第１６７１堀： 学校訪問の近況について (Part1)
Chapter 1671: On Recent School Visits
Side: Taiki
"Oh, Yuki-san."
I was walking through the commercial district, planning to grab a bite to eat after finishing some meetings in Weed, when I spotted Yuki-san and called out to him.
"Hm? Ah, Taiki-kun."
He noticed me without any fuss, and we decided to grab a meal together as usual. We headed to our regular café—a place where we could discuss business without worrying about prying ears.
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
As the clerk retreated to the back, I turned to Yuki-san to pick up our conversation.
"So, Yuki-san, you’ve been going to the school in Zrable lately, haven't you?"
"I have. Though, there are only about two lessons left before the course concludes."
"It’s that short?"
"Well, I have my own duties to attend to in my country. There’s no real need for the lectures to drag on for a long time."
"Ah, I suppose you’re right. It’s not every day you see someone like you stepping into a classroom to teach."
"True enough. Still, as I mentioned before, I’ve been doing similar things at the other two schools. It’s mostly about building a track record of visits; it wouldn't look good if there were a discrepancy between the institutions."
"I heard about that, but it sounds like a real hassle. Does that mean eventually, Taizo-san and I will be expected to do the same?"
After all, I had accompanied Yuki-san to the magic academy in Haiden on the If Continent, and I had given lectures there as well.
"It’s possible. Weed was approached because of its national significance, but you and Taizo-san possess more than enough ingenuity and technical skill. You might want to give some thought to what you’d teach, though; if you teach the wrong things, the loss to the country could be significant."
"No way. Yuki-san and Taizo-san are one thing, but there’s hardly anything I could teach them."
Unless, perhaps, I shared some knowledge about creating things from Earth?
"It doesn't necessarily have to be Earth-related knowledge like we do in Weed, does it? Assuming the other party is open to it, of course."
"What do you mean?"
"We’ve done the 'Weed Introduction' program, haven't we? It’s essentially national advertising. If that leads to an increase in tourists, wouldn't that be a good thing?"
"That kind of approach? I suppose that’s possible. But we don’t really have anything that would thrill a tourist, do we?"
After all, Lanks is built primarily on grand, Western-style architecture. Since that’s no different from the other continents, it’s hard to say if it would actually be a spectacle.
"Maybe we should build a castle somewhere and use it as a hotel?"
"Ah, tourists would definitely love that. I’m just not sure if it would be profitable."
I started calculating the construction and maintenance costs against the potential revenue, but it felt like a stretch.
"Well, if we build it, I can funnel DP into it, so the costs wouldn't be astronomical. But the maintenance... that’s another story. You’d need to hire staff, and the sheer volume of supplies and consumables would be endless."
Yuki-san clearly understood my reservations. He did some quick mental math, but the fact that he didn't immediately push for it suggested he felt it was a marginal idea, too. Even from my perspective as someone at the top who knows the country’s assets and population figures, it felt like a shaky venture. There’s no point in running a business at a loss.
"Ahem. Yuki-sama, Taiki-sama, may I offer an opinion?"
"Go ahead. And Rushi, Orelia, and the others—if you have any thoughts, feel free to speak up. It’s important to brainstorm these things."
"Yes!"
I’d forgotten to mention it, but Yuki-san hasn't walked around alone for a long time. His guard, Ria, has been busy helping out at the bento shop alongside Canary-san lately, but she used to be his constant shadow. These days, he’s usually accompanied by Orelia, Hobis, and Yayui—whom he hired from slavery—along with Rushi, who had been so severely injured, and the exceptionally capable Prof. Though, Prof is mostly there to act as a liaison for the various departments.
Regardless, Prof had something to say.
"Regarding the lessons in Lanks and the potential tourist attraction, how about connecting a Gate directly to that castle-hotel as a test case?"
"Ah, I see. So the tourists would go straight there?"
"Precisely. My understanding is that, until now, there was a necessary travel process from the Lanks Gate relay point to the Royal Capital. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that’s right."
Due to national defense and the security of the Gate itself, we couldn't just open a direct line to the heart of the Royal Capital. We had placed the entrance right next to the capital, but in practice, it felt like the same thing. Still, it ensured that if an enemy ever tried to storm the Gate, we could avoid fighting inside the city walls.
"In other words, we would create a direct line from the Lanks relay point to the inn. While it would be impossible to bypass immigration, this would prevent the congestion and trouble caused by mixing tourists and merchants on the road to the capital."
"Well, that’s true. It would be strange if there weren't any problems."
As Taizo-san and Yuki-san often say, if you put two people in a room, they’ll eventually fight. I’ve had my share of squabbles with those two over differences in taste, after all.
"Exactly. Therefore, we could guide tourists directly to the castle—the tourist attraction—where they could browse the castle’s shops, check into the castle hotel, stay at an inn in the Royal Capital, or shop in the commercial district."
"I see, I see. Like a famous train station, then? You know, the kind where all the hotels and popular shops are clustered together?"
"Ah, yes, exactly. You go to the station front, and you can usually find whatever you need."
"I assume you two are speaking of Earth, but I understand the concept. I proposed this because it seems logical to place hotels and shops in areas where many people congregate."
"Hmm, I get what you’re saying, Prof, but this will require further consultation. We’d have to invite a lot of merchants... wait, I see. It’s like a port town for Weed, in a sense."
The difference between a sea and a castle is significant, but as a tourist destination, the principle is the same.
"Ah, when you put it that way, I suppose you’re right."
Yuki-san nodded in agreement. That reminded me of something else that had been on my mind.
"Speaking of which, how is the port town coming along? I assume things have settled down a bit, given that you’re able to go out to Zrable."
"Well, the parts I needed to handle are finished, and I’ve left the rest to my subordinates. That said, the biggest problem hasn't been resolved yet."
"The biggest problem?"