Let me start with the conclusion: Targa was exceptional. Well, I had thought he was probably exceptional from the start. After all, he was entrusted with an important defense point by His Majesty. He must be more than just a skilled warrior.
Of course, if I were to quantify his abilities, it would be something like thirty in magic, fifty in swordsmanship, ten in noble power, and ten in lordship power. Even so, his level of understanding was higher than I expected. Though, if you ask me what exactly "lordship power" is, I wouldn’t be able to answer.
"Van-sama, why were these facilities arranged in this way?"
"This? I was conscious of the flow of people and logistics."
"Flow, you say?"
Targa, while repeating part of my words to himself, was staring at the Ceat Village tourist map. Recently, due to the war with the Yellenetta Kingdom, many merchants, nobles, and knights had come to the village, so I had made a map of Ceat Village for future reference. The map had a cute, deformed illustration of a young Apkallu in the top left corner.
Pointing at the map, I briefly explained the layout of the village.
"The lord’s mansion is in the center, and around the city gates, which face the main road, I’ve concentrated shops and inns. There are also large warehouses near the entrances for materials and monster materials collected by adventurers in the Wolfsburg Mountains. Then, behind the shops and inns, I’ve placed related houses and warehouses, and across the street, there are sections for blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, and such. Further back, there’s a forge for the dwarves. On the opposite side, there’s a residential area for the citizens, and at the back, there’s a large lake as a precaution against droughts."
"You made a lake?"
"Yes, I did. Apkallu wanted one, so I even built a house where boats can come in."
"I see... And even the forge for the dwarves, by preparing what the people wanted, this village has developed so rapidly..."
"Huh? What they wanted…?"
Targa said this in an admiring tone, and I tilted my head, slightly puzzled. Now that I think about it, I’ve made many things based on requests like "I want this" or "I want that." Perhaps I’ve been spoiling the villagers too much. Come to think of it, the standard of living in Ceat Village has become more prosperous than in the capital, yet I’ve kept the taxes reduced. Actually, I had forgotten about the large tax payments from the Bell-Rango Trading Company.
Thinking this over, I realized that the living standards in Ceat Village were truly extraordinary.
First of all, if you’re a permanent resident in Ceat Village, housing is free. A house is built for each household, and furniture and daily goods are sold at a very low price by the Bell-Rango Trading Company. If you want slightly better or rare items, you can also buy from the Mary Trading Company or the commercial guild. The same goes for clothing.
Additionally, basic food items are sold at low prices. High-quality ingredients are also considerably cheaper compared to other territories. Plus, about once a month, a barbecue event is held where people can enjoy premium meat, bread, and fruit wine for free.
Another thing to add is that there’s no shortage of jobs. While other territories have alarmingly high unemployment rates, Ceat Village is struggling with a shortage of workers. Including the adventurer town, the population has expanded to about 4,000, but the knight orders are still short-handed, and the number of merchants in the Bell-Rango Trading Company is far from enough. Although the Bell-Rango Trading Company has been sabotaging itself in some ways, they are still hiring anyone with skills or experience, yet they still don’t have enough.
At this point, the Bell-Rango Trading Company operates four large stores and two inns in Ceat Village, and in the adventurer town, they operate four stores and two inns. In the future, they’ll also need to open a store in the fortress cities of Murcia and Cayyenne. Since they also buy materials, they’ll need employees who can break down monster materials.
Honestly, it’s questionable whether there are enough customers to fill all these stores, but with Ceat Village’s growing reputation, many traveling merchants and adventurers are visiting. Even workers in the primary industries, which are said to be the least profitable, are in short supply. Well, in Ceat Village, the agricultural guild handles everything from harvesting to processing and sales, so workers in primary industries earn about the same as merchants.
With stable income and products selling more as you make more, it’s no wonder people are eager to work. However, the number of job seekers hasn’t increased as much.
The reason is that other jobs are also understaffed. There aren’t enough blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, or even restaurant staff. In fact, there are job openings for guards, knights, and even cleaners to maintain the town’s appearance, but those positions aren’t getting filled either.
When I think about it, maybe this is actually quite a tough environment.
Looking at the current state of the residents of Ceat Village, I reconsidered. After all, the busyness here is comparable to that of a black company. When I think about it that way, I can say that the rich life they live is fair considering how hard they work.
"...The people of Ceat Village work so hard every day. I want to at least make something they’ll enjoy in return."
As I said this thoughtfully, Targa opened his eyes wide and nodded repeatedly.
"I see. That’s Van-sama’s feeling as a lord. I’ve learned a lot from this. I’ll make sure to keep this feeling in mind and strive to improve myself as well."
Targa said this seriously, nodding. Well, if he’s learned something, I suppose it’s good.
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