Chapter 202: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Economic Boom

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Two days after the policy had been decided. After completing all the preparations at a rapid pace, the Rana Volcano Exploration Team took off safely. That said, our Liseben Territory possessed only three wyverns. Since wyverns were living creatures, overworking them would damage their bodies, and we also couldn’t devote our precious aerial forces solely to exploration. Only one wyvern could be deployed per sortie.

Whether we could achieve results with so few was extremely doubtful, but it was also true that we had no other effective options. For the time being, we had no choice but to send out one wyvern at a time in rotation.

“Wow, what a splendid city.”

Until the wyvern unit found something, all we in the city of Carrera could do was wait. Feeling restless on the inside, I walked through the streets of Carrera with Uru, the crow girl. She had said she wanted to look around the town. To be honest, I hadn’t wanted to show her anything, but considering the future, I couldn’t refuse her request.

“There sure are a lot of people and things. It has the vibe of a big city.”

“I’m glad to hear that you like it.”

I smiled gently at Uru, who kept voicing her amazement. We policymakers were in utter chaos due to the contact with the Elven nation, but the city itself was lively and far removed from any sense of danger. Large and small wagons passed back and forth kicking up clouds of dust, and street vendors and traveling merchants loudly called out to attract customers.

At that moment, Liseben was experiencing an unprecedented economic boom. As a result of the peace conference that ended the Liseben War, the tolls and customs taxes between Liseben Territory and the Zudenberg Territory had been abolished. As long as merchants traveled the route between Liseben and Zudenberg, they could trade between the two domains with low taxes. No shrewd merchant would let such an opportunity slip away.

“There are lots of men walking around too. So this is what a dragonfolk city looks like…”

…The economy might have been good, but Carrera City was still a backwater. Even in the city center the roads weren’t paved, and there were no stone or brick buildings, not even the lord’s mansion. The people who had come from outside were mostly women, so the gender ratio remained terribly skewed. Was this crow girl being sarcastic?

I wondered that, but it seemed Uru was genuinely impressed. Could it be that the New Elfenia Empire had far fewer people than I had expected? Judging by national strength alone, our neighbor, the Zudenberg Count’s Territory (which happened to be Karina’s family), might actually be stronger. Still, that didn’t mean we could relax. The outcome of a war wasn’t decided by national strength alone. Especially since Liseben’s terrain made it difficult to make use of numerical superiority.

“Your El… No, your country—what kind of place is it?”

The one asking that was Karina, clad in full armor. Because it was late summer and extremely hot, her forehead was drenched in sweat. She could have worn casual clothes, but it seemed she was trying to act like my guard. Between her and the hunter Lenael, girls in this world sure were brave…

By the way, the people accompanying us besides Karina were three knights and a few attendants. Gilberto couldn’t leave her duties directing investigations and defense preparations against the Elves. Sonia had insisted she should guard me, but… She also had the important task of training the new recruits. I had practically forced her to go do that instead. Whether for negotiations or for war, it was always better for our side to have as much strength as possible. The new recruits needed to become full-fledged soldiers as soon as possible.

“Our country is…”

With a difficult expression, Uru looked up at the sky.

“In short, it’s a country with no men. The long-lived elves are one thing, but we short-lived birdfolk are having a really hard time.”

A country with no men. The long-lived elves managed somehow, but the short-lived birdfolk were struggling. That was what she meant, I guess. I had gotten used to her way of speaking over the past few days, but it was still very hard to understand.

Well, considering they had gone as far as to kidnap men from here, they must have been seriously short on males. …However, she had dodged the important details. Things like population and the degree of urban development. Those were the things I really wanted to know. But any time I asked such questions, she always managed to evade them.

As expected, this crow girl was very intelligent. She was discerning carefully what information she could and could not give us. Well, her current role was essentially that of a diplomat. It wasn’t a job an idiot could handle.

“Huh…”

Karina nodded solemnly, but as her brother-in-law, I knew. She probably understood less than half of what Uru had said. The language was simply too difficult.

“Is that food they’re selling over there?”

While I was giving a wry smile, Uru pointed toward a food stall by the roadside and asked. The stall had a large iron cauldron installed, and a huge number of round objects were being fried in oil. …Ah yes, the common man’s ally in Galea, fried onions!

“They’re fried onions. Want to try some?”

“On… ions? I’m not quite sure, but I’ll give it a try.”

Oh? So Elfenia didn’t have onions. I wondered what crops they grew in their farmland. Traditional crops of the region’s native birdfolk would likely suit the climate of Liseben better. Depending on the situation, adopting Elfenian crops or farming methods might boost our food production efficiency…

“Karina, sorry, but go buy as many as you can with this.”

“Okay, Onii-sama.”

I tossed her a silver coin, and Karina obediently ran toward the stall. When we first met, she had been every bit the proud count’s daughter, but recently she had become quite docile. Must have been thanks to her daily military-style training. …Still, even if she was disowned, was it really okay for me to use a count’s daughter as an errand runner?

“Come to think of it, Uru-dono, what do you normally eat?”

I pulled myself together and asked. I figured she would answer this sort of question honestly.

“Well… We usually eat a crop called elf potatoes.”

“Elf potatoes!?”

Elves and potatoes. That was a strange combination.

“Elf potatoes were wonderful potatoes whose stems and roots were both edible. They grew well even in Liseben soil.”

“…”

Hit by a strange sense of familiarity, I fell into thought for a moment. Liseben was a land full of forests, but its soil wasn’t exactly suitable for farmland. Because of the heavy rainfall, the nutrient-rich topsoil washed away quickly. A potato that grew even in poor soil, and whose stems and roots were edible. That sounded very familiar. When I had been a soldier in my previous life, I used to import liquor made from the stuff from Japan and drank it practically every day…

“Could it be… It’s a potato with reddish-purple skin, thick and short spindle shape, and sweet when you eat it… Is it that kind of potato?”

“Oh, you know it well. That’s the elf potato.”

Smiling brightly, Uru nodded. …It was a sweet potato!! Back home, we also called it karaimo. Wait, what, elves lived on sweet potatoes as their staple food? And why did they include their own race’s name in sweet potatoes? What the heck… My image of elves was crumbling more and more…

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