My name is Dant. I serve as the governor of the northern district of the March of Arvale. I’d carried out my duties faithfully until recently, when I committed a serious act of betrayal by hiding the existence of a village that sprang up in the northern wasteland from Lord Raoul. I even submitted a report claiming no settlements existed out there. I could very well lose my head, literally, if anyone discovered I’d knowingly filed a false report.
But I had no regrets, because I believed in Lord Luke, the mayor there. I just knew he’d become someone important someday. I was confident he’d surpass his father, Marquess Arvale. He could even change the entire kingdom if things went well—or wrong. I suppose it was a matter of perspective.
So the risks I took were nothing compared to the future ahead.
“Lord Dant, surely we can’t keep this hidden much longer,” said Bazara, my captain. “The rumors about the village have spread far beyond the northern district. People from all over the domain have heard about it now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lord Raoul himself decides to come investigate!”
I nodded. “I know that. That’s exactly why I’m heading there now.”
I was again on my way to the village in the wastelands, this time with Bazara and a contingent of guards escorting my carriage.
Thanks to Lord Luke, we were no longer on the verge of a famine in the North. I was traveling there to express my gratitude and deliver an important report.
“I can’t believe it’s been six months already. I wonder how much the village has grown... I’m both excited and terrified to see,” I said.
“Well, it’s been a long, harsh winter since the last time we were there. I doubt it’s changed too much,” Bazara said confidently, but I had a different feeling inside. Somehow, I knew I needed to brace myself.
We were approaching the edge of the wilderness when we noticed something strange.
“I’ve been spotting people here and there for a while now,” I said.
“Y-Yes, I see them too. But there’s nothing out here except for that village...” Bazara said uncertainly.
“That means they’re all heading to the same place, then.”
“Surely not... I mean, there are so many of them!”
I thought perhaps spring’s arrival had attracted a new wave of refugees, but some of these travelers looked like merchants and even adventurers.
Before long, the wastelands came into view. The perfect road Lord Luke had built in an instant stretched before us. And in the distance, I saw the village’s walls.
“Is it just me, or does the village seem to sit more to the west now?” I said, cocking my head to the side. As we drew closer, I noticed that even the road seemed to curve in a different direction than before.
“You don’t mean to say the village has moved?” Bazara said warily.
“Good point. It must be my imagination,” I said with a sheepish chuckle.
Finally, we reached the village. And just as I’d suspected, it had grown far beyond what it had been before. Dozens of shops lined the streets, and the whole place was bustling with people. Liesen, the largest city in the North, had nearly ten thousand residents, but this village might’ve had more than that already. Only six months ago, there couldn’t have been more than a thousand—yet now it looked like that number had multiplied several times over, maybe even tenfold.
Under normal circumstances, housing and lodging became serious issues when a place had experienced rapid population growth. But thanks to Lord Luke’s Gift, I didn’t see a single person who looked homeless. In fact, towering residential buildings lined the streets, far more than I remembered from last time.
It didn’t even feel like the same village anymore. Well, to be honest, I didn’t know who could call this a village!
“B-But how can this be the same place? Why, it’s only been six months, with a harsh winter in between!”
I’d mentally prepared myself, but Bazara looked like he was about to faint from the shock. Then his eyes went even wider when he spotted something else.
“L-Look at that sword!” He pointed at a display in a weapons shop we passed by. “No, not just the sword. The helmet too, and the armor... All of it’s unbelievably high quality!”
“Is it really that good?” I asked.
“You rarely see items of this quality, even in the royal capital—and that includes custom orders nobles pay a fortune for! But dozens are just sitting here, almost like they’ve been mass-produced!”
Hearing the commotion, the shopkeeper came out.
“Hello, there! I happened to overhear, and you’re absolutely right! These are all mass-produced, and I think you’ll find the prices reflect that,” he said with a genial smile.
“Mass-produced? Are you sure?!”
“We’ve got some top-class blacksmiths in our village,” he said.
Top-class? Could they be Gifted? Well, I suppose that wouldn’t be a surprise, knowing this village.
Once Bazara heard the price, he nearly passed out all over again. He was practically ready to pull out his coin purse on the spot.
Just then, a short, stocky man with a thick beard walked over.
“Oh! Welcome, Dran,” the shopkeeper said. “Dropping off another order? Thanks as always!”
“A d-dwarf?!” Bazara asked.
“That’s right. All the weapons in this shop are made by the dwarves,” the shopkeeper replied.
“There are dwarves in this village now?” I asked.
“Elves too.”
“Elves?!”
I couldn’t believe both elves and dwarves had settled here. I had no idea how this had happened in just six months. If it were true, it would be simply unprecedented. Dwarves and elves supposedly despised each other.
“Oh, if you’re interested, we have elven-made potions at the general store.”
“Potions? Potions are for sale in this village?” I was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded from the sheer volume of outrageous information.
We both shook our heads and moved on. As we continued walking, the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat began to waft through the air. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten sidetracked, but the smell was so incredibly tantalizing it was like my feet had a mind of their own.
“Get your minotaur skewers! Fresh minotaur skewers, right off the grill!” the vendor called.
“Minotaur?!”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Minotaurs only dwelled in dungeons.
“That’s right, fresh from the village’s dungeon! We get a fresh supply every day. You won’t find meat like this at these prices anywhere else!”
“You mean to tell me this village has a dungeon?!”
“What, you don’t know? Our mayor befriended a dungeon master, so now we have an endless supply of minotaurs.”
He befriended...a dungeon master?!
As far as I knew, it was exceedingly rare to befriend a dungeon master.
Boooooooom!
Suddenly, a deafening roar shook through the air. Startled, I looked around and saw a massive pillar of flame shooting out the top of a huge, oval-shaped building I didn’t remember seeing the last time.
“What’s that building?” I asked the vendor.
“That’s the training grounds, where our warriors, guards, and adventurers hone their skills. That explosion was probably Fire magic. I’m guessing it was Hazena, the young mage girl. She’s a regular customer of mine. Can’t get enough minotaur skewers.”
If she was capable of that kind of magic, she must’ve been seriously powerful. Apparently, top-tier adventurers had come to this village.
“Ha ha... Lord Luke’s surpassed my wildest expectations...” I muttered to myself.