The Big Move

“Big Brother.”

“Oh? Right! Let’s get this show on the road.”

Georg nodded at Ferris’s prompt.

He then activated his wind magic, causing a strong wind to blow in the area. Of course, the demi-humans tried to use their arms to shield their faces from the dust and dirt that danced in the wind. At the same time Georg used his Earth magic to retrieve Nina, Kyle, and the other members of the Guard that had been hiding underground.

It was just like a dramatic entrance in a magic show. At first, Nina and the others were resistant when they heard Georg wanted to bury them underground. But this was the easiest way to keep them from being spotted by the humans. Even if they stood far away you couldn’t just hide a group of 40 people, and on the other hand, if they weren’t being hidden it was kind of unpleasant for that many people to stand around with their faces covered by hoods. Moreover, they had to consider the possibility of creating unnecessary tension if the opposite party saw that George had brought such a large group of armed guards.

After he explained his reasons they agreed to cooperate, though reluctantly. Well, even Georg felt that if he was told something like “I’m going to bury you in the ground”, he would start doubting the other person’s sanity. That said, it was going to be very difficult to take this many people to the city safely. There was the undeniable possibility of them becoming panicked at being lifted into the sky, on top of being shown Georg’s true form. For example, even if he was confident that he could catch anyone that fell, there was always the chance of an accident. It wouldn’t be a problem if the number of demi-humans was the same as last time, but today Georg gained more than 3 times the number of people. Thus, when the Guard Corp moved out, they spread out around the area in case anything happened, with Nina and Kyle following after them.

“Wha… B-Beastmen?”

“They have swords …?”

“And those clothes and armor …”

“And aren’t those two over there elves?”

“They’re wearing such beautiful clothes…”

“Their cheeks aren’t thin… I wonder if they get to eat good things…”

“Their hair is also beautiful…”

When the wind stopped, and when the demi-humans opened their eyes, they saw the two elves and Beastmen Guards standing in formation. The demi-humans couldn’t believe their eyes, and blinked in astonishment.
Georg looked satisfied by that response, and spoke while lowering his hood.

“Everyone! It is nice to meet you! I am the Dragunir, Georg Stanford.”

A ruckus sounded from the crowd as they took in his appearance and his words.

“The ones standing behind me are my family as well as the residents of our city. Not long ago, they were in the same position as you are in now. Like them, I want for you to come with us and live in our town. There are no humans there. The citizens there were the same as all of you, who have been unjustly oppressed by humans, until recently. You can learn to read and write and do basic arithmetic – like addition and subtraction – and from learning this, you can bit by bit  begin to support the city’s production, economy, and peace.”

When he said that, the crowd of demi-humans showed a variety of reactions.

“It has to be a lie…”

“There is no way such a good story exists…”

“A town of only demi-humans like us…”

“Bu…but, if it’s true…”

“A city we will help to develop…?”

“This feels like a dream…”

As expected, there were those with doubts among them. However–

“He’s not lying.”

“Indeed, we are the proof.”

“We’re here in this place now, able to stand proudly in front of you, because we were rescued by Georg-sama.”

“We’re given the freedom to live as free citizens, to do the work we want and learn the things we want.”

“Freedom entails responsibility, but at the same time gives you rights. The greatest right is to be healthy, to say you like what you like, to say you dislike what you dislike, and to be able to live however you want – within the limits of the law. And in our city it is forbidden to hurt others, whether you are a beast, elf, or dwarf.”

“We, the guards, will capture and punish those who break the law.”

“This sword and armor were given to me by Georg-sama: the noble man who believed us, saved us, and trusts in our loyalty.”

“We cannot force you to believe us, but at the very least, use your own eyes and ears to judge the truth for yourself.”

“If you still say that our words are lies, then I am willing to offer up my own head.”

“Please, I want you to believe in us and our Lord.”

Georg felt that the way the townspeople were trying to persuade the newcomers was starting to sound a little like they were trying to convert them to a new religion, but in the end he chose to remain silent. There were a lot of reasons for why a country might grow, after all. He also thought that if they actually came and lived for awhile, they would understand that there wasn’t any religious group.

And so, after a while:

“… I’m going with them.”

“… That’s right.There’s no point if we stay here.”

“It’s not like we can live any worse than we do now.”

“If there is hope I want to take a chance on it.”

“A demi-human-only city, our city…”

“Besides, there’s no reason for a Dragunir to  lie to us.”

“Yeah, if he felt like it, he could have just taken us without all that trouble.”

“Let’s… believe?”

Proactive words. They were hard to say confidently, but even just saying them was already a big step forward.

“Everyone, if you If you’ve made your decision, words are no longer necessary. We’ll take you to our city right away, but… if you would rather not, then I won’t stop you. If there’s anyone who doesn’t want to come, then don’t be afraid to speak up. I apologize for not being able to afford taking you to the nearest town, but I will at least set you free right here.”

Fortunately, no one took up Georg’s offer.

“… Okay, that’s that. Well then, I shall now guide you to the city.“

He paused here. Now then, the usual remark.

“Well now, ladies and gentlemen, have you ever flown in the sky?”

At those words, Ferris was exasperated, the natives wore a bitter smile across their faces, and the new prospective residents gave a puzzled look.

Georg gave a satisfied nod after seeing everyone’s reactions around him, then activated the magic.

As usual, at this moment only Georg’s face had a sly grin like that of a mischievous rascal. But it was one of Georg’s favorite pranks, and it always got people every time. He would still be doing this for a number of times from now on, and one day it would even be recorded as “Gardina Kingdom’s Founder’s miracle prank” or something like that in a distant future’s Gardina history book.

In order to build up this prank’s legacy for the future, Georg put his all in making sure that today’s show would be a big success.

This was a day that marked a new breath in the city of Gardina.