Transition to Another World, Landmines Included

Yohiam Nenas is busy.

In addition to the originally unfavorable location on the edge of the Ragnum Kingdom, the territory was in a very bad state when the previous father succeeded the Viscount Territory due to the scandalous consequences of previous generations.

Although it has been rebuilt little by little over the past two generations, the high-end furniture in the town of Lafan, which was a large export industry, has been in a chronic downturn due to the inability to cut down the famous trees.

The disturbance of the Order of Our Lady of Satomi broke out, and it was necessary to allocate a huge budget to the reconstruction of Kergue.

There are a lot of things to do, but there is no budget. Inevitably, it is neglected to gather competent people, and it is impossible to even increase the manpower.

As a result, the soldiers are not trained enough and the number of bureaucrats is small.

Yohiam will have to invest those human and financial resources to do his best.

Even so, Yohiam, who does not impose heavy taxes on his neighbors, and also manages his normal life, can be said to be a good lord, but the attraction is reflected in his workload, and he is busy every day.

But he also needs a rest.

On that day, Johiam was with his family enjoying a cup of tea and spending a moment of rest.

Sitting next to him is his wife, Saffia.

She is also Diora's aunt, but she is not ten years apart, and she appears to be younger than her real age in appearance, so there seems to be a bigger difference than the actual one when standing alongside the struggling Yohiam.

The eldest daughter, Ilias, sits in front of her.

Although he is still a minor, he has experienced foreign travel as a descendant of Yohiam, which has recently become more solid than before, and he feels a little lonely and complicated as his father, Yohiam.

And the eldest son of her family, Mark, was holding her in her arms.

It was almost time for nursing, but now I'm hugging Ilias and sleeping happily.

Looking at such a family, Johiam was relieving himself of his daily fatigue, and there came Bezel, the butler of the Nenus family, and handed a letter to Safia.

Upon receiving it, Saffia smiles happily at the sender.

"Safia, who is it from?"

"It's from Diora. erm....."

So he answered the question of Johiam, and Saphir, who opened the envelope, read the letter to the end, and gave him a small nod.

"This is also addressed to you. Go ahead."

"For me? Another job...?"

With a slightly disgusting expression, Johiam begins to read the letter he received saying he needed it.

Seeing that, Ilias took Mark back in his arms so that he wouldn't wake him up, and took a small step forward.

"Mother, what did Diora-san say?"

"There were adventurers who asked for your escort before, right?"They kept me up to date and informed about their achievements. ”

"Mary and the others!... eh, is there anything I can tell you?"

It was Ilias who raised his voice happily, but he immediately looked at Yohiam with a slight anxiety.

It's written a lot, but if you want to get to the point, the dungeon I gave away as a reward for the request at that time, and the sea was found deep inside.

"... eh? The sea? Inside the dungeon? Really?"

Yohiam nodded to Ilias, twisting his neck, wondering if that was possible.

“I agree. At least I don't know of such a case.However, it seems that the Adventurer's Guild has confirmed that there is a place that is large enough to actually be seen by the sea and full of salt water.It may not be connected to the sea as we know it, so it should be called a huge salt lake to be exact.... "

“The point is, you can get salt.”

Ilias twisted his neck at Saphire's words, which he asked to supplement.

"Salt... is that important?"

"Salt is indispensable for people to live, isn't it?No matter how expensive it may be, it is a strategic resource that is very important for the country, and it is important to be able to produce it domestically.Even in Japan, rock salt is calculated, but the amount is by no means large. "

"... which means that the Marys can make salt to make money?"

Ilias said that if there were few competitors, they might sell, but Yohiam shook his head.

"Ilias, is there a difference between being strategically valuable and being commercially profitable?Do you know where our salt is imported from? ”

It's the Austrian Duchy, isn't it?

"Well, Ilias, you've studied well." That's great. "

Saffia praised Ilias for his quick response, but she swelled her cheeks.

"Don't be a fool.It is common knowledge that the three countries bordering the border are at war with the Yupicristian Empire, and that the Kingdom of Fegray is not a decent trading country. ”

Both countries have very small transactions, but they are small businesses conducted by individuals, and the only large trading partners are the Principality of Austrianim, including non-salt countries.

From the point of view of Ilias, who was educated as the son of an aristocrat, it is only natural that I should know about it.

The most praiseworthy thing is...... and the dissatisfaction is manifested, but Yohiam and the others smile and deny it.

“I'm glad you remember what you studied.”

"That's right. Some of the nobles have grown up and have no choice - well, that's fine."Fortunately, our country and the Duchy of Austrian have been friends for many years.Rarely, I would hoist the price of salt, but that country is not a coastal country either. ”

The Kingdom of Rainham and the Principality of Austrianim are similar in topography, and there are no significant differences in the amount of salt mined.Of course, even in the Austrian Duchy, rock salt alone cannot meet the demand for salt, and relies on imports for much of it, some of which is re-exported to the Rainier Kingdom.

In other words, regardless of the will of the Austrian Duchy, it is possible that the price of salt will rise.

"In other words, strategic value--"

"It's about keeping the price of salt down."The cost of producing salt in the dungeon will be high, but if the import price exceeds it, it can be switched to domestic production.That fact becomes a diplomatic hand. "

“On the other hand, you can't make money normally, can you?”

"Unless something else happens."

And if the "unexpected situation" occurs, it will not be a situation in which the country moves and makes money by doing business regardless of the owner's intention.

It's just that there might be nobles who want it as a hand.

The nobility that owns the Iwashite mine has a certain voice.

Similarly, having a dungeon capable of producing salt would enhance the aristocrat's voice.

Usually, if a nobleman tries to acquire a mine in another territory, there is no dispute, but that dungeon is privately owned.It's not strange that some aristocrats try to gain their rights with a slightly more aggressive hand.

"If you're a decent aristocrat, you won't take such measures... but what is dangerous is a wooden aristocrat who doesn't have a territory."Those who have nothing to lose can use their nobility to do something - but Diora says they're no longer in this realm.It will be difficult to reach out. "

Huh? The Marys are gone, aren't they?

Yohiam adds words in a panic to Ilias's sadly distorted face.

"Oh, don't worry, it's temporary."They have a house in Raphne, and they have a dungeon.I'll come back when I'm calm. "

"Muu...... but then I'll say hello......"

Mary, who was supposed to be quite close to her, complained that she had moved to another territory sometime, but Yohiam and Saffia all smiled bitterly.

“That would be difficult. They're not the adventurers I have.

It had something to do with my previous request, but it was an adventurer with a lord.

Coming to say hello because you are going on a journey is an impossible story in the first place, and you can't meet at a place you normally visit.

Even though it is an action related to the dungeon, it is not formally related to the House of Viscount Nenus, since ownership has already passed to Nao.

"Ilias, if you think of them as friends, you have to move."There is a difference between a nobleman and a commoner.If you had exchanged letters frequently, you might have come to say hello again this time. "

To the words of Saffia, who advised her, Irias grimaced and clenched his fist.

“Mary and Meatier are definitely my friends, but they may have been a little alienated.We need to get to know each other better so that we can easily visit! ”

Yeah, do your best.

In addition to distance constraints, there are also differences in positions.

In addition to having the status of an aristocrat, even Diora, who has a cousin relationship with Ilias, cannot easily come, so it is even more difficult for Marys to come.

Saffia understood that, but she nodded with a smile that Ilias' actions to interact with the civilians were never a bad thing.

"But it's good that they're not going to let go of the dungeon."They're free to do more than own it, but I'm not happy it's in the hands of other nobles.Thinking about it, they didn't come to say hello, but as lords, I'd rather be grateful. ”

Is that so?

You can say you don't know the inquiries from other aristocrats, right?

Originally, there was no obligation to respond to inquiries, but some opponents could not be ignored from the standpoint of the Viscount.

It can be troublesome to lie to someone like that later, and even if it's true, it lacks credibility that you haven't asked where Nao and the others are going.

If so, it would be less troublesome if you didn't see me from the beginning, and it wouldn't hurt to be asked because it is a fact.

As an aristocrat, sometimes it's necessary to fight, but this time it won't do you any good.

"It's something I've already given away."But isn't it a pity for your father?If I had given you another reward at that time, the dungeon might have benefited my family. ”

Without giving up to Nao, Ilias asked if he could hold it at Viscount Nenus' house, but Johiam shook his head lightly.

"No, absolutely not. That dungeon is only a negative bad debt for the Viscount Nenus family."It's weaker than a political hand.You may not feel like it, but if we start developing it, we may have a lot of suspicions. "

Is that what this is about?

"That's all I've done for generations."

If the previous generations had normally developed it as a Mithril mine and made some profits, and then it became a dungeon, there might have been a way to use it as a resource.

However, in that case, Yohiam would not have become a lord, and considering the location of the periphery, it would be difficult to develop as a dungeon city, and the risk of failure would be very high.

Perhaps, if you had it, it would have some benefit in the far future.

"As a lord, you also need the decisiveness to let go when you can reliably make profits, rather than dreaming of uncertain profits and embracing future generations."It seems to be a self-praise, but I think this decision was a decision.

“I think so too. It's enough that you saved the life of Ilias, but they have more to gain than that.”

The enemies that Irias attacked while visiting Baron Gnos's realm are sure to be stronger than Viscount Nenus' soldiers, and there is a high chance that Irias would have been killed without them.

Considering that, from the perspective of Johiam and Saffia, it is as cheap as the rights of the dungeons, and that's not all Nao did.

It is Yohiam who has rebuilt the territory that the generations have ravaged for two generations, but it is only to the extent of returning the minus to the vicinity of zero, and it has never become wealthy.

In recent years, there have also been problems such as disturbances by bandits, the Satomi Order, and vampire riots in Pinning that remained in the vicinity of Kelg, and there was also a concern that Lafang's furniture industry, which had become a large tax revenue, was declining because the name tree was no longer available.

“They are involved in solving these problems, and they are also successful in dungeon exploration.”

Most recently, Elder Trent.

Although the results of the auction are not yet available, a portion of the proceeds will be paid to the Viscount Nenus family as taxes.

I don't have to say it as a Viscount Nenus, because it raises profits with zero investment.

"Maybe you could have gone exploring without giving me the right to the dungeon... but in that case, I could have gone to another dungeon."It would be cheap if you could just give them a dungeon that you can't use to keep talented adventurers like them in your territory. ”

"The Marys' party was amazing, wasn't it?"I knew it was strong, but.... "

Asked what he had never known before, Ilias breathed out in admiration, and Johiam nodded deeply.

"That's right. It's a difficult adventurer to get in many ways."There were enough adventurers to fight, but they seemed to be good in many ways.Fortunately, Rafan has a house.... "

Arms folded, and Johiam thought.

I'm buying land and building my own house, and it says that a letter from Diora will come back.

Given that it is a party of a wide variety of ethnic groups, it is difficult to think of going out of the country, and there are many territories that are more difficult to live in than this one.

If so, it is likely that you will continue to settle in this territory.

However, some irrationality can easily be eliminated at higher ranks, and if you earn a lot, the value of Rafan's land and buildings will be relatively low.

"Thinking about the future, I might need to hit somehow..."

Yohiam saw the two young children in love, and he murmured tinyly.