Fun Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord (Novel) - Chapter 117 - Adventurers' Town Expansion Plan 1

Chapter 117 – Adventurers’ Town Expansion Plan 1

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The group that had gone together with Arte was dissolved on the spot. When I told them to receive their rewards later from Espada, the adventurers laughed as they noisily scattered in all directions.

After the Mechanical Bow Unit lined up and reported their battle results, they headed for Seat Village. It seemed they had worked very hard. At the end, they quietly asked me to praise Arte, and the members of the Mechanical Bow Unit may have come to like her.

Incidentally, Arte remained at my side just as she was.

“Will you make something on this street?”

Arte suddenly opened her mouth. I turned only my face back to her and nodded.

“That is right. As for the adventurers’ town, travelers and peddlers will probably mostly pass right through it and aim for Seat Village, so I wanted to arrange shops, inns, and eateries along the central street they are sure to use.”

After explaining that, I returned a wry smile to Arte, who was nodding in understanding.

“Are you all right? You have only just returned, so it would be fine if you rested today.”

I said that out of concern, but Arte smiled and shook her head.

“Thank you for your concern. But I am all right. Because by my selfishness I had you hire the Mechanical Bow Unit and the adventurers, this time I absolutely want to do my best so that I become of help to you, Van-sama. For that reason as well, I thought I would stay by your side and watch your work together with you, so I can understand what you are trying to do and what kinds of things you are thinking about.”

Rarely for Arte, she had clearly shown her own will. And she did it while looking straight into my eyes.

“I see. But when it gets hard, tell me, all right? Perhaps I should have a chair prepared as well.”

“Thank you very much. But I will walk together with you.”

Saying that, Arte made a small clenched fist before her chest. Her resolve seemed firm. Looking at her that way, even her expression looked more dignified than usual. Having experienced the battlefield may have changed something in her state of mind.

At ten years old, it was impressive, but she could not hide her fatigue. Smiling at that, I had Till prepare a small one-horse carriage. It was about the size of a rickshaw.

“Then, shall I move around by carriage? If you are going to think together with me about my work, it would help if you stayed beside me.”

When I said that and got into the carriage ahead of her, Arte blinked, but before long she showed a soft smile.

“…Thank you very much.”

I held out my hand and helped Arte as she thanked me and tried to get onto the carriage. Till was staring this way with an incredibly strange smile on her face, but I decided not to care no matter what.

Or rather, the moment the two of us sat in the carriage together, the people around us as well were all smiling and glancing over at us. It was a little embarrassing.

Now then, leave the grinning gallery alone and remember what I should be doing at present.

“Even if we make shops, it seems Bell and the others are already at their limit even with the current number of stores, so until support comes from the Commercial Guild or the Mary Company, we will somehow manage with our own people. First, go find people among those who newly became villagers who used to be merchants.”

“Yes!”

At my instructions, Kamushin gave a good answer and quickly got moving. After him, Espada followed along saying something like, ‘Then this time let us loosen the standards a little and secure numbers.’ Well, I could leave personnel securing to those two.

Then I looked over the street again.

“Now then, first let us prepare a new inn. If it will also provide meals, having the first floor be the dining hall is better. Since we do not know how many people there will be, perhaps I should make it on the large side. The adventurers’ town has a narrow area, so making it three or four stories and enlarging upward would be better.”

Saying that, I at once selected a place near the center of town where I could build the inn.

“As for the location… after all, it should probably be fairly close to the entrance.”

Saying that, I was just about to choose an empty piece of land along the roads to the left and right from the center of the street. At that moment, a familiar person poked their face out from behind the carriage.

“Van-sama, what are you going to do?”

It was Plurier. Earlier she had been together with a large number of adventurers, so I had only offered words of thanks and appreciation to the whole group, but when it came to Orto and the others, later I wanted to properly entertain them again with a barbecue gathering.

“I am going to build an inn now. The other day I received a request saying someone wanted to run an inn.”

When I answered that, Kusara, who had been standing beside Orto behind Plurier, tilted his head.

“Eh, an inn? A little while ago, I also…”

I nodded at Kusara’s confused mutter and pointed at the empty lot.

“Yes. Since Kusara said he wanted to run an inn, I was just about to make one.”

At that answer, Plurier and Orto turned and looked at Kusara.

“Eh? My inn?”

I nodded back at the surprised Kusara. Then, while being watched by Orto and the others, Kusara hurriedly stepped forward.

“Eh, ah, you are going to make an inn for me now? I-I mean, that makes me happy, sure, but money-wise there are a lot of things I want to check first… Compared to one year ago I am earning incomparably more, but even so, I have never bought a shop before.”

At Kusara’s words, I waved one palm from side to side.

“No, this time as a service, fifty gold coins will do. I will even include the furniture.”

When I answered that, Kusara’s eyes rolled back white, and Orto and the others’ faces twitched.

“I-If you think of building a whole inn from scratch, it would probably cost about that much, but for us in the adventurer trade it is a rather harsh amount.”

“…Even if the whole party contributed together, it might only come to about half.”

Hearing that exchange from Orto and the others, I reconsidered that perhaps my sense had grown numb. However, there is a possibility that from now on others will also say they want to open shops. If I made them for free every time in such cases, it would take time, and requests might come one after another just because they were free.

If so, should I lower it to around thirty gold coins?

As I was thinking that, Kusara looked this way with sweat running from his forehead. Like a pervert, he opened his mouth, breathing roughly through his nose.

“I-I understand…! I do not have that much on hand right now, but I will earn it in five years!”

At Kusara’s spirited shout, Orto and the others looked at one another, and one after another burst out laughing. Then all of them looked at me.

“Van-sama, we will contribute too. Somehow, let the part that is lacking be in the form of debt…”

“Please.”

Plurier took over Orto’s words and bowed her head. In response, I also raised one hand and gave a wry smile.

“There is no particular problem. Then shall I build it right away?”

After saying that, I began construction using the Wood Blocks that had been prepared. The image was a hotel with a classical Gothic architectural design.

Because of the size being what it was, it took a fair amount of time. Since I wanted to make the common wine storage as well, I equipped it with a basement. It is romance, after all.

“It is quite spacious with one basement floor, then the first floor is the dining hall, kitchen, and front desk, and the second and third floors are guest rooms… I ran out of building materials, so I have not made the furniture yet, but I think I should have made something that will not lose to the inns around here.”

When I said that and looked back, Kusara was frozen with his eyes wide open. And Orto lowered his chin and looked into the distance.

“…I should think so.”