第１０７５堀：さっさと動きましょう (Part1)
Chapter 1075: Let’s Get Moving
Let’s get moving.
Side: Enola
“Umm, so this goes here, and then…”
“Wait, is this part supposed to go like this…?”
“No, that’s wrong. It’s the other way around, the other way.”
“Yes, right here.”
We had arrived at the village at the foot of the mountain that would serve as our base, and we immediately began assembling the device to resolve the village’s water shortage.
We were presenting this achievement to the villagers as our commemorative first installation.
After this, we planned to move on to other regions to install more, not just to gather data, but to supply them with water.
But I couldn’t help but feel like we were deceiving the villagers.
I gave a bitter smile in my heart. It wasn’t a lie that we were supplying water to the villages, but in reality, we were conducting a field test for this water-supplying tool.
Well, Yuki had said as much from the very beginning.
He insisted that gathering data from this experiment was the best way to save the many people suffering from water shortages in the future.
And he was right.
I knew all too well how many places were plagued by water scarcity.
In my homeland, the Haire Sect was often asked to perform rain-making rituals because of water shortages.
But in the end, all we could ever do was use magic to provide a temporary, stopgap supply of water.
That was precisely why I understood the immense value of the information and data needed to perfect this tool, which might be able to provide water semi-permanently.
Within the Haire Sect, countless people had researched ways to create such a device, but not a single one had succeeded.
But this time was different. After all, this was created by the greatest minds of Weed.
They were the kind of people who, if they couldn’t do it, you could safely say no one else in the world could.
As I was thinking this, the work progressed, and—alright, it was assembled.
“The time required was about 30 minutes. It’ll probably get faster once we get used to it. But for other locations, we’ll have to dig up the ground to secure it. Say, why don’t we borrow some soldiers and actually take some measurements?”
“That sounds like a good idea. As for this side, we just need to let the water flow and see how it goes. So, who’s going to do it? Oh, or should we perform some kind of ritual before that?”
“A ritual?”
“Don’t they have those in different regions? Like rain-making rituals or prayers?”
“Ah, that. That might be an option, but… I’m afraid of what might happen if it doesn’t work properly, so let’s save that for later. Let’s wait until we know for sure that it will keep flowing. First, this is an experiment.”
That was true. If we went through the trouble of performing a rain-making ritual and it still failed, the villagers’ disappointment would be devastating.
If that happened, it would reflect poorly on Yuki and all of us.
“Alright, let’s just open the valve.”
As Yuki said that, he opened the valve to release the water and reached for the switch on the device…
“There we go.”
He pressed the button without a moment’s hesitation.
Immediately, a massive, steady stream of water began to pour out from the installed pipe.
“For now, there are no issues with the operation. We’ll leave the follow-up observation to the drones and the cameras we installed. Let’s head back to the container house and plan for tomorrow.”
Well, the real question was whether it would last.
As Yuki said, there was no point in us standing around here, so we headed back to where the container houses were set up.
“Oh, as expected of everyone. The setup is faster than it was at the snowy mountain.”
“That’s only natural. Unlike back then, we have more hands on deck.”
“Actually, from Mikos-chan’s perspective, it feels really strange. Everything has changed so much in just an hour.”
“I agree with Mikos. This is really something…”
Indeed, by the time we returned, the container houses were lined up, and the area had completely lost its appearance as a village at the foot of a mountain.
This corner alone looked like a completely different space.
“By the way, while we were working, where did the princess go?”
“Come to think of it, when I saw her preparing the containers, she looked completely dazed…”
“Ah, well, anyone would be dazed by this.”
“We can just ask the wives who stayed behind. Hey, Tori!”
At Yuki’s call, Tori, who happened to be passing by while pushing a cart loaded with cardboard boxes, turned around and walked over.
“Oh, Yuki-san, everyone. Is the installation of the water device finished?”
“That part is done. Now we just have to monitor it. And it looks like things here are almost finished, too.”
“Yeah, just need to unpack some smaller items and we’re done. The soldiers and Princess Fiora are helping out, too.”
“Oh? The princess is helping out herself?”
“Yeah. She said that at the very least, she should help with their own sleeping quarters.”
That made sense. The container houses we provided were far better than tents, and it would be unthinkable to have us do all the work while they just used them.
It seemed she did have a sense of shame after all.
“I see. So, how much longer until the people from the Dafaio Kingdom are ready?”
“Let’s see… they’re moving supplies over there, so it should settle down in another hour or two.”
Following Tori’s gesture, I looked in that direction and saw soldiers busily carrying stacks of cardboard boxes, while Princess Fiora stood nearby, giving instructions with a pen and paper in hand.
“They’re managing the supplies at the same time, so it’ll take a little while. Actually, she’s quite capable. More organized than Riel.”
“Boo, that’s mean, Tori. I’m trying my best, too!”
Riel, who had arrived unnoticed, puffed out her cheeks upon hearing Tori’s casual complaint.
“Yeah, I know. But you wouldn’t be that precise, would you?”
“Ugh, true. I lose focus, so I have to take breaks.”
“Well, everyone’s different. Princess Fiora is probably good at that sort of thing. She mentioned she’s led armies before, so she’s likely accustomed to supply management. In more ways than one.”
As Yuki said, those in positions of power understand the importance of supplies, which is why she was being so meticulous.
When I was an apprentice who knew nothing, I once distributed food haphazardly and was scolded severely by Mother.
She told me that if I did that, there wouldn’t be enough for others to eat, or it wouldn’t last until tomorrow.
Looking back now, I wonder why I did such a thing.
But at the time, I wasn’t thinking about the consequences. I just believed that if I handed out food, everyone would be happy.
…Even though the world isn’t that simple.
“So, Yuki. What shall we do now? Are we just waiting until Princess Fiora and her people finish storing their supplies?”
“I suppose so. Weed is handling the water monitoring, so let’s go check out the rooms everyone prepared for us.”
“Then I’ll go with Rurua to check on the condition of the villagers.”
“Yeah, do that. Even though the number of people isn’t that high, creating medical charts is still a lot of work.”