Chapter 33: Moving

Unlike Seraphine, who had arrived at Marissa's village incognito, King Angus announced his visit formally. This required Marissa to coordinate with the adventurers' guild staff to confirm the exact date of his arrival. It was necessary because she had to gather all the villagers and have them kneel before the king for the entire day. Hiro was flabbergasted by such excessive decorum. Luna, the king's daughter, had arrived casually with the trainee royal guard, with no fanfare or ceremony. Hiro didn't sense such arrogance from the king during their past encounters either.

Cecile's team arrived two days before the king. Their task was to observe and ensure that the village was prepared to receive him properly.

"Is the king always this vain? He was so casual when we were exploring that dungeon." Cecile sighed as she prepared bundles of leaves and flowers for the villagers to use during the welcoming ceremony.

Marissa, as a noble of Litmus, understood the significance of these formalities. "This is part of an official visit. It's necessary to line up the villagers. As the king passes, they'll present their flowers and leaves so he can walk over them. It's all about showing our loyalty and respect. Uncle is here on official business, and he's bringing many of his noble retinue. We can't afford to be casual in this setting."

Hiro couldn't help but recall a similar tradition from Earth, where a certain figure was greeted with palm leaves out of heartfelt respect. However, this ceremony felt less sincere and more performative.

"Latvin is the same," Rebecca added, pouring water into a basin with her magic. "I apologize; I thought Litmus was more relaxed about these kinds of rituals compared to Latvin. Seeing your brother show up here unannounced twice made me think that. Well, to be fair, the king of Latvin would never bother visiting a remote village like this, so King Angus is definitely better in that regard."

Rebecca then poured water into a basin and put the prepared bundle into it for tomorrow. By dawn the next day, the villagers were expected to gather, each carrying the prepared bundle, and line up to welcome the king's retinue.

The next day, the villagers knelt as Marissa had ordered with their bundle of leaves. They had lined up perfectly since dawn. On the horizon, King Angus appeared, riding a majestic white horse. He wore a blue mantle and a crown, exuding the regal aura of a true monarch. Unlike his previous appearance as a general of heavy infantry, he now looked every bit the part of a king.

He rode through the village, stopping at Marissa's manor, where Marissa and her knights were already kneeling in greeting.

"Citizens of Marissa's village, I come bearing an important decree. Effective immediately, Marissa's village will merge with Quantora village in Daneswald territory. I understand this news may come as a surprise, but we have received reports of a dungeon break north of Latvin. By relocating to Quantora, we reduce the number of villages and towns that need protection from the Sun Knight," the king declared.

The villagers gasped in shock but quickly bowed in submission.

"We will obey your command, King Angus," Marissa said as she knelt.

The king nodded and proceeded into the manor, followed by Marissa and her retinue.

"Bah! These formalities are a joke," King Angus scoffed, slumping into a sofa the moment he was out of the villagers' sight.

"We must uphold such decorum to maintain respect among the masses, Your Majesty," one of his retinue said, bowing low.

"Tea?" Marissa offered. Her maid swiftly stepped forward with an elegant tea set and served the king in her office.

"So, is the dungeon break true?" Marissa asked after everyone had settled.

"We don't know," King Angus replied, swirling his tea. "We've only received reports of a large horde of undead sighted in northern Latvin. This kind of situation usually occurs when a dungeon reaches its maturity." He frowned deeply. "Latvin has really screwed up. Was their war with Vertia so dire that they couldn't even manage their own territory? Dungeon break is a serious issue."

"Where exactly is the horde? Shouldn't we intercept them instead of retreating? I'm certain my brother Seraphine could handle it," Marissa suggested.

"Here," King Angus said, pointing to a map laid out on the table.

Hiro watched through sense sharing, wondering why King Angus wasn't intercepting the horde himself, given the information he had. The answer soon became clear when one of the king's retinue inadvertently blurted out their concerns.

"We shall not involve ourselves in Latvin's problem! How dare they disrespect our nation so blatantly. We have treaties with them! Let this be a lesson not to act so belligerently!" one of the king's retinue declared.

"Their reply was infuriating, wasn't it? If it was not for the treaties about nation borders, we would intercept this horde." King Angus said with a nod.

"Yes, they offered a curt apology without providing any real details," he sighed, visibly frustrated.

Marissa frowned. "Uncle, basing our actions on emotions could lead to unwise decisions."

"We've considered all angles," King Angus replied. "We could send Seraphine to deal with it, but the center of the horde is still within Latvin's territory. Exposing our symbiote user so close to the border is too risky. Seraphine may be powerful, but he's not invincible. Latvin could very well plot to assassinate him during the chaos. We were lucky with Jonathan The Assassin. Fighting near the border would be a strategic mistake."

"Do you think Latvin might be herding the horde toward our territory on purpose?" Rebecca asked.

"That's highly unlikely," King Angus said. "That horde has already destroyed villages in Latvin similar to this one. But if they do have the means to direct the horde, that would only strengthen the argument to avoid confrontation near the border. Such control over the horde would pose a grave threat."

Marissa nodded thoughtfully. "So, evacuating this village and merging it with Quantora was calculated to be the best course of action?"

"Indeed," one of the king's retinue, an older man with a stern, haughty demeanor, interjected. "Quantora is better fortified than this village and far easier to defend. Moreover, it is closer to the capital, which means we can deploy reinforcements more efficiently. King Angus himself could oversee the defense if necessary."

"But what if Latvin evacuates its border villages as well, pushing the horde toward us?" Cecile asked.

"Even in that scenario, Quantora's fortifications would hold better than those here," the retinue explained. "And, if required, Seraphine could lead the defense from there. While we are confident in his ability to win a direct fight, the presence of assassins—like Jonathan—poses an ongoing risk. We cannot afford to lose our greatest hero."

"And that's the plan," King Angus said, leaning back in his chair. "Malus has reviewed and agreed to it."

"I understand now," Marissa said, though a shadow of concern lingered on her face.

"Ah, and you will serve as Quantora's village chief. I trust you'll make it flourish with your production symbiote. By the way, do you anticipate the emergence of any new symbiotes?" Angus asked, his tone curious. Hiro wanted to nod but restrained himself.

"Well, if there are compatible females around, it's possible," Marissa replied, glancing at Hiro. "But I'd need to consult with Hiro first."

"Of course," the king said with a smile. "Thank you, and I'm glad to see your condition has been cured." Marissa nodded in acknowledgment.

As King Angus was about to leave, Luna entered the room. Hiro already knew she had been eavesdropping for some time.

"Ah, perfect timing," Angus said. "Luna, I want you to lead the trainee royal guards in assisting the villagers with their relocation to Quantora."

"Yes, Father!" Luna said with a salute.

And so, the king and his retinue departed from Marissa's village. The relocation effort began promptly, using the trainee royal guards stationed in the village to coordinate and assist. Although the village's population was modest, moving nearly a thousand people still required significant effort. It was determined that over 200 carriages would be needed to transport everyone.

Marissa, however, didn't have the resources to hire that many carriages at once. Instead, they opted to rent ten at a time to make the move more manageable and secure. Marissa's group was the first to relocate. When they arrived at Quantora, it was clear that the village resembled a small town more than a traditional village. For Marissa, it was a significant upgrade. "Village chief" no longer seemed fitting—"mayor" was a more appropriate title.

"Greetings, Lady Marissa," four butlers and maids said in unison, bowing deeply as she entered her new mansion. Hiro was delighted by the sight. With additional staff, Bertha would no longer need to handle all of Marissa's household duties alone. Marissa had truly become independent—no longer constrained by her previous disability.

"Greetings," Marissa replied graciously, bowing in return. She was guided to her new office, where the village officials awaited her. They bowed reverently as she entered.

The paperwork Marissa faced here was far more complex than in her old village. Back in Marissa's village, taxes were primarily limited to the harvest, as other goods were negligible in volume. In Quantora, however, there were established blacksmith and clothing guilds, significantly increasing the scope of tax documentation. The complexity of managing a larger, more economically active town quickly became apparent.

Hiro noted Marissa's calm composure as she tackled the challenge ahead. Quantora was a fresh start, and the potential for growth was enormous.

"There's so much paperwork…" Marissa sighed, rubbing her temples.

"We need to conduct a new census now," one of her advisors explained. "A merger between non-adjacent villages is highly unusual. Moreover, we have to find suitable housing for everyone. We don't believe it's necessary to expand Quantora's walls, but it will certainly be cramped. Complaints are already coming in."

"We're appropriating citizens' land?" Marissa asked, stunned as she reviewed some of the complaints. Hiro also widened his eyes in surprise.

"Of course not," the advisor reassured her. "Some villagers have illegally claimed the land. According to our documentation, the plots designated for Marissa's villagers should be unoccupied."

"Ah… I see. This is troubling," Marissa murmured, frowning.

"Hm? What's troubling about it? If it's an empty plot, the villagers claiming it are clearly in the wrong," Rebecca said. "You can't have people stealing land."

"The issue is more nuanced," Marissa explained. "In small villages, there's rarely proper documentation. These communities are encouraged to expand, with the kingdom essentially granting land for free to anyone willing to cultivate it. However, as populations grow, land closer to the village center becomes more desirable, turning it into a valuable commodity. What's the procedure for issuing land deeds to these villagers?"

"We require them to pay two gold per square meter of land. After payment, we issue a land certificate that's reported to the nation."

"That's expensive!" Cecile exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Hiro didn't think it was overly costly. A typical house would require around 100 to 200 square meters, meaning the cost would range from 200 to 400 gold. That's roughly ten years of work—still affordable compared to Earth, where land could cost millions of dollars.

"When will the demolition of these illegal houses begin?" Marissa sighed. She disliked the idea but knew that failing to act would only worsen the situation. She briefly considered placing houses outside the wall, but that would drastically reduce security.

"Whenever you decide, Lady Marissa," the advisor replied.

"What about building outside the wall instead?" Rebecca suggested, trying to find a solution that would avoid conflict with the locals.

"That would mean demolishing farmland unless we developed into another direction. To the forest. But this forest was perilous." Marissa pointed out. "The village's food supply would suffer for at least a year. Additionally, in the event of a stampede or monster attack, the outer houses could become a liability. Monsters could use them for cover, making it harder for our archers and mages to defend."

Cecile and Nana remained silent, unable to contribute, but Rebecca's expression brightened with an idea.

"What about this plan?" Rebecca suggested, leaning forward to outline her plan.