[Up to midway, third-person perspective]
“Phew, we finally made it out of the Great Forest.”
“Ah, this area seems peaceful enough.”
On the outskirts of the immense forest known as the Great Forest, which marks the western border of the Fairchild Margrave territory, a strange group appeared.
They collapsed onto the flat plain as if all the tension had drained from them.
They were all short and stocky adults, and each man sported an impressive beard.
“Is everyone accounted for?”
“Oh, it seems so, more or less. Though the chieftain and his wife, who brought up the rear, are missing.”
“Ah, it’s worrying about the chieftain and his wife. But I’m relieved the rest are safe.”
“Do you think we’ll be able to rest safely once we get to town?”
“Who knows. Let’s go and find out first.”
The strange group, after catching their breath, set off on foot towards the nearest town.
Before long, news that a strange group had emerged from the Great Forest reached the Margrave of Fairchild.
Since no one usually comes out of the Great Forest, the report was made with urgency.
“So, a group has come out of the Great Forest and appeared near the town?”
“Yes. They had a peculiar appearance—even the adults were short and stocky. All the men had splendid beards.”
Smith, the butler present, was surprised at the messenger’s words.
“What! That must be the Dwarf Clan, sir. I’ve heard there are demi-humans living beyond the Great Forest.”
“Dwarves, you say? Now that is a rare guest. So, did you find out why they’ve come here?”
“Yes, sir. It seems a horde of monsters appeared in their homeland mountains, so they fled all the way here.”
“So that’s what happened. I’ve heard that dwarves are a people who love their land. For them to leave their homes, it must have been quite serious.”
***
As usual, the family was having breakfast together when the topic of the dwarves who had appeared in the territory came up.
“Father, I heard dwarves appeared from the Great Forest. I’ve heard they are excellent blacksmiths and craftsmen. If we accept them here, wouldn’t they contribute to the development of our domain?”
“That’s true, Eddie. But there are about a hundred of them. We can’t just build houses for them all at once, and Northernford doesn’t have enough room for so many.”
“There are that many? That’s quite a lot.”
Northernford is the capital city of the Fairchild Margrave territory.
With a population of about three thousand, taking in a hundred immigrants would indeed be a challenge.
From my previous life’s memories, three thousand would make a small town, but by medieval standards, it’s a major city.
If I recall correctly, Northernford is one of the leading cities in the Albion Kingdom.
“The dwarves seem to have brought along things like gemstone crafts, so let’s pay them a little extra for those. That way, they can use the money to buy food and supplies for their journey.”
“That’s about all we can do for them, isn’t it?”
My older brother sounded disappointed.
It seems that, in principle, we could take in about twenty or thirty people who wanted to stay, but since the dwarves had fled as a whole clan, they didn’t want to be separated.
Those who couldn’t fit in the inns had already begun camping outdoors.
Once they’d bought food and travel gear, they would surely leave this place.
Soon, autumn would deepen, and the cold would become harsh.
It would be a tough journey for them.
What should I do?
With my Production Skill, I could probably build houses right away.
But doing something like that would make me stand out.
I just want to live quietly in the frontier.
Still, if I don’t help those I can, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.
After thinking it over, I made up my mind.
“Then, I’ll build houses for the dwarves.”
“You, Will? For a hundred people?”
“No matter how good you are with your Production Skill, I doubt you can build homes for a hundred people right away.”
Neither Father nor my brother thought it was possible.
But I was sure I could manage somehow.
“I was able to build a warehouse in a short time, so I don’t think houses will take much longer. If a carpenter draws up the plans for me and I understand the interior structure, I should be able to construct them with my Production Skill, just like with the warehouse.”
“The only question is whether I have enough magic power to build so many houses, but according to Erika-sensei, my magic reserves exceed even those of the Court Magician Chief in the royal capital.”
Father and my brother both looked astonished when they heard I had more magic power than the Court Magician Chief.
“Judging from how much magic I used when I built the warehouse, I think I can build about five houses per day. So in about a week, I should be able to build homes for a hundred people.”
After pondering for a while, Father nodded, “All right, understood. I’ll gather the materials, so give it a try.”
With Father’s approval, I went to visit the carpenter who had drawn up the plans for the warehouse.
“Hello, Craft.”
“Oh, hello, Master William.”
Craft is a highly skilled carpenter whom the Margrave family often hires.
“Thank you for drawing up the warehouse plans the other day.”
“No, no, it’s incredible that you could make something so big just by looking at the plans and then using your Production Skill.”
Craft said this with a big smile.
He’s a kind and reliable uncle.
“Actually, I came to ask for another favor.”
“Oh? What would you like me to build this time?”
“Yes, about a hundred dwarves have fled from the Great Forest, and I want to build houses for them. It would be best to ask all the carpenters, but they have nowhere to live and it’s about to get cold, so I’d like to build them quickly with my Production Skill.”
“I see, yes, building enough houses for a hundred people would take us several months. But the dwarves need houses right away. Understood, I’ll help you.”
“Thank you very much. That’s a huge help.”
I’d end up taking the carpenters’ work by building the houses myself, but they still agreed to help.
I was grateful for that.
I needed to do my best to build good houses for everyone’s sake.
“So, what kind of houses do you have in mind?”
“I’d like houses where you can feel the warmth of wood. I want the dwarves, who barely escaped from the Great Forest with their lives, to be able to relax in their new homes.”
“I see.”
I explained the concept of a log house to Craft.
In my previous life, I’d always thought it’d be nice to have a log cabin as a vacation home.
Of course, I never had the money to actually make that happen.
“Oh, so you use logs for the walls? Kind of like a lumberjack’s cabin—that sounds interesting. I’ll draw up the plans and deliver them to the manor.”
“I’m counting on you.”
As a seasoned carpenter, Craft was able to draw up plans showing the interior structure of a log house by the next day.
He even included notes on ensuring a proper foundation for durability and safety, which was very helpful.
I’ll report to Father and make sure he’s properly compensated.