10 — Trouble in Paradise

10 — Trouble in Paradise

I was reading Kefin’s report on Yenice when there was a knock at my door. We were ready to go.

Kefin and I stepped outside, where his and Verdel’s teams, as well as Lionel and Ketty, were waiting for us in a neat formation. The company’s strange discipline today made me wonder what Lionel had done to them.

“Let’s get going.”

We set off for where the council awaited us.

“Is it just me or do the townspeople look scared?”

The town’s opinion of me had certainly changed after the dragon.

“I think that’s because they are,” Kefin said. “Word got out that you made Goldhus drink Substance X.”

Sounded like the stuff had a colloquial caution label.

“Hey, he was awake by the time we left.”

“Hearing your name’s enough to freak people out now. And apparently, they heard about the other sh...stuff that went down at the estate.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“I think they gave you some nickname like—”

I covered my ears and started walking faster. “Nope! Not listening! We’re done talking about this!”

A few scattered chuckles came from my guards.

A sentry greeted us at the gate, then the representatives met us inside the building with their assistants. Even a trembling Goldhus was there, flanked by his brother Jeiyas, who kept him on his feet. Maybe I’d gone too far? Nah. I’d had justice, that’s all.

“Hello, and thank you for having me. By order of the pope, I humbly accept the offer to take part in your council and swear to work for Yenice’s good. I’m as inexperienced as they come in terms of city management, so I’ll need everyone’s help and all your love for this country if we want to make this nation thrive.”

I’d taken time to relax and reset my brain over the past ten days. The decision I had ultimately reached was that I should think positive and keep marching forward. I hadn’t wanted to at first. After all, I had no place interfering with Yenice’s problems. That was for the eight representatives to hunker down and work out on their own. But Kefin and his men knew the city in and out, and when they put together all that intel for me, things changed. Lionel’s presence in my guard also might have played a role in my change of heart, on the chance that politics turned into something more physical. Honestly, that guy must have been in the military somewhere.

There was also what the Flame Dragon had told me: to trust in others.

It was just one year. How hard could that be? I was actually starting to get a little excited about what the future had in store.

“Yenice is glad to have you, Mister Luciel.”

I exchanged handshakes and greetings with the council members, and then we got down to business.

The council explained many things regarding Yenice to me. For starters, there were ten races that called the city home, but two (namely the ursa and tanukin races) were too rare to have seats in government. That wasn’t to say they had no voice, of course. Their opinions and needs were still considered.

The population, excluding adventurers, totaled only about six thousand, which was quite low compared to Shurule. Yet according to Kefin, that exclusion was significant. Adventurers made up quite a bit of Yenice’s occupancy.

The beast races were apparently so territorial that each had their own village. Not town, but village. It sounded complicated.

Next, they went over geography. Yenice covered a vast expanse of land, more than I’d expected and over twice the size of Shurule’s, but half of it was covered in mountains, cliffs, and desert. To the south was an untamed forest, rich in natural resources, but technically not under Yenice’s jurisdiction. And supposedly, no human could actually live there. Blanche bordered on the east, Grandol was to the northeast, and Shurule was directly to the north, providing Yenice with ample international trading ventures. On the western edge stretched a mountain range that rumor said a vast ocean lay beyond, but no one had ever seen it. A prominent blotch of nothing stained the map there.

The nation’s industries and commerce were overwhelmingly centered around doing business with adventurers. The southern forest was teeming with rare monsters that many of them hunted for a living, making Yenice the second most active place for adventuring, after Grandol. Many citizens cultivated spices in the fields or became adventurers themselves, while those with technical skills joined guilds, but the majority earned their keep by farming cayenne pepper look-alikes. The climate was perfect and they were popular abroad, so they sold well.

Diet consisted of whatever individuals could grow on their own (mostly wheat) or things sold by foreign merchants. Vegetables didn’t make up much of their cuisine, which was instead centered primarily around monster meat, but I chalked that up to culture and not because they were...well, beastpeople.

As far as current policies were concerned, it was a bit of a mess. They were all either hyper-focused on attracting adventurers or farming, without a single one paying any mind to the general welfare of the people. I blackened a piece of parchment with notes and bullet points as I listened, but it was becoming clearer and clearer that a single year wouldn’t be enough time to address everything. I heaved a sigh.

Problem number one: the government collected no taxes. The only source of revenue for the treasury came from the municipal sale of local spices, but it wasn’t like the industry had been nationalized or anything, so it was far from reliable. God forbid inclement weather ever put them in the red. To make matters worse, they had absolutely no other means of income. And now I was wondering how in the world they’d gotten the money to build a medical district.

“So, your most stable source of income is from guild fees. That, plus spice sales, make up the national treasury. What do your expenses look like?”

We’d have to do some trimming, depending on how bad it looked. Possibly look into stimulating new industries too.

Orga put his hand to his chin. “There’s labor costs. And we order magic tools every few years or so.”

Something didn’t feel right.

“Do you have any records I could see?”

Labor and magic items were their only expenses? They must have been buying some expensive stuff if that was all it took to put them over budget.

“One moment,” a fox-man named Forence said, standing up. Not long after, he returned with a thick ledger and handed it to me.

I was somewhat confused by the contents. “Um, why am I here again? From the look of things, you guys shouldn’t need my help at all.”

There were no huge expenditures, no big red lines, no negative numbers. The country had been sailing more than smoothly for a good while now, amassing surplus after surplus with every year. They were way in the green. No source of income? Yeah, right!

“Of course we do,” Orga insisted, smiling. “True, our treasury is healthy, but it can’t stay that way forever. That’s why we need your outside perspective. To expand our horizons and ensure that future generations can continue to dream as we have. Perhaps there could even be beastfolk healers.”

And then it hit me. They’d come to me seeking leadership—that much was true. But as a counterweight, a tender yet firm hand to correct their teetering nation, not as an architect to rebuild their government from the ground up. My altercations with Shahza and the information Kefin had shown me were coloring my perceptions. Thank god I’d realized it sooner rather than later.

I felt my face heating up in embarrassment. What was wrong with me? This was Gulgar and Galba’s home. The current administration was doing a fine enough job as-is, and they clearly weren’t the types to grow complacent. These halls had surely been the place of much debate over the future of their people and nation. And the empire had tried to take advantage of that. By planting Grohala, and maybe even slavers, they’d dangled the sweet fruit of power over those who were already corrupt, like Shahza, to chip away at the country from the inside out. Assuming their involvement was accurate, Illumasia was an intimidating force, for sure.

Now, though, was the time to move forward. If we wanted to put beastfolk into new occupations, we needed to consider their talents and what they could bring to the table. And children needed places to learn, which the wide-open area outside town would be perfect for.

I started to write down my ideas.

“One look at this record is all the proof I need to know how much you love this country,” I said. “I might not be able to do much, but I swear I’ll do what I can.”

I lowered my head. Mostly for myself. A bit of a fluster ensued, but when I looked up, the room was silent, as if they could feel my sentiments.

I continued. “I have a few basic ideas. First, I think we should establish schools to educate new generations. We could even go one step further and make something for adults too.”

The air left the room.

Sebeck, the dog-man, raised his hand. “Adults, sir?”

“That’s right. Everyone should know how to read, write, and perform arithmetic. I’m not worried about anyone here, but I’m sure illiteracy is a problem for a lot of people who never got the chance to learn when they were young. Not knowing things like math can affect critical thinking skills.”

“But wouldn’t that affect the workforce?” the cat-eared Cathrel asked with a raised hand.

“Good question. That’s why lessons would take place in the morning and at night.”

“What about families that need their children to work?” Orga countered.

“I’ve taken that into consideration as well. The country could purchase debt slaves, use them for labor, then free them when they’ve paid themselves off. They would be treated humanely, of course. That’s not up for discussion. But I think giving them a purpose could help them turn their lives around.”

“Only debt slaves?” Thouzer, a bird-man, asked.

“People bound by misdemeanors could work too. Of course, this is all assuming we can’t just free them all on the spot, but I know that would be difficult. And I don’t like the sound of using prisoners of war or felons for labor, so they’re off the table.”

Liliard twirled his rabbit ears. “But who will be the educator for these people?”

“I’m thinking retired adventurers. I’m sure the guild could find people if I asked.”

Forence’s eyes glinted. “What would the fees for such a service cost?”

I hadn’t given it that much thought. “Adults would probably pay tuition, something we’d have to discuss in more detail later, but children would receive it for free. That doesn’t mean everyone has to be tolerated, though. Anyone with bad enough behavior who refuses to improve can be expelled, like bullying based on race. Including halflings.”

The council members crossed their arms and contemplated. Then Orga spoke up. “But what would we teach them?”

“Like I said before, reading, writing, and arithmetic should be the foundation, so we’ll start there. Those skills don’t take long to learn and open up a lot of doors. Anyone good at numbers can go right into the merchant business.”

“So this is a test run,” Liliard deliberated. “If it turns out to be a success, what comes next?”

“We could include lessons from all sorts of guilds, like fighting or spellcasting. The more options we offer, the more windows of opportunity we open for everyone. Keep in mind, though, an educated population doesn’t usually want to do dull labor like farming, so you’ll have to consider wage increases over time as the cost of living goes up.”

“In short, schools are where children make their futures and where adults can exchange ideas,” Orga muttered.

The room went silent. I let the audience think. If they didn’t agree, that was that. I would just need to come up with something else.

“How do you propose we attract more adventurers to our city?”

“Well, you have a lot of land. You could use that to appeal to the elderly, the disabled, couples, new families, all sorts of people who can’t adventure anymore for one reason or another. Give them some peace of mind and assurance that they won’t be hard up when the next stage of their life begins.”

“But what we want are active adventurers, not retired ones.”

“So let’s take that idea one step further. We provide employment and housing solutions like I just mentioned, but base it on how many jobs a particular adventurer’s taken in Yenice.”

“And this would bring active adventurers and more?”

I got where they were coming from, but adventuring was a hard job with high turnover. It wasn’t exactly a career with long-term prospects, but anyone who chose it probably wouldn’t want to give up the freedom it came with. They’d want to live somewhere they could be free.

“A larger population is a good thing. There’s a lot of space to the south that could be used to give adventurers homes, and you could pay for it by collecting, say, five to ten percent of their income. Knowing you provide a safety net in case their careers screech to a halt would draw a lot of interest.”

“So what is it you think Yenice should do?”

Wasn’t that what we were talking about? Okay, from the top.

“In any case, I think creating that special ‘medical district,’ let’s call it, will help a lot. A healthy body is a profitable adventurer, and people will gather in places where they can earn a living safely.”

The council was excited to hear my appraisal of their plan. While healing magic could take care of most injuries, the medicine from the Doctor’s Guild had its uses. With Jord’s help, a collaboration between the two would be an assuring presence.

“Sir.” Jhak, the dragonewt, hesitantly raised his hand. “Have you given any thought to new industries we might develop?”

“Not a lot, but lumber could be an option while you develop that forest. As long as you repopulate what you cut down, you could continue doing it for virtually forever.”

“You mean deforestation.”

Bit of a sore subject, it seemed.

“For the record, no one here is obligated to listen to every single one of my ideas. I don’t intend to be a dictator, and I don’t think a year’s even enough time to do much of anything, but I will offer my suggestions when I have any to give.” I smiled and looked around. “You’ve all built an amazing country without me, so by all means, don’t let me stop the debate. Together, we can improve infrastructure, make even the most territorial of beastfolk proud to live here, and turn Yenice into the kind of place people want to travel across the world to visit.”

The tension in the atmosphere gradually relaxed. After deciding that I’d take a tour of the city the next day, the council adjourned. It felt good having a chance to get my ideas out there, and I was excited, motivated to make Yenice a better place than I’d found it.

But I never could stop thinking about the info Kefin and his group had given me, or about that ledger.

We found ourselves in a pickle the next morning.

“This isn’t gonna work, guys.”

My escort, every member of the council, plus their assistants, combined to create quite the squadron—a squadron that would make observing the city closely and talking to its residents somewhat difficult. Yenice’s races lived in different settlements throughout the city, so I made the executive decision to visit each, one at a time.

“I’ll go with Orga to meet the wolf-folk today,” I explained. “Then tomorrow, Forence can show me the fox-folk, and so on. I’d like someone familiar with the ursa or tanukin people to introduce me to them as well.”

“I suppose it would be difficult to travel the streets with this crowd,” Thouzer admitted. The others agreed, and that was that.

Did they always take walks around town like they were in some sort of parade, or was today special?

At any rate, my schedule had cleared up, so I sent Kefin and his group to the slums to touch base with the halflings or whoever called the shots there. We’d need their cooperation for the medical district’s construction and I wasn’t convinced they would lend it as readily as the council seemed to believe.

Our guide brought us straight to the wolf-folk’s stomping grounds.

“Lots of houses,” I commented.

They were the first thing that caught my eye when we entered beastfolk territory, particularly the fact that they were all one-story.

“Beastfolk are a communal people.” Sheila attached herself to Orga’s side. He smiled and stroked her hair. “At least for a time, until we grow independent. We keep our homes compact.”

I guessed they weren’t big on the concept of personal space.

“Interesting. But where is everyone?”

The trip there had taken about half an hour, but we had hardly seen a single wolf-person pass us by.

“Most men will be on guard duty or patrolling by now, and the women would be working the fields with their children.”

“Oh, do the different races do different jobs?”

“Yes. The region’s climate changes little throughout the year, so there’s always soil to till, weeds to pull, crops to harvest, food to process, and monsters to watch for.”

I felt like I’d heard somewhere that pulling weeds was the hardest part of farming, but maybe the existence of monsters negated that.

“That reminds me, wolf-folk aren’t inherently allergic to anything, right?” Gulgar had said as much.

Orga shook his head. “No, that’s a myth. There was one rumor that spread a while back that said onions make us itchy, but it was entirely baseless.”

So, dog- and wolf-folk were, in fact, not allergic to onions, contrary to my assumptions from another life. I just had to make doubly sure. Using either Gulgar or his brother as a standard metric was a recipe for disaster, and I refused to be held responsible. This one time, though, they didn’t fail me.

“Not to say that we particularly enjoy them,” he continued. “Some races even eat them raw.”

So onions were a no-go, but what did they have a taste for? Perhaps the same delicacy that all canines from my past life enjoyed?

“How do you like cheese?”

“Very much! The smell is just amazing,” he beamed.

Apparently, particularly strong, fermented cheeses were a favorite. But he went out of his way to clarify that Substance X was strong in a very, very bad way. His insistence (and visible shudder at its name) gave me a good chuckle.

For the record, I had enough sense not to ask what the difference between dog- and wolf-people were. I wasn’t touching that one.

We stopped by the well where the locals got all their water, and I noticed it used the same mechanism as the one in Merratoni’s guildhall.

“I’ve seen this lever mechanism before.”

“The idea supposedly came from a sage who lived many years ago,” Orga replied. “Back in those days, there was no aquifer beneath Yenice, but with the help of a dwarf, they brought water to the city.”

“Really?”

Orga went on to explain several of the sage’s legacies, including the creation of cheese, the spices needed to make curry, and various recipes. If I were a betting man, I’d guess that probably hadn’t been their first life. Lord Reinstar was still up in the air, but I was fairly sure he’d been reincarnated as well. Man, those guys were everywhere. I wondered what I might find if I ever followed the tracks and saw where they led one day.

We finished our tour by early afternoon. Orga invited me to lunch, so we enjoyed some delicious curry and freshly baked naan at a nearby restaurant.

“Wolf-folk are amazing cooks,” I remarked. “What’s the secret?”

“According to the sage, it’s our keen sense of smell. And they say that our kind is particularly apt to lose ourselves in something.”

“Makes sense.”

Later on, I asked him if there were any famous humans that most Yenitians would know, and Lord Reinstar was his immediate answer. Apparently, Reinstar had come to the region before Yenice was a formal nation and passed on the secrets of...soap-making. An industry that didn’t last, as many other countries were already competing in that market.

It was also said that the first man to soak in a Yenitian hot spring was—you guessed it—Lord Reinstar, who spawned a rush to dig for more springs in an effort to share their wonders with the world. Sadly, the sulfuric scent attracted monsters (something that elves were apparently already aware of) and the plan never saw fruition.

There was also that one time he’d fertilized the fields with some nonsense he didn’t fully understand (a kind of mulch with limestone), causing the entire season’s crops to fail. So he distributed food that was purchased on his own dime to the farming families who had helped him with the process. This particular story was rather famous and had become a practice that survived the ages as a state-operated program.

Hearing these tales of a man, who was larger than life by the Church’s standards, from outsiders felt oddly relieving, like he’d been brought closer to Earth, so to speak. That said, it was no mistake that Yenice’s foundation had been laid out by Reinstar himself. He was an amazing man for sure.

“Would you like to hear more?” Orga offered.

“No, that’s okay. I’m a little shocked. I never thought I’d hear about Lord Reinstar actually messing things up.”

I was walking in the shadow of those who had been reincarnated before me, and it left an impression on me. I wanted to leave my own mark. Not necessarily by building a nation, but maybe I could make its people’s lives a little bit easier.

That night, Kefin led me to a meeting with the slum’s most influential face.

“You’re here to ask us if the slum dwellers would be willing to work, Sir Healer? Is that right?”

“Yes, until construction of the medical district is complete, that is. I can’t guarantee anything beyond that, unfortunately, but a lot of people live here. Is there an agreement we can reach?”

The human-fox halfling called Dolstar shook his head and glared. “You listen to me, S-rank. Life isn’t fair. Equality doesn’t exist, not that I expect that to make sense to you, considering you’ve gone and enslaved my people. What do you think you’re doing, bringing them to me? How do you think I feel, seeing them better than ever with chains around their necks?”

It wasn’t hard to see his point. There couldn’t have been that many underground organizations in a city like Yenice, so it made sense they’d be tight-knit.

I looked at Kefin. “That’s not a feeling I’m familiar with, but it seems like they’re family to you. And if that’s the case, you must want to kill me right now.”

“And you look me in the eye and ask us to work with you? You look me in the face and tell me you can’t guarantee anything for us? Nothing’s guaranteed for us! Nothing ever was! So why are you here?! To mock us?!”

Anger flared in his eyes along with a hint of something else. Something complicated.

I slowly shook my head. “You know, I’ve already given them the option of freedom. They declined. They told me that they wanted to create a school where halflings wouldn’t be discriminated against. A home where they were equal. Tell me, sir, how does that make you feel?”

Dolstar stared at Kefin.

“The medical district probably isn’t going to change anything,” I said. “It’s not going to help you or your people.”

“Say one more goddamn thing and I’ll kill you on the spot.”

Malice of a terrifying degree emanated from his glower.

“But I have an idea. A business venture, if you will. Funded by me.”

“Business? What?”

“As I said, I would fund the entire thing, but keep in mind it’ll be risky.”

“What the hell are you planning?”

“Oh, nothing. Just...”

Dolstar gaped as he listened to my idea.

“What?! You’re out of your mind!”

“Not entirely. Lord Reinstar was a great man, but even he tried and failed to do things. So I’m not afraid of a little danger. If we can make it happen before my year here is up, I’ll do everything I can to officially nationalize the project.”

And if we failed, it didn’t mean the dream would be entirely dead.

“You barely even know us. Why are you doing this?”

“Everyone deserves happiness, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. I want the world to be a place where you’re not burdened by the weight of your heritage, where you don’t have to deal with the baggage that being called a ‘halfling’ comes with if you don’t want to. You can be a twinblood.”

I smiled, but beneath it I scorned myself for being so self-serving. I was guilty because I hadn’t been there for a half-Japanese coworker of mine when I needed to be. But maybe helping these people would ease my conscience. Hopefully.

Dolstar lowered his head. “Thank you.”

And the deal was made.

The next day, Forence guided me through the area the shrewd, business-minded fox-people called home.

“We primarily deal with adventurers or sometimes directly with the Commerce Guild in the case of merchants.”

The Commerce Guild’s main purpose was attracting said merchants without putting the burden on the government itself. They purchased Yenice’s state-grown spices and handled the exports, selling them at a mark-up to other traders. A percentage of any sales went back to the treasury. Regrettably for those looking to do business themselves, imports could only be purchased by the guild’s national market, which would then resell them to private businesses at fixed prices. Competition simply didn’t exist in the Yenitian economy.

“The merchants weren’t happy when we started doing things this way,” the fox-man explained. “So many complaints about one thing or another. Where there’s no challenge, there’s no point, they say. But there’s very little that can’t be sold here and many a failed businessman has found his footing again by doing business here.” He smiled proudly. “I believe we’ve become something of a dependable source of profit.”

Forence went on to reveal that the Commerce Guild kept tabs on the price of various products and where they were sold. The power of nationalization in action.

“The 5W2H model. No, maybe it’s 6W2H,” I mumbled.

“Did you say something?”

“Just reminiscing a little. Does the slave market run on the same rules?”

“No, those traders operate outside our jurisdiction. We can’t set their prices.”

“They don’t go through the guild like the rest?”

“They submit an application, and if it’s accepted, they’re permitted to sell. Twenty percent of their profits go to Yenice and ten percent goes to the guild. All goods are inspected upon importing, of course. And our country doesn’t enslave people for minor crimes.”

“Thirty percent in all, huh?” Talk about steep.

“Things like monster meat sold at the Adventurer’s Guild go for a fixed price.”

I remembered the auction that the slaver (who was long gone now, as it happens) had told me about and figured something like that had to be illegal, but when I asked, it turned out that it actually wasn’t.

Incidentally, all the merchants who’d refused to sell to us, except those who had been threatened into it, were now either enslaved or had had their assets repossessed. I couldn’t help but wonder how long this system could realistically last. Certainly not very long as the population grew.

Forence continued to elucidate as the tour went on.

Night fell, morning came, I learned more, and on the ninth day it was time to meet the tanukin.

“This is Walabis, and he’ll be your tanukin guide.”

Orga gestured to an inanimate, tanuki-shaped ornament. Wait, no, it wasn’t inanimate. It was a beastperson...I think.

“Hello. I’m Luciel, temporary Yenice council member.”

“Hellooo,” he drawled. “Caaall me Walabis. I suppooose I’ll be speaking for the tanuuukin today.”

I already felt myself nodding off with every drawn-out vowel, but this was exactly the type of person you couldn’t let your guard down around.

“Please tell me what we can do to ease any concerns you might have. It’s what I’m here for.”

“Will dooo. Take this. A gift, to commeeemoraaate our meeting.” He handed me a golden necklace.

“Wow, this is well-made. I almost thought it was real.”

Walabis glared at Orga. “Yooouuu tooold.”

False. “Actually, he didn’t. A friend of mine told me a while back that the tanukin have a custom of giving fake items to people they meet.”

“Whooo would spoil the surpriiise?”

“I don’t know if you’ll recognize the name, but it’s Galba. A wolf-man.”

Walabis’s face went pale. Evidently, he recognized the name. “M-My sincere apologies! That was very rude of me! No need to take this incident to Mister Galba!” he blurted out.

Galba, what in the world...

“Right. Well, if you know Galba, you must know Gulgar— Er, hello?”

The moment that last “gar” left my lips, the tanukin straight up passed out.

Orga smiled fondly. “I never expected you’d be close with those two.”

“They work at an Adventurer’s Guild in Shurule, in a town called Merratoni. Gulgar was the first person to make me start drinking Substance X, you know. Galba taught me butchering and how to hide my presence. I owe a lot to those guys.”

“He’s still at it, is he?”

“Who? At what?”

“Gulgar, trying to sneak that stuff into his cooking.”

“You mean Substance X?”

“Yes. Walabis was a frequent test subject for his experiments. The two are close in age, so they know each other well.”

It sounded like Gulgar’s mad scientist streak had a deep past. But wait, then what about the younger brother?

“What’s his problem with Galba?”

“That one was something of a child prodigy back in the day. He was talented, and frighteningly famous throughout the city. But one day, when he got angry, they say every man, woman, and child could feel his rage, and ever since, Yenitians have shared one unspoken rule: never upset that man.”

Orga never stopped smiling, but I definitely noticed the cold sweat he’d broken into. The man spoke from experience.

“So, um, what do we do about Walabis?”

“There is one way to wake him.” The wolf-man grinned and conveniently produced some nose plugs. “Oh, Walabis. Wake up or smell the Substance X.”

The tanukin sprang back to life in a split second. “Goood morniiing!”

“Don’t worry, I would’ve had some with you if he’d taken it any further.” I grinned.

Walabis proceeded to plead his people’s case and the worth of his own life. The tanukin were skilled with their hands, particularly in finer trades like tailoring or woodwork. They were also the only beast race with a notable talent for magic.

“It’s thanks to uuus that those foooxes learned to stop counting money and be something mooore. I trained the leeegendary Trett myself.”

“Really? I actually know him.”

“Y-You dooo?”

“Yeah. He’s a good guy. Even gave me some magic items. In fact, he made this robe too. I’ll tell him I met you the next time I see him. I will say he’s...a bit of a character.”

With that, Walabis told me to “leeet him knooow” if he could ever lend a hand, then left.

“They seem like talented people as long as you can keep them focused...and they’re not playing tricks on you.”

“Now that I can attest to,” Orga responded.

The picture of a better Yenice in my head was growing clearer and clearer.

The next day brought an ursan named Bryan. I took one look and my very soul left my body.

“Hello! I’m Bryan!” he greeted me with a smile and a gruff voice, then flexed his bicep. “Don’t be deceived by my appearance. I am quite formidable!”

Deep down, in what was left of my rent heart, I screamed. WHAT’S A DAMN TEDDY BEAR DOING HERE?!

Red-grizzlies, blood-grizzlies, and hell-grizzlies were just a few of the many bear-themed enemies that existed in this world. And those were bears. But this thing? Gulgar was more of a bear than this. A Bear Chef, even. But my very first time meeting an ursan and it was a fluffy stuffed animal barely a meter off the ground. I felt robbed.

“Hello. I’m Luciel, temporary Yenice council member. I want to hear any troubles or suggestions you might have.”

“Great to meet you.”

We shook hands, and I dared to ask the question.

“I’ve never met an ursan before. Do you all look like that?”

“Oh, this? Yes, but it’s actually just for show, you see.”

Bryan glowed, then suddenly transformed into a towering bear. A real one this time.

“This is my true form.”

There it is, I thought before Thouzer, today’s guide, shattered my dreams.

“Bryan, you don’t need to hide it from him,” he laughed.

“Hide what?” I asked.

The bear returned to its fuzzy form. “Okay, the truth is, this is my real form. My people were treated like toys or pets a long time ago by people who found us ‘cute.’ A lot like what happened to the rabbit-people. That’s why we use magic to take another form when foreigners are around.”

It wasn’t a hard story to believe. His appearance and the way he moved were so gosh darn adorable, I could see nasty people wanting his kind for their own amusement.

“I’m sorry. That sounds awful. Is there anything you think we could do to help? Anything at all.”

“Maybe import some more honey. That’d be nice. I know it’s a luxury, but we ursans can’t get enough of the stuff!”

Those adorable puppy dog eyes wielded the power to shatter the concept of gender to pieces. Cute was cute, okay? Wait, did bees even exist in this world?

“I’ll...see what we can do. Anyway, I’d love to hear more about your people.”

“Let’s see... We grow medicinal herbs, for starters. And we work with the dragonewts on expanding the town.”

Gentle and strong.

Our meeting ended soon after.

The docket for the council summit the following day was full. The bulk of the discussion centered around construction plans for the medical district’s flagship healing office as well as the school and residences for the housing program for mid- to high-ranking adventurers.

“The schoolhouse could be built in the medical district, and the city’s outskirts would work for the extra housing. Depending on numbers, we may need to consider the southern forest too.”

“But where is the budget for that? Or the resources? The medical district is all we planned for, not schools and homes.”

“And the labor. People already have jobs and aren’t likely to want to stop.”

“Are the benefits of enticing adventurers to pioneer undeveloped land worth the cost to the treasury?”

It didn’t take long for the lid to blow and backpedaling to begin. Typical politicians. They had loved the ideas on paper but were getting cold feet now that they saw the reality of how much work would be needed to see it all through. All that talk about what was best for Yenice was superficial. What this was really about was preserving the status quo and fear of an educated population.

In their defense, their country was by no means in dire straits, according to the ledger, which would make anyone nervous about going out of their way to shake things up.

“I’ll go to the forest and scout for the materials we need myself,” I offered with a polite smile.

“Where will the school be built? It can’t take up space in the medical district.”

“You’re probably right. What about the slums? And the adventurers’ housing as well. I think we should start inside the town and gradually expand outwards.”

“That’s a bold suggestion. If you’re willing to take full responsibility for the consequences, then by all means. You’ll have my support.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got something planned for the residents there. You might not recognize the place when all’s said and done.”

The mood changed instantly. Anxiety and dismissal transformed into approval once more.

“If it means more funds for the medical district’s costs, I think we’ve found our solution.”

“I take it that means I have the go-ahead to handle things in the slums?” I asked.

No one objected. There was more work to be done, including finding work for retired adventurers, but I felt the winds of change blowing through the nation’s streets. And with it came hope for a better life. I’d make sure of it.