CHAPTER 164: LIZARDMEN AND OGRES

"...you were talking about something related to manpower, weren’t you?"

"Yes, I basically lack manpower for what I need to do," Raze said. "Ribest is going to open to the public pretty soon, with the perfumes and soaps being the main attraction, along with a lot of other things I’m experimenting with to put Ribest on the map and gather enough resources to keep it growing. But the main issue is manpower."

He folded his arms, his expression tightening as he thought things through.

Queen Marine spoke.

"How about I offer you a hand, and a way to gather the manpower you need?" she said.

A light shined across her face, one that Raze recognized instantly. It was the look of someone plotting something. He knew that expression well, and the warm smile she wore only made him more cautious.

Still, the only thing he could do now was hear her out.

"What kind of help would you be offering, Your Majesty?" Raze asked.

"Well, manpower basically. Workers from the kingdom itself... and a little bit of extra," she said.

The moment she said "extra," Raze’s instincts sharpened.

She saw the change in his expression and continued speaking quickly, preventing him from refusing too early.

"Raze, there are two things I need your help with," Queen Marine said. "Magus Alice here wants to work on how to heal the abominations and return everyone to normal. You want to open Ribest to the public, but no public will be coming until the issue of abominations is handled. I’m sure you set your timeline based on the assumption that the issue would be solved by then, correct?"

She leaned forward slightly.

"Well, you can make it faster if you work with her, and help us find a solution to the abomination issue. You’re the one who produced the theory she’s using. With your mind and her skill, it shouldn’t take long."

Raze frowned a little.

"I don’t really know much about soul magic," he said again.

He had already explained this to them once, but now he had to repeat it.

Queen Marine smiled confidently.

"Your mind is powerful. If you were able to think of the logic behind the solution without even knowing soul magic, then working with her will help greatly."

Magus Alice leaned forward with bright, eager eyes.

"Come on now, don’t say no. I really want to talk with you and understand how you came up with that idea."

She looked like a child waiting for presents.

Raze took a slow breath, choosing not to say yes or no yet.

"You said two things," he reminded the Queen. "What is the second?"

Queen Marine nodded.

"The second issue involves two other races. A lizardman tribe and an ogre tribe. They recently clashed in one of the forests near the edge of Vermilion.

Long ago, several tribes were allowed to settle at the outer regions to strengthen relations between humans and other intelligent races. Most of them hate being called monsters, so the treaty was formed to help us humans see them as more than beasts."

She sighed softly.

"But in recent years, the demonic beast attacks along the kingdom’s borders have destroyed much of their land. Now the tribes are fighting each other over what little remains."

Raze listened quietly.

"And what you want me to do," he said, "is help them... and bring them to Ribest?"

"Yes," she replied. "I want you to use Ribest as the point where humans and other races can coexist and rebuild. I, as Queen, cannot openly endorse this. The kingdom would erupt if they believed I was giving land and protection to other races. Politics makes it impossible for me to take direct action."

She leaned back slightly.

"But if you offer an olive branch, if you bring them in, then Ribest can become the center of interracial cooperation. And when the demonic beast attacks grow worse, and they will, we will need every race on our side."

Her gaze sharpened, resolute.

"I would rather all of us stand together... than be separated."

"If you can help me do these two things," Queen Marine said, "not only will I help you with the manpower and resources needed to build up Ribest as you want it, but I’ll also allow you a little freedom in certain aspects, freedom to carry out whatever experiments or adventures you wish within the borders of your town. And I’ll also overlook the fact that you have been opening gates to transport yourself."

When Raze heard the last part, his eyes widened.

He stuttered.

"You knew?"

"I said of course I knew," Queen Marine replied. "I’m literally the Queen of Vermilion. You think I became queen over my siblings by not watching what happens? I know that you use space magic, which on its own is already insane. I might not be able to follow everything you do or monitor you constantly, but certain things like that are hard to miss. Especially when you used it inside an academy where Lady Rose is the headmistress."

She crossed her legs, speaking calmly.

"One of her specialties is space magic, though she rarely uses it. She’s extremely talented in it and can feel even the slightest ripple whenever someone uses space magic. She informed me about your ability, but asked that I don’t act against you. I wasn’t planning to, and I still don’t plan to, if you help me with what I need."

She leaned forward slightly.

"If you do that, you’ll have the freedom to use teleportation and open gates without restriction whenever you want."

Raze was shocked to discover that Lady Rose knew he had been using space magic all along. He forced himself to remain calm.

He took a deep breath.

"Fine. If you can give me every detail needed, I’ll do my best to make sure everything works out. I’m not promising success in either of the two endeavors, but I’m promising that I’ll do what I can," Raze said.

"Good," Queen Marine replied, clapping her hands once. "On that note, I want you to meet someone."

She pointed toward the knight.

The knight removed her helmet.

She revealed herself as a beautiful woman with jet-black hair streaked with silver. Her skin was pale, almost luminous. One eye was silver, the other black. Her expression was sharp, somewhere between cute and dangerously beautiful.

"This is Seraph," Queen Marine said. "She’ll be with you for a while. I want her to observe most of what you do in Ribest and everything related to it. She will double as both an informant and a guard for you."

Queen Marine raised a hand before Raze could misunderstand.

"She is not here to spy on your personal secrets. She is simply here to gather information about what is happening in Ribest. After all, most of the innovations coming out of this town are things rarely seen in Vermilion, and it is something the kingdom needs to understand."

Seraph lowered her head slightly, "Nice meeting you."