The Loner Who Conquers the Other World

Day 51 – Nighttime, Local Lord’s Mansion.

「Send the messenger to the inn first thing in the morning. You must confirm when that boy has time and have him come to the mansion. That must be done politely.」

Dungeons are dying one after another. There is a new announcement from the adventurers guild almost every day. Furthermore, all of those are dungeons that grew past the middle stratum and had a high risk of overflow.

It is that boy and his comrades. Originally, we should be providing them with all the support we can, while hindering them is inexcusable, however, we require his assistance. Our resources can’t keep up with the speed of development. Especially metals, in a few days the reserves will be completely depleted. There is an oversupply of wood.

The Evil Forest is being cleared and felled at an incredible speed, far greater than was expected.

There are reports of giant scythes spinning through the forest, slicing both trees and monsters alike.

He kills dungeons daily, clears the Evil Forest, and in between even manages the fake dungeon, protecting the frontier. Even now he is more than too busy, however, the development plans had the price『Tunnel excavation 1,000,000 Ere/Hour』listed, so it should be fine, right? There also seems to be an option of payment in mining rights on new deposits? That’s quite favorable. Moreover, the estimated time for laying tunnels for the mine seems to be 3 hours. At 3,000,000 ere it’s a cheap price. Not to forget that usually, such work has the estimated time listed in years, not hours, but there is no such time with our current supplies. So there is no other option but to turn to the boy. We once again will have to burden him.

By now, I’m at a complete loss for words, what can I tell him, pleading for his help this time.

I’ll have to do such a disgraceful act as asking for help from the boy who already shouldered all of the hardships that originally, I, the local lord, should be carrying. There can’t be a more shameless display of ingratitude than this.

Despite already receiving a debt I can’t hope to return no matter how many times I lower this useless head, I have to rely on that boy yet again. I don’t know how I can possibly ask him for help again.

Even so, this is nothing compared to the livelihood of the people.

The happiness that finally came around.

The cheer this frontier has never seen before.

I’d like as many people as possible to learn this happiness, to reach it, even if it’s just one day earlier.

Just like this town, just like its citizens. I want them all to live joyful lives.

If there is anything that I can do, I’m willing to do it all, but the number of things that only that boy can accomplish is far too great.

Originally, that heavy burden had nothing to do with that boy. Originally, he should have had no need to do any of that.

「Even though there is no way to truly repay him? At this rate, we are just forcing sacrifices on the boy for the sake of the people of the frontier, but then, isn’t his happiness nowhere to be seen?」

「Well, no, as I mentioned earlier, that boy regularly shows up 『Do you have any work? I’ll make it cheap, you know? For real.』, looking to make profits.」

Not only did he write a program to bring rebirth to the region, but he also provided us with a large number of manuals on agriculture and even books on herbology, even so, he is probably worried about the progress. Just how much exhausting work is he trying to shoulder? Even so, there is no other way, there is nothing that we can do.

「Mellotosam-sama. A messenger from the guild has arrived, will you see them?」

「Let them in.」

The messenger from the guild was a female receptionist, and the news she brought was terrifying.

「Omui-sama. Two more dungeons reportedly died, the guild will start confirmation procedures tomorrow. However, there is an issue with one of the dungeon masters.」

That’s more than just an issue. An unkillable monster was there. 『Sand Giant』, a monster that will keep creating sand soldiers infinitely, unless it’s killed.

「Although, it appears to be already resolved, quoting 『I couldn’t kill it so I destroyed it? Sort of? But normally it can’t be killed at all, so be careful, okay?』. The part about being unkillable seems to be correct, I already confirmed it with the interpreter.」

It seems that boy alone could destroy it. For now, no one else managed to figure out the way to kill that. Once again, we pushed all of the danger on a single boy. By now there is no telling just how much weight is piled upon him.

However, the receptionist, who was very familiar with the boy, confidently stated.

「If that boy says that he wants work, then he really wants it. He quite simply doesn’t have money, and even if he gets any, it immediately disappears. So it’s fine to just put him to work.」

Just how is it possible for him to have no money? Even though killing a dungeon master, or killing even a single dungeon, should’ve brought him an immense fortune?

Moreover, in the past few days, he killed several medium-sized dungeons, and in the first place, if he killed the great dungeon, he should’ve obtained treasures enough to buy a country?

The boy is bringing wealth and goods into the town as if scattering them, but does he have nothing left for himself? Everything is going into the town?

The current town of Omui can be called a transformed one.

The streets are filled with laughter and smiles.

That very sight itself is a symbol of abundance.

Especially when it comes to women. They can be seen wearing fine quality clothes that can’t be found even in the capital.

They all come from the general store that grew large through that boy’s investments. Bringing abundance to the poor villages by buying up all of their special products and selling a never-seen-before diverse array of goods at affordable prices, that trading company became the heart of this town, and the region itself. Buying out what people couldn’t sell and selling what they couldn’t buy cheaply, a miracle-like trade company bringing fortune and abundance.

「For that boy, who brought all of this, and poured in such a vast fortune for the prosperity of the frontier to remain broke himself is absolutely intolerable.」

「Please, do not be misled. Despite receiving enormous sums of money every day he is spending it at an equally enormous rate, that is why he has no money. No matter how large the sum we hand over to him in the morning is, by night he is penniless. He can easily squander even inexhaustible riches. You care, you lose, is what interpreters insisted.」

As poor as it is, the frontier still has vast lands with numerous towns and villages scattered through them. Trying to supply each of the settlements with funds and goods is bound to require an absurd amount of money.

「Certainly, he wouldn’t be trying to provide for all of the frontier from his own pocket? But in practice, the money and goods are circulating in the frontier, bringing it to the verge of establishing a proper circulation of goods. There are also reports of『Revitalization of economic activity』happening, which was described in the papers given by the boy. Did he cause all of that alone?」

「Officials reported that while they understand the mechanism they can’t quite grasp the nature of it, so we tried asking him and『Since their stuff got sold people get money which they now can use on buying stuff? If the stuff doesn’t get sold, then stuff can’t be bought, so even if it’s made, if no one buys it, everyone will remain just as poor. Just think that buying and selling generates wealth.』, was the reply we received, so isn’t that it?」

So since being unable to sell goods leads to poverty, the boy bought all that was for sale? And is also making wares that the people will be interested in buying? A mere 30 boys and girls are managing all of that, transforming the frontier into the land of prosperity? That’s why they are still living on exhausted funds?

Then no matter how great of a reward we pay them from the fief’s tax revenue, it still won’t be nearly enough. Taxes, being levied from the frontier’s riches, amount only to a trivial sum, compared to the colossal fortune poured into the whole region.

Just how can it be, still not repaying them in any fashion, we only keep pushing dire responsibilities upon them. And day by day, it only continues to mount, trying to return the debt, we end up receiving even more of an enormous debt, and trying to repay that, we end up with even more of a colossal debt.

「I’m pretty sure there is another huge misunderstanding, but that boy merely wants to live a happy and carefree life, okay? It’s just inconvenient for him if everyone around is poor and miserable, so he simply improves their lives along the way. That’s how the town ended up so prosperous. And since he doesn’t feel good if the town alone has it good while the rest of the region is still miserable, he is going to improve the rest of it as well. There is no deep meaning to his actions. 『He is simply going around crushing misery, poverty, and disasters because they are in the way.』, is what they told me? If one goes around removing misery, poverty, and disasters, it usually results in happiness. There is no meaning to it at all. Thinking is pointless when it comes to that boy.」

She said and left.

Is it possible to bring happiness to the entirety of the frontier without any purpose to it? Is it possible to make the town and the entire region prosperous simply because it’s inconvenient otherwise? However, even if there is really no meaning behind the actions, there is a meaning to the happiness that they brought. There is a meaning, worth, and more than plenty of debt.

Even if he did all of that without any thought, even if he seeks no rewards, I will still bow this useless head to him over and over. Even though I can’t find the words to shamelessly plead for his help, I still have lots of words of gratitude.