The Cursed Forest Where I Was Exiled Had Somehow Been Designated As A Sanctuary. - Awakened to the Purification skill, I, Surrounded By Divine Dragons And Great Spirits, Become The King of A Nation - Episode 34

Yugushiru Village in the afternoon.

The square in front of the exchange was bustling with villagers having a slightly late lunch.

And among them is Robert’s figure.

He was happily eating a sandwich with a young woman and a small child.

It’s Robert’s wife Anna and their daughter Sarah.

“Zess is right. He was pushing himself too hard.”

Yugushiru murmurs to Zess, who is having lunch nearby just like Robert and the others.

“You look very happy right now.”

“Yeah, I’m really grateful to the people at the Silk Trading Company.”

A few days after the news that Robert’s family had been found.

Anna and the others were sent to Yggdrasil Village via the “Trade Route.”

At first, the two were cautious, but upon recognizing Robert, they embraced, shedding tears of reunion, and immediately decided to move to Yggdrasil Village.

After Robert, who was a nobleman in clerical robes, was executed and expelled from the royal castle, Anna, along with her daughter, escaped the capital and has been working in a nearby town to support Sara.

And when Sara was able to live on her own, it seems she was planning to venture into the Great Forest alone, and Zess once again thought it was a good decision to ask the Silk Trading Company for help.

“But well, I never thought it would come to this, you know.”

Zess also looks over the square with a sandwich in one hand.

Among the dwarves and elves, there are also a few humans besides Robert.

――Since then. Haku and Sonia have discovered several nobles who were sent to the Great Forest Sea during the forest purge.

While rescuing them and hearing their circumstances, just like Robert, the number continued to increase.

Just as they had been sent to the Great Forest for opposing Keiras and Bauman, they, who had been part of the privileged noble class, adapted to the village just as flexibly as Robert.

Additionally, their abilities and experiences as nobles greatly contribute to the management of Yggdrasil Village.

However, there were also problems.

Being a noble of the Arclight Kingdom, they naturally know about Zess’s background as well.

Furthermore, they saved those who were in the desperate situation of being sentenced to the forest execution, lived with great spirits and dragons, and built a peaceful land.

“Your Highness Zess! The Great Spirit is also in high spirits!”

The former nobleman, who had just finished his work, respectfully bowed his head to Zess and the others as he passed by.

“That’s why I’m not a prince anymore.”

“Hehe, I don’t feel bad about it.”

Contrary to Zess, who was waving his hand lightly, Yggdrasil looked a bit smug.

It seemed to Zess that the title “Your Highness” was not only being used by the former nobles but was gradually spreading among the villagers as well, and he was quite troubled by it.

That night, Robert visited the house accompanied by Larrado, the elf tribe chief, and the former nobles.

“Transition of the asset management system?”

“Yes. Currently, in this village, under the communal property system, food and luxury goods are evenly distributed throughout the village. However, at the current scale, this is far too inefficient. It would be more desirable to have individuals hold assets and collect a certain tax from them to allocate for the village’s infrastructure development, in order to maintain a high standard of happiness for both individuals and the community as a whole.”

After finishing the dinner Peter made and drinking the tea Flora prepared, Robert hands over the documents to Jess while making his case.

The document summarizes the current stagnation in the village’s development, its causes, and proposed solutions.

In short, it was an encouragement to transition from the current system of sharing assets among the entire village to individual ownership.

Since the incident with the luxury goods, Zess has been feeling the same kind of issues.

Since the trade with the Silk Guild began, Yggdrasil Village has prospered.

The village development has settled down to some extent, and the shared assets are being used for luxury items.

However, the desired luxury goods were as numerous as the people themselves, and there were inevitably inefficiencies in conducting trade that could satisfy everyone.

“This kernel has experience in enacting laws for the territory, so I thought it would be foolproof with his assistance.”

Saying that, Robert introduces the man next to him.

He was also a noble of the kingdom who had been sent to the Great Forest Sea as punishment.

“Did you listen to everyone’s opinions?”

“Of course.”

In agreement with Robert, the Larrado standing behind him also nod.

It seems that the groundwork has already been laid for the proposal.

This area really shows the expertise of a treasury officer working in the royal castle, doesn’t it?

In the royal castle swirling with intrigue, while feeling the weight of his position, he also sensed Robert’s sense of justice from the background of his being sent to the forest.

Zess, after a brief silence, reviewed the documents again and nodded slightly.

“Yeah, I think it’s a good idea. I also felt the need to have some money I could use freely.”

At Zess’s reply, Robert and the others let out a sigh of relief.

“Then, I will work diligently with Colonel towards the establishment of the law. I will report to you as soon as the draft is finalized.”

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”

“And, regarding the use of the collected tax revenue—namely, the final decision-making authority for the village’s infrastructure development projects will, of course, be entrusted to you, Lord Zess.”

“Huh?”

“To take command from the same position as us is structurally too distorted. Of course, we have no complaints about it, but――”

“……Huh?”

“After all, it is only fitting that we formally request Lord Zess to reign as the ruler of Yggdrasil Village.”

“Uh, uh…?”

As Robert’s plea gradually becomes more heated, Zess, left behind, directs a bewildered gaze at them.

However, Robert and the dozen or so villagers were staring back with lively expressions.

◆　◆　◆

At that time in the Arclight Kingdom, the lands of the lords who had been sentenced to the punishment of being sent into the forest, creating a power vacuum, were directly governed by the royal family, extending the authority of the monarchy even to the local regions.

The remaining nobles also swear absolute loyalty to the royal family and are gathering the prescribed taxes by any means necessary.

Thanks to that, the entire royal capital was more prosperous than ever before.

Meanwhile, King Keiras and his people are facing a problem.

It was the deficit in tax revenue from the territories taken from the feudal lords.

The outflow of subjects to other countries could not be stopped, and the wealthy areas were experiencing further prosperity, while the opposite was falling into deeper poverty.

The local security had collapsed, and the impact on the central region could no longer be ignored, so Keiras and the others made a decision.

That was the invasion of the Great Forest Sea, which had been inviolable until then.

“Hey, do we really have to go to the Great Tree Sea?”

“They say there are strong monsters swarming all over the place, right? Sending troops to a place like that is just insane.”

“Rumor has it that if you stay in the Great Forest for too long, you’ll lose your sanity.”

The western part of the Arclight Kingdom. In the plains bordering the Great Tree Sea, an army dispatched from the royal capital was gathering.

Even from a distance, the Great Forest exudes an eerie presence.

As the soldiers trembled at the sight before them, the trumpet was sounded.

The soldiers, who had been in an uproar until then, all turn to face forward at once.

As the music played by the band settled, Crown Prince Bauman appeared on the lavishly set stage at the front.

With a smile unbefitting of his twelve years, Baumann glared at the soldiers and simply said one word to them.

“— ‘Authority Control'”

A mysterious power is permeating the entire army.

They forgot the fear they had held until just a moment ago and engraved a single absolute realization in their hearts.

“Long live His Highness Baumann!”

Someone shouted that.

“Long live the Arclight Kingdom!”

“Long live His Majesty King Keiras!”

The applause spreads like waves, filling the plains.

And so, Baumann, who is at the center of it all, declares with a look full of delight.

“Alright, let’s conquer the Great Forest Sea.”