Chapter 114: Recruiting Villagers (Part 2)
On the morning of my second day living in the village, I flew to the Empire’s Ignat Territory to pick up Kai, landing near the town that was our appointed meeting place.
There, with Kai at the head, nearly twenty people had gathered, carrying large amounts of luggage.
“Hey there. Good work. Are these the people?”
“Yes. Six craftsmen and their families.”
Apparently, there were three carpenters, one artisan, and two construction workers.
I had told him that even zero would be fine, yet he had gathered quite a number of people.
When I expressed my surprise, he told me they were all employees of a single company.
Nodding at Kai’s words, I once again explained the village’s situation and how, being on the other side of the mountains, it wouldn’t be easy to return, then asked if they were truly willing to come.
“By all means, we’d be grateful. We’ve been designated an anti-government organization and can’t survive without the Ignat family’s protection, so being able to live quietly is a blessing.”
Huh…? An anti-government organization?
When I glanced at Kai, he gave a bitter smile. “It’s a trumped-up charge by the merchant nobles. If it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t have been able to help them either.”
“I see. Well then, shall we go?”
I put all their luggage into my storage and ascended into the sky with the new model airship.
Since it was close, there was no need to hurry, so we flew slowly over the mountains.
Bringing them over was fine, but there was a problem.
I had already allocated houses to the Magic Tool Craftsmen, so we were about two houses short to accommodate everyone.
“Um, I’ll get them ready right away, so for now, would you mind staying in an empty room in the mansion or sharing a house with others?”
“We’re like family, so living together isn’t an issue, but… if you give us the materials, we can build them ourselves, you know?”
Ah, right. I thought I should provide their initial dwellings, but if they’re professionals, they can prepare their own.
In that case, I took out their luggage from my storage inside a house and asked.
“What kind of materials should I buy?”
They rattled off a list, but honestly, aside from the lumber dropped by the monster called a Treant, I didn’t understand much.
Kai said he understood without issue, so the three of us—him, me, and one of the craftsmen—went shopping.
This time, we flew to the town of Orde.
It was quite far, but since it would be a relatively large purchase, I wanted to buy from them, as they were struggling.
It took some time, but we eventually reached Aunt Mary’s mansion.
After talking for a while, I had Aunt Mary call Balls-san, one of the leading merchants, and told him I wanted to purchase as many materials as possible.
“Processed or unprocessed, I want as much as you can give me, up to the limit where it won’t cause problems for the town.”
“Up to the limit, you say…?
With the recession, those kinds of materials aren’t moving much, so there should be enough for several dozen houses. It will be a considerable sum, however…”
It seems these were goods they were just considering exporting, willing to bear the shipping costs.
“Ah, yeah. I have several thousand large gold coins, so money isn’t an issue. I’ll buy everything at a fair price.”
“A f-fair price, you say!? Are you sure you don’t want a discount?”
Apparently, when buying such a large quantity, it was customary to reduce the price by a certain percentage.
He seemed abashed, saying it would result in a rather large profit margin for him.
It seems Marquis Arbane had pulled some strings and successfully attracted Hunters, so things were starting to move again. It would still take a long time to turn back the clock on this stagnation, but for now, things seemed to be progressing smoothly.
The initiative for adults to become Hunters was also underway, but they were still awaiting results on that front.
Because of this situation, he said it was alright now, looking quite apologetic, but for me, these were necessary items, and it was a trivial expense. I just wanted him not to worry since I was buying at a fair price.
“It’s a fair price, so please don’t worry about it.
Well, if you could use the extra profit to hire people from the slums who are struggling, I’d be happy.”
“Of course, Your Highness!
To have been a citizen of Belfast, I am truly grateful, His Highness, Crown Prince Rui…”
Saying so, he bowed so low his head nearly hit the platform.
Oh, it seems my identity as a prince had become known at some point.
Being treated with such reverence by my elders still makes me feel hesitant, but now that I understand I must accept this as a prince, I responded to him in kind.
“Hearing you say that makes me happy as well. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
“Yes, Your Highness! Your words are too kind!”
And so, we boarded a beast-drawn cart, and under his guidance, we went around the town’s warehouses, putting the purchased goods into my storage.
There were still a few items missing, but he said they were common things we could pick up anywhere on the way back, so our shopping in Orde was concluded.
“Come to think of it, Orde produces quite a bit of clothing, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed. Our clothing is a local specialty, well-loved even in other countries, you know.”
Oh. I couldn’t bring any seamstresses from the Empire, so they were definitely personnel I wanted.
I explained the current situation of the newly developing village to the proud Balls-san and asked if there was anyone willing to come.
“Of course, only if there are people who wish to.
We’ll take care of food and housing, so could you just ask around for me?”
“Well, let me see… Strictly speaking, there will likely be those who wish to, but they would be from the poorer classes, so their skills might not be that great. Probably not skilled enough to satisfy Your Highness…”
“No, no, that’s not a problem at all. As long as they can make clothes that commoners can wear out in public without feeling self-conscious, that’s fine.
Perhaps even that is difficult?”
When I asked, he showed a slightly puzzled expression. “If that level is acceptable, then of course it’s no problem, but…”
It seemed his words stemmed from the thought that one could find people of that skill level anywhere.
“Ahaha, even if they’re at the lower end among the absolute top-tier, they might still be considered quite good in other towns, don’t you think?
And even if they’re not, they’ll improve with experience, so it’s not a problem.”
“In that case,” he said, and together we stepped into a sewing factory in the slums.
Balls-san gathered the seamstresses and explained the situation.
“I, Balls, personally vouch that this gentleman is trustworthy. Are there any who wish to go?”
At that, a gaunt but beautiful woman asked, “Would it be acceptable if my daughters and I came along?”
“As long as you can make clothes of the quality you are currently wearing without issue, then yes.”
“Really!? My daughter made this, so we can meet your request! Please, by all means!!”
Alright, please do. I had her run off to pack her things immediately.
While I was at it, I bought a lot of fabric and thread, along with their work tools.
“Ah… I don’t have a house for them. Should I buy one of those too?”
“It should be fine, shouldn’t it? Until one is built for them, they can stay in an empty room at the mansion.”
Ah, right. The Ignats are living there too, so a few more people won’t make much difference.
As I waited, the woman from before returned, bringing three beautiful young girls with her.
Ah, she did say daughters, but I hadn’t asked how many.
Well, as long as the village population increases, I don’t mind.
But I wonder if their husband is around, I mused, tilting my head. It turned out he had passed away, and she was a widow, anxious about their future.
“It’s a village we’ve only just started developing, so it will be tough, but we’ll take care of your food, clothing, and shelter, so we’ll be counting on you.”
“W-we’ll be in your care!” the three of them chorused.
The three beautiful girls, who looked two or three years younger than me, bowed their heads in unison.
Their apparent age was about the same as Yuri’s.
All they held was a single, slightly large hemp sack. By no means did it look like the luggage of someone moving.
“Is this all your luggage? I can take as much as you want…”
“Eh, ah, it… it’s fine,” they said, looking quite tense, so I shifted my gaze to their mother.
“Well, it’s embarrassing to say, but we sold everything that wasn’t necessary.”
“I see. If it’s fine with you, then that’s alright. We’ll provide the daily necessities here.”
For some reason, Yuri had been watching my movements and where I looked with an anxious expression for a while now.
I’m not a lolicon, though…
So, I took the mother’s hand and said, “Well then, shall we go?”
“Y-yes. Let’s gooo.”
She returned my smile, so I felt relieved and moved to an unpopulated area to create the aircraft.
After that, there was some trouble when we took off, like the girls screaming, possibly due to a fear of heights, but we safely finished the rest of the shopping and returned to the village.
As I waited for everyone to disembark and returned the aircraft to magical power, stowing it in my backpack, the trembling girls let out cries of joy.
“Wow, amazing… Mother, what is this?”
“The sea… I think. Probably.”
They were staring, transfixed, at the sea.
It was close to Orde, but only Hunters could climb the mountains, so it was understandable that they had never seen it.
The sea here is incredibly clear and beautiful, but ordinary people cannot even approach it carelessly.
It felt like such a waste, so I thought about trying to do something about it later, then guided them to the mansion.
“Um, will these four rooms, from here to there, be alright?”
“Eh, all of us in separate rooms…?”
Huh… They looked somewhat apprehensive.
“No, it’s fine if you stay together too, you know?”
“Eh…”
Oh? Why are they freezing up when I’m saying either way is fine?
“For now, until we have a house built for you, it’s an empty room, so you’re free to use it as you like, but since there’s also the matter of moving beds and such, could you please decide what you want to do?”
“Um, well then, together…”
Nodding at her voice, I moved the furniture around with a “pop-pop” from my storage, and after explaining various things like how to use the heating and cooling, the location of the toilet, and so on, I arranged their work tools in the empty room.
“The work I’ll have you do is to make clothes for the residents here.
That said, everyone has brought their own, so it’s not like we’re in a particular hurry.
Therefore, actual work will be after you receive a request.
First, as a trial, could you make one set of clothes for her?”
So, I asked them to make clothes for Yuri.
“For me?” Yuri asked with a puzzled look. I replied, “Women’s clothes are more difficult, so I thought it would be better for a trial. And we can show them to the other residents, right?” “I see,” she said with a smile.
“By the way, either way, you’re already hired, so please relax.”
Thinking it was about time to drop the formalities, I made my tone more casual and took out a large amount of fabric and thread.
Stopping them as they were about to start work immediately, I called out to them.
“I know I just asked you to do this, but you just arrived, so why don’t you relax a bit?
You can take your time making it while consulting with her, so let’s eat first.”
They were tense and stiff, so I soothed them, saying, “We’re all companions in the same village now, so relax, relax,” and introduced them to the craftsmen in the village square.
“Oh, seamstresses, are you? With this, we’ve gathered most of the essential craftsmen.
After this, if we just had some Hunters, there’d be nothing to fear.”
To the Magic Tool Craftsmen who were nodding in satisfaction, I replied, “We have us as Hunters, don’t we?”
“Hahaha, what are you saying? We can’t possibly ask Your Highness to go fetch materials!”
“You can just say, ‘Please fetch them carefully,’ can’t you?”
“No, that’s not the issue. Just asking you to run an errand is already too much.”
Eeeh, that’s what you’re worried about now…? I’ve been bringing everything from the Abyss myself.
If anyone other than me goes, it takes a ton of time and effort, doesn’t it?
But well, I get what they’re trying to say. I guess it’s not good for me to keep doing it forever.
“Alright, if it seems possible to recruit some Hunters later, I’ll do it.
For now, since we’re just starting out, I’ll go as a special case.”
“Please do it as soon as possible.
If people think we used Your Highness as an errand boy, who knows what will happen…”
“No, they won’t think that! This is my village! I’m the Lord here, you know?”
When I told them that, they seemed somewhat delighted, saying, “Oh! Is that so!?”
Come to think of it, there are still some people I haven’t formally told. So I told all of them my current status and introduced myself.
Those who were learning for the first time that I was a prince showed considerable astonishment, but I ignored it and wrapped up the conversation.
“So, since this is my domain, everyone here is a citizen I must protect.
As long as you abide by the laws of Belfast, I will protect you, and until you can become self-sufficient, I’ll take care of all your living needs, so just live your lives and enjoy yourselves appropriately.”
“Hey, hey, ‘enjoy yourselves appropriately’… Is that really okay?”
To Ichirou’s retort, I replied lightly, “Well, as long as you do the minimum amount of work. The rest is fine, right?”
“Then, does that mean we, who have done the minimum work, can start working on the Magic-Powered Car now?”
“Ah, yeah. That’s fine, but even though craftsmen have arrived, road maintenance will take time, you know?”
“Mmph, right. So we start from there… This place seems interesting, so I don’t want to go back now.”
The guy with the Staff stopped eating and fell into deep thought, appearing to be lost in some kind of plan. So, I moved over to where Yuri was playing around with Natalia-san and enjoyed a conversation with the Imperial contingent.