Ch.39Again, Spring

It was the 6th year of the Amurtart calendar.

Well, not that it changed the fact that it was still winter.

Now the walls had begun to encircle the entire city of Amurtart, giving it a more solid feel, and as paved roads and aqueducts were established, the “large village” atmosphere that had prevailed until now was gradually disappearing.

“It’s a shame. I quite liked the pastoral atmosphere.”

Everyone has different opinions, but I think when it comes to medieval settings, nothing captures the mood better than rows of wooden buildings, no more than two or three stories high.

Now that sight was being pushed aside by public bathhouses, police stations, Adventurer’s Guild branches, bustling markets, and blacksmiths. Deep inside me, my medieval sensibilities might be crying out, “Stop the urbanization!”

“If it’s a pastoral atmosphere you want, Pale Harbor has that feel. No walls, and not many tall buildings.”

“Well, we can’t see it from here with the naked eye.”

Pale Harbor was the name given to the fishing village in the east.

It was a makeshift name chosen because we couldn’t keep calling it the eastern village or the coastal village, but I pushed for the name Pale Harbor because it had a nice ring to it.

Located in the northeast, the area had an overall pale color scheme, and periodically when herrings came to spawn, the front of the harbor would turn pale with their milt.

It was both a sentimental and geographical name. Above all, doesn’t “Pale Harbor” sound quite stylish?

“Time really flies. Already in our sixth year.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. Without your blood, I might have died long ago.”

“Ah… come to think of it, I’ve been curious. How old are you exactly?”

“I am seventy this year.”

“Seventy…”

Seventy years old. Even by modern standards, that would qualify as elderly.

But this was the medieval era. Due to harsh environments and underdeveloped medical technology, people died much earlier, and it was an age where teenagers who looked older than people in their thirties were common.

Naturally, the advisor’s face was weathered to the point where it was difficult to believe he was in his seventies, and his small frame made him appear even more so.

“Well, while it’s regrettable that the pastoral scenery is disappearing, there’s a certain charm in seeing a developed cityscape as well.”

“I agree. Having lived in mountain villages since childhood, I always found these flat cities on plains somewhat jarring. Now that the city will grow more vertically uneven, it should be more pleasing to the eye.”

“The largest single building so far was… the Adventurer’s Guild branch, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. A five-story building with medical facilities, training grounds, stables, shops, restaurants, and lodging facilities—currently the largest building in Amurtart.”

It took the Adventurer’s Guild only a month to build their branch.

As soon as they received my permission, they transported materials every day without fail, and thousands of workers came from Fahrenheit to work on the construction site, so the result was only natural.

They were all experienced and skilled, so from their perspective, construction was no different from assembling a large model kit. Still, watching from the castle and seeing a room completed in real-time each day, I couldn’t help but think it was quite remarkable.

“Now that the Adventurer’s Guild has arrived, we have justification to bring in other guilds as well.”

“Do you have something in mind?”

“I’m thinking of inviting the Alchemist Guild first.”

Alchemists can’t actually create gold, but they are valuable because they can produce the most important chemical substances.

When it comes to synthesizing and breaking down materials, they at least never disappoint their rulers.

“The Alchemist Guild is close to the Adventurer’s Guild. I’ll send someone to look into it.”

“I’ll leave it to you then.”

The Adventurer’s Guild is affiliated with the Alchemist Guild.

It’s not particularly strange, as the Alchemist Guild is responsible for producing potions and various tools.

Even the fire tubes distributed to the elven scouts were all items developed and produced by the Alchemist Guild.

Of course, such items could be made somehow if enough people were gathered, but given the market’s need to achieve the trifecta of performance, price, and reliability, the Alchemist Guild’s position was unshakable.

“And after that… the Magic Tower, I suppose.”

“Haaa… I suppose so.”

The Magic Tower. A tower for those who use magic.

I don’t know why it has to be a tower specifically, but according to magicians, the narrow, enclosed, and limited space of a tower inspires a spirit of challenge in them.

The usefulness of magic was obvious without my having to explain it, but Magic Towers were generally facilities that citizens avoided.

First of all, it was teeming with people who could blow their own heads off at any moment, and just going near it meant being assaulted by the strong smells of various chemicals used in research and experiments. Several times a day, monster corpses were brought in for materials, making it the ultimate undesirable facility.

Moreover, if practitioners of black magic or blood magic emerged inside, they would be extremely difficult to control, which is why most rulers didn’t particularly trust magicians.

This was because magicians were one of the few armed groups that rulers couldn’t easily kill.

“But we can’t handle a Magic Tower right now, so let’s put that aside for now. You know how arrogant those magicians can be, Your Majesty.”

I nodded at the advisor’s words.

Magicians were the only beings besides rulers who could achieve immortality, and since they gained the power of immortality through their own enlightenment rather than through a cheat item like the Earth Core, powerful archmages would sometimes speak informally even to rulers.

If they dropped a meteor, the Earth Core’s barrier might block it, but if they shot a flame arrow from inside the barrier, a ruler would have to concede defeat.

“But why can’t rulers use magic? With the Earth Core, they shouldn’t lack magical power…”

“Well, if you think about it, it’s a simple matter. Can you pour more tea into a teapot already full of water?”

“Ah, I see.”

Rulers fundamentally cannot learn magic.

The power of the Earth Core itself is different from magical power, and in game terms, magic is essentially about “taking in external forces and making them your own,” but the Earth Core stubbornly pushes away “external forces.”

Outside of game logic, if an immortal superhuman were to learn magic, they wouldn’t need to devote time to life extension or health supplements, making them an untouchable powerhouse.

“Now, let’s first decide where the Alchemist Guild should be located.”

“Site selection? In that case, I…”

As we discussed various matters, evening had arrived before we knew it.

I wanted to decide on the site for the Alchemist Guild before the day ended, so I worked late with my advisor, and when I returned to my room, Michaela was there to greet me, nodding off sleepily.

*

A few months later, when the weather had improved somewhat.

Looking through a telescope at farmers diligently plowing their fields for sowing, I unbuttoned my coat in the noticeably warmer weather and checked the warehouse inventory.

“Hmm… It’s decreased over the winter, but still within safe levels.”

I had been a bit worried because we’d been consuming a lot of food lately, but now that the weather was improving, we could import if necessary.

However, as spring approached, I couldn’t help feeling anxious because Elisia still hadn’t shown any particular movement.

“Advisor, I’m asking just in case, but there hasn’t been any messenger from Elisia, has there?”

“No, not a single one.”

“I see… that’s what I thought…”

I cooled my head with ice-cold grape wine.

What differed from the game era was the reality of this world.

If Elisia decided on a siege, even Amurtart with its financial resources couldn’t wage war indefinitely.

But who would want to wage war? Each side has a point beyond which they cannot retreat, and when those points collide, war becomes inevitable.

Just one step back would suffice, but paradoxically, because the other side knows this too, they might take an even harder stance.

The spring breeze, which should herald a season of regeneration and warmth, was cold, as if proving that winter’s chill had not yet faded.

“So they choose war after all?”

After uttering those words, I buttoned up my coat again.