Chapter 122: The Village Chief’s Declaration

288th Day of Life in Another World – Faith Points: 1032pt

“Alright, everyone, the Village Chief will now speak about our future plans. Please pay close attention.”

The dining hall was currently filled with a total of 153 villagers, including those who had been on an expedition to the ruins dungeon and members of the merchant guild who had been in town. Everyone was present.

Five days ago, after setting up the “Teleportation Magic Circle” in the village, I had headed to the dungeon within the ruins while deactivating the barrier. Faith points continued to increase steadily, and by the time I arrived at the ruins, I was able to easily set up another magic circle.

Thankfully, the structure of the “Teleportation Magic Circle” was very straightforward. It was identical in both form and function to the teleportation circles found in dungeons. In the center of the magic circle, there was a black-glowing stone pillar, and it activated upon touch.

In the future, if I set up more of these circles in different locations, multiple destinations would likely appear when one touched the stone pillar. I didn’t need to explain how convenient this was.

(But let me say it anyway—it’s amazing!)

However, it was impossible to transfer goods. Equipment and personal belongings were fine, but items placed on the ground or in wagons couldn’t be transferred. Well, that wasn’t an issue if I stored them in my spatial storage. On the other hand, horses could be teleported, so it seemed that living creatures were not a problem.

With that said… today, we had gathered everyone to announce our future plans.

“Thank you all for gathering today. I have something I’d like to declare before discussing our future plans.”

Everyone was focused on me, and not a single voice was heard. Even Rudrug, who usually liked to heckle, had a very serious expression today.

“I believe everyone here is familiar with the benefits of the ‘Goddess’s Blessings.’ They are posted on the bulletin board for all to see. Now, there are many options available, but… I’ll be choosing them as I please.”

Despite making this declaration, no one’s expression seemed to change.

“Of course, feel free to offer your opinions and advice. I’d appreciate that. However, in the end, the final decision will be mine. I want to choose as I please, not just for the village’s sake… but how about it?”

Suddenly asking, “How about it?” seemed to cause a stir. The vague wording at the end left the villagers unsure of how to respond.

“Come on, Village Chief, if you’re going to say it, say it all the way through… Don’t worry, there’s not a single person here with complaints about you. Right, everyone?”

Saying so, when Touya stood up… following him, the Japanese members stood up… and then all the other villagers stood up one by one.

“See? You might have forgotten, but our village has loyalty ratings. In the first place, those who have complaints aren’t here.”

“…You’re right. Everyone, thank you. Please sit down.”

Now that it was pointed out, it was true. They had set their own loyalty ratings and come this far by crossing the stone bridge.

“Alright, let’s discuss our plans. I have three main goals in mind.”

One, “Let’s visit the church every day.”

Two, “Let’s stockpile as much food as possible.”

Three, “Let’s build a large city right in the heart of the Great Forest.”

To make it easy for the children to understand, I tried to simplify it, but… the reactions from everyone were:

“Don’t these plans seem a bit similar to what we’ve been doing so far?”

“But building a city is something new, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but it somehow feels too ordinary.”

“Well, there’s no big surprise.”

“I thought you were going to announce something more ruthless.”

“Yeah, that’s right. We were talking about it yesterday. When we heard there was a major announcement, we were pretty nervous, you know? It’s kind of… anticlimactic?”

They didn’t seem too surprised. In fact… they called it ordinary or anticlimactic. Seeing this, Tsubaki, who couldn’t bear it anymore, spoke up.

“Uhm, everyone, please be quiet. The Village Chief is about to continue speaking.”

“Ah, what I meant was… Well, let me explain the details.”

Despite the lack of excitement, I explained the details.

“Visiting the church every day” was quite straightforward. We should pray once a day to earn as many faith points as possible. With this, we could earn 150 points every day, so I hoped everyone would cooperate.

“As for ‘stockpiling as much food as possible,’ it’s related to our next plan, which involves receiving refugees. The aim is to provide abundant food to increase loyalty. It’s not about rescuing refugees or providing humanitarian aid. In simple terms, it’s about luring people to become villagers with food.”

Finally, “building a large city in the heart of the Great Forest” was the most crucial part.

In my estimation, the Orcs would start breeding in large numbers in the Beastmen territory eventually. When the parliament refused to release slaves, the Empire would likely take the same approach as they did in the kingdom, clearing the dungeon and letting the Orcs rampage.

“To kill many people without getting their hands dirty.”

This act was ruthless and inhumane in my opinion. However, it was also the most brilliant way to reduce the enemy’s military power without suffering any harm to one’s own country.

So, the plan was to create a place of refuge ahead of time.

When I said “build a large city,” I didn’t mean we had to build it from scratch. Once refugees gathered, those who couldn’t become villagers could settle down on their own, and it would naturally grow larger. Over time, people with increased loyalty would also emerge, so it would be a win-win situation.

Providing support such as food, water, simple lodgings for shelter from rain and wind, clothing, and pioneering tools should be sufficient. Once they took refuge in the city, they would no longer have to worry about food and a place to sleep, which would be much better than dying in the wilderness.

During the explanation, Sakura asked a question.

“Keisuke-san, where exactly are you planning to build this city?”

“I considered various options, but I plan to build it near Rado’s settlement.”

“Could you tell us the reason for that?”

“Sure. I’ll explain the steps, including that. Is that okay?”

“Of course. It would be helpful.”

1. Completely seal off the area from the plains near the city to a bit into the forest with a barrier, from the northern mountains to the southern coast. This would prevent anyone from entering, except for the one entrance left open as a trade route since there was a trade route in that location.

2. Set up barriers on both sides of the trade route from the forest entrance to the original settlement. Since the width of the trade route was 4 meters, even if a large army were to advance, it would slow down significantly, and they wouldn’t be able to deploy over a wide area. Furthermore, while the army was stuck on the trade route, they could be attacked at will from within the barriers on both sides.

3. Establish a checkpoint at the entrance to the planned city. Eventually, I intended to place barracks and the “Goddess’s Crystal Statue” here to confirm the status of refugees and register residents.

4. Finally, regularly check the refugees to see who could become villagers and relocate those who met the loyalty requirements to Nanashi Village.

“–I see, I get the general idea. It seems pretty good. But… what would you do if Japanese refugees came?”

“The village will accept anyone except for those with troublesome skills. However, those who resisted or showed a bad attitude would be eliminated without question.”

“Hmmm… By the way, does elimination literally mean exclusion?”

“Oh I’ll literally have them disappear. There’s no room for compromise when it comes to elimination.”

“I agree. Considering the attacks we faced in the beginning, Japanese refugees are the most dangerous.”

On this matter, all the other Japanese members and the Beastmen villagers had unanimously agreed. Many of them had learned this lesson through bitter experience, so it was only natural.

“Village Chief, may I ask one more question?”

“Merinard, go ahead.”

“In the early stages of development, it’s fine, but once the population increases, we’ll need someone to manage the city. How do you plan to choose that person?”

“I plan to recruit volunteers from now on. If necessary, I can handle it myself, but I’d prefer to leave it to everyone.”

“I see. Understood.”

“Well, it’s based on the assumption that refugees will come.”

“Even if your prediction is wrong, it won’t be a waste. There are plenty of ways to use it.”

“Yeah, I agree with that.”

I also explained that I planned to set up “Teleportation Magic Circles” in Keimos City, the southern coast, the northern mines, and the eastern dungeon, and at some point, we would stop food trading with the city depending on the situation.

“Well, for today, let’s end it here… We’ll decide the rest while keeping an eye on the situation. I’m counting on everyone to be prepared for that.”

Then, a hearty round of applause echoed through the dining hall.

No one opposed my plans. This was also the result of upholding loyalty without compromise until today. To others, I might appear as a “dictator,” but they could say what they wanted.

Ruling with an air of dictatorship in this small village suits my personality. Even if it’s all thanks to the skills I happened to receive.

“Now then, let’s call it a day and enjoy our holiday. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be counting on everyone’s hard work!”

“Cheers!”

“Alright! Now that Chief’s talk is over, let’s drink!”

“Rudrug-san, you’ve been fidgeting the whole time.”

“Well, you’ve been patient, old man. I see this was your goal.”

“Shut up! Those who have complaints won’t get a drink!”

“This isn’t Rudrug’s sake, is it? Hey, Village Chief, say something!”

“Well, why not? Starting tomorrow, we’ll be working hard, and this might be the last chance for a drink.”

“Hey, that’s not fair… At least a glass or two every day, right?”

Watching the lively banquet, starting with Rudrug, I was an old man who was already planning the development strategy for tomorrow.

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