Chapter 262: From Antil Island to the Eura Continent
Antil Island, once an abandoned, desolate place left behind by the mainland, has been transformed into vast potato fields in less than a year. The small port town of Avana has also been revamped into a major military port.
While the port currently serves a military function, it’s designed to be easily repurposed for commercial use. In the future, this island is likely to flourish as a major trade hub connecting the Abyss Continent with the Eura Continent.
With the capital of Abysspania now back in Presidio, the island’s population has dwindled, alleviating concerns about food shortages. Thanks to the well-maintained roads funded by Sherry, the island’s development continues at a rapid pace. In fact, it seems the island may soon be exporting food.
As I strolled through the potato fields near the port, waiting for my ship to depart, I heard a familiar voice.
「Hey, if you slack off, the sun’s going to set! Hurry up and get those moved!」
It was the local farm auntie, of all people.
Strangely, the ones being bossed around were demon soldiers.
Faced with the sheer force of the woman’s presence, the soldiers, defeated, responded with a desperate ‘Yes, ma’am!’ as they begrudgingly helped her.
Why is she acting like their commanding officer?
「Auntie, I thought those soldiers were here to guard the port…」 「Everything’s peaceful here now. We don’t need guards anymore.」
「Well… that’s true.」
These soldiers had been left behind by Damons to maintain security on the island. But with the war against the demon kingdom over, and no sign of pirates in the area, the guard ships were just gathering dust in the port, and the stationed marines had nothing to do.
「The war’s done. Soldiers can’t just sit around forever. This island’s future lies in producing lots of potatoes to feed sailors and make money. This work is much more important.」
「I guess you’ve got a point there.」
The auntie’s reasoning was surprisingly sound.
Still, it was amusing to see the demon soldiers, usually so fearsome, obediently pushing potato-laden carts without complaint under her orders.
Maybe her overwhelming presence left them no choice. As her gaze turned toward me, I suddenly felt the need to help as well—if she scolded me, I’d probably jump to work without hesitation. Instead, she handed me a sack full of potatoes.
「I don’t know much, but I heard you did something important for our queen. You like potatoes, right? Take these with you.」
「Thanks… are you sure it’s okay to take this much?」
Without giving me time to refuse, she shoved a mountain of potatoes into my arms.
「It’s fine. Your fried potatoes and German potatoes from the tavern have become the local specialty around here. I always thought potatoes were just plain food, but you showed us how tasty they could be. Even if the war’s over, you won’t go hungry—you’d make a fine chef.」
Well, I’m supposed to be the king general..…
This auntie, mysterious as she is, seems to have a knack for roping in anyone, demon soldiers included, to help her out.
I suppose this shows that demons and humans can live together in peace on this island, even if things can be a bit forceful.
After sharing her thoughts, the farm auntie bustled off with the demon soldiers in tow, heading towards the warehouse while muttering, ‘Busy, busy, always busy.’ With the sack of potatoes she’d given me, I decided to borrow a kitchen at the port tavern and make something out of them.
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With Colette and the others helping, cooking was easy. Given the large number of people, I figured a pot of curry would be ideal. The potatoes could also be turned into a hearty consomme soup—potatoes are versatile, after all.
For a snack to go with drinks, I opted for fried potatoes. Taverns have been popping up more frequently around the port.
Tomorrow marks the beginning of our long voyage across the Siren Sea, so the sailors are all enjoying their downtime in various places. As I brought a plate of freshly fried potatoes to the table, sprinkled lightly with salt, I noticed Lyle-sensei and Ria deep in conversation.
It was an unusual pairing.
Curious, I approached them.
「What’s the topic, sensei?」
「We’re discussing what to do about the Holy Steriana Queendom that Steriana-san created on her own accord.」
Ah, I had almost forgotten about that.
Ria, munching on the fried potatoes I’d brought, chimed in.
「Queendom… munch munch… oh yeah, that was a thing.」
「Hey now. Even I felt the same, but for the founder to be so indifferent isn’t great.」
Ria’s tone made it sound like it was all over and done with, but you can’t just build a country and then leave it hanging.
Lyle-sensei spread out a map on the table to explain further.
「The Holy Steriana Queendom stretches from Teotihuacan, the capital of Baal Province, cuts across Dagon Province, and extends all the way to near the demon city of Laurentite in Nisrok Province… It’s effectively the largest territory in the region. The question is, what should we do about it?」
In terms of sheer size, it’s nearly three times the size of the Times Kingdom or the Abysspania Queendom. However, size is all it has.
We have no clue what’s happening in the inland areas, and there’s no real control over the territory. I’d love to hear from Ria, who was actually there, about the state of things.
「We need to take some action, don’t we?」
「That’s true, but with the looming threat of the Great Demon God, we simply don’t have the resources to interfere with the Abyss Continent’s interior. We barely managed to secure the coastline.」
「So, Ria, what’s the plan?」
「Mff, well, it is what it is, I suppose.」
「Don’t talk with your mouth full of food.」
Ria giggled, then slid over to where I was sitting and wrapped her arms around me from behind. As I was about to protest her using my head as a pillow, she popped a fried potato into my mouth.
「These potatoes are so good!」
「Well… they’re fresh, fried to perfection, and fluffy, so of course they are.」
Despite being revered as a saintess or holy mother of Asama, I know Ria well enough by now.
She’s not really thinking about anything important this time, either.
And her Dragon Maid companions are probably even more clueless. I don’t know who’s going to clean up this mess, but it’s not going to be me. Sensei, I leave it to you.
「Ria, this isn’t the time to be munching on potatoes. You ended up becoming a queen, right? Why don’t you head back and take care of things yourself?」
「It’s already over there, so I’ll stay with you, Takeru.」
She’s really planning on abandoning it, isn’t she?
Lyle-sensei spoke up.
「It’s not just about her being a queen. I’ve heard there’s a movement to start a new religion, worshipping the Holy Mother in place of the Holy Goddess Asama. But we need Steriana here for now.」
「Is that because Ria’s holy magic might be key in countering the Great Demon God?」
I didn’t know what specific plan Lyle-sensei had in mind, but I did know she was gathering mages. Since holy magic worked against the Great Demon King Ifriil, there’s a chance it could be effective against the Great Demon God too.
「I can’t say for certain but given Steriana’s immense holy power, we need her assistance here. As for the governance of the Holy Steriana Queendom, we could appoint emissaries to manage the region for now, leaving the local people to handle the day-to-day affairs.」
That basically means leaving the place to fend for itself, but perhaps it’s the only viable option at the moment.
When Lyle-sensei suggested this, Ria nodded immediately.
「Yes, let’s do that by all means.」
She’s really not thinking this through. I’ll make sure she’s held accountable if anything goes wrong later.
「By the way, sensei. I’ve been curious for a while now. You’ve been gathering people with magic power. May I ask why?」
「Yes, of course. It’s not exactly a secret, but I have a hunch about how we might defeat the Great Demon God. That’s why I’m gathering such people.」
「Oh, as expected from sensei!」
「I’ll explain more when we return to the Eura continent. Perhaps we could use Kaara’s teleportation magic to get there ahead of the others.」
Teleporting would be faster for a small group rather than sailing back, though the Silesie fleet will still be needed to face the Great Demon God.
「Are we returning to the Silesie royal castle?」
「No, our destination is the southern part of Silesie—the central city of the Agene County, Agene.」
「Why there?」
「You’ll see when we arrive.」
Lyle-sensei’s expression grew unusually complex, filled with hidden meaning.
The Agene County is where Sarah-chan governs. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her, but what could be waiting for us there?