Chapter 187 (1/2)

Territory Pioneering 4

With so many new and unexpected visitors arriving one after another, time seemed to fly by.

And the deadline set by that Prime Minister draws closer with each day that passes.

I recently finished a new addition to the town in the north district. A home fit for the mayor of our city. In other words, a new nest for Christina to replace Mount Pepe. To be completely honest, I’d like to call it my own home considering how much time and effort I put into that place, but I promised her I’d make a home for her here so I don’t have much of a choice.

I lost my first home here to its original owner Edita Sensei and I’m essentially renting my land here and all of the buildings on it. It’s not hard for me to imagine me being a renter for the rest of my life here. Still, I’ll make sure that someday I own my own home. That is the dream of every Japanese man.

But I think for now putting my focus on avoiding a future as a slave is in my own best interests.

“Wow, this is more than I was expecting.”

“M-Me too! I’ll need to recount it again to be sure, but I think there’s over 170 gold here!”

I was currently doing some accounting in the office with Sophia-chan.

Managing our finances together like a married couple.

The town mayor was still out of town. Christina departed for Kalis with the noble mage on her back days ago but still has yet to return. What could she possibly be doing that’s taking her this long? Maybe she got lost on the way back.

Or could it be possible that the noble mage finally took some initiative and furthered his relationship with the loligon in the capital? That would mean that I managed to fulfil our promise. I’ll pray for their happiness as a couple. I know the noble mage is capable of making her happy.

Which is good.

Yes, it’s for the best.

“Is this all from partnering with the Manson Group?”

“Y-Yes, I believe so.”

“Gonzalez and the Twilight Company are due thanks as well. It’s because of them that I’ve been able to continue improving the town. The western and eastern districts are close to being complete so we should finally be able to open them to the public soon.”

The northern and southern districts have been the only tourist attractions so far.  The north is for the nobility and other wealthy individuals while the south is for the commoners. There’s a clear separation between the two districts and the quality of the services available as well as the fee required to enter each area.

Although the North District has seen almost no use. I’m not sure if anyone other than myself, Ester-chan, and Drill-chan have been using the facilities regularly.

“There was even another line of carriages trying to enter the city as well.”

“Y-Yeah, I was shocked! There are so many of them lined up out there!”

Sophia-chan’s so cute when she speaks frankly.

“Could I see our current balance?”

“Ah, of course! I-It’s right here!”

I was handed a stack of papers.

I was able to discover after having Sophia-chan work here for the last week that this timid maid is surprisingly good with numbers.

She told me herself that she was the one that recorded the sales at her family’s restaurant. Not to be rude to her, but I figured this just meant she was capable of doing basic math. However, based on what she’s shown me here, I think she must have been heavily involved in managing all of the finances of the restaurant.

Basically, she’s showing a lot more skill than I expected. She’s tracking average attendance and the average amount brought in by not only each shop but also each type of business. She’s tracking individual variances, standard deviations, and there are even some categories she’s tracking that I don’t fully understand.

What I wanted to know most about were what rends cause the rise and fall of some shops’ sales.

“Thank you.”

“P-Please, verify whatever you need to.”

I confirmed this with the noble mage previously, but the scientific and technological level of this world is equal to that of the Middle Ages before the arrival of Arabic mathematics. This is due to the convenience that magic brings to this world. Just by speaking a few words one can light a room, call forth water, conjure up a cool breeze, and rob the world of any need for inventions capable of doing the same.

Even the most elite of this world are incapable of passing the pons asinorum.

“How did you cope up with the numbers for this figure here?”

There was a graph that seemed to track the total income of the city that began at the start of the month and went until the end of the current month.

The various numbers were carefully tracked every day.

Including a few massive sources of one-time income, by the end of the month, we would’ve brought in a total of 150 gold coins.

“Of course! But, umm, those numbers are just guesses, so….”

“Don’t be worried, Sophia-san. I’m not going to hold you responsible if these numbers end up being inaccurate.”

“O-Of course, thank you so much for your kindness!”

Sophia-chan was relieved to hear this.

It makes me happy that my sweaty maid is showing an interest in the task I’ve given her. An intelligent girl talented at math is sexy. I’d want to be reverse raped by a strong, intelligent woman.

“The money we’re receiving from the Manson Group is quite substantial. It’s almost equal to the income received from the entrance fee. In direct response to the Manson Group moving in, the revenue we receive from sales took a noticeable hit. These two numbers are competing now and I can’t say for sure whether or not the deal with the Manson Group will end up costing us in the long term.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I plan on bringing in more tenants in the future. We’re currently only selling mana potions and bath salt in most of the shops. Once we bring in more independent businesses, the overall rent brought in throughout the city will rise.”

“But, e-even with so few businesses to keep track of, I already feel like I’m starting to get lost.”

Is it because she’s only used to managing a single restaurant?

Sophia-chan hesitantly looked out the window at the vast cityscape before her.

“We’ll just take it one step at a time.”

“O-Of course.”

The fact that the management of the town is on track is enough of a reason to celebrate for now.

When she first arrived in town, I felt like she was distant, but after only a few days, she’s warming up to me again and we’re capable of having pleasant conversations like this. It’s nice being able to speak with her normally as she’s the person that I’ve had the longest relationship in this world.

“By the way, about the hall recently built along the town square –”

But this world didn’t want my peaceful moments with Sophia-chan to last.

A shout from outside the room interrupted Sophia-chan.

“B-Baron Tanaka! This is serious, Tanaka!”

The voice of a macho man that I vaguely remembered.

I had no choice but to answer.

“…what’s going on? Please, come in.”

Oh, right, it’s that one member of the Twilight Company with the mohawk. The door opened and his hair entered first followed by the rest of him. I feel like I’m seeing him a lot recently. I wonder if he’s someone that Gon-chan trusts.

“The Imperial Princess of the Penny Empire is here!”

“What….”

Royal pussy has arrived in my city.

That certainly is serious.

***

Our destination was the reception room in Christina’s new home. As soon as we stepped in we were met with the sight of our visitor. Just as the mohawked man said, it’s the Princess of the Penny Empire.

This is the first time we’ve seen each other since the Academic Conference.

At a glance, she just looks like a normal, albeit beautiful, teenage girl. She wore a gorgeous dress decorated with frills and gold embroidery. The curves of her body were apparent even from a distance. Her chest and butt were both large while her waist was slim and tight.

She had the perfect body that almost any man would love.

The Princess was calmly sitting on the sofa waiting for our arrival while her personal butler, Sebastian, standing beside her. He stood completely motionless as if he were a statue built to watch over the Princess. As with almost every other man I meet in this world, he was incredibly handsome.

“I’m overjoyed that you would bless us with a visit so far from the capital, Your Highness. What assistance could this remote baron possibly offer you? Whatever it is, I will do my best as a fledgeling baron to aid you.”

The moment I got close to them I dropped to my knees and bowed my head.

This way Sebastian won’t have any complaints about my manners.