"It's been a while, hasn't it, ladies?"
A small woman with a bag on her back laughs as she deepens the wrinkles (wrinkles) in her eyeballs.
Her name is Michelle.
He's a pedestrian traveling all over the continent, an old acquaintance of Ardis.
There were a number of problems in the village, where the population surged in a short period of two years.
One of them is dealing with the outside world.
Originally, a young man named Jig from the village was responsible for it alone, bringing in high quality medicines and other irresistible things in the village from salt and oil-like essentials.
But it is obvious that, as a result of the rapid expansion of the village, one pedestrian finds himself in a situation where the quantity carried by one pedestrian is very insufficient.
So Ardis spoke to Michelle, who had once become familiar with her face in Tria.
Michelle doesn't even look disgusted when she faces Liana and Philia, and she has treated them very commonly.
It was only the first time I was a wary opponent for Liana.
Ever since I understand that bad mouth is the same for everyone, my sense of distance has shrunk a lot.
"Hello, Mr. Michelle"
"Long time no see"
Following Karina, Liana also returned words to Michelle.
The voice of a misplaced woman being pinched there.
"Liana, uh-huh!
One of the mercenaries of the escort accompanying Michelle, a red-haired woman, popped up.
Liana's expression is distorted for a moment.
But the look immediately caused the red-haired woman to hug Liana's body, making her invisible from her surroundings.
"O, Mr. Orphelia......!
It is the sorceress Orphelia who wraps Liana around her entire body and rubs and cheeks on her head.
He is part of the White Night Star, a mercenary party where Ardis used to act together.
Sometimes I've had something taken care of since I was a young girl, and although I never have any bad feelings, I didn't like Liana, who's been over-skinned.
"Hey, Orphelia. Isn't Liana going to suffer? That's about it."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Liana."
It was the swordsman with a crude (there) appearance who blamed such an orphelia.
I am Ted, a party member.
"Pfft."
Liana, who escapes a restraint named Embrace, retreats (Azusa) and takes a distance.
"You don't have to be so vigilant..."
"Haha. Well, if you're about to catch your breath every time you see him, you're usually on guard."
A small man with a bow laughs in a tone that makes fun of Orphelia, who crumbles lonely.
Orphelia stared at the man.
"Stop it, Norris. Because it's gonna be a pain in the ass."
"Heck."
When Ted was embarrassed, the man called Norris shrugged his shoulder and turned away in the direction of the day after.
"Is that it? But isn't it a little early for a scheduled flight, Mr. Michelle?
As Karina remembered, who was grinning bitterly when she saw the exchange, she expressed her doubts.
Liana wonders that too.
Michelle comes to the village once a month at a pace.
I remember it had only been a month and a half since my last visit, and Liana tilted her neck as well.
"Yeah, it's up to you to be quick. Because I was supposed to be here in six months. Hey. Just..."
"Just?"
Michelle gives her expression to Karina's inquiry and goes on and on.
"If the story pinched in my little ear is true, then apparently it's going to matter (oh and). I thought I'd let you know sooner."
"Important, is it?
"Well, to not get to the village for now - oh, is Ardis here today?
Asked by Michelle, Liana repeated what she had just answered Lupus.
"Ardis is going to Raitin with Philia and Lorna."
"Well, I guess I misplaced it. You're in trouble. You know when I'll be back?
"I'm sure he'll be back by the end of the day."
"Right. Then it would be just fine..."
Just fine. Nothing. The Ardis don't walk down the road like a common traveler.
There's nothing to chatter about. You fly out of the sky at high speeds, so you can travel on an out of common sense itinerary where you leave the village in the morning and come back in the middle of the day, etc.
But it is a secret that has not been revealed to Michelle or to the members of The Star of the White Night.
Naturally, the Michelles would think that Ardis had been away from the village for quite a few days.
"But if you were going to Raitin, you might as well take the information home without Atashi coming to tell you."
"... what happened?
For the inquiring Liana, Michelle told him with a serious look.
"Hi. I'm suspicious of the movement of the Empire. Perhaps there will be another war with the kingdom."
Returning from Raitin a short time before the sun went down, Ardis went with Rona and Nehre to the village chief's house when he was told of Michelle's visit.
The village chief's house, which also serves as a guest inn, is home to Michelle and guards, including "The Star of the White Night".
It is the central figures of the village, including the village chief, such as the priest Elmer and caregiver, who gather in that hall from time to time to discuss the issues of the village.
The only person who wouldn't be here would be Saila, who's been out for three days.
Michelle cut out the conversation where the numbers were.
The Ermenian Empire is making a stinking move.
"The Empire will wage war on the kingdom," he said?
"I still don't know if it's going to be a war. If it were a war, the spear would definitely be the kingdom."
"Well, four years ago in the war, then the empire would have accumulated a lot of depression, too."
Michelle answers the caregiver's questionable voice, followed by Ted representing the empire's mood.
The opponents against whom the Ermenian Empire wages its battle in the first place do not exist outside the Kingdom of Naglas, either for historical or political reasons or even for geographical relations.
If the Empire were to move the army, it was only natural that its opponent should consider it a kingdom.
"But even if there really was a war, it wouldn't matter to us, would it? This place is guarded by the kingdom of your angel, and in the first place it can come out of the demonic habitat, like a man of strength or a man with your own talisman."
Another caregiver expressed optimism that it would not be so serious.
"It certainly makes sense what you're saying. Thanks also to the presence of this Talisman of Exorcism, Atashi and the others can come to this village. I don't know what kind of logic it is, but you don't have to run into demons on the way here."
That's what Michelle says. She takes out the talisman she raised from her neck.
It is a Saira handmade amulet called the 'Messenger's Talisman' by the villagers.
Ardis isn't sure how it works either, but he can avoid encounters with demons and beasts if he wears them.
(Yuen) is there because a young man named Jig is able to play his role without being attacked by demons, even though he is single to and from the village and outside as a pedestrian.
It just seems that the power of the talisman is to make it harder to encounter dangerous opponents, and harder to be noticed, and Saila was cautious that it would never be safe if she wore it.
"Without this, you wouldn't be able to get this far where you hired a well-known mercenary to escort you. Isn't that right, Ted?
"It's regrettable to admit it, but it's impossible to deny it. Even with Clente and Helena. It's just too dangerous on the road to get here, let alone unscrupulous while escorting a pedestrian with big bags."
"Then there won't be a problem. Even if the Imperial Army wins, it won't come this far, nor will the Decapitated get lost. In fact, it didn't affect anything in the war four years ago."
It was the village chief who waited for the caretaker's assertion that there was nowhere to worry about.
"It may have been four years ago, but it's not always the same this time."
Elmer agrees with the village chief's words.
"The village chief is right. Surely it may not have an impact if the war ends as soon as it did four years ago. But there's no guarantee anywhere that this time will be over soon. If the war prolongs, the price of things will go up, and if the kingdom becomes a battlefield, logistics will be inhibited. With more security and more danger on the road, Michelle won't be able to move the way she's always been."
"Unlike the last war, the population of the village is growing dramatically. It's no longer the same amount that Jig can handle on his own as before"
As the village chief put it, the surge in the village's population has also increased logistics with the outside world.
That's why Michelle is carrying one end of it (once) in order to bring in the necessary supplies for the village.
"You know what? Soon prices will rise, and if the war spreads, supplies themselves will begin to run short. I don't have to know if it's an unnecessary hobby, and even if I want to buy essentials like salt and medicine, I might not be able to buy them. You've never been over there to prepare for it now, have you? If you don't move quickly, they'll buy you for a very high price."
"Maybe there are signs of that already?
"There's still no noticeable movement within the kingdom, either. Well, it looks like you're starting to twitch around medicine and food."
Michelle answers Elmer's question with a face that doesn't seem interesting.
"Ardis. You were going to Raitin's, weren't you? Did you get any information that the Empire is starting to move?
"You didn't hear any rumors like that especially in the city. It's just Marida - the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce I know personally apparently noticed the movement of the Empire. He insisted it was time to make some money."
"Shit, if you're a merchant, that's how profitable your nose must be. - So, what are you gonna do, village chief? If we're gonna get more stockpiles, we're gonna have to move fast."
After a while the mayor of the village, urged by Michelle to make a decision, eventually sets guidelines with a sigh.
"Let's try to increase our reserves. The population of the village is growing to an unparalleled extent compared to four years ago. I don't even know what kind of contingencies will happen. You should be prepared whenever possible.
"Problem is procurement funding and hauling. Well, what do you say?
"Let me use the funds you keep from me. Your servants will forgive you if it is for the whole village. If you're just transporting..."
The village chief's face is cloudy.
I didn't have to tell you. Michelle seemed to understand why.
"There's a limit to how much you can carry. Not to mention this village has a bad road up far from town. Good luck, but you can finally make it back and forth every six months."
"Mmm..."
Village chiefs and caregivers wrinkle their eyebrows in arms.
The problem was where this village was located.
Naturally you can't use something like a carriage because you need to sew and walk between trees in the mountains that are not only far from the big town, but are hardly equipped with roads.
It was also difficult to use animals like a cargo horse.
In the Canobis Mountains, where the signs of demons are thick, cowardly horses do not try to move forward, so they are instead shackled (or shackled).
If it were to be transported manually, it would inevitably be in that quantity.
Aldis presents one proposal as the village man holds his head.
"How about this? Ask Michelle and the others to go back and forth to the border between the Canobis Mountains and the meadows, from where we'll carry them from here on out. Well, then Michelles shouldn't be too burdensome, right?
"Well, if you don't have to go into the mountains, you can use the carriage, too. You'll be able to make a round trip in four days. Isn't that right, Ted?
"Oh, if it's a meadow, the demons that come out are like dispers at best."
But one of the caregivers showed difficulty with it.
"No, but...... We can't carry them from there to the village, can we? No matter how many of your talismans you have, in case you run into a demon with heavy baggage..."
The caregiver has the best argument.
I wasn't going to let Ardis and the villagers who didn't have the skill (even) to fight demons take that risk.
"Loads received in the meadows are carried by me and Rona into the junction. Then you wouldn't have a problem with that, would you? There's no danger in the junction, and you just have to let Lupus carry everything."
"Just Ardis and Rona? That's irresistible."
The more I normally think about it, the more I would not be able to carry a large amount of luggage by carriage alone with Ardis and Rona.
But Ardis and Rona have a 'gateway' that leads to another world.
As long as we send it through the gates to the other world, we can store more baggage than the wagon can carry.
Besides, time flies slowly across the gate.
Raw vegetables would have no problem leaving it alone for a year or so.
Nothing can be more treasured for preservation or transportation.
I pick up my stuff from Michelles in the meadows and send it temporarily through the gates to the other world.
Keep moving, Ardis, to the inside of the junction, where now all you have to do is take your stuff out of the other world, and then settle down in a safe place and the villagers carry it.
However, since the presence of the gateway lay low on the villagers, Ardis also wanted to avoid accompanying them outside of Rona and Nele.
"Well, I'll take care of it. There's got to be nothing to disappoint you."
For the caregivers who looked anxious, Ardis laughed in a flamboyant manner.