“Really?”
“He... hadn’t been thinking about it?”
“And here I was, thinking he was doing a pretty good job...”
A small commotion started among the adventurers.
“This guy’s smart, but sometimes he’s the world’s greatest idiot, isn’t he?”
“I can’t believe he’s so good at managing what’s under his nose, but he wasn’t even thinking about how it’d end up.”
“No way...”
“So he’s clueless...”
H-Huh?
As I stood there, puzzled, Menel sighed deeply and began to speak. “Even if you aren’t given land, you have the freedom to conquer unclaimed areas, don’t you?”
“Conquer? No, I don’t plan on doing anything like that.” Maybe back when I fell into that dark place where I was trying to do everything myself, but certainly not now. I didn’t want to be a ruler...
“Lemme ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“Say you’re someone who wants to start a business in these woods. Who do you go talk to?”
Well... That would be the person who’s started dealing with large transactions and is already working industriously to help me with just that sort of thing, namely—
“Tonio.”
“And the majority of Tonio’s capital is financed by you, right? If you pull your funding, Tonio gets hit hard.”
Yep... Hm?
“I don’t plan on doing that.”
“But you could, is the issue, right?”
Everyone else nodded.
“Apart from that, you have the blessing of the god of the flame and you’re a paladin sanctioned by the Kingdom and the temple. You’re authority incarnate! You have the military power, hiring all these adventurers. Oh, and you’re also arbitrating village disputes, so this place is literally your jurisdiction for all intents and purposes. And, as I just said, you also have control over goods distribution.”
I tried calmly to think of a counterargument. But... Huh? Wait... Wait, what? It was strange... I couldn’t think of... anything...
“Basically, in the process of wiping out the demons, you’ve effectively taken complete control of this region’s authority, military power, legal system, and the distribution of all its goods. The position is blatantly about to be yours, and we’re all behind you. If you suddenly renege on it with ‘I don’t want to do it’ there’s gonna be chaos, brother.”
My mouth hung open. Menel and all the others were looking at me with faces of disbelief.
“So you literally hadn’t realized?”
I could feel myself going pale as I nodded repeatedly back.
I’d simply been hoping that if I just did a little something about the demons and then improved the poverty situation a bit, the rest would just naturally work itself out, and I hadn’t really thought in any detail about what would come after. I’d just been vaguely thinking that I could saunter off into the sunset like my parents had.
“Uhhh...”
“Yeah?”
“Wh-What do I do?!”
In the end, those were the words that came out.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go... When my parents had solved issues like this, they’d departed the scene dashingly without any problem! Had I somehow screwed up right near the beginning, and I hadn’t even noticed?! Where?!
“I... I guess I have to... get some people? Umm... um...”
“You already have merchants and priests who know about law, don’t you? If you need anyone else, I’m sure you can get that duke to introduce someone to you.”
The bishop had apparently seen this development coming. I could understand the priests who knew about the liturgy and sermons, but now I understood why the bishop had given me people with experience in law and office work as well...
“Oh my God...”
I hadn’t realized just how big things had become. As I held my head, the people around me cheered and laughed at my reaction.
“Where did I go wrong for things to turn out this way...? Please, tell me, Gracefeel...”
I felt like I heard faint giggling. Her as well?!
A cool wind carrying the smells of greenery and earth blew by as we laughed together in our merry circle, the dazzling summer sun shining brightly on this faraway land.
— The Faraway Paladin II: The Archer of Beast Woods — Finis.
Afterword
To everyone who picked up this book, thank you very much, and to those who have been with me since Volume 1, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Kanata Yanagino here.
Four months after the first volume, I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to publish a second. It’s thanks to all of you who pick up my books. Thank you very much.
The text of this second volume is a revised version of what I posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou one year ago. In fact, I am finishing my revisions as I write this.
Looking back on myself a year ago, I remember that I was terribly agitated, confused, and frightened. The reason was obvious: it was because my environment was changing so drastically.
The parts corresponding to Volume 1, which I had posted as practice, became the subject of some discussion. I became listed in the site’s ranking tables. More and more people started posting their impressions. There was even talk of turning it into a book. The practice work which I simply assumed that people wouldn’t take to was treated to a reception far greater than I’d ever been expecting. I was both thrilled and shocked.
Because it was so popular, feelings of self-doubt and a fear of disappointing people welled up in my heart. Would I be able to continue writing stories of similar quality? I had to choose whether to go ahead with the book idea, not go ahead with it, or put the idea on hold; and I also had to consider how I could balance it with my current job. I couldn’t even have imagined these kinds of worries back when I was writing Volume 1 and overreacting at every little comment.
Of course, at the time, I didn’t have the right mentality to deal with a situation like that. I was overthinking everything and getting excited and depressed over the smallest things. Looking back, I’m now aware that I was pretty difficult to deal with.
I am very grateful for my creative associates, who were so patient with me during that period. They lent an ear to my confused and incoherent rambling. They gave me advice on my drafts. They took part in our usual random chats. And above all, they showed me their own works, always created at their own pace. All of us chatting night after night about each other’s works was a pleasure with no substitute. By looking at what my friends’ creations were like, I was able to continue typing away at my keyboard, even though I still felt very unconfident. This story, which started from a small idea, continues today thanks to the passion and enthusiasm I was able to borrow from them. For that, I am still truly grateful.
However, despite this, my writing was pretty rough due to the psychological state I was in. After I decided to revise the story for publication and looked back over it, I found something I thought I could have done a little better on everywhere I looked, and I had a real headache thinking about how to fix everything and fit it into a single volume. What to leave and in what form, how to change things, how to include new elements... Remaking something once it’s already finished is quite difficult. Unlike Volume 1, which came out very well in that sense, the second volume was a real struggle. I did everything in my power to improve it, and now, it’s like a completely new work. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it.
Finally, some acknowledgments.
To Kususaga Rin-sensei, who added marvelous illustrations to this book: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I jump for joy every time I lay eyes on one of your beautiful illustrations.