Chapter 172: Moving and the Situation in Various Countries

402nd Day in the Otherworld – 82,154pt

2 days after guiding the snake people

That day, we ended up showing them the village and the settlement area around while finalizing the plans for their future relocation.

The next day, we visited the snake people’s village, but rather than being warmly welcomed, we ended up conducting status appraisals for a total of 1,000 people. While Haruka and I handled the reception quietly, Touya and Drago wreaked havoc to their heart’s content, and Sakura was being hospitably entertained.

Snapenir and his friends have changed their appearance.

Their transformation seemed to have caused quite a commotion in the snake people’s village. However, that was only at first; now, it seems to have turned into a festive atmosphere. After suffering for so long from the monster transformation phenomenon and finally being liberated to the surface, it was only natural. Those seven were being hailed as heroes.

As for the loyalty of the snake people, it goes without saying. While their faith in Lady Nanashia is the foremost, they seem to have developed a high level of trust in the village chief, who serves as her emissary. Even if I were to leave, I think I could still expect a certain level of loyalty.

◇◇◇

“I’m sorry to have to even involve you, a hero.”

“No, it’s fine. My occupation doesn’t matter. I’m just a villager. Please feel free to use me anytime.”

“I wish I could help too… but it seems a bit difficult for me to join in.”

Today, the relocation work to the city has begun. With Merinard and Hayato’s spatial storage, we can store entire houses, so the effort required isn’t that much. I tried it myself, but… I was deemed unfit due to insufficient capacity.

“Besides, once we’re there, we’ll have Juri-san. We’ll just follow her instructions and it’ll be easy for us.”

“I’ll drop by later too. Can you let Juri know?”

“Got it. Well then, I’ll go do some more work!”

“The snake people won’t be coming for a while yet, so take it easy and don’t rush!”

Since the snake people won’t be moving in for about two weeks due to housing arrangements, there’s no need to rush. Watching Hayato head to the city in a hurry, I remembered the snake people’s village.

Their way of life isn’t that different from ours. Their homes are wooden lodge-style buildings, and they have pit toilets. They don’t have the habit of taking baths, but they never miss their daily water ablutions.

Yesterday, I brought Rudrug along to check the interiors as well. 

“We can use metal fixtures like nails here, so it’ll be done surprisingly quickly.” 

Considering that there are no specific snake people customs or taboos to deal with when living together, I think they’ll probably adapt quite easily. However, they were adamant about not wanting to miss their prayers to the goddess…

We’ve already taken measures for the expected overcrowding at the church in the future. The “goddess statue” series, which became the protagonist the other day… it turns out that no matter which one is prayed to, I’ll still gain faith points. Since this information came directly from the goddess, there should be no mistake.

From now on, we plan to switch to a routine where we visit the church once a week, and daily prayers will be offered to the goddess statues. We’ll place “goddess statues” in several locations in the city, and “copper statues of the goddess” will be distributed to those who wish for them.

—

As I gazed at the increasingly visible gaps in the residential area, Melinard returned this time. It seems his son, Merimas, is with him. Whether they’re having a meeting or not, they’re exchanging words with serious expressions.

(Those two, they look like adventurers from every angle… you couldn’t possibly think they’re merchants. They look the part, and they seem quite skilled…)

Adventurer Merimas, noticing me, quickly approached after parting ways with Melinard. He was holding not a sword, but a bundle of papers in his hand.

“Village Chief, a report from the information dealer arrived just now. It contains information about the current situation and military strength of various countries.”

“Oh, that’s helpful. Have Tsubaki and Sakura already checked it?”

“Of course, we’ve already made copies this morning.”

The papers handed over were two in number. One had information about the situation in various countries, and the other had details about population and military distribution.

“Is that big stack another report?”

“This is a request form. We’re surveying the residents’ wishes and opinions for the move to the city. I’m planning to visit the agricultural team after this.”

“I see. Then I’ll take a good look at this at home.”

“Understood. Well then, Village Chief, if you’ll excuse me.”

(A month has passed since the Empire occupied Keimos. It’s about time something happened)

After thanking Merimas, I immediately returned to my home and checked the report.

<Japanese Empire>

– The empire has completed the construction of a defensive wall along the border with the Beastman Country. The former city of Keimos serves as the capital, with cities also under construction to the north and west. Current progress is estimated to be around 25%.

– The empire’s military strength is concentrated on the northern border, with almost no deployment of forces to Nanashi Village. The former Border Count is stationed in the western frontier, while the Sword Saint is stationed in the northern frontier.

– Adequate food supplies are provided to the capital and frontier settlements, with little visible discontent or resistance. However, beneath the surface, purges by the Saint are still ongoing.

<Kingdom of Almadia>

– The kingdom is dealing with the response to orc incursions and the construction of defensive walls in the western region. The expulsion of the Japanese has led to a decrease in the number of mages, affecting construction speed.

– Despite the disappearance of the empire from its territories, the alliance with the Beastman Country continues. However, agreements for joint operations have been nullified.

– All slaves previously held by both the kingdom and the Beastman Country have been returned to their respective nations. The estimated number of Japanese remaining within the kingdom is around 500.

<Bistria Federation>

– The Beastman Country is constructing defensive walls and fortifications along the border with the empire. However, there are no immediate invasion plans. While remaining cautious of the kingdom, half of their forces are concentrated in the capital.

– The occupation of Keimos by the empire is widely known throughout the country. The parliament seeks to contain this information through the feudal lords, but discrimination and suspicion toward Japanese residents are increasing daily.

– There are already thousands of Japanese expressing a desire to immigrate to the Japanese Empire, fueling dissatisfaction at being denied entry. Adventurers are also beginning to move to cities near the empire’s border. There is a high likelihood of riots breaking out soon.

– Both the kingdom and the Beastman Country are focusing on leveling up soldiers to counter high-level individuals in the empire. They have issued permits for soldiers to venture into dungeons conquered by the empire, as well as areas beyond the 15th floor.

The first report outlined these points. Although within expectations, it was surprising to see them taking a wait-and-see approach rather than reclaiming Keimos. Perhaps they are preoccupied with the expulsion of the Japanese and distrust towards Ryuunosuke.

(Ryuunosuke might be in trouble… It seems like it might all end without us even meeting once.)

Well, putting aside such irrelevant thoughts, let’s take a look at the strength diagram on the other document. I don’t know how they investigated, but it was quite detailed.

Given the amount of information and the speed of collection, it’s definitely organized. Unless it’s some kind of special ability, I’m more interested in the Japanese who gathered this information than Ryuunosuke.

===

Japanese Empire

Total Population: 93,000 (Japanese: 90,000)

Imperial Army: 3,000

Combatants: 30,000

Production Workers: 60,000

===

Beastman Allied Nation

Total Population: 240,000 (Japanese: 12,000)

Alliance Army: 33,000

===

Kingdom of Amaldia

Total Population: 850,000 (Japanese: 500)

Royal Army: 85,000

– 40,000 for dealing with the northern orcs

– 10,000 for dealing with the western orcs

– 25,000 on the border with the southern beastman country

– Total of 10,000 in each territory

===

I’ll skip the detailed numbers, but that’s a rough outline of the military strength.

Compared to the initial transfer, the weakening of the kingdom is particularly noticeable. Well, the same goes for the beastman country. Since there’s also the matter of dealing with the orcs, the actual available forces should be considerably fewer. There seems to be almost no difference in military strength between the countries.

(It’s amazing how balanced this is. Well, it’s ideal for the village, so let’s just have the empire act as a barrier and observe for now.)

There might be some minor skirmishes, but it seems like a peaceful era will continue for a while.

If something were to happen, at most, Japanese people in the beastman country might migrate to the empire. Thinking logically, it doesn’t seem likely for inter-state wars to occur, or rather, it’s impossible to start one.

(Since the commotion in the empire, things have been quite busy. Now that it’s finally settled down, it seems like we can relax for a while.)

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