Chapter 142 - Commoners 1
“Isn’t it advancing quite nicely?”
Four months after the war ended and the construction of the city resumed, I visited the city.
Construction seems to be going well, probably because of the introduction of 10,000 Gaul slaves.
“Yes. I think this will be completed in two years and will function as a capital in four years.”
Ismere, a Christian architect, laughed happily.
Ismere also would be happy if the construction of the capital ended early.
“By the way, there’s one thing I’m worried about”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“It’s road construction… You’re letting the soldiers do it, right?”
“Oh… that’s how it is here.”
Partic.i.p.ation in the war and tax payment are recognized by the Adernians as a duty of the people.
And the road is important to the military.
In other words, making a road is synonymous with partic.i.p.ating in a war.
I was drafting about 2,000 people to build a road.
The soldiers had a convincing expression, but were somehow dissatisfied.
Well, meals are provided, and since it is only for one month, there is no problem with agriculture.
I will take turns to have all the people do the road construction.
By doing so, all the soldiers will be involved in civil engineering work.
Civil engineering is an indispensable technology for war.
Siege battle and encampment construction are the work of civil engineering.
Maybe the time to dig a hole is longer than the time to fight the enemy.
“In case of emergency, you can be dispatched with a weapon. There is no problem. If a road is created, the movement speed will increase.”
“But the risk of being attacked by the enemy may increase?”
“It has its advantages and disadvantages”
It can only be said that there is no helping it.
However, offense is the best defense.
There is no problem if you attack before being attacked by the enemy.
“Is there anything you need?”
“That’s right… I’d like to get sculptures for the temples and the palace… Could we invite a Cretian engineer?”
“Alright. Let’s be flexible.”
Is it a sculptor…
Well, I do need one…
“There, there.”
“Wahh, wahh!”
Anos is crying in my arms.
Why? Are you hungry?
Do you need to use the toilet?
“Almus… give him to me.”
I was in trouble and handed Anos to Tetra.
Tetra picks up Anos and shakes him lightly for him to relax.
“…”
He stopped crying.
I don’t know why, but I’m sad now.
“Does he hate me?”
“Maybe spend more time with him?”
That’s right…
I’m probably seen as an adult that doesn’t know how to deal with babies.
Alright, let’s increase the time I spend with Anos twice as much.
“Anos often cries. I think he’s fine. Fionna is a little too mature…”
Julia murmured.
By the way, Fionna is sleeping in a separate room.
Well, even if I say he’s docile, he cries when I hold him in my arms.
After all, it is strange.
Why?
“Baby cries at night are tiresome…”
“Haha… I’m really glad I had a servant. If I hadn’t, I might have been mentally ill.”
Julia and Tetra smiled bitterly.
Both Julia and Tetra are queens of the king.
She also partic.i.p.ates in parenting, but she doesn’t help much.
For the night cries, we hire a servant to handle it.
Because it is a story that is often heard in j.a.pan, such as the collapse of a family due to a child’s crying at night…
I think it was a good idea considering that.
“Your Majesty. Your order is ready.”
“Oh, come in.”
I allowed Alice to enter and leave.
Alice is now working as a servant at the royal palace.
She was very good at cleaning, was.h.i.+ng and cooking, and I wanted to keep her within my sight.
She has not tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate or gather intelligence.
If she tries to do them, she will only follow after Aldo.
I’m content with keeping her in my sight for the time being.
Alice brought a brown liquid.
There is a fragrant scent.
“What’s this?”
“Tea?”
Julia and Tetra picked up the gla.s.s cup and mysteriously tilted their heads.
Well, why don’t you look at it?
I did my best to complete it.
“Hmm… not a bad taste”
“It’s delicious. What do you say?”
“It’s barley tea. The raw material is barley.”
The two of them looked at me at my words.
Tetra stops drinking, and Julia looks like she drank something that made her feel uncomfortable.
“I hate it after all?”
Adernians hate barley.
Because barley is a low-grade grain for Adernians that poor people, slaves and horses eat.
The army changed the diet to barley as a punishment…
That’s true.
Well, if you compare it to j.a.pan…
Is it the canned food that cats eat?
Humans can eat it, and it’s not bad, but I hate it somehow.
It is such a food.
“Hey, why did you let us drink it silently?”
“Because if I said barley was the main ingredient you would’ve never drunk it.”
I managed to calm Julia who seemed to be in a bad mood.
I understand her feelings.
If I was told that it was tuna and was made to eat canned food for cats. I’d be irritated.
“Don’t be that picky. Look at Tetra! She’s still drinking it!”
When Tetra learned it was made from barley, she stopped drinking at once, but started drinking again.
Julia looks a little surprised.
“Well, I used to eat barley bread too.”
“That’s right. I ate a lot when I was in the Romalia Forest!”
At that time, there was not enough food to complain that it was wheat or barley.
Everyone was eating without complaining because it was better to eat barley than to not eat at all.
“Julia, did you understand after drinking it? That it’s okay.”
“Well, it’s delicious, but…”
Julia doesn’t seem to be convinced.
If it doesn’t work, can’t it be helped?
“I want to spread this, what do you think?”
“”It’s impossible.””
That’s right, isn’t it?
Adernians know how to make beer, but they never drink beer.
Beer is a low-grade liquor made from barley.
I thought it would be a new industry if it went well…
In addition to narcotics, I want another industry with potential.
“Then what about perfume?”
“Perfume?”
“I specialize in medicinal herbs, but I’m familiar with the scent of flowers because of that. I know what to combine to make what kind of scent.”
Julia told us to wait for a moment and left the room.
After a while she brought parchment, papyrus and a bunch of paper.
“The results of the research are written here. You can also understand how to grow them.”
“Hey, that’s amazing… Well, could you try making it on my private land? I want to sell it in a big way depending on the reputation.”
“Good. If it helps Almus.”
Julia smiled, holding her research material in her chest.
“Griffon, would you please give me the Romalia forest?”
I visited Griffon-sama to get permission to cultivate the Romalia Forest.
I explain the merits of taking control of the Romalia Forest.
Griffon showed disappointment.
“If I agree to it, the possibility of people entering my territory will increase. It’s unpleasant for people to enter my territory.”
“I will take measures against that.”
The Romalia Forest is about 40 kilometers in radius.
And Griffon’s territory is within a radius of 15 kilometers.
Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to enter within 20 km.
I’m going to put up signs that no entry is allowed around every 10 meters.
Actually, I would like to surround it with a wooden fence…
I will not do it because it would affect the forest ecosystem.
“How about this? In addition, I’m going to let Julia put a barrier for people to not enter. And I’ll tell the reclamation people about it.”
“Hmm, but…”
“If the development is successful, we will give a part of the wealth gained from it to Griffon. Alcohol, fat sheeps and pigs!”
I managed to entice him with food.
Griffon thinks with a difficult face.
“Well, that’s good”
“Thank you!”
Mr. Griffon, as expected.
Is a generous person.
“But I have no intention of being lenient to the humans who enter my territory. I will kill them mercilessly and increase the number of tributes by the number of humans who entered. Is that okay?”
“I understand.”
The tribute is not a big pain.
It’s not a problem for someone who enters the territory without hearing the restraint to die.
There was no problem at all.
“Then, I’m with this”
“Oh, do your best”
I once again thanked Mr. Griffon and then left the place.
“Peace…”
I look at the garden while drinking barley tea.
Due to my complaint, 70% of the plants growing in the garden have changed to ornamental use.
The remaining 30% are narcotics and herbs, but… it’s my wife’s hobby, so it can’t be helped.
Even so, it’s peaceful.
Economic reform is going well, and centralization is steadily progressing.
Just a month ago, all the territories of the Rosyth clan were returned.
Now that the Rosyth clan has gathered from the provinces to the center, the central power has naturally gathered.
There is no need for me to gather power separately.
It would be good if power gathered in the center.
The central command reached the region, and an army could be formed immediately.
That is the ideal.
And that ideal is being realized.
It seems that Bartolo’s military reforms are steadily progressing, and he wants to put them into actual battles as soon as possible and try them out.
However, there is no war.
It’s so peaceful.
At least, I have no intention of going to war for a year, and I don’t think I will be able to go to war for a year.
Compensation from the Kingdom of Rozel will arrive in a few weeks.
Most of the compensation will be used to reward the soldiers and the powerful tribes who worked hard in the war.
Money comes back with taxes, so it’s much better than paying on land.
Oh, it’s peaceful.
In this way, one year went smoothly…
“Your Majesty! It’s terrible! It seems that a commoner rebellion has occurred in the territory of the Ars clan!”
Apparently, one year hasn’t pa.s.sed smoothly.