When Ruri reported my grandpa's death, the village chief and the blonde woman were shocked. "Can it be true? Lord Tadashi has..." "Yes. His health had been declining for a while..." "Indeed, he mentioned feeling unwell the last time we met." "Yes. And so, I regret that I've been unable to deliver the medicine until now." Ruri bowed deeply. "Ah, no, in that case it was simply unavoidable." "That's why today I've brought along Tatsuya-san, Lord Tadashi's grandson." With that, Ruri looked up at me. I, who had been on standby near the entrance, made my way to where the village chief was. "Pleased to meet you. My name is Tatsuya Yamada, the grandson of Tadashi. It seems my grandfather was in your debt during his lifetime..." "Not at all! We are the ones who owe him. I am Daryl, the village chief here." The village chief bowed his head. "Village Chief-san, please take this first." With those words, I used spatial magic to produce some medicine and handed it to the village chief. "What's this?" "It's a remedy for back pain. After hearing about the circumstances from Ruri and Miriam yesterday, I prepared it right away." Actually i just made it a second ago. "Village Chief-san, Tatsuya-san will be taking over Lord Tadashi's duties. Today we have come to make our introductions." "Is that true?" As Ruri explains, the village chief looks over to confirm. "Yes, that's what I plan. However, I must admit, I'm still a novice and currently training in magic." In fact, I'm quite the amateur. "No, no. It's wonderful that you have a talent for magic. But I see, you're the heir..." The village chief starts to look concerned. "Is there a problem?" "Ah, no, it's just that I was discussing a similar matter with someone right before this." The village chief glances at the blonde woman seated as he says this. "And who might she be?" "She is the auditor of this village." An auditor? "Let me explain, village chief. My name is Monica, and I serve as the village auditor. Think of an auditor as someone sent from the capital to oversee the village." The blonde woman started talking. "So like an overseer?" "Yes. It's my role to report any misconduct and progress back to the capital. Although, that's just the official line; in reality, magicians are essential for development projects, so I've been sent here to help with that." So that means, she's a magician. Young and already burdened with such responsibilities.

"You're a magician? That explains it..." I had a feeling she was a magician, what with the robe and all. Because that specific part of her has grown so spectacularly, I have to be carefull with my gaze... "So you can tell..." Of course. "What's this similar story you mentioned?" "Well, as you can see, the village chief is quite old. Moreover, he's suffering from a serious back problem, which is making it hard for him to carry out his duties. That's the issue we've been discussing." He definitely looks old. Almost indistinguishable from a dead old man. "You are planning to retire?" I ask the village chief. "Yes. I never know when my time might come. If the village chief were to die suddenly, it would trouble everyone. Hence, while I'm still able, I'd like to pass on the responsibilities to someone else and ensure a smooth transition." That does sound like a sensible approach. "I see. That seems like a wise decision." "Right. That brings me to my request. I would very much like Tatsuya to be the one to take over." Huh? "Me? Are you asking me?" "Yes." "Uh, this is all a bit too sudden for me to grasp, don't you think?" This is even more abrupt than last week's meeting with Ruri. "Becoming the village chief isn't something just anyone can do. Actually, there's a most crucial matter." "What is it?" Magic? "Reading and writing. Plus arithmetic." Ahh... I see. "Is it possible that the village chief is the only one here who can do that?" "Yes, indeed. Monica here is capable too, but she is strictly an auditor. She can't become the village chief." The literacy rate must be low... Well, it could be that only those without education undertake development projects like this. "Can't you bring someone in from outside?" "We've been considering that, but ideally, we would prefer someone from our own village. It's hard to hand over our work we've struggled with to an outsider, and the villagers wouldn't look too kindly on it." I can understand that, but... "What about me? I just got here today, remember?" "No, you are the grandchild and heir of the esteemed Grand Mage Tadashi, who has greatly contributed to this village. Surely, everyone would accept you." Grand Mage you say... "Eh? Really?" "Yes. We would be very grateful."

But still... I do have my own work to do... Maybe I should discuss this with Ruri and Miriam when I get back. It's wise to avoid rushing and to consider it carefully, acting like an adult would. "Sorry, I can't give you an answer right now. After all, I've only just taken over my grandfather's legacy recently." "Of course, I'm not in any rush myself. I'm certainly not planning on dying just yet. Wahaha." That's not funny. "Village Chief-san, We've only come to deliver the medicine and introduce ourselves, so I hope you'll excuse us if we leave now." I'm not sure if Ruri read my mind, but she's wrapping things up for me. "Sure. Thank you for the medicine." The village chief said that and placed a gold coin on the table. "And this is...?" "Your payment. It's two silver coins per pill." So, ten silver coins make one gold coin(?) then? "Alright, accepted." I took the coin that appeared to be gold, and left the house with Ruri and Miriam. We then looked around the village. There are people of all trades here, but the majority are quite young. "Even children are here..." Two boys were playing tag. "It's probably because pioneering is such hard work." "Well, someone like the village chief is important too, but mostly it comes down to physical strength, meow." Ruri and Miriam explained the situation to me. "What about that girl Monica? She's a magician, right?" It seems she could do the logging with magic with no end in sight. "The main role of an auditor is to create protective barriers. They also provide aid to those who are injured or ill." I thought the reply came from behind me, and when I turned,Monica stood right infront of me. "What's a barrier?" "It's to keep monsters from invading the village. It's quite dangerous. That's the reason i have been sent from the royal capital." So she's from the royal capital, huh? "Ah, I see... That's quite impressive for someone so young." "No... to put it bluntly, getting assigned to a frontier development project like this usually means you're a dropout." Oh... "My apologies." "No, it's alright... Having a job at all is something to be thankful for. Plus, after living here for a year, I've found everyone to be kind, so I'm motivated to do my best. Anyway, I'll be off." Monica said this with a smile before walking away. After bidding farewell to Monica, we too left the village to head home.