第１５９８堀：港町の設計について (Part1)
Chapter 1598: Designing the Port Town
Side: Taiki
“...And that’s the situation.”
“I see. Well, that can’t be helped.”
“Indeed. This is likely the best course of action for us.”
I had been summoned in a hurry, wondering what could be the matter, but after hearing Yuki-san’s explanation, I found myself in full agreement. After all...
“Building a port. And if we’re talking about disaster prevention—making it resilient against catastrophes—then the Japanese are the best people for the job.”
Exactly. As Taizo-san said, we had been gathered to provide proposals for the construction of the port.
“Please, everyone, I look forward to working with you.”
“We humbly ask for your guidance. We’ve found ourselves unable to keep up with Yuki-sama’s way of thinking until now...”
Beside Yuki-san stood two women I had never seen before. They were dressed like orthodox knights. And, as it turned out, that was exactly what they were. They were members of the Weed Royal Guard, subordinates of Quar-san.
Since the port required someone to manage it, and Yuki-san’s core members were already stretched too thin to be moved, these titled subordinates of Quar-san had been reassigned here.
I couldn’t help but think that the talent shortage was finally catching up to us, though it also felt like we were finally seeing the kind of internal promotions that come with a growing organization. Weed remained a country of an incredibly narrow scope. Because of that, it operated almost like a family business—a clan-run operation that didn’t welcome outsiders.
That had been a necessity, of course. Given the current value of Weed, there were countless factions desperate to infiltrate the center and gain a say in how the country was steered, whether their intentions were malicious or benevolent. That was why we had kept things strictly within the inner circle. But with this port project, that was no longer feasible. The decisive difference here was that we were placing Quar-san’s subordinates, rather than Yuki-san’s wives, in charge.
I believe this will go some way toward solving the personnel shortage. Of course, it also means we have to be more vigilant than ever regarding counter-intelligence. Ranks is truly struggling with that. Even though I’m a king myself, I hardly knew anyone in Ranks, and I certainly couldn’t be the one to vet local lords.
But I digress. We were called here, as Taizo-san noted, to discuss disaster prevention for the port.
“Since Sisua and Sona have lived in Rogari, it’s only natural that they wouldn’t understand these concepts. However, I want them to stay for this meeting, watch the footage, see the damage caused by disasters, and learn the necessity of disaster mitigation.”
It made sense why Yuki-san had them sit in. Since these two would be running the port, they would be helpless if they didn’t grasp what happens during an emergency—that is, during a disaster.
“So, Yuki-kun. I’ve heard the story, but are we settled on this region for the port’s location?”
Taizo-san asked, confirming the site once more. On the aerial monitor before us, a map of the coastline—surveyed by Yuki-san, Tori-san, and Dressa’s group—was displayed.
“That is the plan for now. I’m willing to change it if this discussion determines it’s a poor choice.”
“I see. Understood, but... honestly speaking, I’m sure you understand this too, Yuki-kun, but changing the location isn’t exactly realistic given what we discussed earlier, is it?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Indeed. Listening to Yuki-san, considering that the Dark Guild had fled to the coast of Litea to hide, create dungeons, secure the area, and build up their forces, we didn’t have the luxury of leisurely selecting land on the Rogari side.
Fortunately, Yuki-san could perform dungeon creation just as well as they could. Once the concept and design were finalized, we could build the port in the blink of an eye using DP, which was exactly why this strategy minimized construction-related losses.
“Then, we shall look at the site data and decide how to proceed. And I assume Sisua-dono and Sona-dono will be leading the basic design?”
“Yes. I’ll have to provide them with the necessary information regarding disasters first, since they lack that knowledge, but that is the plan.”
“I personally feel that Yuki-sama, as the lord, should be the one to handle the design...”
“They keep saying it’s for our benefit and telling us to do it all ourselves. Taizo-sama, could you please say something to them?”
Sisua-san and Sona-san looked at us, clearly troubled. Naturally, one would think that since it was a port owned by Yuki-san, he should be the one at the center of the design. However, if he did that, he would be building it based on his own knowledge, which likely wouldn’t help Sisua-san and Sona-san grow into their roles.
There were probably other factors at play, but there was no point in dwelling on them now. I stepped in.
“I understand how Sisua-san and Sona-san feel, but Yuki-san’s intention is for you to learn the necessity of disaster prevention. Ultimately, Yuki-san—and the rest of us—won’t be there.”
“Taiki-kun is right. Sisua-dono, Sona-dono, you are the ones who will be entrusted with the town. There may come a time when you have to decide to abandon the buildings in an emergency. You won’t have the time to consult Yuki-kun when that happens.”
“Exactly. It’s necessary to ensure you are in a state of mind where you feel free to make those decisions during a crisis.”
“Hmm. I see.”
“Ah, well. I suppose that’s true.”
Hearing the words from me, Taizo-san, and Sota-san, the two of them finally seemed convinced. What we said was the truth. If they thought Yuki-san had built it, his subordinates, Sisua and Sona, would never be able to easily decide to abandon it. In a disaster, that hesitation would be fatal. That was precisely why they needed to be the ones to lead the construction.
“But is disaster really such a significant problem?”
“Indeed. As Yuki-sama mentioned, we’ve basically never heard of anything other than monster-related disasters on the Rogari continent, have we? Well, perhaps very rare flood damage from heavy rain?”
Even while accepting the need to build the town, the two looked puzzled by the concept of natural disasters. It was true; you rarely heard of natural disasters other than monsters on the Rogari continent. There were famines, but those were usually caused by monsters destroying crops rather than a lack of rain. That just went to show how stable the Rogari continent was.
Come to think of it, it’s really only places like Japan that suffer from such frequent natural disasters.