Chapter Twenty-Eight: Back to Town

Popot somehow produced a grass-green hemp braid.

“An elven item?” Kana asked, somewhat surprised.

The grass-green hemp braid bore the unmistakable style of elven weaving. Elven items were always easy to recognize.

Of course, there were plenty of imitations as well.

“You have a good eye.” Popot praised him, giving the braid in his hand a little shake. “I acquired it while traveling—a memento from a wood-elf forest ranger.

“When those rats captured me, they took it away and then threw it aside. I secretly retrieved it afterward.

“If you want it, you can have it. After all, you saved my life.”

Kana nodded, took the braid, and without hesitation infused it with magic.

【Magic: 2/12】

He had converted two items into data in a single day, leaving him with only two points of magic.

Looking at the braid in his hand, he saw:

【Forest Ranger’s Braid】

【Armband—Hemp Band—Common】

【Attributes: Toughness, Comfort】

【Traits: Forest Watcher, Ranger’s Eye】

【Forest Watcher: When the wearer is in woodland or forest—Agility increased (Agility+)】

【Ranger’s Eye: When the wearer shoots with a bow—Gains “Focus” (Accuracy+)】

【Rating: A guardian of the forest, a ranger who protects nature. Woven from materials willingly offered by nature.

Enemy of nature, beware. I see you!】

It was a fine item—unquestionably a fine item.

“Thanks. I like it very much.”

Seeing his satisfaction, Popot finally relaxed with relief.

“I’m glad you like it.”

A commotion came from ahead.

Kana turned his head and saw Blake approaching with the guards, followed by Joniel and the others.

They were dragging several rat corpses behind them.

Joniel came forward and bowed. His eyes flicked toward the white rat standing beside Kana.

“Your Highness, we killed a total of thirty-six rats. A few others escaped.”

Kana nodded. “We don’t have many people. Killing this many is enough. The rats that escaped won’t survive for long.

“Throw the corpses into those pits and bury them. In a way, we’ll be helping them return home. But this one’s head must be cut off.”

The rat whose head was to be severed was the one that had entered the town the previous night, killed the woman, and carried off her child.

Several soldiers looked toward the pits scattered throughout the camp. The rats had dug them in preparation for use as nests.

Throwing the corpses in and burying them could indeed be considered sending them home.

The soldiers got to work, and before long they had cleared away the corpses nearby.

Some bodies were left behind at the rear of the woodland. No one could be bothered to go back for them, so they were left there to return to nature.

“All right. One threat has been dealt with. It’s time to head back.”

With that, Kana led everyone out of the forest.

Only Popot walked beside him, visibly uncomfortable. She could clearly feel the eyes of everyone around her.

Those gazes were filled with vigilance, curiosity, and disgust.

When they reached the place where the ship was moored, the men guarding it were startled at the sight of Popot.

But when they saw that Kana and the others showed no concern, they relaxed. Even so, their eyes remained fixed on Popot.

They returned to the town.

The villagers all saw the enormous rat’s head.

Kana and Joniel personally carried the little girl back to the home where she had once lived.

“Mommy, where’s Mommy?” the girl suddenly asked. She did not know that her mother was already dead.

For a moment, Blake and Aliris did not know how to answer. They were just about to find some excuse to deceive her when Kana spoke directly.

“She’s dead. The black rat killed her while she was protecting you.”

Without waiting to see how the girl reacted, he continued, “Take her to see her mother.”

Joniel took the little girl by the hand and led her inside.

Very soon, the girl’s sobs rang out from within.

“Was that really the right thing to do?” Kecha asked.

“Children aren’t as fragile as you think. Hiding the truth only causes greater harm,” Popot said suddenly.

Kana nodded as well. “It would also be disrespectful to her mother.”

“What will happen to her in the future?” Aliris asked suddenly.

“The town has an orphanage specifically for the children of fallen soldiers. The count and the knights provide the funding.”

Blake offered a brief explanation, then added, “She still has a father.”

Her father, however, was still fighting at the front.

“Are there many boats in the town?” Kana asked Blake.

The sudden question left Blake momentarily bewildered. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.

“Other than fishing boats, the only vessel of any size is the one Your Highness traveled here on today.”

“Does anyone in town know how to build ships?”

That question stumped Blake.

“There are two shipwrights.” Joniel, who had just emerged from the room, answered.

The Kingdom of Saffro was surrounded by sea on three sides, so it had no shortage of shipwrights. There were also many carpenters who had worked in shipyards.

Moreover, this was a military town, where all sorts of military equipment were manufactured.

As a result, a great many craftsmen had gathered here. In fact, nearly every resident of the town possessed some kind of skill.

Some made armor, some worked leather, and some forged weapons. There were stonemasons for constructing fortifications, as well as carpenters and shipwrights.

“Then if I asked you to build several more large ships, could you do it?” Kana asked.

Joniel was a straightforward man and answered without hesitation. “I would have to seek the count’s permission.”

“Then bring those two shipwrights here. I have some questions for them.”

This request was easily fulfilled. Joniel quickly sent someone to summon the two shipwrights.

One of them appeared to be over fifty, old enough to be considered elderly. The other was only in his thirties and still in the prime of life.

“His Highness wishes to see you,” Joniel said plainly.

The two shipwrights immediately grew flustered. They looked at Kana, unsure how they were supposed to salute him, and finally moved to kneel.

Although they had heard that a prince was staying in the town, neither of them had ever met anyone of such exalted status in their lives.

Kana hurriedly said, “There is no need for formalities. I have some questions for you.”

The two shipwrights bowed slightly and listened respectfully.

“If I asked you to build several riverboats capable of carrying two or three times the population of this town, how long would it take?”

The two shipwrights exchanged glances. The older one answered, “That depends on how large they must be. If you mean a riverboat the size of the one in town, it can be built here directly. If there aren’t enough workers, it would take two or three years. With sufficient manpower, half a year should be enough.”

He then added, “But we would have to use the timber the town has stored.”

He was presumably referring to the riverboat Kana and the others had just traveled on.

At most, that boat could be packed with two or three hundred people.

The town itself had a population of seven or eight hundred.

“What if we only had half a month to a month?”

The question startled both shipwrights.

They shook their heads repeatedly. “Impossible, Your Highness. It simply cannot be done in that amount of time.”

“What if you built large wooden rafts instead?”

“Well…”

The two shipwrights had no idea what Kana intended to do and did not know how to answer.

The younger shipwright gritted his teeth and said, “If—if the river isn’t too fast and the waterway is calm, they might be usable temporarily.”

Kana had a general understanding now and nodded.

“All right. Those are all the questions I had.”

The two shipwrights hurriedly withdrew.

Everyone nearby had listened to the entire exchange, yet none of them had any idea what Kana was planning.

Only Joniel seemed to have guessed something. He looked at Kana.

“I’ll write to my uncle and discuss it with him.”

With that, Kana led Aliris toward their lodgings. Popot could only follow after him.