Read Novel Full Vol 25 Chapter 8
Vol 25 Chapter 8
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Chapter 8 – Increasing Criminal Slavery
I had planned to fulfill my duties as host for the feast properly, but I was captivated by the motsunabe—my first in a long time—and ended up abandoning my responsibilities to become engrossed in the hot pot. Nevertheless, I quietly rejoiced in realizing that the combination of miso and fat was popular from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south.
It’s been ten days since the feast aboard the Hakata houseboat, and I’m still busy transporting and securing monsters in the open sea—a far busier daily routine than before I arrived in Gothenburg.
Incidentally, I still haven’t served the yosenabe or fugu hotpot.
AdvertisementIt’s not that I’m holding back; everyone has taken such a liking to the offal hotpot that, whenever I summon the houseboat, they’re satisfied with just that.
Well, it’s not just about the taste. The girls understood Felicia and Claretta-san’s desire to learn how to prepare offal. Plus, the girls noticed their skin felt great the morning after eating motsunabe. That’s a huge factor in their positive impression of it.
They reminded me of something I’d seen on TV: offal dishes are rich in collagen, making them particularly beneficial for women.
When I shared this information with the girls, they agreed, and offal hotpot was promptly added to our regular menu.
I hadn’t noticed a difference in my skin, but the girls saw a clear difference. I really need to work on this lack of awareness if I want to become a cool guy… but it’s tough.
How many men can actually tell the difference in their own or a woman’s skin condition?
Also, while motsunabe involves consuming fat, it lets you eat plenty of vegetables, making it relatively healthy. Still, it’s not exactly low in calories.
Usually, you’d weigh the skin benefits against the risk of weight gain, but the women in our group hardly seem to care about gaining weight.
Probably because they exercise regularly and have monster-level metabolisms due to their fitness levels.
Over these last ten days, we’ve had motsunabe four times, including the first time. That’s about once every two to three days.
AdvertisementI love motsunabe, too, but honestly, I’m starting to get tired of it.
For the final dish, we had not only chanpon noodles but also rice porridge and ramen. I have plenty of other dishes I want to eat, so once every ten days is just right for me.
Since we use the tempura and sukiyaki tables for motsunabe, it’s not too bad.
My daily life is a bit different from what I’d imagined, but the reconstruction is progressing smoothly. I’m also facing more situations where I struggle to judge whether things are getting better or worse.
It started with the five thousand bandits who became criminal slaves.
Those secured at the Southern Continent branch of Toyoumi Trading Company have all been put to forced labor as planned.
The worst bandits were handed over to the Adventurers’ Guild and are working in harsh conditions.
That’s fine. I suspect there are human rights issues, but this world operates by those rules. Besides, I own two slaves myself, Ines and Felicia, so I’m hardly in a position to lecture about human rights.
While I’m not in a position to lecture, this phenomenon is occurring and causing headaches not just for me, but for the higher-ups in Gothenburg as well.
Criminal slaves assigned to the Adventurers’ Guild were supposed to support adventurers. Due to the increased danger outside caused by the ravages of war, having more people to carry luggage should have made things easier.
However, gathering information from the bandits was naturally done before assigning them to support roles. The Adventurers’ Guild assumed it wouldn’t be much different from before since bandits were interrogated whenever they were captured.
AdvertisementThe information obtainable from bandits is limited. While details about their crimes, hideouts, areas of operation, and connections to other bandits help maintain order, truly valuable intelligence that yields significant results is rare.
Information about their connections to other bandits seemed potentially useful. However, it was said that, out of caution, once a bandit was captured, their associates would likely relocate their base. Unless things went exceptionally smoothly, such intelligence rarely yielded tangible results.
This time, however, the situation was different.
The bandit group had grown to 5,000 members and was formed not just from a core group but also through the merger of medium-sized, small-scale, and individual groups. Moreover, the group hadn’t existed for very long.
It had been specifically designed to target Gothenburg, which was beginning its reconstruction. Consequently, the group was fresh, allowing for the collection of diverse information about the bandits from multiple angles and enabling precise analysis.
Thanks to this, the gathered information extended far beyond the Gothenburg area. This information included details on groups not participating in the raid, locations prone to bandit bases, areas where prey could easily be targeted, and places where dangerous monsters existed. The information was so comprehensive that the area could be considered completely exposed.
Based on this intelligence, the Bandit & Monster Eradication Plan was created.
This plan achieved a major victory.
While our female members did not accompany the expedition, the guard unit for the Toyoumi Trading Company’s Southern Continent branch, which they trained, did. This enabled the swift, overwhelming extermination and capture of bandits and monsters.
AdvertisementThe result was the acquisition of a massive quantity of monster materials and the capture of approximately two thousand criminal slaves.
Furthermore, gathering intelligence from these criminal slaves is anticipated to yield even greater results.
Although the reduction of bandits and monsters restored order and secured criminal slaves as labor and monster materials as goods is cause for celebration, adding two thousand more people to Gothenburg, which is already struggling with a shortage of housing and other buildings, is a different story.
The higher-ups are in complete chaos.
A normal company would pause expansion to consolidate internally here, but intelligence on bandit groups and monsters is time-sensitive. We can’t afford to miss this chance to restore order, so expedition teams are deploying again today based on the information gathered.
In other words, if they succeed, the personnel will increase.
In a way, it’s not all bad, as it means more laborers, but I fear Gothenburg will burst at the seams.
Currently at 7,000, we’ll likely surpass 10,000 before long at this pace.
Not all ten thousand people can fight, but even so, it’s an enormous force for a single town to sustain.
Still, having ten thousand combatants offers some reassurance. If the country picks a fight, they’ll probably be able to handle it.
After this transport, though, I plan to inspect the temporary store and the construction sites for the warehouse. Should I stop by the guild and ask how they plan to utilize the increased personnel?
AdvertisementIf I carelessly leave this unattended, I fear a terrible incident might occur later. The magistrate is tightly bound, but the guildmaster hints at rebellion and seems ready to throw his life away casually—he has a slightly dangerous way of thinking.
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“Hm? Ah, well, it’s true that the numbers will likely continue to grow, so it’s only natural that Wataru-dono would be concerned.”
Although it was called an inspection, the job was simple: show up and confirm the site. It wrapped up quickly.
With two capable people like Donatella-san and Mear-san managing the site, there’s no way anything will slip through the cracks.
However, the temporary Toyoumi Trading Company branch on the Southern Continent is incredibly busy. I’m worried that the supplies I brought might run out before the permanent store is finished.
Honestly, I really don’t want to have to go back to the Northern Continent to restock if we run low.
AdvertisementBy the way, I didn’t inspect the hospital.
Claretta-san said things have calmed down, but there are still many patients.
I don’t go to the hospital because word has spread that I’m Claretta-san’s employer and Rimu’s master—that slime healing patients one after another with great skill.
Apparently, I’m being thanked like crazy.
I don’t dislike being praised, but receiving thanks at Mear-san’s level feels excessive, so I’ve decided to stay away from the hospital.
There’s a saying: “Too much is as bad as too little,” and I really think that’s true.
Whoops! My thoughts drifted off somewhere strange, making the guildmaster pull a weird face.
“Yes, having a large number is reassuring, but I also thought it might lead the country to suspect various things.”
From the country’s perspective, it’s only natural that they’d wonder, “Are you preparing for a rebellion?” Even in our current state, if the magistrate reports it, the country will likely interfere.
“That’s a perfectly reasonable concern. However, the country still seems to be struggling just to consolidate its own position. Once things settle here, we plan to disperse the criminal slaves, so we should be able to avoid arousing strong suspicion.”
“Disperse?”
What does that mean? Surely they wouldn’t just scatter and dispose of them, would they?
Advertisement“While rebuilding Gothenburg remains our top priority, the surrounding villages are also crucial to Gothenburg. Once things settle here, we plan to send the criminal slaves to those villages to help rebuild them.”
Ah, I see. This gives the people gathering in Gothenburg more options for returning to their villages. If fewer people stay in Gothenburg, the nation’s suspicions will weaken.
Under normal circumstances, such a simple cover-up wouldn’t fool anyone. But, given the current chaos, it might just work.
“I’m relieved to hear that.”
Even if they disperse, a minimum number should remain in Gothenburg. If danger approaches, gathering them back would be easy since they’re Gothenburg-affiliated criminal slaves.
We can maintain the cover story and contribute to the recovery of the surrounding area. Despite his rough appearance, this guildmaster might be quite the strategist after all.
Or maybe I’m just not thinking deeply enough.
In any case, I feel relieved. If the surrounding villages recover, the trade network will revive too—that’s a win-win.
If things continue to go smoothly and we handle what needs to be done diligently, we should be able to return to the northern continent without incident.
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