"Tell us your development plan for this city."
She had been thoroughly drilled for thirty long years. It would be unacceptable if she failed to present a plan that satisfied me.
"..."
Without so much as answering my command, Felice sullenly pulled several bundles of parchment from a tattered cloth bag and tossed them onto the table. I picked up the sheets, covered in messy scrawls, and skimmed through them.
Tax collection methods tailored to the scale of the domain. Efficient allocation of those tax revenues toward public works, new enterprises, and technological development. The importance of education and methods for its implementation. Several blueprints for governing bodies, and so forth.
"Incredible... Dear Sister Felice, this is amazing!"
"..."
In response to Rose's flushed, excited shout, Felice grabbed the final sheet from the desk with her usual sullen demeanor and slapped it down roughly on the table.
Upon that parchment was written—
"Large-scale development of the Eastend wasteland and the Forest of Deep Magic is an absolute necessity. To achieve this requires the vast funds and secured populace previously stated. What generates funds is manpower. In other woooords————"
It was scribbled in handwriting that was barely decipherable, trailing off into a squiggly mess resembling crawling earthworms—
"We don't have anywhere near enough labor!"
That was written in huge letters.
So she had finally arrived at the conclusion I had been talking about. In short, no matter how magnificent a system one devised or how noble the ideals one preached, it meant nothing without an adequate population.
The strength of an organized economy lay in the sheer number of its members. As long as the numbers were there, domestic demand alone could keep the economy turning. That was an undeniable fact.
"In the end, it always comes back to that..."
Rose rested her cheek in her hand against the table, murmuring wistfully about our greatest conundrum.
"I have a proposal."
"Rejected! Under the current circumstances, we cannot recruit the demon race as citizens."
"Then—"
"Monsters are even more out of the question! Do you intend to turn the entire world against us?"
Hmm, she wouldn't budge an inch. But perhaps this was a good opportunity for Rose as well.
"If you're going to reject it so vehemently, Rose, then you handle securing the personnel."
It would not do for her to rely on me forever. Whether she succeeded or failed, the attempt would prove an invaluable experience.
"I intended to do so from the start," Rose declared resolutely.
"In that case, secure the personnel within the six months before the Babel academy resumes. If you cannot, I will forcibly intervene. Are we agreed?"
"That is exactly what I want! I will find them without fail."
Speaking in an unyielding tone, Rose set her determined resolve into the set of her brow and nodded firmly.
With this, the stage was set. Naturally, I was already moving beneath the surface, having already cast out the bait to reel in personnel.
"Asta, that one was taken in by that settlement, correct?"
"I have confirmed it to be so."
As Asta inclined his chin, I felt the corners of my mouth lift. The plan was progressing smoother than ever.
If that one could break out of their shell and meet the conditions, things would proceed remarkably well. If that one failed to change and could not meet them, they would simply die. That was fine too.
"By that one, are you plotting something wicked again?" Rose asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Who knows?"
I merely offered a response that could be interpreted either way.
I had nothing further to say to Rose for now. Let her strive to the utmost to fulfill her own ambitions.
At any rate, the recent affair in Babel had taught me that exercising restraint brought no harm. Rather than clumsily inviting unforeseen complications, it was best to devise the next scenario in advance and prepare thoroughly for it. I had already set several plans into motion.
"Setting that aside—Somni, Tetor, your fundamentals are far too lacking for me to teach you directly. You will have my subordinates train you thoroughly."
At my words, everyone in the room except Rose stared at me in shock.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Master, are you serious about that?" Zack asked, his cheek twitching.
"Of course. I will permit no compromises."
After all, these two were the lead actors for the next stage. It would not do for them to possess such flimsy strength that a stiff breeze could blow them away. I needed them to achieve at least the strength of a C-rank hunter. Once that was done, I would beat the necessary combat techniques into them myself.
"Unbelievable... If you order such a thing, those degenerates will dance with mad joy, and there is no telling what extremes they will resort to..."
As Asta shook his head repeatedly, looking at me as though I were some bizarre creature, the others chimed in.
"By the Great One's subordinates, does he mean Lord Girimehkala?"
"He said subordinates! That must include Lord Nemea and Lord Ladon as well!"
"You've got to be kidding! Anyone would normally die from that!"
One after another, the Wind Cats' executives raised cries of astonishment.
With everyone directing looks of sheer pity toward them, Somni and Tetor swallowed hard.
"However, there are several conditions that must be strictly observed."
"W-What kind of conditions?"
To Somni's question, I replied with absolute firmness.
"That is something you two have no need to know. Do not worry. It is nothing that will work to your disadvantage."
Among the conditions was a strict general prohibition on granting divine protections to Somni and Tetor. It was not that I intended to reject power bestowed by others. However, the trial they would eventually have to face would be meaningless unless they confronted it with their own strength. Thus, I decided to permit only the divine protections that maximized the benefits of Norn's Territory. Beyond that, whether they made good use of it or let it go to waste was entirely up to them.
I had no intention of instructing them until they possessed the raw strength required to endure the training. In truth, my swordsmanship was hardly the refined sort meant for teaching others in the first place. Therefore, just as with Zack, I intended to teach them only what was strictly essential for combat. With just that, they should be more than capable of playing their parts in the next stage... or so it should go.
"Understood. I'll do it!"
"I-I'll do it too!"
Though their eyes brimmed with extraordinary resolve, they nodded vigorously.
"A fine answer. I shall introduce you to my subordinates later. Hurry and climb up to where we stand!"
After declaring this, I turned my gaze back to Rose.
"Rose, you as well. Let us see what answer you can produce."
If anything, this matter was far more difficult for Rose. Thus, it was fine even if she could not actually find them. If she could merely demonstrate the possibility, that would be more than enough. In all likelihood, the key lay in the lands ravaged by the Holy Amelia Kingdom and the Glitnir Empire.
"Yes. I will search out and find candidates for our new citizens without fail."
Rose declared with an utterly serious expression, weighing every word as though grappling directly with destiny itself.