kscans

Chapter 50 - Moving House Before the Founding

"Whoa, it's absolutely massive."

I murmured to myself as I gazed down at the sprawling castle town and the fortress that towered at its center. We had left Fenesia Town and made our way to the royal capital. The purpose of our trip: moving house.

"The reconstruction has come along quite nicely. It should be safe to move in now," Adolnel remarked.

That's right, we were moving to the royal capital. For the Founding Ceremony, we needed a castle and a venue, but building them from scratch in Fenesia Town would be a tall order, even with the incredible work speed of the undead. More to the point, we didn't have any architects capable of constructing large-scale buildings.

Yeah, stuff like that is still firmly in the humans' domain, where they have larger forces.

"It would have been a different story if we at least had some Dwarves."

Unfortunately, the Dwarf Race, much like the Elves, is a pro-human species. They weren't exactly eager to come work for the undead.

And so, the decision was made to move and repurpose facilities that already existed. That said, the royal capital had been left in tatters by the humans' civil war and was in desperate need of repair. The royal castle also let in far too much sunlight, so for an undead like me to live there comfortably, it had to be renovated with light-blocking measures in mind.

Building from the ground up would have been a massive undertaking, but apparently, additions and remodeling were no problem for the Dark Elves and the other races who had sought asylum with us.

"It seems they plan to cover any unsightly areas with high-quality tapestries woven by the Arachne."

Just as Adolnel said, among the residents working in the castle town, I could spot figures that, even from a distance, were clearly not human. There were the Arachne, a race with the lower bodies of spiders, and I could also see the Lamia, whose lower halves were that of a snake.

"With so many different races living here, we'll need to make sure the roads are properly paved."

"Indeed. Races whose feet are structured differently from humans are especially affected by the state of the roads."

The royal capital, now home to a coexistence of various species, was developing a fascinating structure due to all the remodeling. The Arachne, for example, being a spider-like race, were building their homes in shapes that made it convenient to spin webs.

The entrances to their houses were large enough to accommodate their massive bodies, and the interiors weren't divided into rooms, but rather supported by pillars. Instead, they used the walls and pillars to spin webs that served as partitions, creating rooms all over the place.

The Lamia are a semi-aquatic race, so their residential area was situated near the canals. Their homes were an intricate mix of flooring and waterways, all connected to the canals outside. I wonder if describing them as being like boat docks would get the point across?

As for the Goblins and Orcs, they live in large, extended families, so many of them share a single, large house. Their homes also lacked internal partitions, giving them a communal living feel unique to their kind. It almost makes you think that humans are the special ones for placing so much importance on personal space. Well, Orcs are huge, so maybe small rooms are just inconvenient for them.

In any case, the Goblins were overjoyed at the prospect of owning their own well-built homes and were diligently following the instructions of the other races to remodel their dwellings.

"Looking at it like this, you realize that the other races, who were once called monsters simply because they lacked education, are quite intelligent beings, aren't they?" Adolnel murmured, her voice filled with emotion as she watched the diverse residents working happily below.

"Well, it's not like humans are the only intelligent race out there. I think it's just a matter of whether your civilization develops quickly or slowly."

After all, even in my past life, while we were riding trains and living comfortably in homes with electricity, there were still tribes living in a manner not unlike primitive man.

"Although, I heard that's mostly staged for show. Apparently, they're just acting like natives, kind of like staff at a tourist attraction."

I remember watching a TV show about the real life of one of those tribes. When quitting time came, one of the 'natives' changed into a T-shirt and jeans, pulled out a smartphone, and walked back to his actual house. I remember thinking, Oh. Well, yeah, that makes sense.

At any rate, the royal capital, once a city of humans, was transforming into a town for many different demi-human races. And at its center, the royal castle was being remodeled for me to live in. Every last window was being sealed, and for some reason, the outer walls were being painted pure white.

"I thought a vampire's castle would be black or red. Why white?"

If anything, I'd think white was the color of holy beings.

"Since you are a pure white vampire, my lady, I had them paint it white. It also serves as a form of harassment against the humans."

"I see."

Come to think of it, I am pure white. It's easy to forget, since I don't get many chances to see my own reflection. A vampire's image only appears in a Magic Mirror, after all.

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"Still, the royal castle is wonderful. The library's collection is on a completely different scale from the one at the mansion."

Looking up at the royal library, Adolnel gazed at the countless books with an enchanted expression. The library truly did house a volume of books comparable to a prefectural library from my past life.

"I'm so glad this library wasn't burned down during the civil war."

It seemed that because Adolnel had been so neglected by her family, her only source of external stimulation had been books, which had become her hobby. That being said, the types of books she was allowed to read were apparently quite limited. Perhaps because of that, now that she was free to read any genre she pleased, Adolnel had blossomed into a proper bookworm. Whenever she wasn't managing the capital, she always had a book with her, never letting it go even when we were together. I told her she didn't have to stay by my side if she enjoyed reading so much, but she refused, saying she didn't want that.

"Reading books is my hobby, but serving by your side is my reason for living."

What do you mean, 'reason for living'? Well, if she's happy with it, I guess it's fine.

In any case, our new life began to flow by without any major incidents. Then, one day...

"Merchants?"

A report came in that a group of merchants had arrived from outside the country.

"Yes. They say they heard about our nation's Founding Ceremony and wish to have an audience with their savior."

"Merchants, huh..."

Coming to a country of races hostile to humans... there's no way they're just ordinary people.

"What do you think?"

I couldn't be bothered to think about it, so I tossed the problem to Adolnel.

"Let's see. Given that they've made contact under these circumstances, they are undoubtedly agents of some nation or members of some sort of shady organization."

"Ah, like people from the underworld?"

"That is highly probable."

Yeah, when you talk about consorting with monsters and evil races, it's usually villains who come to mind.

"What should we do?"

"Why not meet with them? I doubt there are many who could defeat you, my lady, and even if that were their intention, I cannot imagine they would be foolish enough to challenge a vampire at night head-on."

True, no one would willingly risk their life on Very Hard mode.

"Okay, then. Let's meet with these merchants."

Little did I know at the time that this encounter would drag me into a whole new mess... actually, that's a lie. I had a feeling something was about to happen.