64 - Art. 64. Towards The Future
"That place is uninhabitable," he said.
That was the first thing Jeneha said upon her return. The truth is that the Krumfal territory had a big problem.
The first major problem was salt damage.
The harpies led by Jeneha saw from the sky that there was still snow on the ground in Krumphal territory. They went down to the ground to quench their thirst, and when they put some of the snow in their mouths, they found it to be quite salty. In other words, the white part of the snow was salt. Most of the farmlands in the territory were white, and it is believed that the area is considerably damaged by salt, and there are fears of severe food shortages.
The second problem is the deterioration of security.
It is said that there are bandits in the territory and neighboring port towns are being attacked. The harpies could clearly see the devastation from the sky. They thought of rescuing the residents, but the number of bandits exceeded a hundred. It was almost a small army. Even Jeneha, as expected, could not win with only ten bandits. This time, they abandoned him and returned home in tears.
The third problem is the destruction of the fishing industry.
If a port town is attacked, it is very likely that the residents living there, in other words, fishermen and people related to them, are killed. If this happens, the fishing industry will be seriously affected. Even though Krumfal is known for its salt, it will not be able to survive without agriculture and fishing.
What are the soldiers of Krumphal doing?
Rico couldn't help but raise his voice, but he soon remembered. Most of them had been lost in the battle against the imperial army. Naturally, the security situation had worsened. No wonder bandits were running rampant.
"I'm afraid there's not a moment to lose."
"We should head for Krumphal territory immediately!"
The next day, I immediately went to Miyagi to inform the Prime Minister of this matter, and requested to go to Krumphal as soon as possible.
"I see. But it is not a good time for you to go. The pardon will begin soon. If you are not there when that happens, who will accept them?
In the end, officials and soldiers were dispatched from the capital to Krumphal territory, and I was kept in the capital for a while.
Soon after, the pardon of Rico's vassals began. As the first of these, the ten men who had come to attack me in my house were released. Naturally, they were disowned by their families, and I was their guarantor. I'm going to pick them up at the Prime Minister's residence.
"Hey, long time no see! How have you been?"
. ..and they all stare at me in unison. What is it with you people? If you want a fight, I'll buy you one, okay?
"Bius! Partan! Popia! You're safe, aren't you? Are the needs injured? Parrio has lost weight. Oh, Nokyu, Nokita, Jakun, Tuzin, Arga, are you safe too!"
"Master Lycorette!"
A bunch of nasty men are crying around Rico. This boy Arga is about to jump into Rico's chest. Those breasts are mine and mine alone. You touch them and I'll leave you alone! And it's getting a little hot, so they smell a little. And if they can get that smell on Rico, I'm not just going to let them get away with it.
The guys, probably sensing my glare, move away from Rico and come over to me.
"Are you the master of Ricolet? I am Bius. I have guarded Master Licolet since he was a child."
The "since childhood" part was a bit strong. Are you jealous of me?
"We are all grateful to you for saving Mr. Licolette."
"No, you should be thanking His Majesty, not me. It was Your Majesty who decided to spare Rico's life... and who decided to pardon you. I was only following Your Majesty's orders."
They look at me and they say, "Rico? Don't you dare call our Lady Licorette that!" The "I'm not a member of this group, I'm not a member of this group. Well, Rico is already mine, so it's up to me what I call him.
"Well, why are we standing around talking? "Well, there's no need to stand around talking. Let's get a bite to eat and talk about the future."
I lead them out and we sit down at a nearby restaurant. I told them to be generous and eat whatever they wanted, and they ordered whatever they wanted. I wonder if they don't know the meaning of discretion, or if they are just taking advantage of me.
We talk over dinner. It seems that they were let out of the Prime Minister's prison early and put under house arrest in his mansion. They were fed properly, but only as much as was necessary, and almost no meat was served. They were all young men. All of them ordered meat and ate it. I wonder if they are really members of the Princess's entourage. Rico, on the other hand, is watching them with a smile on his face.
"Now, listen to me while you eat. I have been entrusted with the management of the Krumfal territory. But don't get me wrong. The lord is Prince Vyrus. I'm only going to maintain the estate on his behalf. Countess Krumphal is Rico's teacher as well as yours, isn't she? His domain is in a state of disarray. I'm going to restore it. Therefore, if any of you wish to follow Krumphal, I would like you to take him with you and lend a hand in the restoration. We will not force you to do so.
Everyone stops eating and turns over.
"Are you going too, Master Ricolet?"
The youngest boy, Arga, spoke to Rico.
"Of course!
Rico replies emphatically. A few people then announce their intention to join the group.
We've reserved rooms for everyone at an inn nearby. The rooms are reserved for a week. Those who wish to go should come to the house in Linos in a week's time. Those who do not wish to go and those who have other things to do, please give them priority. I do not blame you.
Rico then handed each of them a bag of gold coins. He had made them out of the money he had received from the emperor when they were married, as a token of his appreciation for all the hard work they had put in and all the care they had received. About a million yen worth of gold coins were given out to each of them. It was a big deal. Naturally, they cried.
After finishing their meal, they went to their assigned lodgings with a look of regret.
Exactly one week after they returned to the house, those nasty guys showed up. And they were all there.
"We are all prepared to devote our lives to Master Licorette. Please let us join you!"
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Rico began to weep, and so did all the other nasties who had been watching him. I put my hand on Rico's shoulder, and he put his face into my chest and started to cry. All the men turned on me at once. Immediately after that, May, Peris, and Gon shot at them, and they all looked down at each other.
Since we could not leave without instructions from the Prime Minister, I extended their stay at the inn and ordered them to stand by until I received instructions from the Prime Minister. In the meantime, they were preparing their equipment, getting food, and so on, and it seems that they were making preparations rather seriously.
Some time after the men left, a woman came to the house.
"Well, isn't it Quena?
She was a courtesan who had served as Rico's personal attendant, a sort of mother figure who had raised her from an early age.
Krumphal is the home I grew up in. If the princess is coming there, please allow me to accompany her.
"If that's what you want..."
According to Quena, food production was not high in Krumfal, so they basically got their food from the money they made selling salt. However, since the lord has passed away, they have not been able to sell salt, and the territory is now facing a serious food shortage, as expected. The imperial army is stationed in the area, but even this has its limits. We will have to rebuild quickly.
While waiting for the departure, we have been preparing relief supplies. We selected the members of the Krumfal team accordingly. In Krumphal, we decided to take myself, Gon, Rico, Ferris, ten men, and Quena. We will take 50 harpies as guards. Geneha will stay behind. However, we will come back to the house with a transfer ward once we have some time to get there.
A month later, the Prime Minister finally gives us permission to go to Krumphal. The season was about to turn to summer.
On the morning of our departure, the men gather at my house. All of them have their horses ready. Rico and Quena will travel by carriage. I take advantage of this time to introduce the harpies to the men.
"Harpy! I knew that dream wasn't a dream after all!"
I'll tell you what I'm going to do
"These are my men. They will not attack you. You can rest assured."
I'll blackmail him. The uproar quickly subsides. He tells the guys to go to the stable to help him prepare the wagons. I go over the final details of the itinerary with Gon. After a while, a harpy comes up to me and tells me
"Master, it's done."
After hearing my words of thanks and appreciation, the harpy flew up from my side.
The summer sun was shining brightly. I look into the distance and see the horizon shimmering in the sun. I look at the stable, sensing the arrival of summer.
In the stable are ten men dressed as adventurers. I stand in front of them in silence.
"All right, let's go!"
Dashingly, I straddled Ilimo and sped her toward the horizon. Behind her were ten men and a carriage. This was the beginning of what would later be known as the "Miracle of Krumphal.