Now let's get rid of the prisoners. What do you think of that?

The number of prisoners of war acquired by our country is 11,200.
　The population of our country was 250,000 before the war, and the number of new additions is not exactly known, but it must be around 120,000. Therefore, the total population is 370,000.

　That is to say, we took prisoners of war, about a third of our total population.

　How much more than this is........
　If we were to compare it to Japan, it would be four million POWs.

　Oh man, Japan has a huge population.
　As expected of the world's tenth largest country.

　After all this time, Japan is a pretty big power.
　The United States, China, and Russia are nearby, so it's not so obvious.

　I've been in a different world and I've felt it.　
　When Japan arrives in this world, King Losey's country is going to blow up in a flash.


　"What would you like to do, Your Majesty?
　I'd love to have them all in the workforce.

　A workforce of about 10,000 people.
　There are many ways to use it.

　For example, the construction of the capital, roads, flood control and irrigation, which had been halted due to the war.
　If you put 10,000 slaves into it, it must be done in no time.

　And we wouldn't have to pay them a wage.

　Then we can use them to expand our farmland.
　Slaves in this world are like tractors.

　Basically, if you're a self-made farmer, you own at least two slaves.

　But.........
　Can you feed 10,000 people?
　What do you think?　 Next year, though, it will depend on the harvest.

　Hmmm....
　Slaves don't sell very well.

　Because if you put a lot of them on the market, market forces will kick in and they'll be bought cheap.

　'At any rate, let's classify them. The ones we sell to are the pretty looking ones, the rebellious ones, the injured and sickly ones, and the sickly ones. Woolmakers who sell to the Equus at a low price. Those who are skilled in one way or another and need to be secured. And other pending groups.

　Whether to sell the holdouts or turn them into a workforce ....

　Let's get Aynes up here now.

　Let's ask an expert in commerce for his opinion.







　''Well when it comes to 10,000 slaves isn't that about right?

　Ains offered us a price.
　'Hmmm, cheap.

　I'd rather have you work then.

　I need to buy some grain.
　It's more expensive to buy from a Cilician.

　Do we buy from King Belvedere's country?
　That's as much an agricultural country as our own, and they must be short of money now.

　'By the way, Ains. Our country wants to start a new industry is there anything missing now in Cilicia or Rezad?
　'Well...'

　Ains made a troubled expression.
　Well, if it's something that can be produced in our country, it's likely to be in Cilicia long ago.

　Oh, and by the way...
　What's going on?
　'You know that Cilicia was defeated by Persis, don't you?

　I have heard this story.
　It seems that the mainland of Cilicia has been conquered by the Persis Empire.

　However, Ains and his friends are not so shocked.
　The Cilician people are an independent people by nature.

　Even though they are a suzerainty, they are a separate city-state.
　Just because they were conquered by a foreign country, they probably don't think of sending reinforcements or helping.

　Or rather, they wouldn't be able to help.

　I know it's a problem because it's made it harder to do business.

　'Actually, Persis forbids the cultivation of cannabis and poppy.

　It's also....
　What about witchcraft and medicine?

　'Persis strictly forbids anyone other than royal spellcasters from studying or using spells. This is to prevent assassination. Cilicia, which was conquered by Persis, is no exception, and it seems that many cannabis and poppy fields have been burned. Truly a terrible thing.

　Hmmm, I'm not sure about Cilicia, where many cannabis and poppy fields are located.
　Ninety percent of the uses are tobacco products, right?

　"If you could produce it there in King Losey's country, we'd make a fortune...

　That's the devil's whisper.
　I know it's lucrative.
　Certainly you could make a lot of money.

　But as a modern Japanese, can I do this?

　This isn't some gentleman's country where you can make a fortune selling drugs to other countries...

　But if we don't do it, maybe someone else will.

　Besides, Earth has tended to lift its ban on marijuana recently, and poppy can make morphine.
　Cannabis and poppy would be just barely ethical, right?

　There and there I was silent on the domestic production of cannabis and poppy.
　It's a necessity for spellcasters.
　Eventually I was going to regulate it, but now I'm in the middle of preparing for it.

　As a matter of fact, it's starting to show some signs of an epidemic in the country.
　This is not good.

　It would be better to crack down on it and make it a monopoly in terms of maintaining public safety before anyone else starts to grow it in a bad way.

　Once they make a profit, they have a taste for it, and people will start to copy them.
　But if the government cracks down on this before they make a profit and imposes a monopoly on it....


　Well, I'll think about it.
　I expect a good response.

　Ains smiled smugly.
　Maybe he didn't mean any harm.

　To them, drugs are just a luxury item.
　Maybe they even think it's good for their health.

　'And then there's the trees. This is a chronic shortage. We need big trees to build our ships but we've cut down all the big trees in our territory.

　Trees....
　That one doesn't come back quickly.

　Once it becomes a bald mountain, the vegetation does not recover easily.
　On the contrary, every time it rains, a landslide occurs, and it is a big problem.

　There are many unspoiled forests in our country, but when it comes to large trees, most of them are not used...
　No, there it is!

　Oki, I think I can handle it.
　Are you sure?
　Yeah. I can't tell you much about it but at any rate, I'll get back to you when I'm ready.






　So what does that mean to you?
　It's in the Romalia Woods.

　Raimondo rolled his eyes.

　'Indeed there's some untouched wood there. That's not all.

　The Romarian forest was full of large trees - trees that were well over a hundred years old.
　Some of the trees have trunks so thick that it takes several adults to finally surround them.

　And a ship needs large trees.

　Cilicia's three-stage and five-stage ships have a component called a dragonbone.
　This is the backbone of the ship and the life of the ship itself.

　And the dragonbone is made from a single tree.
　Therefore, in order to build a large ship, you need a tree that is huge and strong.

　"As a matter of fact, I would like to take effective control of the Romarian forest.

　Effective control...?

　That's right.
　If we can incorporate that vast forest into our territory, our national power will increase.

　And a surprise attack on King Gilbed's country and King Fardham's country would also be possible.

　Specifically.....

　Let us settle the land. And we will set up villages in various parts of the forest, unknown to other countries. The main industries will be forestry and animal fur. The profit margin will be high. In this way we will build up the villages little by little and connect them by road. We will build a road through the forest to facilitate the movement of our troops and then we will declare it a possession.

　I, Master Gryphon's son, will rule the Romarian Forest.
　It's a good cause.
　And the name Romalia.

　The Kingdom of Romalia can only exist if I control the forests of Romalia.

　If it comes to war, I'm sure we'll win.
　The advantage of the land is ours.

　We can't lose.

　And then we will know what to do with the prisoners.

　"The Gauls are accustomed to the forest. "The Gauls are accustomed to the forest, which makes them ideal slaves for the settlement.

　To prevent rebellion, the ratio of Adelnian to Gallic slaves shall be five to one.

　And to the Gallic slaves, he says, "I will free you in thirty years. By that time, the land you have cleared will be yours.

　They must work with great joy.

　Well, we can't just clear all the forests of Romalia, though.
　There is still a lot of land in King Rosais' country that can be used for farming.

　We can't eat wood and furs, but we can eat wheat.
　If we don't have food, the country can't survive.

　We need to think about that weight later.


　Also, we might as well plant trees at the same time.
　No matter how many trees we sell, if we cut too many of them, they will die out.

　I think that's a good idea.
　Let's cut down the trees systematically and with planting of trees to avoid Lord Gryphon's haunting.
　I'll just explain it to you.

　'Haunting is a useful word, isn't it?

　'So Raimondo. So, Raimondo, let's get to work on the preparations.
　Yes!

　Don't forget to ask Master Gryphon for permission.
　Well, I'm sure it's all right.