novelraw Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Spring energy slowly began to pulse as March arrived.
With February gone, the territory’s state of alert had returned to normal, and with the start of March, we moved into full-scale maintenance.
Spring was originally the season of maintenance.
Last year, chaos had broken out as early as spring, but that had been an exceptionally rare case.
In this season, just taking care of wandering monsters or nuisances like Raptors was usually enough.
‘It’s already been a year.’
It had been a year since I had fallen into this place.
So much had happened.
From the start, things had been chaotic, and I wasn’t sure how anything would turn out, but when I tried to survive, somehow I did.
Now, I had managed to reach a state where I could live fairly decently, and if things kept going this way, I wouldn’t have many complaints.
I never had any great greed or ambition to begin with.
-Stop with the pointless sentiments, Master. Other males are waiting, aren’t they?
‘Ah, right. Time to work.’
Of course, piles of tasks awaited me as the lord, but even that was becoming familiar now.
Especially these days, there was an overwhelming amount to do in terms of maintaining the territory.
“How are the injured?”
“As you know, brother, they’re in far better condition than in previous years. However, it seems inevitable that many of the soldiers will retire.”
“I see. We’ll have to manage things well so they can take up other work.”
First came the personnel check.
This past winter had been relatively peaceful, but that didn’t mean there were no injuries.
The only consolation was that fatalities weren’t high.
Especially when it came to the knight-class forces, I had been able to protect them securely.
There were knights (warriors) resting due to injuries, but given time, they would return to their posts.
-Didn’t that weird potion play a role too?
‘Exactly. Why is this thing so effective?’
Of course, the Suppository Potion had contributed.
The fact that it allowed immediate treatment regardless of the injured’s state of consciousness turned out to be more meaningful than expected.
Combined with the territory’s already high-performing potions, the synergy had been remarkable.
Still, among those soldiers who barely survived, some would retire after this defensive battle.
The families of soldiers who had died in battle and the soldiers retiring from injuries needed to be consoled at the level of the territory.
These little gestures determined the morale of the troops.
Even aside from that, I thought it only natural that those who fought and were wounded for the sake of the territory should be treated with respect.
‘There’s no need to follow the hellish example.’
When I recalled the way things had been in my old homeland, it was laughable, which made me particularly sensitive about matters like this.
“How about supplies?”
“They’re good. The monster by-products have already been processed cleanly.”
“Make sure to set aside what we’ll use. Crimson Comet just got new armor, right? Let’s rotate the defensive gear for the other troops too.”
“That’s already in preparation.”
“The potion stock is fine?”
“Plentiful. But are you planning to sell potions again this year?”
“If Yuria sends someone over. I owe her a favor, so cutting off trade wouldn’t feel right, would it?”
“Well, in that case, I’ll make the arrangements.”
“Also make sure to stockpile Mana Crystals generously.”
While we had been wrestling with monsters at the Northern Gate Fortress, the residents of the territory had been handling the monster by-products.
Living in this region, gathering monster by-products was practically a way of life.
Since they were already seasoned at it, their efficiency was impressive, and the cleanup had been completed as soon as the end of the winter defense battle was declared.
This year had seen an especially large number of monsters crawling down, so the by-products were plentiful.
With potions and Mana Crystals, we would more than make up for what had been consumed over winter.
I would have to think about trading with the merchant guild, but if Yuria sent someone, I planned to accept the deal.
I owed her, and there were also things difficult to procure from Haken’s side.
Especially grains—in that case, Levelium was the fastest route.
-Things are a bit different this year, aren’t they?
‘True. But we’ll have to wait and see the results. The harvest hasn’t come in yet.’
On the farmland south of the lord’s castle, the wheat sown last fall had sprouted and was beginning to lift its head.
By summer, it would likely be ready for harvest.
Thanks to the hard work of the Rabbit Tribe workers, I had secured more farmland than expected, and the harvest prospects looked promising—but still, no wheat had been harvested yet.
Who knew what might happen by then? It was wise to prepare a Plan B.
And for this year’s trade, I planned to focus on potions, which would fetch the best price.
High-quality monster by-products would be reserved for the territory’s own use.
Since our military forces had increased, consumption was expected to rise sharply.
Especially the Horn Assault and Rabbit Tribe Rangers, who had made a notable impact in this defense battle, needed better defensive equipment than they currently had.
Conveniently, we had obtained plenty of high-quality leather, so that could be put to use.
“Any other notable developments?”
“Recently, there’s been a sharp increase in households starting new families.”
“Really? That’s welcome news.”
The report from Butler Harold was that many residents had begun forming new families.
Compared to previous years, the number had grown noticeably.
That must mean the territory’s situation had improved that much.
Marriage was not a decision one could easily make unless there was psychological stability.
It was quite welcome news.
“Households with children have also increased considerably. Especially among the Beastmen, the trend is more pronounced.”
“Is that so?”
“During the winter alone, quite a number of Rabbit Tribe children were already born. Even now, more continue to be born.”
“That’s incredibly fast.”
Having children followed a similar pattern.
But for the Rabbit Tribe, the pace was abnormally fast.
For Beastmen, the pregnancy period was shorter than for humans—about seven to eight months.
The Rabbit Tribe had joined our territory around late spring to early summer.
If they had conceived as soon as they joined, then winter would have been their delivery period, and quite a few families had indeed increased their numbers this way.
Pregnancy right at the time of moving in? Truly impressive.
-Nothing can stop the Rabbit Tribe. One day, this territory will be overrun by them.
‘Unless they give birth to several children at once like rabbits, that’s impossible. And they’re not animals; they wouldn’t reproduce recklessly without thought.’
-Heh, just don’t regret it later, Master.
That sounded a bit ominous.
Would I really have to worry about population control policies someday?
But in a world where population equaled strength, that hardly seemed necessary.
As for the Rabbit Tribe, even if their numbers grew, they would still remain the Rabbit Tribe.
For now, it seemed best just to watch and see.
“And one more unusual matter. The food consumption of the residents has surged.”
“Food consumption? All of a sudden… don’t tell me, because of the Vitality Grass?”
“Yes, it seems to be due to those who have been consuming long-term the dried Vitality Grass, which you, my lord, named the health juice.”
“Ah, right. It’s true, eating it does increase one’s appetite. Did anyone experience any particular effects?”
“Most of the residents who stubbornly continued taking it are in their middle years, so nothing remarkable. There are rumors, however, that their conjugal harmony has improved……”
“Really? Well, that’s no bad thing. A harmonious family makes for a harmonious territory.”
The health juice, made by drying Vitality Grass and mixing it with water, tasted so awful that it was hard to swallow without determination.
But analysis had shown there was no harm in consuming it, so I had introduced it to many people.
To ensure its effectiveness was recognized, I had spread the rumor that it was good for stamina—and from the reports, it seemed there was indeed at least a small truth to it.
Well, if one’s physical strength improved, everything else would too.
‘In the past, this might have caused me other worries, but not these days.’
In fact, even I had felt it.
It had been three months since I started drinking it, and without realizing, my stamina had improved greatly.
My constitution seemed to have changed as well, with notable gains in strength and endurance.
My increased appetite was due to this altered metabolism raising my basal metabolic rate.
And after drinking Vitality Grass, one craved meat over bread.
In our territory, where we harvested meat straight from the fields, that wasn’t a problem at all.
“And on that note, the Rabbit Tribe is consuming the health juice compulsorily.”
“What? Compulsorily?”
“They’re doing it voluntarily, so it’s not forced. But regardless of age or gender, every one of them drinks it. There are no exceptions.”
“The entire tribe drinks this?”
As expected of the Rabbit Tribe. To abandon taste for the sake of stamina.
First, they amazed me by conceiving immediately upon moving in.
Now, they reached a level truly beyond comprehension.
-No, that’s not it. This is your fault, Master.
‘My fault?’
-Wasn’t it you, the Guide, who recommended it? They simply act first.
At first, I thought it was just a tribe obsessed with stamina, but apparently not.
It was simply because I, as their Guide, had recommended it that they were drinking so diligently.
That puzzled me a little.
Beastmen weren’t usually known for their deep faith.
They were more free-spirited—both gods and believers alike.
-When a Guide appears, it’s different. Don’t the Rabbit Tribe always pray at Lord Bestia’s temple?
‘So that’s how it works?’
It was true that Beastmen’s faith was somewhat different from humans’.
Even Beast God Bestia didn’t expect deep devotion from them.
When their survival was on the brink, he would send a lion to appoint a Guide, but otherwise he simply watched.
But once a Guide appeared, the Beastmen’s faith would deepen considerably.
Experiencing divine blessings like a lion envoy or a Guide firsthand made it inevitable.
‘I suppose it makes sense they follow me, since I gathered the Rabbit Tribe into one place and helped them prosper.’
It was true that the Rabbit Tribe had received enormous benefit.
‘Still, that so-called temple feels a bit lacking.’
The temple built for Bestia within the territory wasn’t much.
It was more like a shrine.
It was just a small building for the Rabbit Tribe to pray in, with a Black Rabbit Statue—their sacred relic—placed inside.
The rabbit fellows said it was good enough, and this too showed that Bestia truly expected nothing from the Beastmen.
Even this small thing satisfied him.
It was so different from what I thought of as temples and religious life.
‘Anyway, is there really any loss to me if the Rabbit Tribe keeps taking Vitality Grass?’
Matters like the Rabbit Tribe’s faith or the concept of Guides didn’t matter much to me.
The important thing was that the Rabbit Tribe had been consistently, and would continue to be, long-term consumers of that unbelievable Vitality Grass.
Not that I intended it, but it didn’t seem like a bad thing.
‘There will be a huge increase in healthy workers. More strength and stamina will be quite useful.’
-And more Rabbit Tribe will be produced. I look forward to seeing those children, once they become adults in 15 years.
In this world, one was considered an adult around 15, and Beastmen matured even faster.
Once these newborn Rabbit Tribe children reached that stage, their productivity would greatly increase.
For now, they would likely continue focusing on growing their numbers.
“It’s no bad thing, so let’s just watch. Continue encouraging the health juice.”
Since there was no harm in drinking it, it seemed fine to continue recommending it.
The Rabbit Tribe wasn’t the type to cause trouble anyway, so I decided to let it be.
“My lord! A message has arrived from the smithy. The item is complete.”
Just as the reports were wrapping up, a message arrived from the smithy.
It was news that the item I had specially requested had been completed.
This was something I had to see and confirm myself.
Leaving the remaining tasks to Butler Harold, I immediately made my way to the smithy.