Leave a Comment / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
The year had turned. In this world, there were no New Year’s Eve bells, let alone events like countdowns. The general citizens were relatively relaxed. We also had taken proper year-end and New Year holidays, so we were able to spend our time quite leisurely.
Moreover, even the working people were mostly forced to take time off. Hotels, of course, couldn’t completely close, so they had to use shift schedules. However, those who worked during the year-end and New Year holidays were paid extra. In a past life, I had experienced having my work content changed at the whims of a female supervisor. I had worked overtime for days and came in on holidays just to finish the job. Naturally, I applied for overtime pay, but what the female supervisor said was: “You’re working overtime because your skills aren’t enough, right? Overtime due to lack of skill won’t be recognized, you know~”
As expected, my overtime pay request was rejected, and it turned into unpaid overtime. Of course, I need not mention that I later cursed that woman.
Because of such experiences, I am determined to repay those who help me with all my might.
However, on January 5th, Agartha’s nobles visited for New Year’s greetings, so until the holidays, we were busy with preparations. Especially busy was Rico, who, while taking care of the children, had to choose outfits for the nobles’ New Year’s greetings. Even though it would take quite some time for one person alone, this time, with three new wives added at once, she took care of that part as well.
In this situation, Soleil was a great help. Her sense of style was refined, and she seemed to share something with Rico. With her acting as Rico’s right-hand woman, we were able to properly enjoy the year-end and New Year holidays. However, for me, Mei, Sidi, and Mato, we had to repeatedly put on and take off clothes many times, which was quite tiring.
Thanks to that, the meetings with the nobles concluded smoothly. Unlike last year, we managed to avoid the situation where they came for New Year’s greetings but had no place to stay. While some of the nobles from the Juka era were killed, many had abandoned their territories and fled. As a result, over half of the mansions remained vacant. I thought it might be a good idea to use them as lodging facilities, but some of these mansions were already deteriorating, so we were considering what to do about that.
The beastmen village that had been established near the capital was also quite lively. They had their unique technologies and produced handicrafts like textiles, which were now sold in Agartha’s capital. The people of the capital warmly welcomed them. I wanted to welcome them into the capital, but understandably, the population had increased significantly this year, and the city was nearing saturation. Moreover, living in the capital required a substantial amount of money. In contrast, in the beastmen village, there was no need for housing costs, and they provided communal meals, so it wasn’t expensive. While there were inconveniences, they cooperated and helped each other to make a living.
Above all, they were trying their best to contribute to Agartha, the country that had saved them from their predicament. Just their attitude alone brought me joy, and indeed, they were contributing in various ways. Both I and the citizens of Agartha had a favorable impression of them.
When the noble meetings finally concluded, several reports came from the fairy dragons.
“I see ships near Galbi. Quite a lot.”
“Do we know whose ships they are?”
“To that extent…”
“Are there armed soldiers on board?”
“For now, I didn’t see anyone armed.”
“Understood. You’ve done well. Keep watch.”
“Understood.”
After confirming, the fairy dragons had disappeared, I rang the bell in my office. I instructed the staff who arrived to call for Knogen.
After a while, Knogen arrived, and I informed him about Galbi and instructed him to go there and report back. Two days later, Knogen returned. Immediately, I called Layfence and Matokal and heard the report.
“Ships from Crimeana have arrived in Galbi. It seems that His Holiness the Pope’s grandson, Vielle-sama, and her cousin, Kassel-sama, are on board. They are currently staying at Galbi’s church and are expected to head to the capital in the near future.”
“I see, the Pope’s grandson has come… There weren’t any soldiers on board, right?”
“There were no armed individuals. There were a few people who seemed to be associated with the church and a couple of magicians. If there were armed soldiers, it would have been a matter for the General, but this time, there’s no role for us.”
Layfence had a wry smile. I crossed my arms and thought deeply.
“Linos-sama, I wonder what their intentions are?”
Matokal asked with a worried expression.
“Hmm. There have been reports that there are quite a few ships offshore, heading towards Galbi. In the worst case scenario, if we assume that all those ships are carrying members of the Crimeana Church, there’s a possibility that Galbi could be occupied by their followers.”
“That’s unlikely, Linos-sama. Galbi is a fortress city. It’s a city built by piling up stones on a mountain, and there’s no room to add more buildings. There’s only the barracks that’s available, but if we secure that, there’s no room to accommodate many people in that city, I think.”
“Knogen is right. I will personally secure the barracks in Galbi. However, if they intend to carve out the mountain and expand the city, that would change things.”
“Understood. Knogen, you’ll guard the barracks in Galbi. Also, confirm the identity of the ships offshore. If they are merchant ships, allow them to dock, but if they are Crimeana Church ships, don’t permit them to dock until you ascertain their purpose. The port can’t accommodate so many ships. There’s even a risk that they might block the sea with Crimeana’s ships. Be cautious about that. If you’re short on personnel, you can mobilize the capital’s forces. Anyway, until we understand their intentions, we can’t make a move.”
“Understood. I’ll return to Galbi for now.”
“Yes, please do your best, Knogen.”
“Linos-sama, if the followers of Crimeana flood into Galbi, might we face a shortage of food?”
“Hmm. That’s a good point, Mat. They’re not foolish enough to embark on a ship journey without bringing food… Still, as a precaution, prepare relief supplies including food. We can’t have them getting hungry and causing riots.”
“Understood.”
“It seems I won’t have a role this time.”
“No, General, if necessary, we may have to rely on you. If the Crimeana folks stir up trouble, it’ll be the General’s turn. However, keep in mind that if that happens, they’ll be soldiers who don’t fear death. They’ll be formidable opponents. Be prepared.”
“Soldiers who don’t fear death… They’re troublesome.”
“Yes, indeed. Well, I’ll do my best to prevent that from happening…”
“Yeah, it’s better to prevent it.”
Layfence nodded slowly with a smile on his face.
A few days later, there was another report from Knogen.
“There are at least seven ships offshore in Galbi, but there could be more. All of them are carrying followers of the Crimeana Church. Some have personal weapons for self-defense, but there are only a few armed soldiers. One ship carrying Vielle-sama and the others has already docked. It’s carrying around a thousand followers, and they seem to be trying to land in Galbi. Currently, we’ve denied them landing permission and restricted other ships from docking, keeping them offshore. They seem to have sufficient food supplies and can last for a few months.”
So, it was indeed the Crimeana folks… Are they aiming for Galbi?”
“No, it seems not.”
“What do you mean, Knogen?”
“We received a letter through Galbi’s church. Vielle-sama and Kassel-sama would like to have an audience with Linos-sama. They also wish to bring their followers if possible.”
“Bring their followers to the capital…?”
“Most likely, but the Crimeana’s intentions seem to be… directed at the capital of Agartha.”
“The capital…”
I pondered while looking out of the window. Outside, everything was blanketed in a world of silver…
Leave a Comment / Reincarnation into a barrier master / By IX
The year had turned. In this world, there were no New Year’s Eve bells, let alone events like countdowns. The general citizens were relatively relaxed. We also had taken proper year-end and New Year holidays, so we were able to spend our time quite leisurely.
Moreover, even the working people were mostly forced to take time off. Hotels, of course, couldn’t completely close, so they had to use shift schedules. However, those who worked during the year-end and New Year holidays were paid extra. In a past life, I had experienced having my work content changed at the whims of a female supervisor. I had worked overtime for days and came in on holidays just to finish the job. Naturally, I applied for overtime pay, but what the female supervisor said was: “You’re working overtime because your skills aren’t enough, right? Overtime due to lack of skill won’t be recognized, you know~”
As expected, my overtime pay request was rejected, and it turned into unpaid overtime. Of course, I need not mention that I later cursed that woman.
Because of such experiences, I am determined to repay those who help me with all my might.
However, on January 5th, Agartha’s nobles visited for New Year’s greetings, so until the holidays, we were busy with preparations. Especially busy was Rico, who, while taking care of the children, had to choose outfits for the nobles’ New Year’s greetings. Even though it would take quite some time for one person alone, this time, with three new wives added at once, she took care of that part as well.
In this situation, Soleil was a great help. Her sense of style was refined, and she seemed to share something with Rico. With her acting as Rico’s right-hand woman, we were able to properly enjoy the year-end and New Year holidays. However, for me, Mei, Sidi, and Mato, we had to repeatedly put on and take off clothes many times, which was quite tiring.
Thanks to that, the meetings with the nobles concluded smoothly. Unlike last year, we managed to avoid the situation where they came for New Year’s greetings but had no place to stay. While some of the nobles from the Juka era were killed, many had abandoned their territories and fled. As a result, over half of the mansions remained vacant. I thought it might be a good idea to use them as lodging facilities, but some of these mansions were already deteriorating, so we were considering what to do about that.
The beastmen village that had been established near the capital was also quite lively. They had their unique technologies and produced handicrafts like textiles, which were now sold in Agartha’s capital. The people of the capital warmly welcomed them. I wanted to welcome them into the capital, but understandably, the population had increased significantly this year, and the city was nearing saturation. Moreover, living in the capital required a substantial amount of money. In contrast, in the beastmen village, there was no need for housing costs, and they provided communal meals, so it wasn’t expensive. While there were inconveniences, they cooperated and helped each other to make a living.
Above all, they were trying their best to contribute to Agartha, the country that had saved them from their predicament. Just their attitude alone brought me joy, and indeed, they were contributing in various ways. Both I and the citizens of Agartha had a favorable impression of them.
When the noble meetings finally concluded, several reports came from the fairy dragons.
“I see ships near Galbi. Quite a lot.”
“Do we know whose ships they are?”
“To that extent…”
“Are there armed soldiers on board?”
“For now, I didn’t see anyone armed.”
“Understood. You’ve done well. Keep watch.”
“Understood.”
After confirming, the fairy dragons had disappeared, I rang the bell in my office. I instructed the staff who arrived to call for Knogen.
After a while, Knogen arrived, and I informed him about Galbi and instructed him to go there and report back. Two days later, Knogen returned. Immediately, I called Layfence and Matokal and heard the report.
“Ships from Crimeana have arrived in Galbi. It seems that His Holiness the Pope’s grandson, Vielle-sama, and her cousin, Kassel-sama, are on board. They are currently staying at Galbi’s church and are expected to head to the capital in the near future.”
“I see, the Pope’s grandson has come… There weren’t any soldiers on board, right?”
“There were no armed individuals. There were a few people who seemed to be associated with the church and a couple of magicians. If there were armed soldiers, it would have been a matter for the General, but this time, there’s no role for us.”
Layfence had a wry smile. I crossed my arms and thought deeply.
“Linos-sama, I wonder what their intentions are?”
Matokal asked with a worried expression.
“Hmm. There have been reports that there are quite a few ships offshore, heading towards Galbi. In the worst case scenario, if we assume that all those ships are carrying members of the Crimeana Church, there’s a possibility that Galbi could be occupied by their followers.”
“That’s unlikely, Linos-sama. Galbi is a fortress city. It’s a city built by piling up stones on a mountain, and there’s no room to add more buildings. There’s only the barracks that’s available, but if we secure that, there’s no room to accommodate many people in that city, I think.”
“Knogen is right. I will personally secure the barracks in Galbi. However, if they intend to carve out the mountain and expand the city, that would change things.”
“Understood. Knogen, you’ll guard the barracks in Galbi. Also, confirm the identity of the ships offshore. If they are merchant ships, allow them to dock, but if they are Crimeana Church ships, don’t permit them to dock until you ascertain their purpose. The port can’t accommodate so many ships. There’s even a risk that they might block the sea with Crimeana’s ships. Be cautious about that. If you’re short on personnel, you can mobilize the capital’s forces. Anyway, until we understand their intentions, we can’t make a move.”
“Understood. I’ll return to Galbi for now.”
“Yes, please do your best, Knogen.”
“Linos-sama, if the followers of Crimeana flood into Galbi, might we face a shortage of food?”
“Hmm. That’s a good point, Mat. They’re not foolish enough to embark on a ship journey without bringing food… Still, as a precaution, prepare relief supplies including food. We can’t have them getting hungry and causing riots.”
“Understood.”
“It seems I won’t have a role this time.”
“No, General, if necessary, we may have to rely on you. If the Crimeana folks stir up trouble, it’ll be the General’s turn. However, keep in mind that if that happens, they’ll be soldiers who don’t fear death. They’ll be formidable opponents. Be prepared.”
“Soldiers who don’t fear death… They’re troublesome.”
“Yes, indeed. Well, I’ll do my best to prevent that from happening…”
“Yeah, it’s better to prevent it.”
Layfence nodded slowly with a smile on his face.
A few days later, there was another report from Knogen.
“There are at least seven ships offshore in Galbi, but there could be more. All of them are carrying followers of the Crimeana Church. Some have personal weapons for self-defense, but there are only a few armed soldiers. One ship carrying Vielle-sama and the others has already docked. It’s carrying around a thousand followers, and they seem to be trying to land in Galbi. Currently, we’ve denied them landing permission and restricted other ships from docking, keeping them offshore. They seem to have sufficient food supplies and can last for a few months.”
So, it was indeed the Crimeana folks… Are they aiming for Galbi?”
“No, it seems not.”
“What do you mean, Knogen?”
“We received a letter through Galbi’s church. Vielle-sama and Kassel-sama would like to have an audience with Linos-sama. They also wish to bring their followers if possible.”
“Bring their followers to the capital…?”
“Most likely, but the Crimeana’s intentions seem to be… directed at the capital of Agartha.”
“The capital…”
I pondered while looking out of the window. Outside, everything was blanketed in a world of silver…
