I stepped through the Teleportation Gate and headed for Village Five.
Construction on the mansion’s foundation was proceeding in tandem with a steady stream of building materials being ferried into the site. While the High Elves and Lizardmen were central to the labor, Arako—the Arachne from the Great Tree Dungeon—and Zabuton’s children were also lending their strength.
I appreciated the help, but I had to remind them to keep out of sight as much as possible. Apparently, their appearance tended to startle people. The civil official girls had been quite insistent on that point.
I had my own tasks regarding the mansion’s construction, but since those were still a ways off, I turned my attention to something else: re-evaluating the zoning for Village Five.
Originally, the plan was to establish the village on the flat plateau at the summit of the small mountain. However, a town had already formed spontaneously along the mountain's slopes. While the current residents claimed they would move once they were permitted to migrate to the summit, it was physically impossible to accommodate them all.
At least from a spatial perspective.
The original plan was designed to handle about six hundred people at most. There was no way to fit over five thousand up there. That said, if we only accepted a portion of them, it would create a social divide.
I consulted with the two members of the previous generation Four Heavenly Kings, who were essentially acting as the representatives for the residents on behalf of the Demon Kingdom. We decided to try and organize the settlement based on the current reality.
As a result, we repurposed the role of the upper Village Five area. It would serve as the administrative district, housing my mansion, the church, and the government office. People would be free to visit, but permanent residency would be restricted to a very small number of officials.
We also designated space for a plaza—an area for exercise. Since the town was built on a slope, there was almost no flat, open ground available. That need had to be met at the top. I had initially suggested it with a children’s playground in mind, but the idea was embraced as an ideal spot for holding large public assemblies instead.
I suppose they needed a place for that as well. Even if we didn't gather every single resident, just bringing the representatives together would result in a significant crowd. I wondered if I should build a proper meeting hall next to the government office. That was something to consider.
The mountain at Village Five stood about four hundred meters high. Whether that was considered high or low was difficult to judge, as the surrounding mountains were of a similar height. A zigzagging road had been constructed from the summit down the southern slope, where the incline was gentlest, looping back with sharp curves.
A switchback road, I believe it’s called.
Assuming that trade via carriage would be our mainstay, the road was built wide enough for two carriages to pass each other without issue. We had also carved out wide spaces at the sharpest turns to allow for rest stops. Up to that point, everything was going according to the original plan.
What hadn't gone according to plan was the fact that a town had formed around this road. It functioned exactly like a main street. As one might expect, I felt hesitant to have carriages barreling through there; it was simply dangerous. Honestly, it was terrifying just to watch, so I requested that they install guardrails.
Oh, an order would be more effective? Then consider it an order. Install them.
Regarding the traffic, I began thinking about constructing new roads. I figured it might be safer to have entirely separate routes for ascent and descent. Since the town was spreading out to the east and west, I moved quickly to secure the routes.
I planned one new switchback road on the eastern side and another on the western side. These were designated as carriage-only roads. I didn't mean that pedestrians were strictly forbidden, only that they were required to give way if a carriage approached.
Wait, carriages already had priority on every road? Was that the standard? Now that I thought about it, I might have heard that somewhere before.
Defensive walls were also being built at both the summit and the base of the mountain. The upper wall was about two meters wide. As for the height... well, it was hard to say. Even though the summit was relatively flat, there were still uneven patches, and the perimeter followed that terrain. The wall was built to maintain a minimum height of at least three meters. While that supposedly put it in the "low" category for defensive fortifications, it looked quite impressive to me, being made of fitted stone.
There were four gates for entry and exit—one for each cardinal direction. Those points were more heavily guarded than the rest of the perimeter. The southern gate was the main entrance, so it was grander and larger than the others.
As for the lower wall... about a kilometer of it was finished, but the ends hadn't been closed off yet, so it remained incomplete. I wondered how far they intended to take it. Surely they didn't intend to encircle the entire base of the mountain? It already looked taller and sturdier than the upper wall. Wasn't it enough just to protect the roads leading up the slope?
Ah, I see. It was to secure space for labor that had to be done on the ground level or in the forest. Apparently, adventurers were currently stationed there to exterminate monsters and magic beasts. I had heard they planned to expand the farm fields below in the future, but...
Were they going to surround the fields with walls too?
They were planning to block the gap between the mountain in front and the mountain on the right with a wall, and then do the same for the gap on the left. They were going to seal the valleys between the mountains with walls and turn the entire basin into farmland.
The scale was immense. How many years was this plan expected to take? Ten years? Twenty?
What? They thought they could finish by next year? I didn't think that was possible. It wasn't a matter of spirit; it was simply a matter of the sheer number of workers. Besides, the local monsters were supposed to be quite formidable. I told them not to push themselves too hard.
They were planning to hire even more adventurers for a "Great Subjugation Plan"? I see. Well, as I said, they shouldn't overdo it.
While talking with the two former Heavenly Kings, I learned more about the people who had gathered in Village Five. Initially, only those who were somewhat aware of the circumstances were supposed to come, but residents from all over had heard rumors and migrated here. They came mostly from the west—areas that had been devastated by the war.
Their situation was similar to that of the Minotaurs and Centaurs. We should be kind to them.
"By the way," I asked, "is there any sign that the numbers will keep increasing?"
They told me they were halting new arrivals for now. Did that mean the numbers were likely to surge again?
The conversation turned to Shashato City. Apparently, the population there was exploding, and those who couldn't find a place to live were hearing rumors about this village and heading our way.
And what were those rumors? That people related to Big Roof Shashato were building a village.
Where had that leaked? Well, it wasn't as if I was keeping it a state secret. If I thought about it, there were plenty of ways for information to spread. However, I personally had no desire to stand out. I would have to rely on the Mercury race, the official faces of the village, to handle the spotlight.
In the forest near Village Five, I found Galf and Pirika fighting a monster. I waited for the battle to end before approaching so as not to interfere. The three High Elves and Daga, who were acting as my escorts, did the same.
I wished they wouldn't look so startled when I walked up. I did call out to them as I approached. Galf was full of energy, but Pirika was clearly exhausted.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
I held up a hand. "No need to answer. Just catch your breath."
Galf was... Hm? Ah, a new monster had appeared. It was a strange creature—a land-based sea slug known as a Keen Rune. It could use magic? How bold.
"Can you handle it?" I asked Galf.
He nodded, and I told him I'd leave it to him. I stayed back with Pirika, but then she started to move.
"Wait, you're going too? You really shouldn't... at least wait until you've recovered your breath."
She told me that battles don't wait. That might be true, but you have to rest when you can. It was no use; she wouldn't listen.
"Galf," I called out. "As her master, give her a warning."
Daga stepped in to relieve Galf and dealt with the monster. I told him he didn't have to force a kill; just driving it away was fine.
I watched them for a moment. Pirika seemed to be in a desperate hurry. No, she definitely was. I wondered if there was some kind of time limit weighing on her.
It turned out that while Pirika had gained her freedom, she still had about a hundred disciples who were being held as leverage. They were hostages to ensure she didn't flee. If she didn't grow strong enough to return and rescue them, their lives were in danger.
"Village Head," Galf said, his voice firm with determination. "I’m sorry, but I’d like to focus entirely on training Pirika for the time being."
Daga was equally enthusiastic about helping.
"I understand," I replied. "If those are the circumstances, I won't withhold our cooperation."
However, a thought occurred to me. Even if she grew stronger and returned, would the disciples truly be released? Even if Pirika became incredibly powerful, would that really lead to a fundamental solution to her problem?
Still... what else could we do?