Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki - Book 4: Chapter 15-1: Artificial Magic Stones

The day after the meeting, the full-scale construction of the defensive wall that would encompass all of Erucy began.

With this, new homes for the fire foxes were also being prepared within Erucy. Expanding the defensive wall to where the workshop was located would be wasteful, and it was becoming increasingly inappropriate for the fire foxes to continue living outside of Erucy.

It had been six months since the fire foxes had arrived, and the barrier between the elves and fire foxes was starting to fade away.

Lately, probably spurred by my marriage with Kuu, we had started to see couples forming between elves and fire foxes. Until now, such couples had lived separately, but it seemed like cohabitation should be encouraged in the future.

Despite this trend, the crucial first interracial couple, Kuu and me, wasn’t doing well. It’s not that we disliked each other, but she had started refusing any intimate moments between us, and she wouldn’t explain why. No matter how many times I asked Kuu, she would simply say,

「It’s not confirmed yet, so I can’t say. I’m sorry.」

As a result, I was getting pent-up. Lucy didn’t refuse me, but on the days when she was tired from training with Nettle, I held back, and with Yukino living together with us, opportunities didn’t come easily.

「Yukino is so cute.」

I whispered as I gently stroked Yukino’s head from within my futon.

She had her long, fluffy tail threaded through her legs as she hugged it while sleeping. I held her tightly, feeling her warmth and scent spreading within my arms, filling me with a sense of happiness.

Yukino hugged me back while still half-asleep and nuzzled her face against my chest. She had truly grown attached to me. As our closeness increased, I began to feel various emotions besides happiness.

「No, that’s not right as a person.」

I scolded myself for having impure thoughts. Yukino was like my little sister. She trusted me enough to show her vulnerable side like this, and I couldn’t betray that trust. I looked at her adorable sleeping face and channeled all my brotherly instincts.

As soon as morning came, Yukino slipped out of my futon and crawled into Lucy’s futon next to mine.

She always slept in Lucy’s futon, but because Lucy hugged her so tightly, it made it difficult for Yukino to sleep, so she would escape to my futon after Lucy fell asleep.

However, Lucy would get upset if she woke up and Yukino wasn’t there, so Yukino returned to her futon before Lucy woke up. It seemed that Yukino cared for Lucy enough to go to such lengths.

「Yukino is quite considerate, isn’t she?」

She was attentive not only in her work but also in the little details of daily life. When Lucy and I were in the mood, she would discreetly leave and return to the workshop where the fire foxes lived.

Maybe I was causing problems by making her be so considerate. I needed to improve myself as well.

「Kurao, Lucy, how’s the progress of the construction going?」

I inquired as I checked on the progress of Erucy’s defensive wall construction. Kurao, the acting chief, was in charge of the site, with Lucy assisting him.

Initially, I had been overseeing the construction myself. However, once I finished teaching them how to read blueprints, I started visiting the site only occasionally.

「It’s progressing smoothly as per the blueprints you provided, Cyril-sama. We’re actually about three days ahead of schedule.」

It had been three weeks since the construction had started. While it was far from completion, it was beginning to take shape.

I decided to prioritize the building of the defensive wall due to the information I received from “Me”, but the fact that there wasn’t any wall in the first place is strange.

For example, in Japan on Earth, there were many walls to protect castles, but there were hardly any city walls that covered the entire city. This was because the Japanese archipelago was inhabited by a single ethnic group, and the residents there accepted their new rulers without much problem if they didn’t change their lives substantially.

For rulers, the residents were a resource, so there was no need to harm them, and it was enough to protect only the castles where the rulers resided.

However, in the Occident, there are still several defensive walls that encircle entire cities. This is because the continent was home to multiple ethnic groups, and the residents were not quick to accept changes in leadership. As a result, the residents became targets of invaders, and if they were invaded, they would be killed or enslaved.

It was essential to safeguard the residents, who were the city’s valuable assets. For this reason, relying solely on walls that protected only the rulers was insufficient. As a result, it became common practice to encircle the entire city with defensive walls.

Erucy is, of course, in a situation more similar to Occident. The people of Erucy are an attractive asset, and enemies come to attack in order to seize it.

「Is that so? Everyone is working hard. I’m grateful.」

「Yeah, everyone is really giving their best. I’m sure they love the changes you introduced in Erucy.」

Lucy said some delightful things.