The Ability to Make Town!? ~Let's Make a Japanese Town in Different World~ Chapter 45-46

It was the peak of summer.

I learned about the news of visitors when I was washing the cars in my home’s garden.

I changed into the familiar battle clothes immediately before getting on Catherine and heading to the north gate where I climbed up the castle walls.

“Fujiwara-san! It’s me! Me!” Before my eyes was a red-haired woman shouting in front of the castle gate.

What is this? Is this the “it’s me, it’s me” fraud? ...I kept that joke to myself.

Ahem, let me introduce her again. She’s Elsa, the chairman of the Polo Commerce firm, who had come to visit the town again. This time, she was accompanied by four people dressed like knights. They were faces whom I had never seen before.

There was only one carriage, so they did not seem to have come to do business.

“Elsa-san, what is your business?” I raised my voice and asked.

“Today, I have not come for business! I was sent as a special envoy!” She shouted back.

Well, I thought that it might have been such a thing.  To send someone close to me, it was likely that they sought peace.

It seems like the Kingdom of Sandra was being driven to a corner... Well, it was a given since I already destroyed two out of the four knight orders they had.

“What about the other four?!” I yelled.

“They are the escorts sent by the kingdom! They are not members of the firm!” She replied honestly.

Can I trust Elsa on this? Well, since there were no reactions from the four knights, the answer might already been given.

Well, I understand that they did not need to trick me with the knights now. If they had such intentions, they could simply falsify their identities and enter the town as merchants while feigning ignorance.

“I will only permit entry for Elsa-san! Is that okay!?” I asked.

“No problem! That was originally my intention!” Elsa gave a bright grin and a thumbs up.

Thus, Elsa entered the town while leaving the four knights behind. We then exchanged greetings after a long while.

I think this was the first time I’ve seen Elsa since a year ago? I didn’t meet her again after the trade with the kingdom started.

“Gee, I am honestly troubled. I am just a merchant just like the others.” She sighed.

[TL: I hate osaka-ben][TLC:Why? I love it xD. They are really unique]

When we started talking about nostalgic stuff, Elsa began complaining about the kingdom. It continued even after we moved to a room at a vacant store.

“Why do I need to do this? This is a job for government officials. If you don’t work, just return the tax money! Or rather, that rotten i*potent old man... Just drop dead already!” She grumbled.

[TLC: the raws censored impotent lol,腐れイ○ポジジイ]

The contents become quite extreme as she continued. Her complaints about the Chief advisor of the kingdom was especially terrible. There were also vulgar words that a woman of marriageable age should not be saying. It was to the extent that I, who heard it, became embarrassed.

“Hahaha... We should start hearing your story soon.” I quickly changed the topic.

“Ah, that’s right, we should finish it quickly. I was asked by the Kingdom of Sandea to mediate peace with this town.” She quickly restated her purpose.

“Peace, huh?” I smiled wryly.

“Yeah. Have you heard? Fujiwara-san, you’ve beaten up the army so bad that out of four Dragon Knight Orders of the kingdom, Red and Yellow have already been destroyed. This is bad since other countries won’t miss this moment of weakness of the kingdom.” Elsa explained.

“Huh? Didn’t the church ban war between countries?” I asked.

“About that... They’ve already changed it. There will be no problems as long as you have a justifiable reason for the war. In other words, you can wage wars as you like as long as you have reason.” She shrugged her shoulders.

So it’s become such a thing... You could easily create a reason for war… Many years ago, Frost’s words about the peace ending soon were correct, huh?

“The Kingdom of Sandra is afraid that Fujiwara-san would hit at the south now. If that’s the case, surely the other countries in the north will simultaneously attack, and it will be over. Presently, the Kingdom of Sandra can’t afford to split their army to the north and south.” Elsa continued to speak.

“Is it okay to inform me of such a thing?” I smiled.

“Rather, I have to speak about it. Listen, okay? For example, if the Kingdom of Sandra fell under the control of another country, what do you think will happen then?” She started laying out the situation.

“What would happen..? Aah, it would be like that, huh?” I mumbled.

Even if another country took control, it would eventually be the same - this town will be targeted.

If the Kingdom of Sandra was absorbed by a more powerful country, they may invade this town. If that’s so, it would be much better to let them remain alive than kill them since it would be much better to use the kingdom as a shield.

“Hey? It’s better to reconcile right? The reason they sent me here is so that Fujiwara-san can calm down and think about the situation carefully. Even if Fujiwara-san attacks the kingdom out of anger, there will be no profit for both sides.” Elsa elaborated.

“I see... I understand. Incidentally, other than us, is there any possibility that the countries in the north will attack the kingdom?” I asked.

“There is. Weren’t two of main Order of Knight already done and dusted? The influence of the royal family is in tatters right now. If I was the king of the northern countries, I would attack after bribing some of the feudal lords to change sides with money.” She grinned.

“Hmm...” I hummed as I thought over the situation.

Well, I don’t mind making peace. I don’t plan to move away from this place anyway.

No, in fact, I should make peace with them. If the Kingdom of Sandra waged war with the northern countries, the kingdom might become anxious and would not be able to show sufficient power, and then end up losing.

I prefer for both the northern countries and the kingdom to injure each other.

But if it really became like that, how much was the difference between the fighting forces of both sides?

In reality, even if the Kingdom of Sandra lost half its knight order, they may still be strong. Thus, it was also possible for them to destroy the northern army first, then save their strength to attack this town again.

I can’t make a decision here. I have to get more information from the prisoners as well.

“Can you wait a few days for the reply?” I asked.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Just think about the conditions of the peace too.” Elsa waved me off and winked. “Since I didn’t come for business, I will relax this time. Well, can I expect a good meal?”

(She never changes)

I thought while shaking my head.

“What should we do about the knights who came with you?” I decided to ask before making a decision.

“It’s okay if you just leave them as it is. There is food in the carriage, so they won’t starve to death.” She certainly discounted their existence quite easily.

“Th... That is quite heartless, isn’t it..?” I laughed nervously.

“That’s not heartless at all! Try to guess how I’ve felt the whole journey!

Do you know how many conversations I’ve had with them? It’s zero, ZERO!” She ranted. “Even when I tried talking to them, they don’t even reply with a single word! Did their brains get eaten by maggots?!”

“Th... That’s... Awful, huh?” I replied haltingly, not sure what my reply should be.

“Right? Those guys are from the Blue Dragon Knight Order. They are the King’s Imperial Guards, but they look like puppets. They are really troublesome.” She complained even more.

Imperial Guards, huh? Because it concerned a matter important to the nation, I guess I can understand their viewpoint.

Hmm, I wonder if they went through training to eliminate their emotions?

“I understand. Then, we will bring delicious meals and tasty sake in the evening. Please look forward to it.” I smiled at her before getting up and leaving the room.

But, Elsa stretched out her hand and caught my leg with a firm grip.

“Wait a moment. This time, I have a lot of free time! Free time! It’s lonely to always be alone, right? It’s okay to keep me company for a while, right?” Elsa said selfishly like a whining kid.

I don’t feel bad about being held down by a woman, not to mention, Elsa was a beautiful woman. However, there were things that needed to be done here too.

“Then I will let a person from the Wolf Tribe bring you a board game called Reversi. I can’t accompany you, so let those Wolf Tribe ―” I spoke placatingly before being cut off halfway by Elsa’s yell.

“That!”

“Eh?” I jerked slightly.

“That reversi! Why didn't you tell me about it sooner?!” She glared at me.

“What is this about?” I questioned.

“Don’t play dumb! Now, in the Kingdom of Sandra, reversi is very popular, and is being supervised by Romatto. I have heard the name Romatto from somewhere, and when I thought about it and looked it up, he was the guy who was held captive here, right?” She pressed.

Romatto. That’s a nostalgic name... Even though it didn’t concern me directly, I heard that he often played reversi with the people from the Wolf Tribe. When he left the town and got some gifts from the Wolf Tribe, I remembered that Romatto was moved to tears.

“Is it popular?” I asked.

“It’s not popular; it’s ridiculously popular! I’ve tried to sell reversi, but without Romatto’s emblem, it was treated like a fake. So, not much got sold.” She complained.

“Romatto’s emblem?” When I asked again, Elsa simply nodded.

“Speaking about Romatto, he is being treated as a master now. His name became famous in the Kingdom of Sandra, and even in other countries, his name is quite famous.” She explained. “Romatto’s signature is a seal of approval from the master. Currently, he only deals with large firms. Even so, everybody wants a reversi board that’s approved by master Romatto. It’s not a crime to sell reversi, but if you forge Romatto’s emblem, it will be a crime since you’ve falsified his name. So, I gave up on selling reversi pretty quickly.”

Master..? That Romatto? If I am not mistaken, he should have been born into an aristocratic family.

Master of Reversi... Where does he intend to go with that title?

Anyway, I am slightly glad knowing that he’s doing well. Later, I will tell this to those wolfmen who were good friends with Romatto.

After leaving Elsa, I first went towards the inn where Mireille was confined.

“Hey, thanks for your hard work.” I greeted.

Two wolfmen rose up and returned the greeting as I passed through the inn’s entrance. There was a reversi board between them, and it was clear that they had been playing reversi.

However, they were not skipping their work in particular. There were four guards watching Mireille. Since there were only supposed to be two standing guard, the other two were permitted to take a break during this time.

I told the two of them to be at ease and went to the second floor alone.

“Why, if it isn’t Fujiwara-sama. Thanks for your hard work.”

Mira and a wolfman was standing in front of the room where Mireille was located. Of course, the one who had bowed and greeted me was only the male one. Mira only lowered her head slightly. She wasn’t even trying to look at my eyes.

Her attitude was the same as always, but I has received a report saying that she was doing well in her guard duties, so it’s alright.

“I’m coming in.” I announced.

Since there was no rejection, I opened the sliding door. In that room, Mireille was sitting in a seiza position with her eyes closed.

I coughed audibly. I had heard the story, but she was indeed losing an abnormal amount of weight.

I’ve interrogated her when I came to this inn once, but she was like a different person now as compared to then.

“Fujiwara-dono?” Mireille opened her eyes.

There was no color in her eyes. They were hollow.

“You have become thinner. Are the meals not to your tastes?” I asked.

“No, the meals are delicious. They are actually much better for this body.” She replied quietly.

[Did you really become better?]

I was about to blurt out those words unconsciously, but I swallowed them at the very last moment.

“I came to talk. Please tell me about the countries north of the Kingdom of Sandra.” I did not come to have an enjoyable talk, so I quickly went to the main subject.

But, Mireille only agreed softly, and started to talk without asking for the reason.

“There are two countries north of the Kingdom of Sandra. Most of our northern territory are adjacent to the Kingdom of Robutas, and a small part along the northwest coast is adjacent to the Dukedom of Shugurin.” She started her lengthy explanation.

“Although the Kingdom of Robutas has a humid climate overall, there is still a lot grassland spread out in their territory with black soil and little rain, which is suitable for agriculture. In addition, a quarter of the country is forest, and there are a lot of mines too, so their forestry and mining industries are quite developed. But, because they have such blessed lands, the name of their country has changed numerous times because of long wars, and it was only around 40 years ago that it became the current Kingdom of Robutas.” She stated clearly while I simply listened.

“Because they have pushed for excessive centralization until now, their political situation is a little unstable. But, because the king has absolute power, there is no waste in their national affairs. Even though they have just emerged as a country, their national strength can’t be underestimated.” She continued speaking, her voice carrying clearly. “Their relation with the Kingdom of Sandra is not that good. Regarding the northern lands, the Kingdom of Sandra has never recognized it, so territorial disputes exist.

“In contrast, about the Dukedom of Shugurin; it is an average agricultural country without any specialties that are common in this continent. It is an old country, and their political situation is also very stable. They prefer diplomacy, so as a neighboring country, they have good relations with the Kingdom of Sandra.” She introduced the overall situation. “And as for their military strength, the Kingdom of Sandra stands above both countries. But, since half of the Four Dragon Order of Knight were destroyed, as their influence decreases, the relationship of power can be reversed depending on the trend from each lord.”

“I see.” I nodded.

If this story is true, then I should make peace with the Kingdom of Sandra. If I don’t make peace, then the Kingdom of Sandra will need to pay attention to the south, and if they are attacked from the north, then they might have a crisis.

In the first place, I didn’t intend to attack the north from here, so there were no losses for this peace. On the contrary, I can ask for a large sum of money as the condition for peace, so I can return the prisoners without delay.

As I make up my mind, I leave the room with the watchmen. Just before the sliding doors were closed, Mireille’s appearance came into view for a moment.

She had already closed her eyes, and was sitting in silence. Her form was, strangely, fitting for a japanese room.

I told the watchmen to do their best and left the inn.

That night, I drank with Elsa. There was sake, wine, and beer. As for the meal, I had prepared Matsusaka beef served with steak sauce. When Elsa ate the juicy, marbled steak, even her eyes rounded as she exclaimed about how delicious it was.

The common topics between Elsa and me were very limited. Elsa talked about Reila and Ryle who had come here before. Both of them seemed to be doing well. It was said that they would buy a noble rank with money in the future.

I got interested in that story.

“Is there a country where you can buy noble rank?” As I asked, Elsa answered smoothly.

There was a country northwest of the continent -The Kingdom of Dryad. There was no particular industry they specialised in, and they had vast lands, but the number of infertile lands was high. This was especially so in the northern land called Dragon Horn. Food was not growing because of the cold, so they sell such land to people together with the nobility title, and they seemed to have made money with it.

In addition, even in such infertile land, the taxes remain the same with other places, so their land and noble title will be rescinded if they can’t pay the tax.

This seemed almost like fraud.

“Yeah, that’s right. That’s why there are no humans there, right? So, the beastmen who don’t go south will mostly go there.” Elsa explained.

I just found out something new.

The inflow of beastmen suddenly stopped at a certain moment. I thought it was strange, but it turned out that the place they were aiming for was different.

This might be a chance.

“Is it possible to summon the beastmen here?” I questioned.

“It’s impossible. The Kingdom of Sandra which is in the middle of the route won’t agree. Even if you mention it as the condition for peace, do you think they will agree? Numbers are power. The population of this town will increase, so for the Kingdom of Sandra, it would be more horrible than getting attacked by the northern countries.” Elsa shook her head.

“Is that so..?” I sighed.

The condition to change the [Era Setting] to [Modern] was to get the population to reach 10,000, and have 1 trillion yen funds.

If the funds stay as they were, there should be no problem. But, the population doesn’t increase easily. If I wait for it to increase naturally from reproduction, I will be a grandpa in no time.

Well, as long as I have the money, I can still buy stuff from the [Modern era] even with the [Setting Era] at [Edo], so I haven’t thought much about [Population] until now...

“Hmm... Mm.?” I grunted.

While I was absorbed in thinking, Elsa had fallen asleep.

Let’s stop here for today.

Still, Elsa was too defenseless in front of a man. When I thought that she was a beautiful woman, Elsa begin to snore loudly. While holding in my laughter, I gently cover Elsa with a coat and left the room.

The morning of second day of Elsa’s visit...

I got into the armored car, and headed towards the prison surrounded by stone walls which was about 40 km south from the town.

It’s the jail for the knights.

They spend their day in depression without anything to do under the scorching sun.

I went up to the turret on top of the stone walls, and listened to the report from the Bird tribe who were acting as guards.

Although there seemed to be fights occasionally during breakfast, there were no abnormalities besides that.

I look at the knights’ situation from across the vertically barred window.

They lined up side by side in the stone walls’ shade, and were simply sitting there without doing anything.

Some people were writing something on the ground. When I looked at it with binoculars, there were Os and Xs drawn in several squares. Two Os were circling the X, and the X became an O. There was no doubt that that was reversi.

As Elsa had said, reversi seemed to have become really popular.

Before long, I had interviewed several of the knights one by one. The contents were about the northern countries.

At first, the knights were suspicious about my line of questioning, but when I mentioned that I would give them meat, everyone’s mouths  became loose.

The contents were not much different from what Mireille had talked about. Thus, I decided to make peace with the Kingdom of Sandra.

After that, I returned to my house and think about the conditions for peace.

――On the third morning of Elsa’s visit...

I told Elsa that I would make peace and handed the parchment with the conditions written on it.

The Peace Conditions were as followed:

The Kingdom of Sandra will pay 100 million new Barbanil Silver Coins (about 280 billion yen) as compensation.

Kingdom of Sandra must take over all 832 prisoners of war.

Furthermore, the ransom for Princess Mireille will be 10 million new Barbanil Silver Coins (28 billion yen), and a knight’s ransom would be 1,000 silver coins (2.8 million yen) per person. The rest would be returned free of charge.

We will return the villages from the southern territory leading to the town.

“Fujiwara-san is overcharging. The Kingdom of Sandra does not have this much money.” Elsa stated with an amazed expression.

That’s right. In order to make them not think lightly of me, I overcharged them with this outrageous amount.

Then, Elsa nonchalantly put the parchment with the peace conditions into her pocket.

Her role was to recommend peace, not to sign the peace treaty after all. Because the negotiation for peace will be carried by the diplomats, Elsa didn’t bother arguing.

“Well then, I am leaving. Stay healthy, Fujiwara-san.” She smiled.

“Yes, Elsa-san too.” I nodded.

Thus, Elsa got on the carriage and left. I handed over a [Puzzle Ring] so that she could kill time on the way and also do something about the taciturn knights during the journey.

[Puzzle Ring] [X5] 50,000 yen (List Price 500 yen) x 5 = 250,000 yen (List Price 2,500 yen)

Chapter end