Labyrinth Renovation – 040 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 40: The Dharma territory is a peaceful small domain!

Now then.

On the day we escaped from the dungeon, I met Fiona's father, Count Dharma. And so, I've been entrusted with managing the dungeon and am currently preparing for its reopening, but in reality, I haven't even met the person who is responsible for the actual management of the territory.

We didn't use much of the territory's assets to prepare for the reopening, and we didn't hire any extra people, so it hasn't been a problem so far, but building the Labyrinth City is not just a hobby of mine—— it's an official project for the Dharma territory. I am merely in charge of on-site supervision.

In actual operation, it will be necessary to involve the local government.

"So, what kind of person is Evans-san, the house steward? "
"Hmm, actually, I haven't really talked to him much either."
"Is that so? "
"I come home sometimes, but there's nothing in particular to talk about, you know? He was worried about me, so I went to see him once."

Well, maybe that's just how it is.
He's like a subordinate at her father's company, I guess. From Evans-san's perspective, is Fiona his boss's daughter? Wouldn't you talk to them in a familiar way?

"How did it go when you went to show your face? "
"He cried quite a lot. I guess I worried him more than I thought. I was surrounded by all the vassals. Hahaha."

Don't hahaha me.
You're pretty loved, Fiona.

"Come to think of it, I thought your dad was in charge of managing the estate, but that doesn't seem to be the case? "
"I think my father is the one who makes the big decisions and things like that. I don't really understand the details, though……"

Well, maybe that's just how it is when you're running a relatively stable domain.
I guess the primary mission is to ensure a stable supply of food, clothing, and shelter, with primary industries accounting for 99% of the economy.
Well, in that situation, a black ship (foreign disruptor) called “Dungeon” suddenly appeared, causing a huge panic, which ultimately ended in failure. That's the gist of the story……
It is only natural that Fiona is not familiar with managing the estate, as she is the third daughter. She was the type who was already destined to marry into a wealthy family, so she had no need to know anything about the domain.

After leaving the dungeon, Fiona and I headed toward the town.
Seir is staying behind. Incidentally, Pochi, Tama, and Kaiser, who are scheduled to be introduced as dungeon mascots, are staying behind in the basement.
The entrance to the dungeon is blocked off with a rather gruesome barrier.
I asked Seir to block the entrance with a huge rock. The only one who can move it is Seir, who can teleport objects.

"It's a bit of a pain that it's a little far from town."
"Really? It's not that far, is it? "
"I will think of it as exercise. But when you don't have time like now, it's a bit of a hassle. Can I use a truck? "
"No."

The hardware store has two trucks, so using those will greatly reduce the distance to town.
But even so, wouldn't using something like that be too shocking for the locals?
I'm thinking of using it eventually, but I guess it's still too early.

"Ah, but that one might be okay. Was it a bicycle? "
"Bicycle……A bicycle, huh……? It's worth a try…… The pavement isn't really that great tho……"
“You mean the cobblestones? This must have cost a fortune."
"I guess so. I'm amazed they built something like this without heavy machinery or trucks."

The road leading from the dungeon to the town is just wide enough for two carriages to pass each other, but it is paved with cobblestones. When the dungeon appeared, they apparently invested a huge amount of money (borrowed money!) to develop it, but…… it's fine for walking, but I wonder how it is for bicycles……
Well, even after it rains, it doesn't get muddy, and there's no dust, so it's good, right? Really good. For walking, that is.
……But riding a bike on this would definitely be bumpy.

"Well, let's think about transportation later."

While talking about such things, we entered the town and headed for the city hall near the center of town.
It's my first time here, but it seems that there is also a knights' quarters attached.

"How many knights are there? "

I ask Fiona along the way.

"Hmm? I wonder. Maybe around 30 people in total."
"Oh, I see."

There's less than I expected. I guess it's more like police than soldiers.

"Well, hiring people costs money, and people with warrior talent tend to go to dungeons, so it's difficult to hire them."
"It's not that popular of a position of honor, is it? "
"Even serving a small house like ours…… Before the dungeon was built, we were able to hire a few more people."
"It looks like a difficult situation……"

Well, that may be the case.
On Earth, there aren't many uses for individual military force, and throughout history, it has almost always been tied to power, but this world with its dungeons is different.
You can earn as much as you desire solely through your own physical strength.
Well, that's probably why Fiona was an explorer.
Incidentally, even Fiona, who was working on the sixth floor, was earning about twice the average craftsman's salary. That's roughly equivalent to a knight's pay. That makes sense…… In that case, some people might choose to be explorers rather than knights. After all, unlike knights who look so restricted, explorers are free.

"So what kind of job do knights usually do? "
"Maintaining public order, accompanying land surveys, and military service in times of emergency. Of course, there's also bodyguard work, and there are quite a few situations where combat skills are necessary. When there's nothing to do, they train. Oh, we have about three people working at my place on a rotating basis, I think? "
"As a guards for the lord's family? "
"Yeah. And two guards for my father."
"I guess bodyguard work comes up a lot. No, in this case, it's probably a deterrent? Knights probably look pretty tough, right?"
"They come in all shapes and sizes. You're pretty prejudiced, Maho."
"I wish you would just call it a difference in common sense."

You see, 80% of the knights are gorillas, and for some reason there's always one beautiful woman, and even though the regular members are all gorillas, the captain is always a super-handsome guy with a slim build! And then there's the young squire.
……I'm sorry. That's prejudice.
……Well, basically, they're managing the territory with only about 30 soldiers.

If you think about it normally, you can't maintain power without military force, so it's actually amazing that they manage with only about 30 people. It's proof that everything is peaceful.

However, given that the lord himself is not living a particularly extravagant lifestyle, hired knights may be considered honorable, but their work is probably no different from that of ordinary workers.
Is this what the proverb "a samurai uses a toothpick, even he hasn’t eaten meal" refers to……? Maybe that's not quite right.

In any case, it seems necessary to know at least something about the administration of this territory.
As the city prospers, it will be necessary to strengthen the policing force. A town flourishing based on a dungeon means that a large number of skilled roughnecks will flock there.
It would be better to work on this at the same time.