Chapter 152

Temporary Return
In Ostland, an unusual event occurred where all newly discovered dungeons suddenly went dormant, but it was expected to be forgotten amidst the busy reconstruction efforts. In fact, the existence of these dungeons had not been announced. Hardly anyone would notice if an unpublicized dungeon went dormant.

The Guild Master, who was aware of the situation, expressed his gratitude to me, but this was simply the result of my discussions with the Kingdom.

Then, after I returned to the Guild from subjugating a Great Dadon—a massive creature that could be described as both a bull and a boar, comparable in size to a dragon—that had appeared near the royal capital, I found a pervert there.

"What a completely unreasonable Guild Master."

"Indeed. To refuse His Highness’s request is the height of disrespect."

A pervert was walking through the Guild, looking displeased. I still didn't know his name.

He was accompanied by several followers, all of whom looked just as disgruntled. I decided to ask a nearby adventurer, who was drinking, about what had happened. Since I had some casual acquaintances in the Guild and Alicia had been building up her terrifying reputation, I had become fairly well-known—mainly because she had been mercilessly eliminating people who tried to forcibly recruit me.

"What happened?"

"Oh, it's you, little sheltered missy. Apparently, he wants to make us his subordinates. If he were a normal royal, we’d probably be all for it, but that guy? No way. Who'd be dumb enough to serve someone when they don’t even know if they’ll be alive tomorrow? Gahaha!"

"Little sheltered missy" had practically become my nickname. I was also called a "fur-lover." Well, I do love animals. Honestly, that one should be the more widely spread nickname.

Still, this prince’s intentions were way too obvious. He was likely trying to gather allies to pressure the King—showing that he had many followers and warning that removing him from the royal register would have significant consequences. A simplistic plan. If the royal family were serious, his actions could even be considered treason.

In my case, the Royal Guard of the Viceroy Family was composed mainly of former knights, so they wouldn’t support rebellion against the Kingdom. They would stop me if I ever tried anything like that.

As I was listening to the adventurers, the perverted prince approached me. Guess I got spotted.

"So, you’re the Hollow that everyone’s been talking about. Rejoice—I’ll make you one of my subordinates."

"Very well. I’ll accept for a daily wage of 1,000 platinum coins."

That was my official price. Arland had calculated my asset value as an experiment, and that was the result. In other words, hiring me would mean bankruptcy. There wasn’t a single country that could afford to pay that amount.

Of course, this was under the condition that I would spend all my time confined in a research lab.

The ministers of Arland, upon receiving this report, were overjoyed that I was part of the royal family. If I had been born as a commoner, it would have caused a major upheaval. Right now, I was working for the country by my own will, so I wasn’t asking for excessive compensation. In fact, I was only receiving a standard salary and performance-based rewards. That was fine—I could just sell some magic tools if I needed money.

However, I wasn't foolish enough to lend my strength to this pervert. My brother might be charging full speed down the pervert route himself, but he never overworks me and protects me from strange nobles. That deserved gratitude.

"D-Don’t be ridiculous!"

"Hiring me means exactly that, though?"

Moreover, hiring me was a surefire way to end up in prison. A mere Fifth Prince could never afford to hire me. Actually, I could only see a future where my brother would have him assassinated. And if he did hire me, that would imply I was his subordinate, which would escalate into an international diplomatic issue with Arland.

In short, no way.

More importantly, why would I ever serve this guy? His face was average, his mind was subpar, and he was full of nothing but greed. He wasn’t even an amusing person like Takuto.

"His Highness himself is offering you an invitation! Accepting it is the duty of a commoner!"

"This is why lowly adventurers are so—"

Adventurers weren’t subjects of the kingdom. In fact, they weren’t even technically considered citizens. If they didn’t like the kingdom, they could simply leave. They were people who freely rejected unreasonable orders.

"Well then, I’m busy, so..."

As I tried to leave, his followers surrounded me.

"For what it’s worth, the King himself has promised to help me if I ever need it."

"Wha—?!"

"Alright, go get the knights."

"Understood! I’ll go find a group of armored people!"

Helios, who had been casually gnawing on a bone-in piece of meat outside the circle, walked out while still eating. There was a garrison nearby, so they would probably arrive soon.

And sure enough, before long, about ten knights arrived.

"Your Highness, what exactly are you doing? This person is a benefactor of the royal family. A decree has been issued forbidding anyone from interfering with her!"

Had it really turned into such a big deal?

"This has nothing to do with me. I’m royalty—different from mere nobles."

"Regardless, you must come with us!"

His followers tried to use their status as a shield, but the knights didn’t care and took them away. Any citizen who saw this would immediately understand how the kingdom viewed him.

For the next few days, I continued hunting monsters and earning money. The pervert stopped bothering me, but more adventurers started picking fights with me—probably people he had turned into his pawns. They all ended up tied up and hung upside down by Alicia, though.

"And so, here’s your share."

I laid out gold, silver, and jewels before the king—20% of the land tax revenue.

"Hmm, I confirm receipt."

"Aren’t you going to verify it?"

"There’s no way to know how much will come in with things like this. I have no choice but to trust you. Also, I apologize for the trouble my son caused."

The King bowed his head to me. Of course, he had been trying to keep that guy away.

"Well, we just ran into each other by chance, and the knights helped me as promised, so I won’t make an issue of it."

It was an event I would forget in a few days. The only consequence was that Alicia’s reputation as an enforcer of terror would continue to spread. She was far too ruthless in her punishments.

After discussing how I had culled a significant number of monsters near the royal capital and that I would be making a temporary return home for my father’s birthday, I used teleportation to return to Arland.

There was more snow than in Ostland, but not in the capital or its surroundings. A large-scale anti-snow barrier covered the area, allowing construction to proceed without concern—except for the cold.

"I’m back."

"Welcome back. Father is still out there reclaiming monster territory."

Still at it, huh?

"What about the Empire?"

The Empire, which usually interferes with domestic monster subjugations and causes skirmishes, has been unusually quiet lately.

"They haven't made a single move. Besides, invading Arland in the winter would be suicide. Unlike the mild central region, this place is also a land of snow."

Big brother smirked, looking every bit like a villain.

Indeed, Arland soldiers can move around freely even in the snow. Apparently, there was a large-scale invasion in the past, but after suffering heavy losses due to traps hidden under the snow and surprise attacks in blizzards, the Empire has remained quiet during winter ever since.

"I've gathered lots of souvenirs."

I presented the gold, silver, and treasures I had collected as land fees, along with the money I had earned. It was a substantial amount—enough to live lavishly for generations.

This fortune would serve as capital for further public projects.

"Don't overdo it. If my precious little sister were to collapse, I think I’d collapse too."

Big brother hugged me, and afterward, I headed to the Viceroy Merchant Union.

"Here are the magic gems I collected."

"Each one is splendid. We've been struggling with a shortage of stock. And here are the storage bags you requested."

At Mr. Ponpoko’s clap, the servants brought out a large number of storage bags. Each had a capacity of 500 kilograms. They were meant for sale at the Guild in Ostland. Honestly, my earnings alone weren’t nearly enough, so I would be taking money from the adventurers there.

I had prepared 500 storage bags. Once Father’s birthday was over, I would go sell them.

"So, how is the business going? Is there anything you’re lacking?"

Mr. Ponpoko pondered for a moment before responding.

"If you ask whether we're lacking something, then yes... but this one is unavoidable. Frankly, we are severely short on manpower.

The construction has already begun, including the new royal capital’s walls. Urban planning is also being carried out simultaneously, making the entire city feel like one big festival. We've hired all the slum dwellers who haven't committed crimes. For security reasons, we can't assign them high positions right away, but they’re all very happy.

Right now, we’re sending people to the slums of noble territories to recruit more workers."

It seemed an unusual phenomenon was occurring—the merchant union itself was actively seeking employees. Normally, people would come asking to be hired, but the Viceroy Merchant Union was sending representatives to visit each household, personally inviting them to work.

Thanks to this, Arland's unemployment rate was plummeting at an astonishing speed.

"If we don’t secure employees now, other companies will snatch them away."

"Exactly. Other companies are also using this opportunity to expand their businesses and have started large-scale recruitment drives. The Viceroy Merchant Union is taking in small and mid-sized companies under its wing while securing the necessary labor force.

Also, the large-scale factory you requested has already been designed, and discussions about the land have begun. Gathering a large workforce to mass-produce goods efficiently—it's a great plan. And the core magic tools for it are exclusive to our Viceroy Merchant Union. At this point, no force can stop our progress."

Building a large-scale factory to produce goods efficiently would generate significant employment. Meanwhile, the magical tools market was steadily being taken over by the Viceroy Merchant Union, making it impossible for independent merchants to compete. In other words, our union would become the leading manufacturer of high-quality magic tools at low prices.

That way, even our employees would buy our products. Some say it’s bad business to sell only to one’s own people, but as long as the quality is high, there shouldn’t be a problem. Consumers naturally want to buy good products at low prices.

For now, magic tools are being manufactured at a temporary factory set up in the slums, but eventually, mass production will begin at the large factory. The only reason we haven’t built it yet is due to ongoing urban planning. Redeveloping the slums will take time, so the temporary factory will continue operating for a while.

After handing over the money I had earned to Mr. Ponpoko, I returned from the Viceroy Merchant Union to the royal castle.