Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito - CH 10

An evening party was announced for the fellowship with the magical realm, but that day will not come soon enough. As this is an event of national prestige, there is ample time for preparation, and participants make various arrangements in preparation for the event. It is also common for high ranking female aristocrats to start by having cloth woven for dresses.

I, too, make preparations for the evening party. However, the women of the demonkin were happy to provide the dresses and ornaments, so I left it to them. They gave me a golden magic crystal stone the color of Angel’s eyes, which they said Angel had made, and asked me to use it as an ornament for the evening party, I pretended not to notice it and happily accepted it, telling him just that,「It’s a beautifully colored magic stone.」It’s a beautiful color, true that, because the hair color of my…… Remilia’s, Emi’s「Remilia」is the same as Angel’s eyes, a boiled-down dark gold.

「Umm… Remilia-san, that, it was a magic crystal stone that my brother made… Do you know what it means to wear it?」

「No, I’ve never heard it, you know? …What could possibly go wrong?」

「No, Klimt, uhh, this thing have no other intention than to keep annoying insects away from her, i–it’s not like that.」

「…Brother, I’m not impressed with your deception and filling the outer moat.」

「It’s not, no. I’m not deceiving her just because I haven’t told her yet.」

I knew from the knowledge of the story that there is a culture in the demon tribe to propose to the opposite sex by giving a magic crystal stone that you made, and that wearing it indicates acceptance, but as「Remilia」had never heard of it in fact, I answered that way.

I both like Klimt and Angel. Klimt is a loyal subject who would not hesitate to give his life for his brother and his country, and Angel is a statesman who can act without personal feelings for the future of his people and his country. Even if they will be misled by Pina and what she will tell them, I can trust them from the bottom of their hearts that they will choose me, who is necessary for the country, over a woman whom they only feel a liking for. I am more useful than Pina, by all means, right? Well, I sealed the items she needed to deceive them.

… That’s right, it’s not like they were brainwashed and manipulated. It’s their own fault for not trusting Emi, who has been beside me since I was a little girl, spent a lot of time with me and saved me many times, and chose this ending. Hey, isn’t that right, everyone?

The stage is set. For the first time in a long time, I return to the village where I am supposed to be holding the title of lord. No, I don’t think it was appropriate because it was now too large to be called a village. Demon tribes that had been living in hiding on the neighboring borders were also invited to this place, and now it has become a trading city where trade with the demon world is conducted from this base.

The road was opened here because it would be alarming to suddenly build a transition gate that directly connects to the demon world in or near the royal capital.

Of course, the center of the country knows this. This is why I went to the trouble of saying at the time,「Please keep an eye on me.」In this situation where the usefulness of the demon tribe has become well known, it is to be known that「the demon tribe had lived happily before that in the village where Remilia Rose Graupner was settled.」

I prepared materials for the village, served food to the settlers, repaired abandoned houses at first, and worked magic myself to cultivate the land. I once took care of a child who had just moved here and was bedridden when it got a fever in my mansion. I arranged schools, stores, and jobs whenever I was asked to. I gave almost all of my taxes back to this settlement, and even though I was a lord, I often dived into the dungeons and poured in the money I earned by slaughtering demons.

They know that nowadays, not only demons, but also children and beggars who had no place to go in the capital or other territories are gathered here to work in agriculture, cleaning the city, and making compost.「Remilia Rose Graupner, who insisted on her innocence right up to the end, was not corrupt, even after being driven into the backwoods, and she did what she could to help others,」the deeds so spoken of are well done…… I just did what Emi would have done. Using a system that was successful in Emi’s world, which was in Emi’s knowledge. I bet Emi would have done the same. No, she would have built a kinder city than I did.

Unlike my city, which continues to be successful, I have never heard a good story about the direct jurisdiction of the Dauphin Williard. Well, I am making all the difference.

He suggested「rotational agriculture」based on what seemed to be knowledge from a previous life that Pina had told him, and he spread the word to his people first that he was in the process of researching which crops would be best suited for the restoration of the land. In Emi’s world, I knew more about the fungus that exists in the roots of leguminous plants, and I was able to find the right kind of fungus in our world. If I know what kind of things I was looking for, the path can be greatly shortened. Furthermore, the business of making and selling compost at low cost, which was derived from the cleaning business, has now spread throughout the country, and thanks to the compost produced by my estate, the harvest in the granary area with which we have a partnership has increased by 1.2 times compared to previous years.

As for the compost, which has become an industry in this city, the demons are helping. Even though they have less magical power among the demon tribe, the magical power of the demon tribe is stronger than that of humans. They are partially responsible for the fermentation and agitation of the compost, which is the result of their high production efficiency.

Furthermore, from Emi’s memory, I also know that「breeding」has been successful in creating a variety that is resistant to disease and cold damage, and yields a higher yield, although the taste is a little lower. Next year, the rice seeds will also be distributed free of charge on a trial basis to farmers throughout the country, which is highly anticipated because of the success it has already had in the surrounding areas.

Ahh, the rest of the time, Williard would make condiments and dishes from Pina’s knowledge. Mayonnaise, I think it was called. Emi tried to recreate it, but gave up because she couldn’t get fresh, clean eggs in this world. In the end, the mayonnaise that Williard created was aborted before it could be commercialized, creating a lot of food poisoning patients. It didn’t seem to be a problem for a small group of prototyping, though I’m sure it was due to the fact that they bottled it for the first time and let it sit in their mouths for some time.

It seems that they used raw eggs after applying a purification spell, but if only Pina had properly understood that food poisoning is caused by microorganisms, none of this would have happened. Purification isn’t some convenient magic that automatically determines and removes entities that are harmful to people, you know? She didn’t seem to realize that noxious air, poison, dirt, and the conditions of use are only against inanimate objects and the removal of「dirt.」

Because I knew this from my knowledge of Emi, I solved this problem by using the soul attribute magic used by the demon tribe to develop a magic that limited death to weak and small objects. By applying this「death-giving magic」once to raw eggs washed in their shells using the water magic method, to vinegar and oil used as ingredients, and to the finished mayonnaise, I succeeded in creating a safe mayonnaise without the risk of food poisoning. In addition, the product is bottled and commercialized in small quantities that can be used up to prevent cross-contamination after purchase.

Incidentally, realizing from Emi’s knowledge that this magic should also be useful in the medical field, I dispatched demons to doctors and their assistants to spread this magic. It can prevent festering and worsening of external injuries without affecting larger life of beings like humans, and when used in conjunction with purification, it can produce clean water anywhere. Since it is a level of soul attribute magic that any demon tribe can use, it has also led to the creation of employment for demon tribe members.

I also dabbled in curry, chocolate, and many other things. Curry was once a rarity because of the abundant use of expensive spices, but it was quickly forgotten. Maybe Pina’s tongue is to blame for coming up with the recipe. The curry I made based on Emi’s memory was well received by Angel and the others.

In addition, Pina, who was trying to make chocolate but did not even understand the manufacturing process, imported large quantities of「cacao,」 which is treated as a medicine, with vague knowledge, putting pressure on Williard’s budget as crown prince and leading to arguments. Furthermore, the chocolate is not finished until then.

Also, Williard was going to do a major flood control project, including reinforcing riverbanks, in an area that repeatedly flooded, but he destroyed that project by building a dam at the back of my territory, which is located upstream from it. The construction order was placed mainly with local laborers, rather than with the selected government contractor who was scheduled to undertake the river work. A great facility will be completed next year that will be able to handle not only the flooding during the rainy season but also the late summer sun. This is another knowledge that was in Emi.

The Dauphin’s direct jurisdiction seems to be beginning to be deserted due to the increase in the number of people using it for distribution, since a bridge large and wide enough for carriages to pass each other was built earlier. This is what happens when you are reluctant to spend the royal family’s budget on flood control projects and easily give permission for her plans. Well, I wrote about the construction of the bridge in such a way that it could be mistaken for「a simple one needed for the construction of the dam.」Williard-sama, if you want to hate me, please hate your own father.

The time for bad times has not come and now there is no war. After the miasma has been stopped, the threat of demons is expected to weaken, and the only way to make achievements is to work hard in domestic affairs, which I will crush. Those who remain around in Williard’s entourage now have no place to stay in their parents’ home, and they no longer have the power to do great things. The only thing that could turn the tables would be for Pina, the Star Maiden they’re serving, to pull off some kind of miracle… but, how could I possibly let that happen?

Ahh, also, Pina is running a「soup kitchen」and I haven’t done anything about it. It was obvious that it would not end well. In fact, the people, not just the nobility, probably knew that she was just scoring points, and no one praised her actions. Because really, all she do is a soup kitchen, right? She don’t provide employment support, she don’t protect the children when they come to get food, she just serve them food. There is no famine and people are not starving to death, but they just feed the unemployed people with no fixed address, and those people have settled around the plaza where they frequently hold soup kitchens and are resented by the surrounding residents. Moreover, she only take the lead in appealing to the relatively comfortable but good-looking royal capital and the crown prince’s direct domain capitals, and do not do much to provide steady support to the remote areas and frontier villages that are truly in need. It’s like that woman who just wants to be praised.

I remember such a delightful story… I stand in front of the mirror and swoon as I place the beautiful dress given to me by Angel, which is a gradation of blue to black, the same color as his hair. Sphere, who has been assisting me in my imitation of a lord in place of a secretary, smiled,「It suits you.」She is pleased as if it were her own when she sees how Angel takes care of me. It must have looked like she was admiring a dress given to me by Angel.

I answered like a pretty maiden,「I hope Angel will be pleased.」Ahh, I’m really looking forward to it.