Chapter 145: “A Meeting About the Trading Post”

—Thor’s point of view—

“Now then, let us begin the meeting.”

General Reisenga made his declaration.

The meeting was about to be held in the large hall of the general’s mansion. Gathered were civil and military officials connected to the trading post. The agenda was “Expansion of the Trading Post and Establishment of a Diplomatic Mission.”

Agnis and I are also attending. We’re in a sort of envoy role, going back and forth between the Demon Lord’s Territory and the town of Nosa. It’s important that we share information.

“For this meeting, we have invited Civil Official Erte.”

The general announced this to everyone. The moment her name was called, Erte-san hurriedly stood up. She looked around at the people in the hall and said:

“Nice to meet you all in the Reisenga Domain. I am Erte, a civil official.”

She bowed deeply.

Erte-san is Chancellor Kelve’s niece and also helps evaluate the magic items I create. Because of that connection, it seems she was appointed as the representative for the diplomatic mission to be established at the trading post.

“I may still be inexperienced, but I will do my best. Please lend me your support!”

“Of course. We will assist you wholeheartedly.”

General Reisenga responded.

“Sending a relative must mean that His Excellency the Chancellor has high hopes for the new trading post. Let us not betray that trust—everyone, I ask for your cooperation.”

“””Understood!!”””

All the people gathered in the hall raised their voices in unison.

Of course, I intend to do everything I can. I owe a lot to Erte-san.

“As you all know, the trading post will now be expanded. There, a diplomatic mission from the Demon Lord’s Territory will be established. The one in charge of its operation will be Erte-san.”

General Reisenga continued his explanation.

“The purpose of the expansion is to economically develop the Demon Lord’s Territory. By deepening our interaction with the border towns and the Grand Duchy, we can gain many things. Hearing our reputation, other nations may also desire trade with the Demon Lord’s Territory. Isn’t that right, Erte-san?”

“Y-Yes, I believe that’s possible.”

“That’s why we’ve been working together with the Chancellor’s Office to operate the trading post. Of course, the trading post was established thanks to the achievements of Alchemist Thorl, Mabel, and Agnis as well.”

…Huh? Um, General, why are you turning the conversation this way? Didn’t we agree we’d only respond if asked…? Also, why are your eyes sparkling?

“Thanks to Thor’s growing friendship with Princess Sophia, we were able to establish a trading post—that is, an outpost of the Demon Lord’s Territory—in the border region. Having gained the trust of the Grand Duchy, we are now expanding the trading post. Isn’t that right, Erte-san?”

“Y-Yes, just as the general said…”

“Therefore, Thor’s achievements are significant. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the establishment of the trading post was Thor and Agnis’ first joint endeavor—”

“Father.”

Suddenly, Agnis murmured.

“We are in a meeting right now. I believe it would be best to stick to the main topic.”

“…Y-Yes!”

Clutching her ‘Health-Boosting Pendant,’ Agnis gave a sharp look, and the general quickly nodded in return.

“I-I apologize, everyone. It was parental instinct… No, I simply got off track! What I meant to say is that Thor’s contribution to this matter has been great. That was all I wanted to say. I had no other intentions!”

Saying that, General Reisenga turned to Erte.

“Now then, Erte-san. Regarding the trading post, you’ve received a letter from Her Majesty the Demon Lord, Rukie Evergard, haven’t you? Could you please present it to everyone? P-Please, Erte-san.”

“Y-Yes, understood.”

Erte-san took out a letter from her pocket. She began to read it aloud slowly.

‘From Demon Lord Rukie Evergard, regarding the expansion of the trading post:

Princess Sophia of the Grand Duchy proposed an expansion of the trading post. After thorough deliberation, I have decided to accept it.

The purpose of expanding the trading post is to develop the Demon Lord’s Territory. Buying the Empire’s products and learning their technology and culture offers many benefits. We shall adopt and study useful cultures. Learning technology will enable us to create better products.

However, with deepening interaction with humans comes the concern of increased trouble. To resolve this, a diplomatic outpost will be established at the trading post. Civil Official Erte and members of the Reisenga Domain will be stationed there.

Of course, should any major issues arise, they will be handled at the Demon Lord’s Castle. Erte and the others will handle minor issues that can be resolved on-site. There are things only those on the ground can understand, and some matters require swift resolution.

I believe the expansion of the trading post will become a catalyst for further development of the Demon Lord’s Territory. If funds or materials are needed, submit a request. I expect great work from you all.’

“—That is all.”

Saying that, Erte-san folded the letter. Silence fell over the hall for a while. Everyone seemed to be absorbing the contents of Rukie’s letter. Eventually—

“Development of the border regions. Economic growth. Ultimately, for the Demon Lord’s Territory. As expected of Her Majesty.”

“The responsibility is heavy…”

“Her Majesty trusts us. If we do not live up to that, the name of the ‘Flame Giant Ifrit’s Retainers’ will be tarnished!”

The civil and military officials of the Reisenga Domain raised their voices. Everyone seemed moved by Rukie’s letter.

As expected, Rukie is amazing. With just one letter, she’s captured everyone’s hearts. That’s our Demon Lord for you.

“We understand everyone’s feelings. We, too, have great expectations for this project.”

After that, General Reisenga looked around and declared:

“But, we can’t proceed immediately. The expansion of the trading post will be carried out in cooperation with the ‘Omawarisan Unit’ of ‘Nosa Town’… however, it seems they are currently preoccupied.”

Right now, the Empire’s investigative unit is moving to obtain “that box.”

Princess Sophia and the “Omawarisan Unit” must deal with that.

Therefore, the “Trading Post Expansion Project” will have to wait until after that is resolved.

“When the situation on their end is resolved, we must be ready to move immediately. We will draw up a plan here—create a layout of the trading post, decide where to place the diplomatic base, and determine security arrangements. We’ll also need to prepare materials.”

Saying this, the general looked toward Erte-san.

Erte-san nodded to everyone and spread a layout diagram on the table.

From here, it was the civil officials’ job.

“Well then, I’ll take over from here. First, regarding the procurement of necessary materials—”

—And so, the meeting continued.

Even though it’s called “Trading Post Expansion,” there are countless issues to tackle.

Personnel placement. Procurement and transportation of materials.

How to inform Nosa Town about the construction. The timing and duration.

The role of the diplomatic base.

Policies for dealing with trouble.

Coordination with the “Omawarisan Unit.”

Erte-san went over each point, listening to everyone’s opinions.

People from the Reisenga territory actively voiced their thoughts.

This kind of thing is impressive about the Demon Lord’s Domain.

Back when I was in the Empire, it was basically top-down communication.

The upper level’s opinions reached the lower levels clearly, but the lower levels’ opinions never reached the top.

That caused a lot of problems…

“…Thor Canaan-sama.”

Suddenly, Agnis murmured.

“Our role is to serve as envoys to ‘Nosa Town’… right? That’s what the ‘residence permit’ is for.”

“Yeah. We’re the ones who go in and out of the border towns most frequently.”

“I understand that. But still…”

Agnis looked down.

“It would be nice if Mabel could come too. She also has a residence permit…”

“I get it, but it’s probably not possible right now.”

“Yes. Elf ears stand out too much. But… I want to find a way to help her…”

“Well, I’ve already thought of a countermeasure, actually.”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

Huh? Didn’t I mention it?

That I’m developing an item that will let Mabel walk around Nosa Town freely.

Well, we can talk about that later. We’re still in the meeting.

Agnis and I put our fingers to our lips and made a “shhh” gesture.

We turned our attention back to the ongoing discussion.

Thus, the meeting continued, and without a chance for Agnis or me to speak, it came to an end.

Eventually, everyone began to leave the room.

I stood up to follow them out—but—

“Thor-sama, forgive me, but may I borrow a bit of your time?”

—General Reisenga stopped me.

“I would like to hear your opinion on using ‘traffic cones’ for the trading post’s security.”

“You mean the magic item?”

“…Yes, the magic item.”

“Understood. I’ll hear you out.”

And so, I ended up having a one-on-one conversation with the general.

After that, we moved to another room.

We received some tea from the mansion’s maid and took a short break.

Then—

“The ‘traffic cones’ created by Thor-sama—those will be used for security at the trading post.”

General Reisenga said.

“However, I do not fully understand the effective range of the ‘traffic cones.’ That is why I want your advice.”

“So that’s what this is about.”

The effective range of the “traffic cones,” huh.

I haven’t done precise experiments yet, so I’ll have to estimate—

“The effective range is a radius of a little over ten meters. But the intense killing intent is within about one meter.”

“The effect varies with distance, then?”

“Yes. When the ‘traffic cone’ is visible, it exerts a slight pressure. If someone gets within one meter, that becomes a strong sense of killing intent. People will feel a threat to their life, so normal folks likely won’t even be able to touch it.”

“I see. Then it should be useful for trading post security.”

General Reisenga folded his arms.

“How would you suggest we deploy them, Thor-sama?”

“Let’s see. When the trading post is open, they can be used to guide people. People will unconsciously keep their distance from the ‘traffic cones,’ so if you place them well, you can make them form lines. Also, you can place them in restricted areas.”

“I see.”

“The problem is what to do when the trading post is closed.”

“Indeed. During that time, I would like to reduce the number of guards as much as possible.”

When the trading post is closed, only Erte-san’s diplomatic base will be operating.

There will be fewer visitors, so many guards won’t be necessary.

But some level of security is still required… It’s a tricky balance.

“The trading post opens only once every few days. During the rest of the time, only the diplomatic base will be operating. With the current size, a small number of guards can manage. But once it’s expanded…”

“It’ll be harder for the guards to keep an eye on everything, since it’ll be larger.”

“Indeed. The question is how to use the ‘traffic cones’ to cover those gaps. We also have to consider the investigative unit coming from the Imperial Capital. I want the security to be tight.”

If the trading post expands, that will also increase the number of places that can’t be properly monitored.

So they want to fill that gap with the “traffic cones,” huh?

There’s also the issue of the investigation unit from the Imperial Capital coming to look into “that box.” It’d be better to strengthen security.

“How about arranging the ‘traffic cones’ in a formation, then?”

“A formation? You mean treating the traffic cones like soldiers?”

“As a general, you must be familiar with formations used to surround or intercept enemies. I think we can take inspiration from that. That way, the ‘traffic cones’ could more effectively block intruders.”

“I see! That’s an interesting idea.”

General Reisenga clapped his hands with a pon.

“If it’s a defensive formation, it can intercept enemies efficiently. If we apply that, the ‘traffic cones’ might be able to guard the trading post with minimal waste.”

“Do you have any recommended formations? If you’d like, I can adjust the ‘traffic cones’ to fit them.”

“Let’s see. Perhaps the formation used by the hero from another world would be good.”

“A hero from another world’s formation, huh. Come to think of it… there were things like the ‘Crane Wing Formation’ and the ‘Fish Scale Formation.’”

“Though the ones who actually arranged the formations were soldiers from this world, apparently.”

“The hero himself was satisfied just by laying out the formation and then charged straight into the Demon Lord’s army.”

“Indeed. That’s why few in the Demon Lord’s territory are familiar with the hero’s formations.”

General Reisenga sighed.

“But you, Thor-sama, who are well-versed in the hero’s world, might know what formation would make the ‘traffic cones’ most effective, right?”

“…That’s true.”

I remembered reading in a history book at the government office in the Imperial Capital about a so-called “self-proclaimed strategist” hero.

He apparently taught various formations and strategies to the humans of that time.

The “Crane Wing Formation” and “Fish Scale Formation” are still recorded even now.

And that’s not all.

The “self-proclaimed strategist” hero supposedly knew even more impressive formations.

Although it was never actually used, there was one called the “Stone Soldier Eight Formations.”

I think it probably involved using stone golems, but the hero boasted that he could use such things.

If I can imitate those formations, maybe I could make even better use of the ‘traffic cones.’

“Understood. I’ll try to come up with something.”

“There’s no need to rush. It’s something for after the trading post expands. Just keep it in mind. Don’t overdo it.”

“Yes, General.”

With that, I left the room.

“Alchemist-sama. May I have a moment of your time?”

As I stepped into the hallway, I was stopped by Erte-san.

“I have a favor to ask, regarding my assignment to the trading post’s diplomatic base.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. It’s about my horns.”

Erte-san stroked the horn behind her ear.

It was about the length of an index finger.

Not as big as Rukie’s, but still fairly noticeable.

“For ordinary humans, demon horns must seem frightening, right?”

“I think they look cool.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But what about from the perspective of ordinary humans?”

“…………”

“…………”

“Well, they might be a bit surprised.”

“I thought so.”

Erte-san lowered her shoulders.

“…It’s difficult to interact with humans.”

“Of course, I think there are people who wouldn’t be surprised, too.”

“I understand that. But I can’t depend on that possibility.”

Erte-san nodded with a tense expression.

“After I’m assigned to the trading post, I’ll have to face many humans. I don’t want to scare or surprise them. I’m going for the sake of friendship between the Demon Lord’s territory and the human world. If possible… I’d like to get along with them.”

“…Erte-san.”

“There was a time when I used to be wary of humans. But now I know there are humans who can be trusted, and others where there’s no point in being on guard. That’s why I want to understand humans better.”

“I see.”

“…………That’s how it is.”

Huh? Why is Erte-san staring at me like that?

And why does she have such gentle eyes?

“In any case, I want to befriend humans and fulfill my role as a diplomat better. For that, I’d like to ask for your help, Alchemist-sama.”

With that, Erte-san finished her explanation.

There was something a little off, but I got the point.

She doesn’t want to surprise people by showing her horns. In that case—

“Shall I make you an item to hide your horns?”

“Thank you. But… if possible, could you come up with an item that only dulls the horns’ appearance?”

“To make them less noticeable, huh.”

“If I completely hide them, it would be like deceiving humans.”

Erte-san declared this firmly.

“I want to remain as fair as possible. Pretending to be a demon without horns feels dishonest to me. So if I could make the horns less noticeable so that humans won’t be startled… that would be ideal.”

As expected of Chancellor Kelve’s niece—so serious.

She doesn’t want to surprise people, but she doesn’t want to lie either… impressive.

That kind of mindset is something I can genuinely respect.

In that case, I’ll help her.

I was just thinking about a disguise item for Mabel.

If I apply that, I might be able to naturally dull the visibility of Erte-san’s horns.

“All right. I’ll think about it on my end, too.”

“No need to hurry. You have more important duties, Alchemist-sama. You can put me at the bottom of your list—”

“I know, I know.”

“Do you really know? Um, Alchemist-sama—!?”

As I listened to Erte-san’s voice, I hurried off toward the workshop.

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