Kays Translations

Chapter 66: The Return of a Troublesome Guy

“Hey, what’s this about? Where’d you even get that info… oh, wait, it’s gotta be from the guards here, huh?”
“Yeah, exactly. They asked me if I was planning to leave this place, so I told them I wasn’t. But I got curious about where that rumor came from, so I asked. Then they were like, ‘Are you attacking everyone trying to sneak into Lindor because you want to take it over?’”
“…Ahhh.”

I see now. What I thought was just a way to kill time ended up being seen differently.

So, from the perspective of other countries, my actions probably look like I’m saying, ‘Stay out of my country!’

I didn’t even consider that possibility.

I mean, I don’t care about other countries.

“For now, I told them I don’t think that’s the case. Was that okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I have absolutely no intention of doing that, so your answer works.”

When I said that, Ivern looked relieved.

“Got it. Man, that’s good to hear. Honestly, I was starting to think that maybe you were using the rice fields in old Lindor as a foothold to take over the place.”

“It’s a rice paddy, not a field. And why would I even want to rule over that huge wasteland? Just think about it—it’d be way too much work for me, and there’s no point in doing it.”

Even if I did manage to take control of Lindor, what then?

What am I supposed to do with just eight people, including myself?

Why can’t these people figure that out with a little thought?

As I puzzled over the bizarre logic of this world’s people, Eva came by to pick up some supplies and spoke with a wry smile.

“Many royals and nobles in this world think that as long as they control the land, it will generate profit on its own. The citizens living there aren’t even part of the equation.”

“Wow, that’s seriously messed up.”

At my blunt remark, Eva let out a bitter chuckle.

“It’s a hard truth to hear. To be honest, back when I was in the royal castle, I hardly ever left it. I can’t deny that I had a similar mindset. It was only after coming here, seeing Ivern go out to shop and seeing you, Mitsuhiko, working so hard to grow rice, that I realized how the things we used and ate were made and sold.”

So that’s what it’s like for royals and nobles, huh?

And these are the people deciding their country’s policies—without knowing a thing about the reality on the ground.

No wonder they seem completely clueless.

“From their perspective, your actions must look like you’re preventing others from entering your territory.”
“Ah, so that’s how it is…”

Got it, got it.

In that case…

“I’m done shooting down anyone crossing the border.”

If it’s going to cause this kind of misunderstanding, I’m not doing it anymore.

It was just a way to kill time anyway, and now that Nara has learned teleportation magic, I only need to occasionally check in and use growth magic on the fields.

I’ve shot down plenty of people trying to cross the border, but there will always be more of them. These criminals will keep coming.

Well, good luck with that.

And so, from that day onward, I stopped targeting people trying to cross into old Lindor.

A few weeks later, a town near the border between Admos and Lindor was taken over by a criminal organization.

Just days after that, Admos quickly assembled a subjugation force.

Since the town was near the border, the Admos army wiped them out in no time.

I watched it all unfold in real time from nearby, and honestly, I almost died laughing.

The moment I stopped shooting down border-crossers, the Admos border guards suddenly let them flood through, and a criminal group took over a nearby town.

Like, seriously? Are you guys idiots?

Using the magic I had set up to monitor Weimar’s princess, I watched everything, laughing so hard I was gasping for air.

Honestly, I’ve never felt closer to death since coming to this world.

Because I didn’t get involved at all, the rumor about me trying to take over Lindor finally died out.

In fact, people started to realize, Wait, was he actually stopping the criminals crossing the border?

That’s when it hit me.

Oh, so that’s why Weimar was so grateful.

Weimar, at least, had figured out that I’d been stopping the border-crossing criminals all along.

So that’s why they sent their thanks through Ivern.

In that case, I might as well make sure no one crosses the border between Weimar and Lindor.

The other countries? Free pass.

After all, they were the ones loudly accusing me of trying to take over Lindor, only to suddenly change their tune.

Too late for that now.

I set up a barrier, like the one in this forest, around the border between Weimar and Lindor, as well as around the farmland where Nara is. This means no one from Weimar can cross the border, and even if someone manages to cross through another country, they won’t make it to that village.

As for the other countries, I’m adopting a don’t care stance. But for some reason, Admos misunderstood this and started claiming that they should also have a barrier like the one between Weimar and Lindor.

When Eva heard that, she covered her bright red face with her hands and muttered, “How embarrassing…” Meanwhile, Nara sighed and said, “I’m so glad I left quickly…”

Ignoring that demand, I soon noticed that the relationship between Admos and Weimar was deteriorating again.

Sigh. Why does their relationship fall apart so easily?

Come to think of it, with all these Admos-related rumors, could it be that the king of Admos has come back?

What a pain.

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