Chapter 92

After that, I ordered the construction of a chicken farm in Ivalice.

Of course, the reason was not for making mayonnaise as I had mentioned before.

Well, that meaning is also there, but a chicken farm is a facility with excellent cost performance.

Eggs are the source of life. They are so well-balanced that they are called a complete food, and chicken meat itself is an excellent source of high-quality protein.

Chicken is delicious in itself. I like beef and pork, but I also like chicken.

Chicken breast is delicious as karaage, and thigh meat can be used for sautéing or stewing.

Even dry chicken breast can become a feast when stuffed with cheese and fried in oil.

If chicken meat and eggs become widely available, the lives of the citizens will surely improve.

By the way, chicken meat has been available so far, but it was the old hens that no longer laid eggs and the roosters that did not lay eggs, which were raised in the yards of individual farmers and sold in the market. These are what are known as free-range chickens.

Well, the taste is not bad, but at the farmer level, it is difficult to produce in large quantities.

Even if not on the scale of modern large-scale chicken farms, building a chicken farm of a certain size would make the town very prosperous.

"Then let's start construction right away."

This was Gunther, holding a bottle of Japanese sake.

He seemed to really like the prototype of the Japanese sake, and he has been drinking it constantly lately.

He said, "It doesn't get you drunk, but it feels good in the mouth."

"Basically, it means he likes it, right?"

Satie smiled.

"It seems so."

I smiled back. -- Although she probably couldn't see it through the mask.

"But, my lord, you really have no time to rest, do you?"

Satie said suddenly.

"Since I started serving my lord, I have never seen my lord take a break."

"Well, that's inevitable. Humans... no, demons as well, the higher you go, the busier you become."

"The nobles I know all had too much free time."

"Come to think of it, that's true."

It's somewhat ironic that demons work harder than humans.

However, in my army of the Demon King, there are also slackers like Sefiro, and there are slackers among the other army commanders. The Demon King's organization is advanced, and as long as results are produced, the Demon King doesn't say anything.

On the other hand, if you are incompetent, even if you work hard, you will be demoted without mercy.

Even in my previous life, Nobunaga would exile incompetent generals, no matter how experienced they were.

"In that sense, is the commander doing well now?"

I haven't been in contact with him recently, but I'm worried if he's doing well.

It might be like preaching to the Buddha, but the beautiful former superior, the Black Plague Witch Sefiro, has lived for hundreds of years.

The 7th Army shouldn't be so unstable just because I left.

Rather, I should be more worried about my own army, which still lacks sufficient forces.

The other day, the elf warrior team and their leader, Anemone, joined, but the 8th Army's forces are still one of the smallest in the Demon King's army. I still need to strengthen my forces to be of use to the Demon King.

"... Well, what should I do to achieve that?"

Having finished the immediate internal affairs, such as making Japanese sake and building a chicken farm, I naturally had to consider the future.

I am now the commander of this army, and my actions will change the fate of my subordinates.

Satie is right; I have no time to rest.

While thinking about this, Anemone, the elf girl who recently joined our army, came running up.

She was holding a letter in her hand.

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

Anemone said, out of breath.

Her panic was similar to Jiron's, but I didn't point it out. She is a proud elf, and she would be offended if she were compared to an orc.

I waited for her to catch her breath and then asked, "What happened?"

She handed me the letter she was holding.

The sender was the elf queen, and the addressee was Anemone.

"May I read it?"

Anemone nodded silently.

I quickly read through it, and the content was a typical letter from a sister worried about her younger sister.

However, I found something significant in the postscript.

"When did you receive this letter?"

"Early this morning."

"That means the person might be here soon..."

When I said this, Satie looked puzzled and asked, "Is the elf queen coming?"

Then, Satie continued, "We should prepare for her arrival," but I shook my head.

"The one coming is not the queen, but a human woman."

"A human woman?"

"The commander of the knight order that attacked when I first came to this city is coming here."

Lilith, who has excellent hearing, rushed over when she heard this.

"Is that little girl coming again?"

She said, a bit excited.

"Did you remember her?" I was a bit surprised because this girl, though not a chicken, has a brain that forgets things after three steps.

"Of course, I remember. She's the girl I met during my honeymoon with Lord Ike."

"..."

She was probably talking about the time when Alistair, the commander of the White Rose Knights, was sent to the tower where she was confined after the failure of the Ivalice campaign.

"Wow, that girl is finally released from confinement."

"It seems so."

"I'm surprised."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because I thought she would be confined for a while."

"I thought so too."

"Maybe there's some reason. She said her family is a great noble, so maybe she paid the king. Or maybe they are really short on personnel."

"Both are possible."

I put my hand on my chin and thought.

"Indeed, Alistair is the daughter of one of the most prestigious noble families in Rozaria."

"Montbats?"

"Great noble, that's what it means."

I sighed at Lilith's limited vocabulary and explained my thoughts.

"Indeed, as you say, it's possible that her family paid money. Or maybe the situation is so dire that they had to recall even the commanders who were under house arrest."

"Lord Ike beat up so many knight orders."

"But the problem is not there. Honestly, why Alistair was released from confinement is a trivial matter."

"What do you mean?"

"The problem is her intention for coming here. The letter from Lord Ferret doesn't mention anything about it."

Anemone, who brought the letter, added, "My sister did suggest the possibility of assassination."

"It won't happen."

I stated firmly.

"I met Alistair once, and she doesn't seem like the type to do such a despicable thing. Besides, she doesn't seem to have the nerve for it."

"That's true. But she seemed like the type who, if the king of Rozaria said, 'Only you can do this,' would do it even if she knew it was difficult."

"You're right, that possibility can't be ruled out."

"Then, is she coming to assassinate Lord Ike!?"

Anemone looked shocked, but she seemed to be the only one.

Her face turned pale as she thought about what to do next.

Lilith laughed, "What's so funny?"

"Stupid, Lord Ike wouldn't be outdone by a girl like that."

Everyone's eyes turned to me, but indeed, Alistair wouldn't be able to assassinate me.

However, I should still be cautious.

"Never let your guard down against anyone. Historically, many famous generals who won battle after battle were assassinated at the last moment and disappeared from the stage of history."

This was also the advice of my grandfather, the guardian of the abyss, and it was true.

I recalled my grandfather's voice and face for the first time in a long time, turned to Satie, and ordered, "Well, we don't know why Alistair is coming, but a guest is coming. Can you prepare for her arrival?"

Satie smiled and said, "Yes!" and happily headed to the market of Ivalice.