#1250 The Center of the World 

It’s me again. 
The world is buzzing with movement centered around the railway. 

They’re building a massive line to connect the Demon Capital and the Royal Capital, and I can already feel that we’re in for some big work. 

“Obviously, the distance between the Demon Capital and the Royal Capital is large. Laying track over all that is gonna take forever…” 
“Wouldn’t the orcs finish it in three days?” 

A brutally honest opinion from Platy. 
I want to argue, but I can’t. I mean, I want to hype this project up, but if she says “three days,” it completely kills the vibe.  
And yet… she’s right. They really would finish that fast. 

“If the line’s gonna be that long, then Alpha, Beta, and Gamma aren’t enough. We’ll need to start building Delta and beyond.” 

Ah, so onto Train Number Four, huh.  
Yeah, looks like there’s still plenty of work ahead. 

Also, what we really need to decide now is the route.  
Where exactly do we lay the tracks? 

“Even if the orcs can do heavy labor, we still can’t rely on them for reckless construction. It’ll just cause problems later when we’re running the line.” 

Platy’s right. 
We want as few elevation changes as possible, and the ground has to be solid. 

But there’s no way it’ll all be flatland from start to finish. We’ll have to dig tunnels and build bridges somewhere along the way. 

Thinking about it, this could turn into a years-long project. 

But it’s fine. I’ve got the orcs!  
And if it really comes down to it, I can drag Veil out to help! 

…Though honestly, for all my posturing, I’m just leaning on everyone else. It’s kind of pathetic. 

“That’s not true. The orcs and that idiot Veil are willing because it’s you asking. That’s your charm. Your virtue.” 

Thanks for the backup, Platy. 

Yeah, she’s right! The most important thing for a king isn’t power or brains, it’s virtue! 
One day, I’ll unite the Farm Kingdom, and when I do, it’ll be my virtue that sweeps away every obstacle! 

Oh, right! 
I’ve already made a very kingly decision that’s going to benefit the Farm Kingdom big-time when it comes to this railway expansion. 

“What? Really? What did you do?” 

This new line is gonna connect the Demon Capital and the Royal Capital, right?  
Well, I’ve decided to fold in the Farm Line. The one that already stretches out from Farm Station. 

“You mean extending the Rondmelt–Farm–San-chome line so it reaches both capitals?” 

That’s right! 
Since part of it’s already finished, it’ll cut down on work! 

But more importantly…  
The Farm Station will be right in the middle of the Demon–Royal Capital line. 
That’s important. 

Anyone traveling from Demon Capital to Royal Capital will pass through the Farm Kingdom. And anyone going the other way, too. 

Everyone goes through us!  
The benefits are immeasurable. 

And even better, by having Farm Station right between the two greatest nations of the continent, it’ll feel like we’re the center of the world! 

How about that? Pretty sly thinking, huh?  
But that’s how rulers think!  
Being a nice guy alone won’t let you govern. 

So, Platy! 
What do you think of your husband’s new level of statesmanship?! 

“…Ah, Dear, the Demon King and Ritheseus are here to see you.” 

Oh. I see. 
Well, let them in. 

I guess a princess-born like Platy doesn’t even blink at this kind of scheming.  
She really is a good wife, though, always surprising me even after all these years. 

Anyway... 
The Demon King and Ritheseus, huh?  

The two of them show up at the same time, like it was coordinated. 
Well, if they came for the same reason, that makes sense. 

Most likely, there’s been some new development in the railway project, and they’ve come to share the news. 

All right then! Time to welcome them properly! 
Tea and sweets, quickly! Today’s treat is sauerkraut! 

“Lord Saint, forgive the sudden visit.”  
“We’ve finished the preliminary route draft and wanted you to see it.” 

Ah, so that’s it. 

I’d already pitched the idea of folding in the Farm Line, and they both agreed it was smart.  

I’m sure it’s reflected in the draft... 

“All right, let’s have a look.”  
“Here you go.” 

Ritheseus hands me the route map, and the second I glance at it, my eyes go wide. 
Wide in shock. 

Hm? 
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? 

The line snakes everywhere, looping, U-turning, even circling around. 

It looks exactly like one of those “draw a single line through every square” puzzle games. 

“Uh… what is this supposed to be?” 

I can’t help but ask.  
Both the Demon King and Ritheseus look deadly serious. 

“We wanted to keep it simpler, we really did…”  
“But the number of feudal lords demanding a stop was way beyond what we expected. We tried to honor every request, and this is what happened...!” 

Well, of course!  
This draft route basically covers the whole country! The tracks just keep going on forever!  

I get it, though. Every single district and city wants the railway to come their way.  
Who wouldn’t? It’s free convenience—you’d be crazy not to ask for it. 

But if you try to satisfy everyone, then every single place ends up with its own station! 

And the real problem is trying to cram all of that into a single line.  
That completely destroys the whole point of trains being fast! 

“It’s such a detour… look at this section. It’s, what, ten times longer than going straight?” 

Platy points to a spot on the map. 
And she’s right!  
At that point, walking would be faster! 

The map is as tangled as the Tokyo Metro, but on just one single line is utter madness! 
Rejected!  
Sorry, but the draft needs to be resubmitted!!! 

“We knew it would come to this… Shax also told us that this won’t fly...!” 
“We just wanted to grant as many feudal lords’ wishes as possible…!!!” 

The two national leaders sound crushed, but this is non-negotiable.  
It risks destroying the entire purpose of the project. 

“Well, of course. If something that useful is being built, everyone wants it right at their doorstep.” 

…Platy?! 

“What you’re plotting, Dear, is the same thing everyone else is plotting, too.” 

Ngh! 
So that’s why she wasn’t impressed earlier?! 

She’s right, though. Who doesn’t want to live next to a station?  
If you could choose freely, of course you’d have the tracks run straight past your front door. It’s just common sense!!! 

“Well, your clever move was deciding to fold in the already-completed Farm Line. That’s your winning card. As long as that’s in play, our plan has a very good chance of being chosen over the others.” 
“And the guaranteed construction cost savings are a huge attraction.” 

Thank you kindly for the compliments… 

Still, this single-stroke puzzle of a subway map won’t cut it.  
At this rate, construction would drag on for decades. 

We need to slim it down and bring it closer to a straight line.  
Step one: cut the areas that cause ridiculous detours. That alone should get rid of the worst excesses. 

For the places that lose out, we’ll have to promise them new branch lines down the road. 
And so… our list of construction projects just keeps piling higher and higher…! 

It does look a lot cleaner now, closer to a sensible line... But even so, it still twists around like some kind of abstract artwork. 
If only we could trim it down further, narrow it to one strong, straight route… 

Are we gonna need a new strategy? 

========== 

the tokyo subway system is famous for its dense, tangled layout. A quick google search will show you how complicated and interwoven its subway map is