"Well, let’s do our best for today."
That’s right. Today is the long-awaited—well, maybe not *long*-awaited—day to befriend the people of Baron Jarna’s territory, the hometown of Micos. To revitalize a region, the strength of the people living there is absolutely essential.
No, I’m not even sure if it will lead to revitalization, but even if we just want to live quietly, leaving seeds of trouble behind will only lead to people pulling each other’s legs. I’d rather avoid that. Since we’ll be sharing the same land, it’s only human nature to want to get along as well as possible. That’s why we’re aiming to make a good first impression.
"Well, we’ve prepared various things at the meeting hall, and we’ve opened up the Super Sento, so there shouldn't be any complaints for now."
"Doesn't that sound a bit like a sleazy nouveau riche saying 'money solves everything'?"
"…Don't say it. I thought it felt a bit like that myself, but it’s a path we can’t avoid. Even if the residents wish for it, we can’t move out until we solve the problem with Cysypho. We have to hold out until then."
Once we resolve the issues in the Kingdom of Cysypho, I plan to seize that land anyway. If the residents of the Baron Jarna territory don't want to see this pastoral landscape destroyed, I’m already considering ways to restore it properly.
"Anyway, enough small talk. Let’s head to the square the Baron mentioned."
"I hope there won't be any problems."
"Britt and the others have that covered, so nothing strange should happen."
Britt and the other goblins have already been interacting with the villagers, so I had them go ahead to take up positions for security. On the surface, they are acting as members of the Jarna territory.
The Baron was surprised to hear that Britt and his crew were actually my subordinates. I had the option of keeping it quiet, but considering our future relationship—and the fact that I had built a dungeon without permission—I thought it was better to clear the air. I feared it might invite backlash, but the Baron is a broad-minded man; he understood our motives, such as providing material support and helping with land reclamation.
Well, they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You can’t get by in this world on goodwill alone. The other party would only feel uneasy.
Thinking about such things, we left the Weed facilities and headed toward the designated square, but...
"Oh, quite a lot of people have gathered, haven't they?"
"Whoa. I wonder if the whole village is here?"
"That’s surprising."
As Deryu and the others noted, an unexpectedly large number of residents had gathered. They aren't just the people from this village; I heard from Baron Jarna that there are settlements up to a fourth village, and the total population exceeds four hundred. There are enough people here to almost form a small town.
Well, they are a cluster of villages precisely because they can't all fit in one area. This matches the reports from Britt and his team perfectly. It seems Baron Jarna has a firm grasp on his population; he isn't managing his territory haphazardly. Since he can call them all together so quickly, he must have the trust of his people.
As I thought this, the voices of the gathered residents drifted on the wind.
"Why on earth did the Lord call us all here?"
"Is it another unreasonable demand from the Count?"
"We can't send any more of our young people. ...Actually, I wonder if they're safe."
"War, huh... Come to think of it, I heard the Lord’s daughter, Micos-chan, got caught up in the war..."
"Yeah. She said she was going to learn magic to make life easier for the village. Regardless, I just want her to come back safe."
"That’s true. The village is brighter just having her around."
"And the goblins are here too, aren't they? What on earth is going on?"
"They aren't going to conscript the goblins, are they? Forcing such good people into war... that’s impossible, right?"
Surprisingly—or perhaps predictably—Micos is well-loved by the residents. She does have a naturally bright personality, after all. The goblins were also a topic of conversation, but...
"Conscripting Britt and the others? Hmph. We’d win the war without a doubt."
"I don't think it’s just a matter of winning, Master..."
"Well, for Britt and his men, it would certainly be easy."
As Deryu and the others said, if we conscripted Britt’s group, we wouldn't lose. As we watched the gathered residents from afar, Baron Jarna appeared on the podium.
"Thank you all for gathering despite your busy schedules. Those of you in the main village where my manor is located may already know, but Micos has returned from the academy."
As he said this, Micos stepped onto the podium.
"Yahoo! Micos-chan is back!"
As she announced this with a smile, cheers and applause erupted from the villagers.
"Well, I didn't gather you all just for the return of my daughter. In fact..."
And so, Baron Jarna’s explanation began. To put it simply: Weed, where Micos is serving as a diplomat, has reached an agreement with Princess Carrie to lease the rocky, unusable wasteland. He was asking the residents to accept this arrangement.
"What do you all think? Do any of the village chiefs have a problem with this?"
"I don't understand the complicated stuff, but as long as there is no burden on our village, I have no objections. What about the chiefs of the second village?"
"Our village has no problem with it either, provided there is no burden. Furthermore, if Britt and his people are going to help with material support and land reclamation, we would be most grateful. Isn't that right, Chief of the third village?"
"Aye. When they said 'Weed,' I was worried it was some unknown noble, but if it’s the people Britt and his friends are with, I can trust them."
The "send Britt and the others ahead to make friends" strategy had paid off.
"...Indeed. Yuki’s strategy hit the mark perfectly. Britt and his team’s hard work has truly borne fruit."
"That’s a big part of it. It just goes to show that the sociability of Britt and John is useful even in a foreign land."