Dee, Irv, and Lowe draw their swords and hold them up. The villagers cling to the ballista and look down at the Apcarles.
Apathetic to the flurry of activity above them, the Apcarles came a step closer to us, although still shoulder-deep in the waterways and moats.
The Apcarles were adorable children yesterday, but this time they are all men and women of different ages. However, as far as I can see, I donāt see anyone who looks to be over forty years old.
They are mostly comprised of young men and women, the rest being mainly children.
They all have beautiful blue hair, and I get the impression that most of them have a beautiful appearance. Well, itās hard to say, because I heard their lower bodies look like a fishās.
While I was looking at them, an apcarle in his late thirties looked up at me and opened his mouth.
āā¦The boy there. Iād like to talk to you.ā
The man looked at me straight in the face as he said that.
Itās an old man with a scary look in his eyes. I need to call Dee over to my sideā¦ Iām too scared to face him without a bodyguard. (T.N. Note: Original MTL used āOjikarlā to describe the 30-year-old apcarle. I just found that to be funny.)
As I was calling up my bodyguard, Bell, who was a merchant, came up to me for some reason.
āApcarles sometimes do business with some merchants. I donāt know where they procure them, but they are in possession of a large amount of rare materials, and among the merchants, trading with Apkallu is a great business opportunityā¦ā
Bell said this with a glint in his eyes. That enthusiasm is not half bad. Well, Iām interested in that rare material, and itās probably okay to let Bell have a business meeting with the.
Thinking so, I allow him to accompany me.
I lower the drawbridge, open the gate, and step outside. The grizzly looking Apcarle is looking at us with only his face peeking out of the water.
Itās an unsettling image. It looks almost like a floating decapitated head.
āThank you for taking care of my daughter.ā (T.N. Note: Hoooo boy, I got their gender right this time. Now I donāt have to change the gender pronouns.)
āDaughter? Oh, the girl from yesterday.ā
So she told her father that she got some food from a strangerās house?
The man nodded slightly then narrowed his eyes.
āā¦I heard that you defeated some Armored Dragons.ā
āWell, I guess you could consider the credit to be mine.ā
When I answered that in resignation, the Apcarles suddenly became rowdy.
āHow could a childā¦?ā
āIs he a powerful magician?ā
āSurely he had some help, look. Donāt those humans look strong?ā
They exchange theories in small voices. It seems that they can tell that Dee, Orto, and the others are strong. Perhaps it is the āstrong-guyā aura they emanate?
As I was musing to myself, the father opened his mouth with a grim face.
āIāll acknowledge your ability, young man. Marry my daughter, Ladapriolaā
āWhat? Marry?ā
I experienced extreme emotional whiplash at the declaration that was suddenly uttered.
What are you talking about, old man? And whoās Ladapriola? Is that the girl from yesterday? I canāt even see her in the crowd today.
I had a small panic attack.
When I looked disbelievingly at the father, he gave me a displeased look and opened his mouth.
āDonāt tell me youāre not happy about your upcoming marriage? Ladapriola is the only daughter of my great self, the magnificent Ladavesta. She is already beautiful and will only grow in her beauty. She will glow like a shining jewel!ā
āThatās great, but where is Ladapriola?ā
When I asked this, Ladavesta pointed diagonally behind him. Squinting, I could see her in the distance.
She was saying something to the other kids, gesturing at the village wall.
Sheās playing with a kid who seems to be her friend.
Where did this marriage proposal come from? When I looked at Ladavesta thinking that, I was given an arrogant, understanding look.
āThe Lada tribe has never had any connection with humans. But in recent years, Armored Dragons have turned our river into their personal watering hole. Therefore, I was seeking a strong man to wed my daughter too.ā
āI see.ā
I nodded hesitantly.
In other words, there are a lot of scary hexenbiests these days, and you want to be friends with a strong human to ensure your tribeās safety. To ensure an alliance, you are giving your daughter of as a wife.
Itās like a political marriage in the Warring States period.
Well, Iāve heard itās common among the nobility as well, but I never received such a proposal. Of course, due to my status.
āThen we will live near you, my son-in-law. This watering hole does belong to you, right?ā
āWhat watering hole? Do you mean this moat? I would have to say no to that, there is to much foot traffic here and youāll scare the people who cross over it. Is it okay for you guys to live in the lake instead?ā
When I replied, Ladavesta nodded quietly and led his people to the lake.
Huh? Wait a moment, arenāt I acknowledging the marriage by letting them live in the lake?
āHey, you donāt need to marry your daughter off! Iāll protect you guys regardless.ā
I insisted aloud, but the Apcarles had already dived into the water and headed for the lake.
Did they get the message?
As I tilted my head, a bright-eyed Bell approached me.
āOh, um! If you can get your hands on any rare materials, please do me a favor and hand them over so that I can sell them in my store.ā
I nodded my head in agreement.
āDonāt worry, I will provide the rare materials if I get any.ā
āI canāt believe my luck. What a day.ā
The villagers were just making smalltalk, as they didnāt have a clear idea of what was going on.
The only one not engaging in this pleasant banter was Espada, who was snarling with a slightly grim face.
āYou have been given a great opportunity, just thatā¦ I am unsure as to how your father will react to your fiance being an Apcarle.ā
I want to retort aloud. Why does everyone act as though the engagement has been confirmed?
I look at Till, troubled, and see her looking down with a very complicated face.
āI, well, if Van-sama has chosen to wed that girl, thenā¦ā¦ā
Till was in visible distress. However, she didnāt need to worry, I will clear things up with the Apcarle chief. The marriage will stop at being an idea, and I will not allow it to spiral into something more than that.
With that in mind, I headed to the lake to see what they were doing, only to find that the lake had already been taken over by the Apcarles.
There were adult Apcarles chatting idly near the shore, and children playing in the water near the center of the lake.
Itās a peaceful scene, but I feel as though they have completely left their guards down, they are leaving themselves too vulnerable.
āā¦Since Iāve decided to take them in, letās make sure we follow through with our promise to protect them.ā
I muttered, then ordered Espada.
āCan you extend the left and right bank of the lake? I want to make a boathouse.ā
āA boathouseā¦ that is, housing for small boats and the like?ā
āYes. During a storm or other such event, it would be handy to have a boathouse so we can store the boat inside and prevent any potential damages to them. It should also have areas for temporary housing of people who might be stranded due to the event.ā
When I answered that, Espada gave me an impressed look.
āIāve never heard of such a building before, I am certain that there are no such buildings in the entirety of the kingdom. Is it in the style of a maritime nation? ā¦To think that the young master has learned something which even I donāt knowā
āYeah, yeah. Letās focus on the construction, Iād like to get it done quickly. Ah, Kamsin. Could you gather some people and carry woodblocks over to the construction site?.ā
āOf course, Iāll gather the villagers right away!ā
Thus, two lakeside rest areas, which could almost be called lakeside estates, were completed.
This renovation was a big hit with the Apcarles. There were a lot of adults who stayed in the resting place, and they were even of the opinion that the rest areas were too small.
I suppose we should make another boathouse on the far side of the lake as well.
Well, that was for the future. For now, I simple focused on building another gate and drawbridge in the backside of the village, to allow for easier access to the lake.
This allowed the villagers, who had been scared at first, to start interacting with Aparcles a little more.
It seems that when you share your crops and meat with them, the surprisingly well-behaved Apcarles will bring you all sorts of ores. Those who sell them to Bell gain a significant amount of cash in return.
Bellās savings were running dry, but I felt no need to intervene.
Although no traces of the former frontier village were left, everyone seemed to be happy, so I suppose I did a good job.