Chapter 20

By processing useless scrap magic stones, it was possible to make magic stones as large as one pleased.

In terms of the previous world, that was like all the stones in a backyard hill turning into diamonds.

A huge fortune!

That was what I wanted to say, but diamonds had long been entangled with problems like conflict and forced labor, so there were strict regulations on their sale and export. Since mountains of official certificates were required, trying to sell a backpack full of diamonds of unknown origin would invite enormous trouble.

On top of that, anyone could come and go freely on the mountain, so if people found out there were diamonds there, they could easily carry them off, and for all we knew the local police might be corrupt and the law unreliable.

So how, exactly, could one extract an enormous profit from a situation like that?

Our current situation was more or less the same.

We had solved one great mystery surrounding magic stones, but the technology to turn scrap magic stones into powerful, valuable magic stones alone would neither earn continuous great wealth nor allow Iiria to escape being a powerless lord.

It had to be used carefully, effectively, and in secret.

“And Kururu-san?”

After finishing the experiment at the scrap stone dumping ground and returning to Iiria’s mansion, Kururu had collapsed just after passing through the entrance. Kururu had laughed hazily and said her knees had given out because the tension had left her, but it was probably because of the mental strain and exhaustion of the past several days.

Kengo had carried her to her room, and Iiria had taken over caring for her afterward.

We had been waiting in the lord’s office, and when Iiria came back, she was wearing a wry smile.

“You seem bad with Kururu.”

It was probably because I called her with -san. Of course Kururu’s overwhelming presence was one reason, but despite my age, I was still generally like this with pretty much every girl.

“She’s sleeping soundly. It’s a very peaceful sleeping face.”

I felt relieved that she did not seem to have actually fallen ill.

“So then… it’s about what comes next.”

“Yes, I think we should discuss it without delay.”

Even if Kururu was going to take on the prospecting work, there were still mountains of things we had to think about.

The technology for synthesizing scrap magic stones was simply too powerful.

“First, the technology of combining magic stones should be kept secret as much as possible.”

“That makes sense. If what you said about your history is true, it could be bad if it became public.”

I thought the odds were about even that the central authorities of the Doflore Empire already knew about this technology. It was possible that everything had once been reduced to ashes in the age of the previous empire, and that in the current empire only the dutifully mined-and-processed magic stone techniques were known.

But if you assumed the world worked in ways convenient to you, you could fall into a terrible trap.

We had to always keep in mind the possibility that once the empire’s center learned we had solved the mystery, they might send something like medieval inquisitors to eliminate us.

“But Kururu is going to use magic, right? During prospecting, there should be lots of ore prospectors and beastfolk carrying out rock too. Won’t we be found out?”

Iiria’s gaze turned toward Kengo, who had been yawning sleepily.

The mine overseer straightened his posture and answered.

“Magic stones turn to ash after they’re used, so I think we could just cover them with cloth or something. And when firing off magic, it’s dangerous, so we’d make everyone stand back. We could also insist that intense concentration is necessary.”

“Rather, I think the real problem lies in the fact itself that Kururu-san would be using powerful magic.”

“That girl?”

At Iiria’s blank look, sleepy-looking Kengo put on a serious face and spoke.

“I get along pretty well with beastfolk around town. I think I’ve won their trust. So, well, I think I understand how beastfolk feel.”

At the word beastfolk, Iiria seemed to sense something and tensed up.

“And beastfolk blood runs through your bodies. Because of that, you sit in the lord’s seat here while suffering through painful things.”

Iiria’s face changed into the same one she wore when she lay in the hammock, weary of everything in the world.

She might have been wondering why he was bringing that up now of all times.

“Think about it. Someone with beastfolk blood like that uses powerful magic.”

“You mean it would cause an uproar? It’d definitely be unusual, but it’s not as though there’s absolutely no precedent.”

For some reason, beastfolk could not use magic.

That was why they had lost the war with humans and remained defeated to this day, and those who carried beastfolk blood were likewise treated much the same as beastfolk themselves.

“Yeah. It’s not unheard of, but you know it’s close to a miracle. Why do you think Kururu-chan hid magic from you, Iiria-chan?”

Kururu had explained that it was because she was suited to being a magic stone processor, and because Iiria would make her walk the path of a craftsman.

But if you thought about it even a little, it was immediately obvious that that had only been a convenient excuse meant to fool ignorant people from another world.

It was extremely rare for a woman to become a craftsman.

And if she was beastfolk, the possibility became essentially nonexistent.

Which meant there had been some other reason entirely.

A reason Kururu had hidden even from Iiria the fact that she could use magic, even a little.

“If people found out Kururu-chan was a mage, the beastfolk might think God had descended for them too.”

How had humans wrested control of the world back from the beastfolk?

Why did the beastfolk submit to human rule?

And why had Kururu said she could not investigate the ancient magic circles herself even though she knew they existed in the Church?

“I think someone with beastfolk blood using powerful magic would be extremely dangerous for this world.”

“I think Kururu-chan could be turned into an unwilling savior figure and, together with Iiria-chan, become a symbol of beastfolk rebellion.”

Kururu had probably hidden even the slightest magical ability for the sake of self-protection. The existence of magic would only make her already delicate position even more complicated.

And perhaps the reason she had not told even Iiria was because she did not want to be resented as a troublesome existence.

“Still… if Iiria-chan wants war, we can’t stop her.”

As Kengo and I kneaded together powder from scrap magic stones, we had talked about what would happen if our hypothesis about these synthetic magic stones proved correct. The technology to synthesize magic stones of any size from scrap magic stones effectively led straight toward something like nuclear weapons.

Even setting that aside, technology that was too powerful would undoubtedly bring about enormous changes in the world.

Some of those would be good, but some would be bad.

Technology was neutral, and could become either a god or a devil.

And the reason Kengo and I had not stopped kneading together the synthetic magic stones was because we trusted Iiria and Kururu.

“I would never do that. No one would be made happy by it.”

Iiria said it firmly and ran a hand through her long hair, wrinkling her beautiful forehead.

“It seems we’d better have Kururu… hide who she is.”

Kengo and I exchanged glances because we had managed, for the time being, to clear the first stage.

But right after that, Iiria pricked up her beast ears and looked at us.

“Wait a minute. But you can’t fool a beastfolk nose. Even I can tell what you had for dinner tonight.”

Even if Kururu disguised herself and pulled her robe low, the beastfolk would immediately know it was her.

“Even after Iiria-sama has decided not to turn Kururu-san into a symbol of rebellion?”

“…”

Iiria widened her eyes a little in surprise, then gave a troubled smile.

“You mean I have to persuade the beastfolk, don’t you?”

That despite Kururu’s ability as a mage, they would not use force to rise against humans.

“But… would they even listen to my words? I’m a decorative lord, neither human nor beastfolk.”

The self-mocking smile on Iiria’s face was all the more painful because she was cute.

It was the face of someone whose kindness showed through, and who had nonetheless been hurt by many people.

“If that means being the same kind of lord as before, one who makes no difference whether she’s there or not, then maybe so.”

At those blunt words, I instinctively slapped Kengo on the shoulder.

Kengo shrugged and gestured toward me as if to say, Then you say it.

Iiria was watching the exchange between Kengo and me with anxious hands clasped together.

After taking a deep breath like a sigh, I spoke.

“Of course, I think simple persuasion alone would be difficult. That’s why I think you should present an alternative.”

Until now, Iiria had simply been too powerless and too lacking in presence.

But in reality, she was the legitimate lord.

If she stood tall and spoke with confidence, many people would surely listen.

“What if you appealed to them by saying that from here, you would remake the world peacefully?”

“Remake it? You don’t mean… rebellion?”

I could understand Iiria’s confusion. For her, changing the environment around her must have seemed that impossible.

“There’s no need for rebellion. After all, with magic stones that can be made almost for free and Kururu-san’s cooperation, magic can be used as much as we want. If you wanted to make use of that, what would you do first, Iiria-san?”

Synthetic magic stones themselves could not be exported. But magic was a large-output energy source, and there were countless ways to use it.

And we had a fairly good idea what Iiria would answer.

It was the itemized expenses of the territory that Iiria had once rattled off so fluently even to us.

“…An irrigation canal, I guess.”

Like a mutter from a dream, Iiria said it quietly.

“I always wished we could bring in an irrigation canal.”

Kengo and I looked at each other because Iiria was exactly the kind of girl we had hoped she would be.

“People in the old days apparently feared poison might come out of the mine, so this town is far from the river. If only we had an irrigation canal, people wouldn’t have to walk such long distances to fetch water, and it would become easier to transport lumber from upstream too. That would help people who are suffering because they don’t have houses, and yes, you know how harsh things are for the beastfolk who carry lumber for mine tunnel construction, don’t you?”

At Iiria’s gaze, Kengo nodded.

I could picture the beastfolk being made to walk long distances with enormous logs on their backs, even if they were not literally shackled. Even if I had little human-rights consciousness, that should still be condemned simply from the perspective of efficiency.

“If we can use large magic stones, then bringing water from a distant river shouldn’t be difficult at all. Felling trees would be child’s play too. Then we could even install waterwheels, and many people would be freed from the backbreaking labor of grinding grain, so bread prices could be lowered, and I think that would save many poor people.”

“I like it. That’s the Iiria-chan I expected.”

When Kengo said that casually, Iiria suddenly seemed to snap back to herself.

She had probably spoken aloud the things she had only ever been able to dream of while lying in the hammock, and suddenly felt embarrassed.

She stared at Kengo with a strange expression, as if she didn’t know whether she should be angry or laugh.

“So dreamlike things really can be done?”

If a kind-hearted person sat in the lord’s seat, they would naturally think about all sorts of things for the sake of the territory.

But Iiria had possessed no power at all, and had only ever been mocked by the people of the territory.

That was going to change completely from tonight onward.

Iiria’s reason understood that after seeing the magic Kururu had unleashed, but her heart still seemed unable to catch up, and I could see that in her stiff, bewildered smile.

“That said, Kengo and I have discussed this too, and if we try to dream here, there are people who’ll get in the way, aren’t there?”

The dreamy softness in Iiria’s eyes tightened at once, as if chilled by ice.

It was the same look she had worn when she tried to warn me away from getting involved with Kururu—the look of someone trying to protect something.

“…Nodon?”

If anyone tried to do anything in this town, that huge body would always stand in the way.

“The Nodon Company controls the economy of Jirenu Territory from end to end. Even if Iiria-sama improves all sorts of infrastructure and revitalizes the territory’s economy, most of the profit will be siphoned away. If that happens, the beastfolk, and the people in the lower strata of the town too, will remain poor. If things stay as they are, I think it’ll be difficult to ask them to keep quiet about Kururu-san’s secret.”

“For that matter, the rights to any canals Kururu-chan digs and the like might get snatched by Nodon just like the mine did. You know better than anyone how much it hurts to have your rights taken away after what happened with the mine, right?”

The Bax Company and the Nodon Company had joined hands, and from mining to shipping, Iiria had been shut out.

“Of course, if Iiria-chan ordered Kururu-chan to do it, you could blow that bastard Nodon away tomorrow, company building and all.”

Iiria’s beast ears stood straight up, and she smiled as if she hated how tempting that sounded.

“It’s a very appealing proposal, but…”

“Exactly. It would only feel satisfying at first. After that, even more problems than the ones you solved would come crashing down.”

“That’s true. If she became known as that powerful a mage, it would attract the attention of the Ministry of Magic in the imperial provincial capital, and if she were judged a dangerous mage, a suppression force would come from the provincial capital or the imperial center. In the end… the whole structure of the world is rotten.”

That vulgar language was probably Kururu’s influence, but when Iiria bluntly called it rotten, she looked almost refreshingly clear-headed.

“That’s why we need to change the structure little by little with our own hands. As the first step, we should recover this town’s economy from Nodon’s hands by legitimate means.”

“And if we’re not going to rely on violence, then to oppose Nodon no matter what, we need the backing of authority as the lord.”

Nodon was the great capitalist in this town, and we did not have the capital to stand against him.

Iiria was the same in terms of capital, but she possessed the authority of being the lord, which could be used to fight capital power.

“But… I’ve said it many times already, but my authority is worth very little. You two were at that festival a little while ago too, weren’t you?”

A decorative lord who was only neglected and laughed at.

“That’s because you don’t have money.”

People tended to forget it, but money was, originally, the right to make someone do something. That was why the rich wielded power through money, and at the same time, those with power could convert power into money.

And those two formed a circle: because there was no money, there was no power; and because there was no power, there was no money.

Iiria, having had something obvious about being a lord pointed out to her, frowned and snapped back.

“You’re the same.”

“We are, but our positions are different. Iiria-sama is in a position where she can levy taxes.”

At the sudden appearance of the word taxes, Iiria blinked, then narrowed her eyes irritably.

“And I’m telling you, I don’t have the authority to make anyone pay those taxes. No one listens to anything I say. I can’t even refuse the signature on the shady magic stone deal you bring me.”

Because she had no authority, she could not collect taxes, and because she could not collect taxes, she had no authority.

It was a vicious circle, but the first blow that could break through it would be taking over the prospecting work with Kururu and the magic stones.

“Or are you saying… we should threaten them into obedience with Kururu’s magic?”

Since ancient times, rulers had governed land through force.

But we had to hide the fact that the source of Kururu’s magical power was synthetic magic stones, and politically speaking, it would be far too dangerous for a girl with beastfolk blood to be seen slaughtering those who opposed her with magic power.

What we especially had to be careful about was the beastfolk. Even if Kururu disguised herself and pretended to be some other mage, the beastfolk would realize it was her, so careless use of magic could incite rebellion among them.

Which meant we had to devise some plan so things could proceed more peacefully.

The time to make full-throttle use of the overwhelmingly powerful synthetic magic stone technology was still a little further off.

Before that, we needed to solidify our footing in Jirenu Territory.

Just as firing a gigantic cannon required a foundation sturdy enough to bear it.

“From here on, the discussion gets complicated, but do you have time?”

By modern standards it probably would not have seemed all that late at night, but in a place where the only light came from candles, it was very deep into the night indeed.

Iiria pressed her lips together in a sulky expression, then abruptly stood up and walked over to a cupboard.

What she took out from it was a rugged ceramic jar.

“There’s plenty of strong liquor.”

In other words, don’t treat me like a child who has to go to bed early at night.

Kengo’s shoulders shook with laughter.

“No alcohol, Iiria-chan.”

After Kengo’s words, I followed with this.

“This is a talk that’ll make you dizzier than alcohol.”

Iiria faltered for a few moments, but then, as if to say she would take us on, she pricked up her beast ears and faced us head-on.