—Then, why do you hate them?
‘Because that stinky Casanova ruined my first love. And right in front of my very eyes to boot.’
Apollo, the damn God of Archery, was a sleazy man from the High Elf Race. He was also the reason why Davey’s fantasy and image of an elf had been ruined.
—Your innocence and fantasy have been ruined?
‘Death Lord Rho Aias was my first love.’
One day, Davey had gone to Rho Aias’ lodgings to train his dark magic. However, upon his arrival, he had witnessed Apollo and Rho Aias entering the bedroom together. That sight had left him in a daze for a few days.
What had happened after the two entered the bedroom? Had there been an alternative ending aside from the most obvious one? Of course not. Just like oil in a frying pan, Davey had burned bright red from what he had seen. It was only natural. After all, he had entered the Hall at only ten years old.
Compared to those heroes, who had lived for thousands of years, Davey had just been a bloody childish brat. Well, it was true that he had been a brat, but how could they have destroyed a child’s innocence like that?
When he had finally returned to his senses, Davey had run straight to where Saintess Daphne had been and had told her everything. It was safe to say that the events that followed after had been very fun and interesting. All Davey could say was that it had served them right! They had reaped what they had sown!
—How could you be so childish…?
‘You’ve been single since birth. You will never understand the shock that I felt back then.’
—You really are a bastard.
The furious ex-Demon Lord tugged Davey’s earlobe and yelled at him.
Davey did not like tough and ill-tempered women. Rho Aias with her bright smile and soft, innocent, and elegant image, was still and would always be Davey's ideal type and first love.
‘A person only has one first love in their entire life.’
In his past life, Davey had only lived up to twenty years old. When living that life, he had spent almost every single moment inside a sterile room accompanied by educational videos, comics, movies, games, and the internet gallery. He had done that from a young age until his very death. Of course, he had never interacted with anyone and could only watch.
As for his current life, he had fallen into a coma the moment he had turned ten. Needless to say, it was very difficult for Davey to find an ideal type, which that high elf had easily ruined. With that incident alone, the list of crimes that the sleazy and crazy high elf had done had grown longer, ruining Davey’s fantasy about the elves and forcing him to hate anyone who was of the same race.
“Didn’t you have something to say to me?”
“Th… uhm… Something urgent suddenly came up.” Jack took one, two steps back. His voice faltered before disappearing completely from Davey’s sight. In the end, he still failed to say anything to Davey.
—Why did you do that?
‘I was just joking. I didn’t think that he would run away like that.’
However, one thing was clear. What Jack, or Aina Helishana, wanted Davey to do was somewhat related to the elves.
“I really like the elves’…spirit magic.”
Well, the elves’ spirit magic might not be any more powerful than his spirit magic since Davey’s affinity with the spirits had been forcibly modified to go beyond his race’s limitations. Still, he liked the fact that the elves could use spirit magic. It was a solution to his problems. After all, if Davey personally managed and maintained even the smallest part of his territory, then it would mean that the territory’s vitality and life would end once he died.
“I should try to secretly summon some spirits.”
—Isn’t it hard to do here?
“As long as the place is good, then it would not be too hard to do some summoning. I have to get ready. The most ideal place would be the elven forest just right outside the territory… I’m used to dealing with spirits, but this will be my first time summoning them…so I’m still not sure.”
Davey had learned how to use spirit magic by borrowing spirits. This was because they hadn’t been allowed to summon spirits in the Hall. However, the most important reason why he had to make preparations was…
“Just one look at that, and I know that I won’t be able to do it now.”
***
As soon as the plan was in place, things began changing rapidly. The water supply was connected to the newly built residential area, allowing the residents to tap cold and hot water at any time of the day in the comfort of their own homes. And that was not all. By combining Davey’s knowledge and the dwarves’ unique technology, they were able to tinker with the buildings’ designs and make its foundation sturdier and more solid. And by changing the building’s internal structure, they were able to create modern-day buildings.
Of course, buildings built with premium materials were bound to be expensive. For ordinary people who lived day by day, living in a building like this was like a pie in the sky. But this problem could be easily handled. The territory’s management provided these houses free-of-charge if the ordinary people sold their old houses at a bargain price.
Davey, despite having been pointed at and called crazy, still pushed through with this plan. After all, he had plenty of money left over since his Heins Territory had amassed too much wealth for a territory that had less than 10,000 residents. Because of that, the territory’s image was enhanced even further, and the residents’ faces were filled with great joy, vitality, and anticipation for the future.
The losses that they incurred for these projects were not that important. In fact, the most important part was the fact that the territory’s outward appearance and reputation had increased significantly. This was their biggest advantage. The territory no longer looked like a small village lined with shabby and old houses, but a sparkling and clean territory lined up with pretty houses. It was a view that was hard to see even in the capital.
“Ahahahaha! Catch me if you can!”
“Hey! You’re dead if I get my hands on you!!!”
Davey watched as a little girl chased after a boy, who seemed to have escaped after flipping her skirt up. Seeing this lively and happy scene in the territory, Davey could not help but sit back and relax. Of course, one could not enjoy this peaceful scenery if they were walking along the streets, so he had made sure to furnish his personal resting spot complete with a pavilion and some benches.
“I like this…peaceful atmosphere.”
—I feel like this warm sun and nice, firm thighs add a sense of drowsiness in the air.
Davey completely ignored the words that came out of Perserque’s mouth. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the wooden bench. As if influenced by the relaxed atmosphere, Perserque also showed no signs of getting up. She continued to cling to Davey’s thigh, her eyes closed as if to take a nap. The warm and suitable temperature of the air blowing on their skin was a very nice sensation. In the end, they were both being carried away by the lazy and peaceful atmosphere.
“Cough. Ah, I did not see you there, young man.”
Suddenly, a voice rang out in the area, surprising Davey. Just moments ago, there were no signs of anyone being around.
Although this was Davey’s personal resting spot, it wasn’t a violation of any rules for someone else to enter the area. He did not prohibit anyone from entering, so this sudden appearance of a person was not a problem.
Davey, who finally raised his head from the back of the bench, saw a smiling old man who approached from a distance. Then, he called out, “Gramps?”
“Hoho. This is the liveliest and most vibrant territory that I have seen lately. Ah, can I sit next to you?”
Davey habitually used the Abyss’ Authority on the old man, whose identity immediately popped up in front of his eyes.
‘Isn’t he quite an unexpected visitor?’
—What you said.
Davey wondered if someone like this old man was truly easy to meet on the streets. It was as if the old man was just one of the local grandpas walking around and exercising, considering how easy they met right now.
***
“Hoho. Young man, you look quite relaxed. It seems like you’re very comfortable here.”
If asked if he was relaxed, of course Davey would answer that he was very comfortable and relaxed. “It is very peaceful, isn’t it?”
“Of course. But I believe it’s the residents’ bright and happy smiles that make this land vibrant and lively.”
For those who struggled to survive, being given the minimum amount of necessities like food, clothing, and shelter was like giving them a purpose in life. It was their hope for the future, which in turn gave them energy to work hard and do their best not only for themselves but also for their territory.
Davey worked very hard to achieve that. He gave the people plenty of benefits and implemented many welfare policies to restore the people’s pride, self-esteem, and sense of purpose. He even went so far as to clean up all the dirty streams and wells, the source of the territory’s sanitary problems, and allowed the people to tap clean water through the water pipes that they had installed all over the territory.
With the dwarves’ solid technical skills and Davey’s magic, as well as their literal gold spoon, their territories' vast amount of capital and funds, they were able to create this masterpiece. And of course, the ones who enjoyed the benefits of their gold spoon were the territory’s residents.
Davey believed that his income and profits would increase as long as the residents’ quality of living increased. And if the quality of living increased, the population would naturally grow larger, which in turn would increase the territory’s morale and profits.
Changing people's lives to create a future where they helped each other was one of the changes that Davey wanted to implement. Exploiting others was a concept that existed since ancient times, a problem that persisted even in the modern era where Davey had lived his previous life. However, Davey wanted to see a different world. That was why he was changing things up. Although, it was quite hard for him to predict when this kind of change would reach its fullest potential.
—But when people get too comfortable, they eventually become lazy.
‘We have to be good at balancing on that tightrope.’
There were, of course, pros and cons. The pros were a good and comfortable life. However, it could also have a negative effect on security, an area where plenty of problems could arise as well as the territory’s development.
“I have seen several other territories and cities in my life, but there are only a few places as vibrant and lively as this place.”
“You must have been to a lot of places, gramps.”
“Hoho. I loved the thrill of a new adventure when I was younger. Hoho! There was a time when I walked through a vast plain with just my long sword, a staff, and my gray robe and hat,” the old man, who was sitting on the other end of the bench, stroked his well-groomed beard with a delighted smile on his face. “It seems like this territory’s seigneur is quite capable.”
“The seigneur… Ah. Yes.”
“From what I heard, the seigneur is a prince who is not even in his 20s yet. Do you know anything about him?”
“Who knows… I don’t have an idea about what those high-ranking people think.” Davey didn’t feel like revealing his identity here.
“One look and it seems like the seigneur is after something else. Children smiling happily… Kind and friendly dwarves that easily adapted and assimilated into a human’s way of living… Various merchant groups, magic towers, temples, and schools of alchemy from all over the continent…”
“Hmm.”
“A place that first developed commerce would naturally attract plenty of people. However, from my long years of travel, I know that having a very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere is quite counterproductive. This territory’s seigneur seems quite capable, since he is balancing the territory quite well to achieve some balance.” With a laugh, the old man continued, “Since we’ve already met… Young man, how about playing a game with an old man like me?”
Smiling at the frolicking children, Davey turned his head when he heard the old man’s words. “What game are you talking about?”
“How about that famous board game in the Pallan Empire?”
It was chess. No, to be exact, it was a strategy game that used similar terms and rules with chess called Olde. Davey thought that it had been quite a while since he had fun, so there was no harm in trying. Besides, he was also curious why an old man of his position had come here. Davey agreed to the old man’s proposal without revealing his identity, of course.
“Do you know how to set up and play Olde?”
“Well, you can say that I like it quite a bit.”
“Hoho! Young man, I like that look on you! Alright, I will leave the rules up to you. Do you want to play using the Eastern Style or the Central Style?”
Davey pondered for a moment before opening his mouth to say, “Let’s do it with the Harmattan Style.”
“You…” The old man looked quite astonished. He commented, “The Harmattan Style was a very popular style of playing before the Eastern and Central styles came out.”
“It’s because I’m very interested in history.”
In truth, Davey was not really that interested in history. However, he knew about this because he had interacted with living witnesses of that era. The Harmattan Style was the popular playing rules during the time when Saintess Daphne had been active, and it was also the playing rule that Davey was most familiar with. Although its rules had changed a bit over time, its original structure remained the same.
“Hoho! That’s amazing, really amazing. Good, let’s set it up in the Harmattan Style.” Perhaps it was because the old man was motivated; he quickly lined up the pieces with a nice and friendly smile on his face. He went on, “Look at these pieces. You know, this is actually a high-end luxurious item used by high-ranking nobles for entertainment. It’s an item enchanted with magic that automatically prevents foul play just by putting these pieces on top of the board. How about this? If you defeat me, I’ll give this to you as a gift.”
“Well, that’s fine with me.” Davey nodded.
“Even though I don’t look the part, I am still an elder. I will concede the first move to you.”
Davey immediately thought that he should probably be more senior than this old man if they actually compared their souls’ ages. Since it was quite interesting and fun to play the game in this way, he let the old man be.
Olde was a strategy game quite similar to chess. Although they had slight differences in their rules, the fact that the two players would have to deal with and fight each other with their own tactics were the same. For a moment, Davey was a bit curious about how good this honorable man was when it came to reading and anticipating his opponent’s tactics. Besides, he could tell that the old man had proposed this game with a different intention in mind.
‘I’m not going to let you win so easily, gramps.’
Davey grinned as he adjusted his position to a more comfortable one before reaching out.
“Soldiers, knights and priests. All of these pieces are important. I wonder which piece you will move first.”
Davey, after hearing the old man’s question, immediately grabbed the king. He did not hesitate. “It doesn’t matter how important they are. If the king does not move, then there’s no way that the soldiers will follow.”
The curiosity and interest displayed on the man’s face deepened at Davey’s words. It seemed like he already noticed that Davey had found out about his true intentions.
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