episode_0062

62.

“Is that what you call a suggestion? Even allowing elves into the city is an act difficult for me to condone as the lord.”

“My Lord, in the long term, it will be beneficial. Please reconsider.”

The elderly lord bites his lip. He never considered it a simple religion, but he never imagined it would escalate to this extent.

He readily gave up the land because having the sect’s holy site within the city would strengthen his political standing considerably.

Of course, the choice included risks, so he didn’t go unprepared. He had been applying political pressure to prevent their influence from surpassing his own authority; that would be a reversal of proper order.

“Haah…. Are they diligent, or simply thoughtless?”

However, that was before the elves were brought into the city.

An increase in population naturally benefits a city, but a sudden surge isn’t always helpful.

Moreover, they’re not fully integrated into society, and seem to only be consuming resources, which is frustrating.

If he tries to evict them, it will lead to accusations of religious persecution.

For some unknown reason, small cracks were appearing in the city he had painstakingly built.

Minute fissures are forming. He doesn’t know when it started, but reports indicate that one function after another is failing.

Like a natural disaster, it’s slowly approaching, and manpower is being diverted to stop it.

“…My Lord, a request from the guild. A need to supplement skilled laborers.”

“Understood. I will review it. Roza, you may leave for now.”

“Yes.”

Most of the deficiencies concern manpower; there’s a significant shortage in labor.

Other cities seem to be in a similar situation, suggesting that other territories are also struggling.

The lord carefully reviews the reports from the past month.

‘Elves… Perhaps. If they can be considered a replacement for labor…’

He finds no reports of the elves causing problems with the residents. On the contrary, they seem quite friendly and devout in their religious practices, yet there are no traces of them lodging within the city.

That’s just the surface, though. He can’t simply accept the elves’ goodwill at face value. They are, fundamentally, a species that looks down on humans, so it’s anyone’s guess when they might turn hostile.

And they’re even summoning orcs? He can’t even fathom where they’re getting that many people.

Perhaps, they are people who shouldn’t have been summoned.

The lord shakes his head.

He must choose. Will he take another gamble, or abandon what’s been done and return to the old ways of running the city?

Finding the best course of action and forming a consensus—that’s what fueled this city’s growth.

Establishing the guild was also a manifestation of that quality.

Arms crossed, he walks back and forth across the large room.

“Huu. I have no choice. Summon the representative of the Pai Sect. I must negotiate.”

“That’s an unusual decision, my lord.”

“Yes. I’m getting old, I suppose.”

It’s more of an ultimatum than a negotiation. He can’t leave these heterogenous races near the city center, so he plans to relocate them to the outskirts.

Then, he’ll implement a verification system. If they prove their ideology is not malicious, even heterogenous races can function as citizens. Directing any malicious actions towards their own kind in the outskirts should allow for some control.

“Come to think of it, reminds me of when I established the guild.”

“Ah, you truly worked hard. It still feels like a dream.”

The lord recalls vaguely. He hadn’t granted them ownership of buildings, merely provided the space, but faced considerable opposition. He understood it completely; the very existence of adventurers posed a threat to the nobles.

Ultimately, it proved a successful system, as nobles themselves utilize its services. Now it’s an essential facility integral to the functioning of this city.

The nobility will likely oppose this new system as well.

“Do you have the same conviction as you did back then?”

“No, not at all. Ironically, it seems my old age has clouded my vision.”

“Nonsense. You are still in excellent health.”

“Spare me the unnecessary reassurances. It’s the same old me, really.”

If Erina refuses the ultimatum, that too presents a problem. The city doesn’t have the resources to resist her power.

If she takes a hard line, he’ll need a countermeasure. The most promising options involve utilizing another sect, or the guild.

“It’s all my fault for having no children…. If only I had a son…”

“A son…?”

The lord’s careless remark sends a shiver of unease down his spine.

It was a word unacceptable in this world.

“……!”

The lord’s intuition tells him something significant is changing. His hesitant steps halt abruptly, and a gleam appears in his worried eyes.

“The wind is blowing.”

“The wind…. Are you certain?”

“No, certainly not. But I am certain that this nun will become a new wind for this city.”

“With all due respect, My Lord, the question is if that wind is reliable.”

The lord smiles calmly, understanding the long-time steward’s concerns.

“The wind has no inherent good or evil. Whether it becomes a tailwind or headwind depends on one’s position, wouldn’t you agree?”

“If you say so, then I shall comply.”

“But the policy on heterogenous races is a separate matter. My citizens must not live in fear.”

“Understood. I shall send someone to summon that person.”

The lord nods.

Ultimately, it’s a gamble, but it appears to be a rigged game with high odds of winning.

The issue is timing—when to cut ties. It’s certainly a ticking time bomb. If there were a successor, things might be different, but he can only do his best.

…

..

Meanwhile, Erina was contemplating the disposal of the goddess statues.

One planned use is to control the orcs’ sexual urges through prayer, but she must also worry about the descent of demons in that region, which is also a problem.

As a form of looting, it used fairies and elves to gather items difficult for the Fried Church to retrieve. This leaves things incomplete, as not everything was gathered. If it were all gathered, she would have used it immediately, summoned a demon and eased her mind.

If the Fried Church realizes her plans, it will undoubtedly lead to war.

“Well, a promise is a promise, so I must use the nearest one.”

The problem is not so much the demons’ inherently harmful nature, but the magic they exude. Fortunately, they seem to be restraining their activities, but it’s impossible to know when they might change their minds.

Considering the repercussions, she chooses to go to the region herself and deal with the magic. It is the natural approach of a nun.

She subtly asked them to note the origin of the items when she requested their collection, so she only needs to worry about the journey.

“Erina, I’ve finished what you asked. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more thoroughly.”, Aries arrived urgently, looking tired.

“You’ve worked hard. How’s Hanna?”

“I told her to rest. I grabbed some sleep myself.”

“You’ve both worked hard. I didn’t expect you to rush in like this…”

She had previously requested research on the orc species.

“Oh my. A report too. You’ve both worked very hard. I’d love to shower you with affection right now, but you look so exhausted. Aries, you should go to sleep too.”

“Mmm. Thanks for your hard work.”

The severe dark circles under her eyes suggested she’d been up for three days straight. While enthusiasm is good, excessive zeal is a worry. Erina decides that she needs to provide some guidance in the future.

‘Let’s see…’

Even the largest library in the city can’t be said to have perfect information. One would need to access the royal library to approach even half of completeness.

Such is the end result of Aries’s and Hanna’s extreme enthusiasm. Their scholarly zeal exploded.

“…They kindly provided a summary on the last page.”

Given its length, the report thoughtfully included a summary at the end, as written in the beginning.

In short, orcs are either demons or very close to it.

While she had a vague inkling, the weight of confirmation from a document is very different.

The reason the goddess statues could suppress them became certain; conversely, it might hold the key as to how demons can live peacefully on this land.

If possible, it means hope of avoiding future devastation, though whether it truly reflects the future remains to be seen.

“Ahh, that extremely voluptuous Titania I saw earlier is dancing in my head. My penis is hard again♡”

The futanari modification subjects are still incapacitated, as are Aries and Hanna. Sleep sex would be nice, but given their hard work, it’s better to leave them alone.

Modifying the elf pussies would just lead to more complaints about salvation and stuff, so I’ll pass on that too.

Modification, good. Today’s project is decided.

“Then… today, I shall raise some cows♡”