01x08 - The Forest in Labour

[bunniefuu]

Because magic exists,

the technological system

of this world is a bit strange

from my perspective.

For example,

consider the Battleship Albert.

It's the Forbidden Army's only ship

which was named after the previous king.

The level of technology

in this world is as archaic as the world

prior to the Industrial Revolution.

So, it may seem strange

that such a battleship exists.

However, making something made of steel

float is easy as long as you design it

while calculating its buoyancy.

In other words,

making the exterior of a battleship

was possible even back in the Middle Ages.

But it wasn't built until

after the Industrial Revolution

because they didn't have an engine

that could move a heavy steel ship.

However,

this world has powerful sea dragons

that are strong enough

to draw steel ships.

By training them

and having them draw the ship,

you can go on long sea voyages.

That is why steel ships were invented.

The same can be said

about the cannons on the battleship.

Gunpowder already exists in this world.

But matchlock g*ns don't exist.

Because magic can be used for

long-distance attacks,

g*ns never caught on.

Also,

there is something called spell imbuing

that lets you imbue objects

with spells of various effects

to make them stronger

or make them sharper.

Although, while there are no firearms,

there are cannons.

That's because

the use of all magic elements other than

water becomes limited while on water.

So cannons have developed over time

as a way to attack warships.

In the end,

technology only develops

where there's a demand.

In this world with such

an unbalanced technological system,

I am currently

working on civil engineering projects.

ORIGINAL STORY BY DOJYOMARU

Jeez!

Why does the Forbidden Army

have to do road construction?

You there! No slacking off!

Stop complaining

and move those hands!

-Hey, Kaede--

-No!

You are my subordinate, Hal.

You must call me Field Supervisor.

Supervisor, is this really the job

of the Forbidden Army?

They seem to have hired

unemployed people from the capital,

but we're still shorthanded.

After all, the plan is to lay out

a road network stretching from

the newly constructed port city

to the entire kingdom.

Yeah, but why would you make

the Forbidden Army do this work?

Our job is to protect the country.

This is tasty!

The sweet and spicy sauce

on the meat is really good!

This is a dish called shogayaki

which was invented by the king.

That king has a talent for cooking,

I'll give him that much.

He gave the mystic wolves who came

to this country as refugees housing

and a place to make

condiments called shoyu and mirin,

which are used in that dish.

The mystic wolves have earned

a place in this country

as manufacturers of those condiments

and we get to eat

delicious food like this.

His plan kills two birds with one stone.

It's also amazing that we are

able to eat fresh vegetables.

They're grown in a nearby village

that was connected to

the capital by a road.

It's the amazing power of roads that keeps

the supply line in order.

So I guess the roads

we've made are already being useful.

This transportation capacity

is a big contributing factor

to solving our food problems.

Really?

When distribution becomes smoother,

the supply-demand imbalance is fixed

and the price of items

should go down to some extent.

That king is thinking that far ahead?

The king is really amazing.

His level of foresight is almost scary.

After lunch are you going to take a nap?

I think so.

After all, the king is the one

who recommended it

since it increases efficiency.

Since the king is from another world…

Your Majesty! And Princess Liscia too?

Halbert, are you settling in?

Yes, there are no issues!

You're so formal.

Where's the Halbert who lashed out at me?

I am terribly sorry about that!

Your Majesty, I was completely--

I order you as the king

to stop speaking formally.

And stop saying "Your Majesty."

Call me Souma.

Uh… But…

Hal, did you not hear me? It's an order.

All right, Souma.

That's more like it.

I was just looking for a guy my age

who I could speak to casually.

So this is how they make roads, huh?

I've walked on them many times,

but I've never thought about

how roads were made.

Officially, we're here to "inspect"

but take a good look

as a learning experience.

What's that mushy thing?

It's a mixture of volcanic ash and lime.

In the world I lived in,

we called this Roman concrete.

Its characteristic is that

it hardens over time.

It's so durable

that it doesn't crack even when

something like that runs across it.

That is amazing.

It's that hard?

No, its flexibility actually releases

the pressure applied to it.

In my world,

buildings built over 2,000 years ago

with this material were still standing.

Are the streetlamps

on each side of the road

the same as the capital?

Yes. We put shining moss inside

so it lights up when it gets dark.

Also, the roadside trees we planted

are warding trees

from the God-Protected Forest.

Warding trees?

Aisha, can you explain?

Yes.

These warding trees

are constantly emitting frequencies

that monsters and wild animals dislike.

Most likely, it is to protect themselves

from being eaten by giant boars.

In the God-Protected Forest

we plant these warding trees

around the village

to stop monsters or animals

from coming inside.

So it's like a simple barrier.

Well, if we plant them too close together,

we don't know what it

might do to the ecosystem.

So we left a moderate gap

just enough to discourage

wild animals from approaching.

But why?

Wouldn't it be better to block them off?

Well then Liscia,

what will you do if gray wolves

and red bears who change hunting grounds

each season can't migrate

because of the road and run out of prey

so they start attacking

livestock or people?

Likewise, what if

giant monkeys and giant boars

eat up all the food

in the area they're stuck in

and have no choice

but to come down and eat up the fields?

What will happen then?

I get that it's not a good idea, but…

What's with the detailed examples?

Dealing with pests is a problem

all municipal governments

have to deal with, after all.

Municipal… government?

You are thinking that far ahead?

You really are amazing!

What's that?

It's a messenger kui.

A kui is a bird with a homing instinct

and an ability to detect the frequency

emitted from their owner from far away.

I see.

So people use those characteristics

to do long-distance communication.

I guess it was carrying

a letter for Aisha.

No way…

What's wrong, Aisha?

It's a message from my father,

the chief of the dark elves.

Last night, there was a large landslide

in the God-Protected Forest.

It swallowed up

almost half of the village.

Apparently,

they've recently had a long spell of rain.

There are multiple people missing.

Souma…

-Hey, what are we--

-Shush!

The king is thinking right now.

Don't bother him.

Kaede.

How many people are here now?

There are 54 from the Forbidden Army

and four engineers from

the civil engineering guild.

Six, including myself,

are earth element mages.

All right.

This unit will go to rescue

the dark elf village.

Your Majesty!

Aisha, I am no match for you

at one-on-one combat.

But I'm in a position

where I can move many people.

So, you can count on me.

I will save as many lives

as I possibly can.

Aisha, save those tears for later.

For outsiders like us to enter

the God-Protected Forest

and do relief work,

it'd be better if you are there.

Can you lead us?

Yes!

Disaster relief is a race against time.

Thankfully, this spot is closer

to the forest than the capital.

We'll go straight to the site.

Understood!

I will get the soldiers ready in a hurry.

Thanks.

Liscia, return to the capital

and request the dispatch

of a rescue party.

And tell Hakuya to send

relief supplies to the dark elf village.

Okay, you can count on me.

Aisha, how long will it take

to get to the God-Protected Forest?

Half a day on a horse.

It will take at least

two days for an army to march there.

Two days?

If it happened at midnight,

it's already been half a day.

No matter how fast we get there,

it'll be two and a half days.

We'll only have half a day until we pass

the 72-hour threshold.

The 72-hour threshold?

For natural disasters,

after the first three days,

in other words, 72 hours,

the death rate of the survivors soars.

Then let's head to the forest right away.

I know.

But marching there normally

will take too long.

Isn't there magic that lets you

instantly transport lots of people?

No!

If we had that we

wouldn't have to break our backs

building roads, would we?

Damn it.

Isn't there any other

mode of transportation?

STAR DRAGON MOUNTAIN RANGE

EXCEL WALTER

It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.

I am Wodan Udgard,

chief of the dark elves

and Aisha's father.

Let's skip the formalities.

Rescuing lives takes priority.

For now, I've brought about 50 soldiers

from the Forbidden Army.

In a few days,

a second group will arrive

with relief supplies.

First, can you brief us?

Yes.

The landslide occurred

on an incline east of this village.

The number of casualties

is over 100 already.

And there are over 40 missing still.

Then can you list up those missing people?

If we cross them off

as soon as we find them

we won't miss anyone.

Understood.

I will get that ready.

Also,

have a few people

keep an eye on the mountain.

If the mountain moves even a little

or there are strange sounds,

have them report it.

We don't want another landslide

happening during the rescue.

Your Majesty,

please give me that responsibility.

The God-Protected Forest has been

her playground since she was a child

so she's very familiar with it.

You can count on her.

There was that group of kids who used to

run around the forest with you.

They should be as familiar

with the forest as you.

Take them with you.

Understood.

I'm counting on you, Aisha.

But be careful.

We will now

begin a search and rescue operation.

Keep your ears open

and listen for voices inside the dirt

and carefully rescue them.

Use the digging skills

you learned from building roads.

But never push yourself too far.

If the ground is about to crumble,

retreat even in the middle

of rescuing someone.

We cannot allow a single casualty

to come from the rescue members.

Understood?

Yes!

I heard a voice.

It's under this big tree.

They're alive.

What?

I don't hear--

I do! Just dig already!

Seriously?

How did you know they were there?

This thing told me.

That's… a mouse?

A wooden one.

I'm controlling that

and searching areas

where people can't fit.

I see.

That's your ability called

Living-something, huh?

Yeah.

I had made a few testers

for dungeon quests,

but who knew they'd come in handy…

What's wrong?

Hey, are you okay?

What happened?

Sorry…

One of my mice that's searching the area

ran into a heavily deformed dead body.

It was so bad that you could tell

it's a dead body at a glance?

I see.

So we found all of the missing people?

Unfortunately,

some of them were found as cold bodies.

But if you hadn't rushed here,

that number would have been bigger.

As the chief of the dark elves,

I thank you once again.

Your Majesty! Father!

The princess has arrived along with

the second rescue team from the capital.

They're here!

It's too late.

They didn't make it in time

for the search.

But the main part of relief work

actually starts now.

Caring for the injured,

removing the dirt,

building temporary housing…

The list is endless.

But those who died won't come back.

Stop it, Robthor.

He is Robthor, my younger brother.

He lost his wife in the landslide

and his only daughter

is hovering between life and death.

He is a bit emotional right now.

Please forgive him.

It's fine.

Your Majesty!

I have been protecting the forest.

So, why…?

Why has the forest taken my family…?

Robthor!

Now is not the time to blame anyone.

And that includes yourself too.

Right now it's time to

mourn the loss of your wife

and pray that your daughter's soul

stays in this world.

My uncle was against thinning the forest.

He said it was unthinkable for dark elves,

who are protectors of the forest,

to cut down trees.

I see. So that's why…

If my uncle was more cooperative

about thinning the forest,

would his family have survived?

I don't know about that.

Moderately thinning the forest,

nurturing undergrowth,

and improving the soil's water retention

creates an environment where

landslides are less likely.

But that only makes it

"less likely" to occur.

When long spells of rain

are the cause like this time,

it could occur anywhere.

So you're saying they were just unlucky?

Yes, in terms of the location

of the landslide.

However,

in order to thin a forest,

you have to be inside it.

So it's also true that you're more likely

to notice the signs of a landslide like

strange sounds and movement in the forest.

If you notice,

you can take countermeasures

or even evacuate.

"Protecting the forest"…

It sounds nice and all,

but you're wrong to think

that you're "protecting" it.

Nature doesn't need people to protect it.

It's not that weak.

If it's egoism

that makes people destroy nature,

it's also egoism

that moves them to protect it.

Nature is supposed to repeat

destruction and rebirth,

but we want it to stay

in a condition that is perfect for us.

All we can do is keep nature in a state

where we can coexist

by touching it up here and there

with methods like thinning.

I couldn't do anything this time.

You went to call the rescue party.

Everyone did their best.

If anything,

I'm the one who couldn't do anything.

What?

I heard you were a big help.

I am the king.

Taking the lead

onsite in an emergency

isn't the king's job.

The king's job

is to prepare in advance

before emergencies happen.

I failed to do that.

What are you talking about?

Souma, you…

Using the Forbidden Army

as a rescue party went well.

But I had far more shortcomings.

Communication methods,

long-distance transportation,

emergency supply stocks

in various regions,

medical teams attached to rescue parties…

Everything fell short.

I was so preoccupied with

the food shortage and the three duchies

that I failed to prepare these.

Souma…