NoveLight ™
The construction of Ariant was in full swing, with Count Ariant personally overseeing the finishing touches on the roadworks.
The paving and slope anchoring work were completed in no time.
If we had tried to handle it ourselves, we wouldn’t have managed this workload even after a month.
Indeed, professionals should handle such work.
"Thank you so much for this, Sir Vermont! I don't know how I can repay you..."
"Don’t think too much about it; just pay back the interest regularly."
"Hahaha! You’re so straightforward! Feel free to treat me as your older brother!"
"Haha. I really don’t want to."
My relationship with Ariant improved considerably.
It was developing into something more than just a simple contracting relationship.
We signed an additional contract to have Ariant Construction handle repairs if any defects arose on the road.
I also subcontracted additional work to build a training facility in the newly acquired territory.
"A training facility? Are you planning to train soldiers, brother? I’ve heard that things have been quite unstable in the kingdom lately, but isn’t Vermont on the opposite side, so there’s no need for conflict?"
"It’s not for military use; I want to create a small security company."
"A security company?"
I had no intention of raising an army.
In a country where the absolute monarchy is firmly established, training soldiers could give the impression that I was challenging the imperial family.
If things went poorly, I could end up losing my troops without any proper compensation.
Moreover, Vermont doesn’t face significant security threats, such as dungeons filled with monsters popping up nearby, nor does it border hostile territories.
There’s the ongoing issue with Irene periodically raiding, but that’s hardly different from a natural disaster.
Even if we had an army, we wouldn’t be able to stop it.
"Yes. It’s a kind of mercenary service, but mercenaries have a rough and barbaric image, right? So I’m planning to offer a security service that nobles would feel comfortable hiring."
"A luxurious mercenary, huh... Nobles sometimes hire mercenaries for protection while traveling, but relying on them for close protection can be burdensome. That definitely seems to have demand."
"So, while constructing the training facility here, I plan to recruit staff from the residents of Ariant."
"Are you saying you’ll hire our commoner territory residents? Is that true?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
"Damn it...! Not only have you saved us from ruin, but you’re also giving us work and now creating jobs...! I can’t help but feel tears of gratitude!"
"Please, just stand up."
For staff recruitment, we would prioritize hiring from Vermont, but any surplus would be supplemented by residents from Ariant.
This way, we wouldn’t carry the stigma of being a disguised private army.
It was a precaution to prevent any potential accusations in advance.
"Oh! If you ever need anything else, feel free to reach out! No, no, you can call me! Now that we have a road, I can rush over to you!"
"Oh, um, yes."
It felt burdensome.
Very much so.
I awkwardly greeted Ariant and left his territory.
Riding comfortably in the carriage along the finished road,
safety checks were still pending,
but the ride was stable enough that the filled teacups didn’t spill.
I could probably raise the toll a bit.
It felt like money was already starting to flow in.
"Jacob, is the blacksmith shop nearly finished?"
"Yes. It should be completed sometime next week. The equipment is all ready, so work can actually begin from today."
Upon arriving in Vermont, I stopped by the blacksmith shop.
I had brought in almost all the major equipment,
and now it was just a matter of finishing the interior.
"Ah, hello, Sir Soy."
Inside the blacksmith shop, there were many other blacksmiths.
They were all brought over from the next shop.
Initially, they had grumbled about how they would survive with such a large blacksmith shop right next door,
but once I mentioned hiring them all as employees, their complaints vanished.
"Hahaha. It looks like everyone is focused on learning mana fire from Jacob. Work hard! For the ‘one and only’ blacksmith shop in Vermont."
"Yes!"
[The Evil God, 'Kali,' admires you for absorbing a blacksmith shop in the blink of an eye!]
Right. Keep admiring.
I’ve monopolized the blacksmiths of Vermont.
I will train all of you into skilled craftsmen who produce high-quality mana fire items.
"Then I’ll place an order."
"Yes. Just say the word. Since this is the first order, I won’t charge any fees!"
"Then make me 100 one-handed swords, 30 two-handed swords, 100 spears, 200 daggers, and 200 knives."
"…Pardon?"
"I’ll provide all the materials. The deadline is... okay, by next month. If necessary, I’ll also ‘hire’ a few carpenters."
"…."
Since construction of the training ground was starting, I decided to produce weapons ahead of time.
It would be faster and easier to buy suitable weapons,
but Jacob was here in Vermont.
That was why I intentionally expanded the blacksmith shop for situations like this.
"U-uhh..."
Jacob seemed so moved by the first job that he froze momentarily, unable to speak,
then soon tears started flowing down his face as he smiled.
The other blacksmiths were similarly frozen in emotion.
Those guys.
"I’ll... work hard!!!"
"Yes, yes. Keep me updated on your progress."
He’s spirited.
I’m truly relieved that Jacob is on my side.
'The town seems to be gaining some liveliness.'
I realized a bit late,
but the landscape of the market was completely different from when I first arrived.
I couldn’t find any stores that weren’t operating among the lined-up shops, and the streets were bustling with people.
Now that Vermont is connected to the capital,
maybe it’s due to the expectation that outsiders would frequently visit.
I could feel the town becoming much more vibrant.
It would be nice if it became famous as a tourist spot,
but there’s not really anything in Vermont that could be considered a tourist attraction, so that might be difficult.
"Hey? Is that Aslan?"
"Really? Where?"
At that moment, someone recognized me, and the crowd started to gather.
What’s this? Didn’t they used to pretend not to know me even if they recognized me?
As people suddenly swarmed around, Silvia was startled and prepared to draw her sword, but
"Sir Soy, step back!"
"Calm down."
I held onto Silvia’s wrist and stopped her.
I couldn’t find even a hint of malice among them.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
"Thank you so much, Sir Aslan! My shop was on the verge of going under with no customers, but thanks to the support funds, we’ve revived!"
"I’m the same! To be honest, I thought we’d revert to our original state once the support fund policy ended, but thanks to the road being opened, the business has become very lively!"
"My son is going to interview with Vermont Security soon! He was just idling around with no work... Thank you so much!"
"…."
The people who gathered started pouring out their thanks one after another.
I hadn’t given much thought to the support funds or the road construction at the time,
but now that I was receiving gratitude like this, it was exceedingly embarrassing.
Those support funds were money that Leon had taken from you guys.
The road was built by investing the money taken from you.
If this keeps up, I might feel too awkward to endure it, so I hurriedly left.
"I can’t even walk around the town anymore."
"You’re quite popular these days. They say there’s a project to gather funds in town to build a statue of you."
"…Stop that immediately."
"Isn’t that just a sign that people trust you? Even to the point of forgiving your past as a scoundrel."
"…."
Then you...
Have you forgiven me?
...I couldn’t bring myself to ask.
The genius swordmaster who was once in the spotlight as a candidate for the hero.
It was Vermont that turned Silvia, who had once been such, into a crippled figure with a status akin to slavery.
She probably hasn’t forgiven me yet.
'Will that day ever come?'
Silvia had declared that she wouldn’t kill me for now and would wait,
but that didn’t mean she had forgiven me or intended to trust me as a person.
I wondered if there would come a day when I could earn true trust from Silvia.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Never mind. Let’s return to the mansion. It’s about time for dinner. The kids will be waiting."
"…The way you say it makes us sound like a couple taking a stroll while leaving the kids behind."
"Don’t make me imagine that."
I wondered how the great spirit of earth was doing.
I hope the mansion isn’t in ruins when we get back.
Since Yulia’s command seems to work well on it, there shouldn’t be a big problem.
Even if it does cause some physical chaos, Charlotte should be able to handle it.
"What’s this?"
[Hello. I am Charlotte’s loyal puppet.]
"…?"
As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I was greeted by the earth spirit standing still like a puppet.
Hadn’t it been roaring and resisting just a moment ago?
Why had it become so docile?
"Did you come back, Uncle? Isn’t it cute, Huhuh?"
"Huhuh...?"
"I named it! ‘Huhuh’! The earth spirit name is too long and hard to pronounce!"
It seems like pronouncing ‘Huhuh’ is even harder.
"But how did you make it so well-behaved?"
"I don’t know? It just got docile as we played together. It must have a good nature deep down! Should we play some more, Huhuh?"
[Waaah! Didn’t you promise not to torment me if I behaved? This is a breach of the agreement!]
"Torment? We’re just playing!"
[Waaah!!!]
Charlotte dashed off somewhere, hugging the writhing, resisting ‘Huhuh.’
After tossing it up a few times while playing, ‘Huhuh’s’ face turned pale.
…Now I have a pretty good idea why it became so docile.
'In that case, I shouldn’t have any worries.'
The road construction finished successfully, so that’s good.
Charlotte got a new toy to play with, so that’s good.
And ‘Huhuh’... um... well, it’s good.
It’s a triple win.
"You received a letter while you were away. Here."
As I entered the mansion, Yulia handed me a letter.
I casually took it, opened the seal, and pulled out the letter.
The first line I read without much thought was as follows:
"What’s with that expression? What kind of letter is it? ...What?"
Cold sweat trickled down, and I found it hard to breathe.
It was a feast of sentences that chilled me to the bone.