Guided by Beezel, I went to inspect the site where the New Village was planned to be built. My companions for the trip were Lu, Granmaria, and Frau. I had naturally assumed the site would be on level ground, but the place I was shown turned out to be a plateau atop a small hill.
"Is it here?" I asked.
The plateau was surrounded by dense forests and smaller hills.
"Yes," Beezel replied. "We have dug several test wells, and water is flowing without any issues. Also, though you cannot see it from up here, a river flows around that area below the plateau, so the water supply should be secure."
The person providing the detailed explanation wasn't Beezel, but one of Randan’s subordinates whom Beezel had brought along. He was the Demon Kingdom's official in charge of this village construction project. He looked like a young man, but you can never judge the age of the Demon Race by their appearance. Beezel whispered to me later that the man was actually far older than I was. I was glad I hadn't said anything that sounded like I was trying to pull rank based on age.
Returning to the main topic, I asked, "Wouldn't the area below the plateau be better? Being up here seems like it would be inconvenient for transportation."
"The bottom is certainly more convenient for travel, but it is also dangerous," the official replied.
"Dangerous?"
"Monsters would find it much easier to attack down there."
I see. If a location is easy to travel through, it's also hard to defend. That made sense.
"What kind of monsters appear around here?"
"There are various kinds, but the most common are..."
He listed off several names I had never heard before. I'm sorry, but that didn't help me much. I looked to Lu for confirmation. I wanted to know if they were actually dangerous.
"It's fine," she said.
That was a relief. The top of the plateau was mostly level, which made it look ideal for fields, though the water supply still worried me a little. They said the wells were reliable, but apparently, they were quite deep. If I were to make fields, wouldn't it be better to be closer to the river? But then there was the monster problem.
Perhaps the mountain slopes forming the plateau would work? I could see terraced fields or dairy farming working well there. Then we could line up the residents' houses on top of the plateau...
"Given the current number of prospective residents, I believe we can secure enough space for everyone to live comfortably," the official added. "This could easily become a city rather than just a village."
"True. The top of the plateau is certainly spacious. However, the transportation issue remains."
"Indeed. The slope on the southern side is quite gentle, so we intend to develop a proper road there once construction officially begins."
I appreciated the sentiment, but as things stood, it looked like that would be the only road. It didn't seem like the kind of village people would visit frequently. Then again, considering the purpose of the New Village was to hide the Teleportation Gate, maybe that was for the best. There was no point in an amateur like me overthinking it; I decided to trust the Demon Kingdom's proposal.
While I was looking around, Granmaria took a flight around the perimeter. She returned after disposing of a few monsters. It seemed the monster threat was manageable. However, I didn't make a final decision right then; I would wait until I returned to the village.
We traveled to Shashato City using Beezel's teleportation magic.
"The distance between the New Village and Shashato City is one day by carriage," Randan's subordinate explained. "To be precise, it takes twenty hours, including a six-hour rest for sleep. If one pushes it, it is possible to depart at dawn and arrive by dusk."
He had apparently measured the time by actually running a carriage several times. I made sure to thank him for his hard work. With that, our business regarding the New Village was finished for the day, and we parted ways with the official. I wouldn't have minded if he stayed with us, but he had other duties to attend to.
Our next stop was Big Roof Shashato. Beezel was coming with us, so we decided to head there together. I was always grateful for his help. If we could get the Teleportation Gate installed in that new village, we would be able to travel to Shashato City without having to rely on Beezel or Progenitor-san’s magic every time. For their sake as well, I really wanted to get that gate set up.
Visiting Big Roof Shashato after such a long time was... incredible. Even though it was just past noon, the place was packed. There was a massive line for Maruura, the curry shop. The walkways in the stall area were overflowing with people. I wondered if they could even do business properly like this, but apparently, they could. Despite the length of the line at Maruura, it was moving surprisingly fast; the actual wait time was much shorter than it looked.
In the stall area, while the paths were crowded, the individual shop spaces were strictly managed so that no one except customers entered. Talking to an employee on break, I learned that Goldie had been working very hard on crowd control. I’d have to thank him.
To the south, across the street from Big Roof Shashato, a carriage station had been completed. There weren't many routes established yet, but there were plenty of carriages running. Each one was packed to capacity with people. I wondered if it was because the ride was free. Most of the passengers were sucked right into Big Roof Shashato. Were they all customers? No, some looked like they were involved with the stalls, likely transporting restocks.
I wondered if we should run a carriage exclusively for Big Roof Shashato staff. Or would that just cause more confusion? I decided to consult with Michael-san about it later.
The sides of the passing carriages were painted with advertisements. Most were for Big Roof Shashato, but there were others as well.
"Excuse me, what’s that picture?" I asked an employee.
"That is the God of War Galf, sir. It’s an advertisement for the Shashato City Martial Arts Tournament."
I see. Beside me, Lu and Granmaria were stifling their laughter. I wished they wouldn't; even if he was drawn looking fifty percent more handsome than reality, it was still Galf. Frau, however, wasn't laughing. She looked like she couldn't. Following her gaze to another carriage, I saw a woman I recognized.
"What about that one?" I asked.
"That’s an advertisement for a cosmetics shop," the employee replied.
"And the model?"
"I’m not sure of the details... but I heard the woman herself posed for the painter."
So he didn't know who she was. That was a shame. He really needed to work on his reading and writing, though. There were large letters written right above the portrait: 'Apollo Cosmetics Shop, Recommended by Silkyne of Love and Beauty.'
Silkyne. That was Frau’s mother.
"It’s a shop related to beauty products we’re developing in our territory... My wife has quite a few fans," Beezel murmured. He looked incredibly satisfied as he was drawn toward the carriage. I understood wanting to ride it, but you wouldn't be able to see the picture if you were inside. It was painted on the exterior... and wait, the interior was full of Silkyne too.
"I wonder if I could buy this carriage?" Beezel started saying something very noble-like, only to be promptly scolded by Frau.
Big Roof Shashato stayed open late into the night. Originally, I had intended to close in the evenings, but the stall owners had requested late hours. While Maruura and a few other shops closed, the stall area remained lively, taking on the atmosphere of a pub or tavern. Most shops closed toward dawn, but it had essentially become a twenty-four-hour operation. Even though Maruura wasn't selling curry at night, the night shift was busy with prep work.
I felt a bit bad doing it right next to them, but a table was set up for us. The gathering included myself, Lu, Granmaria, Frau, and Beezel. From the Goroun Company, we had Michael-san, Marlon, Tito, Randy, and Milford. Goldie and several of his subordinates were there as well.
The stars of the evening were Marcos and Paula, along with several employees they had brought along. I was told these employees were executive candidates, though they were already performing executive-level work. I was a bit surprised to see the Shashato Magistrate’s son among them. I made sure to greet him.
And then, the man standing next to him... wasn't he the one who had caused a scene in the shop before? It seemed so. He apologized to me again. He looked so much calmer than when I’d first seen him that it had taken me a moment to place his face. While what he’d done couldn’t be erased, he could still redeem himself through his future work. I had heard he was working hard for the shop’s sake. I told him to keep it up.
That was enough of the heavy talk; we moved on to more cheerful topics.
"Regarding the eastern side, it will be completed soon. We had hoped to finish before spring, and I apologize for the delay," Michael-san said, bowing his head.
I told him not to worry; I thought they were making great time. Across the street to the east, we planned to open inns and a private school. I had worried about finding managers and instructors, but it seemed plenty had gathered thanks to recruitment efforts by the Civil Official Girls, Lu, and Tia. However, the new recruits had requested several changes and additions to the facilities under construction. Responding to those requests was what had caused the delay. There were no financial issues and I wasn't in a hurry, so I told him to take it slow.
As a side note, I hadn't actually met the new managers or instructors yet. I had hoped to meet them before dark, but Lu and Frau had gone off to speak with them privately after hearing about the construction changes. Apparently, meeting me could wait for another time. Even though my main reason for coming today was to meet those people... and the party was supposed to be a welcome party for them.
Well, I got to see Marcos and Paula looking healthy and energetic, so I suppose it worked out.
If the Teleportation Gate was installed, it would be easier for the two of them to visit Village One. Then again, maybe they no longer had any lingering attachment to it...
Since I had some sake in me, I accidentally let that thought slip out loud. Marcos and Paula overheard me and immediately moved to apologize with such intensity they almost performed a kowtow.
"Our souls are in Village One!" they declared.
Oh? I was happy to hear that, but there was no need to apologize. If anything, I was the one in the wrong for being so thoughtless. I made sure to reflect on that.
After the apologies, we moved on to consulting about new products. I had to chuckle seeing Michael-san and Marlon’s ears twitch beside us. I told them not to hold back and join the conversation. For now, my mind was on the next dish: pizza.