Chapter 54

Since Charlotte brought the milk, I might as well drink it all down.

“Phew—”

I drank it all at once. It’s not bad, this milk. No, milk isn’t bad.

I just felt a bit strange after drinking it because I had a habit of resuming work right after finishing the milk.

From now on, I’ll try to enjoy the taste of the milk itself.

After all, it’s a gift from the cows. I should drink it with a grateful heart.

“Everyone is here. Please take your seats.”

“Huh! Here I am.”

Lunberg responded on behalf of everyone, and Bartholomew, Elly, Aruru, and Charlotte each bowed before taking their seats.

The table was large, but it served as a dining table as everyone gathered around it. I looked at each person’s face and nodded quietly.

“Lunberg, please report on the progress in each area. Just what you know is fine.”

“Understood.”

Lunberg stood up, bowed, and then sat down again before starting to speak.

The residential area was being constructed smoothly, and Insula was also beginning construction.

“Specific numbers aren’t necessary. How long do you think it will take until all the residents can move in?”

“The number of residents is increasing daily due to their admiration for Lord Joshua. However, more people are also available for construction.”

“I see… Then let’s set a numerical goal. No, houses are essential. We need to continue building until everyone can move in.”

“Yes. We also have Insula. As for those who wish to run inns or shops, would it be acceptable to have them live in the commercial area with their homes doubling as shops?”

“That sounds good. Considering the increasing number of residents, let’s build five Insulas first. Similarly, five buildings in the commercial area, with the ground floor serving as shops.”

For ease of construction, let’s make Insula three stories with ten rooms per floor.

That means each building will have 30 rooms. The ground floor of the commercial area won’t be used for living, but even so, this will allow 250 people to move in.

If the number of residents increases in the future, they can at least move into Insula to avoid the elements.

For families, we can mass-produce the model house that Paul created and have them move in there.

For now, the construction of Insula and the completed and ongoing single-family homes should be sufficient for housing.

“Reducing the number of people living outdoors quickly. Only a compassionate Lord Joshua could come up with such a plan. I am impressed.”

“It’s also practical. The buildings in the commercial area can be modified into inns if needed.”

“Understood. It will take at least ten days to complete everything.”

“Just ten days? It’s fine to take a bit more time. Instruct Paul to build them solidly. However, please complete the houses that are already under construction first.”

“Understood. You already know about Paul. He is an excellent foreman.”

“Can you bring Paul here tomorrow? I want him to participate in the city planning.”

“Of course. Paul will surely be delighted.”

I want to actively communicate with people like Paul, who are relied upon by everyone and have become leaders.

Eventually, guilds and chambers of commerce will naturally form for various industries such as commerce, industry, agriculture, and perhaps even hunters and adventurers.

I have no intention of imposing restrictions on these economic activities. On the contrary, I welcome them.

When I was in the principality, I worked on various policies with the chamber of commerce. We spent three days and nights in a room discussing ways to boost domestic demand with the civil servants… I never want to do that again.

Currently, we are in the early stages of city construction, and there are no established rules.

To establish the Principality of Cumberland, we need at least a legal system and civil servants.

Legal systems are a headache, but we must establish them to be able to judge those who do wrong. Without laws, everything would be decided based on the emotions of the rulers or the victims.

Whether this is good or bad is debatable, but I don’t particularly like it.

Human emotions are fickle. If decisions are made based on emotions, the person who made the decision will bear all the responsibility. Was the decision made at that time really correct?

I apologize for my personal opinion, but a country is an organization. Therefore, it’s better to make judgments based on rules rather than emotions, which can be shared by more people.

This way, judgments can be made by a group of judicial officials who interpret the law, rather than by individuals.

A country doesn’t end with one generation, so it’s easier to manage with laws rather than emotions.

Sorry, I know this is complicated, but in short, if we rely on individuals, we’ll never escape the black work. I want to retire. That’s my goal.

“Next, how is the security situation?”

“I’ll report on the security situation.”

“Thank you.”

Bartholomew raised his hand, frowned, and sighed.

Is something unexpected happening?

However, his words were the opposite.

“There hasn’t been a single skirmish. I think this will change when temporary residents like drifters, travelers, and traveling merchants start to stay in the city.”

“That’s good, but it’s surprising that there hasn’t been even a ripple.”

“Yeah, everyone looks up to Lord Joshua and works together as one.”

“Oh, right. There’s also the threat of monsters and wild beasts. The construction of the outer wall will take a while.”

“Got it. Can we set up lookouts?”

“Can we do it without the help of the carpenters?”

“No problem. We have former soldiers and adventurers. As long as we don’t worry about appearances, it’s doable.”

Bartholomew smiled and touched his scruffy beard.

It seems we don’t need to increase the security personnel for now.

Alright, then.

“Bartholomew, can you form a collection and hunting team as you did before? You’ll lead it for a while.”

“Understood. What about the security?”

“We had you take turns, but I’ll have Lunberg oversee the security as well. Lunberg is also overseeing the residential area, but we’ll have Paul help with that. We need someone to lead the security team. Do you have any suitable candidates, Bartholomew?”

“Galgah or Lord Richmond, perhaps.”

Since we have a reliable foreman like Paul, Lunberg can also oversee the security.

If there’s a security chief, both Lunberg and Bartholomew can move more freely.

Galgah, the man with the leopard-like hair who came with us before, doesn’t seem to be good with words and doesn’t seem to enjoy leading people.

Even if he accepts the request, it will cause stress and reduce efficiency because it goes against his nature.

It would be better for him to go hunting with Bartholomew. He was a former adventurer, so he would be more suited to being in nature.

Then… what about the other, Lord Richmond?

Hmm, I don’t know much about him. Maybe I should meet him once.

“Lord Richmond…”

As I was thinking, I heard Lunberg mutter.