The villagers fell silent as if a bucket of water had been poured over them. They seemed shocked to learn that someone they knew was a spy for the Imperial Kingdom.
“Jifiro… Why?”
Jinbi dropped to his knees and hung his head low. Jifiro remained bowed, unmoving. I activated my appraisal skill on her.
“…You’re called Jifiro, right? Are you being held hostage by someone from the Imperial Kingdom, using Malof, your husband, as leverage? Have they asked you to gather information about the villagers in exchange for allowing you to return to the village? Did you have weekly contact with someone from the empire…? But due to heavy snow recently, you haven’t been able to communicate… Is that correct?”
Jifiro lifted her face and stared at me intently.
“L-Lord Linos… Why would you say such a thing…?”
Jinbi looked at me with fearful eyes. I smirked in response.
“Well, it’s just my speculation. It would be difficult for an outsider to infiltrate this village as a spy. So, the easiest way would be to exploit someone among the villagers who has a weakness. Since Jifiro here claimed to be Malof’s wife earlier, I thought it was highly likely. And it seems I’m not entirely wrong, am I?”
Jifiro’s eyes wandered as she bowed her head again.
“Do you want Malof back, Jifiro?”
At those words, Jifiro glared at me and opened her mouth to speak.
“Of course! It’s been two years… Two whole years he’s been taken away by the soldiers! As a result, this village has been deteriorating. We can’t survive just by tilling the fields as women and old men. We need hunters to bring in money by hunting Hawans. If Malof returns, we can hunt Hawans again. That’s how the village will manage!”
The woman shed tears and pounded the floor with her fist, venting her anger at me. The gathered villagers all kept their heads down, remaining silent.
“Jifiro, I understand your feelings… But why didn’t you come to me for help before?”
Jinbi inched closer to Jifiro and asked, his voice trembling.
“As if I could tell you… There’s no way I could say such a thing…”
“Jifiro…”
Both Jifiro and Jinbi broke into sobs. The surrounding villagers also wept silently, their voices stifled. Watching this scene, I pondered how I could save these people somehow. I glanced at Soleil standing beside me; she too had a worried expression as she watched the villagers.
“Master… Can’t we do something to help them?”
“Hmm…”
As I crossed my arms, contemplating, Village Chief Jinbi wiped away his tears and spoke.
“King Linos, we sincerely thank you for the blessing of food bestowed upon us. On behalf of the village, I, Jinbi, express my heartfelt gratitude. From now on, we will take care of the village ourselves. Please, do not worry…”
“Well, even if you say that… If things go wrong, this village could be crushed by the empire’s Army. In that case, most likely, every villager here would be killed. I want to avoid that… Jifiro, how much information about the village did you relay to the Lamaron side?”
“…I told them that the village chief managed to procure food from Agarta, and that there is a dispute within the village about whether to side with the Empire or with Agarta.”
“Hmm. I see.”
I suddenly glanced down at my feet. There lay a Hawan fur.
“Jinbi, can I have this fur?”
Jinbi choked on her words for a moment. Then, with effort, he answered.
“Y-Yes… P-Please take it.”
“Village Chief! That fur is the last one we have to sell when we run out of food!”
Jifiro shouted in protest.
“Jifiro, it’s fine. The village is facing a crisis of survival right now. And Lord Linos has brought us food. It’s the right time to sell this fur.”
Jinbi spoke, trying to reason with her.
“Lord Linos, please, take the fur.”
“Alright. Got it. In that case…”
I retrieved a pen and paper from my Infinite Storage and began writing swiftly.
“What is the minimum amount of food needed for the villagers to avoid starvation? And how much do you sell this fur for? Just give me approximate numbers.”
“For food… If we have around 20 bags of rice or wheat, we can manage somehow… And for the fur, around 10,000G should be fine…”
As I listened to Jinbi’s explanation, I wrote down the information on the paper.
“There, it’s done. How about this?”
“What… is this?”
“It’s a receipt.”
“Ryoushuusho?”
“It’s a document issued when you sell or buy something. It’s proof that I bought this fur with this amount of food.”
I handed over the receipt I had created, which looked something like this:
Receipt ——————— Item: Hawan Fur Price: 10,000G Payment: 20 bags of rice or wheat
“Take this with you, and when the time comes, you can present it to me or someone else as proof of purchase. This way, the village will know that the food has been exchanged for the fur.”
Jinbi looked at the receipt with a mix of surprise and relief.
“Thank you, Lord Linos. We will remember this favor.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my duty to help those in need. Now, let’s focus on resolving the village’s current situation.”
With determination in my voice, I turned to face the troubled villagers, ready to assist them in any way I could.
[Receipt]
To: Village Chief Jinbi of Daitas Village
Received Item: Hawan Fur x 1
Payment: Equivalent amount in food
Receipt Details:
Rice: 10 bags Wheat: 10 bags Vegetables: 10 kg Meat: 10 kgKing Basam Daake Linos of Agarta Kingdom
“Hey, Jifiro. Can you read?”
“…No, I can’t.”
“That’s perfect. Give this… What is it? Give it to someone from the Lamaron Army.”
“What do you mean?”
Both Jinbi and Jifiro looked wide-eyed. Of course, they had never seen a receipt before. It was understandable. As I spoke, I looked at the faces of the villagers.
“I’ve come up with a plan to save this village from the Lamaron Army’s attack. Basically, we need to make it seem like Daitas Village bought food from Agarta. Lamaron probably doesn’t sell food, right? So we can say that you bought it from Agarta. And when it comes to the soldiers, we can say that the village decided to side with Lamaron. Let’s say that Agarta is stingy.”
“But… Is it really okay to do that?”
Jinbi was already sighing. It seemed he couldn’t keep up with the direction of the conversation. And if that was the case, it was likely that the villagers, including Jifiro, couldn’t either. At that moment, Lilith stood up and raised her voice.
“We sold the fur to buy food because we didn’t have any. So what if it happened to be from Agarta? It’s not our fault! They don’t sell it in the Empire! We bought food from an enemy country to survive. Why should we be blamed for it? We reduced the enemy’s food and increased our own! Why would we be attacked? The King gave us proof that he sold us the food! It’s fine!”
After hearing those words, the villagers finally seemed to understand. Good job, Lilith.
“That’s the idea. Jifiro, when the snow melts, you can give that paper to the soldiers. Don’t lose it before then, got it? And don’t forget to mention that Agarta is stingy.”
I smirked and looked at Jifiro. She widened her eyes and nodded vigorously.
“Now, let’s distribute the brought food. Jinbi, is there some sort of food storage facility?”
“Y-Yes. I’ll show you.”
We were led to a building next to Jinbi’s house.
“…There’s absolutely nothing here.”
“…”.
Jinbi fell silent, hanging his head. I then began taking out the food listed on the receipt from my Infinite Storage.
“Well, that’s about it.”
“Thank you very much. With this, the village can sustain itself for a while. We truly appreciate it.”
“Well, this won’t last long, will it?”
“If it won’t last… What do you mean?”
“Well, this amount of food will probably only last about a month.”
“We’ll manage somehow when the snow melts…”
“No need to push yourselves. Hey, Soleil.”
I turned to Soleil, who was standing next to me.
“Can you ask the forest spirits to hide a place where we can store the food? Like in the Sairius Village.”
“Yes, of course. Consider it done.”
“Jinbi, keep this food as emergency supplies. Lamaron soldiers might come to inspect. Show them this receipt. As for the rest, let’s hide it in this forest. Is there any distinctive location in the forest?”
“Well…”
Guided by Jinbi, we arrived at a spot right in front of a large tree.
“Oh, this tree seems noticeable enough.”
Saying that, I started taking out a large amount of food. Rice, wheat, vegetables, fish, meat, fruits… The area around the tree became filled with food. I then erected a powerful barrier around it, sealing the food inside.
“This… This much food…”
“If it runs out, let me know. By the way, the items within this barrier won’t spoil. So rest assured.”
“With this, we won’t go hungry… Thank you. Thank you so much.”
All the villagers present prostrated themselves, expressing their gratitude to me one after another. I reassured them multiple times that there was no need for such gestures of thanks and instructed Soleil to ask the forest spirits to hide the barrier from anyone other than the villagers.
Several days later, in a room within the palace in the capital of the Lamaron Empire, Duke Konig, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, sighed as he looked at a piece of paper.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“…Is that all?”
Glaring at Duke Konig, his brows deeply furrowed, was Almond, the Commander of the Third Army of the Lamaron Army.
“Do you have something else to say?”
“Daitas Village negotiated with the enemy country on their own accord!”
“What choice did they have? They didn’t have any food.”
“If they didn’t have food, why didn’t they request it from the Empire?”
“Well, maybe they knew that the Empire didn’t have any food to offer?”
Duke Konig widened his eyes. He maintained a nonchalant expression, as if saying, “What’s he talking about?”
“Daitas Village procured food on their own without relying on the Empire. I think it’s a logical and efficient action. Or do you have something else to say, Almond? Do you think it’s right for you to demand food from the Empire even though you know there isn’t any?”
“It is the natural duty of a country to ensure that its own people do not go hungry.”
“If there’s nothing to offer, then there’s nothing to be done, right? Well, if you want to procure food yourself and support Daitas Village, that’s a different story. Personally, I think it’s a highly inefficient action, but you’re free to do it. Just do it alone. The Empire doesn’t have any food. Daitas Village procured food on their own without relying on the Empire. Impressive, isn’t it? I would give them a medal for it. By the way, Agarta is quite stingy. They only provided this much food in exchange for Hawan fur. Do you think Daitas Village would follow such a stingy country?”
Duke Konig snickered and wore a smug expression as he looked at Almond. It was a gaze that seemed to belittle Almond. Sensing that, Almond clenched his fist and glared back at Duke Konig, remaining silent.
The villagers fell silent as if a bucket of water had been poured over them. They seemed shocked to learn that someone they knew was a spy for the Imperial Kingdom.
“Jifiro… Why?”
Jinbi dropped to his knees and hung his head low. Jifiro remained bowed, unmoving. I activated my appraisal skill on her.
“…You’re called Jifiro, right? Are you being held hostage by someone from the Imperial Kingdom, using Malof, your husband, as leverage? Have they asked you to gather information about the villagers in exchange for allowing you to return to the village? Did you have weekly contact with someone from the empire…? But due to heavy snow recently, you haven’t been able to communicate… Is that correct?”
Jifiro lifted her face and stared at me intently.
“L-Lord Linos… Why would you say such a thing…?”
Jinbi looked at me with fearful eyes. I smirked in response.
“Well, it’s just my speculation. It would be difficult for an outsider to infiltrate this village as a spy. So, the easiest way would be to exploit someone among the villagers who has a weakness. Since Jifiro here claimed to be Malof’s wife earlier, I thought it was highly likely. And it seems I’m not entirely wrong, am I?”
Jifiro’s eyes wandered as she bowed her head again.
“Do you want Malof back, Jifiro?”
At those words, Jifiro glared at me and opened her mouth to speak.
“Of course! It’s been two years… Two whole years he’s been taken away by the soldiers! As a result, this village has been deteriorating. We can’t survive just by tilling the fields as women and old men. We need hunters to bring in money by hunting Hawans. If Malof returns, we can hunt Hawans again. That’s how the village will manage!”
The woman shed tears and pounded the floor with her fist, venting her anger at me. The gathered villagers all kept their heads down, remaining silent.
“Jifiro, I understand your feelings… But why didn’t you come to me for help before?”
Jinbi inched closer to Jifiro and asked, his voice trembling.
“As if I could tell you… There’s no way I could say such a thing…”
“Jifiro…”
Both Jifiro and Jinbi broke into sobs. The surrounding villagers also wept silently, their voices stifled. Watching this scene, I pondered how I could save these people somehow. I glanced at Soleil standing beside me; she too had a worried expression as she watched the villagers.
“Master… Can’t we do something to help them?”
“Hmm…”
As I crossed my arms, contemplating, Village Chief Jinbi wiped away his tears and spoke.
“King Linos, we sincerely thank you for the blessing of food bestowed upon us. On behalf of the village, I, Jinbi, express my heartfelt gratitude. From now on, we will take care of the village ourselves. Please, do not worry…”
“Well, even if you say that… If things go wrong, this village could be crushed by the empire’s Army. In that case, most likely, every villager here would be killed. I want to avoid that… Jifiro, how much information about the village did you relay to the Lamaron side?”
“…I told them that the village chief managed to procure food from Agarta, and that there is a dispute within the village about whether to side with the Empire or with Agarta.”
“Hmm. I see.”
I suddenly glanced down at my feet. There lay a Hawan fur.
“Jinbi, can I have this fur?”
Jinbi choked on her words for a moment. Then, with effort, he answered.
“Y-Yes… P-Please take it.”
“Village Chief! That fur is the last one we have to sell when we run out of food!”
Jifiro shouted in protest.
“Jifiro, it’s fine. The village is facing a crisis of survival right now. And Lord Linos has brought us food. It’s the right time to sell this fur.”
Jinbi spoke, trying to reason with her.
“Lord Linos, please, take the fur.”
“Alright. Got it. In that case…”
I retrieved a pen and paper from my Infinite Storage and began writing swiftly.
“What is the minimum amount of food needed for the villagers to avoid starvation? And how much do you sell this fur for? Just give me approximate numbers.”
“For food… If we have around 20 bags of rice or wheat, we can manage somehow… And for the fur, around 10,000G should be fine…”
As I listened to Jinbi’s explanation, I wrote down the information on the paper.
“There, it’s done. How about this?”
“What… is this?”
“It’s a receipt.”
“Ryoushuusho?”
“It’s a document issued when you sell or buy something. It’s proof that I bought this fur with this amount of food.”
I handed over the receipt I had created, which looked something like this:
Receipt ——————— Item: Hawan Fur Price: 10,000G Payment: 20 bags of rice or wheat
“Take this with you, and when the time comes, you can present it to me or someone else as proof of purchase. This way, the village will know that the food has been exchanged for the fur.”
Jinbi looked at the receipt with a mix of surprise and relief.
“Thank you, Lord Linos. We will remember this favor.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my duty to help those in need. Now, let’s focus on resolving the village’s current situation.”
With determination in my voice, I turned to face the troubled villagers, ready to assist them in any way I could.
[Receipt]
To: Village Chief Jinbi of Daitas Village
Received Item: Hawan Fur x 1
Payment: Equivalent amount in food
Receipt Details:
Rice: 10 bags Wheat: 10 bags Vegetables: 10 kg Meat: 10 kgKing Basam Daake Linos of Agarta Kingdom
“Hey, Jifiro. Can you read?”
“…No, I can’t.”
“That’s perfect. Give this… What is it? Give it to someone from the Lamaron Army.”
“What do you mean?”
Both Jinbi and Jifiro looked wide-eyed. Of course, they had never seen a receipt before. It was understandable. As I spoke, I looked at the faces of the villagers.
“I’ve come up with a plan to save this village from the Lamaron Army’s attack. Basically, we need to make it seem like Daitas Village bought food from Agarta. Lamaron probably doesn’t sell food, right? So we can say that you bought it from Agarta. And when it comes to the soldiers, we can say that the village decided to side with Lamaron. Let’s say that Agarta is stingy.”
“But… Is it really okay to do that?”
Jinbi was already sighing. It seemed he couldn’t keep up with the direction of the conversation. And if that was the case, it was likely that the villagers, including Jifiro, couldn’t either. At that moment, Lilith stood up and raised her voice.
“We sold the fur to buy food because we didn’t have any. So what if it happened to be from Agarta? It’s not our fault! They don’t sell it in the Empire! We bought food from an enemy country to survive. Why should we be blamed for it? We reduced the enemy’s food and increased our own! Why would we be attacked? The King gave us proof that he sold us the food! It’s fine!”
After hearing those words, the villagers finally seemed to understand. Good job, Lilith.
“That’s the idea. Jifiro, when the snow melts, you can give that paper to the soldiers. Don’t lose it before then, got it? And don’t forget to mention that Agarta is stingy.”
I smirked and looked at Jifiro. She widened her eyes and nodded vigorously.
“Now, let’s distribute the brought food. Jinbi, is there some sort of food storage facility?”
“Y-Yes. I’ll show you.”
We were led to a building next to Jinbi’s house.
“…There’s absolutely nothing here.”
“…”.
Jinbi fell silent, hanging his head. I then began taking out the food listed on the receipt from my Infinite Storage.
“Well, that’s about it.”
“Thank you very much. With this, the village can sustain itself for a while. We truly appreciate it.”
“Well, this won’t last long, will it?”
“If it won’t last… What do you mean?”
“Well, this amount of food will probably only last about a month.”
“We’ll manage somehow when the snow melts…”
“No need to push yourselves. Hey, Soleil.”
I turned to Soleil, who was standing next to me.
“Can you ask the forest spirits to hide a place where we can store the food? Like in the Sairius Village.”
“Yes, of course. Consider it done.”
“Jinbi, keep this food as emergency supplies. Lamaron soldiers might come to inspect. Show them this receipt. As for the rest, let’s hide it in this forest. Is there any distinctive location in the forest?”
“Well…”
Guided by Jinbi, we arrived at a spot right in front of a large tree.
“Oh, this tree seems noticeable enough.”
Saying that, I started taking out a large amount of food. Rice, wheat, vegetables, fish, meat, fruits… The area around the tree became filled with food. I then erected a powerful barrier around it, sealing the food inside.
“This… This much food…”
“If it runs out, let me know. By the way, the items within this barrier won’t spoil. So rest assured.”
“With this, we won’t go hungry… Thank you. Thank you so much.”
All the villagers present prostrated themselves, expressing their gratitude to me one after another. I reassured them multiple times that there was no need for such gestures of thanks and instructed Soleil to ask the forest spirits to hide the barrier from anyone other than the villagers.
Several days later, in a room within the palace in the capital of the Lamaron Empire, Duke Konig, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, sighed as he looked at a piece of paper.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“…Is that all?”
Glaring at Duke Konig, his brows deeply furrowed, was Almond, the Commander of the Third Army of the Lamaron Army.
“Do you have something else to say?”
“Daitas Village negotiated with the enemy country on their own accord!”
“What choice did they have? They didn’t have any food.”
“If they didn’t have food, why didn’t they request it from the Empire?”
“Well, maybe they knew that the Empire didn’t have any food to offer?”
Duke Konig widened his eyes. He maintained a nonchalant expression, as if saying, “What’s he talking about?”
“Daitas Village procured food on their own without relying on the Empire. I think it’s a logical and efficient action. Or do you have something else to say, Almond? Do you think it’s right for you to demand food from the Empire even though you know there isn’t any?”
“It is the natural duty of a country to ensure that its own people do not go hungry.”
“If there’s nothing to offer, then there’s nothing to be done, right? Well, if you want to procure food yourself and support Daitas Village, that’s a different story. Personally, I think it’s a highly inefficient action, but you’re free to do it. Just do it alone. The Empire doesn’t have any food. Daitas Village procured food on their own without relying on the Empire. Impressive, isn’t it? I would give them a medal for it. By the way, Agarta is quite stingy. They only provided this much food in exchange for Hawan fur. Do you think Daitas Village would follow such a stingy country?”
Duke Konig snickered and wore a smug expression as he looked at Almond. It was a gaze that seemed to belittle Almond. Sensing that, Almond clenched his fist and glared back at Duke Konig, remaining silent.
