Chapter 301: Send-Off (2/3)

Would you like another cup? [Ryouma]

Please. [Reinhart]

I poured him another cup. Reinhart-san took a deep breath to immerse himself in its aroma, then he let out a breath of relief. Im sure he mustve worked a lot to protect me. And for that, Im grateful. Isnt there something I could do for him?

I decided to ask him instead of just wondering by myself, and after thinking awhile, he said.

This might be a bit different from what you had in mind, but Id heard from my dad about how you purified the miasma with your grave slimes. Is it true that you asked for land covered in miasma as a reward? So that you could use it for your experiments? [Reinhart]

Yes, but Id be glad as long as I could have a place I can use for experiments and for feeding. In fact, I dont really need to own it. If you could just lend me a place or give me permission to use it, that will be enough. I mean I havent even really thought about the management and rights afterwards, so [Ryouma]

The thing is Your experiment alone would be a huge help to us. Miasma and undead countermeasures cost money, and no one can afford to skimp out on them. So as long as the person can be trusted, Im sure most n.o.bles would happily give you permission to use their land if it means someone else will deal with the miasma and the undead. [Reinhart]

As Ive learned while we were in the Town of Departed Spirits, even if miasma couldnt be fully removed, there was a lot of demand just to thin it or even maintain the status quo.

From what Ive heard, it sounds like you could already make a living by removing miasma. [Elize]

Thats true. Currently, Im only interested in experimenting with my magic and my slimes, as well as seeing how far I can go, but I think Ill put more effort into clearing out miasma once I get back from the Great Forest. [Ryouma]

According to the G.o.ds, miasma is harmful to all the living creatures of this world. They harm not only the land and the animals living on it, but even the very world itself. Apparently, theyre something akin to the white blood cells in the human body. They are necessary for the continued existence of the world, but its problematic for there to be too many.

Miasma was on the rise, so they said that it would be a great help if I could help purify it.

Wouldnt that mean [Elize]

That youve received a divine mandate? [Reinhart]

The madam was the first to speak, but she quickly became speechless, and Reinhart-san had to finish her words for her with a tense face. I better make it clear that theyre making a huge misunderstanding.

The G.o.ds do sometimes suggest to do certain things, but they dont actually give me orders. The G.o.ds prefer to refrain from telling people what to do.

Your grace, and the madam, and everyone else has helped me out so much. And in a similar vein, I am also grateful to the G.o.ds. So if something Ive found interesting could allow me to repay that grat.i.tude even a little, then nothing could be better.

I wont have any goals left once I come back from the Great Forest, so I was thinking it would be good to set the purification of miasma as my goal for the time being. In other words This goal of mine is really just something Im doing for my own satisfaction. Thats all. [Ryouma]

Now that I think about it, I might have decided to go to the Great Forest just because I didnt have a clear goal after parting with everyone and deciding to become independent. At the time, I happened to think about my hometown, so I decided to set that as my goal. It was really just a whim.

But now, its a goal that Ive set for myself. I suppose it can be considered as a rite of pa.s.sage of sort as someone who was born to this world and now lives in it. Or maybe its the j.a.panese in me that just holds too tightly to the concept of obligations.

You know, its really bad for the heart when you just casually drop matters pertaining to the G.o.ds But, okay, I can kind of understand. [Elize]

If youre going to be dealing with miasma, then you should get the supervision of an expert. Lets bring Rosenberg-dono into the fray. Ill look for some potential sites too, but do you have any specific conditions in mind? If not, then there are a few abandoned villages that could be rebuilt as long as theyre purified. Personally, I would prefer those. [Reinhart]

Ive recently been able to use Long-Distance Teleportation with my own familiars as a reference point. A place without a lot of people would be ideal. Abandoned villages are sure to be void of people since they are, well, abandoned. But why specifically an abandoned village?

I asked that, and apparently, Reinhart-san was currently planning to construct new villages and roads. Come to think of it, there was that talk about building villages for my slime farming experiment, wasnt there?

Thats not all. I believe Ive already spoken with you about how the monsters have been increasing in numbers these past few years. In fact, at the new years ceremony, his majesty, the king, broached that very topic. He told us n.o.bles, in his own words: Be ever vigilant, so that you might be able to protect your own people, no matter when or where the problems arise.

Thats why more and more n.o.bles are making their preparations. Suddenly expanding ones military and stocking up supplies would make the people uneasy, and there are also a lot of n.o.bles that unreasonably believe they are safe, so while I dont think anything will happen right away, it wouldnt be strange for something to happen. Hence, my biggest motivator for building villages is actually to minimize the effect from that. [Reinhart]

If a lord wishes to expand his army, then naturally, the resources needed to support his army will increase. Whether its the duke, or some other lord, if they were to try and procure those resources all in one go, the burden is sure to fall onto the people. And the shortage of supplies will inevitably lead to h.o.a.rding, reselling, and price inflation, resulting in a vicious cycle. This is less a prediction and more a guaranteed sequence of events.

At the same time, it finally dawned on me.

You mentioned something about constructing villages for my slime farming experiment earlier this year. [Ryouma]

Yes, I was hearing about your slime farming for the first time, so I didnt have a concrete plan back then, but it was definitely a moment of enlightenment for me. Ive been wanting to maximize our territorys production for awhile now, you see, but it was a matter directly linked to a lot of lives, what with food and medicine shortages, and the accompanying price hikes.

Were constructing roads too because, well Theres no point to having a lot of goods but failing to deliver them in time, is there? This matter goes beyond preparing for the monsters. This is something that will stimulate the economy, and if we can produce a lot of food through slime farming, then well be able to support the other fiefs too. [Reinhart]

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