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Chapter 79: Among the Refugees

 

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Inside the office, Yuria checked a sheet of paper as she drew on a blackboard with chalk.

The blackboard was made of two different types of wood and the chalk was from leim stone (basically lime stone lol).

The chalk made from regular leim stone was white, but thanks to Nina’s experiments, we found out that mixing it with a mineral called calcimi produced red chalk.

So, Yuria was drawing a graph with the two different colored chalks and the blackboard.

After she finished she turned and looked at me.

「This is our current need for food, clothes, and shelter.」
「Good job.」

I praised her and checked the graph.

My basic policy has been to secure the basics of life for my people. I’d been doing this till now and will continue.

The goal hadn’t changed…but the scale had become much bigger so I had Yuria simplify it into an understandable graph.

Her ability with things like this were truly impressive.

Requests
—————————————————————–
Clothes ■■■□□
Food ■■■■□
Shelter ■■□□□
——————————————————————
The graph on the board was very easy to understand so I could understand at a glance.

「It’s divided into five parts?」
「Yes」
「Clothes and housing are fine…but food is quite high. Is there really not enough? How much pushinee do we have left?」
「There are enough. These are the requests that ask for something better to eat.」
「Something better to eat? Like something sweet or an after meal dessert?」
「Un. There are requests like that.」
「You don’t need to take requests like that into consideration. Just those necessary for them to survive.」

I would not be making them luxury items, they had to depend on themselves for that.

「In that case it is like this.」

Yuria fixed the graph.

————————————
Clothes ■■■□□
Food □□□□□
Shelter ■■□□□
————————————
The food requests had decreased to 0 all at once.

Mhmm, this is how it should be.

Pushinee was easy to make so I made tons of it. There definitely shouldn’t be a lack of it.

In fact it gave the feeling that there was too much.

「So I just need to make some homes and clothing. Easy enough. Oh, could you split it up into towns?」
「Wait a moment.」

Yuria said and checked the notepad she always brought with her vigorously.

I took a peek at it. There were words and numbers written in it but it seemed incomprehensible.

I gave up and waited for Yuria to finish.

After a bit she began drawing on the blackboard again.

Ribek, Kazan, Bisk, etc. she wrote the names of the towns in my territory and the graphs showing their needs.

She finished doing so and set down the chalk.

「Done.」

I looked at the graphs once more.

I could understand what was needed where. Kazan needed food, Bisk was alright with housing.

Just by looking I could determine what was need.

「Good job. Good girl, have one.」

I patted her head and gave her an origami medal.

She had a satisfied look on her face, but I didn’t get a magic charge.

Yuria was like this all the time, so I didn’t mind.

「I’d like you to maintain this with the newest information.」
「Ok.」

Yuria nodded and I looked at the graph once more.

There was one town in particular that bothered me.

————————————————
Belmi

Clothes ■■■■■
Food ■■■■■
Shelter ■■■■■
————————————————-
The town I’d freed from Maxim needed everything for some reason
**********************************************
I got on the train with Raisa and headed to Belmi.

I checked my DORECA status and saw that the citizens had increased to 8,888.

「It went up all at once. Was this all from Belmi? This could be the reason why their needs explosively increased.」
「What are we going to do?」

Raisa asked.

「First we’ll make pushinee. You know how right?」
「That’s the one where you put dirt in right?」
「That’s right. The magic consumption might be a bit much, but let’s lay down 2 circles of 1,000 each. That should help with the current pressing need. Raisa you should make it and deliver it. Yuria said that many of the needy ones are refugees, so it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out where to take them.」
「Un」
「If you can’t figure it out no matter what, ask me.」
「What about yo—Master?」

Raisa changed her wording. It seems she wasn’t used to being mine yet.

I ignored it and answered.

「I’ll be making the other things they need. There’s a lot that needs to be done.」

I fired myself up.

All the requests were at MAX. This was gonna be a pretty big job.
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「Welcome! We’ve been awaiting your arrival!」

We reached Belmi and stepped off the train as a man came out to meet us.

「Wait a moment.」

I had him wait as I placed magic circles at the very edge of the Fount of Ilia’s range.

I placed 2 magic circles that would produce 1,000 pushinee each.

Raisa and I exchanged glances and she moved according to my earlier instructions.

Then, I turned back to the man and asked.

「You’re Varlam?」
「Yes」

He nodded.

I had asked Yuria and she informed me that the mayor’s name was Varlam.

At first Maya was utilized as both my private guard captain and the mayor of Belmi, but once things had been revived and settled down, this man had been recommended for the position.

「I’ve heard that the people here have increased suddenly.」
「Yes. I don’t know where they heard about us from, but many people have suddenly arrived. We followed Your Majesty’s previous instructions to allow them in, but it increased too much and we’re at the bursting point.」
「I see…how many people are in town?」
「Around 1,000.」
「How many were there before?」
「Around 500.」
「I see.」

So the population had practically doubled.

If this pattern were maintained, it wouldn’t be long before the town collapsed.

………normally that’d be the case.

「Well for now…that will deal with the food for today.」

I pointed to the circles Raisa was working on.

「Gather the men that can work after they eat. I’m going to make a lot of things so I’ll need manpower.」

I said and walked around the town to check out locations for building things.
*********************************************
A ways from town, I set up 100 circles for wood houses.

For now I stopped at 100, but I hadn’t met the required amount.

I had enough magic, but the problem was materials.

According to Varlam, the town’s material supply would be all used up by these 100 homes.

Since this town had just been restored, the emergency material supply hadn’t had time to build up so it couldn’t be helped.

I returned to the center of town.

There I saw Raisa.

She was distributing the pushinee she just made to the refugees.

Our eyes met and I beckoned for her.

「Is there something you need?」
「Have you finished handing them out?」
「Yes.」
「I see, good job.」

—Magic has been charged by 1,000—

「It’s a little short on time, but I need you to help me some more. I need you to go to Ribek for a bit.」
「To Ribek? Why?」
「We don’t have enough material. Tell Yuria to send some emergency supplies.」
「Umm………..」
「What’s wrong? Is there something you don’t understand?」
「No, that’s fine. But they’ll probably reach here soon.」
「Hm?」

What does she mean?

「She told me before we left that there probably wouldn’t be enough material so she’d send some after us.」
「I see. As expected of Yuria.」

Apparently she had an understanding of Belmi’s financial situation as well.

That means I only had to wait.

I took a breather and checked the surroundings.

Many people were gathered here in the center of town eating the newly made pushinee.

A portion of them had finished eating and looked free.

「Raisa」
「Yes?」
「Gather up the people with nothing to do. Try to get 300 to start. There are magic circles on the outskirts of town, take them and finish the houses.」
「Ok.」

Raisa moved around gathering able men.

At first some complained, but after it was explained that they were making their own homes they gathered.

I saw them off as they left. Alright then, next we need clothes.

「——!」

I couldn’t make that many magic circles in this crowded area, so I went to walk to an open area.

However, I had my breath taken away and spun on the spot.

Among the people I thought I’d spotted a face that I knew.

A face that was once impressive and filled with self-confidence.

It was Seiya.

I stared at the crowd. I searched for him.

「Not here……….」

I searched but couldn’t find him.

I gave up for now, and moved to go make the clothing.

Even so, I kept thinking about Seiya.

「Was I mistaken? …….no. Menu Open.」

I opened my DORECA and checked the status.

Number of Citizens——8,887.

I’d lost my same number streak…it had reduced by one.

「Has he already left town…or maybe……」

I felt like he was among the refugees, I was convinced.

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