Chapter 33: To-Do List
Next morning.
I am having breakfast while cradling my head, which is currently throbbing from a hangover.
Despite the headache, however, my mood is not bad at all. Rather, I even think I feel vitality welling up from inside myself at having gained ‘a job to do.’ I thought I’d gotten sick of that salaryman’s mindset already though……
Mora is trying her hardest at table servicing, but Irudo is already not here.
As a merchant who has several groups of caravans to manage, he apparently has a lot to do early in the day. What vigor he has, in spite of all that drinking last night……
“Not only that, I think various customers have also started coming in the morning……”
So adds Mora, her face telling me that she doesn’t fully understand all the details.
Well, it’s good timing. While eating, let’s take this time to let’s straighten out our thoughts.
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First of all, I want to protect people from anki.
Of course, there are a lot of other problems in this world, not least of all war and poverty. However, I am not so full of hubris that I think myself capable of solving it all.
But anki. Anki is the one thing that cannot be tolerated.
I know this because I’ve seen and fought them first hand. Their existence is a wrongness on the cosmic level. They are an ‘evil’ that must be taken care of, even if it requires using irregularities such as myself.
To that end, what steps do I need to take?
Anki can appear at anytime and anywhere, which makes coming up with countermeasures extremely difficult. And even I do not have the capital to maintain the necessary military strength for an extended period of time. Watching the Carbanera Knight Order fret about paying its knights their wages has taught me this.
I can only think of two viable countermeasures off the top of my head.
First is for all countries to openly share all information on anki, and form an allied force whenever the need arises. The other is to found an anti-anki organization that has full authority to cross national borders.
I should probably also help with each country’s internal anti-anki measures. If I handle the fighting myself, I think I can win against any anki force. However, I can’t be at several places at the same time. Children soldiers like the Lelis Magician Guild’s ‘magic soldiers’ are definitely out of the question, but I can probably help raise each country’s fighting capability with my technical knowledge and wizardry.
On the memo pad inside my head, I note down the two large items of ‘Establish an anti-anki military alliance’ and ‘Found an anti-anki organization.’
Next, I write out the sub items that I need to do in order to achieve those big items, such as ‘Strengthen the weight of my words to conduct negotiations with various countries’ and ‘Gather staff members.’
When I line them all up like this, the whole thing starts to look like a reallylarge undertaking.
“Muu…… I also need to create a place to develop magic items at my base……”
“Gio-san, you’re not tasting any of this food, are you?”
Seeing me begin to vacantly gnaw on a loaf of freshly baked black bread, Mora’s mouth twists into a へ and she glares at me.
♥♦♣♠
After finishing breakfast, I’ll go out…… or such was my plan, but Irudo came back.
“Please pardon my disrespect last night, Wizard-sama. It seems that I caught you as you were heading out. If it is for business, is there anything that I can help you with?”
There is not even a hint left of last night’s disgraceful behavior.
“I’d feel bad, asking something of you on top of last night’s discussion.”
“Whatever your request, please just say the word.”
He responds immediately with the very definition of a serious face.
“Can you arrange for me to meet with the person closest to the Council within your personal connections?”
“That’s…… what would be the meeting for?”
Irudo’s face twists into a frown. Muu, is the request a bit too difficult?
“I want to ask about the anti-anki measures that Lelis has in place. And to offer my strength if it is needed.”
Hearing my harmless, inoffensive answer, Irudo does a 180 and brightens up.
“Is that so! Actually, I’ve been bombarded with a stream of emissaries since early this morning.”
“Emissaries?”
“Indeed. They must have already sniffed out the fact that Wizard-sama is staying at my house. They hailed from various Guilds and n.o.bles, and even the Temple…… most of what they had to say involved a request to me to help arrange an audience with you so that they can their greetings.”
Oh wow, so that happened. Makes me feel like I did him a bad turn, good timing though it is.
“Seems I have caused you trouble. So, among those emissaries……”
“You can rest a.s.sured. The very first emissary was from Braus-san, Branch Leader of the Lelis Merchant Guild and Chairman of the Lelis Council. I shall immediately coordinate with his side’s schedule and arrange the meeting.”
“I-, is that so. Very well, I’ll leave it to you. It’ll be a great help.”
“Speak nothing of it! It is for my daughter’s great benefactor. Furthermore, after hearing your purpose, it is also my duty as a citizen of Lelis to help out.”
“I shall endeavor to answer your expectations. Oh, one more thing…… do you have any paper that I can write memos on?”