Chapter 34 - Episode 5: "One Burnt Village, Coming Right Up"
Gokigenyou. I am Violia Nico Fortesia.
Now that the problem of the bag's entrance and exit has been solved, I had forgotten one other important thing.
"Ah, and also, we need light inside the bag! It is pitch black! I was able to illuminate it for now by using fire magic!"
"If it's pitch black, the leaves might not grow, so we should probably prepare some appropriate lighting. ...Oh, how about Sun Stones? We have some in stock."
"That... will become a quite high-end field, won't it..."
Sun Stones are stones that possess the power of the sun. Just putting a fragment inside a lamp makes it incredibly bright. Moreover, it is gently warm, just like the real sun. They are used for lighting in the Royal Palace.
...And naturally, they cost a very pretty penny. A field of Sun Stones inside a Spatial Bag... it would be a very high-class field.
"If you're going to have villagers live inside the bag, why not include covers of dark glass so the villagers can switch between day and night themselves? You know, like how eccentric nobles sometimes build dioramas indoors and play with them. Like that."
Ah, there are things like that, aren't there.
Creating a small world inside one's own mansion and having slaves live there.
Usually, it is done in a courtyard or a glass-walled greenhouse, places where the natural sun can be seen, but eccentric nobles seem to seek a stronger 'sense of a created world.' As a result, they hang Sun Stones indoors to serve as the sun and gradually cover them with dark glass, creating clockwork mechanisms so that day and night are born naturally. I have seen such a room before.
"Ah, in that case, let us also create a sky on the inside of the pocket dimension. You know, there was that fabric that was popular long ago, wasn't there? Would it not be quite good?"
"Ah, the fabric that changed color from a blue sky to a night sky depending on the amount of sunlight. The one that was popular a long time ago."
It was a trend from long ago, but there was a fabric that changed color according to the sunlight... in other words, the time of day. For a while, it was a massive trend, and it seems the dresses of the noble ladies were all made of it.
Ah, incidentally, the reason it fell out of fashion was that some scoundrel discovered that it became transparent when a specific magic was used, leading to a scandalous uproar. The social circles at that time were apparently in a state of pandemonium. Ohohohohoho.
...And so, while Giovan and I were talking merrily, the design for the Bag Village was finished!
I love this kind of thing! I like decorating a room with my favorite furniture, but designing a village is also fun!
"Alright. Then I'll head back to the shop and prepare a large military Spatial Bag and a set of gadgets. You guys... well, you can stay here, but it might be convenient if you look for workers."
...Ah.
That was right.
Come to think of it, this drug plantation... the workers had run away!
Yes.
If we do not capture replacement workers for the ones who fled the drug plantation, we cannot use the drug plantation.
This was a bit of a problem... but I have already devised an alternative plan.
"We shall go with 'Village-Burning Agriculture' instead of 'Slash-and-Burn Agriculture.'"
"What's that?"
"I'm already getting a bad feeling about this, young lady."
"Just tell us for now."
The reactions of the three are lackluster, but it is fine. I shall explain.
"First, we burn down an appropriate village."
"It's no use, I already don't understand."
It is not that you 'already' do not understand, it is that you 'do not yet' understand!
"If we burn down a village, the people will be burnt out of their homes. When that happens, the villagers will lose various things, won't they? They will lose their homes, their savings, their food, and their jobs, and they will be exposed to a vague but certain anxiety about the future while staring blankly at their burning village."
"That's the thinking of a demon..."
I would like you to call me a sage.
"If we provide them with a workplace where they can live on-site, with good wages and guaranteed food, don't you think they would jump at the chance? They would even do drug cultivation for us, and if they are villagers from the deep countryside, they might not even know of the existence of the leaves in the first place. In that case, they will do it without resistance."
How is that? It is a perfect plan! We can secure workers, and for the villagers, it is the best deal as they can get a better job!
"In that case, is there no need to burn the village? You could just approach them under the guise of introducing them to a better job."
"Oh. In that case, there is also no need not to burn it. There is no need for them to have the option to refuse."
"I suppose that's true..."
Doran agonized for a while... but, well, he decided for us.
"Understood. We'll find a suitable village and burn it."
It helps that he is quick to understand!
Now! Then we shall immediately set out to find a village to burn!
Gokigenyou. I am Violia Nico Fortesia.
I am currently searching for a village with Keeb.
The conditions for the village to search for are simple.
First, it must be a place far from human habitation. A place where there is no room to escape elsewhere would be good.
Next, it should have a reasonable number of people, but not too many. A manageable number is desirable.
And... well, a village that looks easy to burn would be good! We shall choose and burn a truly insignificant village that has no cultural assets or anything, where there are just villagers and a village, and burning it won't cause any particular problems!
"I think this one is good. Look, it's off the main road leading from the Royal Capital to major cities, and the distance is far. It's land where wheat grows well, so I don't think they're doing any side industries elsewhere. Then we just have to burn the fields."
"That is true... and it is just about time for the wheat harvest. If we burn that, those people will become penniless. Let us go with that!"
The season is early summer. It is the wheat harvest season. Come to think of it, I have been caught up in quite a lot since I witnessed my mansion burning during my spring break homecoming, and before I knew it, I am doing this. It is quite a twist of fate that I, whose mansion was burned, am now burning a village.
Yes. Now that the village to be burned has been roughly decided, we set out.
A peaceful journey on horseback. What a graceful thing.
"By the way, you said you'd burn the village, but what's the method? Fire arrows?"
"Let me see... fire arrows are good, but even better is Keeb's lightning."
If it is said that lightning struck and it burned, we can avoid being blamed. We have to hire the villagers immediately after burning the village. I want to avoid giving the impression that 'we were the ones who burned the village.'
"Which means, we're setting ourselves up as travelers who just happened to be passing by?"
"We shall go with that setting. Let's see... Keeb. You, dress up a bit. So that you look like the son of a noble. Doran and I will be there as your guards—how does that sound?"
"...Well, I don't mind. But if that's the case, wouldn't it be more natural for Violia to play the noble?"
"It is to avoid giving them the impression of a 'noble lady.' Even for people in the deep countryside who do not know my name, face, or wanted status, if they talk to others after something happens and say, 'I was taken into a Bag Village by a noble lady,' someone sharp might associate it with me. I want to go while leaving as little impression as possible."
In that sense, this group is truly hopeless. After all, every single one of us leaves too strong an impression.
I am a beautiful young lady, Doran is a muscular wolf, Giovan is a skeleton man, and Chesta has a prosthetic arm and is a drug addict. The impressions are too strong. It says a lot that the most decent one among us is likely 'Chesta with his arm hidden and his drugs worn off'!
...Now then.
While sandwiching several overnight stays along the way, we found a perfect village.
Since it is a remote land far from the Royal Capital, it seems unlikely to become a problem even if something happens.
There, we returned once to the vicinity of Elsemarin... and there, we met up with Doran and Giovan, who had been waiting with preparations ready. After receiving the luggage, the three of us—me, Doran, and Keeb—headed back to the village again.
"Giovan has quite good taste in these things, doesn't he?"
We changed into the clothes he had prepared along the way. I and Doran will be guards, and Keeb will disguise himself as a noble's son who has come for a hunt in secret.
"One certainly looks like a warrior when dressed as one."
"Oh, is that so? ...Well, the impression of a woman changes drastically with her clothing, hairstyle, and behavior."
I am dressed like a hunter. Since Giovan chose it, I did not have high expectations, but it actually suits me. Moreover, in terms of changing one's impression, I could not ask for more. I think I shall also put my hair in a ponytail for an active impression.
"Keeb. You also look the part of a 'noble who is traveling in secret.'"
"Whatever. ...This outfit is uncomfortable."
And Keeb has also successfully disguised himself as a noble in secret. Looking at him like this, he truly has the good looks to be accepted even if he claimed to be a noble.
"We're heading out immediately. If we leave now, we'll arrive near the destination in the middle of the night."
"Understood. Then shall we go?"
Now! Finally, we set out! We shall burn the village to a perfect well-done!
The village we arrived at was an extremely ordinary village. If there was anything noteworthy, it would be 'the fact that there was nothing noteworthy.' It was that plain and ordinary. Is it not actually rare to find a village with this much of nothing?
"It seems to be the wheat harvest season."
"The fields over there seem to have already been harvested."
"Which means if we set fire to the granaries, the grain inside will burn too?"
"That is right. Since we are at it, I shall put the wheat that should be inside the granaries into a Spatial Bag before burning the granaries."
If we are going to burn it anyway, it makes no difference if we take it.
"And after burning the granaries, we shall burn the village as well!"
Since it would be odd to only burn the granaries, we shall burn everything!
And in the middle of the night.
One village was to disappear.
"T-The granary... the fields... they're burning..."
"The fire even reached the houses!?"
"Quickly, quickly, get water from the well...!"
"It's no use, we won't make it! Run! You'll be caught in the fire!"
...And so, after confirming from the thicket a short distance away that the villagers were in an uproar, we realized the success.
A village bright despite being night. The flames enveloping the entire village finally gained momentum, as if they would scorch the night sky itself. The spice of calamity scattered over a peaceful landscape. The color of the flames and the color of the night, with the screams of the villagers melting in—it would have been nice if it were a piece of art, but.
"It is burning, isn't it?"
"It is burning."
"...Is that your only reaction?"
Unfortunately, I am not so far gone as to feel artistry in that.
A village is burning. It is nothing more and nothing less!
...Incidentally, the operation was like this.
First, in the middle of the night. After the villagers had fallen asleep, Doran and I infiltrated the granaries and took all the stored food inside.
Next, we set fire to the granaries. Since we were going to burn them grandly all at once, we set the fire after scattering oil inside.
And using the fire rising from the granaries as a signal, we had Keeb release lightning. With this, we burned the fields all at once.
Doran and I withdrew immediately after burning the granaries. By that time, the villagers who noticed the fields and granaries were burning should have come outside, so while confirming that, we also burned the houses with lightning. Since I had leeway, I also assisted with fire magic.
...And so, it went well like this. Since they were villagers who were peaceful to a fault, there was nothing to worry about.
"I'll keep watch. You two can sleep."
"That is true. It is foolish to wait for morning while staying awake. I shall take you up on your offer and sleep. Please wake me up halfway through."
By the way, once the village is burned, all that is left is to wait for morning. While feeling from afar that the villagers were simply in despair, I got into the bed I took out from the Spatial Bag and went to sleep!
We slept while taking turns watching, but it seems the villagers decided to camp by the burning village for the time being. Well, since there are no main roads around here, it is dangerous to move during the night, and if they were unlucky, they might be attacked by monsters. The choice to camp by the fire was not wrong.
And so, morning came.
The fire in the village had already completely died out, and it seems the villagers are rummaging through the ruins of the village. They are likely looking for anything that might have survived the fire.
...I remembered the faces of the mansion's servants. I wonder if everyone is well. ...No, they are undoubtedly well...
"It's about time to head out."
There, we go out in a line on horseback. The setting is 'a noble's son out for a secret hunt and two guards.'
As we approached with Keeb's horse in the lead, the villagers also seemed to notice the sound of the horses' hooves. There, Keeb called out.
"Excuse me, what on earth... what happened?"
When Keeb asked the villagers while looking flustered, the villagers looked at each other and... began to speak.
"Actually, last night, the village suddenly burned down..."
Yes. And so, we finished listening to the villagers' story.
In short, it was just a story of 'the village burned,' 'the fields burned,' 'the freshly harvested wheat also burned,' and 'we don't know how we're going to live.' However, since it was the story of the people involved, it was overflowing with a sense of tragedy.
"I see... you must be in quite a lot of trouble."
After Keeb said that, he ran back to the guards (that is, me and Doran) who were waiting at a distance with vigilance... and there, he whispered.
Yes. "I want to help the people of the village."
"We were just looking for people to work for us. If you'd like, why don't you come work for us?"
As Keeb spoke to the villagers, Doran and I watched with faces that said, 'The young master's soft-heartedness has started again.' In short, it is a situation where only Keeb is friendly to the villagers. But since Doran and I are Keeb's guards, we do not complain about Keeb's decision.
...See? This is a much more persuasive way than everyone suddenly welcoming them wholeheartedly, isn't it?
"It's a job where you live in a certain place and take care of the fields there. You'll just be living a peaceful life while raising crops that don't require much effort... but, for the time being, it will be a live-in position."
When Keeb said that somewhat apologetically, the villagers were stirred. After all, for them, this is a condition that is everything they could have hoped for.
"Of course, we'll provide food. We'll also pay wages. But for the time being, you'll be working as live-in staff. We might not be able to give you time off. If that's okay with you... I'd like to hire everyone in the village, but how about it?"
In times like this, Keeb's face is useful.
A well-featured appearance that looks like a beautiful girl, yet has a crisp and certain dignity. It is truly the best condition, leaving a good impression on people of all ages and genders.
Furthermore, for a wonderful noble young master who even went so far as to persuade the two guards behind him to reach out to the villagers, the villagers' impression of him is the best!
"S-Such a good offer... is it really alright?"
"Yes. If it's alright with you all!"
When Keeb smiled as if relieved, the villagers could do nothing but look at each other and nod.
And...
"Then... we shall take you up on your word. By all means, would you please hire us?"
The person who seemed to be the village chief said so, and all the villagers bowed deeply.
"Then this way, please!"
The place Keeb joyfully led the villagers to was... a mysterious box.
Yes. This is a military Spatial Bag. However, since it seemed likely that someone would realize 'Is this not a Spatial Bag?' if it looked like a bag, I had the appearance camouflaged a bit.
A large box that looks like an ancient magical item. It is made of sturdy metal and engraved with complex patterns. Yes, of course, it has no magical effect whatsoever.
When Doran, who had been carrying it on his back, set it down on the grass and opened the lid, the lid of the box opened along with the mouth of the bag inside the box.
...And, seeing the mysterious space spreading inside the box, the villagers were a little intimidated.
"There's no danger. It's alright."
But, because Keeb himself took the lead and went inside, the villagers also immediately made up their minds and went into the box.
"Well then, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Yeah."
Leaving only Doran outside the box for the time being, I also went inside the box!
Inside the box is a village.
...Yes. It is a village. Truly, it is a village.
"Eeeh... is the quality not a bit too good...?"
I discussed the interior with Giovan, but he truly did it...
The inside of the Spatial Bag is like a giant tent made of sky fabric. The fabric looks like it is floating, but I think things like air stones or wind dragon feathers—things used to make objects float—are likely sewn into key parts of the fabric.
Furthermore, in the middle of the village, there is a slightly tall pillar, and a large Sun Stone is provided at the tip.
...I wonder exactly how much it cost for one of that size?
Incidentally, the Sun Stone pillar has a cord attached, and it seems that by pulling the cord, one can cover the Sun Stone with dark glass or, conversely, remove the cover. It is well-made...
Furthermore, there is a pipe that seems to be connected to the outside of the bag, and water is coming out of it like a spring.
There are proper houses. (I heard later that he had looked for suitable empty houses along the way and put them in.)
The food storage is packed tight with food.
...And.
"These are the fields I'd like you all to take care of."
The place Keeb guided them to was a field.
It is a field of leaves, growing thick and lush.
The villagers' reaction was...
"Hooh... is it not food?"
"What is this? Is it a crop for oil or fiber?"
Ah, could it be that these people are ignorant!?
In the end, we decided to tell them, 'These mysterious leaves are the raw material for upper-class clothing.' I will not inform them of things they do not need to know.
...Now then. The villagers are deciding which houses to live in and cheering as they peek into the food storage.
Well then, it is about time we took our leave.
"Young master. It is about time."
When I said that to Keeb, Keeb hurriedly bid farewell to the villagers. Since the villagers also seem to understand that Keeb went to great lengths to provide them with jobs, a place to live, and food, there are no voices of complaint or anxiety.
"Well then, everyone, I'm counting on you. I'll come to check on you every day for a while."
While pulling Keeb along as he waved to the villagers, I escaped to the outside of the bag!
Immediately after I and Keeb came out, Doran rotated the box bag containing the village 90 degrees, turning the mouth, which had been sideways, upward. With this, it is almost impossible for the villagers to escape on their own. Yes.
"It is quite a strange feeling to have a village inside a box, isn't it?"
"Giovan worked me pretty hard."
"Ah, it was a good piece of work. It was well-received by the villagers, and I enjoyed it too."
This... a diorama, is it? The attempt to artificially reproduce nature—I do not dislike it!
"With this, the raw materials for the drugs can be stably secured."
"We must not forget to occasionally drop in food and such as supplies."
"Why not just have them grow other crops besides drugs and be self-sufficient?"
"Ah, that might be a good idea too..."
While smiling at the sense of accomplishment and liberation from finishing a job, we reloaded the box onto the horse and set the horse in motion again.
For now, we shall return to Elsemarin... and once we do, we shall finally report House Fruitier's drug plantation!
Finally, the report! I wonder what kind of faces the people of House Fruitier will make! Ah, I am looking forward to it!