Chapter 525 - Chapter 13: A Step Toward Tomorrow
I understood the Dragonewts' argument. Gnome seemed to be the same, as he was nodding, "Humu humu."
"What do you think? Jeanne. What do you think?"
The Chieftain clicked his tongue blatantly. He must be thinking, what can a human-like thing do.
However.
One must not underestimate humans, who have an insatiable passion for ingenuity.
"If the cause is a lack of magic and children are born weakened, so to speak, how about strengthening them by exposing them to dense magic?"
The Chieftain sighed at me as if to say, what are you talking about. However, the Wind Village Elder reacted. It's because we were talking when I visited the village.
"It was that the Demon Race was strengthening monsters that way and aiming to strengthen the fighting power of the Demon Lord's army, wasn't it?"
"What? Is it true?"
"The Demon Race? Really?"
At the Wind Village Elder's words, the Vice-Chieftain and the Chieftain's younger brother reacted. They must not have been told by the Elder. The Elder said that the Dragonewts would not get involved in the Demon Race's methods as a means to oppose humans. So, I explained in detail again.
"Hmm. It's hard to believe all of a sudden. Moreover, are you telling us to implement that?"
It's the Vice-Chieftain.
When I talked about the Lindwurm, Behemoth, strengthened Orcs and Gray Wolves, and the stable breeding of large earthworms that is currently being done, the Dragonewts' attitude changed somewhat. However, the Chieftain remained silent.
"I think there is a possibility. After all, there is a person who has been doing nothing but that for two thousand years."
"The Demon Race?"
"No, a former human Lich."
"But can it be done so easily?"
"I don't know. But since there is an expert, it might be good to hear the story once. However, the Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama who are not here... the old human couple who came to this land with me. Since those two are the former King and former Queen of the Kingdom of Sertoria, which includes this mountain range, I have to talk to them..."
Those two should cooperate.
"Then, bring them here right now."
Gnome made an immediate decision, and it was promptly executed.
The old couple, who came in saying "Ya ya," immediately proposed bringing the Lich upon hearing the story,
And this was also promptly executed by a word from Gnome, and the Lich arrived.
"What! Dragonewts! Hmm. To see the day when I see with my own eyes an existence that was only in lore. Well, it's worth living long."
As usual, he's full of curiosity. He's even being driven away for trying to touch the Dragonewts' bodies.
"To conclude, it is possible."
The Lich, who heard the whole explanation, began his commentary like an expert.
According to the Lich, the density of magic and the degree of strengthening of monsters... which apparently includes humans and normal animals... are proportional, and the magic control of the individual and the degree of strengthening are inversely proportional.
"Judging from the lore, the magic control of Dragonewts is quite something. If that is the case, it should be fine even if they are exposed to somewhat dense magic. However, the child in the mother's womb should be affected because the body is not yet formed. If we only know the degree of the former density of magic, we can reproduce it by making adjustments using various methods. And I am exactly researching that method of magic adjustment right now. How about it? Why don't you cooperate with my research? Even if it fails, it's just that Amphipteres, or whatever they were called, will be born within the expected range, right? It's a win if it goes well, even if it's a long shot."
If you don't do something about your way of speaking, I don't know if your head will be cut off.
After hearing the Lich's explanation, the five Dragonewts split into two factions. The ones who are keen on the Lich's proposal are the Wind Village Elder, the Vice-Chieftain, and the guide. The cautious ones are the Chieftain and his younger brother. If they actually take the Lich's proposal, the first ones to face the experiment will be the daughter and niece. They wouldn't be able to decide easily.
"Just ask the person herself. They're treated as rascals who broke the rules anyway. If so, have them challenge it as a penalty."
In the end, these words from Gnome became the deciding factor, and they decided to confirm with the individuals themselves. According to the Vice-Chieftain, because they had accepted the extinction of the race and had left it without taking any measures until now, dissatisfaction with the Chieftain has been accumulating. It seems there's even an atmosphere of being prepared to cross swords, saying they should rush to the eloping couple's place and create a new village. It would mean breaking the rules, but they seem to be prepared to exchange blows. He reports as if someone is plotting such a thing, but in short, it's probably about himself. It's half like a threat, but it seems he judged that it's not good for the village to split.
"Then, Jeanne. Can you convey this to that couple?"
Gnome says so, but...
"Um, if it also serves as a penalty, wouldn't it be better for the Dragonewts to talk among themselves? That way it becomes a mandatory matter, and the couple who are afraid that pursuers will come can also feel at ease."
I pointedly look at the Vice-Chieftain. Fugitives cannot live in peace. Robinson-san is like that, still continuing to live in a cave. Though, half of it is his own wish.
Anyway, the talk was settled well. Gnome's request was also successfully achieved.
I went to the Beastman village at the foot of the mountain together with the guide and conveyed the Chieftain's decision. The Chieftain's daughter replied immediately that she would do it.
"Please, I beg of you. To be honest, I wasn't confident that I could safely give birth to a child just because I came to the foot of the mountain. I can't even imagine that the child in my belly wouldn't think of me as a mother. Besides, if the sin of breaking the rules can be atoned for by that much, I have nothing to say."
If they receive the penalty, the sin is forgiven. The grandfather and grandmother can hold the grandchild.
"No need to worry. Since there is a method I have cultivated over two thousand years as the magic beast breeding advisor of the Kingdom of Sertoria, you can feel as if you are on a large ship."
"Please, I look forward to working with you."
The Lich is already full of motivation. Not only did he meet the Dragonewts he only knew from lore, but he's also involved in a job that concerns their survival. For him, there would be no greater honor than this.
"It's good that it went smoothly."
"Yeah, I made you worry."
When the talk was over and it became a banquet, the husband of the Chieftain's daughter and the guiding Dragonewt were exchanging smiles. As members of the same generation, they used to go back and forth between each other's villages as friends.
"From now on, I'll also show my face frequently. After all, I'm the contact person for trade with Elves and Dwarves."
"Yeah, the trading place is the newly built stone building ahead. It's also a place for trade between humans and Beastmen, so let's proceed while exchanging various information."
"I'm counting on you. It seems that in other villages, our generation will also be the contact persons. The Vice-Chieftain said we should do more and more among the young ones. Our village also needs reform, it seems."
"That's good. Let's take a step toward tomorrow for the Dragonewts and carve out the future together."
"Yeah, let's do our best."
I see. The Chieftain's daughter wasn't just working on her husband. She must have also talked to the Vice-Chieftain. That's why the Vice-Chieftain, for his part, had even a rebellion as a final measure in his sights.
"By the way, what happened with her? Since she is of course my friend, I'm curious."
The Chieftain's daughter threw that in. The guide also had a girlfriend.
"I have promised a future, for now. However, she was worried about the child. Whether she could give birth to a normal child, or if she could even get pregnant in the first place. But if your challenge goes well, I think we can also move forward. It's not like it's an experiment, but I want you to do your best."
"You might as well call her here. How about participating in the experiment together? If she's here, I'll also feel reassured. If you're exposed to dense magic, your life force will become vigorous and it might become easier to get pregnant, right?"
"That's true. However, I haven't talked to her yet. And... I wonder?"
For some reason, he looks at me.
"Um, please ask Gnome. If Gnome says to do so, I think the Chieftain will also say yes."
I point to Gnome, who is drinking fruit wine with the Henry Party. He's already drunk, as his face is red.
"That's right. Let's do that. Then, we'll go talk to Gnome for a bit."
"Jeanne. Thank you so much. Let's talk slowly later."
"Jeanne. We'll be in your debt in various ways. Then, excuse us for a while."
The three of them went to ask together.
"Jeanne is really amazing. I didn't think she could become this friendly with those Dragonewts."
At one point, it was one step away from killing each other.
"I'm glad Violet was here. If it were just me, I wouldn't have been able to bring up the topic of Amphipteres."
My head was almost taken off, but Violet's words became the trigger, and it headed toward a resolution all at once.
"Then, did I contribute a little?"
"Yeah. A lot."
"Ehehe, thank you."
Her bashful smile is also cute.
◆◆◆◆
Around the time Jeanne was enjoying a banquet in the Beastman village in the forest in the southeastern part of the Royal Capital area, near the border in the eastern part of West Liber, the East and West Liber armies were fighting over one large town.
The one attacking was the East Liber army, and they were surrounding the town. The King of East Liber himself was leading them. It was a battle after having built a West Liber encirclement net through diplomacy and being fully prepared, and the morale of the soldiers was vigorous.
The East Liber army was the main army led by the King himself, and the number of soldiers was also large. Also, because the border was close, they weren't particularly inconvenienced regarding logistics.
On the other hand, the West Liber army consisted of the soldiers cooped up in the town... including the residents... and reinforcements. The reinforcements were led by a powerful noble who owned the territory around the border with East Liber. The noble's base was further south, but he had set out in response to the request for rescue from the surrounded town. The morale of the soldiers was also vigorous, but the fact that the main army from the Royal Capital had not come, and moreover, there was no prospect of it coming quickly, was a source of dissatisfaction for the officers and soldiers. The town was surrounded by a sturdy city wall and had several forts around it. There were also reinforcements. It wouldn't fall easily. However, the number of soldiers itself was larger in the East Liber army, and they couldn't possibly fight in a field battle. The reinforcements remained stationed in the suburbs and stopped moving. However, if the main army from the Royal Capital came, there was a great prospect of winning.
The opponent was led by the King of East Liber himself. Moreover, this time, it was an invasion that could be sufficiently predicted, including diplomacy that could be called a prelude and the movement of various hostile countries, and they thought the King himself would come for the decisive battle with the East Liber main army. The western front was mainly the navy led by the Princess of East Liber and the Engrio army, and it was fine to leave that to the nobles who owned the western territories. Moreover, that Princess was said to be crossing over to the White Island for medical treatment after being infected with a plague and almost kidnapped by a privateer. Among the nobles, there were those who openly criticized the response of the Royal Palace, which showed no sign of sending reinforcements at all.
The Royal Palace had been making preparations to set out as soon as the news of the East Liber main army's advance arrived. What didn't go according to plan was the actions of the Crown Prince of Engrio, Richard. He chose rural areas where no soldiers were deployed to invade and was committing plunder in various places. Moreover, he was drawing out and defeating the soldiers deployed in a town that corresponds to the hinterland of a port that is a key point on the coast. If left alone, it would affect their dignity as guardians in front of the citizens. Reports from the front line initially said there was a sign of dividing the Royal Capital and the eastern border region, then said there was a possibility of striking the rear of the army deployed in the eastern border region, and now report that they don't know which way they will proceed.
The defense forces in various places were busy responding to the enemy armies that had begun invading from the east and west as if in response to Richard's actions, and the navy was continuing skirmishes with both the East Liber and Engrio navies. It was an all-out invasion by an encirclement net. While discussions were being held within the Royal Palace on how to respond... they allowed the East Liber main army to invade across the border forest.
Receiving the invasion of the East Liber army, the town chose a siege battle. Of course, they dispatched an express messenger to the Royal Capital. They also made a request for reinforcements to the great noble who owned the southern territory. The south borders South Liber, but it doesn't border East Liber. It was decided that if East Liber crossed the border, reinforcements would be sent. However, in a defensive battle, new territory cannot be obtained. Moreover, they only had to hold out until the main army led by the King himself or someone with a title like General or Great General came from the Royal Capital. Even more so, the opponent had more numbers. The noble leading the reinforcements refrained from active response. As a result, it began to take on the appearance of a war of attrition.
The report that the East Liber army had begun attacking the town had, of course, also reached Richard. Initially, it was also predicted that there would be a decisive battle in the suburbs of that town. However, the ride into the inland by Richard had caused the West Liber army to fall behind. For him, it was as he had intended.
That Richard, after roaming around and ravaging the towns and villages of West Liber for nearly a month, was advancing toward the encampment from which he had set out.
"What will you do after returning to the encampment?"
The military supervisor dispatched from East Liber asks. The reason his language is polite is not only because Richard is the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Engrio and his mother is a member of the East Liber royal family. It's because after witnessing his skillful command ability, he's behaving more like a staff member than a military supervisor. Richard himself, of course, has experience in military service and unit command until now, but all of them were support for the East Liber army, and they were units of about a thousand people. Richard himself, unlike the sons of other nobles, didn't try to stand out and only acted according to the plans drafted by the East Liber side, and he only received a reputation for being steady. That person, with the unit he led, not only won a great victory against an enemy superior in numbers, but also showed a behavior that could move the war situation, such as pinning down the enemy's main army near the Royal Capital and making the invasion of his allies easy. Moreover, the damage to his allies during that operational action was minor, and he had obtained a large amount of provisions and money through plunder. The military supervisor evaluated him as a person worthy of being relied upon as a general.
"I wonder. Since we've obtained enough food, it might be interesting to suddenly move south and appear on the flank of the enemy facing the King of East Liber."
These words he said casually were exactly the words the military supervisor had been waiting for. The situation is already at a stalemate. If he shows a movement to strike the flank, the opponent won't be able to move easily. It was clear that he could contribute to the capture of the town.
"However, it might also be interesting to just keep ravaging this area and lure out the enemy's main army."
In that case, he would face at least three times the enemy. However, if he can lure them out well, the burden on the main army surrounding the town might become lighter.
"Can we win?"
"If we fight properly, we'll probably lose."
In the end, war is about numbers. If the number of allies is greater than the number of enemies, one just has to fight steadily without any trickery. Both generals and soldiers can fight believing in victory. Tactics are unnecessary for a large army.
"In short, we just shouldn't fight properly."
"Is that... some kind of ingenuity?"
"Who knows. If we try something, we might manage somehow, that's what I'm saying."
He's thinking of some new plan. The military supervisor thought so.
Richard doesn't consult with his staff about the drafting of plans. The plan itself is already in his head. Even when he gathers his staff, he only briefly conveys what they should do.
Normally, there is an aim to a plan. However, Richard never conveyed all of those aims. Regarding that, the staff members were arbitrarily imagining that it was to be on guard against enemy scouts who might have infiltrated the unit. Besides, no one thought they had the plan-drafting ability to match Richard. The military supervisor, who fully understood that over the past month or so, only said "I see" and smiled at Richard's words.
Management scale of the Class of 175 (excluding personal assets such as cash and jewels)
・Shops: Main Shop (Nakanohara, Kingdom of Sertoria), Second Shop (Village near the Sertoria border in eastern Regnentes),
Third Shop (Royal Capital of Sertoria), Fourth Shop (Flatlands), Temporary Shop (Primordia)
・Right of Free Passage and Right of Free Commerce: Medioland, Regnentes, Finis, Northern Gram, Primordia, Engrio
・Special Passage Permit: Primordia
・Fields: Eight fields (including buildings with farm functions)
・Livestock: Goats, sheep, pigs, a few
・Contracted Animals: Eight swarms of honeybees
Chapter 21: End
Chapter 21 has ended.
Thank you very much for reading this far.
I delivered it with a collaboration of unpopular elements of this work: no monster extermination elements and the involvement of human wars.
Man, the bookmarks didn't grow, did they? On a chapter basis, I've updated the lowest record since the start of posting. Somehow, it seems the content was such that I feel sorry for those who are reading.
For some reason, the growth in PV count and unique count grew to the point where it could be called the highest record. Hmm, it's difficult.
Despite such content, I was able to receive new bookmarks, evaluations, and likes, and the overall evaluation score was able to update the highest score. To those who maintained it as well, thank you very much.
Now, as for the future posting schedule, I will post one side story on Friday, and start posting Chapter 22 from Monday. I expect to be able to maintain the posting frequency.
The next chapter will be monster extermination, unlike this chapter. I would be happy if you could read it. If you like it, please give bookmarks, evaluations, likes, and impressions.
In particular, regarding impressions, I added the keyword "Netcon 11 Impressions" without learning my lesson. I wonder if the third time's the charm. To those who are reading, please do so.