READ WEBNOVEL Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Understanding the Situation[1] 「I believe this much explanations about the tools will suffice for you?」(Kazura) After finishing the explanation of all the tools on top of the table, Kazura turned his attention towards Nelson and Zirconia, who were sampling the minestrone on their plate . Havel, who had just come back into the room, was also participating in sampling the food alongside with Isaac and took a bite at the minestrone in his plate . 「Yes, they are all magnificent tools . Thank you for your explanation . 」(Nelson)
Nelson put down the spoon that he held onto his plate, giving his thanks while smiling . 「Then, I wish to receive an explanation about the situation in the territory . 」(Kazura) 「I understand . Zil, the documents . 」(Nelson) 「I will bring all of it, Isaac, please help me carry it . 」(Zirconia) 「Yes, Ma’am . 」(Isaac) Being asked by Nelson, Zirconia and Isaac quickly left the room . After they both left, Nelson glanced towards Valin and Valetta, who sat beside Kazura . 「The documents that I am about to show to Kazura-sama have some absolute secrets about my territory written in them . I am sorry, however for these two to see it is......」(Nelson) 「Hm, is that so?」(Kazura) Hearing Nelson’s words, Kazura consented and turned towards Valin and Valetta who sat beside him . For the time being except for Kazura, who Nelson trusted as Greysior, the documents couldn’t be shown to Valetta and Valin, who were only accompanying Kazura so they could explain the condition in Grisea Village . 「Nelson-sama, if you permit it, while you’re giving Kazura-sama the explanation, may I question Valin-san and Valetta-san in another room about the events that transpired in Grisea Village until now?」(Havel) 「Hmm, you’re right . Kazura-sama, may we?」(Nelson) 「I don’t mind . Havel-san, I believe you understand that......」(Kazura) “Don’t ask them too many questions like an interrogation . ” Was something that Kazura about to say, however Havel responded with a smile . 「Yes, I will absolutely abide to the promise to Kazura-sama . 」(Havel) 「......Promise?」(Nelson) Since Nelson didn’t know about the verbal promise that was exchanged to Kazura in Grisea Village, with a puzzled expression he asked Havel . 「Yes, after Havel-san’s group asked me to aid Arcadia, I made them promise a few things to me . 」(Kazura) Hearing the word “promise”, Nelson, for just a moment, sent Havel a stabbing glare . Receiving Nelson’s glare, Havel reflexively straightened his posture, but he still showed a relatively relaxed expression . 「What kind of promise is it?」(Nelson) 「Whatever I’ll do in Grisea Village, your side will not interfere without exception . This is the first point . The second point is that your side will not treat the village or the villagers in an unjustified manner . To be specific, towards the inhabitants of Grisea Village that have a close relationship with me, they won’t be exploited to extract the knowledge I bestowed to them . I don’t mind laws that have been in effect until now, such as the taxation obligation, however your side will not amend the law to do the aforementioned actions . If these two promise are broken by your side, then I will withdraw my aid from Arcadia . 」(Kazura) Nelson had been thinking about what kind of promises had occurred, and so when he heard the content of the promise from Kazura, he let out a sigh of relief . If those were the only contents of the promise then there would be no problem, as since the very beginning he had intended to be careful in dealings with Grisea Village . Furthermore, if they would still abide by the previous law, he would be thankful, as he would still be permitted to nominally rule the village . Even if it was only a small village with a population of approximately 100 people, if the tax revenue from the village suddenly stopped, with Isteria’s current tight financial situation, it would be quite a blow . Of course, he believed that Kazura’s support would have positive economic effect, however he wanted to avoid a situation where he lost ontrol over the village and their tax revenue . 「I understand . I will also abide to that promise, so I humbly ask you for your support...... Hevel lead them to another room . 」(Nelson) 「Yes, Sir . Valin-san, Valetta-san, please this way . 」(Havel) Guided by Havel, Valin and Valetta left their seats and followed Havel towards the room’s entrance . As they were exiting the room, Valetta sent a worried look towards Kazura, but when Havel asked her, she immediately left the room . ✦✧✦✧ A few minutes later, after Havel and Valin’s group left the room, Kazura began to scan the large amount of documents that were piled in front of him with a rigid expression . Zirconia sat beside Kazura, while Nelson sat in front, explaining the situation of his territory towards Kazura . Besides the documents that were piled up in front of him, there was a huge mound of documents beside the table . Next to it was Isaac who hand over the documents that Nelson needed during his explanation . 「The damage to southern and eastern Isteria aren’t that great, however the damage at the western and northern region are devastating . The ceaseless drought has caused the majority of the crops that should have entered harvest period to wither, and the ground has become so dry that it can’t be used to plant the next seasons crops . The price of the food in the region had a steep increase, causing economic hardship for citizens of Isteria . 」(Nelson) 「(This is bad, I can read this worm-eaten letter to some extent but I can’t read the technical terms......)」(Kazura) While receiving the explanations from Nelson and Zirconia, Kazura read the sentence written in the documents and was secretly worried . He had been taught this world’s letters from Valetta, however it had only been 3 weeks since he began learning the alphabets . He could read simple words, however the documents that he was reading right now had sentences filled with technical terms . From the bottom of his heart, he envied Valetta’s astounding learning abilities . She had only began to learn Japanese for a mere 10 days but she could smoothly read Japanese sentences . 「Because of the drought, the amount of the aid from Gregorn Teritory has also rapidly decreased......」(Nelson) While Kazura was troubled, the explanation proceded fast . Even if he put on airs, he couldn’t understand the sentences, so maybe he should confess right now that he couldn’t read the letters . 「Nelson-san, may I have a word with you . 」(Kazura) 「Yes, what is it?」(Nelson) 「I am sorry to say it so late, but I can’t read this country’s letters . Because of this, may I ask you to read to me the main points from these documents . 」(Kazura) Hearing Kazura’s words, Nelson and the others in the room had the same surprised expression . However, Zirconia immediately smiled and replied, “Understood”, and then received the documents from Kazura, began to read the point together with Nelson’s explanation . ✦✧✦✧ Then 2 hours passed . Just like what he had shown before, Kazura had a rigid expression as he casted his eyes at the large notebook in front of him . He had written the main content of Nelson’s explanation using a ballpoint in the notebook; however the contents were only the rough points .
It wasn’t something that would cause destruction of the territory in several days, but if the weather and public order didn’t change, maybe between half a year or a year from now, there was a possibility for all of Isteria to be struck by an unimaginable famine . 「First things to do is to improve the food situation in the territory . Afterwards is to come up with a countermeasure for the flood that might occur in next year’s rainy season . In addition, we have to address the matter of hygiene problems in the urban area, the destruction of buildings in rural area because of worsening public orders, and the chronic funds deficit...... These problems make a quite a pile . 」(Kazura) 「Although this is embarrassing, however we don’t have enough help as it is . We have already reached the limit of our food reserve, if this drought continues then there is a possibility that this territory will turn into a starving hell . Even during the last several hundred years there hasn’t been any drought that has lasted this long......」(Nelson) Nelson answered with an indescribable downhearted expression . Based on the explanation that Kazura had received not long ago, the food production had decreased and so the food price had jumped suddenly, causing even Isteria citizens to undergo food ration distribution . However, if the current situation continued then it would be a foregone conclusion that the rationing wouldn’t last long . When the food rations stopped, perhaps there would be rampant food riot and looting from the wealthy that has been stockpiling food even until now . Just like what Nelson said, it would become a starving hell . 「The extreme one-sidedness of the estimate budget towards military spending concerns me, but... Since the situation is like this, let’s not interfere with it . 」(Kazura) When Kazura spoke about “military spending”, Zirconia’s expression stiffened for a moment, but when he said to not interfere with it, she showed a relieved expression . Since there was a possibility that the war with Balveil 4 years ago could resume, which Kazura had heard from Valetta, perhaps this large military spending was to prepare for this . Although he was curious on what the budget spending was for, it would be pointless to get involved in everything, so he decided to not interfere in it for now . 「Then, about improving the food situation, I will do something for this, however, since I can’t help too much, I also hope for cooperation from your side . 」(Kazura) 「...... . Ooh! Thank you very much! If it is something that is within our capability then we will do anything to help, by all means, we will gladly offer our cooperation!」(Nelson) “I’ll do something” after Kazura said these words, Nelson and Zirconia had this expression as if to say, 「Eh!? For real!?」, but Nelson with a smile pasted all over all his face, stood from his chair, and took Kazura’s hand to show his gratitude . In contrast, Isaac didn’t show any particular reactions at Kazura’s statement, he just stood, smiling in full satisfaction beside Nelson . 「Next, about the countermeasure against for the flood and hygiene issues, please tell me more about it in detail . 」(Kazura) 「Do you also want to help in that matter?」(Nelson) 「Since I have a good grasp of the situation, I might b able to help to prepare some kind of countermeasure for it . 」(Kazura) About the problem of the flood and environment hygiene, Kazura had heard a rough explanation about it from Havel when they were en route to Isteria . From the impression he had at that time, he believed that he could give assistance for it based on the degree of the damage and how to deal with it . However, this all depended on whether Kazura could cope with the content of the support or not . 「Then, this might be too quick but I wished for everyone to prepare something . The time limit is...... Let’s see, please prepare this within 3 days . 」(Kazura) 「I understood . Then what kind of things do we need to prepare?」(Nelson) 「About that, a thick cloth bag about this size......」(Kazura) Kazura spoke while drew the size with his finger atop the table . The size that he drew was about the size of a 45 liter rice sack that was usually used in a Japanese household . 「So, it’s about this size . Isaac, prepare it quickly . 」(Nelson) 「Yes, Sir!」(Isaac) Having understand the size of the of the bag, Nelson ordered Isaac .
「Ah, please wait . 」(Kazura) Kazura suddenly stopped Isaac, who was going to exit the room after receiving the order . 「It’s about the number, it will be 2......」(Kazura) Kazura seems to want to speak something but then he stopped to think . Isaac was going to ask, “Is it 2 bags?”, but the reply from Kazura made him dumbfounded . 「No, it will be troublesome later if the number is not enough . Please prepare 3000 bags . Please prepare this quickly . 」(Kazura) 「......Eh?」(Isaac) 「Ah that’s right, so that the cloth bags can be closed, please make it have a cord like a sack bag . Furthermore, I wish for carriages from Nelson-san . 」(Kazura) 「......Ho-How many do you need?」(Nelson) Leaving Isaac struck flabbergastingly in front of the door, Kazura turned the conversations towards Nelson . 「Please prepare enough carriages needed to transport the 3000 fully packed bags simultaneously from Grisea Village to Isteria . Even if it is not a carriage but a cart or wagon, it won’t be a problem . Also please prepare sufficient number of soldiers to prevent the cloth bags from being stolen . Don’t forget to prepare the carriage drivers and the cart pullers . Since it will take several days to transport the bags to Isteria, then it would take large amount of supply and manpower, umm...... For now just prepare for about 300 people . If possible, people who can stand doing farm work for a long period of time . 」(Kazura) 「Gu......I-I understood......」(Nelson) 「Zirconia-san . 」(Kazura) Next, Kazura turned towards Zirconia who sitting beside him . Her shoulders shook as she was mentioned . 「A-Ano, I need to brief the officers after this so......」(Zirconia) Zirconia said this while averting her eyes and trying to leave her seat, however Kazura immediately put his right hand on her left shoulder, putting power into his grasp . 「Now, now,...... please sit......」(Kazura) Zirconia could only feebly nod towards Kazura who was smiling, but his eyes showed that he wasn’t laughing at all . ✦✧✦✧ It was one hour since Kazura had allocated a large amount of work towards Nelson’s group . Kazura was in the Nelson’s residence plaza together with Valin, Valetta and Havel who were in the separate rooms until now . In the plaza there was a closed carriage waiting for them, but it wasn’t the same carriage that had taken Kazura’s group this morning . There were 4 muscular men standing before the carriage . The men were wearing breast plates made from linked bronze plates and bronze helmets with hinged bevor[2][ii] . They carried round shields behind their back and were heavily armed with either a short spear or bow in their hand and a short sword in their waist . The men couldn’t be said to be either young nor old, but they gave off an air of soldiers with long military service . 「I will stay here for another 3 days, so give my greetings to everyone in the village . Even if I am late to arrive at the village, I will absolutely return so please do not worry . 」(Kazura)「B-But......」(Valetta) Hearing Kazura’s words, Valetta want to say something but she hesitated and just look at Kazura for a moment . She then hung her head down and showed a demure expression . Perhaps she was worried for Kazura, but her expressions made Kazura troubled . 「(It would really helpful to me in various things if Valetta-san can be together with me, but...... Thats not going to happen, right?)」(Kazura)
If Kazura could say his true feelings, then he wished for Valetta to remain with him in Isteria . Although it may only be for a few days, staying in an unknown land alone is lonely, and he believed that it would be helpful if he had Valetta, who could learn many things extremely quickly . Furthermore he felt more relaxed with her . If Kazura had requested 「Please stay with me」, Valetta would surely say yes without any hesitation . However, Kazura could not do this . If Kazura began to depend on Valetta even once, then Kazura would come to always relying on this girl, and every time Kazura has to stay at Isteria, then she would have to leave Grisea Village and follow him . That was not a good thing . If he exploited this girl’s goodwill, then it would end up separating her from her treasured things . 「(Even when she wanted to learn many things, she refused Valin-san’s recommendation to go to Isteria and chose to remain in the village . If for my own convenience I tear her from her father then I am not a God, but a Devil . )」(Kazura) Kazura believed that Valetta more than anything else wished to stay at her father side . Furthermore, as much as possible he didn’t want to trouble Valin and Valetta or the people of Grisea Village too much . Inside Kazura’s mind, the position of people of Grisea Village had already changed from people in great crisis that he needed to help, to important people that he needed to protect at any cost . While Kazura was thinking in front of her, Valetta suddenly raised her face and spoke with an expression on the brink of crying . 「...... Please return quickly, will you?」(Valetta) She muttered this with a small voice and then casted her head down again . Looking at Valetta make this expression, Kazura smiled wryly, and gently patted her head . ☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽ In case Western Reader couldn’t comprehend Kazura’s action at the last part of this chapter . Please remember that Japanese culture put high regard in the principle of "Not Troubling Others", and they go to such extent for this . This might sound stupid to Westerner, but for Japanese this is one of the great virtue someone should had . Hiatus is cancelled . . . To all donator, thank you very much for the donation . . . I just bought a new laptop today . . . However as I will try to reclaim the lost data little for little, I might not be able to release new translation for awhile . Even so as there are several already edited chapters that was luckily is in the Google Drive, I will release; them one per day . . . (including Genjitsushugisha that people are waiting :D) . Also the excess donations for the laptop will be used as LN acquiring fund . The LN I want to buyTakarakuji Volume 1 620 YenTakarakuji Volume 2 639 YenTakarakuji Volume 3 593 YenTakarakuji Volume 4 630 YenTakarakuji Volume 5 648 YenHikiNEET (Yuuji, Kotarou and Alice) Volume 1 630 YenTotal 6 Books 3760 YenShipping Cost 2900 YenImport Tax Duties 3097 YenTotal in Yen 9757 YenTotal in Dollar (a little bit extra just in case the yen/dollar value fluctuated) ~95 USDPlease see the latest state of LN acquisition fund donation at the sidebar . . . [1] 状況把握 is an idiom that means “Know the situation where you stand/at” . [2] Bevor : Hinged plate protecting the lower face and throat in the close helm .