Chapter 11: Cold War

Author's Note

While my IRL workload increased, I think I can still maintain at least a weekly update schedule, twice a week, if I'm lucky. Of course, this would be my fanfics in general, so once I release other projects, this would take a little longer to update. At least it keeps me from having single-story fatigue. There is quite a time skip, but I had to move the story forward.

The upcoming schedule would be something like this. Ch. 10 TP-1.1 , Ch 11-12 , Ch. 13 TP-1.2, Ch 13-15, Ch 16 TP 1, Epilogue TP-1.3.

At the end of the Epilogue, the story of the NEET in Tanya's Body will begin; I'll take a short break from this and then release Vol. 2 of this story.

Sometime next month, my Konosuba fanfics would be out, too, unless demand is low, and I'll do my Avatar and Naruto projects next.

Updates are most likely capped at 1-2 x a week, although I would suffer serious delays if my business trips over the next two months are a go. But I can't do this hobby without it, so =))

With Turning Point Negative One out, a wider view of the changes around the country would be shown. Rudy getting older also helps.

.

.

.

.

PART 1 : Rudy and the Boreas Greyrats

K 414 Roa, Fittoa Region

Rudeus Greyrat POV

Eris and I were left in the solar with Hilda, where a lot of recent history was explained to both of us. This was when I realized that my education in Buena had huge gaps; while I learned a lot about magic, swordsmanship, and even company-scale military concepts from Laws and Paul, current politics outside Buena, as well as culture and economics of the wider world were out of my scope.

And it was a breathtaking revelation when I realized this world was several times larger than the Earth; if the maps are anywhere near accurate, it must be four to five times larger in surface area and flat. There are too many accounts of the world being a six-sided cube that I couldn't ignore. The fact that I couldn't see the horizon but rather just a flat plain extending to the mountains surrounding the Asuran Kingdom adds to that. The blur at a distance is just a combination of atmosphere blurring out light that far and magical distortion over such long distances accumulating to the point that it would blur out things from afar.

Magic normally wouldn't be noticed over just a few hundred meters or even the thinning atmosphere towards the night sky, but several hundred kilometers of thick life and the magic-teeming atmosphere is enough to blur things at a farther distance, meaning unless it is a phenomenally bright or large object or instance, it couldn't be seen past several thousand kilometers.

I didn't expect the King to create an absolutist government out of scratch; he doesn't even have the guns to make mass levies a game changer. However, he managed to turn the Millis church into a state religion, seized a lot of assets from the nobles through the masses, and empowered a meritocratic system of sorts, even though it's extremely centered on sword and magic skills. What happened to trigger such a sudden change from tradition? I

Of course, the nobles here didn't put the pieces together since it looked so odd and unusual at the start. Peasants using pikes seemed inefficient; seizing the Millis church looked more like a temporary power play.

Even Aunt Hilda didn't understand the value of a standardized force, and my parents kept telling me that Uncle Philip and Aunt Hilda were some of the most clever people they had ever met.

The King's slow increase of his professional guard wasn't obvious until last year when the nobles slowed their politics against each other and started paying attention to the disturbing amount of centralization the King was doing under their noses.

This had the makings of a grand revolution. Suppose things were to blow up. Even my limited modernization efforts wouldn't be able to handle that kind of magical horde approaching Fittoa. I'd need to make sweeping reforms for the whole region in order for us to even have a chance at this.

Does it mean Uncle Philip and Lord Sauros plan on taking over the region now? While James Boreas Greyrat is out? My parents gave me a rough idea of what they wanted, and my experiences can surely help them deal with this impending shift in politics.

That is if they paid any attention to my suggestions. I am merely a seven-year-old, after all.

Maybe I need to prove my worth in order for them to listen to me, but how?

The transition from feudalism to industrialization was not taught in heavy detail in a business course; we often learned concepts after industrialization started in the late 18th century. So I know there would be a lot of hiccups with what the King is doing, particularly since the rest of the Kingdom hasn't industrialized yet.

In fact, I wonder how the nobles are feeding their armies despite the several-year-long muster.

Was the Asuran Kingdom that wealthy, or were numbers being manipulated? I know the magical crop-growing technique was a very well-guarded secret only our family knew and one extremely difficult to manipulate due to the sheer magical requirements.

My thoughts were interrupted by Hilda's latest revelation.

"Almost all magical stores of food have almost been depleted; the King, each of the high nobles, and some of the most wealthy nobles have large storages where excess food is stored in excellent condition, usually deep in a well-maintained cave under a mountain with temperature regulated by spells. It doesn't take much effort to maintain the storage systems because the cave itself is normally cleared out by adventurers, reinforced by earth spells, and has protective spells installed over the years by mages hired from Ranoa or Millis." Hilda explained as she saw our shocked looks.

I was surprised; no wonder Asura never experienced famine in the four hundred years it existed after the Laplace war if excess food can be easily stored in vast amounts with minimal effort.

"Your parents do a smaller version of that by having large barns reinforced with earth spells to maintain temperature and occasional heating, cooling, and drying spells used in proper order. It's standard procedure in places that can afford adventurers or mages suited for the job." Hilda continued. I took that for granted; then again, aside from the magical farming I did, the rest of the agricultural duties were handled by Bauer from the council.

"Also, unlike our secret farming technique in Buena, it doesn't use much mana. All they need to do is periodically adjust the temperature and dryness of the place and maintain guards at the entrances." Hilda explained that their knowledge of our secret farming technique was another condition for their continued aid and preferential treatment of Buena. However, they could only replicate our methods in their tightly controlled greenhouses, as there are too many spies around Roa.

"Four years of increasing troop buildup around the capital has all but squandered any stored produce and meats, and with that many farmers out in the fields, we would expect famine next year unless everyone stops this pointless buildup." She finished.

I knew that the troop numbers were limited compared to the two hundred million estimated population of the Asuran Kingdom. Supplies wouldn't normally be strained when 150,000 to 200,000 troops build up around the capital over several years, but it made sense. Several factors explained why this buildup was a massive strain to all parties involved.

First, only one out of twenty can use mana in any given form, whether beginner touki or beginner mage level, limiting troop numbers to 10,000,000 unless you wanted useless cannon fodder who would barely make an impact in army formation. Even the mass levies from the nobles and the King had at least beginner-level touki, even if untrained.

Second, logistics over an area the size of Eurasia and Africa combined is a daunting task, despite the ridiculously good (for the distances involved) road networks around the Kingdom, and the super horses that can gallop faster and farther for far longer than Earth Horses can, moving armies over thousands of kilometers despite the liberal use of magic, was extremely draining on resources.

Third, Asura had never experienced this kind of incident for centuries, and the last one was an apocalyptic war with the Demon Laplace, which ended with millions upon millions of humans dead and the rest holed up in obscure corners of this continent or the lucky few who stayed within the God-level barriers of Millishion. This is one of the reasons why Asura's population is merely 200,000,000 when magical medieval tech could probably support at least half a billion or more humans in a kingdom this bountiful.

Fourth, even though the calorie ratio doesn't match output, magic and touki users need more food than the average person, around two to three times more, depending on their workload. That makes feeding their army extremely expensive, even for a bountiful and magically enhanced Kingdom.

Fifth, around five to ten non-enhanced humans accompany one soldier or mage in the logistics chain, as seen by the massive troop towns around Ars and in real-life campaigns.

Eris and I had a lot of questions for her throughout the morning while we waited for instructions and answers. Most of it was about the recent activities of the nobles regarding the succession crisis.

Ever since the Earthquake 17 years ago, the King has slowly started consolidating power; however, things were generally stable until seven years ago, when assassination attempts started occurring around the capital. Lilia was one of the witnesses to the intrigue and political assassinations around the capital, and her escape was just at the right time to avoid execution or being used as a scapegoat.

"Wait, if the farmers have been drawn into the army, even as camp followers and support for the last few years, who's tending the fields? The surplus can't be that much, right?" I asked Aunt Hilda.

"The war in Millis continent has provided a surge in slaves, even of the human variety. Some nobles have been using slaves to replace the peasants taken from the fields and have used increased taxes as an excuse to confiscate lands or even draw remaining peasants into slavery. At this point, we are the only other region that hasn't pursued such policies; our region has utilized the beast people and other refugees pouring in lately to enrich our lands." Hilda smiled in the end.

"The Ars Capital region has the highest rate of slavery in the Kingdom. It's also extremely ironic because, despite his moves in favor of the masses, his region also has the highest concentration of slaves, slaves the King doesn't care to liberate due to his interest in using them as cheap labor for unwanted tasks such as mining, cotton farming, sugar and tobacco plantations. The capital has been profiting off the sheer development poured around them as armies and their followers camp around them. The southwest region of the capital has weather that could support the variety of cotton, sugar, and tobacco used by the nation. However, it takes extra labor to plant and harvest them. It's a very lucrative business. Other slaves tend to the fields left by their noble masters and peasants who were sent to camps; they are banned from taking arms, so they farm and harvest for the King and other nobles, under pain of death if caught fleeing, defying orders or sabotaging work." Hilda shook her head in disappointment; I agreed too. For all the King's claimed progressiveness, he clearly overlooked how it was being done.

Hilda paused as she smiled at me.

"Stories of Buena have changed into how the region of Fittoa is a welcome haven for people fleeing unjust nobles and other upheavals. Since nobles rarely use non-humans in their armies or those of clearly mixed heritage, many of them become farmers in our lands instead. While we could have purchased slaves like the other nobles, the Boreas Greyrat house believes in freeing slaves as long as they serve under our house for twenty years. Afterward, they are given land and a place to live in villages in a certain portion of the region. Thanks to that, many part beast, part elf, and part dwarf families live in the less traveled portions of Fittoa, still farming and producing food and livestock for the rest of the region. The fact that they do it as free people makes them produce far more too."

"Of course, we had to shift the credit to Fittoa rather than Buena to prevent your family from having premature and unwanted attention, particularly after your uncle's castration and the shaky politics in Milbots ever since your Grandfather died. If James knew your family was here, you'd be used as a bargaining chip or maybe even sacrificed to maintain the temporary alliance between James and Pilemon."

The Boreas Greyrats are smart; the ones in this household are scarily so. Slaves make for poorly motivated labor, even worse than those under a communist system where they have no motivation to work hard.

It's scary to see how different government and economic forms can be created in a world different from my old one. So right now, it's a bunch of feudalistic nobles against a newly absolutist and meritocratic king who happens to "support the masses" by using slaves. But, at the same time, we're the silently evolving techno-magical state if I were to interpret it from my own point of view.

"Wow, Grandpa and my Parents sure are awesome," Eris spoke up; she looked constipated, although I think it was because of the information overload. Eris tried her best to read and write when magic was offered as an incentive, but several weeks with her in Buena made me realize she's more of a kinesthetic kind of learner. Eris and Sara kept getting stronger and rowdier, to the point that they could handle teenaged beast people working for my household trained under Lilia's care. Clooper and Shaggy had a rude awakening when they tried to take things easy on the girls; eventually, they all laughed it off with a huge and messy meal after.

"While the bad nobles turn people into slaves, we take good care of them. Look at the beast women we freed!" Eris pointed at Lyes and another beast girl, who was silently watching over us at the side. They smiled and waved back at Eris.

"That's true, master Rudeus, especially with the events of the past two decades. The outskirts of the great forest have been violated by rampaging humans and other races fleeing inside to join us. Many women and children get captured in the violence within the region and then sold off to the Asuran Kingdom and the other states along the way." Lyes spoke up, walking towards Aunt Hilda.

"Personally, this is the best fate any captured beast woman can aspire for, especially with the resources of the Great Forest under heavy strain. While the Doldia tribes aren't starving, according to the latest beast women joining the household, they're growing far more warlike and brutal in their methods of maintaining resources and pushing out the Cardinal Faction, or any human kingdoms for the matter." Lyes explained to me while Hilda was stroking her cat ears.

Ah, I forgot, even the women in the Boreas Greyrat household use the Beast women for their own desires too. What else can I expect from a Duchy known for aphrodisiacs and other sexual-related products?

Fortunately, Lyes is right; the Boreas Greyrats offer the best situation for anyone not of noble stock. However, the royal successor we support is problematic.

However, the First Prince, Grabel, is a military-minded man in the traditional chivalric manner. He wanted to expand the elite class of troops and provide more lower-class knights to bolster the army, but it came at the cost of increased serfs, taxes, and slaves to fill in the gaps.

Under the promise to expand the Asuran Kingdom to heights never before seen, James Boreas Greyrat was drawn by promises of marrying his daughter to the First Prince, making her the first wife of the First Prince. They were supposed to marry later this year, but the events at the capital might temporarily stop that.

James' second son was promised the regions to be conquered south east of Asura, the lands between Wishiru Region and the Shirone Kingdom, pushing the border of Asura one mountain range larger. That was done to ensure one less rival to his firstborn son in the succession games once he dies and the Boreas Greyrat head moves on a generation younger.

It was another reason why the Boreas Greyrat house was invested in the First prince despite offers from the Notos Greyrat house to invest in the young Second Princess, Ariel Anemoi Asura, whose young age and naivete would promise a lot of benefits if we set a puppet like her on the throne. Apparently, negotiations between them were ongoing before the incident too.

"Oh, look at the time; I believe we should retire and meet again for dinner. I have to talk to Philip, Ghislaine, and Sauros while you two look like you need a break." Hilda looked at us while gesturing to the maids.

"Can I stay with Rudy before dinner? I wanna play with him." Eris made her 'quick cat girl request' with fewer gestures and mew sounds.

"Sure Eris, have fuuun." Aunt Hilda said it really oddly; was she sarcastic or tired from the upheaval?

I guess I'll stay with Eris.

Eris jumped into her bed as soon as we got to the room.

"Rudy, how do you understand all those adult stuff? I try my best to study, but it gives me a headache. Am I really that stupid? Even Sylphie does much better than me in magic while Sara's giving me a hard time in our spars, and they're younger than me." Eris was tearing up.

Eris was insecure about herself; why was she trying so hard to prove herself? Is it some notion that nobles are superior to the masses? Not really; she didn't seem to care much about being called a monkey or beast princess compared to not understanding the lesson so quickly.

It seems that the Boreas Greyrat parents might be pushing her just as hard as my parents are pushing everyone in our family.

Desperate times call for desperate measures; how would I reassure her? Maybe the 'Sandwich Method' I used in my HR management days can work. Sandwich the criticism between praise.

"Eris, you're a great sword user who is on the verge of reaching an advanced level before her tenth birthday; despite that, you also mastered beginner and some intermediate magic and can even shorten incantations. Despite falling behind Myself and Sylphie in magic casting, or Sara is physical enhancement and archery, nobody is the Master of everything. Ghislaine and my Father Paul would beat you in sword fighting, but you know magic better than they do. You'd beat Miss Roxy in a close-range spar more often than not. Don't be complacent but don't burn yourself up at the same time." I put her head on my shoulder as she cried out. She grabbed me in a painful hug halfway through.

After sobbing for a while, Eris spoke up.

"Thank you," *sniff* "Rudy, you always know what to say. I won't let you down!"

"Can you tell me stories to pass the time? I'm getting really scared about what's going on. Could you continue the story of the four kids who went into another world by going into that closet? You told me they went back a few years later."

Ah, Narnia, it was much easier to adapt that story than when I adjusted Star Wars or even Dragonball saga.

Eris, Sara, Sylphie, and even the odd times Roxy, Lilia, or the others hear me think that I'm a creative storyteller.

In an ideal world, I'd be a part-time author and artist and sell these works under my own name.

We spent the whole afternoon and evening in the room; dinner was served directly to us, as we were not allowed out. I ended up talking about Prince Caspian and the storyline, I couldn't remember all the details, but I hope it was close to the original story.

Eris passed out from exhaustion before I did, and we woke up to a tense morning after.

The next day consisted of the adults scrambling resources and mustering the remaining eligible troops and mages on the off chance that someone would attack Roa itself. I didn't know the specifics, but many beast men showed up outside the castle, given commands by Lord Sauros to scout the surrounding lands for spies and reconnaissance. His orders were loud enough to carry over to the room I shared with Eris.

I was instructed to teach Eris more healing magic as she struggled with intermediate-level spells. While she did that, I was trying to expand my voiceless incantation capabilities, I couldn't do multiple casting without the staff yet, and I was trying to get that to work.

Paul was sent a letter by Ghislaine running at full speed to make an emergency bumper crop, using Roxy, Zenith, Sylphie, Elinalise, and Nymphie's magical reserves to stimulate as many extra crops as possible. Due to the secretive nature of the order, it would be limited to our personal farms and greenhouses; Ghislaine would probably reach the village in less than an hour and come back by dinnertime after her other letters were handed out.

I hope my family was okay back in Buena.

Philip and Hilda were busy crunching numbers and orders with the administrative staff, their talents lying far more in that area, while Sauros handled military matters. They still thought Eris and I were too young to speak up, but we were allowed to watch in the corner, strictly forbidden to speak unless told. They had no time to waste answering childish questions or slowing their pace to accommodate inexperienced children. Dozens of subordinates went back and forth in the area.

Considering previous orders to disguise my identity, I was dressed up as a guest, but everyone assumed I was an illegitimate child of Lord Sauros himself.

.

.

.

.

Several days passed, and there was a crack force assembled around the city. Aside from the 300 beast troops and 40 mages that were the personal guard of Philip and Sauros, 1,500 Adventurers and veterans bolstered the city defenses. Another 3,000 peasant levies filled in the gaps and had fewer essential duties.

No reports of any hostile activity, although one large development was noted.

Perugius' sky castle was back, it was too far for us to see from Roa clearly, but scouts at the westernmost tip of Fittoa reported and verified the presence of his castle.

Perugius was back for the first time in seventeen years, and his castle was reported to appear slightly different from what it was before; it still glistened in artistic material, but the construct seemed a lot more brutalist than it was before.

I wonder what the legendary figure would do with this kind of conflict looming; he rarely interfered with Asuran affairs, but ever the last few centuries, he always took a stance on the worst crisis, and his word usually became law.

.

.

.

.

More days passed, and even Buena reported the full mobilization of their forces; aside from the professional guards and mages under our control, an additional 50 volunteers were gathered to defend the village, putting the defenders closer to 400 in total. We had one of the largest remaining force concentrations in Fittoa since over 20,000 troops and over a hundred mages were still at the capital.

Other reports came in, Perugius' castle released a massive barrier over the capital, and observers and spies relayed reports that it had immense power and divided the major troop formations in what was supposedly a God-ranked barrier spell.

Just how much mana did he have stored around his castle?

At least we know war wouldn't start yet, although if the camps start starving or lose control over their troops, a huge amount of effort would be used to destroy said barriers or the castle itself.

Blockading a city of a million people would cause massive shortages within days; I wonder who would cave in first since there are many famous and powerful figures caught in the meeting.

Would I be forced to use my botched Squall? The one Roxy jokingly called a King-class spell due to my extreme side effects when I cast it? I think I can juggle that unstable reaction in my quad-core staff and fire at the barrier, although the repercussions would be massive. If it were amplified by at least sixteen times, I might cause more damage than the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing, although I fear that I couldn't control it, as the failed Squall is difficult enough to run, let alone with the mental strain of speeding my thought process and reaction time with my barely intermediate level touki. One wrong move, and I might end up blowing myself up instead. No, I'd rather use spells I can actually control.

Eris was getting a lot more restless.

"I really want to go out of the castle, can't we go to the market or the town square? We're stronger and have more magic combined than almost anyone else in the city. Why can't we go out?"

You can tell Eris was depressed because she didn't even use her catgirl-themed begging.

"There are forces stronger than even Ghislaine running around the country, and you think you can defend yourself? You are still only one of the two unmarried daughters of the main Boreas Greyrat line; any noble with nefarious plans just needs to kidnap or even kill you. Maybe you and Rudy can handle an advanced-level swordsman or even three after you. But what if a saint-class or even king class comes in? We can't spare Ghislaine as she's busy patrolling, scouting, and passing messages around the region, anything extremely important. That's if she's not busy commanding the beast guard protecting the city. We couldn't spare any more high-level bodyguards in the castle because that would leave us unprotected. Eris, you have to grow up! Actions have consequences!"

That was the first time I saw the soft-spoken Uncle Philip shout at Eris. Even his usually flawless appearance was marked with eyebags and signs of sleep deprivation over the past week. Sauros even needed some healing after exhausting himself around the castle; his throat needed some serious rest from all the shouting.

Eris was crying but stayed silent, shocked that her Father shouted at her for the first time.

"Eris, you need to know that even though you can defend yourself from most people, your Father and I would worry about your safety, especially during these times. Your Grandfather would worry even more if he found out about this trip; you're his favorite grandchild, after all." Aunt Hilda tried to soften the blow.

Eris was looking at me for guidance, and I nodded yes. I didn't want to speak up in this type of intimate moment. She grabbed my hand for more reassurance.

"I-I think I understand. I'll stay in the castle until things get better." Eris sulkily replied, her hand crushing mine. Why does she have to have a ridiculously strong body?

I ended up telling Eris a new story tonight, a highly modified version of Taken, that movie several years ago with Liam Neeson and his daughter stupid enough to get herself kidnapped, thanks to her recklessness. I may have turned Liam Neeson into a mix of Paul, Philip, and Sauros and the daughter into someone like Eris, with the Prime Minister as the villain but forgive my creative edits; I needed to drill the message into her head.

When did I adopt her as a younger sister?

.

.

.

.

Three days later, we were called to a rare breakfast together. It was something we only experienced once during the crisis. We were in the large room with all the nobles and officers from Fittoa. The full war council was here, aside from the ones stranded in Ars.

Philip, Hilda, Sauros, and even Ghislaine looked exhausted to the bone. However, they were happy.

"We have great news!" Sauros announced to everyone.

"Peace was made between the different factions, brokered by Perugius. All armies are to return to their respective places and shall be kept to a much smaller number. The King shall abdicate in five years, and a grand council of Nobles shall convene at that time with the candidates for the next ruler." He put the letter down and passed it to Philip and Hilda, who whispered a few words to Lyes.

The rest of the room cheered in tired joy; Eris even jumped on the table, dancing to Sauros' great joy. The middle and lower nobles started drinking in the middle of breakfast, and servants called to

"Rudy, Master Philip asks you to speak with him," Lyes whispered to me; she quietly led me to the secret room behind the dining hall. Philip was waiting in the room, holding several letters.

"Rudy, I hope you had a pleasant stay with our family despite the awful circumstances. I would have a few things I need to tell you before you return."

I nodded as Philip explained the situation.

"I have several letters for your Father; please keep them hidden. In the event you get captured, use this decoy letter and silently destroy the rest; I know your nonverbal magic can do that."

I nodded again

"What I can tell you is that despite the measures we had to hide the bumper crops magically made during the weeklong crisis and the excuse that you are another illegitimate child of Sauros visiting him for a short while, James would visit Buena in six months. Right now, he would scrutinize Roa and Fittoa and check everything he missed out on the past few years; we'll do everything on our end to clean our tracks."

"If everything goes well, once he visits Buena, he will try to offer your Father an important position in his retinue; only for that to be passed on to you; we would like to see you undermine James' efforts to cooperate with Pilemon while garnering the support of the Second Princess Ariel in the process. She's young and therefore easily pliable, her Aunt Padme, who is also your aunt through Pilemon, is surprisingly cooperative with our communication efforts, and we feel we can trust her to a certain extent."

Wait, I'm THAT closely related to Royalty? This entire setup is starting to make the Hapsburgs look like a good example of avoiding inbreeding. Just how closely related are all the relevant parties in Asura?

"Yes, Uncle Philip, I will do my best. I realized how limited my perspectives have been over the last few years, and if this is the opportunity our family needs to achieve its goals, then I will give it my all." I thumped my chest for extra effect; it barely made a squeak with my small size.

Philip chuckled after seeing my efforts and nodded.

"Great, enjoy the festivities tonight and then quietly leave the village. We're sending you with a beast men patrol group since we fear that Ghislaine is being tracked already. I'll give you something to wear to make it less obvious that you are human."

Lyes brought out beast girl headbands and a tail set. I would never live down the humiliation of my workmates in Japan who saw me dressed as a cat boy. In fact, that headband looks almost exactly like what I gave Eris on her fifth birthday years ago.

"Eris wanted to give this to you a few years ago when she wanted to go to Buena before winter; we forgot about it by the time she could travel. While she helped make the special staff your fifth birthday gift, that hand made cat ears and cat tail was another present she wanted to make you wear with her." Philip looked at me fondly.

Okay, it looks less weird if two kids did cat costumes, but still, that isn't something a middle-aged man such as myself should be caught doing; my secretary would've teased me to no end.

I guess I can do her a favor and show her I'm using her gift before I leave; that's the least I can do after I abruptly leave her.

"Could I visit Eris right before I leave? I want to show her that I appreciate her gift." I said with a poker face.

"I'm sure she'll be pleased to see you; thank you for taking everything I said in stride. I think the next generation would clearly surpass this current one when nurtured well. Stay safe in your journey, and if in doubt, you can leave the beast men scouts behind; they know the land better than the back of their hands, and you can do all you can to reach Buena after."

We had some small talk but parted ways soon after; breakfast was a rowdy affair that blended into lunch, with more and more people going around the castle, celebrating.

Even Eris was busy running around the town square, watching a festival happen together with Ghislaine.

This gave me enough time just to pack my things and contemplate my actions.

The trip to Buena was a half-day journey by horsedrawn carriage, horses in this world could maintain their top speed for ten hours on end, twelve when bred and fed properly. Of course, the horses available to the Lord of Fittoa would be among the best in the world, and we would be taking the journey without a carriage behind us.

Three hours isn't too much time to travel to Buena; leaving after dinner would get me home before the day ends. Ghislaine even manages to run fast enough to do it in less than an hour, possibly faster if she wasn't on-guard for attacks or needed a return trip; still, exertion on that level would drain her mana frivolously.

Eris and I sat beside each other during the dinner, some distance away from the adult Boreas Greyrats, who were busy with nobles from farther reaches of the region who were pouring in after news of the peace spread around.

"Rudy! Did you find my old gift for you? You look so cuuute!" Eris ran at me and squeezed my cheeks.

I was trying my best not to get Eris too emotional over my abrupt departure, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.

"Of course, I have to appreciate the things you give me, whether great or small." Thoughts of the Quad-Core staff in my mind, too; even though it was a ridiculously difficult gift to use, it was a masterpiece with overwhelming power.

"I also have to leave today, your Father's orders." I can deflect the blame. Eris instantly deflated upon hearing that.

"Why! Don't leave me yet, Rudy; things are so dull and frustrating without you or Miss Roxy or even that annoying Sara or shy Sylphy around. Maybe I can tell Grandfather to order you to stay here." Eris turned from angry to inspired in a flash; her mood swings were as wild as her sword swings.

"Please don't; I need to do this to save my Father's life too. I can't leave my family behind for too long." Maybe this would work.

"Then let me join you again; I had a great time in Buena; it was the best thing I had in the last few years. No stuffy tutors, no stupid classmates, none of that annoying dress up all the time." Eris was crying as Hilda walked in on our conversation.

"Eris, you have to let Rudy go; he has a very important task and wasn't even supposed to greet you farewell." Hilda held Eris as she sobbed.

"You did this all for me?" Eris looked at my accessories.

I nodded to keep the plan secret.

"Yes, and now I need to go. Write to me, Eris!" I hugged her as her snot-filled face smothered mine. She forgets that she's bigger than me sometimes.

We had an uneventful journey back to Buena, where Lilia fetched me from the Beast men guards at the gate.

After a simple dinner with her and an explanation that Zenith and Paul were busy tonight over "council work," The quotation marks which I could hear in her voice, I visited my younger sisters.

Aisha and Norn.

They were toddlers at this point and really noisy ones at it. Lilia was keeping a close eye on them both and was ordered by Zenith to treat the girls equally after watching Lilia attempt to turn Aisha into a maid.

They were asleep at this time, but watching them slumber peacefully was nice.

I hope I can let them grow up in a happy world.

PART 2: Short stories around Buena

Early K 415 Buena

Fred (15) and Elinalise

Fred was a part-elf, a part-human hybrid who lived in the farms near Vista before Buena received a town charter. His family and other farmers nearby moved to Buena for more opportunities. Daphne, his part-beast, part-human childhood friend, was immediately hired by the Majordomo Lilia at the Greyrat household two years ago.

He made do with the pilot program for the "Greyrat Youth," a training program for those between 10-15 who wished to join the Buena Guard and rangers; they were too young to see combat but learned all the skills needed to be an effect guard and ranger. They were normally taught by James or Rowal from the Guard and Ram from the Rangers, with special events featuring Lady Elinalise or even the terrifying Commander Laws. Unfortunately, Lord Paul Greyrat is often too busy training himself or coordinating other military and city activities to actively participate in the Greyrat youth so fondly named after him. Fred joined it a year ago when they first accepted applicants. Now they numbered fifty, with five sent off to focus on magic and healing.

Fred wore his standard-issue Greyrat Youth Uniform. It was a well-made grey shirt, pants, and an armband with Lord Greyrat's house; it was a very different style from the normal image of a guard. They wore light chainmail armor and leather armor elsewhere, enchanted with protection to match normal plate mail—something only possible due to Buena's concentration on magic and wealth. The Rangers and Greyrat Youth were the first groups to receive the new uniform, while the Guards would receive them by the end of the year. Before that uniform, all they did was wear leather armor on whatever work clothes they normally brought to the camp.

"It's time for the weekly obstacle challenge. The three best times get an extra silver coin!" Lady Elinalise announced, of course, she'd watch the special events.

"Why do the kids get money for the best results in the weekly challenges," James grumbled too loudly beside her.

"I think the guards and rangers would prefer the rewards I give them, James. Are you complaining?" Lady Elinalise looked at James, who was blushing up a storm.

"What do they get? If I win the course, can I have their reward instead?" Fred shouted up, he was one of the best in the batch, which gave him lots of date money to spend with Daphne, but Sara kept him from reaching the top spot.

Sara was laughing at him while the troops from the guard joined too. Sara always got on his nerves because she was several years younger than him but managed to outperform most people in the Greyrat youth, aside from himself.

"You're not ready for their reward, naughty boy." Fred blushed as Lady Elinalise went very close to him, holding his face as she spoke. He sputtered as he lacked words for a reply.

Sara whispered to him, and Fred shouted. "Impossible, Lady Elinalise wouldn't sully herself like that. She's the image of a good and pure mother teaching us, children, how to defend our town!"

Elinalise chuckled while the guards abruptly stopped laughing; they knew that they would suffer the worst fate possible if anyone of them burst Fred's bubble.

"Of course I am; that's why I spend all this time helping kids. Like this adorable little Sara who might have been hearing things from the wrong people." Elinalise, a little too roughly, cuddled Sara; she looked like a kid being fussed over by an overbearing aunt or Grandmother.

"I don't believe what Sara told me, so I'll do my best when I become a guard later this year and find out." Fred declared to the Greyrat youth.

He finished first in the obstacle course that day.

Shaggy (17), Clooper (13), and Lilia (27)

Clooper was a Demon dog taken from his hometown several years ago in a botched slave trade. Traders as far away as the Great Forest knew the Boreas Greyrats liberate their beast slaves and buy them in bulk. Demon dogs differed from beast people as they were closer to anthropomorphic animals than humans, with animal accessories like ears and tails. They also chose to side with the demons in the Laplace war. A stupid slave trader assumed Clooper would fit into the beast people stereotype the Boreas Greyrats wanted, not thinking that it was Beast Girls in particular that fetched a good price. Clooper would've lived a life in the mines or some nasty labor in Asura if Shaggy didn't find him on a trader convoy entering Buena two years ago.

Slaves make up a very minuscule amount of the population in Fittoa, often only accompanying nobles and merchants from outside the region; the Boreas Greyrats made it clear that indentured service is the closest thing to a permissible state of affairs in their Duchy.

Clooper was being abused by the merchant accompanying him, and publicly beaten up by his owner. In a rare moment of courage over gluttony and sloth, Shaggy punched the merchant and called the guards. Public abuse of slaves was banned in Buena, just like it was banned in Roa. The merchant lost his slave and most of his caravan, being sent back to the Donati region in tatters.

Clooper was unofficially adopted by Shaggy and became his assistant in the kitchen.

Clooper had an even stronger nose for poisons and unwanted substances that soon became a boon to the Greyrat household.

Clooper and Shaggy were currently sleeping after the breakfast shift. Affairs at the Greyrat household were slow in the daytime.

"Shaggy! Clooper! Come here right this instant!" Lilia shouted; Lilia alternated her Majordomo duties with city council duties, making her delegate the direct management of household chores to Shaggy, Velma, and Jack.

Shaggy managed the kitchen affairs and food supplies with Clooper and Louis, Velma managed household chores with Daphne, Astoria, and Lavender, while Jack managed the garden and stables with Jill.

Clooper and Shaggy made a comedic scene of stumbling over each other as they got up from their comfortable sleeping positions in the kitchen.

"Yes, Boss-lady?" Shaggy spoke for them, Clooper had a strange accent when he spoke human, being raised in the Demon continent.

Lilia, being used to the unwanted Boss-lady title by now, merely rolled her as as she replied.

"What's this report about the missing cheese and sausages? You know that we already give you a lot of free food in the household, so who's taking all the cheese and sausages?" Lilia looked them in the eye.

"Believe me, Boss-lady, we think there must be some kind of ghost in the house. No matter how hard we try, we can't see, hear or smell them, but some time in the middle of the night, our food supplies disappear. When we patrol outside the storage room, something loud happens outside, and by the time we get back in, the cheese and sausages disappear."

Lilia tsked.

"It's been a week since this started; if you can't catch a rat in the room, I'll join you in the nightly patrols. If I find out it was a simple mistake that led to this, it'll be taken out of your monthly pay, and no free lunch for a month."

Clooper whimpered while Shaggy pouted.

"Yes, Ma'am." They both said.

Daphne (15), Velma(16), Lilia (27), and the rest of the gang (including Zenith, 25, Paul, 27, Rudy, 8, and Valentina, 42)

A week later, Lilia still had no luck in finding out the Culprit; even when they split patrols inside and outside the grounds, she couldn't see what was causing the missing cheese and sausages.

Later on, the chocolates, dried fruits, and biscuits started disappearing too.

"Velma, Daphne, start looking around the house to see if there are holes in the walls we haven't accounted for. This petty thief is a threat to our security." Lilia ordered them.

They nodded and looked around the house discreetly.

Velma and Daphne used their sharp hearing and smell to detect poisons from guests, whether in literal form or spoken words. Lilia even taught them how to lip read, which led to several merchants getting into serious trouble at one council meeting with said guests.

Velma and Daphne were often assigned to watch over Aisha and Norn in between Zenith and Lilia could not do so, often being a background in the young girls' lives.

They tried to fuss over Rudy, but that led to predictable results, a grumpy boy who ended up telling them to do more productive things. Still, they learned a lot of interesting cultural, economic, and technological references in the random babbles Rudy had more than anyone expected.

They even started applying business concepts in household management, whipping up a performance system Lilia used in assessing the other Greyrat servants. It increased efficiency and productivity and gave Lilia a lot less stress; after several modifications, she added.

Clooper eventually joined them as they looked around every nook and cranny of the house, eventually discovering something big.

"Boss-lady, please come here!" Daphne shouted; they felt a huge magical presence in one of the walls near the kitchen. All Greyrat household servants had some degree of magical or physical capacity to use and feel the mana, even if at a low level. A concentration of magic spiking this hard was enough to jolt anyone's attention. The Greyrat household was heavily reinforced with protection and barrier spells, enough to make background magic fuzzy for those suddenly exposed to it. However, this sensation was far beyond the norm.

Lilia rushed to the area, alarmed at the sight of the slight wall crack; she touched it and shouted for Roxy.

"My-my, it seems that our little thief has a vast amount of mana. It takes a very powerful spell or physically enhanced strike to cause this much damage to the wall." Roxy showed the other side, which was hollowed out. Holes were large enough to fit someone inside, which led to a path between the walls.

After Roxy joined the investigation, several sites had holes and cracks, they entered the holes to search for the source, and it led to…

The Master's bedroom?!

"Oh no! Could the thief be preparing an ambush for Paul and Zenith?" Lilia said aloud, despite Paul and Zenith's insistence that she treats herself as an equal wife, Lilia insisted on staying in a secondary bedroom and on nighttime activities with Paul only when Zenith had her monthly period.

"Velma, and Daphne, wait outside the master bedroom at midnight; Shaggy and Clooper can wait outside the kitchen at the same time. Roxy and I would hide in this secret path between the kitchen and Master's bedroom."

It was a tense evening as the mystery gang staked their various positions. Even Fred got roped in as he joined Daphne at night after their date; Lilia let him stay with the two girls in case they needed extra firepower. Elinalise ended up joining them, too, staked out with Lilia and Roxy because she was bored, and followed the young lovebirds.

There was a tense moment when Elinalise heard something in the distance. The three women, Roxy, Lilia, and Elinalise, stayed as quiet as possible, waiting for the intruder.

They heard strangely familiar laughing along the path.

"Nice try from Shaggy and Clooper, but they still couldn't move fast enough to see me." A male voice said as he walked silently in the passage.

"Too bad we couldn't get Lilia to join us; these pranks would loosen her up." A feminine voice said.

Wait, it sounds too familiar.

They let the two mystery figures return to the Master's bedroom while Lilia ran back to drag Shaggy and Clooper to the hidden path with them. Elinalise got the people waiting outside the bedroom to enter at the set time while Roxy was waiting in the hidden path.

Due to the synchronized counting Roxy, Elinalise, and Lilia had, they managed to time their entry to the Master's bedroom simultaneously.

They saw two figures dressed in traditional Millis clergy attire, a priest and priestess garb.

And a lot of other "interesting" items around the room, including a new set of cheese and sausages.

Considering that the two "Millis clergy" were in the middle of a compromising position, the gang was dumbfounded at the revelation.

Rudy came in with his Grandmother Valentina and broke the silence.

"What's with the commotion? Why's everyone here in the middle of the night." He asked, breaking the awkward silence that the "clergy" used to adjust themselves.

The "clergy" took off their head piece, only to reveal the Lord and Lady of the house, Paul and Zenith. While everyone at home knew how horny the couple was, they never expected the pair to roleplay like this.

"You see, we were starting to get really stressed with recent events and wanted to try something new for a change." Paul scratched his head as he explained to the group.

"We couldn't even have our nightly activities anymore without someone trying to knock at our door to ask if we needed anything else." Zenith continued.

"We also got hungry and thirsty; while we could easily make water in our rooms and had a small stash of alcohol, all the good food was in the kitchen. We didn't want Lilia to scold us again for our irresponsible snacking, so we decided to use my earth magic to expand the castle a little bit, enough to make a hall where we could pass by between our room and the kitchen. It was entertaining to see Shaggy and Clooper at wit's end over the cause of the disappearing food while Paul usually enjoyed showing off his enhanced speed to distract them."

Lilia was glaring at the irresponsible couple; sometimes, they still acted like children more than their own child.

"We realized it made us more and more excited each night to do something we couldn't anymore; back when Lilia was our only maid; we used to sneak into the kitchen at night after we did our thing to grab a quick bite before sleeping. She was always stressed trying to figure out who took the food. For a while, she even bought wards against rats." Paul told the story; Elinalise was laughing while Valentina said, "knew it." Rudy and the kids had various states of disbelief at how irresponsible the two were.

"We would've gotten away if it weren't for those meddling kids." Zenith pointed at the kids, Shaggy, Clooper, Daphne, Velma, and Fred, who just happened to join with his girlfriend.

"Can you join us next time," Zenith asked Lilia with strong puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh, all this frustration is making me nuts. You know what, I'll join the two of you next time." Lilia grunted. "Although I'll punish you both for this." Zenith and Paul had a mix of fear and arousal on their face.

"Uhmm, Mother, Father, why are you dressed as clergy?" Rudy asked, not reading the mood of the room.

His parents suddenly had an embarrassed look, and before they could answer, the grandmothers took over.

"Ah, you see, your parents have a very fun way of doing their nightly activities. I take it that Paul has already given you the Greyrat talk?" Valentina asked Rudy, who then joined his parents to have an embarrassed look on his face.

"My my, if I knew you two wanted to do that so badly back when we were adventurers, we could've made a cult instead of a party." Elinalise teased.

The mystery gang was sworn to secrecy over their Lord's nighttime pranks while being commended over their skills at solving a mystery.

Lilia gave the two immature adults a lesson in Masochism.

On the other hand, Rudy had a strange conversation with his Grandmother.

Valentina walked Rudy to his room, ready to set him to bed, when she asked a random question.

"Rudy, what do you think about God?" She asked.

"Why should I believe in one? If a God exists, then the world should be perfectly made according to what he wishes. Otherwise, such a supremely powerful being must be the Devil." He spoke, he was about to panic when he realized he had spoken such an opinion to someone from a society like this until he saw Valentina glisten.

"You are right; such a supremely powerful being that meddles with mortal affairs is not God but is the Devil. I will tell you more when you grow up, but never, ever believe in the so-called Man-God; he is nothing but the worst Devil possible. The sect that the radical Saint Millis followers or the cathedral faction worship are another proof that the Man-God causes nothing more than strife and discord, pain, and suffering. All I suffered from was because of that great Devil." Valentina looked at Rudy seriously as she spoke that.

"I understand, Grandmother; I will be more vigilant if someone tries to peddle religious garbage at me. Maybe I can even deal with that Man-God problem of yours someday." Rudy got a heartfelt hug from his Grandmother.

"Thank you, Rudy, I know I gave you a great burden tonight, but I wanted you to know before it gets too late. Younger boys than you have been corrupted by that evil figure. I hope you can sleep well tonight, goodnight!".

Valentina left the room, feeling much lighter

It was the first of their continued talks against religion and how to turn that into propaganda.

.

.

.

.

PART 3: Adults of the Greyrat-Dragonroad clan

K 415

Buena Town

Rudy POV

"Hi, Rudy! We have something to tell you." Zenith told me over breakfast Aisha and Norn were at the side being spoonfed some soup by Daphne and Velma. We walked to the solar where we had privacy to discuss it. Lilia was standing guard at the door while Valentina was already waiting on the couch.

"It's about a letter we received from Philip this morning about a certain visit to prepare for in ten days." Zenith continued.

"James Boreas Greyrat is coming to Buena to see the improvements and changes in the town, he's impressed by the rapid growth we had over the last five years, and we need to make sure that it doesn't ruin our plan." Paul showed me a book that contained information about Buena.

"You know how much we downplay the growth and success of the town in hopes of hiding ourselves from the man Philip seeks to overthrow. Unfortunately, we cooked the books so badly that once he arrives here, he would wonder why we underreported ourselves so badly." Paul showed two columns showing the reported vs. actual numbers of the population, revenue, and taxes, and even a short skim showed how badly they cooked the books.

"Now we have no idea how to downplay the success or to make it appear as though our growth isn't as alarming as it should be. While doing that, we also need to emphasize that we are a father and son pair, as Sauros' illegitimate line. When he looks at us, he'd obviously see the Boreas Greyrat resemble, even though it comes from my mother." Paul pointed at a waving Valentina.

"Now, I know we never exposed our heritage in public, so it should be okay. However, we might need to distract him with events in the town to keep him from scrutinizing us too much. My mother will go in hiding for the several days James is around, largely because he would recognize his own aunt." Paul finished.

Zenith and the other women had expectant looks in their eyes, also lost as they had no idea how to hide the problems we had of too much success.

Hmmm, the soviets hid their lack of progress by making Potemkin villages. Perhaps we can have a reverse effect; we can hastily erect buildings and structures in empty locations and have them built in a dilapidated condition to make it look like the town has flaws; we can make James go around those areas more often than the prosperous ones.

We could also make it look like we were overspending to cover up our deficits by making a feast too grand for our station and an extraordinary festival too.

That way, we could use some reverse psychology against the suspicious man when it comes to our circumstances.

I explained the idea to them, and it took them a while to understand and see where I was going; it would've been faster if I could speak to them as an adult with a direct point, but my young body is really giving me limitations.

"Don't forget, we also need to hide the full extent of our magic and sword skills. Remember to limit your spell output, hide your quad core staff, and also vocalize your spells; anything improperly done among these would make him, or his minders, extremely suspicious of our skills." Zenith explained to the group.

"So I have to act like a kid who's trying to sound smarter than he really is?" Not a hard thing to do since I'm not actually a kid inside.

"Yes, and that goes for the other people around town. We obviously can't give these orders to the guards or rangers outright, although we would plan dumb activities to lower James' estimation of our capabilities." Paul added.

"Besides, we want to make sure James doesn't want to adopt you all of a sudden." I clenched when I heard that; what an unexpected twist.

"If this goes well, Paul wouldn't need to be sent to Ars, and you wouldn't be forcibly adopted under James." Zenith smiled.

We spent the next hour ironing specifics.

Laws POV (Visit T-3 days)

We decided to add to the festivities by making a competition for the troops, a combination of jousts, unarmed and armed spars, and even other carnival and parlor games were to happen during the visit of James Boreas Greyrat, all drills and evidence of their skills being far from the norm are likely to be negated by the massive amounts of alcohol being provided in the fair.

My mother even decided to spread rumors that she would spread her legs to the winners of the games and also told the soldiers that any unauthorized actions would close that option permanently.

It "raised" the troop morale predictably.

"I also received a letter stating that the Buena Town adventurer's guild will receive its official charter once James Boreas Greyrat arrives; I'll be retiring from active duty in the city guards and focus on administrating the adventurer's guild as the local master." Mother told us at the dinner table. Roxy joined us today since she just finished her magic training with Rudy, Sylphie, and the usual group; the Greyrats are too busy to take her in tonight, so she's staying over with us.

"But don't worry, I'll make sure to keep your troops happy and well-motivated." She pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at me; seriously, why are half the members of the council a bunch of overgrown kids, my mother included?

"If battles were won by the methods you use, I'm sure there would be world peace. Unfortunately, they aren't," I told her back. "But congratulations are in order for the guild head role, I know you'd love it, and it would take care of a lot of micromanagement issues from the city council side."

She smiled as my wife spoke.

"I'm worried that all the efforts I made to cook the books would backfire; I was the one who did all the accounting. What am I supposed to do when he asks me questions? I can't consistently play dumb." Nymphie told me

I saw Sylphie holding a slab with computational problems that Roxy was helping her solve. I told her before not to bring her homework to the dinner table.

I was about to remind her about that rule when Elinalise came up with a plan.

"We can pretend that Sylphie here has been assisting her mother; it'll be easy to excuse inaccurate computations from there. And it wouldn't make anyone look worse." She explained.

That sounded like a really stupid idea, but do we have any other options at this point?

"I-I'll do it if you want me to," Sylphie said.

"Thank you, Sylphie." My wife said in return.

I guess that's settled.

Roxy tried to sneak a glass of sweetened wine while we talked, only for me to swat her hand on the way back.

"Maybe we should get James drunk while inspecting us too. A little friendly heavy drinking while casting silent detox spells among each other can do the job. It'll get his guard down while we stay mostly sober." Roxy had a good point, our silent spells can do that, and it wouldn't show at all.

"I think that's a good plan, too; any distraction for him is a win for us," I told her.

The rest of the dinner was a less stressful affair; we enjoyed this thing Rudy introduced to us years ago called hotpot.

James' Visit to Buena Town

James Boreas Greyrat POV

"These Illegitimate Greyrats tried their best to cover up their struggles." Karl Greygoose whispered to me. "You can see that they hastily built houses on the outskirts of their village and couldn't even manage to hand it over to refugees yet."

Karl and Robert joined me on our tour of the new Buena town, one we have been curious about for several years. Gordon and Mary were busy dealing with affairs in Roa, sniffing inconsistencies in any potential plot Philip made involving his city or this one.

"For once, I believe your brother was fully honest about his description of Buena. It is by no means a miracle town; as you can see, a lot of dirt and leaves are also scattered around the streets. Don't they pay the poor to sweep in the morning?" Robert looked around in distaste.

We had a short break from our meeting with Paul and his son Rudy, who was erroneously assumed to be yet another illegitimate half-brother of mine.

Paul definitely had the Boreas Greyrat looks and carried himself like a noble too. He didn't resemble Pilemon in any way, either.

"We couldn't expect anyone to turn a sleepy village into a booming town in a decade, let alone half a decade. He is still doing much better than most." I told them.

"Not good enough to offer the honor of fostering Paul's son Rudy together with the trueborn Boreas Greyrats." Robert boomed; of course, he was sensitive to the topic because I didn't foster his children either.

Boreas Greyrats only foster their own, not outsiders.

"I agree to think that they even used an incompetent part-beast woman to do the accounting and financial endeavors. Doesn't he know that beast women are for entertainment, not accounting?" Karl joined in the criticism of Buena; he had a vested interest in promoting his son to lead the Trooptown, under his direction, of course.

The idiot forgot I am still a Boreas Greyrat, and I love my Beast women too.

"I still think they're hiding something; keep your eyes open," I ordered them.

A well-dressed maid approached us; it was the Majordomo, Lilia. She was the second wife of Paul and yet another proof that he wasn't the man-loving adventurer I heard rumors of or the irresponsible lecher that I also heard about. That Paul wouldn't marry and settle down, let alone raise three kids and two wives.

She acted with a calm demeanor and manner not befitting an average noble such as Paul; she's also another person I want to take note of.

"Lord James, my master is ready to show you the camp." She led the way, followed by two attendants, a scruffy-looking blonde-haired part beastman and a demon dog of all things.

"You can see that their village resorts to using all sorts of non-humans, the cheapest possible labor. They are hiding their poverty if they resort to measures such as these." Karl pointed out.

We reached the camp to see a festive mood; troops were going around booths with drinks and food.

Paul came in with his overly shiny armor, yet another sign of playing up his worth or doing a daring gambit.

"Lord James, Lord Robert, and Lord Karl welcome to the festival we held in honor of the Boreas Greyrat visit to Buena Town. Your magnanimity knows no bounds from the establishment of the guard granted by your town charter and your latest approval to grant us an adventurer's guild charter."

I was a little disappointed by the way he presented himself; Mary was insisting that this Paul was the illusive Paul Notos Greyrat, that he somehow wasn't in a carnal relationship with that dwarf and demon man in the demon continent on the other side of the world.

But I remembered Paul; I met him when he was five and when he was seven. He was this brash, arrogant and annoying kid who kept asking Philip to do his homework. What kind of simpering and hardworking lowly man would be that Paul in disguise?

Besides, before his escape, many rumors from Senos and Milbots went out that Paul was more interested in men than women and that he ran away due to that. Of course, I took Pilemon's rumors with a grain of salt, but the tales from the Demon continent about the exploits of the S-ranked Adventurer's party filled with homosexual men continue to run among the circles even in the capital.

"That is well met, Lord Paul. You have turned this small village into a sizeable town in just five years. One can say that they could be proud of themselves for the achievement. What do you wish to see over the next five years?" I wanted to see how far his ambition goes, especially to confirm his identity. The real Paul Notos Greyrat had the ambition to match his arrogance when I met him. He would have wanted enough power to run Milbots like a Harem if he was the real deal.

"Me? I want a simple life with a happy family and home. One where I can grow old and watch my children and grandchildren play around on the farm with my wives before I die, hopefully before them. I was given an opportunity of a lifetime to expand on that, but in the end, I am but a simple swordsman who was supposed to guard the village, not turn it into a town." Paul Bowed his head as he finished.

This man is too meek to be the threat Pilemon was talking about.

Now to see if he is worthy of running Trooptown, I will inspect the troops.

"That is an admirable goal and a simple, peaceful one at it. Could you escort me as I inspect your guards?" I asked him.

"Of course, my Lord. I shall escort you to the guards." Paul introduced him to a half-elf man in shining armor.

"Meet commander Laws; he's in charge of the guard while I am busy with my duties." I was introduced to the man who bowed at me and showed me to the group of guards, who shoddily went into formation and bowed at me.

I greeted Laws and the troops in return, although my companions were offended by the display.

"He couldn't even make his troops show proper honor to their ruling noble; how can he run Trooptown." Karl protested.

"In fact, he should stay in the town and train his son and troops first. I think the reports Gordon made overplayed his threat," Robert added.

Is it worth arguing with these two? Mary and Gordon didn't give me much to stand on, and issues at Roa were far more important to settle than a moderately prosperous town in Fittoa.

I watched the festivities but gave my leave soon after, I would return to Roa by dinnertime, and I would show my displeasure at Gordon and Mary; their intelligence made me waste time with this dud.

I would let Buena grow. Naturally, this town isn't worth my time to monitor. I can also allay Pilemon's fears by assuring him that this isn't the Paul he was looking for.

.

.

.

.

Feel free to check my Konosuba: Junior Goddess in training story.

Mushoku Tensei: Chronicles of a Military Girl might be out closer to Early November when I finish Vol 1 of this fic. (The first scenes of this fanfic have some connection to Saga of Rudeus the Evil in a major spoiler way)

The NEET that was supposed to be Rudeus ends up in a conversation with Being X; it leads to a turn of events where he gets punished for his sins and lives life as a girl. With a different mindset and approach to life, would Tanya be able to live a happier life? Dark start, but it gets happier.

Mushoku Tensei: I'm the Main Character now. (Story Concept)

Synopsis: An Isekai fan (Semi-SI like the Junior Goddess Fanfic) wakes up in Eris' Body and assumes she is the main character in an Isekai. She eventually finds out she wakes up in Mushoku Tensei but only watched the first few episodes of the anime (ending at the TP 1 Teleportation incident) and only heard of a few memes. Mostly negative ones about NEET Rudeus.

However, she's in Saga of Rudeus, the Evil universe, and is in for a rude awakening.

Same intro as Konosuba: Junior Goddess in training, except he ends up in Mushoku Tensei world… With the Salaryman unknowingly joining in. I'm not sure if it'll be standalone, but if it is, it'll come long after this series ends, or else I'll be mixing up Canon.

Kakashi of the Reset (Story Concept)

Synopsis: Kakashi's fight with Kaguya abruptly ends when his Kamui overlaps with her Dimensional shift; the sheer chakra involved rips space and time, sending his spirit back in time to a slightly different Konoha. With the massive amount of chakra he's received and used during the war and DMS mode, his spiritual chakra or Yin is extremely vast, comparable to a Jinchuuriki. However, the body he's in still needs significant training to balance it out. It features an OP Kakashi who needs to retool himself before getting into action.

A darker Naruto world where Kakashi is needed to save the day.

Author's Note

1. Salaryman Rudy wouldn't have studied the pre-industrial era economics and history as much as he did for the industrial age, negating some of his advantages from Tanya the Evil

2. He also has a narrator telling him a story from a limited point of view too,

3. There are lots of pre-industrial eras storage methods; they weren't idiots. In a world with a lot of magic and academies devoted to magic, magical food storage is a very plausible thing, at least for wealthy locations that can afford it, a mage of sufficient caliber. It is far less intensive than magical farming, which Zenith, Rudy, Roxy, and their gang ruthlessly abuse.

4. A magical world with institutions that teach magic for many purposes (Ranoa Academy might be the best by far, but even Asura had its own institutions, and Roxy as a tutor wasn't too hard to find) would mean that they would also use magic to improve things like road building and infrastructure, at least in places that can afford it.

5. The Salaryman as Tanya may be dense, but he isn't too dense to not see something building up for years. Although the overarching theme of more work after success still follows him into this world.

6. The Salaryman isn't a Nationalist Socialist by any means, but his parents sometimes take his stories, ideas, and imagination without proper context. A Standardized uniform and a youth program was Rudy's point, and the first thing in mind was that group; of course, his parents just ran along with the idea seeing that the Asuran King made a standardized army appear out of thin air.

7. Nerdy Data on World Size and Population of Asura

I had to revise population, economy, and area estimates by A LOT after I realized how fast horses travel in Mushoku Tensei and how far Buena is from Roa; after seeing a Reddit thread that did the actual math, I'm increasing the population numbers by over five times, since the world is about 4.4 times larger than the Earth. My troop numbers will still remain the same; I'll just have to adjust the in-universe reason why armies cannot be too large. It's quite easy; You can't bring too many troops around an area the size of Eurasia and Africa without a MASSIVE supply chain, despite all the magic around; plus, they couldn't recruit normal people who couldn't use mana for magic or touki because they'll be nothing more than cannon fodder. Those non-magic-using people are usually left with normal jobs or patrolling at best.

The Mushoku Tensei world is flat, on a six-sided cube; I'm taking that literally because that's the only way Canon! Roxy could've seen the huge beam of light from Fittoa when she was in Shirone; I gave an in-universe explanation of why you can't normally see thousands of kilometers away unless it is a significant occurrence.

Area computation is thanks to a Reddit thread I found from u/ magawatamine; using that ratio and the map is given, I tried some rough estimations myself. If the numbers seem off (because I just did computations with limited vertices since I don't have the time to painstakingly compute a map manually), we can just attribute it to slightly inaccurate world maps, but the general scale is really like this. With Super Horses that could probably gallop 24 km/h with a cart behind it and probably upwards of 50 km/h with a person riding, it would also make my scaling for Ghislaine, and Paul's running speeds in the Earlier chapters have more sense. Paul running to save Rudy at the Sir Jude incident, was at 100 km/h at his wildest sprint back then (he's a lot stronger now); Ghislaine's "long-distance courier service" has her go between 150-200 km/h for a sustained period of half a day before she needs a break, one day if she would be dead tired for the rest of the week.

Data as of K 414.

Region

Area (sq. km)

Population

GDP

Composition

Asura Kingdom

77,000,000 (sq. km)

200,000,000 Citizens

200,000,000 Gold Coins

Fittoa (Boreas, NE)

8,920,516 (sq. km)

20,000,000 Citizens

30,000,000 Gold Coins

92% Free Human

5% Hybrid Human-Beast

3% Other races and Other Hybrids

Roa City and the area directly under Philip

50,000 (sq. km)

200,000 (City), 1,000,000 scattered around farms and beast/demon hybrid villages

2,000,000 Gold Coins

80% Free Human

12% Hybrid Human-Beast

8% Other races and Other Hybrids

Buena and areas directly under Paul

7,200 (sq. km)

15,000 (Buena Town), 5,000 (Vista), 30,000 Scattered around farms.

120,000 Gold Coins

60% Free Human

25% Hybrid Human-Beast

15% Other races and Other Hybrids

Milbots (Notos, SE)

8,180,186 (sq. km)

25,000,000 Citizens

25,000,000 Gold Coins

85% Free

15% Slave

Senos

150,000 (City)

Wishiru (Euros, South)

8,735,433 (sq. km)

30,000,000 Citizens

30,000,000 Gold Coins

90% Free

10% Slave

Donati (Zephyrus, North)

5,674,718 (sq. km)

22,500,000 Citizens

25,000,000 Gold Coins

88% Free

12% Slave

Ars Region (Asura, West)

8,702,275 (sq. km)

60,000,000 Citizens

70,000,000 Gold Coins

80% Free

20% Slave

Ars City

1,500,000 (City) 500,000 (Troop towns surrounding city)

5,000,000 Gold Coins

65% Free

35% Slave

Other Areas

36,786,872(sq. km)

42,500,000 Citizens

25,000,000 Gold Coins

92% Free

8% Slave

12. SPOILERS ON POWER-LEVEL SCALING

13. That's right, Rudy's pseudo-King-class spell does a wide area explosion at roughly 10 kt because he's literally making matter-antimatter out of mana because he couldn't conceptualize controlling clouds to make it rain for Squall. The Quad-core staff would make it at 160 kt, but still a wide area effect. It sounds really high, but the problem is it's a wide-area effect spell rather than a concentrated spell. I'd say the Nuclear Spell 12/13-year-old Canon! Rudy cast on Orsted has both greater damage and a far more concentrated area (a single target). Salaryman! Rudy doesn't have control over the range of the spell and would be just as useful and draining as a supercharged Megumin explosion. Saint class and top level Advanced level users could survive the (even the enhanced) explosion due to the dispersed nature of the damage; magically fortified cities will survive it too. It isn't enough to go through a God-level barrier or even a concentrated King-level barrier.

14. If Buena didn't have massive amounts of magical barriers all over the city, its buildings, and even underground, Rudy and Roxy could destroy the town with the spells in their arsenal. Sylphie, Zenith, and the rest of the magical girls could cause serious damage with their spells too. However, if they ever went that insane, Paul and the Guards would cut them down before too much damage would occur, although even Paul and Elinalise would die to Roxy's King-class lightning spell under a direct hit if she hit him. Otherwise, he'd tank all other AOE spells under their current arsenal. The rest of the town's residents would be dead in the process unless Ghislaine is visiting or they're hiding underground.

15. Rudy, Roxy, Sylphie, and Eris aren't totally wanked or OP by world standards, I'm just showing the scale of how they appear, and in this case, Roxy and Sylphie are roughly close to Ranoa academy arc levels of power; Rudy is somewhere in Early demon continent arc levels of power (but far more rounded out and support based), Eris is at TP 1 levels of sword fighting but has some intermediate magic level skills. They just happened to have far better education, communication, and resources to reach their goals earlier on.

16. Zenith, Paul, Laws, Lilia, Elinalise, and Sara (and the OCs/Unnamed characters like law's wife Nymphie or Sara's dad Simon) are among those in the village who received major power boosts compared to Canon. Zenith was originally an intermediate-advanced healer with elemental magic skills probably limited to the book she had and had to verbalize her spell, unlike here where she was pushed to work much harder and studied under Roxy too (Why didn't Zenith learn more magic from Roxy in Canon, she could join the lessons with Rudy). Paul got highly motivated to work out far harder, with his family on the line, and has the proper support mechanism of Zenith and Rudy pumping him with healing magic every night to keep him going. Laws by association has the same thing going for him too. Lilia got healed by Rudy and Zenith's better healing magic and was motivated to improve herself too. Sara's family left their village in Milbots before they got killed in monster attacks; Sara in Canon did relatively well despite her lack of help as she grew up; imagine if she had a buffed Laws and a doting Elinalise to help. Elinalise finally has a stable place to settle down, and sparring partners that can push her to the limits, so she grows a tier higher, too; her constant "harem" of husband guards also stabilizes her curse, making it a lot easier for her to learn magic (which she managed to do in Ranoa in Canon, she managed to hit intermediate magic in two years at Ranoa, she's doing better here than in Canon).

17. End Spoilers on Power Level Scaling

Excerpts From

Rifujin na Magonote Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (Light Novel) Vol. 1