第１８００堀：新大陸の現場は (Part1)
Chapter 1800: The Situation in the New Continent
Side: Yuki
"And so, the northern town is stable."
"That’s a relief. The grand feast and the soup kitchens really did the trick. We’ve driven off the enemy army, and most of the monsters in the southern town have been annihilated. The fields will take time to recover, but since we’ve resumed the transport of monster meat, the food supply should... well, hopefully, it’ll stabilize within a month."
I mutter the wish in response to Kagura’s report.
As for Enora, it might be strange to say she’s "getting along" with the residents of the northern town, but at least she seems to be getting by, which is what matters.
Still, the food supply situation...
"Doesn't look like it'll stabilize?"
"It’s still too early to tell. There aren't that many monsters living in the vicinity of the northern town to begin with. Perhaps because a large army arrived, they felt the danger and scattered."
"Ah, I see."
Monsters aren't stupid.
They won't challenge an opponent they can't beat, so if a massive army gathers, they’ll at least run away. The question is whether they’ll come back. And right now, with the fields destroyed, we’re forced to focus heavily on hunting.
"By the way, what about the imports from the neighboring country?"
"An envoy is scheduled to negotiate. You asked Kagura to accompany them, right?"
"Yes, but whether they can actually restart trade isn't something I can guarantee."
"That’s true. Even if an agreement is reached, it’s not like things will change in a day or two."
"Naturally. They say it takes ten days just to travel there on foot, so considering preparations and such, I doubt anything will happen for at least a month, don't you think?"
"Fair point."
In the end, support for the northern town—or rather, the whole of Ohe—is going to continue for at least another month.
Honestly, this started as a simple issue with the Adventurer Guild, or rather, a cold, remote village, and it’s just snowballed into a massive headache.
Well, it’s been settled that Seraria will basically handle that side of things, but I can’t exactly avoid showing my face there either.
"Also, what about the operation planned with Baroness Siana?"
"We’re going to discuss that now. Surprisingly, there are quite a few people siding with us. We’re even talking about whether it might be better to return under the guise of a triumphal procession."
"A triumphal procession, huh? That would be blatantly obvious to the church officials, wouldn't it? Is that really okay?"
"It’s the opposite—we *want* them to know. It’s a way to draw out their true intentions. If we have the numbers, we can stand up to the church’s people. Of course, we’ll be bringing our own troops along. There are plenty of people who already frown upon the church’s heavy-handedness."
Exactly. Even within Baroness Siana’s Budeaqu Kingdom and the Giadana Kingdom that protects it, there are those who feel resentment toward the church’s interference.
That’s why the plan is to pose as a returning victorious army and report that the church’s forces were defeated; it’s a calculated move to keep the Clearstream Church in check.
Of course, that won’t solve everything, but I want to believe it will act as a deterrent and slow down the movements in the north.
Plus, we’ll be gathering intelligence to get a better grasp of the enemy’s movements while we’re at it.
"I see. So it’s better than sneaking back quietly."
"Exactly. If we return in small numbers, the church might just crush us, but if we return as victors, we might actually get an audience. We can use the excuse that the remaining half of our forces are acting as an occupation army."
"A clever excuse. That would also explain why the main army—or rather, the top brass who were church believers—aren't with us..."
It’s a stretch, but it’ll have to do.
To provide proof, I’ve been drafting up some documents.
It’s a forgery, which worries me, but since I usually have others do the writing and only need to mimic the signature, I’ve managed to make it work.
That’s the problem with handwritten documents, isn't it?
Of course, there’s a possibility that the church has some kind of anti-forgery charm on their letters, like the one we saw at the Adventurer Guild, but there’s nothing I can do about that. It’s a letter bearing good news, so I just hope it holds up.
I’ve also included instructions to avoid contact with church officials as much as possible.
"The departure date is still undecided, but we plan to leave within a month. Any longer than that and the other side will start to get suspicious. Kagura, if you notice anything from our discussion or the time leading up to our departure, let me know."
"Understood. Oh, and Enora was worried about what we’re going to do with the prisoners who won’t submit to us. She mentioned the costs for supplies, money, and personnel."
As Enora pointed out, prisoners are a real pain.
Treat them too harshly and you breed hatred; treat them too softly and they’ll get arrogant.
Above all, just housing prisoners consumes supplies, money, and manpower. The more of them there are, the worse it gets.
In this specific case, we crushed the enemy’s supplies in the initial strike. We’ve recovered what we could, but it’s not enough to sustain them.
I didn't stop the fighting to negotiate; I intentionally exhausted their supplies to break their will to fight.
Well, there was no room for negotiation anyway.
The people we’ve fought so far were, in a sense, good opponents for us. At least they could communicate.
It’s truly exhausting when you speak the same language, yet you aren't understood.
And yet, that mindset is what’s considered the norm.
They probably don't feel anything is wrong with it, but from the outside, they’re just a group of lunatics.
"Religion"—I really don't think it’s anything good.
By the way, things that actually care for people's feelings are what you call "faith."
Well, because it gets tangled up with power, politics, and nations, it gets stained with all sorts of colors.
"Yuki?"
"Ah, sorry. Just thinking about what a hassle it is. Anyway, regarding the prisoners, once their medical treatment is finished, they’re going to have to earn their keep."
"Earn their keep?"
"Yeah. I’m thinking of having them till the fields. I can’t just feed them for free, and besides, I’m going to keep trying to persuade them."
"I understand the first part, but persuade them to do what? To cooperate?"
"Well, that’s part of it, but I’m hoping to help them repent and turn away from the church."
At my words, not only Kagura but even Prof, who was standing by, looked surprised.
"Yuki-sama, forgive me for interrupting, but is such a thing even possible? Honestly, considering everything that has happened..."
Prof didn't finish her sentence, perhaps not wanting to deny my idea, but she clearly thought it was impossible.
"Yeah, honestly, I don't think it’ll go well either."
"Eh? Then why bother...?"
Hovis asks, tilting his head. It’s a natural question.
"It’s not complicated. If there’s a way to undo the brainwashing—or the madness—of the church, then it’s worth a shot. Don't you think?"
"Ah, no, I think you're right."
Yayui is here today too, and she nods in agreement with my answer.