Read Novel Full Chapter 405
Chapter 405
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Chapter 405 – The Village of Surz
The people of Surz who were taken in by the frigate will need some time to recover, so they will not be returning to the village for a while. This time, we will go by ourselves to check on the situation (and provide support if necessary). According to Lui, it is about half an hour’s walk to the northwest of the port city fortress. My body has become sluggish from being in vehicles all the time, so I decided to walk for a while.
“Mead, do you know the way?”
“Yes, more or less. But the landscape has changed a lot.”
The road we’re walking along is a typical country road dotted with small patches of forest in the middle of a rural landscape. It’s covered in snow at the moment, but you can tell from the flat, divided, and leveled surface that it’s all fields as far as the eye can see.
It’s an environment that seems frozen in time for centuries, but I can’t believe the landscape could change so much in just a few decades.
“The fields to the right, beyond where the scarecrow stands now, were all forest.”
“Huh?”
The development is bigger than I thought. It’s several dozen times the size of the Tokyo Dome—or even more than that.
“On the left, there were just a few small fields here and there.”
“Has there been land reform?”
“Are you talking about those fields?”
Ah, I tend to forget because we can read each other’s minds, but I wonder if Myrril can’t hear Mead’s voice. We’re walking together, so I have to make sure I’m interpreting for her.
“That’s right. It wasn’t this rich in the old days. And it seems that all the farmland to the right was created after Mead died.”
“It’s earth magic. They crush the soil to extract its nutrients and use them to feed the plants.”
“So this is agricultural development by the Empire? That’s unexpected. I thought they only thought of exploitation.”
“What are you talking about? It’s exploitation itself.”
“Huh?”
“They burn down the forests to deprive the soil of ‘outer magic’ and to deprive the inhabitants of ‘inner magic.’ Look.
He points to a bridge a short distance away. A bridge disproportionately large for the river, which was on the verge of drying up, spanned the river.
“In Mead’s time, it must have been a river full of water.”
“Yeah, that’s right. It was a big river with riverboats coming and going.”
When I told Myrril this, she looked behind her and sniffed.
“It is necessary to feed the inhabitants of the fortress. I think it’s wrong to blame them. It seems that the rulers who created this farmland didn’t think much about the future. Either they didn’t have time to think about it, or they didn’t need to.”
We moved to a place where we could see further, and the village of Surz was visible on a small hill a short distance into the forest.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
About twenty villagers, dressed in shabby clothes, were kneeling in a row in front of the village’s entrance, which was protected by a wooden fence. Behind them were the Surz warriors we had met on the way to the Imperial Capital.
“What are you doing in the snow, you idiot? Get up!”
“Mead doesn’t want that. He wants you to get up. He wants us to go somewhere where we can talk.”
It seems that a drone that had arrived a little earlier had informed them of our arrival. We gathered at the chief’s house, which also served as a meeting place, and laid out a scroll with a ritual to visualize Mead (the residual magical power of Mead) in a position like a tokonoma alcove. When we channeled the magic power into it, the magic power light flashed, a magic circle appeared on the scroll, and the image of Mead became a little clearer.
I think other people can see him now. The Surz people all fell to their knees.
“Like I said, please stop this. Meis! You and I didn’t have that kind of relationship, did we?”
“N-no, that’s not it at all.”
Meis is the chief, right? He’s an old man, but I think he was probably about the same age as Mead when he was alive.
“You don’t owe me anything. In fact, I’ve already been given what I need. I appreciate your gratitude, but I don’t want to be treated like a god!”
“We couldn’t meet your expectations.”
“What expectations? I lived my life as I pleased and I died as I pleased. There were good things and bad things, but it wasn’t a bad life. I have no regrets, including my relationship with you.”
Mead looked directly at the chief. He was a balding, middle-aged man, but his determined face looked quite fearless.
“You’re different, Meis.”
The chief looked at us and bowed his head without saying a word. Myrril and I nodded to each other and urged the people of Surz to go outside.
“I’m sure they have a lot to talk about, so why don’t we step outside? Why don’t you show us around the village?”
“Oh, yes.”
We left the chief’s house at the head of the group. I didn’t notice it when we came in, but that stone statue in front of the house, which is also the meeting place, is of Mead, right? It’s got a nice face pointing up into the air like the statue of Clark. Even though it’s a rough-hewn statue, it even reproduces the baldness. I can’t help but think they should add some more.
“You people, you worship me just because I cured you of an epidemic?”
“It’s not just that. You gave us pride and the strength to stand on our own. The Surz we have today are thanks to you, Mead-sama.”
That was the rugged warrior I had met earlier. Today, he wore civilian clothes, like a farmer’s work clothes, instead of his battle gear. According to Myrril, he was the third son of the chief, and his name was Khemani.
At that time, the Imperial Army had taken his family hostage and ordered them to attack us. Since we had annihilated the Imperial Army, we were able to avoid a clash. After that, he went to rescue his family, but the search was difficult because the Imperial Army was in a state of great confusion.
“Ah, so these are the people who were imprisoned in the castle.”
“That is correct. We just checked the number of people and their names with the magic tools attached to the floating ball. Your Majesty the Demon King, Your Majesty the Queen, we are all very grateful.”
So please stop trying to prostrate yourself on the snow. Myrril and I will do our best to get you to your feet.
“We only did what Mead asked. If you want to thank someone, thank him.”
Oh, Mir-san. She just dropped the target of sincerity, which looks like it’s going to be a pain for us.
“Well, if you have any problems, we’ll take care of them. We’ve been contracted by Mead to do this work, so please let us know what you need.”
“”N-nothing.””
They’re quick to answer, but is there really nothing?
“Our wish has already been granted. Now we just have to meet our master’s expectations.”
…Yeah, I guess so, but that was something even Mead himself had trouble with. The village I was shown was well-maintained and well-organized, and although they were not wealthy, they did not seem to be struggling to make ends meet. I noticed several stone statues of various sizes placed around the village. They had been carefully cleared of snow, and offerings had been placed on them, which seemed to resemble Mead somewhat.
“…It’s just like Meadland.”
Myrril-san smiled wryly at my involuntary muttering. Of course, she probably didn’t understand the meaning of the words, but I think she got the general idea.
“It’s a banner for strong living. It’s the god of fire for us dwarves.”
Another statue of Mead (in a sitting position) was placed around the roots of a tree in the center of the village. There was an offering there, like a moon-viewing dumpling, and a little bird was pecking at it. The villagers looked at it, but there was no sign of them chasing it away.
“That’s us.”
The women of the village noticed my curious look and pointed to the birds.
“We were starving, freezing, powerless, and dying of disease.”
“When the Imperial Army sees disease, they burn the whole village. Even the living.”
“It was Mead-sama who stopped them. He kept us alive and supported us.
“We are here today because of Mead-sama.”
The villagers all said this, and their eyes were strangely calm. To be honest, I thought they would be a little more fanatical. After all, giving offerings to the weak and hungry is in line with his philosophy. It’s a bit Indian, isn’t it?
“In each of us, there is Mead-sama. He smiles at us and tells us to go forward, to look up, to do our best, to be worthy of our brothers and our ancestors, and to discipline ourselves.
Warrior Khemani nods in agreement with the village woman’s words.
“That is why the Surz do not break. The Surz do not give up. We cannot bend our knees in the face of difficulty.”
There seems to be a difference of opinion between Mead and the chief, but I don’t think it’s any of our business. Anyway, now that we’ve confirmed that they’re safe, I’d like to leave if there’s nothing else I can do.
“Your Majesty the Demon King, Your Majesty the Queen.”
It seems that the discussion is over, and the chief calls us in front of the meeting hall.
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