Chapter 120

Chapter 120 – And now it seems to be the End of Construction

It’s common to need quite a bit of time in order to build a single city .
If it goes through the process of growing from a small-scaled community, it will require around 10 years to develop to the average scale of a city . Moreover the amount of money that needs to be invested isn’t something to sneer at either .
However, the first city built by Margrave Kunugi finished its construction in a fairly short period of time when contrasted to the little money invested into it . The disparity went so far that it became a popular topic to be talked about within the Trident Principality .
One can predict that there are various reasons for such conversations to occur .
The first big reason is that almost no manpower was used to prepare the soil, which is usually done by using a large number of workers .
It went so far that the other nobles were suspicious about what kind of magic had been used there . But the soil preparation, which was completed casually and even mercilessly by the dragons who Renya had brought along after asking them nicely (according to Renya’s account at least), transformed an unbelievably vast plain into the level ground needed to build a city in a flash .
Those who learned of that method through the rumors of passing travelers and the reports from spies they had sent out, became speechless due to the information being absurdly outside their common sense .
There was no way for them to imitate that, even if they tried .
It’s a world where only the appearance of a single dragoon, namely Liaris, caused an uproar .
Before even debating about the credibility of the facts that many dragons were used, and of all things to work on soil preparation, the act itself of being in contact with many dragons was feared by the nobles as an event that would make anyone doubt the sanity of the person who had perpetrated such a deed .
Furthermore, the acquisition speed of the materials for the sake of building the city was abnormal as well .
Given that the process of lumbering and preparing after drying the wood already existed, as one might expect, money was apparently flowing to lumber wholesale stores to a certain extent, but as for the building stones that made up most of the city, it was completely unknown from where such a large amount of stones had been acquired and brought into Renya’s city .
Among the plausible rumors whispered in the streets, there was one story circulating where several of the rocky mountains of the Rocky Mountain Group, where the dragons are living, had spotlessly disappeared within a period of several nights .
The things called maps in this world have only very vague records of the terrain . Naturally a map that precisely recorded how many rocky mountains existed in the Rocky Mountain Group didn’t exist . But spots, which made several people wonder whether there hadn’t been a mountain present before, and places, where only smooth, level ground was left behind, had been confirmed by several people . Furthermore, the figures of a faintly glowing, big-sized person and a person clad from head to toe in black silently swinging their weapons had been witnessed and various people saw dragons flying while carrying something like nets which were filled with something very heavy-looking .
The authenticity of that information was uncertain though .
The people among the surrounding countries and the nobility of the Trident Principality, who heard about this information by chance while also learning of the reason that the work was carried out far too efficiently and swiftly, wondered, ‘Isn’t our lack of information because we hesitated to start a detailed investigation fearing that it might not end well for us if we get too deeply involved in this?’
The city, which continued being built while such indefinite information about it was swirling around, had various of its parts shape up properly before anyone really realized and, in concert with that, recruitment notifications for residents were distributed within the Trident Principality .
The distribution was performed at an extremely slow speed when compared to the speed of the city’s creation .
In the first place, for the nobles the population of a fief is a party from whom they levy taxes, or so-to-speak their assets .
It was very obvious, even without any explanation, that there would be a strong opposition by the other nobles if Renya and the others gathered residents hastily with forceful methods .
Nevertheless, people won’t simply spawn around Renya’s city, so it was definitely necessary to invite them from within the Trident Principality .


There was also the method of accepting refugees from other countries, but because Renya wasn’t overly eager about that, on top of Mayria indicating her disapproval of this, it naturally was never actively used as means to acquire people .
The Kunugi Margraviate, which was established in practically no time, didn’t have any kind of industry at the current time . Moreover, because it adopted the policy of only founding farm villages and getting agricultural land ready as the circumstances called for by watching the state of people gathering, it had to single-mindedly focus on buying food and other goods from outside and was depended on that .
In other words, if they were to accept a large number of refugees from other countries, it would turn into a problem of most likely creating a food shortage within the Trident Principality .
There was also the opinion wondering whether it wouldn’t be fine to simply buy the lacking people, but seeing that the sellers would be the countries who exploit their people, it was near impossible for those countries to lend a hand in decreasing the number of their own people, who are the countries’ fortune .
It was very simple to predict that almost all of them would hesitate to sell their citizens .
For that reason the main group of people flowing into the city created by Renya consisted of second sons and below of merchant houses, the heirs and below of poor Knight peerages and those who were unable to get their hands on a plot of land to cultivate in farm villages .

“Putting the farmers aside, how about inviting the young people, who came from soldier families or Knight households, into my private army after checking their aptitude?” (Renya)

Renya says to Rona who is literally, not figuratively, buried more than halfway under a mountain of paper .
The amount of immigration application sheets had become too much and therefore the unprocessed applications had been piled up high in a room next to the room prepared for Rona’s duties, which couldn’t contain all those documents . But the number stored away was such a large amount that it made one wonder whether specific documents could be excavated within several years after getting buried in that storage room .

“Looking at this disastrous scene… you are going to increase my work even further, Renya? Are you a demon? You are… definitely a demon, right?” (Rona)

“I’m a human . To begin with, what’s up with this amount? There’s no way that so many immigrants are going to come to a remote territory close to the Miasma Forest, is there?” (Renya)

“No, I mean, Renya… you constructed and put up ready-made houses for immigrants for sale, didn’t you?” (Rona)

If I tell them to build a suitable house after simply assigning them a plot of land, the people living there will likely build similar houses through various means, believed Renya and thus it took the shape of selling the buildings, which they had built to a certain extent in advance, to the immigrants .
In this case the residents would be able to live in houses that had been built in the same way .
That’s because Renya didn’t want to be bothered with miscellaneous problems such as being asked to dig wells for drinking water or there being no drainage installation because of lacking funds .
Since the scenery of the city would be neat as well, Renya considered it to be a completely positive aspect .
If the people don’t like it, they don’t have to come here . It’s not like we are going to force them into it .
However, since it would be too saddening if no one came, he set the sale prices quite low .

“It’s a set of cheap land and a house fully equipped with water and sewer services, no? Moreover, as the maintenance costs are free of charge, people will likely buy it outright if they can . Besides, it might certainly be true that this is a somewhat remote territory, but…” (Rona)

Rona steals a fleeting glance at Renya’s face .
Renya tilted his head to the side not understanding the meaning behind that look .

“It’s because the lord is Margrave Kunugi… various rumors are circulating about you as no one can stop people from talking . ” (Rona)

Renya ended up wondering for an instant about who she’s talking about . Since coming to this world, he hadn’t used his surname almost at all . Moreover, once a peerage title was added in front of it, it rung strange in Renya’s ears as if hearing the name of some distant, unknown person .

“What kind of? I didn’t do anything significant, did I?” (Renya)

Renya had absolutely no use for the word called rumor .
Rona sighed deeply after seeing Renya’s expression .

“I guess the biggest rumor is about you being the owner of the armor hero . Moreover there also rumors about you being a dragon tamer, friend of elves… ah, by the way, quite a few elves have handed in immigration applications . It’s fine for me to reject all of them, right?” (Rona)

Renya doesn’t have any particular intention to hide these facts, but he doesn’t have any plans to purposely spread these rumors .
Even so, it looks like rumors or whatever will spread either way .

“Is that not a legal problem?” (Renya)

Renya asks while stopping Rona, who was about tear apart a bundle of applications with all her might .
Although it’s not like there are absolutely no elves on the human continent, they are very rare . Renya wondered whether it might be fine for elves to immigrate into a human city, but while putting the applications, which had become slightly crumpled, at the side after giving up on trying to tear them apart, Rona answers,

“Legally there’s no problem at all . There isn’t much exchange between the elven country and the human countries, but there are diplomatic relations . Since it’s not like we are on bad terms with them, there won’t be anything to blame them for as long as they apply correctly and pay their taxes properly, but the same applies in the opposite direction . ” (Rona)

It was an argument that made Renya wonder just how it was any different from accepting an influx of refugees, but it appeared that there was a very big difference with the other side being the elven country .

“I guess a refuge for me has been secured in case everything goes south . ” (Renya)

“Why are you scheming your future escape…?” (Rona)

“Well, it will be troublesome if strange expectations are placed on me . ” (Renya)

Renya wanted to insist that he’s no more than a mere swordsman to the bitter end .
Rona sighed once again at Renya .

“We will go with this for the urban areas, but as for the surrounding farm villages, the application rate for immigration is a lot higher . ” (Rona)

“Why? Compared to the urban areas, there are a lot more places that are dangerous, right?” (Renya)

Renya had even considered the possibility of absolutely no one coming as the worst case scenario .
In that case he had planned to order the armor to employ those bone golems it can create in big numbers and have those work on the fields .
At any rate, if Renya doesn’t produce anything, he will become unable to pay the obligatory taxes to the Trident Principality .

“The first reason for the increase is the number of soldiers stationed at the farm villages . Compared to the farm villages located in the territories of other nobles, it’s planned to place almost twice as many soldiers in our farm villages . ” (Rona)

“Compared to other territories, it’s more dangerous over here, so it’s a reasonable measure, right?” (Renya)

“… There are no other nobles who would increase their soldiers and even go as far as mobilizing their private army just for farm villages…” (Rona)

“Nobles possess private armies only for the sake of defending themselves,” Rona explains .
But, in Renya’s eyes , who can defend himself as much as he likes, there’s not much meaning in stationing the private army in his surroundings .
“Wouldn’t it be alright to not have a private army then?” He harbored such thoughts as well, but Renya, who thought that the country doesn’t have enough soldiers dispatched so as to protect the country and to defend farming areas, decided to set up a private army with the goal of defending farming areas as its main objective .

“If you like, I can somehow handle the defense of this city all by myself, you know?” (Renya)

“Please realize that saying something like that is far too abnormal . … As for the second reason, it’s because of the extraordinary condition of them being provided land and a house as one set . ” (Rona)

“Extraordinary? Which part of it?” (Renya)

Since I want them to cultivate crops and pay their taxes, it’s only natural to prepare a developed plot of land and a place for them to live, isn’t it? Renya wonders .
It’s just side information, but upon Renya’s order, both, fields and paddy fields, had been created in all farm villages .
This was something completely according to Renya’s wishes and even the point that rice and elven beans are to be definitely cultivated was written inside the immigration conditions for the villages .
As for the matter of whether it’s possible to cultivate those or not, he had elven experts investigate through Croire and received a certificate that it’s possible .
Given that it was somewhat impossible for dragons to prepare fields as one might expect, Renya borrowed Keith’s unit from Kukrika .
Probably because of their experience of earnestly digging through the ground during Renya’s training, Keith’s and the other soldiers’ work proceeded very quickly and once left up to them, who had built a fortress inside the Miasma Forest during their training, they even constructed wooden houses at a speed that seemed like a bad joke .

“Normally farmers are forced to build their own houses and fields when they immigrate . Even so, not only the agricultural land but also the houses for them to live in are provided by us . Moreover, for that to be done almost free of charge is something unheard of!” (Rona)

It’s a recruitment of occupants for farm villages that had been prepared up to the point where the new farmers could cultivate crops as long as they sow seeds and use fertilizers .
It might be somewhat dangerous, but with the many soldiers dispatched compared to other farm villages, there’s no way that peasants wouldn’t jump on this opportunity .

“For starters I will have them immigrate in order, starting from the young applicants . ” (Rona)

“Though I actually wanted to implement the same systems in those villages as the ones in the city . ” (Renya)

Renya tried to consult about that with Emil, but he was immediately told that it’s impossible .
Since the population in farm villages is overwhelmingly lower than that of the urban areas to begin with, the mana that can be collected is far too low . Emil’s scream-like response was that she can’t even imagine what the hell she should do to construct those systems .
Reluctantly he substituted those systems by digging wells and creating waterways that would carry the water if there was a river close to the farming areas .

“Well, I suppose there will be no end if you desire the highest standards . ” (Renya)

“Though I believe that you desire way too much there . ” (Rona)

I wonder just how many nobles will faint once they properly grasp the true state of affairs in this territory?Rona pondered .
With various things happening, the population began to grow and the Kunugi Margraviate began to take shape one way or another .
The city Klinge which harbored Renya’s castle later became known as Forest and Stone City .
Quite some time had passed since Renya was officially appointed to his peerage when a certain guest came visiting this city that possessed the special trait of having almost half of its area covered with trees and flowers .