CH 71

Here’s the chapter, enjoy~

Having taken control of the three forts and secured a bridgehead to strengthen our influence over the Merinard Kingdom, we decided to concentrate on gaining a foothold. To tell the truth, Danan wanted to go as far as securing Erichburg, but no matter what he thought, we didn’t have enough troops to maintain control over the city of Erichburg and its surroundings.

“I guess we can only think of it as good fortune for now that we were able to secure a fort on the territory border.”

“It’s a pity.”

“It’s nothing to be pessimistic about, you know. The fact that we have seized these three forts also means that we have completely secured control of the Great Omit Wilderness. The rest is up to you, Kosuke.”

“Up to me…?”

That means I’ll have to make full use of my abilities to create an environment where people can live in the barren wilderness, right? It’s really a painstaking job.

“For the time being, I think we should proceed with the fortification of the three forts on the territory border.”

“Yes… but we should also proceed with the development of new settlements.”

“There’s still too much room for more forts, isn’t there?”

“As soon as word spreads throughout the Merinard Kingdom that we have taken down the fort at the territory’s border, the number of people will increase. If we don’t have enough when the time comes, it’s no longer worth talking about.”

“With Kosuke’s ability, the establishment of the settlement will be finished in an instant. It should be enough time to set up the settlement. The first priority is to fortify the forts in order to fully protect the settlement. No matter how many settlements we build, if the fort is overtaken, it will just be destroyed.”

Danan and Melty were exchanging opinions about the future course of action.

For now, they have agreed to maintain the current situation and consolidate our foothold. However, they are still debating what direction to take to consolidate our foothold. If Sylphy were to interfere, the plan would be decided, so for the time being; she seemed to be ready to stand idly by. Isla is out of her seat to treat the wounded soldiers of the Holy Kingdom army.

Regardless of which plan is adopted by Melty or Danan, I’m destined to be used. I’ll give up on that. I’m not going to complain as long as I get some time to rest.

“Where are we going to build a new settlement, anyway? Haven’t you even chosen a location yet?”

“No problem at all. The search around the main base is in progress. We’ve already selected a possible location.”

“I’m interested in that, too. Can you tell me about it?”

Sylphy, who had been watching the conversation between Danan and Melty, asked. I’m curious too.

“Yes, there are some rocky mountains a short distance away from the main base, and according to my research, it seems that good quality stone and ore can be collected.”

“I see, so we can expect to produce materials. What else?”

“The search has revealed another vein hole, a collection of veins in the ground. If we can duplicate the warding device to keep out monsters, we can increase the number of safe settlements like the main base.”

Oh, a new vein hole. I’m pretty sure that a vein hole is a kind of power spot that can draw an inexhaustible supply of magic power from the ground to power a magic tool. The main base is benefiting from this, and magic tools that are powered by magic power can be used as much as you want. It’s definitely a useful thing.

“I see… Kosuke, what is the status of your stockpile of materials?”

“Stone is fine, but clay and wood are running low. Whether it’s fortifying forts or developing new settlements, I’m a little short on supplies.”

Clay can be found in the Great Omit Wilderness, but wood cannot be found there. We can’t just ship it in from the Black Forest; we need to replenish it.

“Shall we cut down the trees in the forest around here?”

“That’s right. Let us go into the forest with a scouting party and cut down some trees while we’re at it.”

The forest is also within sight of Fort Gamma. So far, we’re completely out of the Great Omit Wilderness, and the vegetation is lush. Even after all this time, I’m still worried about whether it’s really safe to stay in the Great Omit Wilderness for a long time.

“This time, I’m going to follow Danan’s plan. The first thing we need to do is to strengthen the fortifications on the territory border. We can’t afford to have the fort taken back by a counterattack. As Danan said, there is still the main base, but the frontline base… is no longer the frontline. Well, at any rate, there is still room in the frontline base to receive personnel. Securing a settlement will not be an urgent issue.”

“Your Highness…”

“I understand what Melty is trying to say. It is also important to build more settlements. But for now, we can’t afford to lose and have our fort taken away at any cost. Since we don’t have many men, we want to reduce the risk of losing them.”

“Very well.”

Melty also seemed to be convinced by what Sylphy had to say.

“So, let’s move in that direction. Melty, use the golem communication device to contact the main base and gather supplies and personnel to the front. Danan, deploy the personnel and plan the fortifications. Make sure Kosuke is ready to proceed with the work as quickly as possible.”

“Understood.”

“As you wish.”

Each of them begins to move. I have to go out and cut some trees… I’ll need Ms. Zamir to escort me.

“Gyoogegege!”

“Gyoogogogo!!”

“What the hell is that?”

“That’s Goblins.”

I left Fort Gamma with Ms. Zamir and the Liberation Army soldiers, and we spent about an hour and a half scouting the nearby forest while cutting down trees. About an hour and a half later, we found ourselves surrounded by green-skinned, disgusting life forms. So this is the goblin that is vying with the slime for the nickname of “the worst of the worst” in the fantasy world. I see.

They have ugly faces that don’t seem to have any intelligence, small bodies with green skin, deafening voices, and some of them don’t even have loincloths to cover their crotches. Hide your shoddy things, you bastard. Don’t just let it sway around like that.

“Ms. Zamir, do these creatures even understand what we are saying to them?”

“There’s a saying; it’s like trying to talk to a Goblin.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means it doesn’t make any sense.”

“I see.”

It’s useless to expect a dialogue. Well, that’s what it looks like.

“I won’t let them touch you, Kosuke-dono. So you can rest assured.”

“Aiyo.”

I took out my Goatsfoot crossbow from my inventory and started shooting at the Goblins as I watched Ms. Zamir charge into the crowd of Goblins with her Meteor at the ready. It’s powerful enough to smash through Gizma’s armor. It seems that Goblins with no armor can’t even stand a chance.

“Oryaaaaa!”

“Gyoogoge!”

“Gyowaaahh!”

Ms. Zamir, who plunged into the crowd of Goblins, swung her silver crossed spear and chopped off the heads of the Goblins, tore their bodies in half, and pierced their brains with the blade. Sometimes she would even use her spear blade to pierce the throats of the Goblins that were attacking her, and she would go on a rampage.

“I guess we’ll just have to leave Ms. Zamir alone now.”

I muttered as I shot a bolt into the back of a Goblin that turned its back and tried to flee. I guess that’s what you call the lion’s share of the action.

In the end, the battle was over in less than five minutes. There seemed to be about thirty Goblins. We were a party of five, myself, Ms. Zamir, and three light infantrymen, so did they think they could get away with it if they surrounded us with six times as many? I guess that’s what they thought.

The result was a literal annihilation without being able to escape. Pathetic.

“Weak.”

“Compared to Gizma, they’re just small fries. However, they’re still a bit clever, so we can’t lose our guard.”

“I see. It’s true that if they get together and beat us up, we’ll be in danger.”

“It’s not uncommon for a novice adventurer to be killed by Goblins because they underestimated them.”

And then they get turned into Goblin nurseries; I get it. I don’t know if Goblins in this world are like that or not. I don’t even want to hear about it much!

I stored the Goblin corpses in my inventory in case they could be used for something and continued to cut down the trees. The trees around here seem to be a lot thinner than in the Black Forest. I guess you could say that their vitality is different. Well, it’s all the same once you cut them down, though.

“It’s a strange power to see again and again.”

“It’s useful, so it’s okay. It’s best just to accept it and use it without worrying about it.”

“That’s true.”

We proceeded through the forest, cutting down trees with scone after scone. I can’t shave the whole tree, so I have to be moderate. It’s like thinning a tree. I don’t have the expertise, so I’m just doing it.

“Compared to the Great Omit Wilderness, this area is safe, isn’t it?”

“The Great Omit Wilderness is just too dangerous. The depths of the Black Forest are even more dangerous.”

“Is that so? Come to think of it; I think I’ve only been to the shallow parts of the Black Forest.”

“They say there are Dragons in the depths.”

“That’s scary.”

But I want to see them. Because Dragons are Dragons, you know. For a boy, they are just like beetles and stag beetles.

But Dragons*, or Dragons? Is there anything that can be done about Dragons with my current equipment? Would it work if I made some anti-tank grenades? A bolt-action rifle is not going to help.

[T/n: He said Ryu at the first one and Doragon at the second one.]

I want to get an anti-material rifle, or at least a heavy machine gun. I think if I put a bunch of .50 cal into it, I can kill it. But how hard are Dragon scales?

“Are you planning to defeat the Dragon?”

“You’re sharp.”

“There are two reactions to the mention of Dragons. The first is to forget about it and not even think of approaching it, and the second is to think of what they would do if they met one. I didn’t see any fear on Kosuke-dono’s face, and it looked like you were thinking about something. So, have you come up with a way to defeat it?”

“No, not at the moment. However, I can think of a few weapons that might work. Can you hurt a Dragon with a mithril weapon?”

“I think so.”

“Then we can kill it.”

An anti-material rifle might work, too.

If I make the barrel and the bullets out of mithril and make them strong enough to penetrate the Dragon’s scales, it should be possible. And since the Dragon is a living creature, it has its own vital points. It’s the brain, the medulla oblongata, the heart, and so on. I’m sure we can defeat them if we hit them there. It would be even better if we could plant a delayed fuse and make the warhead explode inside the body.

“I see. If there is ever a time to kill a Dragon, please let me accompany you.”

“I shall rely on you.”

Ms. Zamir bared her fangs and smiled. I was scared of her at first, but I wasn’t anymore once I got used to her. There are quite a few of them, you know, lizardmen. No, lizard women.

“Is there a farming village near here?”

“Looks like it. Other units should be heading there. It’s a bit far from here.”

“The direction is different.”

The forest we entered was to the northeast of Fort Gamma, and the farming village was to the northwest, so the distance is definitely far.

“I’m honestly not familiar with this kind of governance. How do you do it?”

“The basic idea is to send soldiers on patrol to hunt down monsters and bandits, that’s it. The rest is tax collection during harvest time.”

“Is that all?”

“The state gives peace to the people utilizing military force, and the people work hard in the peace given by the state. That’s all. Of course, the state takes various measures to ensure that the people live out their lives in good health, and the people sometimes petition the state for assistance.”

“I see.”

It seems to be out of my hands after all. I might be able to lend some wisdom if Sylphy or Melty consulted me.

“I’m sure that Kosuke-dono’s power will be of great help to the people.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m quite good at civil engineering.”

“You could build waterways and roads, walls to protect villages, warehouses to store crops, and enrich thin lands.”

“That’s what I’m good at.”

“Perhaps it is your mission to continue to make such things for the sake of the world and people, without getting involved in bloody wars.”

“Mission?”

I don’t think there is such a thing. From the comments of the achievements, it’s obvious that this is just for amusement. I think that person is just throwing me into this world and watching me with a grin.

“If there is such a thing, I don’t give a damn. I can’t do anything like abandoning Sylphy and the others now.”

“Your Highness is well-loved, isn’t she?”

“Of course.”

I don’t want to be told to leave now. I have to take responsibility for what I’ve done to Isla, Pirna, and the others. I’m not going to listen to what the guy who threw me out without any explanation has to say now.

“Is this enough logging for you?”

“Considering the future, it’s still not enough.”

“Let’s continue. Hopefully, we’ll have better luck next time.”

“Like what?”

“Around here, it’s probably a Charging Boar. It’s a monster that can’t do anything but ram into you, but its meat is delicious.”

“That’s great. I’d love to catch one.”

“When it comes out, I’ll take it out with one thrust.”

“Let’s see how you do it.”

After this, we went around cutting down trees until the sun began to set. As for the Charging Boar? Hahaha, we didn’t catch anything, damn it.