In The Name Of Ingrad! (27)

While everyone was busy, there was something that had been delivered from Ingrad as urgent news.

“So, the Saintess and the Heroes have visited… something like that?”

“That is correct! What shall we do?”

Seeing Jeliko making such a fuss, I thought for a moment and asked.

“When do they say they will visit?”

“They have entered inside Ingrad’s borders, and we have received a message asking for priority usage rights to the Gate.”

“That means they are a day away. Understood. Then grant them priority usage rights and call them to Ing City. And after having them unpack at a hotel, have them wait.”

“Will you not meet them immediately?”

A Saintess? Heroes?

To me, they were no different from people of no particular importance. They must have come looking for me for some reason, but at most, it seemed likely that they only wanted me to help them.

And thinking about it now, there was nothing I especially needed to share with them. The Apoca Kingdom had fallen, and since I had already learned in detail through previous reports how they had managed the people they had summoned, I was not in a position to feel much goodwill toward them.

“Have them clearly state what they want first. And if you report that to me, I will think it over through that and decide whether to accept or refuse.”

“The people of the world will try to point fingers at you…”

“If I were the sort of person who cared about other people’s eyes, I would not be here now.”

It was not that I did not care at all, but there was no reason to care even about them. Moreover, I had no intention of letting myself be taken advantage of by people who had come wanting something.

First, I sent Jeliko back and examined the area.

‘If they were simple temporary buildings, I could raise hundreds of them at a time, but would that be too much?’

I was in a situation where I had worn out my feet in order to raise houses along the coast.

At the very least, I was trying to take about fifteen days and prepare a place where the freed people of the East Continent could live reasonably. Because of that, I began to imagine houses that looked somewhat more proper rather than something simple.

‘They will be entirely stone buildings anyway, but at least… would one fence be fine?’

After examining the sites where houses would be built and thinking for a moment, I first experimentally raised several kinds of buildings with Construction and then asked Demina and Murumur a question.

“For now, I am thinking of arranging the houses in this kind of form. Which do the two of you like?”

“Hmm… I think all of them are quite decent.”

“That is right. As long as they can avoid the rain and wind, that is enough.”

Thinking that it was my fault for asking people too accustomed to the wild, I called over soldiers who were patrolling a little farther away to maintain public order.

And when I asked them one by one which house they liked, most of them answered in the form that, even if the house was a bit small, a house with a fence was good.

The reason was that they greatly liked the fact that there was “a space of their own.”

‘Even if the house is a little small, a fence…’

It was probably a matter of personal taste, but I thought it would generally be good to raise the buildings while maintaining this kind of form. And if I worked all day long, it was a simple form where I could construct at least more than two thousand houses, so I thought it was quite all right and said,

“We will decide on this form. If we give them characteristics by slightly twisting the layout of the houses, it will become a decent residential village. And if we make parks and market streets at regular intervals, it should be good for regional revitalization too… And…”

Demina and Murumur watched me mutter for quite some time while writing things down, then spoke as if there was no stopping me.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Of course. All of them will become people of Ingrad someday.”

“They might not accept it easily, you know?”

“That is fine. If we embrace them with benevolent rule, they will feel gratitude rather than resistance and will want to be together with us. Well, if they still dislike it even after that, there is nothing that can be done…”

In any case, it had already been nearly over three hundred years since the East Continent had ceased to have any nations.

In other words, they were all no different from people without a country.

On top of that, I planned to carry out various kinds of education and firmly instill culture in them.

“The day when this sees the light will come someday. Now then, shall we do today’s quota…?”

Like that, starting from the center surrounded by walls, houses began to appear rapidly. But the problem was that at that time, I did not know very well that the sight appeared to the humans of the East Continent as a kind of “miracle.”

Meanwhile, it had been nearly a week since the medicine had been released as a way to resolve heavy metal poisoning.

“Advisor Matilda, this is the evaluation report on the medicine.”

Matilda, who received the report from the senior official, could not help but be a little surprised by the unexpected results.

‘His Majesty said that it would only show an effect after taking it for more than a month…’

She was in a situation where she doubted her own eyes at the truly astonishing results.

“Did results like this really come out?”

“Yes. Most of those showing symptoms of poisoning had their symptoms alleviated, and some are seeing effects close to a complete cure. Additionally, there are reports that, through the nutritional supplements that were also distributed, symptoms such as the lethargy they had felt until now have also been resolved.”

She thought the effect was excessive. It was to the point that she thought this should not be viewed as a simple medicine, but since such things had not happened only once or twice, Matilda’s head grew complicated. Still, she decided to think of it positively and said,

“I will deliver the report to His Majesty. Have the manufacturing department prepare the corresponding medicine… so that it can be packaged and sold in ten-day portions.”

“Ten days?”

“I do not think there is any need to make them keep taking it when they have no symptoms. So we will sell it for the purpose of a treatment medicine. And let us sell the nutritional supplements mainly in one-month portions.”

“Understood. I will convey it that way.”

The next thing she received was a report related to cheilitis, a condition that had become an issue around the same time, and she could not help but be slightly surprised that this, too, was being easily resolved by steadily applying the medicine.

Symptoms such as cracked lips or peeling lips had not been managed as an “illness” until now. Matilda found it fascinating that something that had commonly been considered merely lips drying out and cracking was being managed as an “illness.”

‘I am seeing the effects too…’

Matilda lightly touched her lips. Recently, the memories of her lips splitting and bleeding when they became dry had been disappearing.

It was a moment when common sense collapsed, but it was a collapse she could accept pleasantly.

‘His Majesty will continue to create countless miracles from now on too… Does a woman like me… suit being by his side?’

Matilda suddenly had a moment of weakness, but soon gathered her heart and continued her daily routine. She was a person who made effort.

Matilda resolved that she would make the effort and obtain the qualifications to stand by his side.

“Mm, we have finally found a clue.”

The site they were deployed to as the first mission of the intelligence organization led by Gamung was, unexpectedly, inside the Forest of the Demon Dragon.

“I believe I was told before that it was somewhere around here, but I did not expect that they would have blocked the entrance again and changed their dwelling.”

Gamung briefly spoke his thoughts in response to his adjutant’s report, then asked a question.

“Did you find the entrance? Or did you find them?”

“It could be said to be both. Will you go?”

He nodded and followed behind his adjutant, and when he had run for more than thirty minutes, it happened.

A low sound that only trained ears could hear was heard. It was a kind of signal sound that indicated a location. When they moved toward that place, they saw a small hole so narrow that two people standing side by side could not enter it.

“Those mole fellows… They have good stamina.”

At Gamung’s words, the soldier who had found this place said,

“We witnessed several beastkin coming and going through this place from a distance. This is it.”

At the soldier’s words as he showed him something square, Gamung confirmed that they were definitely Mole Beastkin and said,

“Make sure to preserve the photographs well. And did you record the location separately?”

“We have installed a regular signal sound so that everyone gathers here. They will follow behind us.”

“Let us go.”

After receiving the report, Gamung took the lead and threw himself into the tunnel, and several soldiers followed behind him as they began to dig deeper inside.

And before long, a fairly wide space appeared, and the inside began to be brightly illuminated.

“To fill the inside with Luminous Grass… That is impressive dedication.”

It was one of the medicinal herbs that grew naturally in the Forest of the Demon Dragon, and it referred to a plant that gave off light in the darkness. The cave walls were bright with that plant.

As they confirmed that there was no difficulty identifying the inside and stepped even deeper into the cave, it happened.

“Who are you!”

Several beastkin appeared up ahead. At a glance, they looked completely different from ordinary land beastkin, and they had an appearance that clearly brought “moles” to mind.

Since there was no reason to use force, Gamung raised both hands and took a couple of steps forward, then said to the Mole Beastkin,

“We are people from Ingrad. We had made an appointment to visit with someone of your clan, but because the entrance had changed, we ended up being delayed.”

“With… someone of our clan? Who are you talking about!”

“He introduced himself as Babarum. Do you know him?”

When the name Babarum came out, the Mole Beastkin began whispering something among themselves. Gamung was dumbfounded by how defenseless they looked, but since he truly had no intention of using force against them, he quietly watched them for quite some time.

And after about ten minutes passed, one of the Mole Beastkin, seemingly having reached a conclusion, spoke to him.

“Babarum is the youngest descendant of the clan. If he made a promise, there should be no falsehood. Let us go. I will guide you.”

Thinking that he had made an appointment with someone of quite high status, Gamung began to follow behind the Mole Beastkin, and after moving this way and that through the tunnels for some time, when they had moved for nearly two hours, the space before his eyes became a little brighter, and they were able to arrive at a rather bright space.

And upon seeing a large number of Mole Beastkin in various places, Gamung was able to understand that the population of the Mole Beastkin was greater than expected, and he asked a question just in case.

“I believe I heard that the total population of the Mole Beastkin was about two thousand. Is that correct?”

“Two thousand?”

The Mole Beastkin snorted and said,

“If you include the central area, it is roughly twenty thousand. It is ten times more.”

Gamung thought that was a considerably large number, and just then, when he saw Mole Beastkin carrying books on their backs and moving somewhere in various places, Gamung asked another question.

“It seems you are still working hard to preserve beastkin history. Is that right?”

“That is right. If we do not do it… our history will not remain anywhere. It could be called our mission.”

As the Mole Beastkin spoke the word mission with pride, Gamung felt strangely sorry toward them.

That was because they were not recording history. At least in the case of the Mole Beastkin, through the various tools provided by the Demon Dragon, they had voluntarily recorded many beastkin records, and it was a moment when he felt gratitude for that.

“We also know information about you. Gamung of the Ho-in Tribe, a brave warrior with twelve wives. And now, you are relying on a human nation called Ingrad and acting as a private soldier.”

“Acting as a private soldier…”

A snicker escaped Gamung. Perhaps they were seriously misunderstanding something.

That was because Ingrad was not simply a human nation. Gamung thought he absolutely had to tell them that it was a nation of “all people,” and after walking for some time and arriving at a fairly decent building, he could not help but be a little surprised when he saw the Mole Beastkin who came out to greet him.

‘He seems to be three meters tall… He is abnormally huge.’

Although he was a Mole Beastkin, judging by his build alone, Gamung had come face to face with a beastkin he would have believed was a Whale Beastkin.

“I am Babamung, the chieftain of the Mole Beastkin. I hear my youngest brother was indebted to you?”

It seemed he was Babarum’s eldest brother. Looking at Babamung, who extended a hand the size of Gamung’s own head and asked for a handshake, Gamung awkwardly offered his hand and said,

“I, too, am one who carries on ‘mung.’ I am Gamung of the Ho-in Tribe. It is good to meet you.”

“I know. Brave one.”

Watching Babamung laugh loudly enough to shake the world, Gamung felt his head throb.