Chapter 35: The Light and Shadow of Airo Vilge?

  "As soon as you enter, you'll find the soldiers waiting and training area. After a while, you'll enter the residential area, and from there, the fields are to the east, and the production area is to the west--"

  ?

  We walked down the main street of Airo Vilge, guided by Kamil himself. Since they only had two camels, we walked. I would have liked to try riding a little.

  Kamil got off his camel and walked along with us... His kindness is evident in every thing he says and does. I would rather not doubt him, but it's too early to make that judgment.

  Also, maybe because he looks to be in his twenties, his words and actions look young. When I talk to him, I get the feeling that he's a "nice older brother." He's more calm than me, and has a more dignified air about him.

  Kassim left us with the words, "I'll prepare to welcome you," and then got on his camel and left. I wasn't really hoping to see him, so I was relieved. I have to be careful though, as his guards are still there.

  ... I don't know if it's simply work, or if they don't like the fact that I'm chatting casually with Kamil-san, an important person in Airo Vilge, or if there's some other reason... Even after Uru has left, I'm still receiving piercing stares from them. It makes me feel really uncomfortable, but I know enough not to show it on my face.

  ?

  "By the way, this vilge is very rge, how many people live here?"

  ?

  "Well... I don't know the exact number right now, but it's over a thousand."

  ?

  Over a thousand, huh? That's a lot. I see why this vilge is so big.

  ?

  "How about yours, Rion?"

  ?

  "Ah... Well, I travel a lot, so I'm not in charge of a vilge..."

  ?

  "... Ah, you're traveling around the world at the Creator God's orders. It must be hard, but I'd recommend you come and rest up at my pce."

  ?

  As we continued walking, mainly chatting between Kamil-san and I, we must have entered a residential area, as there were a row of simir houses.

  Hmm, I wonder if they're all the same design to make it equal. Or maybe they're just prioritizing functionality. They look ordinary but are sturdy and there are no damaged buildings. They appear to be well maintained.

  Maybe because it's a residential area, there are a lot of people. People passing by call out to Kamil, and he's responding in a good mood. It's a sight you wouldn't see if he was not like this normally.

  As for us, he only expined that we were his guests, and said he was going to make a proper announcement about us ter. Well, it seems like it was the right response, as calling me a miko would probably cause a big fuss.

  ?

  "Kamil-san is very popur."

  ?

  "I'm grateful for that. Maybe it's because I'm a miko."

  ?

  "... No, I don't think it has anything to do with being a miko."

  ?

  "?"

  ?

  I look around. The vilgers are lively, and their feelings towards Kamil-san are very kind.

  This is definitely not something that could be the result of just 'being a miko'.

  ?

  "It's probably because Kamil-san has acted sincerely in this vilge. It's not something you can get just from status."

  ?

  On the other hand, I can't do that. My emotions always take precedence. I want to favor the people I like, and I don't care about the people I dislike. It's rare to be liked by so many people regardless of what benefits they may have. Incidentally, I have a feeling that people will be annoyed if I focus too much on making things.

  That's why I respect Kamil-san for being able to achieve this, and I mean it with no fttery.

  ?

  "Haha, it's embarrassing to hear a fellow miko say that."

  ?

  Kamil-san scratched her cheek in embarrassment, but there didn't seem to be any ulterior motives.

  ?

  ?

  Asked whether I wanted to see the fields or the production area, I chose the production area. Airo Vilge is rge, so I decided to postpone the fields until another day.

  There were many people in the production area, engaged in various jobs. Some people were processing building materials, some were sewing clothes, some were cooking, etc.

  A delicious smell had been floating around for a while now, and it made my stomach growl. Regulus looked like he was about to drool.

  ?

  "Kassim is preparing dinner, so please hold on a little longer."

  ?

  "N-no, it's fine."

  ?

  I blushed as he said this to me while chuckling.

  ?

  Vilgers were working hard everywhere, which was a great source of creation power.

  Ideally, I should be aiming for something like this too.

  Hmm... I should probably stop being so picky and just increase the number of residents at my base... But even if I did increase the number, I'd be relying on my crafting skills so I wouldn't be able to teach them much other than cooking... But that said, it's no good poaching people who already have the skills.

  ?

  Maybe because I was thinking about something while walking, I got startled when a group of people emerged from the ground at the side of the road. To be precise, they were emerging from a hole in the ground, but I didn't see them.

  Liese asked me in a low voice, "What's wrong?" but I replied, "Nothing." I was simply surprised, not that there was anything suspicious about it.

  ?

  "Um, who are they...?"

  ?

  "They're in charge of the underground waterway construction. The popution is increasing, so we need to expand the waterway to get the water to everyone."

  ?

  "I see," I nodded, and looked at the people coming out again... And then I saw something that made me unable to believe my eyes.

  They were all wearing the same clothes. Simple clothes, devoid of any decorations. Perhaps because of the construction work, they were dirty, and some had frayed edges and holes in them.

  They were of a diverse range of races. About a third were humans, the rest were elves and beasts, and there was also a dwarf, which I hadn't seen since coming to Asteria... There was also one lizard.

  If that was all, I might not have been so surprised. However.

  ?

  All of them had sve chains around their ankles.

  ?

  Sve chains don't have explosive functions like colrs, but they are items that can restrict the wearer's actions. Specifically, they become extremely heavy if they try to escape.

  Back in my game days... I remembered one being put in a resistance member who had been captured by a cunning monster.

  ?

  --To serve as a sve.

  ?

  My head went cold in an instant.

  ?

  Perhaps noticing what I was staring at as I stopped moving in shock, Kamil-san added in a perplexed crification.

  ?

  "Please don't misunderstand, they are criminals."

  ?

  "Huh... Criminals?"

  ?

  "Unfortunately, when there are more people, there is bound to be more trouble. They are serving as bor because they hurt someone or stole something."

  ?

  ... It's a form of punishment, I guess.

  Certainly, if people do bad things but aren't punished, they'll be able to do whatever they want, and the victims won't be able to keep quiet either.

  Punishment for crime. I think it's important to maintain order.

  ?

  "Unless they have committed a serious crime, we release them after making them work a set number of days. Do you still think that's cruel?"

  ?

  Even Airo Vilge doesn't have infinite resources. It would be tough to just restrain them and make them eat free food.

  Someone who doesn't want to work might purposely commit a crime for that purpose, but on the other hand, if they executed everyone, they would run out of manpower in no time, and people would stop coming in the first pce.

  In that case, it makes sense to allow people whose crimes aren't serious to move around and make them do some kind of bor. Even in Japanese prisons, inmates do work.

  They are certainly wearing somewhat tattered clothes, but there are no visible signs of abuse, and they're not emaciated from not being fed. ... Well, I don't know how much of a sense of human rights Asteria has in the first pce, but the way they're being treated doesn't seem that bad.

  I can't say anything in this situation, and I don't think there's any need...

  ?

  "No... If that's the case, I understand."

  ?

  Kamil-san let out a small sigh at my answer.

  Even though Kamil-san is my senior, only a God is above the Miko.

  In other words, we are of equal rank.

  If we were to fight over a difference in opinion, it would be very troublesome. It seems that he was relieved that we were able to avoid that. I don't want to make them my enemy if possible, so I'm relieved for a reasonable reason.

  However, putting that aside, another point of concern has come up.

  ?

  "Does the conflict with the Lizards have anything to do with it?"

  ?

  The only Lizard in the group of forced borers.

  I wonder if he might actually be a high-ranking member of the Lizards. But if that's the case, they would make sure not to let him out.

  ?

  "... The beginning of it all, is when they rampaged through this vilge."