Chapter 37
Chapter 37
"Huh? Uh......."
Fortunately, Alpheus didn't seem to notice anything strange, and just nodded blankly.
"Th-thank you......?"
For a moment, silence fell over the table.
Philip and Rangsi were also staring at me as if I were some kind of alien life-form.
Alpheus, alone and at a loss, muttered to himself.
"I-is this not it? Then, I-I'll do my best......? Is this what I'm supposed to say?"
"You'd better do yer best."
Rangsi answered half-heartedly.
"So, Marquess."
Then he asked the question he had been dying to ask all this time.
"Did ya bring back some money?"
At that, Alpheus beamed.
"No, not yet!"
That was hardly something to say with such a confident smile.
"I told you. I left the Second Imperial Prince behind and came running. The Warp is a mess, so how could I leave my little rabbit of a sister here alone?"
At the master's words that he had not brought any money, Rangsi's gaze turned cold.
"Then ya came back with nothin' but a mouth to feed."
Rangsi narrowed his eyes and added.
"A mouth for stuffin' the potatoes our lady worked so hard to grow, one after another."
"Hm, is the financial situation that serious?"
"First off, there's no debt. Thanks to our lady, we got back quite a lot of territory too. But I'm worried about how we're gonna get by from now on......."
Rangsi sighed and voiced his frustration to the returning lord of the territory.
"Honestly, we can't keep livin' like we have been—borrowin' grain all year round, then catchin' Marang Fish for one season to make up for it."
That was true.
According to the original novel, the west, which had been swept by a Monster Wave, was no longer going to enjoy the same abundant harvests as before.
Grain prices had been cheap until now, but that would no longer be the case.
"But Captain—no, Marquess—when are the rest of the knights comin'?"
"They should arrive tomorrow morning, probably?"
A sigh escaped me on its own.
The elite unit Alpheus had taken with him to the capital was on its way. Since they were all said to be safe, that meant twelve more mouths to feed.
'......They're all going to eat a lot, aren't they?'
I hadn't expected things to go this far.
I hadn't expected to purchase the Beron region either.......
'......Wait.'
In an instant, my eyes flew open.
If I shifted my perspective, I could see the solution.
I slowly looked at Alpheus.
Sturdy muscles, a large frame, stamina that never seemed to run out.
'The elite unit is probably similar, right?'
On top of that, I had also found the seed I wanted on Jejel Street!
A smile began to creep up my face.
Alpheus flinched and tilted his head.
"Hm? Why are you smiling? It's the first time I've seen our princess smile, but it's kind of unsettling."
These men were not just mouths to feed. They were labor!
5. An Invitation from the West
A month later, at the Magic Tower.
"The monster ratio is decreasing!"
The largest Mana Stone in the center of the garden turned pink.
This Mana Stone had the function of displaying the ratio of monsters within the empire through color.
For the past three months, the Mana Stone had remained red. It meant there were far too many monsters, something that had never happened in the empire's history.
Because of this unprecedented situation, the Magic Tower Master was racking his brains as well.
"At this level, operating the Warp shouldn't cause any major problems."
The Magic Tower Master, who had rushed down, let out a sigh of relief. With the empire's travel routes blocked, everyone had been complaining of the inconvenience.
The Magic Tower was also isolated and suffering. In particular, they had been completely unable to pursue the black mages they had recently been so focused on. After all, they had no contact whatsoever with the various regions.
On top of that, everyone was pouring all their anxieties onto the Magic Tower.
"Is it true that the Warp can be operated by midsummer?"
"Can we really trust this? We truly can't go on like this."
The Magic Tower Master shuddered, thinking back on the terrible past two months. Truly, if they did not activate the Warp as announced, it looked as though a riot might break out.
"It's not my fault the Warp ended up like this, is it? So why is everyone protesting to us? Huh?"
The Magic Tower Master whined.
"Sadly, that's just how everything in the world works!"
Having answered his own question, the Magic Tower Master let out a deep sigh.
"Tell the Magic Tower's slaves—no, mages."
Then he slammed his staff down with a bang and declared.
"Activate the Warp!"
"A-are you sure it'll be all right?"
The slave—no, mage—asked.
"The error in the southern region's Warp hasn't been fully reviewed yet......."
"As long as it's certain there'll be no casualties, activate it for now! At this rate, even the Magic Tower will have nothing to eat and will have to start farming!"
"B-but......."
"If a problem arises, we'll deal with it then! That's better!"
The Magic Tower Master shouted valiantly.
"Because, sadly, that's just how everything in the world works!"
* * *
Over the vast lands of the west, the Warp began to flash.
Before long, Leopold and his knights arrived at the Nozen Grand Duke's Residence.
Although the west had suffered the largest Monster Wave, paradoxically, the damage there was not severe. That was because Leopold had traveled throughout the entire region, subjugating the monsters.
Unlike other monsters that stayed in the hills or mountains, the monsters of the west affected even the granary regions. Therefore, Leopold had not been able to rest until now.
Then, as midsummer approached, the monsters began to quietly disappear.
"I'm worried about winter."
Leopold's adjutant sighed.
"If it's like this now, I can't imagine what winter will be like......."
Originally, the largest Monster Wave in the west struck in winter.
In the other seasons, even if a Monster Wave occurred, each territory's knights were more than capable of handling it.
But this time, that was not the case at all. So it would not be strange if some other bizarre phenomenon occurred in winter.
"Grandfather must be deeply troubled."
Leopold let out a heavy sigh. He also had to report on the black mages now.
After meeting Brisa at Delpoven Port, Leopold had dispatched knights to each port. Thanks to that, they had been able to capture more black mages.
If not for Brisa's matter, they would have passed over the ports where no monsters appeared.
Leopold had intended to interrogate them directly. However, not long after they were captured alive, they all took their own lives.
"I need to be aware of who is targeting me and how."
When she said that, Brisa had worn a composed expression. As if having her life threatened meant nothing to her.
No ordinary person could be unaffected by that.
'It's embarrassing that I have nothing to say to her.'
It was awkward to deliver the news that the interrogation had failed.
Sure enough, as soon as Hilbury heard Leopold's report, he let out a deep sigh.
"This is an extremely serious problem. I never imagined that so many black mages would set foot in the empire, especially in the west...... And furthermore."
The old Grand Duke spoke with his thick eyebrows deeply furrowed.
"This unprecedented Monster Wave must be connected to it. We need to gather more information. We must also report to the Imperial Family......."
Hilbury pressed his forehead with a weary face.
The monsters had now disappeared, but the results were serious.
The spring crops had nearly failed. Now they had to rely on the midsummer crops.
But strangely, the once-fertile lands were not what they used to be.
The Magic Tower had replied that "the land may not yet have recovered from the monsters' influence, and it appears we simply have to wait."
'That means they don't know.'
Not confirming anything meant it was merely a guess.
So Hilbury was uneasy.
What if food became scarce?
It might not be just the west—the entire empire could end up starving.